Covenant Life Church

This week, we are continuing our “On Mission” series, which is focused on getting everyone who is called by God involved in the mission that Jesus gave us: to go and make disciples. We should be focused on that mission 168 hours a week, not just for the one hour a week we’re in church together.

Last week, we talked about getting prepared to carry out the mission of discipleship that we’re on. We used the analogy of a military unit getting ready for battle and talked about three ways we should get prepped for the mission. Now, it’s time to talk about the fourth one, which is all about making sure that we’re repaired, mended, restored and ready to fulfill our mission.

The success of any military operation depends on the preparation of the soldiers involved. No matter how good the team is, there has to be a time of specialized preparation before they undertake any mission, and that preparation should take into consideration both the demands of

the mission and the needs of the soldiers.

A couple of weeks ago, we started a series called On Mission, which is based on the mission defined by Jesus in Matthew 28: go and make disciples. How do we prepare for that mission? Can anybody do it at any time? This week, we’re going to explore these questions and what it takes for us, the soldiers in God’s army, to get prepped for this disciple-making mission of service.

Last week, we began a series called On Mission. It’s an important series because it gets right at the heart of what Jesus called us to do. We talked about the Great Commission and the call to go and make disciples, but it begs the question: if the mission is the work, what are we working for? What is the church supposed to look like? In Ephesians 4, Paul paints a picture of the body of Christ as it should be.

It’s a church that’s known for loving rather than fighting, where it’s safe for everybody to come and hear about Jesus with no judgment and no pressure. It’s a church where the presence of God is tangible and authentic, a place where souls are being saved and lives are being changed. This week, we’re discussing the church and the people Jesus wants us to be and how we can’t stop until the mission is accomplished.

At the end of Matthew 28, Jesus delivers the Great Commission, the marching orders for those who would follow Him. This is the mission of Covenant Life and every other Bible-believing, Jesus-following church. It’s what we are supposed to be doing as Christians: going and making disciples.

This week, we’re kicking off a new series called On Mission, which could prove to be a pivotal series in our lives and in the future of our church. As we unpack the sermons in this series and teachings of the Bible, let’s strive to hear what God is saying to us and surrender to what He’s doing within us.

When someone mentions fall, it’s easy to think about bonfires, and for most people, it doesn’t matter what gets burned — whether it’s pine, grass trimmings or old furniture — to make one. If it will burn, it belongs on the burn pile. Unfortunately, that may also be our concept of what God thinks when He looks at us. When you compare His holiness with our sinfulness, it is easy to think that he just sees us all as fit for the burn pile.

However, we forget that His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. He doesn’t think like we do. When Jesus looks at us, He sees our potential and possibilities; He sees a masterpiece just waiting for His craftsmanship. According to the Bible, we have been recreated in Christ, which means that He has taken us out of the burn pile and started the process of making us into something fit for the work of the Kingdom.

The pace at which we live makes it hard to notice what’s going on until we crash into a wall or break something. The cost of not addressing how we’re doing on the inside can include broken relationships, broken jobs, broken ministries and broken churches. As long as we’re still moving, we assume that we must be okay, but nothing could be further from the truth.

On most Sunday mornings, Pastor John fulfills the role of preacher or Bible teacher, but after sensing a weight in the room last week, he decided to fulfill a different role this week: that of shepherd for the flock of people who call Covenant Life home. This week, we’re being real with each other and getting biblical advice on how to deal with our grief, stress and anxiety.

Just as the book of Ecclesiastes says, the theme for this week is that there is a time and season for everything. The best and worst part about life is that seasons change. It’s unfortunate that we can’t live on the mountaintop our entire life, but thankfully, the opposite is also true. If you have been in a season of fire walking, you can be encouraged by the fact that change is coming, and the fire will not last forever.

Throughout the Fire Walking Series, we have identified a number of principles from the fiery furnace experience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to see how they can help us in the fiery seasons of our lives. We have already talked about three of them, and this week, we’re exploring the last two principles — and seeing what happens after the fire — in one message called the Fire Fallout Principle.

Throughout the Fire Walking Series, we have been exploring key principles from the fiery furnace experience of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego — and learning how to apply those principles in our own lives. It doesn't matter how spiritual, good-looking, wealthy, powerful, gifted or connected we are; everyone walks through seasons of fire.

This week, we're exploring the Fire Freedom Principle. Nobody wants to be tied up and held back, but do you still want to be free even if your freedom comes through the fire? Deliverance may come through a mighty move of the Holy Spirit, but often, the thing that prepares us for that deliverance is a season of fire walking.

Have you ever recognized that you were about to be thrown into a fire? Fear is probably the first thing that goes through your mind — fear of the loss of relationship, health, finances, fellowship. It’s usually hard to see beyond the pain and loss, but what the three Hebrew men in Daniel 3 found likely never crossed their minds.

We can’t let the fear of the fire blind us to the fact that Jesus is right beside us, and our relationship with Him will be deeper as a result of our experience in the fire. This week, we are continuing the Fire Walking Series to discover that, no matter what kind of fire we’re walking through, we can be confident that we’re going to find friendship with Jesus.

This week, we’re starting a brand new series for people who — from time to time and way more than they’d actually prefer — find themselves walking through the fire. Sometimes, we walk through fires of someone else’s making, but other times, we do it to ourselves. Regardless of the source, nature, intensity or duration of the fire, it isn’t pleasant.

Even if walking through a fire is not an enjoyable experience, there may be a way to approach it that can maximize the benefits and provide greater understanding. Throughout this series, we’re going to explore five different principles based on the experience of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that can help us walk through fires in our own lives. The first one we’re discussing is called the Fire Focus Principle.