It’s 4:45 p.m. and the staff of Mars Hill Church is preparing for Saturday night services, scheduled to begin in a mere 15 minutes. We’ll be updating this blog throughout the course of tonight’s service with photos, quotes, and information from the ground.
Technically, we’re still in the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. However, it’s already Easter in Australia! So Happy Easter, Australia. He is risen, he is risen indeed.
Mars Hill staff and volunteers prepare for Easter celebrations.
Portable tanks are filled with water in anticipation of many baptisms.
Stay tuned for updates throughout the night!
Easter Service is underway!
We started the celebration with the sounds of rejoicing in song with Dustin Kensrue and his band.
Believers in Bellevue join in the celebrations already happening on the other side of the world.
Pastor Dave Bruskas greeted the church and introduced Pastor Mark Driscoll, who took the stage with an exuberant, "Happy Easter, Happy Easter, Happy Easter!"
His sermon tonight started with the beginnings of the church.
"Nations have come and gone and the church of Jesus Christ continues."
Teaching out of the book of Acts, Pastor Mark reminded the church that it all begins with Jesus.
"They didn't kill Jesus because of what he did, but because of what he said. He fed the hungry; they didn't kill him for that. He befriended the outcast; they didn't kill him for that.He healed the sick; they didn't kill him for that. They killed him because he said he was God."
"And Jesus died! We murdered God! We killed him! The sky went dark."
"We're not good people. We're murderers. But God had a definite plan."
Pastor Mark continued, emphasizing that Jesus died for every single one of us and that God had a definite plan to take our sin and give us his righteousness, to take our wrath and give us his grace, and to make his enemies into his family.
He then asked the question, "Where is Jesus today?" Continuing to look into Peter's sermon in Acts, Pastor Mark reminded his audience that people die. We live, we die. Death wasn't part of God's original creation, though. "We're not supposed to die," he said. Death, sickness, suffering--it all came about because of sin.
Pastor Mark showed pictures of David's tomb, Buddha's tomb with its shrine, and the mosque that is Muhammad's tomb. Then he made the point that there is no tomb for Jesus-- because Jesus is alive. No other world religion has a founder who lives on, having conquered death. No other world religion has a founder who claims to be God.
"Everything rises or falls on the issue of whether Jesus rose."
People joined in the live stream online from around the globe.
Pastor Mark spoke about Thomas and his doubts that Jesus had actually risen from the dead. But Jesus showed up, and Thomas fell down and worshiped him.
"He's the loving God, he's the forgiving God, he's the embracing God," said Pastor Mark.
He then pointed out that Jesus' own family started worshiping him, as did his enemies. Paul went from a murderer of Christians to a Christian himself. He added that God is still pursuing us today. He's pursuing you.
Looking at Acts 2:37, Pastor Mark asked who in the audience was cut to the heart, realizing they had no faith, weak faith, or faith borrowed from a parent, grandparent, sibling, or spouse. He pointed out that a relationship with Jesus begins with a change in your heart.
"I've been praying all week that you and you and you and you and you would ask this very question: 'What should we do?'" Looking at Acts 2:38, Pastor Mark explained repenting and baptism. "Repentance is where all you have and all you are is redirected toward Jesus. That's repentance."
The Good News, he added, is that Jesus is still not dead and is calling people to him even now!
Then he went on to say that baptism is an outward expression and demonstration of an internal change. As water cleanses from filth, so does Jesus cleanse from the filth of sin.
Pastor Mark invited people to come and be baptized, reminding them that God will not reject us because Jesus was rejected for us. God will give you the Holy Spirit, he added, who will work in you to change you.
Is Jesus calling you to himself right now? Pastor Mark asked. Only Jesus can save you and the way you experience salvation is to turn around and come to Jesus with all your sin and receive all of his salvation and be baptized as a demonstration of your new lord.
Pastor Mark invited people to make a decision--an earnest, heart-felt commitment--and to come be baptized. Then he prayed and left the stage to the band, complete with electric guitars, brass, and it own choir draped in red robes.
Dustin Kensrue invited anybody who wanted, to come and be baptized. The church had prepared with towels and extra clothes for anybody who spontaneously decided to come get dunked!
Soon after the band started into its second song, a man entered the baptism tank wearing a "Jesus Saves" t-shirt.
The online live stream cut away while the music and baptisms continued, the crowd cheering with every person who rose out of the water, testifying to their new life in Jesus.
More people--men, women, and children--came forward to be baptized as the band continued worshiping with songs like Agnus Dei and Nothing But the Blood.
Check out Mars Hill Church on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more photos and videos from tonight's service.
““I needed something bigger than myself. The power of God came into my life and changed my life for nothing but the better. I was able to ask for help and things that weren’t of this world, like peace, and happiness. I asked Jesus to eliminate my anxieties. Peace and happiness started coming. All those anxieties and fears started going away. I let God do his work." Michael Foster, fresh from being baptized.
“In the last year Jesus has saved me from smoking cigarettes, smoking weed, drugs, fornication, any sin you can think of. I don’t willingly sin anymore but I still have sins that I commit because of my sin nature. He saved me from all my desires of this world.” Kevin Cole, baptized tonight.
It's 6:30 p.m. and the service has officially ended. We will be back tomorrow for Easter 2014: Sunday Edition! Join us for more gospel preaching, baptisms, and worship for one reason, and one reason only: Jesus is alive!
