Pastor Jeff's Blog

FriFridaySepSeptember9th2011 How's Your Walk?

Posted Friday, September 09 2011 @ 1 PM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

"But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh." Galatians 5:16

We live in a world where we really don't walk to get to where we are heading. Most of us take cars, buses, motorcyles, trains or even bicycles. In the first century, however, they walked. Whether someone was going to the market or traveling to another region of the country the method of transportation was walking. Therefore when "walking" is discussed in Galatians Paul is referring to the journey of one's life.

So when Paul encourages the Galatians to walk by the Spirit he was letting them know that in their journey they needed to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit rather than their selfish desires. Paul argues that as a believer one can either journey with the Holy Spirit or journey with one's selfish desires but not both. They are two different roads. When a believer is living for themselves then they cannot journey in obedience to the Spirit's leading. On the other hand, when a believer is obedient to the directives of the Spirit then one cannot engage in sin.

Most Christians I know are plagued by falling into one of two categories. Either (A): they struggle with the fact that as a believer in Christ they still repetitively commit the same sins over and over with no hope of ever changing or (B) they consider sin such a natural part of their life that they just don't worry about it. Both options leave the believer missing out on experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

While it is true we cannot get rid of our sin nature until we meet the Lord, we no longer have to sin. God hates sin and gave us the Holy Spirit to indwell us and guide us so that we could live in the way that is pleasing to the Lord. Therefore it is important for us to seek God in His Word, prayer, worship and fellowship with other believers. These disciplines help us to align with Holy Spirit's work in our lives and provides us with strength during times of temptation and difficulty.

So how is you walk? Are you on a journey with the Lord that is empowered by the Spirit? If not, you can begin right now. Go before the Lord and tell him of your desire to follow Him. If He convicts you of sin confess it and receive his promise of forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Then make a point to seek the Lord daily as He leads your life.

ThuThursdaySepSeptember8th2011 Kickoff

Posted Thursday, September 08 2011 @ 11 AM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment

Have you ever experienced the excitement of the first kickoff of a football season in person? The palpable excitement in a stadium prior to some guy kicking a leather ball down the field is contagious. Even if people are not big fans it is difficult not to be engaged as people scream, keys are shaken, and music is being played.

You see, the kickoff represents the start of the season. It is when hopes run high that anything can happen and that all the preparation is about to pay off. It is a chance to see if what has been practiced is actually performed. The anticipation and hope of what that season will hold is what makes that one kick so special.

This Sunday, September 11, 2011 at Harvest Bible Chapel we will experience a "Kickoff" of our own. Our theme for the year is "Intensely Missional" and will "Kickoff" in Acts 1 this weekend. Come experience high-impact worship and preaching from God's Word that will motivate you to serve our risen Savior. I also want to invite those who are in 6th-8th grade and those in 9th-12th grade to attend Summit Student Ministries that begins at 6:00 PM that evening at Campus Middle School.

My anticipation, hope and faith in Jesus Christ is at an all-time high for what I expect Him to do through our church throughout this Ministry Year.

Come and experience our "Kickoff" and then plan on spending the season with us as we experience together the work of God in amazing ways.

Because this season is all based upon How the Lord performs, I can promise you that this season in our church will be victorious!

TueTuesdayJulJuly12th2011 The Purpose of Prayer

Posted Tuesday, July 12 2011 @ 1 PM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” 1 John 5:13-15

The purpose of prayer is so that we can get to know God. Not just know about His attributes or what He has done or how it is we benefit. The purpose is that we might know Him. God personally invites us to pray to Him so that we can have confidence in the person of Jesus Christ. Our confidence in Christ swells as we see him answer prayer in response to our requests.

So, don't be scared but approach His throne room with freedom and confidence and present your requests before Him. Ask, seek, and knock. Then keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. God will then either answer your request or change your heart so that you can be pleased with the direction that God is choosing to take things.

Prayer is a privilege that every believer should exhaust for the sake of personal growth.

Seek Him today!

FriFridayJunJune3rd2011 Sing? Who Me?

Posted Friday, June 03 2011 @ 2 PM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

“Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.” Psalms 96:1-4

Did you ever realize that God commands all of us to sing? This takes away all of our excuses like, "I don't like to sing", "I don't have a good voice", or "I don't like the music".

Men, women, boys and girls are all called to sing to the Lord. We are called to bless His name. This is not an exercise for the mature believer but for anyone who has been set free by God to serve Him.

If we really believe that the Word of God is true and timeless then perhaps we need to take God at His Word on this one. This week I encourage you to prepare your heart for Sunday Worship and then go and sing to the Lord with your entire heart, regardless of how you feel. Better yet, sing to him in preparation.

As you begin to sing praises to the Lord and focus on Him you will discover that singing praises to the Lord is a great way to find joy today!

Encouraging you to stay Fully Engaged with Jesus,
Pastor Jeff

FriFridayMarMarch25th2011 Distractions

Posted Friday, March 25 2011 @ 4 PM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

Do you ever find it difficult to stay focused on the most important things in life? I know I do. Sometimes I even trick myself into thinking the wrong things are my priorities because they demand my immediate attention.

The truth is that the Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, created me and gave me purpose in this life in order to prepare me for the next. My heart, soul, and mind should remain centered on that and live with breathless expectation for the things that God is preparing for those of us who love Him.

Although I know this to be true, this week I have been challenged due to closing on a house, moving, having family from out of town, a daughter celebrating her 4th birthday, moving a ministry across country, and the daily challenges of leading a thriving church. Although God continues to provide enough grace I have found myself more hungry for His Word because I have been so busy. At times when I am busy I actually need to spend MORE time with him and not less.

How about you? How are you doing?

During this Easter season I am reminding you to take time daily to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of salvation and our future hope. In the middle of all the chaos that happens in your life, rest in the hope you have because he demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Perhaps that simple truth may just help you enjoy the life God has given you today.

Please know that I am continuing to pray with you for 50 people to meet our Lord Jesus Christ this Easter Season.

Stay Fully Engaged!
Pastor Jeff

TueTuesdayMarMarch1st2011 Small Groups Lauching

Posted Tuesday, March 01 2011 @ 3 PM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

I believe that this week’s message was very timely for all of us at HBC Denver. God is strongly at work in our midst and you will find that the enemy will be at work to keep us from experiencing God’s best. But no need to worry, we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. CLICK HERE to listen to Let’s Get REAL…About Our Enemy.

As I was reflecting on our church on Sunday afternoon, it struck me just how incredible God has been in our midst. Back in early August we only had about 20 people who were even considering being a committed part of our Launch Team. Now just 7 months later we have 132 adults signed up for Small Groups. That is amazing and worth celebrating!!! Just to paint a picture for you: If God were to continue to bless us with that kind of growth it would be like us having 871 people in Small Groups by this Fall. Impossible? That’s what most would have said about 132 people last August.

My point in writing this is to let you know just how blessed and overwhelmed I am by the goodness of God to us. May we continue to celebrate His greatness and may Small Groups be a vehicle God uses to draw us closer to Himself and give us a passion for making Jesus Christ famous in our world.

I love you guys and am honored to serve with you!
Pastor Jeff

WedWednesdayDecDecember8th2010 Who is Your Obedience For?

Posted Wednesday, December 08 2010 @ 12 PM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

Why is there so much talk about obedience? Titus 2:12 tells us that the reason is because Grace, when it is rightly understood, teaches us how to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. You see, God did not just save us to take us out of the world but to teach us to live for him in this world.

However, it is very important that we understand our audience. Many people live the Christian life with other believers in focus while God calls us to make Him the focus of our obedience.

In Matthew 6:1 Jesus says, “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. Don’t spend your time trying to prove to other people that you are Christian. Rather spend your time trying to please your Father and enjoy Him.

Live for God rather than for people!

MonMondayNovNovember22nd2010 Keep Going!

Posted Monday, November 22 2010 @ 3 PM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

I never get tired of watching little children learn to walk. Once they have gained some confidence of pulling themselves up to the couch or coffee table, they take that first awkward, wobbly step and then down they go. They do this over and over until they learn to walk.

You see the tragedy is not that kids fall. The tragedy would be if they somehow chose not to get back up. Imagine if they were to crawl into their first grade class explaining to their teacher and friends that they fell too much as a kid and didn’t want to take the risk anymore; that would be tragic.

In Philippians 3:14 The Apostle Paul tells us his strategy of continuing with Christ: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Keep Going! God has big plans for your life!

TueTuesdayNovNovember9th2010 Walk Your Talk

Posted Tuesday, November 09 2010 @ 11 AM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

Most of us have heard someone say, “He can talk the talk but can he walk the walk?” When we ask that question we are usually referring to someone who is quick on lip service but slow on action.

