Harvest Notes

I don’t know about you, but Spring and the anticipation of Summer is always a refreshing time for me. This year, it is uniquely refreshing because of how God has been at work in my own life and the life of our church. I am truly amazed at God’s work and am waiting in eager anticipation for a new season in the life of our church. God is opening up doors for us as a body that we will prayerfully walk through together.

First, what began as an idea and a hope is now quickly moving to being a reality. Lord willing, by this time next year, we will have broken ground on our new building and begun laying the foundation for construction to begin in June 2013. The prospect of our first church building will mean new opportunities for ministry and a permanent presence in the community. It will be both a milestone in the life of our church and a powerful tool for making Christ known in NW Indiana. Be in prayer for our June 3 meeting in which the building team will report on our progress and unveil the plans for our new facility. Let us continue to follow the Lord’s leading as we move forward together in this important step.

Another door God is opening is the opportunity for cross-cultural partnership here at home. Lake County is the most diverse county in the state of Indiana and Merrillville its most diverse town. At the same time, Harvest has remained an essentially “white” church and few of us have close fellowship or even really know people of other races. In the midst of that reality, God has thrust me into a whole new set of relationships, primarily with African American Baptists in our region and in the SBC. It has been an interesting and exciting time for me as I have a new set of relationships and true friendships and opportunities to minister alongside these brothers. At the same time, God is opening up opportunities for us as a church to begin to build relationships across racial and ethnic lines and partner together in kingdom work. Over the next several months at Harvest, we will have several opportunities to worship, fellowship, and minister with brothers and sisters of other races. While this will be a new experience for most of us, let’s pray that God will help us as we purposefully and intentionally work to break down barriers and move forward together united by our common faith in Christ.

Finally, be in prayer for me as your pastor as we refocus our efforts to minister to and evangelize those around us. Ask for God to grant wisdom to myself and those who lead our church. Pray that God will raise up laborers for the harvest. Pray that God would show you how you might be used to reach others for Christ. Pray that together we would be continually be seeking how God wants to use us to make His Son known. I am praying, hoping, and expecting God to move in the hearts of people and for God to use us to bring many souls to Jesus Christ.  God is indeed at work around us. Let’s join Him in that work!

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

Fellowship. That’s the name Harvest Chose for itself eight years ago and it’s a word with a great biblical meaning and significance. The word “fellowship” defines just what a church should be and the kind of relationship we should have with one another. The greek word for “fellowship” is koinonia – translated in the New Testament as fellowship, communion, having in common, sharing, participation, and partnership. The word fellowship is used throughout the New Testament to describe our relationship with one another in the body of Christ.

We know that fellowship is important, but what is it exactly? We’ve grown past the idea that fellowship is just what we do during a church pot-luck. At the same time, fellowship is more than a camaraderie or even a warm feeling toward one another. Darrell Bock notes that fellowship underscores “the personal interactive character of relationships in the church at all levels…There is a real sense of connection to, between, and for each other.” Fellowship is vital for the body of Christ.

Fellowship has several dimensions. Fellowship involves a common sharing or partnership with one another. Fellowship occurs when life experiences are shared – when we live as a community of people who are tied together by a common bond. In the book of Acts, the first Christians quickly gained a reputation of being a definite community within the cities and societies among whom they lived. They were known for their intense love for and devotion to each other. They bore one another’s burdens and shared each other’s joys and sorrows. They shared what they had with others and met the needs of the poor among them. They encouraged one another in their spiritual walk through mutual accountability and support. They partnered together in the work of the Gospel to make Christ known where they were and to advance his kingdom around the world. Fellowship is about doing the Christian life together.

While the idea of fellowship in the church is one that is familiar to most Christians, the experience of fellowship in the church is something much more rare. Though it occurs naturally when we begin to share our lives together, it also takes effort. Fellowship is more than just coming to church and shaking hands. It means investing our lives in one another – and together for His kingdom.

At Harvest, we will do what we can do in terms of structure to encourage fellowship. That’s why we encourage every person to be part of a bible study group during our Sunday School hour and to participate in a Home Fellowship group. These are great opportunities to build and strengthen relationships within the church. But fellowship cannot be programmed. Ultimately, fellowship happens when we as Christians are willing to share our lives with each other and make an effort to do so. In Acts 2:42, the first church body “devoted themselves to fellowship.” Let us follow their example. Let us make it a real priority to “glorify God and make His Son known” in our fellowship with one another.

Harvest Family,

As we continue our prayer focus, let me encourage you to continue praying for specific people in your circles of influence for Christ. Begin praying how you can be a witness for Christ in their lives. Determine the next step you need to take to be a witness and take that step.

Also, please continue to pray for me and other leaders at Harvest. We need the wisdom, power, and encouragement that the Holy Spirit brings. Please never cease lifting us up in prayer before Him!

This week’s prayer focus is cities in North America. As you pray for cities/towns – the place where you live, the town of Merrillville, and the major North American city you have chosen – here are some specific ways you can pray:

• Pray for spiritual awakening in these areas. Pray that God would pour out his spirit so that many people will come to faith in Jesus Christ.
• Pray for church planting efforts to increase so that there are sufficient congregations to minister to and evangelize the community.
• Pray for existing ministries as they take the gospel to their community. Pray that Christians there will have the burden, opportunity, and boldness to share their faith. Pray the same for yourself and others in the Harvest family.
• Pray for Harvest as we seek to reach Merrillville and our represented communities for Christ. Pray for us as we partner together with fellow Baptists and Bible-believing Christians to reach North America with the gospel.

For more information on what our Mission Board is doing to reach North American cities with the gospel, visit http://www.namb.net/send-cities

Have a blessed week and keep praying!

– Pastor Todd

Harvest Family,

“Great things happen when God’s people pray!”  That truth has been engrained in me since I was a child and I have experienced that truth again and again. As a child, I remember my pastor emphasizing the importance of prayer as we gathered together for worship as a new church meeting in my living room. I remember joining with adults in our new church to pray for our community, for the lost, and for our missions efforts around the world. I remember rejoicing as we saw God answer those prayers and work in and through us. That early experience in my first “church plant” began a pattern I would see repeated throughout my life. Over and over again, I have seen great things happen as a result of the prayers of God’s people united around His mission.

Prayer is a vital part of our ministry at Harvest too. In the early days of Harvest, we would often hear that Harvest will be a “house of prayer.” Over the next several weeks, we will be renewing that emphasis and bringing prayer back to the forefront of our ministry. Beginning with this prayer emphasis, we will remind ourselves of the vital role prayer plays in fulfilling God’s mission. We will join together to pray that God would do a work in our circles of influence, in our church, in our nation and in our world.

Last Sunday, you received a prayer card that highlighted several areas we will emphasize in the coming weeks. For each category, there is space for you to fill in specific names so that we can not only be praying generally for God’s work, but for specific persons, ministries and people groups. In our first week, I asked you to begin to pray specifically for two people in your circles of influence to come to faith in Christ. I encourage you to continue to pray for those people every day and share with another person those names as well. Know that I am praying for each of you too – that God would continue to work in your lives and will use you to make a difference for His kingdom and in the lives of these two people. If you would like to share your names with me, I will be happy to join you in prayer specifically for them. Over the next few weeks we will add other names to the list – ministry leaders, unreached cities and people groups, so that we are praying purposely and particularly for God’s work in the world.

I hope you will join me in this call to prayer. My hope is that each of us will begin a pattern of prayer that focuses our attention on the Great Commission and expresses our desire and dependence on God to do a work in our midst. I am expecting great things as we pray and ask God to work through us to glorify God and make His Son known throughout the world to this generation.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd

I came across a statement in a book I’m reading that really resonated with me. The author states, “It’s easier to settle for average than to strive for achievement.” As I thought about that statement, I thought about how that applies to our Christian life. Are we striving for all God has for us, or are we settling for an average American Evangelical existence? 2 Peter 1:3 says that God has “called us to his own glory and excellence.” God is an excellent God and calls us to an excellent, not mediocre existence.

Often, our lives are shaped by trials, pressures, stresses, anxieties, and a feeling of being overwhelmed. Our longing is for a sense of balance and control. Our goal becomes a “normal” life that is manageable, where our needs are met and our kids are happy and healthy. If we somehow achieve that life, we are happy enough with that. If we can have a few good Christian friends, a church we enjoy, kids that are well-adjusted, a marriage that is happy, we are able to tithe and still have money left over to do the things we enjoy, we have achieved the Evangelical dream.

Folks, that’s settling. The goal of the Christian life is not to achieve an average, normal existence. God wants much more for us. In fact, he calls us to something more. In Philippians 3, Paul shares his response to this call, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” God wants to work in us and through us to live for His glory and to be used for His purposes.

As we embark on a new year, I wonder if we, like Paul, will answer the call. Will we press on toward the radical pursuit that God has for us to live the life of faith and godliness that is consistent with the gospel we believe? Let’s not settle. Let us strive for excellence in our Christian lives and live “worthy of the calling we have received.”

What will 2012 bring that will move you in the next step of this life of excellence? Have you sought the Lord to see what He has for you? Perhaps God is calling you to…

• Read the Bible through for the first time (or the first time in a long time)
• Sacrifice something in your life to increase your giving to missions in a significant way
• Finally share your faith with your unbelieving neighbor
• Go on a mission trip
• Begin to pray consistently for the unreached peoples of the world
• Give up that habitual sin
• Start leading in family devotions with your wife and kids
• Leave everything you know to become a missionary and take the gospel where it is not known
• __________ (let God fill in the blank!)

Let us seek God and ask him to show us how he wants to work in us. Let us be obedient to his guidance. Let us encourage one another along the way. Let’s make 2012 a year that we grow in our pursuit to glorify God and make His Son known throughout the world to this generation.

Blessings and Happy New Year!

– Pastor Todd

People often say that Christmas is the season of giving. Along with the celebration of the birth of Christ, the primary virtue we focus on this time of year is giving. In our cultural observance of Christmas, we have institutionalized this Christian virtue. We see this focus not only among Christians but in the culture at large. The emphasis hardly goes unnoticed. Retailers are certainly aware of the giving tradition. The commercial aspect of Christmas we all lament is only possible because people are planning to give gifts at Christmas. Charitable organizations recognize the “giving spirit” at this time of year as well. Many charity organizations make their annual appeal at Christmas-time and fund drives abound for all sorts of worthy causes from the bell-ringers at the mall, winter coats and toys for needy children, food baskets, shoeboxes, and of course, the Lottie Moon Christmas offering.

The overall result is that much money is spent on other people and a lot of money is raised for worthy causes – certainly not a bad thing. But how does all this Christmas giving tradition affect us individually? For some, they cheerfully give and enjoy this aspect of the season. Others give abundantly, but give well beyond their means and spend the rest of the year or longer paying off credit card bills for all their Christmas giving. For still others, giving is more of an obligation and they resent having to buy gifts for a long list of people and the multiple appeals to charity from all sides. Some just cry “humbug” and give as little as possible or not at all.

What should be our response as Christians? How can we take the spirit of Christmas and live out the biblical standard of giving regularly, intentionally, sacrificially, and cheerfully? How can we learn to give generously to further the ministry of our local church, to support missions efforts around the world, and meet the needs of the poor? Let me give you four practical steps we can take to move us toward a lifestyle of cheerful giving and make every season a season of giving:

1. Ask God to give you the heart of a giver (Acts 20:35; 2 Cor 9:7; 1 Chr 29:17). Ultimately, giving is a heart issue. Pray and ask God to teach you His will concerning giving and to give you His heart of generosity. God wants us to give, not from a sense of duty or obligation, but from a heart of love for Him, for His work, and for those around us. Ask God to increase your desire and capacity to give.

2. Learn to live on less than you do now (Prov 21:20; 1 Tim 6:8; Heb  13:5). The biggest source of available funds for giving is money you are spending on something else. The majority of us spend large amounts of money on things that are not needs. Some people are already living above their means, and will need to make significant adjustments to spend less than they earn. Others will want to take a close look at their spending to find ways they can spend less and free up money to give. This may include small things like cutting back on eating out, going to movies, cable and phone services, or the daily latte. God may also prompt you in big ways like downsizing your home, driving a less expensive car, or giving up a pricey vacation. The possibilities are numerous. Seek the Lord as you do this and realize that sacrificial giving, by definition, means giving up something in order to give.

3. Be intentional about giving (1 Cor 16:2; Gal 6:10; 2 Cor 9:5, 7; Prov 11:24) Don’t just give at Christmastime, give intentionally all year round. Statistics show that most people do not budget. If you don’t have a budget, start one. A budget is simply a plan of how you will spend your money before you get it. To budget for giving, you plan to give. Set aside a portion of your income specifically to give to the Lord’s work. One effective and thoroughly biblical starting point is to tithe – that is, learning to give one tenth of your income to the Lord’s work (see Prov. 3:9-10, Mal 3:8-10). Beyond supporting the local church, there are numerous other opportunities to give. Ask God to show you those needs and causes on which he would have you give and then give cheerfully, regularly and generously to those causes. If God shows you a need that needs to be met, find a tangible way to meet that need. One way to increase intentionality is to pray regularly for everything and everyone to whom you give. Whatever your income, intentionally set aside money in your regular budget for the purpose of giving.

These are just a few practical tips. There is much more to be learned from God’s word about the grace of giving. I’m thankful we have a season in which we emphasize giving outside ourselves. My prayer is that we continually strive to “excel in this act of grace” (2 Cor 8:7) as we glorify God and make His Son known.

Merry Christmas!

– Pastor Todd

As I think about our church building project and all that it entails, I am reminded of our decision to purchase a home. When Heidi and I relocated to Northwest Indiana three years ago, we made the investment of buying a house. For us, the purchase of a home was a significant piece of what it meant to accept the call to Harvest. Our decision process was prayerful and deliberate. Where we had previously rented, we chose to buy a home. This home was not a temporary place to live, but the place where we would plant our lives. We chose to buy a house in Merrillville because we were committed to living in the community where we would serve. We looked at many houses and chose a home that not only would meet the needs of our family, but that we could open to others as a place for ministry. For numerous reasons, we have found our house a worthwhile investment. There’s no place like home.
For me, the decision to build our first church building has been a similar process. The building of our church facility will be an important piece of what it means to accept our mission “to glorify God and make His Son known throughout the world to this generation.” Like the purchase of our home, this process has been prayerful and deliberate as well. First, partnering together to build, we are communicating something to each other. The church is not a building, but as we together give sacrificially to build our first facility, we are saying that we are committed to one another as a church body. We are saying that our “fellowship” is worth investing in. Likewise, we are saying to the community that we are not a temporary church experiment, but that we are here and we are here to stay. This building is an investment in the community and our ministry to those around us. We are building a ministry center; a place for ministry and a hub from which we will be sent out. By our planning of the building itself, we are saying that our fellowship at Harvest is a “partnership” in gospel ministry and fulfilling the mission God has given us. The very plans for the building are being designed not just for us, but for those who are not yet a part of us – those who do not yet know Christ. To me, it is fitting that we are describing our building campaign as “investing in the Harvest.”
In all this, I am excited about these next steps. I am ready to make this investment myself and am pleased to invite all of us to join together and give to this project willingly, freely, and sacrificially. Pray that God will lead us in this significant step. Pray with your family about how God would have you give. Pray that God will work in our midst and that we will see a great move of God as we follow his leading. Let us take this step together and discover that we truly are investing in the harvest.

This past Sunday, following an extended season of seeking the Lord, Harvest voted to take the first step toward building a church building. The decision was a milestone for our church and one that should cause us both to look back to all God has done for us and look ahead to what God will do through us! Please continue to be in prayer for your pastor and the building team as we move step by step through the planning process. We continue to seek God’s guidance through every step of the process. This is truly an exciting time in the life of our church!

In the process of our discussion and the subsequent vote, we also affirmed our original vision. Moving forward, Harvest will be a church that reaches Merrillville and NW Indiana for Christ and work to be a church where people of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds are united around a common commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ. After the business meeting, Brother Warren Haynes led us in our white-board session and got us to begin thinking how we can “practically and tangibly” reach Merrillville. Over the next few weeks, we will put some of those pieces together and begin working together to make Christ known in Merrillville. Again, join me in prayer that God would draw people to Himself as we are faithful to go out with the gospel. We expect God to do great things as we step out in obedience and faith.

Blessings,
Pastor Todd

Harvest Family,

I, for one, am excited about Harvest and what God wants to do here. Over the last several weeks, there has been a lot of discussion, anticipation, and even some excitement as we as a church have sought the Lord’s direction. Over the next few weeks, I will be laying out some plans and a vision of what I believe God is leading us to do to fulfill our purpose
Our mission has always been “To glorify God and make His Son known throughout the world to this generation” and we have a good track record of being a “missions-minded” church in our sending and support of missionaries around the world. We will continue to be a “Missions” church. What the Lord has laid on my heart is that “throughout the world” includes THIS place – the mission field God has given us here. Brothers and sisters, I believe God is telling us: Now is the time for Harvest to make Christ known in Merrillville.

This is not a new vision – but the one God has given Harvest from its inception. In the remainder of this article, I do not want to lay out plans and strategies, but lay out a prayer agenda to help us embrace and fulfill the mission God has given us.
Here are four prayer requests for us to bring before God:

Lord, give us a burden for Merrillville. We must pray that God would give us a heart to see the gospel reach the people of this community. Jesus had a burden for the city. One of the most striking pictures occurs just after his triumphal entry. Here, the Bible says that “when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it” (Luke 19:41). When you think of the lostness around you, of the need for the gospel and the fate of those without it, of the community of Merrillville where God has placed us, what thoughts and feelings come to mind? I realize that many of you do not live in Merrillville. Yet, God directed us from the beginning to target Merrillville as our primary mission field. If we are going to serve as “missionaries” to this place, we need God’s heart for the community. Would that God would give us His heart for this town! Lord, give us a burden for the lost around us – give us a burden for Merrillville!

Lord, do a work here at Harvest! We know that God is able to do great things – let us pray that He would do great things in our midst. Like Paul, let us pray that the word of God would advance and that people would respond to it in faith (2 Thess 3:1; Col 4:3). Further, we realize that beyond our human plans (Prov 16:9) we are dependent on God to see real spiritual fruit as people come to faith and maturity in Christ. Let us move ahead in full dependence on God – asking God to do something in our midst and expecting that He will!
Lord, send forth laborers into your Harvest! Before Jesus sent out the disciples on their first mission, he told them to pray for laborers. “The Harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” We must pray that God will raise up believers, both new and old, to be messengers of the gospel  – to make His Son known in Merrillville. Romans 10:13 reminds us that “whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved”, but in the next verses we are reminded that that gospel must be believed and will only be believed when it is preached by those sent out! Let us pray that God sends out laborers to reap a Harvest in this community!

Lord, Here am I, send me! When Isaiah heard the question of God, “whom shall I send?” (Isa 6:8), he responded with a prayer of willingness to be used of God as His messenger. Are we willing? Now is the time for us to step out in faith. Now is the time for us as a body to be obedient to use our gifts, financial resources, and opportunities for ministry to be God’s messengers in the mission field of Merrillville. It begins with a heart that is willing to be used of God. Are you willing to pray this prayer and then live it out? Lord, Here am I, send me!

Let us step out together, in prayerful obedience, to glorify God and Make His Son known throughout the world to this generation!

Blessings,
Pastor Todd

God had given Abraham a vision and a promise – that He would make them a great nation, give them a land, and through his seed, all the nations would be blessed. Fast-forward to Exodus, the Hebrew people were burdened with 400 years of slavery with little hope in the promise and no displays of what God could do, while the Egyptians were moving forward with no thought of the LORD at all. Through Moses, God renewed His promise to His people and gave them a vision for their future – all He asked was that they believe, step out on faith, and then see what God would do! God continued to work through His people and, 2000 years ago, brought His promise to fulfillment as He gave His Son as our redeemer.

Today, God continues to fulfill His promise – to redeem a people for Himself. He continues to fulfill His purpose – His own glory – as His people make His Son known throughout the world to each generation. And he still asks us to see with His eyes, step out in faith, and see what He will do!

We stand as one community of faith – called by God to fulfill His purposes in this place. Last Sunday, I asked you to save the date for a “dream meeting.” What is a “Dream Meeting”? The name may sound a bit cheesy, but it is not a gimmick. We will pray, bring our ideas, and be ready to share. We will seek to answer the question: If there were no obstacles, what would God want to do at Harvest? We will have a collective discussion, prayerfully guided by the Holy Spirit (think of it as a kind of a Spirit-led brainstorming session),  to help us as a church begin seeing our purpose and potential through God’s eyes – then to step out in faith and see what God will do!

The following are some stated purposes for the meeting:

1. To reaffirm our collective commitment to God’s mission and vision for Harvest. The stated purpose of our church has been “To Glorify God and Make His Son known throughout the world to this generation.” The recurring pieces of God’s vision for us have included fellowship, prayer, missions, strong biblical preaching and teaching, and a commitment to reach Merrillville and the surrounding area, in all its diversity, with the gospel.

2. To begin to catch a glimpse God’s vision for what he wants to do through Harvest in the coming years. The purpose of the meeting is NOT to set an agenda for the church, vent our personal preferences, or vote on what ministries we want to have as a church. We may indeed implement every idea or none. What we WILL do is continue to seek the Lord’s direction and depend on his power and provision. The purpose is to see beyond where we are now and beyond what we think we are capable of doing in our own strength and our own conceptions of what is possible and see that God’s purposes are bigger than we think. What might God want to do in and through us?

3. To prepare us collectively, to make a decision about building on our church property. While it seems that there is momentum building toward moving forward with a church facility, this meeting should give us a clearer picture of whether and how a building might be one tool in accomplishing our purposes.

4. To guide us in our specific plans for a church building. A church building is a tool for ministry and not the end goal. Because this is so, our collective visioning for ministry at this meeting will help us shape our plans for a facility. Namely, we hope to get an idea of what we will practically need in our first church facility so that the building is a fit tool for our ministries.

5. To help us see that a building is not the end goal. A building is a tool for doing ministry in the community. It is not the only tool or even the most important tool. The end goal is bringing glory to God as we make His Son known. I want us to leave with a picture of God’s purpose in reaching our community and joining Him in his global purpose.

As we get closer to the meeting, I will explain just what will happen and how you can prepare. For now, continue to pray that God will guide, lead, equip, and empower us to fulfill His mission. Also, be thinking and praying about how God will use YOU and your gifts in the body as we move forward together and take the gospel to our community.

Blessings,

Pastor Todd