mosaic-ekklesia

God's Kingdom is Advancing Through Us

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 20:59:01 GMT

Have you ever wondered what “God’s Kingdom is Advancing” means?

God’s kingdom is the rule and reign of God—a truth that can change any life if understood fully and embraced daily. This truth is so vital that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He first told them to pray for God’s kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10).

Turn to Matthew 6:10 with us. It reads:

“your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.”

Through the redemptive work of the cross, God’s Spirit is now actively at work on the earth through the lives of believers. As His sons and daughters, we actively partner with Him in reconciling creation to its original design by proclaiming the gospel, healing the sick and setting people free, and living our lives in a way that advances the Kingdom in our sphere of influence. Our heart desires to see God’s kingdom manifest on the earth as it is in heaven.

Defining Core Values:

As we share our third core value, we want to help you understand how we define core values.

Our core values serve as a “voice” in our community and function as the language for communicating how we operate. Our core values are the foundation of our culture. The underlying principles guide our priorities, decisions, and efforts as a community. Our third core value is “ God's Kingdom is Advancing .” We can show you why it is a pillar in our community and integral to life as a believer.

God's Kingdom is Advancing:

As believers, Jesus commissions us to advance his kingdom.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Two primary beliefs are positioning us to advance the kingdom of God. The first is, Everyone is Discipled and Discipling Others:

As followers of Jesus, we are all called to make disciples of all nations; to go where God leads us, and share the gospel with non-believers so they might come to know and follow Jesus. Discipleship is about helping people know and follow Jesus by doing daily life together in a way that helps them fulfill their calling from God. This involves a high degree of intentionality: getting to know someone for who they are, encouraging them to seek God in all areas of life, having deep conversations when sin is evident, working through conflict for reconciliation, and spending extra time with them when life gets difficult.

Another belief that is helping us advance the kingdom of God is, Intentional Multiplication: Many churches begin small, relational, and discipleship-focused but cannot maintain those characteristics as growth happens. Growing as a healthy family becomes challenging as the Lord adds to its number. The solution to this is “multiplication.” Multiplication is God’s way of advancing His Kingdom throughout the world. At Mosaic, we multiply to preserve the healthy number of 10-20 people in an Ekklesia Group to maintain relational discipleship and prioritize the mission of God over our comfort. To multiply effectively, we structure our churches in a reproducible way.

How it looks in the Community:

Here's a testimony from a member of ours, Steve Kang:

“I realize there are two opposing kingdoms in the invisible realm: the Kingdom of God where Jesus is King, and the kingdom of darkness where Satan is king. Although these two kingdoms are not visible to our physical eyes, their fingerprints are everywhere. It is obvious when you observe how this world operates. There are good and evil in the world. The good news is that the Kingdom of God, the good, has already won the victory and forcibly advanced toward fulfilling the Bible prophecies. Although Satan tries to thwart the plan of God, that is, to rescue every human being out of Satan’s dark kingdom into the Kingdom of God, God’s plan cannot be thwarted. Ultimately God’s plan and His purpose will be fulfilled.

God is actively at work at every level, from everyone to the community where they live to every nation to the whole world. God is infinitely more powerful than His creatures: Satan and his demons. As a child of God, I was convinced that I received an invitation from my King Jesus to get involved with His plan of advancing the Kingdom of God to fulfill His plan and purpose. And my answer to Him was, “Yes, I’m all in!”. Since that call from Jesus and my response to His invitation, it has been an exciting journey of witnessing God’s mighty power and love manifested by His Holy Spirit in and through our community of believers at Mosaic Ekklesia. I’ve witnessed God’s concern for every person on this planet, whether they are believers or not. God loves every human being, and His desire is the best for every person. God wants every human being to be reconciled to Him through the cross of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I participate with the community of Mosaic Ekklesia, I get encouragement from every person in this community to get motivated to go deeper with God and to see what God will do through this body of Christ to do more damage to the kingdom of darkness and rescue many more people out of Satan’s grasp and reconcile them to this wonderful God who freely gave up His only Son Jesus Christ. This verse has been inspiring me to keep following my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, even when things get tough: “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (2 Tim 2:10).

I’m excited to see with great anticipation what God will do in and through this community of Mosaic Ekklesia in advancing the Kingdom of God in the months and years to come!”

Connect With Us

When Jesus said he would build his church, he used the word Ekklesia, which literally means a “called out” group of people commissioned to influence and impact society with the culture of the Kingdom. At Mosaic Ekklesia, this is our core purpose. We exist to equip people to advance the Kingdom in every sphere of life as we pursue God together – from our cities to the nations.

Core Values like “God's Kingdom is Advancing” are the catalytic ingredients that form the foundation of our culture. The underlying principles guide our priorities, decisions, and efforts as a community.

If you want to join the Mosaic Ekklesia community and want more information about joining our Mosaic Team, sign up here. We would love to hear from you.

God's Presence Empowers Us

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:59:20 GMT

Have you ever heard the declaration, “God’s Presence Empowers”? At Mosaic Ekklesia, this declaration strongly represents what we believe. It is also one of our core values.

Defining Core Values

Before sharing our second core value, we want to help you understand how we define core values.

Our core values serve as a “voice” in our community and function as the language for communicating how we operate. Our second core value is “God’s Presence Empowers.” We can show you why it is a pillar in our community.

Our Community

As a community, we are focused on cultivating an awareness of the presence of God because it’s in His presence that we are transformed and empowered by His love. As we love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, His loving presence fills us, enabling us to love one another and equipping us to live in our kingdom identity and destiny, bearing good fruit so that the world might come to know Jesus.

God’s Presence Empowers Us

A perfect example of the empowering presence of God is found at the Home of Martha and Mary.

Let’s look to Luke 10:38-42:

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus clarifies, "Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” By pursuing the presence of Jesus and sitting at His feet, Mary is empowered to maintain her posture. Our first call is to minister to God. As we experience the person and power of Jesus, his presence empowers us. Then and only then can we join the likes of Martha and begin our work. The intentionality and stewardship of God’s presence deepen our intimacy with God and unlocks the call on our movement to change the world.

It Matters

The greatest commandment of them is in Matthew 22:36-38, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

It is obvious that remaining focused on the presence of God is the beginning, and what follows confirms our calling.

Matthew 22:39 says, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is how we are empowered. We are empowered to reach our neighbors by pursuing God’s presence.

Let us make it plain: Jesus has commissioned us to Love the Lord your God and to follow that up by loving our neighbor as yourself. This is the empowering power of the presence of God. As we love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, His loving presence fills us, enabling us to love one another and equipping us to live in our kingdom identity and destiny, bearing good fruit so that the world might come to know Jesus.

How It Looks In Our Community

Here's a testimony from a member of ours, Christian Tovar:

"My Name is Christian Tovar. I immigrated to the United States in 1983. I started grade school in LA, California and my integration into the United states was aided by my faith in Christ.

God's presence empowered me from an early age starting in grade school. The changes to a new culture and way of life were scary for a grade school boy. But because I had a solid faith introduction through my family I was able to adapt and thrive. My mother taught me to pray and read the Bible. These two things would strengthen me as I grew into adolescence and thrived in the inner city of the 1980's. Through many challenges and difficulties God's Presence empowered me to overcome. As I navigated my life with God's empowering presence, His love helped me along the way. I believe looking back that He was the deciding factor that led me to where I am today. Walking with Christ is not a garden of roses but is not impossible and through His love and power we all can thrive together.

His presence was specifically evident in Jr high school (Middle School): during this time there were a lot of changes. Changes in my life as I matured into adolescence and changes in my home life. At the age of 12, my stepfather abandoned our family after becoming abusive and being unfaithful. My mother became a single mother and being the eldest of 3 children I had to step up and help my mom. Our economic and security status declined but because of God's mercy and provision, we thrived. God's presence empowered my mother to fight through many rough years as the sole provider. Our faith community in our church was a vehicle that God used to bless us. Because of Christ in my life and the transforming power of his Holy Spirit, I was spared from becoming a statistic.

Into adulthood God made an indelible mark in my life, He was always there. Despite many obstacles, God made a way for me and my family. All of us graduated high school and went to college. God's empowering presence drew me to Him and led me to serve in three different churches as a lay pastor for 6 years. Then in my late 20's reconnected me with my high school sweetheart who also walked with Christ. We have been married for 19 awesome years and I have continued to see God's presence and power in my life. Now with 2 bright teenagers of my own, I have been blessed with the opportunity to show Christ to them. I am confident of the power of Christ in my children, to carry them to victory. As I embark on this church-planting part of my life, I am encouraged that Christ will do greater things for many more. If you have not experienced God's empowering presence I invite you to Join us and learn more. God's presence empowers you and me to live a life worthy of His name and calling. Through Mosaic Ekklesia we hope to reach people for Christ and see God's empowering presence transform lives."

