HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Acts 5:14-16 (NLT) - Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. 15 As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. 16 Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.
There are people that leave an incredible impact on people’s lives.
Just being in their presence is uplifting, inspiring, challenging and leaves you better for having been around them.
These are people that have cast a long shadow. People just get around them and their lives are impacted and changed for the glory of God.
Peter was this type of person. He was making such an impact that people had the kind of faith that if they could just get into his shadow they would be healed.
People are hurting, confused and need healing. Many are desperate enough to just want to be near people that can refresh them and bring healing. They are desperate for a touch from God. God has called us to be the Peter’s of our day.
A shadow is an extension of a person. Many people speak of shadows as a shady thing or a spooky thing. A shadow is simply an extension of who you are.
You can’t have a shadow without light.
You can’t cast your own shadow. You have to be positioned in the light and then that light causes a silhouette.
The brighter the light the longer the shadow.
The reason that Peter was making such a difference is because he was a person who walked in the light.
1 John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 - You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Our enemy tells us the lie that he is doing his work in the shadows. This is a lie.
This is not so for the people of God. All that God is doing is out in the open. He is the God of Light.
James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
(NLT) - Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
"No shadow of turning" means that God is unchanging and consistent. The phrase emphasizes God's steadfast nature, reliability, and immutability, implying that His goodness and perfect gifts are constant and do not change.
1 John 1:5 - This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
Here is what I am saying; if you and I want to cast a long shadow then we need to walk in the light. The closer to the light the longer the shadow.
I hear many Christians who talk about wanting to make a difference. They are more worried about making a difference than they are about getting close to Jesus.
If we make walking with Jesus our priority, we will not be able to help but to make a difference and cast a long shadow.
A shadow isn’t about casting shade on others it is about becoming shade; a place of refuge for others when life is hard.
The Primary way that we cast a long shadow is by being a witness. It is our call to share the light.
Remember that light always drives out the darkness.
When we shine our light, it gives the enemy nowhere to hide.
Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
(AMP) - Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.
What we say and how we live is a powerful witness. Especially in dark places and in the dark and difficult seasons of life.
Every time that we share our testimony we overcome the enemy.
Our witness and our testimony are simple – here is what Jesus did for me.
Revelation 12:11 (AMP) - And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death.
We make defeating the devil way to complicated.
There are three simple things:
Do you know why the Psalmist says in chapter 23 that when he walks through the valley of shadow of death, he will fear no evil. – Someone needs to get this.
Remember – nothing can have a shadow without light. When you walk in the light; death is brought to life.
The light of Jesus overshadows death. – For the believer there is no fear of death because death is no longer shrouded in darkness. It is flooded with light.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 (NLT) - O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to leave you with a thought;
A testimony begins and ends with God. In a biography we are the star of the story in a testimony Jesus is the star of the story.
People need our testimony. It connects people to God. It inspires people for God.
Remember the saying – no test no testimony.
People will always connect with God when they connect with our struggle.
There is something powerful that happens when people see the realness of our walk.
Cast a long shadow. I dare you! Get close to Jesus and watch what happens. You will naturally start making a difference in people’s lives.
May we see what happened in Peter’s life happen through our own.
Remember that You are Loved,
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Ezekiel 37:1-14 - The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed, they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So, I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. 9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”
~ The Church doesn’t need bigger programs. We need the breath of God.
This is one of the messages I remember most from my Childhood. I can see my Pastor – Robert Owen standing there talking about the Valley of the Dry bones. I can still hear him today in His Welsh accent saying – Son of man can these Dry Bones live? Prophecy to the bones – Oh Dry Bones hear the word of the Lord – surly I will cause breath to come into you and you SHALL live!
This portion of scripture is a profound prophecy. It speaks of the rise of Israel as a nation coming out of captivity in Babylon. In AD 70 Israel was scattered again throughout the world and again God raised this nation back within the borders established in the Bible in 1948. This has not happened to any nation or peoples except the Jewish people and the nation state of Israel.
This prophetic vision is also a foreshadowing of the Salvation that Jesus Christ would bring to all of mankind.
Ephesians 2:4-5 - But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
The valley of dry bones is a prophecy concerning our spiritual resurrection.
It is the promise that God would breathe new life into us.
John 11:25 - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
The Dry Bones are all about hope.
Those were the bones of people who were dead. They were not sort of dead, they were not mostly dead they were dead, dead.
Hope is a powerful word. If you don’t believe it, just try to live without it.
As Christians we are hopeful and hope-filled people.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Hope of the World. – He is.
~ Hope is a very personal thing.
Each of those skeletons was a person. They had families, dreams, plans and a life. Each of them had fresh life breathed into them. – That is as personal as it gets.
I want to remind you that the spiritual things of God will have deep personal significance to each of us.
God asked Ezekiel – Can these bones live? Remember, Ezekiel said that the bones were very dry. They were long dead. Bleached white in the sun.
Being the deeply prophetic and spiritual man that he was Ezekiel said, “Lord only you know the answer to that”.
All of us at one point or another in our walk with God are going to have to answer questions that the Lord asks us.
Now, we can be religious or we can be honest.
All of us are going to face things that are deader than dead and that is when we are going to have to really deal with what we truly believe about God.
This is the entire reason Jesus waited four days to raise up Lazarus from the dead. According to Jewish law and the law of decay- he was dead enough to start decomposing. That did not stop Jesus from calling out – Lazarus come forth out of that tomb. – This is why the disciples had to be the ones to roll away the stone and not Jesus. They had to get involved in the learning.
They didn’t have enough faith to call out the dead but they did have the faith to obey a simple command.
~ The Valley of the Dry bones gives us practical instruction on dealing with the dead things in our lives.
Before God will breathe life into our situations, He must first breathe life into us.
He does that by speaking life into us. Before you and I can prophesy and speak life into people and situations God must breathe life into us.
How does He do that? By His Word. The dead things in our life have a way of taking the life out of us. We lose our enthusiasm, inspiration, and vision.
Anyone who is successful in any endeavor cannot continue effectively if they have no heart for it.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Word inspired means God Breathed. Whenever the breath of God is mentioned in the Bible life quickly follows.
It is God’s Word that literally breathes new life into us.
In Genesis God literally breathed life into mankind. He gave breath to Adam.
Genisis 2:7 - And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Man became a living being. This is more than God causing a body to have oxygen.
God literally breathed the Spirit into man. We are body, soul and spirit. We don’t simply live because we can breathe. We breath because we have life.
Acts 17:28 (AMP) - For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
In the beginning God gave us our spirit.
Remember Jesus gave this promise to His disciples.
John 20:19-23 - Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Church, we need Jesus to breathe the New Life of the Holy Spirit into us.
