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Watch Weekend Sermon - Entries written by Pastor Robbie
TueTuesdayJunJune14th2011
The Kingdom of Heaven Filter
Jesus said in Matt. 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." It's essential and so powerful when we allow the kingdom of heaven to speak the loudest through our lives. When this happens then the kingdom of heaven becomes a filter that produces Spirit led fruit. Evaluate your life before the Lord and see how the "kingdom of heaven filter" can change everything you value and all that you see.
TueTuesdayFebFebruary15th2011
David Livingstone Story by Sam John
A number of people have requested a copy of the David Livingstone biography I read this past weekend in church. It certainly blessed me to read the life story of a man "All In" for our Awesome God and I trust it will do the same for you!
Click here if you want to view the 3 page story.
All In,
ThuThursdayDecDecember23rd2010
Going to the Manger!
Going to the Manger!
And I really mean that! It’s hard for me to express how much joy I felt this past weekend through all four services in seeing our church worship the Lord! There was a full joy among us, the presence of God lifting our voices and causing us to truly celebrate the reality of the Incarnation. The response at the end of the service is what I’m calling a “Top 10” all time :) . Oh how simple the will of God is, to love Him with all our hearts and to love others with that love. We make it complicated, but the blessing that flows from trusting Him in HIS ways, not our own...awesome!
I’ve also been thinking a lot recently of all the different trials and circumstances that face our people. There are many that are suffering, facing difficulty and yet there, they are fighting the good fight of the faith. I’m seeing such a hope and a desire to live out the promises of God by faith. I’m seeing the standard not being set by people around us but by truly looking to Christ. I’m seeing a belief that God Almighty wants to bless you with Himself, yes you!! He wants to take a people who will really surrender, who are willing to sacrifice, who simply love Him and they prove it with their lives.
I must say how blessed I have been in our study of Mary’s journey. Such facts before her, then such faith…and then she experiences the right feelings before her God. One of the reasons that she was used, was because she didn’t question her God, rather she heard and then she did…by faith. So I say all this to end with this beautiful Christmas verse spoken by Mary…
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,”
(Luke 1:46-47)
So here’s my sincere prayer of joy upon you this Christmas:
Father in heaven, I pray for the people of Harvest Oakville. I seek You Lord for Your favour, Your rest, Your peace and love to be upon them in abundance this week and this season. I ask that You will grant them and myself, a repentance that leads to incredible hunger of You and a spiritual thirst to be filled with Your Spirit. I pray especially for those who are hurting, discouraged or fearful. Truly Lord, may the reality of Your strength and Your peace surround them and bless them. May You burden us to run from sin and to flee to righteousness. May Your people be filled with such faith in taking You at Your Word and trusting You for Your ways.May You allow them to see how very near You are and how glorious it is to live our lives fully for You. May there be an explosion of joy at the truth of Christmas and the wonder of the manger.
May Your people have a faith like Mary,
a hope like Elizabeth, a joy like John the Baptist,
an urgency like the Shepherds,
a worship like the wise men, a radiance like the angels.
But most of all, would Your people have a life of being transformed into the likeness of the Son of God.
So much love for you all, and so much gratitude for our God.
Truly and sincerely, may you have a Joy-filled Christmas, for all the right reasons.
I’m going to the manger and I’m going to be blessed!! Hope to see you there!
TueTuesdayNovNovember9th2010
I love our church, I love our people, I love our God!
This past weekend was a memorable one with the launching of our fourth service. It is amazing to me to look back just a few years and to consider what the Lord has done. I found myself overwhelmed this past weekend at various points in the grace of God, the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God and the provision of God. I marvel at how the Lord has moved in His people in such a short period of time. I am so blessed and thankful to see our people responding to the work of the Lord by attending different services. Saturday night services often don’t work out in most churches, yet we are casting a vision to see TWO healthy Saturday night services…and we’re off to a flying start.
