HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
It is a popular thing to say in our day that “people are good”. As a matter of fact, there is a song out right now by country singer, Luke Bryan, that is a fun song to listen to. The chorus which of course is sung over and over again says – “I believe that people are good, and most mothers qualify for sainthood”.
There is no doubt that this is a feel-good song. I believe that we should believe the best of people and expect the most from one another. I believe that we should look for the good in people instead of always trying to discover the negative.
I am thankful that we live in the age of grace and mercy where we can be forgiven of our sins and restored to a life of significance.
The truth is that the Bible shows us that, without God, there is really and truly no good person without the work of Jesus Christ. We are not to measure goodness by the standards of this world but by the standards of God’s righteousness.
One of the Devil’s biggest lies is that as long as we are “good” we are ok with God. Jeremiah 17:9-10 - “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
The Bible says that the heart is deceitful and wicked. The truth is we all know the truth about ourselves, but we can convince ourselves that we have the best intentions and that our heart is right. You have heard me say this before, but our heart is deceitful, we are the only thing in God’s creation that can lie to ourselves and we will believe it. Proverbs 20:6 - Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man? All of us want to believe the very best about who we are but the truth is not one of us is as good as we say. This is the whole reason that God had to send Jesus. It is only through Christ that there is any good in us at all.
Romans 3:10-12 (NLT) - As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
The truth is that naturally and without Christ we are generally very selfish and corrupt. The human heart cannot be made righteous on our own and we cannot be changed by ourselves. The only remedy is to experience the loving Grace of Almighty God and to be born again through faith in Christ and receive a new heart that hates evil and delights in the things of God.
There are many Christians that are struggling with areas of sin and flesh in their life and they feel that they are far from God and that if they were closer to God then they would not have these struggles. – Every human heart struggles with sin. We all miss the mark of perfection, this is why it is only through Jesus that we can be made righteous. The truth is that the devout Christian does not happily and purposefully indulge in a life of sinful behavior and attitudes. The heart of a true Christian desires to please God in every way, this is why God tells us that we are to guard our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 -Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
There is such a thing as an evil unrepentant heart. It is hard for many people to grasp the idea that there are really completely wicked and corrupt people in the world.It is important that we recognize when our hearts are turning cold to the ways of God. It is also important to recognize when we are dealing with people who may claim to love God but have completely rejected His ways.
Among the things we will study this month together we will look at the “Signs of a Wicked Heart.” Let us allow God to fully examine every area of our “heart life”. This is so important because all the issues of our life are really a “Heart Issue”. I love David’s prayer Psalm 139:23-24 (AMP) - Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me and lead me in the everlasting way.
May God bless you and your family this month as we Love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
You are dearly loved.
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Psalm 147:3 - He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
One of the things I have learned in ministry is that all of us have a past and all of us have wounds. Just because you are a Christian does not mean that you have been completely healed from the hurts inflicted by others or the self–inflicted wounds made by our sins or poor choices.
Far too often in Christianity we only deal with the spiritual issues in our lives like salvation, baptism and walking in the Spirit and we fail to address the emotional side of things. As a matter of fact, in many Christian circles talking about our emotions is portrayed as unspiritual and even un-scriptural. This is not true, Jesus came to heal, restore and renew the complete person, spirit, soul and body. Jesus came to set us free from sin, but He also came to make us whole and complete in every way. Psalm 107:20 - He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions.
The Church is not just a place to learn and it is not just a spiritual family, it is also a Holy Spirit Hospital. We are a place of healing. Many people come from broken homes; people have been wounded by parental abuse, neglect and even because of abandonment by a mother and father. Some through divorce and some parents never stepped up and were a part of the children they helped create.
Some people were bullied in school or suffered from sickness, extreme poverty or even remarkable hardships.
Others carry the shame of addiction or the results of a party lifestyle. Some have experienced rejection time and again from family, friends and even strangers.
When I worked as a foster parent at Real Life Children’s Ranch one of the things I learned from these abused, neglected and troubled children is that salvation doesn’t wash away all the pain and rejection. If it is not healed, we watched as these children have carried their woundedness into adulthood. They have developed habits and ways of dealing with their hurts, but they are not healthy, whole and free. The truth is, all of us, in one way or another, have carried some of our hurts well into adulthood.
