Mosaic Blogs

I would like to thank those who involved in the preparation of the Christmas Celebration Dinner last night. Your assistance, thoughtful ideas and generosity are greatly appreciated. I trust that the Holy Spirit will make use of every opportunity to inspire His people. We are so blessed to be part of what God is doing in our generation. Let us continue to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All and keep advancing His Kingdom. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. May we learn to live together and share the joy and harmony God intended for all of His people at Christmas time and throughout the year.

I get inspired by reading the article “Mission Shift or Drift” from the recent Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/fall/7.23.html. The article is the analysis of the survey done by Leadership in May 2008 asking nearly 700 evangelical pastors how their perceptions of the gospel and mission currently compare with their understanding a decade ago. The results clearly indicate that pastors’ attitudes and beliefs are shifting. As a member of Mosaic community, I am pleased to share this article with you and hope that you will get inspired too.  The followings are the highlight:

·         The Christian life has to be demonstrated, not just explained.

Whatever the particular cause for the shift in these pastors’ ideas regarding the gospel and mission, five changes are gaining momentum in congregations all across the country:

                               Affirming the whole gospel

                               Not looking to a megachurch model

                               Focusing on making disciples

                               Encouraging a missional mindset as a means of spiritual formation

                               Establishing partnerships to advance the gospel.

• From proclamation to demonstration

A consistent theme emerging from the survey is the belief that previous descriptions of the gospel were incomplete. “We have emphasized that you pray a prayer and you’re saved, to our detriment,” says Platt. “Matthew 7 haunts me. To many the Lord will say, ‘I don’t know you.’ I want people to know the gospel fully, that the reality of what happens at the point of conversion is the beginning of a process in which we experience the fruit of Christ in us.”

• From mega to mini

In 2007, the Willow Creek Association released a study entitled “REVEAL: Where are You?” a survey of more than 400 churches representing hundreds of thousands of church attendees. The findings were surprising enough that even the Wall Street Journal took notice. Dale Buss wrote:

“This shift constitutes a megadevelopment in the world of megachurches. For over 30 years, Willow Creek grew explosively thanks to its obliqueness toward Sabbath-day orthodoxy and quickly became the standard-bearer of a powerful new movement in evangelical Christianity. Thousands of churches sprang up in its wake and grew the same way. But recent market research showed Willow Creek’s leadership that some great weaknesses lay beneath the surface even while average weekend attendance had grown to 23,000 people. . . . . .

• From programs to people

Another shift is the growing emphasis on spiritual maturity, not just conversions. Pastors surveyed are pouring more energy into disciple-making even at the expense of programs previously considered sacred cows. For The Church at Brook Hills’ Platt, disciple-making is at the core of the church’s vision.

“We are trying to take everything we’ve been doing and focus on one thing, which is to make disciples of all nations,” he said. For example, the church recently cut its long-established Vacation Bible School program, and instead . . . .

• From Sunday to everyday

Compared to ten years ago, today’s pastors say they increasingly see disciple-making and meaningfully engaging the world as not merely ancillary expressions of faith, but . . . .

• From competition to cooperation

Another shift evident in the Leadership survey is the growing belief that partnerships are a critical means by which churches can reach their communities with the gospel. At Grays’s church in Atlanta, partnerships abound with numerous other Christian and secular entities.

“We partner with Bank of America to feed the homeless each month. We partner with other churches every month to do a House of Prayer, and in fact before we even planted the church, every person in the Atlanta phone book had been prayed for by ourselves and our partner churches,” Grays said.

“Our partners get as much if not more than what they put in,” Grays explains. “One of our partner churches is giving us $1,000 a month for the next three years, as they want to use us as an avenue for their people to be mobilized for missional activity. Their people come and help us in the city, then they go back to their churches and spread their new excitement for serving.”

• Caution ahead

Pastors interviewed for this article expressed notes of warning that we not be too reactionary in our opinions, resulting in healthy shifts becoming unhealthy overcorrections. For example, Jonathan Leeman, director of communications for 9Marks.org, an organization that helps churches develop biblical models of ministry, believes that a number of caveats need to be made before determining whether these shifts are good.. . . .

Perhaps the greatest challenge for today’s pastors comes in the form of a congregation that does not understand or support the leader’s changing perspective. The Leadership survey discovered that many pastors see a gap between their understanding of the gospel and church’s mission and the congregation’s view of the gospel and mission. We should expect leaders to be a few steps ahead of their people on these matters, but . . . .

There are similar changes have happened in the community of Mosaic if you are aware of it. It is important for us to participate in this spiritual movement which the Holy Spirit has inspired the pastors and church leaders in our generation. We should also be aware of the unhealthy overcorrections mentioned above. Basically, I trust God is actually doing in churches no matter they are large and small, attractional and missional.  What do you think?

If you’re a teacher or a student of any type, you must go to this.

It’s free for you, $500 for everyone else.  This saturday.

I would like to invite you to partner with me in a project that I have been pondering for months.  This project requires your prayer and participation in order for it to be meaningful.  Here is the gist of the blue-print I have in mind:

Purpose:  A regular event within the community of faith to 1) raise the awareness of the global poverty 2) remind us of the call to simple living as God’s steward 3) encourage us to combat consumerism and foster a spirit of hospitality and generosity

Format:  Each household will take turn bi-monthly to host a luncheon at their house after the last Sunday worship.  All members of the church are invited to lunch at the host family and donate the money that you would have paid for lunch on that Sunday to the mission fund designated to organizations which fight poverty.

You can view Letter of Invitation  doc for more detail of my proposal.  Please contact me if you’re interested to participate, or if you have any feedback.

Prayerfully yours,

Sophia

This is a massive topic that I believe we were only scratching the surface on at our last gathering.

