Genesis 15 - Netcast (excerpts from my Journal)

Genesis 15:5 God says to Abraham “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

God gives the Law: not so that we can obey all of it but rather to show us that we cannot. And because we cannot obey it all, God creates a sacrificial system in which a Goat, Lamb or some other animal would be sacrificed by a priest for the forgiveness of sins.

God gives the prophets To tell us that there will be a Messsiah, The Christ,

John the Baptist comes on the scene telling us to prepare the way of the lord.

Jesus comes. He lives with 12 disciples, he lives the life that we can not live, dies the death that we aught to dies, “God mad him who knew no sin, to be sin, so that we may become the righteousness of God.” The great exchange.

Jesus rises from the dead, and drops this line: The great commission. Matthew 28:18-20
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (AND THEY DO)

Acts 2 The Holy Spirit comes on the day of Pentecost and Peter preaches the first Christian sermon and 3000 people were swept into the Kingdom.

Acts 9 Saul becomes Paul in this incredible conversion and begins to travel and plant churches everywhere he goes.

Acts 10 God saves the first Gentiles and there is a board meeting to deside if God is allowed to save the Gentiles.

Acts 15 We see the first Church split, by the sovereignty of God, Paul and Barnabas Separate and go different ways spreading the gospel.

By Acts 28 and approx 70AD the gospel has spread from that little upper room to Jerusalem, Ephesus, Corinth, Athens, Thessalonica, most of Europe and parts of Spain.

In 189 The bishop of Alexandria sends the first missionary to India to risk his life and preach the gospel.

By 306 Christianity is established in Britain and has spread to Asia.

In 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine claimed to have had a conversion experience. About 70 years later, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Bishops were given places of honor in the government, and by the year 400, the terms “Roman” and “Christian” were virtually synonymous.

In the 5th century St. Patrick was sent as a missionary from Britian to bring the gospel to the barbarians of Northern Ireland and Scotland. Within a few years, Christanity has become the official religion of the Celtic Irish and we celebrate that today in March on St Patricks day by wearing green and getting smashed.

In 829 Saint Ansgar introduced Christianity to Sweden.

In 1154 Sweden's King Eric introduces Christianity to Finland

In the fifteenth century, through the leadership of Godly men like Martin Luther, history saw Bible translated and printed in most of Europe's major languages. For the first time in the history of Christianity it became available to large numbers of readers. As a result many Christians discovered that masses, confession, and other central features of their religion were not mentioned in the Bible at all.

In 1630 King Charles began to persecute the Reformed Christians. As a result, tens of thousands of them fled to New England from 1630 to 1640, founding Boston and its surrounding towns, and eventually the colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. In order to assure themselves a reliable supply of ministers, one of the first things the Puritans did was to establish Harvard College in 1636.

In the late nineteenth century Boston also became the center of Christian Science, which stresses healing. Toward the end of the nineteenth century millions of rural Americans began to move to the cities to get manufacturing jobs. Among them were many Methodists, who were shocked by how lax Methodism had become in the cities. To protect their children against the sins of liquor and dancing these people formed the Church of the Nazarene.

In 1900 Eastern Nazarene College was established as a holiness college in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1900, it was relocated to Quincy Massachusetts in 1919.

In 1960’s a group of Godly Men in Greensboro NC decided to plant a church in the outskirts of the city, called Daystar Christian Fellowship.

In September of 2000, an unbelieving no-body who had never met a Christian, Matt Chewning, enrolls at Eastern Nazarene College to play basketball, only to find Christ and feel a call to ministry.

In 2001, Allen Holmes, becomes the pastor of Daystar Christian Fellowship and comes up with the slogan “Whatever it takes to make Christ followers everywhere.”

On October 9th 2007, After serving as a part time youth pastor, I wrote this in my journal while at a conference in Atlanta. “I told Beth about these dreams I am having in Greater Boston, before I told her, I asked her this question, “If God were to send us to plant a church, where would it be? She quickly said Greater Boston.” Is God trying to tell me something? Is he calling us to move and plant a church in Boston? That is crazy,

On December 2, 2008 (My Birthday) Mimi gives me a journal and tells me that she feels that the Lord is calling her to move to Boston, but she’s not going unless she gets $50,000 to get out of debt.

On December 15th, 2008 Just 13 days later Steve got a phone call from a distant relative. One of his aunts died and has left them $75,000 which after taxes is a little more than $50,000. Boston, here we come.

On December 20, 2008 Beth and I got a phonecall from our neighbors that they had something to drop off. They gave us $2500 and said that God had put it on their heart to give us that money for the church plant in Boston. This is Netcasts first check.

August 11th 2009 I waked into work today and started my day doing a devotion. God clearly told me to quit my job. I called Beth and my mentors. They all helped me confirm that this was the call of God.

August 19th 2009 I gave my resignation.

On September 12, 2009 I wrote, “I was ordained todayat Daystar.” I cant believe this is really happening.

September 14th 2010 Its my first day as a church planter / fundraiser. I am in the office and have no idea what I am supposed to be doing. I guess I’ll read my bible and pray.

January 10th 2010 Raised $50,000 so far. God is so gracious.

June 7th 2010 Met this dude Joey Columba online who runs the entire North Shore facebook pages. Seems like a great guy.

June 19th 2010 Tool a trip to the North Shore to look at the different areas and pray about where God wants us to plant. Beth and I fought the entire trip. Experiencing major spiritual warfare.

August 9th 2010 Took a 2nd trip to the North Shore. Experienced MAJOR spiritual warfare. Beth questioned our call and there is only 1 house available in the area we are looking to plant. It’s a terrible house. We committed to live there but only if the owner cleans the house and changes the carpet.

August 12th 2010 Got an email from a dude named Dan Savlon. He came across our website. I’ll meet with him when we move. I wonder is he’s a cool dude.

August 15th 2010 Got a text from Kevin today about one of his youth kids going to Gordon to play Basketball. That is insane. His name is Luke Hamilton

September 1st 2010 Moved to Beverly. The house is under construction and its gonna be great when it is done. Praise God. He is so good.

September 7th 2010 Went to Gordon to meet Luke Hamilton. Met Luke, he’s alright. But….Shaun Roach came up to me. I haven’t seen him in like 10 years. He used to be a pudgy kid, now he’s a skinny baller. What the heck is God doing?

September 9th 2010 Met this guy Josh Sturgeon today for coffee. Awesome man of God. I have no idea why the Lord has put us together. He is a worship leader and a basketball player. Are you serious? I didn’t even know God made those kids of people. Also, while having coffee we met this girl Kristin Oliver who said she was looking for a new church.

September 21st 2010 The North Shore Magazine is interviewing me for a featured story on Netcast.

October 10th 2010 We had our first Vision Party today and 31 people showed up. The highlight of the night is that some random girl, Brooke, showed up because she saw something about us online.

October 23rd 2010 Dan Savlon has committed to the team and Erica Sturgeon wrote a blog about how God has called them to be apart of Netcast. The team is growing much faster than we ever thought.

October 24th 2010 I love my college students. Just took some kids, Sam, out to coffee and he grilled me for an hour to make sure that I sont water the gospel down. Who is this guy? I love this dude.

November 1st 2010 We are going to start meeting together in the morning to pray.

November 21st 2010 As a team, we served Thanksgiving dinner to over 30 people at the YMCA. I love my core team. They are incredible. Also, the YMCA has given me keys to the building.

November 23rd 2010 The magazine article is out and a dude at the YMCA stopped me and said, “you’re that guy in that article.” It freaked me out.

December 12, 2010 40 people gather in my house for the last Netcast Church meeting of 2010. God is building his church.