We are baptizing this Sunday! That always gets me excited. Baptism is the public display of the new birth we experience in Christ when we place our trust in him. It is also the entry point into the church. At baptism, we public confess Christ, and we public join the Church--the Body of Christ. Here are a couple videos from the Gospel Coalition about baptism:
Church Covenant
Church Covenant
We, as the gathered body of Church At The Square, covenant to:
- Affirm one-another as fellow members of the Body of Christ, redeemed from sin, and set apart to the Gospel of God. (Matthew 16:19)
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Believe and teach those things that are in keeping with basic biblical doctrine.
- That the Holy Scriptures are authoritative for life and religious practice.
- That there is one God, who exists in three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
- That mankind is broken, sinful in nature and action, and in need of the saving work of Christ.
- That Jesus is the eternal Son of God, that He was born of a virgin, that is He is both fully God and fully man, that He died on the cross as our substitute, that He satisfied the wrath of God against sin, that He bodily rose from the dead, and that He will physically return.
- That Jesus is the only means by which a person may be saved and experience eternal life.
- Love one another as Christ commanded us by fulfilling the “one-another” commands of the New Testament: to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10), to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), to confess our sins and pray for one another (James 5:16), and to spur one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24).
- Hold one another accountable to our confession of faith in Christ and participation in the mission of God. (Matthew 16:-18-20, Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5:1-5)
- Pursue the mission of God in world by working to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our community and to the ends of the earth. (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8)
I, as a member of Church At The Square, covenant to:
- Pursue my calling in the body, and participate fully according to my gifting in the life and work of the church. (1 Corinthians 12:7, 1 Peter 4:10)
- Give of my time, talents, and treasure for (1) the building up of others in this body and (2) the advancement of the Gospel through this body. (Acts 4:34-35, 2 Corinthians 8)
- Work diligently to grow in Christ by reading the Bible, praying, and participating in church discipleship. (Philippians 2:12-13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Ephesians 4:11-16)
- Submit to the authority of Scripture as the final word on matters of faith and practice. (2 Peter 1:20-21)
- Submit to the leadership of the church for the sake of unity and peace within the body and for my own spiritual growth. (Hebrew 13:17)
- Hold my brothers and sisters accountable for the confession of faith in Christ that we have affirmed. (Matthew 18:15-20, Hebrews 10:24-25, Galatians 6:2)
- To submit to the discipline of the church when I need to be held accountable for my confession of faith. (Matthew 18:15-20, Hebrews 13:17)