Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale's senior pastor, Bob Coy, speaks to the CCA high school chapel about "sex" and its place in God's economy.

“God knows what’s best for us, especially when it comes to sex.”—Senior Pastor Bob Coy

“Sex is great, but love is better,” said Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale’s Senior Pastor, Bob Coy, as he started his “Pursuit of Love” teaching at the high school chapel on Friday, February 25. His bold statement evoked some giggles, whispers, and even laughter from the audience, a natural immature response that he was expecting but one that he gently rebuked. “Stop your giggling and talking, because I really want you to hear this.”

Pastor Bob’s message cut to the core and made us think about the real differences between love and passion and how often society confuses the two. Sadly and sometimes even strategically, it programs its media to target the next generation to follow the thinking that sex equals love, and love equals sex—simply because sex sells. During his teaching, Pastor Bob drew our attention to various verses in the Bible where God clearly shows the various kinds of love:

• Philio is love between friends
• Eros is the sense of being in love
• Storge is affection, love of family
• Agape is unconditional love

After the teaching, we had an opportunity to ask Pastor Bob to share his heart behind the message. Here’s what he had to say:

AA: Sex is a hard topic to talk about. But as we were going into our Pursuit of Love, Pursuit of Passion, what prompted you to speak at the high school chapel about this subject?

PB: A big part of Christianity is recognizing you have an enemy, and understanding his tactics. Here’s what I’ve learned in the past 30 years of being a believer; one of Satan’s most effective weapons of choice is sex. I have seen more Christians thrown off course from following Jesus because of sex than anything else. Not the version of sex that God provides and prescribes, but the distorted version that the enemy peddles instead.

Another tactic he will use is this; he will attack early when we’re young because if he can knock us off balance when we’re young and vulnerable, we won’t be a threat as we grow. And in our course of growth, sex is often the first real opportunity that he has to get his hooks into us.

So when I take a step back and see Satan’s strategy of using sex and attacking early, I’m compelled to do something about it. I want to out-flank our enemy, and the best way to do that is to talk about it, and to talk about how God has set sex up to be a blessing instead of a snare.

AA: What did you want the students to get from this message?

PB: I want students to walk away with a greater sense of God being for them and not against them. It’s very easy to look at a subject like sex and to get a distorted view of God from it. “Why doesn’t He want me to just go with what feels good? Maybe it’s because He wants to make my life fun-free.”

In fact, the exact opposite is true. God loves us so much that He wants us to experience the best possible type of life. And one of the ways He does that is by telling us, “Hey, this thing called sex, there’s a way for it be an incredible blessing, and there’s a way for it to burn and burden you for the rest of your life.  Let me show you how to experience this in a way that’s going to be best for you.”

I want students to see that God is for them, not just when it comes to sex, but when it comes to every other area of their life. Once a person gets that, their faith becomes rock-solid and they’re set to handle whatever comes their way. Imparting that understanding to someone starting out in life is the best thing I can do for them.

AA: No doubt that this is sometimes a hard subject to discuss, but if you only had five minutes to talk to the next generation about this topic, what would be your one liner or an impacting last remark?

PB: God knows what’s best for us, especially when it comes to sex. If we try to enjoy or experience it any other way, it’s like trying to quench our thirst with saltwater; it never satisfies and always leaves us thirsting for more.

On Wednesday, March 23, our CCA community participated in the Calvary Fast, an event hosted by Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale to come together as a body. “In the past, the decision to invite the church body to take part in a time of corporate prayer and fasting has come from a spirit-led sense in my heart that it’s what He wanted us to experience together as a church family,” said Senior Pastor Bob Coy, who added that there have been other times when a particular situation or event prompted it.

Most recently, it was a combination of both.  “A stirring had started in my heart to do something that would help us draw closer to God, and with the Love Out Louder event planned at the beginning of April, it was the perfect opportunity to combine the power of prayer and fasting with our heart to bless and serve our community,” Pastor Bob said.

Some of the CCA community volunteered to skip breakfast and or lunch to pray for the CCFL Love Out Louder Day and other issues related to the school and students.  “We wanted to unite and come together as one body to follow through with a spiritual discipline that hopefully would bear great fruit,” explained Aaron Mills, Director of CCA Discipleship, who saw the incredible ministry that happened on Love Out Louder Day as an answered prayer.

