Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson: Recent Episodes

Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Teaching the entire Word of God

The Identity of the Two Witnesses

The Two Witnesses are introduced and explained to be the fulfillments of various Old Testament prophecies as well as the means by which the 144,000 heard the gospel to begin with. Their ministry will end at the halfway point of the Tribulation, but all attempts to silence them before God's timing will fail as totally as the world's attempts to silence us today. The key is to follow their example. Disciple or die. Trust in God to protect you where He wants you to be. And understand that the worst the world can do to you ultimately accomplishes nothing against you.

More information is always better than less when coming to conclusions.
If you haven't read the first 65 books of the Bible, the 66th isn't going to make a lot of sense to you.
The man of God is indestructible until the Lord calls him home.

Scripture References:

Revelation 11:4-11, 2 Timothy 2:22, Psalm 91:9-13, Matthew 10:28

Faithfulness in Ministry

Jesus reminds His disciples once again about what's most important in the kingdom of God. Their view is the same as everyone else. Who is going to get rewarded the most? Jesus reminds them how He will reward them in the first place. The world rewards on the basis of who has done the most. God rewards on the basis of just hanging in there. The people who stick around in the Christian life will be surprised how much God did through them as they continue to just show up.

The world serves based on how they benefit from others. Jesus' followers serve based on how God sees them.
Judgment can be positive or negative. There is no negative judgment for those who belong to Jesus.
God rewards faithfulness.

Scripture References:

Isaiah 26:3, Matthew 6:1-4, Philippians 1:6

The Two Witnesses

The Two Witnesses are introduced and explained to be the fulfillments of various Old Testament prophecies as well as the means by which the 144,000 heard the gospel to begin with. Their ministry will end at the halfway point of the Tribulation, but all attempts to silence them before God's timing will fail as totally as the world's attempts to silence us today. The key is to follow their example. Disciple or die. Trust in God to protect you where He wants you to be. And understand that the worst the world can do to you ultimately accomplishes nothing against you.

More information is always better than less when coming to conclusions.
If you haven't read the first 65 books of the Bible, the 66th isn't going to make a lot of sense to you.
The man of God is indestructible until the Lord calls him home.

Scripture References:

2 Timothy 2:22, Psalm 91:9-13, Matthew 10:28

The Last Supper - What Difference does it make?

Jesus enters the last few hours of His earthly ministry by ending the Passover Ceremony with its fulfillment. Communion was given as a remembrance of what He was about to do. This wouldn't save those who participated in it, like Judas Iscariot. It would be the most intimate and personal reminder to those who already were of how they were saved to begin with.

What communion does NOT do
What communion DOES do
What communion CAN do

Scripture References: James 1:21, John 11:45-57, Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 2:16-17

The Angel and the Little Book

John is taken aside after seeing the sixth trumpet judgment to see an angel who repeats an action modeled by the prophet Ezekiel in the Old Testament. Some of the themes and traits in this chapter are controversial, others are very clear. But this is what gives us all the opportunity to ask ourselves what is most important in personal Bible study. Do we need to know what we don't understand, or clarify the things we actually can?

There are issues Christians can disagree on and things they shouldn't. It's key to know the difference.
What God doesn't tell us is just as much an opportunity to trust Him as it is with what He does tell us.
Reading the last book of the Bible without reading the first 65 will leave you lost and confused.

The Nature of Angels

John is taken aside after seeing the sixth trumpet judgment to see an angel who repeats an action modeled by the prophet Ezekiel in the Old Testament. Some of the themes and traits in this chapter are controversial, others are very clear. But this is what gives us all the opportunity to ask ourselves what is most important in personal Bible study. Do we need to know what we don't understand, or clarify the things we actually can?

There are issues Christians can disagree on and things they shouldn't. It's key to know the difference.
What God doesn't tell us is just as much an opportunity to trust Him as it is with what He does tell us.
Reading the last book of the Bible without reading the first 65 will leave you lost and confused.

The Key to God's Prophetic Plan

Jesus continues His point regarding the destruction of the Temple as a trend that will continue into the End Times. The Last Days we are living in are known as the Time of the Gentiles. And while we have seen a significant period of time take place where Israel's land has been trampled under by a majority population of non-Jewish people, that time is quickly coming to an end as more and more Jews return to their homeland as well as come to a saving knowledge of their Messiah. God has and will continue to use His Chosen people as an example to the entire world of His faithfulness. They are and should remain the foundation of all prophetic study and the perspective we view world events through.

Israel is where all of our attention should be and remain when it comes to significant world events prophetically.
God always provides a prophetic warning and a provision of escape for His people before Judgment takes place.
God's faithfulness to the Jewish people is our sole assurance that He will be faithful to the promises He's made to us.

The Sixth Trumpet Judgment

The sixth trumpet judgment demonstrated the same thing we saw in the sixth seal judgment. When mankind is given a direct demonstration of the wrath of God, they won't take a hint and ask God to spare them. The mindset of those experiencing the wrath of God isn't that He is unfair or unknown. At this point in human history, people will know what is causing this astronomical loss of life and the reason why it is happening, but would rather die than repent.

If the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense lest you believe in nonsense.
Where death was proactively denied in the previous plague, death will be dealt out in abundance in this plague.
The only people who go to Hell are those who consciously reject God's mercy.

God's Faithfulness to Israel's Restoration

Jesus gives His disciples an overview of the prophetic calendar as far as God's restoration of Israel is concerned. While the information He gives us is concerning, it wasn't intended to make us despair for the future. The more certainty God has about our future, the more certainty we can have that the promises He's made in spite of it will still be kept.

Prophecy produces confidence in God's Word.
Prophecy provides peace through God's Word.
Prophecy gives us perspective through God's Word.

The Fifth Trumpet Judgment

The first of the three woes is horrifying. Creating an atmosphere of total vulnerability, the world is given over to the alternatives to God they have been choosing. These creatures, much like the prior trumpet judgments, are restrained to a point. However, the greatest lesson in avoiding something can be allowing someone to see exactly why you're being warned about them. If God has to show Himself the better option than the devil by contrast, He'll allow as sharp a contrast as possible if it gets the message across.

If the plain sense of scripture makes sense, seek no other sense lest you believe in nonsense.
Fear is a good thing from God. It recognizes when you're in danger and vulnerable along with the motivation to get out of those circumstances. It can potentially be what God uses to save souls.
The only answer to the demonic is through proximity to our Lord. Anything less is foolishness. Anything more is nonexistent.

The Widow's Two Mites

Jesus goes from answering the challenges of the Scribes and Pharisees to taking preventive steps with His disciples. The state of spiritual pride that prevented them from recognizing the Messiah is one we can easily fall into as well if we aren't paying careful attention to our motives. How we pray, how much we give, and where we worship are irrelevant if we forget why we're doing those things in the first place.

Prayers have an audience. It will either be God to deepen our fellowship with Him, or others to build ourselves up.
Giving has a purpose. It will either be to express outwardly how much of a priority God is to you, or to build ourselves up.
Worship has a goal. It will either be to focus us on who God is, or to focus on our magnanimity.

The Trumpet Judgments

In the opening Trumpet Judgments, we are shown a systematic deconstruction of what God introduced at Creation. He introduced the stars to give us light and heat, and now takes a third of them away. He introduced a certain division between land and sea, and now a meteor makes that division a questionable reality. He introduced water and plant life to preserve it, and now it's only serving to take that life away. We don't know how good God has been to us. And it shouldn't take the removal of those things to appreciate that.

If the plain sense of scripture makes sense, seek no other sense, lest you believe in nonsense.
God's Wrath against sin is mostly found in taking away the good things we take for granted.
Thankfulness is recognizing the good things you have as the gifts they are.

Discussing Politics and Religion Like Our Lord

Jesus demonstrates for us exactly how and when to properly engage with people about the difficult questions of life. When it comes to politics, religion, or the reasons you have to provide any explanation about the two, it all has to come back to two things. Who is Jesus and what does His Word say? If you can stand on those foundations, you're following the example of the One who stood His ground against the very same challenges before us.

