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3 Lessons, 3 Years

anniversaryBlog

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…

Lesson #1: God builds his church.

When reflecting on over 150 consecutive weeks we’ve been meeting to lift high the name of Jesus, preach the Word, and love people, it’s easy for me to first think about all the people who have poured countless hours into Harvest since the beginning. But in reality, what puts more awe in my heart and praise on my lips is that it is a might God who is building his church. This is happening right in front of us, constantly. God draws people to himself, changes them by his grace, gives his Spirit to abide in them every moment, and makes it desirable to sacrificially serve his people week in and week out. To him goes all the glory. Every “Thank you” we give to people for their outpouring of love is really a “Thank you God” for his grace in all our lives to be a part of a growing body of believers.

Lesson #2: Anchor yourself in the Word and never apologize for it.

We hear it all the time: “The people are so welcoming and warm, but it’s the emphasis on God’s Word that captivates me to stay and belong at Harvest!” Words like these bring tremendous encouragement to a pastor’s heart, to actually see hundreds of people “get it” about the priority of God’s Word in all we do. We’re never going to rely on gimmicks, human strategy, or marketing to keep someone at Harvest. We’re going to submit ourselves to God’s Word – in our singing, our preaching, our small groups, any study we do – all with the goal to “…present everyone mature in Christ” as Paul says in Colossians 1:28. When God tells us his Word will never fail or fall away, that means we can make it the center of all we do and be sure we’re glorifying him.

Lesson #3: God is at work EVERY Sunday

Have you ever realized the myriad of things God may be doing at any one time during a service? Breaking down pride, healing a broken heart, providing hope to the hopeless, revealing his love, making people new creatures in Christ, strengthening the weak, enlightening hearts to see and savor Jesus Christ … the list is unending. All of this has one thing as the chief aim, and it relates to our mission statement: God is bringing his name glory above all other names. And, this is because he loves us and wants us to know how incredible, powerful, and glorious he is! God works for his glory every Sunday at Harvest because it is for your greatest good.

Time does not allow me to thank all the individuals there are to thank for all that is done at Harvest. Some of you were present in October 2013 when we launched, and you remember starting the study through Ephesians. Others of you have been around a few months but are already serving Christ wholeheartedly at Harvest. I thank God for the lessons he’s teaching me personally, and us as a church. May we always agree with Psalm 115:1 - “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but tot your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”

 

*We are so excited to be celebrating 3 years together in a few weeks with our ONE big service at 10AM on Sunday, October 9th. Don’t forget to go on to the Facebook event to RSVP and invite your friends to celebrate with us at the service, which will be followed by baptisms, a free barbecue, and a carnival!