For Those With Ears - Entries written by Todd Dugard

It is a word that is among the most powerful and definitive descriptions of a Christ-follower. Those who are truly Christ’s endure. They just do. Jesus said, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13), and in James 1:2 we hear that, “The testing of your faith produces steadfastness” or “endurance”.

At the recent Harvest University conference the theme was, “Building strong leaders requires enduring commitments.”  And in the past few years I’d say that among the greatest lessons God was teaching me was about enduring through challenging situations. Throughout the Bible you’ll see that word or similar ones driving the point. Christ-followers don’t ever quit.

And it should be no surprise to us that as we move on from the “hall of faith” in Hebrews to the first few verses in Hebrews 12 that faith is further described for us in terms of this enduring spirit. Faith endures. It just does. Where there’s no endurance, there’s little or no faith. So that means I don’t try to squirm out from under a trial and I don’t cut and run when things get hard. I persevere. I’m steadfast. I endure.

But because we indeed “grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:3) at times, God makes it clear in the passage that if we get a few things right concerning our faith it will be, “so that WE WON’T grow weary or fainthearted” (emphasis mine).

If you want to be done with weary and fainthearted, give careful attention to what needs to be put away from your life and what you need to put your attention on to have a faith that endures.

We have a special time of prayer scheduled for the end of our time of worship with a great song we are introducing called, “Not for a moment”. If you know someone who is under a heavy weight right now and could be described as “weary or fainthearted” then INVITE THEM to Harvest this Sunday. The same power that allowed Jesus to “endure the cross” is available to us to endure whatever it is we will face or are facing now.

The full song line up for worship is powerful. Give these songs a listen and prepare your heart to sing out to the Lord with passion. The full text for Sunday’s message is Hebrews 12:1-3. Take some time to read those verses and pray through them asking God to do something great in your life as a result of hearing the Word preached.

Sunday is also Mother’s Day and I’ll acknowledge here my deep love and appreciation for my mom and all the “moms” I’ve had and have in my life. God, bless the godly moms in our lives who give themselves so freely to love us all. 

And because it is Mother’s Day it is also the start of our annual Baby Bottle Drive for the Barrie Pregnancy Resource Centre (check out the quick video about the BPRC below). From now until Father’s Day, we want you to fill these bottles with coin, cash, and cheques as a blessing to moms, dads and babies who need a little encouragement and help from this great ministry. The bottles will be available in the lobby before and after the service.

Todd

I’m still basking in the benefits of last Sunday! What a great time in worship and what a powerful sermon we all heard from Pastor Cristian Barbosu from Harvest in Arad, Romania.  If you missed it, the message and study resources are available online.

This Sunday we are back in Hebrews to continue our pursuit of what is Truly Epic, having “the power of an indestructible life” in us. In section three of the Hebrews sermon we are seeking to Run Hard by faith, and in the eleventh chapter we have been examining the lives of those who lived prior to the coming of Jesus and who lived a life of faith. Their example is for our benefit. Will we run hard as they did?

The preacher has taken us through a number of examples in detail and by the time he reaches verse 32 you get a sense that he is watching the clock and needs to move on. “And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of…” and he proceeds to list a bunch of names and situations where genuine faith was seen.

As I read Hebrews 11:32-40, the question I have is what in the world does someone have to believe to live “by faith”? With everything these men and women faced, they demonstrated “the power of the indestructible life” and showed us what they believed. The evidence is in four key phrases in the passage:

“were made strong out of weakness”

“that they might rise again to a better life”

“of whom the world was not worthy”

“God had provided something better”

Take some time to think about how each of these phrases communicates something about what we must believe as the followers of Christ…as people who live by faith. I’m eager to work through this passage with you. Despite some hard things we have to work through in verse 32 about some of these “heroes”, we won’t skip any verses! We preach the whole counsel of God! It is going to be a great Sunday together!

Don’t forget that it is only a few weeks now until we have our fifth and final 10th anniversary celebration weekend on May 26 and 27 with Pastor James MacDonald and Meredith Andrews. Details are here. Get your Saturday evening concert tickets on Sunday at the bookstore.

