Erwin McManus | Vision Sunday | Love Built This

OOP hey come on guys what's that amazing so good first time leading us LJ by the way first time reading has to worship today I got so grateful man I remember when I was 13 years old so it wasn't don't you remember that so good bro and can't wait to your legal we're such a beautiful day is it good to be alive yeah what a great great day and when we worship here it's as if everything in life just stops and we're translated into the eternal and if you're here and you're a guest and this is new for you buckle up because if God were not real nothing could happen even here but be careful because God is real and and there's something powerful that happens when there's a density of faith when people come together in a common faith God just shows up in such a way that it he becomes undeniable so we want to celebrate that and before you sit down let's pray together and oh I want to look in this direction and I want to welcome all the community of mosaic in South Pasadena and we welcome you guys good morning and we're praying for you the guide would just absolutely meet you in such a life-changing way and at the Rialto Theatre who has been known for such iconic expressions as the Rocky Horror Picture Show would would be known for something different for not a horror show but actually an expression of life an explosion of hope and joy and peace and so we're just excited you guys are there creating an entirely new future let's pray together father thank you so much for this beautiful day God we thank you for life we thank you for life that we are standing here in this moment that you meet us and all of our imperfection and you meet us God in all of our inadequacy you meet us in our sense of insecurity and inadequacy and you do great and marvelous things with such flawed instruments and Jesus we we pause to tell you that we love you that everything that we are doing everything we aspire to do is to be a reflection of your love a reflection of who you are that we might be the the visible expression of the invisible God and we pray for those who are here who are not even sure if you exist who are trying to make sense of who you are and who they are God I just ask you to go beyond logic beyond reagent reason go beyond the dialog of questions and answers and just invade their space make yourself known overwhelm them with your presence and whisper to the depth of their soul that Jesus is your name we thank you Father and we pray in your name amen Annie maybe we just thank God for this morning all he's gonna do you can have a seat so today is vision Sunday and I am so excited in fact I felt like I should say we interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcasts of the last arrows series to bring to you this important announcement you remember those old-school moments where they would interrupt the TV show now every show was interrupted constantly it's called Twitter but there are times they would interrupt the show that was planned because something big was happening something important was happening they needed to let us know there was a historic moment taking place and that's what today is that's what vision Sunday is and and even out of those preparing to come out here and and share with you some of the things that are on my heart I was just overwhelmed by the realization that I am excited about vision Sunday because I didn't know I would have another vision Sunday see I I realized that I thought that last year's vision Sunday might have been my last vision Sunday and having come to grips with that realization I realized that I tremendously underestimated and underachieved what I should have said last year that if I'm actually grateful I'm alive because I'm so grateful that last year's vision Sunday wasn't my last vision Sunday I just don't want to be remembered for that one I want to be remembered for this one and then the next one and the next one and then the next one because there's so much to be done and I've come to grips or something I have been throughout my life we're willing to call myself to more that I have been willing to call others to well it sounds noble but it's actually not Noble because if you know there's more in others than there is it in yourself you will call people to more than you would even call yourself and so in a strange way I've underestimated you because I've not expected enough of us together and so I'm convinced that the reason I'm still here the reason I'm alive it is to disturb your life because if your life is supposed to stay as it is I'm pretty sure I would not be here see I'm only here as an adjutant I just here to try to disrupt the status quo and to pull you out of mediocrity and call you to the greatness that is inside of you recently Kim and I flew up to Seattle and I was invited to speak at this event for this huge global organization and and right before I spoke in fact it was World Vision and and right before I spoke the person who's kind of guided me through the process said hey this is not really a time where people need to be challenged they just need to be inspired and I know he meant well because I loved him but I had this overwhelming thought then why in the world did you invite me because I hope to inspire you but I I will never fly anywhere if I'm not allowed to challenge you because I scream inspires me pizza inspires me a great cappuccino inspires me I am so easy to inspire and certainly there's too much to be done in Los Angeles to fly somewhere just to inspire because inspiration without challenge is wasted energy yeah I hope you're inspired today because that word means to be brave in - I hope you're inspired today I hope you leave with with more courage and more faith and more passion and more urgency and more inspiration but but I hope you're more than in spite I hope you're challenged I hope that there's a breakthrough that happens in your life today here's what I've discovered is the moment we begin to aspire toward greater things the moment we begin to shift our focus from ourselves to others the moment we begin to give ourselves to things that are within ourselves the moment we take on that challenge we don't even realize that when we're stepping into a new challenge were actually slipping into our own freedom so vision Sunday isn't simply about what we're going to do together because what we do together will do something inside of you but it is not about simply what guy wants to inside of you but what God wants to do with us together and that's why I think it's a perfect interruption into the series of the last arrow because we want to focus on the virtues and the attributes and characteristics that that you need to take on that I need to take on to live the life are created to live but we're going to make sure that that even in this narrative when we talk about that you need to act as if your life depends on it because that's the next chapter in the book that you realize it's more than simply about your life that the reason it's so important for you to live the life you're created to live is because other people's lives are dependent on your life so if you carry death everywhere you go how can you bring life there if you're only existing you are not a conduit of life if you live your entire life that's really needy and desperate longing and if you're a soul black hole all you will do is expel the light in the room which is why it's so important for you to be fully alive why it's so critical for you to be full of hope why it's so essential for you to discover how to live a life of joy the reason you need to be fully alive is so you can be a Fountainhead of life to everyone else who's dying of thirst while they're drowning in existence so my vision for the coming year and perhaps the coming years and it's a shift in my mind it's a shift in my soul is that to do something inside of me to shift me in this way and the three words I want you to remember as we move together into the future love built this I want you say that with me just repeat after me love built this now same with me love built this this is the story I want others to tell about us see I don't think it's as important what we say about ourselves it's far more important what others say about us isn't it it's so much more important what reputation we as the church have in the city of Los Angeles and across the world and if we're going to do something together if we're going to build something together we need to understand why we're doing what we're doing this love that built this I I want people to look at whatever mosaic is whether it's here in the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea whether it's at the Rialto Theater in South Pasadena or whether it's some undisclosed location in Venice or Santa Monica wherever we are I want people to play wherever mosaic is and say love built this these I think for for too long people have seen the church as a parasite on its community they've seen the church as a negative not a positive in fact I think it's further reason why cities zone against churches and why it seems almost like society is plots against the advancement the church it's it's because churches are not seen as a gift to the community to the city to the world and we need to re-establish the reputation that's simply of Jesus front of the church and everything we do when you do it in such a way that people will look at us even if they disagree with us wouldn't be great if atheists point to mosaic oh yeah loved Altis if Buddhist point to mosaic say yeah love built this if people who actually just hate the church and go I hate the church but love built that I still remember the guy years ago came to me said you're confusing me I said why he said I hate god I hate Jesus I hate the church I hate Christianity I hate religion and I love this place and I don't know what to do with all my hate I said why don't just let it go well that's an option yeah I want us to be the people that creates the escape route for hate because people will look at us and go love no this I don't even agree with the mind I think they're out of their minds I don't even know how they believe these are intelligent people who still believe in God but but what I do know is that love tells us when Kim and I were dating it was it was not easy going we fought all the time she cried a lot I I just made so many mistakes and in fact when people date and they get all upset and they fight all the time they go we're not right for each other Wow I don't know how you're ever gonna get married because if you don't fight before you're married you're gonna fight a lot after because it means you're not telling each other the truth we had some big fights before you're married and and then I and I had a I had a real concern about marriage had never seen a marriage work so I didn't know if I could be married I didn't know if anyone could be married and and now that I was a follower of Jesus I didn't wanna get married and go through divorce and and created all that pain and woundings like that and I don't think I'm gonna do this and so we were dating and we were friends with this pastor and his wife and while I was in California doing the hard work of Jesus she was back in school and this pastor's wife told her you need to stop dating cam he's not the marrying kind yeah they were my friends so I flew back and she had decided that we needed to stop dating because I wasn't the marrying kind what she didn't know is that I drew over the Newport Beach Laguna Beach I saw that beautiful expression of nature have all stained they're overlooking the ocean on top for the cliffs I thought to myself this is one of the most beautiful images I've ever seen in my life and I want someone to share it with and in that moment standing here on the coast of California I decided to go back and marry Kim when I flew back she had decided to break up with me bad timing and so I contacted my old pastor in North Carolina when I was at Chapel Hill now it was it was a passion a Jim Henry who actually guided me to faith but it was Pastor Bob who kind of was like my spiritual dad you know he wasn't an academic or a brilliant intellectual he wasn't an extraordinary communicator or or an off-the-wall off the scale leader he was just a beautiful human being exactly what I needed and Pastor Bob was the first one who ever invited me on a stage to share for three minutes my story of coming to Jesus that was Pastor Bob who invited me to give my first sermon it was Pastor Bob who flew me across the country later to do my first revival I didn't have for talks I didn't know how to do four days in a row but it was Pastor Bob who could just always push me it was Pastor Bob who one day in a group or I was like pressing him with questions about the gospel and he couldn't answer my questions I felt so smart and he just looked at me for all these people goes you know Irwin I'm just not as smart as you I just know that it's all about love and I felt so small and I said I think I'm a lot dumber than I thought I was because love is really really smart it was Pastor Bob who always gave me the wisdom I needed in the moment and so I flew back to see Pastor Bob and asked him if I should marry Kim and and I told him about her and I said you know she's an orphan she's been an orphan since the age of 8 she was a foster child from the age of 8 to 18 she's never heard the words I love you one time in her life she never owned anything in her life nothing ever belonged to her not a piece of clothes not not a house not a family not only did nothing belong to her she that she didn't belong to anyone and as I shared his own her story he said this is exactly who you need to marry and I said why would you say that he said because you're sort of a nomad you're like an educated transient you don't have any roots you're like a tumbleweed and-and-and you might look like you're living a very virtuous monastic life because you see left to yourself you'll never build anything you'll never buy anything you'll never own anything because you have such a disdain for the things in this world it was a reaction against the greed of my family and and he said you need to marry Kim because love's gonna change you he said because you love Kim and she never belonged to anyone who belong nothing ever belong to her you're actually going to build something sit in fact I'm gonna guess one day you're actually gonna buy a house because nothing will give you greater joy than buying a house for the girl who never had home and when he said all that I couldn't even imagine it because well I didn't look like I was income capable you know what I'm talking about right and I proved that I wasn't for at least ten years but but I remember the day we bought our first house nothing gave me greater joy than having a place where my wife Kim who was an orphan could say was her home because I knew I could buy the shell that was a house but I knew that that her soul her heart would make it home yeah and one of the things I've come to realize is that it's that same mentality that that God had to place in me by loving Kim see now I look and I realize everything that brings in my greatest joy it was built by love see it you you may see a house that we bought but I can tell you love built this and we have two kids I can tell you that love built that and we had other kids that they became our family that Kim did not give birth to and I can tell you love built that family and everything we've done in our lives and everything that we've come to experience together I I can look at God you know love built this love has a strange way of shifting you and I realized that this is exactly the mentality that we need going forward as a church we need to realize that what we're building together isn't really about us it's about the people that desperately need to find a place where they're loved and where they can learn to love in Luke chapter 19 beginning in verse 1 it says Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through a man was there named Zacchaeus he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy he wanted to see who Jesus was but because he was short he could not see over the crowd I love that so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way when Jesus reached the spot he looked up and said to him Zacchaeus come down immediately I must stay at your house today so he came down at once and welcomed him gladly all the people saw this and began to mutter he has gone to be the guest of a sinner but Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord look Lord here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor and if I have cheated anyone out of anything I will pay back four times the amount jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house to this house because this man too is a son of Abraham for the Son of man came to seek and to save the Lost as I was reflecting on the vision for our future love built this I started thinking about su kiaus and that the unusual complexity of this moment of this short man who was a chief tax collector and was wealthy so he was corrupt but he was rich he knew how to live in the gray he lived in between the Roman Empire and the people of Israel and he used Roman power to take advantage of his own people to gain his own wealth and I'm reminded in this moment because the key as well foretold right away and that first sentence did not have well the right pedigree the money did not come from the kinds of business decisions you would recommend people to take it was not honorable money it was not good money but this is when those moments were God reminds us he cares less about the pedigree and more about the destiny of our resources this God can change us and he changes the outcome of our income and so the kiyose was wealthy and I think this is important because I think sometimes we think that Jesus only ministered to the poor and we have this mindset the Jesus only care about the poor but actually Jesus cared about everyone who understood their poverty whether they're financially poor or financially wealthy and in fact if you go back and read the scriptures carefully the Scriptures over and over again actually engage a person of incredible wealth of incredible power of person of incredible position and those are the people that God uses to change the course of human history and so it shouldn't surprise us that this man said kiyose was at the center of the story of Jesus and he wanted to see who Jesus was because he was shortened he could not see over the crowd and so humana had inclined a sycamore tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way so he knew that Jesus was working he knew that Jesus was was healing the sick and proclaiming freedom and he wanted to see Jesus but but it never even entered his mind that Jesus would want to see him and one of things that really struck me is that a part of the reason Jesus does what he does the way he does the reason Jesus works through the church have you ever wonder why in the world would he pick us why would he choose to do it like this I'm telling there's a lot of people who've given up on the church people saying not just me and Jesus the church is the thing in the past that church is antiquated the church is absolute the church doesn't work anymore but I want you to know that the dilemma the problem with that is if you give up on the church you've actually given up on what Jesus is invested in and here's why see people are searching for God they want to see God but what they need more than anything what they need more than anything is to realize that God sees them and the church when we come together is the way God allows himself to be seen by a world that is looking for him we make the invisible visible but more than making it possible for people to see Jesus through us it's even more important that they are seen by us that they realize that Jesus sees them because we see that see what we do together is an expression of Jesus moving in human history that's why it's so important because we