CGN operates many Specialized Ministry Training Institutions around the world, which provide leadership development in specific fields of Christian ministry. One of those is the Pastors School, located on the campus of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. We are currently accepting applications for this residency-style training program. If you, a leader in your church or someone else you know would benefit from training for pastoral ministry under the guidance of experienced ministry practitioners, we encourage you to get in touch. Please check out the brief informational video below, featuring Director John Hwang, explaining the vision behind the Pastors School.

I recently found myself reading Luke 9:10-17 again.

It tells of when Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 men with five loaves of bread and two fish. There was probably more people present, when you add the women and kids, but Luke specifically noted the men who were there (maybe because food generally matters more to us men than to others). This was an awe-inspiring moment in the ministry of Jesus. It is one of a handful of miracles that all four Gospel writers include in their Gospels about Him. It demonstrates the compassion, power and deity of Jesus.

I admit, however, when I came to this story, I didn’t approach it with awe. It had become so familiar to me – having read it over and over again – that I planned on rushing straight through it, without giving it a second thought; but things turned out differently.

By the time I reached the end of the story, my confidence in the Bible, as being the living word of God, was reinforced.

God brought fresh insights that spoke directly to the state and situation of my life. He fed me with the five loaves and two fish, and I would love to share with you something from a full basket He graciously supplied.

In Luke 9:13, Jesus commanded His disciples to do something they were inadequate and incapable of doing on their own: “You give them something to eat.” The crowd was large, and their resources were insignificant compared to the need. The immediate supply at hand were two fish and five loaves of bread. How could these 12 men give this crowd something to eat?

Jesus’ command was intended to show His disciples their inability and His sovereign, supernatural ability.

Christ did something His disciples couldn’t do.

He gave the crowd something to eat. He took the little the disciples had and, having blessed it, multiplied it and fed the multitude to the point that everyone was satisfied. What I find so exciting in this story is that Jesus did the miracle, but He had His disciples “give the people something to eat.” He enabled them to do what they couldn’t do earlier; that is, to obey His command.

This is how God works in and through our lives as well. He brings us into situations, where the need is real and pressing, and then commands us to do something we are inadequate and incapable of doing on our own.

In our challenging marriages, God says, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22) and “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

When we are being unfairly mistreated, He tells us, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) and “Be forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Built-in to God’s commands is that which shows us our weakness and need for Christ and Christ’s sufficiency and enabling power to meet the needs at hand.

Both are happening, and we need faith to see it and act upon it. When we surrender our schemings to resolve our own problems and dilemmas in our own strength and wisdom, God acts on the basis of His mercy and grace.

He supplies the resources and enabling to do what He commands us to do.

St. Augustine said, “Lord, command what You will, and will what You command.” He demonstrates His power by enabling me to “give them something to eat.” Let’s admit our need for Jesus, turn to Him and trust in Him to demonstrate His sufficient and super-abounding grace through you and me – He will.

“The Lord said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

There is much debate about who Jesus is. Some believe he was a good man or a great prophet. Others claim he was an angel or a god among other created gods. Still others say he was a legend, liar, or lunatic. The Bible, however, tells us that He is God. This means He is the second Person of the one, triune God; eternal and uncreated; holy, sovereign, and supreme; all-powerful, all knowing, and everywhere present at the same time; the maker and sustainer of all created things; worthy of all worship, devotion, and obedience. With this said, here are 6 reasons from the Bible why I believe Jesus is God:

1. THE BIBLE CALLS JESUS “GOD”

Isaiah 9:6, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, MIGHTY GOD, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
John 1:1, 1:14, “In the beginning the Word (Jesus) already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was GOD … the Word became human and made his home among us.”

Colossians 1:15, “Christ (Jesus) is THE VISIBLE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.” 1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the ONLY TRUE GOD, and he is eternal life.”

2. JESUS CLAIMED TO BE GOD

John 5:16-18, “So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, ‘My Father is always working, and so am I.’ So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD.”

John 10:30-33, [Jesus replied] “The Father and I are one.” Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?” They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, CLAIM TO BE GOD.”

3. JESUS’ RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD AFFIRMS THAT HE IS GOD

Romans 1:3-4, “The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be THE SON OF GOD when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.”

4. JESUS POSSESSES THE UNIQUE TITLES OF GOD

In the Old Testament, God claims to be the only Savior who saves sinners from sin (Isaiah 43:11), and He alone is worthy to be called “the first and the last” (Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, 48:12). In the New Testament, Jesus possesses both titles. In John 4:42, He is called “the SAVIOR of the world”, and in Matthew 1:21, He is announced as the one who will save His people from their sins.

