“Worship is the goal and fuel of missions!” This statement by John Piper in his book Let the Nations Be Glad points the attention of the reader to the fact that the action of giving God His rightful glory is the call of every person on the face of the earth. Only those who truly worship God according to His greatness and sovereignty will really be motivated to take His Gospel to the “uttermost parts of the earth.” Worship of God drives people to the goal of extending that worship even to the most difficult places. At the same time, worship is the goal of missions. It becomes the goal of those carrying the Gospel to see more disciples made who will in turn glorify God with their lives as an act of worship to Him. That all may hear and respond to the Gospel is the passion of God’s people.
As a young church, we take a major step forward this month as we move to formalize some commitments to missions and we strive together to better understand God’s desire for His glory among the nations. Starting this coming Sunday, we will be highlighting the major commitment areas of the missions endeavor at Harvest. Over the next several weeks you will hear about our commitment to local and global church planting through the Harvest Bible Fellowship. You also will hear about the strategic ministries of two missionary couples that we have the privilege of partnering with to further the Gospel in difficult parts of Asia. On Father’s Day, we will officially launch the Orphan Care and Adoption Ministry of Harvest Bible Chapel and will be sharing with you how you can fulfill the Great Commission by bringing the nations into your home through adoption. Along the way we will be talking about compassion ministries both locally and globally that help undergird and open the doors for church planting. Over these next several weeks, in the services and in Small Groups, we will saturate our thinking and prayer with the mission to glorify God in the nations. I hope you will be praying with me that God will stir up our hearts for His glory and that our worship would resonate in His ears as a passionate offering to Him. May the worship of the Almighty God be our highest delight and our most passionate mission in this world.
You are Loved, Pastor Brian
I love Sundays! I love being able to come to church knowing that I’m going to be able to worship the Lord with passion and abandon. He is worthy of all of our praise! I love being able to teach you God’s Word and see the Holy Spirit guide you (and me!) to the truth that will transform us in the coming week. When we started Harvest, we decided that Sunday mornings would be the time together where what we value is fully on display. We value biblical preaching and passionate worship!
We also value a spirit of intentionality in our time together on Sunday. Luke and the worship team are spending many hours during the week to be able to purposefully lead us toward God’s throne. Each message is the product of many hours of study and focus on what God’s Word says and what He desires of us in application. Intentionality is a key ingredient to our church culture.
This coming Sunday (and beyond) you will notice some changes at Harvest that are meant to help us be more intentional in our readiness for worship. Each Sunday, we will be intentional about preparing the environment for worship as well as the activity of worship. The worship center doors are now closed until 9:45 am to allow the Worship Team to finish their preparations for the service while also allowing the Production Team and the Ushers to prepare for you and for other visitors at Harvest. Also, you will notice an intentionality to fellowship that will lead into worship. Our typical practice of doughnuts and coffee will be available each Sunday from 9:30 until 9:50. This allows for you to get to church early, grab a doughnut and coffee while fellowshipping with others and still be in your seat with your heart prepared for worship when we begin at 10:00. You may have noticed the “countdown clock” that appears on our screens now before each service. I hope that you will use that small reminder to prepare your heart and build your anticipation for the heart-felt worship that we get to pour back out in adoration to our King.
Our desire is to be intentional about all areas of our ministry. After working with our staff to see areas where we needed more intentionality, we decided these are valid changes to our typical routine that will allow us to be purposeful in preparation for worship. I hope you will make it your practice, starting this Sunday, to be intentional in your own family preparation on Saturday night and Sunday morning so that you are able to join us early for a full morning of intentional worship, study and fellowship. Make plans to be there at 9:30. Invest in fellowship with others and be prepared for what God wants to hear from you and teach you this Sunday!
You are Loved!
Pastor Brian
I want to personally invite you to join Laura and I in attending “A Night of Worship and the Word” with James MacDonald on Tuesday, April 27th at 7:00 pm at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis. Many of you have stated to me how blessed you have been by James’ radio program Walk in the Word which is heard at 10:30 each morning on WGNR 97.9 FM. It was through this program that I became familiar with James and with Harvest Bible Chapel. I have always admired James’ ability to proclaim the authority of God’s Word in a clear and unapologetic way and always feel challenged when I have the chance to sit under his teaching.
If you have never had the chance to hear James in person, this is an opportunity that you want to get on your calendar. Members of the Harvest Chicago worship team will be with James and the night promises to be one of passionate worship and personal challenge from God’s Word. I hope you will make it a priority to be there with us. If you are interested in going, you can go to the Walk in the Word website (www.walkintheword.com) and click on the information regarding the 2010 Bus Tour. Once there, click on the Indianapolis date to reserve your seats.