There is a belief among Christians that the biggest and the most effective church is the best and most Godly church. Believe it or not, there are actually churches in the world today that boast in excess of 50,000 members and more. While some of these churches are no doubt excellent and Godly assemblies, simply being big and strong doesn't mean a person, a ministry, or even a mega-church is about God's business. God quite often uses the weak, the small and persecuted to do His work. He can use the littlest church, the littlest youth group, and even the littlest person to change the world forever. In fact, He more often uses those who are being beaten down by others than those that are being applauded as being great! But he [God] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I [The Apostle Paul] will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

In the summertime, we get quite a few irritating mosquitoes around our house. We found this great repellant this summer that almost completely eliminates them. I guess they don't like the smell of the chemicals or something, so most of them stay away. Those that do get close die before they can bother us. Religion can be real similar. Religion that's not based on a genuine desire and love for Christ is always a repellant to those who are searching for Truth. Fortunately, the opposite is also true. Like moths to a flame, those who are searching for relevance in life and faith are always drawn to the joy that surrounds true Christian faith. I wonder... is your faith a repellant or an attractor for the Lord Jesus? "You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Acts 2:28  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

When preachers start talking about how all the destruction from hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes and the like along with endless wars and famines are part of God's judgment, listeners almost immediately think they are crazy. I was watching the news the other night and they actually laughed after a minister suggested that recent disasters might be part of God's judgment on mankind. Honestly, I'm not surprised. If a person sees the world as a place where man evolved from nothing and the earth as nothing more than the sum of a few trillion accidents all coming together to form a place that could sustain life, then laughing at God's involvement seems only natural. But if a person knows that man himself has methodically ruined this planet with his sinfulness and that Jesus will actually soon return in the flesh, then it "ain't" so crazy sounding after all! Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:4-14 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail over His church. He did not however say that the gates of hell wouldn't try! I often wonder if many of those who call themselves Christians have any idea just how far their actions are going toward eroding the foundation of that very church. Our rampant immorality is doing more for Satan's kingdom than any of our false morality is doing for Christ's. Sexual immorality among Christians is, at least from my estimation, at an all time high. And, I'm not just talking about physical acts, but what we watch, read, ponder and talk about as well. Others in the church see the immorality and they figure, "Hey, this must be acceptable in the church" or "I've got my needs, too." Those outside the church want nothing to do with it--Hey, even the blind can see it's not right! What's weird is that every one of these demonic themes were dealt with in the early church and are chronicled in the New Testament. We would do well by studying them today (See 1st and 2nd Corinthians for starters). But that not withstanding, even our own consciences and the Holy Spirit are undoubtedly active in convicting those who are talking about Jesus with one side of their mouth and serving themselves with the other. Why are we not listening? Do we really want to be on the wrong side of this battle, steadily helping with the erosion of the Church? We do not gain salvation by right living, but we certainly show we have it by honoring our Father with the way we live. Working to destroy the tenants of the Christian faith (as my grandmother would have put it) "Just ain't Christian!" We need to be busy being holy, and requiring the same of our brothers and sisters. "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." Ephesians 5:11 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

There are a vast number of people alive today who will readily tell you they are Christians. Some are and some, unfortunately, are not. Telling the difference is difficult at times because just being nice and having some Sunday School experience seems to give people the right to identify with Jesus if they like. But is that true Christianity? If following God was easy the prophets and apostles would not have been killed for it! I don't want to set anyone on the path to a judgmental attitude, but just like a child needs to know not to follow a man who claims to need help finding his puppy, a Christian needs to be wise about the Truth! Be careful who you follow. "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40, NIV) Friends, I heard a story once about a woman who served the “at risk” community around her because her own child was caught up in substance abuse but would not accept any help from her family. It broke this woman’s heart to think of her own child on the street, so she tried to love others well and make a difference in other people’s lives. She hoped that, somewhere, someone would love her daughter well, too. That story came back to me recently after a conversation at the thrift store. Someone tried to donate a couch with large rips and missing cushions, explaining to Aaron that a poor person would certainly want it. I understand the sentiment behind that. If you have very little, something is better than nothing, right? But it made me think about something we don't always consider when we talk about serving people in need: the people we serve are somebody's sons and daughters. They're somebody's family. We would never want our own child to be defined by their circumstances—to be told, directly or not, that because they're struggling, they should be grateful for what most people would turn down if given the option. I know that ruffles some feathers, and I hope you hear my heart in this, because Harvest is SO grateful for the generosity of so many people in this community. The store and ministry would not exist without the people who clean out their closets, donate their furniture, drop off household goods, volunteer their time, and give financially. The retelling of that conversation was such a great reminder for our team of who we are serving and why. We want to treat people with dignity and respect—not simply because they are in need, but because they are people. Someone’s son or daughter. Someone’s child. Someone’s family. And maybe that is what I keep coming back to from the story of that woman. She knew what it felt like to wonder where her own child was and whether someone would love her well. So she chose to love someone else’s child well. That is a beautiful picture of what we hope Harvest Helps can be: not simply meeting a need, but seeing the person behind the need. Because every person who walks through those doors is someone’s son or daughter, someone’s family—and ultimately, someone Jesus tells us to see and serve as though we were serving Him. Celebrations! Ms K received a bicycle to get to work! Mr. R received a bus pass and groceries to help while his family deals with illness. Ms H received a bus pass to get to work! Blessings, Elizabeth Kilby

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV) Dear Friends, Throughout Scripture, God calls His people to give Him their firstfruits—the first and the best. The issue has never been the amount, but the heart. By giving God the first portion, we acknowledge that He is our highest priority and trust Him to provide for our every need. Jesus also taught that our giving should never be motivated by recognition or applause. In Matthew 6, He instructed His followers to give quietly, seeking the approval of our Heavenly Father rather than the praise of people. He also taught us not to give, to get something earthly in return. The greatest reward is not found in earthly recognition, but in knowing that our gifts have honored God and advanced His Kingdom. As I think about Harvest Youth Ministries, I am humbled by the faithfulness of so many of you. Some have supported this ministry for nearly thirty years. Because of your generosity, many men, women, and young people have come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Hungry families have been fed, safe housing has been provided, jobs and life skills have been developed, and countless lives have been touched by the love of Christ. None of this would have been possible apart from God’s blessing and your faithful partnership. While we are deeply grateful for every gift, we know your generosity is ultimately an offering to the Lord—not to Harvest Youth Ministries. Most of what you have accomplished will never be fully known on this side of eternity, but God sees every act of faith and every sacrifice made for His glory. Thank you for honoring God with your first fruits. Thank you for giving Him your best. Most of all, thank you for your faithful partnership in changing lives for eternity. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Jim Kilby

The Scriptures tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom (Psalm 111:10). "Fear" in this sense can be more accurately translated as "reverence" or maybe better put in today's terms as "profound awe" (from which we get the word awesome). That being said, we can conclude that seeing God rightly, in total reverence and awe, is the first thing we must do if we are to ever be wise on His terms. I have a lot of people who come to me with questions about God. They quite often get irritated and sometimes even angry when they don't understand what I'm trying to communicate. Often, the lack of understanding is not in my explanation, or even in their ability to think rationally. It's in the fact that they don't hold God in high esteem. Look at it this way. If you think God is a colossal kill-joy, looking to keep you from any fun you're looking to have, then you'll never understand why He would send His only Son to die on a cross. Not starting with "the fear of the Lord" keeps you from understanding anything about Him. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." Psalm 111:10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate