Pastor Ron spent the first 39 years of his lfe running away from Jesus Christ. Finally on February 17, 1991...

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Calvary Chapel Distinctives

How Calvary Chapel Began
Chuck Smith was called into ministry
17 years with no real success or fruit.
Began to reach out to "hippies" and teach the bible.
Now Calvary Chapel has grown into over 800 churches worldwide,
all are different, but still share common principles.
 
 
Based on Biblical Model for the Church (Book of Acts)
Church should be:
Filled by Holy Spirit
Led by Holy Spirit
Empowered by Holy Spirit
 
 
Basic Functions of the Early Church (Acts 2:42-47)
Apostles Doctrine
Fellowship
Breaking Bread
Prayers
Worship
Outreach
 
 
Church Government in Calvary Chapel
Calvary Chapel is a pastor-led form of government.
The Pastor is supported by a board of elders who are active in the local church.
 
 
Role of the Holy Spirit in Calvary Chapel
We believe the bible teaches clearly that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today
We believe speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit, but should be done according to scripture
(I Corinthians 12, 14)
Tongues is not the only way the Holy Spirit is manifest

 
Rapture of the Church
We believe the bible teaches a pre-tribulation rapture of the church

Rapture is in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, where living saints are "caught up"
Caught up is from Greek "harpazo", from which the Latin "raptuse" is translated, from which we get the English "rapture."
 
 
Building the Church God’s Way
"Where God guides, God provides"

We don’t get involved in causes or trends; we simply teach the bible
We don’t market; we don’t use church-building techniques; we simply teach the Bible

 
What makes us different?
We teach the bible AND believe gifts of the Spirit are for today
Some teach the bible, but deny the Holy Spirit moves today
Some believe in movement of the Holy Spirit, but don’t emphasize bible teaching
We emphasize praise and worship, decently and in order, to honor God, not to draw attention to us

 
Striking a Balance
Don’t seek dogmatism on issues which divide the church such as:

Sovereignty of God vs.. free will of man (we believe both)
Eternal security vs.. losing your salvation (we believe in eternal security as we abide in Christ)

Calvary Chapel has been formed as a fellowship of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not a denominational church, nor are we opposed to denominations as such, only to their over-emphasis of the doctrinal differences that have led to the division of the Body of Christ.

We Believe...

We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's (Agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.

We believe worship of God should be spiritual. Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship.

We believe worship of God should be inspirational. Therefore, we give great place to music in our worship.

We believe worship of God should be intelligent. Therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us how He should be worshipped.

We believe worship of God should be fruitful. Therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been truly worshipping Him.

We believe in all the fundamental doctrines of orthodox, evangelical Christianity.

We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, that the Bible, Old and New Testaments is the inspired, infallible Word of God.

We believe that God is externally existent in three separate persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe that God the Father is the personal, transcendent, and sovereign Creator of all things.

We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, provided for the atonement of our sins by His vicarious death on the Cross, was bodily resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit, ascended back to the right hand of God the Father, and ever lives to make intercession for us.

We await the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, and we believe that the second coming of Christ with His saints to rule on earth will be personal, pre-millennial, and visible. This motivates us to holy living, heart-felt worship, committed service, diligent study of God's Word, regular fellowship, and participation in adult baptism by immersion and Holy Communion.

We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to an individual's life, leading that person to greater maturity in Christ.