Harvest Christian Fellowship Blog

After nearly thirty six years in ministry here at Harvest, there’s a lot I can look back on and thank God for.  By God’s grace, our reach has been extended to thousands of people through our church, crusades, and media ministries.  I am amazed by all God has done for us and through us.

Frankly, at this stage of life, it would be justifiable to slow down, take the foot off the pedal and coast to the finish line.  But I have never been one to live in THE PAST.   The fact is, it’s hard enough to live in the present, because I’m always thinking about the future!

What do I think about?  How can we as a church impact more people with the Word of God and the gospel?  A lot has happened in my life to cause me to think deeply about my own mortality—most notably, the departure of my son, Christopher, to heaven.  It has caused me to realize that the time has come to do some things I have long thought and prayed over.

And now it is time to act! Therefore, I want to outline a few of the initiatives we as a church family will be undertaking as we move forward: Continue Reading »

Posted under Greg Laurie & Harvest Community & News | 3 Comments »

Posted under Greg Laurie & Harvest Community | No Comments »

Join Pastor Greg this Sunday April 25, as he continues in his series Worldview: Learning to Think and Live Biblically with a message titled, ”The Pursuit of Happiness.” We’ll look once again at the Sermon on the Mount, and examine what the Beatitudes mean to us today and how we can apply them to our lives.

Services are at 7:45, 9:45, and 11:45 A.M.

Posted under Greg Laurie & Harvest Community | No Comments »

I hope you were able to join us for Easter at Harvest this past weekend. We’re still tallying the numbers, but it appears that we had more than 20,000 people here for our services.

We also witnessed a tremendous response to the gospel message, as more than 300 people came forward to make professions of faith.

For all those who prayed to receive Christ or recommitted their lives, death is no longer the end. They have the hope of heaven that Jesus Christ secured on that first Easter morning, almost 2,000 years ago.

As Christians, we know that we have that same hope, but it can sometimes be obscured by the worries and trials that we go through. Perhaps you got blindsided by a tragedy. Maybe you hoped to have a better job or a spouse or a ministry by now.

Whatever the case, you may be struggling, feeling “disappointed” with God. In your mind, God has let you down.

I once heard a story that centered around the Battle of Waterloo, the decisive moment of the Napoleonic Wars. It was June 18, 1815, and the French, under the command of Napoleon, were fighting the allied forces of the British, Dutch, and Germans, under the command of the Duke of Wellington.

But Easter is no less miraculous, because it celebrates the resurrection, the accomplishment of Christ’s ministry on earth. It is also the reason He came to Earth in the first place.

The people of England depended on a system of signals to find out how the battle was going. One of these signals was on the tower of Winchester Cathedral.

Late in the day, it flashed the signal: “W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N—D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D . . . ” At that moment, a cloud bank rolled in, making it impossible to read the message.

The news of defeat quickly spread throughout the city. The people were devastated to hear that their nation had lost the battle.

Suddenly, the clouds lifted and the rest of the message could be read. The message wasn’t just two words, but four.

The complete message was: “W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N—D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D—T-H-E—E-N-E-M-Y!”

It took only a few minutes for the good news to spread. Sorrow was turned into joy, defeat was turned into victory!

The same happened at the resurrection of Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross, hope died in the hearts of His disciples. After the crucifixion, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding crept in on the friends of Jesus.

But they had read only part of the message: “Christ Defeated . . . “

On the third day, the fog of disappointment and misunderstanding lifted, and the world received the complete message: “Christ Defeated Death!!”

That really is the great message of the resurrection of Jesus, that death is not the end. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25 NKJV).

That is the hope that we have in Christ, no matter our circumstances. That is why it is so important for us to gather together as believers at church. When we are in fellowship with other Christians and digging into God’s Word, we will find encouragement and strength as He brings us from sadness to hope.

