Question & Answer
Benjamin Murphy
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Does Hell Motivate People to Receive Christ?

Driving to Kentucky last week, I saw a sign along the road in the middle of Ohio. It said “Hell is Real”. It got me thinking about how this message on a billboard could motivate people to come to Jesus Christ for salvation. How many people saw this and reevaluated their lives and eternal destiny?

I absolutely believe hell IS real. I believe it is more horrific and more terrible than we can wrap our brains around.

So why isn’t it a motivator to receive Christ?

I mean, obviously on some level, to some people, it is. Otherwise, why would Jesus Himself have warned us of this place so often (e.g., Matthew 10:28), literally more than anyone else in the Bible?

So if it is eternal and horrible, why aren’t people lining up to get saved, every week in every church that proclaims the truth?

As a younger preacher, I thought hell was one of the ultimate motivators. But experience is showing me that it doesn’t motivate like I would expect. In fact, the further I go, the less I see it as a motivator.

But how can this be?

People must either 1) choose not to think about it, 2) think that somehow they can escape it on their own merit when their day of appearing before God is upon them, or 3) dismiss it as a fairy tale – just a scare tactic "religious people" use.

The truth is the Gospel isn’t just about avoiding hell, it’s about being reconciled to the God Who created you and loves you. The God who loves you deeply personally, wants a love relationship with you, and demonstrated His love by sending Jesus to die for your sins and rise from the grave to give you eternal life.

So we just aren’t going to hear people say, “I don't want to go to hell, guess I'll love Jesus.” Can you enter a love relationship so shallowly motivated? Is that mindset going to have you truly love Jesus Christ?

The Bible tells us that mankind has rejected God, rebelliously chosen to be our own god. We decided that this life on earth is about us – our pleasures, our wants, our preferences – about our prideful sin. While God would be justified to just annihilate the earth and start over, He decided to show us how much He loves us instead and pursue us with His love. He put our sin on Jesus and allowed Him to be beaten, mocked, and brutally executed. Jesus rose from the dead to prove sin, death, and the real enemy have all been totally defeated. Jesus’ work gives us the promise of heaven, a glorious eternal existence where any kind of pain is behind us forever. God gives us the ultimate gift when we turn from our selfish sinfulness and embrace Jesus Christ: the gift of Himself, the Holy Spirit, who guides, comforts, and empowers us by living in our hearts every moment of every day we dwell on the earth. And all this is free. There’s no payment to be made, no hoops to jump through, no “catch” - it’s a totally free gift. It’s undeserved, no matter what you’ve done. It can’t be earned, and it can never be lost.

So if this Gospel, this glorious message and promise, doesn't drive you to love and adore Jesus, even the looming reality of hell won’t make any difference, either.

Hell IS real. But I’m rethinking how much it actually motivates people to turn from their sinful, destructive ways. It’s still God’s kindness that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Pastor Jeff

-”You are loved” is still the message that changes everything. 

Are Christians Getting Short Changed?

The Church and Money

Every Sunday at church we take an offering. The offering is supposed to be an act of worship but in most churches its more like the halftime show. The worship and singing has ended and the teaching is about to begin. Rather than become an amazing time of worship and celebration, tithing is something the church never talks about and Christians tend to feel guilt over.

A recent study showed that only 5% of Christians tithe. Over 80% of Christians give less than 2%. Think about that for a second.

Other religions do a much better job in their teaching. Although their theology is off, their involvement on finances is evident. We see the Mormon church growing and purchasing land like crazy. Islam is also growing like wildfire. The Jewish people have been known throughout history for being financially sound.

What if Christians were taught more directly about money? Churches pass the offering but are not teaching their people how to be givers. Churches do sermon series on Marriage, parenting, relationships, suffering, but never on money. As a result, many Christians find themselves inviting God into their homes, into their marriage, into their families, but leave him out when it comes to their finances. As a result, our nation leads the world in consumer debt. A recent report in May of 2017 stated that US consumer debt (not including mortgages) is $12.3 billion.

Proverbs 22:7 reads, "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." In the US it seems that we are certainly slaves to Sallie Mae, auto loans and credit cards. As a result of this tremendous debt, and the stress and pressure that comes along with it, we are unable to concentrate fully on God. Debt pulls us away and with it our ability to give and serve as we are called. It's not a salvation issue, but it is damaging to the kingdom.

If your church was doing something to help break this cycle would you be interested? Harvest is hosting Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University this summer on Wednesday nights from 7-9pm beginning July 12. Even if you are unsure, just come to the first week and check it out. You will be glad you did.

- Alex Giannetti

Sending Christ in Your Place

Matt and Lexie Koll

We jumped on an amazing opportunity to support two young students for a mission trip to the Dominican Republic this past June.

Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North sent two of our very own youth, that are full of Christ's love, into the heart of a needing nation this summer.

The church supported these newly weds by raising a total of $3400 to send them both. Thank you for your support of both Matt and Lexie financially and with prayers as they commit to each other and those in need.

Seriously, What's the Big Deal?

We met at our new home last Sunday. The buzz in the air was electric and the Holy Spirit's presence was palpable... because God's Son was glorified. We are so thankful for this amazing provision from God - and may many people come to know Him through this open door for ministry!

So what was so great about it? I mean, we did the same stuff at Marshall Middle School for the last 5 and a half years, what made this so special? We had the same worship leader and the same preacher. Same mission, same pillars, same amazing leaders. It was a great run at Marshall, so what made this new place so different? 

In no particular order, here is what blessed me about Sunday:

  1. Sitting together! Marshall was a great place but it was HUGE. We've struggled for years, trying to "shrink the room" so people are closer together, resulting in more intentional interaction. The size is so much more appropriate for where we are as a church currently. Related to this...
     
  2. Worship was amazing! I don't just mean personal experience or presentation or talent - that's all been consistent. I just simply mean that it was nice, in a smaller room, to hear all the voices around me praising Jesus. At one point during, I just stopped to listen to everyone else! I imagine I'll be doing that on occasion. What a glorious sound.
     
  3. Coffee. Guess what we can do in our own space? Have coffee. The smell of coffee before the sound of worship... it was like a tiny taste of heaven.
     
  4. Ability to focus on people instead of tasks. There was no sense of "hurry up and pack up - we are paying rent by the hour!". Our hospitality team was able to do their main function (loving people) without the pesky distraction of lesser things (packing up cases). They have been so diligent and complaint-free since we launched. I was happy for them to be done with that.
     
  5. Being close to people while I speak. I didn't feel like people were so far away. The room layout allowed me to look at people's faces. And there is nothing like seeing someone receive the Word of God. 

Anyways, Sunday was a great day for these and countless other reasons. Let's do it again this Sunday! 

Pastor Jeff

-If I was listing 6, I'd just include coffee again.