Harvest Notes

In Bible Study last night we asked the question: What is the Gospel.

As part of the study, I asked the group to break into groups and “tweet” the Gospel. That is, share the essentials of the Gospel in 140 characters or less. Here’s what they came up with. What do you think?

Jesus is sinless. He died for all-He Rose again-He’s alive. He forgives our sin. Turn from your sin and believe-Make Him Lord. He Loves you!

Jesus died to take away our sins and rose to conquer death so we could have eternal life through faith in Christ.

Jesus died and was buried and rose again on the third day.

God created. Man rebelled. God sent His Son to be our substitute. God in the flesh died in our place, bore our sin. He rose! Repent&Believe!

In the last two posts, we looked at the key phrases of our mission statement and identified our God-given purpose and priority. Our mission at Harvest is to glorify God and make His Son known throughout the world to this generation. This month, I want to examine the POWER of our mission – God the Holy Spirit.

If we are to fulfill our purpose—to glorify God, and do so through focusing on our priority—to Make His Son Known, we must do so in God’s power. The Holy Spirit, from the first day until now, has been the power behind the fulfilling of Christ’s mission. Consider the following biblical examples:

• Jesus Himself was filled and guided by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14-21).
• Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:8-11, 13-14; Acts 1:4-8).
• The Spirit was the power which worked in the Apostles and leaders of the early church (Acts 1:8; 4:8, 31; 6:3-5; 8:29, 39; 10:9ff; 1 Pet 1:12).
• The Spirit was the power behind Paul’s ministry (Rom 15:18-19; Eph 3:20-21).

Throughout the New Testament, the mission of Christ is always fulfilled through the power of the Holy Spirit. Power for ministry, then, comes from God Himself.

The Holy Spirit is the power behind our ministry.

Note the instruction the Bible gives to us as believers. We are to…

• walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16; 25; Rom 8:1, 4);
• be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18; Luke 4:1; Acts 2:4; 4:8; 4:31; 13:9, 52);
• listen to the Spirit (Heb 3:7ff; Rev 2:7, 11); and
• be led by the Spirit (Rom 8:14, Gal 5:18).

Further, Observe all the ways the Spirit works in our lives.  The Holy Spirit empowers…

• our speech (Matt 10:20; Acts 4:8; 6:10; Mic 3:8);
• our prayers (Rom 8:26; Eph 6:18; Jude 1:20);
• our witness (Acts 1:8; 5:32; Rom 15:19);
• our ministry (1 Cor 12; 2 Cor 3:4-6; Eph 4:7-16);
• our faith (Rom 15:16); and
• our church (Eph 2:22; Acts 20:28).

We must remember that the church and its ministry are His, not ours. We must do all in

His strength, not ours (Zech 4:6; 1 Cor 2:4-5; Psalm 20:7). Similarly, we should note the role that prayer and faith play in the life of the believer and the ministry of the church. Prayer plays a vital role in ministry. Prayer is a constant theme in Acts as the disciples and Paul continually prayed for the Lord’s guidance, protection, and power in the ministry (Acts 1:14, 24; 2:42; 4:31; 6:4, 6; 10:9; 12:5, 12; 13:3; 14:23; 16:25; 20:36; 21:5; 22:17). In nearly every move of God in Acts, prayer was vitally connected. Prayers were accompanied by faith in God’s power and provision. Throughout the New Testament, Christians are admonished to believe the promises of God as He works in the

world (Matt 21:22; 1 Cor 15:58; 16:13; Gal 6:9; Eph 6:16; 1 Tim 6:12; 1 John 5:14-15).

God calls individuals to pray and calls His church to be a house of prayer.

As we continue to move forward in the work to which God has called us, let us examine ourselves:

• In what ways do we demonstrate a dependence upon the Holy Spirit?
• How do we guard against doing things in our own strength?
• Are we standing in faith on the promises of God?
• What role does prayer play in the ministry of our church? in my relationship with Jesus Christ?

God has offered us a power beyond our comprehension. He has offered us Himself. Let us ever strive to be a church that exalts Christ and seeks His Kingdom and Righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

In the last post, I focused on the first phrase of our purpose statement and our ultimate purpose to glorify God. This month, I want to turn our attention to the second phrase: “to make His Son known.…” Our purpose to glorify God is fulfilled as we spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world around us.

