Ccf Sunday Messages

As we cover 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 today, we finish the discussion of Paul’s relief offering for the hurting Jerusalem church. That means one final week talking about generosity. We have a generous God and it is really impossible to appreciate His grace to us and to not express generosity to others. Paul is going overboard to make sure he doesn’t flex his pastoral muscles by using guilt or manipulation to coerce the Corinthians to give. I appreciate that, and I bet you do too! In chapter nine, we get two really important principles regarding generosity. Instead of obligated obedience, Paul gives them a spiritual principle—the principle of reaping and sowing. Once they know how things work, they can decide what to do with it. Knowledge is power! One final cool thing—God is not interested in us merely doing the right thing, or faking it until we make it. How will Paul and the Corinthians know if their generosity has the right motive? Their emotional state as they give will tell

If you have been around the church scene for any length of time, I would imagine you have experienced “pressured giving”. Have you? Have you, or someone you know, been turned off because the church is “just after our money?” I am so thankful that I don’t have to present to you a “law and rules” based generosity. In other words, it might sound like, “Be generous…or else!” “Or else what,” you ask? Or else…you are disobedient, a bad Christian, God won’t bless you, and so on. That’s what you might have heard! But, Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ! So how do grace and truth work together to create generosity? In the next part of 2nd Corinthians chapter 8, Paul addresses two things that have really turned people off regarding the topic of church and money. The first is “pressure to give”. For that, Paul responds with love and freedom. As we move into chapter 9

Have you ever made a financial decision you looked back on regretfully? Sure you have! I think we all have! When it comes to financial management how we handle money can be emotional. It can be driven by sin, identity issues, discontentment, and fear. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul uses the discussion of Titus’ visit to switch gears. He begins to discuss the giving of a relief offering he is gathering to take to the struggling church in Jerusalem. They said they would help, and now it is time to dig deep and make it happen. Will they own up to their financial commitment? No matter how bad off you are, there is always someone worse off you can help. As we discuss the passage, I’ll provide a little more about the history and financial condition of Corinth and of Jerusalem; but for now, you might want to know that chapters 8 and 9 give some of the most thorough discussion of New Testament generosity. Although the situation is specific the truths are eternal. It’s sad that the discussion o

A few years back Helga and I had an interesting experience on one of our Florida trips! Cruising along, mile after mile, we had to take an exit for a different road near Ocala. The problem was that we weren’t really paying attention, so we took the exit that seemed right without thinking about it and spent about an hour going the wrong direction! We began to feel a little funny inside—like something was wrong but signage was minimal and we just weren’t sure—but then we saw it! A sign for a city that was NORTH and we were supposed to be going SOUTH! Our hearts sank as we realized we added two full hours to our 16 hour trip! I was sick over it. But what could we do? We had to turn around and start going in the right direction. It may have taken us longer, but at least we got there! If 1 Corinthians 15 is the Resurrection Chapter, and 1 Corinthians 13 is the Love Chapter, then 2 Corinthians 7 is the Repentance Chapter. I think the word repentance is the most beautiful word we never

As me move into 2nd Corinthians chapter 6, we find ourselves in a short chapter that we will cover in one message, but as usual, this chapter includes some real gems of wisdom for us. Paul, desperate to see the Corinthian people’s lives changed by God’s message, is still battling against those that are negative toward him. He pleads with them not to reject him, and therefore not to reject his message of reconciliation! Like a parent desperate for relationship with a rebellious, hard-headed child, Paul begs them to open their hearts to him. The issue is not that they are just non-relational, rather that they are entering into close fellowship with the wrong people! Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t be unequally yoked?” That statement comes from both Deuteronomy 22 and right here in 2 Corinthians 6. Layering five examples on top of each other, Paul makes a case for the Corinthians to think long and hard about their close partnerships! This is no yoking matter, or is it?

Have you ever heard the expression, “Can a leopard change its spots?” Did you know that comes from the book of Jeremiah chapter 13? Basically, the idea is that a leopard has spotted skin and that is what identifies it as a leopard. No matter how hard the leopard tries, it is stuck with spotty skin! The idiom means that people generally don’t change. I would imagine you can think of a time where someone you knew seemed to really have changed, only to revert back to the old ways, dashing hopes and leaving everyone in their lives disappointed and discouraged. Change doesn’t come easily. Now, enter the Apostle Paul, and the living God: Paul makes an earth shattering statement in 2 Corinthians 5. “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creature!” What? Did you get that? A leopard may not be able to change its spots, but if it dies it can become something new; maybe a tiger, or elephant—that doesn’t have spots! No, this is not some reincarnation thing; the leopar

If you have been around CCF for any length of time, you know that I often engage people in conversation by asking, “What do you think happens when you die?” Now most people will want to talk about almost anything else—largely because people spend most of their waking hours trying not to think about their inevitable death. Some are simply trying put the whole thing off as long as possible with the latest “life extension” plan or even having their bodies frozen! (It’s called “cryonics”.) Interestingly, although more people are religiously unaffiliated or atheists, the belief in an afterlife has increased! With no chapter break in the original letter, Paul has just given us the key to his unconquerable spirit! No depression would linger and no temptation to give up on life or ministry would take root. Why not? Because he had determined to make eternal things his focus, and not temporary things. It turns out that this is the strategy of every courageous Chr

