What’s in a Parable?

Storytelling has existed since the beginning of time. People have used stories to pass on ancestry, traditions, and significant historical events. Story’s have been used to communicate thoughts, ideas, and moral and social codes. In ancient times stories were carved, scratched, painted, printed, or inked onto wood or bamboo, ivory, bones, pottery, clay tablets, skins (parchment), bark cloth; basically any material available. Stories have been written on paper, illustrated on canvass, and in modern times recorded on audio and video medium, and stored electronically in digital form.

Jesus often used a type of story called a parable. The word "parable" comes from the Greek word parabolē, which describes a fictive illustration in the form of a brief narrative, by which spiritual and moral matters might be conveyed.

The Parable of the Sower is a great example. Jesus used the parable to paint a word picture in our mind of a man sowing seeds in his field, throwing them all around. The seeds fall into different areas, land on different soil, and each soil type produces a different result for the planted seeds. In telling this parable, Jesus communicates a powerful message about God, about His word, about our lives, and about our ministry to others.

Join us Sunday as we look at begin our study of several parables Jesus used to communicate the principles of God’s Kingdom to us!

Moving Along

Man things are moving along with the youth building! Last week Zech and Jake finished the floors (thanks Jake - Immaculate Flooring!), and the concrete stain looks REALLY COOL! Today Dan and Robin came in and hung all the lighting, black track lighting with really cool heads - another sweet touch! And I started putting up the trim. The red mahogany looks really nice.

We are working hard for an April open. I really really really will put up some pics this week.

Clay

Cleaning Heart

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Matt 12:43-45

In this statement, Jesus hits us with something that we all tend to do: Cleaning up the outside.

How many times have you heard someone say “Man, I’ve got to clean up my act?” And then they’ll commit to stopping some habit, or they’ll decide to start doing a good deed. But when you check in with them a few months later, things are worse than ever!

What happened? That person focused on changing the outer person, without first changing the inner person. They took a broom, went through the house, swept everything clean, stood back and thought “great, everything looks clean!” But let me tell you, as the father of two young boys, one sweep does not clean the house! Ten minutes later the ‘twin-tornados’ come back through, and it looks like a bomb went off!

Jesus is telling us that we cannot just “clean house,” we have to “clean heart!” And there is only one way to a clean heart. It’s not a program, or a new regimen, or a new outlook: It is the person of Jesus Christ, who came not to “reform” but to “regenerate!”

PC

Just Awesome!

Wow - that's all I can say. Sunday was just - wow. God is doing a great work in our midst. People are being broken before the Lord, coming to repentance, the worship service was just anointed. I love God, and I love God's people.

PC

The Unpardonable Sin

Have you ever thought that something you did was so bad that God could never forgive you? Have you every wondered if you had done so many wrong things in your life, that they could never be righted?

If so, I have good news for you - God's grace and forgiveness is all-encompassing, and all-including! There is no sin against God, or His Son Jesus, or another person, that cannot be forgiven! When Jesus was on the cross, He said "It is finished", and He meant it!

But there is one sin that cannot be forgiven, the unpardonable sin, and that is the "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit." This particular sin confuses many people, and some wonder if they have somehow committed it, and thus condemned themselves to an eternity of damnation.

What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Join us Sunday, and together we'll explore this teaching of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Clay


In His Service,

Pastor Clay

Dont Rock the Boat!

For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." Matt 12:8

Ever know someone who always "rocks the boat?" There are some people who are always stirring things up!

We tend to have a negative opinion about that person, but there are times when it can be a good thing to rock the boat, to stir things up. A person that stirs things up in a positive way can also be noted as "an agent of change." When we are able to impart change to something that has gotten stale, something that has gotten 'off-track", then we are implementing "positive change."

That is exactly what Jesus was doing as His ministry progressed. Under the Pharisees, worship had become stale, routine, and legalistic. Jesus came and brought new life, new wine into old wineskins, if you will. But the Pharisees were not happy at all about this change.

Chapter 12 begins a new period in Jesus ministry, when the Pharisees began to actively oppose and plot against Him. And the first point of opposition was the Sabbath.

Join us Sunday as we explore the Sabbath, and the Lord of the Sabbath!

Pastor Clay

The Lead Sled

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matt 11:29-30

Ever feel like your pulling a lead sled? Through two-feet deep muck? In the dead of winter? I could go on, but you get where I am going!

There are times in our lives that we are ‘doing-doing-doing’, but nothing seems to get done. Times when we are ‘going-going-going’, but we just can’t seem to get anywhere.

