are we a Christian nation?

This week President Obama caused an uproar in the "christian community" by stating that "The United States of America is not a Christian nation." 

(quick note: He also said that we were not a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation)

It has been long debated whether or not the Bible should be a factor in decisions made by our leaders. 

I am sure that you have heard statements like the following:

"Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles"

"all men are created equal, by GOD"

"We've gotten to where we are because it was in God that we trusted"

You have probably also heard statements counter to the above.

Either way the question is ARE WE A CHRISTIAN NATION?

my answer: I DON'T CARE!

Jesus told His disciples in John 18 that His kingdom is not of this world.  Their mission was not to build a country that stands in God, but to make an impact on lives that will stand with God.  

The whole following Jesus thing isn't about winning or getting our way.  When Jesus changes our life we aren't called to force others to live out our opinions, we are called to show them truth; and leave it up to God to change their opinions.

(quick note 2:  My opinions are based on the Bible.  When my opinion is asked, I give it.  I view the opportunity to vote as giving my opinion.)

Whether we are or are not a Christian nation is in no way a factor on my desire to live out the love, hope, and peace that Jesus Christ has brought into my life.

As Christians, we are people who base our entire opinion on something that is eternal, why don't we live like it?  

Maybe if we started focusing on living what we believe instead of being a nation that "believes" then more people would be willing to believe.  

(quick note 3: go for it if this Jesus being alive thing really matters to you!)

 

  

love and hate

"there is nothing more polarizing than a situation that demands a reaction"  anonymous

On April 1st we began promoting our "no more Christians" teaching series that begins on Easter Sunday.  We expected to get some negative responses.  It did not take long to realize that the response would be far more than imagined. 

We were contacted by the police department to remove our signs within two hours of putting up the first one.  My inbox was flooded with emails.  People noticed them.  In fact our local paper is publishing an article to expose the truth about this series.  You can read it at http://www.crestviewbulletin.com.

I could write about many things, but what amazed me most was one of the forums on yahoo about the commercial.  It started with one person questioning why there was attack on Christianity which brings freedom to so many people.  Then began a series of exchanges between Christians and non-Christians debating whether or not Christianity should or should not be attacked, whether or not Christianity is a good thing.  The Christians just defended themselves and showed pity for themselves and as one of our church attenders (Angela Duckworth) stated could not see past thinking this was a sign of the end times or an attack on their religion. 

No one tried to communicate the message of Love through Jesus Christ.

no one.                     

This is the problem.  

Christianity in America is on the decline, it is undeniable.  Magazines, Newspapers, etc and writing articles about this like crazy.  There is an incredible opportunity for dialogue. 

Christians:

God doesn't need us to defend him.  The world doesn't need us to argue with them.  They need us to live out the radical faith that gives evidence to our Savior who gave his life as a ransom for many.  

"You can't get on to the darkness for be dark, but you can do something about the light not being bright enough" - Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

why?

I think that if we truly asked ourself this question we would be so much more solid in the decisions that we make, the things that we do, the opinions that we have.  But we don't because we do not want to answer truthfully, we don't want to face the reality that maybe, just maybe our heart is in the wrong place.

i call my self a Christian........why?

i think he/she is "the one"......why?

i want to start a church........why?

i don't like my job......why?

it is so hard to keep good friends.....why?

i can't trust anyone........why?

no one is following my vision........why?

this problem will not go away......why?

............................................why?

James 1:14 but each one is tempted, when by the desires of their heart, they are dragged away and enticed.

mosaic update

Here is a snapshot of what is going on with mosaic right now.  

• God is being faithful to working in the lives of people.
  
• We have two people scheduled to be baptized next month.
  
• We have a couple of people who are so close to realizing what their life should be about.  
  
• Our attendance is in the 90's consistently. 
  
• Our childrens ministry is finally organized well.
  
• We are changing the layout of the Sunday experience to be more comfortable for guests.
  
• We are in a transition time as our worship leader's last Sunday was this past Sunday. Hoping for people that we already have to rise up or for God to bring someone to us.
  
• Finances have improved but are still a struggle, giving needs to increase!
• Our student ministry is doing great!
• We are about to start a new life group for married/engaged couples
• We have started podcasting!  Mosaic Church Crestview
• and much much more!

what is your motivation?

Just over four years ago I served as a summer intern under John Cross at South Biscayne Church. I did not grow up in church all my life and I had never actually "worked" for a church until that summer so I had no idea what to expect. When I got there, what I found was that it was hard work. In addition to the fact that we as interns had submitted ourselves to serve in whatever way they needed, it was also a transition time in the church and there were a lot of staff issues and people issues going on. We had one day off a week (every once in a while and I usually didn't get home until 9) It was tiring, stressful, aggravating, painful, etc, etc, etc. To be honest at some moments I felt like breaking my 3 month commitment and going home.

But then I took part in a service at the beach where 67 people showed their commitment to Christ and how He had changed their life through being baptized. As I stood there in the water helping people to and from the Pastor; the cleaning bathrooms, walking to homes in 100 degree weather, and daily hard work became worth it! So, I continued to work hard, I continued to do things that I wasn't excited about doing, I continued to do whatever it takes because I was playing a part in the Church reaching real people.

Some people will work harder if you pay them more, if you give them some fancy title, or if they get recognized by others. God wants to work hard because of the need. In Luke 10, Jesus said that the Harvest is great but the workers are few.

I know as staff and as volunteers at mosaic (and other churches with a similar vision) we do a lot, but people's lives being changed is worth it!

BJ Head

Yes that is his real name.

