The Holy Spirit

The Lord Jesus is truly blessing Harvest Church!  We are seeing a very unique Spirit in our midst these days and His name is the Holy Spirit.  He is the third person of the Godhead.  He indwells every true believer in Jesus Christ, He empowers us in ministry, He gives us the ability to overcome habitual sin, He teaches us from the holy Scriptures, He convicts us of sin, He seals us for the day of redemption, He regenerates those who receive Jesus as their personal Savior from sin, He comforts us, He prays on our behalf, He fills the surrendered believer, He expresses His fruit in our lives, He leads us, He is the believer’s companion.  Without Him in our lives it is impossible to be a child of God.  Because He is a person he can be talked to, He has feelings; He can be grieved, His fire can be quenched, and He can be lied to.  Unlike Old Testament saints the Holy Spirit never leaves the believer today but indwells us forever.  Because He is a person it would be rude to ignore Him but yet this happens so often.  Perhaps it is because believers know so little about Him?  At Harvest  Church we are determined to recognize His person and place in our lives and in this God-blessed ministry.  Dear Holy Spirit we love you!  We worship you!  We need you!  We praise you!  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving Him to us!

  Easy Believism?

Most people say they “believe” in Jesus Christ as God’s son who died on the cross for their sins.  But does that mean they are all going to heaven when they die?  Is that what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the living God?  James says, “even the demons believeand they tremble.”  We know with all certainty that the demons are not in heaven nor will they go to heaven someday and yet we are told that they “believe”.  The Bible teaches that simply “believing” is not saving faith.  The Apostle John tells us in John 1:12 that only those who “receive” Jesus are given the privilege of becoming a child of God, even to those who “believe” in His name.  You must not only “believe” but also “receive” Him.  That word “receive” literally means to take hold of, to seize.  If someone offered you an ice cold glass of water on a hot day it would do you absolutely NO good to simply “believe” it was ice water.  In order to benefit from it you have “to take hold of it”, you have “to seize it” and therefore consume it into your body to get its refreshment.  And so saving faith is “receiving” or taking hold of, seizing Jesus Christ and consuming Him into your life because you “believe” in Him.  Have you “received” Jesus? 

Repentance

In recent bulletin articles we have defined salvation as belief + receiving Jesus = salvation.  Let us now also understand the necessity that repentance plays in this equation.  Repentance means to turn away from something and towards something.  We are to make a 180 degree turn from sin and turn to the Lord. This is a choice we must make.  As we read the Gospels and then the book of Acts and then proceed throughout the rest of the New Testament we cannot escape the common thread found in the messages of John the Baptist, our Lord Jesus, Peter, and Paul.  “Repent” was always at the heart of their cry to the people.  Why is this so important for us to understand?  Because in the Greek language the verb was always written in the imperative mood which means, it was not an invitation but a command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers.  This is why God is just in His judgment of all those who do not repent and receive Jesus as their Savior.  Jesus did not give mankind a choice to repent, no, He commanded it and still does today.  Those who profess to know Jesus as their personal Savior but do not demonstrate “repentance” in their life may in fact not be born again.  We must choose to turn from our life of sin and turn to the Lord, His word, His ways, His path.  That being said let us understand that true Christianity does not breed perfection, we will still sin, but sin ought not to rule over us.  We must have an attitude of repentance about us that is rooted and founded at that moment in time when we humbled ourselves at the foot of the cross of the Savior once and for all and believed + received + repented = salvation.  The evidence of this is what kind of life you live. 

SOLD OUT

One of the things I have been really challenged with while in Hawaii was the question, “Am I really “sold out”for the Lord?”  In our quest to “walk by faith” we will come face to face with this question sooner or later.  After my first confrontation with the Jehovah Witnesses I walked away solely grieved by the many errors of their views.  Though they are serious about their views they are seriously wrong and are destined for a Christless eternity in hell!  They are “sold out” about what they believe even though they believe wrong.  Jesus used them to challenge me about my commitment to Him.  Am I “sold out”?  Being “sold out” means you have absolutely NO doubtin the Lord and what He commands or teaches us to do (to doubt means to dispute something).It means when we are studying the Word and the Holy Spirit teaches us something or tells us to do something that we are to render NO opinion, NO question, NO hesitation, NO reasoning, NO  intellectual quibbling, NO rebellionagainst that truth or instruction but rather to have a strict steadfast loyaltyin our heartand intellecttowards God and His word.  That’s being “sold out”.  This kind of attitude results in an obedient and blessedlife; the abundant lifethat Jesus talks about in John 10.  Are you “sold out”? 

