Category Archives: Pastor’s Picks – Recommend Resources

These are recommend resources that we have been personally encouraged and challenged by and hope they do the same for you. It’s been said before that great leaders are readers, and we are committed to regularly reading through our Bible and never stop learning. May the Lord bless you as you grow! -Pastor Tim Molter

Book: Boundaries (When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life) by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

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In this book Boundaries, Dr. Henry Cloud and John Townsend use the Bible as the spiritual compass to guide us back to healthy boundaries that are Christ like. One of the main themes of this book is that our deepest need is to belong, to be in a relationship, to have a spiritual and emotional ‘home.’

In fact, the very nature of God is to be in a relationship: ‘God is love’ says 1 John 4:16. And this love is within a relationship – the caring, committed connection of one individual to another.

By reading this book you will learn what boundaries are, what they look like, how they are developed, and some common myths about setting and having boundaries. The authors cover a wide range of boundaries such as between you and your family, friends, spouse, children, work, your self, and God.

Learning how to say no can seem difficult at first but if you are ready to take control of your life and saw yes to a healthy, balanced lifestyle then this book is for you. Often, as Christians we focus so much on being loving and unselfish that we forget their own limits and limitations.

Boundaries impact all areas of our lives: Physical boundaries help us determine who may touch us and under what circumstances — Mental boundaries give us the freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions — Emotional boundaries help us to deal with our own emotions and disengage from the harmful, manipulative emotions of others — Spiritual boundaries help us to distinguish God’s will from our own and give us renewed awe for our Creator.

A boundary is a personal property line that marks those things for which we are responsible. In other words, boundaries define who we are and who we are not. Boundaries are a “litmus test” for the quality of our relationships, and learning to set limits has to do with telling the truth.

And God is more concerned with our hearts than He is with our outward compliance… when we are afraid to say no (to other people), then our yes is compromised. When we say no to people and activities that are hurtful to us, we are protecting God’s investment. We each have only so much time and energy we can give out and this book provides incredible insight into why we behave the way we do, where habits come from, and how to have healthy boundaries our life.

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Book: Calvinism, Arminianism, and the Word of God (A Calvary Chapel Perspective) by Chuck Smith

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Calvinism and Arminianism . . . since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, Christian churches and leaders have disagreed over such issues as depravity, God’s sovereignty, human responsibility, election, predestination, and eternal security, as well as the nature and the extent of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

In the midst of this tumultuous debate, it is easy to ignore the plain statements of the Bible and to believe we have the ability to fully understand God’s ways.

How tragic it is when we become more concerned with being “right” than being loving. Our desire at Calvary Chapel is to bring believers together in the love, truth, and unity of the Holy Spirit, focusing on our awesome God rather than on ourselves.

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Book: The Upside Down Church by Greg Laurie

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Looking for ways to light a fresh fire under a church whose flame is burning low?

In the book, The Upside Down Church, Pastor Greg Laurie uses the biblical guidance found in the book of Acts to show what the New Testament church really looked like, and what we find is that we have come a long way from them.

The Upside Down Church is a must-read for pastors and church lay leaders to help them grasp the principles of biblical church growth. This book will help you rediscover the first century church priorities of fellowship, evangelism, worship, and discipleship.

By in large the early church and much of the Calvary Chapel movement has used growth methods that are upside down when compared to today’s church grown models (such as The Purpose Driven model for example). The approach many churches have taken is from the business world instead of following God’s Word.

Pastor Greg Laurie demonstrates in this book how the mission of Harvest Fellowship (the church he pastors at) has simply been to live out the Great Commission and be the church that honors God.

This book helps readers to learn about God’s original plan for His Church, discover God’s plan to save the world, understand how twelve men turned the world upside down, recognize the power of prayer, and concluded that God can use you too.

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Resource: How to do an Inductive Bible Study

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How to do an Inductive Bible Study – by Pastor Tim Molter

Thank you for taking the time to do something that is so important… learning how to correctly read and apply the Bible. Why use the Inductive method? Because deductive reasoning is like a bad medical doctor who gives you a solution without detecting the cause of the health issue. Inductive reasoning is like a good doctor who investigates the health issue in order to give you the correct solution. When you are done with learning this Bible study method, you will read the Word and be amazed by its contents. The Bible will come alive for you and you will experience a never ending supply of encouragement and a better understanding of the Scriptures. 

The       

O    Observation                Search the Scriptures, they testify of Jesus – John 5:39

I    Interpretation                Everything written in the Bible is all about Jesus – John 5:46

C    Correlation                Expounded all the Scriptures, they are about Jesus – Luke 24:27

A    Application                All things in the Bible were written about Jesus – Luke 24:44

Method to Study the Bible

Observation – What is being said?

Read the scripture being studied several times carefully, and each time reread looking for something specific. (This may be where you spend most of your time preparing for a Bible study but you will gain a deeper understanding of the Word)

1 – Who or whom is involved? 

2 – What are they doing? 

3 – Where are they? Where are they going? (Take a look at a historical map for help)

4 – When did this happen, what happened before this, what will happen after this?

5 – Why is this happening, what happened to lead up to this event? Had this been foretold? 

Interpretation – What is the meaning? (There are lots of opinions, but there’s generally one true interpretation)

Let the Bible be Interpreted by the Bible. Carefully consider the context of the verses, paragraph, chapter and book.
(Just like good vision is 20/20, we can discover the actual meaning of the scripture by reading 20 verses prior and after)

1 – What was the author trying to say to his original readers, and how would they have understood this section?

2 – What are the differences between the biblical audience and us? Both Physical and Spiritual.

3 – Why is this here, what is the doctrine or theological significance of the text? Contrast the Gospel and Religion.

4 – Why were the words put together as they have been? Is there a pattern or relationship in the use of grammar?

5 – Explore the meaning of the words because they change over time. What does the Hebrew or Greek words mean?  

Correlation – Is there another passage that is similar? (Does a correlating passage give us an Illustration?)

Allow the Bible interpret every part of the Bible. (Refer to parallel Bible Scriptures that come to memory, use a Concordance, or the cross-reference system in your Bible. The correlation makes a good example or illustration.) 

1 – What are some other Scriptures that are within the same topic of the major theme or point of this scripture? 

2 – Is there anything that references the cross of Jesus, or that points us to Jesus as a cross reference?

3 – If this had been foretold, are there any other Scriptures that also point to this same event?

4 – If this scripture is in the Old Testament are there any New Testament Scriptures that correct my understanding?

5 – If there is another mention of a main word in this scripture, what does the first mention of the word deal with?

Application – How can I apply this to my life? What will I do about what’s said? What happens if I do or don’t apply this?

Make the scripture very personal and see how what you have learned can be applied to your life. (Keep in mind that God’s Word is alive and active, it exposes our innermost thoughts and desires, so you can always apply it to your life)

1 – What does this scripture say about Jesus or about God’s love and grace?

2 – Is there a sin here for me to avoid? Is there a failure from which I can learn?

3 – Is there a command for me to obey?  Is there a good example for me to follow?

4 – Is there a promise I can call my own (Does God promise with ‘I will’ or ‘I shall’?)

5 – Is there a blessing I can enjoy? Is there something here I want to thank God for?

Remember to spend time in prayer as you are in God’s Word. My prayer for you is that the Author of the Bible, will take you on a guided tour of His Word as you study the Bible. May Jesus our Lord and Savior help you understand and apply these truths as you draw closer to Him. 

– Pastor Tim Molter,  Calvary Chapel Fergus Falls

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), or otherwise—without prior permission in writing from the author unless it is for the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus and given away without any monetary charge. “Freely you have received, freely give” Matthew 10:8

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