This is the difference maker.
Before the Power there must first be breath. To feel the breath, one must be close.
People say that the church of America is dead. I don’t believe that because the church is made of people who are alive.
What we need is the Breath of the Holy Spirit. If our nation is going to have a revival it will begin with the Breath of the Holy Spirit in the Church. In God’s people.
Jesus breathe on us!
Once God’s Word is in us, we must declare His Word into the situation.
In Matthew God told His disciples to speak to the mountain. This means that we must address the situation. We must deal with it God’s way.
Ezekiel 37:4 - Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
(NLT) - Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!
All too often we talk to ourselves. We speak to others but we don’t talk to the Lord and speak to our situation.
We talk to dead things all the time. – our job, hurtful people. – We need to speak life by declaring the Word of God.
We must prophecy or speak God’s Word over our situation.
When we are saved, we confess our sin and proclaim our belief in the resurrection.
Remember we were dead in our trespasses and in our sin.
It is Jesus’ resurrection that speaks to our resurrection Spiritually and in the future naturally.
God can literally raise us from death to Ife.
It is God’s nature to be a life giver.
Someone said that it is better to light a candle than to curse the dark.
We need to stop cursing our situation… it is already dead.
God’s Word is life and light – declare that. Speak that.
God told Ezekiel to speak to the bones.
The bones are what’s left of the situation. Bones are not nothing they are the skeleton of a body and they are the framework for a miracle.
We need to stop saying that the bones are nothing. They are substance.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
All you need is a mustard seed to have enough faith. Ezekiel had bones.
After you speak to the bones realize that there will be a season of things coming together.
Things will need to flesh out.
Ezekiel 37:7-9 (NLT) - So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
When God restores life to things we desire an immediate response.
Restoration in the Greek, carries with it the connotation of a bone being set in place and then taking time to heal.
Miracles are instantaneous. Healing many times is progressive.
Being set in place and healing many times is a process that takes time depending on the damage, the amount of deadness and the nature of the healing.
Remember that Ezekiel was watching a reverse autopsy.
New Life isn’t always pretty. If you have seen a baby born you know what I mean.
It is beautiful and messy all at the same time.
Once things come together, they still need one more thing… the breath of God.
The new bodies that Ezekiel saw were nice but they were still dead.
A lot of people celebrate when things start coming together. But… there is still no life.
Ezekiel 37:9-10 - Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
It is the breath of God that resuscitates situations and that breaths new life into us.
Nothing stands if it doesn’t have life in it…. Unless you prop it up artificially. This is what is happening in a great deal of the churches around the world. They have a form of Godliness but no power. They have a reputation of being alive but they are dead. They look life-like but there is no breath of God!
Listen a car without gas isn’t going anywhere. A church without the Spirit of God isn’t going anywhere.
Ezekiel 37:14 - I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.”
For years Israel was unsettled as a people, scattered among the nations of the world.
Today they are back in the land that Ezekiel prophesied about.
God wants to more than just settle you… He wants you to live and thrive in what He has for you.
He wants us as a nation to have His Spirit in us.
Can these bones live…Yes, they can.
Spirit of God come breath fresh on us today. Breath fresh on this church today.
May you and your family know the full, life-giving blessing of God.
Know that you are loved,
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Ezekiel 37:1-14 - The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed, they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So, I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. 9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’”
~ The Church doesn’t need bigger programs. We need the breath of God.
This is one of the messages I remember most from my Childhood. I can see my Pastor – Robert Owen standing there talking about the Valley of the Dry bones. I can still hear him today in His Welsh accent saying – Son of man can these Dry Bones live? Prophecy to the bones – Oh Dry Bones hear the word of the Lord – surly I will cause breath to come into you and you SHALL live!
This portion of scripture is a profound prophecy. It speaks of the rise of Israel as a nation coming out of captivity in Babylon. In AD 70 Israel was scattered again throughout the world and again God raised this nation back within the borders established in the Bible in 1948. This has not happened to any nation or peoples except the Jewish people and the nation state of Israel.
This prophetic vision is also a foreshadowing of the Salvation that Jesus Christ would bring to all of mankind.
Ephesians 2:4-5 - But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
The valley of dry bones is a prophecy concerning our spiritual resurrection.
It is the promise that God would breathe new life into us.
John 11:25 - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
The Dry Bones are all about hope.
Those were the bones of people who were dead. They were not sort of dead, they were not mostly dead they were dead, dead.
Hope is a powerful word. If you don’t believe it, just try to live without it.
As Christians we are hopeful and hope-filled people.
The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Hope of the World. – He is.
~ Hope is a very personal thing.
Each of those skeletons was a person. They had families, dreams, plans and a life. Each of them had fresh life breathed into them. – That is as personal as it gets.
I want to remind you that the spiritual things of God will have deep personal significance to each of us.
God asked Ezekiel – Can these bones live? Remember, Ezekiel said that the bones were very dry. They were long dead. Bleached white in the sun.
Being the deeply prophetic and spiritual man that he was Ezekiel said, “Lord only you know the answer to that”.
All of us at one point or another in our walk with God are going to have to answer questions that the Lord asks us.
Now, we can be religious or we can be honest.
All of us are going to face things that are deader than dead and that is when we are going to have to really deal with what we truly believe about God.
This is the entire reason Jesus waited four days to raise up Lazarus from the dead. According to Jewish law and the law of decay- he was dead enough to start decomposing. That did not stop Jesus from calling out – Lazarus come forth out of that tomb. – This is why the disciples had to be the ones to roll away the stone and not Jesus. They had to get involved in the learning.
They didn’t have enough faith to call out the dead but they did have the faith to obey a simple command.
~ The Valley of the Dry bones gives us practical instruction on dealing with the dead things in our lives.
Before God will breathe life into our situations, He must first breathe life into us.
He does that by speaking life into us. Before you and I can prophesy and speak life into people and situations God must breathe life into us.
How does He do that? By His Word. The dead things in our life have a way of taking the life out of us. We lose our enthusiasm, inspiration, and vision.
Anyone who is successful in any endeavor cannot continue effectively if they have no heart for it.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Word inspired means God Breathed. Whenever the breath of God is mentioned in the Bible life quickly follows.
It is God’s Word that literally breathes new life into us.
In Genesis God literally breathed life into mankind. He gave breath to Adam.
Genisis 2:7 - And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Man became a living being. This is more than God causing a body to have oxygen.
God literally breathed the Spirit into man. We are body, soul and spirit. We don’t simply live because we can breathe. We breath because we have life.
Acts 17:28 (AMP) - For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
In the beginning God gave us our spirit.
Remember Jesus gave this promise to His disciples.
John 20:19-23 - Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Church, we need Jesus to breathe the New Life of the Holy Spirit into us.
This is the difference maker.
Before the Power there must first be breath. To feel the breath, one must be close.
People say that the church of America is dead. I don’t believe that because the church is made of people who are alive.
What we need is the Breath of the Holy Spirit. If our nation is going to have a revival it will begin with the Breath of the Holy Spirit in the Church. In God’s people.
Jesus breathe on us!
Once God’s Word is in us, we must declare His Word into the situation.
In Matthew God told His disciples to speak to the mountain. This means that we must address the situation. We must deal with it God’s way.
Ezekiel 37:4 - Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
(NLT) - Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!
All too often we talk to ourselves. We speak to others but we don’t talk to the Lord and speak to our situation.
We talk to dead things all the time. – our job, hurtful people. – We need to speak life by declaring the Word of God.
We must prophecy or speak God’s Word over our situation.
When we are saved, we confess our sin and proclaim our belief in the resurrection.
Remember we were dead in our trespasses and in our sin.
It is Jesus’ resurrection that speaks to our resurrection Spiritually and in the future naturally.
God can literally raise us from death to Ife.
It is God’s nature to be a life giver.
Someone said that it is better to light a candle than to curse the dark.
We need to stop cursing our situation… it is already dead.
God’s Word is life and light – declare that. Speak that.
God told Ezekiel to speak to the bones.
The bones are what’s left of the situation. Bones are not nothing they are the skeleton of a body and they are the framework for a miracle.
We need to stop saying that the bones are nothing. They are substance.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
All you need is a mustard seed to have enough faith. Ezekiel had bones.
After you speak to the bones realize that there will be a season of things coming together.
Things will need to flesh out.
Ezekiel 37:7-9 (NLT) - So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
When God restores life to things we desire an immediate response.
Restoration in the Greek, carries with it the connotation of a bone being set in place and then taking time to heal.
Miracles are instantaneous. Healing many times is progressive.
Being set in place and healing many times is a process that takes time depending on the damage, the amount of deadness and the nature of the healing.
Remember that Ezekiel was watching a reverse autopsy.
New Life isn’t always pretty. If you have seen a baby born you know what I mean.
It is beautiful and messy all at the same time.
Once things come together, they still need one more thing… the breath of God.
The new bodies that Ezekiel saw were nice but they were still dead.
A lot of people celebrate when things start coming together. But… there is still no life.
Ezekiel 37:9-10 - Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
It is the breath of God that resuscitates situations and that breaths new life into us.
Nothing stands if it doesn’t have life in it…. Unless you prop it up artificially. This is what is happening in a great deal of the churches around the world. They have a form of Godliness but no power. They have a reputation of being alive but they are dead. They look life-like but there is no breath of God!
Listen a car without gas isn’t going anywhere. A church without the Spirit of God isn’t going anywhere.
Ezekiel 37:14 - I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.”
For years Israel was unsettled as a people, scattered among the nations of the world.
Today they are back in the land that Ezekiel prophesied about.
God wants to more than just settle you… He wants you to live and thrive in what He has for you.
He wants us as a nation to have His Spirit in us.
Can these bones live…Yes, they can.
Spirit of God come breath fresh on us today. Breath fresh on this church today.
May you and your family know the full, life-giving blessing of God.
Know that you are loved,
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
(AMP) - Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.
None of us like to wait. We are an impatient society.
We have been conditioned to want things now.
Our life will be marked by significant seasons of waiting.
We need to walk in wisdom in the wait. While we wait.
The waiting process will either become one of the most impactful times in our life or it will be one of the most frustrating times in our lives. – It can be both but it doesn’t have to be frustrating.
The first piece of Wisdom in the wait is to realize that you are waiting on the Lord.
The Psalmist says that we are to wait on the Lord. We are to wait expectantly on the Lord.
This is so important that it cannot be over emphasized.
We are not waiting on people.
We are not waiting on situations to change.
We are not waiting on the conditions to be just right.
We are waiting on the Lord.
Notice that it doesn’t say that we are waiting on God. We are waiting on the Lord.
Our Master.
We are not in control He is. We are not in charge – He is.
This changes everything about the wait.
The wait becomes less about us and what we want and how we think things should go and ALL about His way and His will, His purpose and His timing.
Wisdom gives us a much better perspective.
People are unreliable. Situations without God depend on luck.
God is completely reliable, He is good, faithful and wonderful.
When you wait on God there is an entirely different confidence about the outcome.
(AMP) - Wait for and confidently expect the Lord
When you wait on people and situations you have no idea what to expect but when we wait on the Lord, we can have confident expectation.
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
This is such good wisdom that he says it twice.
The Repetition of "wait for the Lord":
The repetition underscores the importance of this concept. It acknowledges that waiting can be difficult, but it's a necessary part of trusting God.
It takes courage to wait on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Be of good courage… The Amplified says let your heart take courage.
Courage is a choice.
Too many people wait in fearful expectation. It takes courage to expect the good in the wait.
That is what is meant by - good courage.
This isn’t a false bravado it is a choice to bravely and confidently wait on the Lord.
Courage is choosing faith over unbelief and doubt It is choosing peace over fear.
Nothing drains your strength like fear and unbelief.
Waiting means that we have positioned our self in a posture of rest.
Isaiah 40:30-31 - Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait (Trust, place their Hope) on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Waiting is a time where God is strengthening us and helping to renew us.
Needing renewed strength is not a sign of failure or weakness it is evidence that you have been running, soaring and working.
Get off your own back.
Isaiah prophesied some truth that even the young people get faint and weary. All of us get tired. The more miles that life puts on us the truer that statement is.
Waiting on God allows us to trust Him to put our Hope in Him all from a position of stopping and rest. – You cannot gain strength when you are expending strength and striving.
Courage says I trust God enough to stop while He gives me the energy to fly again.
Waiting helps us to regain and renew our strength. To build up steam.
It helps us to refresh.
The wait renews us and strengthens us.
If you go into the next season of your life without strength you will not have what you need to prosper in that season.
New seasons require renewed strength. Why? Because new seasons are new – not easy. They are exciting but require not only ability but energy. We not only need the will for a new season but the ability for the new season.
God desires us to soar. Realize that there is wisdom in the wait.
Many people never step into God’s next thing because they never stopped long enough to wait on Him while they were being renewed.
God loves you and me. He will never put us into new highs if we are not going to soar there but drop like a rock.
Remember before Elijah was sent into his next season; God fed him and allowed him to rest before he ran for days.
The waiting is not just a place of resting it is a place of renewal and re-freshing.
Waiting is where we grow in wisdom.
Psalm 25:5 - Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
Where there is a great deal of motion there is also commotion. There is confusion.