 Immutability

 Immutability?  What in the world does that mean?  Glad you asked.  Immutability is that character trait of God that tells us that He never changes, that he can never change His mind.  The writer of Hebrews was right on when he wrote in Heb. 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  1 Samuel15:29 also tells us, that “God does not lie or change His mind.”  Why is this important for us to understand?  Because understanding this foundational truth of our God’s character ought to bring peace in the midst of change.  Because God is “immutable” we know that His purposes will always remain the same; His commission is still the same, His objectives are still the same, His plan is still the same.  As a businessman once said, “the names might change but the rules and the game remain the same.”  Though our service to the Lord Jesus Christ is not a “game” we must understand what that businessman meant because the word of God and the commission of God are and will always be the same – to evangelize the lost and to disciple the saved.  Because our God is “immutable” we will be steadfast in our service, we will persevere in the midst of change, and we will direct our hearts passions towards the fields for they are “white unto harvest”.  We will continue to work the work God has been doing here at Harvest Church with our eyes focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  We will move forward with eager anticipation of God’s blessing because GOD is IMMUTABLE!  He can be trusted and relied upon because He is IMMUTABLE!  As we move through the waters of upcoming change of leadership let us not look upon man but on our IMMUTABLE GOD.  Praise be to our IMMUTABLE GOD!

    Blessed Assurance

Visiting Clarence at Lutheran Hospital back in March reminded us of the peace and joy one who is a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ can have as eternity rests in the balance.  Proverbs14:32 tells us that “even in death there is refuge for the righteous”.  Often when we visit folks who are very sick we quickly move the conversation to eternal things intending to press the only real issue which is, “where will you spend eternity should you die tonight?”  Once at the bedside of Clarence the first thing he said to us Wednesday night was, “I know if I die that I will be somewhere else that is better than here and I will be with the Lord.”  Our hearts were warmed by his assurance of his relationship with Jesus.  We went to minister to Clarence but he ministered to us.  If eternity were to lie in the balance for you this day, would you have that same blessed assurance Clarence has?  “Even in death there is refuge for the righteous”.

A Glimpse Into Heaven

People have all kinds of ideas what heaven will be like.  A recent Newsweek poll gave these ideas: 19% believe heaven looks like a garden, 13% believe it looks like a city, and 17% didn't know.  The Bible is clear that there is a place called heaven where believers will live with Jesus forever.  But what else does the Bible tell us about this amazing place?  Revelation 21-22 tells us the most of what we know but even these chapters only give us a brief glimpse.  One glorious glimpse reveals twelve things that won’t be there:  no sea (21:1), no sin (21:27), no death (21:4), no mourning (21:4), no crying (21:4), no pain (21:4), no night (21:25), no temple (21:22), no curse or corruption (22:3), no sun (21:23), no moon (21:23), no Satanic opposition 20:10).  The main thing is that the glory of God will be there (Rev. 21:11, 23).  Heaven will be a city ablaze with His glory.  Please note that it is the absence of God’s glorious presence that will make hell, hell.  Just being in the presence of the eternal, infinite, majestic, glorious, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent One will be bliss the likes of which we cannot even faintly imagine.  We know twelve things that won’t be there and we know that the LORD will be there, but, will you be there?  Your entrance fee has already been paid in full by Jesus Christ with His blood.  Receiving Him by faith guarantees your place along side the Saints of all ages who surrendered their hearts to Jesus and are now in heaven.  Will you be there?

Applicants Wanted

What will heaven be like?  What will the followers of Jesus be doing once they get there?   Rudyard Kipling wrote,                

When earth’s last picture is painted

and the tubes are twisted and dried;

When the oldest colors have faded

and the youngest critic has died;

We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it,

lay down for an eon or two,

Till the Master of all good workmen

                        shall put us to work anew.                       

Before we can consider what we will do in heaven let’s think about what we won’tdoin heaven: we will never sin, never make mistakes, never have to repair anything,  never have to defend ourselves, apologize, experience guilt, battle with Satan or demons, share the gospel, experience healing, loneliness, depression, or fatigue.  While the Bible doesn’t tell us as much as we would like to know about what we will do in heaven, it does focus on at leastsix primary activities we will be involved in.  These six activities make up a basic jobdescription for all followers of Jesus: Singing and praising God(Rev. 4:10-11; 7:7-12; 11:15-17; 14:3; 15:2-4; 19:4-6), Serving(Rev. 1:6; 7:15; 19:5; 22:3),     Supervising(Matt. 25:21; Luke 19:17-19; 1 Cor. 6:3; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 3:20-21; 20:4; 22:5), Sharing(1 john 3:2; Rev. 22:4), Studying(1 Cor. 13:12), Being Served(Luke 12:35-37).  Have you applied for the job yet?  All applicants must go through Jesus for He is “the way, the truth and the life”.  He is “the door”.  The benefits are "out of this world".

Father's Day

Father’s Daywas first celebrated in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. Sonora Smart Dodd originally thought of the idea while listening to a Mother's Day sermon the previous year. Dodd and her five siblings were raised single handedly by their father, William Jackson Smart, after their mother died during childbirth in 1898. Her petition advocating a national Father's Day was supported by the local ministerial association and the Young Men's Christian Association.     By 1924, the idea of a national Father’s Day was so popular that President Calvin Coolidge supported it. However, it was not until 1966 that a presidential proclamation declared that the third Sunday of June as Father's Day. This proclamation by President Lyndon Johnson was made permanent by President Richard Nixon in 1972.

