Cultivating Covenant Community
Related Categories: Community
Over 4000 years ago, God made a promise to Abraham. In Galatians Paul says that if we belong to Jesus, that promise is ours as well. Abraham was a moon worshiper, minding his own business, when God stepped into his world and declared, "From this moment on, you belong to Me. I will never leave you. For the rest of your life, I will always be with you, teaching you about My character and showing you how to live a life that honors me. From you I
will build a great family, a community of people who number more than the stars or the sands on the shores of the earth. I will bless every one of them who are bound to me and because of that blessing, they will be a blessing to others. This world will be a better place because of their presence."
The ramifications of this covenantal promise are unending yet very practical. It's a perfect grid through which to plan ministry or develop the vision of a local church. Try pushing every ministry or program through these questions:
- Does it connect people?
- Does it cultivate a covenant community?
- Will it equip participants to reflect redemption, i.e. be a blessing to others?
- Does it introduce participants to the call of Jesus?
- Will it encourage participants to recognize God keeping the promise of His presence to His children?
One of the ways we implement the promises of the covenant in our church life is through small group opportunities. Every fall, we offer small group Bible studies for men and women. We believe in the exhortation of Paul to Titus, that older women should teach younger women and older men should mentor younger men. Our Family Night activities reflect our commitment to an intergenerational ministry, that is, where all ages interact and learn from one another. We're not interested in having a program just because we've always done it that way or because it's the next big idea. Instead, we are creating an environment that intentionally cultivates covenant community.
Sharon and I have written several Bible study books that were published with this covenantal grid in mind. We include hundreds of scriptures that encourage readers to reach out and touch one another, to open our hearts and minds to relationships that reflect the Proverb that "iron sharpens iron." Each book emphasizes the different aspects of covenant community.
We hope that many of you will consider using one of these books for your small group or personal study. We are offering special discounts to encourage churches and Bible study leaders to check out these resources. We're confident that God will continue to use them to help turn hearts toward Him.
If you have used one of our books, we'd love to hear your response to the study.
In His grip,
Dr. Chuck Betters
MARKINC Ministries, its staff, or volunteers accepts no liability for the content of this blog, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. Any views or opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of MARKINC Ministries.

activity deepen your relationship, it will help teach your children to love serving the church. 
warmly. That picture imprinted on her heart the need to save her best smiles for me as well as her children. Consider how you are able to stop yelling at your spouse in order to answer the phone with warmth! How do we do that? Because we make a choice to treat others better than our spouse. This should not be so in your home.
vehemently over who takes out the trash, loads the dishwasher, is the sloppiest? You fill in your own pet peeves.
with ease through it, Nor can they see across it, it stands so tall.
Its nearness frightens them, but each alone is powerless to tear its bulk away; And each dejected
wishes he had known for such a wall, some magic thing to say. So let us build with master art, my dear, A bridge of love between your life and mine,
A bridge of tenderness, and very near, A bridge of understanding, strong and fine, Till we have
formed so many lovely ties, There never will be room for walls to rise. (Author unknown)
faith is practical and we must choose to live life through the grid of a Biblical worldview.
true story that chronicled the emotional journey of the Colonel who requested the privilege of escorting home a fallen Marine. It's a painful movie to watch but in honor of all those who have given their lives so that we can experience the freedoms of America, we had to see it to the end.
who participated in the motorcycle Run for the Wall. Thousands of Viet Nam Veterans and their families travelled to pay tribute to the thousands of men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice but were not honored by our country until much later.
and fear God in the same way we wanted our children to experience? Then I discovered that children come with directions. The book of Proverbs is God's Parenting Manual and it is filled with practical tools that help inexperienced and seasoned grandparents alike focus on character building. Two generations ago, parents naturally passed on the truths of Proverbs to their children. We've lost that solid foundation. It's time to go back to what works.
do the rest." Sharon had just shared one of our dreams with me. She loved Hebrews 11 and wanted to write a book on what she called "God's Waiting Room." She also wanted us to co-author the book. She said my task would be to research and preach on each character in the chapter. She would condense the preaching into book form.
introduced to several thousand women at the conference in Atlanta as the recommended Bible study for the year.
