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Our Values
Primacy of Worship
”Worship is the pinnacle of our week”. That is a phrase you will frequently hear at Harvest. It is a phrase that captures a very significant core value. Our worship is purposely patterned after the Gospel message. In keeping with our vision to model reconciliation, we are intentionally incorporate a variety of musical styles, both traditional and contemporary. We utilize both the confessions and creeds of the church in our services. The preaching of Harvest is expository and Christ-centered. We celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the third Sunday of each month, followed by a fellowship meal. Because corporate worship is so important, we take strategic measures to prayerfully plan the worship service and prepare ourselves to worship.
The Power of the Gospel
The apostle Paul taught that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16, 17). It has the power to save the very worst of sinners. It has the power to justify us (declare righteous and forgive, Ro. 1:17; 3:24; 5:1), to sanctify us (Rom. 6), to glorify us (Rom. 8:29, 3) and to reconcile us to God and to one another (Eph. 2:11-22); II Cor. 5:18-21). But the Gospel is not just for the beginning of the Christian life. The Gospel is the foundation stone for the whole of the Christian life. A personal knowledge and ongoing appropriation of the Gospel’s power is absolutely essential to the spiritual growth of the believer and the overall health of the body of Christ. Knowing that we are righteous in Christ alone by faith alone produces great assurance that we are loved and accepted by God, fuels our worship of God and love for one another, burdens our heart to reach the lost, empowers us to do the work of mercy and justice, and enables us to love and accept those who are racially, socially, and economically different than us. To the extent that we believe and obey the Gospel, to that extent HCC will be a place of spiritual health and numerical growth. We are firmly committed to clearly and unashamedly presenting the Gospel through the faithful exposition of God’s Word and dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit.
Dependence on the Holy Spirit Through Prayer
Christ’s last command to his disciples was to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:48, 49). In obedience to his command to wait, the disciples devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 1:12-14). It was while at prayer that the Holy Spirit descended on them (Acts 2:1ff). It was in the power of the Holy Spirit that Peter preached the first sermon and 3,000 were saved (Acts 2:41). The book of Acts is a historical testimony of the indissoluble link between prayer and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit (2:42-47; 4:24-30; 13:1-3). The apostle Paul testifies to his dependence on the Holy Spirit and the power of prayer to further the ministry of the Gospel (Col. 4:2-4; Eph. 6:18-20; I Cor. 2:3-5). Recognizing the pattern laid out in Scripture, we are committed to the ministry of prayer. We are committed to praying privately, in our families, and corporately for the ministry of Harvest. We view the Wednesday night prayer service as an indispensable part of fulfilling our ministry.
Focus on Mercy and Justice
Mercy and justice are near to the heart of God. The Lord spoke these words through Moses, “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God…He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Deut. 10:17-19). God promised Israel that he would greatly bless them as they showed mercy and executed justice, “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday” (Isaiah 58:10). Later in Israel’s history, it became apparent that God was greatly displeased that his people had not taken the ministries of justice and mercy seriously, “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy” (Eze. 16:49). We believe God’s word calls us to care for the needs of God’s people first (cf. Gal. 2:10; 6:10) and then the “sojourner” (unbeliever).
At the core of our ministry to the Omaha area (and beyond!!) is that of mercy and justice. We are strongly committed to taking care of the needs of people proactively and reactively as God provides opportunities. It is our joy to minister to extend ourselves on behalf of the poor, the sojourner, the marginalized, and the needy. We view the mandate of mercy/justice as inseparably tied to the message of the Gospel. We seek always to connect the deeds of mercy with the proclamation of God’s mercy in Christ.
Missions
Jesus Christ commissioned his church to disciple the nations. Matthew 28:19-20 - Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." We are intentionally and strategically seeking to obey Christ’s commission by providing training opportunities for personal evangelism; planning to plant a church in Council Bluffs in 2010; actively seeking to establish a Hispanic church; encouraging our members to participate in short term mission trips (to places like Romania, Mexico, Uganda, China, and the Philippines) and as long term missionaries; and giving financial/prayer support to local (Reformed University Fellowship, UNL) and foreign missionaries (Bulgaria, Romania).
Leadership Development
Godly leadership is foundational to the health, unity, and the growth of the church. For that reason we place a premium on leadership development. Before ruling elders and deacons are voted on by the congregation, they must undergo lengthy training in Scripture, the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Book of Church Order, and the nature and duties of their office.
We are also committed to the training of teaching elders/pastors. To accomplish that goal, we encourage men who believe they are called to the Gospel ministry to use their gifts in the church, to come under the care and oversight of Session (teaching elders and ruling elders) and the Presbytery (regional governing body), and to seek a seminary education. Two options for seminary training are available at Harvest – we encourage some men to attend seminary and other men to remain at Harvest and receive their seminary training through distance learning. This latter option, which we call our “Pastoral Internship Program”, has the advantage of combining theological training, hands on practical experience, and Sessional oversight. It is designed especially for those who are unable to relocate. In November of this year, Wes Sterling will become our second pastoral intern.
Our development of leadership goes beyond the offices of elder and deacon. It is our goal, according to Ephesians 412 – “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” We strongly encourage and seek to facilitate every member of Harvest to use his or her gifts in ministry.