Secondary Bible teacher, Leo Reilly facilitated a corporate time of worship and prayer in the Calvary Chapel Theatre on Wednesday afternoon, where some students led the secondary school body in worship and prayer. As for the rest of the church body, it was an awesome way to come together and many were blessed, including Pastor Bob, whose prayer to bless the Lord was definitely answered.

“Three specific prayers of mine were answered,” he said. “First, and most importantly, God was blessed, because He so loves and wants relationship with us.  Prayer and fasting is a way for our relational link with Him to be stronger and more powerful than at any other time on this side of heaven.  Second, we were blessed. Just as the power of prayer and fasting blesses God by building up our bond with Him, it has the mutual effect on us.

It’s not like God is going to be blessed and we aren’t. What blesses Him, blesses us. And I know that those who made it a point to take advantage of this time experienced a closeness with the Lord that you can ’t even define with words.  Finally, I know the people we served through Love Out Louder were blessed because it was God’s Spirit who moved in such a powerful and effective way as we sought His help. The right words were shared, the right things were done, and it was all fueled by the right motives.

Prayer and fasting opens the way for that to be a reality, and its reality is backed-up by so many stories of how God used our outreach to reach so many who need His help.”

We asked Pastor Bob if a Calvary Fast is something that Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale will be doing as a church more often, and he said he sure hopes so. “God has the best ideas of anyone, and prayer combined with fasting is His idea,” he said.  “It gives us the chance to bless Him, ourselves, and others. We’d be foolish if we didn’t take advantage of it. As for when, I want to make sure we keep it as a spirit-led activity for our fellowship. So I don’t want to make it a scheduled or scripted thing. But as we remain sensitive to the heartbeat of God, I definitely see us as a church family gathering around the function of prayer and fasting as He leads.”

For CCA’s Junior Class that word means missions trip. A time to break free from their daily routine and the comforts of home in order to learn what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ. The experience is life changing. Not only does it draw the juniors closer to God, but also gives them a new perspective on how to live for Christ as they go into their senior year.

On January 2 – 8, our Junior Class spent seven days in Merida, Tabi, Tezimin, and San Felipe, Mexico. And for many of them, the theme of “one heat” is one they won’t soon forget.

“Not only as a group were we able to bond and share our hearts with the Mexican people, but the Holy Spirit was able to work through us and enlightened us to share our hearts with them,” said 11th grader, Knox Poole.

Traveling to the Yucatán Peninsula was a huge step for this class, where many students and teachers steped out of their comfort zone.  “Every day I witnessed someone stepping out of their comfort zone and being blessed,” said Mrs. Isis Shawver, Spanish teacher. “I saw shy students having a great time trying to communicate with Mexican children, and saw others share their testimony for the first time.”

Mrs. Shawver also saw God at work in San Felipe.  After a performance, several of their music team noticed a girl that seemed very sad.  Eleventh grader, Susie Trick,  gave her a sweater because she was cold.  Then, others in the groupstarted talking to her.  It was obvious that something was wrong. “They called me over and I looked into her eyes.  All I could see was despair and loneliness.  She was only 17 years old.  I knew this was one of God’s divine appointments because I was saved at that same age,”explained Mrs. Shawver, who began sharing the gospel with the girl.  “When I asked her if she wanted to pray to accept Christ, her response was “of course.”  All five of us held hands as she prayed to receive Christ.  Our entire team rejoiced!  We will never forget “Rosario” and we know that God brought us there that night just for her.”

Every year, CCA’s Mexico missions trip brings inspiring stories and changed lives back to the halls of CCA, and this year was no different. “Our students saw the hurting, the hungry, the poor, the young and elderly…and they poured their hearts to them,” said Mrs. Naomi Peyton, who not only saw this missions trip change lives and bring students closer to God, but also bring students closer together as a class. “We became ONE there,” said Shawn Lashbrook. “You felt the love from your classmates and now, everyone is so much more compassionate and kind to each other.”

“If you’ve never been on a missions trip, step out in faith and go and you will encounter Christ like you probably wouldn’t if you were here (United States),” said Mr. Joe Wilson, one of CCA’s high school and middle school math teachers.

Underclassmen, hear that? Get ready for Mexico. Pray and expect the unexpected. This year, the sports group in Mexico didn’t expect to share the gospel while playing a game of basketball with a group of men who came out of a bar. Those  men went from drinking at a bar to accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Now, that’s the heart of Christ.

One Heart.

Along with a great chapel theme, Freedom, for the month of November the comprehensive theatre class decided to student write and direct a piece that talks about everything from trying to be perfect to committing suicide; shedding light on the struggles which, we, as teens suffer with. “Everbody,” says Mr. Tim Flay, Drama teacher. “At some point or another, has found themselves in bondage to a struggle which makes this topic universal.”