I want to express how much love I have for you all as our church. The willingness to change, the heart of love for Christ to serve and the passion to see God’s work move forward, even at the sacrifice of your own desires and preferences. Of course, this cost is really nothing when compared to what we’ve been given in Christ, but I love you for it regardless. I will definitely give God the glory for it all, but I love Him as He so clearly works through our people. He empowers the surrendered heart, He draws near to the humble and He gives favour to those who are truly about His glory!
What a ride we continue to be on as a church. There is truly no place I would rather be, it’s tiring at times, it comes at a definite price and the trials are many….however, it is by far the greatest privilege I have known.
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1)
So I just pause right now to take a deep spiritual breath, to seek to stay close to the Lord, to pray hard, to desire to be low before Him and to also declare in thanks…
I love our church, I love our people, I love our God!
Go Lord!
TueTuesdayOctOctober12th2010
Thank You Jesus for Your Humiliation, thank You Jesus for Your Exaltation
This chart provides a fresh look on the work of Jesus Christ. When properly observed it brings wonder and ignites praise in the hearts of the children of God. In this world of self-obsession we are constantly looking for fresh ways to lift our eyes above the gloomy clouds of sin and selfishness. There is no better way to do this than to drink deep of the gospel. And that’s what this diagram is…it’s the gospel, the work of Jesus Christ.
God the Son left glory to become a man. He entered into the womb of a virgin, He lived a perfect, sinless life and He died a horrific death. He took on the sins of the world and bore the wrath of God. But He did not stay dead, but rose from the dead as the first-fruits of eternal life, raised in a never dying resurrection body. He then ascended to heaven to be seated at the right hand of God, the highest possible position of exaltation. He will return so soon to judge the living and the dead. He will come for His people and He will set up eternal glory for all who trust and live for Him.
Oh the wonder of His willingness to humble Himself, to subject Himself to death and then the continued wonder of His exaltation, His future and complete reign. He is so awesome, so glorious, so loving, so humble, so powerful, so majestic. And He did all this for the glory of God and the love for you and me!!
No wonder Paul exclaimed,
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways.” Rom. 11:33
Thank You Jesus…..thank You for the gift of life and the promises of glory!
I believe in God the Father, Almighty Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ,
His only begotten Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died and was buried. He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic church, the communion
of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
TueTuesdaySepSeptember28th2010
RECAPPING THE FAMILY CHAT!
These
continue to be exciting times for our church and this past weekend we
had a family chat in our services because we are just that......a
FAMILY!
Here's a rundown of what we discussed:
1. A warm welcome to our visitors
We are pleased to
have so many new faces among us and we desire for these people to be
welcomed and greeted warmly. As we often say we are not trying to
"sell" you on Harvest Oakville, rather we want you to be led by the Lord
as to where He wants you to attend.
2. Making Harvest My Home
At Harvest Oakville we are
trying to make "plugging in" as simple as possible, while at the same
time giving clear process and guidelines as to how this works. Please
see our "Assimilation Funnel" below to know what step is next for you.
We do this to help you become a solid part of this church family, because those who are family are those who will stay for the long-term.
3. BE STRONG pledges due October 10th
The first round or
short-term pledges for our new property campaign are due on October
10th. We expect to close on our new property by the end of October and
therefore all initial pledges will need to be received by October 10th.
We believe that God is picking up the pace regarding our new building
so be faith-filled and expectant for what is to follow. There should
continue to be exciting updates in the weeks and months to come.
4. Four Services! November 6/7th
The plan right now is to
launch our fourth service on the Nov. 6/7th weekend. The fourth service
will be held on Saturday night. Therefore, our weekend services will
be on Sat. at 5pm & 7pm and Sunday morning at 9am and 11:15am. This
is a big step for our church....again! So we are asking that at least 100 people move from Sunday morning to attend Saturday night.
There will be more to come, but it's another call for our people to see
the vision of more lives being changed for Christ and you can help see
this happen by simply choosing to attend a different service.
