Top Messages from 2012

These are some of the messages/moments from 2012 that have stuck with me the longest throughout the year and have shaped how I think and act and what I meditate on.  It may be worth listening to some of these messages again before we move to far ahead in 2013.  Let's not forget what God has spoken to us.

You can listen or download these messages on our Fenway Church media player.

Living to Finish - Tom Griffith    1/8/12

The Father's Heart - David W.   2/25/12

'You' Is Plural - Jesse Sudirgo    3/4/12

Young Lions - Jeremy Jackson   7/8/12 (definitely listen to the prophetic word at the very end of the recording)

Keep on Keeping On - Casey Marques        10/21/12 (Steadfastness)

Your Greatest Enemy is You - Jan Horjus  10/28/12

Also, my good friend, Charlotte, says every new attendee at Fenway Church should listen to this message.

A Chosen Family - David W.  8/26/12

http://www.fenwaychurch.org/media

Questions About the Holy Spirit

Two questions were asked this week after my message on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. You can listen to that message here: http://www.fenwaychurch.org/media.php?pageID=5

Questions are not surprising!  When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost in Acts 2, people asked questions (see verses 7-13), and Peter them.  In the same way today, when the Holy Spirit moves, questions often arise and they are worth answering.

For anyone but often people who have come from backgrounds where they have not seen supernatural things before, watching or hearing about some of the things that happen when the Spirit comes can make them feel uncertain or uncomfortable.  For example, on Sunday some people cried when experiencing the Holy Spirit. One young man was overcome by the presence of God and fell backwards.  While it is the person of the Holy Spirit that we are seeking, we acknowledge that certain signs and experiences often are associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

If you have questions about what you are seeing or hearing, ask your CG leader about it at community group or feel free to email me with questions - dwhill@fenwaychurch.org

For now, let's address the two questions that have already come up.

1) Does baptized with the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit mean the same thing?  Are they interchangeable?

Yes!  Jesus promised the disciples in Acts 1:5 that they would be "baptized with the Holy Spirit... not many days from now."  This promise was fulfilled in Acts 2:4 when the same disciples were "all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues."

In Acts 8:17, people being baptized in the Holy Spirit (which I described in more detail in Sunday's message) was referred to as receiving the Holy Spirit.  All these phrases are referring to the same thing and are used interchangeably in the New Testament.

2) Is it Biblical for everybody to speak in tongues at the same time like Betsy experienced in Zimbabwe?

Good question.  In Acts 2, all 120 people were speaking in tongues at the same time when the Holy Spirit fell upon them so it is certainly not without precedent.

Paul does encourage order when we come together to worship in public as a church.  In those meetings, Paul states that if someone speaks out in tongues he should only do so if someone can interpret it so the whole body can be edified and built up (I Corinthians 14:26-27).

These instructions by Paul point to the purpose of tongues.  Tongues enables a person to pray with their spirit and not just their mind (I Cor 14:14).  Tongues builds up the individual that is praying but not the church unless their is an interpretation (I Cor 14:4).  I have founded praying in tongues to be hugely encouraging and empowering for me in my personal prayer life because of those reasons.

We do need to proceed with wisdom and with Paul's instructions in mind when praying in tongues corporately.  Here's how I attempt to do that.

I would encourage people in our Sunday public worship gatherings that if they pray in tongues they should do so quietly and in a way that will not be heard by others.  Of course if they sense their tongues if for the whole body and there is going to be an interpretation, they should then approach our MCs to see if their is space in the meeting to speak the tongue. This helps keeps order in the service and prevents people who don't know about tongues especially non-believing guests from being confused.

In prayer meetings and other gatherings where guests are not involved, I have found that as in Acts 2, Acts 10, and Acts 19 when the Spirit moves when we gather corporately it can cause many people to erupt in praise and prayer in tongues as Betsy experienced in Zimbabwe.  I have usually found these times empower prayer and build up the body as we all individually feel ourselves being edified by the Spirit.

With that said, we do want to make sure we are explaining what is taking place to those who may not have experienced it before and help them understand and experience these gifts as they desire.

Our Dear American Friends... (A Note from Across the Pond)

I felt this note from a friend from Germany (who is deeply involved in the expansion of God's kingdom in many ways particularly through simple church planting) hit the right note this morning. I need more time to weigh everything that he is saying here, but I sense much of it is from God's heart.  I post it this morning because I believe we need to hear its message and consider this man's conclusions with the election and the state of our nation still fresh in our minds.

David W.

P.s. I would welcome any questions or thoughts in the comments.

____________________________________________________

Our dear America – where do you go from here?

Today, Obama has been re‐elected; all the efforts of many Christian leaders, prayer movements, “prophets” and “concerned Americans” who have lobbied, written appeals, articles, books, letters ‐ some have even done films ‐ to warn not to vote for him have come to nothing. Many of them have behaved as if the future of the Kingdom of God is at stake. Well, it is not.

  

Can we, as foreigner who dearly love you as a people, say a few words into this situation? Because it is evident to us that God has a clear plan with your nation. But many don´t seem to see it, and therefore run the danger of fighting the wrong fight, wasting precious time and resources, and even endlessly call upon God to do what he just will not do.

