Mars Hill Church Phoenix officially launched on Sunday as Mars Hill’s 15th church in its 5th state. Amid the excitement and the more than 700 people who turned up that day, individual lives were being impacted and changed as God continued to work faithfully one-on-one.
Steven Choi started attending Mars Hill Phoenix in December, went through the membership process, and got plugged into serving where he could. And all this when he fully expects his time in Phoenix to be short.
“Because of the nature of my medical schooling (I’m probably going to have to move a couple of times over the next couple of years), Mars Hill Phoenix is a ‘pit stop’ of sorts. But because the work of our Lord doesn’t stop or get hindered by location or time, I try to serve in whatever ways I can. Music’s also my second earthly passion and so I naturally gravitate towards anything related to worship.
“One of the ways the Lord has been working on my heart is to serve and to encourage the church, wherever I go. I am but a peon compared to what Paul did back in the Roman Empire days, but I suppose you can call this following in his footsteps. And I know my efforts will be worth it, even if I can’t see it long term. Why? Because our Lord has promised us that his church will ultimately prevail.”
Despite the temporary nature of Steven’s stay in Phoenix, he went through the process of becoming a member. Not only did he want to serve (and membership was a requirement), he wanted to submit himself to the authority of the church.
Steven leads worship in Kids Ministry at Mars Hill Phoenix’s official launch.
“I suppose it’s a gesture to Pastor Ryan and the leadership, saying that while I am here, I’ll submit myself to the leadership and authority of Mars Hill Phoenix. I am one of the most stubborn people that I know, but at the same time, my parents did a really good job in teaching me to respect authority. Without submission to authority, I’m just going to become dangerously self-centered, self-serving, self-glorifying, and ultimately make our Heavenly Father quite sad. It’s never good to even try to attempt to ‘steal’ glory from our Father, who is most worthy of all glory and praise.”
Choosing to serve at Mars Hill was a matter of both convenience and familiarity. Steven has been following Pastor Mark Driscoll since his college years and was confident that he would receive solid teaching and community at the Phoenix church.
“The Lord’s been using Mars Hill to cultivate in me a heart to aggressively serve the church. It’s going to be a lot, but I don’t expect the Spirit’s chisel to be pain-free either.”
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