Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
— Ephesians 4:15-17 (ESV)
In 2016, the spiritual emphasis for Harvest Community Church is “building together.” So, what are we building?
- We are building a mission and vision as we seek God for how we can impact our community and our world in a greater way.
- We are building a spiritual family as we work together to grow as an authentic community of faith and love each other as we love Jesus.
- We are building each other’s lives as we invest in leadership, community, family, and the next generation.
The Storehouse Church 3.0
The Local Church is the Hope of the World. Which means, God’s desire for Harvest is to be the Hope of the World!
Jesus' Vision for the Local Church
If God has called Harvest Community Church to be a local church that is the hope of the world, how does Jesus want us to go about doing it and what will it take to do those things? It will take a dedication to developing strong leadership, a dedication to developing accurate worship, a dedication to developing life-giving ministries, and a dedication to developing authentic community. Here is where we will start.
Authentic Community
From the very beginning of the church, God’s formula for building the lives of His followers and building His church has been to connect people in life-giving relationships with small groups of people. In these settings, He creates authentic relationships and communities that bring us closer to Him, each other, and prepare us to change the world.
Why?
On Palm Sunday AD 33, Jesus entered Jerusalem to tremendous fanfare. The next day, He was casting the religious establishment out of the Temple. What Jesus says at that moment tells us all we need to know about why the church exists. The question is, are we ready to join Him in building that church?
Family Style
The Bible says that “we are the aroma of Christ to God” for our communities and our world. The people of God carry the fragrance of God as they spread the message of God. If the local church is the hope of the world, what type of fragrance should the spiritual family at Harvest have?
Belong to Spiritual Family
If the church is a spiritual family and God invites you to belong, then God is, in reality, inviting you to be a member of a church family. Today, we want to look at what Harvest is about and what membership looks like in our spiritual family.
Understanding Your Spiritual Journey
Just like the Olympic Champions we are watching right now, a fully mature follower of Christ does not happen by accident. It happens by understanding the tremendous treasure we have in Christ and then developing the habits to pursue Him wholeheartedly for the rest of our lives. As we do this, we become more and more like Him and more and more free to enjoy the joy and purpose he brings us.
Investigate Your Gifts and Calling
If we are called to be a community church with a vision to change the world, then the key to changing the world for Jesus is releasing people into their callings. To do this, we need to help people understand how God has made them so that they are better able to identify what God has called them today. Today we are going to explore three aspects of how God makes us to fulfill his purposes; our personality, our spiritual gifting, and our passions.
Lead By Serving Others
If we are a community church with a vision to change the world, then part of the secret to changing the world is releasing everyone into their ultimate destiny in God. The purpose of Team Harvest is to assist every member of Harvest in taking their first step towards fulfilling their calling in Christ. By starting here, God will open up the door to your lasting purpose and calling.