Pastor Greg

Posted under Greg Laurie & Harvest Community | 1 Comment »

Randy Alcorn, the author of the bestselling Christian book Heaven and the new book If God Is Good, will be coming to speak at Harvest this Sunday. You will not want to miss this.

If you know someone who is suffering or has recently had a loved one die, you will want them to see and hear this service. I encourage you to invite them, have them watch it live or archived online, download it on podcast, or get the CD.

Randy and I will be talking about those “big life issues,” like . . .

• Why is there suffering in the world?
• Why does God allow bad things to happen to good, even godly, people?
• What happens when we die?
• What is heaven like?
• What will we do in heaven?

We will answer these questions and more, as Randy and I have a “conversational Bible study.”

Randy’s books on heaven and the topic of suffering are the finest I have ever read on those subjects. He brings unique and penetrating insights to these huge issues of life.

You can come to one of our live services at 7:45 A.M., 9:45 A.M., and 11:45 A.M. Pacific Time, or watch the live webcast at those same times. This service will also be archived for later viewing.

I hope to see you there.

Pastor Greg

Posted under From the Pastors & Greg Laurie & Harvest Community | No Comments »

It almost goes without saying that the world is much different today than when I first began preaching 35 years ago. And I’m sorry to say that one of the areas that’s changed the most, and not for the better, is Bible literacy.

Not only is there an ignorance regarding the Bible in popular culture today, but churches have been moving away from biblical exposition. In fact, there are more and more churches where people don’t even bother bringing their Bibles with them.

The result is that churchgoers are more likely to, as researcher George Barna put it, “reject the accuracy of the Bible, reject the existence of Satan, claim that Jesus sinned, see no need to evangelize, [and] believe that good works are one of the keys to persuading God to forgive their sins?”

That’s why I taught a series this past year called Essentials: What Every Christian Needs to Know. Over the course of 30-plus messages, we explored the foundational truths of Christianity. We looked at God, His attributes, and His character. We looked at Jesus Christ, His deity and humanity. We looked at the unseen world of angels, demons, and the devil. We have looked at heaven, hell, and end times events. We looked at topics like salvation, faith, the Bible, and much more.

This Sunday, I will begin a new series that I am calling Worldview: Learning to Think and Live Biblically.

Simply put, a worldview is the way in which we view life. It’s formed by our culture, our upbringing, our education, the books we read, the media we consume, and the influences in our lives. It affects every area of our lives, from morality to money to politics to art.

What does a Christian worldview look like? It flows from two assumptions: there is a living God, and He has revealed Himself through Scripture.

Therefore, we as Christians believe that God has given us absolute truth—contrary to what popular culture says—and that truth is found in the Bible. That will then reveal itself in the way that we see the world, and life in general.

I encourage you to take the unchanging truths of the Bible, and let them color your worldview. And I hope you’ll join me this Sunday as we begin the Worldview series with a message titled “Absolute Truth.”

Valuing His Word,

Pastor Greg Laurie

Posted under From the Pastors & Greg Laurie & Harvest Community | 2 Comments »

This Sunday night, November 12, please join us for a special night of music and ministry with Stephen Curtis Chapman and Pastor Greg Laurie. This free event features music from Stephen’s new project,  “Beauty Will Rise“, along with thoughts from the Scriptures from Pastor Greg for those who might be dealing with pain and hurt this holiday season. This is an event you won’t want to miss – a night of hope and encouragement for all.

It starts at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Overflow facilities will be open, childcare will be provided.

Posted under Greg Laurie & Harvest Community & News | No Comments »

Lost Boy, the Next Chapter is now a multi-international film festival award winner! Lost Boy, the Next Chapter was selected as the Best Documentary at the 2009 International Christian Film Festival earlier this month. This award was added to the Audience Favorite Best Documentary award the film won at the 2009 Riverside International Film Festival. The Lord is continuing to use this film in a mighty way to reach a wider audience with the Gospel.

Posted under Greg Laurie & News | No Comments »