Today, I challenged our congregation to tell the 2nd greatest story ever – THEIR STORY!  Additionally, I challenged them to write it & share with others how God transformed their lives.  You don’t have to attend Mars Hill to write your story.  In fact, I challenge you to join us and tell the world about Christ’s transforming power!

Here’s how you do it:

Writing Your Story

Will you accept the challenge?

The Bible is filled with examples of an intimate God keenly interested in connecting with ordinary people.   He promises to be with us.  He says He will personally guide us.  Yet somehow, intimacy with God eludes us.   I believe my new series Can You See Him struck a nerve with God’s people.   This series shows how you can enjoy a vibrant, moment-by-moment relationship with your heavenly Father.  Not some abstract theological concept, but an intimate connection with a personal God.

Sunday’s message, Seeing is Believing (Acts 9:1-17) traced the Apostle Paul’s conversion experience.   Paul was hell-bent on destroying Christians and Christianity.   While on the Road to Damascus, he sees a light brighter than the sun and ultimately looses his sight for three days (Acts 9:1-4).  When Jesus asks: “Why are you persecuting me?” Saul responds by asking, “Who are you, Lord?” For me it’s comforting to know, regardless of where you are in life:

GOD ALWAYS INITIATES SALVATION!

Here’s a popular saying: “If you take one step towards God, He’ll take two steps towards you.”   NOPE, that’s not in the Scriptures.   Truth is, we’re utterly lost (Romans 3:23; 5:8) and God sends The Spirit to “quicken” or awake us to SEE we’re lost and in need of a savior.  I’m glad God chose to initiate Paul’s salvation and ours.   Remember, no one would ever expect Paul to become a Christian and his conversion experience shows why it’s important to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).

Thirsty for more…tune it tomorrow for Part 2…

As the two disciples traveled to Jerusalem, Christ came along side them and began walking and talking to them (Luke 24:13-35).  In fact, He was close, but they couldn’t see Him.  Additionally, He was there before they even realized they needed Him!  The two travelers were sad because their Messiah was crucified and what they had hoped for (a reigning king to overthrow Rome) didn’t happen as they wished.  The same could be said about us.  We live our lives framed by the reality of five words: “I had hope…but instead.”

1. “I had hoped I’d be married; but instead I’m still single.”
2. “I had hoped for a job after college; but instead there aren’t many viable options.”
3. “I had hoped we’d live together in retirement; but instead he became terminally ill.”

Although it’s comforting to know that God is with us before we need Him.  It’s equally comforting to know when He reveals Himself to us it’s not to inform, but to CONFIRM.  Jesus confirmed He was the resurrected Messiah when He sat at the table and broke the bread (Luke 9:13-17; 22:17-19; 24:28-31a).  The two disciples may not have recognized Jesus’ face, but, they recognized his actions!  How were they able to see?

INTIMACY

Intimacy with God allows you to notice the details – the small things others often miss.  As Jesus opend the Scriptures to them, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him.  Becasue they could see they know themselves that Jesus was alive!

CAN YOU SEE HIM?

I invite you to join our congregation in studying this passage together.  The following questions were taken from Sunday’s outline and I invite you to “dig deeper” with us.  Please feel free to post your thoughts, comments, or questions and we learn together in community.

1. Sometimes it is easier to see God’s work as you reflect back over your life. Encourage others with an example of how you can see God at work through a challenge from the past.
2. The two men’s eyes were opened to see Jesus in their midst. Describe a time that you’ve had a spiritual awakening. How did God give you “eyes to see” something you missed before.
3. You (or someone you know) may be in the middle of a painful season where it is more difficult to see God at work. Take time to pray for each other and ask God to give you eyes to see His hand in your lives.

1. During our 8AM Worship Experience, we were blessed to have a long-time friend of my father & our church preach the Word.
2. Dr. W.H. Foster, Sr., preached with passion and power as he encourage our members to continue to build on the legacy and expand for the Glory of God.  He blessed us by singing “Father, I Stretch My Hand To Thee.”  And yes, he ripped it & shouted EVERYTHING in our church.  What a mighty man of God!
3. During our 10:30AM Worship Experience, personally, I thought the music was UNBELIEVABLE!!!  WOW!
4. The Praise & Worship period blended contemporary praise peppered with traditional hymns.  From the response of the audience, I knew we were in for another awe-inspiring worship experience.
5. I sensed many in our congregation were carrying heavy burdens and needed a breakthrough.  Therefore, I preached “A Second Wind” from Isaiah 40:29-31 and saw how the words bypassed their intellect and pierced the very core of their souls!
6. To catch a Second Wind is to have increased energy or strength after feeling tired or weak.
7. A Second wind is a phenomenon in distance running, such as marathons (as well as other sports), whereby an athlete who is too out of breath and tired to continue suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion.  I FEEL A SHOUT COMING ON!!!
8. The phenomenon has come to be used as a metaphor for continuing on with renewed energy past the point thought to be one’s prime, whether in other sports, careers, or life in general.

A Few in Need of a Second Wind:

WIDOWS
SINGLE PARENTS
THOSE FACING HEALTH CHALLENGES
THOSE FACING LAYOFFS/DOWNSIZED
COLLEGE GRADS FACING A DIFFICULT JOB MARKET

As we wait on the Lord, we’ll find more strength (2ND WIND) to REST (while God prepares us for our next assignment), REFLECT (look around and see God’s faithfulness), and WORSHIP (to make Him the center of our affection).   Worship ended with a POWERFUL altar call for those who were ready to give up.  God interceded and gave them a “SECOND WIND” to go on!  As I prayed & laid hands, I felt the power of God breaking yokes & strongholds and people walked away with renewed strength.

Mars Hill…I love you guys…I am so blessed to be here and serving as your pastor.  I am BLOWN away by all that God is doing…and I can’t wait to see what happens next around here.  Ephesians 3:20 is becoming more and more real to all of us…we serve an amazing God!

Next week I begin a new series
“Can You See Him”

Here’s An Overview:

Daily life usually sets us on a path that’s almost robotic and we forget to see God in all things – the good, the tragic, or even the mundane.  Think of your day today.  Did you see Him in your kids’ laughter, the homeless person on the corner, or even the papers you stapled?  He was there. Join me as we discover how to see God in everything.

Read more >> Options >>

Blog Family,

I’m all about plugging individuals and helping people reach their destiny!  Travis Edwards serves as our Worship Leader and he’s an anointed Psalmist who I absolutely love working with!  I would like for you to tell everyone you know about this even, show up & support him!

Thanks!

Sunday services are over, but, my mind is STILL spinning…

1. I honestly feel that this weekends services were the most amazing services we’ve ever had since I became pastor in 1999.
2. Our total church attendance was over 2,500 for the first time in the history of our church!
3. I preached about God’s historical bailouts & (The Full Coverage Plan, The “I AM” Plan, The Provision Plan) & closed with The Greatest Bailout that ever happened – The Resurrection Plan!
4. Our NEW & IMPROVED Video Venue Service had over 220 for the first time today!  I want to thank all the ushers, greeters, deacons, ministers, and security who served in our Video Venue – YOU ARE SIMPLY THE BEST!
5. Our 100-voice choir was OFF THE CHAIN as they slammed Donald Lawrence’s “Matthew 28.”
6. Honestly, I believe Mars Hill has the best Worship & Fine Arts Ministry – PERIOD!  There are churches with larger ministries & celebrity musicians & personalities.  However, I’ll take our anointing over any celebrity!
7. Folks…what happened yesterday at our church IS NOT NORMAL…it wasn’t a “nice service”…it was a move of God!  I’ve honestly never been a part of something like what happened today…and it’s only the beginning.
8. Religion is all about what we do to get to God…Christianity is all about what God did to get to us!
9. THAT is one of the problems with church today…we’ve became “normal” when the call of Christ on our lives is to change the world-”normal” people can’t do that!
10. We will continue this series on Sunday…expecting/praying for God to do amazing things AGAIN!

AND…to My Mars Hill Family…a personal note…

Reality is this…satan got his butt kicked this weekend!  Hell is going to be less crowded!  People crossed over from death to life.  The way a community is changed is by the church preaching AND living the Gospel…and I believe we are going to continue to see Jesus do the unexplainable and undeniable…and we, His church, will continue to become unstoppable!

He’s alive-we win…now all we need to do is continually run up the score!!!

I LOVE you guys…I LOVE our church…I LOVE serving here…there is NOTHING ELSE on the planet I would rather do!  I’m bought in!!!

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Free-wheeling capitalism has always been the heart of the US Economy but the recent $700 billion bailout, a level of government intervention not seen since the Great Depression, is hardly unprecedented.  Historically, the Federal Government has not only taken stakes in banks, steel mills, and coal mines but have even seized control of everything from railways to savings and loans.  Unfortunately, when it comes to you and I, we would be hard pressed to make their list.  Consequently, If you STILL believe the government will bail you out – think again!

As Believers, we’ve already received our bailout!

So what does the bailout mean for me?  The word power occurs 57 times in the New Testament.  It is a word used to describe the most powerful bailout that ever happened, an event that separated A.D. from B.C.  That event was the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Consequently, that resurrection power is available to change your life! So, please join us this Easter at the Mars Hill Baptist Church and experience a heartfelt worship experience coupled with a timely Word from God.  Additionally, we will unveil our “new & improved” video venue which is additional worship experience using video technology to reproduce our live worship experience.

Easter Weekend Schedule

Good Friday

Friday, April 10, 2009
12 Noon & 6:30PM

Easter

Sunday, April 12, 2009
8:00 AM & 10:30 AM (Live)
8:00 AM & 10:30 AM (Video Venue)

In 1991, Spike Lee released his fifth feature-length film Jungle Fever.  The plot centers on the interracial romance between a successfully married Black, played by Wesley Snipes, and an Italian woman played by Anabella Sciorra.  The lovers come under intense pressure from their friends and family as a result of their interracial relationship.  It’s no secret that even today, interracial relationships are still under intense scrutiny – even when it comes to attending church.

For most of white America, the black church is an alien segment of the nation’s culture, hidden behind the plain facades of large brick churches, the rude clapboard of country chapels, the salvation-emblazoned windows of tattered storefronts.  It is a montage of impressions, some real, some misleading the low-moaning spirituals, the clapping and the shouted amens; the phenomenon of a Bishop TD Jakes and the curious charisma once possessed the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell; the prophetic, nation-shaking philosophy of a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the pragmatic, neighborhood-building politics of a Rev. Jesse Jackson.

There are almost 20 million black Christians in the U.S., and by far the majority find their faith and spiritual comfort in churches and denominations of their own making.  These churches were the first black institutions in the nation: they are still, by every measure, the largest.  Today they reflect the struggle of U.S. blacks for their rightful place in society, and the leaders of those churches differ widely in the role they see for the Black Christian in this struggle.  But whether radical, conservative or moderately liberal, they generally agree that the black church holds a unique place in American society.

Often I question if blacks and whites worship together as equals?  Honestly, at the present time I don’t think so.  Being one in Christ means that all the spiritual things we do are one and the same in Christ, right?  Think again!  A person’s cultural background makes a big difference.  Consequently, one’s culture presents difficult hurdle to conquer.

Cultural Barrier: Blacks and Whites Have Different Worship Styles

Black Christian worship style radically different from whites.  Black people tend to worship with their whole being: body, soul and spirit.  Our worship music stems from our African cultural roots.  So be it fast, up-tempo, with a rhythmic beat; or slower, steadier, with a lot of harmony and a groove, it is music that can be felt and experienced deep within our soul.  Some of the worship music in some white Christian environments tends to feel monotone and maybe even wordy to some Black Christians.  It tends to engage the mind only, and not the total being.

The person leading the worship plays an important role in the process, too. Whether or not he or she lingers with a song-repeating it several times until its meaning and inspiration can be felt within, affects the depth of the whole worship experience.  Sometimes white worship feels rather shallow to Black Christians.  Many are accustomed to either gospel music, gospel R & B, gospel jazz or gospel rap and hip hop.  Hymns in a Black tradition often have a gospel or soulful sound.

What’s your take?

NEXT TOPIC: PREACHING

Hey family – this is Glenda Williams, my boy's (Pastor Marvin Williams) sister from Tabernacle Community Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan and SHE'S THE REAL DEAL!!! She's competing to be "America's Next Sunday Best." I want you all to check out her demo & <CLICK HERE> to cast your vote NOW!

Please do me a favor and tell EVERYONE you know to cast their vote too! Here's the link (www.sundaybestcasting.com/people/Levite26) for you to copy & paste and send to your contacts.  Let your voice be heard!

Thanks again for helping!!!
Go Glenda!!!