Calvary Free Lutheran Church, Arizona

Calvary Free Lutheran Church, Arizona Knowing the Savior and Making Him Known Please bring ID and proof of address EVERY WEEK.

Spring 2022 Schedule

Sundays:
9:00am - Adult Bible Study
10:00am - Worship Service*

*Communion on the 1st Sunday of the month

Wednesdays:
5:00pm - Supper
6:00pm - Adult Bible Study

Both our Sunday worship service and Wednesday Bible study are in-person, as well as live-streamed on our page. Visit our website for more info:
www.calvaryfreelutheran.org


DESERT MANNA FOOD PANTRY

Food Boxes are handed out on Saturdays from 8am to 11am. By regulations of the United Food Bank, we are limited to serve people who live within these road boundaries: Power to Meridian, Southern to McKellips. DesertMannaFoodPantry.org
https://www.facebook.com/DesertMannaFoodPantry/

09/06/2026

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬

One of the lies that the devil employs with great success is the lie that there is no escape from his temptations. He convinces us that we might as well give in to the temptation and get it over with, because eventually he’s going to win anyway; we’re only delaying our inevitable defeat.

Of course this is a common psychological warfare technique used by everybody from military Generals, to get the enemy to surrender without a shot, to tennis players who use it to defeat the opponent before the match has even begun. We ought to recognize it for what it is.

God’s Word tells us the truth. The only way to escape temptation is to submit myself to God, to surrender to His lordship, to say, “I’ll do it God’s way, or not at all.” When we resist the devil by simply choosing God’s way, after a while the devil flees; he withdraws from the battlefield like a whipped dog.

He’ll be back; there will be other attempts, other temptations. But for now, on this temptation, he flees in defeat.

Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of my life; I will do it your way. Help me to resist, insisting on being faithful, until the storm of temptation passes by. Thank You for this promise, that the storm is temporary, while Your Word stands forever. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

09/04/2026

“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬-‭8‬

The confidence of knowing that there is forgiveness when I fall, of knowing that my Father in Heaven loves me and in Christ has made provision to reconcile me to Himself, delivers me from the despair I feel when I look at my own failures.

God calls me to strive for perfection. He points out my sin; He doesn’t pretend it’s not a problem. But He assures me that where there is repentance, His forgiveness is ready and waiting.

He won’t leave me in the dark. He will restore me and strengthen me., set me on my feet again, and turn the lights back on for me.

Lord, You know me. You have seen me stumble and fall and You have picked me up time after time, and set me back on the road. Thank You for Your forgiveness and for Your steadfast love. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

09/03/2026

“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those who love Him?”
‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬

“And Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭23‬

It’s ironic that we expend so much effort to reach the wealthy and influential members of society, when God Himself has said that in His Kingdom here on earth there would be few of those, and that they would find it difficult to enter into the Kingdom where He reigns.

Christians who do have more wealth often struggle to be generous with what they have and trust God with the results. We are so used to looking at everything in the light of “return on investment.” Praise God for those, wealthy, poor, and in between, who learn to joyfully give an offering to God with no strings attached.

It’s not that wealth is bad and poverty is good. That’s Communist teaching, not the Bible. Wealth is a blessing from God.

But learning to trust in God is a delicate process, and my natural inclination is to trust in material things. When there is no material wealth to fall back on, I learn to trust God, because I have no other option. So the poor of this world often become rich in faith and behave like heirs (trust babies) of the Kingdom that God has promised to those who love Him.

Lord, forgive my unhealthy focus on material wealth, and help me to fear, love, and trust in You above all things. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

09/01/2026

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭3‬

Trials aren’t fun, not when you’re the one being tried.

The kind of trial the Bible means here is the proofing of metal, the stressing of it by heat to remove its impurities, and to temper and strengthen it.

When God brings this kind of stress, trial by fire, into your life, it’s not a random, mindless thing; it’s the loving hand of your Heavenly Father carefully taking you through the process of purification and tempering.

It might not be fun at all. It might be painful, but it’s necessary to achieve God’s loving purpose in your life, and it’s completely under His tender, loving care.

Because of that, He can say, “Count it all joy.” Consider it a joyful experience, because you know that God’s loving purpose is being accomplished.

Lord, help me to keep this perspective as I respond to the trials, the testing and tempering You are doing in my life. I trust You. Cleanse me, temper me into something useful in Your Kingdom, Lord Jesus! Amen

Pastor Dan Giles

08/31/2026

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭16‬

God reminds us over and again in His Word to “do good.” He doesn’t mean just “be nice.” He means what He says: that we should go good, do the right thing, not the wrong thing. We should help people, not harm them.

For a standard of what He means by “doing good” He has given us His commandments. These seem simple enough, but since our own sinful nature rebels against them they aren’t as easy to keep as they ought to be.

Here he simply uses the phrase, “share what you have.” Be open-handed, not tight-fisted. Whether that’s with your family or with some stranger who needs a meal, share what you have, and trust God to take care of your needs.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have been born into a family with unlimited wealth and grow up with a trust fund, set aside before you’re born, to take care of all your needs?

