Why, What, How? | Sunday, January 11, 2026

Last week, through the holidays, I was able to dodge all of the holiday germs. Then, last week, one got me. This week, I've been having this terrible cold, so forgive me. I'm going to have to deal with my running nose the whole time. I told Pastor Nick at the beginning of the first service that he might need to record this one. We might need to play the video because I have a tendency to lose my voice when I preach like this. So, for the third service, they might have to watch the rerun of the video. But you guys are here. Praise the Lord!

Before we get into the message I have this morning, I was reading some things and I sensed that we need to pray for the people of Persia. When I say Persia, I mean Iran. Some of you remember it was a part of your life when the Islamic Revolution happened in 1979. I was born in '79, so I don't remember that, but we definitely want to lift up what's happening there right now.

I don't know if you know this, but there has been a miraculous revival of the Christian faith in Iran in the last couple of decades, largely due to what I think is a miraculous move of God by His Spirit. It has been happening not often through missionaries as much as through dreams and visions. People are having dreams and visions where they meet Christ and come to faith. A lot of what you're seeing happen right now in Iran has to do with that. People have come to faith in Christ, and there has been a transformation. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, and we see that maybe happening right now.

However, there are pretty horrible massacres happening, according to all the news coming out of Iran right now. I just sense that we need to pray this morning. So, why don't we begin by lifting that up to the Lord?

God, we do thank You for the freedom that we find in You. It’s not just a political freedom; it is a freedom from sin and death. Lord, we pray right now for those in Iran who are protesting, who are standing against what is really a tyrannical Islamic state. We ask that You would do a work there, that we would see a transformation. We would see freedom that ultimately comes from You and from the Gospel, and that it would be an example to the rest of the world. Lord, we just lift this whole situation up to You.

into your hands. It seems from the news that there are pretty horrible things happening there right now. So, God, we ask that You would move mightily. Ultimately, Lord, I am absolutely convinced that every physical manifestation of violence like this is an indication of a spiritual battle. In the Scriptures, we are introduced to the prince of Persia, a spiritual entity that was over this region of the world. There was a spiritual battle going on between Michael the Archangel and this spiritual entity, the prince of Persia.

So, Lord, we ask that You would move mightily in the spiritual realm and that there would be a revival in the Middle East, and that this would be a big part of that. We ask this in Jesus' name. And all those that agreed said, "Amen." Amen. Praise the Lord. We'll see what He does.

I made a New Year's resolution to not preach as long, and then I looked at my notes this morning and realized that I totally broke that because I have enough notes for like three messages. So, we'll see how far we get. I won't ask how many of you have already broken your New Year's resolution. A lot of people don't even make them anymore because they feel that if they don't make one, they can't break one. So, they just don't even try.

Last week, I asked you not to make a New Year's resolution so much as I asked you to prayerfully consider, in 2026, that you would orient or aim yourself in a very specific direction as a follower of Christ and as a part of this body of believers. I asked you to consider prayerfully aiming at becoming more of what Christ ultimately desires of you. He laid hold of you for a purpose. This is what Paul alludes to in Philippians chapter 3. He says, "I want to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me."

My encouragement to you then was that you would orient yourself or direct yourself in the direction of laying hold of what God has for you and that you would be exemplary among the saints. I mentioned that maybe we needed a t-shirt, and a lovely member of our church, who has a t-shirt business, made me a shirt to be exemplary. I think that's a great thing. We need to be exemplary among the saints. I shared with you that this idea came from Paul's first letter to the...

Thessalonians is believed by many to be the first letter of all the letters that the Apostle Paul wrote. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, we read again from chapter 1:2. Paul says, "We give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in our prayers." He continues, "We are remembering without ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election or selection by God."

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you, Thessalonians, became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all those in Macedonia and Achaia. You became examples to all those who believe.

We want you, in the same way that Paul wanted the church at Thessalonica, to become exemplary among the saints. The question arises then: how do we become exemplary among the saints? Paul's words in the opening chapter of 1 Thessalonians are very clear. As you follow the Lord and the example of other individuals who are a little further along than you in their walk with the Lord, you will grow in faith, hope, and love. These three things are mentioned in verse 3: your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope.

