We Are A Mosaic Masterpiece

On Sunday, we had a ministry luncheon and meeting. The main reason for the meeting was so the new lead pastor could share his thoughts of the merging of our two churches (Common Ground Community Church and Soul Central Church) and for me to explain the structure of the ministries of our new body. After we spoke, I had the ministry groups break out into their teams so they could get to know one another and for the minister coordinators to share their thoughts. I stood watching two churches becoming one body and one word popped in my head; Mosaic. Common Ground was mainly white with some African-American, Latin, and Asian people. Soul Central Church was all African-American with the desire to reach all of Portsmouth with no regard of race. God put us together and we are going forward hand-in-hand to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

The mosaic thought, I know, is because we are taking different people – not only by skin color, but background, education, etc. - and creating a family. By definition, mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials (From Wikipedia). An artist will take broken colored items and arrange them in a way to create a picture.

You see, all humans are broken image bearers of God. When God created Adam, he was the image bearer of God. When Adam sinned, that image became broken due to sin. Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the sin-debt for man so we can be rejoined with God. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God takes the brokenness we are and puts the pieces back together so we become true image bearers of Him.

Our local church was brought together by the will of God for His purpose. The Holy Spirit brought us together. We have all the races under one roof and God has placed the right pieces in the right places to form this beautiful picture of what heaven will be like; all people groups worshiping and praising God side-by-side. When an artist takes the different tinted pieces and creates a picture, he uses a bonding agent so the pieces will stick together. The multiple pieces become one piece when the bonding agent is dry. The church’s bonding agent is love; the love that God has for His people, the love we have for Him, and the love we have for one another.

God’s people are His mosaic masterpiece.

Sharing Your Passions

I’m ate up with my daughter Ripley. When I heard she was coming, I told everyone I met that she was on her way. When she got her, I showed pictures and video of her doing anything and everything. If anyone asks me about her, I go on and on and on and on about her and her achievements; she is in the 98 percentile for her height (36 inches); her vocabulary is increasing daily; she dances at any and all music (be it music on the T.V. or radio, commercials, etc.); she is singing now; the list can go on. I love sharing stories about Ripley. I tell family members, friends, neighbors, and even strangers about how great and wonderful Ripley is to me. I love bragging on my little girl.

People do that; they love to brag on what they are passionate about. People will talk nonstop about people or things they love. Be they children, a spouse, a car, a sports team, etc. People share their passion with other people. Sometimes you can’t get them to shut up about them. As Christ-followers, we should be the same way talking about Jesus Christ. We should brag on how great our God truly is.

How can we not be talking about Him? How can we not be passionate about what He’s done for us? Jesus left His heavenly home to be born a human. He went from having all the power of God to limiting Himself of that power (yes, he had power on Earth but He chose to limit Himself of His true power) in His human form. He was tortured and hung on a tree. He was punished for sins he never committed (we committed them). He suffered. He died. He did all that so that you and I can be rejoined with God the Father. Jesus paid the sin debt in our place; we could not and can not pay the price for our sin. The payment for sin is death. Jesus paid it for us. And not only did Jesus die for us, He conquered death for us; He took the sting of death and the keys of hell away so we never need fear either of them. Because of His resurrection from the grave, we have power in Him and through Him. We have power in Jesus Christ to overcome sin, hate, bitterness, etc. and be able to love others.

For what Jesus Christ did for us, how can we not shout from the rooftops the greatness of our Savior and our God? It’s simple, start by sharing with someone; anyone what Jesus did for you. Share who you were before Christ saved you; I call that life B.C. Then share how Jesus changed you through His power and through His grace; I call that life A.D. When you testify about what Jesus did for you; you are only sharing the facts. The Holy Spirit will do the rest. Our passion for Jesus Christ should blow away our passion for our children, achievements, cars, homes, and anything else we talk to others about.

