Church Covenant

Weekly Update – February 17th, 2022

Last week, we considered 1 Timothy 5:1-2 in our church gathering.  The emphasis on the church being the family of God especially came to the forefront of this passage.  Consider these short two verses again, “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”  Through our common redemption in Jesus Christ, we are not only individuals remade as “new creations” in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), but together we are “a holy temple” (Eph. 2:21), “one body” (1 Cor. 12:12) and a “spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:5). In other words, we are not simply reconciled to God to live our own lives apart from others.  Instead, when we are brought to God, we are placed into the people of God as we live with one another in the church as family. 

Since we are together, as the people of God, a family, it was only fitting that we read our church covenant this past Sunday.  Essentially, our church covenant is an agreement as to how we as individuals within the church will live with one another before the watching world around us. We might also call our covenant a promise as to how we will carry ourselves and act as Christians united together in the church.  What this also means is that a proper understanding of church membership is closely tied to how we use our covenant as well.  We do not bind the tenets of this document to any unbeliever who walks through our doors.  We commit ourselves, as Spirit led believers, to fulfill what we believe the Scriptures say in regards to how we will live our lives before our savior Jesus Christ.  We even say this at the beginning of our covenant, “Having been led….to receive the Lord Jesus Christ….and on our profession of faith, having been baptized….” (You can view the rest of our church covenant HERE)

Now why did we read it together before the Lord’s Supper?  Couldn’t we occasionally pass out the document and remind those gathered to read it to themselves once that got home?  Why did we spend an extra 3-4 minutes reading it?  Well, first, reading it together helps us to remember that we, together as the body of Christ, have committed to a standard to live by.  And by committing to that standard, we have agreed to hold each other accountable to it.  If there is no standard of accountability placed to this document, then what is the point of having it?  Reciting it together reminds us of this responsibility we have to each other.  In Joshua 8:30-35, the children of Israel did something very similar when they gathered on two mountains, facing each other to recite the covenant of Moses to each other.  It provided for them a reminder of the standard they had committed to, and also the responsibility they each had to hold each other accountable to that standard.

But why the Lord’s Table?  Some churches choose to read their covenant when new members are voted in by the congregation.  Others, read it before a member’s meeting.  Both of these are great times to do this.  I chose to have us read our covenant before the Lord’s Supper to remind us of the solidarity we have as the body of Christ united around our Lord’s death and resurrection.  It reminds us that as we take the bread and the cup of the Lord, that this is not just a “me and Jesus” type of moment.  This is a time where the body of Christ remembers how we were redeemed from sin and self and placed into God’s family for all of eternity. 

Our church covenant is not the Bible.  I think that we understand this.  But it is a great summary from the Scriptures of how we agree to live among each other.  We ought to keep it with great seriousness in holding each other accountable to the tenets explained within it.  Doing so, not only reminds us that we are in this walk with Christ together, but it also encourages us towards faithfulness to God and the church, as we live together, as the family of God. 

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities."
Psalm 103:8-10

Announcements:

RightNow Media: RightNow Media exists to provide resources that will inspire you to champion the mission Jesus gave to his people—making disciples of all nations. First Baptist Church wants to make these resources available to you. There is a sign up sheet in the hallway that asks for your name and email address. Sign up and gain access to the world’s largest library filled with Biblically-based videos on topics like marriage, parenting, youth, recovery, leadership, finances and much more.

Ladies Bible Study: Ladies, join us on Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm, for a Bible study through the book of Exodus. The study is a video based study led by Sheryl Nelson. There is a sign up sheet in the hallway, or sign up by contacting the church office. You can learn more about this 10 week Bible Study HERE

Help Box: In the welcome center there is a new “Help Box” located on the right counter, under the book store. This box is designed to provide you with a form of communication if there is anything physical or practical that you might need help with. The box will be checked on a fairly regular basis and help will be organized as needed. There are communication cards on the side of the box.

First Wednesday Prayer: Join us on Wednesday, March 2nd at 7:00-8:00pm in the sanctuary for an hour of prayer. On these evenings, we will have a mixture of structured and less structured times of prayer as we seek the Lord to move for our sake, the sake of our church, as well as the sake of our community and world.

Awana

Every Sunday at 5:45pm, children ages 3 years to 6th grade are invited to join us for Awana.

Bible Study

Join us in the Sanctuary at 9:15am on Sunday mornings for a study in the Spiritual Disciplines. A women’s Bible Study meets at the same time at then end of the hall near the nursery.

Join us on Sunday evenings at 6:00pm for a 6 week study through the Explicit Gospel. Books are available in the Welcome Center and are $10 each. We will meet in the sanctuary. You can find an introduction to this study HERE.

Giving

To Give Online, Go HERE. 

You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030

Prayer

An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE. 

Prepare for Sunday

Guide for Worship can be found HERE.