The
Covenant of
With
Commentary
Our church covenant was
adopted February 12, 1839 and has been at the center of our church’s life and
faith for more than 165 years. Because we ask every member to affirm the
covenant, we offer this version with commentary. Our hope is that our
understanding of this covenant will grow and deepen with the passing years.
Having
been brought, as we trust, by divine grace,
By acknowledging that we have been brought here by
grace, we recognize that none of us has earned a place at the foot of the cross
or around the communion table. Grace is the undeserved favor of God. Membership
in this church is open to all. Jesus came to help those in need, and that
includes all of us. No one
should worry about being good enough to belong here.
to
embrace the Lord Jesus Christ, and to give ourselves wholly to Him,
Being a Christian is not about having the right
beliefs; it is about following Jesus, reaching out and embracing Him,
giving ourselves wholly to Him. This is more an ongoing process than a
one-time event. Whenever we pray like Jesus did in Gethsemane, “not my will,
but yours be done,” we are moving in the right direction.
we
do now solemnly and joyfully covenant with each other
A lot of churches are much better at being solemn
than they are at being joyful. Our church wants every program and worship
service to be something that is not simply endured, but actually celebrated. We
take our faith seriously, but not so much that we forget how to laugh at life
and even at ourselves.
to
walk together with brotherly love.
The use of the term brotherly love is
certainly not in any way intended to exclude women! This church is one that
believes women and men alike are called and gifted for service and leadership.
For many years we have featured women as well as men in any and every
leadership position. God may have created gender differences, but inequality
was never part of God’s plan.
We
do therefore, in His strength, agree
Baptists have a reputation for disagreeing about
almost everything, and it is a reputation that is too often deserved. Our
church understands, however, that in unity there is strength. We attempt to
move forward by consensus whenever possible, listening carefully and
respectfully to each other (even when we disagree) and always seeking to
discern God’s will.
that
we will exercise a loving care and watchfulness over each other;
In some large churches it might be possible to
remain anonymous. The First Baptist Church of Royal Oak is definitely not that
kind of church. There will always be people who notice whether you are present
or absent, and who care about what is happening in your life. We don’t want to
intrude on anyone’s privacy, but we do want express our care and concern.
praying
for, exhorting, encouraging and admonishing each other as the occasion may
require;
It is important to note that each of these is to be
done as the occasion may require. In the midst of a personal crisis,
there may be times when we want to be alone and other times when we want to
talk with someone. Sometimes we might even need to be challenged to change our
ways. To everything there is a time and a season.
and
as members one of another seek to promote the growth of the whole body
These are the days of “consumer churches.” That
means people shop around until they find a church that meets their needs. Such
an approach is typical of American culture, but is at odds with a biblical
understanding of the church. Every church would benefit if people said to themselves
each time they entered worship, “Today is not about me.”
in
Christian knowledge, holiness and comfort;
These three characteristics are quite familiar, but
not usually put together. Some churches excel in knowledge and others
place great emphasis on holiness, but not many of these would
necessarily be places where people would find comfort. This is what God
calls us to be and do. We want people to have a clear sense of belonging and
feeling at home.
that
we may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God;
Maybe this explains why it is so hard for churches
to do all they are supposed to. If they did, they would stand perfect and
complete in all the will of God.
This might sound impossible, but not if we think about it as being
“whole-souled.” Not everyone in our church necessarily fits this description,
but you will feel blessed anytime you get to know someone who does.
that
we will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together;
Some of the best images
of the church have to do with branches. For instance, individual twigs can be
easily broken, but twigs bound together are amazingly strong. Isolated twigs
that catch fire will soon die out; twigs gathered together, however, can build
a roaring fire. Those who choose to live isolated lives as Christians can never
be all that God wants them to be.
but
will uphold the public worship of God and the ordinances of His house;
Some think of worship as
an obligation to fulfill; we prefer to think of it as an opportunity to grasp.
