Church Blog (Covenant Life Church)

Grateful for the Business Transition Network

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:39:13 EDT

Covenant Life member Ryan Tiren recently wrote this note to thank and encourage the Business Transition Network (BTN) ministry for helping him find new employment. BTN is a ministry outreach of Covenant Life that works to assist job seekers with tools for their job searches. Let’s give glory to God for BTN and other ministries that are serving the job-seekers in our midst!

The Lord really used this time of unemployment to help me clarify and focus in on what I really wanted to do. I had general ideas of where I was skilled that really needed to be refined and specified. Utilizing important faith-based organizations like BTN and the Career Network Ministry was crucial—each provided a number of resources for me to take advantage of, allowing me to make my resume more impactful, take full advantage of LinkedIn networking, and explore vocational sites like SIGI3. These means of grace were so instrumental in my job search. Thank you, Jesus, for these ministries!

I am now doing exactly what I wanted to do—working as an Operations Manager. God used this time not only to provide me with a wonderful job, but grow me along the way. I had no choice but to turn to him (always the best thing to do!), drawing closer to my Savior and allowing my wife and me to build our faith for his provision and goodness. We are so grateful for all the prayers that were lifted up on our behalf; the Lord does hear us and has a perfect plan laid out with perfect timing. Thank you again to everyone at BTN for your consistent care and for laying down your lives for this important community of the unemployed.

Comments on Referendum Petition

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:24:35 EDT

Yesterday in church, Mark Mitchell took a few moments to speak with us as a congregation about the issue of Same Sex “Marriage” in Maryland:

Mark briefly described the background: that the Maryland legislature approved a bill in February redefining marriage to include same-sex couples, and that organizers have launched a statewide effort to gather qualified signatures for a petition in order to place this issue on a referendum ballot. He went on to talk about how Covenant Life members can sign the petition and other ways the church will speak to the questions that arise out of this important biblical and moral issue.

Women’s Conference Theme #1: Revival

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:51:44 EDT

For those you who were unable to attend our recent women’s conference Women Passionate for God’s Glory: Lessons for Today from Women of Yesterday, I wanted to give you a little taste of the theme of the conference by sharing with you Sharon James’ opening words.

As you read, try to imagine Sharon speaking in her wonderful British accent. Better yet, listen to her, and enjoy for yourself! —Valori Maresco

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
—Matthew 6:9,10

What exactly do we mean when we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”?

I remember when I was little learning the children’s catechism, and that said that we’re praying for men on earth to do God’s will as the angels do in heaven. And that’s actually about right. We’re praying for God to come in power to change the hearts and minds of everybody on earth to love him and give him glory, which is what he created everybody on earth to do.

And that leads us directly into our three themes for this weekend. Revival is the first theme. What is revival? Well it’s simply a description for those times when God comes near in greater power. This can happen on a personal, individual level. God can draw near showing us his great holiness, convicting us of our own need for ongoing repentance and change.

But through church history, there have been times where God has drawn near in power on a wider level and at these times of widespread awareness of God’s real presence, many people are convicted and converted. It’s a little bit as if at those times the establishment of Christ’s kingdom on earth, the fast forward button is pressed and there’s stronger, quicker movement of the kingdom of Christ on earth. And these times of revival invariably lead to God’s people being given a greater passion for holiness. It’s as if there is an awareness that God is right here with us and we just don’t want to do, or say, or think, or feel, anything that would displease him.

And those feelings—those emotions—invariably lead to our second theme of the weekend and that is the theme of mission. Because inevitably, at that point, we grow in desire that everybody should know this great and wonderful God. That everybody should know forgiveness.

And revival also, always, invariably results in a passion for holiness. And we’ll conclude the weekend tomorrow morning with that theme.

Now we’re going to look this weekend at the lives of just three women. And each one lived through times of real spiritual renewal. And as a result each one had a concern for mission, and each had a passion for holiness.

But the woman we’re going to look at tonight, Sarah Edwards, we’re going to focus on the theme of revival . . .

Members Meeting Scheduled for June 28

Covenant Life Church — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:35:56 EDT

Church family,

I want to invite you and ask for your help with spreading the word about our next Members Meeting on June 28 at 7:30 p.m. We had a number of schedule conflicts to work around, so that’s why we’re doing this on a Thursday evening.

We’ll be reviewing how we’re moving forward as a church on a number of fronts. We’d love to see every family represented; thank you in advance for making plans to participate.

With joy,

Joshua Harris
for the pastors

Studying Jesus Birth (in May)

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:25:59 EDT

In his message yesterday, Joshua Harris pointed out that most of us have never heard a sermon on Jesus’ birth except around Christmas time. He went on to say that it’s backwards to think of Jesus’ birth only in connection with the holiday, since the holiday is built upon the the event, not the other way around. You can take the holiday away, and the birth of Jesus Christ would still be an historical reality of greatest importance for every day of the year and every person who has ever lived.

