Covenants and Monuments To From the Foxhole Blog
Posted 11/8/10
Britt Jones
“Make vows to the Lord your God, and fulfill them.” (Psalm 76:11) “Remind the people … about the terms of their covenant with me.” (Jer. 11:2)
Covenants and Monuments
A core value of the Band of Brothers' Ministry is to make a covenant with our God to follow Christ unconditionally - NO MATTER THE COST. We believe that our King is worthy of this type of commitment.
God teaches us throughout Scripture to remember significant events and promises by making a monument. Jacob made a covenant with God that he would serve Him – be a true follower. As a reminder of this decision, Jacob anointed a pillar of stone as a monument. (see Gen. 31:13)
We learn much of this type of God-honoring commitment from the story of Joshua. (Joshua 24:14-28) Speaking to the people of Israel, Joshua said: “So honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly…. Serve the Lord alone. But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve…. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
But the people answered Joshua saying, “No, we are determined to serve the Lord!”
“You are accountable for this decision,” Joshua said. “You have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes,” they replied, “we are accountable….” “We will serve the Lord our God. We will obey him alone.”
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day…, committing them to a permanent and binding contract between themselves and the Lord… As a reminder of their agreement, he took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the oak tree beside the Tabernacle of the Lord.
Joshua said to all the people, “This stone has heard everything the Lord said to us. It will be a witness to testify against you if you go back on your word to God.” Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
The Sword-Shaped Celtic Cross
The Sword-Shaped Celtic Cross logo is a symbol designed by the Band of Brothers' Ministry that means “NO MATTER THE COST FOLLOWER OF CHRIST.”
We maintain a strong belief in the power of symbols and monuments. For example, a wedding band is a reminder of the covenant we have made to our spouse. This sword-shaped cross-symbol serves a similar purpose: It helps us remember the covenant we have made to God – to serve Christ unconditionally – no matter the cost.
We are not aware of any other symbol that represents one’s “no matter the cost” decision to follow Christ – to be a true disciple (see Luke 14). Many other symbols, including the traditional cross, have been diluted by our culture. We are committed to protect this Sword-Shaped Celtic Cross symbol, to be used by Christ’s disciples who desire a reminder of their covenant with God and who are not ashamed to identify themselves as sold-out followers of Christ. The Band of Brothers’ Ministry has registered this symbol as a trademark in the United States and in many parts of the world, including Europe and China. We will use the laws of this land to protect the purity and sanctity of this symbol.
Making a covenant to follow Christ unconditionally is a radical decision – and the Band of Brothers’ Ministry desires to be a part of calling out and identifying those people who have made the commitment to stand with Christ – NO MATTER THE COST - even unto death.
The Need for a Reminder
When the battle gets relentless and the truth gets foggy, a symbol or monument can remind us of times when God’s truth, our purpose, and our desire to follow this King were more clear. Yes, we will surely fail our King and betray him, as did the apostle Paul and the disciple Peter. In fact, we all need the blood of Jesus every day because we all are betrayers of our King. However, we believe that a reminder of our covenant to serve him unconditionally helps us to get back up after we fail - to head north again.
Symbol Available to Churches for Free
This symbol is a great way to identify ourselves and the commitment we have made to be a follower, disciple, and brother of Christ our King. Just like early Christians used the sign of the fish as a symbol to know who they could depend on during the intense times of persecution and battle, this symbol serves the same purpose. We need each other! We were never designed to fight alone. The strength and victory over evil is vested in the full body of Christ. We are not ashamed of whom we serve! We are united in our allegiance to Christ our King! Accordingly, this symbol can be licensed to churches and other Christian organizations, (free of charge pursuant to the terms of a Licensing Agreement), if they desire to have a monument and symbol to be used to identify "No Matter the Cost" followers of Christ. It is time to unite the clans and to identify those people who are willing to follow Christ unconditionally. Join us!
"Dear brothers, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won't be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose." (1 Cor. 1:10)