A Covenant of Love (Your Church Covenant)
Andy Nagahara
1. We will love and serve God (Mark 12:28-30)
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' (Mark 18:28-30)
a. by making worship the highest priority in our life
b. by making tithe to him
2. We will love and serve each other (I John 3:16-18)
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1John 3:16-18)
3. We will love and serve the world (Matthew 5:13-16)
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)
Summary
Love is not defined by a feeling of affection or the desire to monopolize. In fact those things could make it even more difficult for us to love. God created us to love each other. God is defined by love and we have been created in that God's image. And yet we often find it difficult to love, because we follow our own desires instead of following God. That's why God chose to come into this world as Jesus Christ, in order to demonstrate what love is on the cross. Jesus says, "Follow me." When we begin to do that, we are also enabled to love little by little. Those who do not love God cannot truly love others. If you do not love others, you cannot truly love God, no matter how zealous you might be. And if we do not love each other, why would anyone want seek the love of the God we believe in? The Your Church Covenant is an expression of your resolve to do the most important thing you could do in your.
For Discussion
1) Why should we become members of a church?
2) How would you answer, if someone asks you, "What's the Your Church Covenant?"