Author: Steve Singh

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Article

Agape1So this is the weekend for Love, eh? What do we really know about love in this digitally saturated, relation-ally isolated, hyper-sexed society?

Isn’t it safe to say the majority this Western culture knows little to nothing about real love?

In his book, The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis illustrates the four classical loves: storge, agape, eros, philia (all of Greek origin) – in their fullness.

Philia` is friendship. The root word of Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love; also an ancient Biblical city in Asia Minor) This is considered the least valued of all the loves because so few people actually experience it. We can have a thousand “friends” on Facebook and still be socially isolated. One is fortunate to have just a few real, authentic friendships.

Storge` is affection. Such as a parents love for their children.  This is great for some but many come from homes lacking this affection. In some cases, parents are distant or addicted. Many children suffer because the full weight of parenthood rests on the shoulders of a single parent or extended family member making the child feel like they are a burden and leaving them emotionally scarred. How many single parent families are there in North America today? Sadly, far too many.

Eros`, is intimate, romantic love. This is intended to be the most beautiful of loves (within the boundaries of marriage) but can also be the most destructive.  When eros is separated from the other loves, it is twisted into an unrecognizable form with great potential to damage our very souls as well as our physical, emotional and mental health.

Agape` is gift-love. It is not a matter of emotion, but a matter of will. We’ are commanded to demonstrate agape love to others regardless of how we feel about the person. Agape love is impossible to experience apart from the grace of God – and the one type that is most needed today. So how is your relationship with God these days?

Do you have a friend or family member you need to make amends with? Isn’t it time to put aside your differences? How about your spouse? Are you going to continue playing the game of withholding your love because he or she “doesn’t deserve it” or are you still trying to prove your point? Are you thinking about compromising your morals in order to satisfy your selfish desires?

Let’s be kind of people who demonstrate AGAPE love this Valentine’s Day! It’s a great place to start because no one or nothing can ever fill that void in your life expect for Him who created you.

1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

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Article

Celebrate Family Day Weekend at Church!

This coming Sunday, February 14, I will be sharing a special message about Love, as we look at God’s Word together.

After the service, Janet and I would like to invite you to come over to our house for a potluck style lunch. All our welcome, please RSVP by letting my wife know you are coming and what you are bringing.

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Bible Study Devotional

S.O.A.P.S. – A Simple Way To Spend Time With God

“How blessed is the person,
who does not take the advice of the wicked,
who does not stand on the path with sinners,
and who does not sit in the seat of mockers.
But he delights in the LORD’s instruction,
and meditates in his instructiond day and night.
He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in its season,
and whose leaf does not wither.
He will prosper in everything he does.” (Psalm 1:1-3)

As a Christian, it is our great privilege to spend time with God each and every day, as we read His Word and pray. Here is a simple way for you to do that.

First, pick a Bible reading plan. We have a couple suggestions here. Then, grab a notebook and a pen. Finally, use the S.O.A.P.S. method to get more out of your Bible reading.

S = SCRIPTURE

Read today’s portion of Scripture with an open heart.
Underline or highlight anything that grabs your attention.
Out of what you marked, pick one verse that means the most to you and write it down.

O= OBSERVATION

What is it about this verse that grabs your attention? What does it say to you about God? About yourself?
Read the verse a few times and maybe try to memorize it.

A = APPLICATION

How can you apply this to your life? What should you do, think, or believe differently? Listen to the Holy Spirit.

P = PRAYER

Say a simple prayer about what you have just read and learned. Write it out.

S = SHARE

Throughout the day, share what you have learned with your family, friends, or whomever the Lord would lead.

May the Lord bless you richly as you spend time with Him!

Click here to listen to a message where Pastor Pat talks about the S.O.A.P.S. method of devotions.

 

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News

Calvary Chapel is Growing in Canada

Excited that Pastor Pete Randall recently moved to the great city of Edmonton to start Citizens Church, a Calvary Chapel affiliate. Pete is an experienced pastor and Bible teaching. He served for several years at Calvary Chapel in Brandon, Florida.