The German weekly Der Spiegel, kind of a German Time Magazine, has a cover picture of Uncle Sam in bed, titled, The American Patient: The decline of a Great Nation. We think this is a prophetic picture. As your friends, we know, acknowledge and admire that America has had a great past. But how will your future look like?

God chastises whom he loves because he knows: pride will come before the fall, and humbleness and brokenness is the only condition he responds to. We personally sense we need to tell you: the destiny of your nation is in God’s hands, not yours. It is not at all about Obama or Romney, it is about God using all the nations in the world according to his global and unchanging plans. Did you ever allow the thought that God in his sovereignty is using Obama like a pawn on his chessboard to humble the US as a nation because he wants to show his grace to a nation gone completely self‐sufficient? A nation that is so full of independence, individualism, nationalism and trusting a greed‐ and fear‐based economy that there may be only one way open to heal it from its idolatry and re‐align itself with the Kingdom of God: a crisis beyond anything that America has ever seen?

In 2008, God has been challenged by a man standing up in public, preaching to the cheers of a huge crowd: “Yes we can!” We watched it; we saw the tears of excitement in the eyes of the people; the statements were received as if coming from the Messiah himself, and the electoral rallies had all the flavor of a religious revival. "Yes, we can" is the exact opposite of the King of kings saying: "Without me, you can do nothing!"

If God is the one who "deposes kings and raises up others" (Dan 2:21), does it really matter what are the names of the current puppets set in place by God that advance both the New World Order and the Kingdom of God? Neither Herod, Pilate nor Cesar were truly important for the development of the Kingdom. That is exactly why Kingdom people do not play in the Second League, but the First, the one that matters. The one that puts the Kingdom first, and everything else ‐ including their own nation ‐ second.

The problem of the current commotion and insecurities arises when even the people that call themselves after God keep confusing the Kingdom of God with the United States of America. And when that happens, especially through Christians with a public voice, then we have truly lost all perspective of the coming Kingdom of Jesus Christ and the predictions he has made that will precede his coming.  

America is being publicly humbled by God; and he is going to use Obama – and those after him ‐ to further advance his agenda that will lead all nations to kneel before that one true King Jesus very soon. If any nation wants to become a tower that reaches up to high heaven, it will be humbled by a God who will not share his glory with people relying on their own strength.

America, where do you go from here? What does this mean for you? The future is going to be very, very rough. Your securities will vanish, the economy will go down, the education system will become even worse, the streets more dangerous, the churches even more divided, the youth even more disillusioned – unless there is a true movement that abandons all those idols mentioned above, and radically repents, makes a radical alignment with the King of the Kingdom of God and his constitution, live the Law of Christ in all areas of life, first and foremost in the areas of sex, money, power and how we “do church”. This is a defining moment for you as a nation. You could go down, as the German journalist of ‘Der Spiegel’ predicted. Or, America could be literally re‐invented by Kingdom people who are ready to implode the prevailing myths about Americas greatness, and replace it by God’s greatness (my emphasis - DW). The King has even greater things purposed and would fulfill those purpose IF those who call themselves after Jesus the King, would turn away from their self‐made religion, self‐made churches and religious factions, self‐made visions of success, and their self‐made, harmless God.  

Can we lovingly but urgently call you back at this hour to begin and initiate a movement to reposition and repatriate yourselves into the eternal Kingdom, by submitting yourself not only in theory but also in practical deeds to Jesus the King, starting to obey the King and his liberating decrees in all the areas that count? You might even want to write a declaration of dependence on God and each other, because by idolizing anything else before and over God, you will become illegal aliens in the country that counts, where we all are called to have our home: the Kingdom, the one place where our true citizenship, nationality and allegiance lies (Phil 3:20). This is the only one country that will not be shaken, as it has an unchanging King.  

If there is any way that we can help you in this great challenge and task – we want you to know we will.

Wolfgang and Mercy Simson, Germany

The Gospel & The Kingdom

Yesterday, we started our Rooted Series in a packed club.  God was definitely present.  I preached on "The Seed" from Jesus' parable of the sower found in Matthew 13.  You can listen to the message here.

The Big Idea from yesterday's message was that the gospel proclaims that there is a Kingdom, a King, and a Way.

The parable of the sower (which Jesus called the key to all his other parables, Mark 4:13) begins first and foremost with a sower who is sowing seed.  Luke tells us that “the seed is the word of God.” (Lk8:11)

Jesus as he stands in the boat preaching this parable is the sower of the seed.  His words are the word of God (the gospel).

Matthew gives us additional insight into what the seed (the gospel) is.  “The seed is the word of the Kingdom.” (Mt13:19)  Jesus' gospel message was a proclamation of the reality of his coming Kingdom.

As we start this series, we want to understand what the gospel is saying. What is the seed, the word of his Kingdom, that Jesus is sowing into the world?

First, through Jesus' preaching, God is saying, "There is a kingdom!"  Jesus during his trial would tell the Roman governor Pilate, "My Kingdom is not of this world." The gospel begins with a simple proclamation that a Kingdom that is not of this world exists, and it is entering our present reality.  It is a Kingdom of among other things hope, healing, and freedom.  A Kingdom where there is no sin and death.

The second thing the gospel says is there is a King.  This statement makes complete sense for wherever there is a kingdom there must be a King who reigns over it!  The King that is proclaimed in the gospel is the man, Jesus.  A King who came to earth as a peasant, to live a selfless life, and die a brutal death. So that he might rise from death, in order to make life in his Kingdom possible. 

The third thing the gospel says is there is a Way into the Kingdom. The gospel proclaims not only is there a Kingdom and a King, but that the King has made a Way for a person to enter his Kingdom.  

King Jesus through his death made a way for us to be cleansed from sin and through his resurrection made a way for us to be freed from the power of death. Since sin and death have not part in the realm of the resurrected King, we must first be cleansed from sin and freed from death in order to enter into the life of the Kingdom.  

Jesus' death and resurrection made a way for those who believe his message to enter the Kingdom.  When we understand and accept there is a Kingdom, a King, and a Way, we are repenting (changing our way of thinking).  We end our old lives where we were our own rulers (and headed towards death) AND begin new lives with Jesus as ruler of every area.  We demonstrate this decision through baptism.

This new life is life in the Kingdom, life with the King Jesus, a life heading in a totally new direction.

As we continue this series, we will be taking an expansive look into what this new direction and life with Jesus looks like and how we can be firmly rooted in it.

Something I Learned by Investing in Others

ONE LESSON I have learned over the last 6 years is that when I invest in and disciple others, when I take the time to focus on others instead of myself, I learn and grow.

This week, I had the opportunity to spend time one on one with 3 young men in our church.  In our times together, we prayed, talked, assessed our lives, read scripture, and made decisions to take specific actions in the coming week in our journey of following Jesus.

One young man I was encouraging to come to Father daily asking for what he needed for that day. The next day in prayer, I thought - wow I should do that too - and I did!  Another young man I was encouraging to pursue the gifts and fillling of the Holy Spirit (I Corinithians 14 & Luke 11).  It reminded me to spend more time praying in tongues in my personal prayer times, and I did. Finally, a young man asked me whether he was teachable or not, and we had a fruitful conversation.  Today, the Holy Spirit started asking me if my heart was teachable.  Was my attitude the attitude I had encouraged him to have?

These relationships illustrate a significant principle.  As I invest in others, I become more like Jesus myself.

This principle is the beauty of discipleship - it is not just me teaching someone else - but through the relationship that is fostered in discipleship we BOTH become more like Jesus.

Come Again, Lord Jesus...

I was driving home tonight in a mid-sized luxury SUV filled with just-opened Christmas presents. Ayanna (my 3-year old) gently asked my wife and I to play some "songs about Jesus" as my girls glanced at the windows looking for more Christmas lights and my almost 2 year old boy drifted off to sleep.  My wife, Betsy, was commenting how this first of what will be three days of Christmas gatherings couldn't have gone better.  I was thinking we are sooooo blessed.

My stomach was stuffed with food.  In fact, I had been different levels of full pretty much all day.  I was warm, warm. Warm and full.  And safe.  Not everyone can say that this Christmas.

Click pictures to learn more.

My thoughts turned to starving children in Africa like the ones I had prayed for early this week.  I thought about the girls hidden in sex-trafficking dens.  Most probably don't even know Christmas is two days away.  They probably just hope tomorrow doesn't come. I thought about the girls abandoned in China...

Click pictures to learn more.

Got home read about people who marched 170 miles over 4 days for freedom who on arriving at their capitol got beat up and killed.  Thought about my friends in Sanaa who since I left in March have lived in a virtual war zone under siege in their own apartments and homes.

Click pictures to learn more.

And in the midst of my car ride home filled with thoughts of Christmas, I found myself whispering, "Come Again, Lord Jesus..."

Come again, and make all the wrong things right.  Come again, and make "all the sad things untrue."

Come like you did at Christmas 2,000 years ago.

Come again, to destroy all evil, wipe every tear, fill every stomach, and banish all darkness.

Come again, so the last can be first and the first can be last.

Come again, so that there will be no longer be any orphans or sickness or pain or sin.  Come again, so the unwanted girls can have a home and the abused children can know love.

Come, come again, Lord Jesus.

The End of All Evil, Nov 13, 2011

Why I am Encouraged

Why I am Encouraged

I am encouraged today by...

Our young men. Young men leading small groups on their campuses and ministering God's love to those who have not experienced it yet.  Young men who persevering in their education and callings in business, law, and the sciences.  Young men who tell me to "be hard on them" because they want to become true representatives of Jesus wherever they go.

Our young women.  Their seemingly insatiable passion for worship and prayer.  The commitment and purity of their hearts towards Jesus.  Their willingness to be the first to go to the unreached people groups of the world. And, their love for the church and the community in and around it.

Our single moms.  Who host community group gatherings.  Who find time in their weeks to cook for the church.  Who bring their children to be a part of our church family.  Who consistently our an example to me of real faith as they proclaim and exhibit a trust, belief, and ability to lean on God each day.

The husbands.  Who have modeled the right way to pursue a young woman with respect, honor, purity, and purpose.  Who lay down their lives for their wives and are learning to lead their families and marriages.

The wives and moms.  Who work harder than anyone I know.  Your reward is great in the kingdom of heaven.

Our inroads in building relationships with our Muslim friends.  Learning their culture, values, and world AND loving them by opening our own lives and homes to them.

