What We Believe
Covenent
Doctrinal Statement | Constitution
Having been led by the grace of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior,
and having been baptized by immersion, I am now led by the Holy Spirit to unite
in membership with the Harvest Baptist Church family. In doing so, I joyfully
and earnestly pledge to uphold these Biblical standards:
I. that I will strive
to protect and promote the unity of my church
...by acting in brotherly
love towards others
Eph 4:1-3 ...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in
love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond
of peace.
...by being slow to take offense and quick to seek reconciliation
James 1:19-20 ...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow
to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life
that God
desires.
...by lovingly confronting and correcting for the purpose of
restoration
Mat 18:15-17 If your brother since against you, go and show him his fault,
just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your
brother over.
But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every
matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'
If he refuses
to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen
even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
...by
refusing to gossip or slander
Eph 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice.
...by being submissive to the authority
of the church leadership
Heb 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they
watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them
do so with
joy and not
with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
II. that I will
support the outreach of my church
...by personally sharing
the message of salvation with family, friends, acquaintances and
neighbors
Mat 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and
make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirity,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
...by
inviting people to attend and bringing them with me to church
Luke 14:23 Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads
and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will
be full.'
...by warmly welcoming all whom visit
James 2:2-4 Suppose
a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and
a poor man in shabby clothes also
comes in. If
you show
special
attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's
a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You
stand there", or "Sit
on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated
among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
...by teaching
my children about the Lord
Eph 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead,
bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
...by
faithfully giving my tithes and offerings to support the ministries
of my church
Mal 3:8-10 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But
you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings...
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food
in my house. Test me in this," says the
LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the
floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you
will not have
room enough
for it."
III. that I will serve in the ministries of my
church
...by discovering and utilizing my spiritual
gifts and God given talents
1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received
to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its
various forms.
...by developing a servant's heart
Phil 2:3-7 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each
of you should
look
not only
to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the
same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made
himself
nothing, taking
the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
...by
allowing myself to be equipped for service
Eph 4:11-12 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some
to be prophets, some to be evantelists, and some to be
pastors and
teachers, to prepare
God's people
for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up.
...by maintaining a joyful attitude in my service
Phil 2:14-15 Do everything without complaining or arguing,
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of
God without
fault
in a crooked
and
depraved generation,
which you shine like stars in the universe.
...by remaining
steadfast in my service
1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.
Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully
to the work
of the Lord,
because you know that
your labor
in the Lord is not in vain.
IV. that I will uphold the testimony of my church
...by living a spririt-filled and Spirit-controlled
life
Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.
...by resisting ungodly
practices and worldy passions
Rom 13:13-14 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,
not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality
and debauchery,
not in
dissension and
jealousy. Rather,
clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do
not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful
nature.
...by forsaking personal liberty so as not to
place a stumbling block before others
Rom 21:21-22 It is better not to eat meat or drink
wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother
to
fall.
So whatever
you believe
about these things
keep between yourself and God.
...by living a godly
life before the unsaved
Mat 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your
Father
in heaven.
...by being honest and above reproach in
my dealings with others
James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not
be heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be
yes, and your "No," no,
or you will be condemned
V. that I will grow and mature
in my personal walk with my Savior
...by
striving to live according to God's will for my life
1 Pet 4:2 As a result, he does not live the rest
of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather
for the
will of God.
...by developing and maintaining regular
times of prayer
Eph 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this
in mind,
be alert
and always
keep
on praying
for all the
saints.
...by developing and maintaining regular
times of personal Bible study
Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character...
for they received the message with great eagerness
and examined the
Scriptures
every day...
...by faithfully attending my church
for the purpose of worhip, prayer, communion and fellowship
Heb 10:25 Let us not give meeting together, as
some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one
another
- and
all the
more as
you see the Day approaching.
...by holding fast
to the teaching of God's Word
2 Tim 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what
you have learned and have become convinced
of, because
you know
those from
whom you learned
it,
and how from infancy
you have known the holy Scriptures, which
are able to make you wise for salvation through
faith in
Christ Jesus.
All
Scripture is God-breathed
and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness.
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