As you follow the Lord and grow in these virtues, you will inevitably become examples to all who believe. Faith, hope, and love become a great focal point in many other passages in Scripture. I would suggest that they are good targets for you and me to aim at. Faith, hope, and love should not just be goals for 2026, but for the rest of your journey with Christ.

In Peter's second letter, specifically in 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter picks up a similar sentiment as Paul did in Thessalonians. He exhorts Christians, saying, "But you also, for this reason, giving all diligence..."

Diligence is essential. Make this your diligent aim, your focal point. Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. He is giving them targets to aim at, and these are very similar to Paul's fruit of the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5.

You need to diligently give yourself to adding these virtues to your faith. If these things are yours and they abound like the fruit of the Spirit, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from all his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent. This is an exhortation to make your call and your election sure. If you do these things, you will never stumble. What a great promise! I don't think any of us here want to stumble in our faith and in our walk with the Lord. Peter gives us the answer, the algorithm for walking steadfast in the faith: add to your faith these things. If you do these things, you will never stumble.

Point number one this morning: life with Christ should involve continuous growth and progressive sanctification. I know that the word "progressive" can shake some people because it has political connotations, but not as I'm using it here. The Christian life is to be characterized by continuous growth. We should see an increase in our lives of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Those are the fruits of the Spirit. God's Spirit does those things in us.

Yet Peter, using many of the same words and virtues, says, "You give diligence to add these things as well." So again, it comes back to that question I bring before you frequently: Who is working? Is it God or is it you? The answer to the question is yes. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure. Who's working? You or God? Yes.

Life with Christ should be characterized by continuous growth and progressive sanctification. Day by day, we are getting closer to the likeness of Christ.

Christ. I don't think we will ever fully achieve that here because we are all still battling our fallen nature. But we press on that we may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of us. Paul says, "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me."

So we, individually and corporately as a body, the church, should desire to see growth in ourselves and in those around us. We should be increasing in the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. We should be growing more and more into the likeness of Christ so that we become exemplary among the saints. People should be able to say, "That's what a Christian is right there, that individual."

Not only should we desire that for ourselves, but we should also be challenging one another unto that. The author of the book of Hebrews says that we should be stirring one another up to love and to good deeds, encouraging one another. This is why being together in the body of Christ is so important.

In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he encourages Timothy to also be an example. Timothy was a younger man in his walk with the Lord and in the beginning stage of his ministry. Paul said to him, "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example. Be an example to the believers in word, conduct, faith, love, and purity." I would encourage you as well to be an example, just as Paul says to Timothy.

He made it clear to the Thessalonian Christians as well. I want to encourage you again for the second time this year to be exemplary among the saints. I want this for you, for myself, and for us as a church because I think that this is the abundant life. The abundant life that Jesus spoke of—"I have come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly"—is a life filled with an abundance of the fruit of the Spirit. You cannot have the abundant life without the growth of these things: faith, hope, and love being a part of your experience. The abundant life is a life filled with the abundance of the fruit of the Spirit. The longer that my life with Christ goes on, the more I realize how...

It is important for the growth of the body of Christ, the church. To say it another way, I don't think you can fully grow to your fullest potential in producing an abundance of the fruit of the Spirit in isolation. The church, the body of Christ, is not just helpful to this; it is essential. Being a part of the body of Christ is an absolute necessity, which is why you need a good church. This is also why you're all here.

What I want to do this morning, in the time that I have, is share my thoughts on a good church. I actually have notes enough for three messages, so we'll see how this goes. I had to skip some things in the first service because I had less time then. My aim, my hope, my desire, and my prayer for a long time has been that this would be the best church. Personally, I think it is. I admit I am a little biased, but I want to share with you why I think Cross Connection Church is different.

Over the last year, we have welcomed a lot of new people to our church—many new faces, which is awesome. It is a great blessing to see, and I think that people notice. If you've been a part of this church for a long time, you may have noticed as well that Cross Connection Church is a little different. I want to talk about why Cross Connection Church is different, what it is that we do differently, and how we do that.

