# Belonging House International > Belonging House International is a discipleship community for Christian artists, with weekly teaching, testimonies, and a podcast on faith, art, and calling. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### Welcome URL: https://www.belonging.house/welcome/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T15:22:08.000Z **This is more than a publication.** Belonging House is a movement of artists and creative people. The movement is also a message: **Raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth.** **Fear not God can be trusted.** **Listen to the Lord, and do what he tells you.** For Twenty years our founder, Christ (rhymes with "wrist") John Otto has been writing, teaching, and helping artists and creative people become master copies of Jesus Christ, the Icon of the Father. Our community is now reaching thirty-eight nations. The thread that holds it all together is the Friday email. ### Access all areas By signing up, you'll get access to the full archive of everything that's been published before and everything that's still to come. Your very own private library. **We do not use the email for marketing, and this publication is not subscription driven.** We rely on God to provide and show you that if God can keep Belonging House running, God can help you embrace a full time creative career. We want mature disciples of Jesus Christ becoming servant leaders in every realm of the arts and culture. Our goal is make a way for the coming of Jesus, that the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. ### Fresh content, delivered Stay up to date with new content sent straight to your inbox! No more worrying about whether you missed something because of a pesky algorithm or news feed. **We also create PHYSICAL resources**: books, and a monthly email for those who pray for us or support our community. We are in the process of creating a physical newspaper, *Breathe and Fire*. These are all ways we tell the story of all that God is doing through Belonging House. ### People like us do things like this. Join a community of other readers, artists, and creative people who want to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We are learning to listen to God together, we are pray together, and we share life together. --- ### Become URL: https://www.belonging.house/become/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T15:55:20.000Z Belonging House is committed to helping artists and creative people become disciples of Jesus Christ. We have built a culture around **12 I wills.** I will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and love other people. I will surrender myself to the Holy Spirit, and depend on His supernatural help. I will attend to the Breaking of the Bread and Prayer. I will stay in relationship with others who are passionate about Jesus. I will saturate myself in all of the Bible and allow its story to permeate my story. I will listen to the Lord, and do what He tells me. I will pursue excellence in my craft, and continually choose to grow and learn. I will go low, become a servant, and trust that God will raise me up. I will become more aware of Christ in me, the hope of glory. I will express a life of generosity. I will embrace my vocation as an artist, artisan or creative professional, no matter my medium, knowing that God wants to transform the kingdoms of this world into the Kingdom of our Lord through the arts and creativity. I will live a life of expectation knowing Christ will come again. We ask everyone under the Belonging House Roof to do these simple things: Read the[ daily gospel reading](https://universalis.com/mass.htm?ref=belonging.house) every day, spend time listening to God, [Fast](https://methodistprayer.org/wesleyfast?ref=belonging.house) with us on Fridays, and agree to support[ Belonging House financially](https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org/donate?ref=belonging.house) on a regular basis. If you make this commitment, [you are welcome to join our Mighty Network community. ](https://belonging-house.mn.co/share/HjIDhis2OirTPR6r?utm%5Fsource=manual) We meet together there, and special content and activities are available to those who are part of the community. We also pray together daily, and worship on Sundays. ### Real Mail URL: https://www.belonging.house/real-mail/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T16:06:04.000Z Would you like to get a piece of original artwork in your mailbox every month? After years of dodging the algorithm, we found out that letters with stamps have a big impact. Folks keep this in their Bibles, stick them to the refrigerator, or pin them to bulletin boards. If you would like to receive this card in the mail, sign up below. We do request you commit to praying for Belonging House International, and supporting the community financially as you are able. If you have made the Belonging House Commitment, you are automatically signed up. [Yes, I will support Belonging House](https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org/donate?ref=belonging.house) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/09/prayer-bulletin-1.png) Here is a fine example of what we send out each month. ## Posts ### I will stay URL: https://www.belonging.house/i-will-stay/ Last updated: 2026-09-08T23:08:59.000Z I will stay in relationship 9826 1021 0:00 /1905.214693877551 1× I will stay in relationship with others who are passionate about Jesus. Anyone who has tended a fire knows that sometimes a piece of wood or a coal will fall out of the fire and it will begin to grow dim and it will become cold. The only way to keep this from happening is to poke up a fire and keep it all together. Push it back in and the coal begins to burn again. Of course, the problem is fires are hot. And burning hurts. When you gather a lot of highly sensitive and creative people together, and you begin to see sparks fly and heat created, those highly sensitive and creative people want to flee. And when you flee you begin to cool. Of all the Twelve I wills, this is the one that is the most difficult. Staying in relationship and staying close to other people. I make the joke that "I herd cats." And there is truth in it. And I should know because I am the chief cat. Like Greta Garbo, I just want to be alone. There are many days that I say to Peter, it's not good that I am in ministry, because I hate people. I am very happy sitting in my room reading a book, working on a project, or writing. Writing especially is a solitary exercise. You cannot write in a group, and you cannot write with disruptions or destractions. Most artists and creative people just want to be alone. But being a disciple cannot be done alone. You have to come into relationship. In our readings today we have three examples of this. Ezekiel is told that if he flees from his call to be a prophet the blood of those who need his warning will be on his head. Paul tells us in Romans that our chief debt is to love one another. And Jesus in Matthew give us this familiar passage about confronting others about their sin. I want to briefly unpack this, because it says a lot about the Kingdom. Many people think that Jesus is giving us a series of rules we must follow in order to bring order in the church. I have lived in several Christian communities where people tried to do this as a system. Every time it failed. The Kingdom of God is not a religious club where we follow the rules. Before Jesus tells us about going to someone who has sinned against you, he first tells them about the one sheep who has gone astray. The context is God's unbounded mercy. And then Jesus follows this with the story of the unmerciful servant who refused to forgive another servant after he had an extreme debt forgiven. We can't take these things out of context. The emphasis here, and everywhere is that we are all wandering sheep we are all in need of forgiveness. Blessed are the merciful for you shall obtain mercy. The more love you give the more you will receive. I mentioned last week that most folks in the independent charismatic community believe that church is a fun religious club that you attend in your leiesure time. This is a leisure activity and you do this for fun. And the minute it stops being fun people head toward the door. There is better music and more fun at the one word verb church down the street. I quick "Zest" and now I go to "Verve." Have you been to "Vroom" church? How about "Vibrate." When you run from one ministry to another you will never grow. Growth only comes when you stay in relationship. There are no solitary Christians. Listening to podcasts or reading books will not replace interacting with other people. This is why getting into a fire team is so important. The basic framework is very simple. It is simple on purpose. You meet with one or two other people and you say, what has been your source of consolation and your source of desolation this week? What is your source of gratitude and what is your source of pain this week? And you listen to one another. This isn't group session, this is learning to share life with someone else. And then you go to the Bible together. And you learn to listen to the voice of Jesus. And then you listen for one another, and you talk about what God is saying and you pray. Just like Matthew 18, this isn't a set of rules, this is about developing a relationship with one or two other people. And two things are going to happen. You are going to get annoyed and irritated. Any time you get close to another person they are going to get on your nerves. They are going to have little blind spots that make you crazy. They are going to have habits and beliefs that are obviously wrong to you. And you will discover that if you want to stay in relationship you have to give up the idea that your job is to fix them. And you will also discover things that you really love. And you will discover something really important. Love covers a multitude of sins. You can only find this out if you stay in relationship. You can only find this out if you keep walking with other people. I have been shepherding my herd of cats for a long time. One of the things I have learned is that the ones who have made the biggest changes and the ones who have seen biggest transformation are the ones who stayed in relationship. They stayed. Even when things were hard, or when things were uncomfortable. The point of Matthew 18 is that that if we are humble and in relationship and we come into agreement with one another, there is no power on earth or in heaven that is greater. There is power in finding the lost sheep. There is power in forgiving. There is power in making relationships right, and staying in relationship. We are all in this together, and staying together is the most powerful thing in the Kingdom. I will stay in relationship with others who are passionate about Jesus. ### Free Tiramisu URL: https://www.belonging.house/free-tiramisu/ Last updated: 2026-09-04T10:00:18.000Z It's the end of summer, and I took a few days off. Last weekend our board members Joe and Rachel hung out with me in New York. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/09/IMG_9444.png) And here are some thoughts on my last trip to New York. I Heart New York. Like the big girl with that little tattoo intended to be a beauty mark. More slosh than jiggle. You made me look. I Heart New York. Like the groomed and gorgeous gay couple, in the sweaty subway. Tight, taught, toned and quarrel. Holding their little yorkie named "Killer." I Heart New York. Like those nose rings big and small. They say I am a radical revolutionary upsetting the patriarchy, just like all those pigs and cattle do. I Heart New York. Like the clouds of the devil's lettuce wafting through Hell's Kitchen that gets the Salvation Army Officer high before he reaches Times Square. I Heart New York. Like the Costa Rican Restaurant manager who misses his family and just needed to talk. He is a French teacher, slinging pizzas. Free Tiramisu. I heart New York. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/09/IMG_9437.png) Back to normal next week. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/09/Untitled---March-24--2026-at-07.09.24.png) We meet daily for prayer followed by Holy Communion on Zoom at 7am ET, Midday UK time. Each week the House of Artisans gather at 1:00 ET on the same Zoom link. [Belonging House on Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonging.house) We are a 501(c)(3) organization through the Missionary Church International. You can support Belonging House International here. [Give to Belonging House here.](https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org/?ref=belonging.house) ### I will attend to the Breaking of the Bread URL: https://www.belonging.house/i-will-attend-to-the-breaking-of-the-bread/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T12:50:28.000Z I will attend to the breaking of the bread 83126 0823 0:00 /1603.5265306122449 1× I will attend to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Yesterday I had the great pleasure of spending the day with Rachel and Joe in New York. We mostly talked, walked, and ate. Throughout the day the conversation came back to two things: That Belonging House has worked hard to build a culture. And how do we better communicate that culture to the people we are called to Disciple: Artists and creative people. Often people come to Belonging House because they like my books but then leave because I do not build or strive like they think I should. They leave because they think we are building a "Christian Arts Ministry." We are not. We are an apostolic mission to an unreached people group. And that mission doesn't change the core apostolic message or method. We are called to go into all the world and preach the gospel, discipling artists and creative people and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Most of what we see in Christian arts ministry assumes two things: First, that artists are already disciples and that they are the product of a Christian culture. All you have to do is try to find artists to meet in New York City. You will find lots of communist activist groups, and LBGTQ+++++fellowship groups, but very few groups that really are about art. They are being discipled, just not by Christians. Second, the arts and creative professions are the "frosting" on the cake of life. They are extras that you get to do in your leisure time. Actually, many Christians also believe that Christianity is also a leisure activity, and treat it as such. And because of this, everything is negotiable and no one takes it seriously. I have seen this in the recent church splits in my own and other denominations. If those who uphold orthodox Christianity really believed what they say they believe they would not have given up and rolled over to the woke mob. They would have fought to the death like our mothers and fathers did to preserve the faith once handed to the saints. Instead, they just formed other half hearted religious clubs with people they agree with. Not serious. This is why the culture we are forming in Belonging House International is so important, and why this fall we are going to emphasive the Twelve I Wills. Why making the Belonging House Commitment is critical. And how being in a Fire Team will change your life. We need to strengthen our culture in this mission to the unreached artists and creative people who shape Western culture and civilization. My mentor Kaye Gauder once said, the culture is screaming. Our civilization is in an existential crisis and this is our only hope. So why does this "I will" take me into such heavy territory? Because I will attend to the Breaking of Bread and of Prayer is where the proverbial "rubber meets the road." This "I will" comes from Acts 2:42. And it uses a term that Luke uses twice directly, and infers multiple times in his gospel and the book of Acts. The breaking of the bread. Luke first uses this term in his resurrection account. In Emmaus, Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks, breaks it and gives it to the disciples. In the moment Jesus broke the bread the disciples recognize him and they say "didn't our hearts burn within us as we talked with him along the road, and then we knew him in the breaking of the bread." In Acts 2:42, we get the best description of the best of the first few weeks of the church, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." The New Living Translation mistranslates this to say the had "meals (Lord's supper)." This was not a meal. This was the Eucharist. And in Acts, anytime you see the phrase Broke bread linked to "give thanks" you are seeing a reference to Holy Communion. The word "give thanks" is Eucharistia. Eucharist. So we have a couple things here. We know Jesus in the breaking of the bread. The first Christians devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching, to the breaking of the bread, and the prayers. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. People want revival, and this is how you get it. Let's look at the church one hundred years later. This is from the writings of Justin Martyr. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration. There are several things that I want to point out here. First, this is the earliest description of what happens on a Sunday outside the Bible. We can see the skeleton of the liturgy already in place. The service is Bible preaching prayer and Eucharist. It happens on Sunday. And most interestingly, Justin said that Jesus taught his apostles to do this after he rose from the dead. If you ever wondered what happened in the forty days after the resurrection this is it. And the church did it for almost twenty years before any of the New Testament was written. Jesus taught them to teach about him from the scriptures so that hearts would burn. Then he told them to take bread, give thanks, break it, and feed the multitudes. And they did. And they over time would convert the largest and most powerful empire the world had ever known. Now it's our turn. This "I will" is what makes Belonging House International an apostolic movement. We are not another religious club, or prophetic arts ministry. We are about making artists and creative people into the disciples who can disciple nations. And it begins with attending to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Attend means three things. The American Heritage dictionary says: To be present at. "attended the lecture." To go regularly to. "attended class every Tuesday and Thursday." To accompany as a circumstance or follow as a result. "The speech was attended by wild applause." Webster's says that it also means to consider or give attention to. When I was a child, we were told You are what you eat. So this statement says three things about who are becoming warrior artist disciples. They will be present at the Eucharist. They will regularly participate. They will consider and ponder what this means. In other words, this is about showing up and being part of the Body of Christ, and letting the mystery of this act become something that shapes you and makes you into the Image of Jesus in the earth. Although it is a nice slogan: "that we make master copies of Jesus the Icon of the Father" it is a real thing. That's the idea, that you would be bread and wine for the life of the world. And out of that comes the second part I will pray. Now this one does not require your presence, but it assumes that as you consume the life of Jesus you take on the mission of Jesus. You embrace the mission to pray for the world. Jesus intercedes for us and we participate in that work. That we pray for all leaders, and those in authority. We pray for nations, the world, the church, and those who need our prayers. This is not about you. So as you see, becoming a believer and experiencing the Spirit filled life requires you then make it real. Attend the Breaking of the Bread and the prayers. And when you do this you begin to really come into what it means to be a disciple. I received a testimony from a member of our community this week, and it really touched me. Since communion started recently in the weekday mornings my day is so much more happier and optimistic and I'm healthier. I must be, by faith l have more frequently taken communion than I ever have and I think Jesus is teaching me more so how to honor His blood and body and just seeing it as the Body of Life, Light and Love inside of me. Since communion started I noticed a positive impact in me and my interaction with coworkers. That wasn't coincidence. That's how it is supposed to work. Thank you God. Of course, when you start doing this, you see a pattern that is right there in the book of Acts. You see sparks begin to fly when people get put close together. If you are in a fun religious club that's when you run away and find another. You find ones with better music and people who agree with you and who are nice. Until they are not. We are not a club. So the next I will follows from this one: I will stay in relationship with others. For cats, that might be the hardest one of all. ### Leaving the email machine. URL: https://www.belonging.house/leaving-the-email-machine/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T10:00:53.000Z Thank you for your prayers. Do you dread your email inbox? I have been sending an email every Friday since September 2006. That's more than a thousand emails. Even in 2006 email was still a novelty. Now the email is a form of abuse. Companies sell your email address to anyone who will pay them and then bots start bombarding you with messages you never wanted. At the same time email providers edit and censor emails before you receive them. If they think you are suspicious they can give you a hard bounce. Somehow the sludge gets through when the good stuff is stopped. And you have no idea. And sadly, the consumer Christians are worse than the others. This trend is impacting me and this Friday Email. For two decades we have built an online community around my messages. And it has, until recently, grown organically. For about 18 years I gained 2-5 subscribers a week. Until, as I said, recently. People are sick of emails. There is always a solution, and in a world of AI driven virtual reality, real things matter. Real things you can hold in your hands. In the spring, I stopped emailing the people who pray for me. I decided to take out my sketch book and draw a prayer update. I mailed it to 20 people. With a stamp. I went to a friend's house, and there it was, on the refrigerator. I went to another friend's house and there it was, on the coffee table. Another friend called me, and thanked me. They keep theirs in their Bible. Two months into the project, I added our regular financial supporters. And God started telling people to send me stamps. I never asked. Stamps are the new toilet paper. The mailing list is up to 55 people from 20. And now I found a good printer who can help me out. I am not stopping the Friday email. But I have moved it to our own Domain. https://Belonging.house. Safelist @belonging.house if you don't want to miss an email. If you followed me on Substack, you may have noticed I am no longer there. In September I will talk more about how you can receive the monthly prayer card. There are other changes coming. Listen to the Lord and do what he tells you. Fear not God can be trusted. Become a master copy of Jesus the Icon of the Father. Be real. He Never Fails. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/08/Untitled---March-24--2026-at-07.09.24-1.png) We meet daily for prayer followed by Holy Communion on Zoom at 7am ET, Midday UK time. Each week the House of Artisans gather at 1:00 ET on the same Zoom link. [Belonging House on Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonging.house) We are a 501(c)(3) organization through the Missionary Church International. You can support Belonging House International here. [Give to Belonging House here.](https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org/?ref=belonging.house) ### I Will Surrender: The Twelve I wills. URL: https://www.belonging.house/i-will-surrender-the-twelve-i-wills/ Last updated: 2026-08-23T21:49:15.000Z I will surrender 82326 1531 0:00 /1606.5044897959183 1× I will surrender to the Holy Spirit. After we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart God raised him from the dead, we have to surrender to his plan and purpose for our lives. So many artists and creative people believe that being a Christian means that God is going to use you and you will fulfill your destiny. Yes, you will fulfill your destiny. In the Kingdom your destiny is not about you. It's about Jesus. Too many people think that because they are Christians God is going to help them be successful. Yes, some of you will be successful. And some of you will be called to other things. Success and faithfulness are not the same. Many of us are secular humanists, and we forget that your reward in the Kingdom may or may not be in this life. I would rather have a big reward in eternity than one that will eventually decay away. I would rather be remembered in heaven than here. Today's readings talk about the Key of David. God is going to give to the Messiah the key and no one can open what he shuts and no one can shut what he opens. Hundreds of years after Isaiah spoke these words, an angel appeared to a virgin in Nazareth. And this young woman is told that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her and the power of the most high will come upon her and she will conceive in her womb, and the child to be born will be called Holy. He will be great, and he will rule and reign over the house of his father David. But here is the rub, she had to make a choice. And in that moment, she said: Let it be to me according to your word. The fiat. Everything else, Bethlehem, the water into wine, the feeding the five thousand, the raising of Lazarus, the cross, the resurrection, Pentecost, all the missionaries, moves of God, churches, and all the art, music, buildings, hospitals, schools, and on and on and on, would have never happened, if she had said "no thanks." Sounds a bit inconvenient. Instead, she said "yes." Surrender is the key of David. You cannot be a warrior artist unless you surrender before you go to war. We are promised that we will be victorious, regardless of how things seem to go. But in order to be victorious we have to first surrender to the Holy Spirit and rely on his supernatural help. In other words, if you want to do the impossible, you have to let God lead you into impossible situations, and then God will give you the way out. You have to surrender every step of the way. This is where most people mess up. They will surrender, and then God will give them directions. And then, they run ahead and either use conventional thinking to make it happen, or they try to do it with their own ability or strength. Both will fail. As I said a few weeks ago there is no course called, "Five easy steps to walk on water." Peter walked on the water because Jesus said "It is I, step out on the water." Peter didn't step out on his own, and put himself in danger. He responded to Jesus. And then the miracle happened. Peter only sank when he looked around and began to trust his own resources. He got out half-way between Jesus and the boat. Not too shabby. You try it. Many, many people come to me and they have amazing promises from God. I knew a wonderful woman who had a promise from God to get a house and build a house of prayer. We became friends, because God told her about her house around the time he spoke to me about a house. As I said, she was a wonderful woman and I spoke at her house many times. And a lot of good came out of that friendship. But there was a problem. Instead of waiting on God for the process she ran ahead. She thought she knew how God got people houses. And so she found a house that she thought she could afford. And then she went to the bank and she took out a mortgage. And then about a year later, the housing bubble crashed, and she was underwater (which means her house was worth a lot less than the value of her debt). And then she learned something you learn in professional fundraising (this is not from the Lord, this is from my years of working in fundraising) You cannot raise money for debt. Fundraising to pay off a mortgage is never an option. Nobody will give to that. They will say, you shouldn't have been so stupid to take on the debt if you are a non-profit. (This, by the way, is why a lot of churches are in continual building programs. They build new things to actually pay off old debts, they just never say that part out loud). In the end, she lost the house, lost the house of prayer, and learned a very painful lesson. God's ways are not our ways. God's thoughts are not our thoughts. Listening to the Lord is about getting God's strategies not blessing our strategies. Especially in a time of change and transition, you have to trust God, because conventional wisdom is about what worked a few years ago, not about what works now. Stories like this have been a blessing to me, because my methods are a bit unconventional. When I see the wreckage of people who tried to do it the "right way" it is a reminder to me to stay the course. We are debt free. We have continual, very slow, growth. When my friend was losing her house, she said something beautiful. She said she learned that "she was a house of prayer." She was a house of prayer. It was never about a building. It was about her heart. And we pray for a house. That house is the House of David. And we are focused on New York City in the next season. I have asked people not to pray or give me words about houses and property for the time being. Because people get into "group think" and they think we need a building. Yes, a building would be helpful at many levels. But our house is bigger and we cannot get caught up in the momentum that a building gives. There are a dozen abandoned churches that I have now found in New York City. Several are falling to ruin, because they are on the historic register and they cannot be repurposed. It's a reminder that we need to surrender. We have to ask a question. What is it that you want Holy Spirit? Knowledge is a form of false faith. We have to surrender to the Holy Spirit and rely on his supernatural help. This is the solution for every problem. There is always a solution. And many of you are very gifted and talented and many of you are under employed, or not doing what you think God wants you to do. The only way to get to where you need to go is to listen to God, and then surrender to that word, and let him show you how to carry it out. Surrender. Next week I will attend to the Breaking of Bread and of prayer. I will believe and Love. I will surrender and depend. I will attend. I will stay. I will saturate and allow. I will listen and do. I will pursue and continually choose. I will go low and trust. I will become. I will express. I will embrace. I will live. ### Are you feeling gooey? URL: https://www.belonging.house/are-you-feeling-gooey/ Last updated: 2026-08-21T10:00:26.000Z Feeling ooey-gooey? That's the feeling of **transition.** And by the way, thanks for praying for me and Belonging House. Many people around me are going through big changes. That means leaving the safe and the comfortable behind. And walking out toward something that isn't there yet. Moving is like that. So is growing. And so is healing. We have prayed for hundreds of people who have been set free from trauma. This week I prayed for a man who had a back problem. When I prayed, I felt the knot move and he was healed. In that moment the trick is to act like the pain is gone. The same is true for trauma. Eventually you have to learn to live like a healthy, non-traumatized person. The old is gone, and the new has come. The past year has been a year of transition, and there have been many days where I had to accept that I can't go to the corner pub and have a pint with my friends, or go out for Indian in Angel Market, or walk through the V&A to clear my thinking. **I had to stop looking back.** The first step toward the new thing is turning from the old. **You cannot hear the New Sound** **when you are singing an old song.** You have to surrender, and you have to trust that in the grey fog of the future, the Lord who is already there-- is already there. **Fear not, God can be trusted.** **Really.** As you have seen, this email is coming from another domain, belonging.house. Please make sure this is marked safe in your emails. We are 100 subscribers away from 1000, and God has promised that would be an important milestone. **Thanks for reading,** and giving me a moment of your precious time in a day when many people are abusing the email inbox. You can read all my writing at [https://belonging.house](https://belonging.house/?ref=belonging.house) He Never Fails, Christ We meet daily for prayer followed by Holy Communion on Zoom at 7am ET, Midday UK time. Each week the House of Artisans gather at 1:00 ET on the same Zoom link. [Belonging House on Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonging.house) We are a 501(c)(3) organization through the Missionary Church International. You can support Belonging House International here. [Give to Belonging House here.](https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org/?ref=belonging.house) ### I will believe. URL: https://www.belonging.house/i-will-believe/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T15:56:19.000Z I will believe 81826 1132 0:00 /1802.684081632653 1× I will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and love other people. I will surrender myself to the Holy Spirit, and depend on His supernatural help. I will attend to the Breaking of the Bread and Prayer. I will stay in relationship with others who are passionate about Jesus. I will saturate myself in all of the Bible and allow its story to permeate my story. I will listen to the Lord, and do what He tells me. I will pursue excellence in my craft, and continually choose to grow and learn. I will go low, become a servant, and trust that God will raise me up. I will become more aware of Christ in me, the hope of glory. I will express a life of generosity. I will embrace my vocation as an artist, artisan or creative professional, no matter my medium, knowing that God wants to transform the kingdoms of this world into the Kingdom of our Lord through the arts and creativity. I will live a life of expectation knowing Christ will come again. I will Believe. In this season of celebrating our twentieth year I am going to begin a series on the Twelve I wills of Belonging House. And the first of these is I will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and love other people. This is the only commandment in the New Testament. Believe on the Lord Jesus and love people. I will believe. In today's gospel we are celebrating the moment when Elizabeth meets Mary. And Elizabeth says things that would become of the prayer of the church. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And then Elizabeth says something astounding. Blessed is she who believed that the word of the Lord would be fulfilled. Blessed is she who believed. We are going to unpack this because this word believed is a version of one of the most important greek words in the New Testament Pisteuo. It's one of the most used words in the New Testament. 244 times. John 3:22-23 says something profound. In the Kingdom and the New Covenant, the commandments of God are not burdensome. They are simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and love one another. The first of the twelve I wills is almost a direct quote of John 3:23. I will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and love other people. This is the foundation. The first chapter of Luke contrasts two eras, two covenants against one another through two people. We have an old man who is standing at the altar of incense in the temple. The old covenant is one of standing before God and doing something. And the angel Gabriel appears to him and gives him a promise. This old priest is about to become the father of the last of the Old Testament prophets. And the old man does not believe. So God strikes him dumb and he cannot speak. And that baby is born, with supernatural help, but it is still a natural birth. The New Covenant begins with a virgin girl And she also receives a promise that she will conceive in her womb a son and he will be great and he will rule over the house of his father David. And he will be holy. And believed. And out of her mouth comes a song of praise. It took me a long time to understand this. I was educated into the world of religious professionals. A lot of people in church structures are bureaucrats, not believers. You know how the world works, you know how people behave, and you know how to manipulate people to get them to do things they do not want to do for you. God first called me to live by faith in 1997. I did believe and I tried it for six weeks. There was one notable thing that happened during that time. I hit something on the side of the road with my tire, and I got a flat tire. There was a visible hole in the side of the tire. I put my finger into the hole, prayed, and asked God to seal the hole. Now you could see the hole, it was visible. Then I pumped up the tire and it held. I drove on that tire for almost a month. With a visible hole. My pastor and the leadership of our church stopped me. They thought I was mentally ill. After I stopped living by faith and obeying my pastor, the tire went flat. A few years later I heard the call again, and I sorta believed. My pastor stopped me a second time and that produced the crash I often refer to. And then it happened a third time in 2006. That third time I did not believe, but I obeyed. I lived a few years doing what God said, even though inside I did not believe. As you can imagine obeying without believing caused me a lot of anxiety. And there was only one way to reconnect my head and my heart, and connect believing with doing. God had to put me in increasingly impossible situations. As you may know there was a season when I slept in a different bed for months, and many days I didn't know where my bed was going to be until late in the afternoon. That was strong medicine. It helped my unbelief. Now, after a lot of years, I go when and where God says, and I trust that what I need will be there when I get there. Thank you God. The trick of course, is to know when God really is talking to you. This is why we work so hard to teach people how to hear God and grow in mature faith. You can always tell when people have been shaped by charismatic prophetic culture. They think every imagination of their heart is a revelation from God and prophecy is treated like a form of entertainment. This produces two things: weirder and weirder prophetic words, and words that either cannot be put into practice or misinterpretations of the words. The Kingdom of God is simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and love other people. If God is going to give you a word you need to take it slow and steady, listen not be quick to interpret and then ask how it needs to be carried out. It will always be for the glory of Jesus and the good of other people. If it does not do those two things it is not a word from the Lord. This is why I am so careful about teaching people how to know the voice of God. It is much easier to believe when you are hearing God with other people and learning how to walk it out. God is not weird. But God will ask you to do unusual things. And of course the most unusual is when God tells a virgin she is about to have a baby. And blessed is she who believed. Often we meet people who think that God is giving them a word and it is their responsibility to make the word happen. No, your responsibility is to believe. Yes Lord I am going to act like what you said is going to happen. I am going to choose to do what you say and believe it will work out. I am not going to take your word and fit it into my own thinking. This is how we get distortions. You can always figure out if someone is processing things this way. We sometimes call this a religious spirit, but it is simply human beings trying to make what God said happen using human methods. They will be the people who always somewhat miss the mark. And often what they do is bigger and more expensive and harder to do than what God is asking. And this is why we begin with I will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and love other people. This is where the New Covenant begins. This is where discipleship for artists and creative people begin, and this is where faith begins. But it is impossible in your own strength. It is impossible. That is why next week we will talk about the second I will. I will surrender to the Holy Spirit, and rely on his supernatural help. I will believe and Love. I will surrender and depend. I will attend. I will stay. I will saturate and allow. I will listen and do. I will pursue and continually choose. I will go low and trust. I will become. I will express. I will embrace. I will live. ### Never Quit. 20 years. URL: https://www.belonging.house/never-quit-20-years/ Last updated: 2026-08-14T10:00:30.000Z Thank you for your prayers. It was my birthday. I was very depressed. A friend said "Let's go for a ride." We went out into the countryside, and came upon a gothic church in the middle of Ohio. I went in. And I had an encounter with God. It was the follow up to my encounter with an angel a month earlier. And that encounter became Belonging House International. I wish I could say it was all happily every after. It wasn't. It was challenging. About every six months I bump up against the ministry machine. "What do you mean you don't raise money?' "How is this supposed to grow when you aren't online?" "All you need is someone to show you how it's done." I know how it's done. Once upon a time it was my job. Big conferences, four times a year, fundraising and marketing for the American Red Cross and the United Way and a few non-profits. I know how to shake people down for money and how to build a ministry machine. I did it. Many people do not understand that when you meet Jesus and hear him and get a taste of heaven it ruins you for everything else. And when you get a taste of freedom, you want more. You will take any risk, and go down any path, to follow the One who wants you to be completely free, and completely his. Jesus wants to be your friend. Thanks for letting me show you how I became his friend. The stuff I teach works. This Sunday we will be celebrating Twenty-years on Zoom. Thanks be to God. He Never Fails, Christ #### Get connected You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org. The Daily Prayer Furnace meets at 7am ET on Zoom. [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonging.house) The House of Artisans meets on Sunday at 1pm ET on Zoom. ### No Easy Steps to Walk on Water URL: https://www.belonging.house/no-easy-steps-to-walk-on-water/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:23:09.000Z Called to the Chaos 81126 0924 0:00 /1844.2710204081632 1× This week I managed to delete my manuscript. There is no text to accompany the audio. Thanks for listening to our weekly messages. We meet each week on Zoom at 1:00pm ET. [House of Artisans on Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonging.house) You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Thank you. URL: https://www.belonging.house/thank-you/ Last updated: 2026-08-07T10:00:29.000Z Thank you for your prayers. Wow. Last week I asked for your help. Send me an email that said "Fear not." It wasn't a gimmick. It was a way to overcome the problem of my emails not being delivered. I was hoping I would get about a hundred replies. **I lost count at 100.** When you do something a long time, you forget that there are people out there reading, listening, paying attention, and most importantly, following your lead. **I was pretty humbled and moved** **by the response.** Over the summer of 2006 God cemented a call to raise up an army of artists who would make a way for the coming of the Lord. I've been swimming against the flow for twenty years. We were going to have a big celebration. I decided it was better to celebration this anniversary by recommitting to my call. No networking, no fundraising, no ministry building. Listening to God and doing what he tells me. **Retuning** to the voice of God. Ten years ago, we celebrated that God provided all of our toilet paper for ten years. Yes, that really happened, and I lost count at 500 rolls. This year We are celebrating that we have gone from **toilet paper** **to the nations.** And there are many artists and creative people who are learning that God can be trusted. We are learning together that you don't have to get it perfect, or do it all right. All you have to do is keep going and celebrate that God is moving you more and more into your truest self. God is calling you to be a master copy of Jesus the Icon of the Father. And if you set off on that adventure God is going to get you to your destination. Thanks for being part of this story. I am still working out some of the kinks in the new platform. I received many complaints about how many emails Substack was sending. I have gone back to one email a week, just the Friday email. **If you want to read the Sunday messages,** **they are posted on belonging.house** on Mondays. You can also listen wherever podcasts are found. Just search Belonging House Fellowship. We will be celebrating our anniversary on Sunday August 16 during the Sunday House of Artisans (that's 1pm ET, 6pm UK) meeting, on[ Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonging.house) This is a change from my earlier announcement. He Never Fails. Christ [You can support Belonging House here.](https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org/?ref=belonging.house) ### You Give Them Something to Eat URL: https://www.belonging.house/you-give-them-something-to-eat/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T13:33:58.000Z You give them something to eat 8326 1105 0:00 /1881.4432653061224 1× Today is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary time. If you have been doing the daily Gospel readings, you know that we are progressing through the Gospel of Matthew during the week, and also on Sundays. We spent the first half of this year in John's gospel, so to shift to Matthew is a bit of an adjustment. Matthew is the first of the three "synoptic gospels." Synoptic is Greek for "one vision" Syn means one optic means vision. The three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, draw from the same source material-- probably oral tradition and familiar stories retold by eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus. They all share familiar phrases and details. Although the first three gospels share the same general form and content, they each emphasize different parts of the ministry of Jesus. The emphasis of Matthew is found in chapter 5, verse 17: Jesus came not to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. And because of this, Matthew's gospel is placed first after the Hebrew Scriptures. Of all the miracles in the gospels, there is one that stands above all the others. Jesus feeding the five thousand. This miracle appears in all four gospels, and is described, except for a few details, nearly word for word in the same way. And the context of the story, following the beheading of John the Baptist, and preceding Jesus walking on the water, is also the same. So this story is very important, as well as where the story happens in the life of Jesus and his ministry. This is a turning point in the ministry of Jesus where his revelation as the Messiah and Incarnate God is intensifying. The forerunner is gone, and now Jesus is manifesting clearly that he is the Messiah. As I have mentioned many times, and I mention in my book Body: Where You Belong, many will say this miracle is important because food was important in a subsistence culture. That is earth bound thinking. This miracle is about the food but it is not about the food. This miracle is bigger than food. Jesus went off to a lonely place because he is grieving the death of John the Baptist. In life John was the forerunner of Jesus, and Jesus knows that John is going to be his forerunner in death. Jesus is going to die. And so he goes off to grieve. Matthew uses word "lonely" throughout this story. A.W. Tozer gave a powerful message in the 1950's entitled "The Saint Must Walk Alone." When Jesus calls you he calls you to his path. And that path is going lead you to lonely places, where you have to step out alone. Many years ago a missionary commented to me that when you Jesus calls you your life is marked by good byes. And so Jesus walks out to a lonely place to process the death of John. There is a problem. Jesus is now a celebrity and Jesus is going around healing people, in a world where there is little to no medical care. Jesus goes to the lonely place, and it doesn't take long for the crowds to find him. In the old days when I worked in healing ministry, I saw how the crowds would pull on the clothes of people who had healing gifts, and press on them. And these folks would have to be ushered in and out of conferences to protect them from the crowds. Several of these evangelists had teams of bouncers. This is exactly what was happening to Jesus. And Jesus looks out on the crowds, and he has compassion on them. They are like sheep without a shepherd. And in his grief stricken state, he heals the sick and teaches them almost to nightfall. And Jesus sees them and realizes that no one has had any dinner. Think about this. Jesus is concerned that they have not eaten. It is not about him. It is not about his ministry. His bouncers the disciples, come to him and ask him to send them away. They were thinking "Jesus, you need a break, you came out here to be alone and grieve, and now you have to feed all these needy people. Send them away to go find food." The truth is, there wasn't any place to send them. This is a lonely place. And if Jesus had sent them away they would have been like an invading army to the local villages. It would have caused chaos. The Kingdom is about order. And so Jesus looks at the disciples and he says, "You give them something to eat." When Jesus calls you, several things are going to happen. First, he is going to take you to places you did not expect. Then he is going to ask you to do things that you did not want to do. And then when you do them, you are going to find out that his directions were not about the task, but about something else, and that something else was bigger. It is always bigger. And so the disciples are now given the responsibility of feeding five thousand people with no money, five loves of bread and two fish. Impossible. If you really think about what God asks you to do, you will sit down and cry in despair. Trust me. That's the point. Jesus has called the disciples into something so impossible that the human mind can't even understand it. Jesus never calls you to independence. He always calls you to something so far out of who you are that you are forced to let him be in control, and depend on him for every direction. In 2006 the Lord asked me to not do the prevailing thing: no fundraising, no ministry building, no networking, no vision casting. I was invited to do the impossible, raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. With no money or methods. It took me years just to unlearn all that I learned in ministry. And as I stepped out, I discovered that the Lord could multiply my two fish and five loaves. Jesus sends you into impossible situations so that you will have no choice but to have faith. That is how you learn faith, it really is sink or swim. Matthew's version of this story is just the basic details. No little boy, no conversation about money. Just we have two fish and five loaves. So Jesus has them sit down. This is about rest. The people do not have to do anything to receive the food. Matthew leaves in the details about numbers. Two fish are symbols of being separated from the kingdom of Satan and five loaves represent the mission of the Jewish people through the Torah. And Jesus does what he does in everyone of these retellings. He takes the bread. He blesses the bread. He breaks the bread. He distributes it to the disciples, and then they feed the people. And in the breaking, and in the giving, the bread multiplies. And everyone is fed and is satisfied. This is action is the making of Eucharist. Jesus gives thanks. In Matthew's gospel it says that Jesus "eulogizes" the bread. He speaks a word over it, just as I speak the words of Jesus over the bread. This story is not about the food, but it is about the food. Jesus is saying I have bread that will satisfy you. It is not bread bought with money. It is bought with a higher price. My bread was bought with my blood, and this bread will satisfy. That's why this story is in all the gospels. It is about the heart of the Christian faith, the Eucharist. Where the body is, the birds gather. To quote David Whyte, "People are hungry, and one good word is bread for a thousand." The first Christians understood this at a deep level. I am coming off eight weeks of rest. Wow, it is great to not be on the verge of burnout. During that time I began to ask God to show me every place where I was out of alignment with him. When things start to go sideways, it is good to stop and see where you may have not been walking in obedience and do the last thing God asked you. After Easter the Lord spoke to me about starting a daily Eucharist for the whole community, about getting off Google, the need to prayer walk New York City regularly, and about returning to the simple call to live by faith. Little things had crept in, like Substack being a subscription driven platform. I thought getting off Google would be impossible for many reasons, and I thought that a daily Eucharist was too much work when I was already burning out. It took stepping away to see that I was burned out because I wasn't in alignment with Jesus. So as you know we are now GOOGOO free, and tomorrow after prayer we will be giving thanks, breaking the bread and sharing it. We will discover that there is more than enough at the Father's table. Everyone will eat and we will be satisfied. This community, Belonging House International is a eucharistic one. We are called to be broken bread and poured out wine for the life of the world. No program no strategy and no vision will fulfill this call. The only way to fulfill an impossible mandate is to offer it to Jesus and become like him. Our lives are called to be like his. Surrendered, full of the Holy Spirit, the Word made flesh, and broken and spilled out for others. Last Sunday, after Church I logged out of Google and Youtube for the last time. It is a bit wild to be free. There are a few little bumps, but overall I don't miss it. And on Thursday I went into New York and met Rachel and we prayer walked all over the place. Ironically, whenever God calls me back to simple obedience, I am struck by the loneliness. This is not the American church model. For a season God is going to strip Sunday's down to their essential elements. No canned worship music. You can't learn a new song until you stop singing the old one. God is calling our community to be a prophetic John the Baptist community. God is calling us to stay ahead of the pack and keep going. I've shared what God has called me to in this season. Some of you are in a lonely place and you are looking at the multitude and they are hungry. And Jesus is saying, look in your hands. "What do you have?" You give them something to eat. The only way you can do this is to listen surrender, and do what ever he tells you. All things are possible for those who believe. ### Flatlined. URL: https://www.belonging.house/flatlined/ Last updated: 2026-07-31T14:50:12.000Z Thank you for your prayers. When you have a promise from God you are able to keep going even though difficulties. In 2019 God promised that when the Friday email reached 1000 subscribers, it would launch the momentum we have been praying for: 1 million sanctified, fearless artists. The past few years were very hard. As you can see from the image, the Friday email flatlined for YEARS. And whenever you see a flatline online, that means the algorithm or a bot is working against you. In the hospital a flatline means the patient is dead. I knew my work wasn't dead, something else was going on. Many creative people think they are failing because they seem to have hit a wall. You didn't hit a wall, you are trusting platforms and systems designed to control you or manipulate you. Substack was picking winners and losers. After several attempts to fix things, I gave up. It was very discouraging. In April I nearly quit doing the Friday email. And then I found an old journal, and rediscovered that I have a promise from God. The Friday email seemed dead, but it is the third day, and this email is rising again. I have moved to Ghost, and we now own the platform. If you were a paid subscriber on Substack, thank you. Your subscription has been transferred here. We are returning to our original model, keeping the teaching and resources free. Each month I send out a printed card to our prayer team and those who support us financially. If you want to get this card in the mail, **FIRST CLASS with a STAMP!** then give to Belonging House International. We are also going to be producing a publication six times a year with stories of how God is providing, teaching, and encouraging those who have made the Belonging House Commitment. **Would you mind helping me out?** Would you mind replying to this email with the words "fear not." It will help delivery. We believe teaching artists and creative people is important because when you hear from God, you are given a promise that will keep you going. **Keep going.** He Never Fails, Christ [You can support Belonging House here.](https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org/donate?ref=belonging.house) ### The Normal Manifesto URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-normal-manifesto/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T00:34:23.000Z This is the Manifesto Zuzana Komendova crafted and referred to in her [talk.](https://www.belonging.house/sitting-at-the-feet-of-the-teacher/) It is normal to spend time with the person you love. It is normal to rest. It is normal to enjoy your work. It is normal to be loved and to receive love. It is normal to trust God. It is normal to be in His presence. It is normal not to worry. It is normal to be whole. It is normal to be loved the way you are. It is normal to be joyful. It is normal to be filled by the Holy Spirit. It is normal to be the dwelling place. It is normal to be a place of belonging and welcome. It is normal not to be afraid. It is normal to hear His call and answer it. It is normal to be full of grace. It is normal to love others. It is normal to think like God and to know His thoughts. It is normal to love God. It is normal to enjoy my life. It is normal to love myself. It is normal to see what God is doing. It is normal to see Him doing miracles through me. It is normal to see Him the way He is. It is normal to know who He is intimately. It is normal to bring beauty to desolate places and to see their transformation. It is normal not to be alone. It is normal to be healthy. It is normal to breathe freely. It is normal to be free to choose.It is normal not to conform to the opinions of others of who I am supposed to be. It is normal to be me. It is normal to be fulfilled. It is normal to dream and have desires. It is normal to be free to be who God called me to be. It is normal to stay with God. It is normal to trust God that He takes care of everything. It is normal to hear His voice clearly. It is normal never to be abandoned and lost. It is normal to be constantly with God and feel His love. It is normal to be in an intimate relationship with Him. ### Sitting at the Feet of the Teacher URL: https://www.belonging.house/sitting-at-the-feet-of-the-teacher/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T18:07:50.000Z Zuzana Komendova 72726 1458 0:00 /1554.494693877551 1× This week's message is by Zuzana Komendova. How did embracing a grid shift and embracing a kingdom worldview change my life? How has God impacted me through Belonging House? When I was thinking about my answer to these questions, I realized that I didn't have a single great point I could pinpoint and say: this is it, this is when the change happened. The change in me was gradual. I am definitely a different person than I was 10 years ago, and a great deal of that is thanks to Christ and the Belonging House community — the people I met and prayed with here. As Christ likes to say — context is everything. And it is about not taking Bible verses out of context, but hey - here is mine. Everything for me started with a simple prayer: *Lord, give me a good teacher who will teach me everything.* I prayed that prayer in 2014, finishing my Bachelor's degree in Jewellery and Object Design. That prayer came out of a painful place. I'd just spent four years in a studio under a professor whose relationship with the students was, looking back, an abusive one — I can't count how many of us he made cry through his criticism. I loved the craft itself: discovering silversmithing, working with metal, coming up with concepts and ideas. But the whole culture around "being an artist" at art school felt like an idol. I didn't want to belong to that. And I refused to learn from a person I didn't respect. So I was praying for someone who would teach me silversmithing techniques and the ins and outs of metalcrafting — a man or a woman who would take me under their wing so I could be an apprentice and learn how to make vessels that carry precious content: chalices, patens, tabernacles, or simple vases for flowers. Then in 2015, my father died suddenly, and grief burned through my relationship with God. For almost two years I could barely pray without sobbing. I wanted, badly, to walk away from God — but my life by that time was too woven into His to actually leave. So, although I was in a lot of pain, I decided to stay with God. But our relationship was hurt by my dad's sudden death. **The Old Grid** My grid at that time was full of pride and self-pity. I lived in a victim identity. I was fearful and reactive. And although I was hearing from God, more often than not, I was just hearing myself. And I didn't know how to tell the difference. **God Sends a Teacher, Just Not the One I Expected** Ten years ago, in 2016, while I was writing my Master's thesis (on the Christian visual artist as an agent of new evangelisation, if you want to know), I came across a book called *An Army Arising*. It was one of the best books on discipleship I had read, and I looked up the author, found his newsletter, and signed up for Christ's Friday emails. Then, week after week, for years, those emails spoke directly into whatever I was living through. It was like they'd been written for me specifically. In 2018 I moved from Slovakia to the UK and joined a missionary community. A few months in, one of those Friday emails told the story of a student who'd challenged her professors' behaviour as her final project. I wrote back: *I wish I'd had that kind of courage with my own professor.