Question: During those times, do you ever stop and ask yourself “why am I doing this?” Then, examine the answer. Why are you involved in this activity, or doing that project? Is it because you feel like you are ‘supposed to’, or someone ‘expects you to’, or even worse, you have no idea why you are doing it?

Then ask yourself this question: “Is this something that God wants me to do?” Here’s why: I have found that Jesus’ yoke is, you guessed it, easy. His burden is, right again, light. In other words, when God puts you on something, it’s not a drag. It’s not going to weigh you down. His plan for you is tailored specifically just for you – a perfect fit! That’s not to say there won’t be some effort required, and some diligence, but you wont find yourself behind the lead sled, in two feet of muck, in the dead of winter.

“But”, you might say, “what is my yoke?” Well, that is the cool thing, we get to seek Him for guidance, trust Him for direction, and allow Him to set our feet on this right path!

Blessings from Raleigh (where I am helping my mom with a few things this week), and I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

Trying to fit in

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children." Matt 11:18-19

Sometimes it seems like you just cant win. No matter what you do, someone is there to point out how wrong you are.

For example, some people criticized John the Baptist. He dressed funny, he ate bugs, he was always talking about repenting. He just didn't fit in.

Jesus, on the other hand, did fit in - too well. He hung out with sinners, forgave a prostitute, He just spent too much time with the wrong people.

I suppose there are two lessons here:

1 - Be careful before you judge. Some people are different, but how do you think God see's them? Does God think they are weird? I beleive God see's past our weirdness, and He loves us for who we are!

2 - Be careful trying to please people. When you know what God wants you to do, DO IT! Don't worry about what people say. You will never please everyone, but there is one that you should always seek to please - God!

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Gal 1:10

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

God's Reward System

"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." Matt 10:40-42 NKJV

Do you ever worry that you will miss out on something?

Maybe you tried playing the lottery, and you didn't win anything. Perhaps you invested in some real estate, and now you are underwater. Maybe you feel you boss doesn't appreciate your efforts, and you may never make the salary you feel you deserve.

This life has it's ups and downs. We can have seasons where we are receiving, being blessed, and all is good! There are other times when we feel undervalued, unappreciated, and unrecognized!

Jesus is encouraging us to look beyond the rewards of this world, and instead focus on the rewards of His Kingdom!

Join us Sunday as we explore God's Reward System!

In His Service,

Pastor Clay

Real Life

Greetings Calvary Community!

Another week is closing out on us, a week that has been full of events! Most notably, we are watching the largest spending bill ever to be signed into law (for my particular take on this, visit my personal blog, clayritter.blogspot.com, which is completely personal and in no way connected to Calvary Chapel {disclaimer!}).

We live in a world where there is conflict between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, but most of all between living for God, and living for self.

Jesus is clear - if we live for Him we will be in conflict with the world. The question we have to come to terms with is "Do I seek to please God, or myself?" For the most part, the people in our world seek to live for themselves. Jesus tells us to do the exact opposite, and by doing so we will in fact find that which we long for the most: A fulfilled life.

Join us Sunday morning for an in-depth look at Jesus teaching: He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.


In His Service,

Pastor Clay

Ambassadors

Dear saints, this Sunday we’ll be looking at part two of our “Ambassador” series, Matthew chapter 10. Last week we saw how Jesus picked twelve men who were not special in any way, other than the fact that they were ‘empowered’ by Jesus for the work He called them to. I hope that you were able to see yourself somewhere in the mix of those twelve men. We don’t have to be specially educated, or particularly gifted, in order for God to use us in a mighty way! We only need to have a heart that says “I will follow you Lord,” and a willingness to seek Him for the power to minister. Each one of us can be effective Ambassadors for Christ if we’ll seek Him for the empowerment!

Looking forward to Sunday!

Pastor Clay

Sent Out

This Sunday we’ll move into a new time in Jesus ministry, He sends out the twelve to preach the gospel. It must have been an exciting time for the disciples. Having been personally taught by Christ, He now empowers them and sends them out to put into action the things He had taught them. As well, they were probably a little unsure of themselves. How would it go? Would people receive them? Would they be able to handle the situations?

In a similar way, it’s an exciting time for our church. Our society is in a time of trial and stress. People are searching for answers, and nervous about their future. And we, the disciples of Christ, have been entrusted and empowered to go out into this environment to preach the good news of the gospel! We bring a message of hope, of peace, and of promise! Like the disciples, we might feel a little unsure of ourselves. But like the disciples, we have the power of Jesus Christ, the empowerment of His Spirit. Let’s do like the disciples and step out in faith and obedience, and watch God work marvelous things!

Pastor Clay

Two Down!

Great News!

