Being a Christian is more than going to church on Sunday mornings, said the Rev. Phil Honeycutt, pastor at Covenant of Faith Christian Center; it’s a life-changing commitment.
While Honeycutt, 56, and in his 26th year at Covenant of Faith, 407 N. Chestnut, thinks the faithful should be eager to attend church functions, Sunday morning and whenever else, “Having a relationship with the Lord is more important than going to church.” There’s the catch, he adds, “If you have a relationship with God, you probably go to church.”
Church is where God’s word regularly is found and “tells who you are as a Christian,” Honeycutt said. Worship and study of God’s word is the duty of a Christian, as well as sharing the gospel with others, he said.
“I have no problem with people staying home from church, if they’re (spiritually) comfortable within the four walls of their home,” Honeycutt said. “Some people have made a religion out of what Jesus did, instead of establishing a relationship with Jesus.”
Which leads to his concern that the tendency of some is to worship the church they attend and not God.
“Gathering to worship God is important but also Christians should spend time alone with the Father in private,” he said, noting that New Testament stories tell about Jesus “separating himself from others, going to a deserted place and praying alone for long periods of time.
“The reward of Christianity is life change,” which generates the “joy I get from loving God and seeing the miracles He can perform.”
Miracles, he continued, are not aberrations of the Bible and many happen in today’s world for those who are faithful and “are willing to ask for the Lord’s help.”
Honeycutt oversees the Community Pantry for the Iola Ministerial Association and often has seen the intervention of God in the lives of people who come for help.
HE AS MINISTER and others who attend Covenant of Faith — 80 to 100 each Sunday — are there as servants of God, Honeycutt said.
“If I do what God calls me to do, I’m fulfilling my duty to God. God called me to love others. It’s not my place to criticize or tear them down.
“God can turn the world upside down anytime he wants. His power is boundless. And, if you’re called by God, you can make a difference in your town or in the country,” Honeycutt said. “You’ll never get all churches of one accord, but that’s no excuse for you not to do your part and try to make a difference. It should be about what we have in common, not our differences.
“All believers are in Christ’s church, not just those behind the four walls of Covenant of Faith, or any other church. Knowledge of God for each person is what is important, not how many people are going to my church or any church on Sunday.”
Honeycutt thinks too much is made of denominational religion.
“The problem is tunnel vision, which often comes from our parents and grandparents. We never look elsewhere,” he said. “If we did, we’d find differences in how God is worshiped often are minuscule.”
Honeycutt was raised in Humboldt a Baptist — his father, Ed Honeycutt, was a Baptist minister — but has attended churches of other denominations.
“I’ve attended many churches — Lutheran, Methodist, Assembly of God and Catholic — and there’s good in all of them,” he said. “Jesus was inclusive. He said, ‘Come to me’ to all who are sinners. Sometimes we get so caught up in the political aspects of the church that we forget the people.
“Jesus came to seek and save the lost, he didn’t spend his time in an office, he didn’t have a secretary and a choir, he didn’t have all these programs many churches today think they have to have,” Honeycutt said. “We, as ministers, should do the same and that’s what I try to do. I don’t spend a lot of time in my church office. Instead, I work with the (food) pantry and try to get out in the community, help people and give them an opportunity to know Jesus.”
WHILE HONEYCUTT’S view of religion and churches may be more eclectic than others of the cloth, he says Covenant of Faith has roles to fulfill that require attendance.
“The church (as a building) is there to help train, teach and impart the wisdom of God, and to establish apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists and pastors according to the gospel in Ephesians 4,” which tells about unity in the body of Christ. At some point, Honeycutt thinks Covenant of Faith will establish a Christian school.
He spends time working with those called to the ministry, some of whom have been sent out to establish churches elsewhere in Kansas and in Missouri.
“I also mentor anointed Christians who serve, and encourage them to fulfill the call of God in their lives,” Honeycutt said.
COVENANT of Faith uses whatever means it can to relay the word of God to worshippers, including modern technology with video screens that show Scriptures during sermons. The church doesn’t have a band, but does have a sound booth where compact discs are played for praise and to accentuate worship services.
“Occasionally we have special music,” Honeycutt said, “but it’s important for those who perform to know that they are performing for the king — Jesus Christ — and need to do so skillfully.”
Covenant of Faith doesn’t have traditional Sunday school, although during worship services children 4 to 8 years old are dismissed to children’s church.
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings the church has King’s School, a Bible study based on Genesis 1:26, in which God talks about making man in His image. The focus is for “Christians to learn better who they are from a sinner’s perspective and to understand they still are sinners,” Honeycutt said.
As for events that have shaken the world, such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Honeycutt thinks churches and Christians should dwell on influencing events and not reacting to them.
“Jesus warned of recurring wars and earthquakes and pestilence in the last days,” he said. “Those things shouldn’t change the church. The world doesn’t know they’re coming. Christians do.”
And Honeycutt’s fondest wish is that all can have the opportunity to hear the word of God and “become a part of the Kingdom of God.”
All are welcome at Covenant of Faith.
“We don’t have a dress code. Come as you are and hopefully the word of God will change your heart. God will clothe you in his likeness, in spirit and attitude.”
Sunday services are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Those on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings start at 7 o’clock.