This was dubbed the Freedom Chapel because the focus behind it was to set students free from their addictions, struggles, and temptations. Mr. Aaron Mills teamed up with Mr. Flay to bring light on things that are so deeply hidden in student’s hearts.  With a great performance followed by a spirit-filled closing message given by Mr. Flay, students got up to seek prayer and break that bondage with sin that held them down for so long.

“Everyday, each one of us,” said Mr. Flay, “Looks into a mirror and is confronted with the question of whether we are, right now, the person God intended us to be.”

There’s no way to end the abomination of slavery; no way to stop the repercussions. Or is there? CCA’s own F.I.G.H.T. Club is doing just that. F.I.G.H.T. Club has partnered up with Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale’s Outreach Ministry to reach India, as well as South Florida, to raise awareness, and to bring an end to
slavery.  F.I.G.H.T. Club’s main goal for this year is to raise $40,101 to furnish a school in India for 300 Dalit children. This goal may seem impossible for a small club of high school students but nothing is impossible for the Lord. “It’s so crazy!” says Anya Harrison, secondary Bible teacher. “Four or five CCA secondary tuitions would pay for a furnished school building for over 300 Dalit children—what an opportunity we have to change their lives forever!”

F.I.G.H.T. Club is determined to raise this money and provide Dalit children with an education. It is comprised of about 30 to 40 students. The officers consist of the President, Macie Sweet, senior; Vice president, Josh Rich, senior; Secretary, Allison Ridenour, Junior; Treasurer, Brianna Shieffer, junior; and Student Council Representative, David Brown.  The adult overseer is Mrs. Anya Harrison, and her  passion for the enslaved, the orphaned, and the widowed is so great that it has permeated the hearts of many high school students. She has a desire to see people liberated in the name of the Lord but also wants to see the future generation of this nation step up and have that same desire. “The vulnerable and oppressed of this world desperately need our help to find freedom,” says Mrs. Harrison, “They need modern-day Moses and Aarons; Harriet Tubmans and William Wilberforces.”   With wise officers and a wise teacher, they come together to encourage and motivate F.I.G.H.T. Club members to move forward and raise money and awareness for these people that have no voice.

Since the middle of last year F.I.G.H.T. Club has also been partnering with Calvary Chapel’s Outreach ministry in fundraisers and different awareness activities. They have put their heads and hands together to come up with different activities and events to make a difference in these people’s lives. Although there is still so much to do, these two teams are making an effort to free at least one child from slavery and bring them to the feet of Jesus. “Its not just about ending cruelty in the world,” says Pastor Chet Lowe, outreach pastor for Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, “But about preaching the gospel, and in the process of ending cruelty, people getting saved.”

What are these opposing sides and which one are you on?  More importantly, which one is God on?

There are two types of horror.  W. Taylor explains in a Christianity Today article that “True horror destabilizes us— lets us see the brink of our limitedness as humans and there forces us to confront the abyss of chaos that surrounds us, from which only God can save us.”  This kind of horror lets us see that there is moral good and bad.  It shows evil to emphasize that there is also redemption and grace.  Last year, the Liquid High School Ministry put on “Final Hour” to let teenagers experience this kind of redemptive horror.  It portrayed the despair of sin and its penalty: death.  Yet God sent His perfect son Jesus to redeem mankind.  This horror ends in hope.

The other type of horror blatantly and crudely lifts up the terrible. These movies and books magnify and glorify wickedness.  This is the kind of horror we should flee from. We are not forced or commanded explicitly not to watch or read in the horror genre.  In the end, it is not about the rules, but the relationship.  We have to consider what following Christ truly means and what “horror” does.   When asked about it, Pastor Bob Coy, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale’s senior pastor,  explained that “it is not all about what we are shutting out of our lives, but rather what we are filling our lives with.”  However, loving God means considering how we can better glorify Him and obey Him with every decision.  We need to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” and then make these decisions wisely.
As Pastor Bob asks, “At the end of the day, is it drawing you to or distancing you from Jesus?”  Next time you are in line at a movie theater or about to pick up a horror book, consider this question.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says,  “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and run with endurance the race set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The quest begins in the heart, and so having the right attitude is a great start. Recognizing you’re in God’s presence and therefore holy ground, sets the tone and keeps in check. Still, some students mistake Chapel as a time to chat with their neighbor, text their friend across the room, or taking a little nap. No. Chapel is sacred time that we so often take for granted.  So many students in public schools who are Christians can’t even mention Jesus’ name. We, on the other hand, cannot only mention it, we can worship Him, and praise Him in song and prayer. So, next time you come to chapel, check your heart at the door. Open your heart and ears to what the Lord has to say. Then, watch in amazement how He speaks to you when you take the time to listen.

One of the most important things for a student is their desire to belong. They don’t just want to be another face in the crowd; they can do that just by walking down hallways of their high school each day. Students want to be known and cared for. When a group of five to eight students come together, it creates an opportunity for students to listen and talk to each other. That’s why Small Groups is a precious time to connect with friends and our small group leaders.  “The hopes and goals for all of the groups are to build accountability, relationships, and support,” said Mr. Mills.

Small groups is all about relationships. When someone is not there, the rest of the group takes notice. Last year some of our small groups became pretty tight and when it was time to choose their leaders again this year, most gravitated to same close group. Why?  Because they knew each other, and even when we have school events, it’s easy to see those groups hanging out together. They even have each other’s cell phone numbers so they can keep in touch during the week. More often than not, they share their problems with each other, and when they are with other people they share some of their funny stories from their time together. What is neat is that while it would be easy for them to become a clique within our school, as it could easily happen, some have even ventured out meet at other times during lunch or after school, inviting other committed students to be part of their small group.

Small groups is a not a model created by the modern church, but one designed by the early Christians, as found in Acts 2. Pursuing God and pursuing real relationships is part of the Pursuit theme, while the word is catchy it really is a lot more than that.  Hopefully you’re experiencing that kind of fellowship in your small group. If you have a cool story to tell about how God has changed you and your friends in your small group, write to us at MessengerEditor@ccaeagles.org. We would love to read and possibly print your letter.

The Walk
A new addition to our high school chapel is “the walk” —an interactive experience that helps grow and deepen your personal walk with Christ. We had our first integrity walk on October 8, and are looking forward to having a love walk on February 4th .The purpose of the integrity walk was to have the Lord present any convictions in our life, concerning: body, heart, soul, and spirit. We were to go around by oursleves and read the various slides around the room. Examining the four areas in our own lives. On the slides, was a prayer, a reflection, and a verse. 

This chapel was supposed to be a time of clarification for our individual lives. Some people took it seriously, went to each station, and read the prayer and meant it. Others just walked around laughing with friends. I encourage you when we have our love walk on Feburary 4th, that you take it serious, and connect with God, and not your friends.

Photo by MAC

Who wouldn’t want to travel the world, see tourist attractions, or discover new cultures? Christian students missionaries are doing just that and for a very good reason. From the time we can remember, we’re being taught about Jesus and His disciples and the role they played as the first missionaries.

Here at CCA, the Word of God is taught, from the classrooms to the chapels, from the stage to the courts and fields. But with all that learning and discipleship comes a moment where we must go out and do something with it. “Live according to the Word!” said Mr. Aaron Mills, director of discipleship at CCA. “Each person must purposely strive to not let the flesh win out, but instead overcome their nature and live righteously. It’s an intentional effort one must continually make.” That’s not an easy thing to do, but that’s every Christian’s goal—to become better disciples of Christ.

Retreats and Missions are at the core of our discipleship high school upbringing, and a great way to exercise our walk with the Lord. From huge rock walls and rope courses, to having fun at the beach, going on dates, and hanging out with people you normally wouldn’t, retreats have a way of taking you for a short run, leaving you wanting for more. This year, the Discipleship team, under the direction of Mr. Mills, has coordinated a few trips for different grade levels. As the days approach, we will announce each one.

But while retreats are just plain fun, missions trips such as the 8th Grade Missions Trip to the Bahamas and 11th Grade Mexico Missions trips have a way of preparing your heart for a closer relationship with God. For incoming ninth graders, the 8th Grade Missions trip is that crossroad—you’re no longer children, but young men and women, called to mature in your faith. For 11th graders, the Mexico trip pushes to go beyond the language barrier, leaving you vulnerable and dependent on God’s voice and direction. Calvary’s goal this year is to return to Mexico and the Bahamas to keep building on the foundations set before us.

