Welcome to Harvesters!

A Reminder from Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Between the death of Christ and the Last Day, it is only by a gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians….The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer….It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.”We extend a warm welcome to all of you and pray this will truly be a community of “incomparable joy and strength” for you. We trust this will also be a safe place for you to investigate the claims of Jesus of Nazareth and to consider the most important questions you have about life and death.

How We Will Spend Our Time Today

1. Reviewing some of the studies we have completed over the past 15 years.

2. Introducing our new series for this year.

3. Taking a tour of the new Jackson Institute website.

Previous Studies: 2001-2015

• January-April, 2001: Christian Biographies, including C.S. Lewis, Blaise Pascal, G.K. Chesterton, Stonewall Jackson, John Bunyan, Oswald Chambers, C.T. Studd, and Phillips Brooks

• 2002-2003: Life Purpose, The “Well” Illustration, First Principles• January-February, 2004: Total Forgiveness (6 lectures)• Spring, 2004: Ethics (4 lectures)• Fall, 2004: Developing a Christian Worldview (11 lectures)• May, 2005: Terri Schiavo (1 lecture)• Fall, 2005: The Canon of Scripture (8 lectures)• December, 2005: The Celebration of Christmas

Previous Studies: 2001-2015

• Winter-Spring, 2006: Bible Study Methods (17 lectures)• Fall, 2006: Spiritual Warfare (10 lectures)• December, 2006: Bethlehem: The Least Expected Place (1 lecture)• Winter, 2007: The Life of William Wilberforce (6 lectures; coinciding

with the release of the movie Amazing Grace in February, 2007)• March, 2007: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (2 lectures)• December, 2007: Remembering the Birth of Jesus Christ (1 lecture)• 2008: Holiness (24 lectures)• October, 2008: Martin Luther (1 lecture)

Previous Studies: 2001-2015

• December, 2008: The Humiliation of Christ (4 lectures)• January-March, 2009: Learning to Be Content (9 lectures)• April-May, 2009: The Synoptic Problem (6 lectures)• May-June, 2009: The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis (Do Universal

Moral Laws Exist? - 5 lectures)• Christmas, 2009: Phillips Brooks (O Little Town of Bethlehem; 1

lecture) • 2009-2010: The Holy Spirit (18 lectures)• Spring, 2010: Heaven (3 lectures)

Previous Studies: 2001-2015

• Fall 2010-Spring 2012: Pilgrim’s Progress (56 lectures)• December 2011: Christmas Carols• April, 2012: The Power of God (1 lecture)• July, 2012: The Reliability of the Scriptures (1 lecture)• Fall, 2012-Spring, 2013: The Love of God (26 lectures)• November, 2012: God and Government (1 lecture)• December, 2012: In the Fullness of Time (1 lecture)• Fall, 2013: Not a Chance (10 lectures)• December, 2013: Making Herod’s Search My Own (1 lecture)

Previous Studies: 2001-2015

• Spring, 2014: Always at Your Post (13 lectures)• Spring, 2014: The Holy Trinity (5 lectures)• Fall, 2014-Spring, 2015: Profiles of True Spirituality (18 lectures)• December 2014: The Gifts of the Magi (1 lecture)• March, 2015: Palm Sunday: Christ’s Triumphal Entry (1 lecture)• Spring, 2015: A Chronological Framework for the Public Ministry of

Jesus Christ (6 lectures)

Early Beginnings: Email to Wayne Light

“Before I close, I thought you would be pleasantly surprised to hear that I have found the date of my first lecture in what is now the Harvesters. I started thinking about what you said on Sunday (“I say umpteen, because Harvesters has no record of the first Sunday that John taught our class….But, John, if we are ever to know for sure, you’re going to have to produce a calendar from your files with the date when you first taught our group”) and decided to look in my DayTimers from around that period. I discovered that my first lecture was on Sunday, January 14, 2001. I began with a series of biographies, and the first lecture was on Blaise Pascal. For the next two weeks, I have only recorded that I taught at 9:00 on those Sunday mornings

Early Beginnings

(21st and 28th). The next Sunday, February 4, was Perimeter’s Mission Emphasis. On February 11, I spoke on Stonewall Jackson. On March 4, I held a Q&A with the Harvesters. On March 11, I lectured on Oswald Chambers. On March 18, C.T. Studd (I know that I also presented the biographies of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, perhaps on January 21 and 28). After that date, it looks like I am away for much of the time (leading retreats, traveling to Romania, preaching at different churches, etc.) until June 3. After that, it looks like I began teaching regularly during the Fall (the first date on my calendar is October 7, 2001). Anyway, we now have a starting date: January 14, 2001. That means we have been working together for 15 years! Mystery solved!

Early Beginnings

I can honestly say that it has been a joy working with you and the others who have either served, or are currently serving, on the leadership team. Colleen and I are so blessed to be a part of such a special work of the Lord.”Note: I just found a document from the SOL Mature Adult Team meeting of March 21, 2001, which stated I was to teach through April 22, my last until September 1. Also, the document records that Dr. Tom Wood taught from April 29 until May 20. During July and August, SOL members gathered in homes for small group meetings.

Christianity & Culture

Christianity & Culture: A Few Questions

• What is culture?• Into what kind of world did Christianity arise?• How did the early Christians live in the Roman world?• Has there ever been a Christian society?• How does one lead a Christian life in a non-Christian society?• Do you see the American culture as hostile to Christianity?• How much do we try to change and how much do we accept?• What does God’s Word say about these issues?