Happy Friday…I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot this week. I think that’s partly because I spoke at Moody Founders Week—she always used to loved to come and hear me there. We also just passed her third birthday in heaven, which was January 31—I’m sure she had an awesome day.

Pastors!  Are you practicing your preaching and knowing the peace of mind that comes from personal purity? Are you living inside the boundaries God has established? Hebrews 13:4 – “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.“

Nothing stirs my heart about faithful service to Christ and His church more than a fresh account of God at work through the power of the Gospel. Watch the story below, shared in our services last weekend, and be encouraged.

After another exhausting week, in a string of weeks so far back I can’t see the start, I have yet another day of high-pressure message preparation. No matter what has happened this week or this month, everything is about to fade into a blur over the next 24 hours until just this single responsibility weighs [...]

Like many of you, on the first weekend in December our worship services began celebrating the season of Advent and looking forward to Christmas. And let me just say, I love our church. We are blessed with many talented musicians and worship leaders who faithfully lead us, week after week, into the awesome presence of [...]

With all my heart I believe the battle that rages in the heavenlies is for the glory of God and His great Son, Jesus Christ. The enemy is very happy with horizontal church. As long as church is boring, entertaining, or self-help, it does not threaten the kingdom of darkness.

One of the key ministry values here at Harvest is recognizing the difference between equipping and serving. Serving is great, but serving is not the primary calling of a full-time pastor.

One of my greatest joys these days is working with young preachers, trying to ‘fast track’ them through some of the lessons I have learned through almost three decades of preaching. I was blessed to attend some great schools, but truthfully most of the bit I have learned about preaching came from painful Sunday afternoons [...]

Every minister of the Gospel that I’ve known who bears fruit has encountered opposition. I have encountered it. And if you’re committed to the unapologetic preaching of the Word of God for the rest of your life, opposition is coming. “Through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

You can’t fake glory. You can’t manufacture it, or manipulate it, or manifest it at will. Only God Himself can bring glory into a church, and when He does, communities get shaken and lives get changed, and the fame of Jesus Christ curls continuously upon the shore of human hearts

Church was never meant to be safe. Or comfortable. Or predictable. God isn’t any of those things.

The New Testament knows nothing of an unbaptized convert. Jesus asked us to do two specific things—to remember His sacrifice with the bread and the cup, and to be baptized. I’ve been preaching verse-by-verse through the book of John in a study called Authentic Jesus. A few weeks ago the entire message was dedicated to [...]

It was a real honor for me to preach for the third time at the Southern Baptist Convention last night in New Orleans. I felt very small, sandwiched between Dr. Jack Graham

Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. —John 2:24-25

This weekend I preached from John 2:13-22, on Christ’s response to the consumer mindset that had taken over the temple. And nothing is more of an axe to the tree of vertical church—of God church, of glory church—than “consumer church.”

This year at Harvest we’re walking verse-by-verse through the book of John. Last weekend’s teaching was on Christ’s first public miracle, at the wedding in Cana. And while God does not promise prosperity or healing in every circumstance (2 Corinthians 12:7), He does continue to work

Wow. Yesterday, after 2.5 days of pouring into and worshiping with over 2000 pastors and leaders from around the world, we closed out Harvest University 2012. Today, I’m thanking God for the outpouring of His Spirit

Today kicks off Harvest University, our annual church planting conference. Right NOW we’re gathered with a packed house of 2000 pastors and ministry leaders from Harvest Bible Chapels around the world

Harvest Bible Chapel is now on 7 campuses—and each is a story of reluctant expansion, given our greater passion to plant autonomous churches. When dying congregations have come for help or facilities have been given to us, we have infrequently multiplied locations

“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead…” —Matthew 28:6-7 Jesus’ rising bodily from the grave changed everything.

Following Christ to the Cross, we come to Golgotha—the place where He who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf. Here Jesus suffered more than anywhere else, and here He demonstrated His love to the very end.   It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land

As we continue following the footsteps of Christ, we’re in Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa—the road of suffering. It is the road that Jesus walked, staggering toward the ultimate sacrifice with a heavy cross upon His torn and bloodied back. So often we try to refuse the trials

We’re on the steps of Caiaphas’s house in Jerusalem—the courtyard of the high priest where the Savior was left alone to endure His trial. As you reflect on Christ’s suffering, remember that we’re following in His steps. If you’ve felt like those you love aren’t there for you, remind yourself that Jesus also suffered—alone.

Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” —Matthew 27:11   Today we meet at Jerusalem’s Antonia Fortress—

This week is a week like no other, covering the space between the shouts of “Hosanna!” and waving palm branches of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, and His journey to the Cross. Watch the clip below, then pray a prayer of surrender. Give to God whatever burdens you are carrying, in total submission to His will

God commands you to serve. This is your 24/7/365 card-carrying-follower-of-Jesus-Christ-member-of-the-family-of-God duty. Don’t say, “We should serve. Let’s pray about it.” Don’t pray about it—just do it. Find a job. Roll up your sleeves. Do it forever!

We’re excited to share that Walk in the Word was honored as the 2012 recipient the NRB Billy Graham Award for Excellence in Communication. This award was presented during the National Radio Broadcast’s annual convention in Nashville to a Christian organization that effectively and creatively uses multiple electronic media technologies in fulfillment of its mission, [...]

How many of us have launched out to serve the Lord with an expectation of how it’s going to be, and found it’s not like we thought?

When people are looking for a church home, they want insider information—to learn what’s behind the service they’ve just attended and the core values the church is built upon. At Harvest Bible Chapel, those values are known as

While it’s exciting to hear what people have to say about the Bible, I don’t think there’s any better way to appropriately understand what we’re holding, than to look at what God’s Word has to say about itself.   “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is [...]

Authentic isn’t just something you feel; authentic is something you do. People who have authentic faith do certain things—they develop the disciplines of a sincere faith.   Start with this question as it relates to your prayer life: Is my prayer real?   Is it genuine, is it sincere?

Nothing is more essential to success in the Christian life than perseverance. It’s the ingredient you have to have. Faith gets you started; perseverance keeps you going.   Jesus said, “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). That ought to cause us some concern. He who endures to the end will [...]

One more video from the Q and A sessions at the Preach the Word Conference. I trust that you’ll find this content as helpful and hilarious as I did. And I hope you make it a priority to be in a church where

Merry Christmas Eve to you and your family! If you’re like most believers, you want to connect with your family and have fun, play games, share a meal together…

The Hebrew shalom is a universal greeting; it means “peace, a complete state of well being.” But the New Testament significantly expands the concept of peace.

Again, consider this amazing verse of Scripture that tells of Jesus Christ and what He came to accomplish. Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder:

I love my children, and they love me. I love my father, and I have always known his love. But hear this: No human can fill the Father hole in the human heart. A good father helps, but

Consider again Isaiah 9:6, overflowing with a richness of depth and dimension about our Savior Jesus Christ: “Unto us a child is born; unto us a Son is given. And the government shall be

You know you’re talking to a wonderful counselor when they open the Scriptures and speak the Word of Christ into your life. Find people who will go against the grain of what you want (counseling to your flesh) and speak the Word into your life that you need.

Names are very, very important. When you call someone out by their name, it’s kind of a big deal. Calling someone by their name indicates that you know them—that you know who they are. There’s a connection that happens when you know someone by their name…and Jesus’ names are the most important of all.   [...]

  Something awesome, maybe unparalleled (for us), is happening in our church. There is a fervency and unity and moving of God’s Spirit in our services that is provoking such expectancy every week. It’s the worship and the Word and the hunger of the people…it’s…I can’t totally explain it, but it is truly AWESOME!

I have had to apologize a lot through the years—for things I did, for things I should have done, or should have done better.  I have been back at it in recent days, and a couple of weeks ago I shared with the church family what I have learned in Apology School.

Sometimes I get weary of people arguing for one side as though the other does not exist, when in reality it often does. Some arguments involve absolute truth and have only one side. But most division (outside what the Scriptures prescribe specifically) involves matters of

A few weeks ago, we rushed out of church on a Saturday night and headed to downtown Chicago for an important youth event at our Harvest Cathedral in the heart of the city.  What a joy to proclaim the incredible truth of Psalm 27:4

I’m frequently asked about my preaching notes. In the video below, I explain the logic behind how I structure my notes. I know such things aren’t one size fits all, but hopefully there’s something helpful in there for you.

This weekend we began an expanded, updated version of what I believe is the most impactful teaching that we’ve ever done at Harvest. We’re calling it, “Lord, Change Me.” Because faulty, man-centered methods for change will always

In Psalm 46:10, the Lord exhorts us to “Be still, and know that I am God.” It’s counsel I need to heed more frequently, and you probably do too. So whatever else you are doing right now, STOP. Cease striving. Take a few minutes for this account of God’s unconditional pursuit of one young man. [...]