Our presence in the club.  The sounds guys and staff who have witnessed miracles, testimonies, and the growth of our church.  The guy who came up and played the tamborine with our worship team after service, and the guy that tattooed a scripture verse on his back that one of our member's gave him.

The way our church family has demonstrated the love of Jesus by taking care of the building and treating the staff with respect.

Our presence in the community.  Volunteers at Operation Peace's after school program this fall.  Funds being raised for local non-profits in our neighborhood. Relationships formed with seniors who live in the Fenway through art, music, and food. Serving at community events and being one of the only places in the Fenway that I know of that consistently provides opportunities for fun and education for children and their mothers.

Our presence among homeless communities.  In transition homes.  In front of Shaw's supermarket.  In conversations in the Fens.  And the ones who find their way into our services knowing they will be welcomed, loved, and embraced.

Our vision.  For transforming neighborhoods like the Fenway.... and now with growing hope for Roxbury.  For the unreached nations of the world and the prayers, travels, and training that are linking us to that world even now.

I am encouraged...

That we love one another.

That those who God moves onto to other cities and nations can say things like, "As I get ready to end this season, I see God giving me victory in things that I never had victory in before."

That the Holy Spirit is alive and active in our midst.

That people are being physically healed.

That Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

That the cross will always be enough.

That faith is growing.

That hearts are turning.

To HIM.

Hope

When we are encouraged, we feel the freedom to dream and imagine what God can do.  Encouragement increases our expectation of "the good" that God has in store for us.  This expectation of good is the definition of hope.  As we prepare to begin 2012, may our hearts and minds be encouraged and freed to hope and may the Lord establish his assurance in our hearts that gives way to a living and active faith our church.

David W. Hill

Listen to Fenway Church's recent messages on Hope and Encouragement.
http://www.fenwaychurch.org/media.php?pageID=5

Book Recommendations I

I wanted to share a few books that have really shaped my life, caused me to love Jesus more, and imparted faith in me to believe I could be a part of God's mission to radically change the world.

First, two which were published this year written by two author's whose writings have perhaps influenced me more than anyone else.

King's Cross I became a Christian because I had a revelation at a young age of just how much the Son of God had done in dying for me.  Since that day, I have always loved the person of Jesus. This book by Timothy Keller opens up the life and death of Jesus in a profound and vivid way. You will love and believe in Jesus more having read this book.

The Spirit-Filled Church Many respect and love Jesus as a prophet, teacher, and model for living.  Few however find themselves equally attracted to his Church.  Discover how and why the Church can be a dynamic, transparent community filled with the life-giving presence of Jesus where diverse peoples can find a true home. By Terry Virgo.

Second, two incredible stories of how God can use any person's life in order to bring about his redeeming purpose among the most broken people in our cities and the world.

The Cross & the Switchblade  How God took one young country pastor's decision to stop watching TV and used him to save gang bangers and druggies in NYC. I read this book as a pre-teen, then in highschool, college, and again when I started church planting. Inspired me to believe God could do anything through me. 

Chasing the Dragon  Rejected by missions' agencies a young woman buys a one way ticket to Hong Kong and sees God move in the Walled City, a haven for drug dens and prostitution. This book taught me so much on the importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in my life and ministry. Out of print so get a copy! 

Moments to Movements II (The Catalyst)

Part II: The Catalyst
For moments to cause real, transforming change, they must become movements. A martyr's death is inspiring. A preacher's words can thrill souls. The stories of sacrifice bring tears to our eyes. The death of a friend causes us to pause and ponder. Rarely though do these moments become a movements, rarely do they cause us to fight more battles and give our own lives. Yet moments that become movements change the very fiber of society, they shake nations, and move history forward.

Biblically, what is the catalyst that takes a moment and makes a movement?

The two of the most compelling moments in history were Jesus' death and resurrection. Yet on their own they yielded no immediate changes in the city of Jerusalem or the nation of Israel. Jesus knew his moment needed a catalyst to become a movement. So, he gave his followers final instructions. He told them to wait. Not a passive waiting, not a reflective waiting, an active waiting. It was the re-positioning of their lives and their priorities. What was the catalyst Jesus pointed them to? The catalyst was prayer.

A person can shape a moment, but only PEOPLE (plural) can create a movement. Catalytic events are never caused by a singular person but by a GROUP of people who become desperate enough to give of their time and themselves to a cause.

For ten days, ALL of Jesus' followers gave themselves daily to prayer.1 They didn't exactly know what would happen. They didn't fully know what to expect. But, they knew they had a cause worth living for. So, they positioned themselves before God. Acknowledging their need for power, acknowledging their need for love, their need for courage, their need for Him.

It was from the catalytic place of united, persistent prayer that suddenly heaven invaded a room. The windows flew open and the doors flung wide. So effective was this catalyst that within hours 120 people had been transformed into a living, dynamic community of thousands who had suddenly found a cause worth dying for (and die they did).

The catalyst is no different today. Many of us at Celebration Northeast experienced a moment on Saturday night that powerfully reminded us how great the cause is. However, it will be nothing more than a moment unless we embrace THE catalyst for change.

The Biblical mandate has never changed. We must shift our priorities from wicked and worthless pursuits to the place of corporately and humbly coming together to acknowledge our need in prayer.