After making a start into chapter 4 last week, we will finish the chapter this week. Twice in this chapter, Paul has said, “Therefore…we do not lose heart.” We will look at the second occurrence the week (verse 16), and how it relates to our own way of thinking and where our focus is. I think you will discover why chapter 4 has encouraged and strengthened so many people for so many years. Sure, it is easy to be encouraged and strong when things are going well. But when you are being bombarded you need a mental framework that keeps you from giving up and becoming hopeless. Do you have one? Paul did! Even though our culture tells us that money and success and technology and material goods will give us the life we always wanted, we all know that is not true. If it were, then Robin Williams would not have ended his addiction-riddled life in suicide! So why do people keep making the same choices to order their lives around the acquisition and enjoyment of temporary things, hoping it will ful

After a three week break, we are back in 2 Corinthians tomorrow, picking up in chapter 4, verses 1-6. We are getting into some real “meaty” stuff here in the next two chapters! I don’t want your brain to overheat, so I will keep this simple and brief. Paul talks twice in the next section about “not losing heart” — 4:1 and 4:16. Evidently, this is really on his mind! It is easy to think that Paul is just a ministry machine or robot. He just goes and goes and never struggles with being discouraged. Did Paul ever feel like giving up on life or ministry? Did he ever feel like packing it in? Wouldn’t you like to know what kept him going? With such opposition, difficulty, and pain, why didn’t he just give up? Have you ever felt like the passion for life has just gone? You have no more wind in your sails, nor passion in your heart? Then I assure you that this next section may give some really crucial Biblical advice. Paul was not a machine, but he knew how t

As we continue in 2nd Corinthians chapter 3, and continue to be exposed to important truths we need to remember an important foundational fact about what we learn each week from God’s word. The Bible was authored by the creator of the universe and the creator of mankind. He just knows how things work because He designed things to work a certain way! For instance, “God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble”. This is a consistent and trustworthy principle! Another well-known and clearly understandable truth is: “You reap what you sow.” This passage in chapter three presents an absolutely phenomenal truth that I believe most Christians ignore completely. In fact, even our biology shows the reality of this principle, and neuroscientists are very excited about what they are discovering in this realm! Friends of Calvary Chapel Fluvanna, our Christian lives are about so much more than a set of moral rules to memorize and observe. Rule-based living an

It was the apostle Paul who said to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 4: "For you can have 10,000 instructors in Christ, but you can’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel." Paul had sacrificed and labored so they could be saved. And now, in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, they are demanding appropriate letters of reference from Paul. “How do we know we can trust you? Who is endorsing your ministry?” Unbelievable! They are forcing him into a place he does not want to go, so he treads carefully as he edges on boasting about his ministry. He is careful to get the attention off of the pastor (himself) and onto Christ. Sometime the church can be guilty of the same thing today. Have you ever been at a church when they were searching for a new pastor? Have you been on a “search committee”? What were you/they looking for? The best seminary? A master’s in divinity? A graduate of church growth seminars?

We pick up in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2, verse 5 as we make our way through this very personal and very revealing exchange between Paul and the people in Corinth. This next section offers a “case study” of sorts. Paul discusses a very specific situation involving an unnamed individual in the Corinthian church. The person’s behavior was causing issues and effecting everyone in the church! Too often people think their behavior is their business and just affects them. That couldn’t be more wrong, especially when it comes to sinful behavior. If we are to live in “family” or community, then we have to realize that our choices affect other people, like it or not. Well, the Corinthians took Pauls advice and did something about the issue. They didn’t look to Paul to do it! The whole church urged that person to do the right thing! That is powerful; and it worked! It was time to welcome this person back in with open arms and open hearts. The spiritu

Continuing our opening message in the letter of 2nd Corinthians, we find that reading this letter, like many of the New Testament letters, is like listening to one side of a phone conversation. What we hear in the conversation is a response to what the person on the other line said, and we try to infer what was said based on the answers given. Well then, based on Paul’s comments, we can make some assumptions about what the Corinthians said about him. Remember, there was a faction in Corinth that just didn’t like Paul, and they were not afraid to say it or spread it. They had some issues with him. Can I tell you that is still true today! You and I will never please everyone. There will be those that just love the church or the pastor, and there will be those that find issues or make them up if necessary! Everyone is a critic and everyone has an opinion. Paul was being accused of being wishy washy. He was wishy washy in what he said and wishy washy in the plans he made. He ju

