Pastor Erwin McManus inspires us with this great message from April 22, 2018 as part of our “Best Of” Series. — Many of us long to step into the life Jesus imagined for us. But how do we really do it? First, we must realize that faith is not a moment or merely a one-time decision. Inviting God into our lives is just the starting point. There’s much necessary work needed to move into a spiritual depth. Sometimes we misunderstand what it looks like to step into faith with God but the struggle of faith is not a new struggle!

Asaph shares his struggles in Psalms 73:1-2 “God is truly good to Israel, to those who have pure hearts but I had almost stopped believing this truth. I had almost lost my faith because I was jealous of proud people. I saw wicked people doing well.” We lose our clarity when we focus on what others are doing. As long as we’re looking at others’ journeys and comparing, we’re walking blind.

There will be moments in life that just don’t make sense. Because of this, our faith must be connected to who God is instead of understanding all that God does. There may be days we question if it’s worth it. Like Asaph, we’re human and we have struggles, but when we stay close to Jesus we don’t have to run when crisis comes. We meet God right in the middle of our journey.

“Faith is not connected to what God does. Your faith has to be connected to who God is.”
– Erwin McManus

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“Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose” message by Erwin McManus, previously recorded on April 22, 2018, at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210110

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This future that’s becoming a reality belongs to those who are bold enough to create it. Right now, someone is creating a future for us to live in. The future is not created passively.

The words from Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes help us build the kind of future we long for. Solomon teaches us that we must have a generous spirit to create the greatest impact. We must ask ourselves: are we committed to doing the most good we can? Solomon says in Ecclesiastes chapter 11, “Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.”

Our human portfolio must be diversified because we never know what disaster might come. We must not hesitate to take all of the ground we can. Those who create the future understand what we consume is what will come out of our lives. If we want to exhale courage, we have to inhale it consistently. Love makes us strong, hope makes us resilient and hope transforms our lives. What are we full of right now? We must remember the people who change the world are the ones who decide where and how they will leave their mark.

“The future awaits those with the courage to create it.”

-Erwin McManus

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“The Future Belongs To The Bold” message given by Erwin McManus at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20210103

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There is no doubt that this year has been devastating for so many of us. Job loss has been unprecedented and a sense of lost hope is tangible. Times of such great uncertainty can leave us grabbing onto safety, just struggling to survive. The good news is that God’s promises reach us in our present circumstances today.

Pastor Erwin McManus leads us through Isaiah 61 as He encourages us that God is a God who restores. When we let God inhabit our lives, we begin to see differently. God gives us eyes to see wounds that need healing. He gives us the ability to be healing to what is broken. But first, we have to be willing to be broken. Though our culture fears weakness, we are reminded that God can use the material of our brokenness to create a beautiful future. God wants to fill our imaginations with possibilities in place of our despair because with God-nothing is wasted. There is no question if God has a great future for us. The question is, are we willing to pay the cost to see it come to pass?

“When the world is broken that’s exactly when Jesus becomes undeniable.”

-Erwin McManus

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“Finding Freedom” message given by Erwin McManus at Mosaic Studios.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20201227

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How do we navigate this moment in history through rumors, chaos, and uncertainty? Pastor Erwin McManus invites us to look back as we look forward. Acts chapter 4 lays the foundation of the Church. They had little history with Jesus, and therefore they had to trust.

This is a beautiful parallel to life right now. 2020 has been a year of instability-and this reality is new to us. Nevertheless, we are deciding to trust God and each other. This moment of crisis has compelled our community at Mosaic to be creative and to ask, ‘How do we thrive and make an impact during this time?’ In 2020 we’ve had 4,439 people trust Jesus with their lives. This year our community has decentralized through new technology we’ve had 444,580 people attend Mosaic virtually. We’ve had 278 people became reoccurring givers; 887 different people have chosen to give to Mosaic.

We must step into this moment without fear as they did in Acts. In Luke 4:33 we learn that their giving was motivated by wanting the message of Jesus to be taken to the world. When Jesus is the core of the Church, it is unstoppable. We must remember the Church is here to bring hope to every single person. We must continue to serve and invest. The Church is God’s instrument to bring life, hope, and love to the world.

“Every time we give to the Church we’re establishing a foundation for the future of humanity.”

–Erwin McManus

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“Foundation Weekend” message given by Erwin McManus at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20201108

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Life is a series of choices. So many moments in our lives are reflected by our reactions. The choices we’re aware of are our conscious choices. When we quickly react-that’s a response to an unconscious choice. When we make an unconscious choice, we’re not taking in all of the information. An unconscious choice is a direct reflection of our internal world. It’s a result of information that comes from our character.

The only way to change how we react is by changing the material of our inner world. In Mathew chapter 8:21 when Jesus invites a disciple to follow Him, the response He gets is, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” How many times have we been frustrated with God because he didn’t pick us? Often times we think that God hasn’t chosen us, but in reality God has chosen us first but our response to Him starts with “but first….”

Whenever God is not first on our list he is not on our list. If we want our life to have an alignment with God, we must align our hearts first. Jesus isn’t saying we can’t have our own passions and desires. He is telling us there must be a proper alignment in our pursuit of the good things in our lives. “If God is your first love, your unconscious decisions will move you toward Gods intention.” – Erwin McManus

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“First Up” message given by Erwin McManus at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20201025

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There’s a divide between being a visual learner and an auditable learner. To truly follow Jesus, we need to be good both. The Bible is not trying to heighten our visual reading skills-it’s trying to heighten our auditory skills. We must learn to hear God’s voice clearly so we can identify it. Throughout the Scriptures, there’s an overwhelming theme of the power of God’s voice. We simply cannot navigate the life that God has called us to unless we learn to listen to it well.

When God speaks He creates, and when He creates He brings life. If we want to experience the life that God has for us, we must hear God’s voice. In Hebrews 12:25 it says, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.” Scripture gives us a compass to know what things God would and would not speak. But when we only trust our compass rather than God’s compass, we hit the same obstacles repeatedly.

God is trying to shake us free from things that are holding us down. But the things that God has given us will be unshakable. If we want God’s voice to shape our lives, we need to realize God is always speaking and His voice creates life. We must look forward because God’s voice always calls us forward to a life of freedom initiated by Him.

“Everything in the Scriptures begins with the voice of God and ends with the voice of God.”

-Erwin McManus

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“Hearing God’s Voice” message given by Erwin McManus at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20201004

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In any season of life, it is easy to get lost in what we do not have. More than ever, we get to take hold of what God has given us for the sake of those around us. God is always at work and beauty surrounds us. Do we see it? As a tribe, we believe that we are never limited in our ability to bring hope, love, and faith. Instead of becoming paralyzed by what we have lost, we are choosing to be mobilized by what we’ve gained.

To create momentum as a community, we can use the vehicle of joy. I any situation, there is beauty and wonder to behold. People need to experience the presence of Jesus in us and we can express it through the joy we have in any circumstance. We need to walk so profoundly in the presence of God that wherever we are Jesus is present and undeniable.

Out of Zechariah 8, Pastor Erwin McManus reminds us that nothing can stop us from doing good in the world. We can live lives so profoundly impacted by God that we cannot help but create a rumor of God’s goodness everywhere we go. What if those around us asked to journey with us simply because God’s work in our lives was undeniable? This is the life God has called us to.

“We need to become the rumor of God.” -Erwin McManus

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“The Rumor Of God” message given by Erwin McManus at Mosaic Hollywood.

For more information, visit mosaic.org. © MOSAIC / Erwin McManus. #20200809

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