become the manifestation of God in the world and I love us as when when Jesus reached a spot it wasn't really Jesus reaches the spot it wasn't the spot that Jesus needed to be and it was the spot that Sakhi us needed Jesus to be and so he could see him you see what we need to realize is that we need to be like Jesus and get to the spot where people can see God I'm centered thinking this is exactly why we're in the corner of Hollywood Boulevard LaBrea I've had a lot of people tell me I didn't even know you guys were a church I walked by for years I didn't know what you are but I think I'm just going to make us write the definition of church on the wall outside just people know is that one - no I want to know who we are we are the living manifestation of the reality of Jesus in the world we're all about Jesus and we're here so that people can see God in us and through us but also know that God sees them we want to be the spot where Jesus and sukira come together that should actually get you crazy now I remember when the Rocky Horror Picture Show was in South Pasadena I remember people dressed crazy went crazy and people felt so identified with that story it's gone now we see there's a greater story that people - Fellini to be connected to do you remember how people would dress up like the Rocky Horror Picture Show to look like the characters and everyone participated in the story they all became a part of it saying Irwin you know way too much about it they see there's a greater story taking place here and you don't have to dress up to look like Jesus all you need to do is come to him and he will make you look like him and you don't get to just watch the story you get to be the story of God in the world and Jesus looked up and said to him Zacchaeus come down immediately I must stay at your house today see Jesus is very practical that's the key I seek he could have just dealt with the kids in that moment but if he had dealt with the kiyose while he was passing through the kiyose would not have understood what Jesus came to do so I must go to your house see Jesus wants to step into our house into our place so that would be a place where God had man sit at the table and eat together and so I look over the past year and I see some of the incredible things that happen I just want to kind of highlight a few things let me see if I can pull them up slide number one now let's go to - 17 highlights 2017 highlights so here's just a few things that happened this year already MSC released their new EP unknown and streamed to over 15 million times and that amazing that to me is incredible 15 million times those songs have been heard and there's what six songs on that EP that's incredible we launched our first day of refuge here at Mosaic and became Los Angeles epicenter for refugee crisis in LA we can applaud that again let's try that again [Applause] and the language says launch it should say launching because we're like that States in the 60s trying to get to the moon launched mosaic South Pasadena and mosaic Venice can we just cheer that on and we're in the middle of that because last week was mosaic South Pasadena's first Sunday morning which is kind of awesome and we hope by 2:18 we'll have mosaic venice's Sunday morning gatherings up in place mosaic College is in the second year we had 34 students and incredible and a few of them are actually passing Kim's class we had seven mosaic global trips across the world and then amazing you can cheer that on and last but hopefully not least the last arrow was released and this message has gone across the world and I highlight these because you see these are things that we're doing together that allow people to see God in action through us and whether it's in our work in Hollywood or in Pasadena or in Venice or it's our work in Malawi or Bangladesh or India when we move together as God's people we become the visible expression of God on earth and we cannot underestimate its power when Jesus reached the spot we need to keep asking where is the spot that God wants us to go to where is the spot where Jesus is the kiyose will lock eyes where is the spot where man and God will come together where is the spot or God and humanity will meet in their lives will be forever changed when Jesus reached the spot he looked up and said there's kiyose so kiyose come down immediately this needs to happen now I must stay at your house today so he came down at once and welcomed him gladly love built this a place where people can see God and no other God sees them it's love that built this the community that finds the spot where we remove all the barriers between humanity and God see I know that if you're a passionate follower of Jesus you will drive from Calabasas to be a part of what God is doing here at Mosaic I know if you're a passionate follow Jesus you will drive from Newport Beach to come up here you will drive from from whatever is east can't remember Las Vegas whatever the next major city is or whatever is West Tokyo you'll get here I've I've met people who have flown in fact I remember meeting one guy who flew from Miami to come to mosaic to give his life to Jesus falou back to work on Monday flew back the next week to be baptized we can't even begin to fathom how God is impacting the world through what is happening here see kind when you step into the spot where God can be seen clearly miracles happen the extraordinary happens he came down at once and welcomed him gladly and all the people saw this and began to mutter he is gone to be the guest of a sinner I think this is an important Paz he has gone to be the guest of a sinner you know how we can know that we're in the right spot that we're doing this through our way you want to know my vision for the future that people who believe in God people who believe in Jesus who are more traditional and more safe and more secure and more traditional that they get really nervous about what mosaic is doing because we've gone to the house of sinners it's funny how that languages we've gone he's gone to be the guest of sinners like they were not sinners okay I mean how could Jesus visit anyone's house and have anything different set but the people who said it didn't think they were they just thought the others were see the Holy One who wasn't was Jesus every house Jesus goes into is a house filled with imperfection a house filled with brokenness a house filled with sinners see every place Jesus goes is beneath him but not beneath us because it wasn't beneath him he has gone to be a guest of sinners and I want that to be us you want to know my vision for the future I want us to be the place where we are always the guest of sinners not just that sinners are