Harmony Baptist Church

February 10, 2013

Philippians 2:13 says, "for it is God who works in you, both to will and work for His good pleasure." Let's take a minute to think about "God working in you". This is a characteristic of every person who knows Christ as Savior and Lord.

    Are you aware of His "work" in your life? What evidence can you point to? Wouldn't it be accurate to expect to see some evidence of God working in a Christian's life?

    One way God works in our lives is to create a love for people and a desire to put others before ourselves. Christians are unselfish (at least they are supposed to be)! A selfish Christian is a contradiction.

    The twelve verses before verse 13 give the example of the Lord Jesus, who humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. Humility is a key character trait in every true Christian. As believers we benefit today, tomorrow and for all of eternity as a direct result of His humility. How can we not follow His example?

Blessings, Bro. Lynn

February 3, 2013

Last Sunday's message was on Overcoming Incredible Odds. The book of Esther is all about the sovereign plan of God in history to accomplish His will. God used two common people, one who was orphaned at a young age to save the lives of every Jewish person in a vast empire. The king in the story was a ruthless ruler. His second in command was bent on destroying the Jews and convinced the king to sign it into law. The turning point comes as first Mordecai and then Esther begin to take steps to stop the slaughter of innocent people. The parallel with abortion is too obvious to miss.

        Abortion is the law of the land. Every day the most defenseless in our nation, the unborn, suffer and die legally. It is the worst crime of which any nation could be guilty. It is far more reprehensible than slavery for which our nation suffered a Civil War, which President Lincoln saw as God's judgment on our nation. So what can we do?

        Even Presidents who oppose abortion were unable to overturn Roe vs Wade. Now we have the most aggressive supporter of abortion and every other destructive and degenerate practice, elected to the highest office in the land. We can do what Mordecai and Esther did. We can recognize that God's will is for life. That every human being is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and that as Job said, "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away" (Job 1:21). There are certain God-given powers to government (Romans 13,) but they are for the protection of society and the punishment of wrongdoers.

        God used two people of faith, prayer & fasting, and action to accomplish the impossible. At the risk of their own lives they did what they could with the awareness that they were acting in accord with the sovereign plan of God. Others in history have done the same. People like Roosevelt and Churchill against Hitler and Japan, Lincoln against the South and slavery. Wilberforce in England against slavery. The Apostle Paul against the Roman Empire… the list is long because it spans the history of man. Countless men and women like Mordecai and Esther have done what they could. Can we do any less?

                One thing we can do is take up a special offering for our local CPC, Grace House, which is saving lives here in Parker County. Over 149,000 lives have been saved nationwide through the use of ultrasound technology as mothers have seen the images of their children and have chosen life. Willetta and I began giving last Sunday, and will give sacrificially every Sunday in February, to do what we can to save lives. I am calling for the people of Harmony to pray about other actions we can take to see Roe vs Wade overturned. It's just not enough to put the support of Grace House in our budget and just forget about it until next January. We must do what we can and the special offering is a start.                   Blessings, Bro.Lynn

January 27, 2013 

Psalm 139 closes with a request for God to "lead me in the way everlasting!" (vs 24).  That's a good prayer for 2013. We should be asking the Lord to lead us in His way in 2013.

      Let me share a few things for your consideration. If we will be faithful to teach, witness, love, serve, minister and be the church described in the New Testament, we will see things that only God can do. The keys are found in faith in Christ, the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to God’s word.

      Last year Harmony took giant steps forward in many areas. Some of those are: increased missions support, numerical growth, quality leadership, and respect in the community for the way we do ministry (with compassion, teamwork and commitment). There is a sense that Harmony is a church that loves Jesus Christ and therefore also loves people.

      Harmony is a great church, and we need to go forward in 2013 building on the past, but taking new steps of faith in a new year. So get ready by asking the Lord to lead us and help us respond to the challenges of a new year!

Blessings, Brother Lynn

January 20, 2013

Last week I wrote about signing up for a place of service at Harmony. When you were saved, one of the things that happened was that you were given a spiritual gift. Read Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 for a description of spiritual gifts. Every believer has at least one and they are given to be used to build up the church. They are tools to build with, not toys to play with.

My point in writing here is to encourage each of you to use your spiritual gift. I understand that you may not know what your gift is, or how to discover your gift, or how to use your gift. The sign-up sheet is just a tool to help accomplish all of that.

Every day important things go undone because too few are trying to do too much. I will also promise that if you sign up, and later discover you don't function well in that area, you won't be stuck there till Jesus comes again!

Harmony is a great church because we have a great Savior Jesus Christ! It is also a great church because of the warm loving people He has sent. Always remember we are better together!

Brother Lynn

January 13, 2013

Beginning today you will be given an opportunity to sign up for a place of service in our church. 1 Corinthians 12:18 tells us "God has arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose." The question each of us must answer is "are you cooperating with His arranging?"

The sign-up sheet is simply a tool to help you find a place of service. I would encourage you to sign up for more than one area because we may have an abundance in one area and need help in another. Someone may say "haven't we done this before and nothing happened"? Yes, but since then new members have joined and we need to involve every member in a place of service. We don't always succeed in our first attempt. Often I am the weak link attempting to manage too many things at once.

We are beginning a new year and new opportunities await us as we unify, better organize and renew our obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. After all. it is really Him we serve. Read Matt. 25:31-46.

Blessings!  Brother Lynn

January 6, 2013

Being “close to God” isn't good enough! What a tragedy to discover only too late that you were not really a Christian, you only "thought" you were a Christian.

Some people see being a Christian like buying insurance - fire insurance to be exact. According to the Bible, a Christian is a changed person from the inside out (1 Cor. 5:17); note the words "new creation".  Romans 12:2 tells us a Christian has a "transformed" mind and "discerns the will of God, what is good, acceptable and perfect."

Doctors use a minute amount of a disease to inoculate us against the real thing. Many people have received just a "little bit" of Christianity, just enough to protect us against the real thing! A great question to ask yourself is "what clear evidence is there in my life that demonstrates that I am trusting completely in Jesus Christ?"

There are many ways to verify that you have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. They are things like the desire to read your Bible, pray, being able to recognize the promoting of the Holy Spirit, and then acting on what He instructed you to do. “Close to God” isn't good enough - only a personal encounter will do.

Both Judas and Peter were close to God. Judas showed he had no saving relationship with Christ by his betrayal. Peter failed Christ by denying Him three times but he repented, demonstrating that he really did have a true saving relationship with Jesus. Peter truly  did know Jesus, that's why he ran to the empty tomb!

Still, the question we must all answer is "what clear evidence is there in my life that I have been saved?" ”Close to God” isn't a substitute for the real thing!

                                                                    Brother Lynn

 October 21, 2012

I want to thank everyone for their cards and gifts for pastor’s appreciation Sunday. It has been a great blessing for Willetta and I to serve the people of Harmony Baptist Church for the past fifteen years. Your support for us as pastor and wife continue to provide encouragement for us in the work of the ministry.

I also want to thank those who attended the annual meeting of the Parker Baptist Association. Harmony has been a leader in working toward adopting Vancouver Canada as an international focus for our association by supporting Suzanne Perry, Chaplain at the University of British Columbia and church planters Matthew and Heather Bond, Vancouver Island. All this would never be possible without a Gracious God and the loving support of a wonderful congregation. Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Harmony.                                   

Brother Lynn 

October 14, 2012

Tonight is the annual meeting of the Parker Baptist Association. The meeting is at NorthSide Baptist Church and begins at 4:00 and concludes at 5:15 and is followed by a meal. We will have no evening service here in order to attend the meeting at NorthSide.

Let me encourage you to attend for several reasons. First, because we need to build relationships with other churches in order to reach our community and to do missions. We can do more together as we cooperate than we could ever do individually. It was at the annual meeting about 3 years ago where I learned about church planting in Vancouver. Second, I have been asked to share a brief testimony about Harmony's involvement in missions in Vancouver.

You will also hear testimonies from other churches in our association about their mission efforts. It would be a great encouragement to me personally to see our people at this meeting. It will be a short meeting, there will be some great music, you will be better informed about the work of our association and we can enjoy fellowship with other Christians as the meeting concludes with a meal.

Blessings,

Brother Lynn

October 7, 2012

I'm sure we all know about the tragic events in Aledo, as a 17 year old boy murdered his mother and his sister. Obviously our thoughts and prayers go out to the husband and his two daughters whose lives have been tragically altered by this senseless tragedy.

My point in writing about this is not to try to analyze something we know very little about, but simply to point out what most of us already know: that something has gone terribly wrong when a son kills his mother and sister. Events like these are wake-up calls for our county.

I spent the first 8 years of my life in Aledo and have only the best of all memories from those years. It was a small community then, my Dad taught school and coached football and basketball and it seemed that we knew everyone who lived there. I think I can safely say even up to my 20's I never heard of such a tragic event as a son killing his mother let alone a younger sister. It would have been unthinkable and beyond any stretch of any ones imagination. But today things have changed.

Romans chapter 1 tells us what happens to a society when they fail to honor God or give thanks to Him. It tells us that God "gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil.....  full of envy, murder.." (Romans 1:28-29). It's interesting that the killer's own words about himself were "I'm pretty, I guess, evil".  Again, let me say I'm not writing here to condemn. In fact I feel just the opposite- heartbroken for the family and even the young man who by his own words said "I guess I've messed myself up".

Let's don’t miss the message in this to us all: our nation is in dark times. The family is in deep trouble and this trouble is never far away. All this should wake us up to the absolute necessity of prayer and making the Gospel a priority in all our lives. Our only hope is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The problem is never with the darkness, but with the light. Darkness dominates when the light fails to shine. Romans 13:11 says "understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."                                            Brother Lynn 

January 30, 2013

When I think of 2013, I think of a question asked by a man named Mordecai of Queen Esther "Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).  I believe we have come to a crossroads in America, and the church of Jesus Christ must determine to stand in the gap. The "sidelines" are not a safe place to be in the current struggle.

This morning’s message is a call to action for every member or attendee of Harmony Baptist Church. We are ending 2012 with a sense of God's activity through the Holy Spirit, as we have added to our membership and witnessed answered prayers. We are a loving congregation. People find acceptance here in our church. Our members are cared for, prayed for and ministered to when facing a crisis.

Harmony has a heart for the Nations, which reflects the priority of God in Scripture found in the Great Commission, Matt. 28:19,20 and Rev. 7:9,14:6, 15:4. There is much more to say about all the Lord has done and is doing, the point is that He is doing it here in and through His people! May He be forever praised!

Of course there are problems and great challenges and disappointments to be overcome. That will always be true. The point is we face a new year, and we must rise to new challenges. While continuing our support of local ministries and international missions, our focus for 2013 will be reaching our community. We need to be thinking "what can I do personally to reach our community?"  We must pray for wisdom, insight and for our own personal involvement.

The New Year is almost upon us - let's be ready! One more praise to share: a young lady came forward last week and received Christ as her Lord and Savior! "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!"

                                                                  Brother Lynn

January 16, 2013

By now we are all aware of the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut. News like this has become almost a regular fact of life. Those of us who have lived long enough, can remember a time not too long ago when these types of events were restricted to accidents or weather-related events. Now we are killing our own people. It shouldn't surprise us in a nation that has killed off 50 million of our own children by abortion.

It’s doubtful our elected officials will address the real problem, in the rush to do something in the wake of this tragedy. In a nation that no longer sees God as relevant or real, and has abandoned any objective standard of truth, it’s no wonder that our nation is coming apart at the seams. Still, the main thing at this point is to pray for the grieving families. We can only imagine how they are hurting in the loss of their children and the families of the teachers who were killed.

There are positive steps of action that we can take to make a difference. First we can cry out to God in repentance and ask for His help. We can continue to reach out into our community through the ministries we have used in the past. On the 19th of December we serve at the Center of Hope. Junior League basketball begins Jan. 7 with the first game the following Saturday. We can rethink and pray about how we can be more intentional in using these and other ministries and activities to share the Gospel.

The answer to the depravity in our country will not be found in new legislation or a commission to study the problem. The answers to the problems we face are found in the church of Jesus Christ. You can't solve all our problems with legislation because the problem in America is a heart problem. "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other" - John Adams 1798. We live in a fallen world and the further we get away from God, the darker things will get.

This week in our meeting with Nathan Lorick, Director of Evangelism for the SBTC, he challenged us to have a burden for the lost. Both our nation and our community are increasingly lost, and lost people can and will do some terrible things. Let it not be said of our generation that we stood idly by and allowed our nation to continue to slide toward destruction.          Blessings, Bro. Lynn

September 30, 2012

Just wanted to share a few words about vision……

We are all living for something. Maybe our goals are simply short term, just to live and enjoy another day. The truth is we all have goals, some short term, some long term. I want to do a better job of bringing glory and honor to Jesus Christ which is our number one priority in life.

Jesus Christ glorified the Father by finishing the work the Father had given Him to do. So the question is what has God called us to do? Romans 8:28 speaks of "those who are called according to His purpose". So what is this purpose? Verse 29 tells us that God is working to reshape those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, reshape them in "the image of His Son". That reshaping process is called discipleship.

Matthew 28:19-20 is a foundational Scripture for everyone who believes in God's Son. The emphasis is on "Go...and make disciples of all nations" which is one of the purposes to which God has called us. Before we can "make disciples" we must be discipled. The vision that God has given every Christian is to be a disciple and then to make disciples. There are many other things God has called us to do but we must start here with our own spiritual growth toward Christ likeness. It begins with the new birth, when we are saved. Baptism is a step of obedience and public identification with Christ.

Then begins the learning process. We read the Bible and we apply what we have learned. We learn to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As we put the Word of God into practice the reality and power of God is manifested (made real or known) in our lives. It is also made known in other's lives. To make disciples requires training, and training requires time and submission to the goal or objective of becoming a mature believer. So we can say, based on the Word of God, that our purpose as a church is to first be discipled, then be a disciple, and then make disciples. That is the direction that we must go in order to fulfill God's purpose for our lives and that is the direction in which, with God's help, I will lead our church.

The New York Times once referred to a church where "every member was a minister". What an awesome description of a church! May it be true of Harmony!

Blessings, Brother Lynn

September 30, 2012

Just wanted to share a few words about vision……

We are all living for something. Maybe our goals are simply short term, just to live and enjoy another day. The truth is we all have goals, some short term, some long term. I want to do a better job of bringing glory and honor to Jesus Christ which is our number one priority in life.

Jesus Christ glorified the Father by finishing the work the Father had given Him to do. So the question is what has God called us to do? Romans 8:28 speaks of "those who are called according to His purpose". So what is this purpose? Verse 29 tells us that God is working to reshape those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, reshape them in "the image of His Son". That reshaping process is called discipleship.

Matthew 28:19-20 is a foundational Scripture for everyone who believes in God's Son. The emphasis is on "Go...and make disciples of all nations" which is one of the purposes to which God has called us. Before we can "make disciples" we must be discipled. The vision that God has given every Christian is to be a disciple and then to make disciples. There are many other things God has called us to do but we must start here with our own spiritual growth toward Christ likeness. It begins with the new birth, when we are saved. Baptism is a step of obedience and public identification with Christ.

Then begins the learning process. We read the Bible and we apply what we have learned. We learn to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As we put the Word of God into practice the reality and power of God is manifested (made real or known) in our lives. It is also made known in other's lives. To make disciples requires training, and training requires time and submission to the goal or objective of becoming a mature believer. So we can say, based on the Word of God, that our purpose as a church is to first be discipled, then be a disciple, and then make disciples. That is the direction that we must go in order to fulfill God's purpose for our lives and that is the direction in which, with God's help, I will lead our church.

The New York Times once referred to a church where "every member was a minister". What an awesome description of a church! May it be true of Harmony!

Blessings, Brother Lynn

September 23, 2012

  Let's reflect briefly on several items of importance that need our attention, our prayers and our passion.

      First, we must be people who are paying attention to the daily events swirling around us as opportunities for prayer. We live in a dangerous world, in fact a fallen world, according to the Bible, and we must be taking our concerns to God in prayer. Jesus said, "We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work", simply meaning we better be alert and active not passive, because the Father is at work. Let's be people of faith rather than cowards. Prayer is the thing we do first, so that we know what to do and do it empowered by God.

      Second, we need to be focused on what the Lord Jesus is doing in our own church. I want to encourage you to read the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), for in it Jesus gave us the marching orders for His Kingdom. We will always need to go back and review these three chapters just to make sure we are on track with His purposes personally and as a church.

      Related to that is our focus in Sunday school on "The God Who Speaks" which is our new Sunday school literature for this quarter. Growing up after WW II, during the Cold War in the age of the atomic bomb, I have always known we live in a dangerous world. Our world today is even more dangerous than that of the Cold War. So what can we do to prepare ourselves and not be fearful but faithful?

      Now more than ever we need to hear God speak to us through His Word corporately. We need to hear His voice so that we can be more focused on Him than the latest bad news. We live at a unique time in history and God has given us a part to play in history but we will fail if we don’t know the Author of history or His plan. That's why I am asking for 100% participation in this study, it’s just that important!      Blessings Bro Lynn 

September 16,2012

As most of you are already aware, three weeks ago we began a new Sunday school study titled ‘The Gospel Project’. It is all about the Word of God, the fact that He has spoken to us and has given us crystal clear instructions on how we are to relate to Him. To say it a different way, God has spoken in His Word and the most important thing we can do is pay attention! The fact that the living God would speak to us is reason enough to pay attention to what He is saying.

As any thinking person can see, our nation, the church and our families are in great danger. We face enemies within and without. Now we also face a culture that is either antagonistic or apathetic toward Christianity. The moral breakdown alone is a great danger.

The good news is that we are not alone and that God is still speaking to us through His Word. My purpose in writing here is to encourage you to be a part of Bible study in Sunday school. I feel so strongly about the current situation we face in our homes, nation and world that I have called for 100% participation in Sunday school. These are times that require ‘all hands on deck’ so that we will be able to respond to the challenging times we face with great faith and courage.

The worst thing we can do is ‘business as usual’. The best thing we can do is prepare for the challenges we face today and tomorrow. I realize that some people don't like people to tell them what to do. I realize that some will need to get out of their comfort zone. I know it will require some to adjust their responsibilities and schedules. I am simply doing what I believe God has called me to do, and that is to be a pastor who is a shepherd. A shepherd cares for the sheep- even the sheep who don't think they need his help. A shepherd is responsible for the care of his sheep and he is held accountable for doing so. I believe God has designed this study to help His people prepare for the challenges we face today and tomorrow. I have never heard of a church having 100% participation in Sunday school and only God could pull that off! May He get all the glory!

                                    Brother Lynn  

September 2, 2012

Today marks the launch of our new Bible study entitled The God Who Speaks. This will be our Sunday School literature for the next quarter. Our nation is at a crossroads and in the providence of God He has led the leadership of our denomination in writing this study to guide us to focus on The God Who Speaks. If we ever needed to hear from God it is now! I believe our very future as a nation, as the church and as families is at stake. I don't know how to state this in stronger terms what I am trying to say. I am calling for 100 percent of our church to participate in this study. Every age group will study the same Scripture passages. This will unite our congregation as we all consider what God has said and how we are to respond to it. I know that there are many reasons people don't attend Bible study (Sunday School) but I also believe that whatever changes you must make to participate are far outweighed by the benefits. I also believe in a crisis we must do something different if we want different results, because if what you are currently doing isn't working you need to do something different. The something different is everyone focusing on The God Who Speaks.

Blessings,

Lynn

 

August 19, 2012

There are two things I want to highlight in today’s column.  First, 8 of our men attended a ‘Real Men of Impact’ rally at Travis Ave Baptist Church on Friday night.  It was a time of encouragement, worship and challenge for men.  It was great to see a room full of men of all ages who, by their attendance, were saying “we want to be godly men!”  We will be hearing more about thin in days to come.

Second, I have called a special ‘Vision Meeting’ for 4:30 today.  My goal is to have every worker and leader present, but also to include anyone interested in the future growth and ministry of our church.  This will be a time of communication of vision for Harmony, as we think about what God would have us do over the next 6 months.  The meeting will be followed by a Homemade Ice Cream Fellowship around 6:00.

Please come at 4:30 for the Vision Meeting so you can participate in the discussion.  Then stay and enjoy a time of fellowship afterward.  Both are essential for the growth and health of our church.

Blessings,

Brother Lynn

August 5, 2012

Today we will hear a testimony from Gene Muckleroy, who serves, with his Heather, on staff with Family Life Ministries.  Their mission statement is “to effectively develop godly marriages and families who change the world one home at a time.”  The Muckleroys are “faith missionaries” which means they have raised their own funding in order to serve churches like Harmony. 

During lunch Gene will be sharing about how Family Life can help your family.  Here is the big idea: we all came from a family and are connected to a family.  Your age or the age of your children or your current status as single, divorced, widowed, or whatever, does not exempt you from your need to be better equipped to strengthen your family.  Let’s call it “Lunch & Learn”.  It will only take a few minutes of your time and will be well worth the investment!

On another subject, remember to pray for Derek Smith who is now in Thailand where he plans to teach English.  Pray for wisdom in seeking a teaching position, language skills and daily decisions.  Derek’s part is to go; our part is to pray for God to bless his going! Derek’s response in following God’s leading to go to Thailand is a big deal in the life of our church.  We now have the responsibility and privilege of supporting him by remembering to pray for him.  Let’s seize the moment and participate in God’s activity to take the Gospel to students in Thailand.  Blessings and it’s good to be back!

Blessings,

Lynn & Willetta

May 13, 2012

I want to do more than just wish all mothers a happy Mother's Day… I want to ask the Lord's blessings on all our mothers. Please know that in focusing on mothers we are honoring all women in general, but mothers in particular. After all, we all have a mother who gave birth to us. We can thank God for that.

In the last 40 years or so all our heroes have come under attack by those who wish to pull down all models that reflect any kind of standard that reflects the character of God. Even the role of women has largely been redefined. In fact, those in our culture who wish to impose their own views on women react to the word "role". My purpose here is to simply state the truth from God's Word that God created both man and woman in the "image of God" Genesis 1:27. That fact alone says it all! Both man and woman uniquely bear the image of God. That separates us from all the rest of God's created order.  If you are a mother we honor and bless you today. I'll have a lot more to say about that in my sermon this morning.

 On another important subject, I'd like to say a word about the need people have to find comfort and encouragement through prayer. In particular I am talking about the last few minutes of the service we call the "invitation". An invitation is simply an opportunity to respond to what God has said through His Word in the sermon. Because many people don't understand this they often leave without acting on what the Lord has spoken to their heart. The sermon may bring to mind some issue that needs to be addressed. Someone may come with a great burden that needs to be lifted. People may come under conviction with the reality that they need God in their life. People may need to get their life right with Jesus Christ and be saved. Please feel free to come forward during or after the invitation. If you want to join the church or need to be baptized, this is the time to share that and ask any questions you may have. You can speak to me or Willetta, our youth minister and his wife, Tyson or Rebecca, or others who will be available to pray for you.

Have a Blessed Mother's Day,

Brother Lynn

May 6, 2012

I was talking with a land owner near the church 

about permission to put up a sign for the 

GospelGrass festival. He is a friend that Ive known 

for over 30 years and a believer. He asked about 

how the church was doing. It's a great blessing 

when people ask that question and you can point to 

the clear activity of God in our church.Several 

facts come to mind the first of which is the people 

He has sent to our church.Their active participation

 in the life of our church is a Heaven sent blessing

.Second is the support of missions and ministry, 

financially and in personal acts of service. Third 

is our ability to work together and unify different 

personalities and age groups to accomplish the goal 

of reaching our community and our world with the 

good news of Jesus Christ. Anytime people 

unselfishly put aside their own agenda and focus on 

others for the cause of Christ God is at work. Unity

 even in churches is not normal. Normal is thinking 

of yourself first. Normal is letting "someone else 

do the hard work" of ministry. Normal is not 

cooperating but getting your own way. The 

willingness of our people to lead out, show 

initiative, work, participate, care about others,

and give are remarkable in the Christian community. 

You could say our church has "life", it's neither a 

dead or dying church. Obviously we haven't arrived, 

their are still great needs within our church. We 

have problems. People within and without our church 

are hurting. Much ministry goes undone. Every 

decision or opportunity to reach out is a 

"referendum" on our ability to unify around Jesus 

and what He says is important.My point here is that 

it's a great blessing to give a good report on 

Harmony when asked and to give God all the glory 

for His activity in our church. God's blessings 

should never be taken for granted or lack our 

personal acknowledgement. All I have written above 

leads me to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone 

who has worked so hard to make GospelGrass a great 

success. May the Lord Jesus continue His blessings 

own His people at HBC. 

Blessings Brother Lynn 

April 29, 2012

Last Sunday night we answered the question "why and for what purpose do 

you believe the Lord has blessed Harmony"? It was well attended and my 

only regret was that not everyone was present. That is why I am writing 

about it here. We spent the first 45 minutes describing the Lord's 

activity in our church and concluded in prayer. I remember a similar 

discussion about 14 yrs ago. Then it was more about what individuals 

wanted to see and now it is more about what the Lord Jesus is doing. Of 

course there is much more that needs to be done. We haven't arrived yet 

but at least we are moving toward being a "Kingdom minded" church. We 

also discussed that we cant simply enjoy where we are so much that we 

fail to see the next steps of faith that we must take. We can and should 

praise God for His blessings, enjoy them and renew ourselves for the task 

of reaching both our community and our world. We must also focus on 

building relationships both within Harmony, in our community and 

internationally. If we consider the Lord Jesus as our model, He went to 

dinner parties with people that weren't considered "religious", did His 

first miracle at a wedding, broke with social customs of the day and 

spoke to an adulterous woman. He had dinner in the home of friends and he 

spent 3 years building relationships with 12 men. So we must conclude 

relationships were important to Jesus and relationships must be important 

to us as a church. Relationships aren't just a means to an end. People 

were important to Jesus and He was very intentional in the way He focused 

on people. Harmony isnt just about worship, Sunday school, AWANA etc but 

about people who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Everything we do should be about helping people know Jesus better. That's 

the bottom line, people and Jesus. Let's be thinking about the people God 

will bring into your life this week that we can build a relationship with 

either to help them know Jesus or to cooperate with in building up the 

kingdom. 

Blessings, Lynn

April 22, 2012

I would like to write briefly on three different subjects. First I want to thank all those who served lunch for the CrossTimbers Academy Friday. A special thank you for Tyson and Rebecca's leadership in scheduling these events and picking up the food etc. This was my first time to be present and actually see all the students in one place. One thing that I noticed that has changed is the students themselves from the first couple of years. Please pray for the relationships that are being formed between the school and HBC The Lord is at work in bringing the school here. our part is to ask for wisdom and pray about how to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ in a clear, concise way. Please include students, teachers and administration and our church in your prayers. Second, last week I wrote about the Lord's obvious blessings on Harmony in many different ways over the past year or so. After listing some of the blessings I asked the question, "why and for what purpose do you believe the Lord has blessed Harmony"? I hope you have taken time to give this some thought. I would like to hear your responses this Sunday night in the 6:00 PM service. Any time we see the activity of God (which is every day if we are paying attention) we need to take notice and get in on what He is doing. We need this time together to hear from the church the the things you have seen and heard so that we can give God the glory, rejoice in what He has done and better cooperate with His activity. Please make every effort to be present in the evening service. Last of all please remember to pray for those in our church, many of whom are facing long term difficulties. They suffer daily from medical, emotional, family, financial and relational and age related health issues. As we rightly focus on the mission of the church and current opportunities for ministry we cannot neglect those of our church family that are suffering. So include them in your daily prayer, send them a card with a note of encouragements and a Scripture or make a call or a visit. Some of our women are doing this on Thursday and this is a vital ministry and a response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. One more prayer request, keep our missionaries in your prayers also, especially those we either support or know from their time in our mission house. God has given us a part to play in their ministry. Let's be faithful to the tasks He has given to us. Blessings Brother Lynn

April 8, 2012

Sunday afternoon at the farm was a great time with lots of good food and 

fellowship. A special thank you to all those who helped supervise at the 

tank so the children could enjoy fishing and the boats in safety. 

Later Willetta and I were surprised with a lot of really nice cards and 

gifts honoring our 15 years at Harmony. It was totally unexpected but much

 appreciated. Thank you for taking time to write something on your cards.

 I can assure you we read them and reread them. Although I attempted to 

express our appreciation at the time I also know that I didn't adequately

 share how much we appreciate and love each one of you. Overwhelmed would

 be an understatement. 

Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As you

read about the events that followed the resurrection of Jesus Christ in 

Acts and the rest of the NT its obvious everything changed. The disciples 

changed. The church was born. The Gospel spread exponentially. The course 

of history changed as the Roman Empire declared Christianity as its 

official religion. 

The key word is transformation. Lives were transformed by the resurrection

 of Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 says "if you confess with your mouth that 

Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,

 you will be saved. This salvation came at the highest possible cost ever

in the history of creation. Can you even think for a moment that our 

response to this salvation would require anything less than a radical 

transformation? Are we saved just to live selfish self centered "ho hum",

 nominal christian lives - simply using up our precious days here on earth

 without any sense of the awful price of our deliverance from an eternal 

hell?

 The resurrection of Jesus Christ isn't just about being nice people or 

simply about living on a higher moral standard or even being religious. 

The resurrection marked a new era of God dwelling within the heart soul 

and mind of every believer and that changes everything! To God be the 

glory, may it be true in all our lives. 

Amen. Brother Lynn

April 1, 2012

Revelation 2:10 says, "Be faithful unto death, and I will give

you the crown of life." Based on that verse alone I'd say 

faithfulness is absolutely essential in the Christian life.

Think with me for a moment about where you need to be faithful.

 Philippians 2:1-8 tells us that we are to model our thinking 

after Jesus Christ Who "took the form of a servant...and humbled

Himself by obeying the Father in going to the cross." I'm 

paraphrasing, check it for yourself but that is what it says. 

Verse 5 says we are to have the same mind. Verse 4 says we are 

to" look to the interests of others". Think about this, if you 

were Jesus what impact would you have in the way you live? 

In other words, what conscious effort do you make to put the 

needs of others first? I'm asking myself that same question. 

A major part of being a Christian is gratitude and recognition 

of the Grace of God for saving us, as we live like our Savior 

who humbled Himself and focused on serving others. God is 

glorified every time we are unselfish. It's normal to think of 

ourselves and our family first. Christianity goes beyond self to

 service. 

Blessings, Brother Lynn

March 25, 2012

Most decisions are based on facts or statistics. Politicians use polls. It isn't that the Christian doesn't consider available information, but he makes decisions based on the Word of God rather than statistics. I can't tell you how many surveys have later been repudiated by more thorough research. It happens all the time. In the final analysis, we need to stick with the Word of God because it's true. It will never be proven untrue by some survey. No matter what the latest survey says as reported on the local news which seems to contradict God's word, just remember culture changes but God never changes.

Blessings,

Brother Lynn

March 11, 2012

My calling is to lead our church to fulfill the central purpose for which we exist. The short answer of why we exist is to give witness to the resurrected Christ. I must always ask myself where we are in that respect.

We could say that central purpose is to introduce people to faith in Christ and help them know Him better. Simpler still it's about knowing Christ and making Him known.

While we can feel good about our progress as a church we can't afford to be content with staying where we are. Doing the will of God will always take us into new areas that will require faith and courage. The Lord's best blessings are reserved for a church that actively does the will of God.

He is calling us up to a new level of faith and commitment in 2012. Will you answer the call?

To God Be the Glory,

Brother Lynn

March 4,2012

A special thank you to all who made another season of Junior League a success. Tyson did a great job as gym monitor and with the devotions. Also want to thank all those who worked the hamburger cook out yesterday.

Friday night the Deacons and their wives sponsored a thank you banquet for our worship team. It provided an opportunity to recognize each member and express our love and appreciation for their dedication and service.

I know I am probably repeating myself when I say what a blessing it is for Willetta and I to serve the people of Harmony. You never cease to amaze me by your availability, creativity and willingness to work. The Lord Jesus is truly doing an amazing work through His people, the body of Christ.

If you are not actively involved in the life of our church you don't know how much of a blessing you are missing. Opportunities for service abound. The best way to find your place of service is simply to make yourself available.

To God Be the Glory,

Brother Lynn

February 26,2012

Friday I had the opportunity to share a testimony about Harmony's support of missions in Vancouver at the annual board meeting of Disciple All Nations. This is the missions organization that was formed by Dr. Crawford to do work such as in Vancouver. There were also testimonies from two couples who feel called to the Vancouver area. One couple has just finished Southwestern and the other will graduate in May. I am thankful to pastor a church that is actively involved in doing something to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus Christ. Our calling is to continue to move forward in support of missions.

I also want to express my love and appreciation for those who give of their time, energy and skills each week. The impact our church is having both in this community and around the world would be impossible without workers. It would be impossible without people giving financially. It would be impossible without cooperation. It would be impossible without unity. We are simply following the plan set out in the Word of God in the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20).

Two things follow all the above. First, we need to continue the good work that is now being done. Second, in order to continue to grow, people must work, give, cooperate, be united, and obey God. All that is necessary to go backward in a hurry is to think that someone else will be a worker. Wars aren't won without soldiers.

Thanks to all whose work each week continues the ministry of this church. If you are willing to get involved in helping, but don't know how, let me know.

Blessings,

Brother Lynn

February 19, 2012

If you have always wanted to ask a question about a sermon or ask for clarification of a point made in the sermon, I think you will like our Sunday evening service.

Last week we tried something new and people seemed to enjoy it. I'll have an outline of discussion questions, but you can come prepared with your own questions from the morning sermon. The only thing you need is your Bible and a pen. Last week we worked together in teams which gave more opportunity for participation and discussion. People shared some very good insights which they had discovered from the Scripture during our time together.

Now that you have been given fair notice, you can listen with the intent of interacting with what you heard from the word of God in the morning service. I think you will enjoy it and benefit from it. It may take a few weeks to refine it since I've never really done this before.

If the response last week was any indication, this may change the way we think about our Sunday evening services.

Blessings, Brother Lynn

Febuary 12, 2012

Historically, as the church became more prosperous and politically powerful, it actually became weaker spiritually. An early church leader was once told "no longer can the church say I have no silver and gold" (Acts 3:6, referring to Peter and John's encounter with a man lame from birth), but the leader said "but no longer can the church say "rise up and walk"!

Financial prosperity often brings a loss of spiritual power because of apathy and complacency. The high standard of living in America should be seen as a blessing from Almighty God. The Bible says "to whom much is given, much is required" (Luke 12:48). We should be thinking about all we can accomplish for the kingdom this year with our time and money. Apathy says "it won't make any difference". Complacency says "this isn't my responsibility". We must see this is our one opportunity to make a difference in our church, our family our nation and our world.

The anti-Christian bias in our culture should be seen as a failure to reach our culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every bit of bad news of our culture's depravity is a call to prayer and action. The Lord is at work here but we need to be focused on the things He is doing in the lives of the children, teens, and adults that He has already sent us.

There is plenty to do in response to what the Lord has already put before us. We just need to see it and respond in faith. I am thankful to serve a people through whom the Lord Jesus is working.

Serving Him, Bro Lynn

January 29, 2012

Each year I have tried to make a statement about the state of the church. It's both a forward looking statement about what we hope to accomplish and a celebration of what we have done.

Harmony Baptist Church is the body of Christ and that means we represent Him here on earth. The church is God's spiritual family. The church is made up of many different people but our common tie is we have all experienced forgiveness and the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Our challenge for 2012 is to continue to follow the Great Commandment found in Matt. 22:37-39, " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind... and your neighbor as yourself."

Our focus for 2012 will continue to be loving the Lord Jesus, loving and caring for His people and reaching people for His Kingdom. The great need is first not to grow weary in well doing, (2 Thess. 3:13) and second, to be more intentional in building relationships.

I'll share more in the days to come. Thank you for all your hard work and faithfulness.

Love, Brother Lynn

January 22, 2012

Today is the 39th anniversary of the Roe vs Wade decision by the Supreme Court that legalized abortion in the USA. Since that day over 50 million children have been intentionally aborted in our country. This is a foundational issue affecting all our citizens. It tells us where we are in our understanding of the One true living God and the moral standards that come from His word.

A nation's view of God is reflected in our understanding of His character. When we fail to worship, reverence, fear and obey Him, it shows up in our morals, our laws and in our churches. Our nation is in the mess of moral confusion we are in today because God's people have "taken themselves out of the game" by their silence, by their passivity and because we were pursuing our own desires. Harmony Baptist Church is seeking to change that by being proactive in raising up people to be active, not passive, as we seek to make a difference in our community, nation, and world.

Here are some of our priorities:

Options Clinic/Grace House (CPC), Weatherford

Traffic 911 (human trafficking rescue) Ft Worth/Dallas

Center of Hope, Weatherford

Mission Dignity(widows of ministers/ and ministers underfunded, retired )

Family Life, the Muckleroy family, (national ministry to strengthen the family)

Disaster relief (Texas Baptist Men)

Total monthly support for these programs is $1,650.00. This doesn't include any missions giving. Total missions giving for 2011 was 29 percent of the budget. The $1,650.00 figure is specific to Harmony's recognition that we need to value life at every stage from the womb to the tomb. I praise the Lord Jesus for a church like that!

The truth is that we must do more in 2012. That means more than money, it means being people of faith. It means praying and paying attention to God and then acting. Thanks for all you do. Keep it up!

Blessed to be serving Jesus at Harmony,

Brother Lynn

January 15, 2012

If I could encourage you to do one thing in the new year that would bring great blessings into your life, itcould be summed up in the word "commitment". Commitment is a pledge to do something in the future. Marriage is a commitment to be true to each other for a lifetime. After we make that pledge we then live it out over a lifetime. Part of that commitment is for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health "till death do us part".

The Christian life is far more than "fire insurance", just as marriage is far more than the ceremony. So this year, commit to be faithful in Sunday School and worship. God honors commitment. The best decision we made early in our married life was to be in church and Sunday School every week. It was something we discussed and were both convicted was the right decision. Then we had to follow through. That was the commitment part. That was a turning point in our lives. It wasn't always easy or automatic or painless but the Lord Jesus has blessed in ways beyond human explanation.

So let's all begin a new chapter in our lives this week as we seek to commit our lives fresh and anew to the Lord Jesus.

Serving Him, Bro Lynn

January 8,2012

A young mother who had a daughter under the age of 4 was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a short time to live. Faced with the choice of enduring painful treatments which would extend her life but also prolong her suffering, she chose to endure the treatments. She chose the hard path not because she was afraid to die but because "that might be the one moment my daughter would need me". Oh that we could look at our commitment to Jesus Christ that way.

It doesn't take much to deter us from reading our Bible or having a meaningful quiet time. It doesn't take much to keep us from being faithful to attend Sunday School and church. Perseverance is a word rarely used anymore. It means to persist in spite of opposition or discouragement. Is God any less sovereign when we have problems, discouragements and unforeseen circumstances? I believe He uses adversity to test our commitment to Him and He will give us the grace we need to overcome our present set of circumstances.

Just remember I live in the same world you live in, a fallen world, a world full of problems and plans that don't work out. A world that is constantly changing and in which, if you just hesitate for a moment, you get left behind with little hope of catching up. The truth, the good news, is that our Heavenly Father has intervened in history and sent the Lord Jesus to be with us, to save us from our sins and to give us new life in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). He continues to work through the church, the body of Christ. He is calling for "all hands on deck" in 2012.

Franklin Graham has said "this may be the most significant year in our nation's history". Let's commit at the beginning of the year to be present and accounted for. To be where we are needed. To begin new habits of faithfulness. If you don't have a job, pray about getting one, then follow through and offer to help in some area. There is a place of service for every part of the Body. Have you ever thought that others are depending on you? Just like the mother who wanted to live so she could "be there the one moment her daughter needed her", someone is looking to you for encouragement and hope. Let's step up our commitment in 2012.

Serving Him, Bro Lynn

January 1, 2012

The media has supposedly reported that people say 2011 was a bad year (I'm sure because of the economy), but they have hope that 2012 will be better. Every year has its ups and downs, its losses and gains. What we need, though, is a Heavenly perspective. We need to see things from God's perspective, remembering that God is always at work. Our job is to cooperate with what He is doing and not mess it up.

