My Message at Campus Harvest

// March 29th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Uncategorized

This past weekend, I had the high honor of getting to speak at Campus Harvest, a gathering of over 2000 college students in Durham, NC.  I was asked to speak on the mission of God.

I hope you enjoy my brief sermon, Missionary God.

Missionary God

(If you’d like to download it, just right-click the link and select “save”.)

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?

Are You Going to Campus Harvest?

// March 3rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Are YOU going to Campus Harvest? Aletheia Boston is, and we want to see you there. Stop by our table, give us a shout out. Heck, you may even get a T-shirt.

See you there.

Church is… Real

// February 16th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Church is full of nice people.

Nothing wrong with that.

Sometimes, though, our nice, clean exterior can keep others from feeling as though church is at all real. In fact, to the outsider, it can seem fake, plastic, and unauthentic.

However, Jesus was never interested in creating fake people. He skewered his critics for their religious performance detached from a changed heart. He said things like “take your cross and follow me”, “come to me when you’re hurting”, and “I want to lay down my life for you.” That doesn’t sound too fakey fake to me.

Aletheia means “truth.” Part of being true is being real. Jesus said “I am truth.” Jesus was real. If we’re his people, then we should be too.

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.

What is Church?

// January 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

“We’re going to be a (fill in the blank) church!”

If you talk to many church planters, you hear that all the time.  Usually they are filling in that blank with some reaction to a poor ministry experience they’ve had, words that describe some other church they love, or words that illustrate their own preferences and biases.

Just so you, I don’t want to plant a (fill in the blank) church.  I think the word “church” has enough meaning all on its own from Scripture, and I’d just like to plant one of those.  You know, a church.

So, for the next few entries we’re going to trying get a handle on a few of the aspects that make up a church.

THE CHURCH IS JESUS’ BODY

Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. (Ephesians 5:23)

First off, the Church is Jesus’.  It belongs to him. It doesn’t belong to a denomination, to a pastor, to a board of elders, to the people, or to anyone else. He is the head of his body, and the church is that body. This has a lot of implications, but here are just a few…

• Jesus is in Charge – Because he is the head of the body, he calls the shots.  We follow what he says.  When was the last time your head obeyed your spleen or your index finger?
• Jesus is Savior – Jesus physical body rose from death as a down payment for our resurrection, and as a picture of what would happen to his church, his spiritual body, that they too would rise from death.  He lives, therefore his body will too.
• The body is interconnected – Your body isn’t a pile of parts.  If it were you’d be dead… and messy.  So, as a church we are to realize and live out our interconnected roles and relationships under the headship of Christ.

It’s my dream for Aletheia to be a church, a real church; a local expression of the global, eternal body of Christ.

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.

See God

// January 7th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Vision

There is a lot I don’t see right now…

…I don’t see the money we need to plant Aletheia Church Boston

…I don’t s yet see a full team of people and staff

…I don’t yet see hundreds coming to Christ

…I don’t see the sound system, meeting space, small groups, or welcome signs

But…

I do see God. I see His promises, His character, and His love for Boston, which is greater than mine or anyone else.  I see God, even though I don’t see anything else. I don’t see what I think I need.  But I do see Him who gives to all beyond what we can ask or think.  Do you see him?

See God, not your issues.  In the absence of immediate provision, see him who will meet your needs and give him honor for future grace.

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.

Why Not?

// December 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Boston, Vision

I’m wondering…  Why can’t God do something amazing in Boston?

I’ve had the privilege of speaking to a few pastors and other church planters about Aletheia Boston. For the most part it has been a great experience. But, every now and again I get a look of dismay and disbelief, that I actually expect God to grow and prosper his church in a place as “difficult” as Boston, as if God were limited in his power to only be able to reach conservative southerners, or those in the third world.

Nonsense.

Since its Christmas, let me whip out a Christmas bible verse.  When the young, uneducated Mary was told by Gabriel that she would have God’s Son while still being a virgin, she responded to a seemingly difficult-to-believe situation by saying I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.

So I say, why not? I don’t think there’s a good reason.