I thought that is was very fitting to conclude this five part blog series with BJ. BJ first attended mosaic about five months ago. He and his girlfriend at the time chose mosaic because they wanted to go to a church that was not all about tradition and where they knew they would not be judged (they actually heard about us from visiting shoreline). Since then BJ has surrendered his life to Christ and been baptized. He is also serving every week with our greeting/parking team and is faithful in participating in many things that we do as a church family.

This week I got a call from BJ asking for some advice on a commentary to help him understand the Word more as he reads. This is a point that many life-long "Christians" haven't gotten to in their walk.

I am so encouraged by BJ and his hunger for Christ to be in control of every aspect of his life. I am thankful to be a witness to what God is doing.

BJ is why we started mosaic church.

where is the feedback?

I was wondering why a lot of people say they read my blog, but no one comments on it. Maybe my readers are just not good with words, maybe their too lazy to comment, or maybe they just don't get technology. Then I was advised by a friend of mine that I had to change the settings because it was currently set to only let registered blogspot users have a say. What a simple thing I was doing to disconnect people from my blog.

I think this sums up most churches today.

They have a great message, but no one is responding to it. They figure out all the reasons in the world why people are not getting into what they are doing; a liberal culture shift, young people's attention spans, money, etc. They are completely unaware of the fact that they have shut the world out and are only interacting with those "inside". It takes some simple adjustments to change from being a gathering of people focused on self to being a living body that reaches out to a world in need. The message they have is compelling, it is what people are born to hear.

The questions is whether or not the Church is ready to respond to the world's response to the Gospel.

As a blogger I am now ready for your comments. As a follower of Christ, I am ready to see you respond to the message of Christ.

celebration

There are a lot words that can be used to describe what I experienced this past Sunday night. It was one of the most incredible things that I have ever been a part of and most certainly was a marker in the journey that our church family is on.

We began the night by baptizing three people. All three of them were people who did not grow up in church and haven't lived the cookie cutter do good life. They were people who were living but have now become ALIVE!

Later, we celebrated and prayed for Tripp Battle ( our pastoral intern) and his wife Joy as they confirmed to our church that they feel called to serve God vocationally. Our desire is to be able to equip and send them to plant a life-giving church wherever God leads them.

The night ended with us worshiping God through communion. The life that Jesus Christ lived and gave up for us, was a great ending note.


It is incredible to see God use a guy who believes that Christ is THE WAY and doesn't really know what he is doing in leading the church!

Mosaic, let's celebrate and keep reaching out to those who are in need of Salvation!

why?

Someone recently asked me what the point was in starting mosaic church. They said that they didn't really see a need for our church or other church plants.

I have several things that I could say, but I will just say one:

lives are being changed.

dude......i really, really love Jesus!

that's all i need to say today!

the last two sunday nights....

have been absolutely incredible.

On the 24th we met together to read Acts 2 and evaluate as a group how we were doing in trying to follow the pattern that the church at antioch set for our church that meets at antioch elementary. After we reflected on what God had done, focused on what we need to work on, and prayed together; we took communion and there was such a sincerity of gladness of heart with which we broke bread together. This increased my desire for people in our community to experience the fellowship that we have with each other and the incredible fellowship that we have with God because of Jesus sacrifice for us.

This past Sunday night we met as a group again to celebrate two lives that have been transformed. It was a incredible time of worship as Travis and Aly were baptized. Travis is an 11 year old who has no doubt about his relationship with Jesus who he called "the one true way". Aly is an amazing young woman who God brought into our fellowship a couple of months ago and has been drawn to his amazing love!

Thank you God for allowing me to be a part of these past two Sunday nights and for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing body of believers! Let's keep calling to Him to do things beyond our imagination - Jeremiah 33:3.

I trust in God

I hear people say this statement a lot. However, I wonder how many of those people truly trust God.

I know it is an overused analogy but someone who says they have faith that a chair will not break but is not willing to sit in it, does not really have faith in it.

If you trust in God financially but do not sacrifice finances for his sake; you don't actually trust in him financially.
If you trust in him with your finding the right person but will not look for the criteria he sets for your spouse; you don't actually trust him to give you the right person.
If you trust in his direction but will not follow unless everything makes sense; you don't actually trust in his direction.
If you trust in him for eternal life but do not give your life to him; you don't actually trust in him for eternal life.
If you don't trust in him......etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.......................................................................

Let's stop praying - God take all I have and do what you will - and start giving all we have so that He can do as he wills!

Who are you preaching to?

This is a blog of pastor Steven Furtick. Steven is a guy who God is using to make a huge impact for His kingdom.

Who are you preaching to?
July 22nd, 2008

When I’m preparing my messages, I have a specific audience in mind.It’s a guy who is coming to Elevation for the first time this week. In fact, this will be his first time in church in years, and he’s far from God. His friend kept inviting him until, one Sunday-this coming Sunday as a matter of fact-he’s decided to give it a try. Of course, there are hundreds of people who resemble this description who attend Elevation every week-men, women, boys and girls…and when I stand to preach, I narrow down my audience, picture this person in my mind, and let it fly.
Yes, it’s my responsibility to edify those who already know Christ through my preaching, and to feed and disciple the flock of God. But I’ll always tilt the playing field toward the guy or gal who is far from God. Eternity hangs in the balance for them.That’s why I’m so basic sometimes, rather than parsing Greek and demonstrating exegetical competency ad infinitum.That’s why I scream loudly and look like I’m on the verge of exploding at random points in my sermon every single week, every single service.
For those that serve at Elevation, picture that guy this coming Sunday as you do what you do. It puts it all in perspective.

you can check out Steven's blogs at stevenfurtick.com

camp swampy rat...

...was amazing. I met some great students, several of whose life was changed eternally this week. I enjoyed hanging out with one of my good friends and mentors.

I love who God is shaping me to be, even though I am so unworthy of it!