Joshua shared two quotes from J.I. Packer’s Knowing God. In the first, Packer makes the point that we must understand and believe in Jesus’ incarnation to make sense of and explain his life and exploits. He notes that people struggle to believe that Jesus performed miracles or rose from the dead, when the larger question is whether or not the incarnation is true. If we believe that Jesus is God become man, everything else about him makes sense.

If Jesus had been no more than a very remarkable, godly man, the difficulties in believing what the New Testament tells us about his life and work would be truly mountainous. But if Jesus was the same person as the eternal Word, the Father’s agent in creation, “through whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:2), it is no wonder if fresh acts of creative power marked his coming into this world, and his life in it and his exit from it. It is not strange that he, the Author of life, should rise from the dead. If he was truly God the Son, it is much more startling the he should die than that he should rise again.

In the second quote Packer references the Athanasian Creed, an ancient statement of Christian belief used by the church since the sixth century:

The mystery of the Incarnation is unfathomable. We cannot explain it; we can only formulate it. Perhaps it has never been formulated better than in the words of the Athanasian Creed. “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man…perfect God, and perfect man…who although he be God and man: yet he is not two, but one Christ; one, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh: but by taking of the manhood into God.” Our minds cannot get beyond this. What we see in the manger is, in Charles Wesley’s words,

Our God contracted to a span;
Incomprehensibly made man.

Incomprehensibly. We shall be wise to remember this, to shun speculation and contentedly to adore.

Look for the message audio and an outline in the Resource Library.

Our Study in Matthew

Covenant Life Church — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:43:13 EDT

We’ll post a special page having to do with the Matthew series soon, but for now we want to make you aware of the preaching schedule for the next three months. Let’s all be praying and anticipating how God will grow and change us as we take an extended look at Jesus by studying the first book of the New Testament.

Introducing the Gospel of Matthew

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:05:41 EDT

Robin Boisvert opened our series on the Gospel of Matthew yesterday by reminding us of the simple but all-important priority that we need to know Jesus better. We need to grow in knowing, loving and following Jesus, and nothing will help us do these things more than seeing him afresh through the Gospels.

Robin quoted a couple of our pastors on why they believe it’s important for us to take up the daunting challenge of an extended study in Matthew. One pastor said, “I think that there are quite a few of our people that are just wandering right now in their walk with God. I think the promises of God in Christ can and will ignite a passion in them. Being pressed into the Word will cause us to understand the key Old Testament passages that Matthew uses. Seeing the face of Christ, sitting with Christ, and hearing his words will encourage many.”

Robin went on to say, “You know, we each may have our own conception of who he [Christ] his, and it may be flawed. We need to take a close and sustained look at what the Bible actually says about Jesus and not how we think of him. Because to know him, and love him, and serve him, so as to glorify him, is the reason we exist.”

Audio and an outline of Robin’s message are available in the Resource Library.

Women Passionate for God’s Glory

Covenant Life Church — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:39:32 EDT

This past weekend British author and conference speaker, Sharon James, was here for our women’s conference, Women Passionate for God’s Glory: Lessons for Today from Women of Yesterday.

Sharon spoke on the lives of three different women from history, highlighting the themes of revival, mission and consecration to God. She did a brilliant job of placing the women in their historical contexts as she wove in information about their personal and spiritual lives—both their victories and their struggles. Sharon is an excellent historian and storyteller (she has published biographies on each of these women) and was able to bring us into their lives in a way that was inspiring, encouraging and motivational.

The point of these teachings was not that we should be like these women in all of their particular convictions and callings. Rather, the reason they were able to be the women they were and to face the challenges and difficulties they faced was that they had each been touched by the love of God. They knew him. They knew he was enough in all situations and wanted to give their all for him in whatever way he called them to.

Growth in the knowledge of the love God has for us and the pursuit of a deepening relationship with him—these are things we can all emulate. And that same gospel-inspired love is what will motivate us to live for him in our generation, no matter what season of life or circumstances we find ourselves in.

If you were unable to attend the conference or would simply like to listen to the messages again, audio, outlines and supplementary resources are available on the conference website.

Check back here soon for more about the conference.

Engaging with God from a Cave

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:39:02 EDT

Joshua Harris preached the third and final message of the “Never Give Up” series yesterday. He read from 1 Samuel 21:10-22:4 and Psalm 57, which look at one of the lowest moments in David’s life, when he hid in the cave of Adullam. His message title was “David: Praising God in a Cave.”

Joshua encouraged those of us who are new to David’s story to learn more by reading, starting in 1 Samuel 16. He also recommended a book that’s available in the church bookstore: David: Man of Prayer, Man of War. See Joshua’s post on joshharris.com about why the book is so significant to him.

Sermon audio and an outline are available in the Resource Library.

