Papa Chuck

Chuck Smith passed away last week on 10/3/2013 and entered into the presence and glory of his Lord. Many of you already know him through contact with one of his many books, videos, sermon tapes or radio and TV shows. For those of you who are not yet acquainted with Pastor Chuck, he was the man God raised up and used during one of our nations most troubling and turbulent times. In the late 1960’s, God led Chuck and Kay Smith to reach out in love to bring hope to a generation of dirty, bare footed and drug laced children. God chose to use Chuck’s wife, Kay Smith, to pray for and eventually reach out to this growing hippie culture drawing them into a loving relationship with Jesus. 

At that same time Chuck was asked to take over for a small church located on Church Street in Costa Mesa called “Calvary Chapel”. The church consisted of 25 very discouraged and deeply divided people. Through prayer, verse by verse bible study, and home fellowships, the small church began to grow as God added to its number daily. The small church continued to grow to become one of the largest Christian organizations in the world. At present the organization is comprised of thousands of churches, many with Christian schools and bible colleges sprinkled throughout the world. There is even a Calvary Chapel right here in Alpine. The accomplishments of the Calvary Chapel movement are wide reaching and have hit with tsunami-like effects around our globe. When asked how he managed to accomplish all of this, Chuck would produce a Cheshire Cat-like smile and say “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’, says the LORD.” Zechariah 4:6. 

Pastor Chuck was one of a handful of men in my life who lived and modeled to me how Jesus might have lived. “Papa Chuck”, as many referred to him, was a humble man who was dedicated to serving his Lord by serving others. His simple way of teaching through the bible verse by verse, within the homes of his members, was the vehicle that God used to plant the seeds of one of the largest revivals in the world’s recent history. What we now refer to as the “Jesus Movement” of the late 1960’s and into the 1970’s was the results of one man who stepped out of the way to let God guide him. Whenever he was asked about Calvary Chapel’s success and his role as senior pastor, Chuck would once again pause, smile and say “It’s all about Jesus!” It’s really quite amazing how God uses flawed, weak vessels to show His power and might. One verse that describes Chuck Smith’s entire life is found in the Old Testament “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9. 

Death always brings with it many questions for those of us who are left behind. “Why did God allow them to die?” or “What will happen to me when I die?”  It’s a very natural and probably the most asked question posed by most everyone at some point in our lives. As for the ancient patriarchs of Abraham’s day, they believed that there would be a resurrection or new life after death. Many scholars feel that the book of Job is one of the oldest books in the bible. We see both the mention of the Jewish Messiah and the concept of life after death or the resurrection of the dead in this text. Job said this while in the midst of his trials and tribulation “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 will see God”. Job 19:25.  

There is a story in the book of John where Jesus was summoned to pray for Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus who was deathly ill. As the story goes, Jesus deliberately postponed His appearance allowing Lazarus to die. As Martha runs to Jesus to employ Him to ask God to raise her dead brother Jesus says, “Your brother shall rise again.”  To which Martha replies “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Then Jesus makes a very profound statement “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” I know that if Pastor Chuck could ask you all one final question before going to heaven it would be what Jesus just spoke to Martha.  

Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith, the evangelical pastor whose outreach to hippies in the 1960s helped transform worship styles in American Christianity and fueled the rise of the Calvary Chapel movement, died Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013, after a battle with lung cancer. He was 86.  Christianity Today 10/3/2013





I was afforded the rare opportunity to interview Pastor Chuck Smith on KPRZ 1210 AM radio in San Diego Ca. around 2010. It was one of my most favorite interviews as Chuck is one of a handful of men in my life who have modeled what Jesus would have been like.

One of my favorite stories from Chuck and is included in my interview of him is the "New Carpet Story". It is a classic story where this rather small but growing fellowship on Church Street, Costa Mesa, Ca. ordered new carpeting. As the story goes the date was the 1960's and Chuck's wife, Kay, had been inviting the long haired, drug laced hippies to church and introducing them to her Savior.