Every moment needs a catalyst to become a movement. Are you ready to pray?

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

II Chronicles 7:14

Part I: The Cause

Moments to Movements (Piper Video)

Found this link on facebook right after I posted the first part of this series. Watch it.

Moments to Movements I (The Cause)

Part I: The Cause
There are moments, and there are movements. Martin Luther King Jr.'s statement, “I have a dream....”1 created a moment. Nathan Hale's, “I regret I have but one life to give for my country...”2 was a moment. But these memorable speeches created more than a historic moments, they inspired movements that would change nations.

What allows moments to become movements?

First, there must be a worthy and compelling cause. In these cases, the rights of a suppressed minority and the rights of an emerging nation captivated the hearts of hundreds of thousands of young people. Second, the cause must be compelling enough to be worth dying for. Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Nathan Hale paid the ultimate price for the beliefs they held. To them, the realization of their beliefs and freedom of their fellow man was worth giving their lives for.

Many in Christianity today will claimed to have experienced a moment, sometimes many moments. In fact in the West, we have become very effective in creating “moments” with compelling conferences, inspiring speakers, and cutting-edge technology. However, society is not fooled by Christianity's moments. They see through much of the hype. Today as always, humanity is looking for something authentic, something genuine, something worth dying for. Thus, the weakness in churches and our lives is not due to our inability to create compelling moments in services but in our inability to live compelling lives.

To live a compelling life, we must find a belief worth living for and a cause worth dying for.

When I discovered Jesus, I found more than just a belief; I found a person. Jesus created his own moment.... on the cross. But the cross is more than the most well known moment in all of history. It has triggered the greatest movement the world has ever known.

It was on the cross that Jesus revealed the how much humanity was worth – the life of God's Son. The cross revealed that freedom is possible only through sacrifice and that the only hope for humanity is found in the proclamation of Jesus' work. It is cause that creation is waiting to see realized.3 It is a cause worth dying for because Jesus found it worth dying for. It's a cause that captivated me. Has it captivated you?

Part II: The Catalyst

Celebration Northeast (No Service on June 26)

On Sunday June 26, we will have no service at the club.  Most of our church will be gathering with several other churches from around the region over the weekend at Gordon College to celebrate our God and be a part of His mission through Newfrontiers, our family of churches. 

If you were unable to attend the whole weekend, you are welcomed to join us at the last session on Sunday morning at 9:30AM in Gordon's chapel building; the meeting is open to the public. It will be a powerful time of experiencing God's presence and catching the vision for what God is doing in the world and through Newfrontiers USA.  You don't want to miss it; come on up!

To learn more about Newfrontiers USA visit - http://www.newfrontiersusa.org/

Directions to Gordon College, MA
• Take 93 North from Boston to 95 North
•Stay on Route 95 North until it separates from Route 128.
•Take Route 128 North towards Gloucester, passing through Peabody, Danvers and Beverly
•Take Exit 17, Grapevine Road
•Turn left at end of ramp, going 0.6 mile to main entrance

Thoughts on our Easter Weekend (Fox25 News, Globe, Baptisms & more)

What can I say but that I am totally blown away by God.  I tried to pick an adjective to describe the weekend - monumental, transformative, catalytic - but couldn't. 

Monumental? Seems like the peak of something, and this is just the beginning of what God is going to do. 

Transformative? Yes. But as some of you know God has been transforming many in our midst for some time, and those of you who have been praying with us the last month weren't blindsided by this at all.

Catalytic?  Only if we allow it to be.  And to allow it to be we must become a church filled with people who, as one young woman from our church put it this weekend, are "recklessly abandoned" to the call of Jesus no matter the cost. (1)

Weekend Highlights

• 3 Prophetic words God gave us during the week of prayer to start April being fulfilled
• Love of God filling club and pouring out into streets (on Easter there was standing room only with 127 chairs setup and our welcomers were greeeting outside the doorway)
• Nets being broken open and Holy Spirit being poured out (it was absolutely electric at times and real conviction from the Holy Spirit for those responding to the message)
• Spiritual gifts being released on Easter Sunday (leading up to and the morning of Easter God released gifts of knowledge, wisdom, faith, and prophecy which directly related to all 127 sits being filled and the salvations & baptisms that tooks place)

One
 Mission
  Serve The
    City

• 40+ people from Newfrontiers churches in the Northeast (Boston, Portsmouth, Norwalk, Portland) serving the a local Boston housing development in the pouring rain and giving Boston residents a tangible reason to celebrate this Easter. These volunteers worked so hard with such joy. I am priveleged to be a part of a group that embraces Jesus' example of servanthood like that.(Check out facebook.com/fenwaychurch for more pictures!)
• 2 people making first time commitments to follow Jesus and be baptized.
• 3 people total spontaneously deciding to be water baptized!!!
• Boston Globe Article from our International Sunday helping drive our website hit total to 273 up 225% from the previous week
• FOX25 filming our Easter Service (watch the segment below to get a great feel for what it was like on Sunday!)
• All of you (you know who you are) who prayed at early morning prayers AND participated on evangelism teams on Friday night AND prayed and worshiped late Friday night AND woke up the next morning and served all day at One Mision AND rehearsed later on Saturday AND got to church at 8AM on Sunday AND SAW GOD MOVE IN WAYS WE'D NEVER SEEN BEFORE. You guys are my heroes.
• Worship team, setup team, prayer team, welcome team, my staff team, breakdown team, kid's church team and all the various people who just kept jumping in to help so that everything that took place this weekend could happen.  Your reward is great in heaven.  It is a joy to serve with you.  Some day we are going to be a part of a party that doesn't stop.
• The Fox newscaster who said, "Their next venue might be House of Blues." (only seen if you watched it live). You words may just be more prophetic then you will ever know.
• EVERYONE who PERSONALLY invited a friend. Almost every single one of our guests who was there came because a friend brought them.  Publicity is nice, but the kingdom grows because we love others enough to invite them into our journey and an encounter with Jesus.
• And finally, a tweet that somes so much of this weekend up...

