Aletheia Church Boston

Join the Launch Team!

// September 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Boston, Uncategorized, Vision

We are building a LAUNCH TEAM!  That’s right, we are now gathering a group of men and women who are joining together to help birth a new church in the great city of Boston!

So, you may ask, WHAT IS A LAUNCH TEAM?  A launch team is, well, a team.  Just like in sports, a team has a goal, players, positions, and a coach.  If it’s football, the goal: win games.  The players, positions, and coaches all organize themselves in pursuit of this one, all-important, extremely focused goal.  Similarly, our team has a goal: LAUNCH A CHURCH THAT BRINGS THE GRACE, TRUTH, AND CHANGING POWER OF THE GOSPEL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE GOOD OF ALL PEOPLE.

Why are we doing this?  Why not just start off having meetings and just see what happens?  Well, we could do that, and certainly many churches have been birthed that way. But the need for a great church around here is so great, and the task of Gospel delivery is so important, that it seems to me WE SHOULD BE AS INTENTIONAL, focused, passionate, and committed to this AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. That’s why.

So what does this mean for you?  WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you love Jesus and want to see the Gospel win in this city, then join us!  Are you a new student in the city?  Are you not currently connected to a local church?  Do you want to do something significant while you’re here?  Then here’s a really practical way you can: COME TO OUR FIRST LAUNCH TEAM MEETING. Here are the details…

WHERE: Cambridge Family YMCA (map)

WHEN: Sundays at 11am

WHAT’S HAPPENING: We will worship, unpack the Scriptures, and have a great moment for kids, and then we’ll spend some time planning!

It’s an amazing, growing, Gospel community, and all it’s missing is you.

Welcome to Central Square, Aletheia!

// August 18th, 2010 // 5 Comments » // Boston, Vision

Welcome to Central Square, Aletheia Church!

After a bit of searching around, a lot of praying, years of preparation, and limitless grace, Aletheia Church has her first home at the Cambridge Family YMCA in Central Square.  Meeting space, kids space, and a phenomenal location. As you can imagine, we’re pretty excited.

Now, before you stop praying, we’ve still got a lot of growing and stretching to do, but initially, we’ve got a small space to call home.  It seems that we’ve hit a small milestone.

So, starting on September 5 at 11am, we’ll be taking our Launch team to the Cambridge Family YMCA at Central Square!

So how about you, you want to help launch a great church in Boston? We’re building a launch team, and we’d love to see you in a few weeks!

A Little New York Love

// August 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Boston, Vision

This week I had the pleasure of preaching at Morning Star New York, one of the churches we have the pleasure of being connected to. It was a great honor to unpack the Scriptures with such a great group.

You can listed to my message here.

I’m so thankful that we’re not in this alone. Thank you, MSNY, for letting me come and speak. We’re looking forward to building the Kingdom with you.

Evangelism Ditches

// July 20th, 2010 // No Comments » // Boston, Vision

Let’s face it, not many people get too excited about evangelism. Christians don’t like it because it makes them feel weird, and nonChristians don’t like because it, well, makes them feel weird.

But, the scriptures command us to do just that. So, what are we to do?

For the Christian, there are TWO BIG DITCHES that we can fall into when it comes to sharing our faith. First, is the DITCH OF COMPLETE REJECTION. This is the view that God hates, completely, the sinner. Think Pharisee. Think the guy on the corner, usually wearing a placard while shouting epithets at passers-by. Who wants to be that guy?

The second ditch is no better. It may, in fact, be worse. The second is the DITCH OF COMPLETE ACCEPTANCE. This is the view that God is primarily love, so he couldn’t possibly be mad or angry at sin. So, he loves people just as they are, without any thought about their sin. Think hippie-style, kumbaya-singing, unitarian-universalist, chocolate-covered-sunshine, sweater-wearing, guidance-counselor type Christians.

I say the second ditch may be worse because at least the first ditch contains the warning of judgment.

Real evangelism, is neither of these and it is both of these. Christ-like Gospel-ing (after all, the word “evangelism” simply is the verb form of “Gospel”) is the demonstration and proclamation of God’s infinite love for us in the midst of our self-inflicted darkness. Consider the words of Penn Jillette, comedian, noted atheist, and vegas headliner:

How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible, and not tell them? I mean, if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe it… there’s a certain point I tackle you, and this is more important than that.

If we can be a church that lovingly tells people that they are more loved than they hoped and more sinful than they imagined, and that in the cross of Christ, God’s love for us and hatred of sin meet in a beautiful, horrible, gracious, scandalous collision… if we could actually say that, what might God do?

Let us walk the narrow path of Christ-like Gospel-ing, avoiding the ditches. That kind of church would be worth belonging to.

When the Gospel is Useless…

// July 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // Boston, Vision

Before you condemn me as a heretic, just keep reading.

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.

So here’s the situation: Abraham was not the guy that God should’ve blessed. He came from a pagan family, in a pagan city. He committed adultery with his wife’s maid. His cousin decided that living in Sodom was a good move. He pimped his wife out… twice. Not a good resume for God’s blessing.

