This is the sermon from Kilmarnock Baptist Church, Kilmarnock, VA on June 17, 2012. It is the first in a series exploring our church covenant. The covenant phrase is "We promise to engage regularly in Bible study..." and the sermon is based on Mark 4:26-32.

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

We engage 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; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

We promise to engage regularly in Bible study and prayer, both as a congregation and as individuals before God; to educate our children in the ways of the Lord; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to use our influence to combat immorality in our society; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior.

We pledge to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense; to be always ready for reconciliation when needed, mindful of the admonition of Jesus to secure it without delay.

And finally, we engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can continue to live in the spirit of this covenant.

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