Category: Creation

What Matters? Question #1 - Is there a God?

11/13/2020

What matters?  That is an interesting question I’ve asked myself (or maybe God has been asking me in my heart).  For the last several days I’ve wondered what truly matters – as well as – how can I live for what matters each day I have left to live on this earth.

Here is the most important question to be answered each and every day.  Is there a God?  That is the ultimate question.  If there is not a God, everything degenerates into either ultimate meaninglessness or into some kind of deification of the self.  If there is no God – then we are here truly by accident.  There is no reason we exist – and no reason for us to live or die.  We are a cosmic accident that will come and go with no reason to be – no reason to live – and no reason to care about it.  That is difficult to deal with.  Actually, it is impossible to deal with as an ultimate truth.  Ask any true nihilist and they will testify to that with either their own suicide or with their descent into insanity.

Because that answer is so devastating, most of humanity has gone in another direction.  They have decided to deify themselves.  Basically, the most important thing in the world is my own happiness and fulfillment.  Since no one will live this way – deifying me – then I will have to deify myself.  I have my own truth.  I have my own meaning.  Dude, I have my own morality, gender, purpose – all of which can change in a moment’s notice if my god (which is me, by the way) decides he or she needs to for some reason – or no reason at all.  When this is the case the world becomes a place filled with myopic, naval-gazing, self-oriented, and self-worshipping fools who think life is little more than living for the next happy moment or the next shiny thing that catches one’s attention.  It is no wonder than that those who choose the deification of self eventually become unfulfilled, selfish brats who are angry because everyone and everything does not live to fulfill them in whatever they’ve decided will fulfill them in that particular moment.  Madness.

Is there a God?  The answer to that question is a resounding, “Yes!”  The existence of a creation begs the existence of a Creator who made it.  Since the creation all around us is so vast in its size, and yet seemingly endlessly detailed in its microscopic parts, the One who made it is of a genius so far beyond our capability of understanding that we shrink in comparison infinitely to Who that One is.  The fact that humankind in all their philosophic, scientific, and theological pursuit has barely scratched the surface of the information available in creation humbles us.  The truly wise one will bow in adoration and worship of the infinite genius, infinite power, and infinite vastness of the God Who made the universe and all that is in it.  For humankind to arrogantly say that there is no God – when we don’t understand even one trillionth of what is around us or in us - is the height of egotistical hubris.

The fact though is that there is plenty of this arrogance anywhere you look.  So we need more than just the fact of God’s existence.  We need some sort of communication from Him.  Something that we could know is from Him – and then something that would reveal Who He is, what He does, and whether He is currently actively working in our world.  That is what we will deal with in next week’s article.  Until then – take a few moments to look up – look around – look at the grand vastness of what God has made.  Then – look smaller, at microscopic creation with its own version of tiny vastness.  Consider the astounding complexity and yet unity of it all – both to the ends of the universe, as well as, to the inner ends of the micro-verse.  Consider the infinite wisdom and intellect needed to create it all.  Once you’ve done this, do something infinitely wise.  Humble yourself, bow down on your knees, and worship God, the Creator of it all.  By doing this, you will have answered and responded to the most important question there is to ask.  Is there a God?

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Let's Talk About Water - Job 38:8-11

6/24/2019

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"Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band, And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop'?“ Job 38:8-11

We take water for granted, and yet if we stopped and though about it’s rarity in the universe we would be filled with wonder as to its presence and origin. So far, in all the exploration of the solar system and space beyond it, we’ve not found water on any planet. Ours is the only one with water on the surface in abundance – and an atmosphere that is perfectly in balance to maintain water on it. So, before we begin to think that we’ve got wisdom enough to run our own lives – we ought to also consider the water on our planet and God’s orchestration of it by creation and by wisdom in how it works in our world.

The language used here is not limited to describing water in its current state. God speaks of how the sea burst forth through doors and out of the womb in the earliest moments of creation. Some creation scientists postulate that there was a different way that water worked in the Eden environment. There was no rain until the time of Noah. The water cycle before that time involved a mist that would arise and water everything on the planet. This would explain the lust green forests that have been found in the midst of the icy confines of the polar caps. The event by which these seas burst forth through their “doors” is the flood. Again creation scientists have a theory that the earth was surrounded by a water vapor canopy that not only allowed for a worldwide tropical climate, but also blocked UV rays to the point where people would not age as they do now. The third thing this would provide for is a rain event that would flood the entire earth under enough water so that everything would die except those preserved on the Ark which Noah built at God’s direction.

