Whatwhyhow

They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers... And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:42, 46–47)

A look at the what, why, and how of the church—straight from the Scriptures that command, model, and exhort it.

Simplify, Focus, and Consider What We Do

Last week I shared what the Lord had impressed on my heart for the new year: two words, simplify and focus. I've talked with many people this week who said the Lord has been speaking the very same thing to them. We're going to give opportunity for that this year.

As we step into this new year, I also want to consider some of the things we do here at Calvary Chapel—the what, why, and how. What are we doing? Why are we doing it? And how are we doing it? The Scriptures give us very clear instruction. First, Christ gives us commands—what we are to do. Then we see the early church's practice, the form of church they followed. And then there is the exhortation of the apostles. We'll look at all three this morning. As I survey the church around our nation and the world, I believe it has largely drifted from what the Lord initially called us to do.

Christ's Command: The Great Commission

What has Christ told us to do? At the very end of Matthew's gospel, just before He ascends, Jesus says:

All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. (Matthew 28:18–20)

I truly believe we're living in the last days; our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Yet we are promised that the Lord is with us even to the end—He will never leave us or forsake us. In being with us, He has given us a commission to go into all the world and make disciples.

This word go is interesting in the original language. It really intimates, "as you are going, make disciples." It is something we should do in our daily lives, wherever we are—seeking to share God's truth. Notice that the Commission includes both preaching ("teach all nations") and teaching them to observe all that He commanded. That is the area of discipleship.

The Great Commission Flows from the Great Commandment

This Great Commission stems out of God's Great Commandment. What is the chief commandment? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. Because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, we are to take that word of eternal life into the world.

At the end of Luke's gospel, Jesus told His disciples that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). That was the message Peter preached at Pentecost in Acts 2, the same message Jesus preached in Matthew 4:17, that John the Baptist preached in Matthew 3, that Peter preached to the Gentiles at Cornelius' house in Acts 10, and that Paul preached on his missionary journeys. The message was consistent because it was commissioned by God.

Win, Disciple, Send

This is the mission we want to fulfill here at Calvary Chapel of Escondido. Our threefold mission has long been to win the lost, disciple the saved, and send them out. We want to preach the gospel so that those who don't know the truth come to it. Once a person places their faith in Jesus Christ, we want to disciple them, so that every single person is thoroughly equipped for every good work. That's why we have the ministries we have.

When I say "send out," I mean a couple of things. Yes, we send people into foreign mission fields—the Belize team left yesterday, and we've sent others to the Philippines, Scotland, Germany, and Belize long-term. But mission starts at home. Every one of you who knows Christ is a missionary right here in Escondido—your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts begin at home. In 2009, let's look for opportunities to reach our community with the glorious truth of the gospel. Shouldn't the church be doing what Jesus told us to do?

The Practice of the Early Church

We not only have Christ's command, but the early church's practice, which we'll study through the rest of this year in the book of Acts. Acts 2:42 gives us a peek: they continued in the apostles' doctrine—they studied the Scriptures, being discipled. They continued in fellowship. They continued in the breaking of bread, partaking of communion together. We offer communion on Sunday mornings and during the week.

If you're part of a home fellowship, I hope you partake of communion there as well. Years ago a friend of mine, at a seminary of another denomination, was at a Bible study where someone suggested communion. Several said, "No, we can't—we don't have a priest to lead us." That is heartbreaking. You don't need a priest. Hebrews makes clear that Jesus is our mediator; He has opened the way. We can partake anytime, anywhere. Maybe you don't have crackers and juice—maybe you've got Skittles and water. That may be a stretch, but you can remember His death, burial, and resurrection with whatever you have.

Prayer, Corporate Worship, and House to House

They also continued in prayer, and we want to be committed to prayer. Even though Jesus is God, He was a man of prayer, often going to a quiet place alone. His disciples saw something in Him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11). We offer opportunities for corporate prayer—Wednesday mornings, Sunday night prayer, ladies gathering on Wednesday afternoons—and many prayer cell groups I probably don't even know about.

Acts 2:46 says they continued daily with one accord in the temple. The largest gathering place was still the Jewish temple, and the early church often resorted to Solomon's Porch, especially on the first day of the week. But they also broke bread from house to house—what we'd today call home fellowships. They didn't call them that; it was just what they did. We have about seven home fellowships, and my desire this year is to raise up new leaders. If you've gone through our School of Discipleship, take our inductive Bible study class. If you'd like to teach a home fellowship, come talk to me, Josh, or one of the pastors. This is how a church is united as one—and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. The church was evangelistic, but it was God who added, for Jesus said, "I will build my church" (Matthew 16).

The Exhortation of the Apostles: Ephesians 4

We also have the exhortation of the apostles. One that stands out to me is the very passage the Lord used to call me into ministry, Ephesians 4. Paul speaks about the ministers within the body—leaders ordained by God. In verse 11, Christ "gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers."

Why? For a long time in church history, it was thought the leaders are to do all the work of the ministry. But that's not what Paul said:

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12)

It is God's call upon my life to make sure you are equipped to do the work of the ministry, because God has called every one of you to it. The body has many members and many areas of ministry—cleaning crews, security in the parking lot, video, children's, youth, ushers, greeters, men's and women's, the convalescent ministry, the parks ministry Dave is doing, and the Most Excellent Way. The work committed to us cannot possibly be done by our few staff pastors. It can only be done as we, as a whole, are equipped and ready.

Read, Preach, and Teach: Paul's Charge to Timothy

Paul wrote to a young man, probably in his late twenties or early thirties, leading the church at Ephesus:

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)

Timothy was to be an example in his understanding of the Word, his conduct, his love for God and others, his being filled with the Spirit (seen in the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5), his faith, and his purity. A saint is not a Catholic category—a saint is simply a person saved by grace. Then Paul gives the exhortation: "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:13).

The word reading means more than skimming. We can read our Bibles the way we scan emails—"I read ten Psalms today." "What about?" "I don't know, I read ten Psalms." But this reading means reading to the point of understanding and owning it, until it's not just words on paper but the Word of God in your heart. Exhortation can be translated preaching, and doctrine can be translated teaching. So reading, preaching, and teaching are essential aspects of the church—and that's why we do what we do here.

Paul continues: do not neglect the gift given you; meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them; take heed to yourself and to the doctrine, for in so doing you save both yourself and those who hear you. This is spoken to pastors, but also to every one of us. As you read the Word and own it, God will give you opportunity to give it forth. You will meet people who have questions—at work, at school, at your kid's soccer game. It's okay to say, "I don't know, but I'll find out"—then search the Scriptures and find out. Study to show yourself approved, a workman rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Disciples, Not Merely Converts

Paul gave further charges. In 2 Timothy 4:1–2 he charges Timothy to "preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." And in 2 Timothy 2:1–2:

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

That is exactly what we and the other pastors want to do—raise up godly men and women who know the Word, who can do biblical counseling, teach home studies, and serve in our ministries, so we can fulfill the command to make disciples, not just converts. The church has often been bent on making converts, praying a prayer at the end of a service and pronouncing everyone saved. But God desires disciples raised up to maturity. My desire is that you would not just be here Sunday morning, but be stirred to step out and minister to this community. Within five miles of this building are many who don't know God. People prize being "spiritual" these days without any idea what they mean—but what spirit are they following? We want people built on the Word of God.

The How: Not by Might, but by My Spirit

So that's the what and the why—but how? One of the best descriptions is in Zechariah 4. When Zerubbabel was tasked with rebuilding Jerusalem after its destruction, it looked like an impossible task—and it was. But God told him:

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

This is not a work you can do by yourself. That's why Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1 to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. The Holy Spirit's power is available to you and me today. We need to rely on the Lord and ask Him to fill, equip, and direct us—and He will. If you say, "I can't be an usher, I can't teach children, I can't help in a nursing home"—in your own strength, you're right. But by the power and strength of God, you can, and it will be a testimony to Him, for He is the One to be glorified.

