As we get into the New Year and restart our series in the Book of Acts, we have a long passage in front of us on Sunday, January 4. In Acts 23:12-24:27, we see Paul’s life under threat from Jewish radicals who wanted him dead for preaching about Jesus. Under the custodial care of the Romans, Paul was transferred to the palace in Caesarea under the authority of Felix, the Roman governor. By the end of the passage, we come to find out that Paul spent two years in their custody. During this lengthy time frame, Paul “cheerfully made his defense,” speaking of Jesus Christ and his gospel. That Paul could find the opportunity in every setback and trial provides a way for us today. There should be no limitation that keeps us from sharing the gospel with others. And that’s a tremendous challenge as we enter 2026.

Series: The Book of Acts

Message: 63 – I Cheerfully Make My Defense

Text: Acts 23:12-24:27

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

January 4, 2026

Do not expect, my friend, that the whole world will rejoice if you become a Christian.

- Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Assurance of Our Salvation

I will effectively defend the gospel when I…

1. Expect opposition (23:12-15)

Matthew 5:11

If you are going to walk with Jesus Christ, you are going to be opposed…. In our days, to be a true Christian is really to become a scandal

- George Whitefield

2. Trust Christ (23:16-35)

3. Show understanding (24:1-13)

What we need to understand:

(1) Big cultural moments will prompt deeper questions about influence and faith.

(2) Many are quietly practicing their faith alone—and missing opportunities to grow.

(3) People are opening their Bibles more often, but they’re still wrestling with what they believe about it.

(4) Family stability remains a central concern.

(5) Belief in Jesus is increasing, particularly among younger generations.

4. Find common ground (24:14-15)

5. Embody the truth (24:16-20)

6. Centre on the gospel (24:21)

The resurrection makes Christianity the most irritating religion on the face of the earth.

- Timothy Keller

1 Corinthians 2:2

7. Give God room to work (24:22-27)

Long waiting does not cancel God’s purpose. Suffering is not random. It is not wasted. It is not meaningless. It is governed by God for eternal purposes.

- Aneel Sohail

Additional Resources:

Barna’s Top Trends of 2025, Part 1

https://www.barna.com/research/barna-trends-2025-pt-1/

Barna’s Top Trends of 2025, Part 2

https://www.barna.com/research/barnas-top-trends-of-2025-part-2/

The Resurrection Makes Christianity the Most Irritating Religion on Earth

https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2019/march/resurrection-makes-christianity-most-irritating-religion-on.html

Jesus Vindicated — Tim Keller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofwzpwE9lZQ

The Life – Episode 2, Aneel Sohail

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rea1_sEBpv4&t=16s

Todd Dugard and Aneel Sohail

Message: From every Tribe and Language and People and Nation

Text: Revelation 5:9-10

December 28, 2025

Over the last four Sundays, we have been looking at the various women who were part of the Nativity of Jesus Christ: his mother Mary, his mom’s cousin, Elizabeth, Anna in the Temple, and Mary Magdalene, who was not there at his birth but who represents the culmination of his life and ministry and the reason for the Nativity. In our four Christmas Eve services, I’ll do a quick survey through all four women to emphasize and highlight the grace, hope, salvation, and Saviour that we all need to see. My hope and desire, of course, is that there will be many in those services who have not yet become believers. The heart of this message is to point them to Jesus in the hope that they, too, will see him as the women saw him. The whole service is a bit of a throwback to previous years with congregational songs, a children’s story, and readings.

Series: What the Women Saw

Message: 5 – What the Women Saw

Text: Various Scriptures

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

December 23-24, 2025

When I see…

…what Mary saw, grace overwhelms me (Luke 1:28, 46-48)

…what Elizabeth saw, hope sustains me (Luke 1:24-25)

Hope is a confident expectation and desire for good things in the future.

- John Piper

…what Anna saw, salvation redeems me (Luke 2:38)

…what Mary Magdalene saw, Jesus transforms me (Luke 8:1-3)

John 20:18

Christmas has a way of bringing everything to the surface. The joy and gratitude, of course, peace and hope, yes, sure, but also the things we prefer to keep tucked away. Family tensions feel closer than usual. Grief over the missing seat at the table. Financial pressure, exhaustion, loneliness, and the weight of unspoken expectations can sit not-so-quietly beneath the celebrations. Even good things can feel heavy when it just feels like you’re trying to hold things together.

This Sunday, we’ll open the Scriptures to the story of Mary Magdalene, a woman whose life had been deeply changed by Jesus, and whose story sits, perhaps unexpectedly, right at the heart of the message of Christmas. Her experience helps us slow down and consider how we interpret what God is doing when life doesn’t happen the way we expected.

We’ll reflect on what it means for Jesus to change everything, how hope can hold even when everything feels heavy, and why seeing Jesus clearly matters more than having everything figured out. Whether this season feels joyful and simple, complicated and chaotic, or somewhere in between, join us as we look again at Jesus together.

Series: What the Women Saw

Message 4 - Mary Magdalene Saw Jesus

Text: Luke 8:1-3; John 20:1-2, 11-18

Jordan Coros

Harvest Bible Chapel

December 21, 2025

O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

O come, all ye faithless, joyless and defeated. O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.

Christmas is for the weary, for the messed-up, for the broken. If your life isn’t instagrammable, Christmas is for you.

- Sam Allberry

When I see Jesus like Mary Magdalene saw him…

1) …my past doesn’t define me (Luke 8:1-3)

2 Corinthians 5:17

2) …my hope is undying (John 20:1-2, 11-13)

Romans 5:5

3) …my faith is anchored (John 20:14-16)

On hearing her name, Mary suddenly realized that it could be none other than Jesus. She had seen him placed in the tomb as a lifeless corpse. But now he spoke. He was alive!

– Robert H. Mounce, The Expositor's Bible Commentary

The posture most natural to Jesus is not a pointed finger but open arms.

– Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly

4) …my life is redirected (John 20:17-18)

The obligation to tell others is more important than the natural desire to display affection. The purpose of Jesus’ resurrection was not so that he could return to this world in triumph, but so he could return to God, having completed his redemptive ministry on behalf of humanity.

– Robert H. Mounce, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary

This is my 25th Christmas as lead pastor here at Harvest. That’s 25 Christmas series. It’s 25 times that I’ve packaged and re-packaged one story from the few available passages. I’m not tired of it. It still stirs me like it did when I was a little kid, and even more so since I became a believer. None of us who know Christ and who have received his gift of salvation should tire of it. Matt Smethurst said, “The greatest threat to Christmas isn't secularism or consumerism but our own boredom with the most thrilling story ever told.” In other words, the world isn’t the problem with Christmas, but our own hearts certainly can be.

In three verses from Luke 2:36-38, we have everything we know about a woman named Anna, who has no direct dialogue. We’re not even told that she had a personal encounter with Jesus, just that she was there at the Temple when he was dedicated. But Luke makes sure that we know some important things about this woman who saw salvation. In a world that offers so many “solutions” to our problems and with hearts that are cold, Jesus breaks in, offering the only means by which we may be saved. I’m excited to share it with you.

Series: What the Women Saw

Message: 3 – Anna Saw Salvation

Text: Luke 2:36-38

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

December 14, 2025

When I see the salvation that Anna saw…

…it provides perspective (2:36-37a)

James 1:2-4

Joy is supernatural delight in the person, purposes, and people of God.

- John Piper, Desiring God

…it inspires devotion (2:37b)

The greatest threat to Christmas isn't secularism or consumerism but our own boredom with the most thrilling story ever told.

- Matt Smethurst

…it compels prayer and fasting (2:37c-38a)

Jesus’ Earthly Life

In utero

Birth; Dedication in the Temple — 10 days old

Visit of the Magi; Escape to Egypt — 18-24 months

Return from Egypt to Nazareth — 4-6 years old

Trip to Jerusalem (left behind) — 12 years old

Baptism/Public ministry begins — 30 years old

Triumphant entry; crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension — 33 years old

Luke 9:23

…it motivates mission (2:38b)

--- RESOURCES ---

80% of Non-Churchgoers Say They Would Go If Invited — So Why Don’t We? by John Taylor

relevantmagazine.com/faith/church/80-of-non-believers-would-go-to-church-if-invited-so-why-dont-we/

Some stories in Scripture hit closer to home than we expect. Elizabeth’s may be one of them for you and me. She knows what it is to wait so long that hope starts to shrink. She knows what it is to carry disappointment quietly. She knows what it is to feel unseen, unheard, and maybe even forgotten. And then, in the seemingly normal patterns of ordinary life…God steps in.