I have been thinking about these things for a long time; it is not just something that has crossed my mind this last week. In fact, years before I became the pastor of this church in April of 2008, I started contemplating this. I have been blessed to be a part of this church since I was 11 years old. My family started attending this church when I was a kid, and there are people who still attend this church who were my children's ministry teachers. They are as amazed as I am that I am now the pastor of this church—perhaps even more amazed.

It is remarkable; it is a testimony to the Spirit of God and His grace. We will talk about that more in a moment. I have been thinking about the "why," "what," and "how" of the church for a long time. One of the standout memories for me in thinking about this is something that happened in September of 2007, about half a year before I became the pastor.

Before I took over this church as the pastor, I was with the then pastor, Pat Kenny, and the other leaders of our church at a pastor and leaders conference in the desert of East County. We gathered as the leaders of our church for an afternoon to talk and pray about our church. My pastor, Pat Kenny, was asking each of us for our thoughts on how things were going. I clearly remember sharing that I was strongly convinced we, as a church, needed to do better in ministering to our body and reaching the community. Sadly, at that moment, our church was experiencing a bit of a decline and going through some difficulties.

I was about 26 or 27 years old at that time. I sensed that we needed to adjust and change our methods, but we wouldn't change the mission or the message. The mission and the message do not change, but the methods needed to change. At that same time, I had started teaching a few years earlier at a local Bible college. One of the classes they asked me to teach not long after that was a class on church planting. I was teaching young men who wanted to go into the ministry and plant churches about starting these organizations we call a church.

For those of you involved in any sort of organizational leadership, you know I lead within this church, but I'm also part of a number of different organizational boards. Boards spend a lot of time discussing things like purpose, mission, and vision. To be honest, a lot of what they do can be quite boring, especially budgets, but that's part of it. They spend considerable time talking about purpose, mission, and vision.

It's worth noting that the purpose of the church is a topic many seminarians, those pursuing their Master of Divinity or Master of Theology, spend a lot of time thinking about and writing on. Many of them write their master's thesis on the purpose of the church. One of the most well-known master's theses that became a book is "The Purpose-Driven Church" by Rick Warren. Rick Warren not only wrote "The Purpose-Driven Life" but also "The Purpose-Driven Church," which came out of much of his seminary writing and research. It's not a bad book; honestly, I've read it, and I think it's pretty good. There are some good insights in it.

We need to recognize that the purpose of the church is not distinct and unique to every different church; it is the same for all churches because the purpose was divinely set. Jesus says this is the agenda, this is the purpose.

What is it? There are a number of different places in the New Testament that talk about this, but probably the best one is the Great Commission. Jesus said in Matthew 28, "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

What did the early Christians do after Jesus ascended into heaven? They went and made disciples. They preached the gospel and made disciples. Those followers joined together in groups, and those groups were assemblies of people. The Greek word for an assembly is "ecclesia," which translates to "church" in English. Church is just a gathering of people. This is the purpose. The purpose was set by Jesus. If that is not your purpose as a church, you are not a church according to the New Testament because that is the purpose of the church as Jesus defined it: go into all the world, make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe the Scriptures.

So, what is the mission of the church? This is really simple. The mission of the church is to fulfill the purpose. What? Really? Yes, that's it. It may seem surprising, but the mission is to fulfill the purpose. That makes sense, and the purpose was given to us by Jesus.

Now, what’s the vision? The vision is distinct for different churches, and it is distinct because every church has different people. Every church has different leaders, each with a certain group of gifts, talents, abilities, and resources. Because of these different leaders, the vision of each church might be different.

The purpose is set by Jesus, and the mission is to fulfill that purpose. The vision is how that group of people, that church, sees themselves fulfilling that mission and purpose according to the gifts, talents, abilities, and resources they have. That is their vision. This is why, if you go to North Coast Church, their vision is going to be a little bit different than Cross Connection Church.

