This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel…to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 3:6,9-10
The Scriptures teach that through the church, God is accomplishing His redemptive purposes in the world. In light of this we write in our covenant, “the opportunity to join a local church is much more than a commitment to consistent attendance or active involvement in community. It is also a sacred call to be involved in the redemptive work of our sovereign God and to be a microcosm of the universal household of God.” Since we are called as a local church to be a micrcosm of the coming Kingdom we covenant together to hold each other accountable to this high and sacred calling. This is why we take local church membership and involvement seriously and we believe that covenanting together continually reminds us of this calling and our responsibilities.
In light of this, we want annually to renew our commitment to one another through our church covenant. First, the Elders want to renew our commitment to shepherding our people. We believe we will stand to account for this (Heb. 13) and that those under our care are given to our care by Christ, who shed His own blood to bring them into the flock. This is a weighty call, and we want to publicly remind ourselves of our commitment to you. In addition, we would like to remind our people of their commitment to IDC and one another in our church covenent. This will help us stay focused on our mission and our sacred callilng as a microcosm of the coming Kingdom.
Covenant Renewal Sunday: We will renew the covenant together during our Corporate Worship times (9 & 11am) on January 27th. During our Corporate Worship gatherings we will review the covenant and sign them again demonstrating our renewed commitment to IDC, to one another, and to the Mission.
Fasting and Prayer: We are asking our covenant members to commit the week leading up to the 27th (Jan 20-27) to prayer and fasting.
Fasting: Fasting is a time where we can consider our dependence on God, who alone provides from His gracious hand. In fasting, we are reminded that there should be nothing in this world we desire more than God and that He is better and more vital to us than our daily bread. And so we hope that our members will consider a time of discipline that week, leading up and fast. This does not mean that we think everyone should go without food for the week, but just find one or two things to abstain from that week (whether it be coffee, coke, TV, etc). It can be very helpful to replace whatever you are fasting from with a time of prayer and Scripture reading.
Prayer Topics:
Pray…
– that we would be more intentional and passionate missionaries and disciple-makers
– that God would provide relationships daily whereby we can share the gospel that changed us
– that we would be more committed to serving one another in whatever significant and seeminly insignifcant ways we can
– that we would delight in our times of corporate worship and that we would be changed by them
– that we would be intentional about building relationships in our Growth Groups
– that we would joyfully submit to our leaders (pastors and Growth Group leaders) and pray for their wisdom, holiness, and guidance
– that we would be generous and sacrificial with our time, giftings, and finances
– that we would be commited to greater unity in the body and not be gossips or those that stir up division (and that we would have the courage to stop gossip and divisive talk when we hear it)
– that we would delight in the Scriptures and seek to be changed daily by them
– that we would continually be conformed into the image of Christ through Spiritual Disciplines and that we would be more commited prayer in 2013 recognizing that it is a gracious gift to communicate with the Triune God
– that we would grow as disciples this year in loving God with our mind, heart, and sould
– that God would continue to form gospel families in our midst with sacrificial men who lead and women who are helpmates and children who are raised in nurture and care of the Lord
– that God would be gracious to allow us to plant churches all over the world, nationally and internationally and that the Elders would have wisdom of who and when to plant
– that God would continue to multiply Growth Groups and Growth Groups leaders who serve our body
– that God would show us more avenues by which we can engage the PEACE Plan: individually, as a Growth Group, and as a Church
– that we would value human life, seek just for the oppressed, and care for the fatherless
– that God would glorify HImself by adding to our number daily those who are being saved and changed by the gospel
Note on Prayer: We would encourage you to pray through these topics individually, in groups, and in Growth Groups throughout the following month and specifically that week of Jan. 20-27.
We hope to be a people who are zealous for the Mission and radical about our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is our desire that a time of intentional prayer and fasting will lead to lives where this is just a natural outflow as we grow in Christ and our desire for Him. We hope this all leads to a community of well-equipped Missionaries and passionate worshippers. Let’s pray together during this time that our ultimate purpse in life is the glory of God and the hallowing of His name in our personal life, in our neighborhoods, in our families, and in Imago Dei Church. May the Grace and Mercy of God be with us All!