winsoulsforjesus.com Blog

Jeffrey Harvel, the man and His message BLOG8

Administrator — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:15:57 +0000

Last month I spoke to you about the need in America for real heroes. I want to continue to speak on this subject this month.

This nation needs men who are a man’s man! Men like John the Baptist, who came out of the wilderness preaching:”Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 3:1-3NKJV), are desperately needed today!

Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, Jim Elliott, Roger Youderian, and Nate Saint are also my heroes of the faith. In 1955 they and their families left the security of America to share the love of Jesus with the Auca Indians, a naked savage tribe in the eastern jungle of Ecuador. The Aucas killed people just for fun. Everyone who had gone into Auca territory had not appeared again.

Nate Saint, the man who piloted the airplane which flew the men into Auca territory wrote these words on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 18,1955:”As we weigh the future and seek the will of God, does it seem right that we should hazard our lives for just a few savages? As we ask ourselves this question, we realize that it is not the call of the needy thousands, rather it is the simple intimation of the prophetic Word that there shall be some from every tribe in his presence in the last day and, in our hearts, we feel that it is pleasing to Him that we should interest ourselves in making an opening into the Auca prison for Christ.”

On Sunday, Jan. 8,1956, these young men landed their plane in Auca territory. They were speared to death by the Auca Indians. The missionaries had guns in their airplane, but they did not use them. Five young wives became five young widows. Nine children were left fatherless. Some of their children were born after they were massacred.

This made news all over the world. They were the cream of the missionary crop. Elisabeth Elliott took Valerie, three year old daughter of her martyred husband, Jim Elliott, back to live with the Aucas in 1958. Rachel Saint, Nate’s sister, went with them. They fellowshiped and worked with the murderers of their husband, father, and brother. Can you imagine the courage this took? These women were committed to the Lord Jesus and to the fulfillment of His mission in Matthew 28:18-20.

The Aucas are no longer a savage tribe. Jim Elliott penned these words as a college student. “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” You can read Elisabeth Elliott’s account in the classic book “Through Gates Of Splendor”. Also, watch the movie titled “End Of The Spear”.

Jeffrey Harvel, the mand and His message BLOG 7

Administrator — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:14:40 +0000

If ever America needs heroes, she needs them today. In the Bible in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 we read about the great heroes of the faith. Verse 38 tells us that the world was not worthy of them. What a compliment!

One of my heroes of the faith is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was born into aristocrasy and affluence in Germany; therefore, he was blessed to be able to get an excellent education. He was educated by the most liberal theologians of his day, but he believed the word of God to be true.

Dietrich became a pastor and a theologian as the Holy Spirit literally “captured” his heart! He was appalled at the treatment of the Jews in Nazi Germany and decided that he must stand against the wickedness of his day. Bonhoeffer said:”Silence in the face of evil is itself evil:God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

For participating in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler, he was hung on April 9, 1945 at the age of 39. The prison camp doctor, H. Fischer Hullstrung, was an eye-witness to Dietrich’s execution. “Through the half-open door in one room of the huts I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer, before taking off his prison garb, kneeling on the floor praying fervently to his God. I was most deeply moved by the way this humble man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”

Volumes have been written about this great hero of the faith. I encourage you to read the most recent biography titled “Bonhoeffer Pastor Martyr Prophet Spy” by Eric Metaxas. Visit Eric Metaxas’ website at www.ericmetaxas.com to see how God is powerfully using him to speak into the darkness of American culture today. I also encourage you to read Bonhoeffer’s personal writings like “The Cost Of Discipleship.”

Jeffrey Harvel, the man and His message BLOG 6

Administrator — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:19:11 +0000

The weather patterns over the past decade continue to be very extreme. Remember Hurricane Katrina? In 2008, we had one of the worst droughts in American history. The winter of 2011 was one of the worst on record. This winter has been just the opposite with spring-like temperatures most of the time, thus precipitating an early spring.

How can we explain this? For the Christian, it is not mother nature and el nino, but the living God speaking to a nation that is not doing as He predestined it to do. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34 ESV).

All down through history the living God has spoken to His children through the weather as well as by other means. When the children of Israel asked for a king, God told them through Samuel that their request was great wickedness (1 Samuel 12:16-18). Almighty God showed His displeasure with them by sending thunder and rain during the early summer, the time of wheat harvest. This was unheard of for this time of year in

Old Testament times. Richard Owen Roberts, the great revivalist, tells us in his book “Sanctify The Congregation”: “Early Americans, despite their faults, knew that God hated sin and punished it in the unrepentant, including unrepentant believers and churches. Because they feared God and His ability to punish, they sought to lead their people in quick and thorough repentance. They were alert to signs of God’s manifest displeasure among them. Natural calamities, which some of us treat with the shrug of a shoulder, were dutifully examined, prayed over and improved by Godly men of old. Even the unexpected death of a pastor, a youth, a government official, a farmer or a housewife had power to provoke them to inquire if God had a grievance against his people.”

Can you look me in the eye and tell me that a nation which supports abortion and homosexuality has the blessing of God? Can you look me in the eye and tell me that Almighty God is not speaking to this nation through the weather and the economy? Our great God is chastising us! We still have time to repent. Samuel told the children of Israel: “Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king” (1 Samuel 12:24-25 ESV).

Jeffrey Harvel, the man and His message BLOG5

Administrator — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:13:31 +0000

John McEnroe was a famous tennis player in the 1970′s. He was arrogant and brash. John would always “torment” the referees. It was a “game” with him to taunt them. John’s antics also sold a lot of tickets!

Time after time, when he did not agree with a call the referee would make, McEnroe would say: “Come on, you can’t be serious!” Please allow me to “play” on John McEnroe’s famous statement.

The U.S.A. has veered from the Biblical foundation our forefathers built this great nation upon in 1776. “Come on, you can’t be serious!” Yes, I am very serious. Our great God predestined us to be a shining light to all nations. (Proverbs 14:34)

Many of our nation’s presidents have called us to repent and come back to the God of our forefathers. This no longer happens. “Come on, you can’t be serious!” Yes, I am very serious. I plead with you to pray daily for our president and our nation’s leaders. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Life is given by Almighty God. It is a sacred trust. He, and He alone, only has the right to give life and to take life. Millions of unborn babies have been slaughtered through the process known as abortion since 1973. “Come on, you can’t be serious!” Yes, I am very serious. God’s Holy Word, the Bible, clearly teaches that life begins at conception; therefore, abortion is murder. (Psalm 139:13-16)

Almighty God created Adam and Eve , a man and a woman, to be distinctively different. He meant for them to be married and to produce children. Today, Adam and Steve and Eve and Geneveve want to be married. “Come on, you can’t be serious!” Yes, I am very serious. The Bible forbids homosexuality. (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:24-32)

The majority of Americans believe it is o.k. to do what you want when you want. “Come on, you can’t be serious!” Yes, I am very serious. Americans are living with no moral absolutes. Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes! (2 Timothy 3:1-9)

American young people, ages 18-25, are the least churched generation of youth in American history. Only 3% of these precious American youth profess to be born again. “Come on, you can’t be serious!” Yes, I am very serious. We must reach them with the love of Jesus! (Matthew 18:1-6)

The current stable of political contenders who are running for president of the U.S.A. believe that America has a money problem. “Come on, you can’t be serious!” Yes, I am very serious. This nation does not have a money problem. It has a spiritual problem! When we, as a nation predestined by Almighty God to be a shining light to all nations, get right with God, everything else will fall into place. (Matthew 6:33)

I love you! Pray with me for a sweeping revival to move across our nation.