Jesus claims to be “the First and the Last”: “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, THE FIRST AND THE LAST, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:12-13)

5. JESUS POSSESSES THE UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

God is eternal (Psalm 90:2), unchanging (Malachi 3:6), everywhere present (Psalm 139:7-12), all knowing (Job 37:16, Psalm 147:5), and all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17).

These attributes belong to God, and Jesus possesses them all.
• Jesus is eternal: Colossians 1:17, “He existed before anything else,
• and he holds all creation together.”
• Jesus is unchanging: Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
• Jesus is everywhere present: Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
• Jesus is all knowing: Colossians 2:3, “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.”
• Jesus is all-powerful: Matthew 28:18, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”
Also, Colossians 1:16, “Everything was created through him and for him.”

6. JESUS PERFORMS THE UNIQUE WORKS OF GOD

He created all things: John 1:3, “All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.” He sustains all things: Hebrews 1:3, “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.” He forgives sin: Mark 2:7, “Only God can forgive sins”, and Colossians 3:13, “even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

He will judge the people of the world: Romans 14:10-12, “We will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance praise to God.’” Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.”

Compare this with Philippians 2:9-11: “God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Christians are free from sin’s rule, but not from its attempts to regain control. The battle that exists inside all of us, between sin and the new nature, will continue until we get to Heaven. This fact, however, is not a bleak one. The Bible tells us that Jesus rendered sin powerless at the cross. Being in Christ, we are not obligated to submit to sin’s dictates and desires. We can, by the Holy Spirit, make the right choices and take the proper actions to keep sin from regaining control of our thoughts, actions, and words. Here are five practical ways we can do this:

1. LOOK TO CHRIST AND HIS CROSS

The scene of God’s holy, incarnate Son suffering and dying on the cross is a shocking and horrific one. He became our sin and satisfied God’s wrath in order to rescue and redeem us from sin’s rule over us. This motivates us to love God and hate sin and to choose pleasing God over disobeying Him.

2. MAINTAIN A CLEAR AND CORRECT VIEW OF GOD

In Genesis 39, Joseph refused to commit sexual sin on this basis: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9) How we think about God impacts how we think about sin. Seeing God as being, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” causes us to admit, “Woe is me,” and to regard sin as “unclean” (Isaiah 6).

3. DEVOTE YOURSELF TO GOD’S WORD

This includes reading it. Thinking about it. Obeying it. Psalm 119:11 tells us this, “I have stored your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” God uses His word to wash us and to make us clean (John 17:17; Ephesians 5:25-27). This is His work in us called sanctification; He is transforming us into the likeness of Jesus. By immersing ourselves in God’s word, we experience its purifying effect and sin-overcoming power.

4. BE DILIGENT IN PRAYER

In Matthew 26:41 Jesus told His followers, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” Prayer is our offensive weapon against sin. It is a devastating blow against it; for this reason, it’s so hard to do. Jesus said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” When it comes to prayer, we need to have a wartime mindset. We cannot afford to wait until we feel like praying before we pray; it has to happen consistently and continually. When temptations come, the first 10 seconds will generally determine the outcome. In this window of time, pray. In doing this, God provides the help and power we need to resist it.

5. CONFESS YOUR SINS TO GOD ON A REGULAR BASIS

Confession is the admission of our sins against God. In doing this, two things happen: First, God forgives us. This is affirmed in 1 John 1:9. Second, God renews in us a right attitude toward sin. In confessing our sins, we see the truth again that sin is evil, offensive, unclean, destructive, and full of hatred towards God. With this renewed understanding, we will reaffirm our love for God and refortify our defenses against sin.

In closing, I’d like to remind you of this message of the Gospel: Christ has set you free from sin’s rule. Daily live in this reality.

(For more on this subject, read Romans 6 and 8).

Preaching is the act of proclaiming God’s word to people. In evangelism, it announces God’s good news about Jesus and His salvation. In edification, it nourishes, encourages, and equips. Preaching is the Church’s responsibility and privilege.

Homiletics is “the art of preaching.” The word “homiletics” comes from a Greek word that means, “to assemble together.” It aims to provide principles and methods for clear and effective preaching. Having said this, I understand that what we learn in homiletics is only as good as its source. If it is taught without an emphasis on the Bible, then preaching is reduced to human ideas and opinions. If it is taught without an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, then preaching is reduced to lifeless and powerless oration. People who desire to become better equipped in their calling as preachers need a good source of instruction. With this in mind, I have found the Apostle Paul to be a good teacher.