Connect With Us

When Jesus said he would build his church, he used the word Ekklesia, which literally means a “called out” group of people commissioned to influence and impact society with the culture of the Kingdom. At Mosaic, this is our core purpose. We exist to equip people to advance the Kingdom in every sphere of life as we pursue God together – from our cities to the nations.

Core Values like “God’s Presence Empowers” are the catalytic ingredients that form the foundation of our culture. The underlying principles guide our priorities, decisions, and efforts as a community.

If you would like to join the Mosaic Ekklesia community and would like more information about joining our Mosaic Team, sign up here. We would love to hear from you.

God's Word Transforms Us

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 12:51:56 GMT

We believe you were born to know God and impact the world with His love. This is why it was extremely important to establish a foundation for our culture in our days as a young church body. We became passionate about gathering around Jesus and not just agreement.

As our foundation began to form, questions came up like:

Who Are We?
What Defines Us?
What are the non-negotiables?

Building a healthy church culture remained at the core of these questions. We didn’t want our core values to box us in but to do the opposite. We wanted our core values to extend our culture beyond the four church walls. Over time our core values began to answer those questions and became the foundation of our culture. They remained the underlying principles that guide our priorities, decisions, and efforts as a community.

The core values have helped our community represent who Jesus is in the world.

Defining Core Values

Before sharing our first core value, we want to help you understand how we define core values.

Our core values serve as a “voice” in our community and function as the language for communicating how we operate. One of our core values is God's Word Transforms. We can show you why it is a pillar in our community.

God’s Word Transforms Us

We devote ourselves to God’s Word because it is the fountain of all truth. The goal of Scripture is to bring us into a relationship with the Author of creation: God Himself. Studying God’s Word transforms and empowers us to believe in who He is, who we are, and how He wants us to live. God’s Word transforms us into His likeness and empowers us to live and act according to our original design and His purpose.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 shows us that very thing.

15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, giving you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

As believers, Jesus commissions us to make disciples of all nations. A key way we interpret the Bible is the person, life, and redemptive work of Jesus because He is the complete revelation of who God is and what God cares about. This simple truth has led to a profound conviction in our church body, and we know that declaring this truth will always lead to transformation.

It Matters

One more time for those in the back: Jesus commissions us to make disciples of all nations as believers.

Jesus modeled to us repeatedly how He cared for the hurting by always bringing transformation to them. But for us, fragile humans that we are, learning to prioritize the pain of others can be a struggle. Yet, if we can remain connected to the ultimate source, the word of God, we can bring transformation to others.

As a community, we believe that God’s Word transforms and His presence empowers us, so reading Scripture daily is part of that. We also seek to cultivate a hunger for God’s manifest presence and walk with an openness to experiencing the Holy Spirit so that we might carry and manifest His presence in our daily lives. Some ways that we practice the presence of God in our community include reading, believing, and declaring God’s promises, practicing waiting on the Lord, and hearing God’s voice.

How It Looks In Our Community

The word of God is continually transforming our community from the inside out. Take this powerful testimony by Naomi Tovar as an example:

“God's word can reach out and touch the hearts and souls of anyone, regardless of background. As a Christian from birth, I believed I had everything I needed to know about God. But I needed a reminder that I didn't have to rely on my understanding of this world.

Matthew 18:3 says, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Having childlike dependence on God, like how a child depends on his parents to provide shelter and food daily, is difficult to attain.

When I went through the most difficult years of my life (during middle school), I struggled with great feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and despair. But I know that without God being a constant in my life, it would have been much more difficult to get where I am today. I might not have even been here to write this testimony.

I had to learn to depend more and more on God when in need, and it's something I'm still learning today. My troubled past was an opportunity to mold me into a much more mature person spiritually and emotionally. Connecting with God through his word has given me strength that not every non-Christian person can have. But I pray that in the church, we can raise a community of believers who have become stronger people by His word."

This testimony exemplifies how our community represents who Jesus is in the world.

Connect With Us

When Jesus said he would build his church, he used the word Ekklesia, which literally means a “called out” group of people commissioned to influence and impact society with the culture of the Kingdom. At Mosaic, this is our core purpose. We exist to equip people to advance the Kingdom in every sphere of life as we pursue God together – from our cities to the nations.

Core Values like “God’s Word Transforms” are the empowering ingredients that form the foundation of our culture. The underlying principles guide our priorities, decisions, and efforts as a community.

If you would like to join the Mosaic Ekklesia community and would like more information about joining our Mosaic Team, sign up here. We would love to hear from you.