As a child of the King of the Universe, you have a Father who has promised to provide for your needs and who encourages you to be both responsible and generous with what He gives you. You are the ultimate “trust fund baby.”

Lord, help me to grow in my understanding of what this means. Help me to learn to live as Your child, with the confidence in Your care that allows me to be generous and kind, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

Pastor Dan Giles

08/30/2026

“…and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬

Do you sometimes feel like in this spiritual battle your a soldier with a gimpy leg? Like your own weakness betrays you and makes it difficult to stand and fight, much less advance?

We are an army of wounded warriors. Each of us has our own special areas of weakness that we struggle with, and the devil knows your weaknesses, and he will exploit them at every opportunity. He doesn’t fight fair.

God’s Word here tells you how to deal with those weaknesses. He says, “make straight paths for your feet.” Don’t walk where you know the stumbling blocks are, the trip wires that will entangle you in temptations in your area of weakness.

Each time I fall to temptation I aggravate my wounds, and make myself weaker in that area. Avoiding the temptation gives me time to heal and be strengthened in that area. That’s not cowardice, it’s survival. This isn’t a game; it’s war.

Lord, thank You for forgiving the times I have fallen, and for the healing and strengthening you are accomplishing in me. Help me to not be stupid. Give me the discernment I need to recognize my areas of brokenness and avoid the temptations that especially appeal to me. Walk me safely home, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

08/29/2026

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬

“By faith we understand” reminds us that some things can’t be understood from a purely materialistic point of view. God, who created the universe, is beyond the scope of our scientific instruments to detect or measure, but science can only be understood when we begin with the assumption that there is an intelligent designer behind it all; otherwise we’re stuck with chaos and none of it makes sense.

When we abandon faith in God and His Word, we fall prey to any charlatan who offers to preach what we want to hear:

“If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of w**e and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people!”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬

So what can we say?

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬-‭14‬

Father, forgive my doubts and my secret disobedience for Jesus’ sake. Keep me on the right track and deliver me from deceitful teachers. Keep me close to You today, Lord! Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

08/28/2026

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬-‭25‬

Why should I form the habit of going to church? I’m busy. I have so little time off. Sunday mornings are about the only time I can sleep in…

I hear these reasons all the time, and I absolutely understand them. But God calls us to “not neglect to meet together.” And because it had already become an issue in the first Century, he adds, “as is the habit of some.” It seems that even then there were Christians who were skipping church.

So what’s the purpose of gathering for worship with other believers? Why should I do that?

The verse above gives us one good reason why it’s important. It’s a way of stirring each other up to love and good works, of encouraging one another to be faithful in our lives and do things right.

Without that mutual encouragement from other guys I start to make little compromises with sin and convince myself that it’s okay. And if I go to church and there are very few people there, I get discouraged, thinking I’m all alone in this.

On the other hand, when I go to church and find a group of brothers there who are committed to following Jesus, who are ready to tell me their struggles and pray with me about mine, I’m encouraged. All the stupid excuses I’ve been inventing to justify my sin vanish. Even if we don’t talk about it, just finding them there encourages me to be faithful.

Lord, help me to get my own priorities straight, to put first in my life what’s most important to You. Give me a group of brothers who can support each other in our commitment to You. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

08/27/2026

“The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬-‭13‬

When teachers and counselors abandon the Word of God, foolishness fills the vacuum left by the loss of wisdom. Their advice eventually degrades from mere foolishness to evil insanity.

Our world today is full of foolish advice and evil insanity, offered by counselors, pundits, teachers and professors. There is even a number of pastors and theologians who no longer believe the Bible and offer their own human reasoning instead: foolishness and evil madness, instead of the wisdom of God’s Word.

Be careful whose advice you receive. The Lord said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Know the truth of God’s Word; fill your thoughts with it, let it permeate your reasoning, and you will be delivered, set free, from the lies of these foolish counselors.

Lord Jesus, fill my heart and mind with the truth of Your Word. Keep me from despising it’s value. Give me a heart that hungers for the truth, and satisfy that God-given hunger with the Bread of Life. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

08/26/2026

“And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬-‭12‬

The beauty of this new covenant with God that the Lord Jesus brought to us, is this: we all have the privilege of knowing Him, of living in a genuine personal relationship with God.

Once the barrier of sin and guilt has been taken out of the way, access to God is mine. Jesus has removed that barrier, paying for my sin Himself.

There are teachers who can help me understand the Bible better. I have known some great ones, and they have helped me. But the personal, ongoing relationship is between myself and God Himself. I can pursue it, or fail to seek Him. I can submit to His lordship and grow in this relationship, or I can resist it. But it’s a real thing.

Lord, keep me close! I want to know You better. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles

Address

590 N 96th Street
Mesa, AZ
85207

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 8:30am - 12pm
Sunday 8:30am - 12pm

Telephone

+14809813993

Website

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