Maintaining the Teaching of the Word of God

November 29th, 2023
by Matt Dye

We, as a local body of followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, do covenant together to make disciples of all nations and to promote one another to good works and mature faith in Christ.

To this end, we promise to God and each other that we will:

Maintain the teaching of the Word of God as the only rule for faith and life (2 Timothy 4:2; Colossians 1:28)

Many people wonder and ask: How can I serve the church? This commitment in our covenant is a PRIMARY and REQUIRED way to serve. The elders of the church are to lead out in the ministry of the Word for the congregation, but it is the responsibility (and privilege) of all the church to maintain the doctrinal integrity and fidelity of the teaching of God’s Word.

We have an annual “Berean Weekend” and it is named this from Acts 17. Paul and Silas are sent to Berea and we read in verse 11 that the people received the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. The Word of God is our only standard. There is no higher or greater standard. The Bible tells us that the Word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). As many modern poets, artists, and philosophers have pined that the ‘times are a changing’, we can be confident that the Word of God never changes. The Bible is our only rule for faith and life.

The Word of God is also completely SUFFICIENT!

The sufficiency of Scripture is an area that we all must affirm and seek to live by. Many love the idea that Jesus died for them and may affirm that He is the only way unto salvation, but yet countless then proceed to disregard what the Bible teaches about ethics, morals, worldview, family, gender, marriage, and daily living. The Bible gives us ALL we need to live a life of faith before God and for His glory.

This commitment is not only a great privilege and a grand responsibility, it may be the most challenging one as well. The slide away from Scripture is a sad and heretical reality since Eve ate of the fruit in the garden. The desire to fit in and grow with the times of the culture is always a temptation. To affirm and live by the Word of God as the only rule for faith and life will always position us fighting upstream in the face of a cultural hurricane seeking to gather us up and welcome us to the ever changing winds of the day. May we always remember the covenant we have made in our day to not allow this to happen on our watch.

So - how are you serving? Are you serving the Lord and His people at M28 Church by faithfully, diligently, and joyfully maintaining the teaching of the Word of God as the only rule for faith and life?