Authority, Mercy, and the Harvest — Matthew 9 Jesus doesn’t just amaze—He commands. In Matthew 9, a paralyzed man is lowered before Jesus, and the room expects a miracle. Jesus goes deeper: “Take heart… your sins are forgiven.” Then, to prove His authority to forgive, He heals the man. The crowd isn’t merely impressed; holy fear grips them—God has given such authority to a man. Pastor Tommy unpacks: • Fear of the Lord — not mere “respect,” but a right awe of God’s power and holiness. • The deeper miracle — why Jesus often addresses the heart before the circumstance. • Authority & assignment — Christ speaks and reality obeys; His people carry His presence. • From amazed to sent — Matthew’s house fills with “tax collectors and sinners,” showing that mercy moves us toward the lost, not away. • The Lord of the harvest — people are “confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus says the harvest is great, the laborers are few—so pray and go. Bottom line: Don’t just bring your needs to Jesus—bring your friends. Be the one who tears off the roof, carries the mat, sets the table, and trusts the Lord of the harvest. He’s already working in hearts; our job is to get them into His presence.
OUR STORY
Our story begins when Pastor Tommy was only 15 years old. In 2002, Tommy’s parents, Pastor Paul and Patty Palmer visited Atlanta, Georgia, on a family trip. During their visit, they encountered a homeless man sleeping on the steps of a locked church. They knocked on the door of the building and discovered that the staff was inside attending to church business, little interested in the man sleeping on their steps. At that moment, the Atlanta Dream Center Church was born. The Palmers, along with nine of their eleven children, left a comfortable life in California and moved across the country to establish the church in the center of what was, at the time, one of Atlanta’s most crime ravaged communities. Before Sunday services were established, the church reached the city’s most downtrodden neighborhoods by knocking on the doors of local residents, offering simple acts of service, such as mowing lawns. This became the church’s first outreach, known as Adopt-a-Block. The premise was simple: show people the love of Jesus by serving them well. The outreach transformed the community within a matter of years. (It didn’t go unnoticed. Pastor Paul was given the Phoenix Award, Atlanta’s highest honor for citizens, by Mayor Kasim Reed in 2015 to acknowledge the impact of the Atlanta Dream Center Church.) The church quickly became known for having open arms (and doors) to those most overlooked by society. The homeless were welcomed in and helped, the neglected were accepted and loved, the outcast found a home. But over time, the church’s reach grew. Doctors, lawyers and prominent business owners worshiped, fellowshipped and served alongside men and women who walked in from the streets.The Atlanta Dream Center Church became – and continues to be – a church for everyone. It is a place where every person, regardless of economic standing, social class,race or age, is genuinely welcomed and loved. Today, as we focus on worship, fellowship, discipleship and outreach in order to meet the spiritual needs of our diverse community, we remain committed to keeping our hearts and doors open and doing all we can to see the restoration of broken lives and entire communities.