Video: Calvary Distinctives by Pastor Sandy Adams of Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain

We usually post a recommend book but this month we are posting a recommend video. And if we were like every other church in the community why take up space? We’d be better off closing our doors and throwing in with someone else. But there are distinctives – some real differences. This is a special recorded message from pastor Sandy Adams he shares we’re a special expression of God’s heart, and you need to know what makes us unique. There’s much Calvary has in common with other churches, but there are also some real differences that set us apart, and give us our own identity.

Find out Calvary Chapels approach to God’s grace, to people, to children, to worship, to the Scriptures, to church doctrine, to the Holy Spirit, to membership, to ministry, to money, to church government, and to the rapture. The one thing we really want to be is genuine. Our part is real faith. Now that you know who we are and what we value – I hope you’ll become apart of this church family.



MP3 Audio – http://www.sandyadams.org/media/mp3/2147.mp3

PDF Notes – http://www.sandyadams.org/media/pdf/2147.pdf

Source: http://www.sandyadams.org/sermon/calvary-distinctives-ephesians-210/

Video: What is a Successful Church? by Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa

We usually post a recommend book but this month we are posting a recommend video. Our definitions of success are not always the same as God’s. How does your church rate? What is a Successful Church?

Although given at the 2012 Calvary Chapel East Coast Pastors’ Conference, this message is ideal for the whole church. It’s a dose of reality as we realize that our definitions of success are not always the same as God’s and if taken to heart by a congregation, could help a church move forward in unity, seeking the right goals.

When we don’t know how to measure success, we can become discouraged when we should be encouraged, and vice-versa. We can become dissatisfied and angry, finding fault when there is none. We can also become complacent and comfortable when the church is spiritually lacking. This message is a must for everyone in ministry, and will help you understand the measurement of success in God’s eyes.

Are you interested in a life of service to God in ministry or on the mission field? Our definitions of success are not always the same as God’s. This is a special recorded message from late pastor Chuck Smith as he shares encouragement of success in ministry in God’s eyes. This message was given in 2012 at the East Coast Pastors Conference before Pastor Chuck went to be with the Lord in 2013 (after 50 years in ministry faithfully serving Jesus Christ). Be prepared to weather the storms of discouragement and despair!

Source: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=37&Teaching=ECPC1205

Book: The Reproducers (New Life for Thousands) by Chuck Smith

thereproducersImagine 1,500 people arriving an hour early for church, or watching 500 people be baptized in a few short hours in the pacific ocean, and Bible studies more popular than anything else. These are just a few of the amazing things that transpired during the Jesus movement of the 1970’s and they are captured within the pages of ‘The Reproducers’.

Yes, the stories contained within this book are from forty years ago, but the truths that transformed these lives are as real and true today as they were in 1972 when this book was originally published. It is my prayer that you would be blessed, encouraged, and challenged as you read the testimony of what God did and what He desires to do today through people just like us.

How to get this resource:

Joe Focht, Pastor at Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia says:

“I believe The Reproducers captures the heartbeat of the Jesus Movement. As I read and re-read the book, I am overwhelmed with the beauty, power, and simplicity of Jesus, His Spirit and His Word. ‘Lord uncomplicate us, cause us to be flexible and grace us with a fresh and continued Jesus Movement.'”

Book: I Remember… The Birth of Calvary Chapel by Sharon Fischer

i-remember-hardbackThis book will take you back in time to the very beginning of Calvary Chapel. As original members of Calvary Chapel, later called Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, Sharon and Hal Fischer have a unique perspective on the amazing growth and history of the Calvary Chapel movement. Hal was part of the original board that hired Pastor Chuck Smith in December of 1965 as associate pastor at the small non-denominational church, and by 1966, Pastor Chuck was leading Calvary Chapel as senior pastor.

Sharon says, “It all began more than fifty years ago, when just a few of us gathered for the first time in a humble trailer court recreation room on Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa, California. We stood on the threshold—the enormity of what was before us we could not have imagined in our wildest dreams. ‘The Lord was in this place, and we didn’t know it’–– this could have been said of the ten or twelve people who gathered that first Sunday on a spring morning in 1961.”

Without spoiling the story—at least for those who don’t know the history of Calvary Chapel, I’ll say this: it is a must read. This book is more than just a memoir; it is a book of dedication to the God who changes hearts by His unending grace. Getting a first-hand account of someone that was at the beginning of a movement is a delicious treat for anyone interested in the unfolding drama of God’s work through Calvary Chapel and the universal church.

How to get this resource: