Why do we go to church?
Speaking for myself (your webservant), one day I at once came to realize two things: first, that God loved me so much that He had already sacrificed a great deal to help me and second, that I truly didn't deserve either His love or His help. When I understood these things I found myself loving God in return and God adopted me into His family.

Now I go to church to be with my new family (others that understand my love for God because they have it too) and to show God my love for Him. God showed me His love for me this way: when I was not good enough He loved me anyway (even to the point where it hurt Him personally). Now I try to love Him back.

God loves all His children and He lives within each of them -- including me. It's just natural that He will influence me to be with and care for His other children. And likewise, He lives within the other Christians that I meet with, and He influences them to be with and care for me.

Why do churches collect money?
People attending our church are not required to give money, or time, or any other thing to church. Some people don't, but some people do.

What's really going on is that our church meets to accomplish certain goals we pretty much all agree on. We pretty much all agree that it'll take money to accomplish some of them too. We all wish to put money toward the accomplishment of those goals, and so when we meet, we find it convenient to contribute at that time.

Nobody forces anybody to give anything. If someone doesn't want to give anything, they don't. If you visit us during our gathering, you'll see some of us freely contribute and some of us freely not contribute. If you understand our goals and agree with them, feel free to contribute toward them. If you don't agree or you're not familiar with them, don't contribute. It's okay. We don't pass an offering plate. If you feel lead to contribute ask an elder, or usher where the offering is to be placed.

Why are there different churches and denominations?
People are many and varied. Some prefer to worship God in more formal ways and some wish to worship in less formal ways. Some people want to have a church governed by the people attending there, some wish to have a board governing the church. Just between these two variables, there are four extremes and an infinite number of positions in the middle! Then there are doctrinal differences like baptism too: some believe full immersion is best, some believe sprinkling is best. Some say three full immersions; some say three sprinkles. There are differences, of course. After all, we're human. But there are commonalties that are much greater than the differences: the love for God that we all share and the gift that He has given each one of us.

A denomination is an organization made up of members who wish to formalize (even codify) their personal preferences. Non-denominational churches try to be firm about issues where the scripture is firm (i.e. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.) but gracious where the scripture is silent.

How is Calvary Chapel different?
Follow the link called "About CCE" on the left. The page it points you to has a lot of information. In general, we follow the basic tenets of historical Christianity and place a great emphasis on the systematic study of God's Word. Also, see the Statement of Faith written by the Senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. It's very informative and not too long a read.

Is Calvary Chapel the only way to Heaven?
No. In fact no group can truthfully claim that title. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. The group of Christians that meets under the name "Calvary Chapel" is one group of many that are taking God at His word, believing that he will save everybody that believes on Christ.

Why do we study the Bible so much?
As Christians, we want to get to know God in deeper, more meaningful ways.

We understand that His love for mankind is great, His wisdom is greater than ours, and His abilities are greater than the rest of creation combined. Because He loves us so much, we know He wants good things for us; one of those being the knowledge of His great love. We believe He instructed men to write down His thoughts on that and other matters. And because He is wise and able, we know He was able to preserve His Word down through the millennia until now.

The Bible, then, is God's communication to us, preserved through the ages. He's wise and able to get it written and maintained, and so it communicates His thoughts and love to us. We believe studying it is the best way to understand Him.

Why do we study systematically? The other options would be to not study, or to study haphazardly. But we want to know all of what God has said.
Are we then regimented in our study? No, we leave room for God to change things as He sees fit. But at the same time we realize God has already said that things are to be done in order.

What does "worship" mean?
Worship is when one ascribes worth to somebody or something.

Why do we worship God?
Christians have a wish and willingness within themselves to worship God. This wish and willingness comes about when one realizes the enormity of the love that God has for us, and especially so when we come to realize just how unlovely we actually are!

