Sermons on Fuller:

Walking Headlong Into Trouble Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Nov 2, 2008

What do you do when you know trouble is coming? Do you run the other way as fast as you can? Paul didn’t and his example helps us when we face difficulty or when those close to us face trials.

Did trouble take Paul by surprise? It shouldn’t have. Back in Acts 9, right at his conversion, Jesus made it clear to then Saul what his future would be like. He told Ananias, who was sent to pray for Saul, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings ...read more

Scripture: Acts 21:1-40

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Facing The Court Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Nov 16, 2008

The Apostle Paul has put himself in harms way and now stands before a Roman court. Thanks to the Lord working through other people, he is bold to share his faith - a boldness we can have too.

As we saw in verse 11 of chapter 23, Jesus’ will was for Paul to go to Rome. Paul may have not known just how he was going to get there but here he was in Roman custody, having barely escaped being torn to death twice—first by the Asian Jews in the Temple and second by the Sanhedrin itself. What ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Escape Button Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Nov 24, 2008

We learn from the Apostle Paul that as we mature as a Christian it becomes less about us and what we get and more about the Lord and what we give for Him, including ourselves.

It’s been my experience in the 30+ years I’ve been a follower of Jesus Christ, that there are two major stages in the maturity of a Christian, and within those major stages are two parts. What Can I Get For me from the Lord (it’s about me finding blessings for my life) In me from the Lord (it’s ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Shipwreck Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Dec 14, 2008

The Apostle Paul is thrown into (literally) a very tough spot while on his way to possible execution in Rome. Why does God allow turmoil upon turmoil in our lives and how can he use it for His (and our) good?

Recently Margaret and I had the opportunity to spend some time at sea. At times all you could see was ocean. There were no islands or land of any kind in sight. All you had was the rolling waves. I thought what it must have been like for the Apostle Paul—on his way to Rome where he would most ...read more

Scripture: Acts 27:1-44

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Shake It Off Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Dec 29, 2008

Paul safely escapes shipwreck only to have a snake come out of the fire and bite him. Instead of panicking or making a big show of how "bullet proof" he was, the Apostle simply goes about the business of serving God. It’s a great lesson for us when we fac

Doesn’t it seem like something (or someone) didn’t want Paul to reach Rome? Angry mobs, corrupt leaders (both Israeli and Roman), then even the wind and waves seem to conspire to destroy Paul or crash him up against the rocks—anything to keep him from reaching God’s intended destination. But as ...read more

Scripture: Acts 28:1-31

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Knowing Your Place Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jan 4, 2009

Paul the Apostle knew who he was (and was not) and his job in the kingdom. It’s his passion for his job that led him to write to a group of people he’d never met, in order to introduce himself and the theology of grace to them. It encourages us to know ou

I think it is great to study the book of Romans just after leaving Acts. Much of Acts is devoted to what Paul did—whereas in Romans we get to see how Paul thinks. Paul wrote the letter in about A.D. 57, which coincides with one of his visits to Corinth (Acts 20). Paul was looking ahead to the next ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:1-15

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Freedom To Serve Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 24, 2008

Peter gets throne into prison but God gets him out. It’s in part thanks to earnest prayers of the saints. Just how does prayer work into the will of God in our lives?

Don’t you hate getting blamed for doing a good thing? I’ve shared this story a few times but I remember once when a group of us in ministry used to meet for breakfast on a particular day of the week. One time one of us didn’t show up. The other guys just ignored it but I was troubled. I sought out ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Starting Off Well Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 31, 2008

The Lord slowly moved Saul from enemy of the gospel to Paul, a full-fledged missionary with a message to the Gentiles. How does God move us out into ministry for Him? Learn some lessons from Paul and Barnabas.

As we’ve talked about through our study in the book of Acts, this is the story of the resurrected Jesus, working through his body to bring the gospel into the world. As the effort grows, so the attacks of Satan to thwart it morph and change. It’s like the enemy is trying to find a loophole that ...read more

Scripture: Acts 13:1-52

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Keep Driving Until You Can't Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 7, 2008

When faced with adversity, our tendency is to panic, take our hands off the wheel, and just let it happen to us. We see in the example of Paul and Barnabas that God is in control no matter what happens and that as long as you can share the gospel you can

Introduction I took a course on defensive driving some time ago. The instructor said the most important concept to remember is to keep driving until you can’t any more. What he meant is that when faced with a crisis on the road we have a natural tendency to freak out and take our hands off the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 14:1-28

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Dealing With Disputes Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 14, 2008

Whether your dispute is with another believer or with a whole church, there are vital lessons to handling conflict contained in Acts 15. Learn how to find God’s will, keep your integrity, and still be a family.

Raise your hand if you have ever had a dispute with another Christian. Hopefully we all raised our hands because if we have never had a dispute then we are not really actively plugged into the body life in Jesus. Disputes occur for a number of reasons, some good, some bad. Often disputes come from ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:1-41

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Plan B Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 21, 2008

Do you ever get into a situation where you are trying to follow God’s will but things just don’t seem to work out? If so, you are in good company. Find out how the Lord used a pinball to guide Paul, and you!

We’d love to get an email from God with our day all planned out but it doesn’t work that way. And so we seek God and move forward—only to run into road blocks and rivers and dead ends. So what gives? Does the fact that things don’t work out perfectly mean we don’t hear God or are somehow not ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:1-40

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

How Do You Hear The Word? Part 1 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 29, 2008

When God’s Word is communicated, the state of your mind can greatly affect how your heart receives what God is saying. We have the first part in a discussion from Acts 17 on the ways the Bible is communicated and received.

Chapter 17 gives us three glimpses at how people process the Word of God. Isn’t contrast great? Medical science uses contrast to find anomalies in the body, and here we use contrast to see the different approaches people take to the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ll look at the ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:1-15

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

How Do You Receive The Word Part 2 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 5, 2008

The philosophers of Paul’s day are not really that much different from what we see in the world around us in a post-Christian society. How Paul addressed them can help us in dealing with people who collect thoughts like Matchbox cars.

What did you collect as a child? I collected a number of things, pennies, model trains, marbles, and Matchbox® cars. I would wait anxiously until my mother would drive me down to the toy store so I could drool over the latest and greatest tiny little car or truck. I used to show off my more ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:16-34

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Mission Statement Of Jesus Christ Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 19, 2006

In this study we take a wider view of the first 15 chapters of Luke, and see how Jesus mission in chapter 4 works out in His life, and in yours.

In a real way, the first 15 chapters of the book of Luke can be summed up in the statement Jesus made when He announced His ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth: Luke 4:18-19 8 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Who Is Your God? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 23, 2006

Each of us has to serve somebody. Jesus in Luke 16 gives us some real incentive to make the Lord God our only God.

Does Jesus ever say things that seem confusing or even contradictory? "Eat my flesh" Jesus said in John 6. Did that mean cannibalism? "Do these words offend you?" Jesus said. They heard words on the surface but didn’t realize what they meant in terms of Jesus giving His body as a sacrifice and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:1-31

Denomination: Calvary Chapel