From a pastor's perspective, it has been a wonderful year of growth and ministry. We can look back on 2011 with satisfaction that the Lord Jesus has been very, very good to Harmony in so many different ways. I could never thank you enough for all your hard work and commitment. Willetta and I feel so blessed to be serving a congregation like Harmony.

In the days to come I will be sharing in more detail some of the things that the Lord has laid on my heart for 2012. There will always be problems. We will always need to grow in faith in the Lord Jesus. There will be God-sized challenges. We cant afford to back down or cool off in our relationship with Christ or our church. Paul said in Phil. 3:14,"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." How can we do any less?

Serving Him, Bro Lynn

December 25, 2011

2011 has been a year of working together to be and do things beyond what any one person could do. From our revival in January to our Christmas drama in December and everything in between, it has been a year of hard work and cooperation. The result has been ministry to others, individual and corporate spiritual growth, people using their spiritual gifts and a sense that God is at work in our church. New members have joined, our giving to missions has dramatically increased and we have been blessed financially in a time when giving is down in many churches.

Let me pause here and say for all of us, "to God be the glory, great things He has done." When a church is focused on Jesus Christ and on His commands, such as the Great Commission (Matt.28:19-20), and the Great Commandment (Matt.22:37-38) and ministry to people in Jesus name (Matt. 25), then we get to see what only God can do.

We will always need to remember that Harmony is all about promoting the cause of Jesus Christ. Our main purpose is to glorify the Lord Jesus in all we do. If that is to continue, we will need to take many steps of faith next year to build on what the Lord has done in 2011. You don't win battles by being defensive- you must go on the offensive. Several committees are working on plans that will require faith to complete. That is faith in our leadership and faith in the Lord Jesus that "He is able to do exceedingly above anything we can ask or think, according to the power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen" (Eph. 4:20, 21).

Merry Christmas! Bro Lynn

December 11, 2011

This morning you will hear Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor Emeritus at SWBTS. I first heard Dr. Crawford speak here in Weatherford at the annual meeting of our Association last November. Afterward, Willetta and I attended a breakout session led by Dr. Crawford on missions in Vancouver.

As most of you know, I traveled to Vancouver in October where Dr. Crawford led two groups of pastors and laymen, introducing us to the work ofchurch planting in that city. The main reason I invited him to come here today is to help our church clarify how we can join with others in reaching that great city.

On a personal note, it was a special blessing to get to know Dr. Crawford on that trip. There are many thingsI observed on that trip, but one that standsabove the others. That can be summarized in one word: advocate. An advocate is someone who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause. Dan Crawford has gotten behind the cause of making disciples of all nations and specifically in the city of Vancouver and surrounding area.

When we get behind something that is dear to the heart of God, missions and evangelism,that is called obedience and the Lord Jesus blesses obedience. As you listen to Dr Crawford this morning my prayer is that you are listening for God to speak to each of us as to how we can step up our commitment to the Great Commission.

Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

December 04, 2011

December is a busy month, with preparations for Christmas. Its easy to forget that some of our church family are in a care facility, or hospitalized, or have a family member undergoing treatment for cancer or other major health problems.

This week, Ive been reminded how quickly life can change. I had an encounter with a homeless man named Chris. As we talked about his life, it wasnt hard to see that given a different set of circumstances, I might be in his place. Life for him now is a constant struggle. Finding a place to sleep and a shelter requires a TB test; finding a job requires a phone, and bus fare, and on and on.

So make a conscious effort to pay attention to the people the Lord has put in your path this month. We have daily opportunities to encourage our own family, our church family or to reach out to those God brings into our day.

I couldnt change Chriss circumstances. That day I didnt have any cash in my pocket. I could buy his lunch and sit down and eat with him, and afterward pray for his immediate needs. Lets not miss one opportunity to help someone in need as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

November 27, 2011

I notice the president was criticized for not thanking God in his Thanksgiving message to the nation. Others in the media noticed the same thing. When our own family gathers for Thanksgiving, I mention that we are thankful to Someone and for all the blessings we enjoy. After all, Thanksgiving presupposes Someone to thank.

My point is not to criticize the president - most people already know where he is coming from. My point is that I will thank the Lord Jesus Christ, that I will be grateful for my own family, and for Harmony, the best church anywhere, the best church in a blessed nation. Does that mean there is nothing wrong, or that there are no problems, or that Harmony is all that it can be? Absolutely not, but clearly I recognize the blessings of God for all the above.

Be thankful for what you have and dont take credit for the good He brings into our lives. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. (Ps 118.1)

With thanksgiving in my heart, Bro. Lynn

November 20, 2011

As we think about things we are grateful for this Thanksgiving season I would hope that my time as pastor at Harmony is simply summarized as "making Jesus known". In fact I think that my ministry could be summarized by saying, "Brother Lynn simply moved God's people to get in on what God was already doing."

So now what is God "already doing"? The answer is "more than space allows." Jesus taught His disciples to pray "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." (Matthew 6:10). One way that God is working, and I am especially thankful for, is in the lives of our men. Men are visible and active in the life of our church. Men are serving. Men are providing leadership in critical areas. Men are ministering to other men. Men are leading us in worship.

It is not to neglect that women are working, leading, and ministering in critical areas. In fact, women have often borne the load of work at Harmony. For the past several years the men of Harmony have steadily moved forward in participation. All I am sayingis that God has raised up men at Harmony and I for one am thankful. Our men are not the stereotype "soft male" or passive man, but real men that love Jesus. It is not that we have "arrived"- in fact we are a "work in progress", but at least we are progressing. All I want to do is point out that God is working in the lives of our men. To God be the glory for great things He has done!

With thanksgiving in my heart, Bro. Lynn

P.S. God has always been working in the lives of our women!

November 13, 2011

As we conclude 2011, I would like to put down a few observations

The year has passed quickly and now we have only 49 days left in the year. The Lord Jesus has continued to bless Harmony by sending new people to plant their lives in His church. Every person He sends represents a life in which He is working. Our part is to recognize His activity and get to know our newest members.

Wednesday night is a window into the heartbeat of our church. I say that because people have time to connect with each other. Children and teens come to us, many who have no other spiritual light in their lives. I love the interaction between adults and children, between teens and other adults. Our fellowship hall is full to the point of overflowing with life. Jesus said He came that we might have life in abundance (John 10:10)and I see that life at Harmony.

If we are to continue to grow, people must step up and help. The Word of God tells us that "God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose." (I Cor. 12:18) Our job is to cooperate with His arranging us in a place of service. There is no "retirement plan" in the Bible. Some of our seniors continue to serve even in their 90's. Every member needs a place of service. Talk to Willetta or I if you do not have a place of service at Harmony.

November 6, 2011

There are foundational principles in life that govern our attitude, our actions, and God's activity in our lives. Simply put, these are responses to His mercy and grace as we continue to understand all that we have in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus wants to be more active in our daily lives than we are willing to respond to. We are easily distracted and often controlled by our own selfish desires or the demands of others. Only as we learn to love Him enough to listen to His voice will we really begin to see and experience His evident activity in our lives. His activity must be filtered through His Word; in fact we won't know how to respond apart from it. His activity will always require faith, for it is impossible to please God apart from faith (Heb 11:6).

My point here is not to be exhaustive but to encourageyou to believe that God wants to do more in your life "than you could ask, think, or imagine" (Eph 3:20-21) for His glory.

Serving Him, Brother Lynn

October 30, 2011

Debriefing originated in the military. It was used to receive information from a pilot or soldier after a mission. I would like debrief some things from my trip to Vancouver.

First, I want to thank those who prayed for me because it wasa very productive trip. Four words summarize what I sawthe Lord using in Vancouver: Prayer, Faith, Relationships and Discipleship.I was encouraged that we are doing some things they are doing, like using "big events" to reach our community. Our church is already apraying church. I want to share in more detail tonight some specific steps that we must take if we are to see the Lord do all He wants to do here at Harmony.

Even though I was in Canada, I was always thinking about our church. The Lord Jesus is working in our church. We see the evidence in many varied ways. Every person who joins is expressing faith that the Lord is present in our church. Ourworship attendance has improved.We have faithful, willingworkers who expresstheir faith in Christ by their availability.Harmony has been blessed with gifted people who understand how todo ministry. Harmony is making a difference in our community. Lives are being changed. To God be the glory for all this and more!

The question is, what else does God want to do? How can we get in on all that the Lord Jesus wants to do?These are questions we must seek to answer. Please join me in seeking the next steps of faith we need to take.

Serving Him - Brother Lynn

October 23, 2011

It has been an incredible 5 days in Vancouver. Many testimonies point to the activity of our Heavenly Father.

When God's people are willing, God is able (He is always able). The same God who is working there is working here. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him."

Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

October 16, 2011

Willetta and I want to thank everyone for the cards and personalexpressions of appreciation we received for pastor appreciation day. Taking the time to put your thoughts down on paper is a valuable gift of encouragement. It helps us know what we are doing that is beneficial to each of you. We feel very blessed to be called by the Lord to serve the people of Harmony.

On another matter, Tuesday I leave for Vancouver, BC for a trip along with several other pastors to see opportunities for Harmony to be involved in church planting in that city. I first heard of Baptist work in Vancouver at last years Parker Baptist Association meeting. Because of the large population of people from other countries, to reach Vancouver is to reach the world. The city is known as the "Gateway to the Pacific Rim". There are over 300,000 university students in metro Vancouver, and over three million people live in metro Vancouver, the majority of which speak a mother tongue other than English. Only 2% attend evangelical churches regularly and 41% have no religious affiliation.

Audie Thompson will lead the Wednesday adult bible study for me. I return to Weatherford on Saturday and will be back in the pulpit Sunday morning October 23. That evening Brian Webster, a friend of Tyson and Rebecca, who served in China with them, will be preaching. Please keep me in your prayers as I look for ways to involve Harmony in what the Lord Jesus is doing in Vancouver.

Blessings, Bro. Lynn

October 9, 2011

One important thing every Christian ought to be thinking is: how does the Lord Jesus want me to see life? Every day we process lots of information. We decide what we are going to do that day, but do we ever think about how God wants us to think? How does the Lord want us to think about the day He has given us?