But he had one thing: he had a promise from God, the good news that God would save the world through him. Him! Abraham. This is the dude with the broken family, the moral failures, the weird cousin, and the broken marriage. Add to that the fact that he and his wife were OOOOOOLLLLLD. All that baggage, but he held on to the promise God had made. He believed the Gospel.

God’s made another promise, a greater promise. Namely, if we trust in God’s grace in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, we’ll have abundant life now, eternal life forever, and be a part of a significance greater than we can imagine, in that we get to participate in the mission of God.

But this Gospel, this good news is, unfortunately, useless. That is, it’s useless unless we actually believe it. Abraham was justified by faith. That is, Abraham put his full trust not in his goodness or character, not in his pedigree, or is family greatness. He accounted those “as good as dead.” Rather, he believed God. He put his full trust in God’s ability to save.

As a church we’ve not got a lot to trust in. We don’t have millions in the bank. We don’t have a kickin’ location. We don’t have thousands of people, or even hundreds. What we do have is this: the Gospel. Now the question is, shall it be useless for us, or shall we. like Abraham, actually believe it?

God took this sinner named Abraham and brought about the coming of Christ. What might God do in Boston if Aletheia Church believed?

A Note to our Partners

// July 6th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Boston, Vision

Hey Partners and Friends,

I was reading the Scriptures this morning, and found something that made me think of you all.

He went on through the cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven domens had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. – Luke 8: 1-3

Normal people, giving their resources so that Jesus could bring the good news of the Kingdom. Amazing. These were the great, unsung heroes of the Gospel.

You partners and friends who give to support us and this church plant are doing just that. Just like Mary, Susanna, and Joanna, you all faithfully hold up this work so that others may know the good news of the Kingdom of God; the Gospel.

Thank you so much for what you do. You are heroes, and this church plant could do nothing without you.

Fighting in Faith for this Church Plant

// March 13th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Boston, Vision

I always knew that church planting was hard.

Leading up to our go-date in Boston, I have found myself in a new level of fight. Perhaps it’s because I’m the lead guy on this one. Perhaps it’s due to the hostile nature of our environment. Perhaps it’s the devil. Perhaps it’s what I ate for lunch…

In any case, I’m in a fight. I’m in a fight for God’s dream for Boston. I’m in a fight for people who don’t know Jesus. I’m in a fight for wandering, aimless Christians. I’m in a fight for the advance of God’s kingdom on the earth, even as it is in Heaven. I’m in a fight for the defense of the Gospel, once for all delivered to the saints.

So, just as Paul told Timothy, so the Scriptures tell me, Fight the good fight of faith. I will pray. I will fast. I will prepare. I will raise money. I will move. I will encourage myself in the words of Jesus, who went through a much tougher fight.

I will fight the good fight of faith for the future of that great city.

Who’s with me?

Church is… Functional Community

// February 5th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Boston, Vision

As Christians, we know that we have been reconciled to God and we are able to enjoy a relationship with Him. Sometimes we forget that God also reconciles us to each other.  God’s design for the church is that all prejudices and external barriers would be removed from His people in order for Him to move through them.

The Bible teaches that Christians are to come together in a community that resembles a functional family.  Here are a couple passages to ponder:

Ephesians 2:19-22

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

God is concerned about our relationships with others.  As God changes our lives, He also joins us together relationally with other believers that He might dwell among us and allow us to not only grow in our knowledge of Him (the apostles teaching), but live life and make an impact in our city together.

God historically works primarily through communities of people.  Yes, today as in New Testament times, there are leaders who serve and guide the church. But it is through the lives and efforts of the collective church that God’s truth and love are shown, catalyzing change within a culture.

Lets pray for Aletheia to be a community of Christ-followers who genuinely love God, love each other, and love our city.  Lets pray that our church would not only bless those who do not know God, but would enjoy the favor of Boston to the level that God would add to our number daily those were being saved.

Strategic New England, and How We’re Missing It

// January 13th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Boston, Vision

This map startled me…

See all the dots in the TOP RIGHT CORNER?  Those are Top-100 colleges and universities, and we’re barely on 10% of them.  The blue dots represent campuses that are being impacted by an Every Nation Church, while the orange are ones that aren’t.

New England is so strategic, and we’re missing the opportunity.

The good news is that we won’t be for long.  Who’s in?  Who wants to help plant some gospel-centered, Christ-exalting churches on or near these influential campuses?

I know I’m in.

Aletheia Welcomes the Fishers!

// December 29th, 2009 // No Comments » // Boston

One of the exciting aspects of church planting is THE GREAT PEOPLE GOD CALLS TO GO WITH YOU. Some of those great people are Donny and Janna Fisher.

Donny and Janna have serving the students of Florida State University for the last 5 years as Campus Ministers with Every Nation Campus Ministries. We, however, are really excited to have them joining the Aletheia Boston team!

As the leader of this church plant, I couldn’t be more honored to have them joining us.  I know of no finer people I’d like to be working with.

Donny has many gifts… talented communicator, french horn expert, and reigning Parcheesi champion.  His wife, however, is cooler in almost every conceivable way, which makes their marriage much like my own.  You can read more about them on the leaders page.

Its SO COOL TO WATCH GOD BUILD THIS TEAM.  Who knows who else He may call?  Maybe you.