Dan Gould

Tag: First Baptist Church Harvester

  • Sunday AM Remix – 7.17.11

    Have you ever felt like you were up against something that you couldn’t defeat? Maybe you have tried, but somehow have failed. Maybe you feel like there is something you are supposed to do, but the comments of others is keeping you trapped from doing what you know you are supposed to do.  We all have Giants! Today, by looking at the story of David and Goliath, we are going to talk about how we can take a stand against the giants we face so we can begin to see the victory we so eagerly desire!

    HEREOS
    “David:  When You Face a Giant”
    1 Samuel 17

    * God tends to use the least, the last, and the lost, the most! Why? Because HE gets the Glory & Praise because everyone understands that there is no-way they could have done that on their own!
    * No-One is too small for God to use!
    * The story of David and Goliath is the John 3:16 of the Old Testament because many people have heard it!

    TO DEFEAT A GIANT IN YOUR LIFE …

    1. Identify Your GIANT.

    “The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield. Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. ‘Why are you all coming out to fight?’ he called. ‘I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!’ When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.” 1 Samuel 17:1-11 (NLT)

    * Your Giant might not be named Goliath, it may be named … lying, cheating, gambling, busyness, over-eating, laziness, pornography, smoking, sniffing, shooting, drinking, … and the list goes on!
    * Your Giant may not flaunt itself in the valley but in, the bedroom, in the work place, at the gym, in the refrigerator … and the list goes on!      You know where you are tempted most!!!
    * Your Giant will keep you hostage!
    * You must identify the giant, because you can’t kill a ghost!

    2. Ignore The NAY-SAYERS.

    “One day Jesse said to David, ‘Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.’ David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. ‘Have you seen the giant?’ the men asked. ‘He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!’ David asked the soldiers standing nearby, ‘What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?’ And these men gave David the same reply. They said, ‘Yes, that is the reward for killing him.’ But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. ‘What are you doing around here anyway?’ he demanded. ‘What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!’ ‘What have I done now?’ David replied. ‘I was only asking a question!’ He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer.” 1 Samuel 17:17-30 (NLT)

    * Man looks at the outward appearance but man looks at the heart!
    * When was the last time you put yourself in a situation where God had to rescue you?
    * There is a difference in looking like a Christian and being a Christian!
    * We will always have critics who say we cant do it!
    * We have a Goliath to go after, but many times we spend our energy in what others say we can’t do!
    * A Leader who keeps his ear toe the ground leaves his rear open for attach.

    3. Refuse To PROCRASTINATE.

    “Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. ‘Don’t worry about this Philistine,’ David told Saul. ‘I’ll go fight him!’ 1 Samuel 17:31-32 (NLT)

    * David asked several people why they were not stepping up to fight!
    * This was Saul’s fight not Davids, but Saul missed his opportunity see God use him in a powerful way.
    * Procrastination is the assignation of motivation.
    * David didn’t wait around, if he had, he probably would have become like everyone else!
    * Many times we want God to adjust to us instead of us making the needed adjustments God has led us to.

    4. Stay With Your STRENGTHS.

    “‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Saul replied. ‘There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.’ But David persisted. ‘I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,’ he said. ‘When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!’ Saul finally consented. ‘All right, go ahead,’ he said. ‘And may the Lord be with you!’ Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. ‘I can’t go in these,’ he protested to Saul. ‘I’m not used to them.’ So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:33-40 (NLT)

    * You are the only one that can be you and get it right!
    * He took 5 stones to kill Goliath because Goliath had 4 brothers and he was going to kill them all!
    * You can’t fight your battles with someone else’s strength or stuff!

    5. Trust Only IN THE LORD.

    “Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. ‘Am I a dog,’ he roared at David, ‘that you come at me with a stick?’ And he cursed David by the names of his gods. ‘Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!’ Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and He will give you to us!’” 1 Samuel 17:41-47 (NLT)

    * You never know how great God is until you have been rescued by Him.
    * Faith is believing and repeating what God has already said.
    * The size of your Giant is determined by the size of your God. Big giant, small God. Big God, small giant!

    6. Move Toward The GIANT.

    “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.” 1 Samuel 17:48-49 (NLT)

    * The longer you look at, analyze, and strategize, the more difficult it is to defeat your giant!

    “I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands.” Psalm 119:60

    7. Finish The JOB.

    “So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.” 1 Samuel 17:50-51 (NLT)

    * Many times we fight against the giant but never finish the job! YOU MUST KILL THE GIANT!
    * Whatever battle you face today it’s not about you, it’s all about God.

    “The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His Temple. For He will conceal me there when troubles come; He will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.” Psalm 27:1-5 (NLT)

    * God wants you to triumph so you can tell others about Him and what He has done!
    * What Giant are you facing?

    The greatest Giant we all face is the giant of being lost. The only way I can defeat this Giant is by trusting Jesus, inviting Him into my life, and living with Him as Lord. When I do this, He defeats the giant of lostness and return, gives me salvation through the cross and the resurrected Christ. If you would like more info on this, please click here!

    If you missed this weeks message, I encourage you to get it here.  While you are there, browse around our new website … we think you will like it and find it to be a great tool in inviting friends to FBC Harvester.

    As always, I hope you make plans soon to join us at FBC Harvester  next weekend! If distance is a problem, you are always welcome to listen to any of the teachings from our worship service from our website. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here. We would love the privilege of helping where we can.

  • Sunday AM Remix – 7.10.11

    Another strong day as we continued in our series titled Heroes. In this series, we are revisiting many of the Bible Stories we’ve heard and even learned from a young age, to find that these were ordinary people that God did extraordinary things through and with. This week we looked at the life of Samson a HE-MAN with a SHE-WEAKNESS! Here are my notes from yesterdays time together.

     

    HEROES
    “Samson:  When You Have a Bad Hair Day”
    Judges 13-16

    * God made each of us differently! There are no cookie cutter Christians or cookie cutter experiences.

    * The story of Samson, is different from the other stories we have looked at so far.  The others, God took someone weak and made them look strong through His strength.  With Samson, God takes someone strong and makes them weak to accomplish His greatest work.

    * We must understand that it is not about our ability, it’s about our availability.

    * If you are a child of God and prostitute Gods blessings, consequences will follow!

    THREE BIG THINGS WE NEED TO SEE IN SAMSON’S LIFE

    1.  Samson’s  SUPER START.

     “Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines, who oppressed them for forty years.   In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, ‘Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food.  You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.’”             Judges 13:1-5 (NLT)

    * Your giftedness doesn’t trump your need for Godliness.

    * Many times God can’t use our strength because Satan is using our weakness.

    * Reality: 1 out of 3 American couples deal with infertility.

    – He had a divine PRONOUNCEMENT.

    * Only 4 people in the Bible had a Public pronouncement of their birth.

    – Jesus, Isaac, John the Baptist, & Samson

    – He had dynamic PARENTS.

    * It’s possible to have Godly Parents & have Godless Children.

     – He had a definite PURPOSE.

     * There were three things to a Nazarite Vow

    – No razor could touch their hair.

    – No touching of anything dead.

    – No eating/drinking of anything made from grapes

    2.  Samson’s MASSIVE MISTAKES.

    – 3 Major Flaws of Samson:

      • SELF-INDULGENT

    * Lack of self-control and discipline

    “One day when Samson was in Timnah, one of the Philistine women caught his eye. When he returned home, he told his father and mother, ‘A young Philistine woman in Timnah caught my eye. I want to marry her. Get her for me.’   His father and mother objected. ‘Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?’ they asked. ‘Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?’   But Samson told his father, ‘Get her for me! She looks good to me.’ His father and mother didn’t realize the Lord was at work in this, creating an opportunity to work against the Philistines, who ruled over Israel at that time.   As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands. He did it as easily as if it were a young goat. But he didn’t tell his father or mother about it. When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her.   Later, when he returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass. He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother, and they ate it. But he didn’t tell them he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.” Judges 14:1-9 (NLT)

    “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”  Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

    * Samson’s name = Sun Light/Sunshine

    * Even though his name meant Sunshine he lived like darkness.