New Pastoral Candidate

Covenant Life Church — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:13:46 EDT

Keith Welton, pictured above with his wife Amanda and their children, has been Covenant Life’s Ministry Team Director for the last two years and a member here for four years. This month he is transitioning to become a pastoral candidate. The term pastoral candidate describes a gifted and well-trained man who is in the final stages of pursuing a pastoral call, awaiting affirmation from the church. A pastoral candidate will do the work of a pastor under the supervision of another pastor while being evaluated by the pastoral team and awaiting affirmation from the church. In short, he will be seeking to provide a level of leadership, care, and gospel influence the way a proven pastor does, so in due time those around him can testify to and affirm his pastoral qualification.

Keith holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Reformed Theological Seminary, served as Academic Assistant to the Pastors College from 2008-2010, and has preached multiple times in Introducing God, Marketplace Ambassadors, Sunday Classes and other settings. He and his wife Amanda have been married for nine years and have three children: Isaac, Samantha, and Luke (6, 4, and 10 months).

It is our pleasure as a pastoral team to present Keith to the congregation as a candidate for pastoral ministry. We look forward to observing God’s work in his life as a follower of Christ and a leader in the church in the coming season. Final steps in the process include Keith undergoing a formal evaluation and then being presented to the church as a candidate for affirmation, with opportunity for congregational feedback. This will be followed by a members meeting where the congregation will have the opportunity to affirm Keith as a pastor/elder. Finally, the pastors will pray for Keith on a Sunday morning confirming him as a pastor/elder in the church (I Timothy 5:22).

We invite you to pray for Keith and his family, that God would bless them with fruitful ministry and direct their path during this time of transition.

For your pastors,

Kenneth Maresco

More on Elijah

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:04:19 EDT

In yesterday’s message on Elijah, Joshua referenced several resources. Here’s a slightly expanded list of sermons and books that will help you take a deeper look at Elijah:

John Piper’s sermon from Together for the Gospel 2012, “Glory, Majesty, Dominion, and Authority Keep Us Safe for Everlasting Joy”

Tim Keller’s sermon, “The Still, Small Voice”

Ligon Duncan’s sermon from Together for the Gospel 2012, “The Underestimated God”

Terry Virgo’s book, “God Knows You’re Human: Good News for People Who Slip and Fall—Lessons on Weakness and Strength”

Terry Virgo’s series of articles, “Bible Insight: The Life of Elijah”

Sovereign Grace Ministries Relocation

Covenant Life Church — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:53:27 EDT

The Board of Sovereign Grace Ministries announced yesterday that the Pastors College and ministry headquarters are being relocated from Gaithersburg to Louisville, Ky. We encourage you to read the announcement, where Sovereign Grace gives the background for this decision.

Even though we receive this news with a sense of loss, we thank God for Sovereign Grace and the good fruit the Lord has granted through our partnership. We want to express what a privilege it has been to see Sovereign Grace Ministries established and growing for the last 30 years right here alongside this local church. Sovereign Grace was birthed out of Covenant Life Church in 1982, giving our church family a unique opportunity to observe the grace of God in and through this ministry. It’s brought joy to many Covenant Life members through the years to host and serve Pastors College students, host Sovereign Grace events like WorshipGod and Leadership Conferences, welcome guest teachers, and interact regularly with church planters taking the gospel across the nation and around the world. We are saddened that we will no longer be in close proximity to those on the Sovereign Grace staff making this transition, friends we love and have walked with for so long.

We would like to specifically thank all the Sovereign Grace leaders—C.J. Mahaney, Gary Ricucci, Jeff Purswell, Bob Kauflin, Tommy Hill and Paul Medler. We will miss these men and their families. They have invested their lives and gifts into this church in numerous ways. We are grateful for these dear friends, and we pray that this next chapter in their ministry is fruitful and effective for the cause of Christ. As these brothers and sisters make this transition, and Covenant Life continues in dialogue with Sovereign Grace about our partnership, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus with thankfulness for his abundant mercy to us all.

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:3-6 ESV)

The Pastors of Covenant Life Church

Scriptures from Sunday

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:39:41 EDT

Joshua Harris began a three-week sermon series this Sunday called “Never Give Up.” Preaching from 2 Timothy 1:8-18, he referenced verse 12 where the Apostle Paul says, “I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me.” Several people have requested the list of Scriptures Joshua gave that speak of the Jesus Paul believed:

• Jesus, in whom is the promise of life (2 Timothy 1:1)
• Jesus, full of grace, mercy and peace (2 Timothy 1:2)
• Jesus, risen from the dead (2 Timothy 2:8)
• Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1)
• Jesus, who made himself nothing and became a servant (Philippians 2:6)
• Jesus, who is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15)
• Jesus, who became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21)
• Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8)

Sermon audio and an outline are available in the Resource Library.

Mother’s Day Assignment for Dads, Granddads and Siblings

Covenant Life Church — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:03:56 EDT

Hey everyone,

To honor Moms on Mother’s Day, May 13, we’re planning to create a video to show in church. The video will be made up of kids’ (ages 2 to 17; older kids can be a part of this!) responses to simple questions about their moms, either captured on video (preferred) or sent to us in writing along with photos of the kids who answered the questions. Anyone (Dads, older siblings, Grandads, etc.) can participate by making a video with your family members or submitting written answers and photos. (Granddads: if your son or son-in-law is super busy, you can step in and make this happen with the grandkids!)