It is in the waiting that we allow God to lead us into the truth.
John 16:13 - However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
We need God to teach us His truth and we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth.
The Pause helps us to survey the landscape in order to get a fuller picture of what is happening.
To learn and to listen. You can learn a lot in a moment.
Many times, we get into trouble because we don’t wait to get the leading, guiding direction of the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 30:21 (NLT) - Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
God promises to lead us and guide us. To go before us and to speak to us.
Waiting means that we are teachable. That we are willing to learn His will, purpose and ways.
While you can learn a great deal in a moment you can learn a great deal more over time.
Real learning takes time. If we learn during our season of waiting it makes our season of doing so much easier and more productive.
Moses, Joseph, David, Daniel, Paul all had extended seasons of learning and unlearning.
There was wisdom in the wait. They were learning what they needed for their next season in the wait. Now they were not only knowledgeable but skilled and experienced.
Never underestimate the experience that you are gaining in the wait. This is called seasoned. But you are only seasoned in the season of the wait.
This is where you grow. Joseph went into his season a boy but came out a man. So did David. WE do a lot of growing – up in the wait. – this is called maturity.
View waiting as an opportunity for spiritual growth and deepening your reliance on God.
Waiting may not always be easy but it is always beneficial.
Seasons are wonderful the productive ones and the waiting ones.
Speaking of seasons. May the Lord bless you and your family this Christmas Season. May you regain the awe of knowing Jesus as a little Child.
May you have a very Merry Christmas and may the coming year be filled with His glory and blessing.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by Daniel Nebreda from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Colossians 4:5-6 - Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Let me clarify from the outset. I believe that right is right that wrong is wrong and that there is righteousness and that there is wickedness, that there is good and that there is evil.
God’s standard is the standard. He calls us to righteousness and holiness. Without holiness NO One will see the Lord.
Marriage is between one man and one woman. Any other relationship is not a marriage in any form it may try to take.
There are only two sexes – male and female. Sex and gender are the same thing.
Now with that said – the purpose of this message is out of my concern for the way that many Christians are approaching the issues in our culture and our response to people who are outside the faith. Especially those who do not believe as we do or live like we live. People who vocally and radically advocate for a way of life that is not according to the Word of God.
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside,
~ Rod Loy - Behind every issue is an individual. It’s easy to talk about problems in broad terms - conflict, policy, growth, liability, structure. But if you zoom out too far, you forget the faces. Whether it’s immigration, trafficking, a discipline issue, or tension in your team, people are always at the center. Their stories. Their pain. Their worth. Great people never lose sight of the individual. Because people matter.
At the heart of all that we do as Christians is to live out the two Great Commands that God has given to all of us.
Matthew 22:37-39 - Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Mark 16:15-16 - And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
You might recognize these as the Great Commitment and the Great Commandment. We are not only called to love God but to love people enough to share the good news of the Gospel.
People matter to God. All people. People inside the family of God and people outside the family of God. The purpose of the Great Commission is to move people from outside the family of God to the inside of the family of God.
To do that we need to walk in wisdom towards those who are outside. In the way that we see them. In the way that we speak to them. In the way that we share the Gospel and in the way that we share our lives.
To many people in Christian circles put sin into categories. – I hear people say – I know that person is sinning sexually but at least they are not gay. – I have heard people say this about those having affairs. Well – If I had a spouse like that I would cheat too.
Sin is sin. Yes, the Bible does address certain sin as an abomination. Homosexuality is one of those.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? (all of them) Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators (Sexually immoral), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
And such were some of you. BUT we were washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. – That is my testimony.
That is my testimony. Thank God people spoke into our lives in the midst of our mess.
Thank God when I made a mess out of my life there were people who were kind to me, who spoke truthfully to me about my sin but who also chose to be a friend.
While the Bible is very clear about sin. We need to be better at how we are with people not like us. People who don’t know Jesus.
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside,
We need to understand people. See their hurt and pain. Understand their need for Jesus and know how to speak into their lives.
The truth is that sometimes we don’t even treat people in our own camp very well when they present different than we like
Jesus was a friend of sinners. – adulterers, tax collectors, religious hypocrites.
We as Christians act like if we get around people who don’t know Jesus that we might get cooties.
The Bile says that Love covers a multitude of sins. How can the sins get covered if we don’t actually show love to people.
James 5:20 - let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8 - And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
I am so thankful for the Love of Jesus that allowed His Blood to cover my sins.
The Standard of right and wrong is always God’s moral standards according to the Word of God.
But we must walk in wisdom and love in order to help People come to Jesus.
Right after Paul instructs us to walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, he shows us what that looks like.
Colossians 4:6 - Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
(NLT) - Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
To many Christians have become salty in the bad way instead of adding flavor and enhancing they are mean and unkind.
Our speech is to always be with grace seasoned with salt. Salt actually causes people to want more. It adds to the flavor.
People know if you are a true friend or a fake friend.
I love the fact that God had prepared the tree that Zaccheus would climb long before he did.
Jesus going to Zaccheus house was scandalous to the religious. Zaccheus was a little big man. He had robbed and bullied many. He was insecure. He knew what he was. Yet he did all he could to see Jesus. Jesus sat and ate with him. They talked about things, laughed and had a serious conversation about his life. We know that Zaccheus made a turn around. – at the end of the story is where Jesus said- the Son of man came to seek and save that which was lost.
The lost need people who care enough to help them be found
People need to know that they have people who care and will treat them well.
We are to be kind, truthful and always treat people with dignity and honor. Even when they are unlovable. It was the kindness of Jessus that led to Zaccheus’s turn around and God’s kindness that led to ours.
Romans 2:4 (AMP) - Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]?
Jesus came to heal the sick.
Mark 2:15-17 - Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. He came to call them to turn around.
He sat with them, got to know them and ate with them. – Wow.
Jesus said it is not the healthy that need a physician.
A physician needs wisdom to diagnose, Skill to operate and a good bedside manner to set at ease and to communicate well.
How a doctor treats people personally is just as vital as how they treat them medically.
I have been in the hospital and spend time with Dr’s. I appreciate the ones with a great attitude that cares. I have met incredibly smart and capable doctors with a horrible bedside manner. I love the ones who make me feel cared for, give me assurance to calm my fears and talk to me like I matter to them.
The world is filled with hurting people. And unfortunately, we as Christians add to the pain instead of healing the hurt that sin and shame cause.
There are times that the world treats its own better than we as Christians do.
We need to be the ones that people can find hope in and then disciple them in the ways of God.
We have extremes in the church – on the left a permissiveness about sin. Accepting and giving our approval of things that are contrary to the word of God.
On the right there are those who speak of holiness but they are hateful and uncaring.
