I took a year off from teaching at Harvest. But next fall I'll start with the adult class again. I was looking through some old notes today and found this short article that was written for the Harvest Community newsletter. It reminded me of a seminar breakout session I attended last week that
Steve Wiggins taught on devotions for worship leaders. I think its worth reading again. The dates aren't significant any longer so ignore them.
Picture yourself on a hill near a small town in the country. You have been met with the most incredible circumstances you could have ever imagined. The events of the previous few weeks have brought the highest highs of victories and the lowest lows of death. Not sure of your own safety, you look around anxiously awaiting the moment when armed guards might come from just out of sight to drag you away to most certain death. You know that trumped up charges could be brought to a courtroom in order to ensure your elimination from society. Yet, even as those thoughts race though your tired mind, you look upon the only person you know that had experienced that exact same scenario. He is alive and well, standing before you and teaching you new things, just as he always did. In the past he taught you about life; about a new life with a new way to look at everything. But his message today on this hillside is just a little different. Today he is teaching you that the burden of taking those “new-life” messages to a world of “old-life” people will be carried by you!
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." It’s called the great commission and it is meant for each of us. But how? How can we ever become prepared enough to make disciples, baptize people, and teach them to obey? It is a formidable task indeed. Yet the command has been given by the Christ; Jesus himself.
The command was given in the closing paragraphs of the gospel of Matthew just before Jesus disappeared before his disciples’ very eyes. What an amazing site that must have been. They stood there eyes wide open and mouths agape no doubt for a good long time. Until a couple of fellows dressed in white asked them “what are you looking at? This Jesus will come back one day, in the same way he left you just now.” Yeah, right. Uh, but just exactly what are we supposed to do now? Good question. It was a good question then. It’s a good question now.
In the ensuing days the beginnings of what we know as the Christian church began. These humble beginnings that virtually exploded on the planet were brought about by common people like you and I who see the incredible value and good that comes from carrying out the command to take the gospel to the world. These disciples were simple people who knew an incredible new way of thinking, of living, of looking at the world. They couldn’t wait to share it with everyone they met. So it is with us.
The Holy Spirit was sent to “live within them.” He empowered their everyday skills and common language into an unstoppable force that changes the world even today.
The church to which we belong today was born from those empowered, yet common, skills. We gain encouragement from knowing that the Holy Spirit continues to empower each of us to be able to carry on the great commission. All we need is to gain a little understanding of God’s word, listen to the Spirit, and do some ordinary things extraordinarily well.
Reading and sharing our thoughts and insights about God’s word with each other is a wonderful way to begin some basic training. It’s simple really. The more of God’s word you have “hidden” in your heart, the more prepared you become to carry on the commission of Christ. There is no better way to share what God is teaching us in His word than to gather for a few minutes each Sunday to study and share.
Our adult Sunday school class is targeted specifically at learning about God’s word. We began a journey through the bible beginning at Genesis 2 and ½ years ago. We have come so far! We have learned, shared, laughed and cried together. We have grown closer. We’ve grown closer to each other and closer to God’s word. But most importantly, we’ve grown closer to God. That’s because God speaks to us through His words. And His words are mighty powerful.
Our journey has brought us from the beginning of man to the historical beginning of the church we know today as Harvest Community Church. Just this past week we began reading and learning from the New Testament book of Acts. In the next couple of weeks we’ll begin seeing how the Holy Spirit, sent by Christ, empowered the men and women of Jewish and Roman cities of the bible to start a movement that would eventually thread it’s way to the top of Sixth Ave hill in Lake Odessa, MI. Incredible! Jesus’ great commission began on a hill in Galilee and now continues on a hill in Michigan.
That same spirit is waiting to help you take part in this great commission to take the “new-life” message to the “old-life” people on the hillsides of our little part of the world. Every Sunday after the morning worship service and fellowship time we continue to ground ourselves in God’s word; to hide it in our hearts in hope and knowledge that we will bring it out later on to help someone else.
The Bible. You must hide it in you heart. It must become a part of you. It will change you. Of that there is no doubt. But rest assured it will be a welcome change. It will be a change that enables you to stand on your own; grounded in the knowledge of the very word that created the entire world at the very beginning of time. That’s what the adult Sunday school class is all about. Please join us as we continue studying God’s word together.
This is my son Matthew. He's a musician. At heart he is an amazing person. He's very creative in very many ways. Currently he's working in Florida and North Carolina with a friend of mine in the recycling business. He's raising as much cash as possible in preparation for attending Ferris State University in the 2006 Winter term. I miss him. But he'll be home in a few weeks. 
