We, the members…

OUR CHURCH COVENANT:
“We, the Members…”

Before we share the Lord’s Supper together, I wa= nt us to reflect for a few moments on our church covenant. It’s been awhile since we la= st read it together, but we’ll do so this morning in a different way: one paragraph at a time, followed by a brief reflection on its meaning.

Church covenants should reinforce good behavior—= when we’re being good, that is; and they should hold us accountable when we’re not.

It’s been my observation, though, that reading a church covenant when we’re obviously not abiding by it just makes some folks mad. They feel like they’re being manipulated or chastised, so it really doesn’t se= rve its intended purpose.

Well, I sense our congregation is ready to share our covenant together now—to do so in the right spirit, and for the right reasons. So, I invite you to = join with me, please, as we read the first paragraph.

(PAR. 1) We, = the members of Anderson First Baptist Church, having been led by the Holy Spirit to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and to become participants in this = body of baptized believers, do = joyfully and sincerely make this covenant together.

Let me tell you what this means to me—and, by th= e way, I would love to hear what it means to you as well, but we’ll have to = save that for another occasion. Th= is is what it says to me:

Our being together here, our association as members of= the FBC of Anderson, SC, is no accident. This is not a chance happening, but a divinely-orchestrated bringing together of people with gifts and abilities combined with a shared faith in Jesus Christ.

It’s a powerful combination; but this is not our= work, but God’s work. It̵= 7;s not our church, but His. So t= he process of leading us to Christ as Savior and Lord, then bringing us together here = as fellow believers, growing us up, and leading us forward—all of this is directed by the Holy Spirit.

It’s not a relationship to be taken lightly, friends. When two people beco= me husband and wife, they enter into the covenant of marriage.

Now, with marriage, there are legalities involved. A license is signed, promises are = made, and the whole relationship is backed up by the laws of the state of SC.

But no good marriage has to rely on legal documents to= make it work well. A good, lasting, g= rowing marriage is founded upon love—and love always motivates us to do far = more than what any law could ever require of us.

So, even though there are legalities involved, we don’t think of marriage as a contract, but a covenant—a relationship which we enter into voluntarily, but which at the same time is held in high esteem—cherished even--with both the husband and wife committed to making the relationship flourish and grow and last.

That’s what this relationship is about here̵= 2;our church family. We enter into = the relationship freely—no one forces it on us. But, just as with marriage, if it is a truly blessed relationship, G= od has a hand in it. Our being together is no accident. There’s purpose in this covenant we share together! And there is joy!

Two Scripture passages come to mind here: <= /o:p>

1) 1 Corinthians 12:= 12-13a--The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. ¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…

2) John 15:11--I hav= e told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Please join me now for the reading of the second parag= raph:

(PAR. 2) We w= ill express our love for God by worshipping

Him, studying= and growing in His Word, communing

with Him in p= rayer, and giving of our lives and

resources to accomplish His mission in this world.

(Jesus told us we are to love the Lord, our God…)<= /i>

Jesus told us we are to love the Lord, our God, with a= ll our heart, soul, mind, and strength—but how do we demonstrate our love for God?

Our covenant tells some of the most important ways rig= ht here: worship, Bible study, prayer, and stewardship. Being responsible and disciplined = in these areas, giving them the priority they deserve, shows that our love for= God is real.

In John 4:23, Jesus = said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers= the Father seeks.”

And Luke tells us concerning the early church, (Acts 2:42) “They devoted them= selves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread a= nd to prayer.”

Demonstrating our love for God is not difficult really= . It just requires discipline—= a willingness to be faithful to the Lord. <= /p>

And there is another way we show we’re serious a= bout the Christian life. We get in= volved in the mission to which God has called us—so let’s read paragra= ph three:

(PAR. 3) We w= ill express our love for others by sharing with them the Good News of Jesus Chr= ist, praying for them, and participating in ministries which reflect God’s love for all people.

Our mission is clear: sharing the Gospel and caring fo= r people. The first assignment is best expre= ssed in the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19-20--Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in= the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with= you always, to the very end of the age."

We are to share the G= ospel of Christ with the world, beginning right where we live. But as has often been noted: ̶= 0;They will not care how much we know until they know how much we care.” So earlier in Matthew, we also find these words of our Lord:

Matthew 25:34-36--"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for y= ou since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave= me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you cloth= ed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to vis= it me.'

Followers of Christ care for the whole person: body, m= ind, and soul. This is our mission= .

Finally, there’s this matter in our church coven= ant of how we relate to one another. We see this in paragraph four—read it with me, please:

(PAR. 4) We w= ill express our love for the life we experience together in Christ by faithfully gathering with our chur= ch family to strengthen and encourage one another, caring for each other in ti= mes of joy = and sorrow= , and seeking always to maintain the health and growth of this congregation.=

There’s a story about an actor who was pla= ying the part of Christ in the Passion Play of the Ozarks. As he carried the cross up the hil= l, a tourist began making fun of him, shouting insults at him.

Finally, the actor had had enough. He threw down his cross, walked ov= er to the tourist, and punched him in the mouth.

After the play ended that day, the director told him, "I know that fel= low was being a pest, but you can’t do that. You’re playing the part of J= esus, and Jesus never retaliated. So don’t let anything like that happen again."

The actor promised he wouldn’t. But the next day, the heckler was = back--and he was even worse than before. This continued until the actor simply exploded, punching him once again.

(The director said, "That̵= 7;s it…)

The director said, "That’s it. I have to fire you. We just can’t have you behavi= ng this way while playing the part of Jesus."

But the actor begged, "Please give me one m= ore chance. I really need this job, and I know I can handle it if it happens again." So the director decided to give him another chance.

The next day, he once again carried his cross up the street; and sure enoug= h, the heckler was back. You cou= ld tell that the actor was trying to control himself, but it was getting the b= est of him.
Finally, when he could stand it no longer, he lo= oked at the heckler and said, "Listen, buddy, I’ll meet you outside&#= 8230;right after the resurrection!"

I trust none of us resemble those remarks—= but at times, we may. =

Listen for just a moment to how important the un= ity of the church is for Jesus. J= esus prayed in the Upper Room with His disciples, just before He went out to face the cross. Listen:=

John 17:20-21--"= ;My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹that all of them may be one, Father, ju= st as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world = may believe that you have sent me.

To paraphrase Jesus’ words: ‘Father, make = them one and keep them that way—in a relationship that reflects the sweet unity we have among us—because, otherwise, nobody’s going to believe Me or them!’

The Apostle Paul was = reflecting Jesus’ prayer when he said to the church: (Ephesians 4:32)—“Be kind and compassionate to one anot= her, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

It’s all about treating others with the gracious= ness and compassion that we have first received from God. You think someone has hurt you, or neglected you, or taken you for granted in some way…well, how does it compare with the way you and I have hurt, and neglected and taken God for granted?

God manages to get over it—shouldn’t we, friends? We can—we must—or disunity will destroy our witness and work for God.

But, again, as we said at the outset, what needs to ha= ppen in this church and in every church is not something we can accomplish on our own. And so, in the last para= graph, we read…together again:

Trusting in G= od’s grace to accomplish these thin= gs

in and throug= h us, we make this covenant together. AMEN.

Good churches are always a work of God’s grace.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> And…we’re always a wor= k in progress. The Lord’s Su= pper serves as a reminder.

We have sins and shortcomings that must be forgiven. And we have potentials that need t= o be realized as God continues His work among us, making us one in Christ.

This is what Paul is getting at when he asks (1 Cor. 10:16-17)—̶= 0;Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the = body of Christ? ¹⁷Becau= se there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

There it is again.&nb= sp; As we share the bread and cup together now, pray for the unity of th= is body and for the mission that is ours together.

Pray for our ministry to one another and to our commun= ity, and for our witness to the world.

Pray that this congregation will always honor Christ a= nd bring joy to all those who choose to be = “We, the members of Anderson First Baptist Church…”= ;

Let us prepare our hearts now for whatever God chooses= to do in and through us as we share the Lord’s Supper together.

Our hymn of invitation is--this also serves as our invitation to the Lord’s Table this morning.

Two Scripture passages come to mind here: <= /o:p>

1) 1 Corinthians 12:= 12-13a--The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…

2) John 15:11--I hav= e told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

In John 4:23, Jesus = said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers= the Father seeks.”

There’s a story about an actor who was pla= ying the part of Christ in the Passion Play of the Ozarks. As he carried the cross up the hil= l, a tourist began making fun of him, shouting insults at him.

The actor promised he wouldn’t. But the next day, the heckler was = back--and he was even worse than before. This continued until the actor simply exploded, punching him once again. (The director said, "That̵= 7;s it…)

The director said, "That’s it. I have to fire you. We just can’t have you behavi= ng this way while playing the part of Jesus."

Finally, when he could stand it no longer, he lo= oked at the heckler and said, "Listen, buddy, I’ll meet you outside&#= 8230;right after the resurrection!"

I trust none of us resemble those remarks—= but at times, we may. =

Listen for just a moment to how important the un= ity of the church is for Jesus. J= esus prayed in the Upper Room with His disciples, just before He went out to face the cross. Listen:=

John 17:20-21--"= ;My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, ju= st as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world = may believe that you have sent me.

1) 1 Corinthians 12:= 12-13a--The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. ¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…

The actor promised he wouldn’t. But the next day, the heckler was = back--and he was even worse than before. This continued until the actor simply exploded, punching him once again.

(The director said, "That̵= 7;s it…)

John 17:20-21--"= ;My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹that all of them may be one, Father, ju= st as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world = may believe that you have sent me.