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The third paragraph of our Covenant states, “We also covenant to maintain family and personal devotions; provide religious education for our families; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk cautiously and wisely in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our commitments, and passionate in our efforts to spread the gospel for the sake of the kingdom of our Savior..”
As we see, our covenant together extends outside the walls of our church building. This paragraph is almost entirely devoted to the things we do as a church while we are not meeting together. We must constantly remind ourselves that we are not just the church on Sunday mornings, or even Sunday nights or Wednesday nights. We are the church of Jesus Christ 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Just as God never leaves us or forsakes us, we never cease to be his people. That simply means that we continue to be in covenant together even when we are not physically together. I love the emphasis placed on the family in the opening phrases of this paragraph. We are charged with the solemn duty, responsibility and joy of nurturing our children in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Children’s time in Sunday School and church activities should not be the only time of learning about the faith. In fact, those times should really be a supplement to the growth that is happening in the home. Parents are directly and ultimately responsible for the education of their children according to the principles of Scripture. We must not abdicate this responsibility to anyone. The church body is a support, not a substitute. I am thankful that Stephenie Stokes and so many other volunteers are emphasizing this important goal of family worship each week as our children gather together at Oak Crest. Did you notice the third phrase? We are in covenant together to share our faith through our actions and our words with our friends and neighbors. I don’t know about you, but I need constant improvement in this area. It should be a top priority of our lives to share the gospel with the people in our lives. As the final phrases of the paragraph imply, we sometimes share the love of Christ through our lives and actions. Only in Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit can we even hope to be wise and just and faithful in all our dealings. As we live out this covenant together, day by day we will be making Christ known in our community. Integrity and honesty and hard work are increasingly rare in our culture. God is ready to use us to be a blessing to others. I am reminded of the old hymn, Make Me a Blessing, “Make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine, make me a blessing, O Savior I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.” In Christ, Blain Craig
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The second paragraph of our Covenant states, “We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk in Christian Love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote the church’s prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations.”
I gladly and joyfully recommit to this noble ambition. If we truly understand what the church of Jesus Christ really is, we will not shy away from this commitment, but fully and gloriously embrace this Covenant. The first part of the paragraph is crucial. It is only by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are able to be faithful to Christ and each other. Also, the Spirit leads us to do something. He leads us to walk in Christian love. The Covenant we share with one another is grounded in love. The Bible says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love,” (1 John 4: 7-8). What does love in the church look like? Love results in our striving for the church to be more like Christ. We want each other to grow in knowledge and holiness and comfort in the Lord. In His word, God has shown us that this maturity in Christ comes as we encourage and support and edify one another in Christ. That is why it is vitally important that each and every one of us actively sustains all that the church is. How do you think of your role at Oak Crest? Is it merely the church you happen to attend to hear preaching and sing songs? Or is it your covenant family that God has joined you to for your good and growth? As we each are conformed to the image of Christ, the church becomes healthier. That means we support the gospel work with our presence and our gifts and talents, as well as our financial support. As we contribute to the budget and various other special offerings such as Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon, we are doing kingdom work both here and all over the world. I hope you will join me in diligently praying for the health and well-being of Oak Crest Baptist Church. When the church God has called us to is healthy and vibrant, we all grow closer to God and each other in the process. We are part of the Bride of Christ. Let us daily die to self, “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish,” (Ephesians 5: 27). In Christ, Blain Craig I am amazed at what Jesus prayed in his final hours before his arrest and crucifixion. He prayed for us. He prayed this. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me,” (John 17: 20-23).
I am convicted and convinced that a top goal at Oak Crest this year is our unity as a family and as the body of Christ. At Oak Crest, we use the word “Covenant” a lot. It may not be a popular word in the world, but I think it is a crucial word for the church. You have probably heard me say that I think the current lack of commitment in the American Evangelical church is due to a lack of understanding of what covenant is and why it is important. I take it very seriously that I am in covenant relationship with each one of you. I hope you are aware that we have a document that expresses this covenant relationship, appropriately known as the “Church Covenant.” Very simply, the “Covenant” is a written promise of our mutual desire to live according to Scripture. We read a portion of this document when someone joins the church and we read it in its entirety at the beginning of a Members’ Meeting, but aside from that you may be largely unfamiliar with this important statement. We need a renewed awareness of this covenant. We should be familiar with our covenant, so let’s think about it together. Each “block” for the next several weeks I will share a portion of our “Covenant” and make some commentary on it. I am certainly aware that many of you have heard this before, but when your children tell you they love you I doubt you say, “I’ve heard that before!” We can’t be reminded too often of the love relationship God has granted us to one another. The covenant begins, “Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully, enter into this covenant with one another as one body in Christ.” This opening paragraph of the covenant is absolutely crucial. I think there are three main parts to this paragraph. If we don’t have these, we are not in covenant. The first prerequisite to covenant is faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That is the very first part of the covenant. We don’t believe just anything. We believe Jesus is Lord. The Spirit himself has revealed this truth through the Word of God. This is the foundation of our love relationship with one another. We are not joined together because we like the same kind of music or style or preaching or hobbies, all that may be true, but what joins us in covenant is the gospel and our trust in Christ alone for salvation. Isn’t it beautiful that a group of people who otherwise might not even associate with one another are called together by a power and person outside themselves to be joined together. The second prerequisite