It’s Time for Ten Minute Tuesday Teaching (okay, it’s only 8:35)…
it’s a mini message for a miraculous Life in Christ.

This video, “The Good – Puppy Love“, is part 1 of “Good, Better, Best“.   Are we trying to be good enough to get enough, or living from Christ’s righteousness and provision by grace?

Enjoy!

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Soon, we will be sending out occasional updates to let you know about content we think you will love.  It’s not every day, and it’s only when we know you’ll be encouraged and sharpened by what’s been posted.  Don’t miss a post – subscribe today!

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Monday Meditation

“And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” —Matthew 8:2-3

Today there are a thousand obstacles to what you want to get done. There may be a thousand voices telling you you are unacceptable, unworthy, invalid, or insignificant. But as we look to Jesus, presenting ourselves to Him, remember these incredible words: “Jesus, if You will, You can…”

You see, nothing you would do by force of will can you cause to happen. No amount of resolve, effort, ability, or strategy can guarantee your desired outcome for a challenging conversation, a work goal, a difficult circumstance, or any desired outcome. Certainly, God can and does use your effort. He calls us to great opportunity through faithful resolve. But if He doesn’t determine and accomplish what He desires, you have no guarantee of any result. You cannot say that if you will, you can. That is the idolatry of self so pervasive in our culture today and even in the Church. To self determine and accomplish by our great effort or great faith or great religious endeavor is just religious humanism. You cannot be self-determining. You are not sovereign over your own life. Only Jesus is Lord. Nor do you need to be.

The God who loves you and sent His Son for you can and will do great things for you, in you, and through you.

Go to Him who is Your Rest.
Go to Him who is the Lover of Your Soul.
Go to Him who is From Everlasting to Everlasting and knows the end from the beginning.

Because when we know it is only Him who can, He gets all the glory by grace when He does. He loves you. He has accepted you forever. He has given you a place with Him and with all of us for eternity. He has demonstrated how much He cherishes and adores you from eternity past. In Him you are significant, worthy, acceptable, and secure by grace. Go to Him and say:

“Jesus, if You will – whatever You in Your perfect wisdom and love for me determine to do – You can.”

In Philippians Paul assures us of Christ’s work in and through us, saying,

“For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13).

And out of the divine love that is the creative force for all things and that redeems all things and renews all things, Jesus shall stretch out His nail-pierced hand once more toward you and say:

“I will.”

Watch the video here, or hear the audio below…

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Bent Tree invited Mike to share on the topic of prayer and forgiveness in the New Covenant.  Mike addresses how prayer is different for those in Christ, addresses the place of confession & forgiveness in the Life of those already forgiven and adopted in Christ, and gives some language and encouragement in both our perspective of sin in the life of the believer as well as God’s perspective and the condition of our relationship with Him when we sin.  Enjoy!

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

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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!

Listen to the audio version HERE
(where you can also find links to subscribe to the podcast)

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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

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From the Podcast Description:

“Mike Daniel and co-host Wynema Clark discuss the role of the flesh in spiritual growth in the context of Galatians 5:16-25, including the maturing process whereby Christ shows us the lies we’re believing, He gets our attention and persuades us to focus on Him increasingly, He produces fruit as we walk more deliberately in our relationship with Him and His fruit through us becomes useful in others’ lives.”

 

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

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

“How Close Are You?”

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Prefer the Podcast/Audio version?

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

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This is episode ONE from a new weekly teaching from the Gospel of John!

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

Or…  enjoy the “How Close Are You?” video HERE

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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.}

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A wonderful byproduct of the Good News of Christ’s finished work: No activity is significantly better than any other when it comes to knowing and abiding in Christ. Washing dishes and preparing a sermon, driving a car and intellectual conversation – all these serve the dependent, loving, heartfelt soul seeking to know Christ more. 

Seek Him who is fully yours today in all things and enjoy the walk in everything He invites you to along the way.

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