our guests ci wants me the people where people without God go would you come over would you come hang I want to be the place where people without God want to be at mosaic in fact I think about the the journey I think was two years ago I met a manager right there and she looked at me and said hi my name is Amanda and I'm an atheist and that's awesome and she just had brain surgery two weeks ago came out of it completely well and she had brain surgery with Jesus in her life because two years ago when she was an atheist she had a life-changing encounter with Jesus and now she could face this crisis with God and this community we can apply that and then two weeks ago over here Jamar brought me this amazing the intelligent really really gifted guy named Troy who's been an actor for 15 years and you ever just meet smart people you know that's a smart person and here he is just explaining who he is a little bit and and and he said I'm trying an atheist it's the way everybody introduce themselves to me and he's been coming for a few weeks and and I said I hope you keep heading goso know I'm committed love that I love the fact that an atheist is more committed than a lot of Christians and so I'm coming in and he starts to explain to me cuz you know I'm an atheist I don't even know about any of this and all that stuff he goes I I never thought it would be open to it and but he then tell me but the worship is really getting to me if you know like those songs it's just like it's getting to me he's like oh you in trouble like what about the messages no no no he just like put the worship is really getting to me I okay okay and I'm just the I'm the afternoon of the meal and it was just this beautiful conversation and I thought thank you God and and I think the last thing I said Troy say I want you to know something he said what's that it goes we we built this place for you this place is here for you this is why you are why we exist and he looked at me he said yeah I can I can see that yeah I want every atheist in the city every agnostic every Buddhist every Hindu every Muslim every just angry person every person who's angry at God right now I want me to go you know there's a place that was built by love for me and even though I didn't have love to give back they still built it for me they still left me I wanted to see us and I want us to take on that reputation he is gone to be the guest of a sinner III want us to be the people who never disconnect from people without God don't let your faith be your excuse from not loving people as you see the only way that people ever say that love built this is if love is building you if love is designing you when Kim and I were first married we worked at the Ronald McDonald House why I said that wrong we did not work there she worked there I was married to her she was married I mean we were married and she was married to the wrong the Galant house she was the manager of the Ronald McDonald House and that's where families stay when their children have cancer and it was one of the most painful experiences of my life I cannot tell you miss the overwhelming sorrow I would feel well which families lose their children and we lived in that house we had a small little apartment in this house for family state we got to know them over months sometimes over a year and I'll never forget how this house became their home it became their home during the most tragic and painful times in their life and I think one of the themes that always recurring was this is the house that loved them that's what I want the church to be I want the church to be the house that love death and there was more than just a place to stay it was more than just a place to find healing it was a place to find hope it was in community with others who understood each other's pain that people found the strength to make it through the worst moments of their life I don't know if you see it we were just three months in Venice when one of our young guys took his life in his early 20s and he ended his life and his family was just so devastated and we sat in the back and we wept and prayed together and there's not much you can say in moments like that but the overwhelming gratitude they have expressed to mosaic has just impacted me so deeply because we just don't know what people are going through we don't know the struggles that they're fighting through we don't know the pain of the written we don't know how deep the wounds go everyone looks so good on the surface and so good on the outside and we need to be the place of healing and hope we need to be the house that love felt for the city who - for that needs to be loved and then it says but sukhiya stood up and said to the Lord look Lord here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor and if I have cheated anybody out of anything I will pay back four times the amount and what I want you to notice is a couple of things really important everyone was accusing Jesus maligning his reputation it wasn't secure his reputation who is really a question everybody knew he was a sinner it's the kiyose knew who he was what Suki's was about to do was not a response to reclaim his reputation it was a response to protect the reputation of Jesus it was not a response of his generosity toward the people he had actually taken advantage of it was a response to his desire to honor Jesus for being in his house and the first response of this man has as an act of worship to God was to release his wealth and I think this is where things were sometimes we have a very difficult time with not realizing that our wealth and our worship are connected together that we cannot be generous in love if we're not even generous with our money that they're connected together people who are actually generous of their money are actually generous with love and that if you think you're generous but you're not generous with your resources you're actually lying to yourself because generosity comes from the same place in the soul it affects everything that we possess look Lord here and now here and now I give half my possessions to the poor if I have cheated anyone edit of anything I will give back four times the amount he was doing this because he now had found the love and acceptance of Jesus in his life what is your response to God see if love is gonna build this the love has to motivate us it's love that must drive us together my vision for the future is that our decisions would be made out of love that our generosity would be an expression of love that our future would be painted by love and I and I've made a shift in my own mind because I realized when I came to Los Angeles I was still well-known nomad I still had this nomadic