All of us have emotions. They are a part of the intricate way in which God made us. Emotions are not a bad thing; they are necessary, and they can be healthy. We must learn to manage our emotions, or our emotions will manage us. One of the goals of every believer should be emotional stability. We are not called to be emotion-less, that is just as unhealthy. A Christian is to live by wisdom not by our gut, our instincts or ruled by our emotions.
Proverbs 3:21-26 - My son, let them not depart from your eyes—Keep sound wisdom and discretion;So, they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
The truth is that some people feel things more deeply than others and some are freer with expressing their feelings than others. We must not confuse personality with woundedness. Some people never cry, and some are just weepers. Some people feel strongly about things and will intently express it, others do not know how to control their anger.
Feelings are God’s idea. Someone once said to me – “if I could not feel, life would be so much better”. I understand that but think of all the good and enjoyment you would be missed. Feelings help us to function; they help us to love, enjoy, to be aware, to care, to be sensitive.
Hurt is designed to keep you away from the blessing of God for your life. Hurt keeps you where you are when you were hurt and keeps you from moving forward. The truth is many who were abused or wounded in their childhood stay at the age they were wounded at unless they are healed emotionally and grow in maturity. Precious brother and sister, you are loved by a God who desires to heal the deepest wounds that people and that life have inflicted on you. Even if you did things by your own poor choices, we have a God who restores and forgives. This month I am expecting God to do a powerful work in all our lives. Healing, completeness and new life patterns that bring peace through wisdom are ours in Jesus’ Name.
Thank you for joining in our month of Prayer. Prayer is the engine of our church. It is through prayer that lives will be changed, and miracles will abound.
You are Loved.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Psalm 25:12-14 - Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.
The Bible is a book of covenants. Understanding the Bible and all we have as Christians concerning God’s love, forgiveness and promises requires us to have an understanding of covenant agreements.
Covenant is so crucial in Christianity that it affects everybody and everything we hold true about our faith and future. You would have never been saved without covenant. Similarly, you have no claims to blessings without covenant. You would still be dead in your sin, and bound by Satan had it not been for covenant.
The notion of a covenant is unfamiliar today. As a matter of fact, when you bring up the word covenant most people do not realize that their Bible is actually divided into two Covenants. The word “Testament” is another word used for Covenant. The Bible is divided into the Old and New Covenant; actually so is all of history. This is why we have B.C. and A.D. All of world history spiritually is literally divided between life before Christ and life after Christ made a New Covenant Possible with God through His death and resurrection. A Covenant – is an agreement or a pledge between two or more parties, like a contract. It is a formal and legal agreement that effectively binds or joins people together. It contains the terms or duties that each party must perform to fulfill the agreement. A covenant can never be forced or coerced, it is entered into voluntarily. It is a mutual relationship.
Covenant is a special spiritual agreement in a class of itself with physical and spiritual implications. This means that keeping it will bring incredible blessing and breaking it will bring deep consequences.
Covenant is God’s natural initiative and response to human wellbeing, needs, problems, and predicaments. It is based solely on God’s love but according to His grace and wisdom, and includes His mercies, compassion, favor, blessings and justice.
The ultimate example of covenant relationship is that of Christian marriage. Ephesians 5:30-32 - For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Make no mistake, Christian marriage is never a CONTRACT, it is more than that. It is a covenant. Obviously many now enter into marriage as a contract because they want so-called security upon divorce so that they can share properties.
– As a Covenant, true Christian marriage is founded on a solid foundation of a lifetime commitment to begin with. And that’s why God categorically states, “I hate divorce”. Divorce means that somebody lied and could not be trusted. Covenant is made now and is not only a promise to do something now but to keep doing it in the future. It is not kept based on emotion, but on our word and our commitment. There is a reason that both the Old and New Covenant are known as the Word of God.
Luke 21:33- Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Something powerful happens in the lives of believers who know their covenant. They stop wishing and start hoping, they come to God boldly, and they walk by faith trusting God because they know that they are loved. They stop living powerlessly enslaved to sinful habits but are free from the vices that squeeze the life out of others. They know that they are loved and they know who they are because it is all clearly spelled out.
The New Covenant is the source of unshakable faith. It is through the covenant that we know God will fulfill His promises. So if we are unaware of our covenant we have no real understanding that enables us to walk in faith and by faith. As Christians we are able to walk by faith because we have a Savior who became the mediator of a better covenant between us and God.
I look forward to what God is doing in all of our lives. We are in a special season here at HCC. Let’s continue to press forward as we receive all that God has for us.
