Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Hey, guys, this is Naeeb and you've reached the mosaic church podcast. So excited that you're part of our listening community, and I'd love for you to be even more connected. So check out our website. There's more content there, and there's more opportunities for you to get connected in our ministries and events as well. Also, love for you to share this content if this is blessed to you. I know that God wants to use you to bless other people with it, so share this podcast if you will. Lastly, would you consider supporting this ministry? This is made possible by other people's generosity, and I'd love for you to pay it forward. Join us to reclaim the message and the movement of Jesus together. So would you consider giving to this ministry? I know that God is able to do immeasurably more through us when we come together. Thank you so much. God bless you and enjoy.
[00:01:16] Hey, good. Good morning. Okay. We are pumped.
[00:01:23] Okay. All right. Calm down. All right. I know her. That's awesome. Hey, if you're a guest here, welcome. We are in a series, and what we do is we do a series of talks. And there we started last week, and this week we're doing part two. And the series is called. It's called the Church the world needs. Yes. And so this is part two. But as I jump in this morning, I want to ask you a question. Have you ever, at work, at home, anywhere, have you ever cleaned up someone else's mess?
[00:01:52] Hey.
[00:01:53] Yes. That is my life. That is my life. That's what I do. Right? You cleaned up someone else's mess. Okay. Now, those of you who are like, yes, yes, yes. Let me ask you that question. Let me ask you just particularly. Have you ever left dishes undone? Like, to soak, quote unquote? Cause I think. I think soaking is a thing, friends. Soaking is a practice that we need to go back to. Like, I mean, like, I've done that, right? How many of you have done that? Left dishes in the. I know. I know. You know, I have. I'm so shocked. Are you guys shocked by this?
[00:02:29] So in our house right now, my son is away in college, and so it's only me, my daughter Ashley, and three of us. And the amount of dishes that get piled up by the end of the day or the end of the week is ridiculous. We don't leave them at the end of the week.
[00:02:45] They are ridiculous. It's ridiculous. I am fully convinced. Friends, the cats, the two cats that we have, they are using our dishes for everything. You know, I had friends over from Thailand and a couple of months ago, and, you know, they stayed with us. And it was shocking to me because they used a cup, you know, for water or something, or for coffee, actually. And then she started cleaning it right then. And I'm like, oh, you don't have to clean it right now. You're good. You're good. She's like, I know. I want water. I was like, no, there's a glass of water.
[00:03:19] And then I start thinking. She's like, what? And then she literally said this, okay, now they live in Thailand. They don't have kids. There's just two of them. They only have, like, one glass and one plate.
[00:03:32] Like, one each. And I'm like, what do you do? She's like, we just clean it. I said, oh, what kind of life do you live? What is that kind of life? Because I don't know about you, because I have several drinking situations. You know what I'm saying? Like, I've got a tumbler, I got a shaker, I got a coffee cup. You would dare not drink water from your coffee cup. That's ridiculous. It's ungodly, right? It's ungodly. I mean, who does that? If you're in the pool, at the pool, you have other container for that. And now I wonder. Now I realize why we have so much dishes, so many. And that's why I feel like I, you know, sometimes I just like, you know what? I did not do this. And so I'm not gonna clean it up. Okay, now you've had that thought. Now I know. Also, I have walked in, and you've walked into the kitchen or the sink, and you've thought, why do I always have to, right? Because here's the reality. If I'm ever irresponsible or if I don't do my part or if I mismanage, whatever, I leave a mess for someone else. In one sense, my irresponsibility. Okay, what I'm supposed to do, I don't do. If I don't do it at work, if I don't do it at home, if I don't do it in my marriage, if I don't do, my irresponsibility becomes someone else's. What? Responsibility. It does. It does. It does. So every time I leave the dishes, right? I'm not saying I don't love you, Ashley. I'm just saying, could you just clean up my mess? No. Just clean up my mess. Now. It's cute to do that, right? When you're kids and you've got, you know, there's a diaper situation. Anybody cleaned? Anybody cleaned baby's mess before? Anybody? Anybody think this is too early in the morning? This is also the 11:00 service. Okay? So wake up. Come on.
[00:05:23] See, you don't mind, and I don't mind doing it for a kid, for a baby, but would you do it for an adulthood? No. Clean up your own mess.
[00:05:33] Right? Clean up your own mess. Now, why is this important?
