Meaning of Advent

“As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow” (1 Pet. 1:10-11).

These Old Testament men yearned to know something about the Messiah and the time of His coming. They yearned for the day when Israel’s glory would return like in the time of King David. Just like their ancestors in the land of Egypt, they cried out for a deliverer to come to free them from their enemies and for Him to reign in righteousness. They did not know what that would look like or what timetable God was on. They just longed for it.

You see the same spirit of anticipation and longing in the NT in the hearts of Simeon and Anna, the two elderly saints who were simply waiting, longing, praying, and fasting for the appearance of the Messiah. Simeon was promised by the Spirit that he would not see death until he had beheld the Messiah. Think of the yearning in his heart that was set ablaze by this. Anna was a woman who never left the temple but continued in serving night and day with fastings and prayers. Look at verse 38. “And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” There were many who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem, the advent of the Lord.

That is what advent means - coming. Advent means the Lord’s coming. Throughout church history, the celebration of Advent spanned the four Sundays leading up to Christmas in which we look back to the OT in order to relive the anticipation for a deliverer. Why? To stir afresh a heart of gratitude for the blessings received in Jesus. It calls to mind the longings in our heart before we were brought to Jesus to find deliverance from sin.

There is another reason to celebrate advent. We, like Israel in the OT, await the Lord’s coming. All is not right. There are many things still left undone and we await the Lord’s return to set things in order and for righteousness to reign.

Trouble with blogging

As you probably guessed by now, my plan to blog during my trip to Israel fell flat due to the outrageous prices of wireless internet even at decent hotels! I love America... Here are some pictures that I took...

What a long flight!

We are finally in Tel Aviv where we stay the night. We will try to catch up on some sleep after a 11 hour flight! Tomorrow the tour begins and we head up to Caesarea.

Questions concerning Divine Election

Are we God's possession when He elects or when we believe?

I think this issue can be pictured as a coin with two sides – one side is God’s vantage point (which He has given us a tiny glimpse of) and the other side is our vantage point. From God’s point of view from eternity past, He elects/predestines those who will be saved and from that standpoint they are His by virtue of election. From our vantage point, we don’t know who God has elected until they believe in time, and from that viewpoint, they become His possession at the moment they believe.

Here’s the tension – Election is unconditional (without reference to deeds) yet justification is conditional (you must believe!). That’s how the Bible speaks about salvation. God elects before time without reference to our deeds (Eph. 1:4; Rom. 9:10-16) and we, in time, must believe the gospel if we are to escape judgment.

Here’s the bottom line: I must affirm both but I believe that God is the initiator of salvation because of the language of Eph. 1, Rom. 9. He is decisive in the saving enterprise and we respond in time because of what He has done.

Making Room

As of October 4, Harvest Bible Chapel will officially go to two services at 9 and 11 AM. It will be an important transition for our church and one that we all want to be ready for. How do we do that?

Choose a service - Have a talk with your spouse, your Life Group, and your friends and decide which service you will attend. Do this ASAP so you can think through your Sunday AM routine.

Lock in - Try to avoid switching your attendance times from week to week, attending the first service one Sunday to attending the second service the next Sunday. Lock in to one so that you begin to connect with your church family.

Don't worry about the Children - Harvest Kids (children's ministry) will be offered both services, staffed with wonderful, loving teachers and caretakers. Our children are the most flexible with life changes so if you are settled with a change of service time and routine, so will your children. Set the standard for them and they will follow.

Arrive 10 minutes early! - Arriving on time means that you will be 10 minutes late for the service after you have found a place to park, checked in your kids, grabbed a cup of coffee, and talked to a few people. Prepare your heart to engage with God and others by arriving early.

Meet someone new each week - The reason we are going to two services is to make room for more people. All these new people are looking for Christian community and fellowship so our hearts need to be large enough to love and receive them.

Are you ready? Get set...

Sign up to pray this week at Harvest

Gearing up for two services

October 4th is going to be a cultural shift for our church. We are going to two services on that date - 9 AM and 11 AM!

God is adding to our number week by week it seems and we need to make room for the growth. Perhaps you've noticed the crowded parking lot or our expanding children's ministry. My office gets converted into a nursery every week to make room for all the babies. Even the auditorium feels full!

All of this is exciting but I know there is a temptation in our hearts to be annoyed and inconvenienced by the expansion to two services since it means that we won't be able to see everyone each week. Those of you who serve on Sunday know that it means more work and sacrifice. Yet, God has given us a mission to fulfill at Harvest Bible Chapel:

Spreading a passion for the supremacy of God and liberating a generation through the life and love of Jesus Christ.

We cannot fulfill the mission if we bar the doors, circle the wagons to protect our intimate fellowship. If we did, we would find ourselves pushing against God who "desires all to be saved and come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). If we desire to impact the city of Rockford with the gospel, we must continue to put aside our personal comforts in view of the kingdom of God and its expansion (Mt. 6:33).

This is a crucial juncture in our church. Will we complain about the inconveniences or praise God for the vibrancy He is giving our church? Will we pull back because of insecurity or step forward in love to serve those who are yearning for Christian fellowship? Will we look longingly backward or forward with eager expectation?

I say we step forward in faith! Just watch God be faithful. Just watch God do "exceedingly beyond all we could ask or think" (Eph. 3:20-21).