PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

I. Overview:      

A. Unless we agree together.

Amos 3:3 - Can two walk together, unless they are agree?

1. Unless we have one mind.

2. How can we serve together?

B. Chuck’s struggled with organized denominations in 5 ways.

#1. CHUCK HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE ORGANIZED DENOMINATION

A. Pastor Chuck did not hate religion, he just hated that it had become an outward form of worship only before man.

Religion - 1. It is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods: 2. A particular system of faith and worship: 3. A pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.

 b. So does God hate religion? No.

c. But if you have ever been part of an organized denomination? Then you will understand.

#2. CHUCK HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE PASTOR AND TOPICAL TEACHINGS

         A. The denomination did not encourage the pastor-teacher role.

1. But encouraged exhortation teaching or topical teaching above exposition teaching.

                           b. Is there anything wrong with just topical teaching?

Turn to Acts 20

#3. CHUCK HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY THAT WAS TO EVANGELIZE THE WORLD.

Chuck Smith - I could not find in the Scriptures that said the primary purpose of the church is the evangelization of the world; and I still can't find that Scripture.

#4. CHUCK HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE METHODS AND THE WORK OF MAN?

A. Trying to use man made sources to get people to come to his church.

                  1. Fund raisers.

                  2. No prayer.

                  3. Religion and not spiritual doctrine.

#5. CHUCK HAD A PROBLEM WITH MEN LOOKING TO BE SERVED

He seen that leaders wanted to be popular and to be the one people would look up too.

A. But there was no real discipleship to raise up men.

1. And the men that were in the church were just as frustrated as the leaders.

 Chuck - The problem, however, was not a lack of desire to be better witnesses. They desired to serve the Lord. The problem was that they didn't really know how because they were not taught. All they ever had was the baby bottle.

 2. And as we discovered, Chuck had a change in philosophy.

 Chuck Smith - I was trying to be something that I was not called by God to be.

 3. And Chuck has six (6) simple points in this our study that we want to look at today.

1. PASTOR CHUCK SAW THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH WAS FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS

Chuck Smith - But I did find in Ephesians 4 that God has placed gifted men, for the work of the ministry, the building up of the body of Christ.

This brought into my life a tremendous philosophical change as far as my concept of the purpose of the church was concerned.

Turn to Ephesians 4:11-13 

  A. I saw that the purpose of the church, 

1. Was for the perfecting of the saints,

2. Making the believers strong,

3. Bringing them into maturity,

4. Feeding them the word of God,

5. Loving them,

6. Strengthening them.

a. So that they would be able to be engaged in the work of the ministry,

Chuck Smith - When we started at Calvary Chapel in 1965 with only 25 people, I was determined that I would make those 25 people the most knowledgeable people of God's Word in all the harbor area.

2. PASTOR CHUCK SAW THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH IS TO LOOK FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO SERVE

Turn to Ex. 18:13-24

                  1. Able men.                                           V. 21

                  2. Fear God.

                  3. Men of truth.

                  4. Hate covetousness.

We must remember your pastor can’t do everything!

 Turn to Acts 6:1-4

         B. People with this quality                               

                  1. Good reputation.

                  2. Full of the Holy Spirit.

                  3. Wisdom.

 3. PASTOR CHUCK SAW THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH IS A THEOCRACY     

Chuck Smith - Now we do find in Scripture this form of government that God established and modeled in the early history of Israel.

 A. In Scripture we find 4 basic forms of church government.

1. Is called “episkopos” or bishops or overseers to many churches.

                  2. Is called the “presbyteros” or elders to the local church.

3. The 3rd. type of leadership is called the “Congregational Rule.”

4. And the 4th type of church government is called a “theocracy or a theocratic government.”

B. How do we define a theocracy?

 THEOCRACY - It is a people or person who are ruled by God. The nation of Israel, in its inception, was a theocratic form of government. It was God-ruled. The word Theocracy comes from 2 Greek words Theos which means “God” and arche which “means rule of.”

Theocracy is a form of government where God is the direct authority. God as Supreme Being, directly rules over a nation, a state or a chosen people. Theocracy is a conditional and voluntary covenant. And Theocracy is based on abiding with God.

Deut. 11:22-28

1. A theocracy is where the people were to be ruled by God.

2. The nation of Israel, at the beginning was a theocratic form of government.

a. It was to be God-ruled.

C. So Theocracy is a form of government.

1. God as the Supreme Being, directly rules over the people who submit to Him.

a. And in the church, we see the anointing on the senior pastor.

b. And the people of God are in direct fellowship with God.

c. And a Theocracy is a conditional and voluntary covenant.

d. And a Theocracy is based on abiding and fellowship     with God.