Don't engage in topics that won't ultimately point people back to the person of Jesus Christ.
Understand what you believe before you're put in a situation where you have to explain it.
Recognize why the Bible is where you derive your beliefs from.

The Introduction of the Trumpet Judgments

As we transition from the seal to the trumpet judgments, we're not only given a proper context of the Tribulation, but also of the prayers we've prayed in the mean time awaiting this day. While judgment is something God delays, Justice will be done. While God is patient with the people who persecute His own, this world will see what it deserves. In the mean time, we only do ourselves a favor by putting our hope and our hurt in the same place. Before the Throne of God.

The purpose of the Tribulation is as much for mercy as it is for judgment.
God enjoys when His people pray to Him, especially when they do so honestly.
Where your hope is, there your peace will be also."

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees for acting out what only the Messiah should be doing. In proper order with how to handle a hostile audience, Jesus answers their question with a question in order to get them to think through their own position. He then immediately goes on the offensive in order to confront them about the real issue between God's heart and their minds. This shows us that it isn't unChrist-like to deal with people seriously and directly about the gospel. The key is to make and continue to establish who Jesus really is as the focus of any meaningful conversation about God. That's the foundation of spiritual warfare. Always bring it back to who Jesus is.

You can't share God's word if you don't know it for yourself.
Living in anticipation of Jesus' return is the most Christ-like attitude anyone can have.
This world is a battleground, not a picnic-ground."

Salvation During the Tribulation

John is shown a picture of those who will be saved through the ministry of the 144,000. The number is more than anyone could count. From this we conclude that while the Tribulation is a time of wrath, it is also a time of mercy. God will be continuing His work of salvation like He has from Genesis 3.

Heaven is being with Jesus.
Heaven is for people that have received mercy, not earned righteousness.
The Tribulation's purpose is as much to save souls as it is to judge sin."

The Godly Model for Conflict Resolution

Conflict in relationships is a guarantee. Resolution and restoration from those conflicts are what makes a relationship honoring to God. How we resolve these conflicts are a result of the people we allow to influence our lives and how we ultimately understand how God resolved His conflict with us.

Conflict resolution requires patience as much as personal vulnerability.
How we resolve conflict is influenced by the kind of people we surround ourselves with.
In order to properly resolve conflicts in earthly relationships, we first need to understand how God solved our heavenly conflict with Him.

The Godly Role of Sex in Relationships

The role sexuality plays in marital relationships is as much something God approves of as the relationship itself. A desire to be attractive to one another, A desire to be proactive in pursuing one another, and the desire to be desired are all things God honors when they're founded and defined on the basis of His character.

Loving relationships don't seek to repel one other, but inspire attraction to each other.
Loving relationships don't wait for their partner to pursue them, but proactively desiring each other.
Loving relationships aren't built on a need for someone else, but a desire and commitment to one another.

The Standard for Romantic Relationships

Our relationship with God is based on His grace towards us. Our earthly relationships are meant to model this. We won't be perfect towards each other, nor can we be. What God intends for earthly relationships is the regular exchange of the grace we've been shown.

Romantic Relationships are fundamental to all society, which is why Satan attacks them so continuously.
We need to take the time to consider how much of our understanding of relationships comes from scripture and how much is handed to us by our culture.
The ideal relationship we have with God is based on His perfection. The ideal relationships we have with each other are based on grace.

The sixth seal judgment will be horrifying, but nothing compared to what's coming next.

The Seal Judgments are the Wrath of God.
The world at the time of the Seal Judgments are aware of who Jesus is and that He is responsible for these plagues.
The purpose of the Tribulation is delaying ultimate judgment for the sake of those who can still be saved.

Knowing God vs Knowing About God

Jesus demonstrates upon entering Jerusalem that the God of Israel is more involved in the lives of His people than we give Him credit for. He demonstrates emotion to such a degree that it shows how invested He is in the lives of His people. He recalls the prophecies they ignored showing how much God had planned for their peace. And upon entering Jerusalem's Temple to cleanse it (again), he shows that investment is a long-term one. He won't tolerate evil for the same reason He won't go back on His promises. The only thing standing between us and a good God is a willingness to personally recognize and receive Him for who He is.