As we continue our journey through the New Testament, today we open up to the first chapter of 2nd Corinthians and get started into this very personal letter between the Apostle Paul and the Corinthian church. One very common misunderstanding is that God, in His infinite power and love, would never let His children suffer; but that is not a biblical truth. In fact, we learn that pain and discomfort are really important in our lives. Some of the most valuable life experiences are the painful ones! No one likes to experience pain, but everyone experiences it on some level. This can be physical pain, relational pain, and/or emotional pain. The root of it may be external or internal. As Christians, we are not immune from discomfort. However, it’s right there that we have the opportunity to discover something about God: that He comforts. How does He comfort? Can He really help me? Another thing suffering and pain do is make us compassionate. When you have suffered or experie

How many of you grew up with a mother who insisted upon you finishing everything on your plate before you left the table? I heard a story about a family where this was the case, and at least one of the kids would fall asleep at the table, determined not to finish the green beans! Maybe many of you can relate and have memories of such a dinner time dilemma! You might be saying, “Steve, what does this have to do with the Mother’s Day scripture??” Well, after much prayer and consideration, I decided that in honor of Mother’s Day, we at CCF will finish what is on our plate! Huh? First Corinthians is on our plate! We will be in 1st Corinthians chapter 16 for the final few spoonfuls of truth we have been eating bite by bite, chapter by chapter, for the last year or so! We are so close to finishing this letter, I think moms will be proud of my decision. Tomorrow we will look at the final section of chapter 16; verses 12-23. And the best way to describe it, in stickin

Having just spent the past five weeks mulling over and pondering the heavenly reality of resurrection, we now take the truth of 1st Corinthians 15:58 — our labor in the Lord is not in vain — and put some skin on it! In chapter 16 Paul gives some personal and practical insight into church life. Paul has instructed a number of the churches to alleviate the poverty in the church in Jerusalem–many, many miles away! To get the full picture, we need pieces from Romans and 2nd Corinthians. But for now, we will get some practical encouragement about fellowship and care in the Body of Christ! Some of God’s people are suffering. Others have the means to help. Money is powerful. Love of money can lead to a lot of trouble and pain. But it can be a real tool for demonstrating care for others. Money represents time and energy and our lives. e get money in exchange for time and work. To give that away is to give away something of ourselves. Paul wants the Corinthians to help

As we finish 1st Corinthians chapter 15, Paul brings his discussion of resurrection to a victorious crescendo and climax! Death and the grave do not have the last word! Like a lion with no teeth, a snake with no venom, or a bee with no sting, death has been stripped of its power and the grave has been forced to give up its prisoners. Jesus will lead captives out of captivity at the resurrection. Our old, earthly bodies will yield to new heavenly ones. But this raises a question. If it is death that releases us from these “earth suits” (earthly bodies) that we dwell in, what will happen to those that are alive on earth when Jesus returns? Did you know that “the gospel” includes the resurrection as well as the second coming of Jesus Christ. We, as the church, are looking forward to a day called “the Rapture of the Church”. What is that? When will it happen? People will be living and working and busy about their lives when the Rapture hap

On this Palm Sunday we continue in our study of 1st Corinthians 15 – The Resurrection chapter – with Part III in our series. As we would expect, this next section is packed with essential truth. How we think and how we understand really does dictate how we live. Our true theology is evident in the story of our lives, decision, emotions, attitudes and behaviors. That was true for the Corinthian Christians and it is still true for us! The next section is filled with “kingdom battle” words — power, authority, enemies, rule, and so on. For those who are movie fans and have been tracking with the Marvel series and awaiting the final conclusion, you may be interested in some of the discussion. Death (Thanatos or Thanos in Greek) is the last and greatest enemy and is personified (given human traits for illustration) in this chapter. Like Goliath, Death is an enemy that seems to loom large and to be unstoppable and unbeatable. The greatest battle a person will fight is wi

You have heard it said that some things are a “matter of life and death”. All month, as we discuss resurrection, we will be discussing life and death. At the end of the day, when the smoke clears and people stop long enough to turn off the stimulus and think, it all boils down to life and death. And the Bible is so clear and simple about these things. Let’s ask that a very basic question: “Why do people die?” Death is our universally shared human experience. It transcends color and race and economic and social status. It touches the rich and poor, young and old, good and evil, powerful and weak, popular and obscure. It is painful, confusing, and yet we accept its presence. Maybe we ask why when it seems to come before it should, like in the life of someone young, or in a way that is painful; but nonetheless, death is our constant companion. But why? Has death always been the human experience? Who says it has to exist? This is what we discuss in our next

Paul picks up a super-important (and timely) topic as we enter 1st Corinthians 15: resurrection! This is a long chapter, and will take us right up to Easter, so we will be well prepared by the time we gather for Resurrection Sunday. The Corinthian issues with bodily resurrection, and the fact that Paul had to set the record straight, has given us the most comprehensive and practical chapter on resurrection in the Bible! It seems that there were some powerful persuaders in the Corinthian church. They were contrary to Paul and his teaching, and were influencing the whole church. One major place they departed was regarding resurrection: they were teaching that there was no bodily resurrection! I find it fascinating to ask people what they think happens when they die. Have you ever asked that? People have so many different ideas on this topic, but for the Christian the clear answer is resurrection! And not just spiritual; it is physical and literal. There is no way around that! Both Jew and