S3E9: Calvary Chapel: Its Essence and Identity-The Spirit and Grace

Amen, guys. Hey, super blessed to be able to share the word with you guys today. I I don't know if this was spirit-led or if just Billy and Daniel are so much more efficient than I am, ⁓ because it was just hard to try and find the time to ⁓ you know, carve out the video recording. But hey, we're gonna trust that God is gonna work with you, ⁓ work through me and speak to you. In this very moment. So ⁓ Daniel reached out to me about a little over a month ago and asked me to do a video for for our cohort. And ⁓ you know, as we're discussing the CGN book, the Calvary Chapel Essence and Identity. And I was like, Man, of course, right? I mean, I was actually offended at first that Brian and Bruce and and you know, the other CGN crew hadn't asked me to write a chapter for the book, seeing as how I'm stuck. A Calvary Chapel authoritative voice. but no, I'm I'm I'm happy to be able. The book has been fantastic. ⁓ I'm really happy to dig into these two chapters in particular with you guys. It really blessed me. Hopefully, you got a chance to read it on your own as well. ⁓ because they're they're really, really good. And I've been given 20 minutes to discuss very simple topics like The Holy Spirit and grace. And I've already talked too much, so I need to shut up and let's just let's dig in. So chapter two was entitled, We Rely on the Leading of the Holy Spirit. And I I love this quote from Pastor Brian. He says, if there is one thing we must never lose in Calvary Chapel, it's our expectation that God speaks, leads, and empowers today by his spirit. From the beginning, we have been a people who not only teach the word, but rely on the spirit, learning to hear his voice, yield to his prompting, and depend on his power. And I thought that just, man, that just encapsulated it perfectly. Like this, this is our DNA. Calvary Chapel was birthed out of a great outpouring of God's Spirit. I wasn't there. Bruce Bruce could probably speak to this better, but think back to the tent days, the hippies, Chuck Smith and his turtleneck. I try to get one going today. But the only way that that is a formula for success is by the Spirit of God. It's the only way any of that makes sense, right? We have always been a Holy Spirit people. It's why the majority of Calvary Chapel churches have the dove on the back wall. Not not because it's a cool or trendy logo. It might actually be an outdated logo now, but because we believe that our ministries must be spirit-led or bust. I I I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but Calvary Chapel does not have a copyright on the Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 2, when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place, suddenly, like the blowing of a violent wind, came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them, and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. And began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. From day one, the church has been led by the Holy Spirit, guided by the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit. He speaks, he corrects, and so much more. I guess there is no church without the work of God's Spirit. So What does this look like? Right? We believe in the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit for our ministries, but what does it actually look like for him to lead our churches? We are all familiar with two of the primary ways churches relate to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We have our, and I'm gonna use the tagline, our Holy Ghost churches, right? You have on the one side the Holy Ghost churches where there's Little to no planning or structure. We just trust the spirit, brother, right? In the singing, and the dancing, and the shouting, and the falling, and the laughing, even in the gold teeth in some churches. You name it, right? The spirit does it. Now, while there's often great faith and great belief in these churches, there also tends to be a lot more chaos. Extreme swings. It can tend to be more emotional than substantive. Then we have what I'll label as the holy executive churches on the other side of that spectrum, where it is all about planning and structure. These churches have backup plans for their backup plans. They run less like a church and more like a mini corporation. In many of these churches, Jesus himself wouldn't qualify. Calvary Chapel has always endeavored to strike a balance. We believe that prayer and planning should and must work side by side. The Holy Spirit can use and lead some to speak in tongues, like in Acts chapter 2, and still organize the distribution tables in Acts chapter 6. And again, this Guys, this is not just a Calvary Chapel thing. It's a Holy Spirit thing. He is the creator of the universe, a highly powerful and intelligent being. So, Marlon, we're we're in on that. We believe all that. But why isn't the Holy Spirit alive and active in my ministry, like the church down the street, or the church I read about, you know, on the other side of the world, where people are being healed and set free in these miraculous ways? That's that's the real question that that I think is behind this, and the real question that we tend to ask ourselves. I I think all of us. Theologically believe that the Holy Spirit is alive and active today, amen. But inwardly, we tend to question it. And therefore, practically, we function sometimes as cessationists. Why isn't the Holy Spirit active in my ministry? I want to give you a few thoughts. Number one, he is working, he just works in different ways. And at different times. Sometimes the Holy Spirit works in big supernatural ways, like raising people from the dead. Other times he works in very slow and subtle ways, in ways that we may not see or understand at the time, but he he is still working. I I I know for me, as a church planter and as a pastor of a really small church, like I need to hear this. I need to be reminded of it constantly, because it's very, very easy for me to assume that bigger equals more blessed by the Holy Spirit. Bigger means more Holy Spirit activity, but that's that's not always the case. Number two, he wants to be more active, but you haven't given him the time or the space. ⁓ I I I shared this in our opening, but recently, ⁓ actually just last weekend, our church had its first hopefully annual prayer retreat. ⁓ each September we have a month-long of kind of like a vision series. You know, casting vision, seeing where the Lord wants to lead us for the rest of the year. And this time, as the elders were like, let's, let's, let's cap that off with a prayer retreat. And it was it was incredible. So the whole weekend, guys, we we only had two teachings. And that that was intentional because we wanted to leave room, we wanted to give space for people to get alone and be in God's presence personally. And also for us collectively just to come together and and sit