Let’s admit it…Talk is cheap. We all tend to be better at saying what we believe than actually living it out. Yet Jesus Christ tells us that how we live (and not only what we say) demonstrates what we believe. He wants full devotion to him because he knows that our hearts will only be fully satisfied when they rest in him.

If people were to meet you, listen to you, and watch you would there be enough evidence to demonstrate that you actually put into practice what you say about God.

The truth is none of us has the ability on our own to live a godly life; however, with the help of Jesus Christ we can become disciples who please God and follow His ways.

"By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." 1 John 2:5b-6

Read God's Word and ask Him to help you to Walk Your Talk.

Be encouraged. He wants to help.

TueTuesdayNovNovember2nd2010 Rejoice!

Posted Tuesday, November 02 2010 @ 1 PM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment

Are you angry, frustrated, hurt, anxious, overwhelmed, bitter or are you just plain tired? What do you do? The world’s answers of pills and pop psychology will never get to the root of the issue and will only exacerbate the problems you are facing.

If you are looking for a change in your situation, you need to go back and visit a Roman prison cell in about 61 AD where Paul was under arrest. In his chains and unfair treatment he gives the solution to life’s emotional challenges.

In Philippians 4:4 he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again rejoice.” No matter how bad your circumstances are as a believer in Jesus Christ they are just temporary! Right now I encourage you to sing and speak praises to your Lord and Savior and thank him for all he has done. Your joy will be restored!

Please plan on joining us this Sunday, November7, at the Cherry Creek High School Auditorium at 10:00 AM as we worship the Lord together.

WedWednesdayOctOctober27th2010 Take Action

Posted Wednesday, October 27 2010 @ 9 AM byPastor Jeff Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment

Can you imagine buying a new car and then leaving it in the driveway and never using it? Or purchasing a house but never moving in? Or ordering food at a restaurant with no intention of eating it? Of course not.

This is what James, the half brother of Jesus, is trying to get us to understand. While the Bible is clear that salvation is by grace through faith, James argues that if we don’t continue to take action that our faith is useless?

It is true God saved your life apart from your works but now that you are His it is normal and essential that your love for Jesus Christ produce good works in every area of your life. Works are simply the demonstration of your appreciation for Jesus rescuing your life.

James 2:17 says that Faith, if not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Put your faith into practice and let the Lord of the universe direct your steps today!

ThuThursdayJulJuly1st2010 Continue Your Climb

Posted Thursday, July 01 2010 @ 8 AM byPastor Jeff Tagged endurance 0 comments Add comment

On my most recent trip to Denver I was asked by a friend if I would be willing to stay in Denver for an extra day and climb a "14er" with him before I left for Illinois. I didn't even know what a "14er" was but the question was presented in such a way that it sounded to me like, "Hey, let's do lunch before you leave." I immediately agreed and thought about how cool it would be to spend a couple hours climbing up to see the beautiful mountains and then spend the afternoon talking about the greatness of the experience we just shared. I was so excited I even invited a couple of friends to join me.

However, after agreeing to climb I quickly learned that Mt. Elbert was the highest peak in Colorado and upon further research began to discover it may not be quite the walk in the park I had been considering. Always up for a challenge, I was still excited to climb and looked forward to Friday.

On Friday we began our ascent at 5:45 AM with beautiful skies, great weather and good conversation. However, within 15 minutes I began to realize that I our uphill walk was beginning to make me winded. At that time if I had know I would be walking for nearly another five hours I would have made my way back to our car. However I just keep going. About 3.5 hours into the hike I strongly considered turning around but after a half hour of rest, some food, and encouragement from my friends I continued forward. The closer I got to the summit the more I wanted to keep going and finally...I MADE IT!

On that beautiful day last Friday I could see for miles in every direction. I became overwhelmed by the fact that before any one of the vast mountains in that range were created that God had thought about me and had a plan for my life. Scriptures just came flying into my mind reminding me of the incredible glory of God. It was worth every step of that journey to reach the top!

As I reflect on that day I cannot help but think that is a microcosm of our journey with Jesus Christ. The invitation to our journey with Him is filled with excitement and eager expectation, but it is always accompanied with challenges. Our world is filled with suffering, confusion, disappointment, heartache, and frustration but we are called to keep our eye on the goal and keep going. It will be absolutely amazing when we meet Christ face to face in the fullness of His glory!

So regardless of your circumstances, keep going forward with Jesus. Maybe you need some rest, encouragement or more time alone with Him but continue to pursue Him. You will meet Jesus sooner than you think and your pursuit of Him will be greatly rewarded.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up." Hebrews 12:1-3