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Living Hope, Part 11
0 CommentsYesterday, Robin Boisvert preached part 11 of our Living Hope series in the first letter of Peter. What happened to part 10, you ask? Well, Joshua had planned to preach from 1 Peter 3:7 in sequence, following on the heels of his “A Word to Wives” message from 1 Peter 3:1-6, but because of his mother’s passing, he asked Robin to step in and preach the next passage, 1 Peter 3:8-22, out of sequence. Then Josh picked up with his message, “A Word to Husbands (And a Few More for Wives)” on July 18. Make sense?!
Here are options for reviewing and applying the message:
• Listen online or download an MP3.
• Download the summary outline (in PDF format).
• Use the questions below for further reflection and application to your life:
1. Robin shared that the atmosphere of the church should be one of unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly and sisterly love, tender-heartedness and humility (1 Peter 3:8). In which one of these character qualities do you desire to grow?
2. How are you tempted to respond when you are reviled or slandered or evil is done against you (e.g. fight fire with fire, insist on your rights, demand fairness, plot revenge)? According to Jesus’ example (1 Peter 2:21-23) and Peter’s words in 1 Peter 3:9-10, how should believers respond to evil? How can you grow to emulate Christ’s example?
3. When you suffer for doing good (1 Peter 3:13-15), how can believing that Christ is the reigning, sovereign and exalted Lord strengthen your faith and enable you to persevere?
4. Robin taught us that giving a “defense … for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15b) means being a relationship builder, not an argument winner. In sharing the good news, which do you tend to be? What does it look like to be a witness for the gospel with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:16)?
5. Robin shared that Jesus suffered once for sins, was resurrected from the dead, is exalted and seated at the right hand of God with angels, authorities and powers subjected to him (1 Peter 3:18-19, 21-22). Is all your hope in this good news or do other hopes compete for allegiance?
July 8 2010 at 5:20 pm
Words of Care and Comfort for the Harris Family
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Dear Covenant Life family,
On July 4 our senior pastor suffered the loss of his mother, Sono Harris, to cancer. We have all experienced the fruit of her life through Joshua’s ministry.
Joshua and his family are grieving, but with great hope (1 Thess. 4:13-18). They know there will be a day of great joy when they will be reunited in him.
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the father of mercies and the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3), and I know we are all praying that he will comfort and be near the Harris family this coming weekend, and in the days ahead.
But the pastors wanted to create a place where Josh could hear words of care and comfort from his Covenant Life family. This is that place. Please feel free to share your prayers and expressions of gratefulness to Josh and the Harris family by leaving a comment. To do so, click on the word “Comments” at the top of this post.
Thank you for your partnership in the gospel, for your prayers, and for your expressions of care toward Josh and his family.
On behalf of the pastors,
Pictured: Joshua Harris and family with Joshua’s mother, Sono. Left to right: Emma, Mary Kate, Shannon, Sono, Joshua Quinn, and Joshua
June 29 2010 at 6:11 pm
Get To Know Kevin and Jami Rogers
0 CommentsThis past Sunday, new Singles pastor, Kevin Rogers, and his wife, Jami, told how they came to Christ and to Covenant Life Church:
Kevin: I grew up in Upper Marlboro, Md., in a Christian home where I heard the gospel and attended church regularly. Like many kids who grow up in church, I prayed the sinner’s prayer several times. Looking back, I see evidence of God’s hand in my life in those early years, but in high school, my faith was tested and I began to look more and more like the world.
My parents then made the decision for our family to join a church closer to our home where they hoped my brother and I might get more involved. God used that decision and that local church as a significant means of grace in my life. The people there loved me and reached out to me. As I heard the gospel and saw it lived out in the lives of the people in that church, God did a transforming work in my life. The summer after my freshman year was a distinct turning point. I began that summer eager to live for myself, craving love and respect from the world, but over the next three months, I was confronted by the gospel in a number of contexts. God drew me to himself, and I came back to school in the fall distinctly different—eager to turn from the sin that had characterized my life, pursue holiness, and share the gospel with those around me. By God’s grace, I witnessed a number of friends at my public high school come to Christ and grow in their faith through the next three years.
Jami: I grew up actively involved in the church with my family near Greensboro, N.C. I recall responding to the gospel as a child and remained engaged in the church, but I had no true concept of the grace of God and lived under a persistent weight of guilt. I viewed God as distant and angry, which hindered me from turning to him in repentance when I sinned. Eventually, after some spiritual experience, I would come crawling back to God in shame and seek to work my way back into his good favor. This legalistic cycle led to constant ups and downs in my high school years and periods of wordliness and sin. I devoted myself to success academically, athletically and relationally, but God providentially brought someone into my life to draw me to himself. My cheerleading coach was a devoted believer, and she reached out to me. Eventually, she confronted me about the path of sin I was pursuing and urged me to turn to Christ. By God’s grace, I did and sought to live my life for his glory. My senior year was distinctly different and I continued to grow in love for God, his Word and his people.
Kevin and I met the next year at Liberty University. Kevin co-led a student discipleship ministry and led their worship team. We first met when I auditioned to sing on the team. Kevin likes to say that during my audition, he asked me how many kids I wanted to have, but it’s not true. Two years later, we ended up serving on the same worship team, which gave us a lot of time to build a great friendship, and our respect for each other only grew. We were married just after college in August 2003.