A little bit different than Emanuel Faith Church and a little bit different than Marinatha Chapel, these churches have different leaders. I’m not the same as Daniel Bentley, and I’m not the same as Chris Brown, which is a really good thing. I love Chris; he is a friend of mine. We’re different. Every church has different leaders, gifts, and resources, which leads to a different vision for how they fulfill their mission and purpose.

God needs all these different churches. We don’t just need one massive church in North County; we need a lot of different churches to reach a lot of different kinds of people. Each church has its own purpose, mission, vision, and values. The values of the church are the convictions and commitments that the leaders and congregation regard highly.

What’s important varies from church to church. Some churches highly value time spent in worship and prayer, while others prioritize a strong commitment to sound doctrine and teaching. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just a difference in perspective. Different people have different things that they regard highly.

You are at this church because we value certain things that you value. You might be at a different church if you preferred a different pattern or value, and that’s fine. As long as the purpose is the same and the mission is to achieve that purpose, you will see that different churches have different values.

Falling under purpose, mission, vision, and values is strategy. Strategy encompasses the ways and means by which that group of people will fulfill all of those elements. Together, purpose, mission, vision, values, and strategy answer the questions of why, what, and how. Why does this church exist? What is it doing? How does it work?

For years, I taught church planting at Calvary Chapel Bible College, discussing many of these concepts in at least one of the classes. As I was preparing for this message, I spent some time on Thursday thinking about what passage would best illustrate these ideas. Something popped into my mind, and I believe it’s where Paul articulates some of these concepts that encapsulate the answers to the questions of why, what, and how for the Apostle Paul.

So, if you have your Bible, take it out and open to the book of First Corinthians. Turn to about the middle of your Bible and then turn to the right.

You find the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the Book of Acts, Romans, and 1 Corinthians. So, we're going to stand together. We'll put it up on the screen as well. But let's look at 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, verses 1 through 5.

Look at what Paul says: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and much trembling. My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

Lord, I pray that you would speak to us this morning as we are here at the beginning of a new year. I am convinced that you have more that you want to do in each individual life here today, in each family represented here today, and corporately in this church and through this church to the larger community and world. You want to do more. So, I pray that you would prepare us for that, that you would challenge us, and that you would encourage us toward that end. Speak to us from this passage today. We ask this in Jesus' name. And all those agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

I think this passage answers the questions of why, what, and how for the Apostle Paul. It’s worth asking the question: why is he even saying this? To be honest with you, when you read 1 and 2 Corinthians, these books are a little different from Paul's other writings because he spends an awful lot of time talking about himself and defending himself in these letters.

You get the sense, if you read Paul a lot—and I've read Paul a lot—that he's very uncomfortable with what he has to say in these letters. There’s a reason that he's uncomfortable, but there’s also a reason why he's saying what he's saying in these letters. It is believed by most scholars that Paul actually wrote four different letters to the Corinthians, and we only have two of them.

We know of as First and Second Corinthians is probably Second and Third Corinthians. We don't have First and Fourth. So, these are just two of four. Paul spends a lot of time explaining himself, defending himself, and commending himself. He is very uncomfortable doing it because it just doesn't fit with his modus operandi, but he has to do it. You kind of wonder, why does he have to do it?

Well, Paul planted the church in Corinth, and you can read the story in the Book of Acts, specifically in Acts chapter 18. It's a very interesting story. After he left Corinth, another guy came in who was a much better speaker. His name was Apollos, and he gained quite a following. Not only did Apollos come in as a much better speaker, but then another guy came in. You might know him; his name was Peter, also known as Cephas. People liked Peter because he knew Jesus. He spent time with Jesus, and if you're spending time with someone who walked on water, you might think, "Man, he's better than Paul," right?

So, you have Apollos, who speaks really well, you have Peter, who walked on water, and then you have Paul. It didn't take long for a personality cult to develop in the church, where people were saying, "I am of team Paul," "I am of team Apollos," and "I am of team Peter." Then you have the spiritual ones; there's always the spiritual ones. They said, "I am of team Jesus."