Let’s start sharing Jesus Christ to the world this Christmas season and beyond. The army of the Most High God says; CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

True Meaning of Christmas

When most people think of Christmas, different things come to mind; gifts, Santa Claus, Trees, the Nativity, and/or Jesus Christ as a baby. As Christians, we have always been told that Luke 2 is the first Christmas; however, this did not take place in December. Most likely, this took place in late summer to early fall (August to early October). We know this is because in Luke 2 the shepherds were keeping watch over the sheep at night. Shepherds would only do this when the weather was warm enough and December the weather is too cold to do this.

If Christ was born in the late summer to early fall, why do we celebrate His birth in December? Most of the customs and traditions of Christmas actually pre-date the birth of Jesus, and many of them are downright deceptive in their meaning and origin. Here are a few examples:

The date of December 25th probably originated with the ancient "birthday" of the son-god, Mithra, a pagan deity whose religious influence became widespread in the Roman Empire during the first few centuries A.D. Mithra was related to the Semitic sun-god, Shamash, and his worship spread throughout Asia to Europe where he was called Deus Sol Invictus Mithras. Rome was well-known for absorbing the pagan religions and rituals of its widespread empire. As such, Rome converted this pagan legacy to a celebration of the god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god during the winter solstice period. The winter holiday became known as Saturnalia and began the week prior to December 25th. The festival was characterized by gift-giving, feasting, singing and downright debauchery, as the priests of Saturn carried wreaths of evergreen tree branches in procession throughout the Roman temples. Variations of this pagan holiday flourished throughout the first few centuries after Jesus Christ, but it probably wasn't until 336 AD that Emperor Constantine officially converted this pagan tradition into the "Christian" holiday of Christmas.

The true origin of Christmas is filled with controversy and compromise. A quick study will reveal a number of disturbing roots that we haven't the time to talk about today. In short, the Christmas holiday we celebrate today is indicative of Christianity's willingness to absorb the world's customs and traditions, and forget its simple roots in the historical reality of Jesus Christ. Christmas should be nothing more than a simple, yet wonderful reminder of Christ's humble beginning as a human child in this world. His birth merely set the stage for the power, glory, and salvation that would be revealed in His life, death, and resurrection!

For me, Christmas is more about the spirit of what it represents; that God came down to our level and lived with us. I have a saying, “Jesus didn’t come to Earth for Christmas; Jesus came for Easter.” In other words, Jesus didn’t come to be born but to die for our sins.

Staying in Time With God’s Rhythm

Man’s concept of time is so different than that of God’s; we are finite and He is infinite after-all. Reading about how God laid his plan out to bring about salvation blows my small brain. God took 400 years to create a nation out of one man with 12 sons (think about it; the United States is only 235 years); for me 400 years is a long time but not to God. When Jacob (Israel) and his family went to live in Egypt, there were about 70 people in total and when God brought them out 400 years later there were over 2 million people (some scholars think the number could be bigger; closer to 6 million). The idea how God takes His time to do his work leaves me awestruck.

When God gives us a task to do for Him, we think we will do it now. Most of the time, we are no where ready to do the work He calls us to do. When Samuel anointed David with oil to be king of Israel, David was only 14 to 16 years old. He had no leadership experience, no training in war, or no political training; nothing. God had called David to do a job and when God calls us He equips us. David learned reliance on God by tending to sheep alone in the country side. God opened the door for David to be noticed by the then king Saul who made him his personal musician. From there, David was trained in the art of war, becoming a general with his own troops, and being developed into a leader by experience. God took 15 years to make David king of a portion of Israel and then made him king of all Israel. When it was all said and done, it was 20 years or so before David became king but he was called to the job before he was “qualified” for it. When God calls you to do something; all the qualifications needed are met in Him.

David served God as king of Israel for a good long time. Some people are called to a task by God and do it for a long time and some for a shorter amount of time. In either case, they are doing the task they were called to do for God. We all have a purpose in our lives as God’s people. Paul is quoted in Acts 13: 36, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep [or died] . . .” After God is done with us, our task is completed.

Remember what I wrote in the last post about Ephesians 2:10? The task or job God calls us to do for Him; He has already completed it. Our job isn’t to produce anything; it’s to follow God and march to His drumbeat. God is the One who produces fruit from the ministry He has called us to do. We just need to stay in time with the rhythm He has set.