Ramblin' on

Christianity is alive, inside and outside of the church. Those who do not attend fellowship are often the most resistant to Scriptural commands, confusing rebellion with maturity. Still, when the church gathers in a building to receive instruction, if God's word is not taught and if people are not encouraged to live it out, the result is people deceived in to thinking they are doing well in the Lord, even living in grace when all along they are living lives that are unfruitful, and without true spiritual fruit. When God's word is actually taught properly, and His people actually receive it holiness and a life that is "worthy of the gospel" actually is evidenced. Paul wrote to the Romans Your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf' but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil (Ro 16:19). Sadly, this is not true with the majority of those I come in to contact who profess faith in Jesus. Francis Chan is right when he says The American church is a very difficult place to live out Biblical Christianity. After almost 40 years of walking with the Lord, and 37 years in ministry I have to concur. Still, God is moving and I am praying for an awakening in the body of Christ. Father, please bring another Jesus Movement!

a few things

It's been some time since I have blogged, but it is time to lay a couple of things down. First, I got the weirdest post that will go unpublished by someone extremely carnal (using improper language) and obviously very unstable. These kinds of people exist everywhere, and some even go to church but are in such terrible shape in life that they really can't hear good because they are too busy fussing over perceived evils. Such was the case of the recent writer. I don't know if they will actually open up this page again, but in the event that they do I would invite them to write me with a return address so that we can discuss their issue and perhaps help them to see that they are sadly mistaken in what they believe to be true. I do invite the writer of said note to write me at david@calvaryccv.org and we can discuss your allegations against the pastor you have libeled.

On another note, we have started praying as a group before and after the message is delivered, and for those who may be having difficulty adjusting, I would encourage you to hold and and see what the Lord does through this.

Why are we doing this, you might ask. Well, I am doing it because I was part of such a service, and it moved me spiritually in a very deep way, and when something blesses me I desire to share such blessings with our sheep. Over the years we have grown (and receded) many times, and from my perspective it is just the right season for us to grow up and to pray with one another. After all, that is what the early church did (Ac 2:42-47) and God used it to glorify Himself and to bring great numbers of people into a saving relationship with Him.

We live in an entertainment oriented society, and churches like ours can very easily lose sight of Jesus and just become an organization with little or no spiritual activity that is not centered on somebody else doing something for us. Think about it: you come to church, park your car, deliver kids to childcare, enter in, sit down all with the help of somebody else. The worship team leads us in songs (we don't have to memorize the words, they are on a screen), we sing, the bulletin is read to us, and then I come out and pray, teach, pray and then you sing and leave. Pretty clean, but the only thing you have had to do is to listen (if you aren't texting). I just don't think that is the right way to "be" the church, and so by introducing a time of prayer (30 seconds) the church actually has a chance to do what the church is supposed to do!

Some can't handle this, and I understand. But I would rather have a small group of people who hunger to do what the Lord wants then a huge group of people who just don't care and aren't willing to grow. With that said, please keep this change in prayer as it has actually caused some to leave and to go where nothing is required from them other than to show up, which is the way they like it. For us over here, we will continue doing what will ultimately lead to a healthy and spiritually strong church.

With All of Your Heart

I was so blessed by Ryan and Sonny's testimonies that they recently gave here at the church. We are truly moved as we consider what the Lord wants to do for this new generation, and the response to the "authenticity" of their faith and conversions really has been a blessing to me on a very personal level.

I was speaking to Ryan recently and told him that what he has just encountered is what his dad Raul Ries, Mike MacIntosh, Bob Grenier, I, and so many others have experienced and that we, who were considered "radicals" when we were young and had become Jesus Freaks have been given such a boost when we have been able to see what God did in his life, as well as the movement that is really beginning to gain momentum through him and his friends. Bless God, it is so "time" for an awakening!

The psalmist wrote: I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works (Ps 9:1) and this is what we are seeing now in the lives of our youth and I am, along with so many other pastors, very refreshed as I see a new generation arising to bring the glorious gospel to a dead and dying world.

Keep the Whosoevers in prayer, as the devil is not happy and is going to begin an onslaught on them. Pray that they will stay in the Word, prayer, fellowship, and the freshness of God's Spirit, and pray that the "church" will stand with them as they go in to the pit of hell to rescue people. I love these kids and want to see the Lord work through them!

New Generation

One of the saddest commentaries on the spiritual life of Israel can be found in Judges 2:10 which points out that a generation arose that did not know the LORD nor the work He had done for Israel. As a veteran of the Jesus Revolution, it pains me to think of how ineffective many of us have been in communicating our faith to the next generation, and it seems to me that the Lord would have us redouble our efforts at winning the young to Jesus.
The overwhelming majority of people between 18-35 have no concept of what truth is, if there is such a thing, its origin, or if anybody has any authority to even say that they have it! There is such a lack of respect for pastors and bible teachers! A recent poll concluded that the most trusted professional is a nurse, followed by pharmacists, veterinarians, followed by medical doctors and kindergarten teachers: clergy members came in sixth! Think about it, people trust their nurses more than they trust a pastor. How did this happen? Sadly, some pastors have done terrible things, and the public has come to mistrust the profession as a whole. Heap on this teachers who are antagonistic towards the bible and a lack of respect for things holy, and it is easy to see how people would misunderstand us and our message.
Change has got to come, real change, and I pray that the Lord will reach us all in such a way as to compel us to live our lives more deeply committed to him. I am also praying for a new Movement, and with this in mind on the 28th of this month, I will have Ryan Ries share for a few minutes on Sunday morning about an upcoming outreach called the Whosoever Tour. Ryan and many young believers want a new Revolution, and I think God can use him and some of his friends to stir us up. Bring some young people to church on Sunday the 28th, and let's see what happens!