mentality and so I feel I really fit LA cuz LA is all these nomads passing through you've seen him right you knew them last year but they're gone you met him last month but he's gone you met her three months ago you thought you're gonna do life with her but she's gone people just passing through see one of the things with LA is that la is a river not an ocean and we're trying to build something as if it were an ocean but it's a river but what we need to do is we need to build an ocean in the middle of the river we need to realize are people just passing through and I was one of them and that's one of the reasons people have asked me some of our senior adults have said why did you never lead us to build anything I asked that as a noble thing because I didn't want to spending our money on material things you can't live life without spending money on material things all we be running naked in the woods and that would be awkward and I certainly wouldn't be standing on the stage you know why I haven't built something why haven't led us to build something because I had the same mentality before I was marriage and I brought it to pastoring a church but if we don't shift our minds and build something for the future we will not leave a legacy for the generations to come and it will be on us that one day Los Angeles does not have a powerful vibrant meaningful relevant expression of the church in LA because we are here and this is our moment and Sookie has responded immediately and that needs to be our response I have a few graphs what you look at with me just real quickly just so you can kind of get a sense our breakdown for 218 these are our goals for next year we're gonna we're gonna take this city by storm and our goal for foundation Sunday that's coming on December the 10th it's gonna be inside all the totals up there 1.25 million dollars I think it is or 1.2 somewhere I got a million dollars we're gonna raise a half a million dollars so Hollywood we don't know how long wouldn't have this property but I think we need to start posture yourself to buy this property see I think when you are praying to own this we're gonna engage the people who owners are talking to them I mean maybe they're getting exhausted trying to develop this property and God is gonna wear them down so we can afford it but we need to get ourselves through the financial strength to be able to actually own this property some of you don't know this but it was me and one person having a cup of coffee that paid for this property for the first three years one person made it possible for us to be here for three years now we're six years into it and we still haven't gotten to the place where we can afford it so we have to start taking stewardship there is a time where things are in trust to us and we need to take ownership we're gonna buy this place we need to step in and own it before we own it so we need to raise a half a million dollars on December 10th for Hollywood we need raise $400,000 for South Pasadena to begin the renovation process of Rialto through basic stuff like having sound and lights and hopefully air conditioning over there Venice we're gonna raise $200,000 for Venice there has never been an effectively powerful Church in that region of our city I mean it's amazing when we had 300 people at an event event we got contacted going how did you grow it so fast we've been trying we've been trying this for a decade and hasn't been successful we need to realize that God has given us the ability to grow in the middle of a community of people who do not know God and very few people have that ability but that's in the sense what God has entrusted us with we have Whittier we're to focus on Whittier that thing's going to grow we're gonna invest a hundred thousand out there and get that thing's thriving and vibrant and then we're going to launch a Mexico City this year we're gonna raise one hundred thousand somebody add that up one point yeah the reason numbers kept changing it because there's so much more we need to do I want you to look at this go to the slide that says change lives this is why we need to do what we're talking about doing how many people came to faith in 2017 in two thousand nine hundred and forty six people that means almost three thousand people came to know Jesus here we were baptizing the other day I was baptizing the girl from Tehran Iran who was a Muslim three weeks before and the guy comes up to me and says I was baptized here last year and I was a Buddhist like this is amazing I love this they're just two of the 2946 some of you are part of that 2004 946 and your our proof that mosaic is needed in LA a lot of you know this that this is exactly the kind of community that was needed for you to actually come to faith I'm almost done well kind of all right baptisms we had 324 baptisms last year and then amazing and that's in that number is the 148 people who are spontaneously baptized last month it was incredible last Easter we had eight thousand six hundred and sixty-five people here we can cheer that out come on but you know that means it's it's like you have droughts and then you have rain and the ground cannot absorb the water so we had a tent out there we had people in here we rented the Avalon we had almost 9,000 people in 13 different gatherings and we do not have the infrastructure to absorb those people imagine if we were able to take care of all those people and love them and grow them and build in them we would have 9,000 people right now which I love built this and then we have and we had new givers in 2017 2911 and I want you to know something we had two thousand nine hundred forty six new people coming to faith than we had two thousand one hundred eleven people who gave for the first time and then awesome you can share that you're not sure if you should for that that just means that they gave once so if we gonna plot a little bit but what it also means is that that we need to teach stewardship because it's not enough to simply give once it's become a part of the foundation of this church and so in our foundation giving this is our goal there it is or keep this up and once you see this so our budget for 2018 needs to be right at six million dollars man this week we did some research to see well what would we have to pay in rent if we didn't have this property right here if we just rented the Avalon which is really small one time a week or rented the savin once a week a rented The Wiltern it would literally take our budget away if we had to rent one of those places and didn't have this one this location is an extraordinary opportunity for us and we need to see this as our moment we are in the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and