July, 2013

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Fall “Fast” Forward (August 14-Sept 3)

Thursday, July 25th, 2013

“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, and despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.” (J. Sidlow Baxter)

FALL “FAST” FORWARD (AUGUST 14-SEPT 3)

Often in the Bible, God’s people fasted immediately before a major victory, miracle, or answer to prayer. It prepared them for a blessing! Jesus fasted. In fact, Jesus expected His followers to fast, and He said that God rewards fasting.

However, fasting is not commanded by God, it is totally voluntary!

What is fasting?

Fasting, according to the Bible, means to voluntarily reduce or eliminate your intake of food for a specific time and purpose accompanied with prayer. As we begin set our face toward the Fall, we’re inviting you to join us in what we’re calling the “Fall Fast Forward” (August 14-Sept 3).

We encourage you to pray in accordance with our Core Values (see below), paying special attention to Core Value #3 which is that “We Draw From The Source of Resurrection Power (There is no “individual growth,” nor ultimately “church growth,” without being in-dwelt and receptive to God’s Spirit (Eph. 5:18; Acts 1:8; John 16:17; I Cor 12:7; Zec 4:6; Romans 8:11). In short, we believe in “The Spirit of God, Working Through the Word of God, Growing the People of God, To be the hands and feet of, The Son of God!”

You can fast and pray in a variety of ways (before beginning any fast, be sure to consult your physician).

#1 There is the “Full Fast” – which is drink only.

#2 There is the “Daniel Fast” – which is: no meat, no sweets, no bread (only water, juice and vegetables).

#3 There is the “Partial Fast” – from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm (or from sunrise to sundown) – which can be a “Full Fast”, “Daniel Fast” or where you give up at least one type of food.

The type of fast that you choose, the length of the fast, and whether or not you choose to fast at all, is entirely up to you.

Onward in 2013 confident in God’s unfailing love and provision!

The Lord is AWE-SOME!

CALVARY AUBURN’S CORE VALUES

Our Core Values at Calvary Auburn are beliefs that will guide (or inspire) our actions, focus our energies and act as an anchor point for all our plans. These values should be understood and shared by every member of the church so that we might fulfill the vision the Lord has for our church.

(1) We Are Christ-Centered.
We exist to know Jesus and make Him known! (John 14:6, Philippians 3:8; 10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Peter 3:18; Acts 26:18; Matthew 9:35-38)

(2) We Stand On Biblical Authority.
God has spoken to us through the Bible and we recognize it as the final authority for our lives. We are committed to the explanation of Scripture, the application of Scripture and giving invitation to Christ! (2 Tim 3:16-17; John 17:17; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:12-13; Ephesians 4:12-16; John 8:31-32)

(3) We Draw From The Source of Resurrection Power.
There is no “individual growth,” nor ultimately “church growth,” without being in-dwelt and receptive to God’s Spirit! (Eph. 5:18; Acts 1:8; John 16:17; I Cor 12:7; Zec 4:6; Romans 8:11)

(4) We Are Committed To The Church.
Jesus is the hope of the world and while He is not on earth in bodily form, He does have a body that He works through, it is the church which begins at the local level in a local church the heartbeat of God. The church family will accomplish infinitely more together than apart. (Matt. 16:18 ; Matt 5:13-16; I Cor 12:12; 21; Eph 4:16; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:18-21)

(5) We Are A Community.
Accountability, belonging, care, and spiritual growth happen best with relationally-connected believers. The church is like coals in a hot barbecue pit. If a coal is isolated, it grows cold, but when together with other coals, it burns hotter! (Acts 2:42-26; Hebrews 10:25; John 13:34-35; I Thess 5:11; Phil 2:4)

(6) We Are Vibrant In Faith.
We are intentional in our thinking with an accurate view of the “bigness of God” and will not insult Him with small thinking and parked lives. (2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 11:6; Matt 8:8; Matt 17:20; Matt 14:31; I Cor 16:13)

(7) We Are Contributors Not Consumers.
It is an honor to sacrifice for Christ and His church. We give up things we love for things we love even more. Every Christian is essential to the success of the ministry in impacting this generation. (1 Cor. 12:12; Luke 9:23; Phil 2:29-30; Eph. 4:16)

(8) We Are Genuine In Worship.
Genuine worship is a response to the grace and greatness of God. We abhor “song leading” in public worship gatherings and instead choose to give our heart and voice while joining with others in expressing love, thankfulness and faith in God. (Eph 5:19-20; Mark 14:26; Hebrews 13:15; John 4:23-24; Psalm 59:16)

(9) We Will Be Legacy Makers.
Your life is a part of something bigger than yourself and will impact generations to come directly or indirectly. Whether your life started well or not, the good news is God’s grace is sufficient for you to finish well and be a Legacy Maker. (2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Tim 4:7; Galatians 6:9-10; 2 Corinthians 4:1; Acts 20:24; Phil 3:13-14; Heb 12:15)

(10) We Love Each Other.
The church is the most diverse family on planet earth. There will be differences among Christians. However, we will not tear each other apart! We commit to “unity in our diversity.” We will be responsible “local Christians” and “global Christians.” In the essentials, unity. In the non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love! (Jn 13:35; 1Cor 1:10-13; Rom 16:17; 1 Jn 4:7-8; I Peter 4:8; I Thess. 3:12)

(11) We Oversee What Is Not Ours.
We are stewards over the time, talents and treasure that God has given us. We believe that God can multiply what we give Him. (Eph 5:16; Mark 6:41; Mal 3:10; 1 Cor 4:1-2)

(12) We Are Men Of “The Vision!” (Isaiah 6:1-6)
Male leadership is essential and requires a vision of who God is. This results in being humbled and touched by God’s incredible grace that transforms lives and leads to the cry,  “Here I am Lord send me!” (Isaiah 6:1; 5; Rev 1:17-18; Rev 5:11-13; John 20:28; Acts 1:9-11)

Calvary Chapel Of Auburn

Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

 CALVARY CHAPEL AUBURN

The Spirit of God

Working Through the Word of God

Growing the People of God

To be the hands and feet of the Son of God

 To this Generation!

OC Study With Family and Greg Laurie

Friday, July 19th, 2013

A few days in OC with family(Pete, Lily, Stephanie and Sarah) and a pic with Greg and Cathe Laurie at Thursday night study!

p.s. Greg #2 and Jennel (and “Baby Greg”) were at an outreach in Santa Ana this evening 🙂

Theology without Apology!

Monday, July 8th, 2013

We all need a working knowledge of the Bible. Why? Because the Bible is, “THE-guide-book-for-life”. 2 Tim 3:16-17 tells us that, “All scripture” has been inspired by God. The Bible not only identifies what is right but also what is wrong; as well as how to get right, stay right, and do what is right!

C.S. Lewis offered this warning years ago, “If you do not listen to theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones.” And wrong ideas lead to wrong thinking, feeling and believing. What we need is more “The Bible says,” because then we will learn to think, feel, and believe the right things.

Paul wrote, “…for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.” (Acts 20:27)

So, what does God wants us to know?

He wants us to know His written Word. He wants us to know Genesis to Revelation. The “written Word” leads us to know the “Living Word”, the Lord Jesus.

This Sunday we will begin a new series entitled, “The Greatest Stories Ever Told” and I am fired up about it. This series could not come at a more important time. A longtime student of America’s religious beliefs and behavior, George Barna, described America as being in a “crisis of biblical illiteracy.” Barna wrote, “How else can you describe matters when most churchgoing adults today reject the accuracy of the Bible, reject the existence of Satan, claim that Jesus sinned, see no need to evangelize, believe that good works are one of the keys to persuading God to forgive their sins, and describe their commitment to Christianity as moderate or even less firm?”

What we need today is, “theology without apology” and that’s what we’ll get in this new series that will take us through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Because, remember, 2 Tim 3:16-17 tells us that, “All scripture” has been inspired by God. The Bible not only identifies what is right but also what is wrong; as well as how to get right, stay right, and do what is right! We will begin in Genesis 3 with the Garden of Eden, and in the weeks ahead learn more about the biblical stories of Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samson, David, Elijah, Job, Naaman, Gehazi, Belshazzar, Esther, Paul, and more.

I encourage you, come with your Bible’s, a friend, and an open heart.

The Lord will not only use His Word to inform your life, but transform it as well.

And remember – “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Tell a friend, invite a friend!

 

 

 

Gripped By His Greatness!

Friday, July 5th, 2013

Let’s pray together that the Holy Spirit rocks our world with the greatness of Who the Lord is and that we will all be “Gripped By His Greatness!”

Will you join me in a heart-felt prayer …

“Lord, I want to know You. I want to know You for who You really are. I’m not satisfied to follow a code of conduct, or a diluted version of you. I want to know and follow the real You. So here I am. I give you my attention. Teach me; guide me in Your truth. Grip my heart with Your greatness so I am never the same. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your Law”. (Ps. 119:18). Amen!”

Recent Musings

Friday, July 5th, 2013

Below are snapshots from recent readings. Enjoy:)

We’re so prone to rush things, aren’t we? In our culture of instant gratification it’s hard for us to “be still, and know that He is God.” But if God says no—or even slow down—it’s for your own good. If the timing is wrong, God says, “Slow.” If you  are wrong, God says, “Grow.” But if the request is right, the timing is right, and you are right, God says, “Go!” (Greg Laurie)

Inventor Charles F. Kettering, who was the head of research at General Motors, said, “You will never stub your toe standing still. The faster you go, the more chance there is of stubbing your toe, but the more chance you have of getting somewhere.”

William Penn, English philosopher and founder of the Pennsylvania province, will encourage you: “No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.”