The Covenant

The Covenant of Church in the Boro

The members of Church in the Boro hereby solemnly and joyfully humble themselves before King Jesus, and affirm His description and requirements of them as set forth in this Church Covenant.

We are the Bride of King Jesus Christ

A. Christ is the Head of the Church in the Boro, as the Husband is the Head of His Wife (Ephesians 5:23)

Christ Shows His Headship over us in this local church in these ways:

1. We humbly and joyfully affirm that Jesus Christ showed His headship and love for the universal church (His Bride) and this local church by giving Himself up for us in death (Ephesians 5:25)

"He gave up his life for her..." (Eph. 5:25, NLT)

2. We humbly and joyfully affirm that Jesus Christ shows His headship and love for the universal church (His Bride), and this local church and we present ourselves in dependence upon and submission to Him for sanctification by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present us to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that we might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27).

"...to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault" (Eph. 5:26-27, NLT)

3. We humbly and joyfully receive the cherishing and nourishing which King Jesus gives the universal church (His Bride), and therefore this local church (Ephesians 5:29).

"...feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church" (Eph. 5:29, NLT).

4. We humbly and joyfully long for Him to return and take us to the place which He is preparing for us (John 14:2-4).

“There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare place for you…When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:2-3, NLT).

B. We covenant to live like we are betrothed to one husband, King Jesus Christ, having been promised to Him by God to be a pure bride (2 Corinthians 11:2).

C. We covenant to joyfully submit to King Jesus Christ in every way and at all times (Ephesians 5:24)

D. We covenant together to prepare ourselves for the return of the Bridegroom (Revelation 21:1-2), Jesus Christ, and His wedding feast in heaven by doing the following things...

1. Believing, Enjoying, and Making Use of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by wearing constantly and only the righteousness of Christ, and by performing constantly and only the righteous deeds that reflect our Husband (Revelation 19:7-8).

2. Maintaining diligent watch over our souls in order to not grow drowsy and fall asleep with this world (Matthew 25: 5).

We are the Spiritual Household of God

As a local reflection of the Bride of King Jesus, we are His spiritual household (Eph. 2:19, 20; 1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:5) inseparably unified (Eph. 4:4-6) to each other by the blood of Jesus (Eph. 2:16) for the salvation of the world (John 17:21-23). We therefore covenant with each other to do for one another what God Himself commands.

A. What we Covenant TO DO for One Another

1. We covenant to love one another.

• 1 John 3:11 – “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (ESV).
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 - "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (ESV).

2. We covenant to teach one another.

• Romans 15:14 - "I myself am fully satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another" (ESV).

3. We covenant to speak truthfully with one another in love.

• Ephesians 4:25 – “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another” (ESV).

4. We covenant to communicate spiritually and biblically to one another.

• Ephesians 5:19 – “…addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart…” (ESV).
• Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (ESV).
• 1 Thessalonians 4:18 – “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (ESV).

5. We covenant to encourage, exhort, and edify One Another

• 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (ESV).
• Hebrews 3:12-13 – “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
• Hebrews 10:23-25 – “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (ESV).

6. We covenant to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another.

• James 5:16 – “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (ESV).

7. We covenant to both initiate and submit to the loving care and discipline of our leadership and fellow saints.

• Ephesians 5:21 - "...submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."
• Galatians 6:1-2 - "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness...Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
• Matthew 18:15-20 - "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence 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, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector."

8. We covenant to give sacrificially, earnestly, and joyfully of our time, energy, and money through our local church to support the ministry and advancement of God's kingdom both locally and around the world.

• Matthew 10:8 - "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You have received without paying; give without pay."
• 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 - "We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints - and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us."
• 2 Corinthians 9:7 - "Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

9. We covenant to live at peace with one another and with those within our communities.

• 2 Corinthians 13:11 - "Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."
• Romans 12:17 - "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all."
• Romans 12:18 - "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

B. What We Covenant NOT TO DO to or for one another

1. We covenant not to sinfully judge one another.

• Romans 14:13 – “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (ESV).

2. We covenant not to speak sinfully about one another or to one another.

• Galatians 5:14-15 – “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another” (ESV).
• Ephesians 5:4 – “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (ESV).

3. We covenant not to allow pride to cause us to provoke or envy one another.

• Galatians 5:26 – “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (ESV).

4. We covenant not to lie to one another.

• Colossians 3:9 – “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (ESV).

5. We covenant not to speak sinfully about or against one another.

• James 4:11-12 – “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbour?” (ESV).
• Titus 3:1-2 – “Remind them…to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling…” (ESV).

6. We covenant not to complain against or about one another.

• James 5:9 – “Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door” (ESV).

7. We covenant not to hate one another.

• Titus 3:3 – “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another” (ESV).

8. We covenant to not sexually sin against one another.

• 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 6 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality…that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things…” (ESV).
• Ephesians 5:3 – “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (ESV).
  

Let it be known that on this day, August 24, 2008, the following members of Church in the Boro affirm their humble and joyful submission to this Covenant as a reflection of our love and life together.