Philippians 2 tells us we need to have the "mind of Christ" by not being selfish, "in humility considering others before you consider your own needs and wants and thinking about what is best for others not just what is best for you".

Every day we make choices. Every day we all have the same 24 hours. Every day our Heavenly Father is at work (John 5:17) and every day we choose to live our lives in a certain way. What is your purpose for living? If we live for the Lord Jesus, we live for something that counts for eternity.

Read Philippians 2 and then begin to apply the instruction Paul gives regarding the proper "mind set for every believer". It's the only way to experience the power and presence of the Living God in your life.

Serving Him, Bro Lynn

October 2, 2011

As we age, we enter different "seasons" of our life like spring, summer and fall. We see life differently in each of these "seasons". One thing the Lord has impressed on me is reflected in Psalm 103:15-17. "As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place is no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to those who keep His covenant and remember to do His commandments."

Life is brief. James calls it a "mist" (James 4:14). Since this is true, it follows that we need to "redeem the time" (Ephesians 5:16) and make the most of every opportunity.

Second, for believers our time no longer belongs to us, for Jesus Christ has paid "a price" for us and we now belong to Him. Our time is really His time, "for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Third, we have "God working in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). God has a purpose and a plan for every life and we only discover that purpose as we read and obey His word. We don't need to come up with our own plan, but we do need to learn to follow His plan.We find that plan in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and through theteaching, preaching and reading of the word of God. Ephesians 4:11,12 says "He gave......the shepherds and teachers (pastors) to equip God's people for the work of building up the body of Christ".

The more we see life from the perspective of Jesus Christ and His word the better we will feel about ourselves, and more importantly, the more we'll see things that only God can do.

Serving a risen Savior, Bro Lynn

September 25, 2011

Last Sunday's service concluded with an opportunity for people to come to the front of the church for special prayer. We will continue to provide opportunities for people to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Every invitation is an opportunity to respond to God. In every service there are people who need to get their lives right with God. In every service there are people who need encouragement. Every time we gather together we have a room full of people with problems. All of us have loved ones who aren't in church who seem to give no thought to their relationship with Jesus Christ. Every Sunday there are people presentwho don't know how theyre going to make it to the end of the month financially.

The Bible tells us to "bear one another's burdens" and when we do, we fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). It has always bothered me that we put on our"Sunday face" like everything is OK (myself included) when we have a burden we are carrying for someone or a personal concern that needs to be prayed for. I know some of these concerns are dealt with in Sunday School or between friends, but many don't come to Sunday School.

An invitation is an opportunity to respond to God. Sharing with another person and having them pray for you is Biblical. Matthew 18:19 speaks about "agreement" in prayer and the next verse says "where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them". Obviously the passage is about asking God to do things according toHis will, and second, the verse is sayingthe presence of Christ is manifested in prayer.

I believe the Lord Jesus wants to manifest His presence and minister to people in every service. I simply want our invitation time to be a reflection of the fact that we serve arisen Savior who is willing and able to meet our needs.

To God be the glory! Brother Lynn

September 18, 2011

There are many tragic, hopeless looking situations in life. Jesus said "in this world you will have Tribulation John 16:33, not might have but will have tribulation. That's the truth, the bad news. The good news is the second half of the verse "but take heart, I have overcome the world". So no matter what your current circumstances remember that "God is always working" and through faith in Jesus Christ we can enter in to His victory and through Him overcome this world also. God created the world, created man in His image and put him in a beautiful garden where he had everything he needed. Man was free to choose to be satisfied with his relationship with God or to seek satisfaction in something other than God. Man's choice to rebel against God's goodness brought the fall and now we live in a world that is often tragic and hopeless. We still live with the consequences of their tragic decision. I see the destruction caused by sin every day in the news and in the lives of people I know and in my own life. How can we have hope in a hopeless world? 1 John 4:10 says "In this is love not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the Propitiation for our sins.' In that one word "propitiation" we have our hope. Propitiation means to remove us from the wrath of God we deserved. You may think that you don't deserve the wrath of God because compared to others you are better. The problem is that God's standard is perfection Mat. 5:48 and He doesn't compare us to others just His Son. So how do we have hope in a troubled world? How do we keep our head up? The answer is the cross of Jesus Christ. Our hope is in the finished work of Christ on the cross and in His resurrection from the dead. Now we have "an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" 1 Peter1:4. Lets keep our eyes on Jesus with the awareness He is always at work and He is our hope. Bro Lynn

September 11, 2011

Thanks for allowing us to get away and spend time with our family in Florida. Also, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for the two men who brought messages last Sunday, Scott Sowers and Tyson Shapley, and Lewis Carter for teaching our Sunday School class. Harmony is blessed to have these men in our congregation.

I also want to thank all those who organized, planned and participated in the Awana Kick-Off party on Wednesday. Awana is a key ministry at HBC. It puts us in touch with many young families that we would not otherwise have opportunity to know. If we are going to reach all of our community, we must reach young adults and their children.

On another point, I want to briefly mention that I have made plans to travel to Vancouver, Canada October 18-21st with a group of pastors to consider how Harmony could help plant churches in that city. Last year several from Harmony attended a joint meeting of the Parker Baptist Association andNorthside Baptist Church where we heard about the work in Vancouver. Vancouver is known as the "Gateway to the Pacific Rim" and to reach Vancouver is to reach into the Pacific Rim countries and beyond. I will share more details in the future, but you can begin praying now about Harmony's involvement in this important city.

Our first week back we have hit the ground running and God has been at work in many other areas at Harmony. Willetta and I are so grateful to serve a church that loves Jesus Christ and because of His love in turn loves people. Keep up the good work. If you aren't helping in some way, if you don't have a place of service let me take this opportunity to say your help is needed.

Blessings, Bro Lynn

September 4, 2011

As you read this we are in Florida visiting my son's family. It always seems strange not to be at Harmony on Sunday. I am excited that you will be hearing from Scott Sowers this morning and Tyson Shapley tonight. I wish I could be there to hear them. Harmony is blessed to have Godly men who I am confident will have a Word from the Lord specifically for our congregation. My prayer is that you will hear them with that expectation. We will be back in our place on Wednesday. Our Wednesday adult Bible study will not meet so we can all join in the fun and fellowship of the AWANA kick-off.

Blessings, Bro. Lynn

August 28, 2011

When I was a young boy, one of my favorite TV programs was called The Big Picture. It was about the USArmy's preparation to defend the USA from any enemy. It was designed to help the American people see the "Big Picture" of how America had planned to defend itself with theentire compliment of each branch of the military services. The Big Picture was that America was a powerful nation prepared to protect its people. It was a morale builder designed to instill confidence in the American people that we need not live in fear of our enemies which at that time were Russia, China and North Korea

There is a "Big Picture" today, but it doesn't exist in the form of a military propaganda film. We face an enemy today more dangerous than any enemy of the past or present. The Bible refers to an enemy asthe world, the flesh and the devil.

The good news is that God has the Picture, a battle plan for all of history and we have a part to play in that battle. Now here is where I really want you to pay attention. We will fail if we fail to work together to move forward in unity. When we are divided, its time to stop and think about whether we are all following the samebattle plan and that we are in touch with our Commander in Chief.

For me it is a great relief to know that Jesus Christ has the Big Picture and I can keep my eyes on Him and keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing is winning people to faith in Christ and helping them mature and find a place of service.

- Serving Him,Bro. Lynn

August 23, 2011

Learning to know the Lord Jesus and understanding just how He works in our life is an exciting adventure! The Bible tells us that the way we relate to Godis by faith, "the righteous shall liveby faith (Rom 1:17). We are saved from our sins by faith, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith" and that God even supplies the faith "it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8, 9).

So here is the problem as I see it: we are the ones in charge, and not God. We are basically the ones calling the shots otherwise we would be seeing more unexplainable things that only He could do. Don't get me wrong, I do see His activity, but its not what I do see that bothers me, so muchas what I don't see, and that is "living by faith." Obviously I'm including myself when I say this.

Christianity began as a radical relationship with a risen Savior who had just defeated sin, death and hell. People's lives were dramatically changed by faith in Jesus Christ, hence words like "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17) or "born again" (John 3:3). Faith isn't something we have to "muster up", because the Bible says "faith comes byhearing and hearing by the word of Christ".

We need to ask ourselveshow our relationship with Christ is transforming our day. Are we trusting Him for daily decisions? Do we then act on what He tells us to do?Until we are willing to yield to Jesus Christ we will continue to see only what we can do. Our lives will simply be explainable as good people doing good things. There is nothing supernatural about that.

New Testament Christianity was marked by "living by faith" and God is still calling us to "live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself up for us" (Eph 5:2).

Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

August 14, 2011

One of my favorite verses is James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. The rain that came Friday was a gift from God and we praise and thank Him for it. Sometimes God withholds His blessings to remind us all that "every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father".

Speaking of good gifts, I want to encourage you to come back tonight to hear Gene Muckleroy share in the evening service about Family Life. During the past fifty years the family as an institution has been in a continuous process of disintegration. Forces are now at work to redefine the institution of marriage. Now is the time for the church to help model and equip families so that our culture can see God's plan for the home.

The Bible provides clear instructions for marriage and parenting. The problem is that we have failed to follow the Biblical model for the home. Family Life is a ministry that is making a difference by helping families build a solid foundation on Biblical values. I have benefited personally as a husband, father, grandfather and pastor from the ministry of Family Life. Please come back tonight to learn how you can help strengthen the family.

Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

August 7, 2011

Next Sunday night Gene and Heather Muckleroy will be sharing about Family Life in the evening service. Many of you know the Muckleroy's children,William, Ben, and Sadie Grace from their involvement in our Awana program the last few years.

Family Life is a ministry that provides resources for the family. The Men's Fraternity Bible Study that our men did was a resource I first heard about through Family Life. Also, several years ago three couples from Harmony participated in a Weekend to Remember Conference, another Family Life Ministry.

Next Sunday night will be anopportunity to hear about ways we can strengthen our own families through the ministry of Family Life. The family structure in our nation has broken down. The only hope for the family is to return to a Biblical model of the home. Family Life is on the front lines, working to help families build a solid foundation on the Lord JesusChrist.

Please make plans to be present at the evening service and learn more about how you can strengthen your family and be a part of what God is doing through Gene and Heather Muckleroy.

Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

July 31, 2011

God is always working, but sometimes He concentrates His work into a short period of time like a Monday through Friday Youth Camp. Revival services and mission trips can also be times where we see God work in a more visible way. In the days to come, my prayer is that what began at youth camp will continue to affect our young people, their families, and our church. I dont know all the details myself yet, but it is obvious that God has done a work in the life of each person who went.

I am very thankful for Tyson and Rebecca's commitment to take a group to camp. I appreciate their servants hearts, dedication, and the leadership they demonstrate each week. God really blessed us when He sent this young family to Harmony.

Now it is our turn to pay attention to what the Lord is saying to us about His activity at camp. You will hear testimonies in both services today. Listen well because God has something to say that we need to hear and respond to.

To God be the glory! Bro. Lynn

July 24, 2011

Youth camp begins tomorrow on the campus of UNT. The theme this year is "Devoted" from Deut. 6:5, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

Camp is a big deal and an opportunity for our youth and our youth leaders to experience almost 5 days of preaching, teaching, corporate worship, and having fun and fellowship in the process.Our part as a church is to pray for each person by name. Pray for strength and wisdom for Tyson and Rebecca. Pray for Scott and Marilyn as they care for Noah and Chloe. Pray for our campers that their lives would be devoted to God this week. Pray for the camp pastor, worship leader and camp leaders as they minister to our young people. Pray for our youth to draw close to God and to each other.

It would be a big mistake to presume all the above will just "happen" without our involvement.Our part is the prayer. We need to ready our own hearts to be the kind of church that can welcome back and continue the work God begins during camp. Please pray for the following campers: Ashley, Brittany, Jesse, Hunter, Sidney, Cruz, Wilson and Austin.

-Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

July 17, 2011

Sometimes people say they are looking for a "good church". I am not sure what that means according to other people, but I do know what a "good church" is according to the Word of God.

A good church has at least three key characteristics:

#1 Jesus Christ is preached. He is the Son of God, the only way to God and the blood of Jesus cleanses us of all our sins (Matthew 16:16, John 14:6, Romans 5:9)

#2 The Word of God is honored. "and we have the Word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:19-21)

#3 The people are sharing their faith in Jesus Christ. The most natural thing for a new believer to do is to tell others what Jesus has done for them. Unless each member shares their faith, we fall short of God's purpose for His church. To be a great church, we must proclaim Christ, honor and obey His Word, and individually share our faith in Jesus Christ.

-Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

July 10, 2011

The Bible says "whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."(1 Cor. 10: 31). This past Sunday's Celebrate Freedom event was a BIG success. God's people worked hard and God blessed in a mighty way.

Faith is believing a thing is so, when it isn't so, in order for it to be so. The Bible says faith is visible (Matthew 9:2). God can "see" faith demonstrated by our actions. Anything we do for God requires faith, otherwise it falls into the "works" category, simply human effort to please God or gain His favor.

I'm thankful to pastor a church where people have a heart for God and for reaching out to the lost and those who are believers, but are not actively involved in church. People have to have both the heart and the willingness to work in order to do an event like Celebrate Freedom, VBS, Gospel grass, Easter Services and a Revival (not to mention all the other things done this year!) So thank you to all who helped last Sunday. I pray that God will be glorified with the results.

-Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

July 3, 2011

Yesterday I noticed a greeting card on our dining table. It was a little note of encouragement from my Mom to my daughter during her college years. Funny how something Mom did almost ten years ago still communicates her love. Although my Mom is now with the Lord Jesus, the example she set and her words of love and encouragement continue.

Each day provides a new opportunity to live out our relationship with Jesus Christ. Remember Eph 5:15,16 "Be careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

-Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

June 26, 2011

Another great week of VBS has come and gone for this year and we already have another big event coming up July 3rd. Before we mentally go on to our next event, we need to remember several things.

First - reflect on what you saw and experienced during VBS. Remember the new faces of children and parents and pray that we can reach the ones who aren't already actually in church.

Second - thank God for the relationships built between children and adults. Every year the Lord opens up a relationship with a child. It often is hard to see during VBS, but usually later I can see the fruit of seeds planted in VBS as a child or an adult begins to warm up in their relationship.

Third - reach out. Remember that when God starts something He always completes what He has started. Be a part of what the Lord is doing to touch a child and their family.

God has told us to pray so that He can answer and get the glory and He has told us to work to build up His Kingdom. (Luke 18:1, 1 Thess. 5:17, Matt. 28:19,20)

- Serving Him,Bro. Lynn

June 19, 2011

This week I was talking with a father of three children (not an HBC member) and he expressed the need to learn from a father who had already raised his children. He said, "It makes more sense to learn from someone who has already been there, than trying to figure it out as I go."

Too many of us are trying to figure it out as we go through life. It is far better to have a model, someone who can guide you past all the pitfalls, someone who can give practical insight. Of course the Bible is our blueprint and the Holy Spirit illuminates our way. "But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).

Romans 14:7 says, "For none of us lives to himself alone." We were not meant to live in isolation but in community. My point (and God's point) is that we need each other. When God created the first human He said "It is not good for the man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). Conversely, it is not good for the woman to be alone. That is why God created the family. That is why He created the church, which is God's family. Although there are different personality types, we still need each other.

Prov. 3:10 says" wisdom is found in those who take advice." It is hard to "take advice" if you are all by yourself. We need a relationship with Jesus Christ that includes relationships with His people. - Serving Him,Bro. Lynn

June 15, 2011

When the Bible speaks about wisdom, it refers to seeing life from God's point of view. James 1:5 tells us "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously toall without reproach, and it will be given him."

We all need God's point of view, so that we can follow His plan for our lives. He sees our lives from beginning to end. When we fail to read His Word, it affects our outlook on life.

We get distracted with all the details of life. Following God's plan for our life is not easy, anymore than following directions is easy. The difference is that we are following a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have written directions (the Bible), we have examples of what it looks like (Bible characters), we have the Son of God Himself and we have the Counselor He sent (the Holy Spirit). The only prerequisite is to ask in faith (James 1:6), which God freely supplies (faith comes from hearing the Word of Jesus (Romans 10:17).

Make it part of every day to ask God for wisdom and read the directions, because it makes an eternal difference.

Serving Him, Brother Lynn

June 5, 2011

About three weeks ago, a group of about ten men came to my office to pray for our worship service. I need to hear the prayers of God's people before preaching, and I know our worship team feels the same way. A worship service is a time for God to speak to His people. It is an encounter with the Living God.

People come to church with all kinds of needs,believing that in some way they will hear from the Lord. Since worship is a Christ-centered event, it is only reasonable that we talk to Him beforehand to make sure we are on His agenda. God honors preparation.

Years ago when I first came to HBCpeople gathered in my office to pray before church, but after a time this practice dwindled down. Through the years it ebbed and flowed but almost always with at least one person coming to pray. Im not writing to focus on the past, but to encourage those who have come to pray.

We are all in need of prayer! We never want to miss one opportunity for God to speak to us. I am especially blessed that our men have led out in prayer. Let's give God the glory for this spontaneous response of prayer. Anyone is welcome to gather in my office for prayer from 10:30-10:45.

Serving Him, Brother Lynn

May 29, 2011

The last two weeks messages have been on corporate worship. Worship is focusing our attention on God and as a result we see ourselves as we really are: in great need of what only He can provide, mercy and grace. Worship is understanding He is God and we are not.It is understanding He is perfect and we are not, He is supernatural and we are natural. Worship gives expression to His greatness, His goodness and His glory. Worship requires humility. "Humble yourselves therefore under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6)

Last Sunday as we observed the Lord's Supper, we worshiped by "remembering" Jesus death for our sins. As we are faithful to gather each Sunday, we do so with an expectation of meeting God in small group Bible study and in the worship service. If we can get our worship right it will affect every other area of our lives, our families, our relationships and our work. The reverse is also true, if we fail to recognize the value of faithfulness in corporate worship. Don't miss an opportunity to grow in ourunderstanding of worship.

Serving Him, Brother Lynn

May 22, 2011

Please take time to think about the following questions:

1. Have you spoken to someone about Jesus today?

2. Did you pray with anyone today?

3. Did you pray for anyone today?

4. Did you say no to yourself in order to help someone else today?

5. Did you claim a promise from God's word today?

Just be honest. If the answer is No, use this list as a reminder to start thinking about how God can use you every day.

Blessings, Bro Lynn

May 19, 2011

Recently a family member shared what had brought them through a very difficult time in their life. "You (meaning their family) never gave up on me, you continued to love me and pray for me."

I know it isn't easy in the face of big problems to continue to believe that God can change things for the better. We tend to look at things as they are rather than trust in a God that sometimes seems slow to act. Discouragement and apathy come naturally. Faith and hope require trust. It's much easier to simply give up on a relationship. It's often painful to continue to invest time and emotional energy in what, from a human perspective, seems a lost cause.

John 3:16 says"For God so loved...that Hegave His only Son..." Godloved uslong before we ever responded to His love. He never gave up on us and He never will. That's Good News! Thanks be untoour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory forever and ever, amen!

Serving Him, Brother Lynn

May 8, 2011

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Being a mother is a God-given role (Gen 3:20), and crucial to the health and stability of our nation. It is a lot of hard, often unrewarding, work for a mother to invest the best years of her life in the next generation. How can we ever thank our mothers for all the long hours and sacrifices they made for us? I know some of our mothers failed to live up to their potential. We can look to the Word of God for our model for both mothers and fathers. Over and over both testaments tell us to "Honoryour father and mother" (Exodus 20:12 and Matthew 15:4).

There are two things we can do: First, if your mother is living, you can honor her by expressing your love and appreciation for her. If your mom has passed away, you can honor hermemory by the way you live. We remember our mothers because they loved us and gave themselves for us, which is the same thing we remember our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ "who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)

Serving Him, Brother Lynn

May, 01, 2011

Jesus said "In this world you will have trouble" (a fact of life)but take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). If you read the whole verse you will find it starts with "I have told you these things (about His suffering, death, and resurrection) so that in me you may have peace...."

Psalm 42 is another example of how we can become downcast, disturbed and even forgotten by God. The remedy for suffering found in both the Gospel of John and Psalm 42: "Put your hope in God (Ps. 42:5 & 11) and praise Him as your Savior and God." There is much more in Psalm 42 if you will take the time to read it all for yourself.