[00:05:36] Because the title of this talk is the church the world needs is the church that cleans up their own mess. What. What does that mean in particular? I put there because it's people. The church is. The word is actually people. People. What the world needs is people. Christian people, people who are followers of Jesus, who clean up their own mess, who are not irresponsible, who are, in fact, responsible. Now, I got this idea about this because of two things. Number one, I was talking to, we had our small group, small groups starting up and all that, and highly recommend you attend one. But we had our small group last Thursday and the end of the group because people were sharing all kinds of things, their faith, their journey, all things. History of the church and all that. And one of the gals, and I asked her about this. I asked her if I could share this. Jennifer Gonzalez, she was like, you know what?
[00:06:39] She said? I've gone through a lot when it comes to church life. I grew up in a particular denomination, grew up in church and did some things and was a part of some things. And really because of where I grew up in that church, I had a identity issue. Like, I always wondered about who I was. Was I good enough? Was I just not? I mean, just a lot of things. And she said, you know, coming to mosaic now, I've realized that I'm falling in love. I'm falling in love again with my faith because it was a time I did not love it. And I thought, you know, it's so true. It's so true because there's so many people that I've talked to. She's not just one. There's so many people. And a lot of you have that story of people who've moved, who are finding your faith once again, that mosaic. Why? Because you were healing from other people's reckless faith, irresponsible spirituality, because they were irresponsible with their words, with the theology, with God's word, with all the things that you're supposed to be. They were reckless and they were irresponsible. And they said things. They made you feel certain ways and now you're living up that. And we, we, as a church, we exist to reclaim the message and the movement of Jesus. You know, basically what we're trying to do, we're trying to clean up the church's mess, because there are generations and generations of people who've lived out a spirituality that was irresponsible, reckless, and now other people are cleaning it up. It's like, it's like, not just spiritual leaders, it's world leaders, it's politicians, it's whoever in authority. They'll say words, just words. And they're reckless, they're irresponsible. And they. Those words create a certain kind of world. And then you gotta clean up the mess. And see, no one wants to clean up a mess, and no one wants to. No one loves a person who is irresponsible. Because we all struggle with responsibility. I do. I do. And this sermon, I'm gonna tell you what, when we get into it right now, we get into it, you are not gonna like me. You're not. I don't even like myself. After the sermon. I don't. I'm like, no, I don't wanna. I don't wanna. I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna do this. Okay? In fact, one lady, after the first service, she came up to me and the first thing she said was, why do you hate us? Literally, why do you hate us? And I've known her for years, and I was like, no, I love you. She's like, that sermon was. I'm like, yeah, yeah. So I just want you to know it's already happening. Why? Because we're going to be talking about the sense of responsibility. Are you living out and practicing an irresponsible faith, an irresponsible spirituality? Are you doing that? Are we doing that? And what if we lived in a world that the church people, followers of Jesus man, took responsibility?
[00:09:26] They were not irresponsible or reckless. They took responsibility of their actions, of their words, of their attitudes, of their values, of everything. What if you and I lived that kind of life? Because the thing is, if we don't do that, if we don't do that, we've become a certain kind of people. Jesus said it this way, the best. Okay, so let me read you a passage here. The first one. The first one is this. Matthew 23. He says, what sorrow, what sorrow awaits you, teachers of religious law and you pharisees? Okay, let's stop right here. He's like saying. He's saying, you're gonna regret this. You're gonna regret this. I'm telling you, you're gonna regret this. He's not talking about punishment. He's saying you're not gonna like. You're not gonna like yourself.
[00:10:07] I'm just telling you. And he says you're hypocrites. You've turned out to be hypocrites. What do you mean, we're hypocrites? He says, here's what you do for you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn them, then turn that person into twice the child of what?
[00:10:23] Say it. You can say it. Hell, you are yourselves are like. You are children of hell. What? Jesus did not have a coffee. You know what I'm saying? Like, he did not like what he's like. I'm telling you right now, you're being hypocrites because this is a very spiritual truth. Here's why. You know and I know that when we act a certain way and we don't do the things we're supposed to do, if you're supposed to do something and you don't do it, you're hypocrite. As a leader. If you are at work and you are supposed to do certain XYz and you don't do it, you turn into a hypocrite. No one believes you. Because what happens is in spirituality as well. If we don't do what we're said we're going to do, if we're not responsible, if we don't own it, if we don't do it, we become hypocrites. And we make skeptics out of people.
