Line Upon Line

Drawing from Acts 2, Pastor Miles examines the "what, why, and how" of the church by surveying Christ's command (the Great Commission), the practice of the early church, and the exhortations of the apostles. He calls every believer to be discipled and equipped for the work of ministry, accomplished not by human strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A through-the-Bible overview of Paul's first letter to Timothy, written between his two Roman imprisonments to a young pastor he had discipled at Ephesus, charging him to guard sound doctrine, lead the church rightly, and flee the love of money. Pastor Miles walks through the letter's central themes: Christ as our sufficient source, the proper use of the law, qualifications for leadership, the church's care for widows and elders, and the call to godliness with contentment.

On the tenth anniversary of his joining the church staff, Pastor Miles teaches from 2 Corinthians 1:12 that none of us is sufficient in ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who is always faithful, desires intimate fellowship with us, and reveals His will through His word. He shares the two words God gave him for 2009 — simplify and focus — and calls the church to lay aside clutter and competing trusts so they can run the race with endurance.

Continuing the "Profiting in the Prophets" series, Pastor Miles turns from predictive prophecy to didactic prophecy, walking through the book of Malachi to show how God's final word before 400 years of silence rebukes seven heart-attitudes of His people—denying His love, despising His name, defiling His table, distorting His word, departing from His law, depriving His house, and defaming His character—as a year-end call to fear God, follow Him, and invest our energy, assets, and time in His kingdom.

Studying Acts 2:37 and its surrounding verses, this teaching examines how the church got its start—not by man but by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of repentance—and what characterized the early church: devotion to the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Pastor Miles contrasts God's pattern of church-building with the modern church-growth movement and calls Calvary Chapel to continue the simple practices of the early church as it enters a new year.

Paul's third letter to the Thessalonians encourages a persecuted church marked by faith, hope, and love, corrects their fear that the day of the Lord had already come, and rebukes those who, expecting Christ's return, had stopped working. Pastor Miles surveys all three chapters, emphasizing the comfort of Christ's coming, the signs that precede the day of the Lord, and the call to remain orderly and at work until He returns.

A verse-by-verse walk through 1 Thessalonians, tracing Paul's pastoral love for a young church he could only briefly visit, his teaching on the second coming and the rapture, and his clarification that believers are delivered from God's wrath even though they will still face tribulation. The teaching emphasizes that faith pleases God, that believers who have died will return with Christ, and that we are to watch, work, and live worthy of the Lord until He comes.

Teaching from Acts 1:12-26 on the disciples gathered in the upper room in one accord, waiting and praying before Pentecost, and choosing a replacement for Judas. Pastor Miles explores the importance of like-mindedness, the discipline of waiting, the nature of biblical prayer, and how the Holy Spirit—not the casting of lots—now guides the church into ministry, framed around commissioning Pastor Pat for his new missions work.

Paul writes to a church he never planted, confronting the rising Gnostic heresy in its three forms—intellectualism, legalism, and mysticism—and pointing instead to the transforming power of God in "Christ in you, the hope of glory." The teaching urges believers to set their minds on things above, put off the old life, put on love, and let the peace of God rule as an umpire over the heart.

In an age of growing hostility toward the Bible, Pastor Miles argues that the prophetic Scriptures are "the more sure word of prophecy," showing how Isaiah 61, Daniel 9, Joel 3, the constellations, and recent celestial and geopolitical events all point to Christ's certain second coming. He urges believers not to set dates but to be watchful, holy, and ready for the Lord's return.