By the way, last Sunday’s Storyline video featuring Rod and Elaine Duff is now up on Vimeo. Check it out and be encouraged in how God is so faithful to us.

You can prepare for our time in worship and the Word on Sunday by listening to the songs that Jordan has lined up for us this week and read and pray through the passage I’ll be preaching. We will be remembering the Lord’s death and burial at the communion table too. You might want to also read 1 Corinthians 11:17-32 and refresh your understanding of why we do this. Let’s not let the Lord’s Table become too familiar and so treat it with contempt.

I’m so grateful for each of you and for the joy we have in being the church of Jesus Christ here in Barrie. Pray for one another. Encourage one another. Serve one another in love. Live a life of faith for the benefit of one another.

See you Sunday,

How do we follow that?!

We’re coming off of a pretty amazing weekend. From everything we’re hearing and all we experienced ourselves as staff and elders, I’d say God’s presence was heavy in the room and that his power was in evidence. It was a high impact weekend for our church.

And seven days later, we’ll do it again. I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that the reason the church meets on Sunday and not the Sabbath (according to the Jewish tradition) is because of the resurrection. Every Sunday…all 52 of them…are celebrations of the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

And so, though we are coming off of an incredible weekend, we follow that up with another one where God wants to meet with us just as eagerly (we should be eager too) and to work just as much in our hearts and lives (we should want that too).

So I’m excited about being together again with you this Sunday. We have two new Christ-followers in our church family since we last met together. One person in each of our services stood in response to the gospel and declared their intention to follow Christ. Praise God for that! Pray for them as they take their first steps as Christ-followers.

We will dive back into our “Truly Epic” series in Hebrews, picking up where we left off at Hebrews 11:20-22, with a message titled, “Faith blesses”.  In this third section of Hebrews we are being urged to “Run Hard” and we’ve come to understand that we can only do that “by faith”. Sunday’s message will look at the lives of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph in an effort to understand what it means to pass on a godly legacy—a blessing—to succeeding generations. This is something that some of you as parents and potential parents haven’t thought a lot about, and you should! What of lasting value am I giving to my children, grandchildren and the generations to follow? It matters to God that we pass along a blessing by faith. Should matter to us too.

Jordan has lined up some great worship songs for us to sing. It is always a great idea to give them a quick listen and prepare your heart to lift high the name of Jesus corporately on Sunday. Read the passage for Sunday’s message and, if you want to understand the full context of these verses, take a look at Genesis 25-50 for the full story. And pray for God’s Holy Spirit to do a deep work in your heart through our time together.

See you Sunday,

I was trying to think of different words for “obey.” “Act upon”, “observe”, “abide by”, “follow”, “comply with”. The thesaurus helped me out. As I read it, those alternatives all soften the blow of “obey” which seems harsh and unrelenting. There’s wiggle room in “observe” and “follow”. There’s none of that in “obey”. The lines are drawn. I have to do this. No option.

This wrestling match with the word “obey” was precipitated, of course, by my study of Hebrews 11:8-19. In this passage we see Abraham’s faith manifested in his obedience. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out…” He did what he was told. He just did. “Obey” seems to be the right word because there’s no sense that there was any other option. No wiggle room.

This hyper-sensitivity to this word comes out of our tolerant-obsessed culture. We can’t tell people to obey anyone. Seems so old fashioned or something.

For example, advocates of modern parenting would almost universally agree that “obedience” was for another generation. The tenor of parenting today seems to be to convince your child that they should do this or that. Worse, some parents have taken to catering to their kid's every whim and wish. Most pathetic of all are the parents who cajole (sweet-talk) their children into a given action. There would be little call to have your children “obey” you.

Parenting is a pretty soft sell example actually. I mean, if pressed, we would all agree that children should obey their parents in some fashion for their own good. But what if we apply the word “obey” to our citizenship as in, we should obey our government? Uh…we’d rather sign a petition, carry a placard or vote them out of office. What about teachers? Ha! You haven’t been in a classroom for a while, have you? Teachers have been stripped of any real authority in their own classrooms. What about the workplace? Do you “obey” your employer or merely comply with his/her wishes? Even then, if you’re unionized you have the option of disobeying and checking in with the union steward. If the issue is big enough, file a grievance, work to rule or go on strike. Obey?! Whatever. And the church? Obey your leaders? Really?!

By that last example we can see that this dearth of obedience in our culture isn’t restricted to non-believers. Sadly, even the followers of Christ—who ought to be living out the values of God’s Kingdom—often allow the culture to inform their attitudes and actions concerning authorities not only in the church, but also in their homes, their schools and their workplace relationships. But it isn’t hard at all to see obedience—yes, OBEDIENCE—taught as the biblical standard in all these spheres of life: church (Hebrews 13:17), workplace (Ephesians 6:5-8), government (Romans 13:1-7), home (Ephesians 6:1-3), and school (Luke 6:40).

And yet, we resist.

Can I just call it out? I agree that “obey” just doesn’t sound very nice. But that sound is our sin nature clashing with God’s Word. We like our autonomy. We like self-determination. We like to call our own shots. We’re not fond of submission and obedience. And if our rebellion in this were limited to these earthly institutions it would be bad enough, but the truth? It plays out in our relationship with God too. We don’t like to obey him. In fact, if we did obey him, we wouldn’t be so quick to give our parents, MP’s, teachers and elders such a hard time. In obeying him, we would obey them.

So think about this: “By faith Abraham obeyed…” Simple. Clear. If I am to follow Christ and obey him in all things (he is LORD!) then my obedience will be characterized by immediate action. I will raise no objections. I will expect nothing in return in this life (though I anticipate the fulfillment of God’s promises in the next). I will not fear any cost, any consequences, or any test of obedience God might send my way. By faith I will obey.

I hope that is what is on your heart too. What’s great about all of these members of the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 is that none of them got it right 100% of the time. They often failed. Sometimes their failures came after stunning, faith-filled victories. That encourages me because I know that no one is beyond hope. We can all grow in this even if it is by a small margin this week.

Come ready to worship on Sunday by listening to the songs that Jordan and Steve have lined up for us to sing. Take a close look at the stage on Sunday to find Jordan…he’s not playing his usual instrument. And read and study the passage, Hebrews 11:8-19. And pray it out. Ask God to make you obedient to every word he has spoken.

And a reminder that we only have one week left before Good Friday and Easter Sunday. If God’s Spirit is with us, these will be high impact services that bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ and will change us forever. Be bold in inviting friends and loved ones to the services and pray that God does a powerful work in their lives to draw them to himself in a life-changing relationship. More invitation cards will be available Sunday but you can also use this link to send email and text invitations:  

See you Sunday,

Todd

Much of what we do on Sundays when we get God’s Word open is to look at particular words in the verses we study. The authors took the time to carefully consider what words they would use to communicate their point. The Holy Spirit, who inspired this Book, guided them in the choice of these words. And so, we should take the time to consider the nuances and impact of these words in the Word.

The words we will see this week include assurance, conviction, commendation, and, of course, faith. Strong words. Powerful implications for us.

As you prepare for this coming Sunday you’ll notice that we have bitten off a smaller passage as we take our first step into the great hall of faith in Hebrews 11. Before we get to the stories and testimonies of these “heroes” we must first consider what faith is…and what it isn’t. As one preacher said, we don’t want our faith to be wishful thinking, blind optimism or faith in faith.  We want it to be substantive, genuine and focused on the right object.

There is no better passage to get there but Hebrews 11 and this Sunday we’ll be in the first three verses with a message simply titled, “Faith is…” This third section of Hebrews is compelling us to run hard, but we can’t do that if we don’t have an unshakable faith in Jesus Christ. Faith will give us complete confidence in what God says and compel us to act no matter the circumstances around us. Faith will also have us looking to God to gain his approval knowing that everything good in life comes from him. I can’t wait to be with you to talk through all this on Sunday!

It is so important to recall that the Book of Hebrews is a the sermon that was preached to people who were in tough, under intense persecution, were suffering loss and were, in some cases, even struggling to persevere in the face of what was going on in their lives. The preacher was calling them to endure and not to quit.  That’s where many of you are…facing huge obstacles and deep trials and the message is the same: endure…exercise faith…God has you covered.