Paul has to write to these people now, after this, and he has to defend his ministry—what he did, how he did it, and why he did it. Why does he have to defend his ministry? Because what he did was different enough from Peter and Apollos that people started to look down upon him and despise him. It's kind of weird, but that's what's happening in this letter. He says, "Listen, here's what I did when I came to you." We just read it. "Here's how I did it when I came to you. And let me tell you why."

What was this "why"? It was the last verse we read. Look at verse 5: "That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." That is a really good "why."

Point number two: the what and the how of Paul's ministry was meant to bring the greatest glory to God. People were looking down on Paul because Apollos spoke better and Peter had been with Jesus. Paul said, "All of that was by design. I didn't want you to look at me."

I wanted you to look at him. I did the what and the how of the things that I did among you so that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Paul had to make that clear because there were people in Corinth who were defaming him. They were speaking ill of him. What were they saying? They were accusing him of being a fool. They claimed he was weak and ineffective. They considered him lowly, insignificant, and base—not in the way that kids use the word "base" today. They looked down on him and despised him as being worthless or nothing in comparison to Apollos, who spoke really well, and Peter, who walked on water.

All of these things were churning about in Corinth. This is why Paul had to uncomfortably defend himself—his what and his how—by telling them the why. How do I know that this is what they were saying about him? Look a few verses back. You are in 1 Corinthians 2. Look at 1 Corinthians 1, verse 26. He says, "For you see your calling, brethren. Not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world and the things which are despised. God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to nothing the things that are. Why? So that no flesh should glory in His presence."

Paul is bringing all these things up because this is the news that was getting back to him—the rumors that were being spread about him that he was weak, foolish, insignificant, ineffective, lowly, base, and despised as nothing. Paul says, "Well, hey, I just want to let you know those are just the people that God chooses. God chooses to use those individuals because it is through them that God gets the greatest glory."

Here’s the coolest part about that: it means that God can use me and you. You see, if God only ever used the good-looking ones, the well-spoken ones, the well-educated ones, and the high and lofty ones, then every single one of us would think He can’t use me. But instead, He chooses the dyslexics, the neurodivergent, and the ones who live in...

Escondido. Yeah, praise God. You don't have to live in Carlsbad. Nothing against Carlsbad; it's a beautiful place. But He chooses the nothings.

Let me tell you, this is one of the things I loved about the Calvary Chapel that I knew and grew up in. Now, it pains me to say this because the Calvary Chapel of 2026 is not the Calvary Chapel that I knew and grew up in of yesteryear. You see, the Calvary Chapel that I grew up in was the epitome of uneducated and untrained men and women who did marvelous things because they had spent time with the Lord and been empowered by Him. They were the foolish, the weak, the lowly, and the insignificant nothings.

I will never forget a conversation I had with a much younger seminarian once upon a time when I was in my early 20s. He didn't know that I was connected to Calvary Chapel, and he didn't know that at the time I was teaching at Calvary Chapel Bible College. He was a very well-learned and educated seminarian, and he made a comment to me. Again, he had no idea that I was part of Calvary Chapel, but Calvary Chapel came up in the conversation. He said, "Well, you know, those Calvary Chapel Bibles are just a glorified Bible study." That's what he said about Calvary Chapel Bible. I thought to myself, okay, I don't know that that's such a bad thing. I'll take it.

I don't know that I've ever spoken about this publicly, but we changed our name in 2011 from Calvary Chapel of Escondido to Cross Connection Church. There were multiple reasons, but the core reason that the board knew about when we made that decision, which nobody else has known and that I haven't said publicly, is that I knew Calvary Chapel was going to experience a split when Pastor Chuck Smith died. I did not want to be associated with the trash that would come out of that.

Let me tell you, Calvary Chapel in 2026 is a mess. It's been divided into multiple different groups that fight with each other. You don't have to look very far online to see it. So, I didn't want this church to be associated with that. We changed our name, and I caught a lot of grief from my friends in Calvary Chapel and from people within the church over that whole decision. But it was a decision to say, "Hey, we don't want to be a part of that because that is carnal."

That is, "I'm of Paul, and I'm of Apollos, and I'm of Cephas, and I'm of Chuck, and you must not be of Chuck enough." Let me tell you, I've had those conversations. I've been accused of...

In the last 15 years, I have had conversations with friends of mine in Calvary Chapel who say, "Well, obviously you don't follow the way of Chuck." I respond, "I'm doing my best to follow Jesus; that's my goal here. That's what I'm trying to do." Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 when he says, "Are you not carnal in this, acting like mere men and women when you say, 'I'm of Paul' and 'I'm of Apollos'?" I just don't think God likes that.

Yes, Cross Connection Church is different. It's quite different, and I'm sure you've noticed that. Some of you have been here for a long time, and you notice it; some of you are new, and you notice, "Yeah, it's a little bit different." It's not just the red suit that the pastor wore the Sunday before Christmas. It's not just the man bun, the Cybertruck, or the orange, although that's definitely part of it. It's different by design; it's different intentionally.

Yes, we are still connected with Calvary Chapel. Most of my friends are Calvary Chapel pastors in ministry contexts, but we are just different enough that it is not infrequent for me to have a conversation with someone who's new to the church, and they say to me, "Didn't this used to be a Calvary Chapel?" I just kind of smile and nod. Yes, we're still connected to Calvary Chapel. In fact, I texted a friend of mine, Brian Broers, last night and asked him a question. I know guys on all sides of this whole debate.

In 2014, we joined ourselves in a loose affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention, which is just interesting for sure. After that, I went and got a master's degree at a Southern Baptist seminary. I then pursued my Doctor of Ministry education at the Southern Baptist seminary, but I didn't finish that. I moved on to a PhD at a Southern Baptist seminary.

It's funny; I meet people who say, "You're connected with the Southern Baptist Convention." I respond, "Well, yeah, but we're different enough that the back row Baptists— and for those of you who are part of the Baptist church, you understand— would feel like overzealous deacons at Cross Connection Church." When I tell people, "You're part of the CB," I say, "Yeah, we're like on the edge of the inside, close to the exits." That's my standard answer because we don't have a huge allegiance or loyalty to an earthly organization. We're seeking to be faithful to Christ in this little corner of His kingdom. Paul rebuked the sentiment that says, "I'm of Paul" and "I am of Apollos."

I'm of Cphus. You're still carnal in this. It's envy, strife, and division that I hate to say it, but this is the reality. Calvary Chapel in 2026 is a story of envy, strife, and divisions. It's sad. It's heartbreaking, but it's the reality.

There are some important things that set us apart. As I was thinking about this the other day, the passage that came to my mind was from Paul in 1 Corinthians. I absolutely love it. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 9, Paul says, "I am less than the least of the apostles and am not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which is in me. Therefore, whether it is I or they, so we preach, and so you believe."

Point number three: all that we are or will ever be is holy because of God's great grace. I don't want to miss that word. All that we are or will ever be is holy because of God's great grace. The moment you lose sight of this is the moment you become ineffective for God. The moment you think that it's all because of you, your education, your oratory skill, your ability to network, or whatever it is, the moment you lose sight of this is the moment that God says, "I can't use you."

Never lose sight of this. I am what I am by the grace of God, and his grace toward me was not in vain. I labored more abundantly than they all. I am here because of God's great grace. From that position of having received an abundance of his grace, I work very hard, as hard as I possibly can, for the kingdom of God, for this church, and for many other organizations and things that I'm a part of.

Over the last 27 years now, it's remarkable to me since being a pastoral intern at...

At 19 years old, and until now, I've had the privilege to do some pretty amazing things that still blow my mind. I find myself in situations where, two and a half years ago, I was on top of Mount Si with David Guzik, and my mind was blown. How did I end up here? The grace of God. We hiked up to a cave on Mount Si that is believed to be the cave where Elijah the prophet heard the still small voice of God. How does that happen? I have no clue, but it's by the grace of God. I am what I am by the grace of God. None of this is said in a boastful manner; all of this is to boast in the amazingness of God's grace and to encourage you in this. God wants to do just as much in your life and with your life, by His grace, to use you for His glory. He has much that He wants to accomplish.