There is a better way a middle way between the two- the narrow way that is uncompromising but also loving and caring.
I am excited about the opportunities that lay before us to share the gospel.
People are open, hurting, and have questions and they are willing to engage in conversation like never before.
May we walk through the open doors that are before us. May we love people like Jesus does. May we be skilled, seasoned with salt and graceful. Most of all may we represent Christ well and with wisdom.
This November lets also be mindful of all the things that we have to be grateful for.
Remember that you are loved.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Galatians 2:11-13 (NLT) - But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
Life is filled with difficult but necessary conversations.
Awkward conversations are inevitable.
As a father and as a pastor they are a regular part of life.
From discussing bodily functions and sex with our children.
To confronting sin from the pulpit and in private during counseling.
The uneasy conversations that take place when an older saints hospital gown opens up when you are praying for them.
We have all had to bring up how to split a bill when out with family or friends at a restaurant.
There are times we need to be grace filled and full of wisdom when we are helping someone navigate a difficult situation.
Paul had to confront the hypocrisy of Peter.
The Apostles had to discuss how to handle the Christian Jews who were insistent that the newly saved Gentiles be circumcised in order to truly be followers of Christ.
We see Paul rebuke a man for sleeping with His step-mother.
We see Paul separate from Barnabas and continue his journeys with Silas because he was angry with John-Mark.
Paul was a master of the awkward conversation.
Most people avoid difficult and awkward conversations like the plague.
As Christians we are called to embrace them and bring the life and wisdom of Jesus into every situation.
Many people are afraid of them and simply do not like the feeling of uncertainty that comes with them. We know that not all conversations end well but we can do all of them well in the power of Christ.
Romans 12:18 - If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
To me this is one of the greatest verses concerning dealing with the awkward.
As much as depends on you - If I do my part then where people chose to go and what they chose to say is on them.
Moses stood before Pharaoh and told him to let God’s people go.
Esther went to the king and told him of the plan set about to kill her and all of Israel.
Ruth told her mother in-law that she was going nowhere and found a way to ask Boaz to marry her.
Paul openly opposed Peter when he was being a hypocrite and set him straight.
Jesus helped a women caught in adultery be set free when the Pharisees tried to trick him.
These are just a few.
We will have many awkward conversations with our children as they make choices.
We will have to confront those in sin or making poor decisions.
If you find yourself saying – “I wish someone would deal with that person” or – “I wish somebody would say something”- as a believer that someone is probably you.
Sometimes we are the ones who get to point out the elephant in the room while everyone else is pretending it is not there.
~ What is the most awkward or difficult situation you have ever had? How did it go and how did you do?
Mine was when a saint asked me to pray that God would take her home to be with Jesus.
Another time God had me call someone as He gave me a word of knowledge that they were about to have an affair.
The Bible is filled with wisdom, counsel and guidelines for the difficult conversation.
Ask for Wisdom
James 1:5 (NLT) - If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Always make any awkward conversation that you need to have a matter of prayer.
Even if all you can do is pause and while you take a deep breath – ask God for wisdom and for what to say and what not to say.
In any awkward conversation what is left unsaid is just as important as what is said.
There are things that God will show us NOT to say.
There are things that God will prompt us to not leave UNSAID.
The Prophet Jeremiah tried to keep quiet but the word of God was like a fire in his bones.
Be quiet when God tells you to be silent and speak up when God tells you to speak.
Bring calm to the discussion through patience.
Tone and attitude make all the difference. When things are heated, tense or awkward speak slowly, calmly and softly.
Proverbs 15:18- A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
Proverbs 15:1- A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
(AMP)- A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, but harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.
There are three key words here – Soft, gentle and thoughtful.
The other three key words are – harsh, painful and careless.
Loud is not more effective. It is abrasive.
I love this word thoughtful – think about what you are going to say and how what you are saying will be received by the one you are speaking with.
Is what you are saying TRUE, is it HELPFUL, Is it INSPIRING, Is it NECESSARY, Is it KIND?
Proverbs 15:28- The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
James 1:19 - My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
It is amazing how a little thought can go a long way. The more time you can give to thinking before you have the awkward conversation the better.
When having any conversation, it is just as important to be a good listener.
We are to seek to understand and not to just be understood.
Awkward conversations are not just about making our point but about helping people change, correct, heal and grow.
When having an awkward conversation make sure to get to the point.
Don’t beat around the bush. Don’t make small talk until you work up the courage to say what needs said.
If you need to rebuke – get to it and then teach. Don’t try to teach so you can lead up to something.
Deal with the wickedness, deal with the bad attitude or actions.
Matthew 16:22-23 (AMP) - Peter took Him aside [to speak to Him privately] and began to reprimand Him, saying, “May God forbid it! This will never happen to You.” 23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on things of God, but on things of man.”
I love this.
Peter tried to do things right. He took Jesus aside to talk to Him privately. His heart was in the right place. He loved Jesus and didn’t want to see Him die.
Jesus threw cold water all over that.
Satan was using Peter as a stumbling block. – Get behind me Satan. Wow! Awkward. Harsh – a little. Effective – Very.
Some people still actually believe that Jesus handled this conversation incorrectly.
Some awkward conversations require a direct response. Notice that Jesus explained why He said what He said. You are not setting your mind on the things of God.
I find it interesting that we are not given any more insight. Was there more conversation or was there none necessary?
He followed a principle that Jesus laid out later.
Matthew 18:15-16 (NLT) - “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses.
Too many people don’t deal with the pain other people cause them.
The goal of many awkward conversations is to win someone back. Refusing to have awkward conversations is the reason that many relationships end that don’t need too.
In any awkward conversation make sure to say what you mean and to mean what you say.
Many people count on the fact that people are indecisive and afraid to follow through.
Matthew 5:37 - But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
There are many times people ask you to do things that put you in an awkward position.
I get asked to do things all the time. I also get asked to have conversations with people that others would like to avoid.
Part of dealing with awkward things is to know the things that God is asking you to do.
If God is not asking you to do or say something then you are under no obligation to do it.
I had a lady who came to my office that sees a need for the homeless in our community. Her heart is kind but she is naïve.
What she really wants is other people to do the work.
She asked me to consider doing something. I started to say I would think about it. The truth is I knew right there that the answer was no.
All that “my thinking about it” was going to do was to delay the inevitable. She would also keep coming around for an answer… Awkward, Annoying… but fair.
I let my No be No. I gave some reasons even though I did not owe her an explanation. It did help to teach her.
Life is filled with the Awkward. Sometimes it even seems that when things can’t get any weirder the absurdly awkward gets thrown in. The great thing is that God’s Word has equipped us for such times and for us to be able to master the situation instead of the awkward mastering us.