Unfortunately, the hippies came to church dirty and barefooted which caused the elders of the church to put up signs saying    "NO SHOES...NO ENTRANCE!" The leaders of the church also did not like them sitting on the floor on their precious new carpeting. So the boiling point was reached and a church meeting was scheduled by the church elders.

As Pastor Chuck listened to their complaints and it was now his turn to speak he calmly said "Yes, your all right, we do have a problem here with the new carpeting and the dirty bare feet of the hippies who are coming in to learn more about Jesus"

As the elders all began to breathe a sigh of relief Chuck slowly responds in his usual style. "Well OK, I guess we will need to remove all the carpeting as soon as possible"

I love Pastor Chuck Smith! He modeled what Jesus must have looked like! Rest in peace Chuck and I know he has just heard theses words from his Savior. " Well done My good and faithful servant, enter into your rest."

Dean Kellio
New Wine 10/3/2013

Renewal

October is one of my favorite months of the year! I have no problem at all saying goodbye to the hot sleepless nights of summer as the cooler breezes of fall start to move in. I really enjoy watching leaves change color and fall from their lofty perches to the ground below. I don’t even mind getting the rake out from the garden shed, gathering brightly colored leaves into piles to mulch. As the days pass, each one gets a little shorter allowing cooler nights to settle in upon us. Soon we will begin to gather in the season’s harvest of bright orange pumpkins, oddly disfigured squash and woven baskets overflowing with crisp, juicy, red apples. What a blessing this season is as it allows us time to slow down, re-gather our thoughts and prepare for the holidays that lie ahead.

Fall offers me a time to look inside myself, to re-evaluate my priorities that usually have gotten a wee bit twisted and out of order. Halloween, Thanksgiving and especially Christmas offer us an excuse to invite family and friends to once again sit around our hearth and gaze into the fire. As our fears and anxieties begin to soften, eventually melting away, we find ourselves refreshed, renewed and invigorated. There seems to be a great cycle to life where, as even our own  planet travels through our solar system in just the right way, with just the right amount of tilt and wobble to produce these seasonal changes that we so much look forward to.

The other day while at work, a colleague of mine, who has passed through some very tragic life events, made the most profound statement which caused me to stop and reflect on my own personal relationship with God. He said “I don’t understand how people who don’t have faith, who don’t have a relationship with God, can survive life’s tragedies?” Interestingly, many people I meet, who don’t yet believe in God, often ask me “If God truly loves me then why does He allow bad things to happen?” I wish I had a dollar for every time I have been asked that. The answer to that question is not always what people want to hear.

God never promised us a rose garden but actually said there would be trials and tribulation in this world. While God did promise us that He would guide us through to a safe harbor, He never mentioned that the seas of life we encounter would be calm. In fact, Jesus told us in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  So in keeping with our fall seasonal theme, Jesus also said in Matthew 12:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”

This is a great verse on many levels. First, it’s the idea that when a seed dies it produces fruit. Death eventually brings life and, while Jesus’ teaches us about this law of nature, it’s also true spiritually.   Jesus is outlining the fact that He is going to die and die a horrific death. His death would not be the end but a new beginning. And as each one of us grasps that truth and cries out to God for help, He brings us into His kingdom where we can participate in the greatest harvest ever imagined, a harvest of human souls. Each unique individual was bought at a price, and ransomed from death to life. The King of kings and Lord of lords gave up His life so that many will live.

So, as the leaves fall to the ground and pumpkins begin to appear on front porches, try to enjoy this season of renewal and rest in the fact that God is at the helm, guiding us through the turbulent waters of life and into safe harbor! Jesus said that He would never leave us alone but come back to claim us, and that where ever He was, we would be with Him for all eternity. So as the sparks shoot out from your hearth this fall season and family and friends are gathered together, take and drink from the cup of salvation and feast on the bounty of the bread of life that is solely found in Christ Jesus our Lord.