At Mars Hill our mission is to see lives transformed to live for Jesus. We desire to continually give him the glory for the lives he has already changed and the lives he will change. Help us tell the story. Each week we will feature a personal testimony of what God is doing through the ministry of Mars Hill Church. If you have a story about what Jesus has done in your life through the ministry of Mars Hill, we want to hear from you. Please submit it as a response on this blog, or email it to testimony [at] marshillchurch.org. I'll start off the series by sharing the story of a woman I recently prayed with after a service at Mars Hill Ballard...

At The Cross — Changed by Jesus #1

Pastor Mark had just finished preaching on the cross, and the great miracle which takes place when our sin is exchanged for Jesus' righteousness. The message was moving and powerful, and based on the response for prayer after the service it was evident that the Holy Spirit was working in people's hearts. I was struck by the story of one women who came forward. She approached the stage with no restraint to her tears. She was fully broken and there was no holding it back. For a minute or two she couldn't even talk. When she finally gained her composure, she shared the story of her recent divorce. Her husband of eleven years left her. He broke his marriage covenant, walked away from Jesus, and deserted her. She was rightly broken and devastated by the finalization of the divorce and the man's unwillingness to repent. To make matters worse, he left her in financial trouble, without any thought of her welfare. She didn't know how to cope on her own, but came to Jesus for his mercy. Soon after that Sunday we followed up with her, and she shared this:

Jesus has taken my devastation and has turned it into his peace and joy, miraculously. He has come in and provided for me financially where I was left high and dry. God has also given me the power to forgive my past husband of all the wrongs. This forgiveness has set me free.

This woman is just like you and me, she needs Jesus. While our particular circumstances and present need for the cross are different, the fullness of the gospel meets us equally where we are. We worship Jesus, Mars Hill. His grace is full and abundant, in both forgiving us our sin and cleansing our souls.