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Top 5 clips from the Ephesians series

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 -0700

The Ephesians sermon series has officially wrapped! Honestly, I’m sad to see it go, as I’ve been looking forward to preaching this series for so long. But it’s been a great 17 weeks and I’m incredibly grateful that I get to be the pastor of a church and preach the Bible every week. I love my “job”!

For a somewhat unconventional look back on the series, here are the top five most popular YouTube clips that our Media & Communications team posted during Ephesians, starting with number five:

5. “What does it mean for a husband to love and lead like Jesus?”

From part 14, “I Am Loved.”

[Husbands,] the best thing is to love your wife as Christ loved the church—to be a good gardener and to pull up whatever weeds come, to nourish, to cultivate, to cherish your wife, and if God should grace you, the children that God gives you. And then, increasingly over time, your home will become more and more like a fruitful garden where you’re glad to be because there’s life and health and joy. But it means that the work never ends, just like a gardener’s work never ends.

4. “What does it mean for a wife to submit and respect like Jesus?”

From part 14, “I Am Loved.”

In the Garden of Gethsemane before he is to be crucified, the Lord Jesus has this anguish-filled prayer to the Father: “If it be possible to remove this cup, this cup of suffering, then do so, but not my will, your will be done. Your will be done.” Ladies, to respect and submit is to be like Jesus.

3. “Understanding your identity crisis”

From part 1, “I Am _______?”

You live in fear that your identity idolatry will fail you or be taken from you.
Your identity idolatry crumbles under the weight of being in God’s place in your life.
As your identity idolatry begins to crumble you become panicked.
It’s not “if” your identity idolatry fails—it’s when.

2. “The most important thing Pastor Mark will ever tell you about prayer”

From part 9, “I Am Heard.”

God is your Father. If you understand that God is your Father, prayer makes a lot of sense and prayer becomes very easy. If you don’t understand that God is your Father, prayer becomes complicated and difficult.

1. “Don’t follow your heart”

From part 11, “I Am New.”

[Scripture] says everybody’s corrupt. Some people just don’t make the news. Your way of life is corrupt apart from a new life in Christ. . . .

We live in a culture that has insane statements like, “Follow your heart.” See, the Bible would say it this way: “Follow your deceitful desires.” It sounds different, doesn’t it? But if your heart has deceitful desires, and you follow your heart, you’re following deceitful desires.

Thank you to everyone who gave their time to listen to any part of the Ephesians series. It is a great honor.

Subscribe to the Mars Hill Church YouTube channel. For churches, small groups, or anyone interested in revisiting the Ephesians series, all of the audio and video files will live on at marshill.com/ephesians.

A stolen guitar, vengeance, sin, and grace

Pastor Aaron Gray — Mon, 20 May 2013 02:00:00 -0700

A few weeks ago, my guitar was stolen. My parents gave this particular guitar to me 13 years ago as a graduation present, so it held a lot of personal value. I’d made a bonehead mistake and left it sitting in the backseat of my car. The thieves smashed my window, grabbed the guitar, and made off without being seen. Having something stolen from you is shaking, disconcerting. As I’ve processed over these last few weeks, several lines of thinking have been bouncing around in my mind.

1. Vengeance is God’s

As I chronicled the saga of trying to recover my guitar on social media, I was surprised just how many comments came back along the lines of “Let’s go get the bad guys!” or “Hope he gets his face smashed in.” While most of these were very obviously tongue-in-cheek, the point was made: we know that justice needs to be served. I would be dishonest if I said that I didn’t have some of those same thoughts myself. (Yes, this pastor had sinful thoughts of vengeance.)

But Hebrews 10:30–31 says, “For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Ultimately, we are invited to trust God’s perfect justice. For all of us who repent of our sins, the wrath that we deserve was poured out on Jesus at the cross. For those who do not repent, justice will be served for them in hell. Either way, it is God’s place to judge, not mine.

2. Store up treasures in heaven

Even though this guitar is special to me, I know that one day, best-case scenario, I will die and the guitar will go to someone else. All of our possessions are temporary in nature and vulnerable. Having my guitar stolen was a great reminder of the truth that Jesus spoke in Matthew 6: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

3. Sin is a violation

Anyone who has been the victim of theft can tell you that it feels violating. In this situation, my own sense of security has been throttled. Before mankind fell into sin, God created man to live in perfect peace with him. The Hebrew Bible calls this state of perfection shalom. At the fall, shalom was shattered. Peace with God was destroyed.

Even though we live in a fallen world and we shouldn’t be surprised when we’re sinned against, deep down we know that things are broken and this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. We were created to live in God’s perfect shalom. All sin—from something relatively minor like my guitar being stolen to something egregious like sexual assault—is a violation of God’s perfect shalom. We need a Savior to redeem our fallenness and to restore peace.

4. God’s timing is perfect

Over the last few weeks, I (not so) patiently waited for the police as they tried to track down the thieves. At many points, I wanted to work faster than the police, to take matters into my own hands, and to take shortcuts past the necessary steps. Even once I saw my stolen guitar on Craigslist, I found myself increasingly frustrated as I was forced to wait for a reply email.

It’s easy to fall into a mentality that says, “Right now!” We’re a microwave culture and we want what we want immediately. Yes, we are called by God to work hard and be productive. Yes, we must put laziness to death by the power of the Spirit. Yes, we should seek to be efficient stewards of the time God has given to us. However, I think one of the reasons the Bible uses so many agricultural metaphors is to remind us that God often uses the passage of time to bring about his purposes.

Why did God send Jesus exactly when he did and not sooner? Ultimately, I don’t know. But I do know that when God did send his Son, it was the perfect time (Gal. 4:4–5) and now I’ve received the blessing of adoption as a son of God.

5. Grace, grace, grace

Perhaps the most important thing for me to remember during this whole process is that apart from the grace of God, I am every bit as deserving of judgment as these thieves. In fact, I’ve been a thief. I’m a glory-stealer. Honor and praise that is rightfully due to God, I’ve taken for myself.

When I remember that God sent Jesus to die for me while I was still an enemy of God (Rom. 5:8), it helps me to have a heart of grace toward these people who stole from me. Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies and to work for their good (Matt. 5:44)—this is impossible without first understanding that Jesus has already done exactly that for us (Eph. 2:13).

Recently, my guitar was returned to me after I worked with the Federal Way police to track down the bad guys. (In fact, I ended up going with the police to a sting operation that was only slightly more exciting than my usual Monday afternoon meeting with Pastor Bubba.) Today, I can honestly say that I want God’s grace for these thieves. By no means have I “arrived,” but God is helping my heart to move in the direction of grace.

I am in awe of our God who can use any situation for his glory and our joy.

Life at Mars Hill 5/18/13

Mars Hill Church — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

This Sunday all the churches celebrated Mother’s Day! Mars Hill Portland had a fun photo booth for the occasion.

You can check out all the photos from the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m services on Facebook.

There were lots of Mother’s Day baby dedications at Mars Hill this year! Here, parents dedicate their children at our Federal Way church.

At the Olympia church, a father shares why he and his wife are dedicating their daughter that day and what Scripture they chose.

More baby dedications, this time up in Shoreline.

Pastor Mark Dunford and his wife, Melinda, dedicated their baby boy on the same day Mark was installed as the Ballard church’s newest elder!

Parents pray over their children in Ballard.

Friends and family at Mars Hill Albuquerque put their hands on and pray for the parents who were dedicating their children to the Lord.

At the Bellevue church, Pastor Thomas passes out flowers to mothers.

Bellevue babies being dedicated.

At the Sammamish church, a little boy helps his dad read the verse picked out for his dedication.

A vision breakfast around the family table

Pastor Sutton Turner — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:30:00 -0700

“Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’” John 21:12

On Tuesday of last week, the executive elders gathered together with folks at Mars Hill Sammamish for a vision breakfast via video technology for a total of 377 people across all the local churches. We had a great time connecting with the people there and always love seeing all our other churches.

As one church in 14 locations, we are a family in partnership for the gospel (Phil. 1:3–5). The executive elders feel like parents with 14 kids, and we thank God every day for each one of you.

Thanking the faithful

Moreover, we are thankful that some of our churches are able to steward their resources to help provide for our other churches so that our family can grow. Like Paul in Philippians 4:17, we know they’re not seeking a gift but the fruit that comes from their stewardship. In particular, we would like to thank the following churches: Bellevue, Ballard, Olympia, Sammamish, Shoreline, and West Seattle. These churches are helping support Albuquerque, Downtown Seattle, Everett, Federal Way, Orange County, Portland, Rainier Valley, and U-District. Thank you!

In addition, we’re making progress on our Everett and Tacoma build-outs. We still need to raise $523,334 for Everett and $402,493 for Tacoma. We also ask that you’d be in prayer for new locations in Orange County and Olympia. There’s nothing official yet, but we are looking for permanent homes for those two locations.

Thanking the greater church

We also ask that you’d pray for the other churches around the world that love Mars Hill as well. They do it anonymously and don’t get anything in exchange, but they love Jesus and want to help us and pray for us as much as they can. It’s awesome to see.

I’m so thankful for the faithful people who were able to join our vision breakfast as we seek to be on mission with Jesus together. If you’re interested in attending these breakfasts, please talk to your local pastors to get involved.

Local vision casts

Below are some photos from our churches’ breakfasts along with the vision that the lead pastors cast for their respective churches.

Portland

From Pastor Tim Smith:

Mars Hill Portland is at a key stage of growth as we near 800 and look to launch an evening service in the fall. Our greatest need between now and then is more leaders, particularly in the areas of Community Group leadership and coaching. Please pray for wisdom for our leadership as we recruit new leaders, refine systems, and processes and continue to develop the leaders we have.

Albuquerque

From Pastor Donovan Medina:

On Tuesday morning, we communicated that the church is a sacred community that has the Triune God uniquely and powerfully living in its midst. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are hoping that Mars Hill Albuquerque would be filled, gifted, and fruitful. We ended our time asking God to generously fill us with his Holy Spirit, which led us to a place confession, praise, unity, and joy.

Olympia

From Pastor Seth Winterhalter:

As Mars Hill Olympia prepares for big changes in 2014, we’re taking note of what good preparation looks like in preparing for what God has in store. In Acts 1:12–14, before the birth of the church and the explosion of growth by the Holy Spirit, we see the 120 disciples gathered together in the upper room all in “one accord” and “devoting themselves to prayer.” The awesome chaos and changes they were thrown into when the church went from 120 to 3,000 on the day of Pentecost and then to over 10,000 a short while after in Acts 4 were handled correctly because their foundation was secure in Jesus and in their devotion to each other. The reason that over 10,000 people were “of one heart and soul” is because of their commitment to each other in the upper room when they were 120. We want to see the same foundation laid at Mars Hill Olympia as we are expecting the Holy Spirit to do the miraculous in the South Sound region in 2014.

Ballard

From Pastor Alex Early:

At Ballard, I took a few minutes and compared the ancient port city of Nineveh (affluent, pagan) with our city of Ballard. I then talked about Jonah’s reluctance to see those far from God come to faith and repentance and the lengths that God has and will go to in order to get his people totally on his mission, not just writing checks (though that is critically important!) but to invest their lives to lift Jesus up in our city.

Federal Way

From Pastor Bubba Jennings:

In Federal Way, we gathered at the new Tacoma building. I shared from Romans 12:3–8, highlighting that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts such as contributing in generosity for the glory of God, the building up of the church and the expansion of God’s kingdom. Then we discussed how we are currently raising money for the Tacoma building and working toward planting a region of churches in the South end.

Shoreline

From Pastor Steve Tompkins:

I thanked our folks for caring about Jesus’ church, glory, and mission. Then I shared four things. First, in the near-term we want to stay strong and focused through the summer building our serving teams. In the mid-term (one-year range), I shared our ministry priorities, especially in terms of growing our Community Groups and in developing new leaders at all levels. Thirdly, I shared our long-term vision of growth by seeking a facility with a larger auditorium. Finally, I shared that as we begin the new sermon series on Acts we above all want to be praying for increased experience of the presence of God among us through the Holy Spirit.

Sammamish

From Pastor Alex Ghioni:

Because one the highest hopes and dreams of families on the Plateau is to achieve long-term financial security, we believe we can use the Financial Peace University program as fruitful opportunity for our mission. We want to help believers redeem this goal so they grow in their stewardship as a reflection of their worship of God. Secondly, we want to co-opt the desire of unbelievers for good advice to get financial security to share with them the good news that offers them eternal security.

Everett

From Pastor Ryan Williams:

Everett is becoming a regional center, and it is by God’s grace that we are becoming a regional church at this very moment. We need to raise a total of $750,000 to begin services in our new home in the heart of downtown Everett in the Armory. We are asking that everyone in our church would be praying and being generous in this time of fundraising, it will have eternal significance.

For the sake of the elect

Pastor Dave Bruskas — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:00:00 -0700

“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.” 2 Timothy 2:8–9

Paul starts this section of his letter to Timothy with powerful words: “Remember Jesus Christ.” How often does our day go by and we haven’t thought of Jesus once? Paul knew Timothy was struggling so he gave him some incredibly practical advice. Then he reminds him how powerful Jesus is. He’s risen from the dead. He overcame death. He’s the offspring of David. He’s the King of kings.

Don’t forget the elect

“Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” 2 Timothy 2:10

Paul is constantly focused on the elect. He wants more than anything for the elect to be saved. Sometimes, we can be so focused on what we believe our calling is that we forget to focus on the people of the church, the elect. Even though he’s in prison, Paul sees his suffering as benefiting the elect.

“The saying is trustworthy, for:
if we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”
2 Timothy 2:11–13

Jesus cannot lose the war

The broad context of these passages is suffering. If we suffer for the elect like Paul and Timothy, then we can be assured of being united with Christ one day. Jesus cannot lose this thing. When we make it through, we get to reign and rule with him. In him, we’re fighting a war we cannot lose.

How huge that must have been for Timothy, who was suffering in Ephesus! Lots of people Timothy knew were denying their faith when the heat of persecution was turned up. It’s OK to struggle with your faith because Jesus will always remain faithful. In the last three verses the one constant is Jesus: he is powerful, he is King, and he is faithful.

Questions

Are you remembering Jesus? Are you being mindful of him? One thing I always pray for my four daughters is that they be mindful they’re in the presence of God.

Are you serving for the suffering of the elect? It’s not so much about what you feel gifted to do, but about suffering for the sake of the elect that ultimately they may know Jesus.Are you struggling? Do you relate to the last verse? What is it that causes you to get to the end of your faith? Jesus is faithful and good. It’s ok to struggle with your faith because Jesus is with us right now in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is Pastor Dave’s fourth post on 2 Timothy. You can check out the previous ones here, here, and here.

Stories of God’s grace in Mars Hill Students

Adam Ramsey — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:30:00 -0700

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

Over the last seven weeks at Mars Hill Students, we have been looking at seven of the audacious, offensive, mind-blowing claims that Jesus made about himself, that reveal him to be far more than just a “nice guy” or “good moral example.” Jesus claimed to be unlike any other person who walked this planet—he claimed to be God. And he promised that, when he is lifted up, he will draw people to himself (John 12:32)—which is exactly what he is doing in the lives of many students across Mars Hill today.

When Jesus’ gospel is preached, gospel transformation happens.

Below are just a handful of the many remarkable stories of God’s grace that we are celebrating that are taking place at Mars Hill Students!

Rainier Valley

Our Students ministry leaders at Rainier Valley are reaching students in one of the most diverse ZIP codes in the U.S., many of whom come from a broad range of religious backgrounds. A few weeks ago, a young guy named Massala whose family is from Kenya got a ride home with his Community Group leader. God opened up an opportunity for this leader to talk with Massala’s father, a Muslim man, about Jesus. Though the father spoke little English, his son interpreted his Community Group leader’s words into Swahili and got to share the gospel with his own dad! While both father and son are not yet saved, they are being loved and served our Rainier Valley team. When Massala was recently asked what he thought about Jesus, he responded, “I’m still not sure. But the more I hear, the more I believe.”

A high-school girl who was struggling with cutting herself has been attending weekly and seeking after the truth. After a recent midweek gathering, she came up to her Student lead, Jevon, and told him that Jesus just showed her that he is the true God and he wants to fill her with his joy so she wouldn’t have to cut herself. That night she prayed for the very first time, “Jesus . . . thank you. Amen” —then she went and told everyone in her Community Group that she just became a Christian!

Albuquerque

A student in Albuquerque has recently been saved and baptized. He has been hitting up his Students Ministry lead for his sermon notes, so he can use them to lead Bible studies with other students during lunch at his school!

Shoreline

One of our Shoreline students, Cam, was recently elected as high-school president at Bothell High School. We interviewed Cam, and he encouraged other students to see themselves as leaders and step into leadership roles in their schools in order to serve their peers in the same way Jesus has served them.

Come

The same Holy Spirit who empowered the early church for the mission of spreading the good news about Jesus continues to give power to the people of God today, regardless of their age. Every week, there are hundreds of young people across Mars Hill Church who gather in community to hear about Jesus, worship Jesus, and be equipped with his gospel to live for the fame of Jesus everywhere they go. If you are a student aged 6th–12th grade (or have a student that age), come be a part of the movement of young people that God is raising up in this church!

You can sign up for the most exciting, powerful event that is approaching fast on the Students calendar at Mars Hill—summer camp—here.

Pastor Mark’s official Acts reading list for nerds

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:00:00 -0700

I once had a professor tell me that he was a nerd, and that I had “quite a bit of nerd” in me. Admittedly, I like books, research, and data.

This week I start preaching the book of Acts live. According to my layout of the book, it will take some 58 sermons to complete the entire book of the Bible. So, I will be taking chunks of five to 10 weeks every year, generally after Easter, to work through sections of Acts for the next however many years it takes to finish.

For those like me who want to nerd out and study Acts in depth, below is a list of commentaries.

Acts, by Darrell L. Bock. One of the best on Acts. Great companion volume to his eminent Luke commentary.
The Acts of the Apostles, by David G. Peterson. One of the more recent solid commentaries available on Acts.
Acts, by John B. Polhill. Straightforward, level-headed explanation and exegesis with heart.
The Book of the Acts, by F.F. Bruce.
Acts, by I. Howard Marshall.
The Message of Acts, by John R.W. Stott. Stott is always worth reading—pastoral and insightful.
Acts for Everyone, by N.T. Wright (two volumes).
Acts, by Ajith Fernando.

To find ratings and recommendations for other commentaries and scholarly works, BestCommentaries.com is a great resource. Also, while it's not a commentary, the Acts Study Guide is a resource we've created for those who want to study along with the series.

Hear the first sounds off ‘The Good King’

Mars Hill Church — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:00:00 -0700

Mark your calendars: on Tuesday, June 11, Mars Hill Music’s latest release, Ghost Ship’s The Good King, drops! Check out the above video for sample snippets from each of the album’s 11 tracks.

Ghost Ship, led by Pastor Cam Huxford, hails from our Downtown Seattle church. The album will be the second full-length album we release through our partnership with Tooth & Nail Records and BEC. (See the original press announcement and a full track list of the album at BEC’s website.)

Stay tuned to Mars Hill Music Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, as well as Ghost Ship Twitter and Facebook, for album updates, pre-order info, and a Google+ hangout with Pastor Cam and MHM Manager Jon Dunn.

Too anxious to wait a month for Ghost Ship full songs? Download their earlier EP, A River with No End, and their live album.

Earlier this year, we announced that Mars Hill Music was officially partnering with Tooth & Nail Records. The first full-length album from this partnership was Citizens’ self-titled album.

10 reasons I love the Lead Pastor Residency Program

Pastor Dave Bruskas — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:00:00 -0700

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:1–2

The first year of the Lead Pastor Residency Program was very successful. We had some great men in the program who love Jesus, their families, and the church and have a deep passion to see people saved. I’m excited to meet the next class of lead pastor residents and am praying daily for them already. I’ve also had a great time learning and growing with them. Below are my top ten favorite experiences from this critically important program for the future of Mars Hill Church.

10. We laugh together loudly and often

Ministry is a sobering experience. Our work is joyful but weighty. Ministry provides an amazing context for real-life comedy. We regularly laugh at ourselves and at the circumstances we find ourselves in, knowing that Jesus redeems all things. The funniest thing of all is that he uses imperfect men like us to do his work.

9. Top Pot Doughnut days

Occasionally, we were spent to the point of discouragement hanging heavy in the air like the Seattle mist. When that was the case, nothing was more refreshing than a doughnut, a cup of coffee, and the retelling of stories commemorating God’s grace in tough times. The residents keep a numbering system going, much like tracks on your favorite CD, based upon the stories I tell over and over again to remind them that Jesus is faithful. They know if it has been a week of heavy spiritual warfare, then they will certainly hear Pastor Dave Story #9. Again. And while maybe the stories get stale, the doughnuts are always fresh.

8. A front-row seat to strategy sessions

I enjoyed being in key strategic meetings with the residents throughout the year. I enjoyed watching them soak in the important discussions surrounding ministry philosophy and practice—stuff you could never experience in a classroom.

7. Behind-the-scenes ministry

The residents this year learned firsthand how important volunteers are to the forward movement of the mission. So many people work thanklessly and nearly invisibly on Sundays and throughout the week so that others are loved and served. I’m confident they will learn the two most important words in a good lead pastor’s vocabulary: “Thank you.”

6. Watching resident families worship together on Sunday

Being qualified to pastor Jesus’ church begins in the home. Scripture makes it clear that a man who doesn’t spiritually lead his family well shouldn’t be considered for church leadership. Being able to see each resident worship alongside his wife and children on Sundays was confirming. Especially the part of the service when one of the men would drop to a knee in order to explain what was happening to his small daughter or son.

5. Preaching at Q School

Preaching in front of your peers is intimidating. Preaching for the purpose of being approved for the same duty at Mars Hill Church in front of Pastor Mark at Q School is daunting. But I felt like a proud dad when each of our residents passed this test with flying colors. Even more, I was happy to see them learn that the most important skill in preaching isn’t eloquence, but expecting the Holy Spirit to move in power.

4. Learning limits

It was interesting to watch each resident be struck by his own limitations. Each man learned he needs others with complementary gifts and skills for the sake of Jesus’ mission. If ministry were a sport, it would be a team sport. The lead pastor will only be fruitful when he leads a team where each member is playing their position effectively.

3. Sunday pre- and post-service meetings

During the first few months of the program, residents met before and after the first service on Sundays with Pastor Mark. He went over with them, in detail, the answer to every “Why?” question possible. He carefully explained all aspects of the service while revealing the underlying theology and philosophy. I learned as much as anyone else in those sessions.

2. Studying the pastoral epistles

We worked through each of the Apostle Paul’s letters to Pastor Timothy and Pastor Titus, verse by verse, together every Wednesday morning. I was amazed again at how much practical help the Bible provides pastors in everyday life. The residents helped me see new applications of the gospel I hadn’t noticed before. This time together made my week, every week.

1. The Marvelous Missiological Mars Hill Tour

While Pastor Mark is widely acclaimed and respected as a world-class preacher, few people are aware that he is also a world-class missiologist. The program began with the residents packing into a crowded van with Pastor Mark for a full-day historical tour of Mars Hill Church through the narrow and winding streets of Seattle. His cultural insights were brilliant. Moleskins were filled with notes and the lessons we learned that day will serve us for the rest of our ministry lives.

Do you feel called to be a lead pastor? Apply for the residency program today.

‘To my mom, I love you forever. Your son, Jake’

Pastor Phil Smidt — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:00:00 -0700

Our son Jake was the first baby at Mars Hill, born one month after the church officially launched in October 1996. He and I have both grown immensely over the past 16-plus years, and I love that he still isn’t too old to call me “Daddy.” Parenting is both rewarding and revealing. My kids reflect back to me my own character strengths and flaws. Jake, of course has flaws (many of them mine), but at the same time, he is loving and loyal to family, friends, and neighbors. Just like me he cares for his mother (and my wife), Jen, dearly.

Below, Jake writes about what he appreciates most about her—and it’s not small stuff.

Fun, forgiving, and faithful

My mom means the world to me. My entire life, she’s been patient, loving, and gracious towards my siblings and me. My mom is one of the most influential people in my life and the woman I respect the most. To this day I enjoy spending time with her (at home and in public), laughing with her, and learning from her. My mom has brought me closer to God, helped me in my relationship with Jesus, and spent her time continually working with me through the Bible and my spiritual walk. Three words that come to mind when I think of my mom are fun, forgiving, and faithful.

My mom is always fun

As a homeschooling mother of three kids with a flexible schedule, she always found a way to surprise us with privileges, treats, and outings. Some school days we took a break to walk to 7-Eleven for a treat, to drive and play at the beach, or to watch movies and eat popcorn.

In addition, my mom is always intentional about making memories. On Valentine’s Day, for example, she bakes a heart-shaped pizza, sets up a hunt throughout the entire house, and always has fun rewards at the end (always hidden in the bathtub). In December on the days leading up to Christmas, my parents plan a special event or activity every day, trying to make the end of the year memorable and the birth of Jesus exciting.

My mom is always forgiving

My mom is gracious as she seeks to build my character. For example, years ago, when my little brother and I would get in fights, my mom would send us to the stairs. After patiently and calmly talking the problems through with us, she would have us hug and yell out our brother chant. It paraphrased a quote from A Bug’s Life: “We are the grasshoppers, where’s our food?” Instead, my mom had us shout, “We are the Smidt brothers, where’s our food!?” My mom put paramount importance on building relationships and repairing them in fragile times with forgiveness. Today, I’m best friends with my brother. By doing so, I grew closer to my mom as well, and wanted to spend time with her and my family.

My mom is faithful

A few months ago, I took a trip down to California for a week without my parents. When I opened my suitcase, I found a little notebook from my mom. Inside, I found special notes and verses from her for me for each day of the week. The entry that stuck out the most to me contained James 4:6: “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” My mom has always sought to instill in me humility and an appreciation for God’s grace through everything, and for that I’m eternally grateful and will always remember.

Mirroring her, mirroring Jesus

My mom continues to work with me to build my character and love for God. The older I get, the more complex life gets, but my mom always wants to know what’s going on and how she can pray for me. As I grow older, there are qualities about my mom I’m able to distinguish. I’d say she desires to keep her home open for people and her heart open for the Holy Spirit. If there’s anything I want to learn from my mom, it’s how to care for people and love Jesus. I want to mirror my mom and her heart for people and love for Christ.

I’ll always fondly remember and cherish the years of my life when I lived with my parents. This is the day our society has specially set apart to honor moms everywhere; however, every day for the rest of my life I will appreciate, love, and give thanks for who my mom is and all she has taught me. I wouldn’t be the young man I am today, be the son I am today, or live the way I do today without her.

To my wonderful and lovely mom, Jen, today I dedicate to you Ephesians 1. I give thanks for you daily, and I love you forever.

Your son,

Jake

Life at Mars Hill, 5/11/13

Mars Hill Church — Sat, 11 May 2013 03:00:00 -0700

Mars Hill Shoreline hosted a Women’s Training Day, “Image: A Theology of Beauty,” with a look at what it means for beauty to be corrupted, redeemed, and restored biblically.

Mars Hill Everett pastors and Community Group leaders walked through and prayed for our new Everett building, the Armory and for Jesus to work in Everett.

For 90 years, two Washington National Guard units were stationed at the Armory. Over a year ago, the units moved to a new location, leaving the Armory up for sale.

If you would like to give to the Mars Hill Everett new building fund, you can do that here.

Over 100 men worshiped Jesus at Mars Hill Orange County's Men's Training Day, learning how to bring the gospel into their relationships, work, and the mission of the church.

At our Portland church, a family shared their adoption story.

Mars Hill Everett prayed over Pastor Scott Mitchell and his family as they head out to plant a church in Denton, TX.

Pastor AJ prays over Pastor Tim and Deacon Rob as they are sent out to serve Jesus’ church in Louisville and Puyallup, respectively.

Our Albuquerque church installed Bob Paulson as an elder as his family, both near and far, joined him on stage.

Pastors Bubba and Aaron pray over new pastor Paul Rohrbaugh and his wife, Tammy.

Dickey’s BBQ in Auburn held a fundraiser for the Mars Hill Tacoma building to eat lots of great food and raise some money for the building.

If you would like to give to the Mars Hill Tacoma new building fund, you can do that here.

Wait, why am I running again?

Deacon Trisha Wilkerson — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:30:00 -0700

This week, Pastor Mark preached the sermon “I Am Rewarded,” out of Ephesians 6:5–9. In this post, Deacon Trisha Wilkerson writes about those moments before we get our reward at the finish line, those moments when the race feels never-ending and exhausting.

“The race is not to the swift.” Ecclesiastes 9:11

Life swirls around us, and we sometimes muster up the courage to grab some time to stop and rest. Schedules, tasks, duties, relationships, budgets, errands, ministry, friends, birthdays all capture our attention. A whirlwind of time and memories flashes behind us.

If all of these moments were a race, what would be at the end? What are we racing toward or for? There are piles of work, and the piles never go away. We run faster and harder in this race of days to get through it all, but what is getting my body in action? The sweat drips down and the busyness increases—for what?

What is at the finish line? What is all this effort really about? Why do we strain to get through it all? No one seems to notice my straining, since everyone else running beside me is dripping with motivated strides.

Exhausting and sacred

Then, I stop and look around to get perspective. I see myself burdened with a heavy load, perspiring, and about to cry from exhaustion. I see others doing the same. Some are sitting down, faces streaked with tears of despair. There are some who are veering off the track to another destination, a distraction of some sort. Others look peaceful, as if they were already done, just resting and glad about it. I look ahead and I see no finish line, even though I was promised it was right ahead of where I stopped! A race that never ends? What did I sign up for? This race is exhausting.

This is the race of our Christian faith. What waits for me as my reward? What motivates my heart to work hard as a mother? Throughout the day, what drives me in my role as a wife? What are my rest and peace? What are my eyes focused on?

Your work is a very sacred matter. God delights in it, and through it he wants to bestow his blessings on you. This praise of work should be inscribed on all tools, on the forehead and faces that sweat from toiling.

–Martin Luther

Jesus, our prize

How does the good news of Jesus’ gospel change the way that we work?

We are humbled by our weakness and look to Jesus who is strong (2 Cor. 12:9–10).
We can repent of independence and self-sufficiency and instead cling to God because of the reality that we can’t do anything without him (Isa. 64:6).
We work knowing that God sees us and loves us as we serve him through serving others (Luke 9:48).

I work myself up to a pretty great rhythm and my breathing seems right for the pace, then all of a sudden, I get anxious about the hills ahead of me. My breathing becomes more labored and my heart starts to get discouraged. I whisper, I can’t go any further.

So it is with work. Just as I get my house in order, I am staring at overwhelming and steep hills of work ahead of me. What keeps me moving forward growing in endurance? It can only be Jesus.

God is the reward. He is the motivation. There is a finish line, and our home in heaven is waiting for us (John 14:2). And along the way, as this race exposes our weakness, we can worship him.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1–3

God wants me to run this race of life with endurance. He has set before me this body, this life, this heart to look to Jesus. I run hard for nothing if I am not looking to Jesus. Jesus is the why of my worship: the object, the reward.

God is with me now, not just at the finish line. He is with me with every move I make, every thought, every tender feeling. He is the promised land, but I am already there. In Christ, I am running toward him—and with him.

Trisha Wilkerson is a deacon at the Ballard church where her husband, Mike, serves as a pastor and director of Biblical Counseling for Mars Hill. This post is adapted from her forthcoming book, Everyday Worship: Our Work, Heart, and Jesus.

Soldier, athlete, farmer

Pastor Dave Bruskas — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:00:00 -0700

I cannot make it through the day without leaning on the grace of Jesus Christ. It’s often the first thing I think of before stepping out of bed in the morning. I’m sure Paul was the same way. In 2 Timothy 2:1–7, he seeks to comfort Timothy with words on grace and living the Christian life.

That constant grace

The good news about the grace we find in Jesus Christ is that it’s constant. We are the variable and we need to adjust our lives every day and every hour to realize the grace we’re living in. That’s the essence of ministry: to be strengthened in the grace of Jesus Christ. How comforting those words must have been to Timothy who was in a hard place! His mentor, Paul, is writing 2 Timothy from prison and we can assume he was under quite a bit of opposition, trying to lead the church in Ephesus.

In verses three through six, Paul gives Timothy three analogies: be like a solider, be like an athlete, and be like a farmer.

Soldier

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” 2 Timothy 2:3–4

If you’re a student of history, you know that war is hell on earth. Living the Christian life is like being at war. You’re going to suffer and you’re going to be persecuted, but remember whom you’re fighting for: Jesus Christ. If you know anything about soldiers, they’re loyal and focused on the commander. They don’t get distracted. This is exactly how a Christian who is on mission should live.

Athlete

“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” 2 Timothy 2:6

An Olympic athlete in Roman times had to prove he had trained for 10 months in his sport before he was given the opportunity to compete. It might not sound like a lot now in the day of professional athletes, but in that time it was a big deal. Like a soldier, an athlete is very disciplined in his training and how he conducts every aspect of his life, from what he eats to how much he sleeps.

Farmer

“It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.” 2 Timothy 2:7

A farmer works from sunup to sundown, everyday of the year. Doesn’t that sound a lot like ministry, hard and never ending? When does the farmer stop being a farmer? Never. Just like the Christian who is on mission.

Paul was keenly aware what it took to survive in ministry and he passed those lessons on to Timothy. The number one priority is that it takes the grace of God to live the Christian life. After that, you need to be loyal to Jesus and the mission, disciplined, and work exceedingly hard.

Questions

Are you being strengthened? How? We can’t be spiritually dry. We need to be strengthened in the grace that is in Jesus.

Are you loyal? Loyalty often leads to longevity. Be loyal to the people Jesus loves.

Are you disciplined? Like the athlete, refine what is critical and important in your life.

Are you working hard? It’s Jesus’ love for us that compels us to work hard.

This is Pastor Dave’s third post on 2 Timothy. You can read the first two posts here and here.

Church family update, May 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:30:00 -0700

At the end of this past Sunday’s sermon, “I Am Rewarded,” together as a church we celebrated some of the rewards Jesus has graciously allowed us to enjoy.

The Bible promises God’s faithful servants, “Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord” (Eph. 6:8). These rewards are internal (a good conscience), eternal (life with Jesus forever in heaven), and occasionally external (tangible rewards in this life).

Recently on Easter Sunday, the people of Mars Hill received some external rewards as we experienced the joy of worshiping as a church of over 21,000 people and witnessing 424 people baptized into new life in Jesus. After 17 years of ministry, we never, never, never, ever tire of seeing Jesus change lives.

This month’s church family update also includes recent giving figures, a status report on our building fundraisers in Tacoma and Everett, and a quick overview of the next couple of sermon series. We’ll begin our study in the book of Acts later this month, and then in August I’ve asked a few friends of Mars Hill Church to come and preach their “best sermon ever” (more details coming soon).

All of this is tremendous evidence of God’s grace on Mars Hill Church, and we are grateful.

Watch or share the Easter recap video featured in this month’s church family update.

There will be no unhappy saints in heaven

Pastor Matt Rogers — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:00:00 -0700

Pastor Mark’s sermon this week is “I Am Rewarded,” preached out of Ephesians 6:5–9. In this post, Pastor Matt distinguishes between earthly and heavenly rewards, and what the rewarding will look like.

“He will render to each one according to his works.” Romans 2:6

Some cringe at a discussion of heavenly rewards, as if considering this corrupts our motives for obedience (and sometimes, it can). Yet in Scripture, Jesus specifically points to the joy of our heavenly rewards that will come out of acts of obedience (Matt. 19:29). If God thought it inappropriate for us to look forward to the rewards before us, it seems unlikely he would have inspired so many references to them in his word.

Still, others turn away from discussing heavenly rewards because in our fallen minds, it somehow seems unfair that one of us would receive more from the Lord than another. But in heaven, there will be no limits to the gifts God gives out. In heaven, the increase of joy for one saint won’t limit the gifts God may choose to give another. There won’t be envious thoughts toward those God sovereignly rewards more than another. Instead, Our joy will actually increase as we see God honoring and pouring out his love on another saint and we will rejoice (1 Cor. 12:26)!

Rewards, not earthly

God tells us about our rewards in heaven frequently as a reminder to fix our hope on the life to come. In this life, we will not be appreciated for all that we do, but Jesus sees every act of service done in his name and will reward you (Eph. 6:8; Heb. 6:10). In this life, we will not experience the fullest blessings and rewards of sacrifices made for his kingdom, but Jesus knows every gift of love and will reward you. We are so often tempted to look for our reward or comfort now—but God knows that everything in this life will vanish like a mist in the light of eternity (John 12:25). God’s rewards for you are a hundredfold larger than anything you can imagine in this life, not temporal things of this age that will pass away (Isa. 65:17).

Scripture speaks of rewards frequently to encourage us when we struggle, to reveal more of the love of God for his children, and to give us a glimpse of eternity (John 14:1–4).

God’s rewards are to encourage us

Scripture does not promise the Christian a comfortable life—in fact, it guarantees exactly the opposite to those who would seek after Jesus (2 Tim. 3:12). Families will be divided, friends will abandon us, and our time and money will be surrendered. While we should seek for joy in a life of worshiping Jesus, we will often do so in the face of trial. Yet Scripture tells us that our Father sees every sacrifice we make for his kingdom. As a loving Father, he acknowledges our struggle and lovingly points us to where our true joy and happiness can be found in his Son.

God’s rewards reveal something about his love

God does not need us to accomplish a single purpose he has for his world (Acts 17:25). When God sends you to give water to someone who is thirsty, remember this is the God who made water pour from a rock in the wilderness. God does not need us, but instead chooses to give us with the gift of being part of his work. What is even more incredible is the God who gave us the opportunity to serve, who gave us the means to serve, then rewards us for that service. How gracious and loving a God we serve! Scripture describes the rewards we will receive in heaven in grand terms including crowns (James 1:12) and ruling over kingdoms (Luke 19:17). Some of the language may be figurative but this means that the actual rewards for our works are more lavish than our language can express. These lavish gifts from God are his pouring out love on his children. God’s rewards should never be considered wages—they are gifts of a loving Father to his children.

God’s rewards reveal something about eternity

There will be no unhappy saints in heaven. There will be not a single moment where anyone will not experience incomprehensible joy and peace and love in heaven (Rev. 21:1–8). No desire of a saint in eternity will go unfulfilled. But there will be differing levels of joy. The very concept of a reward implies that some will receive it and others will not. Some Christians today will sacrifice their very lives for the name of Jesus. When they stand before the King, he will reward their sacrifice more bountifully than those who made only minimal gestures of time, talent, or treasure. There will be saints with multiple crowns and saints without crowns. There will be saints installed as rulers in heaven and saints under the loving rule of others. There will be saints who enter heaven with a richer and deeper love of God cultivated in this life and those who will begin eternity with a simpler grasp of glory. The work we do for God’s kingdom now has an eternal impact on our joy in the age to come.

Do not waste a moment

Rejoice in your work for God’s kingdom! Your Father sees every sacrifice, every moment of service, every act of love and will he eagerly awaits to reward you in indescribable ways as a demonstration of his perfect love! Do not waste a single moment in this lifetime—let each of your waking breaths be used for his kingdom knowing that, in love, every act of obedience will be generously rewarded by your loving Father.

How a dad can model repentance

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:00:00 -0700

In his sermon this week, Pastor Mark draws in part on Pastor Dad, a free e-book he wrote that looks at the ways a godly father can raise his children well. This post is adapted from Chapter 7 of that book.

Download the free PDF

“God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” Romans 2:4

A father is to protect his children in a number of ways. To best protect his children from folly and harm of their own doing, a father must teach his children how to repent of their sin.

If children have never been taught how to repent of sin and ask God for a changed heart, they will respond to consequences like "time out" as either punishment or playtime. This is because if they don’t know how to confess, repent, and pray, they won’t know what to do about their sin.

Rather, a father should repent for his children and thereby model for them how to deal with sin.

Repent on their behalf

In Job 1:1–4 we are told that Job was a noble man who loved God and walked blamelessly because he continually confessed his sins to God. Job’s children occasionally threw parties, and Job was so concerned about their possible sin that he would repent on their behalf. Job 1:5 says,

When the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them [his children], and he would rise early in the morning [he dealt with things quickly] and offer burnt offerings [this is worship] according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

Job was a wonderful father. Job knew what his children were doing, he knew when it was possible that sin had occurred, and he confessed the probable sin before the sun came up the next morning.

Broken through kindness

I’ll give you an example from when my son, Zac, was two. He is a wonderful son, I enjoy him immensely, we are very close, but one day he was not obeying. He was being disrespectful, tormenting his sister, and overwhelming his mother. When I walked in the door from work, my wife and daughter looked as if they had just run a marathon. When  I disciplined Zac, it just increased his anger and defiance. His attitude grew meaner until he tried to punch me, a move Proverbs refers to as folly that is bound up in the heart of a child. Ephesians 6:4 came to mind, and I felt that I was exasperating my son. As I prayed, God brought Job 1:5 to mind, and so I picked up my son, who was thrashing his body wildly, and carried him upstairs so we could be alone.

I lay down on my bed with my son on my chest and held him as I began to pray for him. The first thing I prayed for was that the Holy Spirit would come and convict Zac of his sins. I then prayed that Jesus would take the anger out of his heart and give him a new heart of love and obedience. I then started repenting of Zac’s sins for him, naming each of them he had committed that day in great detail. As I held him, I rubbed his back, which calmed him down, and I asked God to forgive him for his sins and give me wisdom to be a good father.

My son broke in a way I had never seen. His crying was so deep that he heaved on my chest for over 10 minutes, covering me in his tears, and having difficulty breathing through his crying. He was repentant, and he was broken. Eventually, he lifted his head to look me in the eye and said, “Daddy, I’m sorry.”

Change by grace

The Bible is both true and helpful. In Romans 2:4, Paul teaches that it is God’s kindness that breaks our heart and brings us to repentance. What this means is that fathers are to lovingly lead their children toward heartfelt repentance of sin. If children will not repent of their sin, then their father, like Job, should repent for them with tender kindness that loves them until they change by grace through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. As parents repent of their sins and the sins of their children, they are training their children in repentance so that as the children get older, the gospel becomes their natural and heartfelt response.

Want more on dads and repentance? Check out this other Pastor Mark clip, “Dads Need to Repent,” from the sermon “Asking for the Holy Spirit,” the 48th part of the Luke series.

Building godly legacies: An update from Mars Hill Sammamish

Mars Hill Church — Thu, 02 May 2013 04:00:00 -0700

A year and a half ago, the members Evergreen Christian Fellowship voted unanimously to join the Mars Hill family, becoming Mars Hill Sammamish.

Today, the Sammamish church is under the leadership of Pastor Alex Ghioni, as he serves and trains parents and their families to bring up generation after generation of faithful Christians.

Be in prayer for Mars Hill Sammamish—their leaders, young men and women, parents, and kids—that they might train families well to build a legacy of godly people who love and serve Jesus.

Have Bible, will travel

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:00:00 -0700

As a pastor of a church in 14 places, I kind of feel like a dad with 14 kids that I love. I love all of our people and all of our locations, and I am genuinely happy to go wherever to serve whomever.

In 17 years at Mars Hill Church, I have preached regularly in at least 21 different buildings, according to my memory, and it’s time to change the rotation yet again. Here’s the plan, starting this weekend, May 5th.

Downtown Bellevue

Mars Hill Downtown Bellevue is our largest and fastest-growing church. The city is a hub for the entire east side of the Seattle metro area and a place from which we can reach and serve more people more effectively. To accommodate the ongoing growth, we are going to four Sunday services:

8:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
12:30 p.m.
4:00 p.m.

I will be preaching live at the 8:30 and 12:30 services. The 10:30 service will be on video, while I drive to Mars Hill Downtown Seattle.

Downtown Seattle

Beginning with our upcoming Acts series, services at Mars Hill Downtown Seattle will sync up live with the Downtown Bellevue church. New services times for Downtown Seattle will be:

9:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
5:00 p.m.

I will drive in to preach the 11:00 live, while the 9:00 and 5:00 will play the video feed piped in from Bellevue. Our church in downtown Seattle is meeting in an amazing new building—one of the oldest church buildings in Seattle—and we have a big opportunity to love and serve the entire west side of Seattle from this location.

Other places I’ll go

In addition, I will be getting around a bit to preach at other Mars Hill churches. For example, I recently preached at Mars Hill Orange County and the afternoon service at the Ballard church. I genuinely love doing these visits. In Ballard, where I preached for years, every time I show up I get so many hugs from so many old friends it always feels like home, and any chance I get to be there is a blessing to my soul.

As you can see, this schedule is literally all over the place. It's subject to change, as it has for almost two decades now, so your best bet is to choose a location and a service where you can consistently attend, dig in, serve, and be a part of the local church family.

Please pray for the technology we’ll be using to make all of this possible, and my shuttling back and forth between the two cities of Bellevue and Seattle. Lake Washington in the middle carves up our region, and so we are trying to love, reach, and serve both areas.

More and more, the surrounding area is becoming like the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, with both Bellevue and Seattle contributing something unique to the Puget Sound region. The west side is the old urban core, home to many of the college students, cultural creative types, and singles working for companies like Amazon. The east side is the new urban core, home to many young professionals, families, and major companies like Microsoft.

We have an amazing series of opportunities for which we praise God and solicit your prayers.

Stories from around Mars Hill, 5/1/13

Pastor Dave Bruskas — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:00:00 -0700

There have been some great stories at Mars Hill Church over the past week. Here are a few of my favorites.

This past Sunday, Pastor Adam Christiansen at Mars Hill Ballard led a man to Jesus after the 11:15 a.m. service. The man was traveling by Greyhound on his way to an alcohol treatment facility. The bus stopped in Seattle, and he missed his connection. He walked from the Greyhound station downtown all the way to Ballard, and wandered into Mars Hill for the last 15 minutes of the sermon. After the service, he came up front for prayer. He told Pastor Adam he believed in God, was devastated by his sin, and wanted to “give the keys to somebody.” Pastor Adam walked him through the gospel, and the man met Jesus and took a Bible. Then he came back for the 4 p.m. service and got to hear the full sermon.
Last Sunday, a man attended church for the first time in his life at Mars Hill U-District. It was his first time in a church and he approached Pastor Drew at the end of the 6 p.m. service and poured his heart out: “I’ve robbed, I’ve cheated, I’ve been in and out of jail, and I can’t live like this anymore. I need Jesus, I need a new life.” Pastor Drew presented the gospel to him and the man accepted Jesus as his Savior! He said he didn’t want to leave, so he sat through the 8 p.m. service as well.
A woman at Mars Hill Albuquerque who is pregnant has experienced severe migraines, heart problems, and over 30 contractions a day. At her 20-week ultrasound appointment, the doctor found fluid in the baby’s kidneys, which could be a soft marker for Down syndrome. Her doctor told her to schedule appointments with a cardiologist, neurologist, and schedule a 3-D ultrasound. On top of this, their young son has had nonstop ear infections and, as a result, rarely sleeps all the way through the night. They asked Pastor Al to pray over them. He prayed for God to heal the mom and that the baby would be healthy, and then anointed them with oil. Since then, the mom hasn’t had migraines or heart problems, and her contractions are down. The fluid in baby’s kidneys became insignificant. The doctor concluded the baby has less than 1/1000 chance of having Down syndrome and the mom only has a 3% chance of going in to preterm labor.
A 6-year-old boy who attends the Downtown Bellevue church has been asking great questions about God the past couple weeks. Last Sunday, he said he wanted to believe in Jesus so his Community Group leader talked to him about salvation. She finally asked him if he was ready to believe in Jesus and he said, “I don’t think I can. I would have to obey all the rules, and I know I can’t do that.” She walked him through the truth of Jesus and the cross. When she was done, the boy had huge tears in his eyes and he said, “Really?” He prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior. Later that day he asked, “Can I tell everyone about Jesus, and what he’s done?”
At Mars Hill Federal Way, Pastor Bubba talked with a woman who ran out of this Sunday’s sermon crying. She said she was guilty of not respecting her husband and ruined their marriage. Her husband ended up cheating on her with a minor and is currently in jail. They are now divorced and she is a single mom with kids and feeling the weight of her sin. Pastor Bubba counseled her about not being responsible for her ex-husband’s sin and how God sees her suffering and cares deeply. He assured her she is not alone but loved by God and prayed for her. She said she would be back to the church next week.
Pastor Alex Early at Mars Hill Ballard met a man at post-service prayer who is visiting Seattle this week. Three years ago, he was homeless when a friend gave him an iPod loaded with Mars Hill sermons. He listened to them, and his life was changed. He’s in town this week on business with his fiancé and was so excited and privileged to be able to visit Mars Hill.