Been thinking a lot lately about the disasters that keep raging around us, the tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and devastation that have brought a tragic end to so many lives…

When you talk about the purpose of the church, what is the one word that should be at the forefront of your mind? Vertical. What do I mean by that? Find out here.

We’re full swing into Harvest University–2.5 days of intensive ministry equipping. There are more than 1500 pastors and church leaders here from across North America and around the world. Tonight, we will

We had a record Good Friday service this year, with more than 12,000 in attendance at Harvest’s multiple services.  A highlight for me was having my oldest son Luke and our son in-law Tony do a Crowder/Lecrae song together.  The entire service was dark, and devoid of any real hope, but it certainly set the [...]

God, in His mercy, sent His Son to die for your sin so that you could be saved. Are you saved? How do you know? Watch this message and get this issue settled today.

God’s Word has a lot to say about the reality of hell—regardless of popular opinion or current trends. Here’s an entire message that I preached at our church called What’s Down with Hell?

So much emphasis today is on the power of personal persuasion in sharing the gospel. What to say, how to say it. Reasons to believe, proofs for the authority of scripture -methods for gaining credibility blah blah blah. It’s always helpful to hear an actual testimony of how someone got saved.

Our annual trek to the National Religious Broadcasters convention came like a roar this year. Literally–when 120 people marched into the middle of the NRB convention at the Opryland Hotel and created a flash mob. The purpose was to highlight our ministry for station managers that carry our program and others that might be interested, [...]

Looking back over more than 20 years of church ministry, I see how the role of the Elders has changed at Harvest. But one thing should never change. See what that is.

Real humility vs. actual humility? What’s the difference? And why should you care? See for yourself.

My heart beats for pastors, so I am glad to share with you what God has allowed me to learn, often the hard way, about some practical areas of ministry. Here’s a word about staff transitions. Staff Transitions from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

After a great weekend of preaching through Revelation 14, we left Tuesday morning on the second (final!) leg of our Bus Tour with Walk in the Word. This week, I have 40-some pastors from Harvest Bible Chapel traveling with me and the Worship Team. Praise God for the lives that He is changing for eternity [...]

“This is the Lord’s doing, it is marvelous in our eyes” Psalm 118:23. Take a minute to see what God is doing through Harvest Bible Fellowship.

Seminary is great. I have spent a lot of time enrolled in and speaking at seminaries. So, I have been asked, “If you could custom design a seminary program for training pastors, what would it look like?” To me, it’s about learning how you use the tools. If you live in the Chicago area, you’re [...]

“Can’t leave Easter yet. Almost 17,000 worshipers, the Gospel going out with power, and a lot of great singing like this . . . “Everybody Rise and Sing” from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

Tomorrow we will take some time to remember the amazing sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross through some powerful, yet reflective services at our church. I trust that you will set some time aside do the same. Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, [...]

I’m almost half way through the book of Revelation. And in my 21 years at Harvest Bible Chapel, I have never taught through this book before. I have to tell you, I am deeply impacted by this study. What does this book written by John almost 2,000 years ago have to say to the church [...]

What Gospel are you preaching? Are you preaching the true, biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Do you send your students to camp? If you don’t, you should. God uses that time away from their regular routines, cell phones, and Facebook to speak to them in a powerful way. They hear His Word and respond to it. Here’s what God did through Camp Harvest in our students’ lives this winter.

Salvation, biblically speaking, is four things. Take a look at this clip from a recent message to see what they are. It is God Who makes it happen.

Hey: Thanks for coming back to this blog again and again; our audience is really growing. One of the things I want to accomplish here is to encourage pastors to keep “preaching the Word.” Popular today is the notion that to really reach people you have to some how ‘get beyond the Bible.’ We have [...]

A lot of well-meaning people respond to what they think is the Gospel, but sometimes they don’t have the whole story. Are all of the essential ingredients in your Gospel presentation?

Hey, you know that my heart and mind are on the people of Haiti these days. Here’s a five minute update that I gave to our church family at Harvest Bible Chapel last weekend on what God is doing through the ministry of Churches Helping Churches.

Hey, I know that sometimes the size of your church can be a source of encouragement or discouragement to you. I want to encourage you with what I think about the size of a church. Here is a recent teaching about Jesus comments to the faithful church in Philadelphia from Revelation 3:8. Do you agree [...]

It’s hard for me to start a new year without thinking of the phone call that I received in the early hours of 2005 about one of the founding Elders of Harvest Bible Chapel. Let me tell you about a man who was gripped by Jesus Christ, my friend, Roy Gromke.