OUR COVENANT

 

Having received and professed Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we enter into the following covenant knowing that we are dependent on the grace of God to keep it:[i]

                                                                                                       

                                                                                     PERSONAL FAITH

We will strive to develop a lifestyle of consistent prayer and Scripture study for the purpose of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.[ii] Amidst good or evil we will humbly and earnestly strive to lead lives which seek to express the holiness to which God has called us.[iii]

 

                                                                     RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BODY

We are committed to weekly worship, usually with this Body,[iv] and will seek to advance it in holiness, service and knowledge.[v]  We will hold to this church's worship, discipline and biblical teaching.[vi] We will give this Body pre‑eminence over all institutions of human origin.[vii] We will cheerfully give a portion of our incomes to support ministry, church expenses, relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We commend the biblical tithe as a measure of mature Christian giving.[viii]  We acknowledge our serving leadership as God‑ordained and will heed the guidance and direction given by it.[ix] We as a Body accept the responsibility of listening for and obeying the voice of the Lord.[x] We affirm that our union with Christ is our sole basis for community. Our relationships are not aimed directly toward one another, but rather are given to us through the Word and Person of Jesus Christ.[xi]

 

We further covenant to care for and counsel one another.[xii] We will put true love into action both individually and collectively through preaching of the Gospel and caring for the sick, poor and troubled.[xiii] Because of our commitment to the Lord and to each other, we are diligent to resolve anything which would hinder our relationship to God or to each other.[xiv] We will abstain from all that may act to prevent one who is unsaved from seeing or hearing the Gospel. We affirm that we are called to be a light shining in the darkness and to be a living witness of Christ's blessing and reign.  Our hearts are burdened as we seek the salvation of others.[xv]

 

                                                                                                FAMILY

We covenant that our children will be loved, disciplined and educated according to scriptural principles. We will strive to practice regular times of prayer and devotions with our family, realizing that the spiritual state of our family affects our own growth and relationship with God.[xvi]

 

                                                                    THE LARGER CHRISTIAN CHURCH

We as a Body are eager to establish fellowship with all other local bodies that are committed to Christ as personal Lord and Savior and who earnestly seek to be faithful in biblical teaching.[xvii]

 

                                                                                          CONCLUSION

We eagerly look forward to the return of Christ and to our participation in God's eternal Kingdom.[xviii] If and when we leave this Body, we will as soon as possible, unite with another church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.[xix]

In Christ's Name.  Amen!

 

 

[i]. Rom 10.9; John 1.12

[ii]. II Pet 3.18; 1 Pet 2.2

[iii]. I Pet 3.13; Col 1.9-12

[iv]. Heb 10.24-25

[v]. Acts 2.42-47

[vi]. Eph 4.11-16

[vii]. Eph 2.19-22

[viii]. II Cor 9.6-15; 1 Cor 16.2; Matt 23.23

[ix]. Heb 13.17; I Tim 5.17; Titus 1.5-9

[x]. I The 2.13; John 16.13

[xi]. I John 1.1-3

[xii]. Gal 6.1-2; Jas 5.16-20

[xiii]. Matt 25.31-46

[xiv]. Eph 4.1-3, 30-32

[xv]. Phil 2.5-16

[xvi]. Eph 6.1-4

[xvii]. I The 1.6-8

[xviii]. I Cor 15.51-58; Titus 2.11-13

[xix]. I Cor 12.12-13; Phil 1.1-6