God cares about us personally.
God has a purpose and a plan for our lives.
God will clean where He dwells.

The Fifth Seal Judgment

Those who will lose their lives at the beginning of the Tribulation ask God for vengeance in Heaven. This isn't a sinful act, but the response to that prayer is worth noting. They are told to do the same thing we are told to do when we are required to love and forgive our enemies. Receive God's Righteousness and rest in Him until His timing takes place.

More people will come to a saving relationship with Jesus in the Tribulation than any other time in history.
If you can't live for Jesus before the Tribulation, you won't be able to endure all but guaranteed martyrdom for Him then.
Forgiveness of those who have legitimately harmed us is impossible apart from God. And even then it's a challenge.

The Triumphal Entry and Trusting God's Timing

Jesus' Triumphal Entry went exactly as God intended it to. It also happened precisely when He intended it to. The only thing that would have kept anyone from fully appreciating these promises fulfilled was fear and doubt. The more we know God's word, the fewer reasons we have to doubt His promises. And the more reasons we have to trust His timing.

If you want God's perfect timing to be a reality in your life, it starts with doing God's will for your life.
Waiting for God's timing isn't passive. The time we spend in between prayer and fulfillment needs to be preparation.
The difference between the people who enjoy the fulfillment of God's promises and those who don't is fear.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Revelation 6:1-8

The Tribulation begins with the rise of the Antichrist and the fallout of that judgment. With reference after reference to the Old Testament, the significance of each ultimately results in more deaths than this world has ever seen take place in correlation with an event. While there are differing views on the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” the main point is that Jesus' kingdom couldn't be more unlike the beginning of the Antichrist's kingdom in every possible way. Yet when the world refuses Jesus Christ, all that's left for them is His opposite.

The Antichrist's rise to power will begin in peace, but take more life than any other antichrist before him.
The wrath of God includes but isn't limited to allowing people who love lies to be given what they want.
Jesus is perfectly contrasted by the Antichrist's kingdom and rise to power in every way.

The Parable of the Minas

Jesus tells a parable familiar to those involved with politics during His time. The purpose of this parable is explained in its punchline. The Kingdom of God isn't something they just let happen, but something they faithfully anticipate with the things they were charged to do in the mean time. Those who get caught up in this world or distracted miss out for a number of reasons. They either forget who they're serving, or what their purpose is to begin with.

How we view God matters.
Boredom is the attitude of forgotten purpose.
Faithfulness is what will be rewarded in Heaven.

Modern culture assumes that society makes people evil. Christianity acknowledges that people make society. Until our hearts are changed, nothing around us will. That is the hope of the Gospel. Only God can change our hearts and truly deal with the problem we refuse to acknowledge.

The Bible teaches that mankind is born naturally in a state of rebellion against God.
Society shifts the blame for what is wrong within us to what is wrong around us.
If we are born broken, we aren't our solution. If we are born again, we have received the solution.

John's vision of Heaven is not short of Old Testament references. With callbacks to Mount Sanai and Ezekiel, he doesn't leave it to the imagination who God is in the vision. The Cherubim and the Elders are also identifying this figure as God, but specifically the Father.

If something looks like God was described and is given credit for the things only God has done, they're God.
The creatures known as Cherubim are glorious creatures, but spend all of their time focused on God's glory.
Heaven is a place of constant worship, recognizing the only thing that could encapsulate our attention eternally.

The Thessalonian church had been dealing with false teachers and reached out to Paul for clarification on these things. Instead of just stating an outright yes or no, he equips them to think for themselves by reminding them of other truths they had heard from the Old Testament. Then reminds them that their love for the truth will win out the day. The enemy will be destroyed by Jesus’ arrival, and the enemy’s words likewise will fall into proper order when God’s word comes into the equation.

The only response to a lie is with the truth.
If you want God, you’ll have Him. If you don’t, He won’t force Himself upon you.
Grace and truth are two sides of the same coin regarding our relationship with God.