Harvest Community Church Blog

Psalm 39 - Divine Protection against Our Loose Lips (8-Jul Prayer Meeting Lesson)

2009-07-08T18:57:00.000-05:00

It'll be a little more effort to get the gold out, since it's in the form of an inductive study, but you're welcome to download [tonight's prayer meeting handout] for the lesson on Psalm 39.

Pray for Your Pastors

2009-07-08T11:57:00.000-05:00

With Paul and Spurgeon, I--and, I'm sure, all of your pastor-teachers at Harvest--ask, "Brethren, pray for us"! For what do we need prayer? [click to read Spurgeon applying Paul's words]

In the Tradition of Pilgrim's Progress

2009-07-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

History will tell if Kevin DeYoung is a gift from Christ to the church in the way that Bunyan was. But you don't have to wait a few hundred years to profit from the allegory he's been spinning at his blog. Click the links below (and print out to read and discuss with your children) to follow along:

[Part 1]

[Part 2]

Your Suffering Doesn't Just Belong to You

2009-07-06T16:47:00.001-05:00

Tim Challies again. This time pointing us to a quote from Ligon Duncan's Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? Seeing Randy Rowenhorst in worship yesterday and hearing his testimony of rest in Christ was strengthening to me. Ligon's (ie Paul's, ie God's) point is spot on.

Rom 9:1-5 "Sorrow and Anguish for Those in the Shadows" (5-Jul-09 Evening Sermon)

2009-07-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

[click here to listen; right-click to save]

Summary: Is Paul failing to let his yes be yes and his no be no in v1? Or is he revealing something very profound at v2 by telling us that he is saying it "in Christ," and that by the Holy Spirit his conscience bears witness that this is a fact? Indeed, he is saying that v2 doesn't just show his own heart; it shows Christ's! Do we share that grief and anguish? In vv4-5 we find out that we might be in the same danger as the Israelites--after all, who else in history has been in such a nearly identical covenantal position to the Israelites as a church member at Harvest? In Christ ALONE our hope is found; may it be said of us at the judgment: "to them belong Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever, Amen."

Gen 24:10-28 "Whom We Will Marry Is a Secret Thing" (5-Jul-09 Morning Sermon)

2009-07-06T16:23:00.001-05:00

[click here to listen; right-click to save]

Summary: Yesterday morning's sermon was mostly about how the secret things belong to God, and the revealed things belong to us and our children. Whom you should marry? That's a secret thing. It belongs to God until you're married. It's like the answer I sometimes give when someone asks me how to know if they've found "the one." Ans: "when you marry them, they're the one--until death do you part." But there are revealed things, and among them are the characteristics we should look for in a prospective spouse. Of our planned list of 5 we got to #1--kindness.

God Himself Is the Substance of Our Worship

2009-07-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

Tim Challies quotes this excellent statement from Don Carson on worship. It goes quite well with the point that Paul made about Israel's worship in yesterday evening's sermon. May God grant that He Himself, particularly in the person of Christ, would always be the substance of our worship.

Gen 24:1-18 'A Humble Wife, Who Can Find?', pt2 (Jun 28 Evening Sermon Audio)

2009-07-04T14:33:00.000-05:00

[Click Here to listen, right-click to save]

Gen 24:1-18 'A Humble Wife, Who Can Find?', pt1 (Jun 28 Morning Sermon Audio)

2009-07-04T14:30:00.000-05:00

[Click Here to listen, right-click to save]

Rom 8:35-37 'Super-Conquering Love' (June 14 Evening Sermon Audio)

2009-07-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

[Click Here to listen, right-click to download]

Gen 24:1-14 'A Godly Wife, Who Can Find?' (Jun 14 Morning Sermon Audio)

2009-07-04T14:22:00.000-05:00

[click to listen, right-click to save]

July 5, 2009 - Worship Booklet

2009-07-03T15:14:00.000-05:00

A pdf of the worship booklet is now online [click here to view/print/save it].

By my count over half of the congregation will be out of town this coming Lord's Day morning for the fellowship meal and the Lord's Supper.

Though we shall miss them, yet let us take this opportunity to reaffirm in our hearts that it is the Lord Jesus Himself we come to meet in worship, the fellowship of the Lord Jesus that we enjoy with each other, and union and communion with the Lord Jesus that we enjoy as we commune together.

Devotional Tweeting

2009-07-03T15:04:00.000-05:00

"Tweeting" is a verb, describing the use of Twitter, a web posting service that requires posts of 140 characters or less. You can use it in a variety of ways, including having "tweets" text-messaged to your phone. I thought you might like to know that I've begun "tweeting" the main ideas of at least 4 chapters of Scripture each day (basically from our family devotions). Use it however you will. I see it as a way to combine cell-phone and internet technology to facilitate a more faithful Deuteronomy 6 style life in the Word. Here's the summary that I just posted to the heb412.us blog:

I do hope soon to have the time to resume writing the daily inductive studies to help you get at the meaning of the passages.
Until then, however, you may wish to follow brief summaries of them at http://twitter.com/mcheynedevos (140 characters or less).
I have to boil the passages down to this level for my 2, 5, and 6 year old anyway, so there is minimal time expenditure here for me. It won't replicate the back-and-forth catechetical (questioning) interaction that we have, but it will give you at least one big idea that you can be carrying away from the text.

By the way, if you actually "follow" (that's "twitter" language) mcheynedevos, it will give me an idea of how useful this might be to how many people. Thanks!

Pray for Phyllis Vanden Brink

2009-06-27T20:47:00.000-05:00

Her oxygen has been low, and she has a couple other ailments that require more attention than is available at the Pioneer Home, so on Monday she's moving temporarily to a care facility in Remsen. If you'd like to stop by and see her tomorrow (Lord's Day), please get her # from Pastor James.

28-June-09 Worship Booklet Online

2009-06-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

Download/view it [here].

Praise God for Tucker Harvey Doughan

2009-06-27T20:40:00.000-05:00

From Adam:

Yup,
My wife had a baby. PRAISE GOD!! We have another member of the Doughan family. Tucker Harvey Doughan joined us June 24th at about 12:22 pm. He is 8 pounds 6 ounces and 19 inches long. He has dark skin and lots of dark hair. He looks a little like his sister. We had a little scare when Kim's blood pressure and pulse dropped once she recieved her epidural. I was freaking out, however everyone is okay now. Lilly and Thatcher are excited for Tucker to come home. We got Tucker a tiny set of football pads to protect him from Thatcher. We are blessed. Thank you God.
Adam

Annual Meeting Report

2009-06-27T20:37:00.000-05:00

After a very encouraging examination of our elder candidates, we had a congregational meeting in which the following business was transacted:

approval of a budget for the new fiscal year (which essentially leaves things as they are)
presentation of examined and approved candidates for the office of elder: Craig De Haan, Russ Herman, Matt Van Essendelft, and Gary Vander Plaats

The meeting began with prayer and concluded with a season of prayer and the singing together of Psalm 133.

24-June Elders' Meeting Roundup

2009-06-25T11:05:00.000-05:00

We finally have firm times for the announced events of this Saturday, the 27th. Officer exams at 2:30p.m. and annual meeting at 4:00p.m. The scheduled business for the annual meeting are the approval of a budget and announcement of the approved officer nominees for the July 31 meeting. We also agreed to use the phone chain to announce the 4:00 start time for the meeting.
Prayer meeting this Wednesday evening, July 1, is at the Pioneer Home (118 Florida Ave NW) at 7p.m. Since their meeting time is ordinarily 7-7:30, we will have a meditation from Psalm 38, then some singing, then break off to pray for and with the residents in groups.

21-June-09 Worship Booklet Online

2009-06-19T11:34:00.000-05:00

Download/view it [here].

Community Prayer Meeting Tomorrow Night

2009-06-16T04:45:00.001-05:00

Don't forget that the elders have chosen to set aside our weekly, midweek prayer meeting to encourage our members to gather with believers from other congregations for prayer at 7p.m. tomorrow at Trinity RCA in Orange City (2 blocks north of Harvest).

14-June-09 Worship Booklet Online

2009-06-12T07:37:00.002-05:00

Download it [here].

Audio: 7-Jun Evening Sermon, Rom 8:33-34 'Judge, Jury, and Justifier'

2009-06-09T10:02:00.001-05:00

Someone asked me yesterday what makes Harvest different. You could answer that doctrinally, historically, etc., but I went with how the experience is different: we are very excited about God Himself, very excited about God's gospel, and very excited about God's Word and sacraments, and not really very excited by anything else. Well, here's something to be excited about... Rom 8:33-34. [click here to stream the audio, or right-click for options to save/download it]

Audio: 7-Jun Morning Sermon, Gen 24:1-14 'Sons and Daughters of God'

2009-06-07T14:42:00.001-05:00

What do you do, when you're wrapping up the introduction around 30 minutes into the sermon? Close in prayer, and thank God for the mercy of His Spirit in the pulpit. [click here to stream the audio, or right-click for options to save/download it]

7-Jun-09 Worship Booklet

2009-06-04T22:39:00.000-05:00

The worship booklet is online [here].

3-Jun Elders' Meeting Roundup

2009-06-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

Here's a summary of some of the decisions made at last night's elders' meeting:

We decided not to put a theme verse/statement on the building sign
We approved a special collection for the camp that is donating plates, cups, etc. to the congregation
We decided to hold prayer meeting at the Pioneer Home on July 1, with a slightly revised format: singing, psalm, prayer.
We approved the use of the building for a baby shower on June 13
We decided to set up a church account for supporting the Russ Herman family through seminary
We elected a committee of Bob Hilbelink, Craig De Haan, and Gary Vander Plaats to produce a budget for approval at the annual meeting
We read, amended, and signed a letter to the Riverside PCA session, encouraging them to study and practice in all things according to the Bible