in his presence. And the feedback, and not even just the feedback, like I I can see it on people's faces, I can hear it in their voices. Like there is just a dynamic and powerful work that the Lord did this past weekend. Why? Because we gave him the time, we gave him the space, just to be able to sit at his feet. And the Holy Spirit showed up. And everyone in our church is just soaring with the Lord as a result. Third. He can't be more active because there's sin in the camp. We know that from scripture. Maybe you have a secret sin or an addiction that you've been hiding. Maybe it's not as heinous as that. Maybe you're struggling with fear or with doubt. But either way, right, it's hindering the Holy Spirit from the work that He wants to do both in and through you. Pastor Brian said this also in the chapter, and I really love this. He said, Someone has said that one becomes an expert in their field after an investment of 10,000 hours. And this might be true for most, perhaps even all vocational devers. One exception, I will argue, is the leading and teaching of God's people that I'm talking about here. The Christian ministry, at its core, supernatural, and therefore Does not have an exact parallel with other vocations. I've invested over 10,000 hours, but I'm anything but an expert. There is neither a time when I am conducting the business of the ministry that I'm looking for. Sorry, there is never a time when I'm conducting the business of ministry that I am not looking for the wisdom and leading of the Holy Spirit. There is never a time that I am delivering God's word in any context. That I'm not asking the Lord to empower me for the task. Although I've opened my Bible and preached from its pages tens of thousands of times, I approach it today like I did in the beginning. Help, Lord. Give me words of wisdom, knowledge, and prophecy. Speak to your people for their good and for your glory. Guys, may we depend on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Yes, for preaching, man, but for every aspect of our ministry. Amen. Chapter three was Grace That Builds Everything. is there a connection between chapter two, the work of the Holy Spirit, right? And as we move into chapter three, the grace of God? Absolutely. And it's not just because these two chapters are back to back, but absolutely. Guys, the greatest application of being a spirit-filled church isn't necessarily power. calling down fire from heaven or healing the lame, nor is it preaching, where thousands come to hear us wax eloquently. But the application of a spirit-led church is a culture of grace. The grace is at the heart and soul of the gospel. Grace is at the core of God's nature, Exodus 34.6. I remember when Moses asked God to see his glory, God revealed himself with these words. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Grace is the character of Christ. John 1 14. The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Grace is at the heart of our redemptive story, right? Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, for by grace you have been saved through faith. It is a gift of God, not by works. I want to share with you five things to remember about creating a culture of grace. Number one, create a culture where everyone is welcomed. This is what I experienced the very first day I walked into a Calvary chapel as like a little 10-year-old kid, but there were things that just stuck out to me from the very beginning. The the building itself for my home church, it It wasn't gaudy or grandiose. It was an old safeway building. It's an old grocery store building. But it wasn't just the building. It was the people that stuck out the most. Regular people wearing regular clothes, kind, warm, friendly. They made you feel at home the second you walked through the door. It's why my parents returned, they were invited once and they just kept coming back and back because. They felt like they were at home. The pastors were down to earth and engaging, like they really cared about you. There was a culture of grace where both sinner and saint felt welcomed, where you were genuinely loved, even though you did nothing for the bottom line. Number two, freely you have been given this ministry, so hold it with open hands. Meaning, don't cling too tightly to it, because it was by grace that you have it in the first place. Keep that position of open hands before the Lord, because ultimately, like we know, it's his church. Keep a position of open hands before your family. Because don't let the ministry become your all-consuming identity. We have heard way too many horror stories, right, of when that happens. Keep that posture of open-handedness before your church. We don't rule our churches with an iron throne. We believe that this is an every member church. Keep that posture towards the community. And I encourage you to look. for community partners, to collaborate, to bless churches and organizations in your city, to be about building the kingdom and not our own kingdom. Amen. Number three, grace means no more excuses, as my pastor Dave Shirley used to say. Grace isn't just a get out of jail free card, nor is it an excuse to be lazy or unkind, in ministry or in life. But because God has so rich richly and generously given us his grace, it means we work harder. It means we love stronger. It means that we forgive quicker. Number four, we must create grace for others. I absolutely love this quote from Richard Semino. He said, Our cities, towns, and villages are filled with people from whom grace is not just unfamiliar, it's almost inconceivable. We live in a culture of hostility and high stakes where honest mistakes can cost you your job. A misstep on social media can Can spark outrage, and a political disagreement can sever family ties. In a world where people can feel the constant gaze of an unforgiving, ⁓ games of an unforgiving preoccupation. Many live on edge, afraid of being exposed or canceled. It creates a culture of fear, not freedom, of silence and not safety. Guys, it experiencing grace in our current cultural moment is like water to a dry soul. Because it really is such a rare commodity. We've all experienced it, we're all feeling it, right? So let's be fountains of God's grace. Amen. Last, and maybe most important, we must extend grace to ourselves. Here's another quote from Richard. He said, Leaders are not immune from legalism. In fact, we often carry it the most subtly. In our self-tasts, our internal pressure, our burnout, we preach grace. But forget to live in it. We encourage others to rest, but quietly punish ourselves for being tired. There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8.1. If we do not receive grace daily, we will minister in fear or fatigue. The result will be churches shaped more by our anxiety than by God's grace. Brothers, if we are to be a fountain of grace for others, we must first realize that we are swimming in an ocean of grace for ourselves. Amen.