Let me try to get back to the point because, by the clock, I have a minute and 43 seconds and seven pages left of notes. Sometimes I talk fast; I'm sure you've noticed. What is the why, the what, and the how that makes Cross Connection Church different? I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine who's a pastor and is also kind of different. His name is Daniel Fusco. Maybe you know that name; he's spoken here at the church before. Daniel pastors a church just across the river from Portland in Vancouver, Washington.

If you know the saying, "Keep Portland weird," Daniel is doing his part to keep the Pacific Northwest weird. He’s also Italian like me, but he's about a foot shorter than I am, and he has dreadlocks down his back. Daniel's an interesting character. We had a conversation this last week about what God is doing at his church, what God is doing here, and just the weird things that are going on. I said to him, "You know, one of the things that I think sets apart Crossroads Church and Cross Connection Church is that we love people," even the non-Christian, kind of far away from Jesus people.

I enjoy having conversations with skeptics and atheists. We want to see those people find answers to their questions from the gospel, and we try things that are kind of different.

We're not afraid to give up on things that don't work. Sometimes, people negatively call that pragmatism, but there's a sensibility in it that says, "Okay, this isn't working. Let's try something different."

One of the greatest indicators of a church that's dying is when you hear the people at that church say, "We don't do things like that here." That is one of the hallmarks of a dying church. Another hallmark is when people say, "That's not the way we do it." Let me tell you about a hallmark of a dying Calvary Chapel, and sadly, there are a lot of them: "That's not the way that Chuck did it." I was in the room when Chuck Smith told a gathering of 200 Calvary Chapel pastors, "The one thing I hope you guys never say is, 'That's not the way that Chuck did it.'" Here we are, twelve years after his death, and I hear it all the time: "That's not the way that Chuck did it."

There are four things that I think specifically set us apart as different, and they are targets that we aim at. First, integrity. Integrity is important to us; it means doing what is right when no one else is looking. This was highlighted again this last week because a well-known Christian author and minister, one of the most well-sold Christian authors with more than 15 million copies of his books over the last 40 years, was revealed in the news to have been in an adulterous affair for the last eight years.

It's understandable, sadly, that there are so many people who have a hard time trusting religious leaders and institutions because we've not given you any good reason to trust. But we aim at integrity because if you can't trust us to do what is right when nobody is looking, what else matters?

Secondly, we emphasize intellectual diligence. We live in a skeptical time, a questioning culture, a complex culture that is daily confronting us with the temptation to deconstruct everything in search of something firm, fixed, and substantial. Sadly, much of what you find from Protestant churches on YouTube or podcasts over the last several generations doesn't stand up to the cultural challenges. It's kind of like pablum; it lacks hard, rigorous engagement with challenging ideas.

Diligence. That's what we do here. That's what we try to accomplish. If the Bible is true, and I believe that it is, then it should be able to stand up to the skeptical criticism of a skeptical age. However, you have to be able to contend with those criticisms and not just pretend that they don't matter. They matter, and you have to be able to give an answer to those things. That's what we strive to do here.

The third aspect is relevance. Integrity, intellectual diligence, and relevance are all important. I believe God's Word is timeless; it is never detached. It answers the questions and speaks to the issues of the moment, right now. Whether it's questions of technology, artificial intelligence, culture, relationships, or meaning, the Bible has answers. We need to dig for and find the relevant answers to these issues.

We are not looking for a theoretical lecture here at the church; we are looking for applied theology. How do these things matter for today in our lives? That is what I aim for every single time I open the Scriptures. What does this speak to the moment? Because it is eminently relevant. It is the most relevant thing for our culture right now, far more relevant than X, TikTok, Snapchat, or whatever else.

This brings us to the fourth major difference you find here at Cross Connection Church, which is connection. Connection is key to us because we believe that God created us for connection with Him and with one another. We need to reach out to a world that is far from God and His body and bring them back into connection with Him, reconciling them.