What a great God we have who walks with us through the junk and sin in our lives. It’s amazing how much he cares for us and sends people to meet us exactly when we need him. Praise Jesus for the people who became Christians this week! Pray for them as they begin their new life in Christ.

The glory of going unrecognized

Deacon Jonathan Brodhagen — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:00:00 -0700

“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:2–5

So many young men and women go into ministry imagining being on the stage, receiving tons of “thank you’s” for all the great things they are doing “for the Lord.” This was me.

Going off stage

When Jesus first called me to go into ministry, I was a 16-year-old student who had a lot of “interesting” ideas of what ministry would actually be like. Early on in ministry, I lived for the affirmation I received from people. Whether I was speaking or leading worship in front of a crowd, the topic may have been about Jesus, but in my heart it was all about me.

It took Jesus moving me off of the stage, to doing ministry from the sidelines and in various supporting roles to pastors to break this idol in my heart. Ministry idolatry is a real struggle that those serving in ministry will face, and an idol that everybody who has a leadership role in the church needs to repent of.

Too often Christians forget that the most important ministry in the church happens off stage, where there will be no recognition. Every week, hundreds of faithful servants minister in the church, and help the church move forward, by God’s grace. The key for servants in the church is to rejoice that all glory and honor belongs to Jesus Christ alone.

The Apostle Peter in his first letter gave clear instructions to those in ministry, to not serve for their own glory, but to instead be willing to serve without recognition.

1. Serve not for shameful gain (v. 2)

A temptation in doing ministry is to build your own platform. You desire to serve Jesus, but you get tripped up by Satan into serving yourself. In Matthew 4:1–11, Jesus was tempted in the desert by Satan and instead of yielding to selfish gain, Jesus kept his eyes on the mission God the Father gave him, and did not give in to shameful gain for himself. In doing so, Jesus was faithful to God in the ways the Israelites had failed in their desert wanderings. Additionally, Mark 10:45 makes it clear that Jesus Christ came not to be served, but to give his life as a ransom for many. By contrast, none of us has served as selflessly or sacrificially as Jesus.

As the Holy Spirit examines our hearts and motives as we serve, we often see our mixed motives. We want the pastor to notice us, and thank us. We use ministry as a platform to showcase our talents and abilities. While Jesus has given all Christian’s spiritual gifts and natural talents, we are to use them to worship him, and not seek shameful gain for ourselves.

2. Serve out of your identity in Christ

At Mars Hill we talk a lot about our identity in Christ. When we are living out of whatever identity the world (or even the people in the church) give us, we are setting ourselves up for idolatry and the unavoidable emptiness that comes with it.

Pastor Mark writes about this in Who Do You Think You Are?:

The truth [is] that no matter how famous or rich we become, we all want to be appreciated—and the feelings that come from feeling unappreciated can be devastating, crippling us and crushing our desire to move forward. When we feel this way, we’re faced with a choice. Do we believe what the world says about us? Or do we believe what God says about us? What we choose to believe can change the trajectory of our lives in dramatic ways.

Too often, those doing the work of the ministry will see others getting more recognition for how they are serving, and be discouraged and feel unappreciated, or feel jealous of the attention. This can start a negative cycle of doing ministry out of performance and competition.

“For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.” Hebrews 6:10

As a servant in the church, it’s been crucial for me to know that I am appreciated by Jesus Christ. When I rest in that fact, when I serve him and his church, my inclination to grumble and compete with others goes down, and I instead find myself celebrating others’ successes. (That said, there’s still a lot God is working out in me in this, naturally.)

But as we live out of our identities in Christ and understand that we are appreciated by Jesus, we can rejoice in others’ recognition and stop being bitter towards any un-recognition we perceive, and instead be thankful that Jesus is using us. We stop boasting about ourselves and start encouraging others—and, ultimately, we stop performing and start serving.

3. Submit yourself to the elders in the church (v. 5)

Often young men in particular can be prone to being headstrong and resisting leadership. We think we know everything, and if given the chance, we would do things much different. Yet Jesus opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. . . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:6–7, 10

4. Resist the devil (vv. 8–10)

Serving in ministry is completely contrary to Satan’s plan for your life. You need to know you will be opposed every day. Traps will be set for you to stumble and sin. The moment you let your guard down, you will be assaulted. The amazing part is that Jesus does not leave us with our backs unguarded, but himself steps in to uphold us.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10

5. Proclaim Jesus’ kingdom, not your own

You don’t have to go into ministry to make it about you. Instead, in Christ, you can do everything to make Jesus’ name famous. Whatever you build will fade away, as only Jesus’ kingdom is eternal, and he’s already building it. All we need to do is be heralds of that news.

“To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:11

Serving practically

It took Jesus moving me from doing ministry on stage, to serving in supporting ministry roles supporting to show me how ugly my pride in wanting to get all the credit was (is), and how much better it is to enjoy seeing what Jesus is up to. Both as a chaplain’s assistant in the U.S. Army and as a deacon here at Mars Hill, every single thing I have done in ministry has been behind the scenes, and I’ve seen people have their lives changed by Jesus. It’s incredible.

Here are a few practical steps I’ve taken from Pastor Mark that have helped me learn more about how to serve well by the grace of God without recognition:

As you serve, remember you are not here to do your thing, but to assist the leaders you serve.
Work hard in the church to enable the pastors to work on the church.
Be humble and willing to do whatever is needed.
Love Jesus and the church more than yourself.

If we’re honest, none of us nails this. We all have some growing to do. But when we fall short and make it about ourselves instead of Jesus, we can repent, receive forgiveness and know that it’s much better to make the name of Jesus great—and so much more freeing to have it not be about us!

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.” Isaiah 42:1

Watch the Acts sermon series trailer

Mars Hill Church — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0700

Acts: Empowered for Jesus' Mission • Starting May 26th

From 2009–2011, Pastor Mark preached through Luke’s gospel in its entirety. This May, we’ll be exploring Luke’s second book, the book of Acts.

It opens with Jesus at his ascension, commissioning believers to be his witnesses throughout the whole world by the power of the Holy Spirit. For almost 2,000 years, this mission of Jesus has been unbroken and unhindered. Nothing has stopped the work of the Holy Spirit through God’s people—not persecution, not heresy, not apostasy—nothing. It is unlike any other movement in the history of the world.

Acts is an encouragement for the church today as Christians contend for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Over the next few years, we will study the entire book by looking at a section of chapters each year. Join us this May as we kick off our new sermon series exploring the first five chapters of the book of Acts.

Study Guide

You can also pick up Acts Study Guide: Chapters 1–5, which goes along with the sermon series and includes daily devotions, a small group study, and a group inductive study.

Sermon schedule

Part 1 • Jesus Empowered by the Spirit • May 26

Part 2 • Scripture Empowered by the Spirit • June 2

Part 3 • Empowered by the Spirit to Follow Jesus • June 9

Part 4 • Empowered by the Spirit to Evangelize • June 16

Part 5 • Empowered by the Spirit to Be in Community • June 23

Part 6 • Empowered by the Spirit to Heal • June 30

Part 7 • Empowered by the Spirit to Be Courageous • July 7

Part 8 • Empowered by the Spirit to Lead • July 14

Part 9 • Empowered by the Spirit to Pray • July 21

Part 10 • Empowered by the Spirit to Be Generous • August 4

Find out more at marshill.com/acts

Life at Mars Hill, Students Edition!

Mars Hill Church — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 09:00:00 -0700

A few story snippets and snapshots of our Students Ministry at the Ballard, Bellevue, and Sammamish churches.

A group of middle school boys each wrote down a name of one friend they’d like to see come during the 7 Claims series. They spent their group time praying over these names.

One small group of freshman girls has more than doubled in size with over 15 young ladies since the beginning of the 7 Claims series. In one week’s time this group needed to replicate to two.

A brand-new Christian was given a Bible just weeks ago, and she has already highlighted the heck out of it.

Parents got creative with some food and fortune cookies, the claims of Jesus inside.

This picture is not just a picture of someone getting a Bible. These are two sisters, Avi and Julia. Over a month ago, their mother, Gloria, brought her two daughters and son to Mars Hill Students. Then, she came to Easter service with them, and she and her son both met Jesus and were baptized. Over the next couple of weeks at Mars Hill Students, Avi and Julia have both started to surrender their lives to Christ.

What makes you weary?

Deacon Lynne Wilson — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0700

Life is weary, sin is weary, work is weary. There’s no denying it—everyone experiences weariness, whether it be from one cause or another.

What makes you weary? I asked myself this question recently and came up with this list:

Never gettting enough work done
Fighting my own sin and facing the sins of others
Fighting the enemy and his attacks on me
Worrying about my future and trying to make plans
My body hurting in sickness

As I reflected on these things I wondered: Should I be weary with them? Should I be weary at all? I decided to take a look at what Scripture has to say on weariness, and I found what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (2 Cor. 4:8–12, NIV)

What these verses describe is a lifetime of weariness. It would be a tragedy if this were where the story ended—but we have Jesus. What does Jesus say about weariness? What does Jesus know about weariness?

Jesus walked everywhere without the luxury of a car or the comfort of a home. Crowds followed him constantly as he healed the sick and fed the multitudes. He went without food for 40 days and nights while being tempted intensely by Satan. In the hours before his death, he was abandoned by his closest friends. He then died the more horrific death, in our place, for our sin, and called it all joy to the full! How did he live that kind of life and call it “joy”?

Jesus was secure in his identity (Mark 1:12–14). He resisted the enemy in the face of condemnation and temptation.
Jesus was in constant communication with the Father (John 5:1–21). What a privilege that we have the same Father!
Jesus spent time alone with his Father (Luke 5:16). How often do you withdraw to spend time with the Lord?
Jesus set his mind on an eternal kingdom yet to come (Rev. 21; John 14:1–3). How often do you have your eyes set on the things unseen?
Jesus was obedient to the point of death (Phil. 2:3–8). How far does your obedience go?
Jesus was a servant (John 13:13–15). Do you consider others more highly than yourself?
Jesus did not fear man (Matt. 10:26–32). Do you fear the Lord more than man?
Jesus had a mission (Matt. 17:4). Do you know your mission and calling?

When we get weary, we are to remember that we can rely on God for his strength, as we look to Jesus as our perfect, wearied, glorious example.

Lynne Wilson is a deacon at Mars Hill Ballard where she serves on staff as a biblical counselor and Redemption Group leader.

Why does grace matter?

Pastor Justin Holcomb — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0700

Grace is not an abstract principle, but a reality of our life with God. As Karl Barth once emphasized: “Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace.” And you can be assured that God’s grace will embed itself into your life in profound ways. That is simply how the Holy Spirit works.

The grace of God extends down to us, not because we deserve it, but precisely because we do not deserve it (Rom. 5:8). When we are born, we are dead, condemned, depraved, corrupt, perverse, sinful, and completely unable to save ourselves or even lift a finger to enable salvation (Rom. 2–3; 6:23).

Grace is a gift

Our works, even attempts at good works, are not adequate to contribute to our salvation. We are often tempted to believe it is the spiritual effort that matters. As J. Gresham Machen once wrote,

The reception of [the grace of God] is faith: faith means not doing something but receiving something; it means not the earning of a reward but the acceptance of a gift. A man can never be said to obtain a thing for himself if he obtains it by faith; indeed to say that he does not obtain it for himself but permits another to obtain it for him. Faith, in other words, is not active but passive; and to say that we are saved by faith is to say that we do not save ourselves but are saved only by the one in whom our faith is reposed; the faith of man presupposes the sovereign grace of God.

But the intention of a dead man has no profound influence on a living God. Once the Spirit regenerates our dead hearts, we by faith receive the completed work of Jesus who accomplishes our justification—a declaration of his righteousness on us. As his grace continues to work in our lives, the gospel comes to fruition in every aspect of our life (Col. 1:6; 2 Peter 1:3–9).

Through and motivated by God’s grace, we are called to live in righteousness and holiness as God’s adopted children but we are not left to our own power. God has graciously sent the Holy Spirit to work in us to want to do and actually do true good works (Phil. 2:13; Eph. 2:8–10).

He meets us

Our God of grace has a kindly disposition toward us, and throughout history he has demonstrated his grace in specific acts of kindness. He meets us in our places of hurt, sin, and brokenness and brings hope, healing, and comfort. It is in those seasons in our lives when the grace of God is most needed and best understood. The ultimate act of the God of grace is the ministry of Jesus: his incarnation, his sinless life, his death on the cross for the sins of the world, and his resurrection from the dead.

Our God of grace carries us all our lives, even when, and especially when, we are completely unable to move forward on our own. In fact, it is in our weakness that God’s grace is made perfect. In our state of disgrace, he continually and always gives grace.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’” 2 Corinthians 12:9

This post is adapted from Pastor Justin’s brand-new book, On the Grace of God. It’s the latest book from a Mars Hill pastor, and this Sunday, you’ll have your first chance to pick up a copy in the Bookstore at your local Mars Hill church or on Amazon.

30 days, 90 converts: A story from Ecuador

Mars Hill Church — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0700

Mars Hill, you’re a part of a global effort to see Jesus preached and known in every nation. We recently received an update from one of the church planters we partner with in South America. Here’s a dispatch from Doug Kallestad on what Jesus is doing in Ecuador and how you can be praying for Jesus’ mission there.

Recently, a young church-planting couple, Luis and Karen, were sent out from one of our other churches in the Guayaquil area to Curia to begin a brand new church. They had been doing a great job in reaching people for Jesus and now have a small congregation, with a couple of home small groups in three villages of this coastal region. Over a month ago, because of a complicated pregnancy, they returned to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city, to have their first baby.

30 days, 90 converts

While Luis and Karen were gone, the pastor of the church that sent them went to Curia to help keep the church plant going in their absence. The pastor, Geovani, met a believer from the church who was passionate about sharing his love for Jesus throughout the region and invited Geovani to meet some of his friends. They began visiting other small villages along the coast. Within a month, over 90 people had given their lives to Christ and seven new home groups had been established with the new believers studying the Bible and the first steps of following Jesus.

Luis and Karen returned with their new baby to find that their small congregation of 25 members and two home groups had exploded to over 100 members and nine home groups needing oversight and teaching. These new home groups are spread out between seven different towns along the coast.

A renewed dependency

The Lord’s timing was beautiful as Luis and Karen came back to this expansion in their work with a renewed dependency upon Jesus knowing that the church belongs to him—not them—and that he will help them develop the strategies necessary to continue to expand his kingdom throughout the coastal region of southern Ecuador. Luis is now visiting the new believers and teaching a study from the Gospel of John in each one of the new groups.

Geovani has returned to his own church with a renewed commitment to train more leaders to be sent out into God’s harvest field. We ended the week at his church with a worship service. The church Geovani pastors is also a relatively young church with many needs, yet they’ve already sent their own missionaries out to plant new churches. Even that night at the worship service, Geovani challenged his church to bless the ministry of a fellow pastor through a special offering so he can start a new work in the rural area of Baba.

The harvest is ready

God’s harvest is ready. Jesus commanded us to pray that more workers be sent out into his harvest field, and our brothers and sisters in Ecuador continue to make disciples of him. Pray for Luis, Geovani, and their families. Pray that God would could continue to raise up more workers to be sent out into his harvest for his glory.

Prayer requests

Here are a few ways you can pray for the mission in Ecuador this month:

The church plant in Curia and that the new believers would become strong committed disciples of Jesus
Wisdom, strength, and resources for Luis and Karen as they lead the church in Curia
Wisdom as we expand our leadership training program to three new locations this year
Wisdom and resources for a new church plant in Maipú, Chile, this year
The health of our workers in Sierra Leone as over half of the team has been struck with malaria over the last month

+450 leaders for breakfast

Pastor Sutton Turner — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 03:00:00 -0700

Recently we held a vision breakfast to thank the kingly leaders in our church and give them a vision of where Mars Hill Church is going in the next few years. Over 450 people from all 14 of our locations were able to join the executive elders via video conferencing. These people are some of our most faithful members, the people who give the most of their time, talent, and treasure to serve the church and God.

Pastor Mark casts Mars Hill’s vision live to Downtown Seattle leaders with Pastor AJ.

Pastor Drew gathers leaders at the U-District church.

Pastor Willie discusses with Rainier Valley leaders.

Pastor Alex speaks to his faithful leaders at the Ballard church.

Pastor Thomas speaks with the leaders of the Bellevue church.

We’re in a season of storing up and building the health of our local churches as we expect God to do big things in the years to come. God has been incredibly faithful to us, and we pray we’ll be faithful in return and that he’ll continue to show us grace as we strive to grow and love his people.

Gentleness is not weakness

Pastor Jeff Bettger — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0700

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:1–6

Biblical gentleness

Gentleness, in Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, is defined as this: “Sensitivity of disposition and kindness of behavior, founded on strength and prompted by love.”

Many of us assume gentleness to be passive, as well as meek. In our day and age, it’s generally associated with weakness—especially in men. It’s thought of as a quiet, timid quality reserved for mothers and the overly compassionate.

But that’s not what we see in these verses.

Biblical gentleness is not weak and is not about being pushed around. It requires the truth and humility to love somebody where they are. Gentle people do not water down the truth, and while they do not use harsh words, they often use hard words presented with love. This means we in the church must make a real effort to understand the predispositions and presumptions of others, humbly loving others, and knowing them before we speak with gentleness and concern.

True gentleness is never self-seeking—it is for God’s glory. Real gentleness isn’t passive, but it is patient. It means “bearing with one another in love,” fighting for peace, and seeking reconciliation and restoration.

God begins with gentleness

When we are gentle, we will accept God’s dealing with us as good, for his glory.

We will not dispute or resist God’s discipline for us, as we understand that gentleness is born out of God’s power and is for our good. This is how we can be gentle with others: We must first know and understand how God is gentle with us.

God begins with gentleness, by making us male and female in his image. He did not see it fit for man to be alone so he gently perfected us as image bearers by creating female from male. It was in his gentleness that he rebuked us and locked us out of the garden so we would not eat of the tree of life and live in sin and death for eternity. God hates sin and is gentle with us about it, so gentle that he showed us how much he hates sin by giving up his own Son to death for our sake. It was gentle, kind, and merciful of him to provide Jesus as a fulfillment of the law when we deserved death. We who are believers now see God as gentle with us, because of his love for his Son who has made provision for a spotless unblemished bride, his church.

That is power. That is humility. That is gentleness.

Jesus, help me to love my family and others with the kind of gentleness that you have loved me. The one who takes the wrath and scorns the shame of crucifixion so that others will know and see your love, might, and glory. You could have punished me, and you could rebuke me in anger for my sin, but you instead show me what sin deserves and then you gave the deserved punishment to your Son. I love you. Thank you for your gentleness.

Love and trust amid an uncertain adoption

Mackenzie Ellis — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0700

“In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:4–6

We first met our kids at Starbucks. I was drinking a vanilla latte the first time I laid eyes on the faces of our babies. This may seem strange, particularly if you’re a parent who likely saw your child for the first time in a delivery room or in the bedroom of your home. That was not the case for my husband, Cliff, and me.

Our daughter, who was nearly three at the time, came bounding through the door, then timidly approached us as the social worker introduced us to their current caregivers. By the end of the conversation, she had climbed up on my lap, but remained skeptical of my husband. Our son, who was an infant, initially slept in his car seat, unaware of what was taking place, but gradually woke up and willingly sat in my husband’s lap. Our first picture together as a family captured this moment, a moment we never could have envisioned.

A hope deferred

As far as modern medicine is concerned, the likelihood of my husband and me conceiving children naturally is quite low, a less than 2% chance. Initially, this was devastating. We were unsure as to what this meant for our family. We wanted to be parents, but it seemed as if our deep desire would not be met. In response we prayed, grieved, sought counsel, scoured Scripture, considered medical options, and read books on adoption, infertility, etc.

Fellowship in adoption

Ultimately, God used a family in our Community Group to encourage us toward adoption. They arrived for the first time one week when we were giving an update on what we had learned from the doctors, as well as what we had learned from an adoption information night. (We later realized that our daughter had been born the same month we attended the adoption information night.) The couple shared that they had adopted their daughter from South Africa, and were praying for other couples with whom to walk through the adoption process.

Over time, we saw their example of a family formed through adoption and were encouraged and amazed at the beautiful picture of the gospel it represented: Parents choosing a child they did not know. Choosing to love her. Choosing to provide, sacrifice, and endure for her.

Walking in his call

God’s call for us became clear. Over the course of three years, we filled out endless piles of paperwork, participated in a multitude of interviews, experienced several “near misses” of potential kids in need of adoption, and ultimately decided to pursue adoption through foster care—the very thing I vowed we’d never do because of the additional fear and uncertainty of having children placed in our home who could then be reunited with their birthparents.

But through our struggles with processes, disappointments, and fears, God has made it clear that his timing and his ways are perfect.

Trust amid uncertainty

Currently, our daughter is four and our son is almost two. They’ve lived with us for a little more than a year, and we pray we will be able to adopt them before the end of 2013. There are many uncertainties with the situation and there are no guarantees things will ultimately end in adoption.

But this uncertainty doesn’t change our hearts toward these two kids. We love them. We have loved them since before we knew their names, saw their faces, or snuggled them close. We loved them before they called us “Mommy” and “Daddy,” trusted their hands in ours, responded to our love, affection, correction, and care.

This is only possible because we trust and have seen that God loves us, that he loves them even more than we do, and that in his goodness he will work this situation out for his glory. It’s in places like Ephesians 1:5 where we see God’s glory on display through adoption: He loved us first. He provided for us first. He went first at a great cost to himself—his own Son, Jesus.

Twice adopted

It’s through this example and our experience that we’ve come to learn how truly amazing God is, that he can be trusted, and that even in extremely challenging circumstances, he is present. In turn we’ve had many opportunities to encourage our kids—particularly our daughter—to trust in Jesus, reminding them that he is always there, which brings a great comfort and joy to them and us.

Our prayer is that in the midst of our adoption of these kids, they would more clearly understand God’s adoption of his people. I hope for the day I can explain to my children how amazing it is that they’ve been adopted twice: once by my husband and me, and once (but most importantly) by our good and faithful heavenly Father.

A Q&A with the guys of Citizens

Mars Hill Church — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:00:00 -0700

By this point, you’ve almost definitely heard Citizens and their new album—even if some Christian radio stations won’t play them because the lyrics are “too vertical” (i.e. they focus too much on Jesus).

But here at Mars Hill, we don’t think of them as rock stars, but as brothers, members of the church, and men who deeply love Jesus. These guys rock in more than one way, and we deeply appreciate their service to our church. In this Q&A, we wanted to get to know the men behind the popular videos and albums, and learn what it’s like to be a son of God, a leader in the church, and a musician in the day-to-day.

Get your copy of Citizens today on iTunes.

The group consists of Zach Bolen (lead vocals and guitar), Nate Garvey (keys), Adam Skatula (drums), Nathan Furtado (bass), and Bryce Covert (guitar). Below, they talk about Smashing Pumpkins, Tim Keller, and learning about worship from toddlers.

Mars Hill Church: What’s behind the name “Citizens”?

Zach Bolen: In Ephesians 2:19–21 you see this beautiful depiction of what happens when we are reconciled to God: we are brought from being strangers and aliens and through the grace of God, called “citizens” of the kingdom of God. That makes us a family of people whose identity is found in Jesus, with an understanding that the only one worthy of our adoration is him. . . . The name “Citizens” was a way for us to bring everyone together, with an identity that reminds us of who we are in Christ. In a sense, anyone worshiping with us is a part of Citizens.

MHC: How did Citizens get its sound?