is baptism. The baptism we have upon our salvation is our public profession of faith. Baptism is our press release to the world that we have been crucified with Christ, and that one day we will be physically raised by Christ to be with him forever. Baptism is also the testimony of the church that the baptismal candidate has passed through judgment in Christ and has been raised again to new life in Christ. Together these first two parts of the covenant tell us something. There is not to be a mixed multitude in the body of Christ. The church is composed of a regenerate or “born-again” membership. This is not meant to be rude or arrogant, but a person simply cannot consider himself or herself in the covenant body of Christ if he is not redeemed in Christ. The third and final part of this first paragraph is the active participation in the covenant. Based on the first two, salvation and baptism, we are to “solemnly and joyfully” enter into an amazing God-honoring relationship with each other. Solemnly signifies that this is not something we take lightly. Joyfully means we are anticipating great things in the Lord. So in other words, joining in covenant with a local body of believers is neither like joining Sam’s Club or getting a prison sentence. It is not like Sam’s club because we are not merely affiliating with this group because of the personal benefit it provides, but because we have been bound together by the finished work of Christ. It is not a prison sentence because it is a joyful participation in the abundant life Christ gives his people. Oh, what a blessing to be in the Body of Christ. As I personally prepare for my upcoming period of sabbatical, be assured the most difficult part will be a brief absence from you. It will not be an “escape.” In fact, my sincere prayer is that you will be the ultimate beneficiary of what will hopefully be a time of spiritual renewal and refreshing in my own walk with Christ. I anticipate pouring out upon you what God will hopefully pour into me. As I attend conferences, study, read, pray, and research, you will be in my thoughts to the glory of God. Why? Is it because you are pretty? Smart? Kind? Well, all that may be true, but it is because we are in covenant with one another. In Christ, Blain Craig Bro. Blain’s Block – January 7, 2015
I am writing this article as a prayer. This is my prayer for Oak Crest in 2015. Please join me in bringing this before the Lord that he might be pleased in us this year. Good and Holy Father, your perfection is beyond measure. You are high and magnificent, close and personal, righteous and just, caring and patient, merciful and gracious, loving and forgiving. Our supreme desire is that your will would be accomplished in our lives, our families, and our church. We ask that you would do this first to your own glory and second for our benefit. Send your Holy Spirit this new year to inhabit Oak Crest. We pray that the greatest bond in our covenant together would be your Spirit. Holy Spirit, unify us as the people of Christ. Lord, nail our personal agendas to the cross, crucify our selfish ambition. Fill us with a humble and forgiving love for one another. Make us desire the good of each other above our own good. Forgive me lord, forgive us, of our arrogant pride. Forgive us, the hubris that so easily and subtly overtakes us. Cause us to lift one another up in encouragement. Lock our jaws when we are tempted to speak ill of a brother or sister. Cauterize our gossiping hearts. Make us servants to each other as we are slaves to Jesus. Teach us your Word. Cause us to wonder at the beauty and perfection of the book that you authored; the book that reveals your nature and your character. Thank you God for making yourself known to us by your word and your Spirit. We would not know you if you had not made yourself known to us. Cause us to love the Bible because we love you. Make us students of the word, rightly dividing the word of truth. Protect us from both doctrinal error and doctrinal coldness. Guard us from the two dangers of thoughtless, doctrineless emotionalism, as well as, cold dead orthodoxy that has no passion or emotion at all. Remind us that we love you because you first loved us. This year Lord, if it is your divine pleasure, teach us how to study your word as individuals and as families. Father, may our time together as a church merely be a reinforcement of the growth that is happening in our homes. Draw the men of Oak Crest to lead their families to love Christ. Father, forgive our self-satisfaction. Forgive me for so often being blind to the lostness and darkness around me. Forgive me, as an undershepherd of your church, for so often not leading by example. Forgive me, Lord, for sitting satisfied in my study while darkness reigns in my neighbors. Make us all urgent to be on mission with the gospel. Teach us the gospel that we might teach others. Bring people to yourself this year, using us as your instruments to share the life changing truth. Might it be your pleasure this year, Lord, that dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands might come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ through our church. If not our church, Lord, accomplish it by another. Make us even more aware of the reality of global lostness. Help us to be faithful to pray, and go, and give that the nations will hear the gospel. Not only do we humbly confess our corporate failings, Lord, but we also thank you for your faithfulness. You have been so good to us. You have granted us all things necessary to be a healthy church. To your glory increase our health. Thank you Lord for the varied giftedness of our church body. We have been granted so many people with hearts that are glowing with the love of Christ. We pray that we will utilize the giftedness your Holy Spirit has granted us. Thank you, Lord, for the men you have given as gifts to Oak Crest as elders of this congregation. Thank you for the servant leadership of our deacons, including four amazing men that are in a period of examination for this role. Thank you for our Sunday School teachers, from the cradle roll all the way up, who weekly pour their hearts into your people. Bless their study and preparation this year. Thank you for our staff members who are so diligent in their service to the body. Thank you for the many members who serve on committees and teams and ministry groups that work to perform administration and ministry in your church. Lord, please make their work a pleasure to perform. Help all of these to experience joy in their service. Prevent any of us from feeling mere obligation in performing the duties you have called us to. Our request is simple, Lord. Make us spiritually healthier this year than we were last year. Prepare us for eternity even as we live as foreigners in a land that is not our home. As we strive to live lives of biblical excellence by the power of Christ in us, please Lord take pleasure in our lives lived for the sake of your glory. To you, Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To you, the one true and living God, who was, and is, and is to come. To you, sovereign and blessed creator and redeemer. You have granted us adoption into your family, you have brought us from death to life, you have justified us in the midst of our sinfulness, you have been faithful to us even when we have often been faithless toward you. You have accomplished all of this through Jesus who died that we might live. Supreme praise be to Jesus who is our reigning Christ. To you, triune God, belongs all conceivable honor, victory, glory, majesty, perfection, beauty, and excellence. Be glorified in Oak Crest, until the day of redemption when your church militant becomes the church triumphant. In Christ, Blain Craig |
AuthorDr. Blain Craig 
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