Social media can't provide that. AI can't provide that. Entertainment won't satisfy the desire for connection. All the different groups—jiu-jitsu, CrossFit, book clubs—won't answer it. It is only the body of Christ that can fulfill that need. Therefore, we are focused on integrity, intellectual diligence, relevance, and connection. These are key elements.

Interestingly, these aspects are different in 2026 than in most of the churches I see. However, the amazing thing is that they are not so different from the early church. Let me read to you from Acts chapter 2, the earliest of the early church. Acts 2:40 states, "And with many other words, Peter testified." Peter is preaching, and...

Exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." And then those who gladly received his word were baptized. That day, about 3,000 souls were added. What did they do? They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together, and they had all things in common. They sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. Continuing daily in one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all people. The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Point number four: I will try to wrap it up. God's people are strengthened by simple, steadfast devotion to the Word, connection, hospitality, and prayer. A few considerations as we close. First, in that passage, Acts chapter 2, the early church continued steadfastly. This is like the hallmark verse for Calvary Chapel. They continued steadfastly in these things: breaking bread, fellowship, the Word, and prayer.

What does "continued steadfastly" mean? It means that it wasn't casual or occasional. They devoted themselves and committed themselves to the Word, fellowship, communion or hospitality, and prayer. This is worth highlighting because church commitment and connection have become casual and occasional in this time. I have seen this in my last 18 years of ministry as a senior pastor in a big way.

When I became the pastor of the church in 2008, that was when things really started to change. Before that, it was the normal Christian experience for people to be engaged with their church two to three times a week. They would be there Sunday morning, probably for a midweek service on Sunday night, and they would be a part of men's or women's ministry. However, starting in about 2008, things began to change dramatically.

The American Christian experience and engagement started to become more occasional and casual. It moved from two to three times a week to two to three times a month. This changed markedly after 2020. Now, and this still blows my mind, nearly 50% of the families in our church attend only one time a month. You will not grow to fruitful abundance and experience the abundant Christian life by going to church just twelve times a year. It just won't happen. If you think that your haphazard, casual commitment to the church will not affect your kids or your grandkids, you're fooling yourself. They're watching. If you want them to be actively engaged in the life of the church and their future, they need to see that it's an important part of your life; otherwise, they will not make it a part of their lives at all.

The second point is that early Christians were committed to simple things: the Scriptures, preaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Breaking of bread can mean two different things: hospitality, gathering together, and communion, partaking of the Eucharist together. They would join together for these purposes. These are very simple things; they are not revolutionary, novel, or amazing. But this is what produces growth and the fruit of the Spirit.

Third, and I apologize for going over time, commitment to these essential things produces growth. Look at the last word of the passage: "And the Lord added to the church daily those who are being saved." The church grows, individuals within the church grow, and the church grows as we commit ourselves to these things.

So, if you're new at Cross Connection Church, we're glad that you're here. In the last year, this is what you joined when you showed up. If you've been a part of Cross Connection Church for a long time, thank you for sticking with us because I know it's been a wild ride. It's probably not over, but this is what we're committed to. We say no to a lot of other things so that we can focus on some very simple things. But for all of us,

Newbies and old-timers alike, the next step for 2026 and beyond is to not just attend. Be steadfastly devoted to the Word, connection, hospitality, and prayer. There's no New Year's resolution, just a new devotion—a devotion to a commitment to these essential things. Commit to actually showing up consistently, not just occasionally or haphazardly. Join a connect group or a life group. Plug into a team, serve, and be a part of the body. Read the Scriptures when we gather together corporately or by yourself, and pray. In this, you will be exemplary among the saints. I'm happy to stand out because we're different. Because we are. Amen.

Let's stand and we'll close in prayer. Anthony, I'm just going to close. God, thank you for the exhortation of Your Word. I pray that these exhortations would find open and receptive hearts and that You would continue to transform us more and more into Your image and likeness. That we would show forth Your glory, God. That we would proclaim the praises of You who called us out of darkness into Your marvelous light. We pray that we would see a revolution of Your grace as a part of our lives and this church. We pray this in Jesus' name. And now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless until the coming of the Lord. Amen.