Podcast - Mosaic | Lynchburg, VA Church

Dear Mosaic friends,

We have been living in unfamiliar surroundings for a long time now. When living through anxious times, it is natural to wish it all away. We might even say “can’t wait to get this over.”

To quote the food critic in the movie, Ratatouille, “you know what I’m craving? A little perspective.”

A reading through Acts 9-28 reveals the epic adventures of the Apostle Paul. Paul and his companions were living in unfamiliar territory. Paul travels town to town to bring the good news of Jesus Christ while knowing threats on his life were around every bend of the road. This week’s passage focuses on Paul’s trial before Felix (Acts 24). Paul was falsely accused and gave a defense before the Roman governor. Looking at Paul’s perspective with the false accusations against him (and unfamiliar surroundings of his life) can bring encouragement to you and me as we live our epic adventure in Christ.

See you Sunday,

Karl Records

Dear Mosaic friends,

I wonder how many of us have had threats of violence and even death because of our Christian faith? Not so many, I'm guessing, and I suspect none of us would look forward to that possibility. And yet, those are the challenges many believers around the world find themselves in, and their faith is free to flourish as they depend more radically on Jesus.

As we continue with our survey of the book of Acts, we arrive at chapters 22 & 23 and Paul's tumultuous experience of his persecution in Jerusalem following his arrest. We will be unpacking some wonderful and, at times, unexpected reminders from Jesus to Paul as the apostle listened closely to his Savior. And we see Paul at his best in responding to these threats with a sense of calling and trust in the One who held him.

I look forward to seeing you all at Mosaic this Sunday as we study God's Word and worship together.

Jeff Nitz

Hello Mosaic Family,

We have been following the apostle Paul as he traveled throughout the Mediterranean region, spreading the Gospel, turning the world upside down, and generally walking away from trouble to serve Jesus another day. As he heads back to Jerusalem for what we know to be the final time, he reconnects with the elders and believers at some of the churches he planted along the way, and he encounters warning after warning not to return to Jerusalem because something terrible was going to happen to him there. He loved them for their concern, but he was determined to return, nonetheless.

Was it false bravado from all his previous close calls with death or capture? Or was it something deeper? And if your personal mission to serve Jesus came with a warning of certain trial and tribulation, even death, would you still do it? This is a great story of a loving community, a charge to complete, and a man bound by his total devotion to Jesus Christ to complete it. I may be a little under the weather, but I am excited to walk with you and Paul on this leg of his journey. Peace be with you!

See you Sunday,

Ron Miller

Hello Mosaic Family,

This week we will be in Acts 20, exploring the third of the Apostle Paul's journeys.

Paul invited leaders from the Ephesus church to meet him in a nearby city. Paul is headed to Jerusalem, but there are threats on his life and the Holy Spirit has warned of afflictions and trials ahead. In response to the threats of violence and attacks, Paul says, "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my race (course) and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

Paul's faith is mountain moving and earth shaking, and truthfully, very convicting. What would this kind of faith look like in your life? What does it look like to finish your race? How can we testify to God's grace?

There is excitement and passion for this week's text, trusting that God will meet us where we are and will give us exactly what we need.

See you Sunday,

Karl Records

Dear Mosaic Family,

Excitement is in the air as another school year opens and students from all over the country return to our services at Mosaic Church. Be on the lookout for faces you have missed during the summer and for new faces of students looking for a church family.

On Sunday morning, the elders will team-teach as we move into Acts 19. In this chapter, we will see Paul ministering in Ephesus. Here he encounters more people who had only received John's baptism. As he shares the entire Good News with the Ephesians, God shows up in powerful ways.

Some churches have adopted beliefs and practices rooted in this and other chapters in Acts. Ron, Jeff, and John will attempt to clarify how they feel God would have us operate as a body.

They will describe what it means for our local body to be a "Mosaic" of people with differing theological backgrounds and experiences. They will clarify what we mean when we talk about "Essential" and "Non-essential" doctrines and cast a vision of a church free of labels like "charismatic" or "cessationist."

The elders ask that you pray for them as they prepare for Sunday. We ask that you come with a heart full of love, grace, and openness as we pursue unity amid our diversity.

You brothers in Christ,

Ron, Jeff, and John

Good Morning Mosaic,

For most of human history, man has existed in an agricultural society where gardeners and caretakers ruled the day. Reaping and sowing were very important and widely understood parts of the society at large. Today, very few people are involved with the growing of crops and so we aren’t as familiar as those who came before us. However, there are some valuable lessons to be learned by understanding these ideas today.

The idea that we reap what we sow is a Biblical truth that governs all of creation and yet is a profound paradox. It is an idea that can be both a source of great comfort for those who have diligently invested themselves in a passionate work or some project of great interest, and yet it can also be a most humbling reminder for those who have made procrastination their dearest friend or have failed to plant any seeds at all. Try as we might, we cannot escape the reality of this truth in our own lives.

Either way, I believe we can all benefit from understanding why God revealed this universal principle to the world and what he wants known about reaping and sowing, so we can look more closely at the seeds in our own lives and decide how and where best to plant them. This week we will take a look at the kinds of seeds at our disposal for planting and explore what causes seeds to grow or causes them not to grow and find out what role the gardener and the caretaker play in the development of our seeds, so we can “sow well.”

See you Sunday,

Steve Weaver

Hey you guys!

I hope you’re doing great and enjoying the beautiful days we’ve been blessed with recently. As the summer comes to an end and things start getting busy, let’s all make sure to take some time to relax and reflect. It’s tempting to fill our lives with activity. We often neglect our need for a bit of margin in our lives to make room for God, our family, and a bit of self-care (yeah, I’m definitely preaching to myself here).

Do you ever find yourself running into resistance when you try to tell people about your faith and the life-changing power of the Gospel? I know I have, and so did the Apostle Paul. We really need encouragement to “press on,” as Paul talked about in Philippians 3. I wonder if that’s why he wrote these words to the Galatians. “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

This weekend, we’ll continue our journey through The Acts of the Apostles into chapter 18, and we’ll see how God encouraged Paul to keep preaching as he encounters a bit of resistance and frustration.

I hope it will be an encouragement to all of us.

See you Sunday,

John Stroud

Dear Mosaic Family,

In Acts 17, as we continue to travel with Paul on his early missionary journeys, we begin with a common refrain reminiscent of his previous forays into evangelism, and it looks like “next verse, same as the first.” As we continue, however, we see some variety in his mission and the audiences he is seeking to bring to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We’re going to continue mining the rich vein of biblical inspiration and wisdom the Scriptures offer us, and in your preparatory reading, I want you to follow what Paul does as much as what he says. Sometimes, the truth needs to be put in a different wrapping for it to be received, and Paul grasps that in this chapter and puts it to practice.

I look forward to sharing with you what God has given me!

Ron Miller

Dear Mosaic Family,

This weekend, we will continue our journey through the book of Acts. As we reach chapter 16, we meet a young disciple named Timothy, travel with Paul and Silas as they follow the Holy Spirit's leading, and see what happens when they get thrown into prison in Macedonia.

Jesus worked through these willing saints to take the Gospel to the nations, and now He wants to continue living His life in and guiding us as He carries out His vision through us today!

I hope you'll join us as we continue finding encouragement and truth in the Scripture together. You might want to read Acts 16 sometime before Sunday morning, so you're ready to dive in.

I can't wait to worship with you on Sunday.

John Stroud

Dear Mosaic Family,

Have you experienced your fair share of conflict with fellow believers or within churches that you've been part of? Has that ever worn you out and left you feeling hopeless about the power of the Gospel? The Church is clearly not immune to conflict within its ranks and, in fact, our collective past of schisms and cross-denominational fighting sadly points to this.

As we continue our exploration of Acts and Jesus's vision for His Church, we will be unpacking Acts 15 and discovering a godly approach to conflict in the Church and a less godly example of conflict, along with an example of God's redemptive work. I look forward to digging together into this chapter and applying how Mosaic might continue to be a church that relies on the power of the Holy Spirit to resolve conflict in ways that are God-honoring.

See you Sunday morning,

Jeff Nitz