Know that You are loved and be encouraged. God has got you.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) - A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
All of us can remember a time when someone was generous to us. It may have been a small gesture that touched your heart or a huge gesture that was life changing.
There were times when Dawn and I did not have two nickels to rub together. We vowed that when we did, we would live with an open hand and not a closed fist.
Generosity is an important part of the Christian life.
It’s interesting to me that many sermons that you hear on generosity are really geared at getting people in the church to be better at tithes and offerings. I have found these messages to be manipulative. The goal is to increase the giving to the church.
There is so much more to living generous than this. Although as a pastor I am thankful for the faithful, generous giving of tithes and offerings. I believe in tithes and offerings but to me they are such a basic part of Christian living. They are elementary teachings like baptism and receiving communion.
How we manage our money is directly linked to our discipleship.
Stewardship is more than a money thing it is a heart issue and a “first’s” issue. The Bible says that where our treasure is where our heart is.
In fact, there are more verses in the Bible regarding our resources than about Heaven and Hell combined.
Of the 38 parables Jesus told, 16 of them are about money. The Bible has fewer than 300 verses on prayer, less than 500 on faith and over 2,000 verses that deal with wealth and possessions!
The inescapable conclusion is that how we deal with finances in general, and what we give in particular, is a big deal to God. There is no way to separate faith and finances.
When Paul was instructing Timothy on how to disciple the people in his church, he included making sure that they were taught to live generously.
1 Timothy 6:17-18 (NLT)- Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
To be biblically generous is to recognize God’s generosity to us in Christ and to give extravagantly in worship to Him, relative to what one has.
The word “generous” as used in the Bible means, “To show mercy or favor, to be freely gracious.” Someone with a generous heart is “ready to give with grace and liberality,” while a stingy hearted person is often filled with revenge and a desire for payback.
To be biblically generous is to recognize God’s generosity to us in Christ and to give extravagantly in worship to Him, relative to what one has. For it is impossible to out give God.
Proverbs 19:17 (NIV) - Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.
To be kind to the poor means that we give what we have to those in need. Some people are poor and need money or food. Some people are discouraged, and we can be rich in encouragement and praise.
Some people are lonely, and we can be generous with our time and presence.
Poor simply means lack. Where people are lacking, we can be generous with what we have.
Being generous is not just an outward action, it is an inner trait.
Generosity is a heart issue.
2 Corinthians 9:7 - So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
(NLT) - You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.
I have been in church for a long time. I have seen people who love to give and help others. And I have seen people who have given in to pressure and not been happy about what they have given.
I have witnessed preachers and missionaries receive an offering that looked more like a bank hold up than it did an opportunity to help someone.
God loves a cheerful giver - that means that he desires your heart to be in it when you do it. It is a want to not a have too.
I have found that when God is leading me to give, He also gives me either the amount to give or the time amount that I have to give. – I find that there is an internal meter that separates my generosity from my resentment.
I call it the extent of my investment. Now there are some opportunities that I am stingy in my heart concerning my wallet or my time and God will prompt me beyond my comfort zone.
I have learned to know the difference between the leading of the Lord and the manipulation of people.
Mark 12:42-44 - A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
In the story of the widow’s mite, we see Jesus closely and critically watching people give their offerings. He looked beyond their visible actions and into their hearts. Having observed the widow place her meager but heartfelt offering in the treasury, Jesus made sure the disciples didn’t miss seeing the heart of the widow or the lesson that her giving provided.
Most of us would miss watching the widow. Instead, we would be watching the important looking people in the temple, the ones who made large offerings from their ample funds. We would be impressed by how much they gave. We might even suggest honoring them for their giving or naming a building after them.
But Jesus didn’t call the disciples over to see the big givers. He called them over to notice a poor widow who gave less than a penny.
Why did Jesus fix His attention on the widow? Because she gave more. “She, out of her poverty, put in all she owned,” while the rich men gave out of their surplus. The rich gave what they had left over.
God says we are to give as we purpose in our heart. That means that generosity always has purpose. Never give without a purpose.
What is it your generosity is accomplishing? What do you want it to accomplish?
Are you helping someone? Are you alleviating suffering? Are you just desiring to bring glory to God?
Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
We are to let our light shine – not to bring attention to ourselves but to draw attention to God. – Giving with a purpose. Again, the heart matters.
What I am speaking about today is a lifestyle of generosity.
A life of generosity applies to your marriage, to your family, to your friends and to those in need.
The Bible says that the generous will prosper. In what?
In everything. They will live a life of refreshing and not lack.
There is a great deal more that we will be unpacking concerning living a life of generosity. I hope this short message was an encouragement to you.
Know that you are loved and appreciated.
May God great blessings be with you and your family.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Nahum 1:7 - The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.
God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
I am convinced of the Goodness of God. There are many people who are not sure about it. There are many who question it. I do not.
Life is hard, it is difficult. It has seasons that we wish we never went through. But in all of it. In every one of them I have found that God is faithful.
The Lord is Good. He is a stronghold in the Day of Trouble and He knows those who trust in Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
(NIV) - in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
(NLT) - Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
God is faithful. He is completely trustworthy.
I have found that in all of my ways I can trust Him.
I have found that no matter how confusing life gets, no matter how painful the circumstance, no matter how hard the season – I can trust Him and He has always directed my paths.
No matter how many twists and turns that life brings He leads me where to go and straightens things out.
I have found that there are many things that I don’t understand but one thing that I can lean on is that God understands everything. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows which steps I should take, and He has never led me wrong.
He has been good to me.
Psalm 34:8 - Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
(AMP) - O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good; How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him.
This is my testimony – I have tasted God in all of life’s bitter situations, and I have found that He is Good. Whenever I have trusted in Him, I have been blessed.
I know that God is good because it is the very core of who He is.
He is good and not evil.
When Moses wanted to see and know God. Moses asked to see His glory. Then God said something that changed the entire way that Moses saw the Lord.
Exodus 33:15-19 (AMP) - And Moses said to Him, “If Your presence does not go [with me], do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we are distinguished, Your people and I, from all the [other] people on the face of the earth?” 17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have asked; for you have found favor (lovingkindness, mercy) in My sight and I have known you [personally] by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19 And God said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion (lovingkindness) on whom I will show compassion.”
I will make all my goodness pass before you. Moses wanted to see the power of God on display, instead God put His character on display. – I will proclaim my name to you.
We often think that the glory of God is who He is. The truth is God is clothed in Glory because He is good.
We can be certain of the power of God because we are certain of the goodness of God.
There will come a time when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
We will have already bowed the knee, and we will have already made Him Lord because we have known the power of His goodness, love and kindness.
I know that God is good because you can see it in all that He created.