Paul dedicated over 30 years of his life to proclaiming the Gospel in the world and teaching Christians how to live and serve like Jesus. He did this humbly and passionately. He maintained clear objectives, and he emphasized godly character and integrity in his preaching. 2,000 years later, the Church and the world still feel the impact of his preaching. More than this, God continues to be glorified in it. Paul is a good source to learn homiletics from.

As can be expected, we can generate a long list from Paul’s example of preaching –a list too long for this article–since space and time is limited. I will, however, make mention of five.

1. PAUL PREACHED CHRIST

Paul wrote, “HIM we proclaim” (Col. 1:28). This is “HIM-iletics.” In his letters alone (excluding “Hebrews”), “Jesus” appears 213 times and “Christ” 375 times. The focus of his preaching was not history, science, politics, or pop culture. It was Jesus Christ – God in human flesh: holy and righteous, sacrificed and risen, ascended and exalted. In the same way, we must emphasize and exalt the Lord Jesus, looking for Him in the Scriptures and proclaiming Him in our preaching.

2. PAUL PREACHED THE SCRIPTURES

Paul charged a young pastor named Timothy, “Preach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2). Paul’s preaching was Biblical. He expounded Old Testament Scripture. He explained New Testament doctrine. He believed the Bible to be God’s inspired, infallible, converting, sanctifying, edifying, equipping, and sustaining Word and proclaimed it as such. He was unashamed of it and relentless in proclaiming it. Is this true about you and me? We must preach a Biblical Gospel, expound Biblical texts, and communicate Biblical truth.

3. PAUL PREACHED IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Writing to the Church in Thessalonica, Paul testified, “Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thes. 1:5). Paul’s preaching was not limited to human wisdom and eloquence. In fact, it was the opposite, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:1). His preaching was marked by the power of the Holy Spirit, “My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor. 2:4). Without the Holy Spirit in preaching, people are left with sermons that inform and reform, but do not transform. We must make it a priority to seek God for the presence and power of His Spirit in our preaching.

4. PAUL PREACHED WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE BEFORE GOD AND PEOPLE

The character of the messenger either validates or discredits his message. How a preacher lives will determine how people will receive his preaching. Paul understood this. For this reason, he paid careful attention to maintaining a clean and clear conscience before God and people. He declared, “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (Acts 24:16). Also, “We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God”(2 Cor. 6:4). His life authenticated his sermons; his sermons overflowed from his life. We too must not neglect this part of our sermon preparation (Ezra 7:10). We need to attend to our character and integrity as Christ’s representatives that hold forth God’s Word to others.

5. PAUL PREACHED WITH A LOVE FOR GOD, AND A COMPASSION FOR SOULS

Paul preached, because he loved God, “Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts” (1 Thes. 2:4). Paul preached because he cared for the souls of people, “Being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thes. 2:8). Do we love God and care about others in our preaching? Do we aim to please God? Do we ache for Christ-less and condemned souls? Do we yearn for the progress and perseverance of God’s people? If not, we need to pray for more of Jesus’s heart to be conformed within us. When this happens, we will proclaim more than God’s truth: We will transmit God’s heart, “I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:15). This is God-praising and God-pleasing preaching.

As I write this, I have more than 25 years of preaching behind me. Looking ahead, Pauline Homiletics continues to challenge me and help me to become a better communicator of Christ and His truth. I never want to stop being challenged. I never want to stop learning. May God continue to shape us into God-exalting, Christ-centered, and Holy Spirit-empowered preachers. Amen and amen.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light” – John 1:6-8

Here, in these verses, we are introduced to John the Baptist. John was God’s messenger who announced the coming of God’s Messiah. The Old Testament prophets, Isaiah and Malachi, predicted his coming, and, here in John 1:6-7, the prophecies are fulfilled.

The objective of John’s ministry and message was to point people to Jesus. God spent him in the proclamation and exaltation of Jesus Christ. What a tremendous call! When people heard him speak and watched him minister, their ears and minds and hearts were directed to the truth about God’s Messiah, Jesus. His message was, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). His joy was the fame of Christ, and that people trusted in Him for salvation. J. Oswald Sanders wrote of him, “he prepares the way, clears the way, and gets out of the way.” John was in every sense of the words, a “Jesus guy”. Question: Is this true about your life? Does your life attract people to Jesus?

John is an example for us. His whole life, identity, and legacy were found in Jesus. He was Christ-centered and Christ exalting. He said, “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). All he wanted for his life was to attract people to Jesus…and it did. This was his success in life and service. If we have the same passion for the exaltation of Christ, our lives will point people to the beautiful glory and infinite worth of Christ as well. Let’s spend time loving Jesus, and we’ll attract others to Him.

