The Covenant of the Work of Christ

And one of the scribes...asked Him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength,’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:28-31).

 Preface

 All Christians, through faith and baptism, have entered into the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. In these days, the Lord has called us to dedicate ourselves to living the New Covenant in a clear, specific, and particular way. As He has with His people in the past, the Lord has called us into a renewal covenant (e.g. Joshua 24:14-17; 2 Chronicles 15:12; Nehemiah 9-10). He has formed us into a people for Himself with a particular call and mission. This is expressed in a covenant relationship with one another and in the name He has given us, The Work of Christ Community.

 As we enter into this covenant relationship as a people, we remain committed to our churches, and we agree to support one another in that commitment. In addition, while this covenant is intended to be a stable commitment, we understand that it does not necessarily mean for everyone a lifelong commitment to this community. We can foresee that changing circumstances and other forms of guidance in a person’s life may indicate that it is no longer the Lord’s will for that person to continue active involvement in The Work of Christ Community; although, such a decision would be made only with serious prayer and counsel.

 It is with deep joy and gratitude, realizing the overwhelming goodness of God in giving us this opportunity, that we enter into the life of this people that God has called together. We accept the particular covenant relationship God has established with us and among us as a community, and we express this acceptance publicly as individuals and as a people.

 The Covenant

 In order to respond to what God is doing among us, in order to be that people He is calling us to be, we give our whole lives, past, present, and future, to Him. We will follow His Son, Jesus, and live more and more in the Holy Spirit. We will strive to love and serve Him through lives of daily prayer and service; to praise and worship Him always; to seek His face; to know and serve the truth of His Word in the joy, peace, and love of the Holy Spirit; to believe what He speaks to us and to be obedient to the truth of His Word and the guidance of His Spirit; to offer hospitality to those whom He sends us; to widen our hearts to receive those He adds to our number; and to carry out the mission He is entrusting to us. Above all, we seek to be a people who always grow, by His grace, in the fervor of that first love He has given us, He who is our all. We consecrate our lives to Him not simply as individuals but as members of a people, members of The Work of Christ Community.

 We desire to be united in love and to share a common heart, mind, and purpose with our brothers and sisters in The Work of Christ Community. God has called us to be an ecumenical, charismatic, Christian community in which He gives us the strength, order, and grace to love Him totally and to joyfully lay down our lives for one another. As an ecumenical community, we are committed to the support and encouragement of spiritual renewal among all Christian people.

 In order for us to be truly a community, a people of one mind and heart in our response to the Lord, we agree to serve and care for our brothers and sisters in The Work of Christ Community, and we understand and accept those things which make our life as one body possible. We agree to follow God through lives of service, praise, worship, Scripture, and daily personal prayer. We pledge to obey the truth of God’s word; and we pledge, with the help of pastoral care, community teaching, and sound Christian wisdom, to apply that truth to our lives. We expect that our personal guidance will be tested and confirmed by the common discernment of the community and its leadership. We agree to speak the truth to one another in love and live our lives in the light.

 We agree to support the order, structure, and patterns of our common life. We embrace community pastoral care which God has given to guide and unite us as a people. We agree to faithfully attend the gatherings and meetings of the community, so that we may fully participate in God’s work with us as a people. We will honor the Lord with a tithe of all our income and we will support the life of the body by sharing our financial and material resources. All this enables us to be a community, members of the same body, brothers and sisters working together in the mission He is entrusting to us as a people.

 By virtue of our membership in The Work of Christ Community, we are also members of the Sword of the Spirit, an international community of communities. We commit ourselves to love and support our brothers and sisters in the Sword of the Spirit throughout the world, and to serve with them in a common mission.

 We yield our lives to God completely, and we will follow Him as a people wherever He may lead. With faith in the Lord and abundant joy in our hearts, relying upon His power and grace to sustain us, we enter into this covenant with God as individuals and as a body.