Covenant Life Church

July 12 2011 at 12:12 pm

The Father’s Discipline

Joshua preached on Sunday morning from Hebrews 12:1-11, titling his message “The Father’s Discipline.” Audio and an outline are available in the Resource Library.

As Covenant Life Church is walking through what is surely one of its most difficult challenges, Joshua sought to help us interpret from God’s Word what is taking place. He taught that God disciplines us because he loves us, that his discipline hurts, and that we must be trained by it. He encouraged us all to welcome and invite the good discipline of the Lord in our lives as his sons and daughters.

In his conclusion, Joshua shared a poignant illustration from Charles Spurgeon:

A child had a little garden in which she planted many flowers, but they never grew. She put them in, as she thought tenderly and carefully, but they would not live. She sowed seeds and they sprang up; but very soon they withered away. So she ran to her father’s gardener, and when he came to look at it, he said, “I will make it a nice garden for you, that you may grow whatever you want.” He fetched a pick, and when the little child saw the terrible pick, she was afraid for her little garden. The gardener struck his tool into the ground and began to make the earth heave and shake for his pickaxe had caught the edge of a huge stone which underplayed almost all the little plot of ground. All the little flowers were turned out of their places and the garden spoiled for a season so that the little maid wept much. He told her he would make it a fair garden yet, and so he did, for having removed that stone which had prevented all the plants from striking root he soon filled the ground with flowers which lived and flourished.

Just so, the Lord has come, and has turned up all the soil of your present comfort to get rid of some big stone that was at the bottom of all your spiritual prosperity, and would not let your soul flourish. Do not weep with the child, but be comforted by the blessed results and thank your Father’s tender hand!

May 30 2011 at 9:19 am

Randy Newman: Bringing the Gospel Home

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Randy Newman will speak at Covenant Life on June 5 for the second Sunday in a row. Randy is an author and teacher who has been on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ since 1980. Read more about him in our last blog post.

Randy’s message for June 5 will revolve around his most recent book, Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well. The book focuses on the goodness of the gospel, the high priority of family, and the complexity of communication. Randy seeks to offer people hope by pointing them to Scripture and telling inspiring stories of others who have witnessed to family.

Randy’s message for May 29 was derived from his book, Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did, also described in our last blog post.

We are eager for everyone to grow through reading Randy’s books and grateful to have him come and teach these two important messages back to back.

May 17 2011 at 4:58 pm

Randy Newman on Evangelism

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Author and teacher Randy Newman will speak here at Covenant Life on two consecutive Sundays: May 29 and June 5. Randy has been on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ since 1980 and has spoken on college campuses, at the Pentagon, in churches, and in various academic settings. He is based in the D.C. area and recently spoke to the Singles Ministry here at Covenant Life. Randy says that his writing “has opened doors to teach the Bible and to train people in communicating their faith in dialogical and respectful ways.”

Randy’s message for May 29 will be derived from his book, Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did. He recounts that his goal with this book was “to help non-evangelists do the work of evangelists. I see evangelism more as a dialogue than a sales pitch, and I want to help people know how to use questions to promote two-way conversations.”

On June 5, his message will revolve around his more recent book, Bringing the Gospel Home: Witnessing to Family Members, Close Friends, and Others Who Know You Well. Here, Randy focuses on the goodness of the gospel, the high priority of family, and the complexity of communication. He seeks to offer people hope by pointing them to Scripture and telling inspiring stories of others who have witnessed to family.

We are excited to hear Randy teach and to see how the church will grow through exposure to his books. They are a great resource; please look for them in the church bookstore.

March 7 2011 at 10:40 am

C.J. Mahaney: “When Someone Doubts”

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It will be our joy to have C.J. Mahaney with us on Sunday, March 13, preaching from Jude, verses 22 and 23: “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

C.J. Mahaney leads Sovereign Grace Ministries in its mission to establish and support local churches. After 27 years of pastoring Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, C.J. handed the senior pastor role to Joshua Harris on September 18, 2004, allowing C.J. to devote his full attention to Sovereign Grace. He serves on the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and on the board of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

C.J.‘s books include Humility: True Greatness; Living the Cross-Centered Life; and Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God. He is the editor of Worldliness and Why Small Groups?, and has coauthored other books in Sovereign Grace Ministries’ Pursuit of Godliness series.

C.J. and his wife, Carolyn, have three married daughters and one son. They make their home in Gaithersburg, Md.

February 18 2011 at 2:37 pm

Providence on Display: Tom Martin’s Testimony

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Tom Martin gave his testimony in church this past Sunday. Joshua Harris had heard Tom’s story some months ago and asked him to share with the church how God saved him. The Spirit’s work in Tom is such a powerful reminder of God’s providence in our salvation—he reaches out his mighty arms to save even those who are far from him.

January 11 2011 at 6:37 pm

Michael Oh: Why We Should Pray for Japan

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Dr. Michael Oh was with us last Sunday in connection with our monthly “Prayer for the Nations.” He spoke briefly about how the gospel of Christ broke through significant cultural prejudice and gave him not only a heart for the Japanese people, but the desire to start a ministry in Japan. Joshua Harris introduced Dr. Oh, sharing his own “Japan connection” and his desire to see the gospel advance in that largely unreached nation.

For more on Michael Oh, see our earlier post.

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