Jack Abeelen Teaches at CCA Hawaii Conference

Story by Jim Culhane
Photos by Tom Price

Follow Calvary Chapel Magazine as we publish summaries of pastors’ teachings at the CCA Pastors, Leaders, & Church Workers Conference held in August 2021 at Calvary Chapel Honolulu, HI. Click here to learn more about the conference.

In this installment, Jack Abeelen, senior pastor of Morningstar Christian Chapel in Whittier, CA, teaches on 2 Timothy 2:20-26, describing in detail the ministry of the apostle Paul and Timothy. He encouraged the leaders to be vessels of honor for use by God. “We’ve got to go to the world and show them who Jesus is, and not just talk about Him, but live for Him, so they can see what He can do.”

Pastors at the CCA Pastors, Leaders, & Church Workers Conference pray for Nicole (center), daughter of Pastor Steve Santos (in yellow shirt), over her battle with cancer. Pastor Jack Abeelen of Morningstar Christian Chapel in Whittier, CA, is at the right. Pastor Bill Stonebraker of CC Honolulu, HI, stands to the left.

“What a year it’s been,” said Pastor Jack, “amazing what the Church has been going through.” He shared that his church usually comes to the conference every year, but with last year’s cancellation, he had missed everyone. Of his own church during the COVID-19 lockdowns, he shared, “We watched a lot of people we thought were elder material leave and never come back. We watched people run in fear, hide for their lives; we saw God raise up people that we never would have expected step forward and say, ‘We want to serve the Lord.’ It has been quite an eye-opening experience, and yet God continues to work.”

Pastor Jack taught on 2 Timothy 2:20-26. He went into detail describing the backgrounds of Paul and Timothy, a reminder to remember those sufferings since the Church is again facing difficulties.

                  

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By the time that Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, their relationship had spanned the better part of 30 years. Jack explained about Paul: “Put yourself in Paul’s shoes, a Jew born of the tribe of Benjamin, named after their famous King Saul. He held Roman citizenship by birth, which would come in handy later on. He lived a life of tremendous education and couldn’t have been a smarter guy, which led him to a fanatical position on Judaism and those who wouldn’t believe as he did.” After Paul was dramatically confronted by Jesus on the road near Damascus and became committed to Jesus, Paul lived in relative obscurity for 14 years.

Jack Abeelen encouraged the leaders to be vessels of honor for use by God, to show the world who Jesus is, and to live for Him. He taught from 2 Timothy 2:20-26.

While Paul mentioned a few things he did in those years, he had to reconcile his past life with his new life. Barnabas had been sent by the church in Jerusalem to check on a revival in Antioch. An encourager, he did what he could, but it wasn’t long before he realized he was not a pastor/leader type. He went looking for Paul, and they served the church in Antioch for a year or so; then the Lord began to stir Paul’s heart, and they went on missionary journeys to Asia Minor and eventually Europe.

Two women enjoy catching up at the Hawaii conference, held at CC Honolulu.

Their first missionary journey lasted about two years, from A.D. 46-47, in Galatia, which is now Turkey. There was persecution by the Jews and later by the Romans. Paul’s second journey began four years later in A.D. 50, when he went back to all the churches he’d visited. Then the Lord led him to Europe where Paul spent six years on the road. On his way home, he stopped by Ephesus and got a taste for good ministry.

Paul stayed home in Tarsus for about eight months, and eagerly went back to Ephesus. After three years, he went to Jerusalem, then Antioch, and spent 11 years on the road starting churches. In A.D. 57, Paul was jailed in Caesarea for two years. After a dangerous ship journey to Rome and during a two-year time under house arrest, Paul wrote the letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. He was acquitted and freed. He had met Timothy, who was a young teen, on the first journey. Paul returned to Ephesus and invited him to join the second journey. Timothy knew about the sufferings that Paul had endured and became Paul’s right-hand man. Paul sent him to Corinth, Philippi, and then left him in Ephesus to be senior pastor at about age 40 with a charge to battle false teachers.

Yani Hindt joyfully waves to friends. She is the wife of Pastor Ron Hindt of Calvary Houston, TX.

Paul and Timothy were different. Paul was “Type A,” loud, pushy, and unable to be intimidated. Timothy was quiet, nervous, and timid. Six times, Paul had to tell him something like, “Suck it up, Buttercup! The Lord has given you power, the Holy Spirit is upon you. He equipped you, you can do this work!”

After the third journey, Paul was arrested again after 18 months of freedom, when Caesar Nero burned down Rome and blamed it on the Christians. Paul knew his life would end, writing 2 Timothy from prison before being beheaded. At that time, Timothy had been pastor for two years and was struggling. “Rome was on the warpath,” said Pastor Jack. “Tens of thousands of Christians were killed every month. The Church was up against a government that was not for them.” Paul wrote 2 Timothy to answer the Church’s question: What should we be doing?’.

Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy. 2 Timothy 2:21

CC Honolulu worship leader Reuben Burke leads conference attendees in heartfelt worship.

Pastor Jack gave counsel: “If you’ll just be you, God will use you.” He gave further biblical advice, “We’ve got to go to the world and show them who Jesus is, and not just talk about Him, but live for Him, so they can see what He can do.” Many people are willing to sacrifice their character for achievement. “That’s not what God wants,” warned Jack. We are to be vessels of honor for use by God. Jack stated, “We face a world that is certainly never what we have known it to be—and will probably not be the same again in our lifetime.”

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22

A woman (right) plays a shofar, a ram’s horn, in a traditional Hawaiian worship session.

“Flee like a fugitive,” taught Jack. “You’ve always got to be on the run when it comes to your flesh. Whatever God likes is righteous.” Jack encouraged Christians to get together with people who have the same heart for the Lord and pursue righteousness. If you’re right with God, your behavior will follow. He added that we are to “love the people you’re trying to reach. They are trapped in the lies of the devil.” The agape love of the Holy Spirit is not something we can generate on our own. It’s a love based on choice, not sentiment. People will tell that you belong to Him because you’re doing something that people can’t do on their own. You can stand for what’s right in a spirit of meekness and gentleness, responding to the world with humility. Jack concluded by cautioning, “They can get all the hatred they want in the world, but they should get the love of God from you.”

Dressed in traditional Hawaiian garb, this woman (right) helps lead a special worship session for conference attendees.

                  

Visit the website of Pastor Jack Abeelen's church at Morningstar Christian Chapel

Watch Jack Abeelen's teaching in its entirety at: Jack Abeelen / CCA Hawaii Conference
                  

Follow summaries of pastors' teachings at CCA Hawaii Conference:
Ron Hindt, senior pastor of Calvary Houston, TX
Bud Stonebraker, senior pastor of South Shore Christian Fellowship, Waimanalo, HI
Jeff Johnson, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Downey, CA

Stay tuned for more teaching summaries in upcoming days.
                  

Mark your calendar for the 2022 CCA Hawaii Conference: August 19-21 at Calvary Chapel Honolulu

                  

(To learn more about U-Turn for Christ, visit their website)

                  

 

 

All verses above are quoted from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

© 2022 Calvary Chapel Magazine (CCM). All rights reserved. Articles or photographs may not be reproduced without the written permission of CCM. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.® Used by permission.