Here’s what to do:

Option 1
Use the simple form below to sign up and let us knowing you’re planning to submit a video.
Grab a video camera (or your smartphone), choose a few questions from the list below, and ask your kids to answer them on camera:

• What does your mom do all day?
• Why did your mom marry your dad?
• Why did God make mothers?
• How does your mom serve you?
• What do you love about your mom?
• What’s the best thing your mom’s ever done for you?
• What’s the best thing about your mom?
• If your mom were an animal, what would she be?
• If your mom were a color, what color would she be?

Tips:

• If you don’t have a video camera (or smartphone that records video), consider asking a friend who has one to help you out.
• Work with the kids as a group or individually, your call.
• Try to make sure the audio is understandable.
• Be aware of what’s in the background of your video. (Light sources and windows usually are not helpful in the background.)

• How to submit your video:

–If you’re comfortable with online video, post your video to YouTube or Vimeo for us to download.
–Send us the video file using a service like https://www.yousendit.com
–If the file is small, e-mail it to mothersday@covlife.org
–Drop a thumb drive by the church office (or we can transfer the file while you wait)
–Keep in mind, we only need the best portions of your video, so you can trim it down before posting or sending it.

Option 2
Ask your kids the questions, and write down their exact responses. Use the form below to send in the responses along with one or more good photos of the kids involved.

Deadline
We need your submission (video, or text and photos) by April 22. Have a question? E-mail us at mothersday@covlife.org.

Thank you
This is great way to surprise and encourage mom (and maybe give her a big laugh!). Thanks for participating!

A Word of Encouragement for Members 50 and Older

Covenant Life Church — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:57:52 EDT

In church a few weeks ago, Peter Giglio shared the following words to encourage the church. We asked Peter if we could post them here for everyone’s edification.

Psalm 92:12-14 – “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord, they flourish in the courts or our God. They still bear fruit in old age, they are ever full of sap and green.”

I believe there are many here today who heard Robin’s [Boisvert] prayer last week and were wondering if that was for you. You are entering a time in your life where you have more time on your hands and less demands. The children are older and have moved out. Your career has leveled out and you are beginning to think about retirement. You have stabilized financially and have extra money to spend or give. You are wondering what to do at this time of your life. You are wondering if it’s time to just wind down and let the next generation take over.

I believe God would want to redirect you. I believe He would want you to know that He has been investing in you all your life and wants a return on his investment. He has placed gifts and talents in you that he has been developing all your life, and now is the time to use them for His kingdom and his purposes. Now is the time of fruitfulness. This should be the best time of your life. As a result of experiencing Gods faithfulness all your life, it would be fitting that the middle age and older folks be the ones that are the most passionate in worship, the most zealous for good works, the most generous in giving, the most evangelistic, have an increasing burden for the lost, have a desire to be senders or goers in missions, are the most outward-focused, and are the most forward thinking in the growth, health and mission of the church. This is a call for all those around 50 and older to go, do and be all that God wants you to be at this time in your life.

Preaching Schedule Update

Covenant Life Church — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:15:13 EDT

In cased you missed it, Braden Greer took a minute this past Sunday to describe the preaching plans for the foreseeable future. Here’s what he shared (note his recommendation that we all set aside time to read Malachi this week):

This past Sunday Mark Mitchell wrapped up our How Church Works series with a message on Deacons. The Sunday after Easter, we will begin a one-and-a-half to two-year series on the Gospel of Matthew. But for the two Sundays prior to Easter, we are going to whet our appetite for the coming of the Messiah in Matthew by briefly examining the book of Malachi.

Malachi is the last book canonically in our Old Testament—meaning it’s the last in the order of the Old Testament books—but it is likely the last book chronologically as well. Malachi anticipates the coming of another prophet like Elijah and a greater realization of God’s promises.

But then after Malachi there was a 400+ year silence. There were no prophets. There was no Scripture written down for the people of God. Had God forgotten his people? Was he going to be faithful to his covenant promises?

Studying Malachi will help us place ourselves with the people of God as they waited for God’s vindication of his great name.

And then after an Easter Sunday message on the resurrection, we will celebrate the awaited Messiah as proclaimed in the book of Matthew.

We did a brief study of Luke in 2006 and a study in Mark in early 2000, so it’s been awhile since we’ve studied a gospel in depth together. One of the great themes in Matthew is that Jesus is the Christ—the promised Messiah who fulfills all of the Old Testament promises and ushers in the Kingdom of God as God’s own unique Son. This is why we are studying Malachi first and then Matthew—to behold God’s unique Son who fulfills all righteousness through his life, teaching, healing, and through his death and resurrection.

