Church Covenant Study Our Church Covenant, Lesson 5 "We engage…to contribute cheerfully and regularly to…..the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor."
I. Who All the congregation I Corinthians 16:2 "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." II Corinthians 9:7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." Also see II Corinthians 8:13-14; 8:2 Nowhere in the New Testament is any one segment of the church singled out as being responsible for the finances of the church. II. How Voluntarily a. Willingly 2 Corinthians 8:3 "For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves." 2 Corinthians 9:7 see above b. Enthusiastically 2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:1-2 c. As proof of love 2 Corinthians 8:24 "Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf." See God’s example in John 3:16 III. How Much According to our ability I Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 8:12 According as we want to reap 2 Corinthians 9:6 IV. How Often Question to you… Should we give EVERY WEEK? What if we miss a Sunday? What if we are visiting another church? V. Are you willing? Then DO it. 2 Corinthians 8:11 "Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have."
"We engage…..to contribute cheerfully and regularly to….the spread of the gospel through all nation." 1. What is the Gospel? 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." 2. Who is Responsible for Its Spread? The church of the Living God Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." The apostles did not go into all the world. They were martyred. Thus, this commandment was not to them only, but to the church of Jesus Christ through all ages. Jesus promised to be with His church until the end of the age. 3. How is it Spread? Romans 10:13-14 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" 1 Corinthians 1:21 "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." Jesus and the apostles: Matthew 11:4-5 Spread into Samaria: Acts 8:5 In Pisidia: Acts 13:14,38 In Athens: Acts 17:15,18 4. How Do I Contribute to the Spreading of it? a. Prayers (I Thessalonians 5:25)
b. Finances (Luke 10:7)
"We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions…" I. What is Devotion? a. In the O.T., the word is used synontmously with "sanctify"; which means " set apart or separate". See Leviticus 27:21,22,28; Numbers 18:13-14 b. In the N.T., religious and God-fearing men were often called "devout" (Luke 2:25; Acts 2:5; 8:2)
Also used to describe pious men (Acts 10:2; Acts 22:12)
Also refers to those who held their religious activities in reverence (Acts 13:50; Acts 17:4,17)
c. The only time "devotion" is used in the Scriptures, it refers to objects of worship (Acts 17:23) II. Summary It would seem that our family and secret devotion would involve any activities whereby we recognize ourselves set apart to the service of God, or any activities whereby we worship Him or show our esteem for Him. III. We engage to maintain this on a FAMILY level May be done in a variety of ways: a. Prayer at meal time (Luke 22:19; Luke 24:30)
b. Family group studies of the Scripture and prayer Cornelius commended for it (Acts 10:2)
Commended in Timothy (2 Timothy 3:15)
c. Family prayer in emergiencies The habits of the family are reflected in the church! IV. We engage to maintain SECRET devotion Matthew 6:6 "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Daniel’s habit (Daniel 6:10)
David had regular appointments with God (Psalm 55:17)
Private study of the Word is essential and is devotion (2 Timothy 2:15)
Spirituality in the church is low when our family and secret devotion is neglected!!!
Bethel MBC 11/19/08
Lesson # 5