@littlewilds: @David_W_Hill dude! We can't go back 2 "normal" christian living anymore. We gotta do today more often #OneMission #success

The best is yet to come #fenfam!
 
Love you all so much,
 
David W

(1) To that end, let me put in a plug to listen (or listen again) to our two Easter messages at http://www.fenwaychurch.org/media.php?pageID=5 They reveal just why we believe Jesus is so worth our while to follow...

Notes from the Story of Lot's Daughters

Here are some follow up notes I have out to our Community Group (CG leaders) following the message I preached on Lot's daughters (Genesis 19) on March 20, 2011.  You can listen to the message here: http://www.fenwaychurch.org/media.php?pageID=5

The notes have been divided into three sections.
1. The Story
2. The Story Continues (Ruth)
3. The Parallels of the Stories of Lot & Noah (personally I find this fascinating and instructive but you will have to read until the end, :)

The BIG IDEA in this story is that God's mercy is always greater than my sin. To me that is the story of the Bible and no story illustrates this so clearly. The way to see this theme is by looking at ways a couple of different scriptures connect. I think this story more than any other story we have done will give your CG a chance to look at how different passages of scripture connect together. To accomplish that, you will need to take a look at a couple of these scriptures yourself before hand!

 

1. The Story

 

Read Genesis 19:30-38
Notes

 

- How would you have felt if you were Lot's daughters in this situation? What led them to think up such a shocking plan? It is important to note here that up until this point their lives have been dictated by others. How have people in your group experienced or been led into sin by others? It may be worth discussing or at least keeping in the back of your mind as we approach this story. We cannot condone their act, but I am certainly sympathetic towards their plight. Some members of your CG may have experienced or witnessed horrible sins be careful not to focus on how bad this was it may people push people away from experiencing God's mercy and freedom from shame.

 

- The story of Lot in Genesis ends abruptly. Romans 6:23 states, "The wages of sin is death." Lot's life comes to an abrupt end such is the wages of sin. Do we really believe that sin leads to death? What sins are we holding onto or ignoring (or embracing) in our lives?

 

 

2. The Story Continues

Read Deuteronomy 2:9,19
Notes: How does God tell the Israelites to treat Moab and Ammon? Why? An amazing example of God's grace. He is providing for the descendants of this sordid incident. He remembers Lot and his daughter's despite their sins (drunkness and incest). If this is so, why would we ever doubt God's grace towards us through the provision of his own Son when we sin?

 

Read Ruth 1:4-5,15-18
Notes:  One of great,great... grandaughters of one of Lot's daughters is Ruth. God will divinely orchestrate the events of Ruth's life (the arrival of her husband due to the famine, the death of her husband, and later she happens open Boaz's food) to make a path for her (she is the great,great grandmother of King David) to participate in God's long-awaited rescue plan - Jesus. Her willingness to face her fears

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Thoughts for the FenFam as we head into 2011

To my Fenway Church Family (#fenfam on twitter),

I love the start of a new season.  I think God wired me that way.  I love the anticipation of Opening Day, the preparation for the start of new YMCA basketball league season where everyone starts at 0-0 and no matter how bad your teams was last year you have a shot at the championship this year. 

I love looking at a blank canvass and dreaming about what could be painted on it (although I have no skill in painting - I can DREAM up a killer picture in my mind).

And, I love church planting because God takes a small group of messed up people and creates something with their shared lives that impacts not only the world but eternity.  He takes our past seasons and our unknown futures, and He creates a masterpiece.

So as we begin 2011, I am excited.  It's a new year, and many people are considering changes that they want to make to their lives.  Some of us have had time to relax and reflect over Christmas. As I did yesterday I was driving back from western Pennsylvania... 

I was considering the New Year, what ideas needed to come through in the preaching series, ways our church could grow and work together more this year... and God directed my thoughts from all my plans, desires, and dreams to past New Year's Eves and how every year for the last 10+ years when I've looked back at the year that is ending and thought about the year that is begining I've had the same thought:
I wish I had prayed and shared my faith more last year.  I want to pray and share my faith more this year.

To me if you read the New Testament and you read what Jesus said and watch how he and his disciples lived, if you forget about church structures and strageties and leadership gatherings, if you step a side from the discussion of how the band sounded and how long the message went, if you just read the gospels and the book of Acts, you can't really escape this message that comes pulsating through.  Life is about knowing Jesus and loving others. 

The main way I get to know Jesus is through prayer.  Prayer the way Jesus taught it - closing the door to everything on the outside, being alone with him and his Word (the Bible), and opening up our hearts, minds, and mouths to him.  And prayer the way the disciples did it - gathering daily to seek God together and experiencing his power corporately.

The way I love others is by sharing Jesus with them.  Jesus said, "What does it gain a man if he gains the whole world but forfeits his soul." (Mark 8:36)  We can be people's best friends, we can be servants of the poor but if we enable others through our love and companionship to gain things here on earth but we never introduce them to Jesus we have done them a great disservice - they will forfeit their souls. 

So for another year in a row, I am setting my heart on Jesus.  I want to follow him to the place of prayer, and I want to share him with those God places around me.

In January at Fenway Church, we are going to be talking about Foundations - the practices of scripture reading, being filled with the Holy Spirit, working in team, and confessing our sin that root us in the our foundation stone, Jesus. What I've discovered is that these practices drive me to prayer and witness.  My prayer for our church this year is that as we discover Jesus together we would gain an even greater capacity to pray with him and love like him in 2011.

Grace and peace to all God's adopted kids at Fenway Church and to those who don't know they've been adopted yet may you come to know the Father this year...

David W.

5 Pillars of Manhood & Womanhood

This Sunday we had Jaeson Ma (http://www.jaesonma.com/) speak at our church.  We were impacted by his challenge to embrace discipleship (bearing the outward fruit of becoming like Jesus that comes from an inward experience of God's grace), his encouragement to plant 12 churches in 5 years (only God can help us do that!), and his vision for more instruments, more teams, more songs, and more prayer to fuel an extraordinary outbreak of the worship of Jesus in the Fenway.

Recently, Jaeson wrote a blog entry that went viral (the servers for his blog went down because of all the hits!) called the 5 Pillars of Manhood.  I believe all the hits highlight a serious hunger in our culture to know what manhood is really all about; a subject we are addressing in our church's series on Sex, Love & Identity.  Personally, I have a life-long commitment to train young men to be real men.  We need fathers, brothers, and men of courage to step up in our churches and culture.  Jaeson's post also raised some comments from my friends - what does becoming a godly woman look like?

So, I've first put together some scripture references for all you guys to look up that will show why Jaeson's 5 pillars of manhood are Biblical. So first read Jaeson's blog entry. Then, get your Bible out, roll up your sleeves & go see what God has to say about your identity.

5 Pillars of Manhood
1) Lead - Titus 2:6-8, Ephesians 5:23, I Timothy 2:12-14
Remember the call to lead in a marriage relationship is a call to servant leadership that starts with serving your sisters now, see below.
2) Protect - Genesis 2:15, I Timothy 6:11-12, I Timothy 5:1-2
The word "keep" in Genesis means tend/guard/protect.
3) Provide - Proverbs 24:27, Genesis 2:15, Matthew 25:14-30, Ephesians 5:25-29
In other words get a job so you can get married and provide for your wife (or give to the kingdom), be provider not a consumer.
4) Integrity - Daniel 1:8 Corinthians 6:18, I Timothy 6:13-14
We must follow through, prove our commitment, and be culture shapers not cultural sponges.
5) Courage - I John 2:13-14, Matthew 10:16-20, Joshua 1:6-7
It takes courage to preach the gospel, start a family, and live as a light in this world. Do it!

And for the ladies... 

 

Note that I spoke with my mother (an amazing woman of God, teacher, and mother of 6!) who provided the majority of this material and scripture references as an older woman instructing younger women (per Titus 2:3).  When you read this, hear her voice coming through. Let's go!

5 Pillars of Womanhood

1) Worship - Luke 7:36-50, John 5:15-20, John 12:1-11, Luke 2:36-38, Exodus 38:8
God is seeking women after his own heart.  He is passionately in love with you and wants you to be passionately in love with him.  All of our lives (men and women) are an act of worship, but women are especially seen as lavish worshippers in the Bible.  The sinful woman washing Jesus' feet with her tears.  The Samaritan woman at the well seeking a place of worship.  Mary breaking her alabaster vial.  And Anna's life of continual prayer and fasting modeled after the Old Testament women who ministered to the Lord at the entrance to his Presence, the tabernacle.  A woman's passion should be to please her Lord through a life centered around the extravagant worship of Him. Single woman have a unique opportunity to be single-mindedly devoted to God.  Fight being distracted by trying to find mister right or getting ensnared in wordly pursuits.  Your creativity, devotion, love, and emotions are all meant to be used as expressions of worship and praise to God.  He loves to minister to you and loves when you minister back to Him.  You were created for worship and relationship.

2) Worry-Free - I Corinthians 7:34-35, Luke 10:41-42, I Peter 1:3-4, Matthew 6:50
God wants you to be worry free!  Free from all worry! He doesn't want you to be anxious about your appearance, adornments, or about pleasing anybody (if you are single, wives you get to please your husbands!).  God has actually called you to be anxious about only one thing the development of your spirit in holiness and devotion to him.  That is something HE is glad to do inside of you - his yoke is easy and his burden is light - he delights to shape you into his own image.  He wants you to be a woman at rest in the midst of busyness, at peace in the midst of turmoil. Like Jesus he wants you to have a quiet and gentle spirit (Matthew 11:28-30) that is unfazed by the proliferation of tasks or the judgments of others.

3) Inner Beauty - I Peter 1:3-4, I Timothy 2:9-10, I Timothy 3:11, Proverbs 31:30-31 
My mom says, "God wants us as women to be focused on our inner person not our outward appearance. We are not to be defined by 'being wearers of costly garments' but by the inner beauty God created us with (Genesis 1:27)."  The devil subverts your true beauty causing you to compare yourself with others or malign them with your words.  You were created for so much more.  You don't need to be in a relationship to prove your worth or have a boyfriend to tell you are beautiful.  God knows you are beautiful and created you to be respected for who you are on the inside - not by success, money, power, or appearance.  God loves your healthy humility that is based on your sense of self-worth and your respectable modesty that is based on the knowledge you do not need to be seen by others.  You are called to be trustworthy and temperate.  It is your inner beauty that he longs for others to know - a gentle and quiet heart at rest in the midst of a world that glorifies fleeting charm and fading outward beauty.  Your fear and knowledge of the Lord is what will bring you praise even from an unbelieving world.  The way of humility and inner beauty is the path to honor, success, and affirmation.

4) Devotion - I Corinthians 7:34 (NIV), Ephesians 5:22, I Timothy 5:10, Genesis 2: 18, Acts 21:9
Women are created to nurture others.  They naturally nurture growing babies in their womb and are called to create a nurturing home environment for their husbands, children, and the church.  The word devotion means ardently dedicated and loyal.  This describes so many of the wives, mothers, and sisters I know.  Women are called in this order to be devoted:

To the Lord.
To their husbands.
To their children.
To the church.

Wives model Jesus' obedience, humility, and servanthood when they submit to their husbands leadership and make their first focus their home, husband, and children.  The Proverbs 31 wife finds times for both her primary call of homemaking and for business opportunities!  Go girls! Women, you are called to be helpers just like the Holy Spirit is a powerful helper to us (John 14:26).  Godly women devote themselves to serving the church and meeting the needs of its poor and ministries.  They are deacons and prophetesses, servants and queens, judges and mothers, church planters and worship leaders, and so much more.  Women, your devotion to God and your devotion to others reveal the loving heart of God and the majesty of his character.  He is 100% dedicated to the fulfillment of your desires and is ardently loyal to his daughters who bring him unimaginable joy.

5) Works - I Timothy 2:9-10, Acts 9:36-39, Luke 8:3, I Timothy 5:14, Titus 2:5, Proverbs 31:10-31
Women, you are called to good works. It is the outward fruit of your inner life with Jesus.  Dorcas, who is one of the few people ever raised from the dead beside Jesus, was described as full of good works and charity.  Her care for the poor was exemplary.  Some of Jesus disciples, who were women, supported Jesus' ministry out of their own means.  Women, especially single women, can use the skills and talents God has given them to generate wealth for the kingdom. Women are called to be managers, entrepreneurs, home makers, real estate buyers, and to use their creative abilities in fashion, business, the arts and more.  Women are called to work hard and plan ahead.  You are to maximize every gift God has given you to reveal how great God is to others.  Your good works will praise you and bring glory to God.

Resurrection Sunday @ Fenway Church - Hope Returns

Luke 24:1-12

In the cool of the morning, several women journey through a garden to give their last gifts to the man they loved more than any other. He had delivered some of them from demons, taught them, ate their food, healed them, and showed them the love and forgiveness of God. Now, he was dead...

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Resurrection Sunday @ Fenway Church - The King is Dead

Luke 23:44-56

The King is dead (vs. 37-38).  The innocent man has been crucified (vs. 47).  The crowds leave mourning (vs. 48).  His acquaintances witness these things from afar (vs. 49).  Creation groans waiting for the Son of Man to be revealed.  Darkness reigns (vs. 44-45).  Life breathes its final breath (vs. 46).  He is buried; his lifeless body laid on the hard, cold rock of a newly hewn tomb (vs. 52-53).  Death's cruel finality is all too real.

Yet, a glimmer of doubt remains. Has death truly triumphed?  Jesus' acquaintances particularly the women seem to be waiting, watching to see what will happen (vs. 49, 55).  They have not lost their love for the man who knew "everything they ever did" (John 4:39) yet told them "your faith has saved you, go in peace." (Luke 7:50)  A man named Joseph still looks for the kingdom of God (vs. 51).  On the Sabbath day, they rest.  Waiting in quiet solitude... for Sunday to arrive.

"For there is hope for a tree,

   if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,

   and that its shoots will not cease.

Though its root grow old in the earth,

   and its stump die in the soil,

yet at the scent of water it will bud

   and put out branches like a young plant."

Job 14:7-9

Kingdom Come III: What is the Kingdom? (Part II)

Continuing our series on the kingdom by answering the question - what is the kingdom?  The kingdom is a matter of the heart more than anything else.  Miraculous works and bold declarations are not what God is looking for (Matthew 7:21-22).  They are merely signs of the kingdom.  The fruit of the kingdom, what the kingdom really is, is an internal heart change.  True repentance - change our way of thinking- involves adopting the attitudes of the heart described in in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-8).

Unfortunately, this message was not recorded due to a technical error.  Hopefully, it lives on in the hearts and minds of those who heard it :)

Sunday February 28
David W.