Traders

Traders: A new kind of Missionary

You are a missionary because of the mission you are on right here, right now to make a difference in the world around you for the Kingdom of God.
This may mean befriending someone that you see on the street.
Sharing a meal with someone, just to show them that they are valued.
Being positive when everyone around you is negative.
Encouraging when the people around you are only discouraging.
Showing or speaking love to those that are hurting around you.
You know that God loves you.  You don't have to earn it.  He just does.  Live as one set free from the lie that you must perform to be accepted.  Choose to believe that you are free by the blood of Christ.  This makes the difference in the Christ-ian between those that are fighting to gain the whole world.

Ultimately pointing everyone around you to the all-satisfying Savior that loves and accepts us right where we are.  He desires to see us transformed by his life in us, but to begin with, know that anyone can come to Him right now.

What can you do right now, right here, in your life, family, school, work, play, chores, coming, going, moving, sitting, talking, waiting, looking, sleeping to follow the mission that Christ has given you?

What daily choices are you making to either follow Christ or follow your own desires?

What do you hate?  What makes you clench your fist?  What breaks your heart?

    And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
   
(Mark 8:34-38 ESV)

(rightnow.org)

Recap of Progressive Dinner

Picture this:

A bunch of international youth

And some youth workers

Plus one baby

All get together

To talk

smile

drool

Wonderful appetizer providers!

over delicious food

The Salad Chef

The delicious main course cooks!
 Then we all had dessert and played games.

We got to

travel to a different house for each course of our meal

tell different stories along the way

make faces in the window to the car behind us

some found a tree to climb

while others cuddled a baby

the conclusion was we should do this every week.  ;-)

Progressive Dinner

This Sunday night the 18th.  To celebrate our community WE series.  The Mosaic and all your friends are invited to join us in eating a four course meal!  We will all meet at EFC at 5pm. Be on time so you get a ride!

Destination #1:  Luginbill Amazing Appetizer

Destination #2:  Jensen Scrumptious Salad

Destination #3:  McFarland Delish Main Dish

Destination #4:  Ackermann Delightful Desert

Hope to see YOU!

WE Transition

God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.”
We need other committed Christians in our lives challenging us to a deeper walk with Jesus Christ.


The Talk:
We have all moved at least once. We have either entered or left a community at some point in our lives.  It isn’t easy and it isn’t fun.  Some of us are more like trees that like to make deep roots and remain grounded where we are.  Others are more like migratory birds always on the move.  No matter how you deal with transition, it still can really hurt when you leave good friendships behind and are asked to begin new ones. 

How many times have you moved in your life?

My wife and I are both missionary kids and have done a lot of moving.  Combined, we have moved about 25 times and only one of those times has been in our three years of marriage.  That is a lot of good-byes and hellos.

Take a look at the video below and we are going to try and answer a few questions about how to transition well as a Christ-ian.

Q: What do they mean by a life on mission?

If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, he sends us on a mission.  Essentially all of us who believe in Jesus have a responsibility that is God-given.

    Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
   
(Matthew 28:19-20 ESV)

No matter where you find yourself, you are a missionary.  A person on a mission to see the nations come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  By your surrendered life, you testify to the power of this gospel.

Q: So then, what does it mean to enter a community well?

As people living for the glory of God and not for ourselves, we can enter any community knowing what Christ expects of us.  There will be grief and hurt from having left friends and homes, but we know that our reward in Christ is eternally more than anything we could give up here on earth (Mark 10:29-30).  Having that confidence in Christ will better enable you to continue your life on mission in a new place.

Q: What should I be looking for in a new community?

Look for other believers that are serious about their faith in Christ.  They may have different hobbies and interests, but ultimately if you can find others that are worship the Lord in spirit and truth that can challenge you in your walk with the Lord, that is a huge gift.  Watch out for the crowds that quickly accept you, but make bad choices.  Know what Jesus taught and find others that are living according to that teaching.



Q: What about leaving a community?  How do we do that well?

Don’t unplug, the Lord has set the times and places where we all will live.  Until he has placed you somewhere new, be all there.  Share memories with your friends.  Love those around you with a selfless love.  Reconcile broken relationships.  Point people to Christ.  Share your faith with that person that you just never had the guts to share with before.  Those things will prepare you even more for your next community.

Jesus prayed:
“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me” (John 17:20-23 NLT).

Side note: girls really don't look happy here- watch out Loren

When we follow Jesus alone, we only get a small glimpse of who Jesus is.

Together we are able to experience even more of his kingdom at work by the power of his Name.  We can learn to love God better by doing life together with others striving to love God the same. Jesus says:

“‘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. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV).

It is not an option to love your neighbor.  It is also not an option to not have neighbors.  If you have confessed Christ as your Lord and Savior, he has called you to a life on mission.  Find your neighbor.  Pursue them.  Reach out to them.  Show them that they are wanted and loved by their God, just as you have been show.


Challenge:

Are we really wanting to do life together?

Are you willing to be vulnerable?