If you know anybody in Edmonton that is looking for a good church, tell them about Citizens Church!

Welcome, Pete!

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Devotional

Living Under Threat of Terror

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

These last two weeks we have seen horrific terrorist attacks in central France and Mali. This misguided evil shocks us. I can’t imagine the memories etched into the minds of the survivors, those who were at the concert or hotel or restaurant and were blessed to keep their life. They will never be the same.

Have you ever wondered if these types of attacks will become more common in North America? I think they might. That certainly is the agenda of the perpetrators.
As North American Christians, how should we respond. Let me offer a couple suggestions.
1. Pray for the terrorists
The Apostle Paul was once a terrorist. He sought out Christians to kill them for their faith. But it was Jesus who appeared to Him. Saul became Paul. He was humbled and used by God like few others. A man opposed to Christ became arguably the most passionate pastor and leader of the Christian faith. May Jesus appear to the terrorists!
2. Be not afraid
Over and over and over again the Bible tells us not to be afraid. From Genesis to Revelation. From Abraham to the Apostle John. God’s children are not to live in fear. Of course this comes from being secure in Christ, being forgiven, and having the issue of eternity settled in our hearts and minds.
One of the reasons, however, we find these words occurring many times in the pages of the Bible is because we do fear. So God tells us …..
3. Be active in sharing our faith.
The battle against terror will not be won by the politicians and military strategists. Oh, I am sure they will do a fair job of stemming the tide by bombing ISIS headquarters and uncovering would-be attacks. But the real battle is a battle, not of ideologies, but of the souls of men and women.
What if you know a terrorist? What if that person that lives on your street or works down the hall from you is plotting a terrorist attack? I know, it sounds far-fetched. But everyone needs Jesus. And you never know the impact of a friendly conversation or an invitation to church.
You might just be used by God to save more than one person’s soul.
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News

Calvary Chapel Waterloo!

Hey everyone!

Wanted to let you know about a new work for the Lord happening in Waterloo, Ontario.

Their first service is Sunday, November 8, at 6:00pm at All Saints’ Anglican Church (400 Northfield Drive West, Waterloo)

If you know anybody in the area, let them know.

You can get more info here.

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Devotional

Why is There Suffering in the World?

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God.” Job 19:25

 

This past Sunday at Calvary Chapel I continued our “Big Questions of Life” Series by considering the important question. “Why is there suffering in the world?”
I, like you, am no stranger to suffering. My mom died my senior year of high school. My sister died of breast cancer a couple years before that. She was 33. She left behind to young kids. My nephew got hit by a car and died when he was 16. There was foul play in that situation. My middle child has spent a combined several months in the hospital over his first several years of life.
When we look at the world around us, it is painfully clear that something is wrong. Evil is pervasive. Innocent people die. Poverty, crime, terrorism, exploitation, natural disasters.
When we look at our own heart, we also see evil. At the core, we are selfish and proud.
The reason for this is that we live in a fallen world.
Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to everyone, because all have sinned.”
One of the best places in the Bible that digs deep into the topic of suffering is the book of Job.
Here are five observations I have about suffering that were derived from Job and other places in God’s word.
1. God initiates the conversation with Satan about Job.
Job is about to go through a tremendous test, an unfathomable time of human suffering. And it all starts with God asking the devil a question: “Have you considered my servant Job?” God is sovereign in our suffering. He allows it to happen. Previously, Job was shielded by God. Ultimately, nothing happens to us that God doesn’t allow. This should give us peace. We can rest in Him.
2.  Satan has a role in suffering.
The passage clearly indicates that Satan caused Job’s hardships. Satan’s goal was to get Job to curse God. Have you ever heard someone curse God because of their suffering? They are playing right into the agenda of the evil one.
3. Man’s explanations will always fall short.
The bulk of the book of Job is his three, then four, friends tell him that he is being punished by God. His friends should have kept quiet. Be careful what you say when you are around people who are hurting, Just be there. Be quiet, pray for them.
4. God uses suffering for the good of His children.
Job was a better man at the end of the book than at the beginning. God brought him through it. Job’s perspective turns on this phrase, “I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6) He had a greater revelation of God and of himself because of his suffering.
5. Evil is not eternal.
Thank God for that! Something is wrong with the world. But one day, everything will be made right. This is our hope – and it is a certain hope! Job 19:25 says, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God.”
Take heart, dear brother or sister. One day God will destroy evil.
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Article

Operation Christmas Child

Hey everyone!

