From eternal death to eternal life

San Diego Reader: How long do you spend writing your sermon?

Pastor Ray DuVal: My style is a combination of exegetical with topical on Sunday in mind. It probably takes around 20 hours a week. I do most of my sermon preparation early in the morning; it just works best for me. I have my quiet time very early in the morning; there are fewer distractions, and I’m able to go right into study and writing time.

SDR: What is your favorite subject on which to preach?

PD: It would be the good news. The gospel has to be in every message because that’s what it’s all about. In this day and age, though, you have got to include the times in which we live; this generation is so privileged to live as the church in this age, what I call the last of the last days. I would say the gospel is several things — the reality of Jesus, God become man; that he lived a sinless life; that he was born in Bethlehem — that’s the Christmas story; that he died on the cross for our sins and rose again from death — that’s the Easter story. Within that context, you have God’s love, his forgiveness, and the promise of God’s word. We go from eternal death to eternal life. The last thing we’re waiting on is the reality of heaven itself and our personal glorification when we meet the Lord. All of that is the good news. If you don’t do the good news first, there is no other news.

SDR: What’s your concern as a member of the clergy?

PD: The challenge of getting the message across. Like I said, we are in the last of the last days, and the people in the Middle East — the Christians — have no problem understanding or staying focused on their Christianity. We who live in America — our blessings get in the way. They’re good blessings — God’s blessed us here in America — but they get in the way of the greatest blessing and that is God himself.

SDR: Why non-denominational?

PD: There’s so much going on in the world today, and we’ve seen a number of denominations go off in the wrong direction, quit standing firm on God’s word….We do believe in strength in numbers as long as we stand strong on our doctrinal beliefs. I think it’s been in the news — the homosexuality thing is big news, and the marriage thing is big news today. Sadly, many churches are giving in to that. Those are some of the concerns I have.

SDR: What is the mission of your church?

PD: Our immediate mission is to reach the lost. Our second mission is to grow up those that come to Christ. The third mission is that they would go out and share the gospel.

SDR: Where do you go when you die?

PD: Believers go to heaven — true believers, professing believers, while people who think they’re Christian but who never receive Christ, and those who reject Christ, go to hell. There is a heaven and there is a hell. The one is called eternal life and the other is called eternal damnation, which is separation from God. It’s so sad because he created that place only for Satan and his demons.