[00:11:15] People don't believe us anymore. They just don't. And, friends, we are living out that.
[00:11:22] People don't think that the church is really that honest, really that open, really that accepting, not judging.
[00:11:34] People don't believe. They don't believe us. The reason why they don't believe us is because we're hypocrites.
[00:11:45] And now if you're a church, if you're not a church person, you're like, ha ha, finally. Yeah, stick it to him. Well, calm down, because you are one, too, okay? We all hypocrites. Turn to your neighbor and you go, you are the biggest, best looking hypocrite I've known. Just tell them. Tell them. Tell them you're a hypocrite.
[00:12:04] No, they're like, I'm not going to do that. I'm going to get in trouble. That is irrational, irresponsible words coming out of my mouth. Not going to do that. Here's why. Here's why. Here's why. Check this out first. John says this, he says this, he says, whoever, whoever, that includes us. Whoever claims to live in him must, must do what?
[00:12:31] What? Say that again one more time. Must what?
[00:12:34] Live as Jesus did. If you claim to live in him, as in you claim to have the. You claim to believe and know and accept his forgiveness, you claim to have this relationship. You claim to be led by God's spirit. You claim to like, okay, now I believe in this and I feel God's love. If you claim all these things, if you claim. If you say that you are like, you are a follower of Jesus, you, you. You should. You can. No, no, no. You what, what? You. What. You must. You must do what Jesus did. You must live the way Jesus lives. And so for some of us, this is a hard message. Because the truth is. The truth is, is like, you know, our souls belong to Jesus, but our mouths, not so much, right? Some of you guys are amazing. You guys, great people, generous people. Unless you're on the road, then you're little hellions. You should not have stickers, friends to say mosaic number one. If you're gonna drive like that, right? You should not have, like, Jesus loves you. No, you should have stickers, like, watch out, crazy person on board and has the wheels. You know what I'm saying? Right? Jesus does not have the wheels. No, no, no, he does not. Okay, so we can't. We have to live like Jesus lives and see what happens there is that if we do this, we can reverse this idea of people. Man dishanted with Christianity, disenchanted with church. We can change it. And it stems from a bad theology. Here's the bad theology, okay? And maybe you heard this, and I want to be clear about this. People come to Jesus. People sometimes will live their life, do whatever they want to do. Maybe they're in a relationship. They leave the relationship. They have kids. I'm just going to make up a story, okay? They leave a scenario. They leave kids, okay, in shambles. It's bad. Child support is wonky. It's a messy, messy, messy thing. And then years later, they find Jesus, okay? He was hiding. They found him, okay? So they find Jesus.
[00:14:40] Then they have this life changing experience, right? They have a life. They go to Jesus. They go to. Go to the cross and go, hey, and you're like, you're forgiven. And then they hear a message that says that God has forgiven you and he's forgotten your sins. He remembers them. If you know the scriptures. He remembers them no more. He doesn't remember them. And we think that applies to the people we've hurt.
[00:15:05] It does not.
[00:15:07] It does not. And then when they come back, thanksgiving, hey, new family, new everything. Jesus loves us. It's amazing. Everybody else is going, but what about the mess you made in my life? What about my childhood? What about all that stuff? What about all this? Oh, what? Jesus doesn't remember? Well, I do.
[00:15:34] Yeah, we all do.
[00:15:36] We all do. And that's taken out of context.
[00:15:40] You know why? Because hear this. Jesus coming to Jesus, he forgives your sin, right?
[00:15:50] He covers it. He covers it. He does not cover your responsibility.
[00:15:56] Like, he doesn't cover your shift. You know what I'm saying?
[00:15:59] Like, he covers your sin, not your responsibility. He cancels your punishment. He does not cancel your debt.
[00:16:07] You're like, what do you, what do you, whoa, what do we.
[00:16:10] Now you have. And I have debts to pay.
[00:16:15] He covers the punishment, but we are indebted. And you're like, ah, I don't believe that theology. Well, we're gonna keep reading and you're not going to like me. I don't even like me. You know what I'm saying? Check this out. Jesus says this. He says, if any of you wants to be my follower, if any of you want to be my follower, you must. Again, that word must. You must give up your own way. Take up your cross and follow me. What is he saying? We all have crosses here. Let's strap one on. Let's go. No, he's not saying that. He's saying, if you're gonna be my follower, if you're gonna live, if you're gonna claim to be a follower of Jesus. Cause if you don't claim, it's all good. But if you do claim, if you do claim. I'm just saying. I'm just saying you have to. You have to give up your way. You have to give up the thought of, like, I don't feel good about this. I don't like this. This is hard stuff. I don't wanna do this. You gotta give up your own way, and you have to take up your cross. And what cross right there really means is responsibility. You've gotta take up what your part is and you got to do it. See, the cross was not our deal. It was Jesus's. It was his responsibility. That's why before he gets all tortured, he goes, he prays and he's praying. This prayer, if you remember it, he says, right, he says, take this cup away from me. Like I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this. And then he says, what? He says, not my will, but what your will be done. Your kingdom come. And Jesus is saying, hey, friends, this is tough, but you and I have to do this. We have to understand that we have responsibilities. And here's the thing. If we become responsible, okay, it changes us. It really changes us. It's like, okay, so irresponsibility makes us a hypocrite and makes us other people skeptics, right? But a responsibility, actually, it makes us bigger and better, bigger in people's eyes. For example, have you ever seen a leader, this never happened. But anyway, have you ever seen a politician say, I was wrong?
[00:18:21] You know what? I shouldn't have said that. I don't know what I was doing. I am so sorry. You know what? We made a promise. We did not deliver.
[00:18:30] What happens in a work environment when someone in your team, everybody knows they messed up. Everybody know it was her fault.
[00:18:41] And she goes, it wasn't me. It was. It was something else. It wasn't something else. Like, have you ever been in a situation when someone is nothing, taking responsibility? What happens? Do they get bigger in your eyes or smaller?
[00:18:56] They get smaller. Is it because they've goofed up? Is it because they messed up? Because they blew off the handle? I mean, is it because of their, like, their shortcomings? No, it's because they did not, what? Own it? They didn't take responsibility. They could have just said, you know what? I should have done that. I was supposed to do that. I did not do it. I did not do it. I am sorry. All of a sudden, they get bigger. In your eyes.
[00:19:22] They get bigger, man. What if the church understood this? What if we understood this? What if our leaders understood this? They just get bigger. And guess what? When you and I mess up, or if we don't do something or we realize we should actually change the way we live. Because in this area of my life, if this area of my life, I need to do better. I need to do the right thing. If you do that, if you take responsibility, for example, let's just throw out. Let's just throw out your health and your wealth.
[00:19:55] If you take responsibility of your health right now, it makes you better or worse.
[00:20:01] Better.
[00:20:03] But can I tell you something?
[00:20:05] If you are irresponsible for your health, okay, and I'll mention the guys, okay, guys.
[00:20:14] If you're irresponsible for your health, you are literally, if you're married. You're telling your spouse, you're gonna have to take care of me because your irresponsibility right now turns into what? Someone else's responsibility? Your irresponsibility finances. You just are making the money. Okay, okay, okay. We're doing the thing. We're getting this. We're getting.
[00:20:38] And you have no financial plan.
[00:20:42] You know what? You're telling your kids?
[00:20:45] You're gonna. I'm moving in with you. Like, that is my plan.
[00:20:50] Oh, yeah. Yeah. We don't have any. We don't have any savings. We don't have anything. We're moving in with you. You know what would be ridiculous, though, and be actually loving to right now. Just tell them. Just tell them right now. Hey, I'm living in responsibility because you're gonna clean up my mess. Thank you very much.
[00:21:07] Love you.
[00:21:09] See, no one wants to live like that. We don't want to live like that now. I don't want to live like that. But I tell you what, I struggle with it. I so struggle with it because there are certain areas of my life I am super responsible, and there are others. I'm like. I am so reckless. I don't care. I don't care. But my mismanagement is creating a mess for someone else. It just is. It just is. So what do we do? What do we do? What does it mean to take up our cross and follow Jesus? Well, I'm going to give you two things. Okay. Spiritually. Let me give you two things. Number one, we got to pay our debts.
[00:21:44] Pay our debts. We got to pay our debts. What does that mean? Because some of you guys are like, I don't even know. I think Jesus paid our debt. I know it because it's a song and also, it's somewhere in scripture. I'm pretty sure there's something about debt. And he paid. Paid it. Okay. Jesus is the ultimate credit card. I know that somehow. I know. No, no, it's not. That's not how it works. This is romans 13. He says, give. Give to.
[00:22:08] Help me out with that word. Give to what?
[00:22:11] Everyone includes what?
[00:22:15] What? Who does it not include?
[00:22:18] No one. Okay. Okay. So give to everyone what you. What?
[00:22:23] Owe them. If you owe taxes.
[00:22:28] Pay what?
[00:22:30] Pay taxes?
[00:22:32] If revenue, then what? Revenue. As in, if you borrowed money from your cousin. Guess what? I know your cousin doesn't need it, but you need to pay it back.
[00:22:44] See this message? I know you're going to be like, I can see why that woman said that you hate us. Yeah. This is not fun. It's gonna get worse. It's gonna get worse. Is it okay? Can I keep reading? I mean, we can just stop reading the Bible, or we can just, you know what I'm saying? Okay, okay. Let's just. Okay, okay. It says here, if. If respect, then what?
[00:23:06] Respect. No, respect is earned.
[00:23:10] I get that. I get that. But I also get that is not earned when it. We're trying to live like Jesus.
[00:23:20] Yeah, that's. That stinker. You know what I'm saying? If it wasn't about, if he wasn't, if he wasn't the model, if he wasn't the standard, we could do whatever we want to. But here basically says this. You owe people respect because of their position. You owe them respect. You owe them respect. And as adults, we're like, no, no, no. It's earned. Earn, earn, earn, earn. But you know what? As parents, we tell people our kids respect, and they go, no, they don't deserve it. And you're like, I don't care.
[00:23:50] I don't care. Maybe, maybe we should just listen to what we're saying to them. See, if we, if we, if we say what we want to say and call people names and are very reckless on our social media, if we're just reckless with our lives and our tongues and our attitudes about people, we're just reckless and we're disrespecting people. And then we wonder why our kids are respecting. Disrespectful. They learned it from us, and it was so quiet. Okay, let's keep on going. If honor, then what?
[00:24:29] Honor.
[00:24:31] Tough one. Tough one. But some people are not honorable. Yeah, yeah, I get that. I totally get that. But what they represent, what the position? Honor. Honorization. Remember, honor our parents, right? We tell them our elders honor people, honor. But if we're living our lives dishonoring people in our lives, when we pick and choose the people we get to, we just pick and choose. We pick and choose who gets respect, who gets honor, who gets taxes, who gets our money back.
[00:25:03] And he starts off by saying, what? Give to what?
[00:25:07] Everyone.
[00:25:09] Everyone you owe. Listen, this is tough. That's why I'm not recommending following Jesus, okay? I'm just telling you right now, it's tough stuff. I'm just saying, I was a Muslim. I was living the life.
[00:25:23] I don't do anything. I don't have to change, okay? It says here, let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another.
[00:25:35] Come on.
[00:25:37] For whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. He's like, what does love require of you. He said, if you're responsible, if you owe people and you pay them back, if you're responsible, if you go back and make it right, it is the most loving thing you can do. The most loving thing you can do is be responsible and not be irresponsible. With your health, with your diethyde, with your, what you view, with your lifestyle, with your values. The most loving thing you can do. I know it's tough, but the most loving thing you can do for your people around you is to be responsible for your own stuff.
[00:26:19] It's my stuff. It's your stuff. It's your time, it's your, like, you get to do it. You're the leader of this.
[00:26:27] Let's not make a mess for our loved ones. Let's not do that. Let's not leave them leave their lives in a mess. So what does this require? Okay. The second thing he says, basically, you own your part. So one, pay your debts. Second, you own your part. Matthew five.
[00:26:46] Matthew five. He says this, he says if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. What you mean? Let's just say we're in a church service and all that. He's saying, basically, leave. No, don't leave right now. Hold on. Okay, okay. But leave if you're about to get into it. Your worship is happening. If you're going to do that, because back in the day, that was how they worshiped. It was like, okay, giving gifts, doing the things, bringing yourself. So you're bringing all this stuff of you, but you know that someone in your life is angry with you. You've got something going on over here. Here's what I want you to do. Leave your gift in front of the altar, go make peace with that person, then.
[00:27:35] Then come back. Then come back and offer your gift to God. Then come back.
[00:27:40] See, if our worship is just words, it's worthless.
[00:27:49] It doesn't count.
[00:27:51] I know you're like, no man, but I sing that song really well.
[00:27:55] Like, my hands are up.
[00:27:58] Other people know mine. Sometimes I even do two hands.
