COVENANT LOVE
God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has revealed His Covenant love for me through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. He has drawn me into a covenant relationship with Himself and with His People. Through His empowering love I covenant my love for you my brothers and sisters of Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community. We agree to –
- love, care for, and serve, our brothers and sisters with a committed steadfast love which seeks the best for them. (Matt 22:39-40)
- lay down our lives for one another inviting, but not demanding, a response.
- spend time with one another in openness and vulnerability that we might all grow in relationship.
- accept one another for who we are, not rejecting or scorning one another for failure to live up to expectations.
- seek reconciliation, never holding grudges, but extending and seeking
- forgiveness as readily as God forgave us in Christ. (Ephesians 4:29-32)
- be open to receive and give fraternal correction, that we might all grow closer to Christ.
- support and pray for one another and to share our needs so that none of the Community members would be in want. (Acts 4:34)
IDENTITY
God has called us into Disciples of Jesus Covenant Community. In our life together we agree to –
- give our whole lives to the Lord to form us into a basic Christian Community through teaching, fellowship, the breaking of the bread and prayer, so that we may effectively serve Him and glorify His name. (Acts 2:42, Matt 22:34-38)
- witness to God’s love and bring the Good News to others. (Matt 28:18-20)
- move under the power of the Holy Spirit in Charismatic Renewal. (2 Tim 1:6-8)
- be part of the wider body of the Catholic Church which we seek to serve and renew.
- follow the Lord wherever He may lead us.
- accept those whom the Lord adds to the Community. (Acts 2:47)
COMMUNITY
Confident in the covenant love we have for each other and in God’s provision and guidance, we embrace these aspects of Community order –
- acceptance and support of the governing authority of the Community and those responsible for our pastoral care, and submission to their discernment and decisions in matters pertaining to the life of the Community. (Hebrews 13:17, Matt 8:5-13)
- participation and encouragement of one another to enter fully into the common life of the Community. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
- responsibility to contribute our wisdom and insights to Community discussions, doing so in a spirit of meekness, seeking unity and a common mind.
As a sign of my acceptance of this Covenant that the Lord is offering to us, and as an indication of my willingness to enter in and possess the promises of the Lord, I, declare before this assembly my willingness to give my life fully to God, and live as a member of the Community.
Lord, I desire to put my life into Your hands completely, and follow You wherever You may lead.
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Signed in the presence of the Community, on this ……… day of ……………………………………