Having been led by the Holy Spirit to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the public confession of our faith, having been immersed in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we so now, in the presence of God and this assembly, solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another. As we are one body in Christ, so shall we be one in this local assembly.
We purpose, therefore, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the growth of this church in all knowledge, holiness service, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to attend it services regularly; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to give it preeminence over all institutions of human origin; to give faithfully of time and talents in its activities; to contribute cheerfully in its activities; to contribute cheerfully as God has prospered us, to support the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor members, and the spread of the gospel throughout all nations by supporting missions and missionaries directly.
We also purpose to maintain family and private devotions; to train our children according to the Word of God; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our conduct; to avoid all gossip, backbiting and unrighteous anger; to abstain from all forms of fleshly or worldly activities which dishonor our Lord Jesus Christ, cause stumbling to a fellow believer or hinder the winning of a soul to Christ; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the cause of Christ, our Savior; and to give him Preeminence in all things.
We further purpose to encourage one another in the blessed hope of our Lord’s return; to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, mindful of the rules to our Savior to seek it without delay.
We moreover purpose that when we remove from this place we will as soon as possible unite with some other church of like faith and order where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word. In the event there is no such church, we shall seek, with the Lord’s help, to establish one.
2 Comments
Hello, I have a few questions… “baptismal authority,” who has it and where did it come from? What church bodies are legitimate and why? Are the things the disciples did in The first century available to us today, why or why not?
Thank you.
Sincerely, Bear
Bear,
Please review our beliefs page here Our Beliefs for an answer to your question about baptismal authority under Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Several scripture references are supplied. This page discusses the authority for the local church. There are some things that the early disciples did as Jewish believers ministering to the nation of Israel. The Book of Acts describes the transition from a Jewish economy under the Old Testament to The Church (and primarily dealing with Gentile) in the New Testament. Because of this, a New Testament believer needs to be very careful about getting doctrine from the Book of Acts. A good book to read would be Dispensational Truth by C. I. Scoffield that discusses this transition.
Br. Dan