Pastoral intern Ben Wikner teaches on the doctrine of God's adopting love as taught in Galatians 4:1-7 and elsewhere in Scripture.
Paul's Letter to the Romans presents the apostle's most comprehensive treatment of the gospel message. His emphasis is on Christian doctrine covering such themes as sin, salvation, grace, faith, justification, sanctification, redemption, death and resurrection. This class was held in May and June of 2008 and covered chapters 7-16.
"Lord, teach us to pray" was the disciples request of Jesus. Drawing from Scripture and J.I. Packer's book, "Praying the Lord's Prayer," this class explored the Lord's response to the disciples' request and how he taught his disciples and all Christians to experience the joy of praying to the Father. This course was held in April, 2008.
Paul's Letter to the Romans presents the apostle's most comprehensive treatment of the gospel message. His emphasis is on Christian doctrine covering such themes as sin, salvation, grace, faith, justification, sanctification, redemption, death and resurrection. This class was held in February and March of 2008 and covered chapters 1-6.
This course used the textbook, "How People Change" by Paul Tripp and Tim Lane, and covered basic concepts and skills for participating with God in the process of change. The classes included a helpful mix of doctrine and practice, and dealt with questions like: Why should I change? How does the gospel apply? What's really going on? Why is it so hard to change? What do I do/Where do I start? The course was held in March and April of 2007.
Knowing the history of the Reformation is both fascinating and critical to understanding key Bible doctrines. This course addressed both the unfolding of these great events as well as their political, spiritual and personal dimensions. It covered the roots of the Reformation in medieval Christianity and explored how the doctrine of justification brought about this great revival. The lives of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the group known as the Anabaptists were also examined. This class was held in February of 2007.
Meeting with God: Cultivating Private Prayer and Bible Reading - Maybe you are new at this and someone told you that you needed to plan a "quiet time" where you could have your "daily devotions." Maybe you've understood the value of time alone in God's Word and prayer, but your experience tends to be less-than-satisfying. This course sought to provide a biblical motivation and method--the whys and hows--for growing in private communion with God, and was held in January of 2007.
"The Holy Spirit and His Gifts" followed Covenant Life's Sunday expositional preaching series in I Corinthians. The course went into greater depth in studying chapters 12 and 14, with special emphasis on the gifts of prophecy and tongues. For many people, prophecy has to do with predicting the future. But it is much more than that. Prophecy is a gift that God gives to his people for their encouragement, comfort and strengthening. The gift of prophecy persuades us that God knows our situations and our hearts, and is able to speak to us personally about them. Topics covered include: how to discern God's voice, how to grow in the ability to listen, and how to remain rooted in Scripture and the Gospel while eagerly pursuing the gift of prophecy. The class also looked at the fascinating and edifying gift of tongues and how God intends this gift to be used. This course was held in October and November of 2007.
This class was designed for those who want to become more effective in evangelism and covered questions like: What does Jesus' call for me to be salt and light mean day-to-day? How can I live for the gospel given my many responsibilities and busy life? How can I overcome the fear of offending or looking silly? The course was held in June of 2007.
If much of the Old Testament seems hard to follow, Psalms is the exception. Here we find problems and passions with which we can relate. The Psalms give vent to our human joys and exasperations. We can pray with the psalmist and sing with him and lament with him. But not all of the Psalms. Some are difficult; they call down judgment on enemies or seem to end in depression. This course addressed the book as a whole—its major themes, its historical background, the nature of its poetry. It also gave insight into how the New Testament writers understood Psalms: as fulfilled in Jesus—thus allowing believers to use Psalms as the songbook of the Savior for the new age of Christ our King. The course was held in May of 2007.
Every human being carries the question in his conscience: How can I be right with God? This course explored what the Bible teaches about how men and women may become right and just before a holy God. It covered the following: key Bible passages that address the doctrine; how the church has grown in its understanding of the doctrine, with special reference to the life and teaching of Martin Luther; and how this doctrine should influence the life and thought of all Christians. The classes were held in November of 2006.
Can a book written over the span of 1,500 years containing works by dozens of authors have a single unifying message? The Bible does. Behind the human authors stands our Lord who reaches out to us through this book. Every part of the Bible points to Jesus Christ. This course traced the outline of the Bible's story and followed the development of its central theology to marvel at how its message holds together around the person and work of the Son of God. The classes were held in October of 2006.