What is a Christian?
A Christian is any person that has decided not to rely on their own merit or abilities or accomplishments to be accepted by God, but instead has decided to take God at His word, trusting that He'll make an accounting of that person as good enough. See "Believing On Christ."

A person realizes how this provision shows God's enormous love, accepts that provision with gratitude and responds to God with love in return. God adopts that one into His family and that one is now a Christian.

All it requires is:

• Your coming to grips with the fact that you're unable to be good enough for God - don't worry; He already knows
  • There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10)


• Your understanding and accepting God's free provision for your forgiveness
  • God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. (2nd Corinthians 5:19)
  • Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. (Titus 3:5)
  • When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)
  • God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)


• Your trusting (believing) Him that God will actually make you righteous
  • But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5)
  • With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. (Romans 10:10)
  • Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 10:11)


• Your telling the truth of the matter to others
  • Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (1st John 4:15)
  • If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)
  • With the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10)

How to begin:
Do you understand these things? If so, you need to pray. When you do, God will adopt you into His family. If you're not accustomed to praying, please use this as an example (but make the words your own):

My Creator, I realize you created me to be perfect and that I've fallen short. I'm sorry. I have no excuse. I also know there's nothing I can do that will make me good enough.
But I understand that you made provision for me if I'll accept it. I want to accept your provision and I'll quit pretending that I can make myself good enough. I believe that Jesus took my punishment, dying in my place and that You raised Him from the dead.
Thank you for giving me Your righteousness and thank you for adopting me. Father, now that I'm one of Your adopted children, help me to be like your only begotten Son, Jesus.
In Jesus' name, amen.

How to know you're on the right track:

• You'll become thankful for His provision of salvation.
• You'll want to tell people about what He did for you.
• Your ideas about what is fun will begin to change.
• You will be rejected by some of your friends and family.
• You will begin to like some people you previously couldn't stand.
• You will begin to love people like you never could before.

What's next?

• Get in touch with us or some other group of bible-Believing Christians and tell them what you did. They won't laugh; they've all done it too. Watch out though, there are a lot of people out there that claim to be Christians but don't even believe what God said. And yes, those will probably laugh.
• Study what God said. If you don't have a Bible, get one.
• Go to church where you can hear teaching from the Bible.

What is "believing on Christ?"
This means to trust in and completely rely on Christ. It means to not try to earn one's own way into Heaven. When we die, we stand judgement before God. He requires perfect righteousness from each of us. If we are perfectly righteous, we'll be allowed into Heaven. At that time we will present to Him whatever righteousness we spent our lives trusting in. That is, if we're trusting in our good deeds, we'll present those. God's Word says

...if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. (Ezekiel 33:13 b)

But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

If we are trusting in and completely relying on Christ, then we are allowed to present God's own righteousness as our own. Paul the apostle was (before becoming a Christian) trusting in following the Jewish Law for his righteousness.

I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. (Philippians 3:8b - 9)

God will be the judge and you will be standing there before Him for judgement. He has provided His own righteousness for you free (but at a great cost to Himself) if you'll take it. Do you want His free gift, or do you want Him to show how good you really are?

Believing on Christ is trusting that Christ's death gets you God's righteousness.

Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference (Romans 3:22)

What is salvation?
When a person dies, it's only the body that dies; there's a part that lives on forever. The part that lives on (the actual "you") will stand before God for judgement of the things done in and with that now-dead body. Some deny it with their words, but inside we all know judgement is coming.

We all stand now in the peril of that coming judgement. If, when you stand judgement, you are found acceptable, you are "saved" (you are the recipient of salvation). If you are found unacceptable, you are "condemned" (you are the recipient of damnation).

Both the saved and the condemned receive new bodies that don't die. The saved then spend eternity with God ("Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore" - Psalms 16:11) and the damned spend eternity in torment. ("Where their worm (maggot) dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" - Mark 9:44).

Do you have an unaddressed question?
and ask it! If I don't know the answer I'll do what I can to get it.






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