Nate Garvey: While we all definitely had our own little twists and takes on things and came from different experiences, I think we all really just naturally came together. Zach’s always brought that big-guitar, crunchy telecaster sound. He was always talking about the old Ryan Adams and Smashing Pumpkins. (I was homeschooled my whole life, so I never knew what he was talking about.) Tom just had a crazy feel for scales and riffs, and I’ve always been into that ’80s and ’90s piano/synth-driven stuff. Adam and Nate were more of the hard rock guys—but we love them. Somehow even though we came from different backgrounds, by the time we were playing together, we just felt like it wasn’t that hard to meet in the middle and let the sound happen.

MHC: You guys tend to take old hymns and turn them into worship anthems like “Amazing Grace.” Why not just write new songs?

NG: I think it’s important to do both. I heard my friend [Sovereign Grace Music Director] Bob Kauflin say once that a good song has a timely message with a timeless melody. If you’re writing for your church, it’s really important that you know your context so you actually know what is timely for you and your people.

When we were starting Mars Hill U-District, it was really important for us, being a really young church full of college students and tons of energy, to remember those old songs and truths. . . . We wanted to be intentional about using melodies and arrangements that directed that young energy in a God-glorifying way. We wanted to stay away from making our worship about the experience and more about a response to God transforming our lives not just individually, but as a church.

MHC: How has being a part of Citizens shaped you as a Christian?

Adam Skatula: I listened to recent Tim Keller sermon where he talks about how people misunderstand free justification. He talks about how people both Christian and secular, spend a great deal of their lives trying to validate their performance record and justify their existence.

I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking that way, especially with music. Many people in music feel a weight to create something original that will stand the test of time, but really just something that people generally will say is “good.” People feel the need to justify themselves through their art or their ability.

Playing in a band that is constantly focused on worshiping Jesus hasn’t just moved my focus towards him—but instead it’s blown up the idea [of validating myself through performance] entirely. Understanding that Jesus Christ died not only to forgive, but also to give us the righteousness that he alone deserved has changed my heart and brain immensely through this band to understand I am truly free, free to worship him in his infinite love, with all that it includes. Jesus has used the guys in this band and the things that have happened over the past year and a half that we’ve been together to sanctify me and open my eyes even wider to his love and unending grace.

MHC: How has Jesus changed your music? How would it be different if you weren’t a Christian?

NG: I used to write horrible songs. I wrote about myself, my girlfriends, and what I was feeling in my heart (which was usually just a sinful response to a foolish lifestyle). Apart from his grace, everything I do is self-centered and self-gratifying. But when God saved me, he began redeeming everything in my life, including my music.

What’s amazing is that God began an incredible campaign of reconciling all things to himself when he sent his Son Jesus to conquer the power of sin and its effects in the world so when I write music, even if it’s about how crappy things might be, I always want to keep it in perspective within the lens of the gospel.

MHC: What role does prayer, Community Group involvement, or Bible-reading play in Citizens?

Nathan Furtado: Every part of that is very integral to the band, and they all connect to being part of the church. As a band, we do our best to pray in all we do and to live a life of repentance. Zach does a good job leading by consistently challenging us, pointing to Jesus and the Scriptures.

Reading the Bible is a needed daily discipline and most of the guys either lead a Community Group or are a part of one. Beyond that we are our own little Community Group, we challenge each other, encourage each other, pray for each other; they are an amazing group of guys and I am very blessed to be ministering together with them in this capacity. I think the unique part of being in a band that is part of the church is the end goal: to point to Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.

MHC: What are some challenges that you’ve gone through and how was being part of the band helpful

NF: Well, the year I joined Citizens I had newly relocated to the northwest for school. Things were very chaotic balancing church, school, collegiate soccer, and relationships. I think the biggest challenge was in early 2012, three people very close to me passed away, one of them my best friend of 25 years. I was very sad and became pretty depressed; yet having the community I have in the band it was very easy to go to them for support. Just having honest open talks about life were amazing and it was integral to getting through that season.

MHC: You are the newest member of the band. How did you become of a part of Citizens?

Bryce Covert: I had been going to Mars Hill for about nine months, and the Holy Spirit really moved in me to invest at church. Until then, I hadn’t served in any way, hadn’t participated in any way, and hadn’t given in any way. I started to ask myself, “How could I honor God with everything that he’s given me, including my skills?” At first, it wasn’t really clear to me what that looked like. . . . It turned out that Zach was looking for a guitarist, and it all fell into place really easily.

MHC: Zach, you’re the father of two adorable little girls. How has being a father shaped your song-writing?

ZB: My girls dance and sing constantly. There is usually not five minutes that go by where you don’t hear them singing something. I am so encouraged by the Kids Ministry at Mars Hill U-District. My girls sing songs like “Nothing but the Blood” and “Amazing Grace” all the time as a result of [Kids Min leaders’] faithfulness in proclaiming the gospel to those little hearts and minds. Even as little children they have a desire to sing songs to Jesus.

This has been hugely influential as I write music for the church, because I’m reminded that they are learning the gospel through a number of ways, but a lot of it comes down to them just singing gospel truth over and over. I want my girls to love Jesus and be proclaimers of his good news.

You can learn so much from kids in the way they can literally run around in a circle for two hours singing the same song, without any care of who’s watching. For them, the lyric hasn’t lost its effect and the melody continues to grab them. As adults, I think we can get desensitized so quickly that we forget how to appreciate the beauty of repetition. In reality, [kids] do a better job at times of imaging what heaven will be like, singing the same amazing truth like “AMAZING GRACE!!!” over and over, than we do.

A day in the life: The Mars Hill Network

Mars Hill Church — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:00:00 -0700

We recently held a workshop for our Network churches focused on our counseling (Redemption Groups) and Community Groups. We thought it’d be great to hear from an on the ground perspective, so we asked Kyle Wetzler from Living Stones Church to capture what he was learning and photos throughout his time there:

Pastor Dave Bruskas’ session

Through his teaching of Ephesians 4, I saw a great line of progression on how through the proclamation of the gospel and through the ground war of Community Groups, the body is built up into maturity. The progression went something like this:

→ Jesus’ gospel is proclaimed,

→ The gospel is received,

→ The gospel mends lives,

→ The gospel equips people to care and serve each other,

→ The gospel brings unity of faith,

→ People gain experiential knowledge of Jesus,

→ The gospel brings about maturity, people start reflecting Jesus.

And the cycle starts over again.

The world we live in is a dizzy bat world. As Ephesians 4 lays out, that there is a tendency to be tossed to and fro by wind of doctrine, that false doctrine is everywhere, we as leaders need to receive and believe the gospel before we can help to stabilize others dizziness.

Truth and love make a powerful epoxy. Without both of these, people will not stick.

Pastor Mike Wilkerson’s session

Pastor Mike started off asking a tough question: “Do we roll up our sleeves and enter into the messiness in life?” This question stuck out to me and still is something I am thinking about and asking other leaders around me.

My favorite part of this session was the ability to break out into cohorts with guys from our team here in Reno and join other leaders from Mars Hill Everett and Mars Hill Olympia and gain wisdom on what it look like to get Redemption Groups off the ground. Whether it was logistical issues, leadership structures, or training issues.

It was comforting to know that there are others in similar boats trying to figure out what’s best to care for and love their church as Jesus has called them to. Between this session and a few conversations with others during breaks and lunch, this was the most beneficial thing. The ability to rub shoulders with others who love Jesus, love their church and want to serve the best way they can. It’s an honor to be able to serve alongside these other men as we strive to make much of Jesus.

Pastor AJ Hamilton’s session

Great simple, practical wisdom. The team I came up with really enjoyed the wisdom and structure he broke down for us. As the church and demands of the ministry grow, it’s important that we don’t take everything on our own, but that we bring others along to help shepherd and lead.

We want to strive to build a Community Group system that best utilizes the gifting and talents of each leader, with a primary emphasis on finding faithful men to invest in, care for, and raise up to become leaders for the church to help care for the growing flock. Frequently I attempt to look around and see who these men are, but Pastor AJ simply threw it to us to ask God to show us who these men are—seems simple but unfortunately easily forgotten about in the midst of ministry.

I need to get better at celebrating at what Jesus is doing. It’s easy for me to put the hand to the plow and push forward, but Pastor AJ encouraged us to celebrate what’s happening in our groups, big or small.

Post-event meeting

I had the opportunity to go out to dinner with [Network Manager] Joe Stengele and [Mars Hill Ballard Lead] Pastor Alex Early and it was great to decompress over a good meal and drink. Great to be able to build relationships, joke around, discuss theology, and build a bond these men who share the same heart in seeing Jesus’ gospel spread.

Stories from around Mars Hill, 4/17/13

Pastor Sutton Turner — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 01:00:00 -0700

A lot of our churches are still seeing the fruit of people being saved on Easter or people who showed up on Easter for the first time and they want to hear more about Jesus. We love that and are excited to walk with them as they learn and grow.

At Mars Hill Shoreline, a high school girl told Adam Ramsey she’d come for a few weeks now, both her parents are not Christians, and last night said, “I felt like I’ve been running into a wall my whole life, but tonight Jesus showed me where the door is. It’s him.” She was beaming.

The Federal Way church started a new membership class last Sunday. Ten people in the class have become Christians at Mars Hill in the last year. One woman shared how she didn’t believe in God and tried to kill herself by taking pills. As she blacked out, she cried out to God and asked that if he was real that he keep her alive so she could follow him. She survived and now follows Jesus.

A kindergarten teacher was considering getting baptized. The week before Easter she called her friend, a fourth-grade teacher who goes to Mars Hill Everett, to ask her for help on the baptism form. She asked her, “This form asks how has your life changed since meeting Jesus, but I have always believed in Jesus so I don’t know what to put. Also, what is sin?” Her friend shared the gospel with her, and she believed in Jesus as her Savior and was baptized on Easter.

A mom, brother, and sister at Mars Hill Ballard were all saved in the past month. The older sister, who’s in her 20s, also attended church with the family and she was saved last week.

A high school girl from the West Seattle church was baptized last Sunday. Her grandfather was also in church and decided to get baptized as well after seeing the boldness of his granddaughter.

Mars Hill Bellevue continues to see new people attend for the first time. On Sunday, a man stayed well after the service had ended. One of the church’s interns approached him and after a lengthy conversation the man confessed his sin to Christ and is now a Christian.

Please pray these new Christians can deepen their walks with Jesus and grow into community as a part of the family at Mars Hill Church.

God is using students—today

Mars Hill Church — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:00:00 -0700

“We’re not waiting for students to grow up—we’re finding that God’s using them right now where they are.” –Adam Ramsey

Jesus doesn’t save people so they can just sit down in their salvation and walk in the path of least resistance, says Student Ministries Director Adam Ramsey in this clip—Jesus saves us to send us. And we’re seeing it happen in amazing ways in students’ lives all across the church right now, and you’re invited to join.

If you’re a student, we’d love for you to come be a part of Jesus’ mission here Mars Hill.
If you’re a parent, we’d love for you to encourage your students to come during the week or to go to camp with us this summer.
And if nothing else, please support, and pray with and for this ministry.

Get involved by talking to the Student Ministries lead at your local Mars Hill church. If you’re looking to go to camp this summer check it out here.

‘Sin is insanity’: A pastoral word on the Boston Marathon bombings

Pastor David Fairchild — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0700

For those scanning social media, we want to be extremely clear on what we’re saying and not saying here. We’re not saying the bombings are a judgment from God against Boston. That would be a horrific thing to say. What this post does say is that for whoever did this, their actions were ultimately rebellion against God, and this sin caused the deaths of innocent people. And that's the insanity of it all. For more on a theology of violence, we’d encourage you to check out Pastor Justin Holcomb’s post in the wake of the Aurora theater shooting.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

I am deeply grieved by the early reports of two blasts occurring at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. There is a growing number of fatalities and dozens severely injured. Sadly, in a split second, people and families have been shattered and forever changed by this terrible tragedy.

Pray in hope

The most powerful weapon at our disposal against evil is the hope-filled prayer of God’s people. Join me in praying for those in attendance as well as the families of those affected by this heinous act. Also, please pray for the policemen, firemen, and medical personnel treating and protecting the victims of this evil act—may God give these men and women helpful words for hurting people.

Evil is rebellion

Make no mistake, we are at war: an insane rebellion against our Creator God is the root cause of this murderous action. We may blame this barbarism on religion, economics, politics, and even mental maladies. Though influential, the underlying sin behind every sin is treason against the One who made us for love and flourishing. Sin is insanity and destroys what is good, right, and true. Sin makes no sense, is not rational, nor can be reasoned with. Sin thrives in darkness and hates the light. Sin opposes everything God loves and is compelled to ruin God’s plans and purposes to put this world right.

God swallows the curse

Though the whole human race participates in this defiance, God is unshakably committed to extending his healing grace as far as this deadly curse is found. God, not bombs, has the last say over death. He comes to the world to put out the burning wick of the world’s destruction. He does so, not by acts of military might or zealous terror, but by swallowing the curse like a bitter pill. He enters this fractured world, places himself in our guilty place and endures the strength and horror of evil on a Roman cross until it is fully exhausted through him. He bears the full blast of God’s wrath against all the powers of hell aligned against us.

Why? Because our Creator is for shalom, he is against anything that attempts to destroy it. His long journey of redemption points history towards new creation in his death and resurrection, a new world where incendiary devices and their deadly use are no more, a world where evil men doing evil deeds are expelled from the kingdom of God.

The world will not
always be this way

Yes, evil is real and this act reminds us, once again, that we need the hero who is able and willing. Thankfully, the second member of the Trinity, Jesus Christ the righteous, touched down on this cracked sphere and is ultimately, subversively undoing everything untrue. His coming proves we can trust the world will not always be this way. And though we may not fully understand why God allowed this senseless bombing, we do know, unquestionably, that he cares and his covenantal commitment will not be diminished by the flailing death rattle of evil in any form.

Grieve with hope

Turn in prayer to the captain of our faith who settles hearts and deploys the power of his gospel to the places of greatest need. Saints, he hears your prayers and delights in answering them in heartbreaking moments like this.

Let us grieve and mourn for the weeping city of Boston. But let us do so with hope, knowing Jesus is Lord of creation and the great physician of every wound.

“Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28

Adoption through a mother’s eyes

Marci Turner — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0700

In this Mars Hill Global video, my husband talks about the adoption of our son and how that has taught him to see all in Christ as sons and daughters. I wanted to expound on this and share more on how we’ve seen God's grace through the adoption of our son:

Before birth

A little over a year ago, we brought home our new 18-month-old son, a toddler from half a world away. In the months since, we have cared for him, loved on him, and trained him. And every day when I see life through his eyes, I have a deeper since of my adoption in Christ.

Our adoption process started in 2008 and took a circuitous four years. In those days when I doubted it would ever happen, a dear friend attempted to encourage this 40-something me that perhaps the child wasn’t born yet—and it turned out he wasn’t. We chose to adopt him years before he was even born, just as God chose me before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).

Unlikely and glorious

These days when my son and I are in the grocery store, heads turn for several reasons. Either he’s unhappy and quite vocal about it, or others are perplexed how a white gal could have a baby boy that dark. We don’t look alike; we are an unlikely family. God’s choice to save me may seem strange and unlikely to the world but it affirms his glorious and active role in my salvation. He chooses the foolish to shame the wise (1 Cor. 1:27).

Our son has a new name and identity. Although he will always be African, his adoption into our family means he will instinctively take on our nature. He is in our family now, which means that he will identify with all those things that mean being a Turner including football, Texas, and world events. Adopted in God’s family, I have a new name: child of God. I also have a new identity: adopted in Christ.

A missing daddy

When we first met our son, he spoke three words and one of them was baba (“daddy,” in Amharic). He never knew his biological daddy but he was looking for him, ready and willing to call on a father. I now better comprehend that since the Fall in Eden (Gen. 3), we are all looking for that missing Father. Thankfully, Jesus reunites me with him (Eph. 2:18).

Nearly 14 months later, our son still has an occasional fitful night and is unsettled when we sleep in new places on vacations. In those moments, he forgets he is with us forever and safe. Although Africa may be a distant memory, his little mind struggles to comprehend the depth of our love. Likewise, I can at times be unsure I am really home, and Paul prays that I will comprehend the expansive dimensions of Christ’s love for me (Eph. 3:18).

Safe and secure

Our little man still panics when someone is eating and he is not. He will muscle his way in a group of kids to get what he needs. It will take years for the instincts of self-preservation to abate. He doesn’t have to fight to be fed anymore, to be noticed, or to be comforted. Likewise, I forget that in Jesus I am safe. My eternity is assured. I am forgiven, loved, and redeemed. I am sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of my eternal future and my identity in Jesus is safe and secure (Eph. 1:13–14).

Like most kids, our son has outbursts of sin and then heavy remorse. The seeds of conviction are planted and beginning to sprout. Slowly, he is beginning to imitate us and our conduct. Paul writes that I should imitate God as a beloved child (Eph. 5:1) and walk as a child of light (v. 8).

Adoption as rescue

When we end prayers with “In Jesus’ name,” our toddler boy pipes in “Amen!” He knows the word “Hallelujah” and during worship at church, he frequently points at the cross on the stage and says “Jesus.” Already at the tender age of two, God is calling him and his heart is so soft to it. It makes perfect sense. God rescued our son from a life of fatherlessness and planted him in our home. His adoption into our family and my adoption into God’s family is, “according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace”!

Life at Mars Hill 4/13/13

Mars Hill Church — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0700

A volunteer welcomes folks to Mars Hill Downtown Seattle.

Pastor Cam, Deacon Zach, and the rest of Citizens pray before services begin.

Mars Hill Portland installed seven new deacons on Sunday: two Commumnity Group coach deacons and five Redemption Group deacons.

A few of our churches did photo booths for Easter. They were too good to not share.

Federal Way

U-District

Pastor Drew photobombing the staff and interns.

Everett

When the counselor gets stuck

Deacon Lauren Day — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:00:00 -0700

“And Jeremiah sank in the mud.” Jeremiah 38:6

It’s not uncommon to feel stuck, even for those of us who do biblical counseling. We can get stuck when someone we’re discipling believes they’re trapped by the suffering they’ve experienced, and we, in turn, find ourselves feeling trapped in their painful circumstances. When I get stuck, it can feel like I’m temporarily forgetting who God is and how he relates to the person in front of me. In those moments, the counselee’s pain or sin becomes bigger and more relevant in my heart and mind than Jesus who bore our grief and carried our sorrows. When we feel stuck, we ache to reorient our hearts to remember and honor him and love his hurting child.

But before we jump there, let’s first look at some conditions that can make us feel stuck.

Stuck between situations

With hard circumstances, there are no easy answers. In one of my very first quarters counseling, there was a woman in the group who was a new believer and was sharing about the abuse she had suffered as a child. “I don’t expect life to be easy or fair,” she said through tears. “I just don’t understand why it had to be that bad when I was just a little girl.” I didn’t know why either. Sometimes just hearing stories of intense suffering and sin can make us feel immobilized, lacking hope, insight, or questions, much less answers.

While some people wear their hearts on their sleeves, others steel themselves up behind defensive hearts. Their stories of suffering and sin are presented as mere facts from someone who has lived the hurt, yet seems disconnected from it. One woman remarked, “I don’t know why all this has happened to me, but I’m not going to try and make it OK by turning it into some ministry where I get to help other people. That’s just pathetic.” A counselee who is defensive can seem impenetrable.

Ever been affected by another person’s story or struggles in a way that hits very close to home? Sometimes the counselee’s experiences and beliefs may be a personal trigger, exposing an area in your own life where you are not entirely convinced of God’s care, presence, and power. Or, maybe you are hearing stories of suffering and sin that illicit such strong emotions for you that you feel unable to effectively serve the counselee.

Sometimes things are just confusing; you have no idea what to make of what you are hearing and seeing. You ask more and more questions hoping that if you collect enough information the confusion will clear. Sometimes that doesn’t help at all, and you begin frantically doggie-paddling, hoping the counselee won’t notice that you are almost all tired out.

A holy discomfort

This list of conditions only skims the surface of instances where we find ourselves stuck. And it’s pretty bleak! And to be honest, writing and thinking about being stuck has felt like walking through tar.

But here’s what’s good about it: When I see my “stuckness,” I am uncomfortable and I am given the opportunity to explore my heart, mind, and beliefs about God. Being stuck can lead to fruitfulness if it causes us to earnestly seek God and others for help.

Let’s look at ways that we can reorient ourselves on God, remembering that as Christians we are no longer truly stuck or trapped.

“They drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out.” Jeremiah 38:13

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Believe, pray, listen

Is God who he says he is? Hurting people need to know that they can reopen the past and bear through present trials in the presence and care of their heavenly Father. Jesus went to the greatest lengths possible to free us from the eternal effects of sin. He didn’t just come to the earth so he could observe our pain and sin—he came to take it upon himself. Can you tell a counselee with absolute assurance that they can venture down the most painful path and find that God is always good, always strong, and always faithful?

Prayer is an essential part of our lives as Christians, and so it is essential in counseling. I know this is obvious, but it is so obvious that it can be overlooked! I can ask God for his help and provision even when I’ve lost perspective in the situation. “God help me. God help her.” is a perfectly lovely prayer that can be uttered countless times.

And I don’t have to be the only one praying in the room. I mentioned a woman earlier who made this statement, “I don’t expect life to be easy or fair; I just don’t understand why it had to be that bad when I was just a little girl.” What a beautiful opportunity to invite her to pray to her heavenly Father and offer those deep hurts to him for the first time!

Maybe you feel as though listening carefully is what has gotten you stuck in the first place. I would say that passive listening can contribute to the problem of losing perspective and finding ourselves tangled up in the details. We must maintain some resistance, not to the person we are counseling, but against the lie that this is “too much” for God.

Try listening to what is being said in a new way, approaching what you are hearing with deeper curiosity. Begin listening for language that may point to some overarching themes. Listen for what the counselee is believing about God, others, and self. Use that information to try to get beyond the details.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

Ask for help

Counselor, if you are stuck, tell God and tell his people. If you are struggling with trusting God, tell him and tell his people. If you are struggling to believe God is good, tell him and tell his people.

We must not try and hide our inadequacies and unbelief. We are not above believing lies about the character of God. We should all have supervisors, trusted counselors, and friends who ask good questions, admonish, and encourage when we are stuck.

Do you need help? Someone to talk with about painful circumstances? At Mars Hill, Redemption Groups exist to help you. Redemption Groups are in-depth small groups that dive into discussions of the difficult circumstances in people’s lives, like abuse, addiction, and other trials. But these groups aren’t pigeonholed for addicts or the abused—Redemption Groups are for everybody, as we’re all sinners and sufferers. Connect with your local Mars Hill Church for more information on how to join a Redemption Group.

Lauren Day is a deacon at Mars Hill Downtown Seattle where she serves as a biblical counselor and Redemption Group leader.

This is adapted from an article Lauren wrote for the Biblical Counseling Coalition. Check out the original here.

‘Hail the King’: Citizens’ new live music video

Mars Hill Church — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0700

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1–2 (emphasis added)

And even in this fading flesh
Our only hope and rest
Is found in faith that Jesus saves
We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!

Pointed arches, stained-glass windows, and rib vaults make up Mars Hill U-District’s meeting place—a classic brick building many times older than most of its occupants. Watch this video to see Citizens shake the dust off this old church with a live performance of their song “Hail the King” off their newly released self-titled album.

Buy the album on iTunes here

Why does Mars Hill have a pastoral residency program?

Pastor Ryan Kearns — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0700

A call to raise up leaders

At Mars Hill Church, the mission God has called us to is to make disciples and to plant churches. In order for that mission to continue and grow, we need leaders. That’s why we started the Lead Pastor Residency Program.

In light of this calling, it’s hugely important for us as a church to make sure we are doing all we can to heavily invest in the men who will lead the charge and shepherd God’s people at every local Mars Hill church. The residency is designed, not just to impart skills and training, but also to forge a bond and passion among our residents for the church.

First class

This year will be the Lead Pastor Residency Program’s second. This last year has been an incredible learning experience for the four gifted men—Alex Early, Drew Hensley, Ryan Welsh, and Ryan Williams—who have participated,

Our residents were placed with lead pastors at a handful of local Mars Hill churches. They were given the unique role and challenge to shadow and learn all they could from these seasoned leaders. They also received regular mentoring and coaching with our executive elders and other ministry leaders across Mars Hill. Today, three of them are leading Mars Hill churches today. You can hear more from them about their year in residency in their own words in the video interviews here, with Pastor Mark.

Your turn

Does this sound like a strong call you’ve had on your heart? If so, then this could be where you come in. We’re currently looking for a new group of men who have a deep love for people, the local church, and feel called to pastor at Mars Hill. No matter your background or experience in church ministry, the Lead Pastor Residency Program could be what God is calling you toward. If you have a track record of leading and being able to mobilize people, then you might be just the guy we are looking for.

Even if your experience is not just in church ministry, we would love to have you apply for our Lead Pastor Residency if you feel God has gifted you to lead and develop leaders.

Ready to apply to the second class of lead pastor residents? Go for it.

Apply today

Stories from around Mars Hill, 4/9/13

Pastor Dave Bruskas — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:00:00 -0700

We’re starting to see the fruits from Easter Sunday as people who became Christians and got baptized on that day at our church are starting to get plugged in to Community Groups and meet other brothers and sisters in Christ this week. What a great joy it is to serve these people! Pray for them as well as other people we’re meeting who don’t know Jesus.

A woman was baptized on Easter at Mars Hill U-District and shared her testimony with the church this past Sunday. She shared about how God has shown her great love when she felt like she was in a desert and how God has done an incredible work in her life.
On Easter, a band member at the Ballard church invited an old friend to church. It was the friend’s first time at Mars Hill. He came to his Community Group the following day and got saved.
A young woman at Mars Hill Shoreline shared her story from last Easter to this Easter. She talked about how she was lonely, depressed, and feeling suicidal a year ago. Last year, she prayed for a church and was led to Mars Hill last Easter Sunday. She entered scared and skeptical, but heard the gospel, gave her life to Jesus and was baptized. Now a year later she told us she has joy, Community Group, and church family as she grows in the grace of Jesus.
A man at the Rainier Valley church was getting overcharged on some financial payments, and we had one of our members who is a banker help him clarify what was going on. The man said nobody has ever taken the time to really listen to and care for him. He was baptized on Easter and is now a part of the church family.
Another man at Rainier Valley shared his testimony during Redemption Groups after the “I Am New” sermon. He shared how he’s been a Christian for 30 years but has never felt “good enough” for God because he was struggling with porn and alcoholism for years, even as a Christian. He felt that he couldn’t defeat it and would then hate himself and felt that God hated him as well. Through the Redemption Group, he was able to see that Jesus Christ is his redemption and that it was not his battle, and there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. He realized he was made new in Christ and there’s freedom from the bondage he was in.
A girl became a Christian at Mars Hill West Seattle last Tuesday night after she came and simply asked some leaders, “How do you know God? Like, how can you actually know him?” Some leaders explained it to her and asked if she wanted to know Jesus and she said yes!

Join with me in thanking God and rejoicing with what he is doing at Mars Hill!

You just got baptized—now what?

Pastor Ryan Kearns — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 05:00:00 -0700

Over 400 of you were baptized this past Easter Sunday—congratulations! Some of you might be totally new to church and thinking to yourself this week, What do I do now?

The short answer is enjoy. Jesus is the greatest giver ever and has given you a new life (John 10:10). You have a God who has made you into a new creature and has given you a new heart (2 Cor. 5:17). May you bask in the joy of your salvation and savor the sweetest reality of all: Jesus loves you, and you belong to him.

As a new follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit now dwells in you and is already at work in changing your desires and what you love most. This is great news because it means that being a Christian is not a self-reclamation project in which you have found a new way to get your act together. Jesus saved you and will finish what he started in freeing you from Satan, sin, and death (Phil. 1:6).

Wanting to be helpful though, here are a few instruments Jesus uses to grow us and give us more joy.

1. Get into the Bible

God has been so kind to tell us all about himself in the story of the Bible. If you don’t have a Bible, just ask for one at your Mars Hill Church and they will be happy to give you one. It can seem a bit intimidating and overwhelming to think about where to start in reading the Bible. Just relax though—there is no test, and you have the rest of your life to dig in. A good place to start is the book of Luke in the New Testament, and then read through to the end of the Bible in the book of Revelation. It would also be worthwhile to invest in a good study Bible, which has tons of little notes, articles, and additional insights on the entire Bible. These are often invaluable for a new believer as they help you explore the setting of the Bible and more fully grasp what is going on in whatever passage you are reading.

You might also want to check out these two sermons series by Pastor Mark that cover the basic story and themes of the Bible and what the life of a follower of Jesus looks like.

It’s All about Jesus (2009)
Doctrine (2008)

2. Get into community

The church is a group of people who belong to Jesus and are a family. As a Christian, you are made to be in relationships with others. It is in these relationships that you will grow in your love for God and for people (Prov. 27:17). Being a disciple of Jesus is not an individual thing. Meaningful relationships with other Christians will massively shape you and help you grow as a disciple of Jesus. The New Testament has over 50 “one another” verses that refer to loving one another, serving one another, encouraging one another, and praying for one another, etc. Each of these commands requires relationships with other Christians. Take a minute right now and get connected to a Community Group if you’re not already in one. Also, think about finding out more about Mars Hill Church by attending at an upcoming membership class at your local Mars Hill church.

3. Join the mission

Your life is not an accident or purposeless. Jesus has now called you to be part of the incredible mission he has given us of making disciples (Matt. 28:16–20). All of us have a part in this and every part is important and valuable (1 Cor. 12:12). There are skills, talents, and resources that Jesus your Lord has entrusted you to use wisely to help this mission to see more people meet Jesus and hear the good news of his gospel go forward.

Jesus is not so much concerned about how much you have or how talented you are, but just that you are faithful with what he has given you. Think about how you can begin serving and giving at your local church. If you are not sure how to start serving or giving at your local Mars Hill church, go here or talk to someone at the Connect Desk on Sunday.

4. Tell everyone you know what’s happened

A miracle has happened: God has saved you and gave you new life! How amazing it is that you have met Jesus and he has taken away your sin so that you can have eternal life and joy. Jesus is all, he is the King of kings, the Maker of all creation, and filled with amazing love! And you know him! You don’t have to be a Bible expert, have all the answers, or be able to explain everything about God—you just need to tell your story. You are a witness to how amazing Jesus is, so tell everyone you know this good news.

Remember, Jesus loves you, Mars Hill Church loves you, and we are here to serve you.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6

Living in a land of death

Deacon Zach Bolen — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:30:00 -0700

Behind the beauty

You walk down a street in a big city filled with thousands of people. All around you is a sea of busyness, and yet somehow in the midst of it all, beauty too. You look up and you see the blue sky reflecting on the glass of the towering buildings that surround you and are reminded that spring is here. There are newly blossomed flowers and tall trees covered with vibrant green leaves in the park just across the way, which is filled with people enjoying the landscape of what seems to be a perfect day. But nothing about this day is perfect; behind the beauty of creation that we so easily find comfort in is a land of decay and death.

The song “I Am Living in a Land of Death” tells this story. It’s at the same time devastating and hopeful.

Beyond the curse

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” Romans 5:12

Adam and Eve’s betrayal of God in the garden led to a curse placed upon all creation, resulting in man’s immediate separation from God. From there death would spread to all men—no one could escape its curse. Although unity with God was no longer present, God did not forsake his people altogether. Redemption ultimately came through Jesus, the only sacrifice capable of crushing the sins of man, when he died a vicious death on the cross, was buried in a secure tomb for three days only to rise from it, and conquered death through his resurrection.

A burning beacon

Jesus is a glorious light, one darkness cannot conceal. The light has been both manifested in his people and in his word. That light is Jesus. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). As Satan seeks to destroy the work of God, we know that he will never have total victory (Rev. 12:7–17). When the Holy Spirit reveals to us that we need Jesus, our eyes become enlightened to the reality that the life we had apart from Christ was burdened by death, which took the beautiful creation of God and turned it into something we held in higher esteem than the one who created it.

The gospel gives us life and opens our eyes to a sobering reality: we are living in a land of death. The amazing promise is that we are not of this land, not of this decaying world. There will be much to be discouraged by in this life, things that Satan will try and use to bring us to despair. But you can take heart, for Jesus has overcome this world, and his promises are more precious than gold (John 16:33; Psa. 19). Out of total destruction has come a Savior who swallows up death and is making all things new (Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:5). He is our beacon of hope. As people in Christ, we are given the freedom to cling to the promises of God, rather than the fleeting things of this world—promises we can both treasure and boldly proclaim to all.

“The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17

Zach Bolen is the frontman for Citizens and a deacon at Mars Hill U-District, where the band leads worship. You can find “I Am Living in a Land of Death” on Citizens’ self-titled, full-length album on iTunes or listen to it below.

Buy the album on iTunes.

Werku’s prayer: A story from Ethiopia, part 6

Pastor Sutton Turner — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 06:00:00 -0700

Pastor Werku Golle has been serving Jesus for a long time and has a huge heart for Ethiopians to meet Christ and see churches planted in Ethiopia.

Mars Hill has featured him in a handful of videos from my time in Ethiopia last year, so I thought I’d give a little background on my friend. He was born in Dilla, Ethiopia, where he received his elementary and high school education. His theological education was attained at multiple training centers in South Korea, England, and Israel. He has been the director of Evangelism Ministries development program at Gedeo Zone Kale Heywot Church for the past 36 years.

For over 13 years, Pastor Werku has been the founder and director of the Kale Heywot Church Ministry Training College. This college in Dilla is a national ministry training college for all Kale Heywot Churches Ethiopia.

There are 13.5 million Evangelical Christians in Ethiopia, and Pastor Werku is one of the men leading the charge to plant churches and teach people about Jesus. He preaches from the Bible, baptizes people, loves Jesus, and is complementarian in his theology.

Not unlike Paul, he was imprisoned for his faith for over 13 months during the former communist regime. His love for Jesus and the people of Ethiopia did not waver and he has continued to plant churches in the deepest parts of his country.

Pastor Werku has been married to his lovely bride, Hallelujah, for 37 years. They have eight children: three sons and five daughters.

I look forward to seeing how God continues to use this great man of God in the coming years.

7 statements only God could make

Adam Ramsey — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0700

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” John 1:45–46

With Easter weekend being celebrated around the world, along with The Bible miniseries that aired on the History Channel to over 100 million viewers, it seems as if the past few weeks everyone has in one way or another been talking about Jesus.

Over the past few thousand years, many have asked the question, “Who is Jesus?”

Was he just a man? The ultimate nice guy? A good moral teacher? A happy-go-lucky Ned Flanders? A Jewish prequel to Gandhi? A bearded hipster who went against the mainstream? A prophet? A political revolutionary? The Son of God? There are thousands more questions we could ask. But instead of speculating, the best thing we could do is to go straight to the source. The most confrontational and powerful truth in this world is a clear picture of the man from Nazareth.

The real question we should be asking is, “Who did Jesus say he was?”

Perhaps no one has put it better than C.S. Lewis, who famously wrote,

“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Over the next seven weeks at Mars Hill Students, we are going to look at seven audacious, offensive, mind-blowing claims that Jesus made about himself as recorded in the Gospel of John, claims that a sane, good, moral person could not make. Throw in some live Q&A and this will be a series that students at Mars Hill—who have been empowered and sent onto the greatest mission in history—will want to invite friends, skeptics, and doubters along to “come and see.”

Schedule

Week 1: “I Am the Door” (John 10:7–10)
Week 2: “I Am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11; Psalm 23)
Week 3: “I Am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25–26)
Week 4: “I Am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35)
Week 5: “I Am the Light of the World” (John 8:12)
Week 6: “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6)
Week 7: “I Am the True Vine” (John 15:1–5)

If you are a junior high or high school student who’d like to join in the movement, either as a participant or as a leader of your peers, go to the Connect Desk at your local Mars Hill church to get in touch with your Students ministry lead there.

The faithful church: A dispatch from Sammamish

Pastor Sutton Turner — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:00:00 -0700

The executive elders love doing Mission & Vision nights at Mars Hill churches because we get the opportunity to meet so many faithful Christians that God has blessed our church with. This month, we visited Sammamish, a great church nestled on a high plateau east of Seattle.

The fruit of stewardship

Because Sammamish stewards their resources so faithfully, I shared with them Philippians 4:17: “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.” They are one church of 14, yet they share their resources so that they can bless the brothers and sisters at the other 13 locations. They’re also a blessing to the 43 churches that are being planted in Ethiopia and India.

Pastor Mark shared how he believes people in city of Sammamish are similar to Cornelius in Acts 10. Cornelius was a good man but wasn’t a believer. He was moral, gave money to causes, and didn’t think he was a sinner. He was much like many men living in Sammamish. Pastor Mark exhorted the crowd that Mars Hill Sammamish can bring Jesus to these people by living life with them and being on mission in their city.

Changed people

After the executive elders spoke, we stuck around to meet some of the people who call Mars Hill Sammamish home.

Baraka and Jen became involved at Mars Hill Sammamish when they realized how much importance we place on Scripture and men leading their families. Community Groups have made a big impact on them. Their groups are a mix of different people at different stages that get to share life together. It’s not necessarily the people they would have picked initially, but Jesus is using the groups to change their lives.

Steve, Melanie, and their three young kids moved to Sammamish from Atlanta in June after podcasting Pastor Mark for four years. They left their extended family and comfortable job because they felt God was calling them to be at Mars Hill. In 2008 during Sunday School at a Baptist church in Atlanta, they went through a video series of Pastor Mark preaching through the Vintage Jesus series. A couple of weeks into the series, they started reading the book by the same title, and Jesus used it to change their lives. A couple of months ago, Steve had the opportunity to baptize their youngest, an eight-year-old boy, and it was truly a special time at Mars Hill. Steve and Melanie host a Community Group and are apprenticing in different ministries, and their kids are involved in student ministries.

Sundeep is a junior at UW Bothell and has been going to Sammamish for nine months. The biblical teaching has helped him grow closer to Christ. And after a short time he’s been able to get his parents and two younger sisters to come with him. Sundeep has realized how important it is to serve the church because the church has loved him and poured so much into him. He’s excited to be mentoring seventh-grade boys.

God has given Sammamish a unique mission field. The executive elders are excited by what is happening there, and we look forward to hearing how God will use those faithful people in the coming year.

Easter stories from around Mars Hill! 4/3/13

Pastor Dave Bruskas — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:00:00 -0700

Wow, what an epic Easter we had this year at Mars Hill Church! We witnessed grace upon grace at each one of our 14 churches, as well as heard of thousands of people listening online. One of the many blessings of the weekend was to see whole families saved as the Lord convicted them of sin and they turned to a new life in Christ. I also felt blessed to be able to celebrate the day with my wife and four daughters, along with my new son-in-law.

Pastor Mark gave us a rundown of Easter by the numbers yesterday. Here’s a peek into some of my favorite stories behind the numbers from the weekend.

An elder candidate at Mars Hill Olympia has been sharing his faith with a man for the past several months. On Easter, he came to church with his wife and two daughters and they all got baptized.

A man at Mars Hill Shoreline got saved a year ago. He was addicted to drugs, struggling with demonic oppression, and his marriage and family were falling apart. Now, through this man’s testimony, his whole family got saved and on Easter he baptized his wife and son.

A man came to Mars Hill Downtown Seattle to hear his friend sing in the choir. The sermon was deeply convicting to him and he got saved and baptized.

A dad and grandpa at Downtown Seattle baptized their daughter and granddaughter. Praise Jesus for three generations of faith!

There were so many people at Mars Hill Bellevue for one service that roughly 200 men gave up their seats to stand during the sermon.

An entire family of four was baptized at Mars Hill U-District.

A man at Mars Hill Portland shared with one of the pastors how he was converted from trying to please God to realizing Jesus did all the work for him on the cross. He shared how Jesus set him free from patterns of sin and performance and he was baptized. Then he baptized his wife who also recently became a Christian.

Also at Portland, there was a man who started listening to Pastor Mark’s sermons when he was in prison and became a Christian. When he got out, he tried to point his wife toward Christ but she wanted nothing to do with it and tried to kick him out of their house. She felt terrible with kicking him out so she listened to a sermon in the Real Marriage sermon series and got saved that day. She shared the story with the whole congregation on Easter.

Last Easter, a man at Mars Hill Rainier Valley got baptized and started bringing his extended family to church. This year, his sister and her husband got baptized. They’ve both recently become Christians and God is doing a lot of great things in their lives.

Also at the Rainier Valley church, a single mother got out of prison a short time ago. She and her daughter became Christians last week and were baptized on Easter.

A woman became a Christian on Good Friday at Mars Hill Bellevue. She got baptized on Easter. Also at Bellevue, a couple got married on Saturday then baptized on Sunday.

Two pastors, AJ Hamilton and Jon Krombein, had the great opportunity with their wives to each baptize two of their children on Sunday.

One of the baptism screeners at Mars Hill Sammamish screened an eight-year-old girl who reminded her how simple salvation truly is. She said the little girl explained the gospel to her, explained who Jesus is, explained what sin was, and even explained the concept of repentance (although she didn’t know the word). She said she wanted to be baptized “because I want to show people that I love Jesus.” Minutes later her daddy had the great privilege to baptize her.

Thanks to Jesus for saving so many people this weekend. Please join with me in praying for all of them. We were truly blessed this year!

424 reasons to celebrate: A snapshot of what Jesus did at Easter 2013

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:00:00 -0700

Easter Sunday at Mars Hill Church was an incredible day of grace, unity, and provision from God that exceeded all expectations. To all who participated to help make it happen, thank you for loving Jesus and serving Jesus’ people!

I prayed we’d have 5,000 for Good Friday, and we had over 7,000. I prayed we would have 20,000 for Easter, and we had over 21,000. Over 50,000 people from at least 135 nations tuned in online. Our team pulled together across all our churches. Jesus was glorified; we made much of him! It was a long, tiring weekend, but it’s a great kind of tiriring as we did something that counts. People’s eternal fates were changed, which could lead to new legacies of faith for generations to come.

Here is a snapshot from the day, with stats compiled by our executive pastor, Sutton Turner:

21,174 people in attendance (18,265 adults and 2,909 kids)
424 people baptized, with over half, 231, spontaneous!
Two churches, Bellevue and Downtown Seattle, had over 3,000 in attendance
One church, Ballard, had over 2,000 in attendance
Nine total churches had over 1,000 people in attendance
Special shout out to Portland (1,357 people) and Olympia (632 people)—a huge days for both of these churches!
Almost 8,000 people signed up for a Connect Account online over the last three days
265 copies of Citizens’ self-titled album given away to newcomers
5,446 photos taken by volunteer photographers
126 times I said “Jesus” in a 30-minute sermon
2,816 Easter coloring books handed out to kids
319 total songs sung

Thanks to an army of volunteers led by our dedicated staff, the whole event was well documented. We’re rebroadcasting the service on demand at marshill.com/easter. You can check out all of the photos online as well (here’s a photo essay with highlights).

For those who got baptized—congratulations!

For those who are new to Mars Hill Church—welcome!

For those who volunteered on Easter—thank you!

For those who are part of the Mars Hill family—thank you for helping us care for all of the new people God has brought to our church! As Easter guests return for a second visit, introduce yourself, invite them to your Community Group, answer their questions, help them see that Jesus is alive and at work 365 days a year.

Praise God! He has invited us to do something truly amazing, Mars Hill Church. Thank you for being a part of it.

What joy! Easter 2013 in photos

Mars Hill Church — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:00:00 -0700

“There was much joy in that city.” Acts 8:8

What a day! Here are just a handful of our favorite moments from yesterday. For more or to find your baptism photos, check out the full Easter 2013 photo collection.

“And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.” Deuteronomy 26:11

“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’” 1 Chronicles 16:31

“Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy.” Psalm 5:11

“I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul.” Psalm 31:7

“The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” Psalm 97:1

“You were wearied with the length of your way, but you did not say, ‘It is hopeless’; you found new life.” Isaiah 57:10

“My soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation.” Isaiah 61:10

“As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5

“Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!” Joel 2:21

“And they were baptized . . . confessing their sins.” Matthew 3:6

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11

“I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22

“See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” Acts 8:36

“And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Acts 22:16

“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” 1 Corinthians 12:13

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” 1 Peter 1:8

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude 1:24–25

Alleluia! The stone has been rolled away!

Mars Hill Church — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 03:00:00 -0700

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. . . .” John 20:1

Come celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with us! We’ll have services going from 8 a.m. all the way until 8 p.m.

Watch Easter Live!

If you can’t make it to one of our churches’ Easter services, you can join us online for our Easter broadcast. Check out the broadcast and playback times for your region here.

Dealing with darkness on Good Friday

Pastor Dave Bruskas — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:00:00 -0700

"I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” John 12:46

The contrast of light and darkness is a repeated biblical theme. Light is used to describe the very character of God. It shows his desire to be known by people, whom the Bible describes in their natural state of being passive aggressively ignorant of him, or in darkness.

Light is easily seen in the darkness, and it’s about God’s essence. It’s his means of communicating that he is as different from us as light is from darkness. He is perfect and pure and right in everything he is and does. He is holy! We are flawed and sinful and selfish in all we are and do apart from him. We are unholy! Light and darkness don’t coexist in the same space.

Jesus speaks good news to us in John 8:12 when he says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus both exposes darkness and ends darkness in the lives of his followers. He does this by giving them light as a free gift, which is eternal life.

This brings us to the theme of darkness on Good Friday. It was a dark day indeed when God in human form, Jesus, was murdered on account of our sin. Yet even as we commemorate his shameful death, we do so knowing the rest of the story. He rose victoriously from the grave, saved us from darkness and is worthy of our joyful worship.

So how should we approach the theme of light and darkness this Friday as we come together to commemorate his death that liberated us? 1 John 1:5–10 charges us with the following:

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7

Enjoy the close and reconciled relationship you have with Jesus. Your sin (and his suffering as a result) should not bring distance between you, but should close any gaps that may remain. You have fellowship, or partnership with him, in all of life. He loves you and accepts you. All because of the cleansing ability of his blood shed on the cross for all your sin: past, present, and future.

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. . . . If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8, 10

Now that you can be certain your ugliest sin against Jesus is covered by his very own blood, you can be honest about your darkest thoughts, words, and actions. The easiest person to deceive is you, so be especially honest with yourself. To deceive yourself about your sin is to call Jesus a liar.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Lastly, because Jesus has shown his love for you in the shedding of his own blood, you can openly confess your sin to him and others. To confess means simply to agree with Jesus about your sin. Living in his light doesn’t mean that you are practically perfect. It does mean that you can be open and transparent regarding your sins, especially the darkest ones you wish to hide from sight. You no longer have to conceal yourself in the darkness. You can live in the light through confession.

Today is a holy opportunity we have to go to the darkest corner of our hearts—and surrender them to the light.

Jesus has no sympathy toward death

Pastor Donovan Medina — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0700

“For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5

There is a growing interest in the U.S. in the Mexican folk saint la Santa Muerte, or “Saint Death.” Her face is skeletal and has interceding abilities that range from smashing your enemies to smuggling your methamphetamines. Sadly, there are believers who ask favors of la Santa Muerte, erroneously calling on the name of Jesus, thinking she’ll intervene against an enemy for you. Let us not be fooled by the idea of this false saint’s false generosity.

La Santa Muerte is not a harmless cultural thing—Satan is well acquainted with perverting and twisting spirituality that always leads to death. As a result, those who pray to her are ignorantly and willingly trapped in offering prayers and heartfelt devotion to a skeleton-faced saint who represents death, a mockery of life, rather than the God of glory, light, and life. Thankfully, we do have access to a rightful and righteous victor over death: Jesus. Christians must not call on death; we do go to the one all life was created through.