Theologically, we are Continuationists. We believe that all the Spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament still exist and operate among Spirit-filled Believers today. Practically, however, do we act like Cessationists? I recently taught at a Calvary Chapel Worship Leader’s Conference, and in the course of the evening God directed us into a sweet time of responsive worship. As we ministered to the Lord, people experienced a fresh filling of God’s Spirit and the manifestations of Spiritual gifts, such as “prophecy”, “tongues”, and “interpretation of tongues”. There was no hype, manipulation, nor worked-up frenzy; there was just a flowing current of God’s guidance, and a real sense of God’s presence that couldn’t be manufactured. 1 Corinthians 12-14 became more real for many in attendance as spiritual gifts were exercised, Biblical instructions were followed, Believers were edified, and Christ was exalted. When the service ended, a young woman came to me with tear-filled eyes, and said, “I am so thankful, and encouraged by what happened tonight. I thought Calvary Chapel no longer believed that spiritual gifts, such as ‘tongues’, continued today.” She went on, “I have been a member in our church for many years, and I usually hear our pastor speak about ‘tongues’ as something only weird people do.” I do not know the context of this pastor’s statement, nor do I hold that this is the general consensus among Calvary Chapels; I do feel, however, that this discussion of belief and practice needs to be revisited. There should be agreement between our theological AND practical Pneumatology. Obviously, all the issues cannot be covered in an article that is limited to 700 words (though I may stretch this number a bit); I can, however, try to get the conversation started by sharing some thoughts about how we fuse doctrine and deed together at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa (where I serve as an assisting pastor).

Sunday Night “Acts 2:42”

In January 2014, we began a new format for our Sunday evening service called “Acts 2:42”. The aim is to engage in the Apostles’ doctrine, prayers, breaking of bread, and fellowship in a 2-hour worship service. It generally goes as follows:

1. Praise & Worship

2. Personal Testimony: Real life Gospel-stories of redemption and regeneration

3. Corporate prayer

4. Expositional Bible study

5. Responsive worship & Communion

6. Fellowship

In each gathering, we remain submitted to God’s leadership, being open to whatever He wants to do in and through us. We see God’s people functioning like members of Christ’s body, and this includes the operating of Spiritual gifts. This “Believer’s Meeting” provides a time and place for Christians to be something more than just spectators; they are participants. We see God’s Spirit moving encouraging, edifying, equipping, and empowering His church. There is the demonstration of speaking gifts (“teaching”, “prophecy”), serving gifts (“ministry”, “helps”), and on occasion, sign gifts (“tongues”, “interpretation of tongues”, “healings”) among us. In the end, Christ is glorified and Believers are edified.

Prophecy

Whenever we gather, we want to hear from God. “Prophecy” generally happens when God’s word is being preached and expounded from our pulpits. Yet, in designated times of corporate worship (such as “Acts 2:42”), we receive prophetic words from members in our church congregation. The overseeing pastor provides Biblical instruction, clearly explaining the guidelines set-forth in 1 Corinthians 14:29-33. People are encouraged to speak only if he really believes that God has given him a prophetic word that is to be shared with the entire church. When he speaks, he must do so in turn: “For you can all prophesy one by one” (1 Corinthians 14:31). The spoken word is then subject to testing: “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge” (1 Corinthians 14:29). The pastor instructs the congregation to prayerfully discern whether the word is really from God or not. If it is, we all agree with, “Amen”. If not, we disregard it. On the occasion, if someone speaks a false word, the pastor brings a gentle, yet firm, correction, directing the church to God’s revealed truth in Scripture. When “prophecy” happens God’s way, Believers are built-up, encouraged, and comforted (1 Corinthians 14:3). Therefore, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21).

Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues

During an “Acts 2:42” service, a young man humbly spoke a short prayer in “another tongue”. A woman then followed, providing the interpretation. Two other people in the church validated what she said; these had the same interpretation. We do not discourage people from “speaking in other tongues”, but at the same time, we want this gift exercised the right way in corporate worship. We permit three at most, and each in turn. Each “tongue” must be followed by its interpretation. If there is no interpretation, then we do not allow the public speaking in “tongues” during the remainder of the service. We want to do our best in applying 1 Corinthians 14:27-28: “If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.”

Closing Thought

The best thing I can end with is by encouraging you to read 1 Corinthians 12-14 and let God’s Spirit lead you in the application of it in “your gathering together”. God grants Spiritual gifts for our edification, and we see real spiritual growth happen when these gifts are exercised the right way. He wants this for us. He wants this for our churches. God’s Spirit was moving in supernatural ways in the Book of Acts, and He is still moving today.