Please set aside time to read the book of Malachi this week in preparation for our study together. It’s only four chapters, but I believe it will deepen our experience of Christ through his Word together.

Youth Trash Pickup Day

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:46:56 EDT

A few Saturdays ago, our 10:31 youth ministry picked up trash along Muncaster Mill Road, cleared junk from the curbs in local communities, and cleaned up brush and debris along the roads.

Thanks to the teens and their parents who gave up a Saturday morning to serve so humbly!

Recommended: Gospel Wakefulness

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:17:06 EDT

Singles pastor Kevin Rogers recently read a new book by Jared C. Wilson entitled Gospel Wakefulness and wrote up this brief recommendation. The title will be available in the church bookstore this Sunday.

Have you grown up in church, but sometimes wonder what the fuss it all about? Do you have Christian friends who seem really excited about their faith, and wonder why it’s not the same for you? Maybe you have a hard time understanding why you should do the things that you know you’re expected to do as a Christian. Or maybe you remember a time when these things made sense, but right now you feel numb to what once animated your Christian life.

Many people, even true Christians, live with an awareness of the gospel but lack a depth of comprehension that floods their hearts and transforms their daily lives. Those are the people Jared Wilson is writing to in Gospel Wakefulness. With an inviting style and real life examples, Wilson presents ancient biblical truth in a way that captures the heart, and he shows how gospel reality transforms our lives when we are captivated by it as well. If you’re struggling to see Jesus, this book will present him to you again on every page.

Biblical Exposition Workshop by The Simeon Trust

Covenant Life Church — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:46:58 EDT

Thursday and Friday, most of our pastoral team, joined by pastors from the Arlington and Fairfax Sovereign Grace churches, participated in a hands-on preaching workshop led by David Helm and others from The Simeon Trust. Named after 18th century British evangelical preacher, Charles Simeon, the Trust has served for over a decade, equipping preachers through a series of workshops across the country.

David describes the mission of The Simeon Trust: “We are a one-trick pony. We do one thing. We try to help people increase their confidence and ability in handling God’s word. So that’s why we exist—to increase someone’s confidence in the word of God and their ability to handle it well.”

In addition to receiving instruction for interpreting and preaching Scripture effectively, the pastors worked in small groups for practical application. Each presented a prepared text and received feedback from his peers on how to hone his preaching skills. They also had an opportunity to hear expositions from Joshua Harris and Matt Maka and provide feedback.

Kenneth Maresco, who helped organize the event, said, “We were very excited to have The Simeon Trust in because the work of pastors is primarily Word work, and these men are committed to training pastors to handle Scripture rightly. The members of our pastoral team and brothers from Arlington and Fairfax are being inspired to work hard in the Word. It’s refreshing once in a while to pull away and have this kind of training as a staff so that we can continually improve in our ability to serve the people of God.”

Thankful for God’s hand on the ministry, David states, “We used to do one of these [workshops] a year with about 30-40 people. Now we do 19. This year we expect over 800 pastors will go through it. So, a lot of churches are being positively influenced at a grass roots level.”

Outlines from “Reading the Bible for All Its Worth”

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:46:31 EDT

We are sorry about the wait, but outlines are now available for our January sermon series, “Reading the Bible for All Its Worth.” Just click on any of the four sermon titles, and you’ll find the outlines there with the sermon audio. We hope you find them useful. Thanks to Don DeVries for the hard work that went into the preaching and the outlines!

New in the Bookstore

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:46:46 EDT

Here are two brief reviews from Robin Boisvert on books that speak to seeing Jesus clearly in the Gospels. Look for these titles in the church bookstore.

Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels, by Darrell L. Bock

This is a study of the life and teaching of Jesus using the actual material of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It is not a gospel harmony, however. From his introduction, Bock states that his purpose is to present “a coherent portrait of Jesus … from the canonical Gospels that is both rooted in history and yet has produced its own historical, cultural impact because of the portrait these four Gospels give of Him.” Instead of focusing on the dissimilarities among the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and their differences from John, Bock seeks to appreciate how these dissimilarities support a unified portrait of Jesus. As detectives know, absolute agreement among witnesses suggests collusion, while slightly different reports demonstrate authenticity.

What an edifying experience it was, reading through this book with an open Bible! Bock states as a premise in his introduction … “too few people, much less students of the Gospels, are familiar enough with the Gospel accounts as they stand.” I would have to agree. Having read the Gospels countless times in my forty years as a believer, I benefited much from reading this book, seeing things I had not seen before. Bock is an excellent scholar, able to communicate on a popular level. He presents the helpful perspective that these documents stand tall as historically reliable. They are the eyewitness accounts of the apostles. They are the reason why Christianity spread so rapidly in the 1st Century and why it continues to spread in a mission that will result in God’s glory filling the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels, by Craig A. Evans

For most of the church’s history, her views of Jesus Christ have been shaped by those documents known as the canonical gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But over the last century or so modern (and post-modern) critical scholarship has amazed us with so-called facts and theories about Jesus much at odds with the portrait given in those documents. For example, the idea that Jesus was functionally illiterate, was married to Mary Magdalene or that Judas Iscariot, far from betraying Jesus, was really the greatest of his disciples. These and other ideas have found their way into the popular mind through books, TV documentaries and movies such as The Da Vinci Code. Evans explodes the shoddy scholarship that undergirds such contentions. In doing so he supports the historical reliability of the source documents of the Christian faith—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This book is easy to follow and has an engaging style. It will be helpful for those who have faced questions like, “Why does Christianity only accept four gospels when many others were written?”