 John 15:5-8

4. PASTOR CHUCK SAW THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH WAS TO TECH EXPOSITORY THROUGH THE BIBLE

 Is. 28:9-10 - “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”

Chuck Smith - So, in changing my philosophy, I no longer preached evangelistic sermons per se, but began to teach the Word of God in a consistent way designed to produce growth within the believers. Another primary distinctive of Calvary Chapel is our endeavor to declare to people the whole counsel of God. Verse by verse, chapter by chapter.

Acts 20:27 - For I have not shunned declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

 B. And by teaching the bible verse by verse, we will (4 things),

1. Know God and His will.

2. The bible will bring us freedom from sin,

3. The bible will bring us fullness of joy,

4. The bible will bring us assurance of salvation,

 1st Timothy 4:13 - Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

2nd Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

C. If you go straight through the Bible,

1. You will be declaring the whole counsel of God,

2. And your emphasis will become a biblical emphasis.

3. God's Word will not return void.

 Isaiah 55:8-11-8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

5. PASTOR CHUCK SAW THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH WOULD BE A WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Chuck Smith - Calvary Chapel believes in teaching the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, which changes the lives of the people of God.

Zechariah 4:6 - So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord” to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” Says the Lord of hosts.

A. At Calvary Chapel, we recognize the need for balance.

1. And we also recognize the need for the solid foundation by teaching of the Word.

2. The need for the power of the Spirit.

B. And the type of man God uses. (Chuck Smith)

1. God uses a man who relies upon Him with a regular fervent prayer life.

a. Para, En and Epi.

2. We believe in the 21 gifts of the Holy Spirit.

a. And we believe that the use of the gifts will be orderly.

 1 Corinthians 14:40 - Let all things be done decently and in order.

6. PASTOR CHUCK SAW THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH WAS LOOKING TO MINISTER AND SERVE                          

Chuck Smith - The philosophy of Calvary Chapel is giving and ministering rather than taking and being ministered to.

 A. Calvary Chapel exists

1. To minister and our emphasis is on giving;

a. Giving to the people;

b. Ministering to the people.

 In Matthew 20:27 - And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.

 B. We were simply operating according to the truth of the Scriptures,

As Jesus said in Acts 20:35 – “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

 1. The word “minister” really means “servant.”

2. So the minister is the servant in the ministry.

a. And ministry is the service we give.

3. Remember, it was Jesus who took the towel and girded himself,

a. And went around and began to wash the feet of His disciples.

b. That was the job of the servant, not of the master.

 In Mark 10:42-44 - But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

C. Old school ministers are willing to do it all.

1. Let us never get to big to be a servant.

2. We see the call of each of these.

a. Paul - woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

b. Jeremiah - And I could not keep the word in.

c. And the Lord - came to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

3. And if I you are called to the ministry

a. You will be committed to His word.

b. You will be committed to fellowship with God

c. You will be committed to the ministry.

d. You will be committed to serve others.

D. This will be a grateful tool for you to understand what a leader looks for.

1. We look for a person who is a servant.

a. Disciplined outside and inside, the mind and body.

b. Need to be people the church can depend on.

c. If we know how to follow, we will know how to lead.

d. Who will do things other are not be willing to do.

2. And as you grow,

a. You will look for this type of person in ministry.

E. So many people are always trying to find the quickest way to grow in ministry.

1. Bring in the work place mentality.

         F. Yet God has the basic steps to growth with God.

1. Faith

2. Trust.

3. Serve.

As you discover there is no short cut to maturity.

1. Learn patience.

James 1:2-3 - My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Luke 21:19 - By your patience possess your souls.

 2. Read great books.   

3. Before I can conquer the world, I have to conquer myself.

 Chuck Smith - A witness is one who not only proclaims what he believes, he lives what he believes, he is what he believes, and he believes it so strongly, that if necessary, he'll die for what he believes.

We find the 4-fold pattern of Calvary Chapel in Acts 2:42 

Turn to Acts 2:42

1. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’

2. Doctrine and fellowship,

3. In the breaking of bread,

4. And in prayers.

 Chuck Smith - We decided that these would be the essential elements of our worship and fellowship.

 A. The emphasis at Calvary Chapel

1. Would be the teaching of the Word,

2. We would teach them solid doctrine; scriptural doctrine.

3. We would teach them about God.

4. We would teach them about Jesus Christ.

5. We would teach them about the Holy Spirit.

6. We would teach them about man.

7. We would teach them about sin.

8. We would teach them about salvation,

9. We would teach them about the purpose of the church.

10. And we would teach them about the coming again of Jesus Christ.

11. We would teach solid doctrine; the Apostles' doctrine.

 Turn and read Acts 2:46 - 47

 B. We must unify together on what we believe on Philosophy of Ministry and about God.

1. That will help us build a solid foundation on our doctrines.

2. Our foundation on what we believe in our philosophy.

3. Because every doctrine we believe will be based on our doctrine of God.

4. And by this believe about who God is will unify us in what we believe in ministry.