To be in covenant with God means that everything we have and everything we are belongs to him. That means we live our lives in total surrender and obedience to him, void of self and full of his Spirit. By the same token, it also means that everything God has and everything he is now belongs to us. That reality is what enables us to live our lives in total surrender As we live our lives in total surrender and obedience to him we receive all he has provided for us. Covenant becomes and endless cycle, a complete and total giving of everything on the part of both parties involved. And so is our covenant with one another.
Covenant people guard their relationship to the extent that nothing can come between them. I dont know about other parts of the world but in the western world where I live, few people have a clue about this kind of relationship. Sadly, that includes Christians.
As you probably know, there are many denominations in the church today. How many local churches have been started because of a church split? Saints, this should not be so. This is not covenant. This is division. What did Jesus say about division?
If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. – Mark 4:24-25 (Also see Matthew 12:25 and Luke 11:17)
The devil knows that if the Body of Christ ever becomes truly unified, he is finished. One of his main strategies for centuries has been to divide and conquer. As a result, the Body of Christ today has many wounded and hurting people. Even those that are not wounded dont want to connect with those they dont like or dont agree with because they are fearful of getting hurt or simply just dont want to deal with the messiness of relationship.
Perhaps that is why the church today for the most part goes through the motions of programs and meetings void of a covenant mindset that encourages people to come into relationship with each other. For the most part, the church has a form of Godliness without much if any power (2 Timothy 3:5).
This has to change and glory to God, it is going to change. Jesus is going to have a glorious church because he is building it. The apostolic church that was born in the first century will be completed and brought to perfection.
Lord, I want to be a part of that church. Glory to God! – lcs@mindspring.com
Post published in: Opinions