The business of God appealed to Steven Myatt

Membership: 1200

Pastor: Steven Myatt

Age: 53

Born: Detroit, Mich.

Formation: San Diego State University; Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena

Years Ordained: 23

San Diego Reader: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?

Pastor Steven Myatt: The grace of God is all about what God has done for us. So much of religion is about man’s attempt to reach God but God has, through his son, sent so much to us. The Gospels are called the Good News because it is no longer about man’s attempt but about what God has done. Most of us don’t get it, so it needs to be said over and over and over. It is the essence of the message of the Gospels.

SDR: Why the Assembly of God?

PS: I grew up Catholic, so my roots are Catholic, but I wasn’t really getting much out of it when I went to college. My neighbors started sharing with me a greater understanding of what the Bible says who God is than what I got in the Catholic Church. They attended an Assembly of God church, so I started to attend and it was there that I got established….When I began to understand, I realized that I agreed with where the Assembly of God stands on the Holy Spirit, the work of God, and so it felt like a comfortable, natural fit for me. They believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit — the gifts of praying for the sick, prophecy, miracles — are still available for us today.

SDR: Why did you become a minister?

PS: I never set out in life to be a minister. My dad is a businessman, and he wanted me and my brothers to be part of his business. I grew up with that mentality — that’s why I have a business degree and that’s what I went to school for. But along the way, as I’m a very introspective person, I thought that there had to be more to life. I was always asking the bigger questions, and wanting more, wanting purpose and meaning. I was on a quest, trying out a lot of different religions, gurus, and all kinds of junk along the way. I felt there must not be anything, until I encountered some real Christians who demonstrated a real love for God and lives changed by that love.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

PS: God’s desire is that none would perish, the Bible says, and that all would be saved. Our sins, the Bible teaches, separate us from God, so Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice so that through Jesus we could have access to God both here and in eternity. So it’s through Christ that we have that blessed hope to look forward to; but those who don’t receive that gift won’t be admitted to heaven and will miss out. The gift is free to everyone; there are no strings attached. You have to receive Christ and the gift of forgiveness of your sins. He’s done the work for us; all we have to do is receive it. The Bible teaches there is a hell, and hell is a real place, a place of eternal torment for those who continue to reject the free gift that God makes available.