Discussion Questions from Marriage Conference

Covenant Life Church — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:00:30 EDT

If you attended the Marriage Conference with Paul Tripp this past weekend, you may be interested in these discussion questions to help you apply the teaching from the weekend.

And by the way, please stay tuned for the notes from the “Reading the Bible for All Its Worth” series. They are coming soon.

Bible Study Resources in the Bookstore

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:29:54 EDT

Here is a quick look at seven, handpicked Bible study resources currently available in the church bookstore:

One-to-One Bible Reading: A Simple Guide for Every Christian, by David Helm
One-to-One Bible Reading is a way to help non-Christian colleagues, friends at church, or family members understand more of God’s Word in a way that is simple and personal. The book presents who this kind of relational Bible reading is for, describes how it works and provides training to put it to use.

Pastor David Helm will be at Covenant Life on Saturday, March 3, to teach the book’s contents in a Saturday morning seminar. Come early for coffee and donuts in the lobby.  

40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible, by Robert L. Plummer
The author provides a window into biblical hermeneutics (i.e., how to interpret and understand the Bible) for the uninitiated. The format of the book allows readers to pick and choose the issues that are most pertinent to their interests and needs.

Dig Deeper: Tools for Understanding God’s Word, by Nigel Beynon & Andrew Sach
Dig Deeper offers 16 “tools” readers can use to get to the bottom of any Bible passage and discover its intended meaning. The book’s brevity and easy-to-read format make it ideal for Christians who want to get the most out of their Bibles.

Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible, by Daniel M. Doriani
Daniel Doriani provides wonderful guidance for people who fear that they can’t find their way through the Bible. His “how to” guidelines and examples for interpreting Scripture are so clear that even those new to Scripture will say, “Hey, I can do that, too.”

God Has Spoken: Revelation and the Bible, by J.I Packer
Dr. Packer points the way to understanding and applying Scripture by pursuing a lifestyle of Bible-reading and “subjecting the mind of faith to God’s promises.” “At no time since the Reformation,” he observes, “have Protestant Christians as a body been so unsure, tentative and confused as to what they should believe and do.”

God-Centered Biblical Interpretation, by Vern S. Poythress
Poythress offers a look at linguistic principles for understanding Scripture and exposes the idols that lead us away from sound interpretation. In the process he seeks to introduce readers to a Trinitarian approach to interpreting the Bible.

Knowing Scripture, by R.C. Sproul
R.C. Sproul has written for those of us who have a hard time understanding the Bible, providing encouragement to dig out the meaning of Scripture for ourselves. He presents a commonsense approach to studying Scripture and gives eleven practical guidelines for Bible interpretation and application.

“Bible Stories” - Part 2

Covenant Life Church — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:50:49 EDT

Here are more thoughts from church members in connection with our “Reading the Bible For All Its Worth” series, currently in progress. We asked people to send in brief stories describing how they have been affected through Bible reading, study, meditation and/or memorization. They are shared by permission. The first installment ran earlier this week.

... I’m currently 17 years old. As a church kid, I’ve heard the gospel a million times but never really gotten into the Bible. To be honest, it seemed kind of boring. My parents encouraged me to read the Bible every day, so I could spend time with God to know him better. I obeyed my parents, and as I read the Bible my attitude toward God’s Word gradually began to change. I had so many questions and prayed to God to show me those answers that I could find by myself. I wanted to know the Bible more, so my parents encouraged me to go to Bible classes. God began filling me with the Holy Spirit, and reading the Bible didn’t seem boring—it was awesome! The more I read the Bible, the more of my questions started to be answered. Never take God’s Word for granted, or treat it like a chore to check off your list. It will bless your life if you continue to read it carefully. Thank you. —Andrew Payne

I was brought up in a non-Bible believing church that dismissed much of Scripture as allegory. Even though I didn’t accept what the church said, there was so much of the Bible that I didn’t understand. It seemed like such a big book and it wasn’t written in a simple, orderly manner. I found it confusing and overwhelming. I was also discouraged by my walk with the Lord – up and joyous one minute and down and disappointed the next. I knew that something was very wrong, that something had to change, but didn’t know what or how. As I desperately cried out to the Lord for help, God began to speak to me and told me that my problem was that I didn’t know His whole counsel. He said I was picking and choosing various Scriptures that I liked and trying to live my life by them. I thought, “Wow, can anyone know the whole counsel of God?” God let me know that He wrote it all out in His Word and He wanted me to read the whole Bible. He later brought across my path a reading through the Bible plan that takes three years—this has been an AMAZING thing in my life, and I am now on the 10th cycle of this plan. Because I read such a small amount each day, I have time to meditate on it, look up words I don’t know, or even read a commentary. I am not rushed and know that I am literally spending time with Him. I can now see that the whole Bible is His love letter to His people, and we have the most awesome God and the brightest future.
—Marge Merryman

