RESONATE CHURCH COVENANT
Covenanting—We believe covenanting is agreeing to walk the journey of faith in Christ together by being deliberate and intentional in encouraging each other to sound forth the supremacy of Christ in all things.
The question then must be asked who is the ‘together’. In Scripture this ‘together’ is called the church. Not some building made up of wood and concrete, bricks and mortar but made up of the blood bought children of God; past, present and future. The church—the gathering together of a local community of people (Resonate) who are seeking to live by faith in Christ and grow up into maturity in our relationship with God and each other. We believe that to accomplish this we need to be intentional and deliberate that we might remain focused on our calling—to make much of God—and this is to be done together as we spur one another on to love and good deeds for the glory of God, this we call covenanting.
Purpose of the Church –To declare the manifold wisdom of God (Ephesians 3:10) Sound forth the supremacy of Christ in all things to all peoples by:
Going life on life;
- With God—in worshipping him for who He is.
- By regularly meeting together under the preaching of the word of God (Hebrews 10:23-25)
- Believing that God has revealed himself to humanity through His inerrant, infallible word
- Through our prayerful interaction with God in His word by His spirit, we desire to behold His glory that we might be transformed into His image (2Corinthians 3:18; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:17)
- With Each Other- with a purposeful determination to know Christ and spur one another on to worship God for who He is.
- Seeking to Nurture each other in our pursuit of Holiness
- To present everyone mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28).
- To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13).
- A Community of people who profess the Lordship of Christ through saving faith (Romans 10:9-10).
- Joining Others on the Journey of Faith
- We have been created by God to display him together (1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4).
- In ministering together and to each other in the power of the spirit, God is glorified in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4).
- With the World --- in being conduits of grace in the way that God has made us that others might join us in worshipping God for who He is.
- Go into the world and make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20)
- Ministers of grace (1 Pet. 4:10-12; Romans 12:3-8)
- We are the visible expression of Jesus Christ in the Comox Valley (1 Corinthians 12).
Some of the Biblical Expectations and Responsibilities for Covenanting Together
- An unconditional grace fueled love for each other (1 John 3:16; John 13:34-35)
- A tenderhearted, forgiving community (Ephesians 4:32)
- Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)
- Pray for one another (James 5:16)
- Comfort one another (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
- Display a Spirit of Generosity (2 Corinthians 8:1-15; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
- Help one another when in need (Acts 2:4)
- Bearing one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2; Romans 15:1-2)
- Spiritual responsibility to one another and the glory of Christ (Galatians 6:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Matthew 18:15-20; James 5:19)
- Loving each other in such a way showing that we belong to Jesus (John 13:34-35)
Walking The Journey Together
We all know that to walk in a way worthy of our calling as we follow Christ will not always find us on level ground. We will find ourselves at times wandering, straying and coming up against obstacles that will challenge us in living out our faith. We believe that we must covenant with each other, it is a declaration of our intention to invest ourselves in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ that we might better able bring Him Glory. It is where we open up our hearts to one another in walking together with a sense of Spiritual responsibility for the welfare of each others souls. It is where we seek to remind each other that we are in this together, we are the church, the body of Christ, the blood bought redeemed of God who He has caused to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that together as the body of Christ we might bring as much glory to God as possible.