Mosaic Coffee Break Recap

Coffee Break was created with the purpose of coming alongside and encouraging the women of Mosaic, their girlfriends, neighbors, and co-workers right where they are. Click here to sign up for the next Coffee Break on May 20th.

I had the great privilege of preaching at the first one last week. God gave me a very direct and simple message: YOU ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. And while that message is straightforward, a LOT of truth and challenge came with it. I hope this recap will help you dive deeper into God's truth and promises.

We started the morning off with an exercise: Every woman had a blank card at their table. I reminded them of 2 Corinthians 13:5, do you not realize that Jesus is in you?

Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved... Acts 16:31

If you have given your life to Jesus, then He is in you. That also means GREATNESS is in you.

During the exercise, I asked everyone to write their greatest strength down, and then one by one each woman stood up and declared their greatest strength out loud to the group.

A few of the responses were: I am great at teaching, loving people, encouraging, being a voice for those who have no voice, analyzing and problem solving, being a visionary, practically helping people in their daily lives, listening, giving grace, being compassionate, creative, the list of greatness continued. (It took everything in me not to ugly cry right then and there)

The purpose in doing that exercise was to a.) acknowledge the greatness we poses, and b.) for everyone to see the diversity and uniqueness of our individual gifts. I then posed the question: What incredible things would happen if we collaborated, worked together, and combined those gifts into one purpose?

Lives would be changed, healing would occur, hope would be found. World change would happen. I am going to talk more about this at the end of this post, but friends, please hear me when I say this... The world is messed up, broken, and hurting. We all know that to be true. Don't spend one more day believing the lie that you can't be a solution to the worlds problems. You can.


YOU HAVE UNIQUE ROLE TO PLAY IN THIS WORLD.

I went on to talk about spiritual gifts, unity, and diversity found in 1 Corinthians 12. Here is a link to read the full chapter.

God determines the gifts we have, so we are able to do the works He planned for us in advance. Ephesians 2:10

Friends, not only are we stronger together, but we are meant to complete each other. I know that sounds an awful lot like Jerry Maguire, but I am talking about the real way of completing each other.

Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body... It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together... God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it... every part dependent on every other part... You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! 1 Corinthians 12 MSG

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it. Psalm 139:14

I am having a hard time putting my thoughts into paragraph form, so here are some simple bullet points:

• YOU are one of a kind
• YOU are wonderfully complex
• YOU were created on purpose for a specific purpose
• YOU need to be operating in your gifts
• YOU need to embrace the person God has created you to be
• YOUR life maters

If everyone is playing their role, and we are working together, there won't be any gaps. The needs of the world will be filled.


WHAT ROLE IS GOD ASKING YOU TO FILL?

So practically, what does playing your role mean? It means taking things one step at a time, one day at a time, one act of obedience at a time. What does God want you to do today, and in this season of life? If you don't know, ask.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Matthew 7:7

Maybe He is asking you to...
- call (fill in the name )
- forgive (fill in the name )
- pray for the very first time
- allow yourself to believe that the impossible, is possible
- make a list
- fill out the application
- paint
- take care of your kids and home
- be still, and know that He is God

Playing your role doesn't include just one thing, it includes a vast number of things, remember you are wonderfully complex!

UNITY IS NECESSARY FOR REAL CHANGE

I hope at this point, you are saying "Yes, I am with you!" Well stay with me, because we are going to dig into the challenging part...

Let's look at what the Word says about unity in the Body of Christ. But before we do, take this into your heart.

John 1:16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Grace upon grace, upon grace, upon grace... the point of this is not for you to feel shame, condemned, or "I need to get my crap together." Remember His grace is sufficient and made perfect in your weakness. (man I am preaching to myself today!)

Lets start digging...

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:12-14

Ephesians 4:2-3 says it this way - Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

The AMP version of 1 Peter 3:11 says – Search for peace and seek it eagerly. (Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!) (Stephanie commentary - peace is not passive, it takes action.)

The following things bring unity:
• mercy
• kindness
• humility
• gentleness
• patience
• make allowance for each other’s faults
• forgiveness
• keep yourselves united in the Spirit
• peace
• Above all, love

I don’t know about you guys, but not being offended easily, being quick to forgive, being patient… Eee. These do NOT come easy to me!

Lets keep digging…

James 3:16 says - wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 (that doesn't sound pleasant)

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

How many times in a single day, do we get sucked into the pinterest life, and end up feeling like we’re just not good enough?  It is time to stop that vicious cycle. Lets spend more time in the Word, and less time on Pinterest. Lets spend more time asking God to transform us into the person he wants us to be, and less time on facebook. Lets stop looking into our neighbors yard comparing their bright green grass, to our dying crabgrass (because even if their actual grass is immaculate, trust me they are dealing with their own weeds too!)

So lets recap that section:
• Stop comparing and judging one another
• Accept one another
• Be patient and not be easily offended
• Make peace and forgive

HOW TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE

Everything I just wrote feels impossible to me. I have a pit in my stomach, just thinking about being patient the rest of the day (let alone tomorrow too!) If you feel that way as well, good news lies ahead for us both...

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit. Ephesians 4:3

For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13 (AMP)

God is not asking us to do seemingly impossible things through our own strength. It is HIM working in us! Hallelujah, thank you Lord.

We can stay united with the Spirit by acknowledging and thanking Him in everything, and just being still. That may be one of the hardest things for our culture to do, is to be in an actual quiet place, and just rest. Our lives and world are so busy and loud, how can we expect to hear God's still, quiet voice over all that rumbling? Sweet reader, the best gift you will ever give yourself, is making the time to be in the Bible and learn from Him. It is also where the answers to achieving the impossible are found.

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

If you are a cheerleader, maybe not the high school kind, but encouragement is one of your strengths, then you are going to love this section!

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24

I mean seriously, that sounds like fun to me! This can be very practical stuff... Take care of your friends kids when they need a break (clear throat sound, just kidding, or am I?), take someone a meal, listen, send an encouraging text (or mail a card, yes the kind that requires paper and pen), we simply can not do it all ourselves, so lets fill in the gaps for one another.

When you see gifts being developed in a person, tell them. Call out the goodness that you see in people. Spur one another on in the dreams and desires God has placed in our hearts. Pray for one another and pray TOGETHER!

truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20

Above all of these things… we have to love. The bible says it over and over again… the greatest of these is love. To love God and to love one another. All of those things we just talked about – that is practically living out love.

1 Peter 4:8-11 says - Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised.

This love is FOR YOU today: You are chosen. You were created on purpose, for a purpose. You are dearly loved. xoxo, God

WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT

A LOT of people in the world do not know the truth, that they are dearly loved by God. They don't know what love and belonging feel like. They have never experienced peace that surpassing understanding. They don't have purpose, so they feel lost and insecure.

But you and I can bring them Good News. You and I can tell our neighbors, baristas, and co-workers that they can belong before they believe. We can embrace them as they are, we can love them well, and by sharing our lives with them, they will see Christ's light shining bright through us.

THIS is why it is so important that we earnestly seek God, peace, unity, and love. Because if we are not one with the Father, and if we are not one with each other… The world is going to continue to be lost and hopeless.

John 17:23 says, I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
 
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34-35

Did you catch that? Our love for one another will PROVE to the world. Friends, the world is watching. The world needs us. The world needs us to stand strong together. Who's with me?

Look at this beautiful picture, there are no gaps. This is what happens when we stand strong in the Lord and stand strong together.  WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER!

April Knight, was kind enough to provide this #ScriptureDoodle for Coffee Break, and she made it available for you to download for FREE! Be sure to check out Worship Artist Ministries, where creativity and worship meet.