I am currently going through a program to read through the Bible in a year. I am proud to say I’m almost done – but I started the program almost three years ago. There have been many mornings where I’ve told my wife I’m going to spend lunch time fasting and reading God’s word, and she has found me in the kitchen around noon sitting down to a big late of food and reading the newspaper. At times I get discouraged thinking about how I’ve failed to hold up my end of the bargain when it comes to my relationship with God. But in those moments I’ll read something like Romans 3 that reminds me that my righteousness and acceptance with God has nothing to do with my performance! One of the biggest benefits I’ve found in my interaction with God’s living Word has been through my prayer life, as I’ve learned to do more listening and less talking. —Jim Lutz

“Bible Stories” - Part 1

Covenant Life Church — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:05:27 EDT

In connection with our “Reading the Bible For All Its Worth” series, we asked church members to send in brief stories describing how they have been affected through Bible reading, study, meditation and/or memorization. Here are the first few, shared by permission. We hope you find them encouraging.

In the spring of 2011, I studied 1 and 2 Peter with a group of women, with a focus on suffering and trials. Prior to this study, I had experienced some difficulties in life, but never anything I would consider a “BIG trial” that could shake my faith. Then I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in July, 2011. After undergoing a thyroidectomy, I sustained damaged vocal cords and couldn’t speak. This was a pivotal moment for me to continue to trust God when I felt my world was shaking. I could continue to trust Him or respond in anger and bitterness. I chose to trust. God proved his faithfulness through the prayers and acts of practical help by many people, and answered prayers for my vocal healing after seven weeks with no voice. Throughout this experience, the Holy Spirit often brought to my mind different Bible verses that comforted and strengthened me, verses that I had studied and meditated on in the past. I am so thankful for the time I had spent in the past studying His word and how it spoke to me during my most difficult trial so far. —Pamela Ward

I had a hard time joining the church. As someone from an ethnic minority, it was very hard at first to look at people that go to our church as my brothers and sisters when I had nothing in common with them. When I was asked to choose my care group, I prayed that God would pick them for me and found myself with people I would have normally avoided or not befriended. Reading and studying the Bible at that time I was dealing with this, I started to pray and accept them as God does, to believe that church unity is stronger than blood ties. Reading the Bible has helped me overcome and not label people that are not like me. And after a while, by reading Scripture, I started to look at eight beautiful people as brothers and sisters. —Brigette Nichols

I am reminded afresh of God’s faithfulness as I look back on the last 40 years of my life. I can still remember certain verses that sustained me in each season of life. As a young person looking for work and direction, it was Psalm 25. When the children were young and finances were tight, it was Psalm 37:25. During bouts of depression, it was Psalm 40. These last 6 years, it has been Romans 12:12. I could go on and on recounting the Lord’s favor and mercy in my life and family through sickness, trials and joys. His word does not return void as we wait for the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. —Mary Baker

Wounded Warriors Update

Covenant Life Church — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:15:11 EDT

Sheilagh Leo wrote in with this very encouraging report on the Wounded Warriors ministry that serves a bimonthly luncheon for approximately 100 of the patients, families and staff on the surgical floor of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Praise God for this faithful work and all those who are participating! —Mark Mitchell

We have been able to bless and encourage many over the past 12 months as we have provided luncheon to the staff, patients and families. Thank you all for your faithful support. We currently have 40 people in this ministry who do the following: Most give $20 or more monthly; some shop twice a month for the food; some bake delicious homemade desserts; and most help prepare, set up and serve the luncheon twice a month at the hospital.

It is always humbling when a young man in his early 20s with missing limbs in a wheelchair says “thank you” for such a simple thing that we do, or a parent is so grateful just to have a fresh meal (but doesn’t have to leave their son for very long to get it).

We have been able to listen to and try to encourage many parents and young wives that share in tears what their son/husband is going through during their time at the hospital. Please continue to pray for the staff at the Medical Center as they diligently serve and care for the families and the patients.

Here’s what one of the people who participates in the ministry wrote me about the December 24 luncheon: ‘We experienced another inspiring time of serving the wounded warriors ... My brother and his fiancee came this time too. It was touching to see my brother reach out to befriend these wounded soldiers and try to talk and get to know them and also give them his own money and candy canes he brought and say, “Thanks for serving.” I walked the halls of the hospital with one wounded soldier holding an IV drip machine while he got some exercise. He couldn’t eat solid foods and was real weak. He said how grateful he was to our church for caring so much! The team did its usually great job of doing food prep and having the sandwiches ready to go. Glad to be a part of this great ministry.

