Committed in a Commitment-Less Culture:

Commitment is not in style these days.  Seeking pleasure, wanting warm feelings in life, dreaming about possibilities, doing something new and exciting, yes… these are in style.  But long-term, faithful, count-the-cost commitment is most definitely “out”. 

It is not hard to see many examples of this mindset all around us today.  Consider simply the divorce rate.  We have repeatedly heard that about 50% of all marriages end in divorce.  The reasons are probably many behind this, but certainly one reason is a lack of life-long commitment.  “I just don’t love her anymore.”  “He is simply too difficult to live with.” 

We see so many Dad’s who like to sleep around with various women, but don’t feel inclined to commit to any of them.  So many children are left without a father-figure and will end up experiencing a lifetime of broken family relationships as a result.  Why?  Because Dad didn’t want to commit.  He walked out the door.   

Sadly, this cultural mentality has invaded the lives of the Church of Jesus Christ as well.  Many people come to church much as a consumer would go to a store.  “I want what they can give me, but I don’t want any on-going obligations.”  So, people “attend” a service when they feel like it, and never fully commit to God’s people, the body of Christ.  Or, perhaps we see this tendency in the frequency in which people bounce around from church to church.  If the pastor, an elder, a deacon, or anybody else offends me at one church, I can easily find another church.  There is little sense of responsibility and devotion to the people of Jesus Christ.  Instead of committing to talk things through and work it out, we hit the door. 

Some people think they can be “spiritual” apart from being committed to the people of God.  Church, for them, is merely an add-on, a bonus.  They can take it or leave it. 

There are, thankfully, many exceptions to this picture here at OVCC!  We have many people who have been faithful to this church body for years and years.  They have been rock-solid faithful in being present at worship and in service opportunities, in giving, in prayer, in inviting friends to Christ.  And yet, as a church family, we must be aware of the number of our friends who still buy into the culture’s mindset concerning the importance (or lack of) of commitment to the church family. 

We can be thankful that as a church family we possess a “church covenant” in our articles and by-laws booklet.  I’d like to share it with you here:

OVCC COVENANT

              Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we now profess our faith in Jesus Christ, and in the presence of God and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We promise therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this Church, in knowledge, holiness and comfort, to promote its prosperity and spirituality by faithfully attending its regular services; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, and the expenses of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

We also, promise to maintain family and personal devotions, to teach God’s Word to our children, to pattern our lives after the example set forth by Jesus Christ, and to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

We further promise to walk together as brothers and sisters in Christ, to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress, thus bearing one another’s burdens. 

We moreover promise that when we separate from this Church we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

 
        If you are like me, you probably find at least something in the covenant that you have failed in.  How should we respond to our failure?  Change.  We can repent of our lack of commitment in these areas and begin to re-commit ourselves to these acts of love and faithfulness to God and his people again.  The words in this covenant are words for all of us who call ourselves Christians and who are involved at OVCC.  But they are especially binding on those who have taken the precious step of faith that we call “membership”. 

Members, for the sake of our ability to glorify the name of Jesus, and for the sake of his body, the church, please take stock of your life in light of these truths and commitments. 

            OVCC attenders, please take stock of your life and your commitment level to this body of believers.  If you have not yet taken the step of commitment to Christ and his church through membership, I encourage you to do so soon.  In fact, we will be beginning our next membership class soon, where you can learn more and, God-willing, take that important step in your commitment to the Lord.  Please let me know of any interest that you have.  There are already a number of people who have expressed interest in this process.  Hope to hear from you soon!
 

It is not hard to see many examples of this mindset all around us today.  Consider simply the divorce rate.  We have repeatedly heard that about 50% of all marriages end in divorce.  The reasons are probably many behind this, but certainly one reason is a lack of life-long commitment.  “I just don’t love her anymore.”  “He is simply too difficult to live with.” 

We see so many Dad’s who like to sleep around with various women, but don’t feel inclined to commit to any of them.  So many children are left without a father-figure and will end up experiencing a lifetime of broken family relationships as a result.  Why?  Because Dad didn’t want to commit.  He walked out the door.   

Sadly, this cultural mentality has invaded the lives of the Church of Jesus Christ as well.  Many people come to church much as a consumer would go to a store.  “I want what they can give me, but I don’t want any on-going obligations.”  So, people “attend” a service when they feel like it, and never fully commit to God’s people, the body of Christ.  Or, perhaps we see this tendency in the frequency in which people bounce around from church to church.  If the pastor, an elder, a deacon, or anybody else offends me at one church, I can easily find another church.  There is little sense of responsibility and devotion to the people of Jesus Christ.  Instead of committing to talk things through and work it out, we hit the door. 

Some people think they can be “spiritual” apart from being committed to the people of God.  Church, for them, is merely an add-on, a bonus.  They can take it or leave it. 

There are, thankfully, many exceptions to this picture here at OVCC!  We have many people who have been faithful to this church body for years and years.  They have been rock-solid faithful in being present at worship and in service opportunities, in giving, in prayer, in inviting friends to Christ.  And yet, as a church family, we must be aware of the number of our friends who still buy into the culture’s mindset concerning the importance (or lack of) of commitment to the church family. 

We can be thankful that as a church family we possess a “church covenant” in our articles and by-laws booklet.  I’d like to share it with you here:

OVCC COVENANT

              Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we now profess our faith in Jesus Christ, and in the presence of God and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We promise therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this Church, in knowledge, holiness and comfort, to promote its prosperity and spirituality by faithfully attending its regular services; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, and the expenses of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

We also, promise to maintain family and personal devotions, to teach God’s Word to our children, to pattern our lives after the example set forth by Jesus Christ, and to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

We further promise to walk together as brothers and sisters in Christ, to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress, thus bearing one another’s burdens. 

We moreover promise that when we separate from this Church we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

If you are like me, you probably find at least something in the covenant that you have failed in.  How should we respond to our failure?  Change.  We can repent of our lack of commitment in these areas and begin to re-commit ourselves to these acts of love and faithfulness to God and his people again.  The words in this covenant are words for all of us who call ourselves Christians and who are involved at OVCC.  But they are especially binding on those who have taken the precious step of faith that we call “membership”. 

Members, for the sake of our ability to glorify the name of Jesus, and for the sake of his body, the church, please take stock of your life in light of these truths and commitments. 

            OVCC attenders, please take stock of your life and your commitment level to this body of believers.  If you have not yet taken the step of commitment to Christ and his church through membership, I encourage you to do so soon.  In fact, we will be beginning our next membership class soon, where you can learn more and, God-willing, take that important step in your commitment to the Lord.  Please let me know of any interest that you have.  There are already a number of people who have expressed interest in this process.  Hope to hear from you soon!