Merry Christmas!
Pastor Jim Kilby • December 6, 2024
“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help
the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’"
– Acts 20:35 (ESV)
Dear Friends,
As Christmas approaches, it’s easy to become absorbed in the traditions and festivities—gatherings, decorations, and the rush to find the perfect gifts. While these traditions bring joy, the true meaning of Christmas goes far deeper. Find a way to take time to celebrate the incredible gift of Jesus Christ, sent by God as an expression of His boundless love for us—Emanuel, “God with us!”. The birth of Christ in a humble manger reminds us of God’s desire to be near us, offering hope, peace, and redemption. This season calls us to pause and reflect on the profound truth that Christmas is not about what we receive but about God’s great act of giving His Son for the salvation of the world.
Christmas also invites us to embrace the spirit of generosity that flows from understanding God’s love. Just as God gave freely to us, we are called to extend that same kindness and compassion to others. Generosity is not just about material gifts—it’s about giving our time, attention, and care to those who need it most. Whether it’s supporting a neighbor in need, sharing a kind word, or serving our communities, every act of giving reflects the love of Christ. This season is an opportunity to let our Christian generosity shine as a testimony to the real meaning of Christmas. In giving, we honor the One who gave everything for us, allowing His light to shine through our lives and inspire others to seek the hope found in Him.
May His Peace abound in your home this Christmas Season!
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Jim Kilby
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"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26 Sometimes I get some serious stress, even times of sleeplessness and depression. Sure, life is tough... having lots of kids, and a ministry, and marriage are all tough. But as I sit back and analyze the times when I have the highest level of uncomfortablility with my life, it's always because I'm walking too close to the "integrity line." That's the line I'll call the "line of truth." Whenever a Christian finds a ways to justify actions the Lord would be uncomfortable with, the Holy Spirit immediately goes to work, making us uncomfortable--so uncomfortable we hopefully move back into the area where our integrity, and our testimony remain solid. "May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you." Psalm 25:21 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Imagine that you worked your whole life toward piling up a huge mountain of good deeds. Following the last seconds of your life, you approach God and present Him with an excellent reminder of all you had done. "I did everything could to get into heaven" you might say. At which point God would tell you that your work was prideful, and even the attempt to enter heaven on your own merits was arrogant and selfish. You had attained nothing. In fact, less than nothing. Absolute perfection is required for entering God's presence.... you'll enter it shrouded by the perfect blood of Jesus Christ, or you won't enter it at all. God says that even our best deeds are like "filthy rage" apart from Christ. Save yourself the life of "piling up deeds" and spend your life saying "thank you" to the Savior that awaits your confession that you and anything you'll ever accomplish are worthless without Him. "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men." 2 Corinthians 5:11a The other day I was helping a buddy do some work and we needed to pound some huge fasteners into a steel door. The perfect tool for the job was a huge sledgehammer! Since I needed to burn off some frustration anyway, I did the honors myself. With just a few swings on each fastener I was able to pound them into solid steel. Sledgehammers are great tools... but let's say you were in terrible pain from a sliver under your fingernail. Even in your distress, would you entertain someone working on it with a sledgehammer?! My dad always used to day, "Use the right tool for the job, Jimmy!" The truth is that although some have great intentions of "persuading men" to believe the Good News of Jesus, words and actions that seem like sledgehammers to them never work. No matter how much knowledge we have of the Bible, how great we can argue for the Truth, and no matter how well we can preach, without love it's all worthless. Never was there a more perfect tool for witnessing for Jesus Christ than genuine love. Only love is persuasive in the end. "If I speak in the tongues [or languages] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." 1 Corinthians 13:1 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Many will tell you that you are required to give a "tithe" [or tenth] of all you make to the church. Some will argue that you need to give a tenth of the gross amount you make (before taxes are taken out, etc.) and some will tell you just to give based on what you net (the amount you actually get). I sincerely believe that both arguments are wrong and biblically inaccurate. A tithe is simply not mentioned in the New Testament as a command (or even a suggestion). It was part of the Law, and as such was done away with by the cross of Christ. In all honesty, any self-respecting Jew would not have given a mere 10 percent anyway. The first tenth was only one of several tithes they were required to give. If they gave according to the letter of the Law, they would have given the best 33.3 percent of everything they made, grew or otherwise obtained. BUT, this does not mean you should not give to the church. The New Testament requirement is actually for you to give "everything" you have (considering even the breath in your lungs 100% God's property) It's all God's... but that doesn't mean you cannot provide for your needs, for the needs of others, and even save for your children and your children's children. Give to God's work in missions, give to your local church, and give to any other ministry the Lord lays on your heart. BUT, do not give because someone told you to. Give because God loves you! "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Did you know there are not only 10 Commandments in the Bible, but rather 1050 of them!? What's more, there are thousands of pages of prophecy and instruction given us by prophets for thousands of years. How could you or I ever keep up with such an exhausting list? How could we ever be sure we'd obeyed everything? Believe it or not, that's pretty much the whole point of Jesus coming and giving us this Scripture (Hey, if we could have done all that stuff, we wouldn't have needed Him in the first place!). "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 7:12) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Some people are great about telling people of their faith and even at leading others to Christ and other great church work. Unfortunately, a number of those same people often seem to have little regard for the "little people" they run into. Believe it or not, the Bible actually casts some serious doubt on whether or not a person who cares little about meeting the needs of those "less fortunate" around them are even Christians. Being "saved" is evidenced by a lot more than talking about your faith--it is "doing" the will of your Father in heaven. "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:14-17 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Do you envy all the fun the people around you seem to be having? If you're a Christian, does it seem like God has forbidden you to have any fun at all? Although it may seem like the things that God forbids us to be involved in might be a lot of fun, the truth is that those things are always destructive, no matter how much fun they may seem to be. God does not forbid things because He hates us! He forbids things that will hurt us because He loves us! If the people you're hanging around with are trying to get you to do things that are against God's commands for you, then they are not your friends. Remove yourself from the situation as soon as you can and spare yourself the temptation and the injury. "Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!" Psalm 108:115 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" (James 2:15-16, ESV) Dear Friends, In the book of James, we are given a simple but challenging picture of what real faith looks like. (See James 2:15-16 above). It's a question that cuts straight to the heart. Faith was never meant to stop at words. It was always meant to move - to act, to serve, to step into the needs right in front of us. I find myself reflecting on that passage often, because it so clearly describes the kind of ministry we are called to be. We are now in our 28th year, and the need for the gospel has never been stronger. Some of you have been faithfully giving and praying with us for all of those years, and I want you to know how deeply grateful we are. I am proud of much of the work we are doing together at Harvest Youth Ministries. Through our Second Harvest Thrift Store, we not only provide affordable clothing and essentials, but also offer job training and meaningful employment - helping individuals build confidence, develop skills, and take real steps forward. Through Harvest House, we give stability, safety, and care. And through Harvest Helps, we step into urgent situations with practical assistance - meeting real needs in real time. Just this week, we were able to help pay bills for a former thrift employee who recently suffered a stroke and is still in recovery. Moments like that remind us that this work is not theoretical - it is deeply personal. None of this happens without you. Your generosity turns compassion into action. Your prayers matter deeply - and when those prayers are paired with giving, they become a powerful force for change. Together, we are living out what James describes - not just offering words of encouragement but delivering hope in tangible ways. Thank you for being part of a ministry where faith is not only believed - it is lived! Blessings in Christ, Pastor Jim Kilby
“Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town, 2 in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): The list of the men of the people of Israel:” (Ezra 2:1-2) Friends, I always feel a temptation to skip over lists of names in the Bible. Reasonably, a quick scan usually gives us the information we need in those more detailed sections. But every once in a while, I like to slow down and let some of the names roll around in my mind… Rehum, Baanah, Mispar. I have no idea how to pronounce them, so I give them my own pronunciations and start wondering about who they might have been. What were their days like? What were their roles in their communities? Who were they? They were real people with real lives, doing the work God had set before them. Last night, Aaron and I had the opportunity to share about Harvest at our local church. They are planning to host a clothing drive for the thrift store, and we were able to share a little bit about the heart behind the ministry. Afterward, I chatted with a few people, including Mrs. W, who told me she had been donating for years and reads these newsletters. (Hi, Mrs W!) Of course, my awkward response was, “Well, then we’re basically best friends!” For a long time, I was the one who put these newsletters into envelopes, sealed them up, and dropped them off at the post office. I became so familiar with the names on that mailing list. Even though I didn’t know most of them personally, I knew they were real people who cared enough about Harvest to support the work. Just like those names in the Bible were real people, so are the people who quietly make ministries like Harvest possible. Every donation, every bag of clothes, every prayer, every person who chooses to care about the needs of others — they all matter. Their names may not appear in a list in Scripture, but they are known to God, and their faithfulness makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve. And sometimes, when I see those names or meet someone who has been supporting the work for years, I am reminded again that ministry is never the work of just a few people. It is the quiet faithfulness of many. CELEBRATIONS!!! Ms L – Received Second Harvest Thrift Store, store credit so she could get a couch, making her home more comfortable for herself and her five children. Ms B - Received help with gas and electric bills, as well as some counseling resulting in payment plans with both companies so her family will be able to cover the bills going forward! Blessings, Elizabeth Kilby