That flood would have happened at the same time that massive earthquakes (described in Genesis as “all the fountains of the great deep bursting open.”) would have opened up fissures in the earth where massive underwater reservoirs would have let loose their water into the seas, helping the earth flood greatly. This cataclysmic event would have radically changed the face of the planet. At the end of this event God describes the way that he established boundaries for the water where the water’s proud waves would have to stop.

We consider all that we see with our current lakes, rivers, and oceans a given – and yet to begin to comprehend how God gave us these things is beyond our understanding. Water, and the current water cycle, was set into place. Thus we’ve had water ever since. But as to how it got here – we are clueless. Why our planet alone has it like this is even a greater mystery.

So we have an all-powerful God by whose wisdom all that we see was put into place. We have an all-wise God who gave it to us according to a sheer genius that is beyond anything we could ever conceive. When we go to the beach – the water comes in waves and crashes against the beaches of the planet. Why it works this way – and how it came to be this way is attributable to God alone. The utter brilliance that formed it and fashioned it is also the same utter brilliance that manages our days according to the will and purpose of God. That, hopefully, is of great comfort to you. It was meant to be. Remember that the next time you go to the beach.

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Where Were You When I Started It All? Job 38:4-7

6/4/2019

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Part 3 of Meeting God
A Series of Articles on Job 38-42

God has a very powerful way of bringing Job to a place where he acknowledges that he may have a limited perspective on things. Job has experienced suffering at a level few humans can even grasp. In the midst of dealing with his suffering Job was visited by his “friends.” As their question and answer sessions proceeded, Job was eventually accused of wickedness and sin, which they believed brought on Job’s sufferings. In the back and forth that ensued, Job called upon God as his witness to defend and verity his innocence. Now God has “shown up” - literally. He will eventually vindicate Job, but before He does, He asks Job a few questions to help him with perspective in his situation.

That often is our problem in the midst of suffering. We battle with wondering whether we have done something sinful that brought our situation to pass. We struggle with the thought that we are being punished and that God is angry with us. That is why we are suffering. For those who have not committed a sin that is being visited with discipline, things are even more difficult. And it is in navigating those difficulties that we can lose perspective and begin to wonder about God Himself. We can even toy with questions about His sovereignty and management of our providential circumstances. God does come to Job spectacularly - and He will come to us as well. The thing is that if we expect Him to explain Himself in the matter, we may be greatly disappointed. God comes, not to explain Himself to us, but to reveal Himself to us - and that is what He does with Job.

God reveals Himself with a series of questions. His first is this: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” Wow, now there is a doozy of a question right at the start. Where exactly were you when I started it all? When the foundation for all that you know, see, and experience was laid? I didn’t see you there. That is a question that honestly needs to be asked, not just of Job, but on a much larger scale - to all of humanity (especially of those who are scientists).

God reveals Himself to us in ways we can grasp and here, God uses building terms to help Job grasp what He is saying. The Lord first speaks of laying a foundation. Yet, we know that there are no pillars or supports on which the earth rests - no massive Titan who carries the earth upon his shoulders. Job understood that because he said in 26:7 that God, “hangs the earth on nothing.” This is poetic language and as such we need to be careful not to understand it in a literal way. In fact, what we see here is God using building terms such as . . .

Who laid the foundations of the earth?
Who set it’s measurements?
Who stretched the line on it?
On what were its bases sunk?
Who laid its cornerstone?

All these terms were used in building structures for mankind. Footings had to be dug, measurements made, lines stretched to establish plumb, a cornerstone put into place off of which the walls and foundation would be laid. These are all things the construction industry would do. But how exactly would this be done on a world scale? How would this be done for the entire universe? It is quite a task when a man would attempt to build a home. It could take months or years based on the size of the home or the structure. Solomon’s temple took seven years to construct. Multiply that times a trillion to just get things started when you think of the earth and the solar system. But that is what God is asking Job.

This is a question impossible to answer with the understanding of Job’s day - but take a moment and consider that question in light of the Hubble space telescope. Consider the wisdom needed to intricately lay the paths of a trillion stars and planets. That isn’t even a trillionth of what is actually in the heavens. Were you there when God made all of this? Where were you? Exactly. You didn’t even exist except in the future understanding and plan of God - Who by the way, made it all.

What is fascinating about the four chapters in Job we are considering is that God does not use them to answer the reason behind Job’s suffering and pain. He does not use them to explain the circumstances of Job’s trouble. In the end what God does is to ask Job whether He is as great, eternal, wise, powerful, good, and perfect as God Himself. That may seem like far less than Job should receive. But Job would vehemently disagree with you on that matter. He would rejoice in having been able to receive such a full and magnificent revelation of God. Job’s response would be to tell us it would have been better for him to have kept quiet and trust in God.

My guess is that there are probably many who do not like that answer. To be left without a specific why - and even more pointedly - why me - is not enough to those in a sinful condition. They deserve more. They deserve answers. They deserve an explanation - even from God - to justify why He would allow such things. In all honesty - they would eventually find that a God who does not answer the questions by which they put Him on trial - is not a God they are wanting to accept - let alone know, love, or serve. OK - but their trial and eventual denial of Him will not remove Him from His place. You see, God is God and we are His creation. Just because we do not like that will not change it. (Please understand that God is not just ultimate power and authority, but also ultimate goodness, kindness, mercy, compassion, and love.) We often don’t get it because we are infinitesimally small and greatly lack perspective. That is why God asks the question, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”

Our perspective is very limited. It is dominated by self-interest and a heart that is bound by sin and rebellion against God. If we truly want to understand things, we need a much bigger perspective. When we see God through the revelation of Himself to us, our perspective changes. When we see Him . . . nothing else matters any more. Seeing Him is enough. At least that is what Job would tell us.

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Calvary Core Values - Core Value #2 - Knowing God

9/2/2014

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Last week I began a series of articles dealing with the core values that we hold here at Calvary Chapel. This week I want to address how we believe that we can know God. This is truly one of the very central of these core values, because it addresses not just that we believe we can know God, but addresses how we believe we can know Him.

At Calvary Chapel we believe that we can know God only because God has made Himself known to us, revealing Himself to us through His Word as well as through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This core value has to do with the biblical doctrine of revelation. When I say this I am not referring to the book of Revelation, but more importantly of the whole idea and concept of revelation itself. Let me explain.

If God did not choose to reveal himself to us – to make Himself known – there would be no way that we could know Him. There is such an infinite gulf between God and man that the only way it can be bridged is by God crossing it and mercifully making Himself known to us. This is true even without sin in the picture. God, being an eternal, infinite being is beyond what our minds can understand or grasp. It is only because God has graciously condescended to communicate with us that we can grasp Who He is. God put it this way to Isaiah,

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, NASB)

God is gracious enough to make Himself known to us. He has made Himself known through His creation. Romans 1:19-20 says this to us,

“. . . because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20, NASB)

In nature we should see the invisible attributes of God’s eternal power and divine nature. Creation declares the glory of God to us – letting us know that the One Who made all this is infinitely greater than that which He has made. The vastness of the universe, and indeed the fact that in spite of all that we’ve come to know we still have vastly more to know, should shout to us of God’s majesty, glory, might, power, and infinitude. But our problem is that man has rejected this witness. Man does not even acknowledge God in nature choosing one of two horrific errors. Either, as Romans 1 says, man makes a god for himself out of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures or, as man rejects God entirely. Rather than believe in God, man chooses to believe himself an utterly astounding accident without a cause – that exists for no purpose.

Sin has led men to reject God – not even giving Him thanks or honoring Him. So, not only do we have a God too vast to be known without His gracious revelation of Himself, but our sin and rebellion have blinded us – darkened our understanding – hardened our hearts – and closed our eyes to His glory. We reject both God and His revelation of Himself, embracing instead ourselves as the only authorities in our lives. Truly we hold that we can be a better god than God – the result of which is the devastation of His image in us – darkness, destruction, and death.

God, Who had every right to absolutely reject us for such infinitely rebellious foolishness, instead chose to reveal Himself further to those who rebel against Him. He did this through His Word – and eventually through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He moved upon men through His Holy Spirit to give us an accurate, authoritative revelation of Who He is. He did this first in the Old Testament as He chose a man, Abraham, and a nation, Israel. He promised a Savior, though, as His ultimate revelation of Himself and His great love for us. That Savior is Jesus Christ, Who was revealed in history, which is also recorded for us through God’s Word, the Scriptures. God provided salvation through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He then gave us the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament, so that we could also know the way He perfectly revealed His love and purpose through His Son.

Now, the fundamental way that we know God is through how He has revealed Himself in His Word. As we read and study His Word we come to know Who He is – His heart – His ways – His thoughts – His purposes, plans, and will. We are warned in the Scripture itself about those who do not speak according to and in agreement with His Word. We are told that such men and women do not even have the light of day. Paul even writes a curse upon those who do not preach the Gospel as it is revealed in the Bible. This leads us to some very important truths and principles by which we live at Calvary Chapel.