Kevin: For the first few months of marriage, we lived near campus and worked there, but I had long carried a desire to participate somehow in whatever God was doing in the D.C. area. A friend of mine was a member of Covenant Life, so on a trip to the area for a wedding, we decided to visit. That visit changed our lives. C.J. preached that morning from James 4 on conflicts and cravings, which had an immediate impact on our young marriage. We had the experience that morning many of you have had. We stood as first-time guests, and before we even sat down, Larry Earles greeted us. After the service, we went to the guest reception and spent 30 minutes talking with Sam and Priscilla Ellis. We met teens who were engaging and mature. A man saw us looking like newcomers in the bookstore and took the initiative to greet us and point us to good books. A few days later, we got a follow-up phone call from Patrick Ryan on the guest follow-up team to see if there was any way he could serve us. The kindness of the people, the richness of the teaching and the spiritual maturity of the members we met blew us away. In May 2004, we moved here and Covenant Life became our church family.
We threw ourselves into church life, led newly married care groups, and started a family. We have three kids. Chloe is four, Jacob is two, and Owen is six months. In May 2007, I had the privilege of joining the church staff as the ministry teams director, working with Mark Mitchell in Outreach, before attending the Pastors College this year. We walked through the doors of this building six years ago knowing no one, and since then, you have become our family. We have lived life together with so many of you, experiencing Christ through you in joys and trials, growth and struggles … together. We love you, Covenant Life Church, and we are astonished and sobered by the privilege to serve you.
June 19 2010 at 4:25 pm
First ‘Good News Club’ Was a Success
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Starting this fall, Covenant Life volunteers hope to host year-long “Good News Clubs” at several public schools in our area. If you and your family would like to get in on the excitement, please join us for a Good News Club Information Meeting on Sunday, June 27, from 1:15 to 1:45 p.m. in Room 155.
Here’s a report on Covenant Life’s first Good News Club:
For six weeks this spring, Covenant Life Church had the joy of hosting a club at a nearby elementary school. Over 15 students participated in this after-school program, enthusiastically singing about Jesus and learning from the Bible. Pastors Mike Bradshaw, Joe Lee, Greg Somerville, and Ben Wikner shared in the teaching, while Charlene Vigil, Becky Faherty, and Suzy Somerville provided world-class administrative support. Several Covenant Life teens served by befriending the club members and helping to lead singing.
The club met after school on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:45. At each meeting club members received a snack, memorized Scripture, heard the gospel repeatedly during times of teaching and singing, were inspired by missionary stories, and had a chance to speak one-on-one with an adult if they had questions. Prizes and goodie bags made the whole experience a little sweeter.
“It was so rewarding to see these kids enjoy learning about Jesus in a public school!” says Greg Somerville. “Not only were we able to share openly about sin and salvation, but we were able to give the children Bibles and take-home devotionals. And my children were able to participate with me as a club member and teen helpers. What an ideal way to serve together as a family!”
Good News Clubs are a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship, which has served children in hundreds of countries around the world since 1937. A few other churches in Montgomery County have been successfully hosting Good News Clubs for years; the club held recently was Covenant Life’s first venture into this exciting form of community outreach. But there is almost unlimited potential for expansion.
If you cannot attend the meeting on June 27 but would like further information, please e-mail Greg Somerville.
After the final club meeting on June 9, a grateful parent handed one of the club leaders this note: “I cannot express enough thanks for all you instilled in my son. Unfortunately, we stopped going to church and being strengthened by the Word shortly after he was born, and although I try to show or express to him how awesome our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is, he lets me know he’s still not sure if he believes. I feel assured that Jesus has sent His servants from your church to speak the Word of God to him and plant the seed. Praise His Holy Name!”
October 27 2009 at 4:57 pm
Unique Opportunity To Serve
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This coming spring over 5,000 pastors from all over the world will gather in Louisville, Ky., for “Together for the Gospel,” a bi-annual conference that encourages pastors from a multitude of denominations and backgrounds to take their stand together for the gospel.
The theme for T4G 2010 is “The (Unadjusted) Gospel”—how Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, proclaims a message that’s the same yesterday, today, and forever—and why we should do likewise.
Main session speakers for the event include R.C. Sproul, John Piper, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, John MacArthur, Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever and Thabiti Anyabwile. The event will be held April 13-15 at the Kentucky International Convention Center.
Sovereign Grace Ministries has the privilege of organizing and running the conference. If you would like to volunteer to serve not only all the pastors of our churches, but the diverse body of believers that will be gathered to celebrate the gospel, contact Paul Medler for more information.
October 6 2009 at 9:34 am
Pastors on Retreat This Week
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Here we are about to head out for our annual fall pastors’ retreat. Once again, a family in our church is allowing us to use a house they own for the retreat. We are very grateful!
As always, we covet your prayers for our time together and for our wives and families over the course of this week. Please pray for wisdom and the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we seek to understand how we can better serve this church that we love. Ask the Lord to bless all our discussions and to help us bear fruit for God’s kingdom.