Some further questions and reflections

What are some attributes that come to mind when you think of the suburbs?

What are some of the idols in the suburbs?

Reflect on the following terms as it relates to the suburbs
- Families.  Affluence.  Cookie cutter houses.  Independence.  Waste.  Avoidance of interruptions.  Fragmentation.

Reflect on injustices that you’re aware of in our world.

Reflect on Luke 16:19-31

Why is there a separation between the nameless rich man and Lazarus?

Note how that in this scene no one is in heaven or hell due to doctrine or belief statements

Could it be that the ‘gate’ that the rich man put up, created an unreachable ‘chasm’ within his own heart?

Could it be that the rich man needed Lazarus just as much as Lazarus needed the rich man?

Note how the rich man continues to argue with Abraham and speaks of Lazarus in the third person telling him what he should do?  Why might his attitude in such torment be like this?

Suburbanism is also invading the suburbs.  Do some research on the term gentriciation and it’s implications.

What would it look like for the Kingdom of God to manifest in the suburbs?

I am so exited to see them coming this fall.  Hope you will like it too.

Paul Baloche with speaker Leonard Sweet

Cambridge, ON
Date/Time: Sat Oct 18 @ 7.30pm
Venue: Forward Baptist Church
455 Myers Road
Ticket Outlet: Gospel Lighthouse/Waterloo: 519.885.4500

Robin Mark with special guest Craig Douglas

Oakville, ON
Date/Time: Sun Oct 19 @ 7.00pm
Venue: The Meeting House
2700 Bristol Circle
Ticket Outlet: Good Books: 905.844.3102

Please visit http://uniteproductions.com/go/main/concerts for more promotion and online tickets.

Thanksgiving Thoughts: Thankfulness in Times of Trouble by Rose DesRochers

• Thanksgiving is a time for food, celebration, and fun. Every year on Thanksgiving, families gather around the table to enjoy a meal and give thanks. But for some folks, Thanksgiving can be a lonely time. Many adults spend the holidays feeling isolated and depressed.
• For those who may be feeling depressed this Thanksgiving holiday, open your heart to giving. Helping other people in need is a wonderful way to celebrate the day and may make you feel less alone. Check out communities in your area that may need volunteers during the holidays- example: soup kitchens, shelters, hospitals or reach out to your local church.
• Today on this Thanksgiving Day please remember, though the harvest might not always be plentiful, family and friends may be few, God has given us each a great deal to be thankful for. It’s my experience that it’s much easier to thank God for our blessing than to find a way to be thankful in the midst of our troubles.

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~W.T. Purkiser

Happy Thanksgiving

For this year’s Thanksgiving Sunday gathering, we will gather at Kneadings Bread and Cafe. The gathering itself is an attempt to model after 1 Corinthians 14 for a church gathering. Of course, I doubt if anyone of us is able to speak in tongues. At least, I do not.

In preparing ourselves, let’s take a closer look at a section of this chapter:

26-33So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight. If prayers are offered in tongues, two or three’s the limit, and then only if someone is present who can interpret what you’re saying. Otherwise, keep it between God and yourself. And no more than two or three speakers at a meeting, with the rest of you listening and taking it to heart. Take your turn, no one person taking over. Then each speaker gets a chance to say something special from God, and you all learn from each other. If you choose to speak, you’re also responsible for how and when you speak. When we worship the right way, God doesn’t stir us up into confusion; he brings us into harmony. This goes for all the churches—no exceptions.

 34-36Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God’s Book of the law guides our manners and customs here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking. Do you—both women and men—imagine that you’re a sacred oracle determining what’s right and wrong? Do you think everything revolves around you?

 37-38If any one of you thinks God has something for you to say or has inspired you to do something, pay close attention to what I have written. This is the way the Master wants it. If you won’t play by these rules, God can’t use you. Sorry.

 39-40Three things, then, to sum this up: When you speak forth God’s truth, speak your heart out. Don’t tell people how they should or shouldn’t pray when they’re praying in tongues that you don’t understand. Be courteous and considerate in everything.

When we gather on Thanksgiving Sunday, be prepared to bring one of the following:

• a hymn (or a song);
• a lesson (or read aloud a Scripture passage that will benefit the community);   
• a story (or a testimony of God’s way in your life);
• lead a prayer (lead the congregation to pray for something that God has laid on our community);
• an insight (something that God has laid upon you that will benefit God’s people).

These are not just any “sharings” or ”therapy” to yourself but something that is beneficial to the community (”useful for all“).

Then Paul gave the guidelines of carrying out these items:

• the one who speaks is responsible for his/her speech
• the one who speaks must speak in turn - no cutting others off or always wanting to speak or must have the final word
• when someone is speaking, we are to pay attention. no whispering talks. (”wives must not disrupt worship“) 
• The Big Three:

1. speak your heart out
2. do not tell what others should or should not pray though you do not understand
3. be courteous and considerate

We will gather according to this way as described in the Bible.

In terms of logistics, you may want to print out your song; your passage or anything that you want the congregation to follow. Remember, there is no projector, I suppose.

This is an exercise on what we have learned on the sermon topic: Church - the Gathering, back in early September. I hope that we will all be blessed and encouraged by this gathering / worship.

See you at Kneadings.

As you are reading Revelation 2-3, do you discover a pattern of the letters to the seven churches?

If there is a pattern, what does it look like?

If the Church has a beginning at Pentecost, how does it end? What does the ending look like?

the discussion continues on Sunday Oct. 5 …

Hi All,

My team and I are now safely back from our trip to Benin. I want to thank you for praying for us during our time there. God is certainly working in the other side of the world and I can’t wait to share it with you. Please visit our blog at http://jesuslovesbenin.blogspot.com to read about our journey and we hope to post some pictures and videos up soon!

Janet