We place greatest importance on what God’s Word says when it comes to all matters of doctrine and practice in our lives and in the church. That is why Bible teaching and Bible study are vitally important to us. We go by what the text of the Scripture says – not about how we feel about it. We go by a careful study of the whole of the Bible, not just pulling verses out of their context to create some teaching of our own making. We do not hold to revelation outside the Bible. There are some who want to make their own words that they speak equal with and at times more authoritative than Scripture. This is what theologicans call “extra-biblical” revelation. It says that some current day revelation from a prophet, preacher, or teacher is of equal authority (usually greater) than what has been given to us in the Old and New Testaments. We do not believe that a current revelation by a teacher or even someone who proposes to be a prophet has any authority in itself – and certainly does not constitute new Biblical revelation. God closed the canon or books of the Bible after the book of Revelation was given by the Holy Spirit to John. Therefore anything someone says that they have from or about God MUST conform to what we already have in Scripture. If it does not – we reject the teaching and the teacher of such things.

What is our practice as a result of this second core value? The result is that we seek to know God on the basis of what He has revealed of Himself in the Scriptures. We study them diligently to grasp what they say. We seek to understand the context in which they were given, as well as comparing passage with passage, to guard against misinterpreting them or making them say what we want instead of what God intended. We do not want to add to the Scriptures or take away from them. As Paul says through the Holy Spirit in 2 Timothy 3:16-17,

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NASB)

We do not look to current day prophets – or anyone who has a special word that they assert is equal to the Biblical revelation. We do not look to church councils or any special group or individual to speak new Scripture – or to speak anything that is more authoritative than what we already have in the Old and New Testaments. We do not give special place to creeds or statements made outside the Bible. The primary importance – and the only authoritative word for us is the Word of God. The Word of God is how we believe God has revealed Himself to us. That is why we place primary importance on teaching it from cover to cover, book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. We believe it is only as we know God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible that we can know God.

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Physical and Spiritual Creation, by Greg Smith (elder @ Calvary Chapel)

8/1/2012

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PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL CREATION
How God made the world shows how He wants to make you a new person.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

One basic difference in the physical world is between space & matter. But, matter exists in & with space. A full container must have space that is being filled. Spiritually, there is also heaven & earth. The spiritual & fleshly (physical) are different, but in harmony. Heaven & earth can exist together. The Spiritual God is not against physical things, but wants people to know the true purpose in and beyond the physical.
But, a fleshly mind can’t see past the physical.

“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2. At first, the physical world was disordered, useless, empty & dark. But, God wasn’t finished. God would not only bring light, but also usefulness, order and fullness. Moral evil brings spiritual uselessness, disorder, emptiness & darkness into human lives. God’s Spirit hovered over the disorderly waters. We also need God’s Spirit to come over our chaotic hearts.

“And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:3-4. Unlike heaven & earth, light and dark are not in harmony, but in contrast. They can’t be truly together or one in the other. However much light there is, there is exactly not that much darkness. They are forever separate. Light doesn’t fill darkness, but destroys it. So it is with good & evil. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5) God is never for evil. He is always against it. Evil cannot be with Him. Evil is not equal in power to the light of God, but is like a shadow that must be sheltered from light to exist. God allows evil a place to exist, not because He likes it or can’t destroy it, but shows that light is superior to darkness. And God gives more than light.

God gave order and fullness to the universe and made many wonderful things (see Genesis 1). There is meaning & purpose in God’s creation. Land and sea can represent what is stable (reliable) and what is not. Different kinds of life were made for different purposes. God gave plants to animals & people for food (Genesis 1:29).1 People were made in God’s image (likeness) to rule over animals and the earth (Genesis 1:26, 28). God cares for all creation, but people are especially important & especially responsible for how they honor Him and treat each other and His creation. A fictional hero was told, “With great power comes great responsibility!” Jesus said, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). But, people have misused the power given to them. Since evil came into the world by human choice, God is not pleased when we dishonor
Him and treat each other and the world badly.

God promises to have complete victory over evil and to restore all things by making a new heaven & earth where everything is good. In the new creation, the separation between light and dark will be complete. The new creation will have no night and no more sea (Revelation 21:1, 25; 22:5). There will be no evil or instability in the new creation. Right now, light and dark “take turns” in the same world with the coming of each day and night. Likewise in this world, people experience both good and evil. But, those who come to God will inherit a world that is only good with no evil. But, all who stay away from God and cling to evil will go
into a place of eternal darkness and pain and enjoy no good.

