COGOP Covington

What has come of this?
Not despair, but Hope


It has been two months since Marquel went home to be with the Lord and since that time we have struggled, we have cried, we have pondered, and we have searched within ourselves and each other seeking an understanding of what transpired. So, what has come of it? The Word says in Ecclesiastes 7 verse 8 that, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof…”. Truly those of us that attended Marquel’s homegoing can attest to that. We were privy to testimonies declaring how many souls were brought to Christ through such a small child. Family, friends, and strangers spoke of his kind spirit and happy nature. In his passing, as awful as it was, God used Marquel to win souls to His kingdom. Marquel’s life was a testimony that many of us dream ourselves to have. What an awesome display of God’s glory and great love!

We may never understand God’s motives, but this we know, He is just. He works all things together for good to them that love Him and are called according to His purpose. Marquel was called and his life was ordained for a great purpose. In his four years he has won more souls than many that still remain. So as you ask yourself what has come of what happened, recall the testimonies that you heard from the various churches and visitors that stood up and shared with us. They were victorious testimonies wroth by God through Marquel. Keep in mind Jeremiah 1:5 where God declares, “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” As Marquel was born and left this earth fulfilling the purpose of God, so should we. How awesome it would be to know that we were also mightily used of God. So what indeed came of the events of January 1, 2010? Not despair, but Hope.

May the Lord Bless you

Lloyd G. Phipps, Sr.
Senior Pastor

Malachi 3:8-9 gives us a sober warning,

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.”

Now if you think about this statement, you have to ask, “How do you rob God? I mean, really, what does that mean?”

There are two ways we rob God when we refuse to tithe:

1. We rob God of honor that is due Him. In Proverbs 3:9 it says to, Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase. By giving God the first part of our income, we are honoring Him as being first in our lives. We demonstrate faith in His promise to supply our needs as well—and God is honored by our faith.

2. We rob God of the opportunity to bless us. In Malachi 3:10, God promises to bless us if we bring Him the first tenth of our income (the tithe).

The promise in Proverbs is that our barns will be filled with plenty if we will honor the Lord with our first fruits (Proverbs 3:9-10).

He can bless us. He desires to bless us. Let us not rob Him of the opportunity to do so, nor of the honor that is due Him.

Have a blessed day

Lloyd G. Phipps, Sr.
Senior Pastor

District Overseer, Quinteria Rosario, eulogized Juan Sanchez as a man who died as he lived; serving others. Pastor Sanchez died on Saturday, January 30, apparently from a bacterial infection, shortly after returning from a humanitarian mission to help build a temporary home for the 68 orphans from the Church of God of Prophecy’s orphanage in the quake-ravaged Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Click here for more …

Bishop Flavio Rosario and Pastor Quiterio Rosario were able to make their way into Port-au-Prince on Saturday and met with Bishop Dorlean, overseer of Haiti, and some of our Haitian brothers. The long journey into the Haitian capital was slowed by traffic, clogging the roads as others sought to deliver aid. At many points the roadways were made impassable by debris so although delayed, the Dominican team arrived safely. They delivered enough food and water to the children at the orphanage to last about a week. Bishop Dorlean was overwhelmed by the support and could not find words to express his gratitude for this act of Christian solidarity. Bishop Benjamin Feliz, Director of Finance and Publications, was able to speak with Brother Dorlean and encourage him of the global church’s full support for Haiti in this hour of crisis.

Click here to here to see a video from David David Bryan …
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People worry about many things that are going on in our world today: earthquakes, famine, pestilence, war and rumors of war (Matt 24:7 paraphrased).

Now, it is easy to be concerned about these things, but earlier in that passage, in verse 3, we find out why we should not worry:

Matt 24:3
Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Jesus was answering the question about the signs of His return, and what will point to the end of the age.  That is why He said, “When you see these things begin to come to pass, it is not time to start worrying.”

It is time to lift up your head because He is coming soon! Hallelujah! Think about it. When you open up the paper today and read about the things happening in the Middle East, it seems like Bible prophecy is being fulfilled almost on a weekly basis. What a time we are living in!

Beloved, Christ is going to return, and from the way things are shaping up, it is not far off at all. I want to live like He is coming back today, and I want to plan and work like He won’t be back for a hundred years.

But it could be any day.

Jesus is coming soon. Are you ready to meet Him? Think about it. Are you living in a way that you know when Jesus Christ comes, you won’t be ashamed at His coming? I pray you will be able to look up with a joyful face and heart and say, “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly!”

It has been more than 48 hours since a 7.0 quake pummeled Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, demolishing the already tenuous existence of millions in this nation that shares an island with the Dominican Republic. The Church of God of Prophecy, its members, and ministries have not escaped unscathed. Click here to read more …

Excerpt from COGOP Connections, GLOBAL OUTREACH SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Albert Carty

Our dear brother Albert Carty went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, January 16^th, 2010. Our hearts and prayers are with the Carty Family.

The Carty family has asked that donations be made to the Levi Thompson Scholarship Fund in lieu of flowers. Checks can be made to the church of God of Prophecy. Please indicate in the memo line either Albert Carty Funeral or the Levi Thompson Scholarship Fund.

Click here for the wake information
Click here for the Homegoing Celebration information

Our dear Sister Monica Rosemarie Shepperd went home to be with the Lord on January 13, 2010. Our hearts and prayers are with the Thompson Family. Please click here to see the complete homegoing information.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

I pen this note with a heavy and grieved heart. Many of you attended our New Years Eve watch night service and personally witnessed or heard about the tragic event that transpired. Shortly after midnight, one of our dear children, Marquel Peters, was struck by a stray bullet while sitting next to his mother, Sister Natalee Peters. The minutes that unfolded seemed unimaginable and unthinkable, but were real. Marquel went home to be with the Lord New Years morning. Now, I ask the church to stand with the Peters family during this time of such a GREAT loss. Please let us love, support, and hold the entire family in our prayer. To those that acted quickly and bravely that morning, I express my sincere thanks for all that you did on behalf of Marquel and the Peters.
Click here to read more …

Romans 2:4 (New King James Version) declares …

“the goodness of God leads you to repentance”

Ephesians 2:4-6 (New King James Version)

“4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

God is not holding your sins against you. He sent His Son to pay a debt that had to be paid in order to liberate you from sin. God extends His mercy and forgiveness to you and me even when we do not deserve it.

It was His goodness that arrested our attention and that brought us to the foot of the cross, even when we were in our darkest sin, doing some of the most terrible things; like abusing our body with drug and alcohol, and doing things that should have put us in an early grave. But God loved us right in the middle of all of that.

I want you to know that wherever you are right now, God loves you. You may be in the depths of the darkest sin you have ever been involved in, you just feel wretched, but God loves you right where you are.

He loves you so much He doesn’t want to leave you there. His grace can reach you, change you, and lift you out of any sin or situation if you will turn to him with all of your heart.

There is no reason to fear or hesitate. Entrust yourself to the goodness of God and say YES to Him today.

Lloyd G. Phipps, Sr.
Senior Pastor

Church of God of Prophecy
3333 Covington Drive | Decatur, GA 30032 | Church: (404)286-6126 | Residence (770) 529-3721 | Cell: (678) 481-2823 | Fax: (770) 529-3721

Email: pastor@covingtoncogop.org | www.covingtoncogop.org