Sometimes it’s easy to underestimate one’s visit to different parts of the world. With all the fundraising, obstacles, trials, and issues that come before mission trips, it’s easy to doubt that a short week would make a difference. But the Love of Jesus goes farther than we could ever imagine. The simple truth that students are going to spend a week in a different country to live among the local people, talking to them, hearing their stories, and sharing with them the truth of the Gospel, is astonishing to them, and in the end, the sacrificial love is what impacts them the most.

“I believe that God has called us all to the mission field,” said Mr. Michael Ellis, middle school guidance counselor. “For some, that may mean traveling to another country to share the Gospel.  For many, that is simply living out Matthew 28:19-20 in whatever vocation they chose.” With this year’s high school chapel theme, PURSUIT, CCA hopes to unite and pursue Jesus not just at school or in church, but everywhere around the world.  “Study God’s Word and share it with others,” said Mr. Ellis. “There is no need to wait until you’re ‘old enough’ to start.”

With our hearts eagerly anticipating the moment where we will finally toss our caps up in the air and receive our diplomas, CCA’s fourth graduating class will soon set foot on the fresh, unmarked soil of new territory.  After one year, or even ten years, of having attended Calvary, each senior will have left their own footprints of legacy. Some of us might be remembered as having been a star athlete, an honor roll student or a gifted thespian. But some of us might be hesitant to glance back over our shoulder and see the footprints in our past. As seniors, we desire and hope to be remembered as . . .

“Someone who glorified God by using the gifts He gave me, like dance. . .”

“Someone who worked hard in school but still tried to find time to reach out to younger students. . .”

“Someone that people could look up to. . .”

“Someone who not only had a voice, but someone who used it. . .”

We want to be known as people of honor who bring smiles to the faces of people when they remember our legacy.  But maybe we didn’t leave the legacy we hoped we would. As one anonymous CCA senior said, “I wish I had made more of an impact.” Many of us have regrets about our high school years, about what we did or did not do. But thankfully, it has now become a part of the past, and Christ promises us hope for tomorrow.

College isn’t about our majors, our careers or about meeting our future spouses. It is an opportunity, a gift from God where we can start afresh and create a new set of redemptive footprints. This is our chance. What will we do with it? There are two options: One is to try our hardest to walk in a perfect line, and simply hope that somehow we’ll get it right. The other is to admit that we cannot do it alone, and then watch how Christ will guide our every step when we have surrendered to Him.

Take hope in the fact that He says to “forget the former things and do not dwell on the past,” for He is doing a “new thing,” a new work in our lives. Yes, we will fail daily, but we can trust in His mercies that are made new to us every morning. As we venture out into new territory, remember that this is our opportunity to, with His help, leave a new legacy of footprints behind us.

Uganda:

During spring break, high school students traveled to Uganda with Good Shepherd’s Fold Orphanage in Jinja. By ministering to Muslim secondary students through dramas, music, and personal testimonies, bringing hope to patients in Ugandan hospitals, and giving the Good News to street kids, CCA senior Tina Carberry learned “if you seek God and really desire to do His will and follow Him, He will change your life!”

On her first missions trip, sophomore Ashley Hobbs comments, “I learned what it is to be a leader, what it is to be a servant, and most importantly more about who my God is. God showed me I still have so much to learn and so much less to be proud of.”

Whether it was hearing a Muslim confess Jesus as the Son of God or singing “Jesus Loves Me” in Lugandan, the penetrating presence of the Almighty’s love was evident and even reawakened through many. “Now it’s our job to tell of the things God has done in Uganda and let Him work through us to change not only our own lives, but the lives of people who didn’t go,” says freshman Emily Picinich.

North Africa:

Four CCA high school boys had the opportunity to make a difference in a country whose culture and beliefs differ so greatly from our own. Whether it was holding basketball clinics, visiting schools or witnessing to the locals at dinner, the love of Christ shined with inexpressible brilliance. Being a country that is predominantly Muslim, the team was certainly challenged in sharing their faith. Senior Alex Garner says, “Christianity is straight up illegal there. You heard the Muslim call to prayer every day, five times a day ringing through the city streets. Coach Gamble had us getting up every morning and memorizing scripture and preparing a devotion to give later. We weren’t allowed to publicly proclaim our faith, but usually at dinner Moroccans were genuinely interested in Christianity, so that was our best opportunity to tell them about Christ.” Liquid Youth Leader Sean Dougherty said that it was the people’s hunger for truth that really touched him. Dougherty says, “What we have, what we take for granted, these people are starving for.”

Trent Gamble says, “The challenge coming back for these young men is implementing what God revealed to them here at school and allowing God to continue what He started in them in Africa.”