 |
"We, the members of the
THE SOVEREIGN
GRACE BIBLE
CHURCH OF
CEBU, INC.,
a non-profit organization, do ordain and establish the following
articles, to which we voluntarily submit ourselves."
|
 |
|
| |
SECTION 3.
OUR PERPETUATION AS AN
ECCLESIASTICAL INSTITUTION
Paragraph A. The general Foundation of Our Perpetuation
as an Ecclesiastical Institution.
Christ has willed and insured that His church universal
be perpetuated in every generation until His return
(Mt. 16:18; Eph 3:21), not through natural bloodlines and
the physical procreation of the children of the church members
(Mt. 3:7-9; Rom. 9:6-8; Is. 59:20, 21), but through the success
of the gospel, spiritual birth, and true conversion (Acts 2:47;
5:13, 14) of the spiritual children of Christ and the church
(Is. 53:10; 59:21; Rom. 9:6-8; Gal. 3:29). No particular church
has a promise of Christ of age-long perpetuation, but each church
strive to avoid dishonorable discharge from Christ's service and
kingdom through gross sin and apostasy, and His subsequent repudiation
of them as a temple of His Spirit (Rev. 2:5).
Paragraph B. The Substance of Our Perpetuation as an Ecclesiastical
Institution.
Our concern is both to preserve the essential elements of our
ecclesiastical being, namely, our ecclesiastical purpose and our corporate
indwelling with the Holy Spirit and to preserve our distinctive identity
and heritage as a Reformed Baptist Church as embodied in our articles
of faith and in this constitution. Provision for the preservation of our
essential being as a true Christian church is found in paragraph C.
Provision for our preservation in our distinctive identity and heritage
is found in Paragraph D.
Paragraph C. The Preservation of Our Essential Being as an
Ecclesiastical Institution.
The preservation of God's special presence with us. Since our corporate
indwelling with the Holy Spirit is essential to our being and remaining a
true church, we then must not grieve and quench the Spirit of God by corporate
rebellion so that Christ will not repudiate us and take the Holy Spirit from
us. To this end, the elders shall provide for comprehensive instruction
for all the members respecting grieving the Holy Spirit and the benefits
of the Holy Spirit's presence. In additional, the elders shall see to it
that during the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the members are to thank
God for that measure of His presence employed, confess our known sins,
plead with God for light and grace concerning any corporate sins of which
we are ignorant and blind, make concentrated effort to resolve any known
and outstanding grievances amongst the members, and resolve to put away
anything that would grieve the Spirit of God.
The preservation of our ecclesiastical purpose. Since preservation of
our ecclesiastical purpose is also essential to our continuation as a true
church, we must take care lest we forget what we are designed to be and to
do as an organization. The elders shall report the substantial findings of
this review to the congregation at the Annual Meeting.
Paragraph D. Our Preservation in Our Distinctive Identity or Heritage as
an Ecclesiastical Institution.
The Concept of our heritage.
Our heritage is that which unifies, identifies and distinguishes us as an
ecclesiastical institution. The apostles declare that our duty is to "keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3). This spiritual
unity, which is rooted in true, religious experience (Eph. 4:4-6), has as its
basis the Word of God (Eph. 4:11-15), and therefore, is doctrinal.
Believing that our Articles of Faith are a comprehensive., orderly and pcise
statement of what the bible teaches about the most important issues, we
therefore consider them as an essential aspect of our Heritage. Similarly,
this Constitution, since it is definitive of our ecclesiastical commitment,
is also essential in preserving unity and order amongst us and, as such, is an
essential element of our Heritage.
The Transmission of Our Heritage.
We, therefore, in order to achieve our perseverance in our distinctive identity,
do hereby make provision for the transmission of our heritage, embodied in our
articles of faith and this Constitution, unimpaired, to succeeding generations
of our spiritual children, God willing, until Christ returns. We commit
ourselves to this task convinced that this church will only be steadfast in our
distinctives for as long as the members remain aware of this rich heritage, are
instructed in it, and are committed to it. Provision for the maintenance of
this awareness, instruction, and commitment is defined in the following sections
of the paragraph.
Awareness of Our Heritage.
Each member of the church shall be furnished with a copy of our articles of
faith and of this constitution. Each member is expected to read through each
of them annually, prior to the Annual Meeting.
Instruction in Our Heritage.
The elders shall provide for the comprehensive instruction of each members in
the articles of faith and this constitution at least through the duration of
his membership.
Commitment to Our Heritage.
Awareness and instruction alone will never suffice in transmitting our heritage
unimpaired. Constant vigilance and open, unashamed affirmation, on a regular
basis, are essential. Without these, the things which we now hold dear will
someday be matters of indifference, and then someday will be lost altogether.
Therefore, each member shall publicly reaffirm his or her commitment to our
articles of faith and to this Constitution at a specially called,
congregational meeting for this purpose.
The first confirmation meeting shall be held sometimes in the first January of
each decade for as long as this church continues. Any members or officer
unwilling at these meetings to reaffirm publicly his commitment to the articles
of faith and this constitution be subject to exclusion.. Anyone absent from
these confirmation meetings shall also be subject to exclusion. Any member
providentially hindered from attending the confirmation meeting may express
his reaffirmation in written form.
Next
|
|
|
disable pop-ads
| |