Easter Sunday 2011 is but a memory, but the longing for God is a daily need, just "as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." (Ps. 42:1) We will never find peace and satisfaction in anyone or anything else apart from the relationship we have in Jesus Christ. Know Him by faith. Trust Him. Worship Him. Praise Him.

Serving Him, Brother Lynn

April 24, 2011

Beginning with John 11, over half of John's Gospel focuses on the last week of Jesus life before the cross. That should tell us something big is coming.

The cross/resurrection event is the centerpiece of history. The next big event is the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.....For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1Thess. 4:14,16-18).

The Bible calls Jesus resurrection "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep"(1 Cor. 15:20).Meaning simply, His resurrection is a prototype of our own bodily resurrection. But without Jesus resurrection there would be no Easter. Jesus resurrection defeated the power death has always held over our lives. The Bible calls death the last enemy"(1 Cor. 15:26).

Worship is the only logical response to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Enjoy this day in gratitude and thanksgiving as we remember Christ's great victory over the grave.

Amen and Amen, Bro Lynn

April 17,2011

Several have commented recently on the way Harmony people pitch in and help when needed. This is characteristic of a church that loves the Lord Jesus and demonstrates that love by being available. One of my favorite verses is found in Nehemiah, "for the people had a mind to work", and through their willingness the Lord did a miracle in rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. Thank you for serving the Lord, for paying attention, talking to each other and helping. It is a work of God when that happens. May God get all the glory!

This week the church received some written Thank You notes, most of which were from the students at Crosstimbers. Basically, they expressed their appreciation and were pleasantly surprised that the church would make the effort to set up bounce houses, popcorn machine, cotton candy machine and snow cone machine and have people there to serve them. They said Now we know you care, and aren't judging us.' It may have been the most significant outreach ministry ever for Harmony! It wasn't planned, but someone had to be paying attention (to God's activity)and people needed to help, and they did. It wasn't planned, but it didn't just happen either - people had to have a heart for the same things God has a heart for. They adjusted their schedules and made it happen (by the grace of God).

This happens a lot at Harmony, and mostly it isn't noticed. People have a place of service and do it without a lot of affirmation or recognition because that's not why they serve. They are serving the Lord Jesus because He has saved them, because they have experienced unconditional love from Him, and serving others is an expression of His love. Thank you. There is a place of service for every member and God's plan is for every member to be a minister.

From a grateful pastor, Bro. Lynn

April 11,2011

To say this is a busy time, having finished the Gospel Grass Festival and with Easter just 3 weeks away, is an understatement! Then there is work, life, other church activities, family, and....

Busy is good as long as our focus in on why we are doing the things we do. Regardless of whether we are working, retired, or a student, we need the right motivation. As a believer, as we prepare for each day we need to be thinking about the Lord Jesus. Remember that each day is a gift from God and that the Bible says "we are bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:20.)

Psalm 90:12 says "teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Begin each day in the Bible and ask God to help you understand how He wants to use you that day. As you read the Bible, think about how it relates to your life. Then, as you go through the day, be looking for ways you can be used by Him. Ask for wisdom. Ask for strength. You will have a better day when you are working for the Lord. We may not always beaware of how God usedusthat day, but we can make ourselves available.

Be available for God to use every day and you will be amazed at what He can do through you.

To God be the Glory! Bro. Lynn

April 3, 2011

Don't miss the power of the love of God as seen in the simplicity of the Gospel. Somehow I think we over- complicate sharing our faith. The power to communicate the Good News is in the message, the Word of God. We can't make the Gospel relevant, it is relevant! We simply need to proclaim it with confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:13, 14 says, "But when He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth...He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." The power is in the message, the Word of God, we are just the messengers. John 3:16is the Gospel condensed. If we really believed it, we would share it. - Serving Him,Bro. Lynn

March 27, 2011

If you have ever played a musical instrument, you know that daily practice is absolutely necessary before you go to the music lesson. Learning anything takes time. It is an investment that pays off later.A closer relationship with Jesus Christ comes by spending time in His Word. Someone even wrote a book titled "Practicing the Presence of Christ." For example Isaiah 55:6 says "Seek first His Kingdom", and "Come near to God and He will come near to you." (James 4:8)

The reverse is also true, that God is seeking you. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44) "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."(Luke 19:10) Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." (Rom 10:20) Guess where thought about God comes from? It is God calling you to come to corporate worship, Bible study, prayer, to help others, to give, to go, and to speak. The point is to recognize and respond to His invitation. -Serving Him,Bro. Lynn

March 20, 2011

I hope you are taking seriously the events happening worldwide. We always need to be reminded that nothing will ever happen internationally or nationally that catches God off guard. Read the signs of the end of the age (Matt. 24). The main point is that we be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. We always need to think Biblically. We need to see the daily events of life through the lens of Scripture, otherwise we will become discouraged, apathetic and overwhelmed.

The word of God corrects our thinking/feeling. If we can get our thinking right, our feelings will eventually follow. Just remember, the Bible says this world is not our permanent home (John 14:1-3). Never, never, never forget that a Christian is considered a pilgrim in this world (1 Peter 1:1), but a citizen of Heaven (Phil. 3:20). -Serving Him,Bro. Lynn

March 13, 2011

Matthew 24 is called the Olivet Discourse and is a key sermon that Jesus preached on the Mount of Olives. Of course every sermon Jesus preached is a key sermon, but this sermon is of special interest because it concerns the end of the age and the destruction of Jerusalem (Matt 24-25 & Mark 13.) Jesus gives a list of things like false christs, war, international conflicts, famine, and earthquakes. He simply called all these things "the beginning of birth pains"(Matt 24:8), and He gave us these instructions (Matt 24:6) to "see to it that you are not alarmed." He went on to say in vs. 36, "no one knows about that day or hour," so we can be alert "because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him" (vs 44).

We do not have to be afraid of all the things that frighten people who don't know where theyre going when they die. We can take great comfort in knowing that history is moving toward the return of Christ. There will be earthshaking events along the way, just as Jesus said in Matt 24, and we must stay ready and be busy telling people about the God who lovedus enough to die for us, Jesus Christ. We can pray for the peoplein Japan and seek to help any way we can. Remember that "birthpains" simply means new life is on the way! -Serving Him,Bro. Lynn

March 6, 2011

I believe it was Hudson Taylor who said "expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." The word EXPECT means to anticipate or look forward to something. When you read your Bible, listen to a sermon, sing a hymn, attend Sunday School, you should expect God to speak to you. The Bible tells us that "if you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut. 4:29).

There is a principle at work by which we prepare our heart by our faithfulness in (1) believing God is at work, (2) expecting that He has something for us to do, and (3) willingness to act. Every day is a gift from God. He knows the number of our days. The person who experiences the most of God is the one who anticipates God's activity in his or her life.

Lets be a church looking for God to be working every day, expecting Him to show up in the daily activities of our lives. Also, let's use the next fifteen days to prepare for Jon Randles return to finish our Revival services (March 20 & 21.) If we "draw near to God He will draw near to us" (James 4:8).

- Serving Him,Bro. Lynn

02/27/2011

Our world is seeing rapid change as witnessed in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. Rapid change in the United States is seen as the President decided not to enforce a law that has been in effect for fifteen years (theDefense of Marriage Act). He simply instructed the Attorney General not to enforce a law passed by the Legislature and signed into law by a previousPresident. That's what I call rapid change.

So what does that mean to us here in Weatherford? The first thing it means is that Christians had better count the cost of being fully committed to faith in Jesus Christ. Second, we have a Savior to follow, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not a time for confusion, discouragement, or apathy because we have an invincible, victorious leader who has conquered sin, the devil, death, and hell.

When Jesus came to earth, He came to reclaim what was lost: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils' work" (1 John 3:8).

No matter how the world changes our purpose remains the same: to take the "life-changing" message of Jesus Christ to our world. That is the Biblical Mandate and that is the primary reason God has left us here as the Church.

-Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

02/20/2011

There are key elements that need to be present in order to see God work in our lives. One of those elements is that everyone knows that God gets all the credit. He uses people to accomplish His will. Jesus instructed us to pray "Our Father in Heaven hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." (Matthew 6:9 & 10) Always give God the glory for the good He has done.

Second, is an awareness that not a moment exists in which He is not working in the good or the bad, in sickness and health, war and peace, bad or good weather. (John 5:17) "My Father is always at His work to this very day and I too am working." We need to expect God to use us and prepare our hearts through prayer and the Word of God.

Third, is faith, faith to expect God to use us daily. Faith is active not passive. Abraham believed God and left his hometown because God called him to go to another place. (Gen 12:3) God made a promise to Abraham, but in order to receive that promise he had to act. Abraham couldn't continue to control his life, he had to learn to trust in God and follow His commands. Pure and simple, that is the Christian life. It is a relationship with the living God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we want to see more of what God can do, we must learn to: 1) give Him the glory; 2) Trust Him enough to expect His activity in our lives; 3) Act on what we know from His Word. Remember, it is not a formula or a plan that God is interested in, but your relationship with Him. - Serving Him, Bro. Lynn

02/13/2011

I have spent the last week reflecting on our Revival services, still processing the messages from Jon Randles. "Where do we go from here?" is still a question we should be thinking about. Jon can come back on March 20 and 21, a Sunday and Monday. It would give us three more services and a chance for him to speak at Crosstimbers Academy on Monday. Last Sunday, we heard good testimonies about how Jon's messages touched individual people's lives.

On another note, I want to recognize Matthew Nolan for his leadership and just plain old hard work on the old mission house. He put in a lot of hours making the house "livable". Many others helped including the Volunteer Christian Builders from Northside Baptist, Dee Sosebee, Kevin Bone, Danny Smith, Tyson Shapley, and Bill Terry. Zeb Smith referred us to Butler Flooring which did a wonderful job on the old wood floors. There are so many to thank, I hope I didn't leave anyone out.

A special thank you to the people of Harmony who gave to make all the remodeling possible. Thanks to all who showed up to help unload and set everything up on moving day. There is still work to be done (like exterior painting) so we still need help. We have come a long way on the house and it is good to see what the Lord has done through His people.

- Serving Him, Bro. Lynn