My vision for Biblical Worship at Harvest is to encourage, develop, and raise up true worshippers who worship the Triune God in spirit and truth within all aspects of life; that we might be a people who grow in our understanding of God and respond by making much of Him with our lives not just music....
Rob Maxey was a friend to as many people as he could meet. He was tireless in his service in God's Kingdom, relentless in his pursuit of teenagers for the sake of Jesus, and abounding in hope and joy and love that came from a heart captivated by the good news that Jesus forgives sinners and changes lives for eternity. He is and will be deeply missed. ...
So many questions, so little time! We had over 30 questions come in on Sunday morning during our services, and of course we couldn’t get to all of them from the front. But, we can provide some brief answers to the ones that didn’t get mentioned, and that’s what we are doing here. The goal is not an exhaustive answer, but helpful, direct, biblical answers. And, we provide links to reliable sources where possible because many of these questions already have good answers....
At Harvest, "walking with Christ" is the process by which you consistently grow as a disciple in community, growing in your love for Jesus and other people. Being a disciple is never a one-person show....
You were created to worship. There isn’t a single soul on this planet who isn’t wired this way. We are all worshipers. The question is simply who or what you worship. People can deny God exists all they want, but far from denying His existence, they prove his existence as they live out a life of worship. ...
"Meditation" is a popular practice for many people, yet also a confusing one for many Christians. Is it OK to meditate like other people do, seeking to cleanse or empty the mind of all distractions, worries, burdens, etc? Is meditation spoken of in the Bible similar to that, or altogether different?...
There’s no denying that we each come to the Bible with our own presuppositions, biases and assumptions, and there are a slew of contributing factors. So when you come to God’s word, your commitment must be to let the Bible say what it says and mean what it means even if it changes the way you’ve always thought about it......
Every presidential election season seems to create a feeling of "When will this be over?" by the time we are all actually voting. We've heard about candidates for years already in some cases, then we hear from their "camps" every day for months and months, then we hear from candidates themselves incessantly down the home stretch. This race feels, to me, to be more polarizing than any I've seen in my relatively brief 32 years of life......
Anniversary celebrations bring perspective and expectation. Perspective of what’s God has done and expectation about what another year of walking with the Lord will produce in our hearts, in our church, and in our community. Our third anniversary has once again prompted both. People have asked me, “three years ago, is this where you expected to be?” And it’s difficult to answer that question. ...
How could I encapsulate the top 3 lessons learned in the past 3 years at Harvest? Answer: I can’t. So, I’m ditching the idea of “top” 3 lessons, and instead want to put forward the following 3 lessons that we’ve learned at Harvest. There have just been too many lessons to count, some more significant than others. But for your consideration…...
I believe there is so much that God has in store for us, but were I to sum up all that the Lord has impressed upon my heart for this upcoming year of ministry, I could summarize the focus in two words: All in! This is our theme for the year. If we’re to be the type of church that I believe God is calling us to be, it’s going to start with each and every person committing to being “All in.” This year, we’re going to get off the fence of mediocrity. We’re going to stretch ourselves beyond our levels of comfortability. We’re going to establish a clear focus on the right priorities. And we’re going to be sold out for Jesus unreservedly. ...
As I reflect back on 3 years of ministry at Harvest, my heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness. Were I to speak of every form of thankfulness that has welled up in my heart, I would likely never stop writing. So in light of three years of ministry, I wanted to speak of my thankfulness in 3 ways......
The Trinity is one of the most complex and mysterious Christian doctrines, but there is certainly a strong Biblical basis for this concept. The foundational idea is that God is one God who eternally exists in three persons. Bruce Ware summarizes it well when he writes......
For the better part of a year, we will be studying the book of Mark together and the series title is Discipleship Defined. In light of the mission and the momentum God has been building in our church, I felt that it would be essential to define what our mission is again, which is glorifying God by making disciples. If you were to poll an assortment of Christians and ask them about discipleship, I believe......
What do we mean by "missions"? First of all, it's important to note that opinions on "missions" in the Church vary widely, which is why the elders at Doxa Church have seen fit to clarify a philosophy of missions in accordance with the Scriptures. Second of all, you'd be hard-pressed to find the word "mission" or "missions" or "missionaries" or "missional" in our t...
Keep ReadingDoxa, Today I want to give you guys an update for what the month of May is looking like for our Church. It's safe to say that we will begin May the way April has been, having Sunday Worship, Small Groups, Doxa Students, etc. online. We are hopeful that the number of people that can gather together in California will grow as the month goes on, and we can move forward with m...
Keep ReadingDoxa Church, First, in light of continuing concerns regarding COVID-19, we have decided to do church in homes at least through the end of March. We intend to send out full video services on Sunday mornings, and they will be available online via our website, App, and social media. We are also working on ways to make those videos more accessible for our people to watch on ...
Keep ReadingDoxa Church, We want to let you know how we are responding to recent news about Coronavirus in our area, and urge you to think biblically while taking every thought captive for God's glory. First, we want to acknowledge thatCOVID-19has recently reached a new phase in Placer County called "community spread," and official recommendations from the county and state have chan...
Keep ReadingDeacon Role: Why does a church appoint deacons? 1. The office of deacon is one of two offices given in the New Testament (Phil 1:1): a. Elders/pastors/overseers - oversee doctrine, discipline, and direction. Elders serve as the spiritual under-shepherds who persist in sound teaching, prayer, and shepherding (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Heb 13:17). b. Deacons - take ...
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Recommended Reading List from our Anchored Series General Theology Books Systematic Theology by John M. Frame Biblical Doctrine edited by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith by Robert Reym...
Keep Reading You were created to worship. There isn’t a single soul on this planet who isn’t wired this way. We are all worshipers. The question is simply who or what you worship. People can deny God exists all they want, but far from denying His existence, they prove his existence as they live out a life of worship. ...
Keep Reading Philippians 4:13 is so much more than a motivational line for a high school football victory. If anything, Paul's word here has just as much or more to do with God's strength in losing than it does in winning. Nor is this verse a mantra to achieving your dreams but a reminder that even when you don't, God's enough. And that's a way better promise. The apostle Paul wasn't w...
Keep Reading There’s no denying that we each come to the Bible with our own presuppositions, biases and assumptions, and there are a slew of contributing factors. So when you come to God’s word, your commitment must be to let the Bible say what it says and mean what it means even if it changes the way you’ve always thought about it......
Keep Reading Anniversary celebrations bring perspective and expectation. Perspective of what’s God has done and expectation about what another year of walking with the Lord will produce in our hearts, in our church, and in our community. Our third anniversary has once again prompted both. People have asked me, “three years ago, is this where you expected to be?” And it’s diffic...
Keep Reading I believe there is so much that God has in store for us, but were I to sum up all that the Lord has impressed upon my heart for this upcoming year of ministry, I could summarize the focus in two words: All in! This is our theme for the year. If we’re to be the type of church that I believe God is calling us to be, it’s going to start with each and every person committi...
Keep Reading As I reflect back on 3 years of ministry at Harvest, my heart is overwhelmed with thankfulness. Were I to speak of every form of thankfulness that has welled up in my heart, I would likely never stop writing. So in light of three years of ministry, I wanted to speak of my thankfulness in 3 ways......
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As we close out another fiscal year and look forward to another year of ministry, I stand amazed at all that God has accomplished through this church in just a few short years. I have always been convinced that if we go after the things on God's heart, God will take care of the things on our heart. And look what he has done: the ministries that have been built, the staff t...
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When you really read the words of Jesus, he said some outright difficult, even offensive things. Allow me to provide a few examples. "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:43-45). "D...
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Pastor Scott's New Year's Resolution for You View/Print this as a PDF here! 12 Biblical reasons to be fired up about reading your Bible regularly in 2016: 1. January: I want to revitalize my spiritual life Psalm 19:7- The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. 1 Timothy 4:8-For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it ho...
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As a kid, I grew up enjoying the fun and friendly notion of Santa. One Christmas tradition brought us annually to the mall for a night of dinner, presents, and of course holiday pictures with Santa Claus. As the oldest of four boys, I was the one trying to convince my younger brothers that Santa was not nearly as scary as he looked. On Christmas Eve, I remember getting rea...
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How should Christians respond to Halloween? Do we engage or abstain... or is there really only one answer?...
Keep Reading The Trinity is one of the most complex and mysterious Christian doctrines, but there is certainly a strong Biblical basis for this concept. The foundational idea is that God is one God who eternally exists in three persons. Bruce Ware summarizes it well when he writes......
Keep Reading For the better part of a year, we will be studying the book of Mark together and the series title is Discipleship Defined. In light of the mission and the momentum God has been building in our church, I felt that it would be essential to define what our mission is again, which is glorifying God by making disciples. If you were to poll an assortment of Christians and ask th...
Keep Reading"This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes" Psalm 118:23 In February of 2013, Harvest Bible Chapel was nothing more than a pipe dream. Jeremiah captures the calling God placed on my heart well when he wrote, "If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary wit...
Keep ReadingAs we bring our series, Rest: Summer in the Psalms, to a close this weekend, I’m reminded of so many of the truths that came out of our study. Were I to rank them all, the one that stands out most prominent to me in my life is my need to talk to myself more than I listen to myself. ...
Keep ReadingI love my small group. And I’m not just saying that because I’m the pastor and I’m supposed to say that. Sure, I have the weeks where I barely get everything together in time to have small group in the first place. But within minutes of group starting, I’m overwhelmed. Not by the stress of another activity on the schedule but by the sheer blessing of redemptive rel...
Keep ReadingIn the early church, it used to be a lot simpler. You'd meet in the temple courts for corporate worship and house to house for small groups (Acts 2:46). Two ministries done with excellence that fueled their mission-minded emphasis as they scattered into their spheres of influence to proclaim the excellencies of him who called them out of darkness and into his marvelous lig...
Keep Reading1. Get out of your comfort zone Prayer can be an awkward practice for many. Some think you have to be super spiritual to pray out loud. Others think you have to pray in King James language for God to listen. Others prefer a really quiet, somber voice. The truth is, God just wants you. All of you, with your regular voice, your normal day to day realities, and your heart to...
Keep ReadingHBC desires to be the church that God wants us to be, so much so that we took the mission of the church straight from Jesus the ultimate form of righteous plagiarism! We exist to glorify God by making disciples. To be faithful to this mission, our goal is to become both bigger and smaller. That means We're going to continue to grow, because we always want lost people to ...
Keep ReadingRead Part 1 As if 1 Peter 3:19 wasn't difficult enough to understand, Peter then follows with a somewhat confusing illustration of Noah and the flood. So why does Peter use Noah to make his point? Noah was actually a great example to use because he was a popular figure in Asia Minor. In fact, Roman emperors even had his face minted on some of their coins. Additionally, th...
Keep ReadingMartin Luther called 1 Peter 3:18-22 "a strange text and certainly a more obscure passage than any other passage in the NT." Scholars have counted over 180 different interpretations to these verses. So the question is when tough texts come, how are we to approach them properly? When tough texts call for deep study and careful intention to even the most minute details, it ...
Keep Reading1 Peter 3:15 says, "But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." This verse is the hub for almost every conversation I've ever heard on the subject of apologetics, or in other words, defending the Christian faith. The context...
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As we see our lives play out, we spend much of our time trying to make sense of what we watch unfold. But wouldn't you agree that your perspective on the interpretation of your life is limited? Despite our limited understanding, we still tend to poorly interpret our circumstances and come to believe that God is not good or that somehow God is not for us. What's happening t...
Keep ReadingWhen you look at 2 Cor 8:1-7, the word grace appears 4 times in 7 verses. Grace is so connected to the context of giving that all acts of generosity should be viewed as an extension of God's grace from you to others. Paul had spent several years organizing an offering among the Gentile churches for the poor saints in Jerusalem because the church was populated by pilgrims, ...
Keep ReadingSunday was a very special day for us in the history of our church. Perhaps the best way to describe Sunday was that it acted as a church graduation of sorts. Being a church plant, the question many people ask is when will Harvest go from a church plant to a church. I proposed that Sunday was that day because we officially became an autonomous church in every way with the i...
Keep ReadingDuring a British conference on comparative religions, experts gathered from around the world to discuss whether Christianity truly had a distinguishing feature that set itself apart from all other world religions. The debate went on for a while until C.S. Lewis heard the topic and said, "Oh, that's easy. Grace." No other world religion has a God of grace. Grace is stunning...
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