Jeffrey Harvel, a man and His message BLOG4

Administrator — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:40:42 +0000

Someone once said:”The only constant in life is change.” The year 2012 is upon us. What will happen in your life this year? You do not know the answer to the question, but your God does. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deut. 29:29(NKJV) Life is truly a walk by faith. Where is your faith? Is it in people, possessions, and power? Will these 3 P’s be there for you when the path of life becomes difficult? People come and go and are fickle. Possessions fade away with time. Power is empty once you get it. Why don’t you put all your faith this year in the one who has been, who is, and who will always be? His name is Almighty God. He never changes! “For I am the Lord, I do not change.” Malachi 3:6(NKJV) He loves you more than you will ever know.(John 3:16)

He will never leave you.(Hebrews 13:5-6) Nothing can separate you from His great, boundless love.(Romans 8:31-39) Almighty God was there before you were born. He is here while you are alive. If you have truly repented of your sins and accepted His Son Jesus as your Lord and Savour by faith, He will be with you forever in heaven. Live for Jesus in 2012! I love you!

Jeffrey Harvel, the man and His message Blog 3

Administrator — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:41:55 +0000

Do you ever think about what a different world this would be if Jesus had never been born? No Christians! WOW! The atheists and liberals would like that. Would they have “free reign” to promote their godless plans for a world of people where any sin is permitted? But, who would show them Christian compassion, mercy, and love when they are sick, injured, and confined to a nursing home? Who would speak for them when someone wanted to kill them because they are disabled and “worthless to society,” as is said by those who have no respect for human life. The birth of Jesus, as my former pastor, Clyde Martin, said, is a biological impossibility. Mary, who was an unmarried virgin, could hardly believe the angel, Gabriel, when he told her that she would give birth to the Christ Child. Gabriel made a statement for all time in Luke 1:37 (NLT), “For nothing is impossible with God.” Jesus was born, and He did change the world. In John 10:10 Jesus said that He came to give life and to give it more abundantly. He told Zaccheus, a despicable tax collector, in Luke 19:10 that He came to seek and to save lost people. Lost people are people who are living in their sins with no hope of fullness of life here or an eternal life in heaven forever with Jesus. Jesus forgave Zaccheus for stealing from people. Jesus died on the cross at Calvary for your sins. All you have to do is ask for forgiveness of your sins, and He will forgive you. I John 1:9 (NLT) states: “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” I am so very thankful that Jesus was born. I pray that you will become a follower of Jesus during the time of year when we celebrate His glorious, miraculous birth. I love you!

Jeffrey Harvel, the man and His message BLOG2

Administrator — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:24:40 +0000

Do you ever think about life after this life? It is called eternal life. “Eternal” means forever. The Bible teaches that everyone will live in either heaven or hell forever when they leave this life as we know it today (Revelation 20:15, 21:27). On October 5, 2011, Steve Jobs stepped from this temporary life into eternal life. Is Steve Jobs in heaven or is he in hell? Only he and Almighty God know the answer. People magazine in its October 24, 2011 issue, called Steve Jobs the most influential inventor of the digital age. If you have an Apple computer, a MacIntosh computer, an Ipod, an IMac, an IPhone, or an IPad, you can thank Steve Jobs. He thought about death on many occasions during his life. He gave the commencement address to Stanford University in June, 2005. He said: “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.” The reason Steve Jobs thought so much about death is because the living God has placed thoughts of eternity in every human being (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We know before we are born that we’re going to die. Our loving Lord uses this fact of life to draw us to Himself. As I have read about Steve Jobs’ life, I have asked myself this question…“How many times did the living God of heaven and earth send a Christian witness into his life to tell him about the love of Jesus?” Time after time Almighty God will send people into our lives to tell us that we must make a decision about eternal life. In John 3:3 Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again to go to heaven. To be born again means that you repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior by faith. Have you ever made this decision? It is the greatest decision you will ever make. Heaven and hell are not Biblical myths. They are real places created by Almighty God for real people. People who are born again live forever in heaven. People who are not born again live forever in hell. I love you very much. I pray that you will make the decision to repent of your sins and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior by faith.