But, how can we come to God and have His light now and forever? “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The light that destroys spiritual darkness is to know the glory of God. God is all beautiful, wise, good, powerful & necessary. God needs nothing & no one, but everything & everyone needs God.2 One who does not know that God meets every need is in great darkness. God’s glory is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught people and showed them God’s great love. Jesus went around doing good, healing sicknesses, raising people from the dead and forcing evil spirits (fallen angels) to go away. But, most of all He defeated guilt, punishment and the power of death by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Everyone needs light, order, purpose & fullness, whether they realize it or not. Please ask God to show you what those things really are and to bring them into your life through Jesus Christ. (Bible quotes from ESV) 1 Before evil entered the world, all animals and people were vegetarian (Genesis 1:29-30). Eating meat is
allowed by God until He brings the restoration of creation.

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God and Computers by Greg Smith

6/21/2012

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“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
“… he upholds the universe by the word of his power. …” Hebrews 1:3

Modern computers and computer games give many useful examples that point to what God said thousands of years ago. Of course, life is not a game and God is not a computer. But, Jesus often used every day things as examples of God’s truth. Like a painting or statue, a computer game “world” is just a weak imitation of the real world. A computer image of a sunset may be complicated to make and beautiful to see, but it is nothing compared to the beauty, power and genius of a real sunset. In spite of that, let’s do some comparisons.

In a computer game, the computer can make an electronic “world” where game characters can move around in game “places”, use game “things” and talk with other game “people”. The computer is the creator and upholder of the game world, in a sense. The computer can exist and work without the game, but the game can’t work without the computer. Likewise, God doesn’t need us, but we are totally dependent on Him. So, it was known long ago, “… In him we live and move and have our being …” Acts 17:28

If the computer closes a game program, the game stops going. Likewise, human life (and the universe itself) can’t exist without God constantly holding it together. So, it is written, “If he [God] should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.” Job 34:14-15. In other words, God could “close the program” of human life and it would immediately stop.

If a game character could think, he could know about the computer by being told about it and even by details about his game world. Again, it is written “… his [God’s] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. …” Romans 1:20. So although we can’t see God directly, there are things that are known about Him by what He made.

But a character could not step out of the game to experience the computer directly. From the game character’s point of view, the computer would be both far away and at the same time the closest thing of all. It would be everywhere present and nowhere visible. In fact, the computer would also go beyond all bounds of the game world. It would be separate from the game world, but the game world could not be apart from it. This is very similar to what was written long ago, “Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.” “… he [God] is actually not far from each one of us,” "… heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you [God] …” Jeremiah 23:23-24, Acts 17:27, 1 Kings 8:27

Since the computer makes and upholds the game world, it not only supplies the power for them, but it must know and keep track of every detail whether large or small. God also knows all details, as was said long ago: “He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.” “But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” Psalm 147:4, Matthew 10:30

Though the game character can’t come out of the game world to see the computer, the computer could show itself in the game world as an image that the character could see and partly understand. God did something like this by temporarily appearing in a pillar of fire, or like a man or some other form, but the greatest way was in Jesus Christ. Though God forbade people to make an image of Him, He provided a living image of Himself in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “… the Word was God … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us … No one has ever seen God; the only God [or Son], who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.” “… [Jesus is] the very image of his substance …” John 1:1, 14, 18, Hebrews 1:3 (ASV).

God can do anything except deny Himself (see 2 Timothy 2:13). God will not stop being God. A man could never become God. But, nothing stops God from becoming a man if He wants to be both God and man at the same time. God permanently became a man in Jesus, but He didn’t stop being God. Maybe something like a computer could be the computer and yet keep a permanent image of itself in the game world at the same time. So, the Bible teaches that Jesus existed before His human birth and that Jesus is the Creator & Sustainer of the world. If you want to know your Creator, who has all the answers for life & all the power to live, you need to know Jesus. (Bible quotes from ESV except as noted)

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What Matters? Question #1 - Is there a God?

Let's Talk About Water - Job 38:8-11

Where Were You When I Started It All? Job 38:4-7

Calvary Core Values - Core Value #2 - Knowing God

Physical and Spiritual Creation, by Greg Smith (elder @ Calvary Chapel)

God and Computers by Greg Smith

Biblical Articles

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