Crossborn

"...your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions that your are enduring" 2 Thes. 1:4 The Thessalonian Christians were suffering great persecutions and afflictions. To make matters worse, false teachers and lying prophets had shown up with heresies that 'explained' the suffering. Paul writes this Second Letter to silence the heretics and keep his faithful little flock on track.  Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on 2 Thessalonians: A Church in the Cross-hairs.

"Then Noah built an altar unto the Lord..." Gen 8: 20 Pastor Dave Johnson explores the courageous and risky worship of Noah, taking the first of all his surviving livestock to offer to the Lord who saved him.  Message by Pastor Dave Johnson, Calvary Chapel Old Towne from his series on Genesis.       

"Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances." 1 Thes 5: 16-18 We are in the midst of this long list of imperatives (there are actually twenty of them) that Paul has left to his spiritual 'family' in Thessalonica. Everything listed here is so important for the Christian. They keep us on track. They keep us real. This morning, let's commit ourselves to 'keeping it real' by putting them into practice. Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA Final message in the Series on Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians: Keeping It Real

"Nothing is real until it is experienced," someone once observed. "Not even a proverb is true until your life has illustrated it." How very true; and never truer than when it comes to the Christian. How about you? Are you a real Christian? This morning, let's see what that means Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on 1 Thessalonians: Keeping it Real 

"For you are all children of the light, children of the day, not of the night or the darkness." 1 Thes 5:5 Some 700 years before Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah had foretold what Jesus' arrival would do: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, a great light has shined!" Is 9:2  This morning, let's see what that means for us! Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on 1 Thessalonians: "Keeping it Real"  

"While people are saying 'peace and safety' destruction will come on them suddenly..." 1 Thes 5:3 The Scriptures make it perfectly clear that the Day of the Lord will literally happen before we even know it! Like a flash of lightning seeing the night sky; like a thief in the night, it will be sudden, swift and totally unanticipated. How dreadful to be caught unprepared! You won't be unprepared, I trust! This morning, let's make sure... Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on 1 Thessalonians: Keeping it Real  

"Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord." 1 Thes 4:17 We are living in an age of great uncertainty. A great majority of Americans--and probably of people worldwide--no long believes that the future looks good. But you, dear follower of Jesus Christ, are an exception! Your future has been foretold, and it is glorious! Let's take a look... Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on First Thessalonians: Keeping it Real

"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden." Gen 3: 8 "Of man's disobedience and the fruit of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste brought death into the world and all our woe..." is how Milton describes the subject matter of his wonderful Paradise Lost. And how true! We live in a world that has fallen into sin and now lies completely estranged from the God who created us and continues to love us still. This morning, Pastor Dave Johnson explores the Biblical account of the Fall of Man and its dreadful consequences, as related in Genesis 3 Message by Pastor Dave Johnson, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA

"But Jesus answered them, 'You give them something to eat...'"  Mk 6: 37 We serve a wonderful God who loves to do His amazing work, not with powerhouses and dynamos but with the simplest things: a lunchbox, for example, with a couple of loaves and fishes. This morning, Pastor Bob Boxer explores the wonders of God's grace as He promises to use you, just as you are, do great things in His Kingdom.

"Ambition is nothing but a species of madness," one of our philosophers observes (Spinoza). Mr. Macbeth could have told us the same! But there are good ambitions and, incredibly enough, we Christians are told to be ambitious; to 'aspire' for all the right things! How blessed we will be if we do!  Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series: First Thessalonians: Keeping it It Real

In spite of the trend in our culture today to throw off age-old values and standards, nothing will alter what God's Word has said: "Without holiness, no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12: 14)  Our Scripture this morning is dealing with the most important issue confronting the Christian: his sanctification. Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange CA From his series: 1 Thessalonians: Keeping It Real

"May the Lord make you increase and abound in love, for one another and for all." 1 Thes 3: 12 The Bible tells us that this world will grow 'cold'. Jesus Himself predicted it. But you, dear Christian--dear faithful Church!~--are going to be an exception to it all, just like the Thessalonians in our Scripture passage this morning! Here is wonderful, encouraging good news for us all!  Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his Series on 1 Thessalonians: Keeping it Real

"...that no one be moved by these afflictions..." 1 Thes 3:3 The times do change and move continually, observes one of Spenser's knights. And we're certainly seeing that in our day and age! There are vicious forces at work in our time. The pressure is great and all the world seems to falter beneath it. But not the Christian1 If he is 'for real', he stands unmoved! Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA from his series on 1 Thessalonians: Keeping it Real (Music by Pastor Holland Davis and the Calvary Chapel San Clemente worship team)

"...they displease God and oppose all Mankind..." 1 Thes 2: 15 Speak with any self-respecting, self-appointed humanist, atheist or skeptic and you're bound to hear him insist upon his "love for all mankind." He claims, in fact, to be "setting Man free" from the oppressive strictures of religion! But--my!--does our Bible tell a different tale! Let's take a look! Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange CA From his series on 1 Thessalonians: Keeping it Real

"...the Word of God which is at work in you who believe..." 1 Thes 2: 13 It's a modern-day mantra, the skeptic's constant litany: "The Bible is just a collection of myths, you know!" "Written to control the masses." "No longer relevant to our enlightened age...". On and on it goes. But to those who see it for what it really is--the Word of God--there is limitless blessing and reward! Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on 1 Thessalonians: Keeping it Real    

"We were gentle among you like a mother...we dealt with each of you as a father." 1 Thes 2: 7, 10 Isn't it incredible? Paul, the once-notorious persecutor of the church, who hounded and hunted the Christians from door-to-door, now pastors a little flock of his own! To top it off, he does it with all the "gentleness of a mother" and the gravity of a "father"! We have a lot to learn from his example. Let's get started... Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on 1 Thessalonians: Keeping it Real

"We had boldness in our God to declare to you the Gospel of God". 1 Thes 2:2 "Oh what authority! What a show of truth can cunning sin cover itself with." One of Shakespeare's characters has been saying that on the stage for 400 years now, and it still rings true! Every great deception in history has come with "authority and a show of truth". So, where is the real thing; and how can we be sure? Paul is addressing that issue this morning: here's wonderful truth for every believer.   Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on 1 Thessalonians: Keeping it Real

That little church in Thessalonica! Who would have thought, after all the riots and the mayhem, that they would still be there! And now they've become well-known! Known for their faith in the living God and the radical changes that came as a result! That's what we need to be known for as well!  Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA from his Series: Paul's First Epistle to the Thessalonians: Keeping It Real

"How delicate that thing we call 'authenticity'. It takes but time and a human touch for it to be 'duplicity'." Sadly, that is sometimes true even in Christian circles! How about you? Are you 'authentic'? Are you 'for real'? There's proof of that you know! Paul lists the proof for us this morning. Let's take a look... Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Towne, Orange, CA From his series on Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians: Making it Real

Acts 17: 1-9 and 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-3 "These are the ones who have turned the world upside down..." Acts 17: 6 Isn't it ironic? The highest compliment ever paid to the Christians of this world came in the form of a vicious attack! We are "the ones who turn the world upside down". In light of the world we live in today, can you think of a greater honor than that?  Message by Pastor Rod Schorr, Calvary Chapel Old Town, Orange, CA.  First in the Series on Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians: Making it Real