Jeffery Harvel, the man and His message BLOG1

Administrator — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:03:35 +0000

It is exciting to read about the birth of the church in the book of Acts. Those first Christians experienced the power and presence of God because they prayed fervently and passionately. The devil hates God and His people so he will always bring persecution. In Acts chapter 4, 5,000 men had been born again. The religious leaders attacked them. They always do! Those precious persecuted believers “hit their knees” in prayer. One of my favorite verses is Acts 4:31 (NKJV), “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

I continue to experience the power of fasting and prayer. It works (Matt. 17:21)! Lakeshore Road Baptist Church in Talbott, TN is without a pastor. I was invited to proclaim the gospel there on October 16. On Saturday morning, I fasted and prayed for the power of God to “move on the scene” on Sunday. Pastor David Stooksbury gave me permission to use an outline from a message the Lord gave to him entitled Three Things in Hell That Should be Found in Every Church: Tears, Prayers, and a Concern for the Lost.” The power of Almighty God moved as I have never witnessed in my 19 years of service in the field of evangelism. People came to the altar before the message ended in brokenness and tears! By the time the invitation began, people were all over the altar weeping. You could hear them “sobbing” over lost family and friends. Grown men were publicly asking the church to forgive them for sins that I did not even preach about. People lined-up for me to pray with them when the service was ended. They were “broken” over the fact that they have lost family and friends who are on their way to a Christ-less eternity in Hell. I counseled and prayed with people until 3 P.M. Yes, powerful praying will bring a “deep move” of the Holy Spirit.

Last Sunday Pastor DeWayne Howard of Bridges of Hope Fellowship in the McMinnville, TN hosted me. As American culture continues to “drift” further away from the Lord, wickedness invades the work of God in the local church. Only prayer and faithful proclamation of the Word of God will break satanic strongholds in the local church. This is what happened here! People came to me and have been speaking with Pastor DeWayne this week on how the Holy Spirit has convicted them to repent and turn from wickedness in their personal lives.

Pastor John Rogers and I were privileged to share the gospel through the First Priority Bible Clubs of West Greene High School and Mosheim Middle School in Greene County. Pastor John began with 20 students. He challenged them to go get their lost friends and 45 students heard him tell about the love of the Lord Jesus! Two students let him know that they were born again. I talked to 53 students using the Where Will You Live in Eternity? Heaven or Hell flyer. Fifteen of them said that they prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They came to me one by one to receive follow-up materials.

We praise Almighty God for the great ministry of First Priority Bible Club in the public schools. All of the Christian faculty are to be commended for their support of the students. According to Pastor John Rogers, 27 students were born again in one week in 3 different schools and one church. They have already “followed-up” on those who made decisions. What joy to be able to serve alongside “sold-out servants” who honor their Lord with their thoroughness. I love and respect them. They are making an eternal difference in the lives of young people; many whose parents never take them to church.

Danny McCampbell and Bob Denney have been greatly used by our Lord over the past two years to get the website and TV spots on the air. I want to affirm these Spirit-filled servants for going above and beyond the call of duty to assist me. They are the best of the best in their respective professions. Without them, I could not be reaching the masses through the media! Bob has completely redone the website. Take a look and let me know what you think. Also, be sure to view this month’s TV Spot entitled, Hope Beyond the Grave. Praise Jesus! The Christian truly has everlasting hope in heaven beyond the grave (I Thess. 4:13-18)!

I could not continue “penetrating the darkness” with the Word of God in my hand without your prayers and financial support. Thank you for such great love! I love you, too!

For Souls Forever In Heaven,

Jeffrey L. Harvel

Hebrews 4:12

P.S. – I was privileged to assist Pastor Jim Inman of True Life Church in Jefferson City this past month in discipling men. Does America need men who are after God’s heart? You better believe she does (Psalm 1)!