This past week we were able to get two more milestones behind us with the Youth Building: We passed our plumbing and mechanical rough-in inspections! That puts us closer to our goal of getting the building finished, and open for the youth!

In the next few weeks, we will begin scheduling "work days", as we'll have lots of things to get done: Insulation, sheet-rock, painting, etc!

We will also be holding "Building Fund Raisers" to get the remaining work funded.

God is moving in so many ways here at CCW: The Women's ministry, men, youth, worship, outreach; We are so blessed to be a part of what He is doing!

I look forward to seeing you all Sunday!
In His Service,

Pastor Clay

The end of the world as we know it!

Seeing the media reports these days, we are being warned at every turn; The "financial crisis," the "mortgage crisis," the "job crisis," the "global warming crisis," the "Israeli-Palestinian crisis," and today I even read that scientists believe a solar storm could wipe out our power grid of our world any day! You would think that its the end of the world as we know it!

OK, I am over-dramatizing, but if you think about it, we do exist in a world of uncertainties. We are buffeted by forces beyond our control. But there is one force, one power, that remains constant: God!

As we delve back into the gospel of Matthew, we will continue on our journey of studying the life of Jesus Christ, who came into a dying world to bring life. Jesus knew the struggle that we would face in a world tainted by sin. He came to proclaim the gospel of truth and life; That we can know life, abundant life, through trusting Him; That we can have eternal life, through placing our faith in Him; That He came to set us free, free to live!

Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

In His Service,

Pastor Clay

A New Thing

So it is January 1st, 2009. A new year! It's a time that we look at our lives and take stock of ourselves. Common New Year’s resolutions are: to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money better, exercise more, eat better, and spend more time with family. Sadly, most people never stick with their resolutions; Many exercise machines rust away in the shed after a few uses!

Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are great goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution.

We, as God's people, would be better served seeking Him, praying and asking if there are things that He would have us to focus on, and ask Him to give us the power to change according to His purpose.

Even better, we could seek Him for direction for our new year: Are there new things God wants to do in and through us in this coming year? As I said Sunday, God is into "new things", new things that He will do in our lives and in our world. New things that will further His Kingdom, and draw people into His love.

I pray that this will be a fantastic "new year" for you, in the Lord, as He works in and through you!

Behold, I will do a new thing,now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. Isa 43:19-21 NKJV

In His Service,

Pastor Clay

Worship the King

I read an interesting article this morning that noted a shift in the mindset of the American people from the gilded excess of the past, to a more frugal lifestyle. Seventy three percent of the people in one study noted that they were planning to curtail their Christmas spending.

I believe that there is a real ‘gut-check’ happening in our country, and people are beginning to come to terms with the reality that they cannot keep buying and buying, and go deeper and deeper into debt. While this may be a bad sign for the retail industry, I think it will have some positive affect out our society as a whole. The current economic situation is dire, and many people will be affected. But we must realize that God often uses these types of situations to draw our hearts back to Him.

Perhaps people will focus less on shopping for Christmas, and pay more attention to the things that really matter: Family, friends, helping those who are struggling, and recognizing the Person that Christmas is intended to recognize – our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This Christmas, take time to be with those you love. Take time to be a blessing to someone who is hurting. Take time to worship the King, who was given to this world as a sign of God’s eternal and unconditional love for us. Worship the King!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

What in the world is going on?

Greetings Saints in the Lord!

I have been intrigued at some of the events that have been taking place in the last few weeks. A big uproar in Seattle Washington over the Christmas display, a sitting governor accused of trying to sell a Senate Seat, world-wide recession, A $700 BILLION dollar bailout, with more of our money being ponied up to help someone (except you and I!). What in the world is going on?

I’ll tell you, the world stage is being set, things are happening right before our eyes, like birth pangs:

"Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matt 24:4-8, 14 (from New International Version)

Dear people, the world stage is being set for the inevitable return of the King! Let’s remember the real “reason for the season” – the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lord!

Don’t forget that this Sunday is the last week to reach out and share the love of Christ with someone, the outreach to the Seamen’s Center, Calvary Gives Back (to the military), and our Christmas blessing.

Look forward to seeing you all Sunday!

...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

A Sacrifice of Praise

Greetings CCW!

I am writing my column a little early this week, so that our faithful office staff can shut down early and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, and not have to work on the Calvary Connection!

This week the topic is thanks – obviously as the holiday is Thanksgiving! But rather than hand out the standard “Let’s give God thanks for ___ and ___ (just fill in the blanks), I have been thinking recently; “What does it mean to be thankful?” Is thankfulness a state of being, an emotion, or is there something more to it?

