The Holy Spirit and Us

This is Not an Overstatement: Next to the death & resurrection of Jesus, the single greatest event in the Bible is the coming of the Spirit into the lives of the Believers. It is His presence that guarantees we are saved and enables us to fulfill God's commands and blessings. The Holy Spirit's arrival on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) is a really BIG deal.

This Sunday, as a church we begin our study of Acts 2. This dynamic chapter will fulfill the OT hope and promise and grant new vision and power for the believer's daily life. It becomes the standard by which all future churches aspire to and will be judged by. I believe this with all of my heart!

Please be praying for us and the church in Forest Hills. The issue of the Holy Spirit, and His filling, has been so abused and denigrated by so many that it is a constant battle to insure a proper reception and response. I believe there is a cleansing (purging) that is taking place here in NYC, and that God is using FHCC as a foundational piece in this process. Please pray that His will is accomplished.

May Prayer Points

After an incredible season of Outreach and Evangelism during the Spring holidays, we were all excited and eager to see what God was going to do through us and His church in May. Originally, we had planned on kicking off the new month with a sermon series on the book of Acts. God, however, had something else in store.

Days before "kick off" Sunday, the Lord clearly spoke and said that the people of FHCC and NYC were not yet ready to live and receive the implications found in the book of Acts. Sin and apathy were still too prevalent and would only frustrate us as we read and anticipated God doing the miracles of Acts in our lives and city. Instead, God called us to proclaim Ephesians 5:1-20, and then call the church to repentance.

So with a church filled the Sunday after Easter with new guests and families, we read the rebuke of the Lord regarding sin and apathy. It was a powerful message and it led to the spiritual confrontation with many in our church and community. God was glorified, His church purified, and His witness exalted. It has been an amazing beginning to the month of May!

We now feel the Lord releasing us to begin our study of the book of Acts entitled, "RADICAL: When God Dwells with His People." It is going to be fantastic, but also incredibly tough. The miracle of Acts is not simply the power of God being displayed in physical demonstrations and healings, but more miraculously in the lives of the church. The church was full of POWER, because they HATED sin (Acts 5), LOVED Jesus (Acts 4), and DEPENDED COMPLETELY on the Holy Spirit (Acts 5). This is not an easy task for mortal men...

Please join with us this month in praying for the following:

1 - GREATER dependence on the Holy Spirit

2 - More Jewish people to hear the Gospel and come to Faith

3 - Health and Sanity for the family - it is especially tough living as a Jesus-loving FAMILY in NYC

4 - More Workers in the Harvest Field of NYC

Easter at FHCC

This past Easter weekend, God used FHCC to reach hundreds of families with the Gospel!

It all began on Friday night with a dynamic time of worship and meditation on the cross. Despite being in a new location, the attendance was strong and several new faces attended. You can listen to the message here.

Saturday is when God really did a miracle. With the church praying for weeks for good weather, the Lord saw it fit to bless us with torrential downpours. This forced our long anticipated Egg Hunt indoors, and none of us knew how this would effect the outcome. Turns out, it made the event bigger and more effective.

Because of the bad weather, families were desperately looking for something to do outside of their house. Additionally, by moving the event indoors it provided the church with the opportunity to personally greet and share Jesus with event attendee. By God's grace over 800 people attended the 2-hour event. It was amazing!

But, Easter weekend is really all about Easter Sunday. This year the weather was perfect and we saw many new families attend the service. Several people gave their hearts to the Lord and everyone is excited to attend church this Sunday. God was exalted this weekend, and He truly has drawn people unto Himself. We are blessed to be His church!

Thank you for praying and giving!!

Passover Update

Last night we hosted 25 people in the celebration of Passover. While many were members of the church, a significant number were not, and of these, almost all were not Christian.

The service took place without a single incident. Not only were the people excited to learn the culture and customs of the Jewish tradition, but they were way more interested in seeing how Jesus completes and supersedes the Passover experience. Several Jewish women who attended were amazed at how literally Jesus (Yeshua) met and exceeded Jewish expectations and religious law. By the end of the night, they were in complete agreement that He was, and is, the Messiah!!

Please continue to pray for these two incredible women of faith! We have no idea how much courage and boldness it took for them to attend a Christian Seder and acknowledge the legitimacy of both Jesus and the New Testament record. Please pray for their salvation!

Please also pray for the countless conversations that will take place this week and into eternity. After having revealed to so many the Messianic significance of Passover, every one who attended last night Seder is now eager to show their faith with the Jewish friends! Last night's miracle is only beginning to show its effects. Pray that many will come to know Jesus this Passover season!

THANK YOU all for your prayers and financial support. We could not have done with any success without YOU!

-jeremy

PS> Pictures coming soon.