LaBrea and we just seize this moment in this opportunity so our budget for next year needs to be six million and that's skinny I'm telling you that is a no waste budget and I want to see this our average giving right now is 88888 1584 thought wow that's huge and then I saw I needed increase $27,000 weekly and honestly when I saw this a lot $27,000 weekly how in the world are we going to do this you ever had that kind of feeling and then I did a little calculator went oh that's ten dollars per person at Mosaic this is embarrassing I didn't even want to tell you that I'm afraid to me go okay I can do that but but here's the thing what's so ironic about this is we pay $5.00 every Sunday for you to park for free and for us to actually increase our budget to what it needs to be we need $10 so it's like we need you to pay $5 for your parking and $5 to say thank you for God for creating this place to change your life and that's the baseline see the budget is what keeps us moving forward as a community to accomplish everything God has for us but the foundation is what we use to expand God's mission across the city and across this world and so it's through the foundation that we get to move into South Pasadena it's through the foundation that we get to move into Venice it's new foundation we actually get to build this Hollywood site it's to the foundation that we actually launched in Mexico City it's insane for us to do this by the way it was so much easier for us to pull back pare down do less cut things away and let some other church have greater faith greater courage make greater sacrifices be more generous and do what God wants done in the city the question is does God need to raise someone else to do what he's called us to do or are we gonna step up in this moment and create the future that God has invited us together to create but the Kea stood up and said to the Lord look Lord here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor if I have cheated anybody out of anything I will pay back four times the amount the way God builds the church is by changing us he makes us generous he makes us sacrificial he makes us grateful he moves us to honor him and when we honor God we serve people jesus said to him today salvation has come to this house I love that today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a son of Abraham for the Son of man came to seek and save that which is lost see Jesus had a singular mission it was to save the world now I know this is tricky it wasn't to save the planet it was to save humanity it's on us to save the planet but it was Jesus's mission to save us and sometimes we miss this sometimes we try to be so PC and so progressive and you know so above it all that we don't want to say that humans need God that people need Jesus I just haven't bailed I stopped thinking about a year ago or so when I was in Vancouver for tad and they were talking about artificial intelligence and it was the first time I actually saw the the the leaders of Ted really afraid they're so afraid of artificial intelligence so afraid of of robotic consciousness and I understand and they even had someone speak on on an algorithm that would stop artificial intelligence from actually destroying humanity with that nice and no they're working on that well all they're developing artificial intelligence and robotics consciousness they're also trying to figure out how to not get those robots to kill us all I mean I think they should have sold that one first but that's just me but the order maybe is important I guess and here's the dilemma you see how in the world are we gonna get robots to act away humans do not act see that's the mystery of the algorithm is that while we're achieving a level of consciousness we haven't figured out how to keep a level of conscience and what has struck me was the reason we cannot find an algorithm that actually works for artificial intelligence it's because we don't have an algorithm that actually heals the human heart because the only thing that changes is human heart is Jesus and that's why Jesus said I have come to seek and to save that which is lost that's why Jesus the salvation has come to this house today so I want Jesus to say that about mosaic salvation has come to this house I want people to walk into our community and find the life they never thought they could have it to come to know the God that never believed and see I want this to be the place where Los Angeles knows that they belong here this is their home and it's not their responsibility to build this house it is our responsibility to build this house we just want to make it a home for them can you imagine what the future would look like if we began to create a future designed by love what would happen if all of us stepped into this future if all of us carried this same vision together love built this IIIi believe one day we're gonna have a property here in Hollywood maybe it's this one this will be ours man I just can't wait for the day we don't have to live with three parking spaces because we don't even own the building I can't wait for the day we can build this thing out and make it so extraordinary and beautiful and magnetic so that we're not just cleaning up all the poop on the street and on the grass every single week let me tell you people see the way buildings are treated as a reflection of the people who inhabit it this place is a reflection of us and because that it's the reflection of God I can't wait to were able to restore the Rialto Theatre in fact I think we should own the Rialto Theatre I I think we need to begin to have that conversation out there and begin to own that there's a post office that's for sale it's only like 46 million dollars in Santa Monica you know I don't know if that's the right spot but I see I think we need to stop acting like we're transients we need to stop acting like we're nomads we actually need to stop acting like we're poor and we need to start acting like we're the children of the creator of the universe who has all the resources available to himself and so I'm not asking you to give to the foundation today but I'm asking you to do is begin to ask yourself the question do I want to be a part of building this kind of future because you see if this is your home if this is your family if this is your tribe if you are mosaic than this this is our vision this is our moment this is our opportunity and on December 10th I'm gonna believe we're gonna have the greatest day in the history of mosaic the people gonna rise up and give sacrificially and generously and that we find ourselves between this moment that moment with a community that decides to start