Genesis 1:31 - Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So, the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
When you look at all that God has made in the world it leaves you in awe.
Every time I look at His creation. His design. His attention to detail. The creativity and the variety. We too look at it and say this is good.
Romans 1:20 (AMP) - For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.
God has revealed His power and who He is in all of His goodness in all that He has created.
David said that He even saw this when He looked at Himself.
Psalm 139:14 - I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
Psalm 145:9 (NLT) -The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
From the beaches and the mountains. To the fingers and toes on our children and grandchildren. To the way the human body works and the way that every system functions in the universe from the rotation of planets to the flowing of rivers and streams. God is good.
I know that God is good because I have seen His Goodness and Kindness through His people.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Ephesians 4:32 (AMP) - Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.
While there are those in the body of Christ that can be unkind and not very understanding, I choose to focus on the majority of God’s Children who have the same character that He does.
I know that God is good because I have seen His Goodness through His people.
I believe in the goodness of God’s people.
I have been the recipient of the kindness, compassion, forgiveness, generosity and encouragement of the people of God.
Whenever I have been tempted to doubt the intentions of God, He always sends somebody that reminds me that He is because of the way that they are.
In just a few days the new school year will start. We are praying for all of our students, teachers, administrators, aids, bus drivers, counselors, custodians, crossing guards, secretaries and lunchroom workers. This is going to be a fantastic year, a safe year and a productive year!
Know that you are loved,
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
Image by Germán R from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Psalm 33:12-18 - Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance. 13 The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. 14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth; 15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. 16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy,
Europeans first started settling America right here in Florida at St. Augustine in 1565 by the settlers from Spain.
The first British colonies were settled in 1607 in Virginia and in 1620 at Plymouth which became the state of Massachusetts in 1620. New York was settled in 1624, and Pennsylvania was settled in 1681.
While America is a land of great opportunity it must be remembered that this land was settled by people who came here to escape religious tyranny and to worship God in freedom.
From it’s very inception God has blessed America because our founders feared and blessed God.
Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord.
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above.
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home.
America has known that Blessing of God. I believe that this is because our founding was on the word and ways of God.
We have not been a perfect nation. We have had our problems just like every nation before us. But there has never been a nation that has prospered, had more freedom, and taken the Gospel to the entire world in all of history like America has.
America was used by God to stop the spread of the Nazis throughout Europe and the World. We have been used to help reestablish Israel as a nation.
While our Founding Fathers did not stop slavery. Their descendants fought a war to eradicate it here in America and around the world. We are not a perfect nation. We are still fighting bigotry. But we are a nation where people come from all over the world, from all nationalities and shades of skin to be free, accepted and welcomed.
We started and continue to be the melting pot of the world.
While I have Italian heritage, I am not an Italian American. I am simply an American. I am first and foremost a citizen of heaven and then a proud citizen of this country. I am the righteousness of God in Christ.
Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord. Righteousness exalts a nation.
Today we hear a lot about – “Making America Great Again”.
Dwight Eisenhour and Ronald Regan helped make a quote by Alexis de Tocqueville Popular –
~ I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers—and it was not there. . .. in her fertile fields and boundless forests—and it was not there. . .. .in her rich mines and her vast world commerce—and it was not there. . .. in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did, I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.
~ Adrian Rogers - “God has blessed America, God gave us abundance, but the abundance has turned to greed. God gave us freedom, but the freedom has turned to license. America was dedicated by its founding fathers to Almighty God. Today, America has been taken captive by the world, the flesh, and the devil.”
America’s Founders Envisioned One Nation Under God.
Here are some words from the Declaration of Independence and from those who were leaders during our nation’s early years:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
America’s Founding Fathers Said some vital things about the necessity of God and His word being the very core of who we are as a nation.
~ President #1, George Washington -You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.
~ President #2, John Adams - The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and the attributes of God. I have examined all religions, and the result is that the Bible is the best book in the world.
~ President #6, John Quincy Adams - In the chain of human events, the birthday of our nation is indissolubly linked to the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.
~ Benjamin Franklin, -As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, are the best the world ever saw or is likely to see.
~ John Adams - “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people."
~ Samuel Adams - "Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt".
It is no secret that America has in many ways turned away from God.
We see it in the way people treat one another.
We see it in what has become our priorities. Today the god of America is money and leisure.
We have become greedy. Our children have been sacrificed on the altar of convenience.
We have become lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
This is not just true of America but of any nation. The reason this seems to stand out in our nation is that our country was founded on the foundation of the word of God. When you remove the word of God our nation has a crumbling foundation.
By and large, nations receive the kind of government they deserve. What we expect out of our Constitution and government today is not something they were designed to do.
We need to understand that today the Hope we have for America is found in Jesus Christ.
Our hope is not in ourselves. It is not in our elected leaders. It is not in our military might or our economic strength.
The only Hope we have is in Jesus. We must turn back to Him.
~ Abraham Lincoln - "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right".
Someone said – If we do not remain a nation under God then we will be a nation gone under.
Righteousness is directly related to our Character. The character of a nation cannot be disconnected from the character of its citizens.
Righteousness is assuming our God-given responsibilities as a citizen of the kingdom of God, and this country.
As Christians we have a responsibility to live as both good citizens of the Kingdom of God and of our nation.
~ Someone said - Our liberty directly correlates with our character; when we lose responsibility, we lose character, and then we lose righteousness.
Without responsibility and character freedom descends into a free for all in which no one is free, and people become prisoners of fear and hopelessness.
Galatians 5:13-14 (NLT) - For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
This turning goes by one very Biblical term – Repentance.
We hear people talk about having – A love for God and Country. This is more than a concept and a good idea. It must be more than a feeling of affection for geography but for the people who reside within the boundaries of our nation.
Remember that Love covers a multitude of sins.
If our nation is to have hope, we must make sure we raise our Children for Jesus.
We must train them in the ways of God.
We must train them up to be responsible citizens of heaven and of this country.
Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
(AMP) Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
The Bible says that we are to train up a child. This is the responsibility of the parents.
Scripture is clear; we must lay the responsibility for teaching our children about God’s work in our lives at parents’ feet.
How can we expect our children to understand the Christian faith and to adopt Christian living when we are too busy fulfilling our own desires to obey what the Word of God commands?
When we relegate the training of our children to the school systems our schools stop educating and start indoctrinating.
Once our children loose site of Christians morality and responsibility the reasons and exceptionalism of our nation are forgotten.
~ Ronald Regan - “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
Psalm 78:1-4 (NLT) - O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, 2 for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past 3 stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. 4 We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.
We must teach our children the ways of God.
We must teach the hidden lessons of our past. For those who do not know what that is that is called ----History. If we do not learn from our history then we are doomed to repeat the mistakes and not learn from the lessons.