This Sunday in our Christmas series, "What the Women Saw", we’ll see hope break into Elizabeth’s story with surprising tenderness and unstoppable power. Her encounter shows us that God’s silence is not abandonment, his timing is not random, and his Word never returns empty.

If you’re weary of waiting, if you’re carrying a heavy question, if your hope feels thin, you can relate to Elizabeth’s story. Hope is there. Elizabeth saw it. Come see it with us.

Series: What the Women Saw

Message 2- Elizabeth Saw Hope

Text: Luke 1:5-25; 39-45; 57-66

Jordan Coros

Harvest Bible Chapel Barrie

December 7, 2025

Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten...we want to break open the ripe fruit when the [stem] has barely been planted.

– Dietrick Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas

When I see the hope that Elizabeth saw…

1) …I know God has not forgotten me (v. 5-7; 24-25)

God promises…

…his presence (Joshua 1:5 - I will not leave you or forsake you.)

…his care (1 Peter 5:7 - Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.)

…his goodness (Lamentations 3:25 - The Lord is good to those who wait for him.)

…his timing (Galatians 6:9 - In due season we will reap, if we do not give up.)

…his attention (Matthew 6:8 - Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.)

…his faithfulness (Psalm 138:8 - The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.)

2) …which convinces me of his perfect plan (v. 8-17)

Malachi 3:1

3) …leads me to trust in his Word (v. 18-23; 57-64)

God’s word will stand. In fact, on the…day of judgement, every mouth will be closed. There will be no rebuttal, no rejoinder or appeal. The God of the Universe will do all things well, including administering justice on that final day. So it’s better to receive and share his word rather than doubt it. Zechariah found that out the hard way.

- Thabiti Anyabwile

4) …and celebrate his work in my life (v. 39-45; 65-66)

 

The images of the Nativity of Jesus are etched in our minds. The donkey, the innkeeper, the three kings and their camels, the lowing cattle, the little drummer boy. None of which are in the actual biblical narrative. You know who are in the Bible’s account? Some incredible women whom God used to advance his plan and display his kindness and mercy to a world in desperate need. These women saw things that we could only wish to see. They experienced the grace of God, witnessed the hope of God, and saw the salvation of God. In a word, in a name, what the women saw was Jesus! In this four-message series leading up to Christmas, we’ll look at what the women saw and find Christ for ourselves. His grace, his hope, and his salvation proclaimed and provided for those in need.

Series: What the Women Saw

Message: 1 – Mary Saw Grace

Text: Luke 1:26-38, 46-56

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

November 30, 2025

The Real Christmas Story from the Bible? TRUE or FALSE?

(1) Mary rode on a donkey as she and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem.

(2) The Innkeeper told them there was no room at the inn.

(3) Jesus was born just as they arrived in town.

(4) Three wisemen arrived on the night Jesus was born and gave him gifts.

(5) Jesus was born in a stable around cattle that were lowing, and though Jesus woke up no crying he made.

(6) The angels sang, Glory to God in the Highest.

(7) The Little Drummer Boy played him a song.

(8) Jesus was laid in a feed trough probably made of stone.

(9) Shepherds were the first ones to tell other people about Jesus’ birth.

(10) Mary is, “Blessed among women” because she gave birth to Jesus.

When I see the grace that Mary saw…

…it establishes who I am in Christ (v. 26-30)

…it calls me to what I do for Christ (v. 31-38)

…it orients my worship of Christ (v. 46-56)

When my worship is rightly oriented, it will be…

(1) Vertical

(2) Humble

Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.

(3) Grateful

(4) Hopeful

A Christian’s hope is the confident expectation and desire for good things in the future grounded in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

- John Piper-ish

It is a question that often comes to mind. It can be a question asked in regret or, at times, with gratitude. What if? What if things had gone differently? What if we hadn’t met? What if this hadn’t happened? What if this opportunity hadn’t come our way? As unbelievers think about spiritual things, the question may be asked, “What if God is real?” And that’s the scenario in Acts 22-23. The Apostle has been arrested and is in the midst of making his defence. The Jews are intent on eliminating Paul and his influence. In the midst of the troubles, one leader stood up to ask, in essence, what if he’s right? What if he’s heard from God? What if we’ve got it wrong? It is an important question that everyone must ask themselves. No one should risk their eternity on the rightness of their own knowledge of God. It is the gospel alone that informs who God is, where humanity finds itself, and how each person can take advantage of the one and only solution. Everyone should be asking, “What if God is who he says he is?" That’s what we’ll see in Acts 22:22-23:11.

Series: The Book of Acts

Message: 62 – What if

Text: Acts 22:22-23:11

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

November 23, 2025

What if the gospel is right?

If it is, it alters my perspective on life here. (22:22-29)

Timeline of Paul’s Ministry:

4 BC - Birth of Jesus;

AD 30 - Crucifixion;

AD 33 - Stephen martyred;

AD 34 - Paul converted;

AD 47-49 – 1st missionary journey;

AD 49-52 – 2nd missionary journey;

AD 53-57 – 3rd missionary journey;

AD 57 - Paul's arrest in Jerusalem

Philippians 3:7-9a

The flagellum or scourge is a leather whip with multiple rope ends that had bone, twigs, or metal hooks knotted in so that when it made contact, it shredded the flesh often down to the bone.

The martyrs were bound, imprisoned, scourged, racked, burnt, rent, butchered. And they multiplied.

- Augustine

If it is, it compels me to live for Christ. (22:30-23:5)

Matthew 23:27-28

Matthew 5:11-12

Matthew 5:44

If it is, it encourages me in the midst of hardship (23:6-11)

John 11:25-26

John 11:27

Philippians 3:10-11

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.

- C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics

Everyone has a story. Everyone that has come to faith in Jesus, anyway. We get to hear these stories during baptisms, and we have a bunch of those on video for you to watch and be encouraged. We are also producing a new video podcast, The Life, which features longer conversations with people in our own Harvest family about how they came to faith in Christ. I’m mentioning this here because Sunday’s message in Acts 22:2-21 features Paul telling his story to his fellow Jews in Jerusalem.

Paul does this under some duress, because he’s under arrest at the time and speaking in front of the Roman officer who had him arrested. Paul uses the occasion to testify powerfully about his conversion and the call of God on his life. Our story isn’t going to make it into Holy Scripture, but it is no less powerful to bring about salvation, because the same Spirit that dwelt in Paul dwells in us. The same Saviour saved us both. We all have a story.

As we look at the Word together this week, we’ll all learn how to make our story more effective in helping those who are not yet believers to hear a clear gospel message.

Series: The Book of Acts

Message: 61 – A Great Light

Text: Acts 22:2-21

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

November 16, 2025

It is by the light of the gospel that I…

…go from what I was (v. 2-11)

John 3:3

John 3:19b

…to meeting Jesus where I am (v. 12-16)

Romans 8:30

Titus 3:5

Romans 6:3-4

It is the most counterintuitive aspect of Christianity, that we are declared right with God not once we begin to get our act together but once we collapse into honest acknowledgment that we never will.

- Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly

Romans 6:5-6

…and becoming what I ought to be. (v. 17-21)

The battle of the Christian life is to bring your own heart into alignment with Christ’s, that is, getting up each morning and replacing your natural orphan mind-set with a mind-set of full and free adoption into the family of God through the work of Christ your older brother, who loved you and gave himself for you out of the overflowing fullness of his gracious heart.

- Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly

Resources:

Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers

https://a.co/d/2UUjdsQ

The Life podcasts

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAplAsoIqsL60jks3V7f_XTlytokwiGdz

For some reason, the idea persists that if we just do the right things, things will go the right way. The problem with that is that it's often not true. When our best intentions are scorned, the love we offer is rejected, and the peace we seek is met with hostility, we're often left shocked. Or worse: disillusioned and bitter.

As we see with Paul this week in Acts 21:27-22:1, sometimes you can try your absolute best, but still end up with enemies you didn't want, in chaos you couldn't predict. But there is a way forward in the midst of that.

Having the right expectations for life in this broken world helps. And more than anything else, having hope beyond what we see in this broken world helps. We'll ground ourselves there this Sunday morning as we continue our series in Acts.

Series: The Book of Acts

Message: 60 – All the City Was Stirred Up

Text: Acts 21:27-22:1

Julian Freeman

Harvest Bible Chapel

November 9, 2025

As a follower of Jesus:

1. I’ll have enemies I didn’t expect (21:27-36)

2. I’ll have moments that don’t make sense (21:37-22:1)

3. I’ll have hope in Jesus anyway (21:13)