These are the things we see in Scripture that explain why we do what we do at Calvary Chapel. We want to be a church built on the Word of God, and I believe every ministry here shares that same focus and purpose.

Ministries Equipping the Saints

With our remaining time, our ministry leaders shared what the Lord is doing. Ken Pilbin, an elder overseeing the men's ministry, described many opportunities for men to gather and be equipped to accept their responsibility in the church, home, and workplace—potlucks, breakfasts, the annual retreat (the No Compromise retreat in Big Bear, February 6–8, with speaker Brad Dacus), Thursday and Friday Bible study groups, and the men's email list. The theme verse is Hebrews 10—to provoke one another to love and good works—and there is much fruit when men gather in the Word.

Robbie Rear, who leads the women's ministry, shared the goal of providing women opportunities to grow, to meet one another, and to serve. Women's Bible study meets Tuesdays at 9 a.m. (Isaiah, led by Jeannie DeBenedictis) and 7 p.m. (a new study, Live Intimately). New fellowship opportunities include Girls' Night Out (third Friday monthly), Mothers of Grace, the quarterly women's breakfasts, the Salt and Grace newsletter, and the annual women's retreat in June at Murrieta Hot Springs (theme: Don't Look Back). She read from Jude 20: "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost."

Pastor Eric Siaka oversees the young adults ministry (Mondays, an interactive Bible study on practically living the Christian life) and the chaplaincy ministry across the county. The Lord has opened tremendous doors, including overseeing the chaplaincy for the California State Firefighters Association—a 24,000-member organization. Eric covets prayer as he ministers, often in difficult situations, relying solely on God's Spirit to do the work. We desire to raise up chaplains within our church; if the Lord is stirring your heart to represent Him in an unchurched environment, come talk to Eric.

Other ministries are also bearing fruit. The youth ministry has handed the junior high over to Nick Burt, with Steve Dodd now leading the youth worship team. Students are signing up as junior counselors at Camp Allendale and leading Christian clubs on their public school campuses—one junior high girl baked and sold cookies, raising $1,200 to send six people to camp. We also have the Spanish ministry led by Roberto and the convalescent and seniors ministries led by Pastor Mark.

The School of Discipleship

Josh shared about the School of Discipleship, a desire the Lord placed in me long ago to have a clear, systematic way of raising people up. That's how the Lord trained me, and many serving today—Ken, Todd Kent, Matt Dotson, and others—came through it and have been released into effective ministry around the world. We strongly encourage everyone to get plugged in; it's the foundation for everything we do. Beginning January 26 (Monday nights at 7 p.m.): Course 1 (discovering the good news and biblical salvation), the Way of the Master evangelism class taught by Scott Kramer, Course 3 apologetics taught by Dr. TV (how we can trust the Bible, world religions), and a new five-week Exploring Missions class taught by Todd Kent. The goal is to equip you to give people the truth simply and directly from the Word of God.

A Closing Word About the Cable Ministry

Many of you have seen our show on public access cable—a number of people came to our church because of it, and the Lord has greatly used it. Those cameras are for that ministry; faithful guys work next door producing the show every second service. They need someone who could be trained as a director and producer. If you're interested in that kind of technical video work, come talk with me. Every week our services reach a million homes in San Diego County, and it has cost the church essentially nothing for the last twelve years. It's an amazing thing God has done.

Closing Prayer

Father, You have done amazing things, great things You have done, and You're not finished. Lord, I pray that You would raise up within this church more and more servants to start more and more new ministries. We have a lot going on with men's, women's, youth, children's, and so forth, but God, there's much more that needs to be done. So I pray that You would equip us, Lord, and raise us up to fulfill the ministry You've called us to. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.