Just as God gave His law to Israel, He has commanded Christian parents in America and in every nation to make those laws know to their children:
Psalm 78:6-8 (NLT) - so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children. 7 So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.
8 Then they will not be like their ancestors— stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.
Psalm 145:4 - One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts.
We need to remind our Children and our Children’s children what God has done for us personally, in our families and in our country.
Each generation must set their own hope on God for themselves.
Each generation must decide if they want to walk in the blessing of God or if they will be stubborn or rebellious.
If you ever want to see the future of a nation look no further than the investment that parents are making in their children.
Every nation in every generation needs a fresh move of the Spirit of God.
As His people, we are called to be salt and light—to purify, heal, preserve; to illuminate, guide and expose.
I believe that the fate of America rests in the hands of the Church. God’s remnant people who dwell in the Land.
Anything less than a true move of God will fall short of what America needs.
I believe there is hope for our Nation! The answer will come through prayer, repentance, humility and a turning back to God.
2 Chronicles 7:14 - If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Remember that you are loved. Enjoy your summer! God bless America and God bless you and your family!
Pastor Marvin & Dawn.
Image by Lisa Johnson from Pixabay
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Galatians 6:2 (Amp) - Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].
A while back we were doing a study in our monthly men’s meeting, Man Up. We were talking about the characteristics of a Godly man. One of those characteristics was strength.
Most of the truly men of God, most of the truly Godly women of God are people of strength.
These are people of Godly, emotional, Spiritual and physical strength.
These people lend their strength to others when they are weak and going through difficult times.
Sometimes it is for a short period of time and there are times it is for an extended period of times.
When we are talking about strength, we are not speaking to the physical strength of being a specimen of muscles and fitness. We are talking about something much deeper. We are not talking about physical meatheads that can lift hundreds of pounds.
We are talking about all of us as believers who are strong in the Lord and in the Power of His might. Each of us - spiritual powerhouses who are normal people who know that they serve a mighty God.
All of us deal with things. Heavy things that we just don’t have the strength for at times.
Galatians tells us to bear one another’s burdens.
One version says to carry on another’s burdens. Another version says to share one another’s burdens.
Actually, we are commanded to carry one another’s burdens.
Now don’t miss what this verse is saying. It says to carry ONE ANOTHER’S burdens. This means that we help each other out. It is not a one-sided thing. It is reminding us that we help each other.
Some days I am strong and other days you are strong. Whatever day we are having if you have a burden I will help you.
All of us have needed help carrying our load in life at one point or another. The fact is that we all get tired, weary, discouraged and there are things that we just cannot deal with on our own.
Burdens by their very definition are heavy. They are weighty matters that we need help with and we can no longer do it on our own.
The truth is that even things that are not terribly heavy if they are carried over a long period of time become a burden.
Sometimes burden carrying is physical help, like caring for an aging parent.
I think of my wife and a lady in our church, Mona. Both of them recently helped care for their aging parents. They could no longer care for themselves, and they lent them their strength, love, honor and time until they walked into glory.
Just helping someone move is literally carrying a burden. A couch, a washer and a dryer are not a one-person job.
Some things are not only heavy but they are awkward. Even if something is light, if it is awkward, it is hard to handle alone.
Life brings many awkward situations, and it is good to not be alone in them.
My family has nicknamed me the “king of the awkward situation and the awkward conversation”. It is a gift that God has given me. While I can often do them alone, the weight of the situation is lifted when there is someone else to help.
My son, when he was moving, needed help with a king-size mattress that he had. Now I was a mover before I went into ministry. I love the challenges and the physicality of it all. This mattress was not only heavy it was awkward. We had three stories of steps to bring it down. Most mattresses can easily be moved with two people. This one required four. Life is like that sometimes.
~ I love the phrase that – Many hands make light work.
When we are tired and carrying a lot, we need others to help us carry the load. They need us to help them carry their load.
Part of being strong is recognizing when you need help and recognizing when others need help.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Life is rough when you are tired, and things are heavy.
Jesus is gentle and humble with us.
We have to go to Him when we realize that we are overwhelmed, tired and carrying to much.
We get to yoke up with Jesus. This means that we stop carrying things on our own. That we include Him in the process. That we realize He won’t weigh us down.
That we can exchange our weakness for His strength. Spiritually, emotionally and physically.
One of the ways that Jesus does that is by providing other people to help.
When we carry someone’s burden we become God’s strength with skin on it.
I love that Jesus invites us to learn from Him.
He is gentle, kind, it is ok to not do everything on your own, you can’t, you are not supposed to and you don’t have too.
When people carry my burdens, when I carry someone else’s burdens, when I cast my cares on the Lord because He cares for me, it becomes some of the greatest learning opportunities in life.
We learn more about Jesus, we learn more about ourselves and we learn about others, and we certainly grow spiritually and emotionally.
Even the strongest of people face battles in life.
The book of Deuteronomy talks about how one will put a thousand to flight and two ten thousand.
You would think that if one can defeat one thousand then two would defeat two thousand.
Strong people can do a great deal by themselves.
Here is a spiritual truth the more strong people that you put together you have MULTIPLIED, EXPONENTIOAL EFFECTIVENESS.
This is true of prayer; this is true in spiritual and physical battles.
In every battle we need people who have our back, to give us comradery and to boost morale. People who help us to see what we are missing and to help us up when we fall.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT) - A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
The truth is that there are times that we run out of our own strength. We come to the limits of what we can do on our own and we need the strength of others.
Someone needs to hear this – there is no such thing as a self-made man.
All of us need someone to walk with us, to just keep us company.
We all need those who can offer us wisdom and at times just listen and not speak.
There are times when we or others are emotionally drained and spiritually dry and we need encouragement. Someone to lift us up with words and prayer and to help us shoulder the load.
We have all known people like Job’s friends. These people started out good. When Job lost everything and he was scraping the boils on his body to feel better they just sat quietly with him.
Job’s wife was hurting so bad that she told Job to curse God and die.
Many criticize her, but she was in anguish. He couldn’t help her, and she didn’t have the strength to help him.
After a while these friends who were there for Job started adding to his burden. We call these types of religious people. Job’s comforters.
May we never become like that. Their limit of understanding lasted about a week.
Sometimes carrying the burdens of others means that we are committed to going the distance with them. There are some things that we may think but we never get to say because it only adds to the heaviness.
All of us look up to the strong people of the world. God commands us to – Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Do you see yourself as a strong person? In Christ we are. We can be. We get to be. That will make us a blessing to others and to one another.
Be strong for someone today. Allow someone to be strong for you. Remember – You are dearly Loved. – Pastor Marvin & Dawn
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