You are Loved!
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
James 4:8a - Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
John 15:4a - Abide in Me, and I in you.
As a pastor, I have grown concerned over the casualness with how we treat God. I am not talking about dressing down when we come to church. I am speaking of the same casualness that treats most relationships as disposable, take it or leave it. It is the way many people are now treating their spouses. The way we look at our phones and social media when we are actually sitting at a table or the same room with people that are actually there. By casual I mean we treat nothing as truly special. We walk through nice carpet without taking our shoes off, and walk over people or talk over people that really just want a little bit of face time and attention.
Intimacy is what we call the experience of really knowing and being known by another person.
At Harvest our Mission statement is “To know God and Make Him Known”. It is vital that we truly know God before we can introduce Him to others. There is a huge difference when I am introducing my children or my wife to people or a good friend than when I am trying to introduce someone I just met, barely know or just learned their name.
When we hear the word intimacy in our sin saturated culture all we think of is romance or sex. This is the shallow end of the pool and in truth has very little to do with true intimacy unless it involves a husband and wife. Intimacy is: closeness, it involves really knowing someone, familiarity, kindness, openness, transparency, attachment, warmth, togetherness, tenderness, respect and real communication, with or without words.
We frequently use spatial language when describing this experience. An intimate friend is someone we feel very close to; they know us at a deep level. If something happens that damages the intimacy with our friend, they feel distant from us. Or a person who doesn’t know us intimately knows us at a superficial level. True intimacy is not spatial but relational. We all know what it’s like to be sitting right next to a person with whom we feel distant and we can feel close to a person who is four thousand miles away.
When God invites us to draw near to Him it has nothing to do with actual distance and everything to do with relationship. Psalm 73:28 - But it is good for me to draw near to God. We have been asking ourselves many questions over the past few months. I want to ask you another one. Would you consider yourself to be intimate with God? A few weeks back I felt the Lord whisper in my spirit one word INTIMACY. God said, "Marvin, I want to be close to you and I want to be close to my people. Many are coming to Me, they are going to church, some are praying but they are rushing out of my presence. Tell them I long for intimacy. I know them, what I desire is for them to know Me. I want to answer their prayers but I want to spend time with them". Hebrews 11:5 (Amp) - By faith [that pleased God] Enoch was caught up and taken to heaven so that he would not have a glimpse of death; and he was not found because God had taken him; for even before he was taken [to heaven], he received the testimony [still on record] that he had walked with God and pleased Him.
All true faith is born out of intimacy with Christ. It is impossible to have faith that pleases God without intimacy with Him. Intimacy is a closeness that comes with a yearning for Him, a desire to walk and talk with Him. According to scripture it was Enoch’s intimacy that pleased God. Enoch is never mentioned doing one miracle; He never built an ark like His grandson Noah, who also had a testimony of walking with God.
When someone walks with you and is intimately involved, together you begin to think the same, you have a heart and a passion for the same things. You each maintain your individuality, but you also become like each other. Intimacy will make you like minded and like hearted. This is why we have the mind of Christ. To have someone’s mind is to know what they know and to know what they think.
Intimacy leads to fruitfulness John 15:5 - “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If we abide in Him we will bear fruit because without Him we are not capable of truly being fruitful by ourselves. Without God you can be creative and you can even be successful in the eyes of the world. But without a close walk with God there is no true fruitfulness.
I believe God is calling all of us to a deeper more meaningful, personal walk with Him. Let’s do that individually and as a church.
Remember you are loved.
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
The word RESET means – to set again, or to begin anew. Think of all the things that come with a reset button. Our phones come with the ability to return them to factory settings. - Our homes have electrical breakers that allow us to reestablish the flow of current when they have been tripped. – God has designed our bodies so that when we break a bone they are able to be reset and heal and become strong again. God gave our children a reset button that helps the parents adjust an attitude problem; it is located on the Gluteus Maximus and is activated when the hand of reason is firmly applied to the seat of knowledge.
A reset is needed when things are not functioning they way they were designed or intended to function. A reset is a lot like a “do over”. It allows us to get back on track and to begin again in a new and fresh way.
Salvation is God’s ultimate reset button.