Haiti Relief

We are waiting to hear how we can be of help to the people of Haiti. Our fellowship has provided financial gifts, and we are going to be sending them for relief as soon as we hammer down a few things. One of the things is: we have a member of our fellowship whose parent's have been ministering in Haiti for 35 years. We are waiting on some direction from him to see if we might be able to come along side of their ministry in a practical way. We are also looking at various ministries that are funneling funds into relief aid, and are waiting on this to make sure the funds go to the most needy that we can find. Ultimately we obviously trust that the Lord will direct the gifts, but at the same time we are waiting for a short time until we disperse them. Prayerfully we should be able to do so this week, so if you have anything you would like to give, please feel free to send your gift to the church and we will send it as soon as we determine where it will be most effective. Just label your gift Haiti Relief

Pastor Chuck and simple thoughts

Some have wondered, after hearing of Pastor Chuck's recent illness, about his condition. Pastor Chuck suffered a minor stroke, and after receiving a medical examination, is now resting. From what I understand, his doctor has stated that Chuck will make a full recovery, and for this I am truly thankful. We should keep him in prayer, as well as Kay and his family, not to mention the beloved congregation at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. I love my pastor dearly, and am praying that he will have a full recovery. Just yesterday, Dec 27, I celebrated my anniversary of coming to faith in Jesus. Over these last 39 years, my pastor has made the most significant mark in my ministry life, and I for one am very grateful for him, on both a ministry and personal level. When my dad went to be with Jesus, Chuck became even more dear to me than he was before, and in many ways I have come to see him as a "father" to one who is now "fatherless". As I look back over 39 years, I am amazed at what the Lord has done with this young, wanna be hippie kid. Truly, from the lowest I could be, God has faithfully done works in my life that only He could do, and for that I am eternally grateful. May the Lord continue working in us all, and may He touch Pastor Chuck and bring him to complete healing.

Is God Able

As I consider the state of our nation, not to mention California, I can't help but notice how unprepared we all seem to have been for what we are enduring now. Some seem to think that the downturn we have experienced was something that almost came suddenly, without any warning. Obviously, this is not the case as there were rumblings about "recession" going on for some time before the house came tumbling down.

What is telling is how the church, the body of Christ, seems to have been taken in the same way that the nation was taken, and that is they were taken by surprise. I guess many didn't learn the lesson that God gave us in Proverbs, when He said "Go to the ant you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest" (Pr 6:6-8), and "The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer" (Pr 30:25) Sadly, it seems sometimes that our priorities are not what they can be, and it takes "tough times" to awaken us out of our sleep and energizes us to re-prioritize our spending habits.

When God was speaking through Haggai to the people of Israel, He said to them "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of Hosts. "Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house" (Haggai 1:9) The fact is, we still have money to spend, and we do spend it but we spend it on ourselves. I was mentioning on Sunday that people (Christians) spend more money on Halloween costumes, Starbucks, and Michael Jackson movies then they give to the Lord.

Of course, this is not every person.

There are many who place God first in their giving, but the overwhelming majority of people do not give to the Lord in an entire year what they gave to In-and Out, IMax, or Nordstrom's, bottom line.

Our church has been blessed by the Lord, and I am thankful for all that He has done through so few people. We have a very large church, yet with the amount of people we have we have less than 1/7 supporting the other 6/7 of the church. If people who never give anything would give to the Lord the cost of even one of the cups of coffee they drank this week, our offering would go up over 30 thousand dollars in a week. Think of that for a moment, and ask yourself what you could do for the kingdom of God if you had that amount.

This can sound like I am asking people to stop drinking coffee, or even asking for their money. Of course, there are many who think that way and are suspicious whenever money is mentioned. These are the same ones who think that Disneyland ought to be free, or the government should give everybody free stuff. The fact is, the church is designed to care for itself, and it does so through the loving giving that comes from God's children. What I am concerned about is that the people of God are not exercising faith, and they do not really believe that God will care for them. Jesus said that His Father cares for the birds of the air, and even said we are much more important than mere animals. If His Father cares for them, will He not care for us? Well, the overwhelming amount of people saying that they love God are denying that He loves them, because they do not believe what Jesus said, period. In reality, many are confessing Christians and practical atheists. They just don't believe God really will care for them.

With this in mind, it is my prayer that we actually begin to do even as He said to do. He said Put me to the test, and the only time I remember Him ever saying "Test Me" is when it came to trusting Him with our finances. We need to learn that He is able to do more, abundantly more, than we can ask or think. God is greater than any recession, but if we don't learn the lesson from the ant (which is budgeting/preparing for the future) then we will be no different than the rest of the world, looking to man to care for our needs and forgetting that our Father said He would.