Evangelist David Hill: “I can no longer turn a blind eye to Hopelessness, Brokenness and Homelessness”

In the year and a half since Pastor David Hill launched Saddleback Church’s renowned Celebrate Recovery Program at Ascent Church in Westlake, there have been many lives that have had chains of addictions and unforgiveness broken.

Through the Celebrate Recovery large and small share groups format, believers and non-believers experience the Lord’s transforming power for their hurts, habits, and hang-ups.

The Celebrate Recovery program has the same DNA for all chapters, communities, and churches. As a participant in Celebrate Recovery himself, Pastor David, relates first-hand to the struggles of the addicted. Pastor David’s commitment to recovery through evangelism has expanded to become a movement throughout Northeast, Ohio. This movement has initiated programs and other recovery resources in Rehab houses, homeless shelters, juvenile detention centers, and prisons.

Pastor David’s early childhood of Christianity portrayed outside the home did not mirror the physical and mental abuse, drug, and alcohol addiction inside his house.

His escape became the world of Martial Arts, Boxing, KickBoxing, and Cage Fighting. This world eventually brought him fame as one of the pioneers in MMA in the 1990’s. He fought in the USA, Brazil and Russia. He also was part of 35 “action films’’ including Blood Sport 2, Fists of Iron, and Death Match. David hosted his own television show on Spike TV, called Boom.

The enemy, however, still lived inside of him. He was devoid of love, peace, compassion, and empathy. He hated himself and longed to be the little child within. The turning point was when his mom overdosed. He fell into depression and the world of addiction. He journeyed into a self-inflicted death wish.

Through a miraculous Salvation experience and Celebrate Recovery Foundation he was able to find Jesus’ healing touch. That is the message he brings to the hurting.

Last September, Pastor David served as keynote speaker for the dedication of the Community West Foundation sculpture, “When I Was in Prison,” at Bridge CLE, 3389 Fulton Road, in Cleveland. 33 churches in all participated, 13 onsite and 20 in intercessory prayer. For the incarcerated, the Northeast Women’s Reintegration Center, Grafton Correctional Center, Lorain Correctional Center, Alpha House in Oberlin and Cedar Hills in Painesville were represented.

“I believe it was a maximum opportunity for the Holy Spirit to walk in ordered footsteps and reach the unreachable, the unloved, the unwanted, the unneeded unchurched, and the undervalued,” said Hill. Indeed, his address was peppered with shouts of “Amen” and “Preach it” from an audience that shared many of his personal obstacles.

This past June, Pastor David brought a similar message of hope and change to the City Mission, 5310 Carnegie Ave. Cleveland.

“City Mission has been one of the most respected treatment centers in Cleveland since 1910,” said Hill. “We were just very blessed to reach out and share a message of hope and transformation and to just be a witness to God’s miracle working power as hundreds of people confessed Jesus as Lord.”

Meetings of this kind are now becoming a springboard for Pastor Hill’s message. “We are actively putting together another branch of the ministry, ‘30, 60, 100 Fold,’ to minister to those who came forward, for those who attended and for those who didn’t attend to make sure they are reached,” he reports.

“We want to transition these people into society as good citizens and sober and to show them there is one way to heaven for their names to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

In this whirlwind summer, Hill’s travels have also taken him to Africa and Southern California, the home of his family. “I was blessed to come alongside a ministry called ‘Make Jesus Famous’ with Pastor Dean Morris in Africa,” said Hill. “It was amazing,” he said of the trip to Tanzania. “The blind were made to see, the lame walk, tumors were removed and demonic spirits were cast out. God is still alive, Jesus is still alive and He is still on the throne and He is still working out miracles!”

In Tanzania, Pastor David met a special friend. “I met a man at our hotel, an anointed Cyprean. This was one of the most amazing things about the trip,” said Hill, “How he knew the Word of God! We reached literally tens of thousands of people. I have been able to pass the baton on to him and I communicate with him daily on What’s App.

“We preached to approximately 500 pastors, at a youth event and also at a progressive Pentecostal church. We held outreaches in a field that helped tens of thousands of people. We had a pickup truck with huge speakers that boosted out the word of Jesus. We had people on bikes following us! It was quite the spectacle!” The crusade also brought out young disciples he ministered, Christian Maynard, Fresh Preacher rapper and missionary, Sean Sees.”

Once back in the states, Pastor David “hit the ground running” and went out to Southern California. He had the honor of preaching at the Dream Center in Los Angeles, Victory Outreach Pico Rivera and Eagle Rock – all centers of transformation through Christ.

“God meets us where we are at,” said Hill about the personal nature of the trip. “I was able to baptize my brother, my two nieces and my great-niece and great nephew. I was able to baptize the first, second and third generations of my family.”

Now back in Northeast Ohio, Pastor David is anxious to get on with his local initiatives, and he is excited.

“The State Regional Board of Directors will be starting a recovery program inside Lorain Correctional Institution that we will be part of,” he reports. “We are also organizing a group of powerful men and women of God to go back into these treatment centers like City Mission with the purpose of ministering to their clients and watering the seeds we have sowed.”

On fire with the Word, Pastor David remains super motivated by the momentum launched by Celebrate Recovery.

“We launched Celebrate Recovery two years ago and it is still going strong. God continues to keep His Word through sacrifice and obedience on my part by walking away from the world, walking ordered footsteps in the middle of spiritual warfare, standing in the gap, fighting the good fight of faith. Reclaiming territory from the enemy and restoring the faithful as weapons of mass production.

“I can’t save anyone. I can’t even save myself. But I can introduce the world and Jesus can release them. We all have free will and God’s a gentleman,” concludes Hill. “Whether they hold on to their sobriety or God calls them to glory, my job is to make sure their bags are packed when they are on their way.”

Hill says, “I can no longer in good conscience turn a blind eye to all the hopelessness and brokenness and homelessness I am constantly surrounded by. The building is on fire and there are victims inside!

“I must be able to run in and pull them out to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because I am an evangelist. Everywhere I go is my church and everyone I meet is my congregation.

“The reason I am breathing is to lead people to Jesus let Him lead them to into His Father’s Kingdom.”

David is currently wokring with Mike Swaggert of True Freedom Ministries and is implementing a Resotoration and Recovery program inside the prison walls at Lorain Correctional Institute,  allowing the Hoy Spirit to restore the inmates Mind, Body and Soul. The program will start the first week of November with the opportunity to travel to 27 prisons in Ohio. David is also the State of Ohio Director of Prison Ministry for the Internatioal Federation of Chaplains and Human Rights.

If you would like to join this cause as a volunteer or a donor, write to Bill Pappas CPA, 30980 Lorain Road, North Olmsted 44070 (440) 686-9663 or donations to God’s Soldier Ministry, PO Box 435, Avon, Ohio, 44011. All donations are tax deductible.

Please visit https://godssoldierministries.com/

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