2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Without Christ we were lost, sinful, dirty and completely on the wrong road of life. Without Christ we were dead in our sins and we were enemies of God. Salvation set’s us free from the curse of sin and death. Salvation resets our relationship with God the Father. Once we could not call ourselves clean, but through the blood of Jesus Christ we are not only clean but righteous. You, as a Christian, are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21 - For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Sometimes we need to hit the reset button by un-cluttering our lives. Most people live cluttered lives. Their daily schedule is as full as the closets in their house; filled with all kind of things but very little of it used. When Jesus called the disciples He told them that they were to travel light. Luke 9:1-3 (NLT) - One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Jesus was reminding them of the power and necessity of a simple life. Many of us look forward to a time of spring cleaning in our homes. It freshens things up. Sometimes our homes don’t need a spring cleaning, they need a time of de-cluttering. A few months ago as we were praying God started telling many of us that He wanted to do a new thing in our church. He showed us that in order to do that we needed to simplify our ministries and our schedules and we needed to physically de-clutter our church facilities. We went on a massive cleaning binge and literally hauled away over a ton (that is over 2,000 lbs!) of unused things that we had been storing for years. We needed to unpack the worthless unused things that were cluttering our space and slowing us down.
What emotional baggage are you caring that is hindering you from walking in God’s fullness for your life?
What unrealistic expectations are you holding onto that Christ never put on you that cause you to be emotionally bogged down?
Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) - Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
~ Someone said that– Expectations are premeditated resentment.
Many people are trying to run their race weighed down by anger and resentment that was brought on by unmet expectations that you decided, if they were not met, you were going to be unsatisfied. Listen, it is time to un-clutter. Un- Cluttering means simplifying. There are many of us that have no room in our schedules for God to do anything.
In order to reset, we need to make sure to honor the Sabbath. There is a lot to teach about the Sabbath but for the idea of resetting we need to grasp hold of our need for another R-word - REST. A Sabbath day was to be set apart not only for worship but for rest. Holy means to be set apart. Jesus said honor the Sabbath Day and keep it HOLY. Rest is a Holy thing. For some of us this is a word of God for you. It is time to hit the reset button on your rest schedule.
This summer we are allowing God to “RESET” areas of our lives and our church. Take some time to rest and be renewed.
You are loved,
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
In our year of Faith and Fruitfulness I am looking forward to sharing with you this month a sermon series entitled “Seed Secrets”.
Living the fruitful life that we have been promised and that God expects comes as we understand the one underlying principle that God has established; Seedtime and Harvest. Once you grasp this vital but simple principle you will begin to see your life change for the glory of God. A real harvest must be purposefully planted and carefully cultivated. The only things that grow by accident are weeds and wild things that produce fruit but not enough to actually sustain you for long periods of time. Genesis 8:22- “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
The Law of Sowing and Reaping is found throughout the scriptures. Understanding sowing and reaping and seedtime and harvest help us to understand God and His ways.
Galatians 6:7-9- Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
The laws that apply to actual farming and crop production are the same principles we can apply to every area of our lives. It is that simple. God has given us Spiritual laws that function like His natural laws, like the law of Gravity. They are beneficial and productive if we apply them to our life. They will affect our salvation, our marriage, our finances, our relationships, everything.
The good news is that there is no area of our life that has to be left to chance. The outcome is determined by our input. The correct seed produces good things, the quality is never in question if we do things God’s way.
Throughout the Bible things are likened to the development of a seed. The word of God is designated as a seed-
Luke 8:11- “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
The Word of God is the seed that we need. In 2 Peter we are told that God has given us all things that pertain to life and to Godliness. The Word of God contains everything that we need to live the abundant Spiritual and natural life He has for us. While God has given us everything we need, we must remember that it does not come full grown it comes in seed form. God gives us His word, our job is to apply it to our life and then leave the amount of the harvest to Him.
Our faith is likened to a seed. Matthew 17: 20 (Amp) - He answered, “Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and [if it is God’s will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Remember a little faith is the source of great things. People are always concerned about applying the Word of God to their life until they know all there is to know. The Word you know is the seed that you sow. A little word goes along way. If you sow nothing you have nothing. Apply what you know and continue to sow as your understanding grows.
One of Satan’s primary ways of ruining our harvest is to deceive us about seedtime and harvest and about sowing and reaping.
When the Bible speaks about sowing and reaping it says “Do not be deceived”. Satan tries tells us that we can do whatever we want and it really will not make a difference. This goes against the entire idea of seed. You cannot plant an apple tree hoping to get a tomato. You cannot go against God’s ways and expect good fruit. The Bible reminds us that good trees bring forth good fruit and bad trees bring forth bad fruit. Satan mocks and scoffs at God’s ways all the time but that does not mean that God can be mocked. He always gets the last laugh when things function as He created them to work. The world scoffs and mocks at absolutes but seed always produces what it is. Remember- the Word is truth.
~ Somebody once said – “as you sow so shall you reap unless of course you are an amateur gardener”.
If the average farmer knew no more about the principles of farming than the average Christian does about producing a Spiritual harvest, he would never make it through the winter.
Our goal this year is to grow in our fruitfulness in every area of life; the principles of seedtime and harvest make that possible.
I look forward to what God is going to produce in our lives as we apply His Word (Seed) to our lives.
You are loved
Pastor Marvin & Dawn
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Easter is a time of celebration. It is interesting to me how many people honor the Resurrection like it was a funeral. Let me tell you something, Jesus put the fun in funeral because He overcame death, He overcame sin, and He overcame Hell. He did die on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins but three days later He rose from the dead.
Jesus died and He lived to tell about it! That is why we are able to rejoice.
Jesus has many names: Savior, Messiah, Redeemer, Healer, Comforter, Provider, Salvation, Deliverer, Way Maker. God is the Alpha the Omega, Creator. Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.
In all my years as a Christian and in all my years of listening to sermons, I have never once heard a message on the name Wonderful. Wonderful is not just a description of what He is and what He does - His name is Wonderful.
Wonderful means – Inspiring, delightful, magnificent, superb, awesome, astonishing (it takes your breath away because what you are seeing is so worth admiring.) Wonderful is extremely good. Wonderful is something transcendent and beyond the common; something that is miles beyond the ordinary. It means something altogether unlike anything else.
When you look at the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls or El Capitan in Yellowstone National park you know you are seeing something wonderful. When you read about how David killed Goliath, when Peter walked on water or Moses parted the Red Sea so Israel could cross over; you are learning about something simply magnificent. There are moments in the life of every Christian's walk when you press in and get to know Him that you realize how extraordinary our God is.
This Resurrection Sunday I pray that all of us have the life changing revelation of the love of God. The love of God is so accepting, so selfless, so complete so all encompassing that it transforms all who are the object of His affection. The love of a spouse or the love of a child will fill you with joy but it can never make you whole, it can never make you complete. The love of God makes us perfect, healed, and whole. Paul prayed for the saints to realize the enormity of God’s love for them. Ephesians 3:17-19 - that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
If you want to see the wonder of God sit by the side of a lake and listen to the gentle lapping of water on the shore or stand by the ocean and hear the roar of the waves. Stand in a field of wheat and feel the breeze as the wind cools you down in the evening or you can observe the amazing power of a tornado. He is wonderful. 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.
If you want to know how wonderful God is just look at His creation. All of us have stood at the ocean’s edge or up at a mountain top in awe or the beauty of the Lord
Because He is Wonderful You are Wonderful. The truth is that you can look at some people and they do indeed make you wonder. Understand you are not a mistake. You were never an accident. Oh you may have been unplanned by your parents but you were designed by God.
Psalm 139:13-14- For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
Somebody needs to hear this today. You are purposefully and wonderfully made. You are God’s creation. You are unique. You are not a unique freak. You are beautiful in the sight of God. He formed you, made you, created you and you are marvelous. David said and that my soul knows very well. You are marvelously you. Do you know how marvelous and how wonderful you are? I believe one of the ways that God’s resurrection power works in our lives is to cause us to realize that we are wonderfully made. That is not pride, it is simply a recognition that you are God’s handy work. You are a wonder as certainly as any of God’s other creations. God made you so that when others see you they know that there is a God. Think about that.
He is Wonderful!
May the Lord bless you and your family this Resurrection season,
Pastor Marvin & Dawn-
Christ the Lord is Risen!
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Easter is a time of celebration. It is interesting to me how many people honor the Resurrection like it was a funeral. Let me tell you something, Jesus put the fun in funeral because He overcame death, He overcame sin, and He overcame Hell. He did die on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins but three days later He rose from the dead.
Jesus died and He lived to tell about it! That is why we are able to rejoice.
Jesus has many names: Savior, Messiah, Redeemer, Healer, Comforter, Provider, Salvation, Deliverer, Way Maker. God is the Alpha the Omega, Creator. Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.
