Greg Laurie: Harvest Christian Fellowship Joins Southern Baptist Convention

[ictt-tweet-inline hashtags="" via=""]I’m happy to announce a new partnership with the SBC, focused on bringing the Good News to our country and the world![/ictt-tweet-inline]RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Greg Laurie, founding pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, has announced that Harvest Christian Fellowship will join the Southern Baptist Convention:“Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus told his disciples to take the Good News of the gospel to the entire world. I believe we are the first generation that can actually accomplish that task. Because of today’s technology, we have more opportunities for global evangelism that any generation before us and to accomplish this we must renew our emphasis on evangelism as never before. Most importantly, we must unify our efforts. We must learn to walk in common purpose and common vision. I believe the need is urgent and the time is now.“On June 12, I announced that Harvest Christian Fellowship would be joining the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Harvest is an independent congregation that will continue fellowship with the Calvary Chapel family of churches as well, and this decision does not change our theology, philosophy of ministry or our history. It merely extends the reach of our fellowship within the Christian world at a time when the vision and mission of Harvest remains — as it has been for 42 years — focused on the teaching of God’s word and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

WATCH Harvest America 2017 from Phoenix [VIDEO]

“Long ago, I came to realize I am called by God to simply do two primary things: to teach God’s word and to preach the gospel. This is the calling of the Lord on my life. Other than my personal walk with the Lord, and loving my wife and family, this is my only focus. My passion is to reach as many people as possible with the Good News of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ until my final breath. One of the reasons why we proclaimed 2017 ‘The Year of Good News’ is because I intend on even further amplifying my focus on gospel proclamation. It’s also why Harvest Crusades, with the assistance of the Southern Baptist Convention, organized the Harvest America 2017 crusade on June 11 at the University of Phoenix Stadium. It’s why we’ll do it all again next year in Dallas on June 10, 2018.“We need a national revival as much as at any time in our nation’s history. We must pray for it, work toward it and do everything possible to prepare the ground for it. We must preach and pray until it comes. This is why we’ve chosen to extend a hand of fellowship to the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest protestant denomination of churches. We’ve chosen to partner in total, unrelenting pursuit of our nation’s next great awakening.“I know the effect of the revival we seek firsthand because I came to Christ during the last great American revival, often referred to as the ‘Jesus Movement.’ That revival emanated primarily from Calvary Chapel in Southern California, and I learned to preach the gospel and to teach God’s Word myself within the Calvary Chapel movement under the example of Pastor Chuck Smith. Since that time, I’ve invested my life in the Calvary fellowship of churches while working with countless Christians from nearly every other denomination. I’ll continue to do just that, and I also look forward to continuing to build bridges between our communities. It has also been my privilege to be friends with evangelist Billy Graham (himself a Southern Baptist) for many years, and from him I learned how to preach the gospel.“I believe that the time is right to reach across the church and to lock hands in total support of the rapid advance of the gospel in our nation and in our world. I believe this decision is a powerful step in that direction. I appreciate the SBC’s focus on evangelism as well as their outreach in missions and relief ministries that touch our world every day in a significant way.“I look forward to partnering with them and all believers who have a passion for evangelism. The need in our country and the world is so great.”

Thanks for making #CrossoverArizona possible, @HarvestAmerica & @AZBaptists. Imagine what God will do June 8-10, 2018, at #CrossoverTexas! pic.twitter.com/PZkj7kt7z6

— NAMB (@NAMB_SBC) June 13, 2017

Photos courtesy of Harvest America Phoenix 2017This post originally published at Greg's Blog.

Evangelical Pastors, Leaders Come Together to Call Christians to Make 2017 'The Year of Good News'

'We commit to preach louder than our nation's politics, and we aim to make the message of Jesus Christ transcend the monopoly of our media.'

 RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A cross-denominational group of some of America's most influential Evangelical pastors and leaders has come together to call Christians to make 2017 "The Year of Good News."Pastor and Harvest Crusades founder Greg Laurie—who organized the letter—is joined by Evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham, Assemblies of God General Superintendent George Wood, Southern Baptist President Steve Gaines, Author Anne Graham Lotz, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler, Family Talk Founder Dr. James Dobson, among others, in signing and publishing the letter urging American Christians to make 2017 the year they "share the message of Jesus with everyone they can at every opportunity they can.""In a time of bad news, distracting news, divisive news, disorderly news, and, sometimes, depressing news we—as Christians and as leaders—want to recommit ourselves to making sure that the Good News of Jesus cuts through it all," says the letter.The letter, which is a strong reminder of the Christian calling to be bearers of good news, was also signed by pastors David Jeremiah, Levi Lusko, Robert Morris, Ronnie Floyd, Skip Heitzig, and James MacDonald, as well as authors Max Lucado, Joel Rosenberg, and Randy Alcorn. Christian leaders such as Eric Metaxas, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, and O. S. Hawkins also added their names to the letter.Christians everywhere are invited to join the "Year of Good News" with #YearOfGoodNews and to add their names at: goodnews.harvestamerica.com."We need a national miracle to heal our political, racial and cultural divisions, and that miracle is found in the power of Jesus to change our hearts," say the Evangelical leaders. "Therefore, we commit to preach louder than our nation's politics, and we aim to make the message of Jesus Christ transcend the monopoly of our media."The letter in its entirety, with its full list of signatories, is copied below.

The Year of Good News

In a time of bad news, distracting news, divisive news, disorderly news, and, sometimes, depressing news we—as Christians and as leaders—want to recommit ourselves to making sure that the Good News of Jesus cuts through it all. We call upon Christians in America to make 2017 "The Year of Good News."Christians everywhere must share the message of Jesus with everyone they can at every opportunity they can. Pastors must preach the Gospel boldly and pray intentionally for national revival.Despite the divisions and distractions dividing our nation and disorienting our culture, we believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ remains the hope of the world and is more needed in our nation now than at almost any point in our nations history.This is not to diminish the important good works and example that the Church as a whole provides, but it is to emphasize that Jesus has commanded us to "go into all the world and preach the Gospel" and to "make disciples of all nations."Our message is the Good News that God loved us so much He sent His son to this earth on a rescue mission. Jesus who is fully God and fully man lived a perfect life, died a perfect death and rose again from the grave.We need a national miracle to heal our political, racial and cultural divisions, and that miracle is found in the power of Jesus to change our hearts. Therefore, we commit to preach louder than our nation's politics, and we aim to make the message of Jesus Christ transcend the monopoly of our media. We confess our only hope of unity is on the level ground at the foot of the cross of Jesus, and our only hope of healing is in the victory achieved through his empty tomb.The gospel is the timeless, God-honored, God-ordained message that can change a human heart for time and eternity. We accept Jesus' command to proclaim his message, wherever we are to whomever we are around.Because 2017 is such a critical year for America, it must become the Year of Good News.Signed,Greg LauriePastor, Harvest Christian FellowshipCathe LaurieSpeaker, AuthorFranklin GrahamBilly Graham Evangelistic AssociationAl MohlerPresident, Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryAnne Graham LotzAuthorJames DobsonAuthor, Family Talk with James DobsonJack GrahamPastor, Prestonwood ChurchSteve GainesPresident, Southern Baptist ConventionDavid JeremiahPastor, Shadow Mountain Community ChurchChris TomlinMusician, SongwriterMax LucadoAuthorRussell MoorePresident, Ethics & Religious Liberty CommissionJames MacDonaldFounder and Senior Pastor, Harvest Bible ChapelGeorge WoodGeneral Superintendent, Assemblies of GodEric MetaxasAuthor, Speaker, Radio HostKevin EzellPresident, North American Mission Board (NAMB)Robert MorrisPastor, Gateway ChurchRonnie FloydSenior Pastor, Cross ChurchJoe FochtSenior Pastor, Calvary Chapel of PhiladelphiaBrian BrodersenSenior Pastor, Calvary Chapel of Costa MesaJoel RosenbergAuthorLevi LuskoPastor, Fresh Life ChurchOS HawkinsPresident, Guidestone Financial ResourcesRandy AlcornAuthorWillie JordanCofounder and President, Fred Jordan MissionsRev. Samuel RodriguezPresident, National Hispanic Christian Leadership ConferenceSkip HeitzigFounder and Senior Pastor, Calvary of AlbuquerqueLee StrobelAuthor__________Pastor Greg Laurie serves as the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, one of the largest churches in America; is the author of more than 70 books; hosts the nationally syndicated radio broadcast, A New Beginning; and is the founder of Harvest Crusades, a large-scale evangelistic ministry whose next event, Harvest America, will be held June 11 in Phoenix at the University of Phoenix Stadium and broadcast live nationwide. His next book "Steve McQueen: The Salvation of an American Icon" releases on June 13.Photo at top: Jeremy Bishop

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