There is a wonderful truth embedded in John 1:3-4, that God created all things THROUGH Christ, and through that very relational process Life – the light of men – was made IN Him!  Enjoy this profound look at John’s perspective of our Life in Christ as the Son of our Heavenly Father by grace, and enjoy walking in His Spirit of Sonship this week!

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
Subscribe on a different RSS APP (Android users) HERE

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

The new Weekly Teaching on the Gospel of John, episode 1 is right here:

“How Close Are You?”

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_video admin_label=”Video” src=”https://vimeo.com/133613461″ /][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

Prefer the Podcast/Audio version?

Listen HERE
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
Subscribe on a different RSS APP HERE

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

What is “church”?

I recently visited one of San Antonio’s missions – Missione Espada, originally founded in 1690 Northeast of here and in 1731 relocated to the San Antonio river. The missions here were founded as outposts of commerce, evangelism, agriculture, and welfare and much of San Antonio has grown over the centuries, and through several different governments’, around them.

But these buildings are not “church”. The movement and aid they provided isn’t “church”. Despite how we use the word in modern context, the Church is not a person, a performance, a place, or an event.

According to Scripture, we – believers and followers of Jesus Christ – are collectively a “called out” people group known as the Church. We are citizens of a different place living as aliens, pilgrims, and sojourners in the world, but no longer of the world. Our DNA both spritually and culturally is foreign to those we live among.

Here are 7 implications of our being The Church as a people group among others. They’re pretty huge:

1. You are part of something much biegger than yourself, or even your local fellowship.
2. You share an associative identity – identifying with others within the church – that extends thorugh every locale, culture, and history on the planet.
3. You are unified not by society, government, occupation, education, or historical background, but by Christ alone. The Bible says “There is therefore now neither Jew nor Greek,” and their differences culturally and historically are more vast than pretty much anything that separates people of the world today.
4. We have shared culture and paradigm in Christ that transcends all other cutlrues or perspective, including family, antionality, social strata, college or career affiliations, and other association. Jesus said those who follow Him are His mother, brothers, and sisters… making believers a deeper association than even our family!
5. Being called to Christ means being called INTO fellowship with one another. All the “one another” passages in Scripture are with regard to fellow believers, not any other grouping of people. We don’t get called TO Him, without being equally called INTO US as the Church.Let me say that more again more clearly:
   You don’t get Him without them.
6. Every time we approach church as a place or event, we misrepresent something deeply true about ourselves individuall and corporately, and about God and His calling.
7. Religious practice doesn’t impact relationship with God, but relationship with Him changes relationship with each other. Not only so, but relationship with one another is our experience and expression of Him.The relational dynamic of “Church” is infinitely more important than traditiona religious practices.

I’ve often said that you cannot be in greater union with Christ than you are in union with every individual He is in union with.

Think about it – to be one with One, is to one with everyone He is one with.

Wow! Maybe Church – as it’s really meant in Scripture – is a critically big deal for all of us who believe.

And maybe what we’ve made church to be as an event, building, or performance, isn’t that big a deal after all. Those venues can serve the Church, can even belong to the Church and be expression of being the Church.

But you and are the one and only Church. …and I’m glad you are in it with me, and I with you, and Him in us.

{Check out 1st Peter Chapter 2 for a powerful biblical reference to some of these implications. We’ll look in a future post about the purpose of being called as a people group, and then in yet another at the way that purpose is accomplished as a people group.}

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Psalm 148 says, “Praise Him you sun, moon and bright shining stars.”

When you take a photo of a landscape, or smell a flower, or enjoy the chorus of the stars of heaven gleaming in all their glory or embrace the overture of the sunrise and ovation of the birdsong at sunset – they are not shy – they strike a pose, cry out, beam, and proclaim with all the might and grandeur of heaven and earth.

Because they cry out ABOUT God, and they cry out TO God. They speak of His wonder and majesty, His creative force and love for humanity. They announce His power and teach us of His infinite depth, breadth, and scope beyond 10 billion lifetimes of understanding.

The earth and sun and moon and stars and all of creation hold back nothing, because their clamor is not of themselves, but of Him who deserves all the praise and glory and honor.

My friends, today God has not made you worthy to worship Him because you deserve to have your life speak of Him; He has made you worthy to worship – anointed your life by His grace to proclaim His glory – because He warrants the worship.

Join with all of creation today, recognizing His magnificence in all that you see and hear around you from Him – worshiping God with your very life. Father, like the world and heavens around us – let our lives cry out ABOUT you and TO you in all we are and all we do to praise of the glory of your grace!

{ Bright things are on the horizon for Zoe Code Ministries! You’re gonna love it! Spread the message of Christ AS Life and subscribe for updates before the new launch on the blog page from ZoeCode.org ––md. }

Sometimes faith is embracing the distinction between what I don’t have and what I lack. The difference can be life-changing.

In Christ, we lack for nothing, but there are lots of things we don’t have.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

How are we thankful in every circumstance? I can be thankful for what I have been given. I can be thankful for what I will receive. But when I feel lacking – like something necessary is missing – then it’s hard to give thanks. That’s when faith takes hold and God says to me, “There is much you do not possess, but you lack for nothing in Jesus Christ!” In this way, I have all things, in Him, but I do not possess everything; I simply lack for nothing because of the sufficiency of His grace in my life.

Gratitude is born of the joy that we can trust Him Who can provide. He is able and willing and not withholding. If that is our relationship by grace in Christ with our heavenly Father, then we lack for nothing, but overflow with gratitude for what we have, for what we will have, and trust we in fact aren’t lacking anything because of what we don’t have or won’t receive.

Jesus is enough. In Him – and in relationship with God The Provider through Him – we have all things.

This Thanksgiving, let the joy of your relationship with the Father through Christ, and the overflowing “enoughness” of Jesus as your very Life, be cause for celebration in all things – not just in what you do and don’t possess from Him, but for all you will never lack for by grace in Jesus Christ.