Eager to Maintain the
Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace
“For, in the first place, when you come together as a
church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in
part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are
genuine among you may be recognized.”
(1 Corinthians 11:18-19,
ESV)
One reason we eat the Lord’s Supper
corporately is to declare the unity we have through Christ’s sacrifice. The Bible reminds us that through Christ we
have been granted the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and that we are
to maintain it eagerly (Ephesians 4:3).
One of the means we have in fighting to maintain the unity of the Spirit
is to declare together our responsibilities as covenant members of High
Pointe. Below is High Pointe’s proposed
church covenant.
Proposed Church Covenant
Having, as we
trust, been brought by divine grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ and to give up ourselves to Him, and having been baptized upon our
profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy
Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully renew our
covenant with each other.
We will work and pray for
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
We will walk together in
brotherly love, as becomes the members' of a Christian Church, exercise an
affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and
entreat one another as occasion may require.
We will not forsake the
assembling of ourselves together, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and others.
We will endeavor to bring
up such as may at any time be under our care, in the discipline and instruction
of the Lord, and by a pure and loving example to seek the salvation of our
family and friends.
We will rejoice at each
other's happiness and endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear each
other’s burdens and sorrows.
We will seek, by Divine
aid, to live carefully in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and
remembering that, as we have been voluntarily buried by baptism and raised
again from the symbolic grave, so there is on us a special obligation now to
lead a new and holy life.
We will work together for
the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, as we
sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines. We will contribute
cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the
church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all
nations.
We will, when we move
from this place, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can
carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.
May the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
with us all. Amen.
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