    * In every sin the DNA is pain.

      • HOT-TEMPERED

     * Anger, Resentment, Revenge.

    “As his father was making final arrangements for the marriage, Samson threw a party at Timnah, as was the custom for elite young men. When the bride’s parentssaw him, they selected thirty young men from the town to be his companions.

    Samson said to them, ‘Let me tell you a riddle. If you solve my riddle during these seven days of the celebration, I will give you thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing. But if you can’t solve it, then you must give me thirty fine linen robes and thirty sets of festive clothing.’  ‘All right,’ they agreed, ‘let’s hear your riddle.’   So he said: ‘Out of the one who eats came something to eat;out of the strong came something sweet.’   Three days later they were still trying to figure it out. On the fourth day they said to Samson’s wife, ‘Entice your husband to explain the riddle for us, or we will burn down your father’s house with you in it. Did you invite us to this party just to make us poor?’   So Samson’s wife came to him in tears and said, ‘You don’t love me; you hate me! You have given my people a riddle, but you haven’t told me the answer.’  ‘I haven’t even given the answer to my father or mother,’ he replied. ‘Why should I tell you?’ So she cried whenever she was with him and kept it up for the rest of the celebration. At last, on the seventh day he told her the answer because she was tormenting him with her nagging. Then she explained the riddle to the young men.   So before sunset of the seventh day, the men of the town came to Samson with their answer:’ What is sweeter than honey?   What is stronger than a lion?’   Samson replied, ‘If you hadn’t plowed with my heifer, you wouldn’t have solved my riddle!’  Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to the town of Ashkelon, killed thirty men, took their belongings, and gave their clothing to the men who had solved his riddle. But Samson was furious about what had happened, and he went back home to live with his father and mother. So his wife was given in marriage to the man who had been Samson’s best man at the wedding.” Judges 14:10-20 (NLT)

    * The Devil likes to put something sweet into something disgusting.

    * There is always something sweet in the sin of the moment.

    * Truly strong people can control/restrain their anger!

    “Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.”  Proverbs 16:32 (NLT)

    “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.”  Proverbs 14:29 (NLT)

      • CARELESS 

    “One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute. Word soon spread that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together and waited all night at the town gates. They kept quiet during the night, saying to themselves, ‘When the light of morning comes, we will kill him.’   But Samson stayed in bed only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors of the town gate, including the two posts, and lifted them up, bar and all. He put them on his shoulders and carried them all the way to the top of the hill across from Hebron… Samson replied, ‘If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.’. . Afterward Delilah said to him, ‘You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely.’   Samson replied, ‘If I were tied up with brand-new ropes that had never been used, I would become as weak as anyone else.’. . .

    Then Delilah said, ‘You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.’ . . .

    Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. ‘My hair has never been cut,’ he confessed, ‘for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.’. . .

    So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison.”  Judges 16:1-3, 7, 10-11, 13, 17, 21 (NLT)

    * Samson became so careless & comfortable that he didn’t realize God had left him.

    * He Looked, Lusted, and fell in Love – this proves that you can fall in love with anyone, that’s why it’s so important to guard your heart.

    “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

    * When you allow temptation to wear you down to will power, you are in trouble – sin is blinding, binding, and grinding

    3.  SAMSON’S SECOND CHANCE.

    “But before long, his hair began to grow back.”  Judges 16:22 (NLT)

    “Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time. With one blow let me pay back the Philistines for the loss of my two eyes.’  Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars that held up the temple. Pushing against them with both hands, he prayed, ‘Let me die with the Philistines.’ And the temple crashed down on the Philistine rulers and all the people. So he killed more people when he died than he had during his entire lifetime.”  Judges 16:28-30 (NLT)

    * This is the first time we see Samson humble and repentant.

    *Samson stood between to pillars with outstretched hands pushing against them. Very similar to the picture we see of Jesus on the cross with outstretched hands to be nailed for our sin.

    * Samson died with his enemies! However, God did more through Samson’s weakness than Samson was able to do his whole life on his and in his own strength.

    “How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.”  Hebrews 11:32 (NLT)

    * Your failures do not have to define you, God is a God of second chances.

    If you missed this weeks message, I encourage you to get it here.  While you are there, browse around our new website … we think you will like it and find it to be a great tool in inviting friends to FBC Harvester.

    As always, I hope you make plans soon to join us at FBC Harvester  next weekend! If distance is a problem, you are always welcome to listen to any of the teachings from our worship service from our website. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here. We would love the privilege of helping where we can.

  • Sunday AM Remix – 7.03.11

    Have you ever felt like God was asking you to do the impossible?  I mean look at you!!! Just Kidding!  Many times that is exactly what we do, we look at ourselves and our own resources, instead of looking to God, and trusting Him to do what we thought to be  impossible or a mistake.  Gideon is a great example of a person who would give excuse after excuse but in the end would trust God and see Him do something that seemed impossible.

    HEROES
    “Gideon:  What God Can Do With a Few”
    Judges 6-7

    * God doesn’t use extraordinary people!  Why? Because there are none! – Romans 3

    * God loves taking a zero to a hero, a looser to a leader, the ordinary to extraordinary.

    “The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel, camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare. So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.”  Judges 6:1-6 (NLT)

     * Throughout  scripture we see the people of God going through these stages – Rebellion – Retribution – Repentance – Restoration

    THREE BIG THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM GIDEON

    1.  In his CIRCUMSTANCES– Gideon was SHATTERED.

    “Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.”  Judges 6:11 (NLT)

    * You don’t have to have all of your life together for God to show up.  He’s not dependent on you at all!

    2.  By his SURPRISE – Gideon was SELECTED.

    “The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!’  ‘Sir,’ Gideon replied, ‘if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, “The Lord brought us up out of Egypt?” But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.’   Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!’  ‘But Lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!’   The Lord said to him, ‘I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.’”  Judges 6:12-16 (NLT)

    * If, Why, Where, But – The four big words of excuses!

    • Remember:  God sees you not only AS YOU ARE but also as you will ONE DAY BE.

     * Apple Illustration – How many seeds are in this apple?  Lesson – We may be able to count how many seeds are in an apple, but there is no way for us to count how many apples are in each seed! God sees the future potential, not just the present reality!

    3.  For his GROWTH – Gideon was STRETCHED.

    “That night the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.’”  Judges 6:25-26 (NLT)

    * We have to be rescued from ourselves first, before we can begin to be used to rescue others.

    Gideon was stretched in these three areas

    • SPIRITUALLY
    • EMOTIONALLY
    • PHYSICALLY

     4.  Through his GOD – Gideon was SUCCESSFUL.

    • Command #1:  Excuse the COWARDS.

    ‘Therefore, tell the people, “Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountainand go home.”’ So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.’  Judges 7:3 (NLT)

    “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

     * God doesn’t make public heroes of private cowards!

    * Sometimes the Church doesn’t need to get bigger, it needs to get better!

    •  Command #2:  Exclude the Careless.

     “But the Lord told Gideon, ‘There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.’ When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, ‘Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.’ Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.” Judges 7:4-6 (NLT)

    * One + God = A Majority

    * Note: Worship and cracked pots is all they had – points to the New Testament.

    • Command #3:  Enlist the COMMITTED

    “The Lord told Gideon, ‘With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.’  Judges 7:7 (NLT)

    “He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.   Then he said to them, ‘Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon!”’ It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’   Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.”  Judges 7:16-22 (NLT)

    If you missed this weeks message, I encourage you to get it here.  While you are there, browse around our new website … we think you will like it and find it to be a great tool in inviting friends to FBC Harvester.

    As always, I hope you make plans soon to join us at FBC Harvester  next weekend! If distance is a problem, you are always welcome to listen to any of the teachings from our worship service from our website. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us here. We would love the privilege of helping where we can.

  • One More For Jesus is Baptized

    A couple of years ago I had the privilege of leading my oldest son to Christ.  It’s a night I’ll never forget!!!!  Thankfully I was an active blogger and captured the story.  Here is a recap of how the night went:

    Josiah and I have been reading the Bible together before he goes to bed each night for quite sometime now. We have made it through the Old Testament and just started the New Testament. The last couple of nights have been on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Tonight, the passage was from Acts 1 when Jesus ascends to Heaven. As Josiah and I talked about the lesson, we talked about Heaven and who gets to go to Heaven. We talked about what keeps people from heaven. He knows that sin keeps people from Heaven (We’ve talked about sin for awhile and he knows what sin is). So when I told him that sin keeps us from God and if we don’t have Jesus in our heart we can’t go to Heaven, He understood it. He asked if I (me) died would I go to Heaven and I said yes because I have asked Jesus into my heart and He forgave me of my sin. And because I have done that, when I die, I get to go to Heaven. After I said this, I asked him, “What happens to people that don’t ask Jesus into their heart?” He said with a gulp, “they go to Hell.” I asked, “Why do they go to Hell?” He said, “Because Jesus hasn’t taken away their sins.”

    At this point my heart began to race. I asked Josiah, “Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins? He said, “I want too but I don’t know how!” So innocent. I said, “All you have to do is pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and to forgive you of your sins. If I pray with you, do you want to pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins?” He said, “Yes!” So needless to say, we called Stephanie into the room, of coarse Jackson followed, and as a family we prayed together and Josiah asked Jesus to come into his heart and forgive him for his sins. As a dad, this is the moment you pray for and as a pastor/dad you try not to rush, but tonight, I am proud to proclaim we have one more for Jesus in the Gould Family! Josiah asked Jesus into his heart!

    But the story doesn’t end there.  This last weekend I had the privilege of Baptizing Josiah.  What a special day is he publicly professed Christ.  Another moment that will forever be etched in my heart as a dad!  Here is Josiah’s profession of faith in Christ and Baptism.

  • Joplin Relief Update

    Many of you have asked about Joplin and how you can get involved.  We are currently collecting supplies that are being sent as people and teams go to the area.  Feel free to pick up these supplies and drop off items in the Fellowship Hall here at FBC Harvester. Here is a list of the supplies we are collecting and sending:

    • cases of bottled water
    • socks and underwear
    • diapers and formula
    • bottled water
    • personal hygiene items
    • blankets
    • pillows
    • cots
    • work gloves and boots
    • first aid supplies
    • paper products
    • chain saw oil
    • hand sanitizer
    • manual can openers, etc.

    If you would like to make a donation please make your check payable to “FBCH” and write “Joplin Relief” on the envelope. You can donate through the offering, the church office, at the Information Center on Sunday, or by mailing.

    We are in contact with Red Cross and College Heights Christian Church in Joplin and are working on details for a volunteer trip in the next couple of weeks as volunteers become more needed.

    For the latest info, make sure to follow FBC Harvester on Twitter @fbcharvester  We will also be updating the website as we get more information. Please continue to be in prayer for those affected by the tornado and how God can use each of us to help in this great time of need.

  • Joplin Relief – 5.25.11

    This morning’s update for Joplin Relief effort:

    Our first team is on the ground working with the Red Cross. At this point they need supplies desperately. Food seems to be arriving okay, still needed:

    Water
    Work boots
    Clothes, esp socks & underwear
    Paper products: plates, cups, etc
    Packing boxes and tape
    Kids’ toys & stuffed animals & games
    Toiletries including diapers & feminine products

    These items can be dropped off at First Baptist Church Harvester in the Fellowship Hall back by the sound booth and we will send them down as we have space and transportation. We are also collecting money for rental equipment when they allow us to start helping with cleanup.