In all my years as a Christian and in all my years of listening to sermons, I have never once heard a message on the name Wonderful. Wonderful is not just a description of what He is and what He does - His name is Wonderful.
Wonderful means – Inspiring, delightful, magnificent, superb, awesome, astonishing (it takes your breath away because what you are seeing is so worth admiring.) Wonderful is extremely good. Wonderful is something transcendent and beyond the common; something that is miles beyond the ordinary. It means something altogether unlike anything else.
When you look at the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls or El Capitan in Yellowstone National park you know you are seeing something wonderful. When you read about how David killed Goliath, when Peter walked on water or Moses parted the Red Sea so Israel could cross over; you are learning about something simply magnificent. There are moments in the life of every Christian's walk when you press in and get to know Him that you realize how extraordinary our God is.
This Resurrection Sunday I pray that all of us have the life changing revelation of the love of God. The love of God is so accepting, so selfless, so complete so all encompassing that it transforms all who are the object of His affection. The love of a spouse or the love of a child will fill you with joy but it can never make you whole, it can never make you complete. The love of God makes us perfect, healed, and whole. Paul prayed for the saints to realize the enormity of God’s love for them. Ephesians 3:17-19 - that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
If you want to see the wonder of God sit by the side of a lake and listen to the gentle lapping of water on the shore or stand by the ocean and hear the roar of the waves. Stand in a field of wheat and feel the breeze as the wind cools you down in the evening or you can observe the amazing power of a tornado. He is wonderful. 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.
If you want to know how wonderful God is just look at His creation. All of us have stood at the ocean’s edge or up at a mountain top in awe or the beauty of the Lord
Because He is Wonderful You are Wonderful. The truth is that you can look at some people and they do indeed make you wonder. Understand you are not a mistake. You were never an accident. Oh you may have been unplanned by your parents but you were designed by God.
Psalm 139:13-14- For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
Somebody needs to hear this today. You are purposefully and wonderfully made. You are God’s creation. You are unique. You are not a unique freak. You are beautiful in the sight of God. He formed you, made you, created you and you are marvelous. David said and that my soul knows very well. You are marvelously you. Do you know how marvelous and how wonderful you are? I believe one of the ways that God’s resurrection power works in our lives is to cause us to realize that we are wonderfully made. That is not pride, it is simply a recognition that you are God’s handy work. You are a wonder as certainly as any of God’s other creations. God made you so that when others see you they know that there is a God. Think about that.
He is Wonderful!
May the Lord bless you and your family this Resurrection season,
Pastor Marvin & Dawn-
Christ the Lord is Risen!
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
Easter is a time of celebration. It is interesting to me how many people honor the Resurrection like it was a funeral. Let me tell you something, Jesus put the fun in funeral because He overcame death, He overcame sin, and He overcame Hell. He did die on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins but three days later He rose from the dead.
Jesus died and He lived to tell about it! That is why we are able to rejoice.
Jesus has many names: Savior, Messiah, Redeemer, Healer, Comforter, Provider, Salvation, Deliverer, Way Maker. God is the Alpha the Omega, Creator. Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.
In all my years as a Christian and in all my years of listening to sermons, I have never once heard a message on the name Wonderful. Wonderful is not just a description of what He is and what He does - His name is Wonderful.
Wonderful means – Inspiring, delightful, magnificent, superb, awesome, astonishing (it takes your breath away because what you are seeing is so worth admiring.) Wonderful is extremely good. Wonderful is something transcendent and beyond the common; something that is miles beyond the ordinary. It means something altogether unlike anything else.
When you look at the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls or El Capitan in Yellowstone National park you know you are seeing something wonderful. When you read about how David killed Goliath, when Peter walked on water or Moses parted the Red Sea so Israel could cross over; you are learning about something simply magnificent. There are moments in the life of every Christian's walk when you press in and get to know Him that you realize how extraordinary our God is.
This Resurrection Sunday I pray that all of us have the life changing revelation of the love of God. The love of God is so accepting, so selfless, so complete so all encompassing that it transforms all who are the object of His affection. The love of a spouse or the love of a child will fill you with joy but it can never make you whole, it can never make you complete. The love of God makes us perfect, healed, and whole. Paul prayed for the saints to realize the enormity of God’s love for them. Ephesians 3:17-19 - that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
If you want to see the wonder of God sit by the side of a lake and listen to the gentle lapping of water on the shore or stand by the ocean and hear the roar of the waves. Stand in a field of wheat and feel the breeze as the wind cools you down in the evening or you can observe the amazing power of a tornado. He is wonderful. 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.
If you want to know how wonderful God is just look at His creation. All of us have stood at the ocean’s edge or up at a mountain top in awe or the beauty of the Lord
Because He is Wonderful You are Wonderful. The truth is that you can look at some people and they do indeed make you wonder. Understand you are not a mistake. You were never an accident. Oh you may have been unplanned by your parents but you were designed by God.
Psalm 139:13-14- For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
Somebody needs to hear this today. You are purposefully and wonderfully made. You are God’s creation. You are unique. You are not a unique freak. You are beautiful in the sight of God. He formed you, made you, created you and you are marvelous. David said and that my soul knows very well. You are marvelously you. Do you know how marvelous and how wonderful you are? I believe one of the ways that God’s resurrection power works in our lives is to cause us to realize that we are wonderfully made. That is not pride, it is simply a recognition that you are God’s handy work. You are a wonder as certainly as any of God’s other creations. God made you so that when others see you they know that there is a God. Think about that.
He is Wonderful!
May the Lord bless you and your family this Resurrection season,
Pastor Marvin & Dawn-
Christ the Lord is Risen!
HCC Monthly Harvest Seed
In our year of Faith and Fruitfulness I am looking forward to sharing with you this month a sermon series entitled “Seed Secrets”.
Living the fruitful life that we have been promised and that God expects comes as we understand the one underlying principle that God has established; Seedtime and Harvest. Once you grasp this vital but simple principle you will begin to see your life change for the glory of God. A real harvest must be purposefully planted and carefully cultivated. The only things that grow by accident are weeds and wild things that produce fruit but not enough to actually sustain you for long periods of time. Genesis 8:22- “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
The Law of Sowing and Reaping is found throughout the scriptures. Understanding sowing and reaping and seedtime and harvest help us to understand God and His ways.
Galatians 6:7-9- Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
The laws that apply to actual farming and crop production are the same principles we can apply to every area of our lives. It is that simple. God has given us Spiritual laws that function like His natural laws, like the law of Gravity. They are beneficial and productive if we apply them to our life. They will affect our salvation, our marriage, our finances, our relationships, everything.
The good news is that there is no area of our life that has to be left to chance. The outcome is determined by our input. The correct seed produces good things, the quality is never in question if we do things God’s way.
Throughout the Bible things are likened to the development of a seed. The word of God is designated as a seed-
Luke 8:11- “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
The Word of God is the seed that we need. In 2 Peter we are told that God has given us all things that pertain to life and to Godliness. The Word of God contains everything that we need to live the abundant Spiritual and natural life He has for us. While God has given us everything we need, we must remember that it does not come full grown it comes in seed form. God gives us His word, our job is to apply it to our life and then leave the amount of the harvest to Him.
Our faith is likened to a seed. Matthew 17: 20 (Amp) - He answered, “Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and [if it is God’s will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
Remember a little faith is the source of great things. People are always concerned about applying the Word of God to their life until they know all there is to know. The Word you know is the seed that you sow. A little word goes along way. If you sow nothing you have nothing. Apply what you know and continue to sow as your understanding grows.
One of Satan’s primary ways of ruining our harvest is to deceive us about seedtime and harvest and about sowing and reaping.
When the Bible speaks about sowing and reaping it says “Do not be deceived”. Satan tries to tell us that we can do whatever we want and it really will not make a difference. This goes against the entire idea of seed. You cannot plant an apple tree hoping to get a tomato. You cannot go against God’s ways and expect good fruit. The Bible reminds us that good trees bring forth good fruit and bad trees bring forth bad fruit. Satan mocks and scoffs at God’s ways all the time but that does not mean that God can be mocked. He always gets the last laugh when things function as He created them to work. The world scoffs and mocks at absolutes but seed always produces what it is. Remember- the Word is truth.
~ Somebody once said – “as you sow so shall you reap unless of course you are an amateur gardener”.
If the average farmer knew no more about the principles of farming than the average Christian does about producing a Spiritual harvest, he would never make it through the winter.
Our goal this year is to grow in our fruitfulness in every area of life; the principles of seedtime and harvest make that possible.
I look forward to what God is going to produce in our lives as we apply His Word (Seed) to our lives.
You are loved
Pastor Marvin & Dawn