[00:28:03] Yeah, I get that.
[00:28:05] I got it. But if it's just words, it's worthless. I mean, he's literally saying, hey, yes, stop.
[00:28:14] Stop. Because if you do this whole worship thing and you got people in your life that you owe something, you have to own your part and you have owe them something and you're doing this, you are worshiping and you're becoming a hypocrite.
[00:28:31] And I hear you, and I appreciate it, but I need you to leave what you're doing. Go back and make it right. Go back and make it right? Yeah, but it was their fault.
[00:28:43] I get it.
[00:28:45] Go make it right. Now. I'll tell you what. I don't know your situation, but I remember one several years ago.
[00:28:53] I was driving back home and driving to park my car in the garage. So the way my neighborhood works is you've got the front of the house and you got a street there, but in the back of the house, there's, like, an alleyway. It's not really a street. You know what I'm saying? It's just cars used as street to kind of go in and just park. That's all people do. Put the trash cans out there. That's what we do. It's skinnier. You can't just. It's one car at a time kind of thing. It's just kind of a small, little road just. Just for that, okay? For garbage, for going in, out, leaving, exiting, all that. I drive in. I'm about to go into my, you know, in my garage, and the garage is a couple of 200 meters away or something like that. And I am.
[00:29:36] I'm like, I'm just not thinking about anything else. And then just going in there, just thinking about whatever, and I get closer, closer, and I realize there is a teenager in the middle of that driveway sunbathing in a bikini. And I'm like, what just happened? What's happening? And I was like, I was thinking about something else, so I came closer and realized, and I put the. Like, I stopped and abruptly, and I'm like, oh, okay. And she looks at me. I'm. Look at her. And she's confused. And I'm like. And I'm confused. I'm like, what? And she's like. And I'm like, I'm sorry. I mean, I appreciate a good tan, okay? But I'm just saying, this is not where you do that. So then I'm like, I have to go. How do I go around you? I got to go around you, but if I go around you, I'm going to, like, clip the other, like, the other person's house or something. What do I got to do? And she's like, okay, okay. I'm like, should I not go home? Well, what do you want me to do? Like, we were saying all these things, and then she picks up her towel, and she goes. And she walks in the house, and I'm like, what? Are you kidding me right now? This is happening. So I go in and tell Ashley that. We laugh about it. I'm like, what is happening? And we didn't know that neighbor. And as much. And I'm like, what's happening?
[00:30:56] That day, that day I was talking to another neighbor, okay? And she goes, oh, yeah. So and so mom talked to me and told me what you did. I was like, what? What did I do?
[00:31:10] Excuse me? What did I do?
[00:31:12] My guilt. My guilt. I fully admit I tried to get to my house. That's what I try to do. Park my cardinal. That's what I'm guilty of. I'm like, she's like, oh, yeah. And I tried to explain to her that he did not mean it. I'm like, mean what? What'd I do? And then I, this neighbor tells the other neighbor, no, no, he's really a great guy, okay? He's really a great guy. He's middle eastern, but he's a great guy. Whatever. Don't take him off. You know what I'm saying? But whatever. But then she, she throws out this. She says, he's a pastor.
[00:31:41] I know.
[00:31:43] Don't do that. I've told people you're around me. Don't tell people I'm a pastor, okay? Because everything else comes up. Their childhood trauma comes up, you know what I'm saying? They're like, oh, pastor. And so I'm like, oh, no, why did you tell them a pastor?
[00:31:58] And then she said, yeah, I shouldn't have. Because her reaction was like, yes, that's what these pastors do. They just get away with everything.
[00:32:06] I was like, oh, gosh.
[00:32:09] So I'm like, I'm like, do I need to? I'm just.
[00:32:17] And then I knew what I was supposed to do. I was like, I need to go have a conversation. I need to go make this right. And I'll be honest with you, if she didn't throw the whole pastor thing, I don't know.
[00:32:31] But now that she did, I'm like, if I don't do this, I'm representing all the pastors.
[00:32:39] So I was like, so I did it, man. I did it. I walked up to the house, knock, knock. Hey. She was shocked. She was like, oh, hey, I'm like, yeah, I'm the neighbor, you, name and all that. And, yeah, I think I'm the guy. Pastor, I think, you know, is your daughter okay? I didn't mean to do anything to her, you know, and all that. She's like, no, she's fine, she's fine, she's fine. She says, you want to come in? I'm like, yeah, I'll come in. Yeah, come in. What do you want to do? You want to have some tea?
