Dan Gould

Author: dgould77

  • Bible Chalenge – Matthew 26

    Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” v 64 (NLT)

    When asked by the High Priest of the Council if He was the Messiah, Jesus remained silent.  He wasn’t silent because He didn’t have anything to say, He was silent because He didn’t have anything to prove! This question still causes people to stumble today.  How we answer it affects who we become, how we live, and where we spend eternity.  Have you taken the time to ask yourself, “Who is Jesus?”

    Today, Your Beliefs, Your Words, Your Attitude, and Your Actions, reveal who you really think Jesus is! Think about it, pray through it, and live it!

  • Sunday AM Remix – 4.10.11

    Today we started a three week series that will take us into Easter called Triumph.  In this series we are looking at 3 areas that Christians can stand triumphant because of Christ! Here are my notes from todays teaching.

    TRIUMPH
    “Over the World”
    1 John 5:1-5

    “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”  Romans 8:37 (NKJV)

    *Because He (Jesus) is victorious, I can stand in victory!
    *We must realize that as Christ Followers, we fight from victory, not for victory.

    3 MAIN THEMES OF 1 JOHN

    1.  Christians ought to have the proper ATTITUDE.

    “And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” 1 John 1:4 (NKJV)

    *Happiness is based on circumstances, but Joy is based solely on Christ.
    *If your heart is full of Joy and Grace, please notify your face, so others can see that Joy!
    *Many people don’t have relationship with Jesus, they have a religion.

    2. Christians ought to display the proper ACTIONS.

    “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1 (NKJV)

    *Being a Christian doesn’t mean you will be sinless, it simply means you should sin less!
    *The more you walk with Christ, Grow in Christ, and connect with others doing the same thing the less you should sin.

    3. Christians ought to enjoy the proper ASSURANCE.

    “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:13 (NKJV)

    *Every Christian ought to KNOW, that they have Eternal Life.
    *If you can have it and not know it, means that you can lose it and not miss it!
    *A Christian shouldn’t walk around slumped over in the shape of a question mark, instead they should stand straight like and exclamation point!

    THE PROOF YOU ARE TRIUMPHING OVER THE WORLD IS YOUR . . .

    “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust  of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)

    *Lust of the Flesh is passions that have gone out of bounds.
    *There are times that your eyes lead you out of bounds, hence the saying “Feast your Eyes on this …!”

    1.  BELIEF in God’s SON.

    “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is Born of God . . . For whatever is born of God overcomes the world . . . Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5: 1a, 4a, 5 (NKJV)

    *Profession = I believe in Jesus; Possession = I surrender to Jesus

    “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name . . .” John 1:12 (NKJV)

    *There are too many Alka Seltzer Christians! Someone who once you put them in the baptistry for baptism, you never see them again, it’s as if they disappeared!
    *The evidence that you believe is not in the past, its in the present!
    *The evidence that you believe is that you remain!

    “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” 1 John 2:19 (NKJV)

    “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:12-13 (NKJV)

    2.  LOVE for God’s FAMILY.

    “. . . and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” 1 John 5:1b (NKJV)

    “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” 1 John 3:14 (NIV)

    “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?  And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.” 1 John 4:20-21 (NLT)

    *Human love says – I love you if …! I love you when …! I love you because …!
    *Gods love says – I love you EVEN …!

    3.  OBEDIENCE to God’s WORD.

    “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. 1 John 5:2-3 (NKJV)

    *The word Keep in this passage literally means to Guard!
    *Are you guarding Gods Commandments?

    “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.” 1 John 2:3-5 (NKJV)

    (Jesus said) ‘If you love Me, keep My commandments.’ John 14:15 (NKJV)

    This is going to be a great series as we learn how to stand Triumphantly through the power of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  If you would missed today, or simply want to hear/watch todays teaching simply click here and it will direct you to our online teaching resources. If you still have not taken a spiritual gifts test I want to encourage you to take that by clicking here.

    Lastly, we would love for you to begin serving with us by using your spiritual gift/s.  We have created an on-line resource that allows you to see the various ministries here at FBC Harvester and we encourage you to take some time to see where you can serve and then contact the place that seems like a fit for you. You can see that resource by clicking here.

    Until next week, I pray that you will seek the Lord, and remember that thru Christ, we have Overcome the World!

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 25

    “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, & all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered in his presence, & he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.” v. 31-33 (NLT)

    Jesus is coming! His return will be a triumphant! The Bible says upon His return all the nations will be gathered and separated by sheep and goats.  Jesus used sheep and goats to picture the division between believers and unbelievers. Sheep and Goats often grazed together but were separated when it came to shear the sheep.  Jesus references the separation of his obedient followers from pretenders and unbelievers. The real evidence of our belief is the way we act. Let’s be honest, to treat all people as if they were Jesus is no easy task. However, what we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us here: Feed the hungry, give to the homeless a place to stay, look after the sick. So the question we must ask ourselves is this: How well do our actions reveal that we are Christ Followers?

    Today, Are you more like a sheep or a goat?

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 24

    “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” v.44 (NLT)

    To some, these words are very scary, and to others, these words are very promising.  Some will realize their time has run out, while others will rejoice that their time is done. Some will be caught red-handed, while others will be caught open-handed. Some will look at all they have lost, while others will look at all they have gained. Some will say, “Oh Crap”, while others will say, “Oh Lord!” So the question remains, are you ready?

    Today, are you ready for Jesus return, even if it was today? Jesus could come back today, so lets live today like there was no tomorrow!

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 23

    “The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” v.11-12 (NLT)

    Humility! One of the most powerful displays of Christlikeness that can be seen in you by others.  However, many times we confuse humility with ho hum living. Humility is not the absence of confidence, it’s the absence of arrogance.

    With the attitude of Humility, Jesus challenged society’s norms. To Him, greatness comes from serving, which He defines as giving of yourself to God and to others. Serving keeps us aware of others’ needs, and it stops us from focussing only on ourselves. Remember, Jesus came as a servant and calls us to serve by following His example!

    Today, when it comes to applause, who do you seek to please, who do you seek to serve?

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 22

    “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” v.37-40 (NLT)

    Sounds pretty simple, right? But denying ourselves is one of the most challenging thing a Christ Follower does. Some times we read these words and say, “I love God, and I try to love others, so I’m doing pretty good!” However, to truly love God means that we adjust our lives to His way of life. This takes commitment, dedication, prayer, faith, and a some real hard work. When we truly love someone, we will do whatever it takes to show our love to them, but sadly, when it comes to our love for God, we think showing up to church on Sunday is good enough!

    Here’s the honest truth, we will never fully love others, until we know Gods Love for us, and express our love for Him. We have the privilege and invitation to have a personal relationship with the creator of the Universe.  How cool is that?

    Today, hows your love gage? Is it full or sitting on empty?

  • 300 – Will you do your part?

    God is blessing us here at Harvester!  We continue to grow as we strive to worship, love, and go.  We’ve seen over 350 people join our body in the last two years and our average attendance has increased by over 600!  We’ve also witnessed 178 people publicly profess their faith in Christ through baptism!  We owe all of this to our awesome God.

    As we look towards the future, we acknowledge we have a significant barrier to growth: the lack of space in our 10:45 AM Worship Service.  Most weeks the room is filled to 90% capacity or more.  Market research and our own experience show that this atmosphere isn’t inviting to newcomers.  Frequently guests arrive, can’t find a place to sit, turn around and leave without ever hearing the gospel in our services.  Something has to change.

    We know that most first-time guests choose the 10:45 AM service and so we need to ensure that space is available; it is our best opportunity to share the gospel.  As we look towards Easter, we know that many of our guests will attend the second service and some will choose to come back in the weeks following.  This will amplify our current problem.

    In an effort to eliminate this obstacle to the gospel, we’re asking for 300 folks in the 10:45 AM Worship Service to commit to shifting their Sunday morning routines and move permanently to our identical 9 AM service.  We know that this isn’t a convenient change, but if you and your family are able to shift we ask you to bless your church in this way.

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 21

    “You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” v.22 (NLT)

    Really? Will God answer any prayer I pray? The fact is, this verse is not a guarantee that we can get anything we want simply asking Jesus for it believing He will do it, and closing our prayer in His Name.  God does not grant requests that would hurt us or others or that would violate his own nature or will. Jesus’ statement is not a blank check. To be fulfilled, our requests must be in harmony with the principles of God’s Kingdom. The stronger our belief, the more likely our prayers will be in line with God’s will, and then God will be happy to grant them.

    Today, do your prayers align with the heart of God and His Character? If so, a prayer offered in faith is very powerful! Spend sometime today praying and seeking the Lord.