It is huge for Christians to know this for a few reasons:

As missionaries in our cities, especially here in Albuquerque, understanding the context of our culture is crucial. Look around and you will see la Santa Muerte’s face. There is a gaping need for the Author of life.
The fruit of Satan’s ministry is death. Three hours south of Albuquerque we find the second-highest murder rate city of the world, Juárez. Recently, our city experienced the tragic murder of a brother whose news spread across the world. The pain of death is present, real, and deep.
As children of God, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly place” (Eph. 6:12).
Jesus destroyed death through the power of his resurrection: Death has been swallowed up (Isa. 25:8).
Satan has been defeated: The one who had power over death has been destroyed, (Heb. 2:14).
Death will eternally burn: Death and Hades will one day be thrown into the lake of fire, death will be no more (Rev. 20:14; 21:4).
Death lost: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:54–55)

Jesus has no sympathy toward death. His very words were the expression of power and life over death’s sting. His words crushed the grave. Pray that Jesus would loudly utter the words to the people of our cities, “Come out.”

“When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’” John 11:43–44

“He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.” Psalm 107:14

Meet Adam and Holly, your Easter hosts!

Mars Hill Church — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 12:00:00 -0700

Joining us online for Easter this year? Then meet Adam Ramsey and Holly Webster, who will be your hosts throughout the day for the broadcast this year. Saturday evening and all day Sunday, they’ll be talking to people and sharing stories of what God will be doing this weekend. Adam directs our Students Ministry and Holly is a deacon at the Downtown Seattle church.

The online broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. PDT (UTC/GMT -7) this Saturday, March 30, and continue through to Sunday night.

In town? Come to one of our 14 churches for an Easter service! We have services at 14 churches across four states this Sunday and you have zero reasons not to join us!

6 Easter parties you can throw this Sunday

Deacon Erin Berger — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:00:00 -0700

“Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Romans 15:7

Easter is the perfect time to throw a party. We have the best reason in the world to celebrate—Jesus is alive! Not only that, he has made it possible for us to be in right relationship with God the Father. Hosting a gathering can be overwhelming and intimidating no matter how great the reason is; I am here to tell you it does not have to be that big a deal. Single, married, rich, poor, young or old—everyone is capable of putting together a merry little fête with their community to celebrate our risen Savior!

Party #1: Make it a game

I’ve written before about my parents’ tradition where part of the Easter celebration being a competition to bring the wine that pairs best with ham. It’s harder than you think and is a great way to break the ice with people who don’t know each other. Build an afternoon of sport and games. Set up a bocce ball court or cornhole in the backyard for casual games. For the more serious gamer, set up a badminton tournament (no one is excellent at badminton, so it levels the playing field between your guests). Set up a table to the side with snacks and beverages and you are all set!

Party #2: Backyard barbeque

There’s nary a man who doesn’t love cooking outdoors, and this is a great way for a single guy or guys to host a party. (Credit to all the lady grillers out there, too!) It doesn’t have to be lamb shanks and mint jelly—grill burgers or barbeque chicken. This can be fairly inexpensive and a great way to pull your friends together for a casual, enjoyable meal. Add a potato or pasta salad, and you are well on your way to celebrating Jesus and the hope of summer.

Party #3: Picnic at the park

This one is for the families, especially ones with a bunch of pipsqueaks. There seems to be an increase in manic energy in little ones as soon as the adults outnumber them, which can make hosting a big event challenging, to say the least. So take your Easter feast to the park!

Inviting other young families to join you for a picnic in a local park is a great way to accomplish two things at once: (1) it gives the little ones a place to run and play and exert all that energy, and (2) the adults have time to fellowship together. Make it a potluck and ask everyone to bring a dish to share. *Bonus: no mountain of dishes to do afterward.

Party #4: Teach the traditions

Those of you with grown children have years of celebrating Easter under your belt—don’t hide that light under a bushel, let it out! Have you perfected biscuits? Do you have a chocolate cake to die for? Is your rack of lamb remembered fondly for the next 11 months? Share your wisdom and skills with some young college students you know. Chances are they are, if they’re too poor to head home for the holiday, they’ll be eating dry Top Ramen in their dorm room. Take the opportunity to nourish a student in body and spirit.

Party #5. Celebrate with service

Major holidays are always a great time to head over to a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter and help feed others. They perpetually need the help and it’s a great opportunity to act like Jesus serving the needs of those less fortunate (Luke 14:13–14). Gather your Community Group and sign up to go after church. Plan to stay a while, eat with the guests if you can, or help with some additional maintenance if needed.

Party #6: Meet and greet and eat

Those of us living in the city generally find ourselves in condos and apartment buildings sharing the same plot of land with a large number of people we’ve never met. Does your building have a common room that you can reserve? Host an open-house style gathering for your building in the common room. If you live in a large building, you may want to limit your meal to appetizers and crudité with beverages. If your building is smaller, or you have deep pockets—go all out! Ham, au gratin potatoes, green bean casserole, etc. Offer nametags at the door to help residents identify each other, scatter some Table Topics around to help start conversations and keep the party casual.

Do you have to host a party for Easter? No, but love is active so why not get the exercise?

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

9 ways to pray this week

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:00:00 -0700

This is our biggest and busiest week of the year! Nothing is more worthy of celebration than the resurrection victory of Jesus Christ over Satan, sin, death, hell, and the wrath of God.

We would be grateful for your prayers as we make final preparations.

You can pray for our 14 churches and their 20 Good Friday services where we remember the death of Jesus Christ in our place for our sins.

You can pray for our 42 Easter services spread across 14 locations in 4 states.

You can pray for all of the staff and volunteers who will be serving as greeters, financial stewards, parking, info desk, evangelism counselors, prayer team, sound team, tech team, bands, choirs, etc. who will be pulling off a total of 62 church services this weekend between Good Friday and Easter.

You can pray for Jesus to bring a ton of people, and save a ton of people so we can baptize them! I’m praying for 20,000+ on Easter, and 25,000 people total on Good Friday and Easter. It’s pretty crazy because, if my memory serves me correct, we had 37 people for our first Easter service in 1996. It’s been a tsunami of God’s grace ever since and there’s no other way to explain what has happened and keeps happening.

You can pray for the satellite technology enabling us to (we hope) live simulcast every service from Mars Hill Downtown Seattle where I will be preaching live to our churches and live online.

You can pray for the kids, as our Easter services are family style. This means that around 3,000 kids under the age of 10 will be in services.

You can pray for our Community Group leaders as they welcome many new people in the coming weeks.

You can pray for any media coverage we might get. Pray that it centers on Jesus changing lives and nothing else, as that is all that matters.

And while you are at it, you can pray for me. This is the final stretch of the busiest season of the year. In addition to my normal duties as a pastor and dad, I preach twice on Friday night on the cross at Mars Hill Bellevue. We’ve got baseball practice for two of our sons and a game for a third on Saturday afternoon. My next book for Resurgence is due to Tyndale that same day. I preach the first Easter sermon on Saturday night at Mars Hill Downtown and then I preach four more times on Sunday from Mars Hill Downtown Seattle. Pray that my energy levels hold up, that my voice holds out for preaching seven times this weekend, and that I can get my book finished as well.

Thank you for praying!

Baptism 101

Pastor Adam Christiansen — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:00:00 -0700

What does baptism mean?

The Bible presents baptism as an outward sign of faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. Christian baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Jesus, declaring the believer’s faith in and identification with their crucified, buried, and risen Savior. Baptism is a visible sermon of the gospel of Jesus Christ, identifying the Christian with his death, burial, and resurrection (Matt. 28:19–20; Rom. 6:1–11; 1 Cor. 12:13; Col. 2:12).

How is someone baptized?

The Greek word used for baptism in the New Testament, baptizo, means “to plunge, dip, or immerse in water.” For example, in the secular ancient Greek, this word was used to explain things such as the sinking of a ship that had been submerged in water. In baptism, the believer is immersed beneath the water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We baptize Christians in the same way as Jesus: immersed in water and then brought up out of the water (Mark 1:10; Acts 8:34–39).

Who should be baptized?

The New Testament consistently demonstrates that those who are baptized are people who have put their trust in Jesus and turned from sin. John the Baptizer called people to repentance before they were baptized (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3). Baptism is reserved solely for those who have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In addition, Jesus commanded that all Christians should be baptized (Matt. 28:19). His apostles also commanded that all Christians be baptized (Acts 2:38).

What are the baptizers talking about with the believer in that tank?

As you watch baptisms on Easter (and any other Sunday), you’ll see each person who is about to be baptized talking with one of the church leaders in the tank. They’re being asked basic questions along these lines:

“Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?”
“Do you believe that your sin has separated you from God?”
“Have you repented of that sin?”
“Do you believe that Jesus died and rose, conquering Satan, sin, and death?”
“Then we baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

*Dunk!*

Be baptized this Easter!

All our churches will be holding baptisms this Sunday.

Stories from around Mars Hill, 3/26/13

Pastor Sutton Turner — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 11:00:00 -0700

I’ve traveled to several churches this week and heard some really cool stories how God is working at Mars Hill Church. Even though it’s been busy and a difficult season, I can’t wait to see who God has in line to become Christians on Easter. We’ll have over 40 services across our 14 churches that meet in four states. In addition, we’ll be live streaming the service online from the Downtown Seattle church. More information can be found here. We’ll see you on Easter!

A five-year-old girl who attends Mars Hill Bellevue was talking to her Community Group leader about believing in Jesus. The leader asked her many questions to see where she was in her faith. The little girl believed in Jesus as her Savior. Her mom and dad said she’s been asking a lot of great questions lately and could tell the Holy Spirit was working on her. It was an exciting time for their family.

A grandmother brought her grandson and his friend to church on Sunday and met up with a leader who invited them to Mars Hill Students. They came and the friend became a Christian, which was an answer to the grandma’s prayers, as the student comes from a pretty messed-up home.

Two weeks ago, Citizens (with special guest Kings Kaleidoscope) had their album release party. Six hundred people showed up for a night of worship. Then on Sunday, families prayed after the 8 p.m. service for students entering finals week. One of the fathers prayed for a girl and she started to cry, saying, “I’ve never had a father figure pray for me before. Thank you.”

A man found the Rainier Valley church by their sandwich board signs placed on the sidewalks. He approached Pastor Willie after service and said, “This is the most amazing church I’ve ever been to! The people are friendly and welcoming, the message was awesome, the music was alive, and Jesus was glorified! You’ll see me next week. And I want to check out one of those home groups too.” Pastor Willie invited him to the weekly family dinner after the 4 p.m. service. He came back with friends. He told them all about the church and they can’t wait to come next week.

One of the elder candidates at West Seattle has a five-year-old son who approached Pastor David on Sunday to tell him about a friend he plays soccer with who didn’t know Jesus. The boy told the friend about Jesus and the other boy said, “I want to know more about him.” So yesterday he was bringing a Bible to his soccer game to give to him. I love it!

Please join with me in thanking God and rejoicing with what he is doing at Mars Hill!

Behold the Lamb: the Red Letter Good Friday EP

Mars Hill Church — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0700

“. . . that we would both look at our sin and how ugly it is and the weight of it with sobriety, but that we would move on and celebrate the fact that Jesus loved us enough to die for us.” —Pastor Joel Brown, on how to balance Good Friday and Easter

How can we look at what our sin did to Jesus without going into a downward, navel-gazing spiral? In this clip, Pastor Joel Brown explains how to hold an appropriate reverence for both Jesus’ death at the same times as his resurrection a few days later.

Today, Pastor Joel’s band Red Letter is releasing a live EP from Good Friday at the Downtown Seattle church last year that captures the heart of this important moment in the year.

Listen to the EP here Purchase the EP on iTunes

Join us for a solemn night of reflection, prayer, and worship this year. The Good Friday service times of all Mars Hill locations are listed here.

Why does Jesus’ resurrection have to be such a big deal?

Pastor Anthony Ianniciello — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0700

Why do Christians get so excited about Easter? Why does Jesus’ resurrection have to be such a big deal? Isn’t it just the big event Christians dress up for in the spring? What makes it so important?

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the key turning points of God’s redemptive story for the world—and the most critical one. Here’s how it fits into the whole story.

Jesus, as the second person of the Trinity, has existed eternally, before the Creation of the world. Genesis opens the Bible telling the story of how God the Trinity created the world. The Gospel of John also writes about how all of creation came into existence through the Word, Jesus. The entire Old Testament foreshadows Jesus, the coming Messiah.

The Incarnation was the event when Jesus, the God man, gave up his place in heaven and took on flesh to come down into human history as an infant. He was born in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph, in fulfillment of multiple prophecies in the Old Testament.

At the Atonement, Jesus was crucified on a cross. In doing so, he took the sins of the world—past, present, and future—upon himself, paying the penalty of death that all our sin carries. Without Jesus’ death on the cross, every one of us would be in slavery to and under a death sentence for our sin forever, with no way to pay the debt. Through the Atonement, Jesus offers the continuous gifts of salvation and freedom from all sin. To everyone who receives him and believes in his name, he gives the right to become his sons and daughters.

The Resurrection took place when, three days after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from death on a Sunday, rolled away the stone that covered the entrance to his tomb, and walked out. The Gospels, as well as the book of Acts, record that he appeared to upward of 500 people over a span of 40 days. In his last moments on earth, Jesus commissioned the early church to take on his mission to make disciples. He then was taken back up to heaven at the Ascension.

Today, we are in between the time when Jesus has ascended and when he will return at the Second Coming. In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John recorded the prophecy he received from God about the day Jesus comes back. At that time, Jesus will bring a new heaven and a new earth. Sin and death will be no more, and all of the sons and daughters of God will live forever with him, feasting and celebrating and basking in his light.

This all might sound supernatural—we call it miraculous. As incredible as a bodily resurrection is, only a man who was God could have the power to defeat Satan and sin. Only a man who’d conquered death could promise to rescue us from it and offer eternal life. Only a man who’d risen into heaven could promise he’d come again with a new kingdom.

If not, he’s just another dead man in a grave.

Have questions about any of this? We expect you might. Come talk with a church leader after any service. We’d love to hear from you.

Find about more about Easter this year at Mars Hill at:

MarsHill.com/easter

On leading without face-planting: A candid talk with our lead pastor residents, Part 2

Mars Hill Church — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0700

“It’s a lot. It’s a lot of expectation and a lot of fruit. . . . The [ministry] treadmill’s going and the residency program is a way to get on the treadmill and start to [say,] ‘OK, I’m up to speed and now I can be sent out to go lead something without just totally face-planting.’” –Pastor Mark

Get to know a couple men with hearts for our family and two of our newest lead pastors, Alex Early and Drew Hensley, in this clip where they sit down and talk Pastor Mark.

Both men were told when they were first accepted into the residency program that they’d be pastoring a church within a year—and within less than six months, they ended up both leading two Mars Hill churches, Ballard and U-District, respectively. All that said, though, as Pastor Drew says, it’s a massive opportunity.

Find out more about our Lead Pastor Residency Program

Watch part 1, where Pastor Mark sits down to talk with Pastors Ryan Williams and Welsh, here.

Pastors Alex, Drew, Ryan, and Ryan represent the first class of Mars Hill’s Lead Pastor Residency Program, an intensive training designed to prepare men to lead a Mars Hill church within a single year. We’re currently looking for a few more men with leadership experience who feel called to be a lead pastor at a Mars Hill Church. Apply to be a lead pastor resident here.

Sober up

Pastor Alex Early — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:00:00 -0700

Do you remember a time in your faith when you were starving for the Word of God, prayed often? When you couldn’t wait to get together with Christians to worship Jesus? When you couldn’t wait for another opportunity to tell someone else about the love of God?

Do you remember when you were the first person to sign up to serve your church, regardless of the need?

Do you remember when the people in your life who didn’t know Jesus would flash in your mind as you read the Bible, and you knew that you just had to do something about that?

Do you remember the first thing you said to Jesus?

How are things today? Does that still describe you, or today are you among the more complacent, bored, tired, distracted, room-temperature, and play-it-safe Christians?

How do you revive and seek restoration for a cluttered heart?

How do you recover a sense of urgency to reach the unbelievers in your life with the good news of Jesus?

Don’t do what I used to do and, by God’s grace, won’t do anymore. When confronted with questions like this, I would sit there, sulk, and guiltily scourge myself saying, “Why don’t I love God and love people more?” Then, I would make the mistake of calling that condemnation “repentance.” Those moments of shame never led me to an authentic, totally sincere prayer life or passionate heart for proclaiming Jesus to my neighbors and co-workers.

Instead, here’s two practical ways I’ve found work wonders to renew my desire to reach others with the saving message of Jesus:

1. Meditate on the cross of Jesus

Go to him there, broken, bleeding, dying on his cross and hear him say, “Father, forgive them.” Nothing melts a Christian’s heart faster or more effectively than coming face to face with the unfathomable love of God in Christ. Drop your own or somebody else’s expectations of what the perfect disciple looks like and see him there. Besides, the nature of the name “disciple” implies that you haven’t “arrived” yet anyway.

2. Remember where you were when Jesus found you

Recall the most famous hymn in the world, “Amazing Grace.”

How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

Do you remember where you were when Jesus found you? What was that like? What did you love the hour before he revealed himself to you? Do you remember the first thing you said to Jesus?

That was the most honest, unpretentious, childlike prayer in world at that moment. It was in that hour that Jesus wasn’t a means to an end. It was that hour that sin tasted like death for the first time and faith in the grace of God was honey on your tongue. It was that hour that excuses like “I don’t have time” or “It’ll cost too much to follow him” were deaf in your ears.

Perhaps Psalm 51 (NLT) says it best as David prays, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.”

Fire, snow, and beards: Citizens’ new music video

Mars Hill Church — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:00:00 -0700

Check out this new music video for “I Am Living in a Land of Death,” by Citizens, a band from our U-District church. The song is the first single off their new LP, which was released last week. The self-titled album is the first full-length album Mars Hill Music released in partnership with Tooth & Nail Records and BEC.

Get your copy of Citizens today on iTunes.

You can follow Citizens on Facebook and Twitter.

3 reasons I’m out-of-my-mind excited for summer camps

Adam Ramsey — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:00:00 -0700

Want to know one word that is guaranteed to make an entire room of students light up?

It’s the most exciting event on our student ministry calendar, and the mere mention of the word makes eyes widen, young hearts beat faster, and causes young men to scream like freshman girls at a Bieber concert . . .

(OK, too far), it’s . . .

CAMP!

When I was a student, I can clearly remember that, as summer drew closer, my anticipation would become greater for this one powerful experience. I couldn’t wait for a week away from home, packed with lots of fun, a little bit of mischief, great memories, and loud worship. But most important of all: I knew I was going to meet with Jesus in a powerful way and come home different.

And though my student years are long gone, I still get to share in the joy of seeing hundreds of students across Mars Hill who are feeling exactly the same as our summer camps approach! Now as a leader of students, here are three reasons why I am out-of-my-mind excited for what’s going to happen at camp this summer.

1. Camp sets the pace for the year

Like a gas station on a long road trip, summer camp serves as an injection of adrenaline that refuels and refocuses students to what Jesus has done and how Jesus calls us to live as his ambassadors in light of that. It’s also the one time each year that all of our student ministries get to see firsthand that they are a part of something much bigger and much more diverse than what they see at their local church each week. Camp is a reminder that they are a part of a movement!

There really is no better catalyst for returning to school with purpose, intentionality, and on mission. Simply put, it’s like a huddle before the big game where young people are inspired with vision and equipped with Scripture, and pray to be filled again with the Holy Spirit as they head back into the harvest fields.

2. It’s strategic time to build community

Being in a cabin for a few days with a group of guys or girls the same age as you is one of the best ways to build new Community Groups or strengthen existing ones. It’s also the perfect time for students who aren’t in one of our Community Groups to be welcomed into one and to make some great friendships with others who will encourage them in their walk with Christ throughout the school year.

3. It’s an opportunity for found people to find people

What I am most excited about, however, is knowing that every year at summer camp, there are students who are invited along by one of their friends, who get to hear the gospel, meet Jesus, and have their entire world turned right-side up. We are praying for a harvest of hundreds of students this years summer camps and we are encouraging our young people at Mars Hill to invite a friend or ten along!

How you can get involved

If you’re a student, COME! This will be one of the most powerful weeks of your life. Stay in the loop by going to the Students page.

Invite a friend! Spread the word! Tell someone you know!

Sponsor a young person to camp. Each year, hundreds of students are able to attend camp solely because of the financial generosity of people at Mars Hill Church. If you need a scholarship or can sponsor one or several students to camp, go here.

Serve the younger generation at Mars Hill as a volunteer at one of our camps. Talk to the students ministry lead at your local church or email summercamp@marshill.com to find out about different ways you can be involved for next to no cost.

Pray that students would see Jesus clearly and powerfully at our camps this year. Pray that Jesus would raise up a movement of students to be leaders and laborers for a great harvest in their schools.

High School camp details

Date: August 27–30 (Tuesday–Friday)

Who: Students going into 9th–12th grade over the summer, plus graduating seniors

Cost: $275 (early bird rate ends April 30)

Campsite: Washington Family Ranch (central Oregon)

Facebook event

Junior High camp details

Date: July 17–20 (Wednesday–Saturday)

Who: Students going into 6th–8th grade

Cost: $250 (early bird rate ends April 30)

Place: Island Lake camp (near Poulsbo, Washington)

Facebook event

Be sure to check the marshill.com/students page any time you need the latest info.

This is what heaven will sound like

Pastor Cam Huxford — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0700

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” Psalm 47:1

I remember the day Jesus saved me.
I remember my wedding day.
I remember the birth of my two children.
And I’ll always remember April 8, 2012, the day of Easter at Benaroya Hall.

For me, the most amazing part of that day was not that 3,000 people got to gather in one of our city’s most beautiful cultural centers in the heart of the city—It was something I heard, something that has been ringing in my ears for the past year:

Last year on Easter, I heard something that sounded like heaven. We had practiced tirelessly for the event, but nothing could have prepared me for what I heard in the first measure of the first song we played that day.

Thunderous throngs

The concert hall was meticulously designed so that an orchestra could play without amplification, be heard by thousands of people, and sound crystal clear. Apparently, that design doesn’t just work to amplify the sound of the musicians for the audience—it amplifies the voices of the people in the crowd as well. As it turns out, 3,000 people singing at the top of their lungs in that room sounded like thunder!

The sound of the voices of our church family on that Easter Sunday was so loud that it shocked me. It was so loud that I could not hear myself over the people. My ears rang at times. There were times when I couldn’t hear myself think. There were moments in the music sets where I forgot what my job was supposed to be and I just stood in awe. The steep, sloped seating and the four balconies formed a wall of roaring people and, as I looked up at it, I felt like I was standing at the bottom of a waterfall of saints singing.

Why saints shout

And what could elicit such a roaring display of human voices? Only one thing, the most important thing—the best thing: the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day.” Only Jesus could elicit a response that is an echo of what you will hear in heaven. He is our reason for singing loud. The resurrection is an occasion for shouting.

The ear-shattering sound of response to Jesus rumbled through our city like an earthquake last Easter, but it didn’t stop there. I’ve heard that familiar sound many times in the past year. As the worship director at the Downtown Seattle church, I get the joy of witnessing God’s people respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ with resounding singing every week. It continues to get even louder. This Easter will be the loudest yet.

Let’s get our voices ready for heaven!

Amazingly, in December our church moved into possibly one of the only buildings in Dowtown Seattle with better acoustics than Benaroya: an old cathedral, built in 1908 by Seattle’s original church congregation. The first time our community sang in that room together this past December, I had a flashback to April 8, 2012. I was overwhelmed by the sound. I heard a glimpse of heaven again. If you were there at Fifth and Marion on Christmas Eve, you know exactly what I’m talking about. We ended the service with about 15 minutes of totally a cappella singing and once again, those voices foreshadowed what we will be doing in heaven.

This Easter, we will respond to Jesus’ resurrection again with loud singing. May the sound of our response to his resurrection be the loudest thing this city has ever heard! Let’s shout at the top of our lungs and get our voices ready for heaven!

“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.’” Revelation 19:6

This Easter, a 100-person choir will join the band Ghost Ship in leading worship at Mars Hill Downtown Seattle. If you are a singer, it’s not too late to join. Sign up here.

You can hear and download recordings from the Downtown Seattle church’s Easter celebration last year here. Additionally, enjoy these clips below, from two years ago, when all our regional churches gathered for Easter at Qwest Field.

Stories from around Mars Hill, 3/19/13

Pastor Dave Bruskas — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:45:00 -0700

A lot is going on around Mars Hill as we get ready for Easter. Here are just a few of the great stories I’ve heard as I’ve talked to pastors in the last week.

The Federal Way church had two men become Christians this past weekend. One guy was addicted to heroin, is now clean, and trusting Jesus for salvation.

During a recent membership class, a woman shared how her life was filled with men who used her, which led to her alcohol abuse. Although she’s been moderately involved in church, she never really knew Jesus. She was forced to give up her kids and enter a treatment program for alcohol. Four months ago she walked into Mars Hill, dedicated her kids and got baptized! The Ephesians series has radically opened her eyes to who Jesus is and who she is as an image-bearer of God.

Last week at a Redemption Group Celebration a man shared, “I’ve been a Christian for 13 years, but during Redemption Group I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment with God. It was confirmed again by Pastor Mark’s sermon on prayer. I had been praying to a big God of the universe, distant though all-powerful—then it really hit me that God is my Father and prayer to God is like talking to a dad who loves me. That changes everything!”

Deacon Deborah Rowe, Kids ministry director at the Bellevue church, shared this story: “Last Sunday night, a mom asked her son what he learned at church, and he told her part of the ‘Gospel in Motion.’ I sent an email to the parents last week with the ‘Gospel in Motion’ video. The mom watched it, and at the end her son was crying. She asked why he was crying and he said, ‘My sin broke God’s heart.’ She counseled him and he accepted Christ as his Savior. Praise God!”

Adam Ramsey, our Students ministries director, saw a young guy lead his friend to Jesus at school! Then a young girl shared her testimony with her entire high school class.

Thank you for following what God is doing at Mars Hill. Please pray that Jesus continues to change lives at our church.

Doctrine in Amharic: A story from Ethiopia, Part 5

Mars Hill Church — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0700

Pastor Sutton visits a local Bible college in Dilla, Ethiopia, which has been sending out graduates since 1949. Mars Hill Global currently supports every church planter who graduates from this school.

Right now, we have a huge opportunity to translate resources we already have into Amharic, the regional language there. We’re already working on a print run of the Bible in Amharic, and a translation of Pastor Mark and Gerry Breshears’ book Doctrine.

100 iPhone voice memos, 1 album

Mars Hill Church — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:00:00 -0700

Mars Hill Music is from the church, to the church, for the church.

In the above clip, Citizens’ lead singer Zach Bolen talks with Pastor Mark Driscoll about the song-writing process for the band’s recent self-titled release, Citizens, as well as the band’s hopes for how the music can serve other churches.

The album is the first full-length album Mars Hill Music released in partnership with Tooth & Nail Records and BEC.

Get your copy today on iTunes

Life at Mars Hill 3/16/13

Mars Hill Church — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:00:00 -0700

Sunday, March 31

Easter Celebration at Mars Hill Church

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” –Jesus, to his disciples (John 16:33)

Join our church family on Easter at one of our 14 local churches in four states for gospel preaching, live music, and baptisms! Don't live near one of our 14 locations? Join us online for our broadcast services.

Jesus’ resurrection makes Christianity distinct from every other religion. If the resurrection is true, it means that sin, death, and hopelessness do not win—Jesus does. It means that the empty tomb is the final word of Jesus. It means Jesus really did die for our sin and really did rise for our salvation.

Take heart. Jesus has overcome the world, and he is calling you.

Pics at Mars Hill

Kara Bruskas speaks at Mars Hill Sammamish’s women’s retreat.

Our Shoreline church hosted a Biblical Womanhood event with Mars Hill Women’s Ministry Director Hilary Tompkins (left) and Deacon Jan Quick (right).

Et tu, Judas?

Pastor Matt Johnson — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0700

Caesar: The ides of March are come.
Soothsayer: Ay, Caesar; but not gone.

–William Shakespeare
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (Act III, Scene I)

Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

John 13:21

A painful commemoration

Today, the Ides of March, is an unusual note on the calendar—it’s not every day you commemorate a betrayal.

Betrayal is brutal. In the Shakespearean play quoted above, stabbing is an appropriate symbol: when someone close to you, someone you’ve trusted, someone you’ve been vulnerable with and trusted—when they take all of that and turn that against you, you feel gutted.

March 15th marks one of the most notorious ones in history: the assassination of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar. As the story is told by Shakespeare in his tragedy, Caesar’s close friend and trusted general, Brutus, is convinced by the corrupt and deceitful general Cassius to join in a plot to assassinate Caesar. The forewarnings from others come to fruition in the famous scene of Caesar’s murder, where after being stabbed by several senators, he sees that the man he had called friend is among his murderers and utters the devastating line, “Et tu, Brute?” (“And you, Brutus?”).

2 betrayed, 1 perfect

Like Brutus, Judas Iscariot plotted against and betrayed the person supposedly most important to him. They both killed a man who loved them, and both ended their lives in suicide (Matt. 27:3–5). But while Brutus might have had legitimate misgivings about Caesar’s overextended powers, Judas had no reason, much less a legitimate one, for coming against Jesus.

What makes Judas’ betrayal of Jesus even more shocking than Brutus’ of Caesar is that Jesus loved Judas perfectly for three years, fed him, taught him, cared for him. In return, Judas stabbed his faithful friend in the back with a kiss on the cheek and clean feet, the feet Jesus had humbly washed only hours before (John 13:1–5).

But Judas wasn’t the only one.

And us?

Jesus’ closest disciples fell asleep when he asked them to pray with him. Peter denied even knowing him—three times. His neighbors shouted, “Crucify him!” as his friends cowered in the distance.

Let’s not be smug in recounting the disciples’ failures; instead, we should soberly recognize our own sins: we too have been faithless. We’ve denied him like the rest, though, in his mercy, God looks at the Christian in Jesus’ righteousness, and does not hold these sins of ours against us.

He died for traitors

As powerful as Caesar was, Jesus is infinitely greater. He isn’t sinful. He isn’t surprised by betrayal—he planned for it. He washes the feet of his traitors. And he lets the Brutuses of the world stab him in the back as he climbs up on that cross to die for sinners like you and me.

This year, the Ides of March comes exactly two weeks before the day we remember what Judas’ betrayal ultimately led to: Good Friday, when Jesus suffered and died on a cross for everyone, traitors and all.

***

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended
That man to judge thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected
O most afflicted

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied thee!
I crucified thee

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth
God intercedeth

For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation
Thy mortal sorrow, and thy life’s oblation
Thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion
For my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee
Think on thy pity and thy love unswerving
Not my deserving

–Johann Heerman

“Ah, Holy Jesus”

Check with your local Mars Hill church for Good Friday service times on March 29.

Take heart, Jesus is alive! (2013 Easter preview)

Mars Hill Church — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0700

“If Christ has not been raised,  your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17

Is Jesus dead or alive? Why does it matter?

The resurrection makes Christianity distinct from every other religion. If the resurrection is true, it means that sin, death, and hopelessness do not win—Jesus does. It means that the empty tomb is the final word of Jesus. It means Jesus really did die for our sin and really did rise for our salvation.

How to pray for Mars Hill Church, 3/13/13

Mars Hill Church — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:00:00 -0700

We deeply appreciate folks praying for Mars Hill—especially as a family or as a Community Group. This month, all of our churches are preparing for the biggest weekend of the year: Easter Sunday, March 31. We’ve got a ton of moving parts this year, so please pray for volunteers, smooth technology, the sermon, and most of all that lots of people would meet Jesus.

In addition, here are a few more specific ways you can be in prayer:

Mars Hill U-District

The Mars Hill U-District building will be open to college students during finals week as a place to study. Pray that our church would love and serve them well. On Friday, the U-District is hosting a free CD release party/worship night for Citizens’ new self-titled album, with live music from that band and Kings Kaleidoscope. Pray that lots non-Christians would show up and hear Jesus’ gospel through the music.

Mars Hill Albuquerque

Pastor Donovan Medina reports that a lot of people at our Albuquerque church are in need of jobs. Please pray for them. The church is also working hard to develop leaders, so pray for more pastors, deacons, and Community Group leaders.

Mars Hill Portland

Pastor Tim Smith is asking that God will continue to draw people to our church to hear the gospel and learn what it means to find their identity in Jesus. He would like prayer for the church’s pastors and elder candidates, that they would lead leaders well and model repentance and growth as disciples of Jesus.

Mars Hill Sammamish

Pastor Alex Ghioni is going to start a quarterly luncheon to introduce newcomers to Mars Hill Church. He asks for prayer, that this event would become a helpful connection point that encourages guests toward more meaningful participation and commitment as members of our church.

Mars Hill Federal Way

The Federal Way congregation is getting ready to plant Mars Hill Tacoma in the fall. Pray that God would provide the funds and the leaders; we need more men to pursue eldership. Pastor Bubba Jennings is also praying for 30 more Community Group leaders to plant 30 new groups by the summer.

Mars Hill Ballard

Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood is about to see an influx of new arrivals with the completion of various condo and apartment projects. Mars Hill Ballard is praying for God to save the 8,200 people who are expected to move into Ballard in the next couple of years. Pastor Alex Early asks for prayer, that our people would pray and cry out to God and believe he will actually do the things that he has said he will do—like save people and build his church.

Mars Hill Shoreline

Pastor Steve Tompkins and the Shoreline team are working on how to welcome newcomers into the Mars Hill family. Please pray for their efforts. The church is also hoping to use the post-service prayer ministry as a way to build a stronger culture of prayer at Mars Hill Shoreline.

Mars Hill Everett

Please pray that God would provide the right person for the job as we look to hire someone to lead worship at Mars Hill Everett. Also, Pastor Ryan Williams reports that many Russian people have started to attend the church. Pray that the leaders in Everett could bridge the culture gap and get them plugged in to the church. Finally, fundraising continues for the Armory building. We hope to move in this fall, so please pray for provision.

Mars Hill Olympia

A new round of Redemption Groups recently started in Olympia. Pray that Jesus would continually reveal himself to the participants and that they would see him for all that he is. Pray for Pastor Seth Winterhalter as he leads the congregation.

Mars Hill Rainier Valley

Mars Hill Rainier Valley could use prayer for their relatively new 4 p.m. service. Pastor Willie Wilson needs musicians and volunteers to serve the people attending this growing service. Pray that the people of Rainier Valley would grow more and more passionate about God’s mission in the neighborhood.

Mars Hill West Seattle

Pastor David Fairchild is in search of an executive pastor to help carry the load at our West Seattle church. Please pray that God would call the right man for the job.

Mars Hill Orange County

We could still use a more permanent home for Mars Hill Orange County. Please pray for that. Also, Pastor Nick Bogardus reports that over 50 Community Group leaders and apprentices completed training through the Counseling in Community class, so we praise God for these men and women and their desire to serve God’s people in OC.

Mars Hill Bellevue

Mars Hill Bellevue is our largest church, and they really need more people to respond to the call for volunteers, particularly in the areas of kids ministry, welcome team, and cleaning team. Pastor Thomas Hurst is also praying to see more people reconciled to Christ and to each other within the church body.

Mars Hill Downtown Seattle

Our church in Downtown Seattle will be the epicenter of our Easter celebration this year, so we expect a lot of spiritual opposition and other obstacles as the big day approaches. Please pray for protection, leadership, unity, and a single-minded focus on the mission Jesus has given us.

Central ministries

Camp registration for Mars Hill Students is coming up. Pray that lots of middle school and high school students sign up.
Applications are now open for ReTrain and the Lead Pastor Residency program—two key programs in our leadership development pipeline. Pray for lots of good applicants, and wisdom for our team as we make selections.
Our midweek women’s groups at the local churches are going very well, but childcare is still a challenge. Deacon Hilary Tompkins has requested prayer for more childcare workers to serve in this area.
Pray for our HR team as they develop strategies to improve our central operations team.

Thank you for your prayers!

Stories from around Mars Hill, 3/12/13

Pastor Sutton Turner — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0700

We are blessed at Mars Hill Church to see lives changed on a daily basis. A lot of people are meeting Jesus for the first time, while many others are growing in their commitment to Christ. Since we’re in 14 locations in four different states, not everyone gets to hear stories from all our locations. It’s my hope that Pastor Dave Bruskas and I can share some of these great stories every week by the lead pastors and others.

1. The West Seattle church saw five spontaneous baptisms one recent Sunday! A man recently came back to Christ through the church a couple months ago, and then led his young daughter to Jesus and had the privilege to baptize her this past Sunday.

2. A man shared with one of our lead pastors how six months ago his life was in ruins, his marriage almost over, and he was addicted to meth and other hard drugs. Then he met Jesus who freed him from drug addiction and healed his marriage. After he shared this, another guy came up and said, “I used to be his drug dealer. But now I follow Jesus.”

3. One of our lead pastors met a high school student who confessed to him she contemplated suicide 18 months ago. Bullied and hurt, she saw suicide as the only way out. Then she met Jesus and placed her faith in him. Now she loves Jesus, brings her friends to church, and leads a high school Bible study.

4. One of our lead pastors shared this man’s story:

I do not know what would have happened to me and my family if we hadn’t come here. God has used this church to save my life. I was in such a dark place when we came and the love, kindness, and support I’ve received has helped me survive when I felt as though I could not carry on. The practical outworking of God’s grace that we’ve experienced here is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in 28 years as a Christian.

5. Last Sunday, the U-District church had 12 baptisms on Sunday, including five that were spontaneous at the 8 p.m. service! Many of the baptisms were students from UW.

6. Pastor Drew at U-District had lunch with a young college student who shared how grades and money have become huge idols in his life. During the second week of the Ephesians series, God opened his eyes to these idols. Last Sunday, he shared his testimony with the rest of the church and encouraged his fellow students.

7. The “Sent: Found People Find People” series has been outstanding for Mars Hill Students. Adam Ramsey says more and more students bring their friends each week. He says it’s been a great culture shift. They’re also celebrating 34 young people who professed faith in Christ in February.

Please join with me in thanking God and rejoicing with what he is doing at Mars Hill!

The story behind Citizens

Mars Hill Church — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:00:00 -0700

This month, Mars Hill Music is releasing the label’s first full-length album, Citizens, in partnership with Tooth & Nail Records and BEC. Here is the improbable backstory on how Citizens bandleader Zach Bolen ended up at as a worship leader—much less one at the forefront of an exciting new era of church music.

Anything but a worship leader

Zach Bolen never thought he’d end up working in ministry. Not only was he nowhere near envisioning himself on staff at a megachurch—he never even saw himself as a worship leader.

Hailing from the Northeast, Bolen moved to the South to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design. He began volunteering at a church nearby, and after graduating, accepted a full-time position as the student ministries worship leader there. Rounding up students to play and urging them to actively worship, Bolen felt his heart for ministry completely shift.

“God showed me I needed to love people,” says Bolen. “Before that point, everything about my life was centered on me, and here I was surrounded by people that needed to hear Jesus’ gospel. They needed a dude who actually believed the Word.”

It was there that Bolen started to develop the much-beloved sound that defines his music today. He began to cultivate impassioned ideas about what worship could look like, taking notes from how musicians engaged and motivated their fans. Instead of pursuing the crowd for his own sake, however, he wanted to engage people through music for the glorification of God. He was about to get an opportunity to do just that.

Moving to Seattle—job or no job

Not long after moving to the Midwest with his wife and two children, Bolen felt compelled to leave his job. Less than a month later, he received a call from Mars Hill. A phone interview didn’t go great, but they still decided to fly him out for in-person interviews. Those didn’t go well either. It wasn’t until he was sitting at a Mariners’ game with the lead pastor of the U-District church that Bolen told him that, whether Mars Hill offered him a job or not, he knew God was calling his family to Seattle and they’d be moving there regardless. The next night, the pastor offered Bolen the job of worship leader at the local church. The rest was history.

Looking back on it all, Bolen says he’s actually thankful the interviews went so badly, because, as he says, “It’s a constant reminder to me that I did nothing to put myself in this position—it’s solely the work of God and his providence.”

Citizens takes residence

Reconstructing the worship teams there, he began to build a band of his own, and together with Nate Garvey, Adam Skatula, Nathan Furtado, and Tom McConnell, the band Citizens was created. Born out of Ephesians 2:19, the name brings to mind all Christian’s shared allegiance to God.

“God made us citizens,” says Bolen. “And in that, he has chosen to abide in us. In song, we’re all led by the same Spirit. We’re singing as one body, one family—we’re all joined together by Christ.”

That conviction is seen visibly in the way the band worships with a crowd. Bolen explained that he wanted to write arrangements that demanded participation, where the congregation felt inspired to participate in worship. Take for instance, the wildly popular song “In Tenderness.” Bolen and Garvey re-wrote a new melody and this time, deliberately put the song in a key that had to be shouted in order to sing, so the crowd would have no choice but to join in shouting—and rejoicing.

**On Citizens, indifference is not an option**

The new self-titled album, a compilation of original songs and re-arranged hymns, adroitly marries lyrical truths with an intensity that demands that very participation. A dynamic sound showered in melodic nerve, Citizens is nothing short of spirited. Songs like “Jesus!” and “Made Alive” showcase their driving sound, while others such as “I Am Living in the Land of Death” and “Oh God” provide cheerfully courageous battle cries. The clean sound allows the listener to pay unadulterated tribute to God.

That’s done intentionally, Bolen says, to remind people of the battle that’s already been won. “We’re in this war, but Jesus has already won it for us,” he explains. “I tell my guys when we go out to play to think of being the soldiers who run back from the battlefield to the city, proclaiming victory over our enemies. We want to be the people pounding on your door proclaiming triumph.”

Just take a few of the lines from the song “Hail the King,” for example: “Praise the Savior / He has won / Our sin defeated through his blood / Now exalted Jesus reigns / Hail the King / Praise his name / We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

Another song that keeps with the theme of triumph is “The Sweetness of Freedom,” a ballad that proclaims the joy of being renewed by God with the lyrics, “All my life I live to follow you alone /As you change my desires / Liberated by the blood of Jesus / I found life in the sweetness of freedom.”

Bolen is insistent on the point that everything come back to God. “We aren’t trying to get people to worship the music,” he says. “We’re trying to get them to worship the God who created the music. There’s something about music, if done in the right way . . . it makes us look at something bigger than us.”

The album’s aim, says Bolen, is to project enthusiastic worship, passion, and whole-hearted gladness—and it exceeds these goals triumphantly.

A new mission for worship through Mars Hill

As for his new position, Bolen feels at home working at Mars Hill, where he’s now a deacon. Founded in Seattle in 1996, Mars Hill Church is one of the largest and most-innovative churches in the U.S., with upward of 14,000 people meeting weekly across 14 locations in four states each week. Mars Hill has been recognized as the twenty-eighth-largest, third-fastest-growing, and second-most-innovative church in the country by Outreach magazine, as well as the church with the most locations of any in the country. Pastor Mark Driscoll’s sermons receive over 10 million downloads per year, consistently rank #1 on iTunes’ Religion & Spirituality chart, and he has over 450,000 combined followers on Facebook and Twitter.

Mars Hill Music, Citizens’ label, is made up of a variety of musicians and worship leaders who serve at the various Mars Hill locations’ Sunday services. From the beginning, Mars Hill has been committed to the philosophy that each local Mars Hill church would engage the culture in its local surroundings and point people to Jesus. Each Mars Hill band strives to do this with unique expressions of what God is doing in their respective cities.

In that same vision, the men of Citizens look forward to what God has in store for them in Seattle. Bolen may have never had plans to work in ministry, but we’re glad God did.

Citizens will be released on March 12. Get your copy of the LP on iTunes.

The church that radiates: A dispatch from the Rainier Valley

Pastor Sutton Turner — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:00:00 -0700

I’m not sure we have another church like Mars Hill Rainier Valley, where the lead pastor can jump on stage to rap while the worship team plays “How Great Thou Art” in the background. Thankfully, Pastor Willie Wilson is talented enough to pull it off.

Pastor Willie leads the church in worship.

The Executive Elder Team recently had the opportunity to visit Rainier Valley, a church that radiates happiness and passion. They have a great leadership team, and it’s quite clear they’re excited that Pastor Willie is there to lead. In one of the most diverse ZIP codes in the United States, people are meeting Jesus and lives are being changed by him. Women in the front row, many of whom live in the nearby battered women’s shelter, told us they love Mars Hill because they know the men at the church won’t mistreat them.

A unique mission

The main point I wanted to get across as I spoke to the church was they should be encouraged. Amazing things are happening and people from all over the country are joining in their excitement. The previous week, people sent in checks from North Carolina and Texas to help support the work at Mars Hill Rainier Valley. I’ve visited to a lot of large churches in the last year and none is planting churches in urban centers like the Rainier Valley.

Pastor Dave gave an update on each of our churches and taught that multi-site churches are not unique. Paul had the equivalent in the New Testament as he planted a church, moved on to the next city, but continued to write them letters and keep them connected through fellow workers like Timothy.

Deep care and a father’s heart

Pastor Mark reminded them how deeply we care for everyone at Rainier Valley. Money from the larger churches at Mars Hill is given to support some of the newer and smaller churches like Rainier Valley. People in our churches are very happy to do this. Pastor Mark also affirmed that he and Pastor Willie both have a father’s heart for their church. He closed his time by saying something we really wanted to communicate to Rainier Valley: “You are well loved and prayed for. Fill your heart with hope for the next season.”

Q&A with Pastor Mark and Pastor Willie

It’s our vision to plant more urban churches like Rainier Valley—all we need are young men to raise their hands for the mission.

Life at Mars Hill 3/9/13

Mars Hill Church — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 08:00:00 -0800

Friday, March 15 at 7 p.m.

Citizens Release Party with Kings Kaleidoscope at Mars Hill U-District

Celebrate the release of Mars Hill Music's first full-length album, the self-titled album from the band Citizens, by joining us for a night of singing led by the band and their label-mates Kings Kaleidoscope. Entry is free! Parking is available in the lot immediately south of the church and can be accessed through Brooklyn Avenue.

Sunday, March 31

Easter Celebration at Mars Hill Church

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” –Jesus, to his disciples (John 16:33)

Pics at Mars Hill

Erica, a member of Mars Hill Federal Way, shares her testimony of God's grace and faithfulness as she faces difficult physical affliction.

Pastor Bubba prays for Erica and her family.

Worship at Mars Hill Downtown Bellevue

Thank you to all the hundreds of volunteers who help us with Sunday services!

A new Mars Hill Orange County ensemble, Band of Saints, leads worship.

A candid talk with our lead pastor residents, Part 1

Mars Hill Church — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:00:00 -0800

“Come in as a student, not a teacher.” –Pastor Ryan Welsh

Pastors Ryan Williams and Ryan Welsh recently sat down with Pastor Mark for a honest talk about their experience as lead pastor residents this past year.

Mars Hill’s Lead Pastor Residency Program is for men who have a track record in leading, want to learn more first-hand, and feel called to the mission to plant more Mars Hill churches. Apply today for the 2013–2014 class.

Pastors Mark and Tim shoot the breeze

Mars Hill Church — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0800

Mars Hill was small, often homeless, and just getting started when Pastor Mark and Tim Smith met over 14 years ago at a conference in New Mexico. Whatever was said that day, Pastor Tim felt called to join Mars Hill, move with his wife across the country to live with Pastor Mark and Grace and head up worship at the church, the fruit of which today is Mars Hill Music. Pastor Tim served as the longtime worship pastor at the Ballard church, and then for a few years at the Bellevue one, before being called to head down to his native Oregon to lead the Portland church.

A lot has changed over the years. When Pastor Mark was recently at Mars Hill Portland for their recent Mission & Vision Night, he sat down with Pastor Tim Smith to talk about their long friendship, history at the church, and what they’ve seen God do over all those years.

Want more? Catch the whole story of the early days (including some choice footage of Pastors Mark and Tim) of Mars Hill in the God’s Work, Our Witness documentary.

This is not a story of healing

Deacon Erin Berger — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:00:00 -0800

In light of Pastor Mark’s sermon on Ephesians 3:1–13 this week, “I Am Afflicted,” one of our deacons at the Ballard church wrote this post about her own experience with suffering.

“I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

I have wrestled with a variation of chronic fatigue syndrome and thyroid issues for a few years now. My sufferings have never been very visible, outside of my immediate family. In fact, I worked very hard to make sure they were invisible. I wanted to be seen as an energetic, positive, happy girl who was willing to serve and do whatever needed to be done. I did not want to be identified as broken. But the reality is, I was hobbled; my body just couldn’t do it. Then several months ago, everything got drastically worse. As that realization set in, I simply sat down in it. I hunkered down like a pig in the mud, sinking into this acknowledgment: I am exhausted all the time. I can execute the necessary functions of an acceptable, visible life, but as soon as I get home at night, there is nothing else I can do. And nothing else I want to do. I feel empty and drained of all energy and excitement.

No happy ending (yet)

You might be peeking to the end of the story now to see where the happy ending starts. Let me save you the trouble: it’s not there. This is not a story of healing (at least not yet); this is a story of chronic, low-grade suffering, the kind that steals your joy incrementally rather than one fell swoop. But it’s not a story of only suffering—it’s about suffering and pressing on, of losing hope and fighting to reclaim it, of being deeply frustrated with my circumstances and trusting that God is not absent from them.

But there is hope

Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you, too, are experiencing the slow, steady drip. Like a hot air balloon with a tiny hole in it, you don’t really notice you’re losing altitude until suddenly you’re only hovering right above the ground. Romans 5 tells us suffering produces endurance, which produces character, which produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame. Shame is particularly interesting for me: I am tempted to give up hope precisely because I feel ashamed by it. But hope—which is faithful expectation, not a dream or a wish—does not shame us.

No honesty in pretending

I don’t share this story to gain your pity. Frankly, I would much prefer no one knew. But there is no honesty in pretending I can handle it all, and there is no hope in that either. While I don’t know (much as I would like to) if my suffering is discipline from the Lord or simply part of living in a fallen world or something else, I have been reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Fighting for hope

This is true! His grace is sufficient! Even when I don’t think I can get out of bed. Even when it takes me longer to accomplish simple tasks. There is a daily battle to keep my eyes open, yes, but the bigger battle is fighting for the hope that his grace is sufficient for me. Today I am no less tired than I was yesterday, or the day before, or the week before, but I am slowly learning to focus less on how my body feels and more on who Christ is.

And as I do, hope looms larger.

“My flesh also will dwell in hope.” Acts 2:26

God isn’t limited by location

Pastor Nick Bogardus — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:00:00 -0800

Lately at our church, we have heard multiple times statements like the following: “I would invite my friends and neighbors to church, but they won’t come to Garden Grove.” And I’m right there with you; I shared last Sunday where God was convicting me on my own sin and selfishness lately, as the building search and being in a temporary facility outside of our ideal location have been frustrating.

But like everything God has ever convicted me of, it was a good challenge for me, because it’s opened my eyes, beyond what I think should be happening, to focus on what God’s doing right now.

Location is just the excuse

So please allow me pass on to you the challenge to not let our location hinder our mission. Because really, location is just the excuse—one of many we can use to avoid the call for all of us as disciples to be bold on mission—and it’s not one that’s unique to Orange County, nor is it one that holds up for very long.

We’ve launched six Community Groups in the past month, at least four people put their faith in Jesus in the last month, almost 70% of our church is in community, over 50 people are in our membership class—and we’re praying that we’ll baptize another 12 people! If God can do all of that—which he can and is—then location is going to be the last thing that slows him down! Who wouldn’t want to be in a community where know a God is changing hearts like that? And he’s doing this everywhere.

Don’t wait—invite

Even if, despite you talking to people about Jesus and telling them all he is doing in our church, they are reluctant to make the short drive on Sunday morning, you can still invite them to your Community Group. With over 60% of our local church in community together, that is where the life of our church is happening, and with over 25 groups around the OC area there is a group near them. Invite them to experience Jesus’ gospel in a smaller community first so that they can then come and experience it in your gathered community.

Whether you’re in Orange County or Tacoma or Everett or Bellevue or Portland or anywhere else—location isn’t the actual hold-up. Neither is fear of opposition, lack of money, or fear of rejection. If God can move mountains, then our only task is to repent of our fear, trust him, and tell him that we’re ready and willing for whatever he wants to do through our church body.

Pray today

Join me in praying today for the following:
Thank God for who he is and the redemption he has worked for you and in you.
Thank God for all he is doing in our young church.
Pray for more people to step up to lead and shepherd our people well.
Pray for more conversions and more people to put their faith in Jesus and pass from death to life.
Pray for whom you specifically need to pursue and for boldness to share the gospel with this Easter.

I love you and am excited to be on mission with you this Easter season.

The purity of the Church

Charles Spurgeon — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:00:00 -0800

“Foreigners have come into the holy places of the Lord’s house.” Jeremiah 51:51

In this account, the faces of the Lord’s people were covered with shame, for it was a terrible thing that men should intrude into the Holy Place reserved for the priests alone. Everywhere about us we see like cause for sorrow. How many ungodly men are now educating with the view of entering into the ministry! What a crying sin is that solemn lie by which our whole population is nominally comprehended in the Church!

How fearful it is that ordinances should be pressed upon the unconverted, and that among the more enlightened churches of our land there should be such laxity of discipline. If the thousands who will read this portion take this matter before the Lord Jesus today, he will interfere and avert the evil that will otherwise come upon his church.

To adulterate the Church is to pollute a well, to pour water upon fire, to sow a fertile field with stones. May we all have grace to maintain in our own proper way the purity of the Church, as being an assembly of believers, and not a nation, an unsaved community of unconverted men.

Our zeal must, however, begin at home. Let us examine ourselves as to our right to eat at the Lord’s table. Let us see to it that we have on our wedding garment, lest we ourselves be intruders in the Lord’s sanctuaries. Many are called, but few are chosen; the way is narrow, and the gateway is a strait.

Oh, for grace to come to Jesus aright, with the faith of God’s elect! He who smote Uzzah for touching the ark is very jealous of his two ordinances. As a true believer I may approach them freely, as an alien I must not touch them lest I die. Heart searching is the duty of all who are baptized or come to the Lord’s table. “Search me, O God, and know my way! Try me and know my heart!“

Adapted from Morning and Evening.

Sending students out to the harvest

Adam Ramsey — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:00:00 -0800

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” John 20:21

You have been sent. These destiny-defining words of Jesus have been at the center of our latest series at Mars Hill Students, “Sent: Found People Find People.” Our goal is to go beyond just providing ministry for students—we want to empower students for ministry. Yes, we want our young people to grow in their faith, and we believe that happens most exponentially when they are equipped to go in faith.

When the younger generation begins to see their schedules and relationships through the lens of God’s mission instead of their comfort . . .
When those who have been found by Jesus go and find others . . .
When we drink in deeply the grace Jesus has poured out onto us . . .
. . . We cannot help but live as a people who are sent to pour out that very grace onto those God has placed around us.

Each week at Mars Hill Students, we are opening the Bible and encouraging students to live boldly and joyfully as missionaries to their schools, communities, friends, and families. God is not waiting for them to “grow up” before he can use them; he desires to work through them right now in the field he has sovereignly placed them in—right now!

And we are in a great season of harvest. Each week, I get to talk to more young men and women who are beginning to live as ambassadors of Christ, on the mission of God, to reach their friends with Jesus’ gospel!

Already, we’ve celebrated with dozens of students who have professed faith in Christ. Pray with us for many more laborers to be sent out to bring in the ever-increasing harvest!

If you are a junior high or high school student who’d like to join in on the movement, either as a participant or as a leader of your peers, go to the Connect Desk at your local Mars Hill church to get in touch with your Students ministry lead there.

“And [Jesus] said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” Luke 10:2

Jesus is never gonna give you up

Mars Hill Church — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 01:00:00 -0800

“According to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” Ephesians 3:11–12

When was the last time you were discouraged? Was it when you performed poorly on an exam and got a bad grade? Did you make a mistake in a game that caused your team to lose?

All of us are discouraged at some point. There will be a time in your life that you will be discouraged, in school, sports, hobbies, and even your friendships. When it comes, you’ll be tempted to give up and quit caring.

You’ll even be discouraged in your pursuit of Jesus. There will be a time when you’ll be tempted to quit caring about living for him.

When this happens, you’ll feel guilty and ashamed, as if you’re the only one who ever felt that way. You’re not. Even Jesus Christ was tempted to give up.

Before enduring horrendous pain and suffering, Jesus was discouraged. He was tempted to not go through the agony of the cross. Thankfully Jesus didn’t give up. He had you and me in mind. He knew that he had come to save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21).

Even though following Jesus Christ doesn’t mean that your life will be easy and pain free, trusting in Jesus, who suffered for you, will empower you to endure any level of suffering you experience.

Jesus didn’t give up on you. He endured suffering to the point of losing his life for you. Since Jesus persevered and kept pushing through, in Christ we, too, can persevere and continue our pursuit of Jesus when we suffer.

Read

Ephesians 3:1–13

How do Paul’s words to the Ephesians take on new meaning when you realize that Paul was most likely lying on a cold floor in the dark with an aching body from repeated beatings in prison?
What do you believe is the secret to avoiding discouragement, bitterness, unbelief, and anger while suffering?

Prayer

Ask for God’s grace to help you and your family to not lose heart in the middle of any suffering or affliction.

This devotion is adapted from the Who Do You Think You Are? Study Guides with Daily Devotions resource.

Who do you think you are, Big Bird?

Mars Hill Church — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:00:00 -0800

Here’s a bit of levity for your Monday: a member at our Albuquerque church, who happens to be a professional illustrator, just made a Sesame Street comic based off the Ephesians series intro video—and it’s pretty fantastic.

Watch the original video here.

14 kinds of affliction

Pastor Mark Driscoll — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:00:00 -0800

The Bible has much to say about suffering and affliction.

For instance, laments (groaning amid difficulties) account for roughly a third of the prayers and songs that comprise the book of Psalms. The entire book of Lamentations is a painfully honest journaling in the midst of affliction. And every Old Testament prophetic book but Haggai includes a lament on affliction.

Affliction in the Scriptures, as in our own lives, isn’t neat, tidy, or systematic. Life is often more complex than clear. While there is no way to answer all the questions for those who are afflicted, I thought it might be helpful to pull back and look at 14 kinds of affliction seen throughout the Scriptures.

1. Adamic affliction

When Adam sinned, all of us were implicated, and we inherited a sin nature and were born into a fallen world. As a result, some affliction is simply the result of being part of Adam’s race. Everyone will suffer to varying degrees and ways because of Adam’s sin, our sin, the sins of others, and the curse that permeates all of creation. This will remain the case until Jesus returns, removes the presence of all sin and its effects, resurrects Christians from death, and ushers in a new creation. Subsequently, we must accept that suffering is part of life on this side of the kingdom.

2. Punishment affliction

God judges unbelievers and punishes them for sin. Biblical examples include God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah and on Pharaoh and Egypt. This kind of punishment reveals God’s justice. It brings the work of horrendous sin to an end so that those suffering at the hands of evildoers are given reprieve, reveals to unbelievers the urgent need to repent of sin and place their faith in God to avoid eternal punishment, and encourages believers that God will not be mocked and that faith in him is not in vain.

It should be noted that God does not punish those in Christ in the same sense that he punishes non-Christians, because Jesus already paid the penalty for his people’s sins. Therefore, God would be unjust to also condemn Christians to death. Subsequently, even though a Christian and a non-Christian may endure the same suffering, there is a different use by God for each.

3. Consequential affliction

Sometimes we suffer because of foolish decisions. We see examples of this throughout Proverbs: the lazy become hungry, adulterers reap what they sow, fools suffer harm, and poor financial stewards are impoverished. Practically, much of life’s suffering is consequential, resulting from our decisions.

4. Demonic affliction

Because Satan is alive and at work in the world, demonic affliction is very real. This includes torment, physical injury, deception arising from false miracles, accusation, and even death. Sometimes demonic suffering is difficult to discern; Satan is often blamed for suffering when we’re experiencing consequential affliction from our own decisions. Nonetheless, demonic affliction is real and should not be discounted just because some wrongly blame everything on Satan.

5. Victim affliction

Victims endure affliction by being sinned against. This is a constant, heavy part of pastoral ministry. Since I started Mars Hill Church in the fall of 1996, I can’t recall a week in which I haven’t heard a devastating story about someone who was beaten, raped, molested, stolen from, cheated on, and the like. Those on the front lines of ministry see the tremendous amount of pain people carry as a result of sin committed against them. Evil is real, and its devastating effects are evident in the lives of many.

6. Collective affliction

Sometimes we suffer because we’re part of a people who are suffering. A biblical example is the Old Testament prophets’ frequent repentance of not only their own sins but also the sins of their forefathers and their nation as they lamented the suffering God permitted for their chastisement. We’re all members of families, nations, and cultures—all of whom suffer. Likewise, those born into poverty, famine, hardship, war, and the like experience suffering because of where and when they were born.

7. Disciplinary affliction

God chastens believers to mature them. Examples can be found in the Wisdom Literature, the Prophets, and the New Testament. Scripture is clear that discipline comes from God, who loves us and is like an honorable father who corrects us to mature and save us from the harm that sin causes. We later see the effects of God’s work in this suffering and thank him for continually working for our growth in holiness and fruitfulness.

8. Vicarious affliction

Sometimes those in Christ suffer because the ungodly oppose Jesus. Examples include the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. Vicarious affliction comes in varying degrees, from opposition to persecution. Physical persecution causes some to painfully die for Christ. Verbal opposition causes others to painfully live for Christ, as they are maligned, lied about, falsely accused, mocked, and harassed.

9. Empathetic affliction

This is the suffering that results when someone we love is hurting. The Bible says this will be common in the church because when people we love suffer, we suffer as well.

10. Testimonial affliction

Some suffering is a demonstration of the gospel so that others will have a deeper appreciation and understanding of Jesus. This kind of suffering tests our identity in Christ, confirms to us that we are true believers, strengthens our fellow Christians, and evangelizes non-Christians. The classic example is Hosea’s marriage to Gomer: God called the prophet to marry and stay married to an unfaithful woman as an example of Jesus’ devotion to the church.

11. Providential affliction

Some of us suffer to teach a lesson about God so that worship of him increases. Examples include Joseph’s imprisonment in Egypt, where his suffering resulted in many people being saved physically from starvation and spiritually from sin. God allows some suffering for reasons that cannot be easily discerned at first glance.

12. Preventative affliction

Sometimes suffering warns us of greater suffering that will happen if we don’t heed God’s warnings. This suffering is indicative of the loving nature of God, who, for instance, allows us to experience lesser degrees of pain (e.g., an ache in our side) in order to warn us of greater pain (e.g., a burst appendix).

13. Mysterious affliction

Sometimes God, in his providence, chooses not to reveal why we suffer. As Scripture says, we know in part. Job is the most obvious example of this kind of suffering, because during his trouble he was unaware of what was occurring between God and Satan. I believe that this category is incredibly important because, if we are humble and honest, the truth is that life is often not as clear as the categories above.

14. Apocalyptic affliction

The Bible speaks of increased suffering that will signal the end of this age, as seen in the prophecies of the Old Testament and of Jesus. While we don’t know when the end of this age will be, we do know Christians living in the final chapter of human history will suffer greatly as a result of being in Christ. While we shouldn’t live in fear of this future, nor seek to predict its timing, these Scriptures will serve as a particularly helpful guide when they are needed most.

This list is adapted from chapter eight of Pastor Mark’s latest book, Who Do You Think You Are?: Finding Your True Identity in Christ.

The limit of our trials

Charles Spurgeon — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 01:00:00 -0800

“This sickness is not unto death.” John 11:4 (NKJV)

From our Lord’s words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. Here is an “unto” within which its ultimate end is restrained, and beyond which it cannot go. Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not to be the ultimatum of his sickness. In all sickness, the Lord says to the waves of pain, “Up to here shall you go, but no further.” His fixed purpose is not the destruction, but the instruction of his people. Wisdom hangs up the thermometer at the furnace mouth, and regulates the heat.

1. The limit is encouragingly comprehensive. The God of providence has limited the time, manner, intensity, repetition, and effects of all our sicknesses. Each throb is decreed, each sleepless hour predestinated, each relapse ordained, each depression of spirit foreknown, and each sanctifying result eternally purposed. Nothing great or small escapes the ordaining hand of him who numbers the hairs of our head.

2. This limit is wisely adjusted to our strength, to the end designed, and to the grace apportioned. Affliction does not come haphazardly—the weight of every stroke of the rod is accurately measured. He, who made no mistakes in balancing the clouds and meting out the heavens, commits no errors in measuring out the ingredients which compose the medicine of souls. We cannot suffer too much nor be relieved too late.

3. The limit is tenderly appointed. The knife of the heavenly Surgeon never cuts deeper than is absolutely necessary. “He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.“ A mother’s heart cries, “Spare my child,” but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious God. When we consider how hard-mouthed we are, it is a wonder that we are not driven with a sharper bit. This thought is full of consolation: that he who has fixed the bounds of our habitation has also fixed the bounds of our tribulation.

Adapted from Morning and Evening.

Here’s what’s happening for Easter 2013

Mars Hill Church — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 08:00:00 -0800

This year for Easter, all Mars Hill churches will be synced up via live stream for the first time ever. The five full services at Mars Hill Downtown Seattle—including Pastor Mark’s sermon, baptisms and testimonies, and live music—will be simultaneously broadcast to the other churches and online. All total, there will be 42 services held across 14 churches in 4 states, plus our extended church family joining online, all coming together to celebrate the joyous resurrection of Jesus.

For service times, broadcast times, and other info, go to:

marshill.com/easter

You are not of this world

Mars Hill Church — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 01:00:00 -0800

“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:19

Being a Christian isn’t easy. If you are a Christian, there will be times in your life that are hard. People will make fun of you, think less of you, or even verbally and physically assault you, just because you’re a Christian. As a Christian, you should expect to experience some level of suffering in your life.

We worship a God who came to earth and was afflicted. Jesus experienced a great deal of suffering. He was wrongfully arrested, beaten, verbally assaulted, tortured, and made to carry the very wooden cross to which he would be nailed, to die for you and me.

Not only has Jesus suffered—so, too, have those who have faithfully served him throughout history. Even today, thousands of people around the world will die martyrs’ deaths for their faith in Jesus Christ.

In spite of the pain and suffering these martyrs endured, they lived for Jesus, because Jesus lives.

Read

John 15:18–21

Did the world love or hate Jesus?
Should we expect the world to love our beliefs and us?
Have you ever experienced any negative reactions from others because you identified yourself as a Christian? How did you respond?

Prayer

Thank Jesus that he suffered and died for your sin. Ask for God’s grace to help you face affliction in your life for your faith in Jesus.

This devotion is adapted from the Who Do You Think You Are? Study Guides with Daily Devotions resource.

Jesus is changing the South Sound

Pastor Bubba Jennings — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:00:00 -0800

“Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18–19

This past weekend, we had spontaneous testimonies and heard many stories of how Jesus is working in and through our Federal Way church in amazing ways. Here are just some of the testimonies we heard.

One young man shared how he was planning to end his life by suicide. Then Jesus intervened, meeting him in his brokenness and helping him. He thanked God for giving him a new life and a new family called Mars Hill Church.

A young woman shared how she was sexually assaulted four years ago. Since then Jesus has given her a new life while walking with her through the healing process. She praised God for her sister who brought her to Mars Hill Church and for her community group who has been a wonderful support for her.

A visiting Veterans Affairs chaplain shared how he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given six months to live. That was five years ago. He praised Jesus for being his great physician and extending his life.

Another young woman shared how after growing up in a religious home she ran away from the church and wanted nothing to do with God. It was only her second time at Mars Hill Church but now she sees that Jesus isn’t calling her to religion but rather to a relationship with himself.

Another young man shared how Jesus gave him new life, freed him from major drug addictions and healed his marriage. He praised Jesus for being his redeemer.

As well, I had the privilege of talking with a young man named Joe, whose sister brought him to Mars Hill Church. He told me he wanted to be a better man so God would accept him. I explained to him that no one does works that are enough good to earn salvation or make themselves righteous in the eyes of God. I shared how Jesus lived a perfect sinless life for him, died on the cross in his place for his sin, and was buried. I told him how on the third day Jesus rose from the grave conquering sin and death, and in Jesus his sins could be forgiven and he could be given a new life.

I said, “Jesus doesn’t want you to be a better man—he wants to make you a new man, with a new heart, new desires, a new identity for a new life.” He looked at me and smiled. I then asked, “Do you want to be a new man in Jesus and become a Christian?” He said, “Yes!” I then prayed for him and we rejoiced together. It was amazing!

I’m so thankful we get to be a part of something bigger and better than ourselves. We get to be a part of God’s story. Let’s never forget that our hero Jesus is alive and with us always!

Pastor Bubba Jennings is currently the lead pastor of the Federal Way church, and as of this fall, will be leading our newest local church, Mars Hill Tacoma. That church is being planted in one of the oldest church buildings in its city and needs a lot of work; to help them reach the $600,000 needed to retrofit the building, you can give here.

Pastor Bubba and his wife, Shelly, a deacon, have served Mars Hill for over 12 years, when he started as one of the church’s first interns.

Life at Mars Hill 3/2/13

Mars Hill Church — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 07:00:00 -0800

There were 12 joyful baptisms at Mars Hill U-District on Sunday!

Brandon shares about Jesus' work of reconciliation and identity in his life at our Orange County church.

His is a great, rich mercy

Charles Spurgeon — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 01:00:00 -0800

“. . . the mercy of God . . .” Psalm 52:8 (NKJV)

Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, he heals the broken in heart and binds up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of it. It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God. His mercy is like himself—it is infinite. You cannot measure it.

His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favors and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God. It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner’s part to receive the kind consideration of the Most High. Had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire, he would have richly merited the doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself.

It is rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them. But this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits, a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds, a heavenly bandage to your broken bones, a royal chariot for your weary feet, a bosom of love for your trembling heart.

It is manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, “All the flowers in God’s garden are double.” There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies. It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted, it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever.

It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave you. If mercy is your friend, mercy will be with you in temptation to keep you from yielding, with you in trouble to prevent you from sinking, with you living to be the light and life of your countenance, and with you dying to be the joy of your soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.

Adapted from Morning and Evening.

Is God an absentee landlord?

Pastor Alex Early — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:00:00 -0800

This Sunday at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., Ballard Lead Pastor Alex Early will host a seminar, “God Does Not Hide,” which will examine skepticism, deism, and Christianity. In this post, he gives a preview of what deism is and what questions he’ll be hitting on Sunday.

Starting from skepticism

Seattleites are an educated bunch, and generally skeptical about the possibility of the existence of a loving God, the afterlife, or miracles. Sure, maybe there’s a God out there, but why should he concern himself with human affairs?

A recent study* revealed that, while 77% of Seattleites believe in God, only 51% believe he’s actively involved in the world. In a word, about a quarter of Seattleites believe God is basically an absentee landlord, and are functionally deists.

Where does this idea come from, and why does it matter?

What is deism?

Deism is a philosophical and theological concept that was popularized in the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily in England. It came upon the heels of the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and the Age of Reason. Believe it or not, deism is popular still today. In fact, a popular theological understanding of God these days being championed by the upcoming generation is described by sociologist Christian Smith and others as “moralistic therapeutic deism.” That is to say that the God who created the world desires us to be moral, upright people, and he prefers to relate to him more as a transcendent therapist that you pay a visit once in a while, rather than an immanent than a Savior and Lord.

Come and hear

What does the Bible say about God and Jesus and their involvement with the world?

Is God loving and personal, or is he basically an absentee landlord?

Whether you’re unsure about the answers to these questions, or whether you’re a Bible-believing Christian, we’d invite you to join us to learn about who the God of the Bible describes himself to be, and why it matters in day-to-day life for everybody.

*This was a study we had commissioned on the area within a three-mile radius from the Ballard church, and was based on research from the Percept Group, Nielsen, and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Gidasu has a burden: A story from Ethiopia, part 4

Mars Hill Church — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0800

Gidasu has a call and burden to preach, to teach, and to share the gospel of Jesus in Ethiopia. Today, he teaches at the Theology College in Dilla. Mars Hill Global supports all of the church planters who come out of this Bible college.

Pray for Gidasu as he teaches and for the call on his life to plant and preach. Please also prayerfully consider how you can support church planters in Ethiopia, India, and Chile today as part of our extended church family by giving to Mars Hill Global today.