[00:33:15] Because in my mind, I'm like, it's not even my fault, okay? Be a better parent. Okay? I didn't even want to say that, okay? I'm like, just.
[00:33:25] But I did it. Now, I'm not telling you this because I want to be the hero of this. I'm telling you this is because I knew what was at stake.
[00:33:32] Because if I didn't do it, it would be like that whole thing. They all pastors the church because I represent something bigger. And if you're a follower of Jesus, you represent someone bigger.
[00:33:47] You don't represent your neighborhood, your country. You and I represent the kingdom of heaven.
[00:33:56] We're reckless and we're irresponsible.
[00:33:59] And if we don't own our part and we don't make things right and we don't pay our debts and we don't do the things, we create a mess for the next generation to clean up, which we are trying to clean up here. We're trying to reclaim the message and the movement of Jesus. There wouldn't need to be a reclaiming if the church would just clean up its mess, if we would just clean up our mess. It's not that we have to be perfect. We don't.
[00:34:27] We just have to own it. We messed up. We don't get it, right.
[00:34:32] But if we are irresponsible and we, our actions, we distance ourselves from people who are different when we do things that are just not the way of Jesus. I mean, that's why Jesus was like, you want to tell everybody you're my followers, love each other. No, no, no. We need a banner. No Facebook ads. No.
[00:34:58] You want to tell the world that you're my disciples.
[00:35:01] Love each other.
[00:35:02] Just go crazy on that. Just love, love, love each other, and that's it. They'll know. They'll know. So, friends, are we living in our spirit, an irresponsible faith? Are you living an irresponsible life?
[00:35:23] Let's take. Let's take ownership. It's hard. It's tough, but let's do it. Let's do it. And then we can change this narrative about the church, about Jesus. We represent him. Cool.
[00:35:37] All right, well, let me pray for us. Why don't you stand?
[00:35:43] So, Lord God, we come before you as people who are not perfect, people who know, realize that we get it wrong, people who get sidetracked, people who, frankly, are moved by desires God, I find myself going, I'm so responsible in other things, so in this area I can be irresponsible. The truth is, God, someone else is going to have to cover that. Someone else is going to have to cover that.
[00:36:10] And God, I don't want to be that person. I don't want to be that person that other people are like, that was just so irresponsible.
[00:36:18] If he would have just done this ten years ago, if he would have just done this five years ago, if she would have just stopped doing this, if she would stop believing that.
[00:36:31] God, for some of us, we are living in a mess of some of the bad theology, hurtful words that have been spoken over us.
[00:36:44] God, I just pray. I just pray. God, would we remove those from our mind right now? Could you help us do that?
[00:36:54] God, would you speak to us and show us what areas of our life that we need to reframe?
[00:37:03] Reframe what words that we need to, like, stop believing? But then also what words do we now need to say either over us or over some people?
[00:37:15] God, some of us have conversations that come to mind that we just don't know because really it sounds like, or it seems like it's really their fault.
[00:37:24] But we know that there's no peace. We know that there is a conversation. We know that someone is not talking about something right now and they just, it's like, it's just we're not, we're not going to talk about it.
[00:37:36] God, you are real.
[00:37:40] And your, your supernatural might and power is displayed when we obey and do the right thing. When we step out and do the things that are sometimes impossible, sometimes just overdose the top. God, you move. There's no way, God, that we can do the walk on water without stepping out. We're no way we can see you move miraculously if we don't go do the thing we're supposed to do.
[00:38:11] So, God, would you help us this morning? Would you lead us this morning, God, would we be people who are, who are responsible? We take ownership.
[00:38:28] We take ownership for our health from minds.
[00:38:35] God, of our, of our values. We take ownership of what we say, what we do.
[00:38:42] It's no one else's fault. God, we don't want to live a life that's blaming other people of why we are the way we are.
[00:38:51] God, blame doesn't do anything but just points out the obvious. But God, we have got to move forward. So, Lord, I pray, would you, would you lead us? Would you guide us? Would you reverse some of the things in our lives as we respond, as we go to the cross, as we go receive communion. God, speak to us about what you, how you feel about us. And that gives us the power to do the things that we need to do in Jesus name. Let's respond.
[00:39:24] Thanks for listening to this message from Mosaic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more audio and video content, visit us at Mosaicchurch TV.
