MOSAIC CHURCH VISION 2010

As we are celebrating our 6th birthday today, we thought we would look at the dreams and passions that lie at the heart of Mosaic Church.

We want to join God on His mission to build a community that transforms the world. In order to do this, we hold onto five values very tightly.
Loving God
Loving each other
Loving the City
Loving the Underprivileged
loving the Nations.

So why is this so important to us? What is the biblical mandate for this kind of church family?

Matthew 5:13-16 introduces us to Jesus’ vision for life in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus is talking to Israel as a community as the word ‘you’ in verse 13 is plural. He’s now talking to us as a church family and saying “This is what your life together should look like.”

1) Salt.
Verse 13 “You are the salt of the earth.”
a) Salt Preserves:
Before fridges, salt was used regularly to preserve food.
Therefore, the church is meant to be in world helping to preserve it, stop it decaying, stopping it from sliding into hell.
We have been made in God’s image and called to represent him on earth (Gen 1:26-28). He has given us certain rights and privileges to co-reign with him. To preserve our culture –to be salt!
This means (as part of our mission in this world):
We are to preserve and celebrate life
We are to stand up for human rights
We are to look after the created order
We must seek to create culture ourselves
We must seek to create a different type of community

b) Influence
Salt also adds flavour to food. It takes a small amount to infiltrate the whole dish.  How bland food is without it?
Call to change the flavour of Leeds.  Christ is saying let your influence season people’s life. It only takes a little salt to flavor a whole community, a whole neighborhood, a whole workplace.
Vital that we look to start new Mission groups all over the city.
However, we mustn’t miss that the context for being salt that preserves and influences is persecution (verse 11-12).  As the salt of the earth we deal with difficulty and hardship differently form the world. 
The saltiness is the taste of joy in hardship

2) Light
14 “You are the light of the world.
Who is the true source of light? Jesus (John 8:12).  And in Matt 5 Jesus is telling us that now we are the light. .
a. Expose darkness:
b. Light serves as a guide:
c. Light is to be seen:

By declaring us salt and light, he is saying something about our identity. Who we are in Christ.  Takes the pressure off.  Jesus is the best at being salt and the best at being light.  As Christians what’s true of Christ becomes true of us!  Today, I’m calling you to be true to who you really are. “You are the salt of the earth,You are the light of the world.”

Goals for next 5 years:
5 church plants
50 mission group

How can you respond and get more involved with Mosaic?
3 places to belong:
1) Accountability groups
2) Mission groups
3) Sunday gatherings

Questions:
1) How can your mission group become more ‘salty’? How can you work together to ‘preserve’ and ‘influence’? 
2) Do you sense God encouraging you to live differently?
3) How do you make sure this message doesn’t become legalistic?  What is your true Identity?
4) Look at the three ways we can be ‘light’ as a church family.  What are some of the challenges for you personally to be the light of the world?
5) What does your mission group think about multiplying into another group? Is there anyone who would like to lead a mission group? Are you ready? What training or resources would be helpful?
6) Are there any areas of the city thart you would like to see God impacting? How can you be a part of the solution to that question?
7) Could you pray for the Oak church plant and all the other plants we would like to start?
8) Could you pray that we would grow to 50 mission groups? Pray especially for new leaders to emmerge that love Jesus and the city!