PRESENT THE WORD IN A LOVING, RELAXED, RELEVANT MANNER
(JOHN 15, JER. 3:15)
I grew up hearing preachers that either put me to sleep or yelled at me. They put me to sleep because their messages were not relevant to my life. They yelled at me and fed my guilt without showing me the love and freedom of Christ.
"Line upon line" is the way God speaks to His people. Topical sermons are a scattered unbalanced diet. Sheep don't grow well on topical sermons. Pastor Chuck has taught us to feed the sheep - to teach line upon line, verse by verse through the books of the Bible. Doing so keeps us balanced. We don't get off on pet doctrines. We cover the whole counsel of God. The people get fed. They grow. They produce fruit for God's glory. God is seeking for pastors who will feed His people, who will teach them verse by verse and stick to what the Bible actually says without adding to it.
Stay current on political affairs. Keep the studies relevant. Scatter throughout your Bible studies information on prophecy, the political climate, social problems, evidence for creation, etc. Read the magazines and newspapers, be informed.
Present the Word of God in a relaxed manner where anyone will feel welcome, even those from different church backgrounds or of varying ages. It's no secret why so many of us hippies wound up at Calvary Chapel - it was the only place that accepted us just as we were. They accepted us and we accepted Jesus. Someone recently wrote me a letter saying that they thought it a shame that Calvary had lowered its standards to let me in. Praise God, this ministry is still lowering its standards to let sinners saved by grace of all kinds in.
While we believe in the informality of worship, it is equally important to keep our services respectful, to do things decently and in order, and with dignity. Depending on the community in which you live, that may even mean wearing a suit and tie on Sunday morning! (Chuck does).