The Bible has always taught that we are to honor our fathers as well as our mothers.  Did you know in Exodus 20:12 this is listed as one of the 10 Commandments? 

The Hebrew word for “honor” is a rich word with a wealth of meaning.  To simply recognize that we are to “honor” our fathers and mothers cheats us out of what this word really means.  “Honoring” means to glory or boast to ourselves and othersof our fathers and mothers as we grow in our recognition of them as a vast and limitless treasure with great splendor and wealth in resources, experiences, and wisdom.  This word carries the idea of doing all of the above with attitudes and behavior characterized by majesty, exultation and adornment.  Whether we feel they deserve this kind of “honor” or not we are commanded by the Lord to give it to them in this manner. 

And so we say to our fathers and mothers, "Happy Father’s Day and Mother’s Day"!

 Intimacy with God

In the book by Joanna Weaver, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, she wrote, “if we want intimacy with God, we must nurture a grateful heart that glorifies Jesus”.  After reading this I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.  Think about it for a moment.  Webster defines intimacy as “the inner most character of a thing, that which is most private or personal”.  Herein lies the key that unlocks the innermost character; the most private and personal aspects of God - a heart of gratefulness that seeks to glorify Jesus.  Realizing all He has done, all He continues to do, and all He wants to do for us, in us, and through us is the environment necessary to cultivate intimacy in our relationship with the Lord.  This is summed up in His grace (God’s unmerited favor towards us) and His mercy (God withholding from us what we do deserve and giving us what we do not deserve).  It is only when we begin to grasp and embrace this realization that we can embark on a life’s journey of glorifying Jesus.  “Glorifying” means to praise Him, to boast in Him, to exalt Him.  Only he who has been touched by God’s grace and mercy in this way could desire to humble themselves, to surrender themselves, and to live a life of devotion to praising, to boasting, to exalting their Savior in all they do and say.  The Apostle Paul knew this and even expressed it in words in Philippians 3:7-11.  If you want to know God intimately, then spend time contemplating all He has done for you and all He has for you.  If this doesn’t drive you to your knees then nothing ever will!  Then a life of praising and boasting in the Lord will naturally follow.  How’s your intimacy with God these days?   

What is Hell Like?

Most people in America believe in a place called hell, but ideas about what it is are far from unanimous.  While some might joke about hell, make light of it, and come up with their own theories whether it even exists at all, the Bible gives us God’s terrifying view of hell.  And it is no joking matter.  The Bible never gives us a complete, detailed description of what hell is like, but it does provide us with several frightening, sobering facts about hell.  Here are ten terrible facts about hell from the Bible.  These are biblical truths that should convince any sane person that they would never want to end up there.

Fact #1:  Hell was NOT originally created for human beings (Matt. 25:41).

Fact #2:  Hell is a place of memory (Luke 16:19-31).

Fact #3:  Hell is a place of conscious physical, mental, and spiritual torment (Luke 16:24, 28).

Fact #4:  Hell is a place of unquenchable fire (Matt. 13:41-42; Luke 16:24). 

Fact #5:  Hell is a place of separation from God (2 Thess. 1:9).

Fact #6:  Hell is a place of unsatisfied, raging thirst (Matt. 13:42).

Fact #7:  Hell is the only other place to spend eternity besides heaven (Luke 16:19-31).

Fact #8:  Hell is a place where the inhabitants don’t want others to come to (Luke 16:30).

Fact #9:  Hell is a place of unspeakable misery, sorrow, anger, and frustration (Matt. 13:42).

Fact# 10:  Hell is earned (Romans 6:23).

Our admission price to heaven was paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Make sure you have accepted it before it’s too late!

Heavenly Rewards

The Bible is clear that God is a rewarder. According to Scripture, the Lord will honor His people at the judgment seat of Christ with three different types of rewards. 1. The Bible indicates that in heaven some will be given a greater capacity and ability to reflect and radiate the glory of the Lord than others (Daniel 12:3). 2. Our Lord will also reward faithfulness in this life by giving greater authority and responsibility in the next life (Luke 19:11-27). 3. The New Testament focuses primarily on five particular crowns or rewards that the faithful will receive at the judgment seat. These crowns are representative of the kinds of conduct and service that will be rewarded by the Lord. A. The incorruptible crown (1 Cor. 9:24-27). The reward for those who consistently practice self-discipline and self-control over their physical appetites. B. The crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8). The reward for those who eagerly look for the Lord’s coming and live a righteous life in view of this fact. C. The crown of life (James 1:12; Rev. 2:10). The sufferer’s crown is given to those who faithfully endure and persevere under trials and tests of life. D. The crown of rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19). This is the soul winner’s crown, given to those who win people for Christ. E. The crown of glory (1 Peter 5:1-4). The shepherds crown will be given to those pastors, elders, and church leaders who lovingly, graciously shepherd and oversee God’s people. Once received, the crowns of the redeemed will be cast at the feet of the great Redeemer in humble gratitude to the only One who is worthy of glory, power, honor (Rev. 4:10, 11). Praise the Lord!