Mosaic Church

Jesus once gave a great sermon, and He said a lot with a few words. Meaning the message is simple, but why is it so hard to do simple. We are going to take a look at some of these simple words and we are going to answer the questions: What you goin' to Say? ...... What you goin' to Do?

Obedience ought to trump reason. We learn this, and live within this when we are rooted in Him. Abiding in His grace, truth, and love. Love, the fruit that becomes evident as we take one intentional step at a time to remain in Him. Living on mission is no more complicated than remaining in direct contact with our Father, thanks to His son Jesus, we are able to do just that. As we do, our eyes are opened to the need in and around us. That need invites us to join Him. What does obedience look like? How do we know we are rooted in Him?

Somewhere along the way, the church lost it’s purpose. Jesus built the church so that his children would come together to care for each other, help the poor, and to go out and make disciples. It seems now, we see church as a “what did I get this week” instead of “how did we worship God this week.” What changed? Fundamentally, we moved from a discipleship movement to a consumer one. What if that can be redeemed? What if God is calling us out of church buildings and back with people…living on purpose to love people and share our hope in Jesus. All is not lost…Jesus is igniting a new movement among His church.

Jesus has set everything right between us and God. We are reconciled (atonement) and the relationship is fixed like it never happened, and we are now adopted into His family (justification). Since Jesus did all the work, and we can’t earn our way to heaven, where does continuing to sin come into play? As Christ followers, all sin is covered, so does it matter if we sin? Paul address this in Romans 6 where we will explore the concept of sanctification. If we truly understand and embrace the Gospel, we will want to be less of our former sinful self and more like our new Lord and master Jesus Christ.

We learned that Jesus did everything to fix our status with God when he took our punishment for sin. Atonement offers us the position as if we had never sinned if we accept Jesus’ life in our place. Justification takes the relationships status even deeper, where the Good Judge not only finds us not guilty, but goes all the way to say we are reinstated into His family as His children.

Buzzwords are words or phrases, new or already existing, that become popular either universally, or in a certain group of people. The church is not different. There are words we hear in the church that are more than just a phase, but an important piece of knowing our relationship with God. That is true of the word ATONEMENT. We have heard it many times, but what does it really mean, and why is it part of our faith journey?

Did you know that God calls you His Masterpiece? You, just as you are right now, are priceless to God. Come, and find out how seeing the good in yourself can change your life.

Doubts and faith seem to go hand in hand, don't they? Think about it – even the big shots in the Bible had their moments of questioning. But then there's Thomas, who took doubt to a whole new level in John 20. It took a face-to-face encounter with Jesus to set him straight. Jesus didn't just calm Thomas' doubts; he made it clear that real faith means trusting what you can't see, not just what's right in front of you. So, as we journey with Jesus today, it's normal to have our moments of doubt. But let's take a page from Thomas' book: admit our doubts, take them to Jesus, and hang onto a simple faith that keeps us moving forward in His mission.

Jesus is dead and gone, and the disciples and the crowds that followed Him were deeply disappointed. They believed that He was going to save them, but now hope is over. 2 men walking home from the Passover festival in Jerusalem were talking all about this, when a stranger joined in the conversation. Was Jesus really the Messiah? If so, how could He save them now that He is gone? Where they disappointed with the true Jesus, or the one they thought He should be.

The crowds have scattered, and the body of Jesus was laid to rest. At sunrise 3 women make their war to the tomb to finish embalming His body, to be met with a terrifying surprise…the body of Jesus is gone. They are told that He had risen and to go tell the disciples, but the instead fled in fear. The resurrection proves his triumph over death, and it would take eyewitnesses of Him alive that would prove He was who He said He was. Do we flee in fear when it is time to speak of Jesus, or do we boldly tell everyone He died for our sins, but also he has beat death and has risen from the dead!

Easter Sunday | The Name Above all Names | Jason Montano by Mosaic Church

Forsaken | Good Friday 2024 | Jason Montano by Mosaic Church

As Jesus ends up his instructional prayer, he lands with something that seems confusing: “God please don’t lead me into a place where I could sin.” But when we look into this further, that is not at all what is being petitioned. Continuing with the theme of bringing our needs before God, Jesus shows us we need to ask God to offer DELIVERANCE from something we cannot overcome on our own, evil.

The Lord's Prayer | Part 5: On Earth as it is in Heaven | Nick Jonckowski – Mosaic North Carolina by Mosaic Church

As Jesus continues in His prayer, He now brings a request to God: “give us today our daily bread.” This simple request is rich and full of meaning. Requesting the needs for the day, speaks against self-reliance and storing up for the future. Our hearts in prayer once again should be focused on our heavenly Father, but this time on how He is the one who gives us everything we need.

Jesus moves in His teaching on prayer that our focus is still not on us or our needs. Instead, we put our focus on God’s kingdom and His will. So few believers understand what this means, which often lead us to praying for the wrong things. If we look at God’s values and characteristics, we see a beautiful prayer of us seeking the expansion of God’s reign here on earth, just like it is in heaven. How can praying this way change our lives and relationship with God?

Jesus moves in His teaching on how NOT to pray, to how to pray. The beginning is a bit shocking. He doesn’t give instructions on how to talk, or even how to ask God. He teaches us to address God as Father, as separate in heaven, and as protectors of His holy name. Jesus demonstrates that prayer starts with our hearts fully focused on Him, not on ourselves.

Have you ever been in a big circle of people, and they are going around the circle asking everyone to pray out loud? It can be so nerve-racking as some people use big, elaborate words seeming to know exactly what to say. How exactly do we pray, and just as important, how should we NOT pray? Jesus gives us the perfect answer and prayer in Matthew 6. Prayer must be meaningful, intimate, and focused on our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and with it mounds of chocolate, flowers, and cards. On this holiday, we take time to share with others how we feel about them and our relationships. Unfortunately, that way of thinking has crept into our relationship with God. We tend to have moments where we adore and worship Him, but that is not what He has asked of His people. God has called us to love Him with all that we are, and in turn obey Him knowing He offers the best life possible for us. Do we love Him 365 days a year, or more with a Valentine’s Day type of love?

Remember those childhood games like kick the can and flashlight tag? What made them so fun was it was played in the dark, and we would use the shadows to try to sneak around. However, the darkness also held dangers, such as potholes, items in the yard, and more. Light brings everything into vision, and according to John, that includes our love for each other. When we live in the light like Jesus, with nothing to hide, we will be found blameless in how we love each other. However, if we say we are in the light but are hiding hate in in our hearts, we are really in darkness. Are you living in the light, or in the dark?