Need Your Prayers

April is off to a fantastic start!! As a church we are working our way through a biblical understanding of KOSHER living. Contrary to popular and religious thought, keeping Kosher has very little to do with dietary laws, and everything to do with Jesus. This radical series is approaching the home stretch and many have visited our church and come to faith in the Messiah. The bar is set high for the Passover & Easter season services and outreaches, and for that we certainly covet your prayers.

Please pray with us for the following:

1 - Passover Seder Service - We are hosting our second annual Passover dinner service for the Jewish community to come and learn about Jesus, the Deliverer. Last year's service was miraculous, and we are beliving for even greater results this year.

2 - Easter Weekend - Every year we go large and hard over the Easter weekend. It all kicks off on Good Friday with a honest and somber reflection on our sinful plight and the great sacrifice of God. This year we are holding the service in our new location (public school) and are switching our meeting time to the evening. Please pray for salvation and attendance.

The Saturday following is our annual Easter Egg Hunt. Last year over 700 people attended and heard about Jesus. This year we want to see not just attendees, but converts. After all, its all about Jesus; not the candy.

The weekend concludes with our Easter Service. This year we will use the opportunity to launch our new sermon study through the book of Acts. We believe that God wants the events and miracles of Acts to still be carried out today and in greater frequency. This study is already proving to be a historic moment in the ministry here in NYC, as many are seeking the Spirit with new and renewed fervency. Please pray!

3 - Health - Every year about this time the family gets socked with a nasty cold that only gets passed around. We are already suffering... Please pray for deliverance and healing.

4 - Finances - God continues to supply and we THANK YOU for your generous love and financial support. Without you, there would be NO CHURCH & NO WITNESS in Forest Hills, NYC.

Joining the Ministry

I love it when we have members of supporting churches visit us for a service at FHCC! This week we were surprised to have members of a church in PA join us for Sunday worship. They were able to meet the people, worship alongside of us and get to see the difference God is making in Queens, NY. But the really cool part is that they have the unique privilege of taking partial ownership in the success!

If it wasn't for their prayer and financial support, there wouldn't be a church in Forest Hills. Our church is blessed with solid Christians who give of their time and treasure to the ministry, but it still is not enough to pay all the bills or accomplish the full mission. We still need help from the outside, and gratefully there are many who are willing to do so!

If you have chosen to partner with us, then you are just as much a part of God's success in NYC than anyone of us! We are the products of your worship to God, with a greater harvest yet to come. THANK YOU!

If you would like to partner with us, then now is the time to join. Not only is our church plant continuing to see lives saved, but we are also preparing to launch a new church in the next 12-months. Your commitment to pray and give financially puts the tools and resources in our hands to get the job done. And by giving directly to the ministry, we ensure that 100% of your gift goes directly towards the work here in NYC and will grant full accountability to you, our supporter.

Join the Ministry in NYC:
Make checks payable to "MatchlessFire Jewish Ministries"

Mail to:
MatchlessFire Ministries
PO BOX 4114
Forest Hills, NY 11375

All gifts are tax-deductible under the IRS 501(c)3 rules.

NYC Mission Teams

We are thrilled that so many would love to consider coming to NYC and contribute to the ministry in a "hands on" fashion. Many hands make light work, and we would love to host you, your church, or para-church ministry. However, before you contact us about possible dates and experiences, we feel it is imperative to give you a little insight concerning ministry life in NYC.

Ministry is extrememly difficult here in NYC. For starters, this is NYC; the people are mean and have little or no desire to hear about Jesus, especially from an "outsider." Routinely, those who come to minister with us become frustrated and hurt when then give their first "invite card" to a NYer getting on the subway. Many cry...

Secondly, the people of NYC live to work. During the day there are very few people around which makes ministry incredibly difficult. Typically, ministry hours are very early in the morning (7-9am) or very late at night (6-9pm).

Thirdly, NYers don't like gimmicks or promises that cannot be realized immediately. Outreaches and crusades have little to no effect here in the City. The best way to reach people is through one-on-one evangelism and religious services on traditional days (Sundays and holidays). NYC is not Latin America...

Finally, there is no housing in NYC. A visiting team would be responsible for their own transportation, housing and meals. The average person will walk 10-12 miles per day in ministry, spend $40 a day in meals, and accrue a hotel bill of $100/night/double occupancy. It is not cheap or easy to do ministry in NYC, and thus the city is a spiritual mess.

Please understand that this warning above is not to discourage anyone from coming to NYC and partnering with us. We would LOVE to have you! However, we want you and your team to have the best experience possible, and that begins with realistic expectations. We would love to have you, but we know this ministry is not for everyone...

Still feeling called? Then email us today!