Monthly donations to support the Wounded Warriors luncheons may be dropped off on Sundays with the church receptionist.

January: It’s All About the Bible

Covenant Life Church — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:01:28 EDT

As Joshua shared this past Sunday, on January 8 we’re launching into a new sermon series called “Reading the Bible for All Its Worth.” The content had been planned for a Sunday Class taught by Don DeVries, but we’ve decided to make it a sermon series instead. Basically Don’s just going to be holding class in the main auditorium! (Don will teach the first three Sundays, and Ben Wikner the fourth and final one.) Please join us for these four important Sundays.

During the series, we plan to have a few people share how they interact with God’s Word—how they are meeting God, growing, and being strengthened through Bible reading, meditation, study and/or memorization. To that end, we want to collect some stories that will build up the body and then choose a few for people to share in church over the course of the series.

We invite you to participate by using this simple online form to share how you’re meeting God through his Word. On the form, we’ve provided some categories that may describe your situation. But no worries if you and your testimony don’t fit one of the categories. They are just to get you thinking.

We are not looking for amazing, impressive testimonies ... just simple, real-life stories of God’s Word working in real lives. We want to hear about the struggles as well as the high points and hear from as many people as possible.

Depending on the responses, we also hope to share some of the stories on the church website. This is a way to stir one another up as we reflect on God’s goodness in revealing himself through his Word. Psalm 119:162 says, "I rejoice at your word, like one who finds great spoil."

Share your story here.

Upcoming Sunday Classes

Covenant Life Church — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:51:49 EDT

UPDATE (Jan. 1, 2012): Plans have changed since we posted this letter. The Sunday Class planned for January, “Reading God’s Word for All Its Worth,” has become a sermon series. In essence, Sunday Class for this month has moved to the main auditorium! So, the schedule you see below for February to June still applies, but there will be no Sunday Class in January.

Dear Friends,

I want to invite you to take advantage of an opportunity to grow in your Bible reading and knowledge. Don DeVries’ Sunday Class starting January 8 is entitled “Reading God’s Word for All Its Worth,” and it’s going to be a great way to kick off your new year devotional plans. The class will cover:

• Choosing a Bible translation
• Understanding the different writing styles in the Bible
• How the Old and New Testaments work together as a whole
• Principles for understanding the Word

If you would like to read your Bible more proactively and grow in understanding God’s Word or sharing it with others, you’ll want to consider attending Don’s class. It’s offered at 9:30 and 11 a.m. on January 8, 15, 22 and 29.

I also want to encourage you to check out these Sunday Classes coming up in the new year:

Discipleship: The Church’s Great Commission
Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 | Ben Wikner
Why discipleship is so important in God’s plan and how we can grow in both being and making disciples.

Doing Justice and Showing Mercy
March 4, 11, 18, 25 | Mark Mitchell
God’s view of justice and mercy and how the church can be more effective in demonstrating both virtues on this earth.

Romans: Part 2
April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 | Robin Boisvert
Part two of a three-part expositional series on the Book of Romans.

Answers to Hard Questions
May 6, 13, 20, 27 | Keith Welton
A look at the hard spiritual questions people typically ask about the Christian faith and some sound biblical answers. Keith Welton is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary who serves on our church staff as Director of Ministry Teams and Guest Care.

Studies in Systematic Theology
June 3, 10, 17, 24 | Steve Welch
A survey of the discipline of Systematic Theology and how it helps us to better understand and apply God’s Word. Steve Welch was trained at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and has taught a similar course at Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

We hope and trust these classes will serve you as you seek to grow in your relationship with God and in understanding his Word.

Yours in Christ,

Ben Wikner

Bible Reading Plans

Covenant Life Church — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:10:37 EDT

Blogger Justin Taylor has written a post listing a variety of ways to read the Bible in a year. He has done his usual brilliant job, taking time to highlight why having a plan is important and why some plans are weak. He includes 10 Reading Plans for ESV Editions available in an array of formats and how to access them. Take a look, and consider what would work best for you.

Justin is vice president of book publishing and an associate publisher at Crossway. He blogs at “Between Two Worlds,” hosted by the Gospel Coalition.

New Year’s Day

Covenant Life Church — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 11:32:09 EDT

On New Years’s Day, we’ll have one service at 10 a.m. with normal Discovery Land (Children’s Ministry) for infants through 5th grade but no middle school class. We are pleased to have Mark Lauterbach from Grace Church San Diego coming to preach.

Mark became became part of Sovereign Grace Ministries in 2003 after more than twenty years of pastoral experience and has served as senior pastor at Grace Church since 2005. He is originally from Pittsburgh and is a Steelers fan despite living in Charger territory. He and his wife Rondi have three adult children (all married), two grandchildren, and a dog. They live in Escondido.

Please note that the church building will be closed on January 2.