When we make Christ known through evangelism and missions, we follow Jesus’ command and example. Jesus’ first command to his disciples was “follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt 4:19). His final words we call the great commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. . . ” (Matt 28:19). Jesus’ priority on earth was “to save that which was lost” (Matt 18:11, cf. Luke 19:10). The greatest way we can glorify God is through obedience to the Great Commission! The result is that all peoples praise and glorify Him.

Fulfilling the Great Commission begins where we are, but includes participation in God’s mission “throughout the world” as well. We are to spread the message of Christ both near and far (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; 2:39; Isa 49:6). Today, we have an unprecedented opportunity and obligation to be active in kingdom mission throughout the world. At home, there are still many who have never heard the gospel. Additionally, each new generation presents a new mission field of souls who must hear and respond to the gospel. In the “uttermost parts” there remain hundreds of people groups with virtually no access to the gospel at all. As individuals and as a body, we must join God and see the gospel preached to those who have never heard (Rom 10:13-15; 15:19-21). Pray with me about how we as individuals and as a church body can make Christ known throughout the world to this generation. Then, let’s partner together and go do it!

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

Harvest is now six years old as a church. Looking back, it’s amazing to see all God has done in and through us. This Harvest Report marks the first week of year seven. In the coming year, Lord willing, we will pay off our land, begin plans for a permanent home at 75th and Madison, continue ministry to the surrounding neighborhoods and to Summerwood Apartments, and begin seeking ways to build cross-cultural bridges and make Christ known to the dozens of ethno-linguistic people groups in our area. Truly, it is an exciting time at Harvest to be “on mission” with God as He works in and through us.

As we move forward, I wanted to focus for a few moments on the first part of our mission statement. The mission of Harvest is “to Glorify God and make His Son known throughout the world to this generation.” The first phrase of our mission statement is the goal of our mission and the motivating factor in all we do at Harvest.

Our first and ultimate purpose is to glorify God. Everything we do in life and in ministry must have as its purpose the glory of God. As churches and individuals prepare to be involved in the mission of God and his particular mission in their life, church, and world, we must understand our purpose. The motivation behind everything we do is to please God (2 Cor 5:9ff.)—to glorify Him.

God’s purpose for his creation is his glory. This is true of all creation, of all people, of all the redeemed (Rev 4:11; Isa 43:7; Jer 13:11). Everything has its origin and purpose in God and His fame (Rom 11:36).

This means also, that the ultimate purpose of all ministry is the glory of God. Scripture makes this clear. Paul models this purpose in his ministry (2 Cor 4:15). Even Jesus’ purpose was the glory of the Father. This was the purpose of Jesus’ earthly ministry (John 7:18; 17:4). This was the purpose of his Incarnation, Death, and Resurrection (Phil 2:5-11; John 13:31-32). In fact, the purpose of the gospel and salvation itself is the glory of God (Eph 1:3-6, 12, 14).

As we move forward together as a church, let us never forget that in all we do, we do it for the Glory of God!

Blessings,
Pastor Todd

Harvesters,

I wanted to share a word about the earthquake in Haiti.

First, I know many of you are praying for the people of Haiti and for those who are affected by the earthquake there. Please continue to pray for the victims and their families. As you are praying, will you please also pray for wisdom for our Disaster Relief Missionaries as they assess and monitor the situation and as responses to this tragedy are initiated.

Second, many of you will be moved to give financially for relief efforts in Haiti. I would encourage you to do so through our International Mission Board Relief Fund. While there are many agencies that will be doing fine work for the people of Haiti, gifts given through our mission agencies will provide relief in the name of Christ and open many opportunities for gospel witness among the Haitian people and others doing disaster relief work. While at this time we won’t be taking up a special offering, if you would like to make a donation to the Disaster Relief Fund, you may do so by giving an additional designated gift in our regular church offering. (You may mark your gift on your offering envelope by writing “Haiti Relief” and the amount you wish to give, or make a check out to Harvest and in the memo write “Haiti Relief”)

Thank you for being a praying, giving, going church. Let us continue to glorify God and make His Son known throughout the world to this generation.

Blessings,
Pastor Todd

The following was my pastor’s article for the October newsletter. Given the importance of prayer, I wanted to post this again here and ask for your continued prayers for Chris and I…

As a pastor, one of the greatest encouragements is to hear the words “I’m praying for you.” Truly, one of the great blessings of being a pastor is knowing that prayers are being lifted up on your behalf. Often, people ask how they can be praying for me. While there are particular needs that I have from time to time, here are some prayers for your pastors that are always in season:

Pray that we stay vitally connected to the Lord in our personal devotion. Like everyone else, the tendency for people is to drift. Pray that we would maintain a constant fellowship with the Lord, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment.

Pray for the growth of your pastors. Pray that we will continue to grow spiritually, to grow in wisdom and maturity, to grow in knowledge of the things of God, and most of all to grow in Christ-likeness. Pray that we will never be satisfied where we are but continue to “press on toward the goal.”

Pray that we live and minister in total dependence on the Lord. It would be very easy to attempt to do the work to which God has called us in our own strength. Pray that we would rely on God to work through us as we are obedient to his call. Pray that we would minister in the strength God provides and not attempt to do things on our own.

Pray for godly wisdom as we lead. Pastors need the Lord’s wisdom as they lead in setting the direction of the church, prepare messages and teachings from God’s word, deal with conflict, minister to people in need, lead the church in evangelistic outreach, and serve as administrators of the church. Pastors need the wisdom that only God can provide. Pray that God would give us that wisdom.

Pray that we would be shielded from spiritual attack. Pastors are on the front lines of spiritual warfare. The devil has his eye on pastors to lead them into sin and disobedience to God, keep them discouraged and defeated, and keep them occupied with distractions. Pastors are often under spiritual attack. Pray that the Lord would protect us from the evil one.

Pray for their marriage and families. Ministry can be stressful not only to pastors, but also to their wives and families. Pray that your pastors will make their wife and children a priority as their first ministry. Pray that God will strengthen their marriage relationship and protect their families.

There are many ways you can pray for pastors. These are just a few. Please know that your prayers for us are important and used of God on our behalf. Please know also how much we appreciate knowing that you are praying for us. Thank you for continuing to lift up Chris and I and our families in prayer.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

Christmas is coming (as if you didn’t know). There is a great deal of excitement that surrounds this yearly holiday. Christmas decorations appear in the stores sometime in late October and the anticipation continues to build up to the night when Santa Claus arrives. I remember as a child being so excited the night before, that I thought I would never fall asleep and when I finally did, my eagerness for Christmas woke me up at about 5am. As a grown-up, the anticipation comes with a “to-do” list that rivals Santa’s “naughty/nice” list. The parties, TV specials, shopping, Christmas cards, music, decorations, Christmas trees, parades, more shopping, and everything else adds to the excitement. Every year, my wife finds me the perfect gift about three days after Thanksgiving and is so excited about her purchases, she wants me to open them as soon as she wraps them. Every Christmas the anticipation builds. Every Christmas we attempt to out-do the last one. Every Christmas we pull out all the stops. It truly is an exciting time of year.

If you’ve made it this far, you are probably expecting the traditional preacher’s plea. This is where I’m supposed to remind you: “Don’t forget the ‘Christ’ in Christmas” and that “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Of course, these are valid statements that need to be heard. I do not think, however, that the majority of Christians have forgotten the meaning of Christmas. We’ve just lost our excitement about it. We’ve gotten so into the festive activities that surround the holiday, that the celebration of Christ’s birth becomes one more thing added to our list of things to do. We go to a special service, or read Luke 2 sometime during the day so we can get the religion part checked off the list. Rather than being excited about our faith, it just becomes another aspect of the holiday experience.

This phenomenon is not unique to Christmas, I’m afraid. Too often our Christianity becomes just a “part” of our lives. Religious activities seem like a burdensome and routine obligation, rather than a vibrant part of our faith. When is the last time you got excited about being a Christian? If you have received Christ, you have received salvation and eternal life. That life starts now! As we put Christ as the center of our lives, and build a relationship with Him, our faith will become exciting and alive! We will experience the abundant life Jesus promised. Not a life without trouble; but a life filled with the peace and joy that only come from a relationship with Jesus Christ. This Christmas, get excited about your faith. Make Christ the center of your life. Experience the true joy of Christmas – a relationship with the Savior, Jesus Christ!

I. Pray for Harvest Ministries

• Thanksgiving – we’ve had several new families in recent weeks; we have two persons awaiting baptism
• Pray for our Wednesday night visitation efforts – pray for those making visits as we follow up on remaining contacts from the picnic and with visitors to Harvest.
• Wisdom for our building team as we negotiate the possible sale of land and as we plan ahead toward having our own church facility
• Wisdom as we make decisions as a church concerning facilities, outreach ministries, church planting, multi-ethnic ministry, member care, etc.
• Pray for those who do not know Christ in our circles of influence and our community. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel and for many to come to Christ.
• Pray for our pastors that they would stay vitally connected to Christ, lead in His wisdom, and in total dependence on Him.

II. Pray for the Apologetics Conference

• Safe travel for the team
• For all the details of the conference to come together and the event to go off smoothly
• For God to use the conference to strengthen believers in their faith, provide tools for outreach, and answer the questions/objections of those who are seeking

It was great to see several youth in our prayer meeting this week. Hearing young people pray fervently is very encouraging. Praying that our prayer group will continue to grow on Sunday nights. Here are the prayer items for our weekly prayer focus at Harvest.

I. Pray for our outreach/assimilation efforts

• Pray for our Wednesday night visitation efforts – pray for those making visits as we follow up on remaining contacts from the picnic and with visitors to Harvest.
• Pray for the families that have been coming in recent weeks – that they would feel welcome and that we make extra efforts to include them in our fellowship
• Pray for our AWANA kids, new and old, who have not yet come to faith in Christ
• Pray for our pastors as they lead in evangelistic work

II. Prayer for our missionaries:

• Thanksgiving: Thus far, the Christmas in August offering has resulted in 25 wait-listed missionaries to be appointed

• Pray for IMB trustees as they form a search committee to find a new president for the mission board

• The Doyles – TEAM missionaries to Zimbabwe

– Pray that their visas will be renewed without incident
– Pray for them to get needed licenses for driving
– Pray for Ethan and issues related to his hemophelia

• The B***** Family – IMB missionaries to SE Asia
– Pray for Susan as she teaches English to Thai people and shares the gospel with them. Pray that these young adults would come to faith in Christ.
– Pray for “Miss Boom”, a young Christian seeking to share the gospel to fellow Chinese and open her home for a church to be started in her home
– Pray for Tom as he does cultural research to engage the 365 unreached people groups (representing 250 million people) in his region

On Sunday nights at 5 pm, we will be meeting for prayer in room 124. Each week, Pastor Chris and I will bring a specific prayer focus that pertains to things going on at Harvest, missions, or other specific prayer concerns. Here is our prayer focus for this week:

I. Pray for our outreach efforts

• Thanksgiving ­– in the past two weeks seen over 40 people visit harvest, nearly half are unchurched
• Pray for many to be saved as God brings a harvest among those whom we are in contact but are not yet believers
• Pray for those who are going out each week on visitation – that God would empower them and give them boldness and opportunity to share the gospel
• Pray for pastors Todd and Chris as they seek the Lord for wisdom in leading Harvest to reach out to the community with the gospel
• Pray for more laborers in the Harvest to be involved in outreach efforts, to help with AWANA and other ministries as they expand, to be personally involved in evangelism to those around them

2. Pray for our assimilation efforts

• Pray for wisdom for all as we reach out to newcomers
• Pray for willingness to “step out of our comfort zones” and build friendships with outsiders
• Pray that people would feel welcome at Harvest and become a part of our Fellowship

3. Prayer for your personal commitment to evangelism

• Lord, give me a BURDEN for those who do not know Christ. Give me Your heart for lost people.
• Lord, give me OPPORTUNITY to share a gospel witness with those who do not know you
• Lord, give me BOLDNESS when the opportunity comes so that I may share the gospel without fear or hesitation

Please continue to lift these items to the Lord in prayer as we seek to be used of God in His harvest work.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd