A Declaration for the People of God
Over the last week our faith community chose to work on an exercise together. We’ve been learning how to declare what we believe – to confess and proclaim it with our lives and our words.
As a part of this, we all committed to a common exercise; here it is:
Spend the week choosing an area of your life where you desire to be stronger or more fruitful. Then, do a Bible search to find out what the Word of God says about that area. You can use online resources, Concordances, or cross-references found in your study bible.
After you choose the verses that are most significant to you, you can simple declare what they say, or you can write it into a confession.
(This exercise was designed by Dick and Theyna Rolph)
So, here is my declaration: (see if you can discover which verses I read!)
A Declaration for the People of God
We declare today that this life is not meant to be lived alone. When I strive in isolation, I am amputated from the body of which you are the head. When we are together we are part of the fullness of him who fills everything in everyway.
Lord, Leader, Forerunner, Captain. You call us out and give us a new name. You bind us as a new family. You send us out as lambs among wolves. Wise as serpents, innocent as doves. We are becoming one, just as you are one with Yourself.
We are the firstborn, the city of the living God, flock of God, fold of Christ, his Bride, his Body. We are a holy temple, a harvest field, and an assembly of heavenly citizens. We are a precious oil, poured on the head and spilling down, a light bursting from darkness, a sweet aroma, and taste like fresh wine in new wineskins.
It is our joy to share what we have. To do more together with less. We are of one heart and mind. And we do this out of shared joy and love. A love that we can see, taste, and experience. This is how we know what love is – we see it in Christ’s laying down his life, and we repeat it in the rhythm of laying down our lives for others. We proclaim that this is the way to life. This is the truth of the human experience. This is the completion of human striving. This is how the world will know us.
There are other sheep not in this sheep pen. They too will listen to your voice, and there will be one flock, and one shepherd. Your harvest workers are not in the barns. We are with you in the fields. We are following you outside the city gates – outside of protection and comfort. We are your called out ecclesia. Leaving Mount Zion for the wilderness – because that is where your lost sheep are.
We anticipate the day coming, when we will be citizens in that great city, where you are bringing order and light to everything there. We choose to believe that you are preparing a holy people from every tongue, tribe, and nation that will be family together – redeemed by your adoption as refugees from Sin. We call out with all we are that you are establishing a KINGDOM that is related by blood. You are our Father, we are your family.
