Covenant Life Church

January 14 2012 at 9:50 am

“Bible Stories” - Part 2

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

January 10 2012 at 4:05 pm

“Bible Stories” - Part 1

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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

January 6 2012 at 9:01 am

January: It’s All About the Bible

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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.

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.

September 1 2010 at 6:51 pm

A Story of Living Hope: Matt Lowe

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The Lowe Family

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Matt Lowe shared with the church family this past Sunday about his struggle with a recurrent brain tumor that has required multiple surgeries and presented serious challenges for his family. Although this trial is ongoing, the Lowes continue to be an example of faith and joy in suffering.

Matt’s wife Helen accompanied him on stage, and after his testimony, Joshua and others from the pastoral team prayed for the family. Matt and Helen have six children, ranging in age from 1 to 13.

September 1 2010 at 2:45 pm

‘A Front Row Seat’ at Introducing God

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Small group discussion at Introducing God

In the fall of 2009, I found myself fresh out of college with loads of unscheduled time. God had been working in my heart in the area of evangelism, largely due to the influence of Jon Smith, who is now leading the OneU campus ministry at University of Maryland, College Park. I’d really been struck by Jesus’ commission in Matthew 28 to “make disciples of all nations.” As I prayed about ways to evangelize, I recalled the amazing opportunity we have at Covenant Life Church through the Introducing God course.

There were many things that struck me as I led a discussion group. I was reminded that our guests are not projects that we target with the gospel, but real people I could begin loving, listening to, and sharing the love of Christ with. And yes, they do need the saving message of the gospel, since those who haven’t trusted in Christ for salvation are under God’s wrath. I was amazed as I watched God work in hearts, and humbled as I saw that it often had to do with God’s timing and not my “eloquent speech.” This drove me to pray more often and with more fervency. It’s funny how much more real and “alive” prayers can become when you’re thrown into a situation that you can’t control. God is the one who saves, and the only one who can change hearts. This truth resulted in much joy and confidence as I lead the group. I found myself praying even during the group times.

Not only was I humbled, but I learned how to listen better, love better, and pray more. And as I saw God work in the group, my faith grew. One girl in my group got saved in the first couple of weeks. He gave her a hunger for his Word, and she came to the point where she believed. Another guy in the group was quieter, but at the overnight (a weekend mini-retreat that’s part of Introducing God), he professed faith in Christ as well. Another is now a friend, is seeking to understand the gospel, and has come to Covenant Life many times since. I’m praying God will open his eyes. I’ve also heard countless testimonies from those whom God saved at the overnight; it was a sweet time of seeing the Spirit at work.

Finally, I was amazed at how God worked in me. I don’t normally expect to be the beneficiary when I go somewhere to “serve,” but I learned so much from the guests, from the teachings by Mark and Robin, and from working with my group.

If you have a hunger for evangelism and are trying to find a way to get a kick-start, try serving in IG. If you don’t have a desire to evangelize, come serve in IG and watch God grow you in this area. If you don’t have the time to commit to serving in IG, please pray for our volunteers and guests.

In John 3 God tells Nicodemus that he must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. Only God can bring the new birth, so let’s pray that he will do this in the lives of many who enter the doors of Covenant Life Church! God calls us all to evangelism, and IG is one way you can evangelize alongside other Christians, learn from them, and get a front row seat to how God is using this church to powerfully spread his gospel!

—Andrew “Ace” Leyva

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