Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,
This coming Sunday I will begin a new series of sermons on the church – its nature, its purpose, how it should function, and what it means for us to be a part of it. I believe this will be very helpful, instructive, and encouraging for us, especially as we enter into our regular church life and routine following the Covid disruption. The church is such a wonderful gift God has given us, and I think we will see that more clearly as we work our way through this series.
As a guide for this series, I will be using our Church Covenant. Perhaps not everyone reading this is even aware we have a Church Covenant! But we do, and I have copied it below. This is what we ask all new church members to affirm in joining IBCZ. It is actually a great summary of what we should commit ourselves to as followers of Jesus, and thus of what the church should look like.
I invite you to read it and reflect upon the various statements, using the included Scripture passages to direct you to help prepare yourself for the upcoming messages.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Bob
COVENANT
As members of this Church we will:
- worship together (Acts 2:42-47);
- seek to know more about God (2 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 2:2) and about how to live as followers of Jesus Christ (John 13:14-15; Mark 8:34);
- encourage others to become Christians (Acts 5:42);
- nurture relationships with fellow believers (Ephesians 4);
- minister to the needs of one another (1 Corinthians 12:25) and to the needs of those outside our fellowship (Romans 15:26);
- support this Church by our personal involvement (Hebrews 10:24), attendance (Hebrews 10:25), prayer (James 5:16), and financial contributions (2 Corinthians 8-9).