5. Blakelock Parking
We are pleased with the number of people
choosing to park at Blakelock High School, however we still need people
to choose to do this on Sunday morning. Again, it simply allows our
guests and newer visitors to find a place to park. Bless you for
serving your God in this way.
6. New Elder Candidate Brian McGrath
The elders are very
pleased to put forward to our people Brian McGrath as an elder candidate
at Harvest Oakville. Brian and his wife Grace have been very faithful
in their attendance and service at Harvest Oakville. The elders believe
Brian to be qualified according to scripture and called to this task.
However, we desire to make sure that there are no outstanding issues
that either need to be resolved or that we need to know about. If you
have any questions/concerns please speak to one of our elders at any
time. Brian will be put before our church family for one month in this
regard.
7. Canadian Harvest Bible Chapels
It is exciting to announce
the launching of Harvest Bible Chapel Durham and Harvest Bible Chapel
Calgary. You can find all the details and excitement at harvestdurham.ca and harvestcalgary.ca
8. Harvest Family Thanksgiving Dinner October 10th
This will
be our 2nd annual Family Thanksgiving Dinner. There is no charge and if
you don't have any plans yet then please sign up online so we know that
you're coming.
Again, there is a lot going on, but we're desiring to be a
church of "One thing" and not to become distracted away from what is
best. So with all the good let's continue to encourage one another with:
"But one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I
press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:13-14
Go Lord!
SunSundaySepSeptember12th2010
THE ONE THING
Here are the 7 responses I closed the sermon with that will change your life so that you can start living for The One Thing! These aren't new things at all, but that's the whole point. These are the old things that never get old!
Where do I start living this One Thing?
1. EAT the WORD: As you feed on Gods' Word, as you consistently seek the Lord's heart, to hear Him and grow in Him, it will go from duty, to desire, to delight.
2. PRAY for Life Change: God will not resist this prayer!
3. DESTROY Your Idols: Ask the Lord to tell you the idols of your heart. Ask close ones to tell you the idols they see in your life. Then destroy and smash the idols!
4. FOLLOW Strong Examples: Who you follow is who you become. Follow Christ! Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ.
5. UTILIZE Your Trials: One of God's greatest tools in transforming us is trial. Surrender and stop fighting what God is doing.
6. SHARE the One Thing: Evangelize--share the gospel of Jesus Christ, the only thing that matters.
7. PREPARE to Worship: Take 1 hour before every time you come to church to prepare your heart. Ask God to change your life, your family, your heart. And show up on time. Show the Lord the One Thing you are living for, the One Thing you are after, that you value time gathering together with His people to worship Him. Believe that God will change your life!
ThuThursdaySepSeptember2nd2010
THE BIBLE IS LIKE...
Here is the great reminder on the Bible from the Bible I promised to post. It's taken from Norm Geisler's Systematic Theology.
The Bible Is Like a Seed That Saves Us (1 Peter 1:23)
The Bible Is Like Milk That Nourishes Us (1 Peter 2:2)
The Bible Is Like Meat (Solid Food) That Satisfies Us (Hebrews 5:14)
The Bible Is Like Water That Washes Us (Psalm 119:9; Ephesians 5:25-26)
The Bible Is Like a Fire That Cleanses Us (Jeremiah 23:29)
The Bible Is Like a Hammer That Shatters Us (Jeremiah 23:29)
The Bible Is Like a Sword That Cuts Deeply Into Us (Hebrews 4:13)
The Bible Is Like Medicine to Keep Us From the Sickness of Sin (Psalm 119:11)
The Bible Is Like a Mirror to Reflect Ourselves to Us (James 1:23-25)
The Bible Is Like a Lamp to Our Feet (Psalm 119:105)
The Bible Is Like a Counselor That Comforts Us (Romans 15:4)
The Bible Is Like a Forecaster That Never Fails Us (2 Peter 1:19)
You are loved!
robbie
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