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Pastor Dave Henion
Pastor Dave grew up in northern New Jersey in a very diverse cultural area. He attended Central College in Pella, Iowa received a BA in sociology and psychology. He was an offensive guard for their NCAA Div III National Championship team in 1974. In speaking for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he sensed a call to full time ministry. Meeting is future wife Sandy at Central, went to Michigan to finish her college while Dave started Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Dave married Sandy in 77 and completed his Masters of Divinity degree in 78. Pastor Dave’s first church was in Fort Lee, New Jersey, home of the George Washington Bridge. Their three children were born there and he also served as a Police and Fire Chaplain for the city. In February 1991, they came to Wichita to start Harvest Community Church. In 2006, he received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Covenant Theological (Presbyterian) Seminary in St Louis. During that year he gained a daughter-in-law with now 2 grandsons of 3 years and 6 months old. Besides Pastoring at HCC for the past 20 years, he has been Director of the SCSD & WPD Police Chaplains for 11.
Religion
2011-12-27 10:30:31
Do you have to go to church to be saved?
Q: My brother says that one does not have to go to church and tithe to be saved. He says as long as you live a good life, believe in God, and treat your neighbor right, you will be okay. I say there’s a lot more to it than this. Who is right?
A: Technically your brother maybe right, but in true heart and soul affection, I have my doubts. It’s kind of like the guy who fathers a child through biological means with a woman. But he never sees the child, spends time or cares for the child financially or attends to any of the child’s needs. Technically he is the father, but in reality, the step dad who was there at birth, encouraged, cared and supported the child, is the real father. Christians who make such statements really have to question their motives and even their faith, if they really truly are a genuine Christian. I know some people who physically can’t go to church due to illness or a work situation, but they fellowship with people of the church and also love to watch church on TV or get a tape of the service. It’s like their life line to the worshipping community. But to those who are not home bound, or due to work can’t go but are just not wanting to go, they need to look deep below the superficial reasoning to the depths of which God knows the motives of their hearts (Psalm 139:23-24). First, one has to ask themselves, “Am I truly a Christian?” I can remember when I was a child, my mom and dad made us go to church twice on Sunday. It was a drudgery and sometimes painful. {1 Corinthians 1:18} I didn’t want to have to memorize verses and do a Sunday School lesson. I wanted to sleep in or stay home and play with my pagan friends. I didn’t want to have to put on those Sunday go to meeting clothes. It was all because I was dead to spiritual things. {Ephesians 2:1} I was going through the motions of religious activity, but my heart wasn’t in a relationship with Jesus, it was far from him. I had “Religiosity Syndrome” that the people of Jesus’ day had, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”{Matthew 15:8}My heart needed to be changed. My religious experience was a mechanical facade. It looked good on the outside, but it was very wrong on the inside. {Matthew 23:27} But in my sophomore year of high school, all the stuff my parents made me go to, listen to, do lessons and learn verses, came to a whole new meaning. A young friend of mine died of Leukemia and I came to be confronted with my own mortality. The day of her funeral I opened my heart up to Christ and trusted Him for my salvation and a radical change took place in my heart. {2 Corinthians 5:17} I was born again or anew. {John 3:4-16} All those Bible stories and verses I memorized began to take on a whole new meaning and it seemed like a light bulb was turned on in my head.{2 Corinthians 4:3-6} My attitude about going to church was so different. I couldn’t wait to get there and learn more about God. I couldn’t wait to sing with my friends about Him. Even those old hymns really spoke to my heart that I was so foolishly blind to for 16-years of my life. {Isaiah 55:1-2} I really had and still do have a hunger to know Him more every day. {Lamentations 2:22-23} Secondly, the person may be a Christian but is living a carnal (worldly) lifestyle. {1 Corinthians 3:1} I say that for several reasons but first, you are living in disobedience to God’s word according to Hebrews 10:24-26. The Christian who says, “he doesn’t need to go to church…” needs to look deep within their heart with God. It could be spiritual pride that thinks, “I don’t need others, it’s just me and Jesus,” or the “Lone Range Christian” even though the Lone Ranger needed Tonto! In every place, God converted in the New Testament, people came together as a church. {Acts 20:7} Jesus died for His church {Ephesians 5:25} and it shouldn’t be neglected. Its purpose is to provide encouragement {1 Thessalonians 5:11}, accountability {Proverbs 27:17}, support {Acts 6:1-7}, power prayer {Matt 18:19-20}, special communion with Christ{Acts 2:46-47} and a team to work together with in bringing God’s kingdom to earth {Luke 10:1-3} just to name a few benefits God gives. The second part of the question about “tithing” has a similar answer. Yeah, but again ask the deep question, why don’t I tithe? Is it that I can’t afford it? Or is it because I’m greedy and want to keep it for myself? I don’t trust God that he will supply my needs. Does money have a hold on me? God doesn’t need our money. But we need to tithe to break a sinfully selfish root in us which is the “love of money.” {1 Timothy 6:10} Tithing is God’s very practical tool in purging that stronghold from our lives and keeping God first. The key to all of this is our relationship with God. Is it personal? Is it one sided, all my way? Going to church, tithing, being in a fellowship, seeing other perspectives, accountability, helps keep it genuine and more in reality. Without the church body, it’s easier to control and be where I want it but not where God is pleased with it. That is why, even though the church is not perfect, God calls us to be in vital communion in it in order to stay in healthy communion with Him. To all of God’s family, thanks for being in it with me.
 
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