A Covenantal Perspective on the Jurisdictions of the Family & Local Church

Problems abound in our families and churches, and either we do not have the biblical answers, or we have the wrong people applying them, or both! The challenges of Christian reformation in our day are great, and to achieve it the church and the family need to work together and not against one another. This must be our goal: to bring the church and family together in the common cause of the kingdom of God. But we must not be confused. Our goal is not to blend the family and church, not to mix or fuse them so that neither is any longer distinguishable, but to unite them in such a way that the integrity and purpose of each is maintained. The thesis of this message is that you cannot successfully unite church and family until you first separate them, and the only way to properly separate them is from a covenantal perspective. When the family and church are defined covenantally, the nature, purpose, and jurisdiction of each can be understood. And when these things are grasped the family and church can be united so that they compliment each other and support each other, rather than work against one another. In this sermon there is, first, a discussion of the concept of covenant; second, an examination of the covenantal institutions and spheres of government; and third, a consideration of the interaction between family jurisdiction and church jurisdiction as they relate to government and ministry issues. A Q&A disscussion is also included at the end of the sermon.