Sermons on Fuller:

Positive Giving

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 8, 2011

What motivates you to give? The Corinthians had an easy time setting unrealistic giving goals that set them up for failure, but a hard time giving in a way that released the gift to God and brought Him glory. In this chapter Paul gives us some valuable le

Giving is one of those subjects that pastors either ignore or really focus on. For us at Calvary Chapel, we teach through the Scriptures so when a chapter comes along on any particular subject then we teach it. Giving should be a part of every growing Christian’s experience, and I’m not ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-24

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

What You Get When You Give

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 15, 2011

What happens when you give of your time, talents, and money? Many ministries teach that you will receive a material blessing for material giving. I think they completely miss the mark. Paul, in this chapter, sets out a wonderful pattern of the true result

Last time we talked about the motivation behind giving, and the process for how to give: it comes from the word “generosity” which means simplicity, sincerity, and singleness. We give who we are, and what we have, back to the Lord who owns it all, for Him to take our simple gifts given ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Who Is Better?

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Aug 29, 2011

It is human nature to compare ourselves to one another. We do it all of the time very naturally and almost without noticing it. That's what was happening in Corinth and it was giving the Corinthians a false impression about who to trust.

There is an old saying “appearances can be deceiving.” Or: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” In the case of the Corinthians, those sayings apply very well. They fell into a trap that many of us fall prey to, using human senses to judge spiritual realities. In this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:1-18

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 11, 2011

This question haunts many of us, especially as Christians. We think that things should go well if we are blessed of the Lord. When bad things happen, even seemingly disconnected things like losing a job or getting into an accident, we wonder why? Paul won

Finally here in the latter half of Chapter 11, Paul defends himself to the super-apostles by listing his accomplishments. He does it very reluctantly as he should. Taking credit for what you’ve done was normative for the false teachers in Corinth but is “this age” thinking. God is ...read more

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

How Will God Find You?

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 18, 2011

Many times we as Christians live our lives in the dark. We think we are reasonably good people trying our best. But our past, our associations, the flesh, and the culture around us, conspire to blind us to many things that are not like the Lord going on i

The church today is in trouble. Two recent surveys show that church attendance, even among professing Christians, is way down. Many people today also feel that while they acknowledge faith in Jesus, also want a Burger King style religion—the “have it your way” mentality of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:11-21

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Maturing Is Hard To Do - But It's Worth It!

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Sep 26, 2011

Too often as Christians we take short cuts to maturity. In reality the only way to become complete is to let the Lord take you through difficulty and make you seem to "fail." In the process He builds life and a character in you that will lead you into His

We all have a decision to make. After we become a disciple of Jesus Christ the culture around us, our own brokenness, and an invisible enemy—will all try to mitigate the work that the Holy Spirit is doing inside of us: transforming us into a new character. The decision we have to make is how ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:1-13

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Any Other Gospel Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 3, 2011

Without attention and energy, we humans will default back to our flesh pleasing ways even after coming to Jesus. That's where the lie of legalism is so pervasive. Paul begins his battle against legalism by contrasting human achievement with grace.

We humans love to accomplish things. It’s so we can tell whether we are a success or not. This is also true when it comes to pleasing God. “Lord, I prayed and read your Word for an hour today.” “Father, I refrained from clobbering that guy who cut in front of me.” We ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 1:1-23

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Don't Go Under The House! Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 10, 2011

What do you rely on for how you behave? That might seem like a simple question but who and what influences you can mean the difference between relying on your own abilities or falling on the grace of Jesus. The answer is simple: die!

We start out so well. We come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and we’re filled with excitement and that “first love” feeling. Once the realities of the flesh with dwell with and the world we dwell in begin to sink in—we face a fork in the road of our Christian maturity. ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 2:1-21

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Who Am I More Important Than? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Jan 30, 2011

Divisions are never good in the body of Christ. But when the divisions take place over a celebration of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, things get serious real fast. In this lesson, we learn about avoiding the things that separate us, and clinging to that

Among the many problems of the Corinthian church was division. Earlier in the letter he talked about division around choosing one leader over another. In the second half of chapter 11 he focuses on another type of division that was splitting the Corinthian church: the division of rich and poor and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-35

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit - Part 1 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Feb 7, 2011

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit has split churches and The Church for thousands of years. Paul delves into this lively and controversial subject in the next three chapters of 1st Corinthians. His reason for the discussion is not to provide a complete guide t

Chapter 12 might look to some as a right turn in the letter—Paul introducing a totally new subject that has nothing to do with what came before. Although it appears to an answer to yet another question from the Corinthians, the undertone of the letter continues—“let the gospel shine brighter than ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

How To Find Your Place In The Body Of Christ Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Feb 13, 2011

Finding your place in the body of Christ is made difficult by the very nature of the spiritual gifts. People with upfront or flamboyant kinds of ministries can make the rest of us feel insignificant, like we are not contributing or maybe just aren't a par

As humans we like two things: to impress and be impressive. That was one of the main problems the Corinthians faced in many areas including spiritual gifts. The more flamboyant the gift, the more impressive the show of the Spirit, the better. So in chapters 12 through 14 Paul corrects this ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

True Love Part 1 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Mar 14, 2011

True love is a lot deeper than any of us imagine. Understanding it is probably the most important key to growing as a Christian.

There are a few times for a pastor teaching through the Word of God when a real defining moment arrives. I feel we are at one of those places today. Often times people want a key to becoming a mature Christian. I believe we have such a key before us today. But make no mistake, what we are about to ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-4

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

True Love Part 2 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Mar 14, 2011

If you think you understand what real love is, think again. 1 Corinthians 13 is not a bunch of feel goodisms, but delves deeply into the character of a mature person in Christ. Are you ready?

We began last week looking at Paul showing the Corinthians how much they had missed the real character of God by wanting to be “spiritual” over being loving. In the first three verses Paul tells us that no matter how impressive we are with our spiritual credentials, knowledge, power, or ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

True Love Part 3 Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Mar 14, 2011

When it comes to studying about love, it is easy to feel under the pile because no human can measure up to the standard of love in 1 Corinthians 13 - and that's because it is God's standard. Thanks be to God that he makes us able, as we give our lives, ho

If you’ve watched any spy movies lately, or paid attention to military rhetoric in the past decade, you will have heard the term “actionable intelligence.” It means that you have obtained important information that you can do something about. Well, when it comes to love, I want ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:5-6

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

True Love Part 4 - Love Goes The Distance Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Mar 14, 2011

As we come to the end of our series on love we learn that true love 'goes the distance.' Love does not have limits, nor will it ever end. So how do you get this love flowing through your life? We also learn that a person who wants to mature in their faith

Growing up in a world that doesn’t know God, doesn’t understand God, doesn’t act like God and doesn’t want anything to do with God, it is not surprising that the default value for humanity is “every man for himself.” Get what you deserve and make sure no one else ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:7-13

Denomination: Calvary Chapel