  • Sunday AM Remix – 4.03.11

    What a great day at FBC Harvester!!! We wrapped up our Empowered series in a big way and launched a new resource that allows people to find a place to serve based on their gifting instead of just seeing a list of ministry opportunities.  Here are my notes from today message!

    EMPOWERED
    Use IT or Lose IT!
    Matthew 25:14-30

    3 MODES OF LIVING

    • Survival Mode – people in this mode are simply getting by.

    *When asked hows it going, people in this mode tend to say, Same ole same ole.

    *They are caught on the treadmill life – doing a lot but not going anywhere!

    • Success Mode – people in this mode are pushing forward and seeing success.

    *They live to a standard of success taught by media & the world, but not on the      standards of the Gospel.

    *They may be climbing the ladder and seeing great success, but the ladder is leaning  against the wrong wall!

    *The Key is to have the right Measuring Stick!

    • Significance Mode – people in this mode have a sense of depth, meaning, hope, & significance.

    *People in the Significant mode understand Who they are, Whose they are, and Why they are here.

    **Who – They know who they are and who they aren’t and try to live authentically in their own skin.

    **Whose – They understand who they live for and that we have been bought with a high price and the Cross is the receipt for that purchase.

    **Why – They know their purpose and live in that purpose regardless of what they have to endure.

    ***Noah built the ark regardless of the nay sayers

    ***Moses gave up riches to wander in the Desert.

    ***David fought Goliath when no-one else would.

    ***Daniel continued to Pray

    The sad reality is that some people are so Earthly minded that they are no Heavenly good.

    IF YOU WANT TO BE A GOOD & FAITHFUL SERVANT REMEMBER …

    1. All that you have is GODS GIFT.

    *We own nothing! It’s not about ownership, but stewardship!

    “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silverto one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.” Matthew 25:14-15 (NLT)

    *If you want to know how much you own, just die! The reality is you can’t take any of this stuff with you!

    *God’s not concerned with what you have but what you do! He already knows what you have because He gave it to you!

    2. God’s Gift will be used for GOD’S GLORY.

    *Every ability is an opportunity, and every opportunity has responsibility tied to it!

    “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’  “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’  26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ Matthew 25:23-27 (NLT)

    *A Saving Faith is a Serving Faith

    *Lessons to be Learned

    **Be a COURAGEOUS servant.

    “… and I was afraid …” v. 25a

    Reality – If you are a leader … you will be criticized!

    **Be a CREATIVE servant.

    “… and went and hid your talent in the ground …” v. 25b

    Reality – if you play it safe, you lose and so do others.

    **Be an AMBITIOUS servant.

    “… you wicked and lazy servant …” v. 26a

    Reality – Wickedness is not just doing things you know you shouldn’t do, but not doing the things you know you should! Excuses may be good for yo momma, not your Master!

    **Be a PROPERLY MOTIVATED servant.

    “Lord. I knew you to be a hard man …” v. 24a


    3. God’s Glory will result in YOUR GAIN.

    *AFFIRMATION

    “Well done good and faithful servant …” v. 21a

    *PROMOTION

    ” … you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things …” v. 21b

    *CELEBRATION

    ” … Enter into the joy of your lord.” v. 21c

    Hope you have enjoyed this series.  Now the challenge is for all of us to use the Gift/s that God has given us.  If you would like to take a spiritual gifts test, feel free to click here and take the test we provide as a church.  If you would like to listen or watch todays teaching simply click here and it will direct you to our online teaching resources.

  • Bible Challenge Matthew 20

    “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” v.28 (NLT)

    I’ll be honest, this is challenging! Jesus came to serve and He molded that for His followers and told them to serve others.  But, in the church today, we have 20% of the people doing 100% of the work.  This seems backwards to me. . . . and honestly, it’s convicting me at the same time. It’s causing me to wrestle with these questions, “What does it truly look like to serve?”, “Why is it so difficult to find servants?”, “Where can I serve more … am I serving in the way that pleases God?” These are questions that I am thinking through today and Hope you will also as we head into the weekend. God has gifted and called you and I to be servants, lets serve faithfully!

    Today, will you think and pray through these questions with me?
    1.  What does it truly look like to serve?
    2. Why is it so difficult to find servants?
    3. Where can I serve more … am I serving in the way that pleases God?

    [youtube.com=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPOWMApmacY]