Covenant Life Church

Last week, we started talking about our "Employable Skills." Each of us has work to do, but thankfully, everyone has a special enabling given to us by God. People often get confused about what the gifts look like or where they come from. As we learned together, the work does not have to be spiritual in nature; it has to be spiritual in why and how it's used. All gifts from God and should be used for His Kingdom.

This week, we're continuing this discussion by looking at five specific gifts. Verses in Ephesians 4 address what is commonly referred to as the five-fold ministry. There are five offices mentioned, but at best, the modern American church only has two of them: pastors and teachers. We never talk about evangelists, prophets and apostles — at least not in a way that is biblically-accurate.

Last week, we began a series called “Employed by the King” to help us address the issue of spiritual unemployment. We have to allow our faith to influence our activities, attitudes and decisions because there is important work to be done. Before engaging in the work of the Kingdom, however, we must first develop the character and nature of Christ.

This week, we’re continuing the series by looking at our “Employable Skills.” This portion of the series will be in several parts, and it’s rooted in this idea: when you love King Jesus, you will naturally want to start being employed by Him, but people often believe that they don’t have anything to offer. Verses like 1 Corinthians 12:7 and 1 Peter 4:10 tell us that everyone has been given gift.

The church in America is suffering from an ailment that was present even in the time that Jesus was trying to establish the church: spiritual unemployment. In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells His disciples that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. We don’t have a shortage of lost people; we have a shortage of saved people who are devoted to discipleship.

This week, we’re starting a new series called “Employed by the King” to help us address the issue of spiritual unemployment, which is rooted in the false notion that you can be a person of faith without allowing that faith to influence your activities, attitudes and decisions. Being a part of the Kingdom of God is not just about what you believe; it’s about what you do. It’s about faith-fueled work.

When you consider the intricacies and beauty of the world around us, it’s easy to think of God as somewhat OCD. His attention to detail is unmatched. He created 20 different shades of green in the trees and put the earth exactly far enough away from the sun that we don’t burn up but close enough that we stay warm. The list goes on and on. If anybody understands efficiency, it’s the Lord.

Given this, it’s baffling to read about His interactions with people after the resurrection. From an efficiency standpoint, they don’t make a lot of sense. There seems to be a lot of wasted time. This week’s message is called Encounters with the Risen Savior. By looking at the way Jesus interacted with people after His resurrection, we get insight into His passions and priorities, and in the process, we might find out just how important we are to Him as well.

The old song that many of us grew up singing says that on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross. That cross is what we reflect on during Good Friday. While the cross certainly is far away from where we are standing or sitting right now, it’s important to consider a question about a different kind of distance: how far are you from the cross? When you think about the cross of Jesus, how far away do you stand? In recognition of Good Friday, we’re going to talk about the cross from a distance and see how we can be close enough to the cross of Christ to be forgiven, grateful and changed.

Matthew 21 details the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. This momentous occasion is recorded in all four Gospels, and churches around the world celebrate it each year on Palm Sunday, which marks the start of Holy Week and is named for the types of branches the crowd laid and waved before Jesus.

This week, we’re diving deep into this passage to understand its significance for the Jewish people of that time and learn how we can have Jesus enter our everyday lives with the same prestige and prominence that He received during the Triumphant Entry.

The weather is warming up in Georgia, which means that snake season is quickly approaching. In addition to physical snakes, there are also spiritual snakes. From the first book of the Bible, the enemy has been portrayed either literally or figuratively as a snake or serpent. As part of the curse that God pronounced in the Garden of Eden, the offspring of Eve and snakes were set up as enemies.

The offspring is Jesus, and crushing the head of the snake is exactly what He did on the cross. Even so, until God brings this earth to an end, there are still spiritual snakes trying to bruise the heels of His spiritual heirs. This week, we’re going to learn about these spiritual snakes, when they show up and the ways they attack us, so we can be prepared to defeat them.

The Bible says in multiple places that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. He’s the Creator of the literal lights in the world, but He’s also the only source of spiritual light in the world. In the skewed, stained light of the world, everybody gets graded on a curve. We compare ourselves with each other and with our intentions.

However, the pure and bright light of Jesus is accurate; it reveals our sin and illuminates our need for Him. This week, we’re looking at three groups of people and the different responses they have to this True Light: those walking in the light, those walking in darkness and those standing in the light with a decision to make.

This week, Pastor John delivers the annual State of the Church address to provide a detailed look at giving, attendance, spiritual growth, discipleship and more in 2023 — and share his vision for 2024.

Even though we live in a digital age, most of us has seen a Polaroid picture. It pops out of the camera and is pretty much blank, but given enough time and the correct conditions, you begin to make out the image in the picture. Eventually, it’s crystal clear because it’s fully developed.

In Galatians 4:19, Paul expresses his hope that the Galatian believers would continue to grow until Christ is fully developed in them. This process is not as fast as a Polaroid, but it’s important that we give it the time and effort it deserves because there is nothing worse than a fuzzy picture when it comes to issues of eternity. This week, we’re going to look at three concepts that can help us — and our children — become fully developed in Christ.