Find a few friends around you that are serious about living their life on the mission that Christ has given us.  Begin to challenge one another to grow through prayer, the study of God’s word and actively living out your faith in a broken world that needs the life of Jesus.

*Thank you Wesley Dean for taking these photos!

Handball tournament!

Run, dribble, pass, jump, throw! Defend, hold, fight, intercept, push, block!

We got the privilege to attend a handball Quito tournament this saturday. We went to watch a student who goes to the Mosaic on Sunday nights.

Here is the Quito team huddled getting ready for the game.

Our friend Johannes from the Mosaic is running down the court.

Our son Zane is cheering on the game with all of his 5 month old noises!

At one point it started raining really hard and dripping on the court! The team just cleaned it up with a jersey and kept playing... they really needed a bucket to catch all the rain drops that were falling! See in this picture 'cleaning up' going on.

During penalty shots they let people in the audience come and shoot in the goal. Loren got a chance to go and shoot. This blurry picture is him shooting- and its blurry because Zane was so excited and moving so much in my arms. But Loren is the red fuzz.

We won a little ball from throwing!

Zane really liked this little ball.

It was fun getting to watch handball but more than that hang out with this international group. I got to sit beside Tamara from the Mosaic and chher on our team!

By the way- at the end there was a raffle drawing- and we totally won a huge basket full of wonderful goodies!

Next time YOU will have to join us on this adventure outing with part of the Mosaic.

 

mosaic at J house

 

 

WE: The Christ-Followers

We need people.  For some of us, this is challenging to hear, because it seems like God should be all we need. But when we looked at the story of Adam in Genesis and saw that when God created Adam and saw that he was alone, it wasn’t good.  God created both Adam and us to need other people.

Let’s take it one step further in saying we don’t just need a lot of people in our lives.  We need community. But, the kind of community we are talking about is more than just having the same interests, hobbies, school, language, etc.  This is a community of passionate, Christ followers. And this community is one step further than some of us are comfortable going—because when we pursue community, things start to get personal, and they start to get messy.

Letter by a Friend:
“I have a handful of really close friends. But lately, I’m realizing that I need more than that. I need other guys. I need good friendships. And here’s the catch—I don’t want to put in the effort that takes. I’d rather spend time in my cave, and forget about everyone else.

I’m reluctant to take the risks that community requires. I’m content to have the illusion of relationships. I have a few deep ones, but most are on the surface. The kind of relationships where I am ‘fine’ and everything is about solely listening to the other person so I don’t have to divulge too much about myself.

But I’m a mess, guys.

I realize that I have backed myself into a corner and I am alone. Sure, God is with me. But I don’t have other guys who are just doing life with me. Not just people to go to in times of crisis, but people just to hang out with. Serve God with. Learn about God from.

I’ve realized that I will miss out on understanding about God because I’ve made my relationship with Him so personal, so private, and I’m oblivious to how He is working in other people.

I have a relationship with God. I have a dysfunctional relationship with myself. And I don’t really have relationships with other people.

I am more alone than any other time in my life, but for the first time in my life I realize just how much this is so not a good thing.”

Why share this letter?  The writer is realizing the depth of need that God has placed in him for others.  We need other people on a deep, God-centered level.  If we are going to know God better, what better way to love God, than to be in fellowship with those that are His.

If we’re honest with ourselves we would admit that we are broken people.  When broken people get together there is a 100% chance that their brokenness is going to affect one another.  If you’ve ever worked with people for any length of time, you’ve noticed that conflict occurs.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved (Acts 2:43-47 NLT).

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need (Acts 4:32-35 NLT).

This is a mighty movement!  Everyday, people were being added to this thriving community.  It wasn’t just the goodwill of a rich few that were spreading the cheddar, but everyone; all the people were giving gladly, joyfully, with eagerness.  This is a community that is rarely seen in our day.  The Holy Spirit has descended on these people and a radical change has come over them.  Religion always gets nervous around someone entirely in love with God.  Even more so when its a growing number of people falling in love with God.  Not God’s rules, his regulations, or even his way of life.  They are in love with God, free to share, to love, to be alive in Christ.

What would it take to be a community like this?

We have been given the ministry of Reconciliation:

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (ESV)

If we are going to be faithful in this ministry of reconciliation what will you do?
What would that kind of life look like in our world today?
Here are a few BASIC steps to grow as individuals thriving as the community of God.

BOLD STEPS: Be willing to take Bold Steps to show those around you that you are in love with Jesus.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Find someone to keep you accountable if you are serious about your faith and desire to challenge the weaknesses in your life that trip you up.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: Know the Word of God, Worship, Pray.
INSTRUCTION: Take instruction in the Word and you apply it to your life.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: You commit to a constant refining of your character to become the integral man/woman of God that He desires you to be.  Seek to live above reproach.


(Thanks XP3 Ministry for selected material as well as nglmentoring for the BASIC mentoring acronym)

Home?

Most of us from The Mosaic can relate to not really feeling like we are 'at home' anywhere on this earth.  We are so transitional that no matter where we are in the world we miss something about where we use to live.  This video portrays the only place we can truly call home.