giving as a part of who they are don't be inspired to give don't pray about giving you don't pray about things God's already told you to do don't hide behind praying start giving you'll never blow God away by how much you sacrifice you'll never give more than God expects so you see the reality is that God does more with us when we entrust more to him man I'm glad I'm alive I'm so grateful to be alive not just so I can stand here and take up space and use some oxygen that someone else could breathe but because there's a future to create and we get to be a part of that man when I'm dead I want people to look back on my life and say love to this how about you let's pray together father I thank you did in this room there are women and men who have placed you as the singular priority of their life you are their first love and God I pray that you would pour into their life greater resources greater wealth I pray God that you would give them companies and profits god I pray that you would trust them because they are trustworthy God I pray that you would raise up the next generation of millionaires and billionaires out of this place so the church would never ever have to want for resources god I pray that we wouldn't have to look outside of the church for their solutions for our future that inside of mosaic you would raise up the future givers I pray God that you would raise the people of wealth you'd say yeah my wealth is God's resource God raised them up even now thank God I also pray that you would not let anyone believe that they cannot make a difference that everyone would know that they have their part that everyone here would know that together we can do what we could never do alone and so god place it on all of our hearts let's build this brick by brick God do that work in us and father I know that there are still those here who've never crossed that line of faith and has never trusted Jesus with their life and God I pray that they would find hope and healing and life here in this house that this would become their home with your heads bowed your eyes closed if you're here you've never trusted Jesus with your life but you want to cross that line of faith today I want to lead you in this simple prayer I want you to pray it to God Jesus I give you my life that's it just one sentence right now if you're here you're ready to let Jesus change you from the inside out if you're ready to receive his forgiveness and his love if you're like Zacchaeus and you've been waiting to see God and for God to see you and this is your moment this is your spot today is your day right now I just want you to pray that prayer Jesus I give you my life right now Jesus I give you my life just pray it the depth of your soul if this is your desire if this is your prayer I want to pray for you right now if you prayed this prayer of Jesus I give you my life I want you right now just to raise your hand and say that's me that's me right now I want to pray for you right now just hold your hand up beautiful beautiful but hold it up don't be embarrassed this is your moment hold it up let me see you beautiful anyone else wonderful just raise it high anyone in the back wonderful beautiful father I pray for those than this moment I've cried out to you said Jesus I give you my life I pray that right now God they would know that you see them that you have received them and that you have given them your life that they belong to you and that you will never leave them or forsake them that your love has captured them I pray God that they would know that they would know that they would know that they're alive and God I pray that together we would create the place the house that love built God made the City point to mosaic wherever we are wherever they are and say love built yes we pray in Jesus name [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hey come on mosaic can we think pastor Erwin for such an incredible message today but don't you love the fact that we have a pastor that is not consumed with inspiring us but challenging us I hope that he inspires you I hope that God spoke to you but I'm so thankful that we get to be led by such an incredible family both pastor Kim and pastor Erwin that propel us forward that move oh come on we can do better than that mosaic come on now so so so here we go vision Sunday the gauntlet has been set the challenge is out there that we know what our marching orders now and so on December 10th that is the day when we're gonna come together where we're gonna bring our resources bring our sacrifice bring our offerings and put it in the hands of God and say God we can trust you with it and we can't wait to see what you do with it so we've got six weeks mosaic six weeks two together to hustle to sacrifice and I can't wait for foundation Sunday on December 10th to see what God is a part of here in this church and today what a beautiful day there's so many hands that were raised so many people that said yes to Jesus for the first time and we want to meet you so that was you and today you raise your hand or maybe you've done it in the last couple weeks we have a special thing it's called the after party it's just for you or who likes to party here in LA right but it's jesus party all right sounds good party but as soon as we exit you're gonna got these back doors you're gonna go to the right we have an area there it's called the Little Theatre now some of our team will be there we've got some snacks in there and then we got a Bible that we want to give you as a gift just to put it in your hands and help you as you start this new journey of faith as you walk with Jesus before you go if that's you after party out the doors to the right we'd love to meet you and the next Sunday we've got baptisms it's baptisms Sunday you can clap for that incredible yeah what a beautiful transition from vision Sunday to baptism Sunday or we get to celebrate the power of new life so that's you and you know you need to be baptized or you're ready to take that next step are you gonna email baptism at Mosaic org or you can come to the back in the area called next step and we love to meet you hey have an incredible rest of your week we love you guys so much we'll see you next Sunday god bless [Applause]

Channel: Mosaic

Views: 6,724

Rating: 4.7849464 out of 5

Keywords: Worship, ErwinMcManus, MosaicMSC, Church, LosAngeles, Faith, Mosaic, Mosaic Church, hillsong, elevationchurch, hillsongunited, lakewoodchurch, citychurch, judahsmith, bethelchurch, Erwin McManus, Mosaic Los Angeles, Battle Ready, The Drive For Greatness, Vision Suday, Love Built This

Id: WKgz7P75Tfw

Length: 68min 49sec (4129 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 06 2017