C H U R C H C O V E N A N T P T . 3

The Shoreline______________________________________Thoughts while crossing the Bridge

The Church Covenant- part 3:

Our Church Covenant states:

“We commit ourselves to the disciplines of our Faith:

1. Studying the Scriptures diligently

2. Praying regularly

3. Fellowshipping with one another faithfully

4. Discerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our midst

5. Abstaining from that which is contrary to Christ’s teaching and

6. Acknowledging that our time, abilities, and resources are trusts from God to be used according to God’s will and claim on our lives.

” I added the numbers so that it is easier to read that to which we have

committed. As I read these words, it occurs to me that some of us have never heard of this “Covenant” and certainly have not committed to it. We might need to revisit it and our requirements for membership as well? Whatever the case committing to this part of the covenant alone could be life changing. SOAP- Early on in our ministry at OBC I suggested that we all SOAP together. Not meaning that we bathe together, but rather that we S- read the Scriptures together; O- Observe what God is saying to us; A- Apply

God’s word to our lives and P- Pray for understanding and strength to be obedient to God’s written will for our lives. Roman’s 12:1-3 summarizes this really well. By reading His word and submitting to it we learn to, as Larry Gritton suggested, “not do you but to DO JESUS”.

Even when spoken with a southern accent those are great words of wisdom.

-Pastor Brian

C H U R C H C O V E N A N T P T . 2

As I stated last month, during a leadership retreat in which we read and discussed our constitution and by-laws we discovered that church members are called to subscribe to our Church Covenant. It was suggested that we make that Covenant more public and so I’m sharing that Covenant in pieces over the next few months, hopefully leading to a Church wide movement to reaffirm this agreement that we have with each other. This month we’ll cover this paragraph: “We commit ourselves to the work of Christ’s Church, upholding the worship of God and the ordinances of Holy Baptism and Communion, seeking through example and word to reveal Christ to others, teaching the truths of God in Christ, contributing as cheerful stewards to the support of the local and universal Church and its mission, ministering to the needy and those whom Christ would serve, and striving for justice and peace among the peoples of the world.”

It seems to me that this part of the Covenant involves inward and outward commitment.

The inward asks us to commit to each other through the ordinances of the Church and

to the financial support of the Church. A corporate commitment to each other that requires us to celebrate those things together, in person, when possible but always as a priority in our lives.We are faced with so much busyness. Slow down? Celebrating Communion in and of itself calls us to peace with each other. It’s hard to make peace in absence. The outward aspect of this part of the covenant involves us engaging the mission of the church, of making disciples, taking Jesus to those who are not like us. Again, the choices, and they are many, get in the way because often people see our choices and miss Jesus. We become alienated from those around us.

The enemy says,

“It’s easier to just be alone, why deal with it."

That’s not God’s way. Let’s talk.

See ya’ll in church.

-Pastor Brian

C H U R C H C O V E N A N T P T . 1

At our recent Leadership Retreat we discovered that as members of Ogunquit Baptist Church we are to subscribe to our

CHURCH COVENANT. You can find a copy of that covenant in the back of our hymnal. It was suggested and received that we as a fellowship of believers ought to review that covenant periodically. This month I thought that we would look

at the first 2 paragraphs of the COVENANT. (Members of the Ogunquit Baptist Church adopt the following covenant which expresses their intent to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all matters of congregational life and daily living):

“Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and having declared the same in baptism, we solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.

We promise, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to seek to love one another as Christ loved us: sustaining each other with Christ-like concern, remembering each other in prayer, aiding each other in sickness and distress, being slow to take offense and always ready for reconciliation.” Philippians 2: 1-5 presents us with a Biblical foundation for these 2 paragraphs of the COVENANT:

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…” Paul The Bible also gives us a very practical process for solving conflict in the church in Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the 2 of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” Jesus

The purpose of any covenant is for us to find agreement on how we are to believe and behave in the local Body of Christ, so that those on the outside looking in might see our fellowship and say,“My, see how they love one another.”

This especially true for our children and grandchildren.

Let’s talk.

Pastor Brian