After all, living as a Christian in the midst of a fallen world is not an easy
matter; being in church each Sunday provides the strength and motivation we
need to rise to the challenge.
and
cheerfully contribute of our property as God prospers us,
No one at this church
will tell you how much you should
give, but we will tell you how you
should give: cheerfully. The offerings we make are neither taxes nor bribes. We
believe that giving 10%, saving 10% and being content to live on 80% is an
admirable goal for all who live in a culture of affluence that has never
learned the meaning of “enough.”
for
the maintenance of a faithful ministry of the Gospel among us,
Churches have three major
expenses: the people who work here
(those on our staff need to earn a living), the place where we meet (utilities are costly and maintenance needs
never seem to go away), and the programs
we offer (we want to make a difference in people’s lives both in our own
community and around the world). Maintaining all of these is a challenge!
the
support of the poor,
This church believes that
keeping those living in poverty out of sight, out of mind, and out of our lives
is definitely not what God wants. We provide space for Mobile Meals and host a
Community Lunch each week. We support the South Oakland Shelter, Habitat for
Humanity, and many other programs that not only seek to assist those who are
poor, but to treat them with dignity and respect as well.
and
the spread of the Gospel into all the world;
American Baptist
missionaries are worthy of our support because of their effectiveness over the
past two centuries. ABC missionaries have not operated from the false
assumption that American culture is superior to the culture of other lands, and
they have sought to “work themselves out of a job” by training local people to
take full control of the mission work in their own country.
that
in our homes we will not omit personal and family worship;
Families today are often
pulled apart by hectic schedules and multiple activities. Studies show that
families who talk with each other over meals and other family activities have
fewer problems with drug use, teenage pregnancies, and similar modern problems.
Perhaps this is another version of the old phrase: “The family that prays
together, stays together.”
nor
neglect to train our children and those under our care
Even the best educational
systems rarely offer help with life’s major questions: 1) How do I build
healthy relationships at home and at work; 2) How do I find a career that
brings satisfaction and fulfillment? 3) How do I discover meaning and purpose
in life? Ultimately these questions are best addressed within churches and
homes.
for
the service of Christ and the enjoyment of heaven;
Some churches act as
though Christian faith is little more than an eternal life insurance policy
that allows someone to avoid hell and gain heaven. Our church is one that
believes strongly God has much for us to do while on earth. We support mission
and we are involved in mission. We believe everybody can and should help somebody.
that,
as in baptism we have been buried with Christ and raised again to walk in
newness of life,
Baptists do not believe
that baptism washes away our sins or saves us from God’s judgment. We believe
baptism is an outward expression of what God has already done within us.
Believers (this means adults and children alike who are old enough to make
their own decisions) are baptized by immersion as a means of identifying with
the death and resurrection of Christ.
and
as we are declared to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth;
The scandal of today’s
church is that we are so much like everyone else in the world in spite of God’s
intention that we be something different. Light is nothing like darkness; salt
both brings flavor to food that is bland and preserves food that is subject to
decay. Our church must not settle for being pale imitations of these powerful
symbols.
we
will seek Divine aid that we may deny ungodliness and every worldly lust
Good intentions become
life changing realities about as often as New Year’s resolutions are fulfilled.
We have little hope of being truly different from everyone else in the world
unless we rely on Divine aid rather than on our own good intentions and
best efforts.
and
walk circumspectly in the world,
To walk circumspectly
means to give consideration to the consequences of our actions. This is not as
easy as it might seem. We tend to ignore the predictable consequences of what
we do, or as one person put it, “We sow wild oats throughout our lives and then
hope for crop failure.” We also need to consider that our choices have
unintended consequences as well.
endeavoring
to live to the glory of Him who has called us out of darkness into His
marvelous light.
An animal that has lived
in captivity throughout its life generally has no idea what to do when given
freedom. We may not like to think this has anything to do with us, but it is no
simple matter to walk in His marvelous light when we have spent so much
of our lives in darkness.
And
may the God of Peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ,
Sometimes we think of
those who seek peace as being weak in contrast to those whose response
to any provocation is to show their readiness to fight. We must remember,
though, that there is no power greater than that which raised Jesus Christ from
the dead. Working for peace often calls for greater strength and courage than
waging a war.
the
great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant,
Jesus is described in the
Bible as being the great Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep and
as the innocent lamb whose blood has paid the price of our sin. These
contrasting images show the wonder and mystery of the miracle that happened on
the cross.
make
us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is
well-pleasing in His sight,
Being perfect is
not something that we ever imagine to be possible; we know our sinful nature is
such that even our best efforts are tainted and destined to fall short. What
God offers, however, is to make us perfect by working in us. The
secret to pleasing God is not that we become so good that we gain God’s
approval, but that we open ourselves up to allowing God to work within us.
through
Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Ultimately, our church is not our church; we are God’s people and Christ is the head of the body
of believers known as the First Baptist Church of Royal Oak. If we can only
remember whose we are, it will truly
be possible for Jesus Christ to be glorified by what happens here. To this
truth we say, “Amen,” which means,
“So be it.”
Dave N … Nov 2004