Over the last twenty-five years, Nick Chilivis has had a front row seat to what God has been doing at The Church of The Apostles. As he reminisces about the church’s story—from his time as a member of the church’s first vestry to the church today—one theme clearly emerges: God has been faithful.

Twenty-five years ago, about thirty adults gathered in a small room at the Waverly Hotel to worship. One month later, the congregation had outgrown the room at the Waverly, so the service was moved to The Lovett School chapel—where the group only filled a couple of rows of pews. The service began with a procession down the aisle of robed acolytes, deacons, Dr. Youssef, and a crucifer carrying the cross. Prayers and the confession were read from The Book of Common Prayer. And when it came time to serve communion, only one or two people were needed to serve the tiny congregation.

“There were just a few of us,” Nick shares. “My wife and I liked to sit down toward the front, and Dr. Youssef would actually call on us. Back then, he would call on people in the congregation to do things in the service. It was very intimate.”

But while much was different twenty-five years ago, much hasn’t changed at all. “Dr. Youssef is the steadiest man of God that I have ever known,” Nick says. And Dr. Youssef’s steady devotion to God, His Word, and the congregation brought more and more people to Him. God’s Kingdom was growing.

A few years later, the thriving congregation outgrew The Lovett School chapel and needed a larger place to worship—one that reflected the goodness and glory of the God who was doing such great things among them. As the chairman of the first land search committee, Nick saw God’s faithfulness firsthand. “Dr. Youssef’s vision was that we’d have a piece of property that was visible in both directions from I-75. We thought that was impossible—we couldn’t find anything.” After a series of hurdles and obstacles that only the God of the impossible could navigate, the current property was purchased. “We had to rezone the property, we had tax battles—all sorts of issues,” Nick recalls. “But God worked all of that out without any problem.”

“God is present in this place,” he continues. “There’s no doubt in my mind whatsoever about that. His presence is not only felt, it’s exhibited. I see Him in Dr. Youssef’s preaching, by what goes on in the service, by the prayers of the congregation members—all of it. You feel God’s presence the second you walk in.”

When asked about the church’s future, Nick can’t help but chuckle: “I know that God will continue to attract people to this church. And the only thing that worries me—in a good sort of way—is if we happen to fill this church up so that we have more people than we can seat. What will we do then? Do we start holding three services? Four? Because we keep growing. But if the past is any indication—and of course it is—I know that God will provide for us. He always has.”

Michael Youssef

Dr. Youssef leads the very first service of The Church of The Apostles in the Hallmark Room at the Waverly Hotel on May 10, 1987. Around 52 adults and children gathered together that Motherʼs Day to worship and celebrate communion. The serviceʼs first song—Our God Reigns—seemed to perfectly capture the mission and message of this new-born community.

Less than one month after its first service, the new congregation had outgrown its meeting space at the Waverly Hotel. Plans had already been laid to begin utilizing the facilities of a local private school in September. Now these plans needed to be moved forward. The community gathered at The Lovett Schoolʼs chapel, which could accommodate 600 people, on the first Sunday of June 1987.

Purchased in 1993, the Allstate building on Northside Parkway became the home of our congregation. With some renovation, this tawdry building and its 100,000 square-feet of space became the home of the congregation and the headquarters of its international broadcast ministry, Leading The Way.

Our temporary home in the renovated Allstate building wasn’t the most polished of sactuaries. Every twenty feet was a column that had to be avoided, the ceiling was only nine feet high, and there were a host of other challenges. However, none of those things mattered whatsoever. The church flourished during this time as God poured out His presence on His people.

This represents the beginning of melding the Allstate building into new construction. Only a small portion of the Allstate building was demolished to accommodate the construction of the new sanctuary. The 100,000 square feet of the Allstate building was blended into the new construction with a façade on the east side of the property and the addition of the sanctuary on the west side of the property.

Many people who saw the construction of the new sanctuary as they drove by on I-75 commented on how inspiring it was to see the sanctuary rise out of the ground during the eighteen months it took to complete the process. This was the vision of the leadership of the church: that the building would stand as a witness to the faithfulness of God.

The cafeteria in the Allstate building became our first chapel. Initially, there was a modest renovation to accomodate our ministry. Later this building was torn down to make room for a new multi-purpose building that would serve the growing needs of our congregation.

Almost unrecognizable with its renovated interior and exterior, the former Allstate cafeteria served well for several years as the churchʼs chapel. Eventually, however, it would be replaced to develop additional educational space for the ever-growing church community.

This photo of the parking deck was taken not long after its completion. This parking garage—along with the Department of Transportationʼs miraculous approval of a traffic light at Northside Parkway—helped ease safety and logistical concerns about how to accommodate the swelling number of people coming to the campus each week.

The last phase of construction was the completion of a six-story building that would not only house the new Commons and Sam and Louisa Ayoub Chapel but would also provide additional classroom space for our children’s ministry that was bursting at the seams.

On December 24, 2000 we not only celebrated the birth of Christ, but also our first service in the new sanctuary. The timing of this event was an overwhelming blessing to our congregation as we once again celebrated the faithfulness of God.

Years after that first service, the church has grown to what we now experience weekly. Though the transformation of this property is stunning, more important is the transformation that God has made in the lives of those who enter these doors. “To God be the Glory, great things He has done.”

Students love the world beyond midnight. Even as a rising 8th grader, during the summer of 1987, I’d stay awake to see the end of the programming day. Twenty-five years ago few network stations (ABC, NBC, and CBS) aired TV shows after 2:30 AM. Typically, the local station would run a video of the American Flag waving in the breeze with the National Anthem playing in the background. A voice-over would announce, “That is the end of our programming day,” and then give you information on when you could tune back in. It was the network’s kind way of saying, “Perhaps it’s time to go to rest.” I usually took the cue and went to bed.

I think if today’s students (middle school through college) were able to step back through twenty-five years of time, they would immediately notice how quiet it was in comparison to the noise of today. I’m not just talking about audible noise; I’m talking about the “noise” of information overload we experience on a daily basis in 2012. In 1987, we didn’t have e-mail, social networks, or texting. Our video game systems didn’t really lend themselves to hours of play. There were only so many times that you could tolerate the game saying, “Thank you, Mario, but our princess is in another castle” before you just gave up. The cell phones were limited as well. Very few people owned one but if you did, you’d better keep your conversation to about three minutes or you’d be paying a huge bill. As I said earlier, programming on television and radio was also limited. Unless you had cable, your television would play that last resounding note of The Star-Spangled Banner and then you’d be greeted by a test-pattern or a sudden burst of hissing white noise. Yes, to them I believe it would feel slower, calmer, and quieter.

In the twenty-five years since The Church of The Apostles held its first service, the noise of everyday life has been thrown into overdrive. Students are constantly bombarded by programming. “Programming” is a great word for it. A program has come to connote a system that is put in place to alter your patterns of living and thinking. I’ve told students for years that every bit of information they encounter has a spin and a worldview. It must be taken captive and analyzed. However, there is no longer a pause afforded in the information stream. There is no end to the programming day. It is a 24/7 barrage of messages through multiple media platforms. These messages are telling them what to think and how they should live. If we are honest, many of us adults would have to admit we are just as caught up in the information barrage as students. Sometimes we just need to step away from it all and get some perspective.

As Dr. Youssef has pointed out, we are celebrating our “Half-Jubilee” this year. The Jubilee runs on the principle of “Sabbath.” The principle that the Lord taught His people through the Sabbath is to break from the day to day and set apart some time to rest in Him. But how do we rest in Him?

First, we break from thinking as the world thinks. Consider the Sabbath principles for Israel: no work on Saturday, land must lay fallow after the seventh year, on the fiftieth year, slaves are to be released and debts cancelled. It makes very little sense from the world’s perspective. The Sabbath afforded the Israelites time to cease from their own understanding and turn their minds and hearts toward the Lord’s ways (which have been and always will be higher than our own).

Second, the Sabbath was a reminder that they should rest in the Lord. The Lord was very clear that there was nothing that Israel possessed that did not come from His hand. No matter how hard we strive and try to meet our own needs (both physical and spiritual) apart from the Lord, it turns to rot. That’s God’s mercy to us, because the Sabbath ultimately points us to the Cross. For in the Cross we must rest in Christ’s work alone.

It’s appropriate, then, that we celebrate a Half-Jubilee this year. It is appropriate because the story of The Church of The Apostles encompasses these two aspects of the Sabbath principle: to trust the Lord to do things His way and to rest in the fact that the power comes from God alone. This Half-Jubilee should be a reminder in our own noisy, fast-paced lives to take the time to unplug. If we would be in our own lives what God has called us to be, there must be an “end to the programming day,” and a time to meditate on what Christ has done, is doing, and would seek to do in us. If the testimony of how the Lord has used this church for His glory over the last quarter of a century is any indication, then I think we can expect Him to magnify Himself through our own personal lives. But the question still remains for each of us in this loud, non-stop programming world: Can we be quiet enough to listen?

Michael Youssef’s New Book is Now Available:

On September 11, 2001, America was blindsided by deadly attacks against Americans by radical Islamists. For a moment, the country stood at attention, determined to understand and defeat the radical Islamic agenda. However, few understand that it is not enough to momentarily defeat militant Islam on the battlefield. The War on Terror ultimately must be fought as a battle for the Truth and, as Jesus said, only His Truth can set people free.

In his new book, Blindsided: The Radical Islamic Conquest, Michael Youssef gives insight into the history and mindset of radical Islam and encourages readers to open their eyes to understand their intent to dominate and destroy.

Order Your Paperback Copy Today

Order the Kindle Version of Blindsided

Read the First Chapter Now

Do you remember when you were young and excited by Christmas? How you couldn’t wait for those last few days to pass before Santa’s visit? And how your anticipation peaked on Christmas Eve as you listened for sleigh bells and dreamt of shiny presents just for you? So do I.

Why do you suppose we weren’t ever as eager for Easter?

Believe it or not, Matthew gives us a hint in the verse above which describes the confusion of the disciples upon seeing the resurrected Jesus. What follows are perhaps the most famous words in the gospel, including, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations…” It seems the context for the Great Commission is not the glow of revival fire but the shiver of uncertainty.

About this doubt, the other gospels give us more detail. Mark tells us that, upon appearing to the eleven, Jesus rebuked them for their stubborn refusal to believe. Luke’s last chapter relates two stories: that of the two mourners returning to Emmaus and another one about the disciples—both of them studies in spiritual myopia. But John’s account is the most incriminating of all. He devotes his final two chapters to post-resurrection appearances and the pathology of unbelief. The cases of blindness, alas, far outnumber the instances of recognition. And these weren’t people who had never known Jesus. They were His companions. Compared to these others, then, Matthew is the diplomat, sparing us the sorry details with his summary remark, “but some doubted.”

Doubted what? Obviously the very existence of Jesus, so soon after witnessing His agonizing execution and the burial of their hopes along with His body. Or perhaps they doubted that He was really there, in body, before them, instead of just an apparition. Or if He was before them in body, then maybe He had never really died, though they had heard Him give up His ghost, or did He?

But whatever their doubts, that’s not our problem, is it? Today’s Christian, safe within the fortress of tradition, of course believes that Jesus was raised from the dead, ascended, and awaits His time to return. To doubt that is to deny the faith, after all. Then is our text just an historical account of the ignorance of Jesus’ generation, or is there anything that should matter to us? So what if His disciples doubted the facts as long as we don’t? And what does it have to do with being eager for Easter?

For the answer, we first consider the only other time Matthew used that same word for doubt. It is found on the lips of Jesus when He gently rebuked Peter, who had stepped out of the boat, but looking around, began to sink. After raising him up, Jesus asked, “Why did you doubt?” Not, “Why did you fear?” but, “Why did you doubt?” The issue wasn’t the stormy surroundings but the identity of Jesus. “Why did you doubt [it was I who was calling you]?” Fear happens. Doubt hurts. Fear comes from our circumstances. Doubt from our self. Now we’re getting to the heart of the matter.

Paul’s magisterial exposition of resurrection found in I Corinthians 15 paints a glorious picture of our future: Christ has died and was raised, so we shall die and one day be raised. Of the many other points he makes, this one may be the most unappreciated: The resurrection of your glorified body won’t occur until your natural body has first been buried, for the simple reason that, as Paul says, “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” The precondition for bodily resurrection, therefore, is bodily death. Seems logical enough. Yes, but the logic is life-changing, for the same principle applies to the realm of the spirit.

While the transformation of the body from natural to glorified occurs only later, at death, the transformation of the spirit can take place now. It did for Paul on the Damascus road. “I am crucified with Christ,” he declared to the Galatians, “nevertheless I live.” But, just as the glorified body won’t exist until the natural body is first buried, so one cannot experience the wonder of a glorified life until the natural life is buried. That is, we won’t have resurrected thinking, for example, until the old thinking is put to death. We won’t have resurrected feelings until the old feelings are slain. “What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.” Could the reason that we have never enjoyed much of the thrill of victory in our Christian walk be this obvious: We have never died? Died daily to our attempts to save ourselves. Died finally to our will. Died forever to our doubts. As Peter doubted Christ on the sea, we doubt Christ on the land, in our homes, at our jobs. We’ve not buried the old and therefore cannot experience the new. We are suspended, instead, in the lukewarm limbo of doubt, between two types of existence. “Is that really God speaking?” “Must I stop that habit?” “Does it really matter if I pray?”

Many of us would feel right at home with those disciples in Matthew’s account: Part of us wants to worship, but part of us still doubts. Consequently, we win some and lose some spiritually. Funny, but “you win some, you lose some” is not in my concordance. Nor is it in the will of God. In Christ, rather, you always win by losing (i.e., dying)—losing to your spouse, your friend, your God. Until you roll the stone in front of the grave of your life and cover it, God can’t roll it away and set you free, for what you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

Admit it, you were as excited as I was at Christmas when we were young and believed in Santa. But our lives were changed and that thrill would wane once we learned the awful truth: There is no Santa Claus. That was the beginning of the end of childhood. But the good news, the thrilling news, is that adulthood awaits, and it’s even better. There is a risen Christ and His life can be ours today! No doubt about it.

In Joshua 4:1-7, Joshua was commanded to set up stones of remembrance to remind generations to come of what God had done at that specific place. How He had delivered His people. Dr. Youssef has felt led of the Lord for all members, each one of us, to set up some type of remembrance in observance of our twenty-fifth anniversary. That stone of remembrance is renewing our Membership Covenant.

We would like for you to gather your family together and prayerfully and deliberately sign the covenant that you received in the mail. On May 13th, as a part of our worship service, we will be bringing our covenants and laying them at the altar with our church family.

Whether you have been a member for 25 years or 25 days, this signed covenant will communicate that we all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross, as we make our commitment before God.

Dr. Youssef’s new book, Trust & Obey, is available now!

In this book, the desire of Dr. Youssef’s heart is to highlight, underline, and magnify the faithfulness of God to all of His promises. The old familiar hymn exhorts us to “Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” By testifying from his life and through the first 25 years of The Church of The Apostles, Dr. Youssef encourages each believer to trust and obey as one biblical truth resounds: when we trust and obey God’s leading, instead of our own, God adds His blessing.

The book will be available for purchase for $10 in the Narthex this Sunday following the 9:00 and 10:30 services.

The book is also now available for your Amazon Kindle »

During the 1990s, the radical islamic terrorist NCP regime in Khartoum launched a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Nuba Mountains of the Republic of Sudan. The Nuba Mountains are home to Sudan’s largest Christian community. The genocide was targeted at three groups of people: 1. Black Africans, 2. Christians, 3. Supporters of the opposition party. To carry out the genocide, the NCP chose Ahmed Haroun, a man later indicted for war crimes in orchestrating the Darfur genocide.

More than 500,000 Nuba people lost their lives under Haroun’s oversight. Hundreds of churches were burned down. Most pastors who survived endured imprisonment and horrendous torture and persecution.

In 2011, the NCP ordered Ahmed Haroun to leave Darfur and head back to the Nuba Mountains to finish the job he started in the 1990s. In June, 2011, Haroun made his move. After sacking the capitol city of Kadugli, Haroun launched a campaign of terror from the skies. Bombers and fighter planes began indiscriminate air attacks on civilian targets.

Tens of thousands of Nuba residents fled to the mountains to hid in the rocks and caves– leaving fields to lie uncultivated.

Presently, there is a growing humanitarian crisis in the Nuba Mountains. The war has now spread to the neighboring Blue Nile State. A broadening war also means a broadening humanitarian crisis.

The international community has so far chosen to do next-to-nothing to check the genocidal policies of the NCP.

 That’s where you come in.

 Get active today to help the persecuted in Sudan. Together, we can Save the Nuba!

Visit www.savethenuba.com to learn more and sign the online petition!

How many of us climbed out of bed this morning and promptly put in our earplugs for a day without sound? Or wrapped our eyes with a blindfold for a fun-filled day with no sight? Or tied a hand behind our back for a left-hand-only-kind-of-day?

Few of us pause very often to consider the genius of human physiology and the beauty of all our various faculties seamlessly working together. But as soon as we consider a day (or even an hour!) without the use of something as small as our thumbs, we marvel at the diversity and design of all our wonderful parts.

Scripture makes clear that the community of Jesus is no different than our bodies. In fact, the Church itself is a body—the Body of Christ. Most famously, in 1 Corinthians 12, Christians are warned that envying the gifts of others would be as nonsensical as eyes longing to be feet.

God has uniquely gifted all Christians to serve Him through serving others.

Melissa Winter has been learning the depths of this truth through a course called OnPath. This one-on-one course with Dr. Ron Ervin provides guidance in biblically-based, critical reflection on one’s personal and professional life.

“It’s a course on how to figure out what God’s will for your life is,” explains Melissa. And she would enthusiastically recommend the course to “anybody who needs direction in their life—who needs a deeper understanding of how God has made them and what plans He may have for them in the future.”

With growing uncertainty about the future of our society, culture, and economy, the ranks of those needing fresh perspective on God’s purpose for their lives are likely to be growing.

Melissa decided to take the course during a “stale period” in her life after a friend recommended it to her. During that period she was wrestling with questions large and small, ranging from career and finances to uncertainty about the future and seemingly unanswered prayers. And beneath all of those questions crept the question about her worth before God and her value to others.

Through the counsel of “Dr. Ron,” however, she discovered answers in something greater than all her questions:

“The course really does help you focus on [God] and not you,” says Melissa. “I think this is probably a lot of people’s struggle—at least it’s mine: All I think about is me—and I think this course got me focused on Him and His will. Focusing on who He is and what He’s done takes that focus off of me.”

As she began focusing on the character of God, Melissa became more grounded in the fact that God truly loves her and more confident that He has gifted her to serve others in an absolutely indispensable way.

“I am unique, and He can use me.”

Melissa entered into OnPath asking dozens of questions about conflicted and confusing areas of her life. Yet with his biblical perspective, genuine care, and a good dose of humor, Dr. Ron helped her turn her gaze away from herself and toward others—to embrace her unique role in the Body and begin serving God through serving others. There and only there do we find secure and lasting joy, peace, and meaning—despite the insecure shifting sands in our world and in our hearts.

OnPath is a biblically-based life and work assessment course designed to provoke thinking and foster strategic renewal, personally and professionally. This class combines the application of scriptural principles, processes, and tools with prayer in a one-on-one setting. The cost of the course is $70 to cover the purchase of a workbook and required personality profiles.  By appointment only.

The number fifty in the Bible is a significant one. It represents the full measure of years. It does not indicate the end of life, but the end of physical labor. In the book of Numbers you find that those who are in physical service at the Tent of Meeting (because of its taxing physical labor) should be between thirty and fifty years old. After fifty, a priest becomes an elder statesman (Numbers 8:25-26).

Dr. Youssef leads the very first service of The Church of The Apostles in the Hallmark Room at the Waverly Hotel on May 10, 1987. Around 52 adults and children gathered together that Motherʼs Day to worship and celebrate communion.

The thought that fifty is the fullness of years is thrown in Jesus’ face in John chapter 8 when He says: “Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day.” They say to Him: “You are not yet fifty years old.” Of course they, like so many church folks today, fail to see that He is the divine Son of God. At fifty, a person is afforded the respect of eldership because of his or her wisdom of years and experience. But fifty is more than just a landmark. The number fifty carries great significance in Israel’s calendar.

God instructed Moses that the timing of the Feast of Weeks was to be exactly fifty days after the Sabbath from the first fruit, or the day of the wave offerings. In fact, the Greek word Penta, from which we get “Pentecost,” means “fifty.” But there is something more important about the number fifty. It is associated with liberation and being set free. That is why God established the fiftieth year as the year of Jubilee. Every seventh year is to be a Sabbath year—from which we get the word sabbatical—which many pastor friends of mine take after each seventh year of ministry. Many people, whenever I take my three-week summer vacation, ask me: “Did you enjoy your sabbatical?” I often resist the temptation of explaining what “sabbatical” really means. But in biblical times, the seventh year is a complete year of rest. During that year the land lies fallow. (Leviticus 25:4)

Dr. Youssef serves communion in the first sanctuary on the Northside Parkway building.

But after seven cycles of Sabbath years had passed, Israel was requested to observe a second Sabbath as a year of Jubilee. That year on the Day of Atonement a trumpet would blast. At that moment, all lands that were sold in the previous forty-nine years would return to their original owners. In addition, all servants or slaves who were employed or bought during those forty-nine years were completely set free. The idea was that the Jubilee year would occur once in a lifetime for every Israelite. In fact, the most significant aspect of the Jubilee year is the concept of freedom. This was supposed to remind the Israelites that both they and their land belonged to the Lord. They were both the Lord’s possessions. And it is God who takes back His people and His land in the year of Jubilee.

That brings me to something very important. The year of Jubilee for our church would be 2037. But since my greatest hope is that when that time rolls around, I will be in a glorified body in Heaven, we will celebrate our half-Jubilee on our 25th anniversary. For two years now I have been praying, spending time with the Lord, and sensing in my spirit through His leadership that we should do something symbolic for this mid-Jubilee year, namely, that all church members have the opportunity to renew their Membership Covenants on the day of the 25th Anniversary. Let us make our 25th Anniversary celebration truly an honor unto the Lord.