In lieu of my weekly devotional, I want you to watch this video. It’s less than two minutes. We recorded it last year in Costa Rica with the great team at Samaritan’s Purse.

Check it out and get ready to pack boxes!

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Article

The Question Jesus Asks

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?.” Matthew 16:26

It’s piercing. It immediately removes our cluttered pursuits and exposes the real issue. It is the question of a lifetime.

What good is it if you gain the whole world….
Nobody today has gained the whole world, although some are trying.
Bill Gates is the richest man alive, with a net worth of $79.2 billion. I’ve never heard of some of the others on the “richest people in the world” list: Carlos Slim, Amancio Ortega, Larry Ellison. But others, I have heard of: Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, several Waltons of Walmart, investor Warren Buffet. They have all made a pretty nice living. While they haven’t gained the whole world, they sure do have a big piece of it!
But what about their soul?
Have they forfeited their soul?
I don’t know.
Your soul is who you really are. The Greek word from the New Testament is psyche. It is your inner self, your conscious, your personality, your very life.
Now, these billionaires are all still alive, as far as I know. They all have souls. No one is beyond the reach of Jesus Christ. The question Jesus’ asks doesn’t prohibit getting rich or gaining possessions, it simply stresses the importance of being certain about your eternal destiny.
Everyone needs to be saved. Everyone needs to be forgiven. That comes when you repent and ask Jesus to forgive you. All of this world’s goods and attainments are so, so temporary.
Take care of your soul. Surrender it to Jesus.
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Devotional

The One Sin That Can’t Be Forgiven

“And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” Matthew 12:31

Jesus is so loving and gracious. He forgives all our sin. His love pursues us.

In the kingdom of God, you will find people who have been guilty of all sorts of misdeeds, abominations and wicked actions. From fornication to murder, to pride and anger, yelling and violence. From thievery to self-abuse, adultery and alcoholism, hypocrisy, extortion, and all kinds of cheating lying and deception.

Many a wasted life has been restored by Jesus. That person that you sit next to on Sunday morning may have quite the checkered past. But they are saved and heaven-bound! No matter what you’ve done, there is a place at Jesus’ table for you. What a great and relentless love!

This forgiveness does not come without a cost. The heavy cost was paid as the perfect man died on the Cross of Calvary. Justice and mercy met together – and so we are saved!

But there is one sin that cannot be forgiven. It is the sin of lifelong rejection of Jesus. The Bible calls this the “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”

“…I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men, Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:31-32)

A gift that is never received can never be used.

The purpose of the Holy Spirit in the life of the unbeliever is to bring guilt of sin (John 16:8). If the guilty keep rejecting God, they can never be forgiven.

Do not harden your heart. If you need forgiveness, ask for it. Come to God through faith in Christ. And be forgiven forever!

If you have never asked Jesus to forgive you, it can be done right now through a simple prayer. Prayer is just talking to God. He can hear you, He knows you, and He love you. Here is a prayer that you can say right now.

Dear Jesus, please forgive me. I have sinned against You. Please rescue me. I want to follow You. I want to live my life for You. I invite You now, to be my Saviour and the King of my life forever. Amen.

Awesome! If you just prayed that prayer, we would love to help you in your new life as a follower of Jesus. Please get in touch with us by filling out the form below.

If you live in the Oakville area, we invite you to join us for one of our Sunday services or other gatherings. All the info is on our home page. If you don’t live in the Oakville area, find a church by clicking here.

 

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Calvary Chapel Oakville