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In Acts 20, Paul is headed to Jerusalem. On his way, he calls the elders of the church in Ephesus to meet him. He charges them with their responsibility as leaders in Christ's church, and he reminds them of the example he set for them. Elders in Christ's church are to be serving the Lord, caring for the sheep, teaching the whole counsel of God's Word, and protecting the flock.

The New Testament gives us three primary metaphors to help us understand what the church is and how the members are to relate to one another. We are the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, and a building, a temple.

Who are we at Calvary Bible Church? We are the church. But what does it mean for us to be the church? In Matthew 16, Jesus makes a promise: "I will build my church." In this sermon, Pastor Jess Miller unpacks this passage to show that the church is a confessional community, a New Covenant reality, comprised of people who gather because they belong to Jesus, and because the church belongs to Jesus, the church is victorious.

Who are we at Calvary Bible Church? We are a people committed to God's Word. We are committed to upholding and proclaiming its truth in our worship services. But our commitment to the Word of God in our weekly worship is not enough. We must be committed to the Word of God personally. In Psalm 119, we see a man who depends on the Word of God and on God's help to understand it, obey it, and delight in it.

In this sermon, Pastor Graham Parker seeks to show how the Bible is to have the primary place in the life of the local church. The role of the Bible in a local church is not limited to a church's confession of faith. The functional centrality of the Bible will be displayed when the local church gathers to worship, and specifically in how the Word of God is preached.

In this sermon, Pastor Jess Miller begins a new series where we will examine the Core Convictions of Calvary Bible Church. At Calvary, one of our core convictions is that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and therefore it governs the life and ministry of this local church. In this sermon, we look at 2 Timothy 3 and the nature of the Bible.

In this sermon, Pastor Jess Miller continues his study of Jesus' prayer in John 17. Here, we see Jesus praying for three things: the glory of God, the good of his people, and the great commission. This sermon examines the last two headings of Jesus' prayer.

In John 17, we see Jesus interceeding for his people. This glorious prayer comes from the heart, mind, and will of Jesus as he prays in the hour of his suffering. At the time of deepest distress, Jesus' attention is turned up and out to the transcendent God. His prayer is for three things: God's glory, the good of his people, and the great commission.

The Lord's Supper is not only participation with Christ, but it is participation with other Christians. It serves to display the unity of Christ's church and the love we are to have for one another. However, when Christians are divided and then participate in the Lord's Supper, which pictures our unity, they dishonor Christ.

Through the cross, Jesus has inaugurated the New Covenant. The Lord's Supper is a sign of the New Covenant, and only those who have entered into the New Covenant are to participate in this sign. As we partake of the Lord's Supper, we remember the great benefits we have as members of the New Covenant. We have new hearts, a personal relationship with the Lord, and the full forgiveness of sin.

When Christians partake of the Lord's Supper, they are to do so with knowledgeable faith; that is, there are things we are to know and believe. The gospel accounts inform our knowledge of what we are to fix our minds upon as we partake of the Lord's Supper. First, we should think about the cross and the peace we now have with God. Second, we should consider Christ's suffering and that he was motivated by love to endure the suffering of the cross.

A full study of the Lord's Supper must also consider its shadow, the Passover. The Passover was a sacred, symbolic, and sacrificial meal, instituted by the Lord, given to Israel, to be observed yearly, in commemoration of his deliverance through acts of judgment on Egypt. What Israel had in shadow, the church now has in fullness. The Passover for the church is the Lord's Supper.

What is the Lord's Supper? 1 Corinthians 10:16 helps us understand the nature of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is participation with Christ because of his body and blood. Therefore, we participate by faith, with fellow believers, and enjoy the benefits of the gospel applied afresh to our hearts.

In Paul's letter to the church in Corinth, he is correcting abuses and misunderstandings the church had about the Lord's Supper. These issues were something the entire church must be aware of and address. The church must understand that the Lord's Supper is to be taken seriously, because it is the supper belonging to the Lord, and because it is about Christ.

We were privileged to have Dr. James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries with us, presenting on the language barrier that exists between Christians and the LDS. James White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries. He is Professor of Church History and Apologetics at Grace Bible Theological Seminary, and has taught Greek, Hebrew, Systematic Theology, Textual Criticism, Church History and various topics in the field of apologetics for numerous other schools. He has authored or contributed to more than twenty four books, including The King James Only Controversy, The Forgotten Trinity, The Potter's Freedom, The God Who Justifiesand What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an. He is an accomplished debater, having engaged in more than two hundred moderated, public debates with leading proponents of Roman Catholicism, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormonism, as well as critics such as Bart Ehrman, John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, and John Shelby Spong. Before travel restrictions James debated in such locations as London and Sydney, as well as in mosques in Toronto and South Africa. He is a Pastor/Elder of Apologia Church in Arizona. He has been married to Kelli for forty four years, and has two children, and six living grandchildren.