You can get ready for Sunday by listening to the worship songs we will be singing together and by reading the passage (Hebrews 11:1-3). Those verses, by the way, are part of our memory project and are the new verses for this week.  How great would it be if we all had the passage locked in our hearts and minds before Sunday! And don’t forget to pray about your own response to what God will say to you and to us all. Father, make us more like Jesus Christ, who alone is truly epic!

See you Sunday!

As I closed last week’s service I made mention that we would be starting a new section of Hebrews this coming Sunday titled, “Run Hard”, and that the first message would have us looking at that well-known verse that tells us not to be “neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some.”

I then gave you a couple of options: (a) you could neglect to meet together and avoid the message altogether and thus any convicting application points that come out of that abundantly clear phrase; or (b) you could make a point to obey that verse in advance and make sure you’re there to hear it.

My guess—please forgive the cynicism—is that the people who take the time to read this blog are the ones most likely to be in worship on Sunday anyway. You are the keeners! So this post is a bit of a waste. Except in that you could give someone a call and encourage him or her to be there on Sunday. Would you be so bold as to do that?  

And as you prepare your own heart to be with the church, take a look at Hebrews 10:19-25 and think hard about this paragraph: Faith in Christ fills you with an unwavering confidence that rests on all that he has done for you, allowing you to draw near without reservation, having a sincere heart, a clean conscience, and evidence of purity, calling on you to have a firm grip on your profession of faith in him, and compelling you to stir it up in one another to worship Christ together, walk with Christ together, and work for Christ together.

I believe it is going to be a powerful time together. We will also be lifting high the name of Jesus in worship as Jordan leads us through these songs. Take the time to listen to them ahead of time and come on time and ready to sing passionately to the Lord as we gather.

And with Pastor Roger back from a two-week Florida vacation, we will get back on track with our Memory Project and see how he’s been doing. That should be fun for everyone…including him!

One Trillion Dollars

That’s the amount of wealth that experts say will be transferred from the so-called baby boomers to their kids over the next two decades. That’s a lot of bacon double cheeseburgers.

The article that came across my Twitter feed also said that the trillion-dollar number has a lot of people in the younger crowd thinking about all the cash that their folks apparently have tucked away.  In fact, too many are planning their own retirement savings around what they expect to get in the will.

Those same experts with the huge calculator are saying that that’s actually a pretty bad plan and that the inheritances aren’t turning out as lucrative as once imagined.

With the article in my mind, I turned to Hebrews 9:15-28 to study up for this Sunday’s message and, well, the preaching of the Hebrews message has us thinking about whether or not we’re in God’s Last Will and Testament and thus in line for an inheritance.

I’m thinking that the eternal inheritance is going to make a trillion dollars look like pocket change.

In simplest terms, Jesus is “the promised eternal inheritance”. Receiving that inheritance (which is already being paid out to us) means that as beneficiaries we get some pretty incredible benefits. The question that plagues my thoughts though is how often you and I leave those benefits unclaimed, and how we live as though we are not children of the king and haven’t been included in a will that has already been read.  It's time for some of you to step up and say, “Hey, I want my inheritance.”

As I said above, some people are already pretty disappointed by the amount of earthly wealth that’s being transferred to them. So what?! Follow Jesus Christ and you’ll receive something far better in this life and something beyond comprehension in the next.

I’m pretty excited about this message and being with the church again on Sunday.  Take some time to prep your own heart to be together: read the passage, work on the memory verses (Hebrews 9:27-28), listen to the great worship package we have lined up, pray for it all and for your response, and think about calling someone up and inviting them to join you for worship.

We will also be dedicating some young ones in both services…that’s always a blessing to stand together as a church family with these young families as they commit their children to the Lord.

See you Sunday!  

You can’t just show up to a church on Sunday and automatically start worshipping. Not Christ anyway. You can worship the church, the church building, the ministry philosophy, the theology, or the person leading worship or the guy preaching. You can worship the people in the church. You can worship your involvement and service in the church. But don’t assume that you can waltz in on any given Sunday and worship the Father.

You see, before you can worship the Lord, there’s an admission fee.  No, not tickets in advance or at the door and certainly not your offering as the price of admission. But a price does have to be paid before you can worship God.

There are tons of people who are in denial about this. They think they can come and go as they please to churches of all kinds and worship when they want. Lots of Christmas and Easter “worshippers” as well as those who come once in a while when it works for them. Not to mention those who don’t necessarily see the need to be with the church every week. They don’t understand, perhaps, that a price has to be paid to worship the Lord.

Then there are those who know there’s a price, but they’re trying to pay it themselves. Through giving, serving, performing religious rituals, and outward morality they think they can pay the price of admission on their own not realizing they don’t have the capital for a down payment on a ticket. The sum total of good works and wealth and morality of every single human being on the planet would not be enough to purchase one ticket for one person to be able to enter in and worship God.

Only those who understand that Jesus Christ alone can pay the price will be admitted to worship. In Hebrews 9:1-14, the preacher says that the first covenant (the obsolete one) had regulations that would permit people to worship and know something about holiness in their lives. But it wasn’t adequate. They couldn’t “perfect the conscience of the worshiper.” The best religious observances fell short.

When we gather for worship on Sunday morning, we’ll be working through that passage asking this question: Who paid the price to make it possible for you to worship God? The answer, of course, is found in the message title, “Jesus: securing an eternal redemption”.  He redeemed us. He paid the price.

Be sure to prepare for Sunday by reading the passage, working on the memory project and listening to Sunday’s song list. And, of course, pray for your heart to be softened to the things of God’s Word.

And don’t forget that we will be watching as many as eighteen people get baptized in obedience to Jesus Christ and his Word. We’ll hear some powerful stories of conversion and transformation. This is one of those DON’T MISS Sundays. But, then again, aren’t they all?!

See you then,

Forgive me for two things right up front, please. One, I’m typing this from sunny and warm Orlando. Don’t need to say much more than that, do I?  And two, this won’t be like our regular Friday blog that previews what’s coming up Sunday. I’m thinking I’d rather just reflect on some things that crossed my path this week.

Cheryl and I have been in the Sunshine State since Sunday evening for three reasons: a Harvest senior pastors and wives retreat, church plant coaches training and some R&R. The week has been simply amazing on all three fronts. Certainly blessed to be enjoying where we are, but mostly overwhelmed by the goodness of God with regard to the people who are in our lives with whom we get to do ministry in Harvestworld.

We're self-swindlers. We convince ourselves that we're okay with things that are not okay.

The character of life is made in 10,000 little moments, not in the three or four big decision moments we have in a lifetime.

Glory is the only product the church has to offer.

What has struck me most again after this week was what we have as a fellowship. I stood with men and women who are committed to planting churches that are vertical…that are all about bringing God the glory and seeing his glory manifest around us. As we spent time with these amazing friends in ministry, Cheryl and I have such gratitude in our hearts for what God has done and is doing. “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus!” (Ephesians 3:21). Amen?!

As for Sunday? I’m anticipating an amazing time together as we seek God for his manifest presence among us. Get yourself ready by listening to the worship songs we will be singing together and read and consider Hebrews 7:11-28, the passage we will be studying together. The question being raised is this:  

Who is your Saviour? The answer should be obvious! Jesus: able to save.

Florida sunshine aside, we are eager to be back with the church family we love. God has given us something pretty great and week after week we are seeing evidence of the truly epic nature of who he is.  Lord, show us your glory and help us to listen up to what you have said to us in your Word and to hold fast to these truths.

See you Sunday,

Todd 

It is January. Where is the hope?

The Christmas lights are fading. The family and friends are gone. The kids are back to school. The distractions of the season have given way to the cold and dark reality of winter.

Christmas and New Year's elicit varying responses. For some, the holidays accentuate the loneliness and hopelessness they feel in the midst of whatever circumstance or life situation they are in. For others, it is all a distraction. It is when the Christmas lights are turned off that life’s realities coming crashing back in.

I don’t mean for it all to be so negative and morose. There are many others who fully experience the peace and joy that Christmas proclaims. They have a sense of anticipation and eagerness for the New Year no matter what God may have in store for them. For these, faith in Christ and an unfailing hope in his promises are solid and unshakeable.

So let me ask now that it is January, where is the hope? Where is your hope? Where are you finding the hope? What keeps you going? Since none of us knows what is ahead for us this year—it could be good things or hard things—we must have this question answered. Hope is what will have us overcome any and all challenges, trials, setbacks that are ahead. Hope transcends the immediate and the temporal; it goes beyond what we can see or anything we will experience in this life.

Think about this statement: God made a promise, and so, you must patiently await its fulfillment knowing you're still in tough and need an anchor that will not be moved—Jesus your unfailing advocate.

That’s what is in front of us for this Sunday in Hebrews 6:13-20. Remember that our journey through Hebrews this year is called “Truly Epic: Jesus Christ and the power of the indestructible life”. We have already made our way through the first part of the sermon in a series called “Listen Up” and now we are seeking in this second part to “Hold Fast” to the things we have heard. This week’s message is entitled, “Jesus: a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.”  That phrase alone ought to stir you up and speed up your heart!

We’ll be gathering at 9 and 11:15 a.m. Bring your burdens, heartaches, sorrows and confusion. Bring your questions and concerns. Come ready to hear a message of hope that will never let you down. Even if hard times are not being rolled out over your head right now, we will all be encouraged and strengthened in our hope as we gather as the church.

Prepare yourself to be together and with the Lord by giving a listen to the songs we have picked out. Be sure to read the passage too and maybe even go back and re-read the entire book (it takes about 50-60 minutes). And pray for yourself…pray that you will hold fast to the things you have heard.

I believe it is going to be an amazing time as we gather in the name of Jesus Christ! To him be glory!

See you Sunday,

Everyone wants something better than what they have. “New and improved” is such a catchy little slogan because everything in our lives is old and not-so-good anymore. The pace of change is such that the moment you drive your new car off of the lot or bring home that new computer, something better than what you have is already in the works.

They’re not wrong, these ad people…these marketers…these producers of consumer goods. They are communicating some pretty remarkable theology actually. Though I’m certain they don’t realize it, their hamartiology is almost perfect!

Hamartiology is the study of sin, and it is the reason that things can be better than they are. Nothing is as it should be. Nothing. After the creation, God said that everything was “good”…after the creation of the man and woman he said it was “very good”. That is to say, it was good in the sense of perfect and without sin. That all changed and since then we have been doing all we can to make things better.

We can’t, of course, make things better. For every better thing we make, we create a subsequent problem…an impact. Things are better in one way (we can get around more easily), but we create another problem: environmental impact or people dying in car accidents and plane crashes. One drug solves a given ailment but creates four side effects, or we find out much later it actually kills us. We develop a resistance. Penicillin helped in the healing of many until the bugs we were battling morphed in response…they got “better” and we had to get better again too. It is “better” we deemed to have free and open trade and to create a global economy. It is that interconnectedness that is now dragging down the whole world because Italy and Greece can’t get their act together. And so European leaders get together to find a system that is…better.

Back to the matter of hamartiology. Because of sin, nothing is really getting better. In fact, as human beings, we are not even keeping up with the pace of degradation in the world. While we continue to be image-bearers of the Creator, our image is so tainted by sin, so marred by the fall, that we would be barely recognizable beside the first man who was as close to “better” as we have ever gotten as humans.

And all that to say, everything can be better than it is. The preacher who gave us the sermon that is the Book of Hebrews said to his hearers, “In your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.”

We will look at those things as we open Hebrews 6:1-12 together on Sunday. After last week’s message challenging us to be mature and to savour the deeper things of God, we have an opportunity to dig in to some real meat here. This is one of the most controversial and talked-about passages in the Bible. Come prepared to receive a solid meal. This isn’t milk.

So, read the passage. Study it out for yourself. Pray it and be prepared to share what you are learning and what God is doing in your life through this teaching series with others. (Like how I just reviewed part of last week’s message right there?)

Sunday’s worship is going to be passionate, so listen to the songs ahead of time and come ready to sing and praise our God. I’m so excited about our youth choir singing “All the Poor and Powerless” just before I get up to preach. And, this is cool, we have someone doing announcements this week who has never done it before!  

And a few other reminders:

-       You all received a letter from the elders some weeks ago about end-of-year giving. Please take some time to carefully consider your response to that and give generously and cheerfully to the work God has entrusted to us here at Harvest;

-       We will be in Clearview Township for prayer on Sunday evening at the home of the Shaws (Nottawa); join us as we continue to seek the Lord for his will in establishing a campus of Harvest Bible Chapel in the Collingwood-Wasaga Beach area;

-       Be sure to invite your friends, family, neighbours, co-workers, and even strangers that God puts in your path to our Christmas Worship on December 23 and 24. Invitation cards are available from the ushers on Sunday.

I believe God is going to move us toward better things on Sunday.

See you then,

If we can just think about Sundays for a minute, my job is to prepare that meal and serve it up to you. I guess you could say I’m the chef. My desire is to put a healthy meal on the table each week…to provide you with a feast, in fact.  I don’t want anyone to go home hungry.

The reality though is that some people come on Sunday and take a look at the meal, but don’t eat anything. Others are still quite young in the faith—baby Christians—and haven’t progressed to solid food yet. They get what they can from the messages, but most of it escapes them. They’re still drinking milk. As they grow, the hope is that they’ll progress to solid food and mature in their walk with Christ.

And that’s the reality. It is only a hope I have that everyone will get to the place of sitting at the table eating the rich meals that we find in the Bible.  Some believers never get to that place. Years after trusting Christ as their Saviour, they continue to suck on a bottle and refuse the meat and potatoes, the gravy and vegetables that are put in front of them.

That was the concern of the pastor who preached the sermon that we have called the Book of Hebrews. He challenged his people in Hebrews 5:11-14 knowing that many of them were not interested in the deeper things of God but were stalled on the elementary principles of the faith.  And he sought to warn them about the dire consequences of such a Christian life.

Like that unnamed first century pastor, I have the same concern. While I am encouraged by so many who are indeed coming to the table each week for a full meal, and feeding themselves great meals during the week, there are still some who are not eating…uh, that is, drinking anything other than milk.

If you want to get ready for Sunday’s meal, try some appetizers before you arrive.  Read and pray through Hebrews 5:11-14 and then think through this statement. Mature believers feast on the Word of God. So, take your seat at the table and dig in, savour the deep things of God, and be filled with what God has set before you, and thus able to think Christianly, grow continually, and choose righteously.

The worship songs for Sunday are here. And don’t forget about the memory project. This week’s verses are the passage I’ll be serving up. 

We will also be recognizing and welcoming some new Harvest members.  Love how God is building our church.

See you Sunday,

Todd

My good friend and brother in Christ, Joel Anderson is making the journey from Orlando, Florida with his wife, Jill, to bring God’s Word to us this Sunday. It is going to be a blessing for us to have them here.

Joel was on the pastoral team at Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows before any church plants went out. In March 2001 (the same year we planted here), Joel and Jill moved to Crystal Lake, Illinois where they planted the second of what is now more than 70 church plants in our Harvest Bible Fellowship. That church grew and flourished under his leadership.

In 2007, the decision was made to make Crystal Lake a campus of Harvest Rolling Meadows, and the Andersons moved to Orlando to join a core group there and plant again. To date, they are the only ones to plant two churches in our fellowship. That’s something!  Harvest in Orlando has grown incredibly and has a brand new facility where God’s people are growing and lifting high the name of Jesus Christ. Harvest Orlando has become a centre for church planting in that region of the U.S.

And you must know that Joel and Jill have FIVE…count ‘em…FIVE beautiful daughters who sadly, will not be joining them on this trip.

As we continue to celebrate "Ten Years of Harvest in Canada" Joel has been invited to celebrate with us and bring us a message from the Word of God. He will be preaching a message entitled, “Make Most of Him” in Revelation 1:9-20. Don’t you just appreciate messages in the Book of Revelation?!  I’m certain it will be both challenging and encouraging.

Please pray for your own response to the Word as it is preached this Sunday. Take some time to pray through the passage as we were encouraged to do in our study of Transforming Prayer, and listen to the great line up of songs Jordan has planned for us to sing together in worship. Those two things will help you get your heart prepared to be with the church on Sunday.

God has been and continues to be so gracious toward us as his people. We have received so much from his hand. Let’s continue to seek his face in passionate prayer for even more of him in our lives.

See you Sunday.

To him be glory!

Todd

A quick look at Hebrews 4:11-13 makes it clear that, “No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

That seems clear. But how does that square with the thing I’ve preached so often…Jesus has forgiven all of your sin, past, present and future. When Jesus said, “It is finished”, he meant it. The price was paid. Salvation delivered.

So, again, which is it? Judgment to come or forgiven? Free from the penalty of sin or still accountable for my sin?

It is a question that must be answered. As Christ-followers, we should care about this a lot. If there is an accounting to come, we need to know what about the nature of that accounting and the judgment we will face.

On Sunday we will be together to discern all of that as we conclude the first of four series in the Book of Hebrews. In this first section, the preacher has asked us to Listen Up to what God has had to say about Jesus being Truly Epic. This final message in the series has us thinking about the end of the age and the judgment to come. And he’s talking to believers.

I’m looking forward to being with you to look at all this. I’m preparing the message as I write this, and you can prepare for our time together by reading and praying through the passage, by listening to the worship songs we will be singing together.

Four other things:

-       The memory project continues. This week’s verse is Hebrews 4:12. It is a powerful reminder of the intense scrutiny God’s Word puts on our lives

-       Join us for our Night of Prayer at 6:30 p.m.

-       We will be having a special time of prayer over Mike Armstrong as we affirm him as a pastor; our elders will be laying hands on him during our morning worship; and

-       Sunday marks the launch of our new radio program, Time to Change. This airs Sundays at 11 a.m. on Life 100.3. It will feature various Harvest Bible Chapel teaching pastors from our Canadian churches.

-       We want you to be early for church on Sunday (and every Sunday) but not necessarily a whole hour early so remember that daylight saving time ends Saturday night and turn your clocks back.

See you Sunday,

Todd

The city of Ibadan, Nigeria the home of children of Promise Ministries orphanage has been besieged by unprecedented flood in many areas. Many lives were lost and lots of property damage. Many people including children have been displaced from their homes. In situations like this children will be the ones to feel the effect most. CHIPROM is embarking on a campaign that will bring relief to some of the children affected and their families supplying them with fresh water and food. Please join us in this effort to rescue and bring relief to those affected.

1. The testimony of our pastor who lost his oldest son in the earthquake.  To hear him share both his pain and his unwavering faith in God blessed and encouraged me.
2. The offering for the churches in Japan both at the conference and at Horem Baptist Church on Sunday.  Recall for a minute the pictures you've seen of Haiti over that past year.  Out of their poverty they gave because of their love for their brothers and sisters in Japan.
3. The fact that the pastors were there.  To say that travel in Haiti is challenging would be an understatement.  Many sacrifices were made by the pastors to be in attendance at the conference.
4. The resilience and faith of God's people.  Far from blaming God for either the ongoing challenges of being the poorest country in the western hemisphere or for the earthquake, they chose to love God, worship him and see these afflictions as an opportunity for the gospel and to bring glory to God.

• The Friendship Register Prayer Team intercedes for those who submit prayer requests on the Friendship Registers on Sunday mornings. Each team member will receive a certain number of requests each week.
• The Weekend Warriors are those who receive a special email on Fridays with an outline of the teaching, worship and children’s ministry that are planned for the coming Sunday.

Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

• Online Sunday sermons - These are now provided with audio, sermon notes and small group curriculum questions.  Along with the link under "Teaching" from the top menu bar, you can also access our online sermons from the large button on the home page.
• For Those With Ears - Our blog has now moved to this new location.  There is a link at the bottom of the page with RSS information.  We encourage you to use the comments section.  We'd love to hear your feedback.
• Church Directory - For members and regular attendees of Harvest Barrie, we have a directory available.  for the password.
  
• My Harvest - Create your profile in this section to specify the information you want to see first.  Here you can chose which ministries you want to follow and see their news and events all in one place. 
  
• iPhone App - Our iPhone app is in the process of being submitted to iTunes and will soon be available there for free.  Check out the screenshots to see everything that will be available on the app.

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?