Episode 1 / Gospel Forward
I remember those times. Maybe you do too. When I would drive into the church parking lot, waiting for my parking place to be available to make matters a little bit worse, I would walk into church expecting to have my seat that I always sit on to be available for me. And then the Lord really spoke to my heart.
It's not about a parking place or it's not about a seat or anything like that.
I heard a phrase, a while back about "this isn't our church. This church belongs to the Lord." And you guys, I believe that with all of my heart. The Bible tells us that Jesus purchased the church with his own blood, and I believe that to be true.
We have the privilege and the opportunity to come into His house. The Gospel Forward for us is, this is all about Jesus. This all belongs to Jesus. In the Calvary distinctives there's an entire chapter, the centrality of Jesus Christ, which means He's the All in All and He is the everything.
The way that we define it in our code is just like helpful tools for us to remember. This is His church. This isn't our church. This isn't Calvary Chapel's church. This church really belongs to the Lord and this whole entire ministry. This belongs to the Lord. And it's His word that we teach.
It's His message that we bring and we are His people. Jesus said, "Follow me." He never said, "follow my men." And we gathered together in a church. We're followers of Jesus Christ and because of that we wanna seek His leading, His guiding, the work of His spirit in and through us to lead every aspect of this ministry, no matter what it might be. Because to God be all the glory.
So in an applicational sense about Gospel Forward, how does this apply to me? I want our hearts rested completely upon that Jesus is enough. And the reason I walked in this door is because of Jesus. And when I walk out these doors, I'm still living Jesus. And in everything here, all of this belongs to the Lord. And He allows me to come inside and hang out with Him. To me, that's pretty cool.
Sometimes we feel like we have our own parking place because, "I've been going to that church for a while." I have my own seat in the sanctuary because, "I've been going here for a while." When I look back it's comical, but really, all of this belongs to Jesus and let's live our life that way in everything.
Verses
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28 NKJV
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 NKJV
“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:11-22 NKJV
It's not about a parking place or it's not about a seat or anything like that.
I heard a phrase, a while back about "this isn't our church. This church belongs to the Lord." And you guys, I believe that with all of my heart. The Bible tells us that Jesus purchased the church with his own blood, and I believe that to be true.
We have the privilege and the opportunity to come into His house. The Gospel Forward for us is, this is all about Jesus. This all belongs to Jesus. In the Calvary distinctives there's an entire chapter, the centrality of Jesus Christ, which means He's the All in All and He is the everything.
The way that we define it in our code is just like helpful tools for us to remember. This is His church. This isn't our church. This isn't Calvary Chapel's church. This church really belongs to the Lord and this whole entire ministry. This belongs to the Lord. And it's His word that we teach.
It's His message that we bring and we are His people. Jesus said, "Follow me." He never said, "follow my men." And we gathered together in a church. We're followers of Jesus Christ and because of that we wanna seek His leading, His guiding, the work of His spirit in and through us to lead every aspect of this ministry, no matter what it might be. Because to God be all the glory.
So in an applicational sense about Gospel Forward, how does this apply to me? I want our hearts rested completely upon that Jesus is enough. And the reason I walked in this door is because of Jesus. And when I walk out these doors, I'm still living Jesus. And in everything here, all of this belongs to the Lord. And He allows me to come inside and hang out with Him. To me, that's pretty cool.
Sometimes we feel like we have our own parking place because, "I've been going to that church for a while." I have my own seat in the sanctuary because, "I've been going here for a while." When I look back it's comical, but really, all of this belongs to Jesus and let's live our life that way in everything.
Verses
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28 NKJV
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 NKJV
“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:11-22 NKJV
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