Several dictionary sources describe it as an adjective, and give the definition as:
“feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative” “Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful”

I personally like Webster’s version: “Impressed with a sense of kindness received, and ready to acknowledge it.” I I especially like the “ready to acknowledge it” part. I believe that is the sentiment expressed in Hebrews 13:15:
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.

To me, being thankful must be more than a feeling, or a state of mind. To have true meaning, our thankfulness must be a catalyst to a response; a proper response to the grace and kindness received. What is that proper response? The writer of Hebrews states it as “a sacrifice of praise.” In other words, praise that has value, or praise that actually costs me something.

If God opened to door for you, you might say “thanks, God.” But God has done so much more than open a door for us, He has offered us a lifeline out of hell, eternal separation from His presence. He has become involved in our lives by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, giving us the most powerful force known in existence. He has freed us from the chains of sin, in that through Him we can find victory over the sins that plague the human race. And He has promised us entrance into the eternal kingdom of heaven, where we will exist for eternity free from sin, pain, death, and sorrow.

This thanksgiving, let’s continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, worship of God with every part of our being: Our hearts, our minds, our body, our gifts and talents, our resources. Give Him praise, worship the King!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

The “not so clear and present danger”

This past weeks conference was a huge success! Not because we had a bunch of people (which we did), or because the worship was awesome (it was!), or because the teaching was “really good” (it was the best!). The conference was a success because we know that God did a work in the hearts and lives of many people! Based on the feedback I have received, God used last weekend to do a mighty work of clearly showing us that we are in a war against an evil enemy, but God (I love that phrase!) has given us the victory! We know that through his Word, which is a lamp unto our feet, and by his Spirit, which empowers us, we can walk in victory in this life! Amen!

Now that the conference is over, we don’t want to just walk away and say “that was great, OK back to life”. NO! We want to take what God has done and continue to allow it to grow us as a church! As the “next step” if you will, we will be launching a series of teachings, blog articles that will be geared towards helping us to avoid some of the “not so clear and present dangers” that are lurking about! The first teaching will be on Wednesday, December 3rd. Don’t miss it!

In the meantime, I will be focusing all of my “spare effort” on getting the Youth building completed by the end of the year. Many of you have offered to help with the final finishing of the space, and I will be calling on you soon!

Have a blessed week,

Pastor Clay

Where do we go from here?

Good day Saints!

Well it's two days after the elections, and now we just are letting the full reality of our local and national elections set in. I don't know about you, but I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, it has been a historic campaign, in that a woman was on one ticket for VP, which would have been a first for our country and a great step forward for women's rights. On the other ticket, for the first time in our history, an African American was not only a contender, but won the position of President of the United States; a great step forward from our country's past history of racism.

Yet there are many that I have spoken to, including myself, that have great concern; not about race or gender, but about the moral and political direction of our country. With the evident shift to the left, what kind of society will we leave to our children?

Before we get too worried, we should remember this: God is still on the throne, and very much in control of events in heaven and on earth. I think of a similar situation, over two millennia ago, when a young man was left to ponder the fate of his people and his country. In the seventh century B.C., a young boy by the name of Daniel was taken from his home, and brought to a far-away country, ruled by a godless tyrant named Nebuchadnezzar. Yet rather than lament the terrible situation that he was in, he saw things through the eyes of eternity:


"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; Dan 2:20-21

In other words, Daniel trusted that for some higher purpose, God had placed this man Nebuchadnezzar into a position of power and authority. He told Nebuchadnezzar:

You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; Dan 2:37

Instead of formenting a revolution against the ruler, or critiquing his every decision, Daniel prayed and trusted God. As a matter of fact, Daniel became an "agent of change" in Nebuchadnezzar's palace.

Later on in his life, God gave Daniel a vision of what the "end times" would look like, including a time when a great king would arise, a man known as the anti-Christ. Many people will follow this great king. But in the end, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will return:

"At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
Dan 12:1-3

So where do we go from here? UP! First, pray for our new leaders. They need it! We should support where we agree, and let our voice be heard, in a respectful manner, where we disagree. Regardless of who we voted for, these people are now OUR elected representatives.

Second, we as Christians are to keep our eyes on Christ, to seek first the Kingdom of heaven. We have just learned from Christ that wide is the road that leads to destruction, and man are on it. Narrow is the path that leads to life. If we will be like Daniel and see things through the eyes of eternity, we will see that this world is not going to become more Godly, or more moral. Our society is on a slow fade into destruction. Yet WE don't have to follow. We can follow Christ. And in the end, "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."

I can think of no better time to have a church conference where we are taught about the "Clear and Present Dangers" facing us today. If you have not registered yet, and you decide you need to come, please let us know, we'll make room!


...till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay