Getting out of Debt

Last Saturday, I preached on "Eliminating My Debt. As I was researching the web for information, I found several things that were useful but I didn't include in the sermon. Take a look at these links...

Listen to Helen Nelson's testimony of how the Lord helped her out of debt: http://www.crown.org/

Also, this article gives you principles to help you out of debt:
http://www.crown.org/LIBRARY/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=382

Building Update #2

Now that the building is ours, here's what you expect over the next few weeks:

• Harvest Bible Chapel sign will be out by the street soon
• New paint colors in the foyer area and staff offices
• Staff to move their offices into the new building the first weekend of November

The Building is ours now!

Last Saturday night we needed to raise an additional $28,000 to have enough for the down-payment of $290,000 to purchase our new church building. When the offerings were totaled by the end of the service, we had raised $66,000 - more than enough for the down-payment! We are so thankful to God for His incredible love towards us.

Just today, we signed all the papers, and now the building and property are officially ours for God's glory.

What to do with Mark 16:17-18

According to Mk. 16:17-18, it says that “these signs” with accompany those who believe. What if I don’t experience those signs; what does that say about the validity of my faith?

“And these signs will accompany those who have believed; in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Though there is compelling evidence that 16:9-20 is not part of Mark’s original gospel[1] the question can be answered without discounting its veracity. Consider the following:

1. It does not necessitate that each believer (individually) must perform all these signs.

I believe that Mark is saying that these signs will accompany the believing community. These signs will be seen among Christians. That does not mean that every single church must handle snakes and drink deadly poison to be legitimate, but it does mean that God will work and has worked in this way through the believing community throughout the ages. You would be hard pressed to find many churches that have experienced snake handling and the drinking of poison, because most do not have to. Instead of looking at it as a litmus test for every single believer or every local church, it would make more sense to say that supernatural phenomena accompany the church of God universal; and when you find yourself in a situation while presenting the gospel that you need protection from snakes and poison, God can give it. Furthermore, all of these signs were experienced by the first century church and were written down (with the exception of drinking deadly poison) in Scripture.

2. Making the performance of these signs a litmus test for every single believer would contradict 1 Cor. 12:27-31.

In this passage, God is the one sovereign over the distribution of spiritual gifts which include ministries of healing, miracles, and tongue speaking. He has given them gifts according to His divine will. It is by his appointment (12:11; 12:28) which means that not everyone gets the gifts Mark 16:17-18 speaks of. And if there is any doubt about this, the apostle Paul continues in 1 Cor. 12:29-31:

“All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way.”

Paul is using a literary devise called a “rhetorical question.” It is a question that begs an obvious answer. The context in 1 Cor. 12 would urge us to give the resounding answer of “no!” No, not all have these gifts, but you can desire them and even pray for them (14:1) though God may not grant your request.

[1] Though the majority of the Greek manuscripts contain this section, the oldest and most reliable ones do not. John MacArthur, in his notes contained in his Study Bible says, “Fourth century church fathers Eusebius and Jerome noted that almost all Greek manuscripts available to them lacked vv. 9-20.”

Spiritual Gifts - Miraculous Gifts for Today?

Last Saturday PM I preached on the topic of spiritual gifts and introduced the controversial subject of the miraculous gifts (Prophecy, Healings, Tongues, Miracles). After a year and a half of study with the Elders of HBC, we have concluded that sign gifts (or miraculous gifts) have not outlived their purpose or usefulness but are intended for today. For those who understand the various positions and their names, HBC holds to an "open but cautious" position. If you would like to hear what I said, you can access the sermon via our church's website (www.harvestrockford.org).

For further study on this issue pick up the book, "Are Miraculous Gifts For Today - 4 Views," edited by Stanley N. Gundry and Wayne Grudem which is published by Zondervan. This a wonderful book that has four authors of differing views presenting their own view and critiquing the other three.

Also check out John Piper's sermon manuscript on the subject:

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1990/711_Are_Signs_and_Wonders_for_Today/

Why Life Groups, pt. 5

It kindles loving relationships
Love is a defining mark in the life of a believer. Jesus said to his disciples near the end of his life:

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you…You are my friends, if you do what I command you” (Jn. 15:12, 14).

Love has been placed within the heart of every believer (Rom. 5:5; 1Jn. 4:7) by the work of the Holy Spirit and it is to be shared with others. Life Groups give opportunity for the love of God to be manifested because the hurts, pains, fears, and needs of others only become evident in these close relationships. I have seen weeks of meals collected for the families of newborns, hundreds of dollars collected for a member in need, cars fixed, houses painted or repaired, and children of other families watched and cared for over long periods of time while the parents are away or hospitalized. These extraordinary acts of love are in addition to the weekly demonstrations of love through listening, praying, and encouraging.

Why Life Groups, pt. 4

It knits our hearts together in prayer
Prayer is the oxygen of the soul. Fellowship with other Christians takes on a deeper dimension when you pray. Prayer is intimate. It is the heart’s response to truth. If the heart has been engaged in the study of the word, it will breathe out holy yearnings for God. Our minds and hearts are stimulated by the study of God’s word, but corporate prayer knits our hearts together because we can hear the echo of our own longing for God in the prayers of others which lets us know we are not alone in this journey.

Why Life Groups, pt. 3

It stimulates dialogue over truth
When you discuss the truth in an interactive format, there is a sharpening of one another that cannot come from simply listening to truth. The process of reading the Word, thinking about its meaning, writing down your discoveries and then sharing them with others is a powerful process that the Spirit uses to change us. All of us who are a part of a Life Group know how many times God uses the insights of others to convict, encourage, and comfort us.