* Christ replied. He offered to meet and pray with me over Skype — for the healing of that old wound. It surprised me, as I didn't expect that kind of personal involvement from someone with a public profile. So we met, and Christ prayed for me. Then we said goodbye, and I thought that was that. Half a year later, he was teaching on Bezalel in a small Oxfordshire village, and I happened to be free that weekend, so I went. That's where we met in person for the first time. And I felt prompted to start praying for Christ and for Belonging House. So I shared that with him, and he was okay with me praying for him. The teaching was great — I remember the key sentence for me was: "Every calling comes with provision." And I think I remember it so well because Christ, quite randomly as far as I was concerned, felt he should give me some of the money he had received from the teaching he had just given. I was working as a missionary for a small stipend, so I didn't have much money. Although I didn't have any specific expense, that money helped me keep my dignity when I went home on holiday that summer. I am unsure about the exact timeline here, but I got more and more involved with Christ and Belonging House. We met multiple times in London, and then, during the pandemic, I joined Sunday online church, then the prayer group, and other events that Christ organised. Somewhere in all of it, I realised what had actually happened: God had answered my prayer. I was sitting at the feet of a teacher. I just hadn't recognised it at the time, because I was praying for a different kind of teacher. I was learning as I read those Friday emails each week, letting them touch my heart and transform my thinking. Drop by drop. A weekly portion of transformation. Personal meetings have been impactful in a different way — they gave me the opportunity to meet Christ as a whole person, to see how he approaches life and other people, and to notice his culture and his quirks. Then Sunday church and the prayer group especially have become like a discipleship school for me. I get to hear Christ share openly and to witness the way he lives and prays. I can witness how he relies on God in everything, and even in tough seasons, he keeps trusting God to provide everything He has called him to do. **Sitting at the Feet of the Teacher** There's a line from Pope Paul VI, from the encyclical letter *Evangelii Nuntiandi*, that's stayed with me: modern people listen more willingly to witnesses than to teachers — and when they do listen to teachers, it's because the teachers are witnesses first. That's what being part of Belonging House means to me — watching a witness who is also a teacher, and gradually becoming that kind of witness myself. It is not only about hearing informative teaching, but about the incarnation of the message he preaches with his whole life. So I am transformed in a way that I can't help but live it out. An important thing for me is that Christ hasn't had to stop being fully himself to be used by God. He's a middle-aged New Yorker with his own quirks and cultural things, about as different from a thirty-something European woman as you can get. He loves collecting Santa Claus figurines — not because it's holy, just because it's fun. And somehow that's part of the testimony too: incarnation doesn't erase your personality. In God, you become *more* fully who you already are. That gave me permission I didn't know I needed. I don't have to pretend to have it all together, or perform some flat idea of "holiness." I get to be fully myself — full personality, quirks and all — and be transformed at the same time. It is normal to dream and have desires. It is normal to live life to the full. **The Grid Shift** So what changed in my grid? Sitting at the feet of the teacher redefined what is normal to me. A couple of years ago, I wrote the Normal Manifesto — a list of things that are normal in the Kingdom. It has become an expression of the transformation going on in my life. **It is normal to be loved and to receive love. It is normal to be me. It is normal to be in an intimate relationship with God.** I am a daughter of the King. That's my identity. I am no longer a victim of my circumstances, but a beloved child of God. The God of the whole universe wants to have a relationship with me. I can't point to one single moment for this change, as it has been gradual. But somewhere along the way I started realising I'm beautiful in my own way, strong, interesting, genuinely valuable — when there were years in my past I truly hated who I was. **It is normal not to be afraid.** I used to be genuinely afraid of evil — deep in a victim identity, believing I was too weak to resist temptation or fight against sin. I don't live from that perspective anymore. I know now that I can renounce evil and its schemes, and declare God's truth over my own life and over the lives of my beloved ones. **It is normal to rest. It is normal to hear His call and answer it.** I've learnt that it is okay to do just what God is calling me to do, and nothing more. Last year, God called me to lead an Alpha course at my parish. I did, and it was good. Afterward, people tried to pull me into more projects. But God didn't call me to more courses — just to Alpha. Learning to hear the difference between what God is asking of me and what people expect of me — that's new. **It is normal to hear His voice clearly.** Some years ago, I was at a conference when I heard a voice speak a very strong and serious message that I could not ignore, and then I saw an image and heard an interpretation. That word ended up defining years of my life — and it took me a long time to work out what part of it was the enemy, what part was God, and what part was just my own reasoning. But going through the process of discerning it taught me something I couldn't have learned any other way: God is a good Father. He does not wish me evil. I can trust Him. I am learning to discern His voice more and more by letting myself be saturated by Scripture. Last year, I started a small project of recording daily Gospel voiceovers in Slovak for my YouTube channel, and while I started because I wanted to bless people around me, I am sticking with it more than 250 days later because reading Scripture this way changes my heart. **It is normal to trust God that He takes care of everything. It is normal to see what God is doing.** And then there's my friend. He recently had a serious heart attack and he's still in a coma. So Many people are praying for him, for his complete healing. This week, his kidneys started working again. The swelling in his brain has gone down. I realised that I am praying differently than before. I am praying from a place of who I am and who God is, declaring what's good and true over him, and cancelling out anything spoken over him that didn't come from God. I can feel the difference between pleading from a place of fear and desperation, and praying with authority from a place of trusting God. **It is normal not to limit God. It is normal to be in His presence. It is normal to think like God and to know His thoughts.** One of the things I've learned in the prayer group is what "no limits for God" actually means in practice. In prayer, we don't come up with our own plan and ask Him to bless it. Instead, we ask Him how we're actually meant to pray, and how Jesus is praying, so that we can come into agreement with His prayer. For example, we pray for a million sanctified artists, set apart for God and for His Kingdom. Someone could say that's an unrealistic number, that we should aim lower to stay realistic. But in the Kingdom, when God declares something, it comes to life — so that is how we pray. **It is normal to bring beauty to desolate places and to see their transformation.** Bringing beauty to desolate places is becoming the vision behind my actual work now. I work for a company that produces resources for Catholic schools — multimedia presentations that show children they are beloved children of God, that they have great value, and that they can live their lives to the full. All these beautiful, truthful messages are packaged in high-quality content that I am not ashamed to present as Christian — I'm actually proud to share it. I want what I make — my art, my life — to be true and beautiful, rooted in what heaven looks like, not just a reaction to the systems of this world around me. Because how does the world actually transform, if all we do is repeat what we already see? **It is normal to be the dwelling place. It is normal to be a place of belonging and welcome.** Underneath all these changes is something even simpler: I live in Jesus, and Jesus lives in me. Just as Jesus lives in the Father, I live in the Father. I'm not the one making any of this happen. It's about abiding in Him, staying that close, and letting Him shine through, whatever that actually looks like. I am becoming a place of welcome and belonging, first for Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, and then for other people. **It is normal not to be alone.** Or, as Christ puts it in the "I will" statements we commit to as members of Belonging House: I will stay in relationship with others who are passionate about Jesus. Staying in relationship with people isn't optional, but vital, for the transformation that has happened in me over the last ten years. Without the people around me — here or locally — I would have left God at some point in these last ten years, and not come back. So, although no community is perfect, we are going in the same direction, continually asking : Father, what do I do now?" — as we listen to the Lord and do what He tells us. I am not called to follow Jesus in isolation, and neither is any of us. Jesus is coming again soon, and together we are called to live a life of expectation and preparation for His second coming. **Closing** I prayed for a teacher who would teach me a craft. God gave me a teacher who taught me how to listen to the Lord and do what He tells me, how to trust God with my whole life, what is normal in the Kingdom, and how to stop being afraid. I am a daughter of the King — beautiful, and terrifying to the enemy. The vessels I once wanted to make with my own hands — chalices, patens, tabernacles — I am learning to be the vessel myself, as a disciple, and to make disciples too. And those vessels carry the most precious content there has ever been: Jesus. Christ, thank you for letting me sit at your feet all these years — for letting me learn simply by watching how you live, how you pray, how you trust God even in hard seasons, and by how generously you share your words. Thank you for being part of my life. Fear not. God can be trusted. ### How God called me to disciple artists. URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-god-called-me-to-disciple-artists-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T13:41:03.000Z How God called me to disciple artists. 0:00 /200 1× Twenty years ago God interrupted my plans, and I received a call to “raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth.” One day a friend in our community, Murray Hart, showed me this painting, and it represented something akin to the experience I relate in this recording. He created this about three months after the events in this recording. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/316f296b-24a5-4c60-ba29-9f94a8bf893f_1116x1150-heic-3.jpg) Oddly, the resistance to the call has come from the places I least expected. Christian artists and ministry leaders have been the ones who repeatedly tried to get in the way, change direction, and stop doing it. I’m grateful today that we have a growing community of men and women in thirty seven countries. We have a group committed to being disciples, master copies of the Icon of the Father. In August I am making some big changes, and having to make some dramatic shifts in order to over come the algorithm. That’s why I have grown quiet on Substack. Listen to the Lord, and do what he tells you. Fear not God can be trusted. ### What Trees are Growing in Your Forest? URL: https://www.belonging.house/what-trees-are-growing-in-your-forest-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:39:43.000Z What Trees are Growing in Your Forest? 0:00 /200 1× This week we continue a series called “Authentic Voices.” Members of the Belonging House International community are sharing how they embraced a Kingdom worldview, and how Belonging House has changes their lives. Nancy Lane shares a powerful testimony on freedom from trauma and the healing of the sense of being. If you would like to read along, you can follow the autogenerated transcript. ### Jesus Is Alive: The Eucharist and the De-Museumification of Jesus URL: https://www.belonging.house/jesus-is-alive-the-eucharist-and-2/ Last updated: 2026-06-08T12:47:13.000Z Jesus Is Alive: The Eucharist and the De-Museumification of Jesus 0:00 /200 1× This summer I am inviting members of our Belonging House Community to share their authentic voices. This week Rachel “Artist Disciple” shares how four months in Italy caused her to discover the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. What if the way you learned about Jesus made him feel like a painting on a wall — something beautiful to admire from a distance, but not alive, not present, not \*now\*? ### Pentecost: Build a Throne for Jesus, Not a Tower for Yourself URL: https://www.belonging.house/pentecost-build-a-throne-for-jesus/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:38.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Ascension of Jesus is not the end, it's the Point. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-ascension-of-jesus-is-not-the/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:38.000Z The Ascension of Jesus is not the end, it's the Point. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWait in the city until you receive power from on high. Simon Sinek once said that great leaders lead from their "why." I once worked for an art company that gave the staff random directions but never told us what we were doing or why we were doing it. And I recall the directions were always in bits, one task at a time. They never told us what the goal was or why we were doing it. It was very frustrating, and the end goal always suffered because the staff did not know why or what we were doing. Eventually I quit. The Ascension of Jesus is a bit mysterious, and even some of the prayers that are appointed for this day are almost apologetic about the ending of Jesus life on earth. Jesus ascended not to get out of here, but to fully accomplish his mission. His ascension into heaven is just as important as taking on flesh, dying on the cross, and rising from the tomb. Jesus tells us in many places, but most notably in John chapters fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen why he is going to ascend into heaven. He is going away, so that he is no longer limited by the finite restrictions of space and time. He is going away so that we can receive the Holy Spirit. And the disciples are told not to do anything until they receive the Holy Spirit. And this is very important, because the last instructions he gives them are this: “Go into all the world and make disciples baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” You cannot do this job without the Holy Spirit. This is the "why." The Ascension of Jesus is the reason real Christianity works. And we are given evidence that Jesus himself believed the ascension was the whole point of his mission. In Daniel 7: 13 we are given a cryptic vision. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” Throughout his ministry, Jesus refers only to himself as the Son of Man. He is referring to Daniel 7:13. He is the one Daniel saw, and throughout his ministry, Jesus was indicating to us that he is the one who will appear before the Father and he is the one who will receive the nations as his own inheritance. At the beginning of Acts Jesus walks into a cloud, and on the other side he stands before the Ancient of Days. This act of returning to the Father is the ultimate act of victory. Jesus, a man in the flesh, has now entered the realm of the spirit. By being outside time and this created order, he can now be in all places at all times. And because he has lived in this created order, he can rightly judge and understand your human experience. And because Jesus is in the Holy Spirit, and the spirit of Jesus lives in us, by the Holy Spirit we are in him. He is in us. This is the simple but mysterious reason that we are seated with him in heavenly places, and the kingdom of heaven is in our being. It is all by the Person, Presence, and Power of the Holy Spirit. Many Western Christians struggle with this because we have been heavily influenced by Saint Augustine, who did not understand the Holy Spirit. He tried to reconcile his faith with Greek philosophy, and he made the life in the Holy Spirit very hard to understand and impossible to experience. Western Christians ever since got trapped in their heads. He replaced a Person who is living and active and operating with abstract concepts like "grace" and the impersonal bond of love between the Father and Son, and said that your mental agreement is enough. This began the error of trying to define and analyze things that we were created to experience and participate in. And of course, mental agreement and philosophical definitions are not enough, because you cannot experience them. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a vague concept. So Jesus gave the disciples the direction, wait for power from on high. This power was to make disciples. Jesus said, that if he went away, we would be with him. How? He has gone away, and because the same Spirit of God in him is in us, we are with him. Leanne Payne put it beautifully, No matter how sick or broken you are, there is always a place deep inside of you that is whole. That place is where Jesus is. Graham Cooke put it this way: Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit is in you. And if Jesus is in you, then all the things that Jesus is are in you. So, Jesus Christ is the most powerful person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the richest person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the kindest person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the most loving person in the Universe. And on and on. If you need to be kind, you simply say, "Jesus you are in me, and you are kind. I am not kind, so I am going to get out of the way and let you be kind through me." And then the Kindness of God manifests. And if you are in the Kingdom of God, God is going to give you impossible job descriptions. You are not instructed to figure it out, and do it from a worldly perspective, and then ask God to bless it. Everything in the Kingdom of God is about relationship. Jesus did not ascend into heaven to leave us to our own devices. He ascended into heaven so that through the Holy Spirit he could be not only close but inside us. And this is Christianity. You are not a follower of Jesus trying to read the Bible and figure out what would Jesus do. No. You are a little Christ. If you are born again by water and the Holy Spirit, Jesus has now taken residence inside of you. Jesus is abiding in you, and so you can agree with him. And when you do this, you become the temple of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus, if you live a life of surrender to him, will live in you. And so Paul will say the mystery is Christ in you the Hope of glory. He says we have the mind of Christ. He says his power is manifested in our weakness. We are woven into the fabric of the Holy Trinity. All of this is possible because Jesus ascended. This is the victory of the Incarnation, the victory of the cross, and the victory of the Resurrection. Heaven is not off out there. Heaven is here, right now. And all the great saints understood this. Many of those who were wonder workers describe "going up" and then coming down with the grace to heal. Others describe the reality that when you are in Jesus you are bigger on the inside than you are on the outside. And many describe having access to the resources of heaven because they are aware of the presence of Jesus in them. It is this Presence, of Jesus in you, that is the life in the Holy Spirit. Jesus went away, ascended on high, and is now seated with the Father. And because of the Holy Spirit we are seated in him and with him. Our calling is to surrender to this reality, Christ in us. Where he is we shall go. And by the Presence of the Holy Spirit, we are given a foretaste and a pledge of it, now. This reality, and this pledge are not for you and your experience. And this is the most important part. John’s gospel describes the work of the Holy Spirit as a flow of water. Jesus ascended so that the whole world could come into his kingdom. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive this flow and you are not intended to become a pond that keeps getting more, but it never goes out. A pond begins to get stagnant. You are called to become a lake and a river. The life giving flow becomes a source of power just like Niagara Falls. The Falls generate so much power that New York City, Toronto, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Chicago all get power from it. All of this is available when we wait on Jesus and sit with him and learn to let the power flow through us. Waiting on God like the disciples did in the upper room is a ministry of active receiving. You are being welcomed into ministry of the Holy Trinity. And when this happens, you are given power from on high to do great things for God. These great things are what God uses to make disciples. And that’s the point. We are being transformed into the image of Jesus so that we can be Jesus on this earth. And when we do this others are drawn and they too want to be like Jesus. Everyone wants a king like Jesus, and this is how it happens. Wait in the city, until you receive power from on high. --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThanks for reading my work. If it encourages you, share it with others, and consider supporting me at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. Follow the link below to find out more. I have written 12 books of theology for artists, just search my name. Shalom. ### Who is God? URL: https://www.belonging.house/who-is-god/ Last updated: 2026-05-11T14:06:15.000Z Here is a little taste of my recent series at the New England Center for the Arts in Lowell, Massachusetts. ### The Greater Work of Letting Go URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-greater-work-of-letting-go/ Last updated: 2026-05-05T10:25:35.000Z The Greater Work of Letting Go 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday's Gospel lesson ends with a mysterious promise from Jesus. You shall do greater works than I do if I go to my Father. The Season of Easter is structured so that we celebrate the resurrection for three weeks. And then we get a Sunday that focuses on Jesus the Good Shepherd. and after that we have readings that emphasize New Covenant ministry, and the look toward Pentecost. We have what is, essentially, a happy Lent. Instead of fasting we have seven weeks of feasting. Instead of self-denial we have celebration. Instead of a journey to the cross, We move toward anticipation. We are looking forward to Pentecost. The end of the celebration of the Resurrection culminates in the celebration of the Holy Spirit undoing the chaos of Babel and the release of a new Kingdom. This is foreshadowed in the Old Testament feast where the people were instructed from the day of Passover to measure out an omer of grain for fifty days, and count the omer. What happened was a growing container of wheat that would then be presented at the temple and it was a sign of abundant harvest. This offering was a sign of the reality of God's call on Israel to be a Kingdom of Priests to feed the whole world. We have been talking about unreality and reality. Today I want to talk about the reality of ministry in the Kingdom. We have all of these themes in our readings today. And we have the origins of the historic ministry of the church. From the beginning the church had three orders of ministry: episcipous, presbyterous, and diakanous. In modern language, bishops, priests, and deacons. The first word is related to the word shepherd, and was a term used for administrative officials in the Roman empire. The second word is more accurately translated “elder” and it is where we get the tradition of calling the priest of a parish “Father.” This person is the dad of a congregation. And the finally, deacon, which literally means servant. These roles of leadership in the church are different from the five fold ministry. Chaos arises when the Five-fold ministry gifts are confused with the leadership roles from the early church. I have taught at length about the five fold ministry. Those teachings are on Youtube, and I believe they have their own playlist. If you are curious, I encourage you to go there. From today’s readings we are shown three things. First, Saint Peter teaches all of us are called, through our rebirth in the Holy Spirit, to be part of a new nation. This nation is called out. This nation is unusual, or different from all the others. And this nation is going to fulfill the original calling of the nation of Israel. This nation is a Kingdom of Priests. That means, we serve God and we serve others and most importantly, we offer prayer and sacrifice on behalf of the whole world. Periodically I get challenged about the Baptist concept of the priesthood of all believers. This idea is a corruption of what Peter is saying here, and is the belief that everyone has the “power” in the church to be the priest and especially, to interpret scripture. This error has a terrible by-product. Baptists are the most likely churches to split, and they do. The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of order. And as we see in Acts, right from the very beginning, there are men who are set apart, the Twelve, that Jesus made apostles. These leaders were overwhelmed by a church and a community that went from 120 to about five thousand in a few days. Scholars believe that very quickly Christian believers became the majority in the Jewish community. And the apostles had problems. Lots of them. People always say they want to go back to the early church. What they mean are Acts 2:42-27. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. This “kum ba yah” moment lasted about a week. Then the church started to have persecution on the outside and trouble on the inside. Peter confronted two people who lied, and the Holy Spirit killed them. Then the Apostles, in the process of healing people get thrown into prison, an angel frees them they are forced to go before the council. They are set free, but they are flogged. When they get home, after the flogging, they have to do deal with another problem. Jewish believers are discriminating against Greek widows, and not giving them food. Yes, they were withholding food from widows. And poor Peter and the apostles had to answer a bunch of texts and emails from angry Greeks and they couldn’t teach of preach. Let’s all go back to the early church. They solved this problem by looking for the seven most spirit filled men and making them deacons. As Nancy pointed out to me, they were table waiters, and the first martyr was one of these. Stephen. Jesus gives us a vision for the ministry of the church in John 14. Jesus is in the Father. As he tells us many times judge a tree by it’s fruit. Judge him not just by his words, but also by his works. It is okay to judge things by the fruit. These works are what we call ministry. And then Jesus tells the disciples that they are going to do the same works he did, and because he is going to go to the Father they will do greater works. This word here in Greek is like our English Big, bigger, and biggest. Jesus is saying I have done the big works but if I go to the Father you will do the bigger works. More, longer, and substantially greater. If we believe we will do greater works, and we can ask anything in Jesus name and he will do it. This is the first of the six times Jesus says this. The ministry of Jesus begins with one person. It then increases to three, and eventually, 12. Then it increases to 70. And then to 120. And then, after the Resurrection, we are back down to 11. And then after Pentecost, we are into the thousands. And these thousands are marked by signs, wonders, and miracles. A lot of people think the greater works are about more outrageous signs. Jesus is talking about more and greater. If a seed falls to the ground and dies it will yield more fruit. It will yield a hundred fold increase. This only happens when we are in Jesus, and in the Father through the Holy Spirit. And it only happens when we let go. In being in the Holy Spirit, and letting go, we discover God will answer our prayers in ways we cannot imagine. The apostles discovered, just like how cells divide and differentiate in a body, that they had to let go of all the work and release it to others. The Holy Spirit anointed them to pray and preach the word, and the Holy Spirit anointed others to serve the widows. There isn’t a hierarchy here, just like a foot is not better than an ear. This is a body. When I was in London, the Lord began speaking to me about administration. He told me my job is to preach, teach, pray, and write. I was trained in ministry during a low point in church history where leaders were taught that ministry is being a religious CEO. I have to be good at business, corporate leadership, time management, fitness, and have a wife named Hannah who has a side hustle as a Christian YouTube influencer and four sons named Oak, Timber, River, and Stone. It seems like I have spent twenty years unlearning all the ministry stuff, and the past six or so learning my Bible all over again. The demands of our community are growing, and the days of me doing most of it are over. And as I sit with God the Lord says, I am calling you to preach, teach, pray, and write. This week, as I sat with these readings, the Lord started to show me that these greater works were not possible unless Jesus went to the Father. And many of the words on our house cannot happen unless I let go. A few months ago Zuzana prayed that God would send us another priest. Since that prayer, several guys have come to me like Nicodemus at night and shared with me about the call on their lives. We are in the process of figuring out the right way to path for us. We have been praying for business and web support, and it is becoming clear we need to pray for Spirit filled “deacons of web and finance.” Honestly, we need people who won’t try to fit us into the world systems we left. Very few people understand the call to live totally by faith, not carry debt, not do ministry building, and listen to God about everything. Everything, even accounting and social media. Jesus said that if he went to the Father we would do the greater works. Yesterday during our Fire Team training, the Lord showed me how we are at a place of natural expansion, and he will bring the increase, and although the changes will be different they will not be hard. Anytime you do things in the Holy Spirit, there is always a grace that doesn’t happen when you do it in the flesh. Something shifted in the church when they ordained the deacons. The disciples increased greatly, and a number of priests became obedient to the faith. And Stephen began to move in grace and power. The first one to give his life for Jesus was this deacon. ### The Shepherd Creates URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-shepherd-creates/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:39.000Z The Shepherd Creates 0:00 /200 1× This week was a very full week of ministry and travel. If you want to read along, feel free to follow the auto-generated transcript. ### Uncreated Light URL: https://www.belonging.house/uncreated-light/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:39.000Z Uncreated Light 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week we continue our series on coming into Reality. One of my daily prayers is "Lord, help me be in the right place at the right time." Friends know that this is a very good prayer, and the often doors will open for me in unexpected ways. And sometimes, I am just blessed. One of these "right place at the right time" experiences for me was during Covid. I was locked down in London, and lived on Portobello Road in Notting Hill. If you have seen the movie *Notting Hill*, the little bookshop in the movie was at the end of my driveway. It was a very strange time, and of course, Belonging House went through a major change in that year. What we do now was formed because of the lockdown. You can grow and advance in any circumstance. God works in all things for our good. I had several surreal experiences in Europe during that time, like riding a boat down the Siene by myself in Paris. And being allowed into the National Gallery of Art with twenty other people. They let twenty people come in to the gallery every hour, and once you were in you could stay as long as you like. And because of the size of the museum, twenty people in there was like being in it all alone. Much of the time I didn't see another person. So I walked around the museum for a while, but you were not allowed to go everywhere, just where "social distancing" allowed. And so, I found myself in front of Caravaggio's painting of the *Supper at Emmaus*. People are no longer taught how to read a painting. Sometimes, if you know what to look for the artist will tell many stories with the underlying design principles, the angles, and the placement of people. And a real master will throw in a detail that says a big message and many people will miss it, even if the message is right in front of their eyes. The Kingdom of God is like this. Jesus said in Matthew 7:22 that many people would come to him at the end of the age and say to him "Lord, Lord, we did all these great things in your name!" And Jesus said, that he would say "depart from me, for I never knew you." You can do a lot of good things for God and it will look good for a while, but eventually the drift will set in. The spirit of Anti-Christ is the spirit that denies reality. There are a lot of things that look good, that look like Christianity, like healing the sick, feeding the poor, and reforming injustice. But if you do those things without the Jesus as the center, they are not reality. I have been confronted with a lot of church activity lately that doesn't lead to Jesus. The focus is not the king and his kingdom. This will only last for a season, and then the fruitless tree will start to manifest. It gets harder and harder to great things in his name when you are not connected to Jesus. This was the struggle that the two characters in our gospel today are facing. They had followed Jesus and now, it's all over. The wife of one of these two disciples was at the Cross, and she is identified as the sister of the Virgin Mary. So this is a member of Jesus' family. And these two disciples are in shock, and are overcome with the unreality of death. We were never made to die, and so human beings have to navigate grief and we are not equipped. This is why death takes months and years to process. And as they walk a stranger joins the couple and they begin to talk. And Jesus starts asking them questions. Always pay attention when Jesus asks you a question. And then, Jesus begins to confront the unreality that they are living in. They think its all over. They are limited by their experience and they can't possibly think that something new is going to happen. Jesus starts at the beginning of the Bible like we did at the Easter Vigil, and he begins to recount all the stories where he was hiding. He points to all the prophecies about his death and resurrection. And he gently rebukes them for their misunderstanding and lack of faith. Gently, he reminds them that they know not the scriptures and the power of God. And the two disciples beg him to come home with them. We forget that this was the holiday season. This day is a feast to Orthodox Jews, the Sunday after Passover is the feast of the first fruits and they are still in the eight days of Unleavened Bread. And they go in, and the Greek says they were reclined at table, like a Passover Seder. And when Jesus takes the bread and says the blessing, he breaks it. And they eat, and he vanishes. And they say did our hearts not burn with in us while were walking along the road. So many of us are materialists in our thinking. A lot of people think that if you have a logical argument that is enough. Reality in the kingdom is not about information or logic. Left to logic and material experience will lead you astray. Reality is the person of Jesus Christ God in the flesh. Jesus was giving these disciples a supernatural encounter. We would call this an impartation. On Friday I was in Queens, New York because the Lord asked me to go to a conference where John and Carol Arnott were speaking. I don't do conferences anymore, so I knew the Lord must have been in it. And the Lord spoke to me and told me I was going to get an impartation. John Arnott pastored the Toronto renewal that happened in the 1990's. Friday night he told the back story about what happened to their church before Toronto, that they had been seeking God and a move of the Holy Spirit started, and he killed it. And after he did this, he repented and begged God to give him a second chance. Toronto was his second chance. And then John opened the floor to questions. And nobody raised there hand. So I prayed "Lord, what question should I ask?" And the Lord said to ask about stewarding a move of God. He said several things: like you have to move from a one person model of ministry to releasing others. You have guide and pastor people back on the path rather than control them when things start to get unusual. And you have to ask Jesus what to do in every situation. And finally he said, "I guess you just need to listen to the Lord and do what he tells you." I didn't receive prayer, I received wisdom. Thank you Holy Spirit. Jesus walked with them and gave them an inpartation of his living word, and showed them the scriptures and they burned on the inside. They know they were having an encounter but they did not know with what. And so the disciples invited the stranger in. And Jesus does what he does many times in the gospels. Jesus took bread. Jesus gave thanks. Jesus broke the bread. And Jesus gave them the bread. And the breaking of the bread opened their eyes. And they knew him. And they ran to tell the others. Jesus is alive. He has risen as he said. And knew him in the breaking of the bread. So I was standing in front of the painting by Carravagio and I noticed something odd. As a painter you look for the light source and where the light, midtone and shadows belong. And I saw the light on the figures in the painting, but I did not see a light source. I looked and looked in the empty gallery. And eventually my eyes were opened. The light on the faces was an uncreated light coming from the bread. There was not light coming from the bread, but as they looked at the bread there was light on the faces of the figures in the painting. The bread was the source of light. There is a move of the Holy Spirit beginning. God is imparting to us his reality. And this move is going to be marked by several things It is going to be a move of power and heavy weighy, reverential glory. God is bringing his gravitas, and the season of silly is over. The Holy Spirit is breathing on the Word. This is going to be a move of solid Biblical teaching. And finally, God is calling us into his established Kingdom reality. When I was in Akron, I had many conversations with Jesus about what he was doing. And one day I asked Jesus why he made all those people in Toronto laugh. And Jesus said, I wanted to offend people. And then he said, I am about to really offend people. I am going to restore the sacraments to my church. This next move of God is going to be one of order and power. Jesus wants us to know him in the breaking of the bread. The Holy Spirit is moving in our midst, and the days of doing whatever is right in our own eyes are over. God is moving us from the days of the sons of Eli to the Sons of Asaph who ministered before the Lord in order and beauty in holiness. The days of getting a zap from the man of God are over. We have already seen a foretaste of the Lord healing and delivering people in the breaking of the bread. We are going to see Jesus and you are going to receive an impartation of solid transformation as the Holy Spirit meets us. This is the reality of the Kingdom. Next week we are going to talk about moving into our true selves in the voice of God. ### Shalom is reality. URL: https://www.belonging.house/shalom-is-reality/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:40.000Z Shalom is reality. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3051e938-eefa-4e86-a847-92f8764b12e6_1400x1400-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedAlleluia Christ is Risen, the Lord is risen indeed, alleluia. We are eight days into the fifty days between Easter and Pentecost. These days correspond to the Feasts of Passover and Shavuot commanded by God to Moses. God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt and they were saved through the waters of the Red Sea. Fifty days later, God took them to the Mountain of the Lord and they received the Ten Commandments with fire, wind and the sound of a trumpet. Jesus Christ redeemed us through his own blood on the cross, and was raised to life from death. He saved us through the waters of Baptism and on the fiftieth day the Law of God was released into our hearts with Fire, wind, and the sound of many tongues. In these fifty days, seven weeks, I want to talk about coming into reality. Actually, I want to talk about the fake and real, but that doesn't sound very sophisticated and a bit judgey. We are in a world that seems to be becoming more and more fake. We are warned that at the end of the age deception will become so strong that even the elect will be deceived. We have to learn what is real. I began Lent by listening to recordings of Leanne Payne from thirty years ago. Many of the trends that she predicted have now happened. It was a bit chilling to hear her observations come to pass. One of the things that she said stayed with me through Lent. She said again and again that she was grateful that she went to a "real church." And she observed that what was rising around her was not real. Ironically, we have been doing this Sunday church for over six years now. Amazingly, I have been told by other pastors and leaders that it's too bad I don't have a "real church." After getting over the insult, I pressed the person by what they meant. I have been told that a real church has chairs. Real churches have boards of elders who can be called to pray for the sick. Real churches have bands, screens, and smoke machines. Real churches have little plastic cups full of chemicals to imitate grape juice. Real churches have programs. And of course, real churches have buildings. These conversations have been pretty depressing, and reminded me of an Orthodox priest who was a guest speaker at the Emmanual Gospel Center in Boston. The folks in the room began to challenge him about the Blessed Virgin Mary. He looked at them and said, "This is why I stopped working with evangelicals. Ignorance and arrogance are a deadly combination." The culture is screaming because many have embraced an illusion in the place of reality. So over the next few weeks we are going to talk about what is real and what is not real. When I was young I learned a definition of the church that isn't perfect, but it was a good place to start. The Book of Common Prayer says that a church is "wherever the true word of God is preached, and the sacraments are duly administered." When you apply this standard, you start to see a lot of what is happening in a very different light. Six years ago we were reduced to the essentials. Because of physical distance and the limitations of Zoom Go removed all the trappings of "ministry." We have had nothing but the word of God the sacraments and one another. And Jesus reduced things to their essential elements in this episode on the night after the resurrection. Jesus does five things. He enters the room. He says Shalom. He sends them out, He imparts to them the Holy Spirit, and he imparts the ministry of forgiveness. It is very simple. Jesus is resetting reality. First, he appears and he shows them the wounds. The Incarnation is not over. It is transformed. Jesus is the first of those who will have a glorified body. And this body still bears the marks of his death. The Word became flesh. So the first point of reality is this. There is no division between flesh and spirit. God does not reward spiritualizing. And the Incarnation exposes every activity not based in reality. Jesus did not appear as a ghost. A lot of what people call "Christian" is nothing more than mental games designed to make you feel better. And in the end this stuff doesn't work. Jesus Christ went through death and hell and came back, and has the wounds to prove it. And this is one of the keys to reality. Reality is always anchored in this: God became a man, and anything that God did can and will be experienced in your real life. Many Christians do not want to walk through the process that leads to freedom. They want the pain to go away. Jesus Christ endured the pain, and calls us to walk with him through it. And when we do this we come to the next thing Jesus does. He says Shalom. Your Bible says "peace." But I know from the pattern throughout John's gospel that John is translating Jewish thinking into Greek. To a Western thinker Peace is the absence of conflict. It is a futile thing based in unreality. You cannot have real peace whenever you try to over look evil. We are sadly seeing this in the news. The pope wants the bullets to stop flying, but he does not want to face the moral evil that caused forty-seven years of war. It is a fallacy. The Jewish mind thinks differently. Shalom is the presence of order. When you have shalom, you have a right relationship with all of creation. Shalom is not that the hurting stops, but that the healing is happening. Shalom is not the absence of death. Shalom is the presence of life. Shalom is not the end of chaos, but the increase of order. Shalom is not regret over the past, but rather the transformation into the future. Shalom is the ability to be in right relationship. And Shalom is the feeling that everything is okay. Shalom is much more profound than the absence of conflict. That is why there is such a big difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking. A person who is a peacekeeper plays all kinds of games to make other people happy. When someone does this no one is happy. Peacekeeping is trying to stay happy within the old order of sin and death. Peacekeeping is saying if we just pretend that bad people aren't very bad everything will just be okay. Peacekeeping says that "it's all good" and "you be you" and we can all coexist. A peacemaker is very unpopular because peace making demands telling the truth, doing hard things and paying a price. Peace sometimes means as Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, killing the man who is driving a car into a crowd of school children. This is a hard reality. Peace making says that some people are evil, some religions are false, and some ideas are bad. And Jesus did all things and he went through the cross and hell. And when he came out, he was the Truth. He was the Life. He was the way. He brought Shalom. The reason Jesus could say Shalom to the disciples is that he had faced the madman in the car taken the hit in his own body, and overcame. When he rose from the dead he brought shalom with him. He was saying you want to go back to Eden, and pretend that everything is okay, but we are not going back to the Garden we are going to build a city better than the innocence of the Garden. There is going to be order in the earth. Your job is to take this Shalom everywhere. And then Jesus says The Father Sent me. So now I send you. And he breathes on them. This is essential to everything in a real church. The Father never calls us to do something without giving us the ability to do it. Right from the beginning right after the resurrection Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit. Yes, there will be a release at Pentecost, but Jesus is giving them the ability to hear the true word. He is going to be with them for forty days, and he is going to instruct them and he is going to lead them into all truth. And with this Jesus gives them the ministry of reconciliation. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. With Shalom and the Holy Spirit comes moral clarity. Jesus is giving us a cure for sin. Forgiveness. Before this moment, there was no forgiveness of sins. Sin was not forgiven in the old covenant. So for Jesus to rise from the tomb and to say your sins are forgiven and that his servants would also forgive sins was very radical. And out of the forgiveness of sins will come Shalom. So much of what I see and read online is not reality. Jesus brings us into reality and clarity. In order to receive Shalom, you have to receive forgiveness. And if you do not receive forgiveness your sins are retained. And with those sins comes all the outworking of sin: dissension, strife, dis-ease, and that horrible feeling that if you say the wrong thing at any moment, all hell is going to break loose again. It is from this first gift of the resurrection the forgiveness of sins that we can finally walk into the thing we were made for: Shalom. It is the physical reality of his body rising from the grave, the physical reality of his body in our community, the physical reality that the Holy Spirit lives in you, and that you can experience the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that makes it possible for you to forgive and receive forgiveness. That is the power of the Resurrection. So as we end this message Receive the Holy Spirit. If there is anyone you need to forgive today, let's do that. If you need to receive forgiveness receive that. And now breathe in and receive the Holy Spirit. Amen. ### The Future is Real. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-future-is-real/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T16:03:04.000Z **Thank you for your prayers, and for taking the time to read my Friday email.** This week I am departing from the normal blank verse, short email. **Persistence is a powerful thing.** Each Friday,for almost 20 years, I have written an email. I tell the story of all that God is doing in Belonging House. This email began as **a prayer update to six people** who committed to praying for me. Little did I know that short list, started on a free Gmail account, would become a community. Today my email reaches over thirty-five countries. Nineteen years ago I was on the cutting edge of blogging. In the first five years of this adventure, this email went viral several times. My book *An Army Arising* sold roughly 4000 copies because of the Friday email. **I kept showing up, kept telling the story, and things kept growing.** Consistently, this email list grows two to five new subscribers a week. This is not a list of email addresses, **this is a group of men and women** who resonate with what I am saying and doing, and what God is doing through me. **But something changed, and that change was unseen by many people.** Social media began to harness and contol the flow of information, and by 2015 things began to slow. My groundbreaking book *Bezalel: Redeeming a Renegade Creation* sold 400 copies. Very few people back then even knew what an algorithm was, and I was one of the first to begin to figure out that the system changed. **I kept showing up.** And this Friday email kept growing. The open rate continued to hover between 50-60 percent. Around 2018 we ran into trouble with Mailchimp, and I began looking at other email services. **We have tried everything.** In 2019 Constant Contact removed half my subscription list without my permission, and I went from 800 to 400 subscribers in an hour. Email was no longer about communication, it was about commerce. And subscribers were no longer people, they were commodities. Ecommerce has made sending a weekly email more and more difficult. **You are not just an email address, a user, a consumer, or a commodity: you are a person.** And you matter. A few years ago I moved to this Substack. The Friday email continued to grow two to five new subscribers a week. Around 2022 I noticed a troubling pattern. At first I thought it was my imagination. **Every time the subscription list grew past 875, it suddenly dropped back to just below.** If I gained several subscribers on a weekend, and the number went up to 883, the next day I notice that a few people unsubscribed and I was back to 874\. This has happened every week for two years. I know that something odd is happening, because some of my prayer team have been unsubscribed without their knowledge. If you look at the growth chart on my dashboard, there is a straight horizontal line. Some bot is picking winners and losers. **Meanwhile, the culture and tribe I fought to create continues to grow.** People send me pictures of my books with hand made tabs to mark places of reference. Married couples read sections of my books to each other at night before bed. Folks make hand-made booklets of key ideas from my books to give to friends. The platform is getting in the way, and I needed to change. **Recently Substack made changes to their terms and conditions.** If a writer links to an outside website they insert a bit of “kill code” into the link to either send it to a dead page or back to the main platform page. I have had our giving links killed multiple times, and all links to my new book killed. If you do this repeatedly, you can be snuffed out. Substack can remove your subscriber list and your publication for violation of their policies at any time. When this happens, you are done. During Lent I specifically made the future of the Friday email part of my focused prayers. **The future is real, not virtual.** I have made a few decisions about the future. **We moved to Ghost.org. Now we own the platform.** **The Friday email is being sent here.** It will be coming from our domain name belonging.house. When you receive it, whitelist or put it in your “safe list.” As always, we don’t use this for marketing or sales. It helps a lot if you reply, even if you say "thanks." That helps the email services know this is not spam. **I am sending a physical HAND DRAWN prayer update in the mail to those who commit to praying for Belonging House daily.** If you want to receive it, email me directly for more information. Folks have graciously given me stamps to get started! **WE ARE GOING TO PUBLISH A NEWSPAPER!** I want to capture the essence of the community we have built and reach a those called to army of artists. It will give you an opportunity to hear other voices under the Belonging House Roof who have not spent nineteen years building an audience. **This is the time to build something beautiful for God.** **This project is in its seed form, and I am going to need practical help.** My goal is to be the editor in chief, not the managing editor. And in order to make this a viable project, we need at least 250 subscribers, and ideally, 500\. And of course, this will involve a big increase in our budget and will require a staff of people. I am looking at every way possible to keep the cost down, but the quality high. **If you feel like you want to help, let me know.** **The future is real.** Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. He confronted the system of sin and death in the flesh, and he conquered death in the flesh. He sits enthroned in heaven in the flesh, and is returning in the flesh. It’s time to leave the illusion. Thanks so much for being a part of this story. He Never Fails, Christ --- **The Friday emails are always free.** You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org (tax exempt) or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto (not tax exempt). You can also become a paid subscriber. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co **The Daily Prayer Furnace meets each weekday at 7 am ET, Midday UK on Zoom.** The House of Artisans is our Sunday church for churchless artists, and meets at 1pm ET, 6pm UK on Zoom. **All of our public meetings use this Zoom link**: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130 ### Jesus is Risen in You. URL: https://www.belonging.house/jesus-is-risen-in-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:41.000Z Jesus is Risen in You. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe have been in John's Gospel all of Lent. And as you have walked with me you know that we have seen that this book is one of the most complex and multifaceted pieces of literature in the Western world. It is a profound story with layer upon layer of detail. In some ways it is an epic poem. And in tonight's gospel we see a piece of that poetry. Two weeks ago we were standing at another tomb. It was the tomb of Lazarus. And Jesus looked at Martha and declared what we now know: I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me shall never die. And Mary came out from sitting with her relatives and she had come into agreement with the religious spirit that would take Jesus to the cross. And he wept. And now, this same Mary is at the tomb. A different tomb, the tomb of Jesus. And she is weeping. And Jesus looks at her, and says "Why do you weep?" John reverses the script and Jesus is now consoling her for her grief. This is one of the many threads in John, how Mary was redeemed, restored, and now the witness to the Resurrection. And the former prostitute becomes the evangelist to the Apostles. A year ago I was invited to attend the British Commonwealth Prayer Gathering. I have been to a lot of prayer initiatives and events. And like so many, there is a speaker after speaker who confesses the sins of the past, slavery. The colonial system, freemasonry, and endless injustices. There seems to be this belief that if we just confess the right sin, God will save us from the mess that we are in. And after an hour of this, the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London stood up. Of course there was a pause because he was different than all the others. And we wondered what he would say. "You do not understand Christianity." "We are not sinners, and we are not called to constantly dredge up sin. Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and he trampled down death by death, and we are not called to live under sin and death. We are called to go live in the resurrection. You are called to not look at the past. You are called to look to the future, and build something new because you are a new creature." We aren't called to look at the past. We are called to live in the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. As I said yesterday, the work of the cross is complete. And when we pick up our cross and die to our old lives and choose to live a new resurrection life in him, the Holy Spirit, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, gives us life. And that life in us makes it possible to live a new life in this world. And Mary ran to the disciples, and the disciples ran to the world. And their message built a new civilization. Don't look back at the past. Don't look at the blood stained path to the cross. Don't look into the empty tomb and sit in the cold. Let Jesus in you live and that resurrection life can change and transform you from the inside out. Alleluia, Christ is Risen, the Lord is Risen indeed. Alleluia. ### Holy Thursday URL: https://www.belonging.house/holy-thursday/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:41.000Z the first of three days _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Remember URL: https://www.belonging.house/remember-f6e/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:43.000Z Remember 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIn 2012 we began celebrating Passover as a community. In the beginning, it was simply about reconnecting with my own Jewish roots, and also about having another excuse for a party. I wasn’t expecting it to be life transforming, or emotional, or the biggest event of our ministry year. Passover became all of those things, and the Belonging House Seder got bigger and bigger. And I worked very hard for it to stay like family, and Jewish flavored. We didn’t have an educational Christianized Seder. We had dinner, with plates, and napkins, and we used the basic Passover service, called a Haggadah, with a few tweaks. One of the rules about Passover is to invite your non-Jewish friends to participate, so they can hear the story. We were very good at keeping that rule. There are a couple places in the Service where I still become emotional, shed tears, and sometimes have to compose myself. “Our Father Abraham was a wandering Aramean we lived in the land of Haran, and we worshipped idols.” “We were slaves in Egypt, but with an outstretched arm and a mighty hand, Our God brought us out, and now we are free.” and this, “In every generation we must tell the story, and remember, as if we too were slaves in Egypt.” In every generation, we must act as if we were the ones who have been freed. That is what the Bible means, when it says “remember.” Remembering is becoming reconnected to an event in the past, and making it a part of who you are today. In little chapels and churches all over the United States, there are communion tables. And across the front is this inscription: THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. And once a month, usually on the first Sunday of each month, folks gather around these tables to remember Jesus. But mostly, they examine themselves and remember their sin. And it becomes a ritual in reinforcing a false identity. When Jesus said do this in memory of me, he said it in the context of Passover where he and his disciples, were remembering that they too were once slaves in Egypt, but with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm God set them free. Context is everything, and in every generation, the Jews reconnect with their redemption. And Jesus said, My own arm will bring the victory, I have tread the winepress alone, and my garments are red. I have stayed in the belly of the fish three days, and I am triumphant. You are no longer dead in your trespasses and sins but you have died with me and you are now raised and seated with me in heavenly places above all rule and authority. Remembering is not an intellectual exercise. Remembering is being reconnected to your true identity, through a retelling of a story, and an experience around the Table. The mind and the body are connected. The thinking and the doing are one. Jesus redefined and intensified an annual celebration. And from the night in Emmaus until now, every Sunday is Passover. Every Sunday is the day Jesus walked out of the tomb. Remember. Reconnect. Re-enact. Re-experience. You were with him by the cross, and you have heard the good news from Mary. Dying you destroyed our death, Rising you restored our life, Lord Jesus, come in glory. It is really not about you and your sin. Passover and the Eucharist are about Him. As Aristotle said, You become what you repeatedly do. And you become what you focus on. And Jesus knew that you would need to refocus at least once a week, and you would need a constant reminder, and you would not become who you really are, unless you remembered, reconnected, re-enacted, re-experienced, his saving work repeatedly. The Greek mindset puts a barrier between the mental and the physical. You can believe something and it never has to have anything to do with your life. This is why so many Christians think that eating a cracker once a month is enough, because they can think about Jesus anytime. Jesus was Jewish and he knew, your mental capacity is an intrinsic part of your physical life. We are often more spiritual than Jesus. Jesus said, take this bread and eat it, it is my body given for you and when you eat it, eat it and remember— reconnect re-experience re-enact— Me. It is in the doing not the thinking that remembering happens. Passover is a constant reminder to the Jewish people, that they exist, and have been changed, because of the intervention of God, from a wandering tribe, to an enslaved people, and then to a free nation. Eucharist is a constant reminder to the Redeemed Believer that they have been changed, because of the intervention of God, from sinners, to saints, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a new Creation. It is in the doing, that remembering happens. When we come to the end of the Gospels, Jesus says something interesting. “I eagerly long to celebrate this Passover with you.” For three years he has been preaching the message of his Kingdom, and performing signs to point the way to the Kingdom. And in one night, Jesus takes the national holiday of Israel, and he redefines it. His entire ministry is going to culminate in this one act. He takes what was about them, and makes it about Him. He simplifes and amplifies Passover. In a normal Seder there are four cups of wine. There is also a ceremony with three pieces of Matzah— unleavened bread pierced with holes. The seder begins with these three pieces of bread, stacked in the middle of the table. And the second one, the one in the middle, is broken. That broken one is hidden and found. After the meal, the broken one is eaten. And Jesus after the meal takes that broken Matzah and he says: “This is my Body, broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of me.” And he takes the bread, gives thanks, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples. And then he takes the third cup from the service, the cup of Redemption, and he says, “this cup is my Blood of the New Covenant.” Did you get that? God is doing a new thing. And when God does a new thing God makes a covenant. This covenant is being made not with the blood of a bull or a goat. This covenant is being made with blood shed from Jesus. And this cup is the New Covenant. And the sign of the new covenant will be: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses. Jesus is making a covenant with us, and this bread and this wine are the covenant. You can’t separate the covenant from the Eucharist. The early church knew this. That is why Sunday mattered. It was about renewing the covenant, not once a year at the temple but once a week in the Body. Before Jesus went to the Cross he made a covenant, an agreement with you. That agreement was that God would dwell in you, and you would receive a new heart and a new Spirit. You would be his people, and he would be your God. And this would be the sign, He would open their graves. He sealed it with his own body, through death and resurrection, and afterward gave us the Holy Spirit. The covenant was made the night he redefined Passover. And the cross and resurrection sealed it. It wasn’t just a memorial of something in the past. It was a remembering, a reconnecting, and a weekly renewing of that covenant. I still find it amazing that the church existed without a Bible for quite a while. The earliest New Testament books they estimate came twenty years after the church began. And the Bible as a whole really didn’t take the shape we recognize for several centuries. Yes, I said centuries. But we know that the Eucharist came first. It was the breaking of the bread, in Acts, and in the Gospels, and in Paul’s letters. This was a new thing. These folks understood that. It was the last thing Jesus told us to do, on the night before he died. We have lost so much. God made a new Covenant with Israel and all Humanity, and that Covenant is the legal foundation for the Kingdom. And the covenant was bread and wine. And Jesus, even in the New Covenant said he was looking forward: to drinking the last cup of Passover, in the Kingdom, when He comes again. Once you wrap your head around this: that it is all about eating and drinking in the Presence of God, then you see it everywhere in the Bible. It is why God ate with the elders of Israel on the mountain, and didn’t harm them. It is why Melchizedek offered bread and wine. It is why Elijah could live for forty days on one loaf of bread. And David ate the bread of the Presence. This Covenant is about sitting down in the Presence of the Father, and eating together as a new creation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3068a5cf-a4a7-4629-bc5e-d8631431f97f_2250x965-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThanks for reading my message this week. I have moved our Friday email off this platform. This year we will begin publishing resources in print, as well as online. If these messages encourage you, please share them with others. Thanks. ### A Tale of Two Sisters URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-tale-of-two-sisters/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:43.000Z A Tale of Two Sisters 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday I want to share with you the tale of two sisters. John 11 is one of the most familiar stories in the gospels, and many people focus on the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept." Today I will answer the question why did Jesus weep, and also show why this story is where the plot turns toward the cross. We have to look at the details, and in John's gospel there are many details. John wrote his gospel somewhere around twenty years after the other gospels. And his gospel clearly references those other gospels and also "corrects the record." And if you pay attention to the lectionary, you will note that John's gospel is the one that takes precedent over the others, it is the one we read at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. This is the gospel that was held in higher esteem. In the other gospels, we get a sense that the event that sent Jesus to the cross was the cleansing of the temple. That it was about money. John presents another view altogether, a much more profound one. This story opens with Lazarus getting sick. John tells the reader that Lazarus is the brother of Mary, the unnamed woman in the other gospels who wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair. This is a very important detail, because John mentions this before the event happens in his gospel. This one sentence brings the blurry picture of possibly several women and focuses on one woman. We can piece together fragments and form a clear story, that actually explains why Mary is important, why Martha and Lazarus matter and why Jesus was so close to them. Mary once lived in Magdala, and she once had seven demons, and she may have once been a prostitute. And Jesus restored her to her own family. And in this restoration, the family essentially adopted Jesus, out of gratitude. In John, there is always a lot of information in the details. The next really important detail: Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus, so when he found out Lazarus was ill he stayed in the place where he was two days longer. Wait. What? He loved them so he delayed. So Lazarus gets sick and they have to watch him die. And then they have to go to the expense of burying him. This doesn't sound like love. Love is not about your comfort or you avoiding pain. Love is not about you avoiding hard things. Love is about walking into wholeness. And sometimes the path to wholeness will take you through hard things. Jesus then tells his disciples that Lazarus has fallen asleep, so now it is okay to go to see him, to wake him. They don't get it, so Jesus has to say it clearly. And of course, Jesus is in danger, and they have been hiding out in the desert for three months. At Hanukkah the Jews tried to stone him twice, and they have been out where John had been baptizing, just north the dead sea. They know that if Jesus goes near Jerusalem they are going to try to kill him again. And the disciples decide they are going to their deaths with Jesus. Now we come to the tale of two sisters. If you are Jewish it is customary if your father, mother, siblings or grandparents die to sit in shiva for seven days. It is a period of ritual mourning. You do nothing, and people bring you food. So a group of friends and relatives who live in Jerusalem have come to be with Mary and Martha. This is a really big deal, because Lazarus is the man. He owns the property, he makes the money, and without him Mary and Martha will have no future. Whenever John uses the term "Jews" in his gospel he is referring to the relationship between the first Christians and the official rabbinic Jewish authorities. By the time of John's gospel the Christians had been put out of the synagogue. The temple has been destroyed, and the Jewish community is in the process of regrouping around a religious system without a temple. The "Jews" in this sense were people in the Jewish community who rejected Jesus. And John has a living memory of this. It was his lived experience. So the Jews from Jerusalem, über-religious people, had come out to console Mary and Martha. There have been a lot of sermons about the story of Mary and Martha, and they always end up saying "don't be a Martha." I want to set the record straigth. Be a Martha, not a Mary. Martha, the sensible one, comes out to greet Jesus. And Mary sat in the house with all the religious people from Jerusalem who were making her feel better. And in the middle of this real life drama, where people are asking "Why did you let him die?" "God where were you?" "Why did we have to go through this?" "Jesus, when we really needed you you abandoned us." In the midst of this noise and disbelief, Martha says the boldest statement of faith in the New Testament. "If you had been here, my brother would not have died. Even so, I know that whatever you ask God will give you." And Jesus says, "Your brother will live again." And Martha speaks out the belief of most Jews at the time of Jesus. I believe in the resurrection of the dead. And Jesus says. "I am the Resurrection." And in this moment Jesus takes this from a discussion about theology to a call to being in relationship. The resurrection is not a thing. The Resurrection is a Person. The Sabbath is not a day, the Sabbath is a Person. The truth is not a series of statements, the Truth is a Person. Jesus is the center. Jesus is the resurrection. He is the life. He is the source, and that source is from the Holy Spirit in him. And Jesus looks at Martha in the face of all the noise, all the company from out of town, and a sealed tomb, and he says: "Martha, Do you believe?" And Martha proclaims: "Yes, Lord I believe that you are the Christ the son of God, who has come into the world." Martha had faith. It wasn't based in any feelings. In fact her faith took a "back seat" to feelings. And then Martha calls Mary. Mary is sitting in the living room with the box of Kleenex, and her cousins and aunts are bringer her plates of food and they are hugging her and coddling her. And Mary is loving it. Mary who had experienced the real miracle working power of Jesus first hand, has succumbed to her emotions, to the comfort, and the mindset of the people around her. She is listening to the voices all around her from Jerusalem. These are the same people three months earlier, were ready to stone Jesus. And she comes out, and Jesus sees that Mary does not have any faith. She is just like the others. And the others do not see him for who he is. And she is weeping and they are weeping. Martha has just declared the reality of the Kingdom is breaking into a world where sin and death have reigned. Mary has made it all about her. Mary was the lost sheep out on the mountain and Jesus was the shepherd that went out and found her and brought her home to her family and restored them. Mary has forgotten and is aligning with the spiritual forces set up to send him to the cross. He has lost the one he probably loved the best of all the ones he healed and delivered. And he wept. It wasn't about Lazarus. It was about Mary. And he is grieved and moved, not over a dead man. He already said that Lazarus is going to rise. He is weeping because the stage is being set for the crucifixion. Mary's state was the first of the many betrayals he was going to experience. Those dear friends of Mary and Martha run off with lots of news, gossip, about Jesus raising the dead. And they go to the Pharisees, and the Pharisees go to the high priest. And Caiphas says Jesus has to be stopped. One man must die for all the people. Two sisters one stands in the face of death and declares bold faith. One is lulled into comfort by the people who will send Jesus to the cross. Be a Martha, not a Mary. In John's gospel Jesus is put to death for giving a dead man back his life. And Jesus wept for the unbelief he saw not in the crowds, but in one of his closest friends. Thirty years ago there was a wild move of God called the Toronto Blessing. In 1996 I went to New York City to do my Alpha Course Training with Nicky Gumbel. His church, Holy Trinity Brompton in Knightsbridge was one of the centers of this move of God and people lined up down the street to get in. We did the training at St. Bart's church in mid-Town and I remember being slain in the spirit on the hard tile floors of that old church. Wild. God is showing signs of his moving again. God is starting to release his weighty glory. God is bringing the glory back to his church. It's serious and it's holy. One of the themes of these Lent readings from John is the moment of visitation. The reality is you either go with what God is doing or you oppose it. It is a spiritual law. You either keep saying yes, keep stepping in faith, keep surrendering to the Holy Spirit, or you start to go back decline and oppose. Having a religious experience can make you an expert in how you think God works. And in the end that expertise becomes pride. And God resists the proud. Every year we are invited to a moment of visitation. There is glory on what we are going to do in the next two weeks. Next Sunday we will be doing a "Palm Sunday Seder" as we enter into the Passover of the Lord. As it says in the Seder service in every generation we have to be like those who left Egypt. In every generation we have to stand at the cross with Jesus and we have to look into the empty tomb. This is not just an anniversary on the calendar, this is a remembering: a re-connecting to the saving acts of God in Jesus Christ. In the bigger sense, there are indications that there is a move of God happening that really doesn't look like anything we have seen before. It is already happening in the Catholic Church, and in some other unexpected places. It's quieter, and more solid. It's like Martha. It is looking at the noise around and it is saying, Lord I believe that you are the Christ. It's about a long, steady, healthy walking with Jesus. It is about listening to God and doing what he tells you. It's not flashy. Some of you listening may need to make a decision for Jesus and come to him this year as we mark this season. Some of you in our house have had major healings and deliverance, life change, and restoration. This year at the Easter Vigil we want to take time to renew our baptismal vows. This year I want to make the opportunity for those who want to renew their baptism in a more official way to do that. If you want to formally recommit your life to Jesus please let me know. Jesus loved two sisters. Of course, in the end Mary's lack of faith becomes faith. She is at the cross, and she is one who meets Jesus at the empty tomb. The story is not over and every moment of failure makes a way for a second chance. Thanks for reading this week’s teaching. If my work encourages you share it with others, subscribe, or buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. ### A Power Greater than You. URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-power-greater-than-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:49.000Z The Belonging House Friday Email. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Now I Can See URL: https://www.belonging.house/now-i-can-see/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:49.000Z Now I Can See 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedDr. Bob Tuttle was a great teacher at Asbury. I had a fun seminar with him called the History and Theology of the Church in Renewal. In that class, he said the Holy Spirit was like the wind in weather patterns. He said that the wind flows from high pressure zones to low pressure. Throughout history, the periods of renewal in the church happened when many people created a low pressure zone and the Holy Spirit flowed in. When I first moved to Boston in 2008 I started seeing blind people all the time. At first I thought it was a coincidence. I asked other people if they saw more blind people, and they said no. One day I was in South Station and I felt something whack me in the leg. I looked and it was a blind man with his cane. I was seeing two to three blind people every day. Over time, I discovered the blind people were an indication of my prayer assignment in Boston. Today's readings are about blindness and seeing. Often when God speaks we think God is saying one thing, and God is saying something completely different. In both of these lessons blindness is a metaphor for pride, and in this case the most dangerous kind: religious pride. Pride makes you blind, and religious pride makes you double blind. Pride makes you believe that you are better than other people. Religious pride makes you believe that you are better than other people, and better than God. Pride in all its forms creates a high pressure zone that prevents the wind of the Holy Spirit to flow in. In I Samuel 16 we have a very interesting moment. Most of us know the story of Samuel as a boy, and how the Lord spoke to him and called him to be a prophet and the last Judge of Israel. After this, most people really forget about Samuel. After the end of the Sons of Eli, and the Ark of God is captured, Samuel becomes a transitional figure from the period of the judges, and the worship in the tabernacle at Shiloh, to the Davidic Kingdom and the worship revolution initiated under the Tabernacle of David that led to the Temple of Solomon. Samuel was a complex character. The people wanted a king because Samuel's sons were just as bad, maybe even worse than, the Sons of Eli. Samuel may have been a great prophet, but he was raised by the corrupt family of Eli, and he must have continued some of the things that he saw Eli do. And it becomes clear that Samuel was a mixed bag in terms of judgement. He was prophet until he had to make a decision, and then he trusted his own judgement. Samuel did what we often see people do. They listen to God for inspiration, but they trust their human senses when it comes to life. This is why we need to train our human thoughts and attitudes in the school of the Cross. We need to continually say to God, "your thoughts are not my thoughts, your ways are not my ways, I am powerless to know the way to go, I need you to guide me." Samuel anointed Saul, who was tall and good looking. I have learned that you know when a place is operating out of the world system or the Kingdom of God system by surveying the room. When I used to go to the Union club in Boston, everyone was, on average, six feet tall or taller, with a chiseled jaw, and they were all named, Chip, Skip, or Tim. I’m not tall, chiseled, or a Chip. Just lucky, I guess. On the other hand, I have found that when you go to a place where God is moving by the Holy Spirit, you find men and women who are all kinds: heights, colors, nationalities, and flavors. And this is the point. Samuel measured people based on the wisdom of man, and God honored the office of Samuel, knowing Saul was good looking but not very smart. And of course, Saul blew it several times. At the beginning of I Samuel 16, we find Samuel, and he is pouting, because the king he anointed is a disaster. God honors the office, even when a person fails. And no matter how high your position even situation is pass/fail. If you are humble, God will give you another chance. And so, Samuel is instructed to go and anoint another king. The Bible is full of interesting details that we skip, because it doesn't fit our internal filtering system. We think there are bad people in the Bible and good people. Actually, what we have are complicated people. All people are complicated. God uses broken, mixed up people because that is all that's available. The men of the village come to greet Samuel because they are terrified, and ask him if he comes in peace. We don't know much about Samuel, but we can guess, that Samuel used his sword as much as his tongue. They were afraid of the prophet. And Samuel tells them to relax. And then he calls Jesse and he calls Jesse's sons. And Samuel sees the oldest, tallest, best looking, and he is about to make him king and God stops him. “Do not look on his appearance, or on his height or on his stature because I have rejected him. The Lord sees not as man sees man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Many many people come to me and they tell me heartbreaking stories of how the church and the world rejected them and their prophetic gift, their artistic gift, their unique or unconventional personality, because they did not look like the world’s value system. The world rewards the tall strong, beautiful, successful person who gets all the questions right on the test. The world rewards the person who learns the game young and knows how to play. The world does not reward wisdom or the ability to learn. The world rewards test scores. Any jackass can pass a test, once they learn the system. This is why we are suffering in a world of credentialed but unqualified people. This is what is destroying the world today. God doesn't look at you like a test score. You do not have to get a perfect score. That is the heart of a religious, poverty spirit. God looks at your inward being and the desire for him. And God speaks to Samuel and says that the one to anoint is not there. David was out with the sheep, and Jesse his father, doesn't even think that although the prophet has arrived with a heifer to have a barbecue, it was worth calling him. And so God says to Samuel, ask Jesse if there is another son. "Yes, but we didn't call him." As David said, "Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord shall always be at my side." And David comes, and again, an important detail, Samuel anoints him in front of his brothers. The Lord lifts up the lowly, and appoints him with the princes, with the princes of his people. The one nobody thought to call who was shorter than the rest, out singing to his sheep, is one God picked. Many of us struggle to become what we are. David knew from the beginning he was king, and struggled to be recognized. Fast forward a thousand years, and the Son of David is confronted with a group of his brothers, and they do not believe that a man born blind could see, because they have become experts on the outward appearance. That world believed that blindness was caused by sin in the family, and the Pharisees looked down on him. This man was born in sin, he is not an expert in the law, and he was healed on the Sabbath. Three strikes. And Jesus looks at the experts, the tall and good looking in the religious system, and says, because you think you see your sin remains. Because you think you see your sin remains. You search the scriptures thinking that in them you will have life, but the one of whom the scripture speaks is here, and you refuse to receive him. What you see offends you. And so you have missed the day of your visitation. We always need to correct our point of view and get a Kingdom perspective. One of the unintended consequences of this media fast has been the numbers of people who suddenly are confronted with they lies they believe about themselves. Not only do others judge you by the world's standard, you judge yourself that way. Pride is not just exalting yourself above others, pride is exalting yourself above what God says about you. You are in Christ, you were bought with a price, your body is not your own, because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are are a holy creature, a new creation, something set apart for God's glory. You are redeemed from sin and predestined to take on the form of Jesus. You are set apart and a member of a holy nation. You are a living stone, and you are the house that God is building. You are the bride of Christ the spouse of the Holy Spirit. You are anointed, you are forgiven, you are loved, and you are approved. There is always enough for you at the Father's table. God is pleased with you, delights in you, and believes in you. This is who you are. Religious pride says “I am a sinner that needs to do something more to complete the work of the cross of Christ.” Pride says that my significance and my legacy is determined by what I do and did for God. Pride says that if I repent of the just the right sin, and do what I can to have unity with others, then God will have to bring revival. As I have said many times, you don’t have to do something else to make Jesus happy. Jesus is already happy. Jesus is the happiest person in the universe. Revival is already here. The Presence of Jesus is already here. The Holy Spirit is already here. You just need to humble yourself, submit to what God is saying, and get a Kingdom Perspective. And when you stop looking through what you think you know, and stop believing you know more than other people, and humbly admit you are not the center of the universe, God will show you the truth. And the truth, like what happened to David, will open a door, and the Holy Spirit will rush in to fill this low pressure zone. You don't need to repent, just humble yourself. It's very simple. It’s easy to do a lot of religious activity. Humbly admitting you are powerless is very hard. But this is the way to get healed from blindness. Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent. Traditionally, this was the day when those who had been asked to leave the church because of sin, were received back in. It was a time of rejoicing, because those who were blind are now able to see. You don’t want to be spiritually blind. Our community continues a tradition I inherited from my former Parish. Today we are going to end with the Rite of Forgiveness. We are headed into the last two weeks of Lent, and the Passover of the Lord. Priest: Brothers and sisters, forgive me, a sinner, all the sins I have committed this day and all the days of my life, in thought, word, and deed, both outwardly in my body, and inwardly in my soul. Response: May God forgive you and have mercy on you, Bless, reverend father, and forgive us sinners the sins we have committed this day and all the days of our lives, in thought, word, and deed, both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls. Priest: Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. Brothers and sisters, forgive me for all the ways I have not fulfilled my call to lead and shepherd, for any hurts or disappointments I may have caused, and any way I may not have been a living example of our Lord in my teaching, my leadership, or my life. Response: May God forgive you and have mercy on you, and we forgive and release you from any of our expectations or hurts. Bless, reverend father, and forgive us for any ways we have not prayed for you, spoken ill of you, or judged you, and any ways we have not supported you in the mission of the gospel and failed in our calling as members of the body of Christ. I forgive and release you. May the Lord Almighty, + Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, forgive us our sins, and give us the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit to hereafter lead a sober, godly, and righteous life. Amen. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### The Cross is Everything. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-basics-are-you-a-christian/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:53.000Z The Belonging House Friday Email. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Moving to Trust URL: https://www.belonging.house/moving-to-trust/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:54.000Z Moving to Trust 0:00 /200 1× This week’s teaching diverged from the written manuscript. I encourage you to read along with the generated transcript. It is generally very accurate (except for my name). Thanks for listening. If these teachings encourage you, please share them with your friends. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Everyone Wants a King Like Jesus URL: https://www.belonging.house/everyone-wants-a-king-like-jesus/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:55.000Z The Belonging House Friday Email. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Listen to Him. URL: https://www.belonging.house/listen-to-him/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:55.000Z Listen to Him. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe Transfiguration Matthew 17:1-9 (RSVCE) And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Eli′jah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli′jah.” He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead.” This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Listen to him. Today I want to talk about listening to God. This is a theme in today's readings. More than any time in the year the readings in Lent comment on one another. If you are only reading the daily gospel I would encourage you to read all of the readings. The readings for the Transfiguration happen this week because this is a turning point in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus changes direction from ministry in Galilee to a long, slow march toward Jerusalem, and ultimately to the cross. And we, through the readings, are also moving to the cross and resurrection of Jesus. You have heard me say "context is everything." We cannot understand the Transfiguration unless we back up. A lot of these ideas come from Michael Heiser's book The Unseen Realm, but they are not unique to him, you also find some of this in the early Church historian Eusebius, and Josephus, and some of the early fathers. The context for the Transfiguration requires us to ignore our chapter breaks, and the uninspired subheadings. The story of the Transfiguration begins at Matthew 16:13. This is a new story. Jesus is taking the disciples to a weird place. You wouldn't know it was a weird place, because we read the text in a vacuum. The district of Caesarea Philippi is the northern most boundary of what was ancient Israel. It is at the base of Mount Hermon. Going further back in time Mount Hermon was the center of Baal worship and the opposition to the God of Israel. The ancients believed that this was where the pantheon of the ancient gods of the nations ruled and reigned. Mount Hermon wasn't a nice place. At the time of Jesus the worship of Baal had been supplanted by the worship of Pan. The name was different, but the activities were the same: substance use to create euphoria sexual orgies human and animal sacrifices and divination. And at the base of Mount Hermon there was a cave and a spring that produced a pool of water where sacrificial victims were drowned as an offering to Pan. It was called the Gates of Hades. So Jesus brought the disciples to this religious center with all of this bad stuff going on. This was a place all good Jews would never go. Jesus was invading enemy territory. And here, Jesus asks, "who do you say that I am?" Context is everything. Jesus is asking, if baal is god, serve him, if Hashem is God, serve him. And of course, Peter makes his proclamation. And Jesus says, here, at the gates of hell I will build my church, and I am going to give you authority on earth. Human tradition has influenced the translation, and changed the meaning of this text. The Greek reads this way: And the gates of hell will not be able to withstand the church. The church, in the Greek is on the offense. In our translation the church is trying to defend against the attack of hell. Big difference. Then Jesus gives us the heart of the gospel. Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” As I said, context is everything. The context of the Transfiguration is the coming of the Kingdom to the high place above the gate of hell. Jesus is laying down the foundation of the Kingdom. And then after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain. From the context, it seems obvious, that the closest high mountain is Mount Hermon. And this is a nasty, desolate, and cold place. And this is where the council of the spiritual beings who were opposed to the True God were believed to meet and hold court. And Jesus in enemy territory, becomes the person described in Daniel seven. The Son of Man appears in glory and the two men recorded in Scripture who died mysterious deaths appear with him and they hold a meeting. Moses, and Elijah, discuss with Jesus the big plan. He is going to die and he is going to rise again, and the Kingdom is going to advance and the earth is once again going to belong to God. And Peter, James, and John, have been invited to share in this governmental ministry. And then the Father joins the council. And the Father says, "this is my well beloved son. Listen to him." That was a lot of introduction. Peter, James, and John, are now going to have the authority to bring heaven to earth. They have been brought into the council of heaven to have influence on earth. That authority comes from Listening. We westerners are so formed by the Enlightenment and rational thought that we believe that listening means we sit, we hear information and we put it into our journal and go on with our day. And what we hear and what we do have no connection, because we live our lives as rational atheists. Sitting and doing what God says is not how the world works. I have been told this many times. The Hebrew mind has a completely different understanding. You have not listened if your behaviour stays the same. You have not listened if your behaviour stays the same. So Abram listened to God and he went to the land God showed him. Moses listened and went to Pharoah. Jonah heard God, but he did not listen. And so God threw him into the fish and spoke again. Then Jonah listened, and Ninevah listened, and turned back to God. And here in this episode on the mountain Peter, James, and John, heard the instructions, but they did not listen. They would struggle with listening right up to the crucifixion. They stumbled and they failed. And then after the resurrection and the ascension and the day of Pentecost, they listened. Hearing and doing together equals listening. You have not listened if your behaviour stays the same. All of us struggle. There are things God asked me to change twenty years ago that I am just now starting to see move. The call to listen and do is a call to relationship with God. It is all about relationship. We are in one of those times that happen in history when there are shifts and we come to the valley of decision. Are you on the Lord's side or the side of the spiritual beings who are in rebellion against God? It is amazing how these things return under new names. Many "Christian" artists that I know were so indoctrinated by the secular system in order to have credibility, that today they are quickly becoming allies of marxist communist ideology. Many don't even know it. These things happen slowly, and then quickly. There are many who do not understand that Islam is spiritual and your reason is not going to help you. Muslims declare the Anti-Christ into the air five times a day. Whatever you tolerate is going to dominate. You cannot reason with a demon, just ask Eve. We are walking into an epic moment. And as we walk toward Holy Week, we are called just like Peter, James, and John to Listen to Jesus. For some of us, that is going to mean changing your thinking. Some of us are going to be asked to do things that are uncomfortable. And all of us, are called to take our place as the governing community of saints, who declare come kingdom of God, be done will of God, on earth as it is in heaven. Where ever you find the gates of hell, in New York, London, your local community, your art class, gallery, theatre, or concert hall we are called to listen and build the church, and the gates of hell will fall. They cannot withstand the increase of his Government in the earth. And God's government happens when he speaks, and we hear, and we do. Listen to God. Thanks for taking the time to read and listen to my message from Sunday. If my work encourages you, please share it with friends and encourage them to subscribe. Thanks. ### I stopped at the second chapter. URL: https://www.belonging.house/its-not-about-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:56.000Z The Belonging House Friday Email. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Do Less Not More: Lent I URL: https://www.belonging.house/do-less-not-more-lent-i/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:56.000Z Do Less Not More: Lent I 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedAs I approached Lent this year, the Lord said "Do less, not more." When God speaks to us, it is often desceptively simple. God invites you to do something and then you discover that the thing he asked you was either not what it was about at all, or completely impossible, and you are left desperate for his help. Today we heard a story we have all heard before. It is deceptively simple. God formed a man out of the dust of the earth. The Lord breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and that creature became a living soul. And then God put the man into a beautiful garden and gave him simple directions. Name every creature and be fruitful and multiply. And there was a another detail there are two trees in the garden, and the man is told you can eat everything in the garden. You can eat all the plants and you can eat from the tree of life. We forget this detail. But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat this tree, you will die. And then God created a woman to be the help of this man, because it was not good for him to be alone. And there was a creature in the garden, who was subtle, crafty, or clever. He was smart and had been around. You see, this garden was intended as heaven on earth where man and God would live together in relationship and where God and man would reign over the earth. And this serpent was not a snake, but a spiritual being described in other places as "a son of God." The same word is used for the firey serpents who attacked the Israelites in the wilderness and the serpent made of bronze. And this serpent came to the woman and he said, "I hear that you were told you can't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." And the woman rightly, said God said they could eat every tree, but that one. And the serpent said, "oh." And then he did what the demonic always does, he gave her the truth with a twist. It wasn't an outright lie, it was a distortion. And the distortion always twists the character of God. "Well, you will not die, you will know good and evil, and then you will be like God." You see, the enemy was trying to keep this young thing from knowing the truth. She already was like God. She didn't know who she was and so she fell into the trap. And she began to enter a dialogue with evil. And so, the woman took the fruit, she gave it to her man and they ate. And then their eyes were opened, and they had that experience we all have. They saw the promise and the blessing slip through their fingers. And the words that we said on Wednesday were spoken by God: you are dust, and to dust you shall return. You are now going to die. Death entered the world. Through one man. Let's fast forward. The effects of this little episode have now spread throughout the world. And now, instead of a beautiful garden we are in a desert. He is in one of the driest places on earth. The sea is dead. The sand is white. We have another man. This one is alone. And he is out in this dry place with no food and no water. And this same serpent comes this time he has a different name. He is not very creative, and he uses the same tactics. He distorts the truth, and again tempts Jesus with more than what God says. The temptation is always to the more. Do more than the directions. And so he says turn bread into stone tempt God by attempting suicide rush the process and worship me. And this is the interesting thing. The snake uses the Bible to tempt Jesus. And Jesus retorts with the Bible. But Jesus isn't using the scripture because it has magic power. Jesus is quoting the scripture and telling the serpent one thing. I know who I am. And this is what the scripture says of me. I came to fulfill. I am the one the scripture speaks of. I am the LORD your God and you cannot put me to the test. And Jesus out of his center of being and well-being rebukes the devil and he must flee. This isn't about some method that Jesus used to overcome temptation. Jesus didn't do anything. Jesus was. Do you get this? Jesus was a different kind of human being. He knew who he was. And the Power, Presence, and Person of the Holy Spirit in him moved from the inside out. A few weeks ago the Lord asked me to invite our community to intentionally fast from media during Lent. There is amazing power in agreement. Fasting from media is a very difficult thing in this world. And for many of us, we use media as a form of anesthetic to deal with the pain coming from the days we live in. The first thing you have to experience is detox and withdrawal. It takes a couple days to accept the pain and the noise you feel when you remove the distraction. And then we have people who want to do more than what God asks. God said turn off the media, and that is really hard. He didn't ask you to do a lot of heroic extra things. He asked you to get quiet and do less. And I have had a few reports of folks in our community trying to give up a lot of stuff in addition to the media fast. This media fast is the hardest thing you are going to do. Trust me. And it is painful. It is just as disobedient to do more than God asks than to not do what God asks. When you do more than God asks that is what Paul said to the Galatians, you are adding to gospel, and that is witchcraft because you think your activity is going to give you favor with God. Your activity will only open up the door to a curse. God isn't asking you to do more for him. God is asking you to make space so that you will come into agreement with him. This year has already been interesting, because we have seen a lot of powerful shifts in lives in the first three days, because a handful of people have come into agreement to fast and pray. This is probably the most powerful thing we have ever done as a community. And this is the point, and the point of lent. We forget who we are. When you come to Christ Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:17 that you are a new creation. That is not a metaphor. Paul is not saying, now you have been born again and you agree with Bible stuff, and you have to try to live a moral life. No. Paul is saying to you, you are filled with the breath of life. You have died with Christ in baptism and you are now reborn by water and the spirit, and you are now a totally different being. You are more than your original parents Adam and Eve who were innocents and easily duped by the serpent. You are "holy" beings. You are "redeemed" not innocent, but restored. You are more than you were and you can live out of that place. You can rest in who you are and when the enemy comes at you you do not have to do anything or try to outsmart him. You simply have to say, I am in Jesus. Jesus is in me. I am a new creature and this is the truth. I can breath. Greater is he who is in me. I don't have to do more to have influence in heaven or against the devil. I don't have to hustle to build something. I only have to do what God says. Nothing more nothing less. That's good news. That's the kingdom. We have seen so much power flowing in this community from this simple act of obedience. We live in a church where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Imagine if all the Christians actually did whatever God said, and just that. We would be unstoppable. As we begin lent, I want to invite you to join us in this fast at whatever level you are able. And if you are trying to do more than God asks, or you are pushing back against me and my leadership in this area, I want to gently ask you to repent. We deal with a lot of witchcraft, and most of it comes from the baseline of rebellion and stubbornness in the church in the US. Most of the witchcraft and spiritual attack I deal with comes from Christians who are not listening to God. The days for this are past. God is calling us toward the passover of the Lord, Easter, and to a renewing of our calling to be bearers of the glory of God. Repent, and believe the gospel. Amen. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Back to the Basics URL: https://www.belonging.house/back-to-the-basics/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:57.000Z The Belonging House Friday Email. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How Do I Become Real? URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-do-i-become-real/ Last updated: 2026-02-16T14:00:09.000Z How Do I Become Real? 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedDuring the Covid lockdown in London, I spent a lot of time reading Greek and getting my head around what Jesus was actually teaching. As many of us have experienced, sometimes you come to a passage of scripture and it doesn't fit inside the theology or the framework that you have received. I call these frameworks "grids." And when we come upon something that challenges your grid you have three options, you can ignore it, and say it isn't very important. You can come up with an interpretation that is often not obvious, but somehow makes the passage fit your belief system. Or, you can wrestle with what the text obviously clearly says, and adjust your grid, your beliefs to fit the text. John Wesley said that the church was called to be in a constant state of reforming. To put it more simply, people create things to make systems work, and those systems over time atrophy and get out of alignment with God. A grid not founded in scripture and the person of Jesus Christ will eventually get out of alignment. And sometimes a grid is for a season, because God is highlighting something that has been ignored. A lot of movements camp out in things God was doing for a season and they stop moving with God. God wants you to move with him in relationship, not stagnate in something he did 20 50 or 500 years ago. Six years ago, possibly in my first teaching for the House of Artisans I said a simple but revolutionary statement. Jesus Christ was not born to found a religion. Jesus Christ as born to establish his kingdom. And another statment follows from this, Jesus Christ is the most relational being in the Universe. The Kingdom is a relational kingdom. The Kingdom is all about the King. Jesus is the King of the Kingdom. Religion, theology, and religious systems, tend to not be relational but rather rule and performance based. Again and again I see this in people who come to me for healing. They want the one quick trick that they can do to get healed, cured, or have their problem solved. Healing is not about a method. Healing is about a relationship. If you get to know Jesus you will be healed. It is not going to be a system. All of these ideas come from one place. Matthew 5:17. This is an often overlooked verse in the Sermon on the Mount. I came not to abolish the law and the prophets. I came to fulfill them. The Pharisees were teaching, rightly, that the time of the Messiah was coming, and that they needed to prepare. They believed that if they kept the law perfectly, then their good works would initiate the Messianic Kingdom. And so they added more and more to the Law believing that if you did more than the law you would keep it perfectly. There are many Christians today who believe, rightly, that Jesus is returning soon. And so they believe that if they perform twenty-four seven prayer, fulfill their belief that John 17:20 demands Christian unity, or if we raise red heifers in North Carolina, our good works will force the return of Christ. Today there is a growing Jewish sect called Chabad, who believe, rightly, that the Messiah is coming, and their founder created a system of adding even more and more to the law. It's the same idea as the Pharisees. And to this Jesus reveals something about his nature. I come not to abolish what came before. I come to fulfill. He is saying, the law and the prophets speak of me. I am here. I AM the law and the Prophets. I am the WORD. I am the Word made flesh. I am perfect theology. Apart from me you can do nothing. And then, Jesus speaks to the people and he takes laws they already know, and he intensifies them to the point of impossibility. The Torah says thou shalt not commit adultery. I say, if you look twice at a woman, or even have a thought based in your carnal human nature toward her you have committed adultery. Ouch. In the upper room Jesus says, a new commandment I give you love one another. Another one. It is really impossible. Jesus is telling us your human nature, your natural inclination, your religious performance, and even your religious niceness are not enough. Your ethics will never measure up. I am the fulfillment. Not more rules, not more guidelines, accountability, precepts, etc. etc. Me. I am the fulfillment. Come to me. This is why revival doesn't happen. People want the fruit of revival without the God of revival. Just like in the Old Testament. They didn't want to talk to God face to face. They wanted Moses to talk for them and give them rules to follow. They wanted a religious beauracracy, not a relationship with God. I see Christians who come under the same veil that hangs over Israel, the desire to add to what God said without God. That is a curse. There is another side to this, and I see it especially in the gifted and talented people in our community. People who have been living out in the world, come to Jesus. And then they look at their worldly life and they think that Jesus wants them to give up the creative work and do something spiritual. And today we have another problem, worldly churches and Christians wanting you to not become a disciple, but rather make money like the world, so that they can take advantage of your gifts and talents to build something. Both are a problem, because they are trying to abolish something. One wants to abolish the true self, the other wants to abolish the true faith. Both lead to death. Jesus says, come follow me. Embrace dying to your old life, and I will manifest the resurrection in your life. All the true things in you, the real things, the things God put in you, Jesus says, he will fulfill. Every few years someone comes along with a new system of healing and deliverance. It always involves steps, classes, and workbooks. They last for a few years, and then they disappear. They disappear because coming into wholeness and maturity does not happen this way. It happens when you come into relationship with Jesus and begin to learn to have a conversation with God. In that conversation God will speak to you and you will be called into something more than you. God will fulfill all that is really in you. I saw this in my own life. My writing and teaching are more than what I can do. Jesus has fulfilled something in me that I didn't know was there. It is amazing when you learn to cooperate with God, and God takes the rough, raw, broken material and makes more. So often we think God wants us to abolish things when he wants to fulfill them. God wants to make your life more than you think it can be. It's an interesting process. It is the process of becoming. In the book the Velveteen rabbit, by Margery Williams, there is this poignant conversation in the nursery between the Skin Horse, and the Velveteen rabbit. “Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real.” “Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real, you don’t mind being hurt.” “Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?” “It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out, and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.” Lent begins on Wednesday. When I was a kid, Lent was about doing more things for Jesus. God is calling us as a community to embrace more reality. I am inviting you to embark on a media fast with me, no news, entertainment, or social media. No doom scroll. I have received a little push back about this, mostly because Americans think that everything is rules and religious obligation. This isn't a negative. It is about making open space that only Jesus can fill. That's the point. God isn't calling us to ban things or keep rules. God isn't calling you to abolish the world. God is calling us closer to himself. God is saying, You once lived under the law and the hope deferred. Those rules, and those hopes make you hard and make your hearts hard. I am calling you to have a soft heart and I am going to take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I am the fulfillment of all that you have tried to do for me, and all that you have desired for me to do for you. The kingdom is about me. Jesus is the King of the Kingdom. There are a lot of subtle things going on in the media landscape. The late Scott Adams thought that there was mass hypnosis happening. God is calling us out of the media fishbowl so we can hear his voice more clearly. As always, there is grace for you to engage at whatever level you feel comfortable. Maybe you need to wean yourself off the media one step at a time. Start with news, then Youtube, then social media. This is a great way to develop self-discipline, and learn to lean on Jesus. Wednesday morning we will begin Lent together, and ask God to open the way for us. I encourage you to take the step. All of this is leading up to Holy Week where we will retell the story, and the Passover of the Lord where we will renew our covenant with God. Come Kingdom of God be done will of God. Move us out of the law and into the fulfillment of all you have for us. ### My Artistic Medium URL: https://www.belonging.house/my-artistic-medium/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:57.000Z The Belonging House Friday Email. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Purpose of Light. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-purpose-light/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:58.000Z The Purpose of Light. 0:00 /200 1× Welcome if you have been receiving the Belonging House Friday email. I post my teaching from Sundays on Monday, and send out the Friday email every Friday. If this encourages you, please share it with others. Thanks for being part of our online community. --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedYou are the light of the world. Human beings work from the outside in. This is the essence of the world's system. God works from the inside out. This is the essence of the Kingdom of God. This week I want to talk about what it means to be the light, and also answer two questions that were sent to me: "How do I strengthen myself in the Lord?" and "Can you explain Lent?' It might surprise you, but all three of these ideas being light, being strengthened, and the season of Lent are related. We think that when Jesus said "you are the light of the world" he was using this as a metaphor. A lot of people think that things in Scripture are metaphorical, when Jesus was being literal. We see this in John 6 where Jesus says unless you eat my body and drink my blood you will not have life within you. He was not talking about a metaphor, he was talking about His presence in the Eucharist, and Paul reasserts this, by saying in I Corinthians 11 that if you do not discern the Body of Christ you will get sick and die. Paul said that if you do not recognize the real presence you are going to get sick. That's pretty real. So Jesus says, you are the light of the world. Agnes Sanford, in her book the Healing Light, writes in great detail about what was being discovered in the 1940's. Nuclear physics was changing our understanding of the world. Light is energy. And there are different kinds of energy. This is light at different frequencies. Ultra-violet, and x-rays are different kinds of light that pass through other things. And you are a form of light too. We now know that when a child is conceived, at the moment of conception a burst of light is released. Human beings are light beings. And the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of light. Jesus true God from God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father took on the flesh of the Virgin Mary and as John said, brought light into the world. To follow what Agnes Sanford said, He was a higher form of light at a quantum level. And he promised that we would be the light of the world. What is the purpose of light? To illuminate the darkness. And Jesus says, you are the light of the world, and you have no purpose if you put that light under a bushel. The purpose of light is to bring light to dark places. The religious mind thinks from the outside in, and that the darkness will make my light dim. No. The light in you will make the darkness lighter. So many of us are trapped in a religious grid, and so we see Christians flee the places of influence to run to little enclaves out in the country instead of running toward the darkness. That is the opposite of what Jesus said. You are the light of the world. And that light comes out of your innermost being. The Light comes from the Inside out. Last night I found a list of the most demonized cities in the United States, by a very respected exorcist. And he said sensitive people cannot go into these places without spiritual preparation. He also said that his ministry in these places is more difficult. City number ten was Boston, Massachusetts. City number five was New York. City Number one, was Salem Massachusetts. Bully for me. The warfare our ministry faces is real. God calls us into dark places. It is very hard to be light in places like this. If you are operating out of a religious grid, you cannot survive in a dark place. Religious people look at their surroundings, other people, or their activities to prop them up. Satan is not looking for victims, but rather allies, and so you have to get your strength from another source. You cannot depend on the system around you to carry you. Again and again we see Christians who think that they can agree with the world to get ahead eventually succumb to the world system. This is why God gave us an imagination, and gave us a simple picture to understand. You are light. Light is the energy of the Kingdom. And if we understand how to come into that light from the inside out, we will be strengthened. It is very counter intuitive. Because we are told by the world, we have to do something to make our light brighter. The Kingdom doesn't work this way. You cannot make the light brighter from the outside in. Father Al Durrance used to teach how to receive Holy Communion. He said that the Eucharist was the primary way God heals us. This is our physical contact point with the light and love of God. And he would explain, that as he consecrated the bread, the bread was infused with the pure light and life of God. And he would tell us to imagine the light coming from the host as he lifted it up. And then he said, when you receive the bread in your hands, imagine it as pure light coming into your body. He would ask God to show him every place where there was darkness and imagine the light going into that place. And then he would say, sit until you see the light filling your entire being. Jesus is in you, this is Jesus abiding in you, and you abiding in him. And anytime we need to forgive someone, need to confess a sin, or need to release anger, these things stop the flow of the light of God through us. We bring these things to God and then the light, from the inside out begins to get brighter. John tells us this in his first letter: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. The Light heals our relationships, and also cleanses us from sin. This is how we strengthen ourselves in the Lord. When you find that the outside world is pressing in on you, you need to come back to the center. Jesus is Light from Light. We are the light of the world. And so, you take a moment, and you stop. I tell people to put their hand on their heart, so that you can come back to the center. And I tell people to take a breath and you have to relax. Jesus Christ is in you. So you imagine yourself, in Jesus, in his light. And you imagine the light and love of God flowing into every area of your life. And if something negative comes up you simple hand it to Jesus. There is no shame. Jesus sees everything in your life. He is not surprised by your sin or weakness. He knows already. When you bring it to him in confession, you are agreeing that whatever you have done is not God's plan, and you are coming into agreement with God's order. When you come into agreement with reality: that I have been walking in unreality, the Holy Spirit can begin to work and bring you back to God. And when you do this, the light can flow the blood of Jesus will cover you. You are forgiven, healed, and then you can feel the light of God flow into and through you. It is very simple and practical. Jesus is in you. And the more you get confortable with Jesus in you, the more the light can flow. And this produces fruit. You cannot make fruit happen, you can only learn to let the light flow. It is very easy, and it is relaxed. Then you discover that a power greater than you is flowing through you. And this leads us to the second question I wanted to answer today. Lent begins in a week and a half, on February 18. Our house, is unaffiliated, but we come from a long heritage in English catholic Christianity. We follow the liturgical year because it is a very helpful way for artists and creative people to get into a discipleship rhythm that is more right brained. Life is made of times and seasons, and it is not always the same. Isaiah 58 tells us that fasting is not about giving things up and doing a religious thing. Fasting is about seeing the poor, the weak, the naked, the hungry, and being their help and support. And in doing this, the you will be the light. And the world will see your light. God is speaking to a number of people in our community about Lent, and that this is a significant time for us to come into alignment with God. Lent is always an opportunity to come back to basics. This is an opportunity for a remedial class in discipleship, and for God to tune us to his heart. It is a time for all the smudges on your lives that keep the light from shining bright to get cleaned off. And it is all pointing toward the Passover of the Lord and the Easter vigil where we renew our covenant with God. It is the most important event of our year as a community. There seems to be a consensus that we will be doing a community wide media fast. No news, no entertainment, no social media. No doom scroll. It will be a season of detox. And the whole point is so that our light will grow brighter. Our community is not called to run away and hide, or live in a Christian enclave. Our community is to go out into a hill and shine. Jesus in you makes you brighter and wherever you go he is. You are the light of the world. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can support Belonging House at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists, https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. ### How to blow things up. URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-blow-things-up/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:29.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. I hope you have never been in an angry mob. We see them on TV. In the old days mobs carried pitchforks and torches. Now they throw Molotov Cocktails. Molotov Cocktails are bottles filled with gasoline or kerosene and lit with a makeshift wick. You throw the bottle, it breaks sharp glass all over and it bursts into a hot violent burst of flame. Very effective if you want to destroy civilization. **Years ago we started seeing visions of little fires all over the earth.** I painted a picture of it, and others have too. And we have started little groups, **of two and three artists.** We called them "Fire Teams" because that is the smallest unit in an army. I have always thought of the little fires as groups of artists sitting around the fire. "Kum ba ya" everybody. A few weeks ago, during our Tuesday prayer group, the Lord corrected me. Those little fires are not artists holding hands around the campfire. Those little fires are the flash from a Molotov Cocktail. Artists getting connected, learning how to hear God, and then going and bursting into flame in the face of the darkness and evil that grows all around us. The dark is going to get darker, but we are incendiary people bursting into flame with the power **and presence of God.** Ka-Pow! Get connected. Listen to God, and find another artist and listen to God together. There are more for us than those who are against us. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/69a36130-26ac-42e1-95ff-25c953b0041d_1200x92-heic.jpg) We are moving the Friday email to my other publication on Substack, and I will be simplifying my writing schedule to the Friday email and my Sunday teaching on Monday. Thanks for taking the time to read my writing each week. ### Do whatever He tells you. URL: https://www.belonging.house/do-whatever-he-tells-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:58.000Z Do whatever He tells you. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedSometimes we become so familiar with a passage of scripture that we think we know what it is all about. This season between Epiphany and Lent is not wasted. The readings move us forward. We are moving toward an ever increasing manifestation of the glory of God. Many people believe that Christianity is a set of propositions or beliefs that we choose to accept, and then we try to live moral lives as an expression of those beliefs. We are discovering that Christianity is a conflict between two kingdoms and two systems. The Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. I am going to make your head explode this Sunday as we look at the Wedding at Cana. This is the first recorded miracle in the Gospel of John and John states that this was the first miracle of Jesus. John says that through this miracle Jesus manifested his glory and this disciples believed in him. That's a big thing to say about wine at a party. Maybe it's not about the wine. The first clue is how this story starts. John says "on the third day there was a wedding at Cana." "On the third day" is a phrase that is very important. It is at the heart of the creed: "on the Third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures." And this "third day' theme is like an echo backward in scripture and forward to today. Today is the third day. We gather to worship on the third day, and every Sunday points toward the day after tomorrow. We are looking forward to a wedding and that wedding will be between Jesus and his bride. But it is also looking backward. On the Third day Abraham offered Isaac. On the Third day Israel walked through the red sea. And the third day always marks the entrance of the Kingdom of God into this world. So on the third day there was a wedding at Cana and John introduces us to the Mother of Jesus. The Mother of Jesus was there. And she notices that they have no wine. People traveled great distances on foot to come to these weddings, and the weddings lasted about a week. Cana was about a day's journey on foot from Nazareth and Capernaum. Running out of wine indicates one of two things: either someone was not a very good planner, or the couple has limited means. And there is a very important detail: we never see or hear of the bride and groom. We have the Mother of Jesus and Jesus. Mary and Jesus are the ones discussing the problem, not the ones with the problem. And the mother of Jesus does something out of order: she initiates a miracle. In this moment Mary takes on a role that would have been familiar to the Jewish audience who heard this story. Mary is acting as the "gebarah" or Queen Mother. In ancient Israel, the Queen was not the important person in the court, largely because there are multiple wives. This is a recipe for chaos. The person who ruled and reigned with the King was his mother. This is why David chose Solomon as his successor. He was choosing Bathsheba as the next Queen mother. And so Mary seemingly steps out of the shadows and says to Jesus "they have no wine." And Jesus knows what she is asking. And he says it's not time. And Mary, knowing that it is the "third day." This is the day God is going to act, ignores Jesus and tells the steward, "Do whatever he tells you." And then we get to the most important detail. This is not about the wine. You have heard me say again and again that numbers in the Hebrew mind are a language all their own. John is a master of using numbers. Every time John uses a number, that number means something. John remarks that there were six stone jars. Six is a powerful number. God created Adam on the sixth day. Six is the sum of 1+2+3. Six is the symbol of a perfect system without God. In God's system there is an unfinished edge. The edge of the field is to be left for the poor. The edge of your garment is to have an unfinished edge. The seventh day is a day of rest, and you feel off balance without the rhythm of work. Removing God puts us in control, and we can build something perfect without that unknown part. If you multiply six times six you get thirty six. It is all neat and tidy. It is the perfection of work. And the perfect accounting of all things. If you add all the numbers from one to 36, you get 666. This is the world's system and it seems wonderful at first until you see that it is the source of endless oppression. It is a life without rest and effort without relief. This is humanity without God becoming demonic. Six is a big number. And John tells us that there are six stone jars used for the Jewish rites of purification. Whenever John uses the term "Jews" or "jewish" He is talking about the religious system that emerged out of the Pharisees. He is talking about religious judaism after the temple. This is a perfect religious vision. If we keep the law perfectly we will make God come. These rites of purification were not from the Torah but were a practice that emerged around the time of Jesus. There was a trend to add more and more rules and ritual washings were a big part of the additions. This is why Jesus confronts washing several times in the Gospels. So often we think we can add a little to what Jesus said and that is credited to us. Adding to the word of the Lord is just as evil as outright disobedience. John says the jars were made of stone, because these rites required jars made of stone. The jars were made of white Jerusalem limestone and they were turned on a lathe. You collected water from a stream or a spring, and you put it into stone jars. The jars were ritually clean, because they were made of stone and stone would not defile the water. Do you see what these stones represent? They are layers upon layers of attempts by people to make something clean from the outside in. It was an endless system. And think about the cost and trouble, and waste, involved in making a big jar out of stone. This is a system of endless perfect work. And Jesus tells the stewards fill the jars with water. And when they draw water out of the jars, the water had become wine. And here is the best part. Because those jars have been used for wine they are now ritually impure. They can never be used again for the rites of purification. This is not about the wine. It's about the system of this world. The Kingdom ruins you for the old system. Jesus just made wine with no work. He didn't pray or say a blessing. He told them to fill the jars, and draw out the wine. And in the serving the water became wine. You can choose to be trapped in perfect work, but this is ultimately another Kingdom. It appears to be light, but in the end it is the ultimate expression of evil. It is enmity with God. This is "We will build a tower with bricks up the sky" and make a name for ourselves. The Kingdom isn't about you making a name for yourself. What Jesus does is completely undermine that system and he mocks it. He says "You can wash the outside of the cup, but I am going to fill the cup with the best wine." I am going to make your life of drudgery a celebration and that celebration is going to manifest my glory. It's not about the wine. It's about the Kingdom of God. Jesus on the third day is releasing a new age and a new covenant and the best wine was saved for last. The Kingdom of God is really, really good wine. In one of my books I say that the New Covenant is new. It is not the old one with jazzy music. A lot of people live in an old covenant mentality. Graham Cooke once said that he was afraid to move to the US because the US is under a religious spirit. And once I went to the National Religious Broadcasters convention and the biggest advertising and biggest booths were for Christians teaching people how to take on the Jewish law. And people were eating it up. John is telling us don't do add to what you have received. There is nothing good or nobel in doing more than God asked. I was at a house of prayer in New York last week and they said they have to work to make Jesus come. Jesus is already here. Jesus and his mother are already talking about what to do in New York City, and the direction is always the same: do whatever he tells you. Nothing more, nothing less. This is the Kingdom. And this frustrates a lot of people because it confronts our desire to build the tower of Babel. Jesus is not impressed by your religious hooha. Jesus is holding out his hand and in it is a ladle ready to pour out the best wine for you and your friends to partake. And in the celebration of the cup of blessing, you will receive his glory and you will believe. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### Connecting to the Shepherd URL: https://www.belonging.house/connecting-to-the-shepherd/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:30.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. God has a wonderful plan for your life: getting connected. In twenty years I have been asked one question more than any other. **"How do I learn to listen to God?"** The answer is found on page 251 of my book *Artists at a Shift in Time. (https://a.co/d/0lO2GjR)* Jesus said, apart from me you can do nothing. A lot of people do things apart from Jesus **and call it Christianity.** This is why visions and ministries only last three to six years. If you want to do things that last, you have to be connected to Jesus. You get connected to Jesus by **listening to His Voice.** Agnes Sanford taught her prayer team to do "prayer experiments." In other words, try things out, and if they work keep doing it. A lot people do things that don't work, but they keep going because "theology." Jesus said **that he is going to judge your fruit.** In other words, is what you do working, making things better, and is that improvement lasting longer than the latest fad? Fads are just books and beliefs that are promoted for three years and then they go away. No fruit. And so, I ask people to read the daily gospel lesson. You can find it here at https://almanac.oremus.org or here https://universalis.com/mass.htm **Someday we will have a link to it on our website.** If you listen to the Gospel, **you will hear the words of Jesus.** And if you listen to the words of Jesus you will hear the voice of the Father. And you will be tuned to the way God speaks. And you will start to know the difference between the voice of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the Voice of God. And I promise, if you follow my directions on page 251, you can start hearing God in thirty days or less. And you will see fruit. I dare you to try. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/69a36130-26ac-42e1-95ff-25c953b0041d_1200x92-heic-1.jpg) ### The Call is an Act of Creation. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-call-is-an-act-of-creation/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:49:59.000Z The Call is an Act of Creation. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe readings from Epiphany to Easter follow a logic. We are seeing Jesus revealed more and more to the wider world. Jesus is recognized by the foreign nations. Jesus is baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit and confirmed as the beloved son of God. Jesus becomes the one who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. When you are baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit something else happens. God calls you. The power of the Holy Spirit becomes a motivation to follow Jesus and become part of the kingdom. I have been highlighting that the Christian life is not a set of beliefs backed up with moral teaching. Christianity is life in the Kingdom of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Christ in you transforms you. I have said this many times: Jesus Christ did not come to start a religion. Jesus Christ came to establish his Kingdom. They are very different things. We have seen this in recent years as politicians have tried to reframe the first amendment in the United States from the Free Exercise of Religion to the freedom of worship-- in other words you have freedom to live a Christian life out in the open and freely-- to the freedom of personal beliefs and private worship. In other words, you are free to be in secret, as long as the secular woke agenda is not challenged in public. And as we have seen, even if your private worship conflicts with the agenda it can be interrupted and stopped. This is hard tyrrany. Christianity always comes into conflict with governments and systems trying to be the Kingdom of God without Jesus. In Matthew 4, Jesus takes his place in Capernaum. He buys a house, and the early years of his ministry are based here. He establishes a hub. And then he goes down to the sea of Galilee, and he finds a handful of fishermen. And he calls to them. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. When you learn to listen to God, the Lord will immediately test your loyalty. What Kingdom are you living in? You can live in the Kingdom of this world. You can live in the Kingdom of your own flesh. You can live in the Kingdom of the devil. None of them are the Kingdom of God. This word "call" in Greek, Kaleo, appears 148 times in the New Testament. It is the greek word used for the Hebrew word "cara." This word first appears at the beginning of Genesis when God speaks and he calls the light day and the dark night. In the Bible, and especially in the Gospels, the word "call" has an intrinsic meaning. The call defines a person and calls them out of one reality and into another. So Jesus calls fishermen, and in the call itself is the power for those men to leave their nets, leave their family legacy, leave their place in society, and follow Jesus. And in the call is another reality. The call defines you. So Jesus calls them and says, from now on you will be fishers of men. Notice what Jesus does here. He does not say You were once fishermen, and now I am going to make you Christian accountants. No. The call of God transforms what they are, their natural gifts and abilities, into something much higher. They are still fishermen, just a very different kind. They are still going to need patience. They are still going to need physical strength. They are still going to have to work together as a team. But now, the call takes their natural reality and elevates it to something higher. The call raises you up. Many artists and creative people hear the call of God and they think that God is calling them to be a missionary and do something spiritual. Sadly, this comes from the Protestant error that being an artist is bad. What Jesus is calling an artist to is something higher, the call is be a revealer of the unseen through the work of their hands. The call of God is a "rhema" word. It is a living word and whenever you encounter the living word of God, you encounter what is described in Isaiah 55. Just like rain and snow cause growth to happen so the word of God contains in it the power to fulfill itself. The call of God is how God creates. The Word is the seed and contains the life force that will bring fulfillment. We will see this in the story of Jesus and these fishermen. Jesus calls them from their old life into a higher calling. Then later on he calls them again He calls them apostles. And in the apostolic calling, it says in Luke that the calling "created them" apostles. The Call is an act of creation. Something new is formed out of the old. This is the calling to your true self, the real you. The call of God is an act of creation. Our community is not religious. Over the years I have had to help many broken hearted artists who believed that God was calling them into ministry. And mistakenly, they saw that Jesus told the fishermen to leave their nets, and so they left their brushes and their craft behind. I find it interesting, that in all my years of working with artists musicians rarely go through this, because the church values musicians. In fact a lot of musicians get put into leadership before they are ready and they their immaturity is pander to, when they should have been fathered into maturity. Those of us in the other arts are encouraged to give up their craft. Actors leave the theatre, painters stop painting. Eventually, God leads them back and shows them that what they do is valuable. But often there is a lot of pain and hurt to process. Sadly, sometimes when an artist gets a call from God, they get religious and go into religious jobs. And it doesn't go well. The call of God is not religious and God doesn't call you into "ministry." The call of God is part of the message of Jesus. Metanoia, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Change your thinking, Change your life, and Get your head into a Kingdom of God way of thinking and doing. Come follow me and I am going to raise up all your natural ability and skill and I am going to transform it into something much higher and more noble than what you ever thought was possible. God calls you and he says my thoughts are not your thoughts my ways are not your ways. My power is made perfect in your weakness. I can take what you are and who you are the real you and I can make you into a rock that the gates of hell cannot withstand. And in the call and in the word is the power to do it, and the power to see it happen. There is another piece of the call of God that many of us do not understand. Sometimes I hear people translate the things that I say into "Christianese." I don't speak "Christianese." I try to speak Kingdom and normal. When I say, "Listen to the Lord and do what he tells you," the Christianese speaker translates it into "Listen to the Lord and be obedient." That's not what Jesus said. Jesus said come follow me and I will make you a fisher of men. Jesus didn't say, come follow me and obey me. When God calls us and when God gives us a direction and a word that word is not a command like you give your trained dog. And if you obey it God will give you a biscuit. No. The word from God is for you and for your good. And when you do the things that God asks you to do, it is going to bless and benefit you and it is going to give God glory. Sometimes God asks you to do what at first seems like a crazy thing. God called these fishermen from their business investment and from their family identity. God called me from my regular art job and my freelance art business. I still have my brushes, but I don't make stuff for rich ladies in big houses anymore. I make little copies of Jesus the perfect image of the father. I am still an artist, just like Peter was still a fisherman. And the call of God, the word from God, has been what keeps me going. We keep going through periods of no money, times of real hardship, travel, toil, and trouble. The word of God, the call keeps it going. Because in that word there is the power to carry it out. This is the difference between a ministry and a vocation. Some of you may be wrestling with things that God is asking you to do. Sometimes even little acts of doing what God invites you to do seem like giant steps. The call always confronts your loyalty. And often we discover that just "the way the world works" "what people will think" is a bigger monster than we can face. The call of God to leave the nets, to leave mother and father, to step out of the boat, or to embrace the journey to who you really are is a scary one that requires risk. But when we do, we discover that Jesus Christ is very kind and very dangerous, and very good. Come follow me Jesus said and I will make you everything you ever dreamed and more just not the way you thought. Today I want to end this time by praying first for those who have heard God and been too afraid to follow where he was leading. Now let's pray for those who left real things real gifts, abilities and careers and who tried to do the Christian thing. I meet so many artist who feel guilty about being artists and who are not free to walk because of this nagging feeling. Finally, let's pray for those who maybe are hearing the voice of the Lord who is calling, Come follow me, leave your nets and I will make you a fisher of men. Some of you may feel the call to a consecrated life a life of full time service to the Kingdom. This may look like a religious vocation. If this is you, please make an appointment with me and lets talk. --- Thanks for reading and listening. These teachings from the House of Artisans post each Monday. If they encourage you consider supporting our work. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### Recipes for Lamb. URL: https://www.belonging.house/recipes-for-lamb/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:31.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Sometimes you read disturbing things online. I read this quote a few days ago: "A cook and a shepherd **do not share the same view of a sheep."** That's from Clement of Alexandria, and it illustrates what Jesus described. There are shepherds **and there are hirelings.** And Ezekiel said that same thing, woe to the shepherds who eat the sheep. Twenty years ago part of the call to raise up artists was this direction: **I am going to show you a new way to do ministry.** When I was trained in the 1990's the "seeker church" program model was on the rise. It has been devastating. People got tired of being "what's for dinner." God called me out of all that, and into a coffee shop. I have met a lot of people who are done with church. And so was I. In 2020 **I started a church by accident.** I didn't want to, but it kept going. And I tried to quit several times. God said "don't quit, no matter what happens." He said it would be a little church **with a global impact.** And after God said "don't quit," it got really hard. Sometimes the biggest testimony **is a quiet one.** We kept going through a lot of difficulties. Sadly, a lot of trouble was caused by people who keep telling me, "You know, you are doing this all wrong. That's not how you cook lamb." I am not cooking sheep, I am feeding them. Our teaching from Sundays reaches dozens of nations. It's not my ministry, it is the call of God to raise up a throne for Jesus. Cooking mutton chops was never mentioned. I hear the same thing again and again. "I go to a church that has a great program but there is no teaching. I listen to you every week because of the teaching." You can watch a cooking show **or you can sit down to a banquet.** The world is rapidly changing, and last Sunday we saw a church overrun by barbarians. **The House of Artisans is here if you need to be fed.** God is calling an army of artists in a time of war and transition. You cannot do it the old way, and you cannot do it alone. Come get connected. The Daily Prayer Furnace happens Monday to Friday and the House of Artisans meets on Sundays at 1:00pm ET. **Both use the Zoom link below.** Don't worry, I won't eat you. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/69a36130-26ac-42e1-95ff-25c953b0041d_1200x92-heic-2.jpg) ### Illusion and Reality URL: https://www.belonging.house/illusion-and-reality/ Last updated: 2026-01-18T23:45:48.000Z Illusion and Reality 0:00 /200 1× John 1:29-34 #### ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’ At that time: John saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.” I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptising with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John bore witness: ‘I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptise with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptises with the Holy Spirit.” And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.’ Acts 19:1-7 **19** While Apol′los was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. **2** And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” **3** And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” **4** And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” **5** On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. **6** And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. **7** There were about twelve of them in all. --- Thanks for reading and listening. Friends have said that the transcript is more helpful than my manuscript, and so feel free to read along in the automated transcript. These teachings from the House of Artisans post each Monday. If they encourage you consider supporting our work. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### Connecting to the Vine. URL: https://www.belonging.house/connecting-to-the-vine/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:32.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. For the next few weeks I am going to talk about the tools we use to make disciples. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you never graduate. You learn the foundations and then you continue to grow as you master the spiritual life. Belonging House International is called to make disciples. It just so happens, that our disciples are artists, creative people, and those who love them. The goal is to make people who go and explode the light and life of God in places where God is not invited. You cannot do that without the life **and power God flowing through you.** Apart from Jesus you can do nothing. Jesus is the vine. Our job is to help you get connected. In her book Chasing the Dragon, Jackie Pullinger tells the story of how praying in tongues for fifteen minutes every day transformed her ministry in Hong Kong. In 2006 we followed her example, and prayed together in tongues for fifteen minutes every Thursday. Five years ago, we started doing this practice every weekday on Zoom. The "heart" of Belonging House is now **the Daily Prayer Furnace.** We stop every day and pray together in tongues for fifteen minutes. We have been doing this for five years. The Prayer Furnace is the power behind all the answered prayers, books, discipleship groups, and miracles of healing and provision. **You are invited to join us at 7am ET, on Zoom.** https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130 But if you can't, You can join us at noon your time, wherever you are, for fifteen minutes. If you don't speak in tongues, that's okay, all you need to do is stop, focus your thoughts on Jesus **and practice His Presence.** We want our community scattered across thirty-seven countries to be connected to Jesus the True Vine. And if you are connected to him, **we are connected to one another.** As I said, the Daily Prayer Furnace is now the heart of our community, and it's where God is moving. **Join us, and check it out.** O Holy Spirit, come like a mighty rushing wind and Awaken us out of our complacency, our apathy, and our indifference. Disturb us, For we are too content to let people go on not knowing you. Penetrate the closed gates of our hearts and make us live again. O Holy Spirit, create among us a mighty Christian revolution And cast the fear of the unknown out of our lives. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/69a36130-26ac-42e1-95ff-25c953b0041d_1200x92-heic-3.jpg) ### The Simple Secret to Answered Prayer URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-simple-secret-to-answered-prayer/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:00.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### You Can Become a Whole Person URL: https://www.belonging.house/you-can-become-a-whole-person/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:00.000Z You Can Become a Whole Person 0:00 /200 1× Thanks for reading and listening. Friends have said that the transcript is more helpful than my manuscript, and so feel free to read along in the automated transcript. These teachings from the House of Artisans post each Monday. If they encourage you consider supporting our work. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### A Moving Wall Army URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-moving-wall-army/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:32.000Z Right before Christmas, Joe Frost shared a word from the Lord in the Daily Prayer Furnace. It summarizes many of the words God has given me and our team over the years, and I thought it would be good to start 2026 with it. Thanks Joe. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/e9aa4d3d-1baf-412d-b1be-27a4d41c958a_1021x331-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThere is an army in need of gathering: In need of a leader and discipline. They are preparing for battle. Ready or not, For the enemy approaches. They have weapons at their disposal. They have training. But they are not together as uniform. THIS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE MY ARMY AND THIS IS HOW I FIGHT Not with uniformity. Not with impersonal robotic discipline. But as a stone wall, Formed with irregular parts, Expertly fit together. For how I see is perfect. They are the wall of the LORD YOUR GOD Which will never be breached Or put to shame It will hold out the enemy forever. But it is not in one place Protecting a single place Or object; But as my temple in the desert was ever-moving And on its way to the land of promise. How do you prepare this moving-wall army? There is no wisdom of man to do so. It is only by the Way of the Lord. My army will recognize my orders. They are impossible to lead in the wisdom of man. They are the ones abandoned by the ‘best practices’ of ministry. Go and gather these lambs My special ones In For they know my voice. They will not be manipulated or forced FOR THEY ARE MY MOVING-WALL ARMY! He Never Fails. Christ ### On Living by Faith for 20 Years. URL: https://www.belonging.house/living-by-faith-for-20-years/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:05.000Z How listening to God changed my life. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### You are Sacred Space URL: https://www.belonging.house/you-are-sacred-space/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:05.000Z You are Sacred Space 0:00 /200 1× Thanks for listening to my work. It is the fruit of an international community of artists and creative people called Belonging House International. Help us out and become a free or paid subscriber. You can find out more at https://belonging.house. ### Put Your Hand in the Hand of God. URL: https://www.belonging.house/put-your-hand-in-the-hand-of-god/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:36.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. The late Queen Elizabeth, at Christmas in 1939 handed her father a note. Britain was about to face the Nazis, and they would attempt to destroy **London.** On the note were these words, written by Minnie Louise Haskins: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness ***and put your hand into the Hand of God.*** That shall be to you better than light and safer than any known way.” So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East. As this new year begins, don't look back at what was. Don't look back at the fuzzy fond memories. Don't look back at the "what if's" and the "could be's." Your best days are ahead, **not behind.** There is always more grace and there are always new ideas and things God will call you to do. Other wars and battles are ahead and we have a crafty enemy. Look forward, for although the dark is getting darker, a light is getting brighter. If you are a Christian, **You are sacred space.** God chose to dwell in human flesh, so that you could be the Incarnation, Emmanuel, wherever you go. The Holy Spirit in you has made you a son and an heir to the fullness of the Kingdom of God. And Saint Paul taught us that if we are the habitation of the Holy Spirit, then we are temples. Saint John told us there would be no temple in the city, because we shall behold God face to face. You are the temple, **and you are the light.** And everywhere you go, especially if you are an artist or creative person, you are called to bring the light and love of heaven into a dark and troubled place. Put your hand into the Hand of God, it shall be to you better than light and safer than any known way. He Never Fails, Christ ### Christmas is the Miracle. URL: https://www.belonging.house/christmas-is-the-miracle/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:06.000Z Christmas is the Miracle. 0:00 /200 1× Thanks for listening to my work. Merry Christmas. ### Faith and Reality URL: https://www.belonging.house/faith-and-reality/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:06.000Z Faith and Reality 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday I want to talk about faith and reality. When I moved to New England I began meeting alot of people who were Christians but they told me they were mad at God. They told me that they had faith for something and they prayed and they declared, and in the end reality hit them hard. Things just didn't go the way they thought. And they were mad and they blamed God. Artists and creative people are interesting people. We get an idea in our head and we are not settled until the idea is manifested. And for some artists, the artistic vision can be a problem. You see, life and people are not perfect. Some artists get into drama and muscle through to make it happen. And some step on people to get there. And others melt down and turn inward. And then you add all kinds of weird Christian beliefs and teaching about faith, and God's will and it get's pretty toxic. And then you add Christmas on top of that. And pinterest, and old movies and the ridiculous pressure from retailers who refuse to let you call Christmas Christmas but expect you to go into debt so you can have a magical holiday. It becomes too much to bear. This is why Christmas is often one of the most stressful times of the year. Christmas was never perfect. This year the last Sunday of advent does go right to the birth of Jesus. Matthew says "The birth of Jesus Christ happened this way." Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. What happens when your faith, your expectations, and reality collide? When you look at an Eastern Orthodox icon of the birth of Jesus Mary is big, in the cave. Joseph is small, sitting outside head in his hands looking forlorn. And over his shoulder is Satan whispering in his year sowing doubts about the Virgin birth. This isn't the plaster saint in church, this is reality. The scripture does not give us much information about Joseph. All we know is this: Joseph, based on two different genealogies, one in Matthew and one in Luke is a descendant of Abraham and a descendent of David. All we really know is that Joseph is a righteous Jewish man and from that we can make a few conclusions. Joseph, the young man has a dream to a have a wife a family, and also carry on the family line because he is a descendent of David. And for a second temple Jewish man this was a very big deal. We are living in a post Marxist world that sees marriage and family as a social construct. The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks describes marriage and family this way when talking about Abraham: " . . . what the Torah does say about Avraham is found in the very essence of his name, “Av” in Avram and Avraham, which translates to “father”. The Torah gives us one very clear explanation for God’s choice of Avraham: He was chosen because he would be a great father. . . "Judaism elevates the role of parenthood to a sacred realm. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah – the anniversary of Creation – we read of two mothers, Sarah and Hannah, and their sons’ births, as if to say: Every life is a universe. If you wish to understand the creation of the universe, think about the birth of a child. Within Judaism, the proper understanding of Hashem is encapsulated in the intimate, miraculous experience of parenthood. With its raw power and beauty, childbirth becomes a mirror reflecting God’s creative love. Parenthood, especially the dedication shown by Jewish parents, transforms ordinary life into a sanctified existence. Family is, within Judaism, high religious art, full of drama and beauty." And so, the birth of Jesus happened this way, Joseph is looking forward to the day when he will have a son, an heir, a wife, and a family, in fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and the promise to David. And what does he discover? His fiancé is pregnant. This was not his dream in life. Sometimes God's plan for your life is not perfect. And usually when this happens we look at what's ahead and we see a black hole. We can get disappointed, depressed, or slip into denial. And the Greek says that Joseph was righteous and he is not going to shame Mary. Joseph has two choices at this point, he can face reality or he can live in his dreams. A lot of people when faced with less than perfect situations, cope with a fantasy. I meet many people who have the idea that if they imagine and envision something the way they want it to happen and if they start declaring that thing it is going to happen. And you see people who get short term results from this. It's very dangerous, because it can quickly slip into witchcraft, control, and manipulation because you are not accepting reality. God only works in reality. He doesn't work in the realm of our wants. God doesn't give us grace for a fantasy. Fortunately, Joseph has a dream and in the dream he is visited by an angel of the Lord. And the Angel says to him, do not be afraid this child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And then the angel continues: And you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from his sins. And here is an interesting bit. In Luke's gospel, it is clear that the angel spoke to Mary in Greek, because there is a unique word in Mary's conversation with Gabriel that could only have happened in the Greek. In Matthew, the Angel in the dream was speaking to Joseph in Aramaic. Because when you translate this phrase into Aramaic you get a pun. You shall call his name Salvation because he will save his people from his sins. Y'shua means salvation. Joseph has a dream with an angel and this angel has a simple message. It's not about you Joseph. This is about the hope of your nation, about the promise of God to your family, about the future of planet earth. Are you going to surrender to God? Whenever we surrender, we accept reality. This is accepting life on life's terms. And Joseph wakes up and he chooses to obey the Lord and take Mary for his wife. And Mary is the fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call his name Emmanuel God with us. The Incarnation is everything. Jesus Christ did not come to us to make things the way they "ought to be." Jesus came into the situation and embraced reality. God can only heal and transform reality not your imagination of reality. This is why confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation are so important. When something goes wrong you have to come to Jesus and the cross and look at what you did and say, "What I did is out of line with God's reality. I confess that your reality, Jesus, is true, and mine is not." And I have to give it to him and receive his forgiveness. And when you have a conflict with another person, you have to tell the truth, admit you are wrong, admit it is not all about you, and you have to say I am sorry, and that person has to say, "I accept your apology and I forgive you." If you don't (And a lot of people think the Christian thing is to say "oh that's okay, don't worry about it.") there is no grace. Grace only flows through truth and reality, not how you hope reality will be. Grace only flows through truth and reality. The past month has been insane. I think we squeezed a year into four weeks. A few days before Thanksgiving I was shown a house that we could use as our international headquarters. It really is perfect, but the owners are into "word faith" theology, that if you declare things the way you want them it will happen. In the end, I had to walk away because their prayers, based in a fantasy and unrealistic expectations were causing problems for our ministry. I knew we had a word from the Lord about this house and so I was confident I could walk away. If you have a real word you can act without fear and trust God. That is real. This is what faith looks like. Faith is always a risk, but if you have a word from the Lord, you are grounded in reality. This is why when we make scriptural declarations we see so much happen in people's lives. When we declare scriptural truth, even if that truth is not yet reality for us, we begin to see movement from our broken reality into God's reality. The incarnation is everything. Jesus came into a broken world and said I am salvation I am God with you. I am close and I can bring the life and love of God into your broken reality and bring salvation. That word salvation means healing, wholeness, shalom, transformation and blessing. And so we declare salvation over situations. Last November, the day before I went to see the house in New Hampshire, I went and did a pastoral visit for a friend whose mother was dying of cancer. Unbeknownst to me, she was told her situation was hopeless and that she should give up. It was probably good that I didn't know the prognosis. I went in to see her and prayed a simple prayer. First we walked through our three step process of forgiveness, I asked her to forgive anyone who hurt her, forgive herself for any sinful reactions she had to others, forgive God for any disappointments, and to let go of any anger. We acknowledged and accepted reality. When we do this the life of God can flow. Then I placed my hand on her and I prayed. When I prayed, I saw our Lord Jesus put his hand on mine, and the light and love of God began to flow into her body. And then Jesus looked up at me with a smile and he said, "She is going to be okay." And I told the woman, "You are going to be okay." This was reality. Do not be afraid. Well there were a few bumps along the road, and we stopped in the Daily Prayer Furnace to pray for her twice I believe. But we had a word from the Lord, she was going to be okay. And then her tumors began to visibly vanish. This week the doctor who told her a month ago she was going to die, greeted her with the words "Alleluia." She is going to be okay. She still has some more treatments but it looks like things are going well. This is faith. Joseph had a word from the Lord. And he acted in faith. Inside I know he was conflicted, and probably disappointed. His first born, his heir, was not his. He knew it was not about him. But he had a word from the Lord, and he chose to believe and he named the Baby salvation. Salvation comes when we surrender. Three weeks ago, I walked away from the house and trusted God. Yesterday, the owners of the house reached out to me, and they want to talk. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the real living word of God, not a verse you found that makes you happy, not your desires, not your hopes, not your wants, but the real word. Things may not be perfect, but aligning your reality with God's is going to open the door for Salvation. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co ### In the Crumpled Paper URL: https://www.belonging.house/in-the-crumpled-paper/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:40.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for praying for me and Belonging House. Thirty years ago, the week after I finished seminary, my parents’ next door neighbor came by. He had a big rusty tool box in his hands. “I just came back from an auction and I bought this great toolbox,” he said. “I was a bit surprised when I opened it up and it was full of newspaper!” And then he proceeded to open up the toolbox. Yes, it was full of newspaper. But the newspaper hid something else. **It held over thirty nativity scene figures.** And my neighbor since I was an artist, and I was going to be a priest, figured I should have all the stuff in the newspaper. I reached into the crumpled paper **and there I found the Baby Jesus.** And I took the pieces, and I fixed them up, and I put them out the next Christmas. Eventually, I discovered that I was given a mid-1930’s Marolin Nativity set. It was a treasure. The Kingdom of God does not come **in the way we expect.** God took on flesh when a virgin said yes to an angel. And then God invaded our broken world and became one of us. In the genealogy of Jesus there is more than one fallen woman and more than one failure in life. And yet, Jesus took on their flesh, and Jesus became one of us, and God was found in human likeness. **God became a man.** And shepherds were a bit surprised when they were greeted by angels. My neighbor was a bit surprised when he bought a rusty tool box, and in the end had found Joseph, Mary, and a little figure of our Lord. God is looking to surprise us all in places and in ways we would least expect. Don’t miss our Lord Jesus **in the midst of all that’s happening around us.** Jesus might be in the midst of all the crumpled paper. Merry Christmas to the entire Belonging House International family. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3d38f313-72ff-4c57-97de-f56c2e204041_1200x125-heic.jpg) Last week we received our tax exempt status. Thank you Lord! Please note there will be no Daily Prayer Furnace from December 25-January 5\. We will be taking our annual Christmas holiday. There will be no House of Artisans Sunday 28 December. ### Fulfilment URL: https://www.belonging.house/fulfilment-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:07.000Z Fulfilment 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWhat do you do when the fulfilment comes and it is not what you expected? There is a back side to the forerunner calling and we need to talk about it. God is fulfilling promises right now in our community, and it is important to understand a core piece of God’s fulfillment. Most people miss the day of their visitation and the day of the fulfillment because they are expecting one thing and God does another. God fulfills the word and the promise but it does not look like what we expected. And when this happens people either get disappointed or offended. In 2008 God moved me abruptly from Akron, Ohio to Boston, Massachusetts. Actually he moved me to a small village in New Hampshire, and told me he needed me in Boston. And I was in shock. I knew a few people, but I didn’t have any connections and no direction. In Ohio I was running a house a prayer, so I decided to find a house of prayer. I borrowed Lyn’s car, and drove into Boston. In 2008 you couldn’t just look on your phone and have it give you directions. You had to look on a map and find your way. Once upon a time I had a laminated Boston street map, and I carried with me everywhere I went. And if you needed to find an address in Cambridge, you had a problem, because the street names were the same for different streets. And so I found myself on the wrong side of the river, in a strange city. Lost. I finally did find the house of prayer, and when I did, I heard the people’s prayers. “O God, send people to Boston. We need more trained leaders to help with the house of prayer!” After the meeting was over, I walked up to the leader, and introduced myself. I said, “God just moved me here from where I was leading a house of prayer. I think I one of the people you were praying for.” And the leader looked at me and said, “No thanks, you’re not what we are looking for.” God tests the forerunner call by how we respond to way to its fulfillment. Often it is not going to look like what we expected. And when the thing comes you might miss it. We see this all the time with prophetic words, people miss the fulfilment because they are looking for their interpretation of the word not the word. People miss the fulfilment because they are looking for their interpretation of the word, not the word. John the Baptist was born to be set aside. He was the last of the old grid, the Old Covenant prophet. He himself said, there is one coming after me who is greater, and He must increase and I must decrease. We all say things that sound so spiritual. The reality is very different. It hurts. And John begins to see that his ministry is decreasing, and the ministry of Jesus is increasing. John is the first prophet is four hundred years. That is a big deal. And he is not ending well. His life and ministry are diminishing. And then he gets put in prison. And John sends some of his disciples to Jesus and asks if he is the Messiah. Jesus is not the Messiah anyone was expecting. There were a lot beliefs about what this person would be. He would be the military king. He would be a prophet priest. And even that the Messiah might be three people a prophet a priest and a king. And like all prophetic revelation, when it gets fulfilled you look back and you say “Oh wow, it all fits. This is what God was talking about.” Today we know that the Bible told us about a baby in Bethlehem and that he would die on the cross and rise again. To the people on the other side, even John, the picture was not as clear. He knew the story of Mary meeting Elizabeth. His mother told him that he leaped in Elizabeth’s womb at the sound of Mary’s voice. Jesus was his cousin. They have known each other all their lives. And they also knew that they were different. And now John the forerunner asks a question. Are you the Messiah or should we keep looking? And Jesus gives us an answer that is consistent with everything else he has said: Go back and tell John everything you have seen and heard. The blind see the lame walk, the deaf hear, lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised to life, and the good news is preached to the poor. God never holds you to a standard higher than the one he set for himself. Jesus tells us to judge a tree by the fruit. And Jesus doesn’t say to John “Yes, John, I am the Messiah.” No. Jesus says, John here is the fruit. You be the judge. Jesus never takes away the demand of faith. John has to make a choice. John has to decide. Jesus is not going to make a decision for him. When God calls you to step out in faith, It’s not always as clear as walking on the water and you stop sinking. Sometimes God will give you a direction and you have to choose to trust the direction and have faith. Jesus doesn’t give John comfort in prison. He says look at my fruit. Look at what is happening. You have to trust the God you know and believe that I am the Messiah. And then Jesus makes a key statement. Blessed are the ones who are not offended by me. Often God will use offense to test and sort us. One of the key indicators of a new move of God is it’s offensiveness to the ones who were leaders of the last move of God. God uses offense to sift us. This is why Paul says in I Corinthians 13 that Love is not easily offended. Religion and religious people tend to quickly be offended. And there are alot of people in the church who are quick to judge. This happened in the Toronto Blessing revival that happened thirty years ago. People were quick to judge and say this is not God. John Wimber one of the shining lights of the charismatic and third wave movements and founder of the Vineyard churches condemned the Toronto Airport Vineyard and kicked them out. I saw a lot of it first hand. When people from Toronto showed up in London, the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said something telling. “Only time will tell if this is the Holy Spirit. It would be wise not to condemn this like the Church of England condemned the Methodists. If this is a move of God, then it will bear fruit. If it is not, it will disappear.” He was right, and because of that, the Alpha Course became a global phenomenon, leading countless people to Christ. One day I was walking down the street and talking with God, and the Lord asked me a question. Always pay attention when the Lord asks a question. “Do you know why I made all of those people laugh at Toronto?” I didn’t know. “Because I wanted to offend people.” Hmm. God uses offense as a precision tool to prune his body. Then the Lord said something even more interesting. “I am about to really offend people. I am restoring Mary and the Sacraments to my church.” Hmm. Aslan is not a tame lion. You have not got God figured out. And if you do have God figured out, then you do not have God. You have a god. An idol. And sometimes the fulfillment and the answer are really not what we were expecting. Father Al used to say that God heals everyone but not everyone is cured. So often we pray that God will take the struggle or the problem away. We are praying for a relief from the pain and the suffering. And it just doesn’t go away. Paul talked about his thorn in the flesh. And all we know is that God didn’t take it away. And then we get this little promise. God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness. God’s answer to your prayer might be grace and power flowing through you even though the problem is not getting fixed. Jesus only has weak and broken people to choose from and he is teaching us total dependence on him. And when God starts working through weak broken people it really offends the people who have it all together with the right credentials and who did all the right stuff to get to the right place. God doesn’t do that. He lifts up the lowly and sets them with the princes of his people. Last Tuesday I had twelve unplanned hours in New York City. I got the time on my bus ticket wrong. Sometimes you just have to ask the Lord what do you want me to do? There is a great little coffee shop in the Village, and I had spent the whole morning there. The Lord said to go back. And when I did the manager struck up a conversation with me. She was one of the leaders of a house of prayer on the West Side of Manhattan. “God is moving people to New York right now. You need to come to the house of prayer and be part of it.” Whenever God does something there is poetry in it. Keep your heart open. Don’t judge and limit the word by how you think the word is going to be fulfilled. You won’t miss the day of your visitation. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### Fulfilment URL: https://www.belonging.house/fulfilment/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:41.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. For many years I lived under the first half of Proverbs 13:12: **“Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”** None of my dreams happened. I first tried to move to New York City in 1993. I spent fourteen years trying to get ordained so I could plant a church in New York City. I walked away from church. And spent about a decade as a floundering freelance artist. I came back. I walked away again, but this time it was because **God called me out,** and I went into the lonely place where I was schooled by Jesus. And **I gave up my way,** And **embraced a call** to other floundering creative people who didn’t need self help, they needed to learn how to hear God and in the process, I discovered Christianity that works. If it doesn’t work for you, **then it isn’t Christianity.** You may have been told that your beliefs are right, but tell me, where’s the fruit? Jesus only wants to see fruit, not your beliefs. I digress. On Monday I was sitting in a coffee shop in Greenwich village. Oddly, it was very familiar, and completely new. I was doing what I have done in Akron, Cleveland, London, Paris, Jerusalem, and Rome. This time, I was doing it at home. **And God just brought people to me:** A lady on the subway singing songs who needed a prophetic word that God has answered her prayer. An emerging artist who has discovered his Jewish roots and is processing how it fits into his Christian faith. A young woman leading sets at a house of prayer and excited that God is moving people into New York. A standing room only midday mass in Greenwich village. There are more with us than those who are against us. And walking down the street to a Chinese restaurant I went to in the 1990’s I looked back at all the twists and turns. All the struggles and all the challenges **were for a reason**, and God has brought me back to where I was back then, only with all the prayers answered. There is a second half of to Proverbs 13:12. When the desire comes, **it is a tree of life.** Don’t give up. Keep going. And do not be afraid. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3d38f313-72ff-4c57-97de-f56c2e204041_1200x125-heic-1.jpg) ### Drip URL: https://www.belonging.house/drip/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:07.000Z How to change everything you touch. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Prepare the Way for the Lord URL: https://www.belonging.house/prepare-the-way-for-the-lord/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:08.000Z Prepare the Way for the Lord 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedPrepare the Way for the coming of the Lord. This phrase was part of the dramatic call I received in 2006. Raise up an army of Artists who will build Jesus a throne and make a way for the coming of the Lord. You will father a new generation of artists who make a way for the coming of the Lord. In Scripture there is really only one forerunner John the Baptist. His message can be broken down into four parts: 1.Prepare the Way for the coming of the Lord. 2\. Change your thinking. 3\. Produce works that show you have changed. 4\. He must increase and I must decrease: when he comes turn to him and be filled with the Holy Spirit. These four points are the core of the character and the nature of every person called to be a forerunner. Before we talk about John we have to talk about his lifestyle. John was a Levite. He was the son of a priest, and when the book of Matthew was written, the priesthood in Israel was politically compromised. The priests who had led the Maccabean revolt two hundred years earlier against the Greeks were now collaborators with the Romans in order to keep an uneasy peace in Israel. John was born to be a priest and at some point he walked away. At some point he made a choice that there would be no compromise. The image of John is a wild and crazy one, but behind this image is a man who had to have been well trained, and knew the Scripture. There are a couple indications that underneath that rough exterior there had been wealth and refinement. He wears a leather belt, and that means there was a buckle. That means money. He eats wild honey and locusts. To us that sounds a bit disgusting, but those were rare delicacies in the ancient world. It would be like us saying he ate truffles all day. Yes, they were natural and hard to come by, but John knew how to find them, and he lived on delicacies. From the image we get of John he is a man who at some point chose to live completely outside the system. He was beholden to no one. When God really calls you out to make a way for the coming of the Lord he is going to disconnect you from the corruption of your generation. John was born to be priest, and he chose instead to go into the desert and be schooled by God. You can walk from the cave of Elijah to the spot where John was baptizing. You can see the Jordan from the cave. It is one of the driest places I have been. My guess is, John knew about Elijah’s cave, and probably stayed there. God takes you into the desert to tune your heart. We used to say that violinists were unhappy, because most of them have perfect pitch, and when you have perfect pitch, you have to live in a world that is slightly out of tune. When Jesus pulls you away you suddenly find your self out of tune with everyone else. And out of that irritation you begin to proclaim the call on your life. Prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. And anyone who has a true forerunner calling is going to carry emotion behind the message. That emotion is a force. The core of the message of the forerunner is in Isaiah 62: Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones, lift up an ensign over the peoples. Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” Clear the stones. Break up the fallow ground. Make the way smooth. 2\. Change The English translation here uses the words “repent” and “works worthy of repentance.” The Greek here matters, because the words in the Greek are Metanoia and Metanoiete. In the English Bible tradition, the word that is most often translated “repent”is the Greek word,“metanoia.” It’s a compound word, made of a prefix and a noun to form a verb. Meta means to change. It does not mean“to turn” or change direction. It simply means change. It comes down to us in the term for how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly: Metamorphosis. Which, if you know Greek is also a compound word of a noun with a prefix and a suffix: Meta—to change Morphe—shape or form osis—process of. Metamorphosis is the process of changing shape from one thing to another. It’s very simple. The second part of this word is also very simple. “Noia” means mind or thinking. The Greeks thought that thinking and the mind were one. As you probably do as well. The way this comes to us in English is the word “paranoia.” It’s a full on Greek word we all know. ” “Para” is the word for come behind or come ahead, or even come along side. It can mean both—as in paramedic—a medic who gets there first. To be paranoid is to think someone is behind you. So, now that we understand the component parts we can put the two together and we have our word Metanoia. To change your mind or thinking. And intrinsic in this, because the Hebrew mindset does not isolate the thinking from the doing, is the idea that your thoughts are going to change your behaviour. Jews did not understand the mind the same way. Jews understood the mind, thinking, and the heart as one, as the “soul.” Jews did not think things sprang out of your head, but rather, out of your center, either the area of your heart or your intestines. The Hebrews thought that the mind was connected to your gut, or your bowels. So when Jesus had compassion, it says he “felt it in his gut.” The head is never floating somewhere apart from the body. Have you noticed something? I have not mentioned sin. Metanoia is not about sin. It’s about change. Metanoia is about an inside out transaction, that is not about morality, reparation, or even consequences. It’s about becoming something else. Maybe it’s about becoming a new creation. When you truly metanoia, the sin which is really a symptom of the separation from God, and of a wrong identity, begins to go away. You are changed. That’s why a lifestyle of repentance is eternal, but hopefully, a lifestyle of sin is temporary. This is why sin based revival movements die. When people get transformed things change and you can’t keep going to the altar. At some point you have to start living like Jesus. God is always finding places in your thinking that need to change. Even if it doesn’t really add up to sin. Turning to God will in turn bring a transformation of your thinking. Turning and Transformation must be held together. The Forerunner calls people to action. So if you are making a way for the coming of the Lord and people are suddenly giving up their wrong ways of thinking, the next piece is very important. John called the people to works worthy of repentance. And he called them to a “mikvah.” This was a ritual bath either for ritually unclean people like women after childbirth, or a person who has touched a dead body, or a new convert to Judaism. If wanted to come to Israel, you had to humble yourself and get baptized. John is saying you might be Jewish but your are not Israel, and you need to get birthed into Israel. John’s baptism was a baptism without the power of the Holy Spirit. It was just a human sign of a choice. And there were people that John refused. He refused the religious experts, the professionals, the ones were compromised. John turned them away and called them a brood of vipers. This would be echoed later when Jesus said, “many of you will come to me saying ‘Lord, Lord we did all these great thing in your name, and the Lord will say depart from me I never knew you.” John’s baptism is not our model, because there was no Holy Spirit. He was preparing the people for something greater. You have to produce works that look like you have had a metanoia. Finally, the forerunner points to someone else. He must increase and I must decrease. We are not making a way for ourselves or our ministry. It is not about you or your ministry. It is about Jesus and all signs are pointing to the truth that Jesus is coming and every eye shall see him. And John is saying to us, I baptize with water, but there is one coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John like so many in his generation confused the promises of the first coming of Jesus with the second one. Bob Tuttle at Asbury used to say, Jesus came once as a little Baby, but he is coming again with a ROAR! Let’s take these four ideas and land this airplane with some practical thoughts. Last year Mark Pierce told me I had a John the Baptist calling. I was called to be a priest, and then God forced me to leave a system that was grossly corrupted and live in the desert for a long time. And when I was called to raise up an army of artists I was given a few basic directions: and those directions were in opposition to the prevailing wind of ministry building, consumer Christianity obsession with money and big organizations and building cultures around events and celebrities. On January 7 I will officially be cranky for twenty years. This past year we experienced the hardest pruning in our ministry history. It’s been a hard season. In the midst of this hardness I have had to ask God to turn the pruning into growth. He called me to go against the flow but not be weird. If you have a forerunner call, you are going to be asked to do unusual things, like not go to professional events and not go raise money and not network or even hang out with people who may be into the arts but who are not interested in metanoia. Some of you listening need to permission to say to other Christians in the arts, you are a just secular artists in the secular world doing a few religious things, but Jesus is calling me to be a disciple, and that means I have to listen to God everyday do what he tells me and go and do the thing he asked me even if it doesn’t make sense to others. And if you do this, you are living a lifestyle of repentance. And you cannot walk this way with the resistance that is going to come with it, without a baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. But the baptism comes second after the decision. So as we look toward the return of the King and the coming of our Lord Jesus, we need to ask God to come Come Holy Spirit. Fill us with the fire and the glory that you poured out on Pentecost. We need a fresh baptism to continue to walk in the forerunner anointing. We ask Lord, for an increase of dreams, vision, and revelation in our house that we would be magnetized to attract the men and women who are like iron that was forged in the fire. Come Kingdom of God, be done will of God. Amen. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Listening to God URL: https://www.belonging.house/listening-to-god/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:42.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. When I first started sending the Friday emails, and speaking at retreats and events, I was asked the same question over and over again. “**How do I learn to listen to God?**” This was a hard question to answer at first, because I had learned to listen to God organically. And at first, the answer I gave to people didn’t satisfy. I told them to stop talking. Then I said you have to get quiet. And then I said you have to pay attention. And then the hardest one of all. You have to **lay aside your own agenda**. I have learned a hard lesson over many years. Most Christians listen to the sound of their own souls, think that the sound of their soul is God, and then ask God to bless their own *soulish* beliefs, agendas, and visions. And God doesn’t. And when God doesn’t bless their agenda they will use manipulation and control to get their own way. A lot of what we call "ministry" is this. Jesus said, "If you abide in me, and my word abides in you, **ask whatever you will and I will do it.**" That means you have to learn to get comfortable living in Jesus and his life. And you have to listen for his word, and let that word direct your prayers. This is very different than finding verses to back up your beliefs and barking them out at God, in an attempt to change the spiritual world. You have to listen to the living word that God is saying in each moment and do what the Lord is directing. And when you do, there is a flow **and you will be blessed.** The mechanics of listening follow: The Belonging House community reads the daily gospel lesson every day. That means we start with Jesus and what he is saying and **tune our soul to him**. We spend at least fifteen minutes in quiet, and we let God talk. And we don’t. And then, we ask a few questions. Lord, **what’s on YOUR agenda today?** It’s not about you. **Lord,who do you want to be for me today?** He wants to be in relationship with you. **Lord, how are you praying for me today?** He is interceding for you. You learn to follow this pattern, and wow, you are on a fast track to listening to God and doing what God tells you. This works, and we see fruit all the time in the lives of artists and creative people. We now have a proven track record that **anyone can learn to listen to God in thirty days.** Our lives depend on hearing the Word of God. If you surrender to the One who has the words of eternal life every rough place will begin to be smooth and every mountain will become a plain. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3d38f313-72ff-4c57-97de-f56c2e204041_1200x125-heic-2.jpg) Thanks for reading Belonging House Friday Email! This post is public so feel free to share it. ### Culture URL: https://www.belonging.house/culture/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:08.000Z Another installment from Drip Revisited. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What Is and What Will Be URL: https://www.belonging.house/what-is-and-what-will-be/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:09.000Z What Is and What Will Be 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/039c0b62-de02-4074-9645-a6f0a98f7a5f_1280x750-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday is the first Sunday of Advent. For those of you who are doing the daily gospel reading, today is the beginning of year A in the three year cycle of readings if you need to figure out where we are in the lectionary. If you would prefer to not use an online app, I can send you a table of the readings for Advent and Christmas. We talk a lot about listening to God. God speaks in our daily lives, God speaks through the scripture, and God speaks in times and seasons. Over many years I have discovered a pattern in God’s speaking to me. He speaks the most directly during the Jewish High Holy Days, and for nearly twenty years I have taken Rosh Hashanah as a time to get away with God and listen. In the past few years, the Lord also spoke at Yom Kippur. Usually, right after this period a number of abrupt shifts happen in my life that begin to activate the word. Many times God will give you a word, and when He does, hang on tight. That word is going to be tested, you are going to be tested, and often the opposite of what God said will happen. This year the Lord spoke to me about the whole community of Belonging House International, and how I would no longer be the only one who gets the revelation, but that our entire community would become a revelatory culture, and this would be what attracts those called to the end-time army of artists. This revelatory culture would magnetize us and those who really have been like iron in the fire will be attracted to us just like iron filings are attracted to a magnet. That made me really jazzed up, and then we discovered that we had a few folks who actually didn’t like that I spend so much time listening to God and they wanted me to stop. It has been a very bumpy few months. After this, each year, just before Advent, things begin to settle down. Advent and Christmas are the celebration of Incarnational Reality. God became a man, and moved into the neighborhood, as Eugene Peterson put it. This is the time when the words begin to really happen and the word that God is releasing for the new year begins to take on flesh. In the spring at Passover into Pentecost, God moves us into the new thing that has taken flesh, and we begin to shifts and manifestation. And in the summer months, I seem to live under an open heaven. We have seen more miracles, and more big callings revealed in July and August than any other time. In September, the cycle repeats. So true to form, this morning at my favorite prayer spot, the Lord said Trust my timing, You have entered the Naked Now! God has stripped me and many in our house right down to nothing. It feels exposed and naked. We are now in the next season. We are going to get clothed by the Lord. This is the season of new clothes. New mantles of shrewdness, wisdom, and authority. Since we are in the new, I want to teach on the lesson from Isaiah 2. When Belonging House began in 2006, the “Seven Mountains” teaching was starting to take hold. This is the idea that the world can be compartmentalized and dissected into seven spheres and our job as Christians is to conquer these mountains and bring them to Christ. There are a lot of problems with this approach, mostly coming from the Enlightenment way of thinking. Life is compartmentalized, and a secular/sacred grid is reinforced. The arts and culture are always sidelined. Whenever I have heard this teaching, the person preaching it usually does what evangelicals do, they come back to politics. In their mind the voting box has power over the other mountains. this is backward. The Kingdom is just the opposite. Jesus doesn’t compartmentalize us, he brings us to wholeness. The Kingdom is a culture, not a political system. And most important of all: In the Bible there is only one mountain. And this mountain is mentioned several times in Isaiah, in chapter 2 and in chapter 24\. It is mentioned at the end of the book of Revelation. the entire Bible story is moving toward a city on a mountain. The mountain of the Lord’s house. The book of Isaiah was composed in the mid 8th century before Christ. The world was going through a convulsion and was coming out of centuries of a long dark age. The events of much of the Old Testament come from a time when civilization collapsed. The comparatively small nation of Israel gained prominence at a time when the larger world was coming apart. We aren’t taught the Bible is way, but Abraham left a civilization that was disintegrating. There were several centuries of chaos in the ancient world, and out of that chaos emerged the nation of Israel. By the time of Isaiah, Israel and Judah were divided. The glory days of the nation were past, and new empires were rising. These empires were coming to conquer and exile Israel. And against this backdrop Isaiah says that the mountain of the Lord’s house is going to become the tallest of mountains and all nations will come to it. And out of this mountain the law will go forth to all nations. And all the nations will stream to this mountain. The whole world will know about this mountain and the whole world will stream toward it. When we read Biblical prophecy, you can understand it three ways. What did it mean to the original hearers? What does it mean in the future? And how can it be interpreted now? So to the original hearers, this passage is about the temple. For them, this was a word of hope in a time of civilizational unrest. This little divided country is one day going to be a global leader. And all the nations will be coming to the hear the word of God. It sounds like nonsense when your world is coming to an end but it is a declaration. The prophetic word is the end from the beginning. If God gives you a word, He is telling you how things are going to work out. It is designed to give you prophetic hope. Hope keeps you going. A lot of people live in what is or what was. They live in what their eyes tell them about now, or the illusion of their experience in the past. And out of this, they get trapped in a poverty mindset with no possibilities or options. The Lord lives in what is and what will be. I am who I am I will be what I will be. The Lord never said his name is what was. So when we receive a word from the Lord it inserts itself into our reality. We have two choices, we can reorient our perspective to God’s perspective or we can try to find a way to make the word fit into our perspective. You always have to make a decision about having a kingdom perspective. When you get a Kingdom perspective, you are now confronted with other choices. How God looks at your present circumstances, and a myriad of options and possibilities for the future. And if you have a clear word from God, you also know the end from the beginning, although you may not know how you are going to get there. A few weeks ago I was asked to come pray for the mother of a friend. She had a serious cancer and there were visible tumors on her head and on her body. I went, and while I was praying, I saw Jesus put his hands on her heart, and light went into her body. Then the Lord looked at me and smiled, and said, “She is going to be okay.” I told the woman what the Lord said. The next few days thing looked pretty bad. And everytime I received a text with bad news I just gave thanks to God and said, “She is going to be okay.” I had a word from the Lord. Things were looking very bad, and I was planning a trip up to Lebanon, NH to pray for her in the hospital. That morning we took time after the Daily Prayer Furnace and prayed for her the way we have learned to pray: We removed the obstacles to healing, we got into the flow, and we let that healing presence of Jesus flow through us to that woman. Again, the Lord said she would be okay. A day later I received a text that she was improving, the next day I received a text that she was discharged from the hospital. And the next day I received a text that the tumors on her head were gone. The other tumors were shrinking. God knows the end from the beginning. The mountain of the Lord’s house has a future meaning as well. Isaiah is talking about the complete fulfilment of the Kingdom of God. There is a day when there will be no war. The whole earth will walk in accordance with the Word of God, and the Lord will reign from Jerusalem. Someday we will all learn to live in love and manifest the fruit of the spirit. When that day comes, there will be no wars. And the world will live under the rule and reign of our Lord Jesus. And the fulfillment of this word will only come when Jesus returns. This is why we are instructed to stay awake, and to be ready. The mountain of the Lord’s house also relates to our mission and calling. The house is more than the temple. It is the dwelling of the Person, Presence, and Power of God in us. All the nations will be drawn to the believers who are walking in the reality of Christ in you, the hope of Glory. There is only one mountain. It is the mountain of the Kingdom of God in the earth. It is more than just Jerusalem and it is more than just a temple. It is a group of people who have comprehended John 17, That we are at unity with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit. And the only way you can get there is to come back to the presence of God and surrender to the life of God in you. And when you come back to this place, you discover something amazing. Your inner conflict begins to go away. Isaiah is describing in this passage a movement from Romans chapter seven where I know what I should do but do not do it, to Romans eight where there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. Isaiah 25 says that on this mountain, the shadow of death will be broken and it was when Jesus carried a cross up to that mountain and died, and then rose again on that mountain. Our inner life can be the mountain of God. You no longer have to learn to war against problems and situations in your own strength. But you can now learn to have rest and peace because you are the house of God. And if you have become a house of God, you can begin to be the presence of God in the earth. The house is more than a building, it is a body of people. You are the temple of the living God. You are the one that the nations desire. You are the one called to carry the Jesus through incarnational reality. And as it says in the end of Revelation, the kings of the earth will bring the glories of their nations, into the city on the one mountain. The mountain of the Lord’s house is a place of beauty, good food, great music, and the best of the best of the best. It is the Kingdoms of this world becoming the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. It is the call on our house, to build a place for the glory to rest. Look forward to the future. Look at the present from God’s point of view. If you have a word from the Lord, hang on to it. Though it tarry, wait for it, it will surely come. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### Freedom from the Ghosts of Christmas Past. URL: https://www.belonging.house/freedom-from-the-ghosts-of-christmas/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:42.000Z Thank you for your prayers. *This week’s email is an annual tradition first begun in 2012\. I hope it helps.* For many people, the Christmas season is not a celebration, **it’s a war zone**. When you were born, there was something about you that was designed to release something unique in the heart of God. **You were born to be a God bearer in the earth.** So, at your birth, a war ensued. Satan’s primary weapon to undermine God’s plan for your life is **pain and trauma.** Trauma can distort your identity, and if the enemy succeeds, he can keep you from being a threat to him for life. Trauma is one of the primary ways that creativity is killed. If this is true about you, **imagine the battle that occured at the birth of Jesus.** Satan tried everything to prevent the Son of God from manifesting Heaven on Earth. And it is amazing how much trauma is inflicted every year as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. If the enemy can’t distract you from the reason for Christmas, then he will make Christmas a time so painful that you **will hate it, avoid it, or deny it.** The truth is, any spirit that **diminishes** that Jesus came as a human being is the spirit of anti-Christ. And that spirit is on the rise today. **The incarnation is EVERYTHING.** **If Christmas is a time of dread or pain for you, I invite you to pray this prayer** (*out loud*). Father God, I thank you that you delighted in the world so much that you gave us your Son, Jesus Christ. As the celebration of this gift approaches, I acknowledge that it has been a time of stress, pain, and disappointment in the past. **In Jesus’ name I forgive those who may have hurt me at Christmas.** I forgive everyone who disappointed me, or allowed their pain to impact my life. I forgive those who died or were sick at Christmas. (*Pause, and if the Lord shows you something specific, forgive those persons.*) **I forgive myself** for any way that I responded to these hurts through addiction, accusation, anxiety, or anger. **I renounce every lie** that I believe that I can try to make it better through my performance. I especially let go of my expectations and any attempt to be perfect during this time. **Lord, I release You** from any way that I have held you responsible for the pain of the past. And I also release you from “Why did God allow this to happen to me?” **In Jesus name I command all the powers of darkness that have used Christmas to cause me or my family trauma to leave now.** The Bible says that if we resist the devil he must flee. I especially command worry, fear, grief, regret, and confusion to leave me now. We also command the spirits of anti-Christ to depart from my life and the lives those I love. **Lord heal my memories,** restore the places in my brain where I have been wired to expect pain this time of year. Heal my five senses so that I will not be triggered by others, but only receive the things you want me to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear. **I thank you that I will walk in love, joy, and peace this Christmas.** Holy Spirit come and envelop my family with your righteousness, peace, and joy. Send angels to cover us with the blessing zone over Belonging House this Christmas. Let us join in their song of peace on earth, good will toward all. **Thank you Lord for your miracles this Christmas and throughout the holiday season.** All this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. ### change URL: https://www.belonging.house/change/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:43.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Bishop Joseph Garlington once said **“Growing things change.”** That’s a profound one, if you think about it. We often fight change. You have to let go of what you know and embrace the unknown. It is terrifying. The past year has been one of pruning. There are days when you look back and you have to assess all the loss and the change. Some of the loss **was a fork in the road** and you look back and see that the ones who walked with you a long time decided to take a different path and eventually, you are both walking further and further apart. Letting go and saying goodbye **is hard.** And then there are others who just were never on your team even though you used the same language. I don’t lead a nice Christian arts ministry. I lead a **discipleship movement** of people who are called to run into the burning building that is Western Civilization and save some from the wreckage and try to put out the fires. And when God starts stripping people and things from your life you have two choices. You can scream, and cry, and yell “Why Lord, why?” Or, you can choose to say “Jesus, this hurts like the dickens. But I trust you, and **I offer up all these clippings** and believe that you are going to use them to fertilize the next season. And we are going see growth like we never dreamed before.” The past season hurt like the dickens. I am letting go of the London dream for the moment, and have had to let go of too many close friends. Yesterday God provided the funds for a car, and the man who sold it was so impressed that he dropped the price. I am going to pick it up in a few days. In the next week or so, there are going to be changes to the Friday email. Don’t be surprised. A new season is upon us. **And growing things change.** Change is growth. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3d38f313-72ff-4c57-97de-f56c2e204041_1200x125-heic-3.jpg) ### Settle it in your mind today. URL: https://www.belonging.house/settle-it-in-your-mind-today/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:09.000Z Advice for the Return of Jesus. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Fight for only one King. URL: https://www.belonging.house/fight-for-only-one-king/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:44.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Today a friend told me about something she read. It was really good. 1\. Get quiet. 2\. Listen to God. 3\. Perform for an audience of One. 4\. Fight for only one King. I said, “Wow, that’s really good. Who wrote that?” She replied, **“You did.”** Over a year ago I released a book. It’s taken a year, but friends are starting to give me their feedback and tell me about how this book is **changing their lives.** “It works.” “It’s a toolbox.” “I keep it with me wherever I go.” “I have tried to have a rhythm my whole life and now I finally found it.” The method for listening to God on page 259 is starting a revolution. Just look at what our friend Liz McGee produced. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/e93dd859-e1d8-45a5-8f83-61958e748028_1200x800-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedRecently folks have started asking me if they could buy the book by the case. I don’t push my product, but *Artists at a Shift in Time* is now **available on Audible** (https://a.co/d/eWQhBVn) And if you want to get the book at a 30% discount you can use this link https://tinyurl.com/ducx4638. This is a season of transition for me and for our community. We will be starting to prayer walk in New York in the near future and I will be changing some of the platforms we use for our message. No matter what we do next, the center never changes. 1\. Get quiet. 2\. Listen to God. 3\. Perform for an audience of One. 4\. Fight for only one King. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3d38f313-72ff-4c57-97de-f56c2e204041_1200x125-heic-4.jpg) ### A Throne in the Earth URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-throne-in-the-earth/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:10.000Z Chapter 3 in Drip Revisited. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Harlot and the Glory. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-harlot-and-the-glory/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:11.000Z The Harlot and the Glory. 0:00 /200 1× --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/6c83e599-af63-4821-9d40-15ad8ce523c9_1400x1400-heic-1.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe are not living in ordinary times, but rather, a great time of shifting and transition. I have been going over the words we received on our listening day. I want to end this teaching today with a few practical thoughts for all of us going forward, but before I do that, let’s talk about some big thoughts. I was asked a few days ago about the glory, and how we carry the glory. And this related to something Bob Jones said before he died, that the glory of God was going to return to the church, and that the glory would accompany the great “end time” billion soul harvest, this harvest he described as the “House.” Related to this is the opposition those who are called to carry the glory would face. This opposition is described in Revelation as the “Harlot.” Today we want to talk about the Glory and it’s counterfeit, the spirit of Harlotry. The book of Ezekiel continues fascinate to me. God used it to call me into ministry. Over years of in depth study into the gospel of John, and the book of Revelation, I have discovered that themes in Ezekiel continue to be woven into John’s thought process. In Ezekiel, God eventually removes his glory from the temple. And Ezekiel tells us that the glory would not return to the temple until after the end of the age. And this was Israel’s experience, there was no glory in the second temple. So first, what is the Glory? In our Bibles there are two words that get translated “glory.” The Hebrew word “Kabod” and the Greek word “Doxa.” The word “shekinah” does not appear in the Bible, but rather comes from the Talmud, and does not mean glory. Shekinah means to be shiny or flashy, and Jewish writers understand the shekinah as the feminine aspect of God. Kabod is the heavy, weighty presence of God. Moses was held in the cleft of the rock, and the LORD described his glory as all his goodness. The Glory is the person, presence, and power of God. It is, in a sense, the radioactive field around God. This “force field of God’s goodness” was present around the Ark, in the Holy of Holies, and in the Tabernacle of David. Scripture describes this glory as goodness, lovingkindness, greatness, and in the old prayer book “terribleness.” This is a love so great it will burn you up. Our God is Love and, Our God is an all consuming fire. The word kavod always contains a sense of “weight.” The Glory filled the temple and no one could stand. And in this sense the Latin word “gravitas” is related--it is the root of our word “gravity.” You do not mess with the glory. Doxa, the Greek translation of Kavod, also means weight and heaviness, but also reputation, reknown, and powerful influence. We have several English words that contain “doxa.” Doxology is a statement giving glory to God, and Orthodox means true faith, or belief, or prayer. In Ezekiel 43 the prophet describes a day when there would be a new temple. This temple is fantastic in scope and size, and here we see that the Glory and the Holy Spirit are one. The Presence of the Holy Spirit is the glory of God. And out of this glory we see this description in chapter 47 of the temple being the home of a fountain that produces a river. And that river produces a stream that gives life, and brings resurrection power and wholeness wherever it flows, and that life produces trees that create leaves that heal the nations. Out of this we get a core idea. Under the Old system if you touch something dead or diseased it makes you unclean. In the New Covenant, if you touch something dead or unclean, it comes to life or gets cleansed. The religious mindset has to always seperate from the world to stay clean. The Kingdom mindset is always sending you into the world to cleanse it. Jesus echoes this when he starts describing his body as a temple. He is the embodiment of the temple. And wherever he goes, the blind see, the lepers are cleansed, the lame walk, and the dead rise. And then, in fulfillment of the word from Zechariah, that they will all will look on him whom they have pierced, the temple of Jesus, his body, is pierced and the water flows out. Paul would go on to tell us in I Corinthians 3:16-17: Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are. So Paul is the bridge between Ezekiel and Jesus. Ezekiel is giving us a cryptic description that even orthodox Jewish writers recognize as an image of a human being. Jesus says the heart of this temple is a river. Out of your bellies will flow rivers of living water. And then Paul says that you are the temple. John tells us in Revelation 21 there is no temple in the city. We will relate to God directly in relationship. The Kingdom of God is in you, the glory of God in in you. You do not need to do something to get the glory to come down. That is religious thinking. No, the Glory is here. The glory is in you. The Presence, Power, and Person of the Holy Spirit is in you, and that presence is God. God is not out there, where you have to do something to come visit here. God is not interested in visitation, God is interested in habitation. In you. Jesus prayed that if we were one with the Father all would know we are his disciples. And if we are one with the Father, we will be one with each other. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within you. In other words, the Kingdom, the Holy Spirit, and the Glory are supposed to be inside you. You do not need to “ascend up to heaven” or do some religious hoo ha to make the glory appear. The Glory is here. And Satan hates this. And this hatred is rising as the Glory of God is being revealed in the earth. In I Kings, we are given the story of Elijah, who is a prophetic “archetype” throughout scripture. Elijah is the forerunner prophet. And the chief opponent of Elijah is a queen named Jezebel who is also an “archetype” in scripture. She is a foreign born princess who is trying to corrupt the true message and the people of God. This theme repeats in the gospels, John the Baptist is the forerunner prophet, his chief opponent is Herod’s wife, and through behind the scenes manipulation she has him beheaded. Jezebel is just a shadow of another person in Scripture. When we come to the end of Revelation we see not just a prophet or a preacher, we see a generation. There is a generation of martyrs, and there is a generation of people who carry the weighty presence of the Lord. The whole people of God become an army of Elijahs and Johns. These people carry the Glory. The climax of the book is a cosmic confrontation between the children of the Woman, who is called the Ark of the Covenant, and another woman. In Revelation 17, John sees the “great harlot.” She is the personification of a spirit that operates to oppose the true prophetic, the true forerunners, and those who carry the Glory. Revelation 17 and 18 gives us a sweeping picture of her. She is a prostitute. She is deeply immoral. Most important of all: the harlot is interwoven into the monetary system, commerce, and trade. “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. As she glorified herself and played the wanton, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning. Since in her heart she says, ‘A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,’ so shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! alas! thou great city, thou mighty city, Babylon! In one hour has thy judgment come.” And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her,” So we have two images, Babylon, represented by a whore, and the Temple of God that will be revealed as a spotless Bride. And at the heart of the conflict is this verse from Luke 12: No one can serve two masters, you will love the one and despise the other. No one can serve both God and mammon. So I have thrown a bunch of big thoughts at you. It’s like a crazy stew, but hang in there, it will all begin to make sense. The Glory of God is the Person, Presence, and Power of God. The Temple of God in the Kingdom and the New Covenant is intended to be in you. Your physical body is the temple. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And when Jesus returns he is looking for temples, not built by men, but by God. He is not looking for buildings. And these temples are going to be filled with the Glory. Before he comes, the is releasing a forerunner spirit the spirit of Elijah and John the Baptist. And how this expresses itself for our community is a generation of forerunner artists who will prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. We are called to raise up artists who literally carry the Person, Presence, and Power of God, into art galleries, concert halls, creative team meetings, media centers, and arts organizations. And being light in dark places is going to shift culture. These places are currently Satan’s domain. The weapon rising against us is the spirit of harlotry. This spirit looks like temptation and pressure to do it the world’s way. It is the temptation to try to change an evil system from within. If you enter into a dialogue with evil, you will become evil yourself. We were called from the beginning to not build a ministry: no fundraising, no networking, no commercial product. God said to not raise money but rather tell the story of what God was doing and he would move hearts to give. We were called to listen to God, pray about everything, and trust God to supply. Very counter cultural, and totally opposite from the contemporary ministry scene. This makes the spirit of harlotry furious. Think about this, if you entice a person to become intimate with them, and you do this to make money, what is that? As a person who worked in the ministry world for twenty years, I have seen many people who were passionate about God to get material to sell at conferences or sell online. If you are loving Jesus to make money, well, you can figure it out. This is normal in much of the church, whether it be church growth, consumer Christianity, or the prophetic thing. The spirit of harlotry makes people believe that name recognition and public relations equals credibility. There are many people who take out loans, hire PR companies, and buy email lists to get a big splash. And then naive people say, “Hey they are everywhere, this must be the new hot thing.” It’s not the new hot thing its the old hot thing in a new package. It is not God, it’s old style marketing and showbiz. Trust me I worked in that world a long time, in the church and in the world. We have had so many people come into our community who come from this world and think that prostitution is normal that they get really upset with me because our community moves so slow. They think slowness is a sign that something is wrong with me and the ministry. The try to “help” me. I have had people try to hijack prayer meetings, try to go behind my back and pressure those around me to stop listening to God, stop living by faith, and stop praying. I have had people steal my material and make a lot of money from it, because they thought I was too stupid to know. These folks always use manipulation and control. And it seems that when one leaves, another replaces them almost immediately. The message all of these people carry is the same: “You have all the right stuff to build a big ministry, let me show you how to do it the ‘right way.’” And when I say “no,” then they go after my areas of insecurity, and they say, “Well, let me give you the right connections and show you the way it should be done.” And when I say “no,” then they say, “Oh, you just aren’t a team player.” or “You must be deeply broken.” Or “You are just plain stupid, and I need to take over.” Friends, let me tell you, twenty years of this will make you a very tough person. For the record, I know exactly what I am doing, why I am doing it, and most of my decisions are deliberate, and were tested in the furnace. We are moving into a new chapter and God is promising that he is about to release his glory in our community. The dark is getting darker, and the light that we carry is going to get brighter. So first, how do you carry and steward the Glory? You need to learn to practice the Presence of God. This happens several ways, and it is what I teach all the time. The charismatic and revival culture is like a blow torch that is is lit but not powerful. It is the shekinah. It is flashy, and it can set some things on fire, for good or bad. If you develop a rhythm in the Holy Spirit, you tighten the knob on the blowtorch. Then you have a flame that can cut steel. So carrying the glory begins with the Presence of Jesus in you. We receive this presence through the Holy Eucharist. When you receive the Body and Blood of Jesus you receive the infinite grace of God, and you become a carrier of the glory. When you do this, you present your body as an offering. You offer yourself to host the presence and Jesus in you, as it says in John 15 abides. Then, you come to the Word of God every day and you learn how to hear the voice of the Father. And we get transformed by the renewing our minds. And as we get transformed more and more, we receive the mind of Christ. And we begin to change how we see the world, and the way we respond to it. And we begin to learn how to work out of the resources of heaven. This lays the foundation for listening to the Lord and doing what he tells you. This is how you host the Glory. You surrender daily to a power greater than yourself. And let that power manifest through you. It is deceptively simple. And it does not reward your human effort. When you surrender your human effort to this process, God will take you on a profound journey. There are several practical things that have come out of this reflection, and our day of waiting on God. First, as I mentioned, we have an ongoing battle with this “spirit of harlotry.” I had to ask someone to leave the ministry this week. After I made the decision, nine people came to me and told me that they noticed that this person did not respect me, was antagonistic toward me, and was trying to form a power block against me. This happens about three times a year. If someone comes to you, and you feel like something is off, please don’t do the Christian thing, and not tell the truth in order to be nice. The spirit of harlotry does not operate through pagans, but through Christians who say the right stuff but are deeply divided in their hearts. We need to begin having collective discernment. Tell me if you see a red flag of control, manipulation, or disrespect toward my leadership. For a long time I have been the one carrying the message, and telling the story. Twice this week someone came to me and shared that they are using the Prayer Rhythm for artists on beginning on page 259 of Artists at a Shift in Time. They both said, I have tried a lot of things, and this works. It works. If stuff I teach works for you, tell other people and say, “This is not a big ministry, it is not flashy, but it works for me. If it works for me, it might work for you too.” There were several words on our listening day about the need for the whole community to begin sharing the message. Our direction was “tell the story, and I will move people to give.” I need your help to tell the story, it is not my ministry. If you listen every week, please like and subscribe this message on the platform you use. We have to break the block in the algorithm. If these messages help you, please tell others. If you hear a testimony in a prayer meeting or in one of our gatherings, share that testimony, and point people to Belonging.House. If my books have helped you, refer to them on social media, quote me, and leave a review online. We have a herd of cats, and I get it. The church has taught that information is equal to transformation. Sadly, this one of the ways the door to this consumer harlotry gets in. If you just buy more books, go to more conferences, or listen to more teaching you will change. That is not discipleship. We have several hundred people who connect to my “content” but who do not attend our community. If you want to experience the glory, you have to be in relationship with people. Information is not enough. I encourage you, if you are not in a church fellowhship and you listen to my teaching all the time Come join us on Sundays or for the daily prayer furnace. Yes, it is on Zoom, but it is not a point and shoot TV church. Discipleship is all about relationship. And finally, keep me and our community in prayer. We are in a real war. Lord, may we see everything the enemy doesn't want us to see. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Five Years of Prayer. URL: https://www.belonging.house/five-years-of-prayer/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:49.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Greetings from the White Mountain National Park. I took a day off to retreat and process and also see the first snow of the season. Liz McGee shared how she is using [*Artists at a Shift in Time*](https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Shift-Time-Courage-Conflict-ebook/dp/B0CW2V643Y/ref=sr%5F1%5F2?crid=2GTJNM1SUL8B3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3lJs65ZXrGVtTlEiCIWnUviDw7L8Z9rr3Irxn6wdSXzYt%5FGT%5Fh-93IDCiNE6gzGq9vlu5%5FOg1S2oLhoKN6vQv2xPJFPapW%5FwNfC6kdwxoU0pJ%5FJ%5F6EcmmlHD5TQXBSsB2TYbZLdSFT1%5F-B9e1aBigiVYsUfAUUPed4t1l6qDFAyVPRY4ViXWJaVrwmIfw-YI0fTZS%5FpBFvtX5t6R8R3pQMZCU%5F1rrXGLXlc-HTistNU.7x1yzrZK-uNDXbSoxBVhgsReKqfS9LkqdlCo9isKS%5F8&dib%5Ftag=se&keywords=christ+john+otto&qid=1762102284&sprefix=christ+john+otto%2Caps%2C201&sr=8-2&ref=belonging.house) to read the daily Gospel and listen to God. Liz made the prayer card in our email today. On Wednesday the Daily Prayer Furnace celebrated **five years of daily prayer.** Wow. Prayer is the heart of our calling: "Show the world all that God can do through prayer." Every day after the prayer time, friends share impressions from the Lord. Often Elizabeth Averill will receive a prophetic word from the Lord. This was the word Elizabeth shared on Wednesday. “I am breathing life on young artists around the world! Pray that their hunger for truth and authenticity will be fulfilled only in Me. Do not accept the “extras” of the world or old systems- the old systems bring death. I alone bring life. I birth true creativity as you walk, live, and saturate **yourselves in Me.** It is critical that the young-- the emerging artists of every age-- **be rooted and grounded in Me.** Be unshakeable in what I declare over you. The holy call upon Belonging House International is to the hidden Bezalels of this generation. Do not tolerate pale imitations that look like success. Reach for the true!” O Author of Beauty, who first revealed yourself as Creator, and filled Bezalel with the Holy Spirit. Raise up an Army of Artists who will build Jesus a Throne in the earth, and make a way for the Coming of the Lord. Fill us, renew us, and make us bearers of your glory. May your kingdom be established, and your throne be extended by the good work of our hands, and the expressions of our creativity. Through Jesus Christ, the Icon of the Invisible God, *Amen.* He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/a6c031cc-3afe-4b8e-96d1-d587e2e0e9fa_1200x125-heic.jpg) ### Jesus is the King of the Kingdom. URL: https://www.belonging.house/jesus-is-the-king-of-the-kingdom/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:12.000Z Chapter 2 in Drip Revisited. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Blessed with the Resources of Heaven URL: https://www.belonging.house/blessed-with-the-resources-of-heaven/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:12.000Z Blessed with the Resources of Heaven 0:00 /200 1× This week the transcript is closer than the manuscript if you would like to read along. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/46610578-f630-4b48-9c11-836f212fa57c_1280x750-heic.jpg) You were created to be blessed. You were created to rule and reign on the earth. You were made for the Lord to be blessed. The Lord Jesus has made it very simple for us to enter into the blessing. Derek Prince created a very simple method of breaking curses, and we are going to do that together. THE BREAKING OF CURSES Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that you are the Son of God and the only way to God, that you died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead. That on the cross you were made a curse with every curse that is due to me, that I might be redeemed from the curse and enter into the blessing. Lord, I confess any sins committed by me or by my ancestors. I ask your forgiveness. I also forgive every other person whoever harmed me or wronged me. I forgive them as I would have God forgive me. I also forgive myself. I renounce all contact with the occult in any form and I commit myself to get rid of any ‘contact objects.’ And now Lord, having received by faith your forgiveness, with the authority I have as a child of God, I now release myself and those under my authority from any curse over our lives. Right now, in the name of Jesus, I declare release. I claim it and I receive it by faith. In the name of Jesus. And now, as we end, let’s give thanks to God and declare his goodness. Under the Belonging House roof: We will not be limited in our thinking, but will remember that all things are possible with God. We are called to reveal the lavishness of the Kingdom and the abundance of the Father. All of our artists will understand that there is no lack for those who build the throne of Jesus and that all things are given to us that pertain to life and godliness. We will not fear though the earth be moved and the mountains are thrown into the sea. We will not hesitate but rather, take bold steps, and seize every moment and opportunity. We will listen to the Lord and know the difference between the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the Voice of the Shepherd. We are blessed in the city and blessed in the country. We are blessed when we go in, and blessed when we come out. Our bank accounts are full, and we prosper in all that we undertake. We have favor with even our enemies and those who come against us one way will flee from us seven ways. We will be the head, and not the tail. We will be the lenders and not the borrowers. We shall wisely take our seat at the gate, in London, New York, Jerusalem, and Hong Kong, and use every tool at our disposal. We will create a rebirth of culture and prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. That the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. --- You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.com ### Going into the Void URL: https://www.belonging.house/going-into-the-void/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:50.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. One of the most important things a creative person can do is understand **positioning.** Positioning is a key idea from the world of marketing. Positioning is knowing how you relate to others in your field, and what makes you unique. If you want to make a difference in the world **you have to know your location in the marketplace.** What is it that makes you different from everyone else? I had an intuitive understanding of this when I wrote *An Army Arising*. I was writing into a void that I saw in books for Christian artists. **That void is best expressed in an X-Y graph.** My graph is based on a prayer by John and Charles Wesley that they could unite **“knowledge and vital piety.”** The brain on my graph represents knowledge, and an emphasis on academics or intellectualism. The burning heart represents vital spirituality, experience, and the life in the Holy Spirit. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/da88b334-82ae-4d9e-b20a-36fbea8985be_1348x758-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published**What follows are descriptions, not judgements.** The groups in the each of the quadrants are positioned based on **their emphasis** on spirituality or knowledge. In the upper left hand section of the graph are the majority of “evangelical” arts ministries. I spent the first ten years of my career here, but I always hit a dead end when I spoke in tongues or told someone what God was saying to me. Often this is where you will find the highest artistic skill, because this is where "successful" and "highly functioning" **people tend to go.** This is where you will find David O. Taylor, Jonathan Pageau, and the organizations that have followed after Christians in the Visual Arts. This group values **credentials, connections, and degrees**. Too much intellect with not much Holy Spirit makes you dry up. The lower right hand quadrant are the prophetic arts ministries, the worship events, and big name charismatic arts leaders: High on experience with God, but not deep in the Bible or theology. And often, this is where you find a lot of immature faith **and underdeveloped artistic talent.** For a long time I lived and worked in this world, but **I never fit in**. This group values **emotional experience**, and measures crowd size, product sales, and big events. Too much Holy Spirit and not enough intellect makes you blow up. The lower left hand quadrant is where grandma’s church craft group hangs out, or where people in the creative industries go. Not much Holy Spirit or Bible. And that leaves the upper right, what I call the “VOID”: Deep Spiritual Life and a sharp intellect **in submission to the Holy Spirit.** I discovered this quadrant by accident, when I started “writing into the void.” This is Belonging House International. It is the place of **tension and balance**. This is why we care what Bible translation we use. It's why I read Greek everyday. It's why I have two earned degrees in Bible and Theology from top-notch schools. It’s why I keep studying art and design trends. And it's also why we speak in tongues every day. It is why I go through my healing of trauma prayer regularly, because my healing journey is **never finished**. It's why **we listen to God** and not our own agendas. This is why we try to value relationships, honor, and put an emphasis on endless becoming. This is the culture we have been trying to create: a place of deep life in the Holy Spirit that can stand **in a world going mad.** This really is why my writing and our community is *different*. When you live in this corner of the graph you have to learn to value fruit. This is a slow growth proposition, dedicated to long term transformation in the lives of artists and creative people so that we can bring long term transformation **to planet earth.** When you are filled with the Holy Spirit and are deep in God’s word, you grow up. Honestly, it’s a lonely place, because folks from the other quadrants **are always challenging you.** I have been blacklisted for speaking in tongues. I have been uninvited to speak because I was too intellectual *and* too charismatic. And I have been accused of all kinds of interesting things. In August I began rebuilding our website, and it has led to scrubbing up our branding. November is going to be about making some changes before the new chapter begins. Thanks for coming along for the ride and joining me in the void. I'm grateful that you take a few minutes each week and read my writing. Thanks. Understanding your position helps you understand how to present your work and your message. **It is key to making change in the world.** He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/a6c031cc-3afe-4b8e-96d1-d587e2e0e9fa_1200x125-heic-1.jpg) A few days ago Nancy Lane chatted with me about her talk at Gather Us In. Check it out. ### Drip Revisited: Why URL: https://www.belonging.house/drip-revisited-why/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:13.000Z Artists need to find their tribe and know their why. Here's mine. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pride, Jezebel, and Leviathan URL: https://www.belonging.house/pride-jezebel-and-leviathan/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:13.000Z Pride, Jezebel, and Leviathan 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/999f8e01-567a-4b09-9859-3c46f554d69c_1280x750-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedEverything we do in the life of discipleship is spiritual warfare. And if you want to overcome in the spiritual battles we face you need to be on God’s side. The heart of all spiritual warfare is this: God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. A lot of people dealing with spiritual warfare are fighting God, and their resistance to God opens them up to demonic influence. At the heart of all spiritual warfare is the root of pride. Pride is the heart of rebellion. Pride is the core of resistance. Pride is the engine of the demonic world. Pride is the first of the seven deadly sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. Pride is the root sin of all the others. Pride is the most dangerous of all sins. Pride makes you believe the root lie: I will be like God without God. I will be exalted above God. Pride is what defines the Anti-Christ spirit. We do not need Jesus, we can do it all ourselves. As Milton put into the mouth of Lucifer in *Paradise Lost*, “it is better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.” As we saw in today’s gospel, the Pharisee could not see himself honestly, because he was blinded by pride. Pride is dangerous because your beliefs in your own rightness and superiority prevent you from being honest and seeing the truth. Religious pride double blinds you because you think you are right, and then you think that your actions make you superior to others. This was the heart of the Pharisees. It is unfortunate that Jesus talks about the Pharisees, because then we judge them. It would have been much more helpful to say the evangelicals, the traditional catholics, the gospel centered churches, the progressives, or the orthobros. Any person who looks at their label and their grid and says “I am fine and everyone else is wrong” is deluded by pride. This is why I talk in my latest book about why it is not about you. A lot of people in the arts, and especially in the prophetic arts world, are all about them. Artists by nature are designed to serve others and to serve the culture. It’s not about you. A person under the deception of pride will never be able to repent, but will always either find fault with someone else, or they will justify themselves based on their own “superior” beliefs or their religious performance. And this tendency shifts the focus from God and others to me. Everything becomes food for narcissism. And when this begins to happen, the door is opened to the demonic, and this is how we get people who operate in what is called the Jezebel spirit and Leviathan. Many people miss the heart of the book of Job. Job begins with a prosperous man who loses everything because the accuser has come and attacked him. God lets this happen. And then Job’s friends chastise him for about 35 chapters with conventional religious ideas, about how Job must have some sin because he is suffering. And then, at the end, God appears and for two chapters talks to Job about Leviathan. The Lord’s speech ends with this line: “Leviathan is the king of pride, and prince over every high thing.” And in the end, Job forgives and prays for his friends and his wealth is restored. Job is about religious pride. So when we talk about spiritual pride, we open the door to “a leviathan spirit.” It is very dangerous to go around labeling demonic things, because people then start to label other people. The spirit over greater Boston is a Leviathan spirit, and many of the things I am going to describe happen regularly in New England. We see it in the church, and in the dysfunctional politics, and it is why Harvard keeps appearing in the news. When you deal with lots of people in a particular sin, you will deal with a spiritual power. Leviathan is the spirit of pride. It is the ancient symbol of chaos and confusion. Leviathan manifests in confused communication, where you say something and someone hears something else. You will also see people who hard hearted, ungrateful, and not generous. Wherever this spirit manifests you will see spiritual dryness. And you will see people embracing completely non-sensical ideas as truth, and they will get aggressive if you challenge them. Both willful ignorance and intellectualism are the fruit of pride. Leviathan is exhausting. When you deal with this, you feel like something is sitting on top of you draining your strength. The second spiritual force rooted in pride is the Jezebel spirit. This is the spirit of witchcraft, and it operates in both men and women. The core earmark of this spiritual force is the use of manipulation and control in order to dominate. And just like Jezebel who opposed Elijah in the books of Kings, Jezebel appears and tries to silence the true prophetic. Someone operating in a Jezebel spirit will target true apostolic and prophetic ministries and try to get them to either be silent or stop following the direction of the Lord. A person who operates in this will first try to ingratiate themselves to you, in order to gain favor or control. If this doesn’t work, they will then go behind your back to others, and try to undermine you through half truths and innuendo, in order to create a power block against you. They will try to divide and conquer your community, and they will either use intimidation or sickness to gain dominance. A person who uses sickness is often the most dangerous, because they will use sympathy to gain control. The person operating in this spirit will be weaving a web in the hope of strangling you and controlling you. And eventually they will come right out and try to control or curse you to your face. And because these things get into the church and often operate through Christians who are prideful, you have to handle them very carefully. You cannot confront or face them directly. If you say “no” to someone operating in a Jezebel spirit, they will go into “kill mode” and try to destroy you. The cure for all of these situations is the same. Humble yourself and the Lord will lift you up. Go low. Empty yourself. And the heart of humbling yourself is listening to the Lord and doing what he tells you. If you listen to God and do what God says, you are essentially saying, “Lord, you know better than me, and I am going to let go of my will and my control and I am going to listen for your solution.” Whenever I come into a difficult situation with people tapped into spiritual forces, I begin there. I sit with the Lord. I fast. And I wait. And God will give you the direction. The enemy depends on you trying to attack and get the upper hand and then you are wrestling with the leviathan serpent or you are facing off with a bunch of Jezebels accusing you or playing the “he said, she said” game. The core of all spiritual warfare is humbling yourself. It is not about praying a particular prayer or learning a particular method. It is about living a life of repentance. Overcoming in life happens by having your mind transformed day by day by the word of God. And when you do this, you give God the ability to fight for you, and to heal you, and for you to receive grace. And when you look at God day by day, the Lord gets bigger and your enemy gets smaller. The most powerful thing you can do in spiritual warfare is to look at Jesus. And as you ignore the demonic that is feeding on your attention and your rebellion, the demonic realm begins to get starved for attention and just goes away. The most powerful thing you can do is not lose the plot. This is humility. God opposes the proud. But gives grace to the Humble. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Poke Holes in the Darkness URL: https://www.belonging.house/poke-holes-in-the-darkness/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:50:53.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. One day a friend came up to me and said something odd. “You are like the pointy end of the spear.” There was a time when the romantic idea of the “forerunner” was going around the church. There is **nothing romantic** about running ahead of the pack. There is more danger out ahead, and more often than not, the pack behind you is happy to **shoot you in the back**. Going ahead is part of the prophetic calling. It is central to the calling on the army of artists. Run ahead and make a way **for the coming of the Lord.** And I can promise you this. **Folks will not understand.** They will ask why you aren’t doing the “ministry” thing. They will ask why you are working hard but the fruit and the success is slim. Folks will wonder what on earth is motivating you. **Nothing on earth is motivating you.** When you hear the call in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” and you go out to make a path in the wilderness, clearing it of stones, and cutting back the underbrush, you are called to a solitary calling. You are not called to be a pack dweller. If you hear His voice, and follow it faithfully, you are given a unique task. Make a way **for the coming of the Lord.** Part of our forerunner calling is to the “place at the gate.” Earlier this year the Lord began speaking to me about New York City. We pray for four cities almost daily: New York, London, Jerusalem, and Hong Kong. **The Lord first spoke to me about New York in 1987 or 1988.** I thought I was going there a long time ago. Instead, I faced the furnace of humiliation, and I learned a lot about life, and about the Kingdom of God. Last week a few members of our prayer team accompanied me to New York, and we walked into Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. It was packed: like Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday packed. Not ideal for sight seeing. I was about to leave, when Zuzana poked me and said "Look, there is a bishop up front." It wasn’t a bishop. It was Sean Cardinal O’Malley from Boston. I was invited to work with Cardinal O’Malley on a pro-life task force over ten years ago. What are the chances of walking into St. Pat's and seeing a cardinal I knew? I turned to the group and said, "I think we need to stay." We ended up joining a procession of roughly 2000 Catholics taking the Presence of Jesus into mid-town Manhattan, Rockefeller Center, and Times Square. I have prayer walked a lot of places, and I have prayer walked New York. **But I have never prayer walked like this before.** God is calling us to leave our religious ministry grid behind. He is calling us to be the pointy end that pokes holes in the Kingdom of darkness as a sign and a wonder. Make a way for the coming of the Lord. He Never Fails, ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/8602016a-5c6c-4730-9eee-25488b586bb2_1200x125-heic.jpg) ### Bible Recommendations for Artists URL: https://www.belonging.house/bible-recommendations-for-artists/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:14.000Z It's time for my annual Bible rant. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Do Not Touch the Glory URL: https://www.belonging.house/do-not-touch-the-glory/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:15.000Z Do Not Touch the Glory 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/672a8905-3047-4ed8-8957-e0c0d1100611_1280x750-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIn 2007 our core group attended a meeting of leaders in Cleveland, Ohio. The speaker was Bob Jones, an old gnarly prophet from North Carolina. Before Belonging House, I worked for several of the people in the room. We hosted region wide renewal conferences, and I organized a lot of them. Bob looked at that group of men and he said, “God had given you a word that you would be the hosts of the great end-time revival. He promised you that this region would be the centre of the billion soul harvest. I am here to tell you that the Lord has moved on. You touched the glory.” Bob then went on to say that some would lose their buildings, others would get sick, and others would watch their marriages fall apart. And all of this, because they thought they could personally benefit from what God had promised them. And over time, everything Bob Jones said happened. When I began our series on spiritual warfare for artists, I stated that everything we do in discipleship is spiritual war. Your life of prayer, your practice of listening to God, your choice to do what God asks of you, and your regular rhythm as an artist and creative person is just like the daily physical training of a marine. And just like a marine your core mindset and belief structure is just as important as knowing your enemy and knowing your weapons and how to use them. And as a member of an army, you have to understand the over all strategy and tactics of your Commander, otherwise you will do things that help your enemy. I see this all the time, Christians who are not listening to God make decisions based on what God did in the past or based on what conventional wisdom tells them, and not what God is saying or doing right now. The greatest example of this in Scripture is Moses, who in one situation was instructed to strike the rock and water would flow. The next time Moses was instructed to speak to the rock. And Moses, in anger struck the rock. And he was never allowed into the Promised Land. He never received the reward of his suffering. Many people believe that the God of the Bible is the greatest task master in the Universe. And when you believe this, you believe that your Christian life is a series of accomplishments you need to achieve in order to make God happy. And you begin to believe that your accomplishments add to the work of God. And people who embrace this error think that being busy is a spiritual strength. Works righteousness is a subtle devil. Paul, in Galatians 3 makes this very clear, if you believe that you have to add human activity to the work of God, then you are bewitched. Again and again, we have seen people who believe that God is task master come into our community, and because we believe that God is Relational think we are not very effective and they cause trouble. This is spiritual war. At the heart of this is the belief that results are more important than fruit. In other words, people believe that if you look at measurable outcomes, bank accounts, buildings, and bums on seats, then you are a success. The Kingdom says you measure fruit, long term sustainable change and transformation in people and lives, and faithfulness to the call and direction of God. God never called you to success, he called you to faithfulness. When you believe that God is task master, you believe the ends justify the means. And that means it is okay to not be truthful. It is okay to be manipulative, and play power games. It is okay to not love people, or even be kind to people. This error leads to something very dangerous: touching the glory. The best example of this is described in 2 Samuel 6: David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Ba′ale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abin′adab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahi′o, the sons of Abin′adab, were driving the new cart with the ark of God; and Ahi′o went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there because he put forth his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken forth upon Uzzah; and that place is called Pe′rez-uz′zah, to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” For a generation, the Ark was in exile, after the Sons of Eli took it into battle. During that time it was in the house of Obed Edom and Obed Edom’s family was blessed. David was passionate for the Lord, and he also wanted the Kingdom and his throne to be blessed, and so he decided to bring the Ark into the city of David. And so, he got a vision for the bringing the ark to Jerusalem. He hired the best worship teams to do non-stop worship, he hired the best craftsmen to build a new cart for the ark and he put the sons of the top general in charge of the cart. The ark was going to be the glory of this parade and everyone would be able to see the gold, and the beauty, and they would celebrate that the glory was finally back in the midst of Israel where it should be. And in the midst of this holy convocation, this prayer event, this worship festival, something terrible happens. The new cart hits a bump in the road. And the ark starts to slip. And Uzzah grabs the ark to stop it from slipping and he dies. God kills him. Boom. And David was angry at God. When you get caught up in doing tasks for Jesus you can easily get swept away in your own momentum and think that your vision and your activity is God’s vision. It is nothing more than excitement and adrenaline. Nothing is more deceitful than the excitement of a big crowd of people. David got lost in his vision and thought his ways were God’s ways and that God would bless his plan. Exodus and Leviticus tell us that the glory of God rested on the ark. It was holy. It was so holy, that 0nly the high priest could approach it once a year with special garments. His garments had little bells on them so people outside the holy of holies knew he was still alive when he was in the presence of the Ark. And a rope was tied to his leg in case the glory killed him so that they could drag out the body. YHWH is Holy. You have to fear the Lord. Many Christians have no fear of the Lord, and they think they can touch the glory. The Torah is very clear about how the ark should be moved. The ark was to be borne by priests who carried it on poles before the people. This movement enacted the scene in heaven around the throne, stopping and crying “holy, holy, holy.” David put the ark on a cart and had it pulled by beasts of burden. When we touch the glory, the work of the kingdom becomes work. The Kingdom is not a burden. We are a people of rest. If you have ever followed a wagon pulled by horses you know that they leave blessings behind. The ark was being pulled over ox dung and being moved around like funiture. This is not holy. The Torah instructs us that if the ark had to leave the Tabernacle, it must be shrouded in a special woven blue cloth so that no one could look upon it. It was not to be in out in the open. No one can look on the glory. And more than anything else, no one could touch the ark. David thought that if he successfully accomplished his vision, by moving the ark in a big worship event that God would have to bless him. He was trying to manipulate God. This is witchcraft. Your vision, carried out in human strength, no matter how spiritual it seems, will lead to death. You cannot touch the glory. God is not looking success, he is looking for sons and daughters. Listening to God and doing what he tells you is the model. I have said this before, the how and the why of what you do is much more important than “what” you do. God didn’t tell Abraham where to go. He said “go to the place I will show you.” The Kingdom is always about learning eternal dependance upon the Father. The God of the Bible gives us impossible jobs so that we will be dependent on him. This is discipleship. Discipleship is not learning a lot of hard stuff and becoming an expert. Discipleship is walking in rest and wholeness and becoming transformed into the image of Jesus. It is a daily walking with Jesus knowing his voice and his ways. It is not about accomplishments or success. When you get fixated on success or ministry you begin to lose the fear of God and you begin to believe that God will be happy because you did something for him. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, put it this way: “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’ When you do stuff without the Lord’s guidance you become evil. Evil twists you, because you are not getting your identity from the voice of the Father but from the things you do. Every so often someone comes into our house and thinks because I am not leading Belonging House the standard evangelical way, I must not be very smart or I am deeply wounded, and I am not a team player. Honestly, I have to battle with Christians all the time to protect the culture and values we have created. The level of continuous disrespect and trouble I get about living by faith and really listening to God would shock most of you. Funny thing about some Christians, they always begin with the belief that they are right and everyone else needs fixing. Ignorance and arrogance are a deadly combination. I worked for the evangelical ministry machine for twenty years and God told me to leave it all and to stop doing it that way. No networking, no fundraising, no manipulation, and no big events. It was really hard. In almost forty years of ministry I have seen a lot of stuff behind the scenes. That’s why I have been intentional about creating a community of honesty, where I am vulnerable, and where we go slow and low. When you go low and you listen to God and you do not run ahead the enemy has nothing in you. We have had twenty years of extremely slow tectonic plate movement growth. Conventional ministries have three years of fast growth, three years of maintenance, and three years of decline, and then it’s over. We are being called into Babylon, and it is clear we are going to be facing big battles. You cannot come up with a vision and try to do it your way when you are face to face with people deluded by Marxism, and committed to jihad. You cannot put the glory on a cart and haul it around. You have to walk softly and understand that the calling is holy. You cannot touch the glory. This is the heart of spiritual warfare. What we are doing is not a game, it is serious. Listen to the Lord and do what he tells you. Do not run ahead, and do not touch the glory. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### A weekend of miracles: Gathering the Nations. URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-weekend-of-miracles-gathering-the/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:07.000Z In March I asked a member of our community from Scotland if she could come to the U.S. for Gather Us In. Her reply was, “If that happened, it would be a miracle.” We had a lot of miracles this week. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/b47971d0-0fb1-4262-922a-59e730299166_4000x2667-heic.jpg) Our “six foot educational rental” grand piano became a top-tier Yamaha Concert Grand. We got to pray for the delivery guys, and they stayed for a spontaneous worship moment: another miracle. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/6b4089e2-3388-4aa2-808b-df51a8567e9e_4000x2667-heic.jpg) Elizabeth Averill brought to life the story of Mary Slessor, a Scottish missionary whose bravery and tenacity brought the gospel to several tribes in Africa. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/67f045f0-6f94-4e48-9aa5-8cf2a68d3058_4000x2667-heic.jpg) Nancy Lane taught on how she has let go of her performance grid for a Kingdom grid, and how she uses *Artists at a Shift in Time* as a model for her daily rhythm. For many in attendance, Nancy’s talk was the highlight of the weekend. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/9a3eb954-dc71-4a8a-8483-3f4a30a750d6_4000x2234-heic.jpg) Rachel Neikirk taught on *Polypoikilos*, and how we are called to confront the anti-Christ spirit as warrior artists. Rachel and Iphigenia Berg created our Sukkah, and we had many wonderful works of art in our show. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/7f8bafac-9126-4d83-9bbc-30a1e0c9fbe4_4000x2273-heic.jpg) Many years ago Stacey Stephens sent me the words to the “Ballad of Belonging House” and we were able to finally sing it together as a community. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/0a78b183-90aa-4af8-86f7-b7e1de07479f_4000x2401-heic.jpg) And of course, we ate. These pictures were taken by Chris Brown. You can check out his work here: https://www.chrisbrownphoto.com Thanks Chris! I am getting a little rest, and next week we return to our normal routine. Thank you to everyone who helped, and participated. He Never Fails, Christ ### Called to Win URL: https://www.belonging.house/called-to-win/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:08.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. The message of Zechariah 1:15-2:5 is God is calling artists into a battle. And if God calls you into a battle **God calls you to win.** What are the artisans that God raised up and showed Zechariah called to do? It says that the artisans struck terror in the hearts of the oppressors. We Kingdom Warrior Artists **are called to strike terror in the hearts of terrorists.** How? By being fully alive and fully human. We strike terror by abiding in Jesus and knowing that he lives in us. We strike terror through clear eyes. We strike terror through becoming more and more whole. We strike terror through being excellent at our craft, learning something new and getting better every day. We strike terror by having personal encounters with Jesus, the Icon of the Father and being transformed by the beauty of holiness. We strike terror by revealing the Kingdom on earth through what we create. We bring the light and color the sounds and vibrations and the atmosphere of heaven into the places the world has said God may not enter. We bring terror by being free. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Freedom will cost you everything and "freedom requires eternal vigilance." But nothing scares tyrants and monsters more than a free imagination. A free imagination **is a very dangerous thing.** Since 2006 I have been following God's call to do this. It has been more dramatic than I expected, because the arts are where the battle rages. We are looking for warriors who are serious about becoming disciples and making a way for the coming of the Lord. With God all things are possible. He Never Fails, Christ **Have you registered?** https://brushfire.com/belonginghouseinternational/conference/608050 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/b85c4d3d-6be1-4a13-bb47-68ea05cef84c_599x200-heic.jpg) ### Deliver Us From Evil. URL: https://www.belonging.house/deliver-us-from-evil/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:15.000Z The end of the series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Witchcraft and Power Over People URL: https://www.belonging.house/witchcraft-and-power-over-people/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:16.000Z Witchcraft and Power Over People 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/ce7f71d7-1e31-47e1-8677-2e928ef16ae1_1400x1400-heic.jpg) This week’s text and the transcript are very different. Be warned! Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedA few years ago I was invited to an art walk in Buffalo, New York. Everyone on the walk kept mentioning the “technically brilliant” installation inside a former synagogue building. When I walked in I was shocked. The artist, a ceramicist, had created multiple satanic altars that were visually stunning, technically very difficult, and spiritually charged. I walked in, and I walked out. It was a reminder that arts are dominated by forms of witchcraft. This week I want to talk about the nature of witchcraft. I should have said this last week, but the main principle in spiritual warfare is this: Don’t be weird. We are not talking about story book witches with green skin and flying brooms. We are talking about real people who engage with the spiritual world apart from God to have influence and power over people. Anytime someone tries to have influence over other people using means apart from God they are engaging in witchcraft. Paul in Galatians 3:1 comments that because they have chosen to keep the Jewish law after receiving the Holy Spirit they are now “bewitched.” Derek Prince called witchcraft the “natural religion of humanity.” And in a nutshell witchcraft is the attempt by human beings to manipulate spiritual forces in order to gain control and become dominant. Witchcraft is the effort by weak people to gain power over others through control, manipulation and domination. This is a spiritual principle, anyone who performs some “gimmick” to get results in prayer, or through religious rituals in an effort to manipulate God, is engaging in a form of witchcraft. Last year Rachel asked me what was in it for witches to go after Christians and Christian ministries. The answer is simple: power. Satan has a vested interest in keeping the church from moving forward, and those who engage in witchcraft align with the demonic world to get power, so they become useful idiots to the demonic kingdom. Witchcraft is any form of engaging with the second heaven, and with the intent of having power over people or situations. And in the prayer movement, it is seeing your activities on earth as a method it get results or have influence over God, politics, or the church. Christians need to come into alignment with the reality that they are seated in heaven and then pray heaven’s realities on earth. This is how Jesus taught us to pray: Come Kingdom of God be done will of God. At it’s heart, witchcraft is choosing a false identity over your true one: you are the Image of God in the earth. You are a a royal priesthood, you are a son of God. So all witchcraft is playing with the second heaven realm in order to have power in this one. And this generally means coming into an alliance with some fallen being that is more powerful and smarter than you. It is very dangerous, and very deceptive. The earmarks of all witchcraft are: manipulation, control, and domination. Babies learn how to manipulate very early on. A baby learns that if they cry, Mama will pick them up and hold them. And of course, you know that by two years old, this skill develops into the temper tantrum. You see this sometime with chronically ill people who use their sickness to manipulate and control family members. They seem pitiful at first, and then you see that it can become a nasty game. We had someone in the ministry who was doing this, and I had to completely cut them off. They were using sickness to manipulate and dominate. In the end I discovered they were actively cursing me. Not funny. Manipulation is about controlling information. Lies are used to manipulate people in the attempt to control them with the end goal of domination. Most of the time the lies take the form of omission. You see this kind of thing in media, politics, and in people playing power games in church. If you watch any mainstream news program, you will notice that key bits of information have been left out. This is why I always ask God to show me everything the enemy doesn’t want me to see today. Jesus said the truth will set us free. The Bible assumes that witchcraft is a real thing. Witchcraft is strictly forbidden. And this is clearly stated in Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. Paul includes witchcraft in his lists of works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21: The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. There is a line in the spiritual realm that we are not to cross. Christopher Lee the famous actor was once asked if he was into the occult. He warned the audience not to dabble in it. “First you will lose you mind, and then you will lose your soul.” And this pattern I have seen many times, and certainly saw it in the lives of the witches who lived in Salem, Massachusetts. Let’s review a little of what I said at the beginning of this series. The Spiritual realm is best understood as a series of dimensions. All of them are created by God. The realms that we do not see are populated with spiritual beings that were created to serve God. Isaiah 14 and Revelation 12 tell us that a third of the angels fell from heaven in a revolt led by the being we refer to as Lucifer or Satan. There are mysteries in this. When we talk about spiritual warfare, we forget that two thirds of the spiritual beings did not rebel, and there are more with us than against us. When the Bible talks about the enemy being cast out of heaven, realm that we are describing is the “third heaven.” This is God’s domain. After there is what is called the “second heaven.” This is a spiritual dimension where the demonic was cast. This dimension is also mysterious, and contains “all the ghoulies, and ghosties, and long leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night.” Then there is our realm. Everything that is visible is part of the earth and “first heaven.” The first heaven is this earth’s atmosphere, and outer space. When the earth was created, human beings were given dominion over it, and told to name everything, and multiply. God is in heaven, but the earth he has given to the children of men. This multiplication was in part to create a redeemed humanity that would outnumber the unclean and fallen spirits. You as a redeemed believer are seated in the highest heaven with Christ, and out of this position, you have been given authority over the demonic realm. In order to really understand how witchcraft works, we need to understand the demonic realm. Derek Prince described this realm as a group of mobs and gangs. Satan runs an empire organized like a group of organized crime families, always try to have domination and power over each other. When ever you deal with the demonic, you will always find a struggle for power over others. And this power always has the goal of robbing, killing, and destroying. Jesus Christ came that we might have life and have it abundantly. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, he dismantled this kingdom making a public spectacle of them. When he rose again, he stepped out of the tomb as the total and complete victor. This war is won, and so the only thing the enemy can do is scorch the earth. This is described in Ephesians 1:20-23: Which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but in the age that is to come, and he has put all things under his feet and made him the head over all things for the Church which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all. The Bible describes the following enemies: 1.Principalities and powers: high ranking fallen beings with power over places and situations. 2.”Rudiments” or elemental spirits of the world, Colossians 2:20\. These are sources of power in the creation that because of the fall have become demonically controlled. 3\. Thought systems and philosophies. These are demonically inspired thought movements created by men in order to deceive and confuse. 4\. The Anti-Christ Spirit. I John 4:1-2 tells us that this is part of the Anti-Christ Spirit. You Bible probably says that any spirit that denies Jesus came in the flesh is the Spirit of Anti-Christ. St. Jerome, in his translation notes on the Vulgate, said that the best greek manuscripts all said Any spirit that “dissolves” Jesus. Any spirit that dissolves or diminishes Jesus is the spirit of Anti-Christ. And this rendering is much closer to what I have seen in ministry. Any spirit that diminishes Jesus, reduces his importance, or tries to talk about Christianity without Christ is this spirit. And this relates to the nature of witchcraft. Jesus tells us in John 15 that apart from him we can do nothing. Witchcraft, is in essence, the attempt to have spiritual power and influence without Jesus. The anti-Christ spirit is anti-Jesus, anti-human. Again, we are back to the Incarnation. When ever we talk about the Incarnation, we eventually do talk about the arts, because this is about making word flesh. The Bible gives us an example of someone who got onto the slippery slope and went from being among the prophets, to a king, and finally, fell into witchcraft. Saul. In I Samuel 15 Saul is commanded to completely wipe out the Amalekites. Saul disobeys, and spares the king’s life, and keeps the best of the livestock and spoils for himself. And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” There are several things we need to point out here. First Samuel says that Saul “is little in his own eyes.” Saul does not walk in his true identity--king over Israel and representative of God the to people and the other kingdoms. Saul, though he was a head taller than everyone else, felt he needed to increase his power. Second, When confronted, Saul withholds part of the truth. He lies and tells Samuel he wanted to make a sacrifice. He is trying to manipulate the situation. Then Samuel utters the prophecy that is often partially quoted: “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.” The second half of the verse is more telling. “And stubbornness is as the sin of idolatry and iniquity.” Derek Prince said that often people make idols of their own opinions. Have you ever been with someone you cannot reason with? No matter how many times you lay out the facts and use logic they just refuse to change their position? It’s almost like they have a vice on their head that won’t let them change their opinion? This is an expression of witchcraft. Someone once said that if you are struggling in your life in some area, look for the root of rebellion. And any time you see deception in order to manipulate to gain control in order to dominate, you are dealing with witchcraft. And as you know, a few chapters later, Saul goes to the witch of Endor and calls up Samuel from the unseen realm. When you start to with rebellion and stubbornness, that will lead you to manipulate and control you are going to get into serious trouble. It really is the slippery slope. So what do we do? First, If you are trying to do stuff to get results in prayer, stop it. Jesus said, If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will in my name and I will do it. That is about relationship, not methods. This is how you pray. If you don’t know any words, start with “Our Father, who art in heaven . . .” Humble yourself and go low. Witchcraft is all about power and dominance. You cannot engage with witchcraft and try to become dominant. This is why Christians in politics are often dangerous. You cannot engage in a dialogue with evil. I mentioned this last week. Whenever we enter into a dialogue with evil, first you discover that you have enter into the rules of the game. And those rules are evil. When you start trying to argue, you suddenly begin to become evil yourself. This is very dangerous. This is why it is so powerful to ignore evil and do good. You will know if you are dealing with a witchcraft spirit if you say “no.” They will immediately go into kill mode. Often the things folks do in “spiritual warfare” cause more trouble than solve things. Folks will start going after demons or witches and they stir up the second heaven. If you read these prayers, they are often attempts to get dominance over people or situations. God did not give you sovereignty over other human beings. The most powerful thing you can do is deny yourself and fast. Witchcraft in all its forms is about self-gratification. If you deny yourself, no witch can get to you. This is why I ask everyone who makes a commitment to Belonging House to fast on Fridays. It is very powerful. It’s amazing how even little acts of self-denial can shift situations. Bless and do not curse. We will talk in depth about blessing and cursing after the gathering, but this is very important. Witchcraft prayers and spells are all forms of cursing. The idea is to make someone else weak in order to become stronger. And so we do not fight evil with evil. Jesus said, bless and do not curse. Often you will see people “cursing cancer” or something else. That is a soulish, human prayer. You speak life over situations. Don’t be weird. So when I pray about witchcraft, I always pray this way. I bless those who curse me. I bless those who gossip and slander me. I bless those who speak false words of prophecy over me. I bless them with the blood of Jesus. I bless them with the cross of Christ. I bless them with a holy fear of the Lord. I bless them with angelic visitation. I bless them with a conviction of sin. I bless them with an awareness of eternity. I bless them with the light and love of God. It is amazing how often the issues I am having will go away. And now I have begun praying for every witch who bothers me to come to Jesus. Wow, that is a game changer. And finally, all spiritual warfare comes back down to basic discipleship. Listen to the Lord and do what he tells you. Pray. Know your Bible. Receive the Eucharist weekly. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. And be normal. Satan loves weird Christians who don’t do these things and run from one trend to another. The slow steady walk with Jesus has so much power that Satan will do anything to keep you from it. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co *You can get my Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com* ### Become Whole or Be Evil. URL: https://www.belonging.house/become-whole-or-be-evil/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:09.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. *Artifice* is something made up to achieve an end through deception and trickery. And this leads us to something worse: **Propaganda.** Propaganda is the use of any and all means to get a group of people to **believe a lie**. In other words, you convince artists, theatre people musicians, writers, and journalists to **do subpar work** to serve the goals and the preach the message of those in power to get more and more people to believe lies, submit to oppression, **and become evil.** And you give all these tools money and perks to parrot the lies of the regime. **All lies have one father,** and all evil systems have one source. Christians do this too. I would say a large amount of the art I see created by Christians is propaganda. It is something designed to make another person embrace their point of view. It is designed to manipulate the emotions or thoughts toward a desired outcome. It doesn't point to heaven, **it points to an agenda.** My friends know that I have been indirectly saying these things for almost twenty years. People still think I am trying to start a nice arts ministry where we live in community and eat lentils. No. I am saying many of the artists I meet are deceived, and the church is complicit. **It's time to wake up and decide who you will serve.** I know many artists who are experiencing stress because they have spent their lives getting government grants. You get a grant by saying the thing the regime wants you to say. The regime doesn't care about your work. It cares about getting people to submit. Artists are just a tool to that end. Other artists have bought into the global art market. This is just a shell game for global billionaires to move money and avoid taxation. It is also a place for shady characters to fund war, crime, and mayhem around the world. These games are coming to an end and a lot of artists are finding out that being a shill for one political party was a bad career choice. God is not calling us to raise up propagandists. We are called to raise up men and women who know **who they are in Christ.** We are called to raise up artists into wholeness, who will not bow down to the idols of Babylon. And we are called to raise up men and women who shine as masters of their craft in a world of second-rate illusion. Learn your craft. Learn to listen to God and do what He tells you. **Become whole.** This is the only way forward. He Never Fails, Christ ### Lead Us Not Into Temptation URL: https://www.belonging.house/lead-us-not-into-temptation-d6f/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:17.000Z The end of the series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Rest, Pray, Fast. URL: https://www.belonging.house/rest-pray-fast-6a640808b9a930000f135a65/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:17.000Z Rest, Pray, Fast. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/2248a5b8-ecbc-4ec4-97a1-ef9a3a496f04_1280x750-heic.jpg) You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get my Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### A Shift in Time. URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-shift-in-time/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:13.000Z Thank you for your prayers. Two weeks from today, we will be gathering in Kingston, New Hampshire. There are twelve spaces left, and registration will be cut off on October 1\. It is a catered affair, and so we need to be strict about attendance and registrations. **There will be no walk-ins at the door.** If you have been thinking about attending, this is your chance. You can register here:https://brushfire.com/belonginghouseinternational/conference/608050 Since the Covid crisis, I have received a lot of requests to have an in-person gathering. I spend 15-20 hours a week on Zoom, and our average meeting spans 6-8 time zones. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/2303b11a-13f1-4197-97fc-d11e5e8ce1b6_3500x2500-heic.jpg) **Turning a virtual community into an in-person gathering was going to be tricky, and I had to figure out a lot of details.** Last March when we began putting this together in earnest, one thing was clear, this was not going to be a conference. My ministry is the herding of cats. Cats are not interested in sitting and listening to somebody talk for two days. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/a19d097f-ead2-4256-947d-a56813420ab1_615x634-heic.jpg) **As I listened, people told me they were burned out on big names, loud music, and hyped up events.** So we are renting a concert grand piano, no band, and only minimal use of the sound system. The piano company gave us a free upgrade. God wants you to hear the instrument He created, the human voice. All of the teaching is coming from members of our community. We are going off screen, no phones, no projection. Printed programs. **Belonging House began around “fabulous dinner parties.”** We are having real, home made food, not from a catering company. And several of our Belonging House family are bringing their creations to share with the gathering. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/b6ca70b2-a0f1-49eb-865a-296d60000919_4020x2069-heic.jpg) **And most important of all, we are going to get serious about two things: learning to listen to God in dangerous times, and getting set free from trauma and the blockages that keep up us from experiencing the flow of grace and creativity in our lives.** And the coolest part of this event is how God provided. At this point all the major expenses are covered. God pays for what He orders. Like I said, we only have twelve spots left. This is going to be more retreat than conference, and if you are thinking of attending, you only have a few days to register. Thanks. Christ ### Forgive Us Our Debts URL: https://www.belonging.house/forgive-us-our-debts-b47/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:18.000Z The continuing series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Know Your Self: Spiritual Warfare for Artists URL: https://www.belonging.house/know-your-self-spiritual-warfare/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:18.000Z Know Your Self: Spiritual Warfare for Artists 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/9719f034-cb8e-4630-bc19-808cfc225335_1280x750-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe are in an indepth series on spiritual warfare. Last week I reference the book *The Art of War*. In order to be a successful military strategist you need to know your enemy, and know yourself. **This week I want to talk about our identity in Christ.** Remember, our foe is a defeated enemy who operates in lies and deception. The battle we fight is filled with falsehood and delusion. Once you know the truth, and know who you really are, a lot of things begin to shift. Most of what we deal with in spiritual conflict is illusion. James 4:7 gives us an interesting direction: "Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he must flee from you." Jackie Pullinger once said that God "wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet. Our trouble is we want it the other way around." Often we resist God and submit to the devil. We think we know better and that we are sinners who ascribe to a religion and if we learn the right prayers or models we are able to get power over satanic forces to get stuff in our weak state. The reality is very different. You have power already, and you just need to walk in who you are. A shrug of your shoulder with authority is enough to make the devil flee. There is an episode in Acts 19:11-20 that gives a bit of insight into our situation. Paul is in Ephesus, and the Kingdom is breaking out all over. *And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” And the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped on them, mastered all of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all; and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.* This short passage gives us a window into the spiritual world. What the Jewish exorcists were doing was a form of witchcraft. They were using a method to manipulate the spiritual world. There are forms of this in Judaism to this day. But they were fundamentally different than Jesus and Paul. Why? Jesus and Paul were new creatures. They were not human beings using religion or magic. They were spirit filled beings. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, and filled Paul and the Apostles is available to you and me today to do greater works than they did. And the spiritual world recognizes this new reality, even if human beings did not. As Paul says in II Corinthians 5:16-17 *From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.* If you spend a lot of time consuming media, you are going to start viewing everyone and everything from a human point of view. Paul gives us a bit of the same reality we saw in Acts. From the point of view of the unseen world, you are not a human being. You are redeemed humanity. You have died to sin and the curse of Adam and the Law. And because of this, you are now a new creation. You are a new kind of creature. Your place in heaven's economy is not below demons or angels. Your place in heaven's economy is above all rule and authority in spiritual places because you have been positioned with Christ. Why? Not because you have to do mental gymnastics, but because you are filled with the Holy Spirit. You were born again by water and the Holy Spirit. You are promised the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of the world to come. You eat from the Table of the Lord, and are feasting on the Body and Blood of Jesus and you are receiving life with in you. When the spiritual world sees you, the spiritual world sees Jesus in you, and sees all you are becoming. There is no time in the spiritual world so they see you in the fullness of what you will become a fully redeemed restored eternal being. This is who you really are. You are not a person who agrees with a set of doctrines, and is trying to live a moral life. You are a member of the family of God, God's DNA is in you, and one day that fulness is going to be manisfested. The spiritual world sees it already, and they shudder. One of the best passages C.S. Lewis ever wrote is from the *The Weight of Glory*: It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals with whom we joke , work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden. Lewis, C. S.. *Weight of Glory* (Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis) (pp. 45-46). (Function). Kindle Edition. So what do we do with this? First, We need to honor and respect our brothers and sisters. Jesus told us not to judge, and that the measure we use on others would be used on us. I see so much venom and accusation among Christians all the time. Imagine an army where all the people in the trenches shot at each other and not their enemy? It is common in the church. In Great Britain it tends to be accusations about fine points of doctrine, and "by what authority do you do these things?" Many people from the house church movement will only associate with people that their pastor or denomination approve of. Everyone else they treat with real contempt and distrust. Here in the US I find two different trends. The first is a soft witch hunt of people digging around in the lives of others trying to accuse them of sin, in order to "purify the church." Let me tell you, nobody can withstand that kind of scrutiny. You do realize that King David would never be able to do ministry in the current environment. In the 1980's a number of TV ministries blew up in scandal. Ted Koppel on Nightline interviewed a few people and he said that other scandals like this are hard to report on because people cover up and hide information. He said this one was easy, because Christians lined up and were happy to tell all, and snitch to the reporters about everyone else. Remember what I said last week, the word "Satan" means "accuser." If you are accusing someone of something think about who you are aligning with. Everything in the spiritual world is personal and practical. The other trend that I am seeing is "so-and-so has a demon of this-or-that." A person who has some spirit is your brother or sister in Christ. If you think they have a demon, who told you that? Who showed you that? And if you had a demon yourself, don't you think you would like to be free of it? And how do you get free? You get free from a demon by submitting yourself to God and resisting the devil. If you are walking in your true identity, as a redeemed member of the Royal Family of Heaven, then somebody else's demon shouldn't really be your problem. And if they do have a demon, well, you walk in love and authority, and they will either seek freedom from you, or that demon will keep them away from you. That demon knows that you will sort him out. Really. Jesus said pull the plank out of your own eye. As I said, most of what we deal with in spiritual warfare is illusion. There is a fable that says when you train a baby elephant, you tie it's leg to a post. It learns it can only go as far as the rope. Eventually, all you have to do is drive a post into the ground, and the elephant will stay there. You no longer need the rope. The enemy needs you to believe that you are powerless and weak, and that the church is getting weaker and weaker until Jesus comes. The enemy needs you looking at the darkness getting darker so that you will be hide your light under a bushel. The enemy needs you to look at the issues and immaturity in your brothers and sisters. He knows if you are a afraid you will hide. You are a light being, so the brightness of your life is hidden. Satan wants you hiding in the corners afraid, because then you are no trouble. And if you can take out another Christian Woohoo! You are doing Satan's dirty work for him. This is the reality. You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth. You are a city on a hill. You are the image of God. You are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. You are seated with Jesus in heavenly places. You are not what the world sees. You are getting stronger every day in the spirit. You are being transformed day by day from one degree of glory to another. You are going to judge angels and you are going to rule over nations. If you ask anything in His name and he will do it. You have authority to tread upon serpents and sit upon scorpions and God has put into your mouth authority and power over sickness, disease, demons, unclean spirits, and anything that will not bow to the name of Jesus. This is who you are. And when you start to walk in it, the world around you, and the pressure against you begins to give way, because if you resist the devil he must flee. Next week we are going to talk about the weapons of our warfare Prayer Fasting Giving and Worship. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get my Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### Make the World Real URL: https://www.belonging.house/make-the-world-real/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:14.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Last week I talked about psychological war. In order to understand how this relates to us, and our calling to raise up an army of artists, we need to understand what is going on in culture. When I was finishing high school, I had three choices. I could go to seminary and follow my call into ministry. I could go to art school because I wanted to become a great artist. I could go to acting school in the City and pursue a career in the theater. My acting coach, Fred Gantz, sat me down and said, "I don't want you to have the chaotic life of an actor. I would advise you to go to seminary and **have a stable, normal life**." *Bad advice.* I passed on going to art school because, even thirty years ago, all I found were indoctrination mills. Even though I didn't go to art school, I found **opportunities to learn** from good books and older artists who were willing to teach me their craft. **Real artists are generous** and always willing to share. What I learned **turned into cash**, and whenever I needed money, I took freelance work as an applied artist. I made money from my art for over twenty years. Being outside the system gave me an interesting perspective. **To do brilliant work is art.** And real art is a more of a trade and a craft than people know. Real art produces something meaningful of value. And people intuitively know this. Until recently, Christians understood art was an expression of the core of our faith: Jesus Christ is the Icon of the Father. **All true art is an outworking of the Incarnation.** Art was designed to clearly communicate truth and bring us all together. True art is an experience where we encounter the transcendant revelation of God. All you need to do is look at a Dutch still life from the seventeenth century with a magnifying glass. These Christians were telling stories by **recreating the creation** in stunning detail. We are living in a world full of artifice, not art. The *American Heritage Dictionary* describes "artifice" as: 1\. Deception or trickery. 2\. Something contrived or made up to achieve an end, *especially *by deception** or a ruse. *3\. Cleverness or ingenuity in making or doing something.* In other words, artifice **is the attempt to be something it is not.** A little child knows what beauty is. Great masterpieces draw us in and **point to a greater reality**. We are living in a time of war, and part of that war is the lie that only a few smart people really understand **what "real art" is.** So we live in a world becoming more and more drab and brutal where we are told **ugly is beautiful**. And even some Christians believe this lie and become useful idiots in a world of deception. Belonging House International is called to raise up men and women **who do not live by lies.** We are called to raise up artists who have the interior strength through discipleship and wholeness to turn the ship of culture. It takes a lot of strength to say "the emperor has no clothes." My heart's cry is to teach a generation of artists and culture shapers to listen to the Lord and do what he tells them. This is the path toward reality. And of course artifice is the root of "artificial." **Fake.** Oh God, send us the warriors to make the world real again. *Amen.* He Never Fails, Christ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/b85c4d3d-6be1-4a13-bb47-68ea05cef84c_599x200-heic-1.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published**Gather Us In is three weeks away! Registration closes October 1\.** https://brushfire.com/belonginghouseinternational/conference/608050 ### Give Us Supersubstantial Bread URL: https://www.belonging.house/give-us-supersubstantial-bread/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:19.000Z The continuing series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Know Your Enemy URL: https://www.belonging.house/know-your-enemy/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:20.000Z Know Your Enemy 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/4f7e37e8-05e1-4283-ba32-2585bd01912b_1280x750-heic.jpg) This week’s teaching diverges from the original manuscript. If you like reading the sermon, you can use the generated transcript. You can support Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org or buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto. We have a Mighty Network for artists and creative people who are committed to a lifestyle of discipleship: https://belonging-house.mn.co You can get my Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com ### A different kind of warfare URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-different-kind-of-warfare/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T16:08:56.000Z Thank you for your prayers. Last Sunday I began a series on *Spiritual Warfare and the Artist.* In 2017, the Lord asked me to go off all social media, close my G account, and stop watching news. I struggled with this direction, because we live in a world immersed in digital media. And of course, a lot of people told me I was nuts, and that I would never build a big ministry that way. Who said I was building a big ministry? We are in a time of war. You don't behave like a civilian when **you are a warrior in a time of war.** In Zechariah 1:21 he has a vision of four "horns." As a reminder, these horns represent armies and power. In the vision, the four horns create an alliance so that "no one can raise his head." **Zechariah was describing psychological warfare.** From the Encyclopedia Britannica. *Psychological warfare refers to the use of propaganda and psychological tactics to influence the beliefs, emotions, and behaviors of an enemy or target audience, often to *demoralize* them or gain a strategic advantage. It has been employed throughout history, including in modern military operations, to manipulate perceptions and undermine opposition.* A proud world leader once said he would use a "*whole of society*" approach to push his agenda. What he meant was the arts, news media, theatre and entertainment industries, schools and universities, corporations and advertisers, and social media were all enlisted as **willing allies** in exchange for the perception of being the "elite" and "the cool kids." It worked. **The voting box was just an afterthought.** Funny how people will sell out everything that matters to go to the right party or to get a big prize. "Right thinking"people, with very few exceptions, bought into a set of beliefs and attitudes that are contrary to Christian faith and practice. These beliefs infiltrated churches, denominations, and ministries. See how the enemy used culture to **take out the church?** The Church was once the cohesive moral, spiritual, and social center of every town, village, and city. **Now our common understanding is gone.** Psychological warfare tells a strong enemy to **believe they are weak** so real weaklings can take over. This is why I say, if you have an **uncritical attitude** toward the box in your living room, your phone in your pocket, or the entertainment you consume, **stop.** Detox. You are being programmed. **You are being told what to think.** You are not getting the information you need. And most dangerous of all, some of you are being led to hell. Really. **I am not joking.** I have seen many walk away from God because of the media they consume. You were not created to consume. You were created to create. So the first step for a warrior artist is to learn the difference between the voice of the Father **and the world, the flesh, and the devil.** You have to deprogram yourself by turning off all the media. You have to learn **how** to think and take this advice from St. Paul in Philippians 4:8: . . . whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. He Never Fails, Christ ### Thy Will Be Done URL: https://www.belonging.house/they-will-be-done/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:20.000Z A series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Clash of Kingdoms. URL: https://www.belonging.house/clash-of-kingdoms/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:21.000Z Clash of Kingdoms. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/2595896c-bb40-4eb4-b180-429ddd4031d8_1280x750-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMark 1:21-28 This week we begin a series on the Clash of Kingdoms. We are talking about spiritual warfare. This week's teaching is dense, and I encourage you to take notes, and spend time listening to the recording. In this series we are going to cover the Kingdom grid your authority and identity in Christ the weapons of our warfare the nature of witchcraft curses, and how to be free from them and living a victorious Christian life. Very few people understand that all we do as Christian disciples is spiritual warfare. And for us in Belonging House we are called to the epicenter and the most intense area of this war: we are called to the area of culture, the arts, and the world of imagination. This arena is where the battle lines are drawn and the conflict over who will control the hearts and souls of men and women is waged. So for artists and creative people an understanding of spiritual war is essential. A lot of the stuff I see in the realm of Christians in the arts would not happen if more artists and leaders understood this. Most of the battles we face are between our ears. Mental battle is the core of the spiritual battle, and why the forces of darkness work so hard to fill our imaginations with lies, dark images, and bad thoughts. We heard the first reading from the Gospel of Mark because I wanted you to see the clash of kingdoms played out in scripture. This passage from the first chapter of Mark is the oldest written description of the ministry of Jesus. This is Peter's retelling of the events to Mark. The ministry of Jesus begins with him going to the Synagogue in Caparnaum near his own house and teaching. And the sound of his teaching: the proclamation that the Kingdom of God is at hand elicits a reaction not from the people but from the unclean spirits that had attached themselves to the people. And Jesus has authority, by his very nature as the Incarnate Son of God to cast them out. Right from the beginning of the ministry of Jesus we are presented with a conflict between unseen forces that are described as "unclean" and Jesus, who is the Holy One of God. Bill Johnson once said that in the Old Covenant you cannot go near a leper because you will become unclean. In the New Covenant when you go near a leper the leper becomes clean. And this is a great description of two grids: the Kingdom Grid and the Religious Grid. A lot of the teaching people receive on the subject of spiritual warfare is from a religious grid. Jesus Christ never came to start a religion. He came to establish his Kingdom. And so we have to sort out our belief system. I use the word "grid" but you could also use the word "worldview" or "filter." People organize their understanding of the Bible and their experience through a grid. And for most of us here, we have received a post-reformation religious grid. And for many evangelical protestants this grid is based in the legal system and the idea of the substitutionary atonement. In other words God is the judge, I am guilty, and Jesus, the perfect substitute takes my place and I am pronounced innocent. Unfortunately, God the Supreme Judge (a phrase that does not appear in scripture) still knows that I am really a rat so I better obey God as best I can and keep all God's precepts line by line or else I am going to suffer the consequences of sin. Amazing grace was great, but I am still a wretch who has to try to make God happy in my own strength or else. And so, I learn as much information as possible and memorize as much Bible as possible and be more disciplined in order to try to be more like Jesus and I learn as many ministry gimmicks as I can in order to get my prayers answered and in order to win in spiritual warfare. And so I need to name demons, and learn all about them. I need to learn the right prayers, and I need to disect my weak soul into all the parts that might need deliverance. And if I buy all the right books or go to the right training I can learn all the prayers that other weaklings found out work against the big fat demons who rule this present darkness. I will somehow be okay if I keep digging into my past to find the roots of all my wretchedness and hopefully be blessed somehow before Jesus comes and he rescues me with his rapture vac because things in this world are just going to get worse and worse. It makes me tired just talking about it. Because of this prevailing religious grid people come to the area of spiritual warfare making two critical, tactical mistakes. First, they believe they are weak sinners, except for the righteousness of Jesus if they hide behind him, and they believe that the spiritual forces of wickedness are very strong, and we have to do a lot of stuff to win against them. And if you don't do the right stuff, you are going to lose. It breeds a victim mentality, and an obsession with the demonic. And so people get fixated on naming demons and learning spiritual warfare methods. If our forefathers had done this, Pagan Europe would never become Christian. C.S. Lewis once said that Christians make two errors when talking about the demonic. Some believe that it should be ignored, and are blind to the supernatural conflict we suffer, and others become obsessed, and eventually get drawn into forms of the occult. Whatever you look at grows and becomes bigger. I have told you what a religious grid looks like, now lets look at the Kingdom Grid. Many people come to passages in their Bibles that do not make sense, and they do not fit the grid they were taught. Part of this is reading a verse by itself and trying to understand it with no context. Context is everything. And so, you either skip those passages or make up weird interpretations. There is only one interpretation: God is the Father. The Father is looking for a bride for his Son, so that he can have a big family who can sit around his table forever. In order to accomplish this the Son chooses to sacrifice himself for the Bride. And the son embraced the cross, and put to shame all forces of the demonic realm who oppose God's Kingdom. And now, it is finished. The Son died, and he rose again, and now has been given all rule and authority and is over and above all things. All things are now under his feet. Jesus is the King. And Jesus is taking territory for the Father by redeeming human beings and filling them with the Holy Spirit so that they can be his Image in the earth and expand the rule and reign of the Father. Every redeemed human being has been given dominion over the created realm to be God's Image in the earth. You are called to rule and reign on earth as a representative of the King, Jesus. Jesus accomplished D-Day, the victory is completely won. We are in combat to expand and increase that victory. Everything in this Kingdom is practical. If you cannot experience it it is not the Kingdom of God. And if you get a Kingdom Grid you soon discover that most of what Christians argue about is religion. Any time you come upon a passage of scripture that you cannot understand, sit with it, and ask the Lord to show you how this reveals the Kingdom. It will begin to make sense. Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God. Acts 10:38 tells us "Jesus Christ went about doing good, healing all those who were oppressed by the devil." Paul tells us in Romans 1 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead you will be saved. And Jesus tells us in John 3 you must be born into this Kingdom by water and the Holy Spirit. So once you are baptized, you become a new member of this Kingdom. And this Kingdom is a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a unique people and you are new creation, a redeemed human being both spiritual and human and the old is gone. You are not a sinner anymore, you are now, as the Greek says a "Holy." In Romans 12:1-2 Paul says that now you are "a holy," you have to walk it out by worshiping God daily by offering your body to God as your worship just like when Mary said, "Let it be to me according to your word." Your body then becomes a physical temple for the Holy Spirit, and you have to choose to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This is not about learning new information, but rather about giving up your human thought system for a Kingdom one. The Greek word for this is "metanoia." Isaiah 55 tells us His ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts. You can't think up your own way and ask God to bless it. The core ideas of the Kingdom challenge our human thought system. And here they are: 1. In this Kingdom every thing is about the voice of the King. Jesus said in John 10 "my sheep hear my voice," and the most important thing is to be in relationship with the Shepherd and follow that voice. Notice I never say, "learn what Jesus says and obey." That is the law and religion. It is death. I say, "listen to the Lord and do what he tells you." The Kingdom demands a relationship. Religious performance doesn't require your connection to Jesus. Leaning something and trying to be obedient implies human effort and punishment. The religious grid is fear based, the Kingdom grid is love based. 2\. This Kingdom requires sacrifice. Jesus says "take up your cross and follow me and I will give you life." You die first and then you live. You let go first and then you receive. You step out of the boat and then you walk on the water. Again, this is all about trust and relationship. 3\. This Kingdom is not about rules. There is only one law in this Kingdom, love one another. And Jesus defines love: a man lays down his life for his friends. The love of the Kingdom is laying your life down for others. Putting others first. We are back to sacrifice and listening to God. It is all about relationship. 4. This Kingdom is supernatural. Sometimes we hear this word and we get weird. Weird is not a Kingdom value. Jesus said that the blind would see, the deaf would hear, the lame would walk, the dead would rise, the poor would be given good news, and the prisoners would be set free. These things are beyond our ability. They happen with resources that are beyond our earthly resources, and these abilities come from the Holy Spirit, who brings life to every person who comes into the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit working in our lives is the pledge and seal of eternal life and the power within us to live in the Kingdom. This is why Jesus said, "the Kingdom of God is within you." This is an inside out kingdom. When God lives in you, Paul said in I Corinthians we are given the mind of Christ. We can think like Jesus. Jesus said in John that out of our bellies would flow springs of living water. Jesus also said that if we dwell in him and make our home in him we can ask anything in his Name and he will do it. These are all expressions of the Kingdom. Once you understand the heart of the Kingdom a lot of things begin to fall into place. The Kingdom Grid is more than adequate, and when you see the Kingdom, you start to see things you didn’t see in Scripture. The Bible talks about the Kingdom on every page. And first and foremost, the Kingdom is personal. God is the Most Relational Being in the Universe, and Jesus is the King of the Kingdom. The heart of spiritual warfare is the Cross of Jesus. Let’s go back to the cross and look at it not through a substitutionary atonement grid, but rather through the Kingdom grid. Every detail fits when you use a Kingdom grid. And this will mess with your head. If humanity is given dominion over the earth, then the moment Jesus became King was when he received the crown of thorns, the purple robe and broken reed. His executioners proclaimed him King, and this cross bore the royal proclamation: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." The Cross was the Coronation of Jesus by human beings. Those executioners had no idea how much power they had. This Kingdom is personal, and this Kingdom is not like earthly kingdoms, this Kingdom does not seek to be served, but to serve. Kingdoms are also about a culture. Seth Godin describes culture this way: "People like us do things like this." Jesus makes it clear that this Kingdom is about eating and drinking at the Father's table. I would venture to say the that the theme of eating in the Father's Kingdom is the primary metaphor for the Kingdom in scripture. When ever you see eating and drinking bread and wine pay attention. And the second one, Marriage is closely related, because the Kingdom is going to be inaugurated with a Wedding feast. There are expectations for those who are part of this Wedding. Your robes must be washed in the blood of the Lamb. You must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that God physically raised him from the dead. And you must love one another. So when we pray, because of our position, as it says in Psalm 115: God lives in heaven and the earth he has given to the children of men. As members of the Kingdom we have authority to make a declaration in the earth. And we speak into this earth: “Come Kingdom of God.” And here is the interesting thing. This Kingdom is so powerful that even weakened versions of the Kingdom and distorted and corrupted forms of it, have the power to change things. This prayer and this Kingdom are that potent. The powers of hell and religion do all they can to prevent the full strength Kingdom to ever manifest. And so we have long periods of lukewarmness interrupted by short lived revivals. Even so this Kingdom continues to grow and expand all throughout the earth just like yeast gets into a mixture of flour, water, and salt, and turns it into bread. This Kingdom continues to expand continues to increase, and continues to jump over man-made fences, because it is a giant lump of dough. There is conflict because there are beings in the Universe and on this fallen earth that are in conflict with the Kingdom. There are those who will not bow their knee to the Name and authority of Jesus. And so we have this warning from St. Peter: Be sober be watchful for your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone whom he may devour resist him being firm in your faith. And Paul tells us if we resist the devil he must flee. This indicates something that many people do not understand: You and I are a different kind of being in God's economy. The demonic and unclean must flee from us because we are by nature at a higher level than they are. You are by nature strong, alive, resurrected, and powerful. You are a member of the Royal family. And when a demon sees you, it sees Jesus. We will dig into this next week. --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIf my work encourages you, consider becoming a paid subscriber, check out my latest book (https://a.co/d/bwgDd1L), or buy me a coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto) . Thanks. ### Live from New York URL: https://www.belonging.house/live-from-new-york/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:15.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThanks for your prayers. Since my return to the US the Lord asked me to go to New York twice. This was a little bit of a surprise. Here are some thoughts from New York: Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIn 2002 I had lunch with Os Guinness and small group of leaders. He lamented the things I mention in this video and predicted the direction the US has taken. After Gather Us In, our board and prayer team will be spending an extended time to listen to God about what the future holds. You can register for Gather Us In here: https://brushfire.com/belonginghouseinternational/conference/608050 He Never Fails, Christ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/f5e8073c-6110-49ed-a712-9ae5497f5d29_1280x750-heic.jpg) ### Thy Kingdom Come . . . URL: https://www.belonging.house/thy-kingdom-come/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:21.000Z A series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Something completely different. URL: https://www.belonging.house/something-completely-different/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:16.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. I'm mostly taking this week off. I didn't know how tired I was until I stopped moving. In returning and rest you will be saved. Sometimes God pulls you aside because you need a reset. In forty days [**Gather Us In**](https://brushfire.com/belonginghouseinternational/conference/608050?ref=belonging.house) **will be happening in Kingston, NH.** I have been asked to bring our community together, and this will be the first international gathering of Belonging House. It is also happening on the last day of Sukkot, a festival that is a symbol of the ingathering of the nations to dwell with the Father forever. **I was going to have a conference.** You know, with a speaker, and a band, and stuff. Honestly, I think the conference days are over, and God wants to do **something completely different**. Circumstances and feedback from our community made it clear that we are not having a conference. This community is not passive, and very few of you will sit still for a sermon. I received a lot of input on what folks wanted to see and do. Yes, **I will be teaching on healing**, unlocking creativity, and discipleship. But the teaching is taking a back seat to the ones who will be there. This is a time to meet face to face. There will be artists and performers sharing their gifts. There will be lots of opportunities to interact, receive impartation, and prayer. This is about being present. A few years ago the Lord said he wanted to return the human voice to the church. So there will be no band. There will be no screens (yep, leave your phone behind). There will be time to talk, and eat, and pray. It will be a time for the theatre people to connect, and the writers to connect, and the painters to connect, and the friends who have never seen each other in flesh to connect. And of course, we will be having one of those "fabulous dinner parties" that made us famous in the first place. **It will be something completely different.** Right now we have forty confirmed, and six nations outside the US represented. If you have been thinking about coming, please take the time to register, it would help me and my helpers as we bring all the details together. https://brushfire.com/belonginghouseinternational/conference/608050 He Never Fails, Christ P.S. I will be teaching on the Simple Secret to Answered Prayer this Sunday at *the North Shore Bridge Church, 26 Newburyport Turnpike (Route 1), Rowley, MA 01969, 10 AM.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/78fb28d5-2d3f-47cf-a727-12542d305252_1280x750-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published ### Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. URL: https://www.belonging.house/who-art-in-heaven-hallowed-be-thy/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:22.000Z A series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Jesus: Master Artisan URL: https://www.belonging.house/jesus-master-artisan/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:23.000Z Jesus: Master Artisan 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe began this series by looking at Genesis 1:26: we are created in the Image of God. And then we explored the vision in Zechariah 1:18-2:5, of the army of Charashim who rise up and win a global psychological war. We looked at Bezalel who is the definition of the "charash" the Artisan, and we connected Genesis 1:26 to his name, and also connected the mission of the artist and artisan to the original call to the be the Image of God in the earth. Last week we talked about Mary, and how she became the Ark in the New Covenant, and that calling as artists and creative people is to make the word flesh and be an ark of the testimony in this world. And now we come to Jesus, the Master Artisan. Nancy is reading Michael Heiser's book, *The Unseen Realm*. We discuss a lot of what she is reading, and it is like being in a master's seminar. Dr. Heiser came upon a few keys in his studies that seemed to unlock an understanding of the supernatural worldview of the Hebrew Bible. And once he saw it, he began to see it everywhere and he began to realize we are missing a lot of what the Bible is trying to tell us. One of the key ideas that he presents, is that words in the Hebrew carry with them a collected meaning and understanding that are more than just the definition of the word. And he discovered that these concepts and ideas from the ancient world were carried right up through the New Testament. So a word in the Bible is more than a word. It is a "package" that contains the accumulated meaning of a word over time. I mentioned a few weeks ago that there was this place in Ancient Israel called "Ge-Charishim" the Valley of the Artisans. It is the place where the articles for the temple were produced. And because that name appears in I Chronicles 4:14, with a definition, we can trace that word into the New Testament Greek, from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. They use a variation of the word *tekton*. This is the word that is used in Matthew 13:55 in reference to Jesus being the "son of the carpenter." "Tekton" is the word translated carpenter. Last week I had an experience I have now had many times. Any time I do research on an idea or a Biblical word or concept related to art and artists I go to the library, I look up the my topic, and there is nothing. So I looked up this word in the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, and there was nothing. And so, I had to look elsewhere, and I turned to the Cambridge Greek Lexicon, And I found something really interesting. The first entry for tekton and all it's variations is carpenter, joiner, or crafter in wood. Then it goes on to say, in the second entry, to craft, fashion, or create. A tekton is "skilled worker in other materials" a craftsman, a creator, an author, or an architect. These descriptions are similar to Bezalel, and the idea of the artisan in the Bible. Jesus was a lot more than a carpenter. And if we follow this idea from the old testament into the gospels we find that Jesus is a master with words and stories, and images. And he tells us he is going away to prepare a place for us. And this is the city described in Hebrews 11. Abraham was looking for a city whose Master Craftsman, was God. Jesus is the builder of the city. And if we go to the end of Revelation, we see the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven. In Exodus 35 Bezalel is given the ability to etch names on stones. And the city is has foundations with names etched on stones. Bezalel is given the ability to be a goldsmith and the city is made of gold. Jesus is the Master Artisan. He is the Author of Beauty. He is more than a carpenter, and is the Creator Incarnate. We have been having a lot of interesting conversations around this book *The Unseen Realm*. And one of the core ideas is that we are in a cosmic battle, between unseen forces in rebellion against God, and the Kingdom of God, Jesus, and a new creation, redeemed humanity. This call to raise up artists and creative people is the call raise up little creators. It is the call to raise up little images of God. It is the call to raise up Master copies of the Icon of the Father. We are the Image of God in the earth, and Jesus is the true image of the Father. We are to become like him. And when someone does, there is a battle. Very few people do get to go to Rome, London, and New York. Even fewer get to do that in two weeks. I have been trying to digest it all, and I think God is saying one thing: "you are thinking too small." This calling is part of the nature of who Jesus is as a person. This ministry is part of building a restored creation. We need a big vision of the cosmic battle between light and dark, and the critical role the artist plays in the victory ahead. Lord help us see all that has been hidden. Help us see everything the enemy doesn't want us to see. Help us be in the right place at the right time and help us have a vision, and the ability to be a part of this mission to build the city of God. Amen. --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIf my work encourages you, consider becoming a paid subscriber, check out my latest book (https://a.co/d/bwgDd1L), or buy me a coffee (https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto) . Thanks. ### I dream a world . . . URL: https://www.belonging.house/i-dream-a-world/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:18.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Transitions are hard, **and sometimes difficult to navigate.** A few months ago I decided to move my Friday email back to Mailchimp. It was a bad decision. People are being overwhelmed with email marketing. My voice is just one more email in a lot of spam. The Friday email list went into free-fall I didn't change. The method of communication has. I have decided to come back to Substack. Right up front, if you unsubscribed in the past few months, feel free to do it again. Please accept my apology. I am using the version of my subscriber list from a few months ago, and it was too complicated to merge it with the mailchimp list. Please don't send me hate mail. I have received a higher number of nasty emails lately, I have to read them, and then forgive the sender. Be kind to one another. When you are living in changing times, **you have to be flexible.** Learning to listen to God often forces us to be flexible and adaptable. For instance, **God asked me to go to New York City twice in the past two weeks**. Some of you might think this is a new thing, but New York has been part of my story since the late 1980's. Back then I felt called to plant a church in New York through the North American Mission Society of the Episcopal Church. A lot of stuff got in the way, and my own brokenness and the brokenness in my denomination were a poisonous cocktail. **That plan got derailed.** And this morning, I was **prayer walking** Broadway and Times Square, and walking down streets I have not walked in thirty years. God led me all over the world, and I was transformed and changed. I went all over, **only to come back home.** I am a very different person than I was thirty years ago, and the old hooks from the past are gone. This is what it means to be in an endless process of becoming. In our daily prayer meeting we pray for four cities, New York, London, Jerusalem, and Hong Kong. All four are cultural centers of influence, and all four are places of contention. Each is in a unique battle over who will control the arts, information, and media. **There is a war for the cultures of the earth.** I dream a world where the artisans overcome the powers of the nations to bring God's people to despair. Imagine if every artist, writer, playwright, musician, designer, and financier were **disciples** of Jesus Christ? I dream a world where the voting box is an afterthought. I dream a world where cities are centers of the culture of the Kingdom. It has happened before in New York and London, **it can happen again.** On Sundays I have been doing a series on the Image of God, **and this week I will be teaching on Jesus the Master Artisan.** Come if you want to have your mind expanded. Thanks for taking the time to read my work. I am grateful. He Never Fails, Christ ### Our Father URL: https://www.belonging.house/our-father/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:24.000Z A series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Nineteen. URL: https://www.belonging.house/nineteen/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:24.000Z Nineteen. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week is a celebration of thanksgiving. We have been doing this Belonging House adventure for nineteen years. There are some amazing things about this story, and how so many of the things that I did in the beginning became part of our DNA and part of our life together. We began praying in tongues together for fifteen minutes in my living room in Akron, Ohio. We celebrated holy communion together daily. We sat and listened to God together. We ate together. And all of this happened before we "formed" an organization. In July 2006 the Lord shocked me with an encounter with heaven in my living room. And part of that encounter was interacting with an angel who brought a message from the Lord: Raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. I had no idea what that meant, or why God called me. It has taken a long time to work out what the calling was: it was a calling to make disciples. It was call to transformation. And God called me to be a father, and before you can be a father, you have to learn how to be a son. I am still learning. There are challenging pieces to this call. I was given instructions on how to do it. Do not do conventional fundraising. Do not network. Give up all your old ministry contacts. Tell the story of all that I am doing, and I will move people to give. And then on August 12, 2006 I had another dramatic encounter at a church in Masillon, Ohio, and the risen Lord Jesus came to me and said he was calling me to be an apostle to the artists, and that he wanted his mother involved in my ministry. As you can imagine, I thought this was the kind of thing that would get me burned at the stake, and that I would not be able to tell anyone about it. And I didn't for about nine years. These are all the big ideas and ingredients that God put into our pot, and that he has been simmering for almost two decades. I am just now starting to understand and put all the pieces together. And these big ideas all come back to the theme we have been exploring: God made us in his image. We are the image of God. And the image is about substance. It is not about performance or attributes. Jesus Christ is the Image of the Invisible God. God created Adam and Eve to be his image in the earth. They were to be God in the flesh to the created world, to the animals and the plants, and to the things seen and unseen. As you know, that story became a tragedy, and God raise up Bezalel who symbolically, and artistically, created a model of heaven and a model of eden in the desert. As I mentioned last week Bezalel was a symbolic image of a New Adam. Exodus 37:1 says, Bezalel made the ark. And what was the ark? It is referred to as the ark of the testimony and the ark of the covenant. It contained manna, the rod of Aaron that bloomed, and the tablets of the Ten Commandments. And these things pointed to the testimony of all God did for Israel in the period after the Exodus. They were a reminder and a witness. Let's fast forward to the book of Luke. In both Luke, and in Acts, Luke uses a number of stylistic devices to connect dots between the Old and New Testaments. Where Matthew refers back to verses from the prophets, Luke does something a lot more artful. Luke uses literary alllusions. He takes words and phrases from the Greek version of the Bible, the Septuagint, and he inserts them into his story. And he does it in a way that the reader and listener would recognize. So, in Acts 2, Luke inserts phrases from Genesis 11 into the story of Pentecost and makes a clear and direct reference that the reader understood. God divided the nations at Babel and now the divided tongues of fire are bringing the nations together into the Kingdom of God. Luke does this again in Luke Chapter one. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry. The phrase here uses the same device Luke uses in Acts, and it comes from the reading we heard from I Chronicles 15. David has taken the old Tabernacle at Shiloh apart, and he has brought the Ark, which had been taken into Exile and was being cared for by Obed-Edom and he is bringing it into Jerusalem. David is setting up a worship revolution and that revolution in I Chronicles involves a tent where, instead of blood sacrifices, there is a continuous sacrifice of praise before the Ark of the Testimony. They are going to dwell in a tent of the Lord's Presence. And Luke takes a phrase from I Chronicles 15:16, and puts that into the mouth of Elizabeth. Just as the people raised a shout of joy for the ark, and the testimony, Elizabeth shouts for joy for Mary. And Elizabeth cries: blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken by the Lord. The new covenant is not about a wooden box. The new covenant is about human beings and now God's ark is a person. And instead of the Law and the Priesthood and the manna, this person contains the Word made flesh, the Great High Priest, and the Bread of Life. The Kingdom of God is not about things or buildings or objects. The Kingdom of God is about being a tabernacle for the Holy Spirit. And this woman through her "yes" becomes a new Eve, who instead of releasing death into the earth, obeys God and releases eternal life. Eve was to be the mother of all the living, and Mary would be, as it says in Revelation 12, the mother of all the redeemed. And when we go to Revelation, God's temple in heaven is opened, and the ark appears. The ark Moses saw. And the ark is a woman. So what does this have to do with you and me and what does this have to do with artists? First, the plan for you and me is to be the image of God, to be a bearer of the testimony. Later in that chapter in revelation it says they overcame by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. God became a man through the flesh of a virgin, that is a powerful testimony. And God became flesh through Mary when she said yes. God becomes flesh through you when you say yes. God wants you to be a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit and God wants you to be his yes on the earth. Mary's yes was the greatest creative act in human history. After God creating the world ex nihilo, out of nothing, God created a baby in a the womb of a virgin. But he did it with her permission. And she agreed. And in her agreement she made answer for the creation to the redeeming will of God. Light, fire, and life joined to our nature you have brought forth that to the glory of God the Father heaven and earth might be restored. And finally, we are back to a key idea an idea that many Christians have lost and artists and creative people also have lost. We are called into relationship. God is the most relational being in the universe. There is always room for you at the Father's table. Jesus has a mother. God has a mother. A human mother, and this new covenant is not a covenant of tasks or information, or even doctrine. This new covenant at its heart is a covenant of relationship. Revelation twelve ends saying that the dragon has gone off to make war against the children of the Woman. We are called in the spirit to be a family. And wherever you see breakage in relationship you are not seeing the work of God, because just as Israel is a physical tribe of people the Body of Christ is a new nation. The name Belonging House came from the teaching of Ingrid Trobisch, who taught a lot on marriage and family. She said that one of the greatest needs we have is for "geborgenheit." Geborgenheit is the german word to describe the emotion you feel when you are held in the arms of your mother and lean against her breast. It is a feeling of safety, security, and belonging. It is the place of complete and total rest. It is shalom. Of course, Geborgenheit would look weird on a logo, so we went for Belonging House. You cannot create and you cannot go into a big battle as an artist and creative people in a global psychological war if you do not have a place to belong. I believe this is why God calls people into our fellowship who are not artists. We need a support system and a family. And out of that place of the Presence, around the Ark of God, we can create and we can go forth. *I do not put my Substack behind a paywall, so if my work has helped you, consider buying a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto or support our community, Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org Thanks.* ### Bezalel: Image of God URL: https://www.belonging.house/bezalel-image-of-god/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:24.000Z Bezalel: Image of God 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3ddea80e-50d2-4de7-a936-c3a28173ee11_626x418-heic.jpg) *This week I continue the series on The Image of God, part of our “big ideas for artists.” I do not put my Substack behind a paywall, so if my work has helped you, consider buying a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto or support our community, Belonging House at https://belonginghouse.betterworld.org Thanks.* Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe are now into the third in a series on the Image of God. This idea finds its root in Genesis 1:26: "in the Image of God he created them." In Hebrew, this phrase is "B'Tzelem Elohim." Many years ago I heard an amazing teaching from Rabbi David Fohrman. Sometimes it is really good to get the Jewish perspective. Especially when we talk about the arts, because the arts have become a weapon in this family feud in the Christian Church. I have stolen an idea from Rabbi Fohrman and don't give him enough credit, because this little ten minute video he made revolutionized my thinking. And more than that, he connected a few dots and helped me understand why what we do with artists and creative people is not a fringe ministry, but rather deeply connected to the center of the mission of God on earth. If you pay attention, you can tell when a ministry or church believes that what they do is essential and life or death, or a form of religious entertainment and activity. A lot of what we see in church is not serious and nobody really believes that on the day of judgement that what they have been doing for Jesus really will be judged. If they did, they would do things very differently. What I am going to tell you today is life and death, and I hope you have seen from my life choices, that I believe I have to stand before Jesus with all of it. And to steal a line from Rabbi Fohrman: Before the beginning, there was God. And God wanted to be in a loving relationship. Because the God of the Bible is love. The God of the Bible is the Most Relational Being in the Universe. This is what God is. Love. God is relationship. Wherever you see severed relationships you are not looking at the work of God. So God wanted someone who could love him. And that requires a dangerous risk. Love, by nature, requires a choice. No choice, no love. And so God created a place like a womb in the universe where he could make someone who could love him. He created a world, and created B'Tzelem Elohim. Beings who could be "the Image of God" in the earth. They would be like God. And they would be "little creators." They were made to create, be fruitful and multiply. And as we know they did not stand in the place of God for long, and they didn't return their love to God. The risk that God took failed. Yes, this is a logical problem for religious systems, but not for the Bible. Because this is all about RELATIONSHIP, not philosophy or logic. And the core of this relationship is creativity: Be fruitful and multiply. The God of the Bible is the most patient being in the universe. So God, who is outside of time has no problem with delay and disappointment. Over generations and centuries, God was looking for the ones who love him. And he found one. Abraham. And then Abraham had children. And God promised those children that they would be a great nation. And this is how God does things: he made them a great nation by sending them into slavery. And then God with a strong arm and a mighty hand brought them out from there with signs wonders and miracles, and made them his own people. God chose Moses to be his instrument in leading the people to freedom, and once they were free, the Lord invited Moses up into a cloud to give instruction for what was next. When God saves us, he saves us for something. A lot of people get saved into a blank. The Kingdom is all about becoming. And God saved Israel for something. God showed Moses heaven. And he showed him a pattern of what he wanted to do on earth. He gave Moses holidays, and customs, and things that would make a culture. God wanted a people who would mirror on earth the culture of heaven and they would move around and be a witness to that culture for all the nations of the world that would encounter them. And he told them that they were going to a land flowing with milk and honey and that land would be at the crossroad of every major trade route on earth. And they were to welcome the stranger and show them this culture. And at the heart of the his culture would be a tent. And that tent would be a shadow of heaven. And it would be full of gold. And it would contain bread that would sit as a sign of the Presence. And it would hold a candlestick with the seven lamps. And in the holiest place of all it would contain an ark, a place where the glory would rest. In a cryptic way, we see the Holy Trinity, Father on the throne, Jesus in the Bread, and the Holy Spirit in the lamp. And God says to Moses you can't do this. But don't worry, because I have called Bezalel, of the tribe of Judah, the son of Uri, the grandson of Hur. And I have filled him with the Holy Spirit. And this is where things get interesting. God is providing for Moses' need, to build this Tabernacle. And he tells Moses that he has already called Bezalel. So Bezalel, down in the camp, while they are making a golden calf is being called to create the model of Heaven on earth. But the most interesting thing of all is this: the name. If you read commentaries it will say "Shadow of God." And yes, it first glance it does mean that. But not like in Psalm 91 where we are in the shade of the Almighty. Here shadow means the shape of something reflected on the ground. B'Tzelem. In the Image. And of course, anytime you see "el" at the end of a Hebrew name, you know we are looking at a name about God. This name is Genesis 1:26. In the Image of God. Bezalel. So what is this man supposed to do? He is supposed to fulfill the original plan, only moreso. He is supposed to create a model of heaven on earth, in the middle of a desert, and be fruitful and multiply by training up others like himself. The Tabernacle is a mirror of Eden, guarded by Cherubim and Bezalel is a new Adam building order in the wilderness. He is the Master Charashim, the Artisan. And he is supposed to lead others and over see others, and create a generation of Images of God. And he cannot do this naturally, he can only do it with supernatural strength. And so Bezalel is the only person in the entire Hebrew Bible other than Adam who is filled from the inside out, with the spirit of God. The Holy Spirit comes upon every other figure, and helps them complete a task and then withdraws. Bezalel is filled, and imparts that spirit to others. This artist is the living embodiment of the original plan and a model of the apostle who lays the foundation and then disciples others. He is the Image the Icon, and then he asks others to copy him. And what is he copying? He is copying what Moses saw in heaven. Come Kingdom of God, be done will of God. Come place where the glory dwells, be done healing of the nations. All from a tent. Bezalel is the greatest example of the little creator, and as I have shared, his human job was master artisan. No one can deny when someone creates heaven on earth. And of course, Bezalel is a sign and wonder and picture of Jesus the Master Artisan preparing a place for his Kingdom on Earth. Your art and creativity is not frosting on the cake of religious program. I have grown bored with the Christian arts ministries who are operating out of a secular grid. Your job as an artist or creative person is to be a disciple of Jesus and build heaven on earth out of your work. Everything out of your life and out of your work is intended to be a sacrament. And when you do this you become like Bezalel, a B'Tzelem Elohim. A little creator, acting in the Image of God. “The only really effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her womb.” “Better witness is borne to the Lord by the splendor of holiness and art which have arisen in the community of believers than by clever excuses which apologetics has come up with to justify the dark sides which, sadly, are so frequent in the Church’s human history.” “No. Christians must not be too easily satisfied. They must make their Church into a place where beauty—and hence truth—is at home. Without this the world will become the first circle of hell” Pope Benedict XVI speaking as Cardinal Ratzinger in The Ratzinger Report (p.129-130) God's first direction was to build a place of beauty for no other purpose than to be in his presence. And out of this Presence and Beauty God was going to reconquer the earth with a bunch of lovers. God is the most relational being in the universe. God is the most creative being in the Universe. God is the most lavish being in the universe. Next week we will look at how this literally was "fleshed out" through the Virgin Mary. ### An Army of Imagination. URL: https://www.belonging.house/an-army-of-imagination/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:33.000Z The Image of God and the artists at the end of time. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Honor and Value URL: https://www.belonging.house/honor-and-value/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:35.000Z Chapter 15 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Deceptively Simple URL: https://www.belonging.house/deceptively-simple/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:19.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedI mentioned a few weeks back that God gave me a four part daily strategy for my work: Worship Communion Say yes and Get whole. Every thing God asks you to do is deceptively simple. Take listening to the Lord and doing what he tells you. That is not easy. Try it. It is much easier to go along to get along, play by the rules, and get ahead. The first thing God will ask you to do-- if you are really listening-- is do something that proves you trust him over the systems around you that you trust. That's what God said to Abraham Moses Gideon Elisha Daniel Mary Peter, James, John and Paul. It will always come down to faith and trust. Discipleship is about becoming like Jesus. And becoming like Jesus is trusting the Father. Much of the church is not doing discipleship very well. What we often have is making converts to a program. I meet so many people in the arts who have "made a decision for Christ" but who have sold out to a system to get ahead. The reasoning goes like this: If I compromise with the powers that be right now then in the future I will be able to have the power and influence of having a big platform to evangelize. It's an empty illusion. And you won't make disciples even if you have a few shallow converts. If you look at many of the celebrity Christians, you will have no idea that they are disciples. You cannot not communicate. Daniel began with, "no, I will not eat your ham and cheese sandwich." That led to "no, I will not bow down to your golden image." and that led to not being eaten by lions. I was asked to do things that violated my conscience in 1997 if I wanted to get credentials in my denomination. The advice was do what they ask now, just to get through the process, and then afterward you can go and do what ever you want. It will never work. That's how corrupt politicians get their start. This is why I felt it was important to create a coherent worldview and a model of discipleship around it. We are going to be focused on it at Gather Us In this October. It isn't going to be a conference, but a hands on activation of our discipleship model. Pray about coming, because It works. Early bird registration ends August 15. He Never Fails, Christ ### Masterpiece URL: https://www.belonging.house/masterpiece/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:38.000Z Chapter 14 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Your Art is Spiritual Warfare. URL: https://www.belonging.house/your-art-is-spiritual-warfare/ Last updated: 2025-07-28T08:01:15.000Z Your Art is Spiritual Warfare. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday we need to think big. Today I want to bring you a broad sweep from the letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians, and tie together three ideas that make a huge difference for Artistic disciples of Jesus Christ. The first idea is this: Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God the first born of all creation, for in him all things were created, both visible and invisible-- whether thrones dominions or principalities or authorities-- all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-16. The second idea is this, and follows from the first: For in Jesus all the fullness of God dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness of life in him who is the head of all rule and authority. Colossians 2:9 Third idea that follows from the previous two: If you have been raised with Christ in baptism, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2 First, Jesus is the Image of the Invisible God. This phrase alludes to Genesis 1:26. "In the image of God." That phrase in Hebrew is B'tzelem Elohim. The "bet" in that phrase is a preposition: in. Adam and Eve were created to be "in" the image. Or literally, the ones who stood in the place of God on the earth. They were made to be the "gods" of the earth. God's full and total representative. And up to that point, we only know one thing about God. God is the creator, the maker of all things Visible and invisible. This idea is echoed in Exodus 31 and 35 when God tells Moses that he has called Bezalel. The name Bezalel is an anagram of this phrase B'tzelem elohim. God raised up a man, and he acts on behalf of God and creates a model of the perfect relationship between heaven and earth. But Bezalel is just a foreshadowing of Jesus who though he was God took the form of a servant, and emptied himself. All the fullness of God dwelt in Jesus, and although he made all things and all things were made for him, he came into a world and a cosmos that was in rebellion against him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he\[d\] might be pre-eminent. 19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. So Jesus became a man and made himself an icon of the Father. Jesus became a physical representation of the Father and then he took upon himself the cross. And the cross, although it was about sin, it was also about something much bigger. It was about restoring order in the unseen realms. Jesus is restoring his pre-eminence in the spiritual world. And now all powers, all principalities, all dominions, and thrones, must bow down to him. Paul is linking the Incarnation and the Image of God, to spiritual warfare. Jesus the Icon, the Image, the perfect portrait of the Father, is now over and above all things. And Jesus is not just a picture, a shadow. He is a living picture of the fullness of God. He is an icon backed up by the full Presence, Power, and Person of God. He is the full Image of God and has begun to reconquer the heavens and the earth. The second idea: you have come into him. Paul says in Colossians 2 that when you were baptized you were buried with him, and also you were raised with him. Mysteriously, you have become B'tzelem Elohim. You have become the Image of God like God intended for Adam and Eve. You are now icons of the Father. And with this you are a creator, you have dominion over the unseen realm and the goal is you would experience the fullness of God living in you. This fullness comes through a transformation of your thinking. The third idea. If you have been raised with Christ seek the things that are above set your minds on the things that are above. If you are the Image of God in the earth, your job is not to fix earth and bring it up to heaven. Your job is to tap into heaven and invade every place on earth that is not aligned with Jesus who is over all things and for whom all things were made. Trying to fix things on earth is exhausting. In 2020, I asked God to school me in the Kingdom of God and one thing I have learned for sure, is that this gospel of the Kingdom is so powerful that even in the weak and watered down forms that people have come to believe, lives are transformed. One of the things that has always mystified me from my first Christian experience is this weird belief that the gospel is too strong. People in sick and dying churches try to weaken the truth and reality of the gospel thinking that will make people interested. They will try anything to get people in the door but preach the basic Christian message. And things die. In reality the more gospel you preach the more people you attract. The stronger the medicine the more attractive it becomes. Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men. Jesus is the icon. Jesus is the full representative. He is the image. And when we come into him and are filled with the Holy Spirit, we begin the process of transformation. We have been taught a lie, that we are weak, broken, fallen, and sinful. As we fix our eyes on the Image, we become like what we look at. Jesus fixed his eyes on the Father, and when he did this, he only did what the Father was doing. You become what you worship. And so Paul admonishes us to seek the things that are above. And the more you seek him the more you find. Like I said last week, if we draw near to God he will draw near to us. And the implications are tremendous. Jesus is the creator. You are in him and are called to be a little creator. You are called to be God in the flesh wherever you go. You are the name of God, the image of God. And so, first you have to become an inward masterpiece. You have to become like Jesus. And this becoming like Jesus is not a work of the flesh. You cannot discipline yourself into a new creation. It has to be a supernatural act. And this happens first through baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. Second it happens by offering your body as a living sacrifice, and this is a daily decision. This is happens through the renewing of your mind. And this third one is tricky. Paul tells us to Colossians 2:8 not to become prey by philosophy, empty deceit, or human tradition which are all expressions of elemental spirits of the universe. What is Paul saying here: any idea that takes your eyes off Jesus in whom the whole fullness of God dwells bodily, you are listening to another spiritual force. When I was in school they would say "all truth is God's truth." That isn't correct, because truth is not information or thoughts. Truth is a person. And anything that does not find it's reality in God became a man died on the cross and rose again overcoming all things in the created realm is not truth. The incarnation is everything. And one further, if you are turning to other things you are actually submitting to the spirit of anti-Christ that denies the incarnation. This simple test, "Does it lead me back to the Jesus the Image of God?" causes alot of things to just fall away. Now lets come back to this notion, God has called us to be the image of God in Christ. We are now on a pilgrimage to becoming fully a reflection of that image. And out of us flows the living water of the Holy Spirit. This flow is first for the healing of the nations, but it is also teaming with life. It is full of all kinds of life, and when you fully embrace your call as a little creator, and the "B'tzelem elohim" your creative expression becomes an extension of Jesus the maker and creator of all things. And all things because of his cross submit to him. I mentioned that in these chapters Paul connects Jesus being the Image of God to his dominion over the spiritual world. All things are under him. All things. Nothing outside the kingdom can withstand the Presence, Power, and Person of God that lives in you. God is calling you to become the church, to become the House of his Glory, to become the temple. And wherever you walk you are taking territory. You being you, fully in Christ is a weapon. So many of us have been so secularized that we think that we can compartmentalize our work, our calling, and our faith. From the Biblical grid, you can never be religious and secular. No. You are a new creation. You are the image of God. And your work is an outgrowth of that reality. If you are a little creator representing God then what you do and what you create is by default going to express that. You don't have to try, because what you look at where you set your mind and who you are dwelling in is going to change what comes out. It is that simple. And this is the next part, and why we deal with so much spiritual warfare. If you are the image of God, and you are with Jesus, the fullness of God, and you are setting your mind on him and fixated on things that are above, then what you do is taking dominion in the earth. You are making a sign not only to the people around you that points to Jesus and the cross, you are making a sign in the unseen realm that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that the unseen realm is His. You are doing powerful spiritual warfare when you make things that take people out of this realm and focus them on the heavenly reality. And this is why so much of recent art is downward focused. The enemy is looking for allies, not victims. This is not theory this is reality. ### Your Art is Spiritual Warfare. URL: https://www.belonging.house/your-art-is-spiritual-warfare-2/ Last updated: 2025-07-28T08:01:15.000Z Your Art is Spiritual Warfare. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday we need to think big. Today I want to bring you a broad sweep from the letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians, and tie together three ideas that make a huge difference for Artistic disciples of Jesus Christ. The first idea is this: Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God the first born of all creation, for in him all things were created, both visible and invisible-- whether thrones dominions or principalities or authorities-- all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-16. The second idea is this, and follows from the first: For in Jesus all the fullness of God dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness of life in him who is the head of all rule and authority. Colossians 2:9 Third idea that follows from the previous two: If you have been raised with Christ in baptism, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2 First, Jesus is the Image of the Invisible God. This phrase alludes to Genesis 1:26. "In the image of God." That phrase in Hebrew is B'tzelem Elohim. The "bet" in that phrase is a preposition: in. Adam and Eve were created to be "in" the image. Or literally, the ones who stood in the place of God on the earth. They were made to be the "gods" of the earth. God's full and total representative. And up to that point, we only know one thing about God. God is the creator, the maker of all things Visible and invisible. This idea is echoed in Exodus 31 and 35 when God tells Moses that he has called Bezalel. The name Bezalel is an anagram of this phrase B'tzelem elohim. God raised up a man, and he acts on behalf of God and creates a model of the perfect relationship between heaven and earth. But Bezalel is just a foreshadowing of Jesus who though he was God took the form of a servant, and emptied himself. All the fullness of God dwelt in Jesus, and although he made all things and all things were made for him, he came into a world and a cosmos that was in rebellion against him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he\[d\] might be pre-eminent. 19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. So Jesus became a man and made himself an icon of the Father. Jesus became a physical representation of the Father and then he took upon himself the cross. And the cross, although it was about sin, it was also about something much bigger. It was about restoring order in the unseen realms. Jesus is restoring his pre-eminence in the spiritual world. And now all powers, all principalities, all dominions, and thrones, must bow down to him. Paul is linking the Incarnation and the Image of God, to spiritual warfare. Jesus the Icon, the Image, the perfect portrait of the Father, is now over and above all things. And Jesus is not just a picture, a shadow. He is a living picture of the fullness of God. He is an icon backed up by the full Presence, Power, and Person of God. He is the full Image of God and has begun to reconquer the heavens and the earth. The second idea: you have come into him. Paul says in Colossians 2 that when you were baptized you were buried with him, and also you were raised with him. Mysteriously, you have become B'tzelem Elohim. You have become the Image of God like God intended for Adam and Eve. You are now icons of the Father. And with this you are a creator, you have dominion over the unseen realm and the goal is you would experience the fullness of God living in you. This fullness comes through a transformation of your thinking. The third idea. If you have been raised with Christ seek the things that are above set your minds on the things that are above. If you are the Image of God in the earth, your job is not to fix earth and bring it up to heaven. Your job is to tap into heaven and invade every place on earth that is not aligned with Jesus who is over all things and for whom all things were made. Trying to fix things on earth is exhausting. In 2020, I asked God to school me in the Kingdom of God and one thing I have learned for sure, is that this gospel of the Kingdom is so powerful that even in the weak and watered down forms that people have come to believe, lives are transformed. One of the things that has always mystified me from my first Christian experience is this weird belief that the gospel is too strong. People in sick and dying churches try to weaken the truth and reality of the gospel thinking that will make people interested. They will try anything to get people in the door but preach the basic Christian message. And things die. In reality the more gospel you preach the more people you attract. The stronger the medicine the more attractive it becomes. Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men. Jesus is the icon. Jesus is the full representative. He is the image. And when we come into him and are filled with the Holy Spirit, we begin the process of transformation. We have been taught a lie, that we are weak, broken, fallen, and sinful. As we fix our eyes on the Image, we become like what we look at. Jesus fixed his eyes on the Father, and when he did this, he only did what the Father was doing. You become what you worship. And so Paul admonishes us to seek the things that are above. And the more you seek him the more you find. Like I said last week, if we draw near to God he will draw near to us. And the implications are tremendous. Jesus is the creator. You are in him and are called to be a little creator. You are called to be God in the flesh wherever you go. You are the name of God, the image of God. And so, first you have to become an inward masterpiece. You have to become like Jesus. And this becoming like Jesus is not a work of the flesh. You cannot discipline yourself into a new creation. It has to be a supernatural act. And this happens first through baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. Second it happens by offering your body as a living sacrifice, and this is a daily decision. This is happens through the renewing of your mind. And this third one is tricky. Paul tells us to Colossians 2:8 not to become prey by philosophy, empty deceit, or human tradition which are all expressions of elemental spirits of the universe. What is Paul saying here: any idea that takes your eyes off Jesus in whom the whole fullness of God dwells bodily, you are listening to another spiritual force. When I was in school they would say "all truth is God's truth." That isn't correct, because truth is not information or thoughts. Truth is a person. And anything that does not find it's reality in God became a man died on the cross and rose again overcoming all things in the created realm is not truth. The incarnation is everything. And one further, if you are turning to other things you are actually submitting to the spirit of anti-Christ that denies the incarnation. This simple test, "Does it lead me back to the Jesus the Image of God?" causes alot of things to just fall away. Now lets come back to this notion, God has called us to be the image of God in Christ. We are now on a pilgrimage to becoming fully a reflection of that image. And out of us flows the living water of the Holy Spirit. This flow is first for the healing of the nations, but it is also teaming with life. It is full of all kinds of life, and when you fully embrace your call as a little creator, and the "B'tzelem elohim" your creative expression becomes an extension of Jesus the maker and creator of all things. And all things because of his cross submit to him. I mentioned that in these chapters Paul connects Jesus being the Image of God to his dominion over the spiritual world. All things are under him. All things. Nothing outside the kingdom can withstand the Presence, Power, and Person of God that lives in you. God is calling you to become the church, to become the House of his Glory, to become the temple. And wherever you walk you are taking territory. You being you, fully in Christ is a weapon. So many of us have been so secularized that we think that we can compartmentalize our work, our calling, and our faith. From the Biblical grid, you can never be religious and secular. No. You are a new creation. You are the image of God. And your work is an outgrowth of that reality. If you are a little creator representing God then what you do and what you create is by default going to express that. You don't have to try, because what you look at where you set your mind and who you are dwelling in is going to change what comes out. It is that simple. And this is the next part, and why we deal with so much spiritual warfare. If you are the image of God, and you are with Jesus, the fullness of God, and you are setting your mind on him and fixated on things that are above, then what you do is taking dominion in the earth. You are making a sign not only to the people around you that points to Jesus and the cross, you are making a sign in the unseen realm that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that the unseen realm is His. You are doing powerful spiritual warfare when you make things that take people out of this realm and focus them on the heavenly reality. And this is why so much of recent art is downward focused. The enemy is looking for allies, not victims. This is not theory this is reality. ### Clothed with the Sun. URL: https://www.belonging.house/clothed-with-the-sun/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:40.000Z Chapter 13 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Jesus is Already Happy. URL: https://www.belonging.house/jesus-is-already-happy/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:41.000Z Jesus is Already Happy. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedHow do you respond to Jesus? Our desire is to respond with a Kingdom grid. The Father is always calling, always wooing. And there is a promise in scripture that very few people understand: If you draw near to me I will draw near to You. A lot of people think that scripture says: If I repent hard enough, do the right stuff and serve God until he approves then I will have permission to come close but God may or may not be interested. Jesus said, Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For my yoke is easy, my burden is light. I recently heard a talk by James Jordan, and he recounted watching a very famous American preacher. I believe he was speaking at a national event, and as the preacher spoke, he quoted a familiar verse from Deuteronomy. Only he didn't. The preacher said, "You shall serve the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." And James Jordan said, the man's wife looked down in shame. And his final comment was telling: out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. For many people, this is their grid. I must be busy for Jesus. There are a lot of awful sermons on this moment in the house with Martha and Mary. This is one of those scriptures used to brow beat people, but also to send them mixed messages. There isn't one pastor who doesn't secretly desire a whole church full of Marthas to do his bidding. The lectionary is dipping into Luke 10, and a few weeks ago, we heard the story of Jesus sending out the 70 to go ahead of him. And now Jesus is going out behind the forerunners and he follows his own advice. He goes to a town and looks for the man of peace. In this case, the man of peace is a woman, Martha. And Martha invites Jesus into his home. There are two things going here, first Martha feels bound by the laws of hospitality, and has to give Jesus the very best she can. And her sister is actually violating those same laws. This is one of those moments not just of tension between two sisters, but the larger expectations of their society coming into conflict. This is another one of those places where Jesus is asking someone to choose between expectations and the kingdom. And Martha is caught up in doing what is necessary to host an important guest. She has chosen what was expected of her. And her sister is sitting there listening to Jesus teach. We are not told what Jesus was saying, but we are told several things about Martha: She is distracted with much serving, she is anxious, she is troubled. Distracted, anxious and troubled. She is like the soil in the parable of the sower where she hears the word, but the little birds of the cares of this world carry the word away. And this is usually where the preacher says: this is why you SHOULD be like Mary, and not like Martha. An old friend used to say to me, don't should on me. There is something a lot deeper going on here. We respond to Jesus out of the abundance of our hearts. Mary has tapped into a Kingdom Grid. Her heart is responding to the word, and she has been drawn to listen. As Peter says in John 6, "where, O Lord, can we go, only you have the words of eternal life." Martha, on the other hand, is consumed with trying to make Jesus happy. What she doesn't understand is that Jesus is already happy, and just a few verses earlier, when they ran out of food He multiplied enough for a multitude. Jesus is in the details. They are going to eat, whether or not Martha cooks dinner. When you get a Kingdom grid, you understand that you do not have to make Jesus happy. Jesus already is happy. The Kingdom is about rest. Jesus said we shall live by every word spoken by the Father. Mary heard the voice of the Father, so she sat down. The second piece of this also very important. Jesus never condemns Martha. This is not about sin. This is about learning to listen to the Voice. Jesus doesn't say to Martha: Martha, don't you see that the God of the Universe is here and you have chosen to work in the kitchen because you have chosen to be a servant over a daughter? Shame on you Martha. Repent. Now you need to do even more stuff to make me happy. No, Jesus says, Martha, I don't want you to be distracted and anxious. Your sister is receiving the eternal word from me. Why don't you come and join her. Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you. The Kingdom of God has already come to this house. I am here. Receive. This is all about responding to Jesus. Are you going to respond out of sonship or out of the heart of a servant. The busiest Christians in the world live in Great Britain. It's very hard to find someone who is not rushing around busy every day and night for Jesus. And Jesus says, you are anxious and distracted with much serving. Come sit at my feet and listen to my word this is the better part and the part that cannot be taken away. In 2006 when this Belonging House adventure began the Lord invited me to skip church on Sunday. And he asked me to sit with him three or four hours a day in silence. After the guilt, the shoulds, and the scolding from other Christians past, I was alone with Jesus. This began a process of "metanoia," getting God's perspective. The past six months or so have been very difficult for several reasons. God keeps bringing up deep stuff that needs healing. Sometime in February or March God gave me a warning dream. It was very upsetting. I was sitting in the drivers seat of a black Mercedes and the car stalled out. I tried to restart the car, and each time I heard that bad sound of gears jamming. And then a warning appeared on the screen, "Do not attempt to restart the car on empty." As a general rule, in dreams, modes of transportation are symbols of your ministry. The black Mercedes is a typical hired car in London used for chauffer service. It's a luxury work car. It's been a rough few months as I have been on empty, and we have been in a transition, but things just do not seem to get going. I don't remember a low this low in a long time. On Friday Val shared a scripture that really disturbed me, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." Yikes. When I got to Hull yesterday, I was able to sit and have quiet for the first time in a while. There is no quiet at my office, ever. And the Lord began to show me how I was trying to get filled. I have been trying to get filled since that dream a few months ago, and I have grieved the Holy Spirit, and I have drifted, and struggled. And have been slipping back into old ministry mindsets. And sadly, that kind of behavior gets encouraged by other people. So yesterday, I sat here in the lounge and said, Lord forgive me for every way I have let the cares of this world and my own fears and insecurity take over. Forgive me for trying to make you fill me through my effort. Forgive me for turning away from you to other things to meet my needs. Forgive me for grieving you Holy Spirit. And then I sat and listened to God. When you are dry, and empty, it takes a while for the life to flow, but I sat and the Lord in his mercy, began to fill my empty soul. And as I sat with the Lord, I began to see another car. It was a seafoam green Mercedes and was very different from the one I have seen in the past. I have never seen one like this in real life, so I wondered if it was a real car. This morning, I discovered that the car I saw was *MotorTrend*'s car of the year for 2025. The Mercedes Benz E-Class. "Our 2025 Car of the Year is far from the sexiest choice. It isn’t a sleek, high-powered electric German sport sedan, nor is it the long-anticipated rebirth of a ’60s cult classic. Instead, it’s a car that has been molded and refined since the 1950s with a clear purpose to make it just plain better. Smoother. Quicker. More efficient. More comfortable. Better at anticipating driver needs. And more luxurious—not in a trashy, in-your-face way, but quietly. Confidently." Isaiah 30:15 says For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Maybe today you feel like things are out of sorts, and that you aren't where you want to be with God or where you want to be in life. A lot of folks will say, if you just follow these six simple steps and be more disciplined you can change. No, You can't get yourself busy back into the center. You need to come and sit and listen. Mary chose the better portion and what she received cannot be taken from her. Stop moving. Sit and calm your soul. And let the Lord speak and give you an upgrade. Thanks for reading! I am committed to raising up a million sanctified, fearless artists. Help our community meet that goal. --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published*Christ John Otto leads Belonging House International, a fellowship called to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth.* *The heart of Belonging House is our Friday email. You can subscribe here:* https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup *If you like my work, subscribe or hit the tip jar. Thanks.* https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII --- ### Jesus is Already Happy. URL: https://www.belonging.house/jesus-is-already-happy-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:40:57.000Z Jesus is Already Happy. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedHow do you respond to Jesus? Our desire is to respond with a Kingdom grid. The Father is always calling, always wooing. And there is a promise in scripture that very few people understand: If you draw near to me I will draw near to You. A lot of people think that scripture says: If I repent hard enough, do the right stuff and serve God until he approves then I will have permission to come close but God may or may not be interested. Jesus said, Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For my yoke is easy, my burden is light. I recently heard a talk by James Jordan, and he recounted watching a very famous American preacher. I believe he was speaking at a national event, and as the preacher spoke, he quoted a familiar verse from Deuteronomy. Only he didn't. The preacher said, "You shall serve the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." And James Jordan said, the man's wife looked down in shame. And his final comment was telling: out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. For many people, this is their grid. I must be busy for Jesus. There are a lot of awful sermons on this moment in the house with Martha and Mary. This is one of those scriptures used to brow beat people, but also to send them mixed messages. There isn't one pastor who doesn't secretly desire a whole church full of Marthas to do his bidding. The lectionary is dipping into Luke 10, and a few weeks ago, we heard the story of Jesus sending out the 70 to go ahead of him. And now Jesus is going out behind the forerunners and he follows his own advice. He goes to a town and looks for the man of peace. In this case, the man of peace is a woman, Martha. And Martha invites Jesus into his home. There are two things going here, first Martha feels bound by the laws of hospitality, and has to give Jesus the very best she can. And her sister is actually violating those same laws. This is one of those moments not just of tension between two sisters, but the larger expectations of their society coming into conflict. This is another one of those places where Jesus is asking someone to choose between expectations and the kingdom. And Martha is caught up in doing what is necessary to host an important guest. She has chosen what was expected of her. And her sister is sitting there listening to Jesus teach. We are not told what Jesus was saying, but we are told several things about Martha: She is distracted with much serving, she is anxious, she is troubled. Distracted, anxious and troubled. She is like the soil in the parable of the sower where she hears the word, but the little birds of the cares of this world carry the word away. And this is usually where the preacher says: this is why you SHOULD be like Mary, and not like Martha. An old friend used to say to me, don't should on me. There is something a lot deeper going on here. We respond to Jesus out of the abundance of our hearts. Mary has tapped into a Kingdom Grid. Her heart is responding to the word, and she has been drawn to listen. As Peter says in John 6, "where, O Lord, can we go, only you have the words of eternal life." Martha, on the other hand, is consumed with trying to make Jesus happy. What she doesn't understand is that Jesus is already happy, and just a few verses earlier, when they ran out of food He multiplied enough for a multitude. Jesus is in the details. They are going to eat, whether or not Martha cooks dinner. When you get a Kingdom grid, you understand that you do not have to make Jesus happy. Jesus already is happy. The Kingdom is about rest. Jesus said we shall live by every word spoken by the Father. Mary heard the voice of the Father, so she sat down. The second piece of this also very important. Jesus never condemns Martha. This is not about sin. This is about learning to listen to the Voice. Jesus doesn't say to Martha: Martha, don't you see that the God of the Universe is here and you have chosen to work in the kitchen because you have chosen to be a servant over a daughter? Shame on you Martha. Repent. Now you need to do even more stuff to make me happy. No, Jesus says, Martha, I don't want you to be distracted and anxious. Your sister is receiving the eternal word from me. Why don't you come and join her. Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you. The Kingdom of God has already come to this house. I am here. Receive. This is all about responding to Jesus. Are you going to respond out of sonship or out of the heart of a servant. The busiest Christians in the world live in Great Britain. It's very hard to find someone who is not rushing around busy every day and night for Jesus. And Jesus says, you are anxious and distracted with much serving. Come sit at my feet and listen to my word this is the better part and the part that cannot be taken away. In 2006 when this Belonging House adventure began the Lord invited me to skip church on Sunday. And he asked me to sit with him three or four hours a day in silence. After the guilt, the shoulds, and the scolding from other Christians past, I was alone with Jesus. This began a process of "metanoia," getting God's perspective. The past six months or so have been very difficult for several reasons. God keeps bringing up deep stuff that needs healing. Sometime in February or March God gave me a warning dream. It was very upsetting. I was sitting in the drivers seat of a black Mercedes and the car stalled out. I tried to restart the car, and each time I heard that bad sound of gears jamming. And then a warning appeared on the screen, "Do not attempt to restart the car on empty." As a general rule, in dreams, modes of transportation are symbols of your ministry. The black Mercedes is a typical hired car in London used for chauffer service. It's a luxury work car. It's been a rough few months as I have been on empty, and we have been in a transition, but things just do not seem to get going. I don't remember a low this low in a long time. On Friday Val shared a scripture that really disturbed me, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." Yikes. When I got to Hull yesterday, I was able to sit and have quiet for the first time in a while. There is no quiet at my office, ever. And the Lord began to show me how I was trying to get filled. I have been trying to get filled since that dream a few months ago, and I have grieved the Holy Spirit, and I have drifted, and struggled. And have been slipping back into old ministry mindsets. And sadly, that kind of behavior gets encouraged by other people. So yesterday, I sat here in the lounge and said, Lord forgive me for every way I have let the cares of this world and my own fears and insecurity take over. Forgive me for trying to make you fill me through my effort. Forgive me for turning away from you to other things to meet my needs. Forgive me for grieving you Holy Spirit. And then I sat and listened to God. When you are dry, and empty, it takes a while for the life to flow, but I sat and the Lord in his mercy, began to fill my empty soul. And as I sat with the Lord, I began to see another car. It was a seafoam green Mercedes and was very different from the one I have seen in the past. I have never seen one like this in real life, so I wondered if it was a real car. This morning, I discovered that the car I saw was *MotorTrend*'s car of the year for 2025. The Mercedes Benz E-Class. "Our 2025 Car of the Year is far from the sexiest choice. It isn’t a sleek, high-powered electric German sport sedan, nor is it the long-anticipated rebirth of a ’60s cult classic. Instead, it’s a car that has been molded and refined since the 1950s with a clear purpose to make it just plain better. Smoother. Quicker. More efficient. More comfortable. Better at anticipating driver needs. And more luxurious—not in a trashy, in-your-face way, but quietly. Confidently." Isaiah 30:15 says For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Maybe today you feel like things are out of sorts, and that you aren't where you want to be with God or where you want to be in life. A lot of folks will say, if you just follow these six simple steps and be more disciplined you can change. No, You can't get yourself busy back into the center. You need to come and sit and listen. Mary chose the better portion and what she received cannot be taken from her. Stop moving. Sit and calm your soul. And let the Lord speak and give you an upgrade. Thanks for reading! I am committed to raising up a million sanctified, fearless artists. Help our community meet that goal. --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published*Christ John Otto leads Belonging House International, a fellowship called to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth.* *The heart of Belonging House is our Friday email. You can subscribe here:* https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup *If you like my work, subscribe or hit the tip jar. Thanks.* https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII --- ### They Were All Filled. URL: https://www.belonging.house/they-were-all-filled/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:43.000Z Chapter 12 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### They Were All Filled. URL: https://www.belonging.house/they-were-all-filled-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:00.000Z Chapter 12 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Running ahead of the Pack? URL: https://www.belonging.house/running-ahead-of-the-pack/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:43.000Z Running ahead of the Pack? 0:00 /200 1× ### Running ahead of the Pack? URL: https://www.belonging.house/running-ahead-of-the-pack-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:00.000Z Running ahead of the Pack? 0:00 /200 1× ### Behold Your Mother. URL: https://www.belonging.house/behold-your-mother/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:46.000Z Chapter 11 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Behold Your Mother. URL: https://www.belonging.house/behold-your-mother-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:03.000Z Chapter 11 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Belonging House Commitment. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-belonging-house-commitment/ Last updated: 2025-07-07T14:15:14.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Belonging House Commitment. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-belonging-house-commitment-2/ Last updated: 2025-07-07T14:15:14.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Our Community. URL: https://www.belonging.house/our-community-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:46.000Z Raise up an army of artists . . . _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Our Community. URL: https://www.belonging.house/our-community-3/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:04.000Z Raise up an army of artists . . . _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Freedom for the Forerunner URL: https://www.belonging.house/freedom-for-the-forerunner/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:47.000Z Freedom for the Forerunner 0:00 /200 1× Christ John Otto leads Belonging House International, a fellowship called to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. The heart of Belonging House is our Friday email. You can subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup Christ John Otto writes at [Christ John OttoThoughts on reformation in the arts, Christianity, and culture.](https://christjohnotto.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fcampaign=publication%5Fembed&utm%5Fmedium=web) We encourage artists to make the Belonging House commitment: https://belonginghouse.substack.com/p/our-commitment You can support us at [https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists](https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists?ref=belonging.house) [https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto](https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto?ref=belonging.house) [https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII](https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII?ref=belonging.house) You can view Belonging House Books here: [https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse](https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse?ref=belonging.house) ### Freedom for the Forerunner URL: https://www.belonging.house/freedom-for-the-forerunner-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:04.000Z Freedom for the Forerunner 0:00 /200 1× Christ John Otto leads Belonging House International, a fellowship called to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. The heart of Belonging House is our Friday email. You can subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup Christ John Otto writes at [Christ John OttoThoughts on reformation in the arts, Christianity, and culture.](https://christjohnotto.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fcampaign=publication%5Fembed&utm%5Fmedium=web) We encourage artists to make the Belonging House commitment: https://belonginghouse.substack.com/p/our-commitment You can support us at [https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists](https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists?ref=belonging.house) [https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto](https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto?ref=belonging.house) [https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII](https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII?ref=belonging.house) You can view Belonging House Books here: [https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse](https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse?ref=belonging.house) ### Who is my mother? URL: https://www.belonging.house/who-is-my-mother/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:49.000Z Chapter 10 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Who is my mother? URL: https://www.belonging.house/who-is-my-mother-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:07.000Z Chapter 10 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### To Be Radical in Radical Times URL: https://www.belonging.house/to-be-radical-in-radical-times/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:49.000Z To Be Radical in Radical Times 0:00 /200 1× This one went off the script a bit, so if you really want to read, you can follow the transcript. Luke 9:58 Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no where to lay his head. Luke 9:23 If any man would come after me, let him take up his cross daily, and follow me. \--- Today we are going to end this talk with a few prayers. First, I want to break off of you any ways people have made false declarations over you. Some of you have aligned your hearts with these lies and so we may have to renounce them as well. There are many artists who listen to my teaching who have been cursed by their churches. So we are going to break that off. There are many of you who feel like God has called you to do radical things but there is resistance, both inward and outward, to keep you "normal" and to stop you from walking in obedience. We are going to break that off and we are going to pray for you. Some of you may need to turn from this and I am going to ask you to indicate to everyone here your desire to change direction and align with Jesus. And then we are going to go after all the false religious teaching that has kept some of you bound in poverty, lack, sickness, and death. \---- Christ John Otto leads Belonging House International, a fellowship called to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. The heart of Belonging House is our Friday email. You can subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup Christ John Otto writes at [Christ John OttoThoughts on reformation in the arts, Christianity, and culture.](https://christjohnotto.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fcampaign=publication%5Fembed&utm%5Fmedium=web) We encourage artists to make the Belonging House commitment: https://belonginghouse.substack.com/p/our-commitment You can support us at [https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists](https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists?ref=belonging.house) [https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto](https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto?ref=belonging.house) [https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII](https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII?ref=belonging.house) You can view Belonging House Books here: [https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse](https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse?ref=belonging.house) ### To Be Radical in Radical Times URL: https://www.belonging.house/to-be-radical-in-radical-times-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:08.000Z To Be Radical in Radical Times 0:00 /200 1× This one went off the script a bit, so if you really want to read, you can follow the transcript. Luke 9:58 Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no where to lay his head. Luke 9:23 If any man would come after me, let him take up his cross daily, and follow me. \--- Today we are going to end this talk with a few prayers. First, I want to break off of you any ways people have made false declarations over you. Some of you have aligned your hearts with these lies and so we may have to renounce them as well. There are many artists who listen to my teaching who have been cursed by their churches. So we are going to break that off. There are many of you who feel like God has called you to do radical things but there is resistance, both inward and outward, to keep you "normal" and to stop you from walking in obedience. We are going to break that off and we are going to pray for you. Some of you may need to turn from this and I am going to ask you to indicate to everyone here your desire to change direction and align with Jesus. And then we are going to go after all the false religious teaching that has kept some of you bound in poverty, lack, sickness, and death. \---- Christ John Otto leads Belonging House International, a fellowship called to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. The heart of Belonging House is our Friday email. You can subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup Christ John Otto writes at [Christ John OttoThoughts on reformation in the arts, Christianity, and culture.](https://christjohnotto.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fcampaign=publication%5Fembed&utm%5Fmedium=web) We encourage artists to make the Belonging House commitment: https://belonginghouse.substack.com/p/our-commitment You can support us at [https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists](https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists?ref=belonging.house) [https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto](https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto?ref=belonging.house) [https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII](https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII?ref=belonging.house) You can view Belonging House Books here: [https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse](https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse?ref=belonging.house) ### Woman URL: https://www.belonging.house/woman/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:52.000Z Chapter 9 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Woman URL: https://www.belonging.house/woman-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:10.000Z Chapter 9 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to Receive Holy Communion URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-receive-holy-communion/ Last updated: 2025-06-23T07:44:53.000Z How to Receive Holy Communion 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedHow to Receive Holy Communion One of the books that dramatically changed my life and thinking was about this gospel lesson in Luke. It was called Dining in the Kingdom of God, by Father Eugene LaVeridiere. It was all about the Eucharist in the book of Luke. There is a reason why the feeding of the five thousand appears in all four gospels. This story is not about the food, but about what Jesus did. Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples. LaVerdiere noted that any time you see this four-fold pattern in the Bible, you are seeing the "eucharistic action." Jesus does this in all the feeding miracles, He does it on the eve of the Passover. He does it in Emmaus. He does it on the seaside. The early believers did it daily on Solomon's Portico. Paul did it on a ship and the food mulitplied, and Paul explains it in I Corinthians 11. This day we remember the Body and Blood. The Body was offered, it was blessed and dedicated, it was broken, and it was give to us. As a young person in the Episcopal church I was taught a deceptively simple rhyme crafted by Queen Elizabeth I: Twas God the Word that spake it. He took the Bread and brake it. And what the word did make it, That I believe, and take it. God the Word made flesh took bread, gave thanks and declared over it a new reality, and in the breaking of that bread, the reality was released to us, and we can receive it. Jesus in John six, on explaining the feeding of the multitudes said, if you eat my flesh and drink my blood you will have life within you, and I will raise you up on the last day. So this bread and this wine is the source of eternal life. In the Tuesday Prayer meeting we are revisiting the teaching of Agnes Sanford. It might come as a surprise to some people that Agnes Sanford was the wife of one of the most traditional and conservative Episcopal priests in the country. She went to a very traditional church, and she led a prayer group that saw miracles. We use her prayer principles in our prayer group, and I have had the good fortune to have known several people who worked and traveled with her. Today I want to share some of the insights about the Eucharist I learned from my priest and confessor Father Al Durrance, who was closely associated with Agnes Sanford through the Camps Farthest Out. Father Al, although spirit filled and a worker in miracles, was also one of the most traditional priests I have ever known. Before church on Sunday, Agnes Sanford's prayer group would go into the church, find a place and kneel in silence. They didn't have a prayer meeting, but rather took positions quietly around the church. In thought, they would come into agreement and begin to be channels of the light and love of God for the minister, then the choir, then they would pray for every person coming into the church to have an encounter with Jesus and to fully receive the Body and Blood of Christ at Holy Communion. Then they would each pray for individuals in the church. They did this every week, and people were drawn to the church, and many, many people were sovereignly healed, without ever praying a prayer over them. Following this example of Agnes Sanford and Father Al, let's unpack what happens in our gathering each Sunday, and how to rightly receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it. These three actions are very important, and they are rooted in the Passover seder. In Christianity, we receive the bread, and in a traditional church we receive the tithes and the offerings when the bread is brought to the altar. As we say in the prayer every week (and I say "we" because we are all praying this prayer, even if I am the one saying the words) that we are presenting these gifts and our selves as an offering to God. So first, the bread is a thank offering. Then Jesus gave thanks. He said a "baruch" blessed are you Lord our God. And in the Last Supper, he spoke words over this bread: This is my body, This is my blood. Each Sunday, like all the churches around the world, I use the words given to us by Saint Paul in I Corinthians 11. We are making a declaration over the bread and wine. This is one of the reasons I believe in the power of declarations. I will tell you a little secret, every time I take the bread, hold it up, and speak these words, I feel something happen in the bread. I feel a vibration. Father Al Durrance said that the bread is infused with the light of God. And then I lift the bread up. This part of the prayer is called the elevation, and it happens three times, at the words of institution, and at the end. And in my former world, that is the moment we would ring the bells. The bread is lifted up as a wave offering before the Lord, just like in the tabernacle in the wilderness. And then this bread and wine is consecrated, and we ask the Holy Spirit to make this bread already infused with the light by the word spoken over it, to be the Real Presence of Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who activates the Word we have spoken. And in the marriage of the Word and Holy Spirit, we again experience the Word made flesh, the Incarnation. This is again, an experience of the Holy Trinity. The Father gives, the Son activates, the Holy Spirit manifests. As you know, this is the place in our community when I invite you to hold your bread up on the camera. This is an act of intention. The Eucharist in our dispersed community, by the Word and Holy Spirit is not limited by time and space, and the same power and presence of God here where I am is flowing with you. There is no limitation. In many places we are one body. It is a prophetic sign of the whole Body of Christ across the earth. And now, this bread and wine are infused and energized by the full presence and power of Jesus. In order for us to release this power, the bread must be broken. The breaking of the bread is the moment when the light is released. This breaking of the bread is central to the sacrament. So we break the bread and the light is released. This is also from the Passover seder, when the host breaks the bread and says "Yachatz!" Broken. And so, in the New Testament, the phrase "Breaking of the Bread" is used for the Eucharist. So now we need to receive the Body and Blood. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples. Paul admonished the Corinthian believers to not receive the Body and Blood in an unworthy manner. Protestants tend to stop the sentence in the middle, after "examine yourself" and make this examination a moment of introspection and focus on sin. Paul instead says, examine yourselves because you must discern the body. This is not bread. And you are not having fellowship with people. You are now consuming the flesh of Jesus (these are the words of Jesus) And the people around you are now his body. This is why Jesus said, where the body is the vultures gather. Yes, Jesus called us vultures. We are gathering to feed on him. Where there is no Body of Jesus people stop gathering. Because people are hungry, and they are looking for food. It is very simple. At this moment of receiving you are one in him and one with each other. And when you do this you are proclaiming his death, and receiving the seed of eternal life that will raise you up on the last day. It is not about you and your sin. Looking at your sin takes the attention away from Jesus and back to you. And when you do this, you are grieving the Holy Spirit. This is why so many churches have so little power. And because of this, many people do not receive healing but rather death into their bodies. This is one of the reasons there is so much cancer in the church, because the cells of the body which are made to multiply and perform a holy function become malignant. The physical world often reflects the world of the spirit. Father Al noted a connection between unforgiveness anger and resentment and cancer. He said he recognized a pattern of eighteen months between a crisis or trauma and cancer if the unforgiveness and bitterness was left to fester. So we take a moment, hopefully to recognize that this is the body of Christ and we are among the body of Christ. They are inseperable. As I mentioned earlier, the host is now full of the light of God. Some fortunate people sometimes get a revelation of the light and see it. If you can't see it, use your holy imagination, and see the bread and wine full of light. As you consume the body and blood see that light come into your body. Ask the Holy Spirit to infuse your body with his light, so that the light that is already in you, can become stronger and more full. And sit until you see the light permeating every cell of your physical body. And in this moment, you can experience healing and wholeness. In the moments where I am free to receive without pressure, often the Lord will speak to me and give me clarity. And in this moment, the realities of what we have been speaking about become tangible. You are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Body of Jesus is in you, and you are in him. He is abiding in you as you receive his Body and Blood and that life becomes life for the world. You are now empowered and enabled to be Jesus in the world for others. I have encountered many extraordinary moments with people through the Holy Eucharist. Last January I was at the Spirit Wind Centre and Jim asked me to celebrate Holy Communion. I was a good Boy Scout, so I was prepared with my travel linens and a host. The folks in his church were a little suspicious of me when I began setting the altar for a mass. When I got to the words of institution, one of the women in the group got a shocked look on her face. She then leaned forward and paid attention. And then when I broke the bread, she fell back in her chair. Afterward she said that she saw the light of God come on the host while I was saying the prayer, and that it was all over me. And then when I broke the host, it was released and began to slosh over everyone in the room. And she was hit with a wave of the power coming out of the sacrament. Classical theology says that in the Eucharist we receive infinite grace in Holy Communion. That is very hard to experience. I hope this teaching helps you encounter and receive that grace in a more profound and effective way. Amen. ### How to Receive Holy Communion URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-receive-holy-communion-2/ Last updated: 2025-06-23T07:44:53.000Z How to Receive Holy Communion 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedHow to Receive Holy Communion One of the books that dramatically changed my life and thinking was about this gospel lesson in Luke. It was called Dining in the Kingdom of God, by Father Eugene LaVeridiere. It was all about the Eucharist in the book of Luke. There is a reason why the feeding of the five thousand appears in all four gospels. This story is not about the food, but about what Jesus did. Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples. LaVerdiere noted that any time you see this four-fold pattern in the Bible, you are seeing the "eucharistic action." Jesus does this in all the feeding miracles, He does it on the eve of the Passover. He does it in Emmaus. He does it on the seaside. The early believers did it daily on Solomon's Portico. Paul did it on a ship and the food mulitplied, and Paul explains it in I Corinthians 11. This day we remember the Body and Blood. The Body was offered, it was blessed and dedicated, it was broken, and it was give to us. As a young person in the Episcopal church I was taught a deceptively simple rhyme crafted by Queen Elizabeth I: Twas God the Word that spake it. He took the Bread and brake it. And what the word did make it, That I believe, and take it. God the Word made flesh took bread, gave thanks and declared over it a new reality, and in the breaking of that bread, the reality was released to us, and we can receive it. Jesus in John six, on explaining the feeding of the multitudes said, if you eat my flesh and drink my blood you will have life within you, and I will raise you up on the last day. So this bread and this wine is the source of eternal life. In the Tuesday Prayer meeting we are revisiting the teaching of Agnes Sanford. It might come as a surprise to some people that Agnes Sanford was the wife of one of the most traditional and conservative Episcopal priests in the country. She went to a very traditional church, and she led a prayer group that saw miracles. We use her prayer principles in our prayer group, and I have had the good fortune to have known several people who worked and traveled with her. Today I want to share some of the insights about the Eucharist I learned from my priest and confessor Father Al Durrance, who was closely associated with Agnes Sanford through the Camps Farthest Out. Father Al, although spirit filled and a worker in miracles, was also one of the most traditional priests I have ever known. Before church on Sunday, Agnes Sanford's prayer group would go into the church, find a place and kneel in silence. They didn't have a prayer meeting, but rather took positions quietly around the church. In thought, they would come into agreement and begin to be channels of the light and love of God for the minister, then the choir, then they would pray for every person coming into the church to have an encounter with Jesus and to fully receive the Body and Blood of Christ at Holy Communion. Then they would each pray for individuals in the church. They did this every week, and people were drawn to the church, and many, many people were sovereignly healed, without ever praying a prayer over them. Following this example of Agnes Sanford and Father Al, let's unpack what happens in our gathering each Sunday, and how to rightly receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it. These three actions are very important, and they are rooted in the Passover seder. In Christianity, we receive the bread, and in a traditional church we receive the tithes and the offerings when the bread is brought to the altar. As we say in the prayer every week (and I say "we" because we are all praying this prayer, even if I am the one saying the words) that we are presenting these gifts and our selves as an offering to God. So first, the bread is a thank offering. Then Jesus gave thanks. He said a "baruch" blessed are you Lord our God. And in the Last Supper, he spoke words over this bread: This is my body, This is my blood. Each Sunday, like all the churches around the world, I use the words given to us by Saint Paul in I Corinthians 11. We are making a declaration over the bread and wine. This is one of the reasons I believe in the power of declarations. I will tell you a little secret, every time I take the bread, hold it up, and speak these words, I feel something happen in the bread. I feel a vibration. Father Al Durrance said that the bread is infused with the light of God. And then I lift the bread up. This part of the prayer is called the elevation, and it happens three times, at the words of institution, and at the end. And in my former world, that is the moment we would ring the bells. The bread is lifted up as a wave offering before the Lord, just like in the tabernacle in the wilderness. And then this bread and wine is consecrated, and we ask the Holy Spirit to make this bread already infused with the light by the word spoken over it, to be the Real Presence of Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who activates the Word we have spoken. And in the marriage of the Word and Holy Spirit, we again experience the Word made flesh, the Incarnation. This is again, an experience of the Holy Trinity. The Father gives, the Son activates, the Holy Spirit manifests. As you know, this is the place in our community when I invite you to hold your bread up on the camera. This is an act of intention. The Eucharist in our dispersed community, by the Word and Holy Spirit is not limited by time and space, and the same power and presence of God here where I am is flowing with you. There is no limitation. In many places we are one body. It is a prophetic sign of the whole Body of Christ across the earth. And now, this bread and wine are infused and energized by the full presence and power of Jesus. In order for us to release this power, the bread must be broken. The breaking of the bread is the moment when the light is released. This breaking of the bread is central to the sacrament. So we break the bread and the light is released. This is also from the Passover seder, when the host breaks the bread and says "Yachatz!" Broken. And so, in the New Testament, the phrase "Breaking of the Bread" is used for the Eucharist. So now we need to receive the Body and Blood. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples. Paul admonished the Corinthian believers to not receive the Body and Blood in an unworthy manner. Protestants tend to stop the sentence in the middle, after "examine yourself" and make this examination a moment of introspection and focus on sin. Paul instead says, examine yourselves because you must discern the body. This is not bread. And you are not having fellowship with people. You are now consuming the flesh of Jesus (these are the words of Jesus) And the people around you are now his body. This is why Jesus said, where the body is the vultures gather. Yes, Jesus called us vultures. We are gathering to feed on him. Where there is no Body of Jesus people stop gathering. Because people are hungry, and they are looking for food. It is very simple. At this moment of receiving you are one in him and one with each other. And when you do this you are proclaiming his death, and receiving the seed of eternal life that will raise you up on the last day. It is not about you and your sin. Looking at your sin takes the attention away from Jesus and back to you. And when you do this, you are grieving the Holy Spirit. This is why so many churches have so little power. And because of this, many people do not receive healing but rather death into their bodies. This is one of the reasons there is so much cancer in the church, because the cells of the body which are made to multiply and perform a holy function become malignant. The physical world often reflects the world of the spirit. Father Al noted a connection between unforgiveness anger and resentment and cancer. He said he recognized a pattern of eighteen months between a crisis or trauma and cancer if the unforgiveness and bitterness was left to fester. So we take a moment, hopefully to recognize that this is the body of Christ and we are among the body of Christ. They are inseperable. As I mentioned earlier, the host is now full of the light of God. Some fortunate people sometimes get a revelation of the light and see it. If you can't see it, use your holy imagination, and see the bread and wine full of light. As you consume the body and blood see that light come into your body. Ask the Holy Spirit to infuse your body with his light, so that the light that is already in you, can become stronger and more full. And sit until you see the light permeating every cell of your physical body. And in this moment, you can experience healing and wholeness. In the moments where I am free to receive without pressure, often the Lord will speak to me and give me clarity. And in this moment, the realities of what we have been speaking about become tangible. You are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Body of Jesus is in you, and you are in him. He is abiding in you as you receive his Body and Blood and that life becomes life for the world. You are now empowered and enabled to be Jesus in the world for others. I have encountered many extraordinary moments with people through the Holy Eucharist. Last January I was at the Spirit Wind Centre and Jim asked me to celebrate Holy Communion. I was a good Boy Scout, so I was prepared with my travel linens and a host. The folks in his church were a little suspicious of me when I began setting the altar for a mass. When I got to the words of institution, one of the women in the group got a shocked look on her face. She then leaned forward and paid attention. And then when I broke the bread, she fell back in her chair. Afterward she said that she saw the light of God come on the host while I was saying the prayer, and that it was all over me. And then when I broke the host, it was released and began to slosh over everyone in the room. And she was hit with a wave of the power coming out of the sacrament. Classical theology says that in the Eucharist we receive infinite grace in Holy Communion. That is very hard to experience. I hope this teaching helps you encounter and receive that grace in a more profound and effective way. Amen. ### Forerunner URL: https://www.belonging.house/forerunner/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:54.000Z Chapter 8 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Forerunner URL: https://www.belonging.house/forerunner-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:13.000Z Chapter 8 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lover, Beloved, and Love. URL: https://www.belonging.house/lover-beloved-and-love/ Last updated: 2025-06-16T06:09:20.000Z Lover, Beloved, and Love. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedCreativity is born from Relationship. The God of the Bible is the most relational being in the universe. Let me say that again, because I was with my friend Adrian the other day. Adrian is part of our invisible congregation and he listens every week. He said that after five years, he is just now starting to "get" what I teach. The God of the Bible is the Most Relational Being in the Universe. Bishop Robert Barron, once talked about the uniqueness of the Christian God. God is Love. And then he paraphrased St. Augustine's Treatise on the Holy Trinity. The Father is the Lover. The Son is the Beloved. And the Holy Spirit is the bond of Love between them. The Father is the Lover. The Son is the Beloved. And the Holy Spirit is the bond of Love between them. And Jesus says this in this Gospel. Everything I have is from the Father. The Father gives it to me. And the Holy Spirit is going to give it to you. And St. Athanasius said that out of this relationship between the members of the Godhead, there is creativity. It is like a nuclear reaction. The interaction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is by nature a creative force. God is love. God is relationship. And this is different than saying God loves. Islam and Judaism say that God loves. We say God is love. And this love was expressed in the story of Creation. God created Adam. And Adam was brought into the life of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit breathed into Adam the breath of life. The relational love of God entered Adam so that he could have unbroken fellowship with the Father and the Son. But because Adam was made in the Image of God, he was hardwired for relationship. And so God made for Adam the Lover, someone that he could love. Eve. And like the Father and the Son, the bond between Adam and Eve, the source of their love and their life, was the Holy Spirit. They were bonded together in a holy relationship. And they were naked and unafraid. They were clothed in the Presence of God. And they were given a simple command: name every creature, be fruitful and multiply, and tame the wild earth and make it a city that man and God could live together in. Be fruitful and multiply: be creative--not just procreate but prosper, develop, learn, and become like God. Be little creators. This was the purpose of their relationship. And through the Holy Spirit they were bonded together, and to the Father and the Son. And as you know, that plan was marred. And Adam and Eve violated the relationship. And that violation meant two things: the life of the Holy Spirit was no longer in them, and because the Holy Spirit withdrew they would die. And the trust and protection and unity between the man and woman in the Holy Spirit was gone. Adam and Eve who were once together Lover, beloved, united in Love, no longer reflected the God head. It was now about power. And Adam was forced to fight with the earth, and he would not bring dominion, but rather domination to everything. And Eve would no longer be his helpmate, but rather his competitor and she would desire his position and his status. And there would be tension and strife and pain. And relationships would become broken and disordered, and this follows with what was created. Human creativity would also become disordered. But God's design in the Holy Trinity, the restoration of all things in relationship as Paul says in II Corinthians, the ministry of Reconcialition only happens in relationship with God and the Holy Spirit. It is all about relationship, and the human intimacy that produces children is central to this reality. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is expressed most clearly in the sacrament of Christian marriage. Holy Matrimony is the binding of one man and one woman into a spiritual bond in the Holy Spirit. This man and woman become the Image of God, and also the image of Christ and the Church. The Body and Bride of Christ is now part of the relationship of the Holy Trinity. The Godhead is not "other" and "out there" because the Holy Spirit lives in us. One of the members of the Godhead has made us one. And when believers are one in this sense with the Father and Son, the world knows you are a disciple. Marriage is intended to be a parable of this. Man and woman enter into a public covenant and that covenant is consecrated just like the Eucharist with the presence of the Holy Spirit. And this sacrament provides a safe place for creating children anchored in trust. And this covenant gives a man and a woman the opportunity to become the image of God: the Lover, the Beloved, united in the Love of the Holy Spirit. For this to work the man must lay down his life for the wife, and the wife must submit her desires to her husband. This is undoing the curse in the garden. For some people this is very hard, and for others less so, but it is a process. And when this does happen, they become one flesh. Here in Great Britain and Europe, the culture has uncritically embraced Marxist social theory. And so you have churches and Christians who have accepted the idea that marriage is just a social construct and two people can enter into a committed sexual relationship without the sacrament of marriage. And so you meet Christians who introduce you to their "partner." This is a relationship that does not reflect the Trinity or the New Testament. This is a relationship rooted the curse in the garden. It's based on fear, that at any moment the other person might leave. And the children produced in this relationship exist without the safety and the certainty that the Holy Spirit and the covenant bring. It is not the Lover, and the Beloved, bound together in love, to bring a new creation. It is two sexual beings gratifying their desires, with or without the other, and possibly, but hopefully not, producing children. Same-sex unions are two lovers or two beloveds, two people looking in the mirror at themselves trying to build a tower to meet their own needs without God. This only leads to death. This is why the church throughout history has guarded the marriage covenant. It is the Image of God in the earth. As I said, God is the Most Relational Being in the Universe. And even if you are not married, God is calling you into the life of the Holy Trinity. Jesus said the Father has given him everything and that the Holy Spirit will lead us into everything. Adam and Eve were created to be part of the Life of the Trinity. God was calling them into that, that they would become fully human and produce more offspring who would be fully human. Fully loved, fully loving, fully alive. So the Holy Trinity is not a doctrine. The trinity is an experience. As Jesus said, if you abide in me, and my word abides in you. How do we abide? We surrender and submit ourselves, like Mary and Jesus did, to the Holy Spirit. And the same word that created all things then lives in us. As I have said before, your inner life determines your creative output. And you can see from what is created who is tapped into the life of God, and who is not. This is why we judge a tree by its fruit. In a mysterious way, everyone of us can enter into the life of the Lover and the Beloved. We become the Beloved and the Love and life of God inspires us and we create. And out of this holy relationship with God, we become little creators, the restored and original plan God intended for humanity. Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live your life in and through us that we would be transformed and brought into the depths of love you intend for us. May our reconciliation with you bring healing and wholeness to everything we touch in this world. Amen. You can get the Belonging House Friday Email at https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup If you appreciate this work, coffee is always nice. https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto ### Lover, Beloved, and Love. URL: https://www.belonging.house/lover-beloved-and-love-2/ Last updated: 2025-06-16T06:09:20.000Z Lover, Beloved, and Love. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedCreativity is born from Relationship. The God of the Bible is the most relational being in the universe. Let me say that again, because I was with my friend Adrian the other day. Adrian is part of our invisible congregation and he listens every week. He said that after five years, he is just now starting to "get" what I teach. The God of the Bible is the Most Relational Being in the Universe. Bishop Robert Barron, once talked about the uniqueness of the Christian God. God is Love. And then he paraphrased St. Augustine's Treatise on the Holy Trinity. The Father is the Lover. The Son is the Beloved. And the Holy Spirit is the bond of Love between them. The Father is the Lover. The Son is the Beloved. And the Holy Spirit is the bond of Love between them. And Jesus says this in this Gospel. Everything I have is from the Father. The Father gives it to me. And the Holy Spirit is going to give it to you. And St. Athanasius said that out of this relationship between the members of the Godhead, there is creativity. It is like a nuclear reaction. The interaction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is by nature a creative force. God is love. God is relationship. And this is different than saying God loves. Islam and Judaism say that God loves. We say God is love. And this love was expressed in the story of Creation. God created Adam. And Adam was brought into the life of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit breathed into Adam the breath of life. The relational love of God entered Adam so that he could have unbroken fellowship with the Father and the Son. But because Adam was made in the Image of God, he was hardwired for relationship. And so God made for Adam the Lover, someone that he could love. Eve. And like the Father and the Son, the bond between Adam and Eve, the source of their love and their life, was the Holy Spirit. They were bonded together in a holy relationship. And they were naked and unafraid. They were clothed in the Presence of God. And they were given a simple command: name every creature, be fruitful and multiply, and tame the wild earth and make it a city that man and God could live together in. Be fruitful and multiply: be creative--not just procreate but prosper, develop, learn, and become like God. Be little creators. This was the purpose of their relationship. And through the Holy Spirit they were bonded together, and to the Father and the Son. And as you know, that plan was marred. And Adam and Eve violated the relationship. And that violation meant two things: the life of the Holy Spirit was no longer in them, and because the Holy Spirit withdrew they would die. And the trust and protection and unity between the man and woman in the Holy Spirit was gone. Adam and Eve who were once together Lover, beloved, united in Love, no longer reflected the God head. It was now about power. And Adam was forced to fight with the earth, and he would not bring dominion, but rather domination to everything. And Eve would no longer be his helpmate, but rather his competitor and she would desire his position and his status. And there would be tension and strife and pain. And relationships would become broken and disordered, and this follows with what was created. Human creativity would also become disordered. But God's design in the Holy Trinity, the restoration of all things in relationship as Paul says in II Corinthians, the ministry of Reconcialition only happens in relationship with God and the Holy Spirit. It is all about relationship, and the human intimacy that produces children is central to this reality. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is expressed most clearly in the sacrament of Christian marriage. Holy Matrimony is the binding of one man and one woman into a spiritual bond in the Holy Spirit. This man and woman become the Image of God, and also the image of Christ and the Church. The Body and Bride of Christ is now part of the relationship of the Holy Trinity. The Godhead is not "other" and "out there" because the Holy Spirit lives in us. One of the members of the Godhead has made us one. And when believers are one in this sense with the Father and Son, the world knows you are a disciple. Marriage is intended to be a parable of this. Man and woman enter into a public covenant and that covenant is consecrated just like the Eucharist with the presence of the Holy Spirit. And this sacrament provides a safe place for creating children anchored in trust. And this covenant gives a man and a woman the opportunity to become the image of God: the Lover, the Beloved, united in the Love of the Holy Spirit. For this to work the man must lay down his life for the wife, and the wife must submit her desires to her husband. This is undoing the curse in the garden. For some people this is very hard, and for others less so, but it is a process. And when this does happen, they become one flesh. Here in Great Britain and Europe, the culture has uncritically embraced Marxist social theory. And so you have churches and Christians who have accepted the idea that marriage is just a social construct and two people can enter into a committed sexual relationship without the sacrament of marriage. And so you meet Christians who introduce you to their "partner." This is a relationship that does not reflect the Trinity or the New Testament. This is a relationship rooted the curse in the garden. It's based on fear, that at any moment the other person might leave. And the children produced in this relationship exist without the safety and the certainty that the Holy Spirit and the covenant bring. It is not the Lover, and the Beloved, bound together in love, to bring a new creation. It is two sexual beings gratifying their desires, with or without the other, and possibly, but hopefully not, producing children. Same-sex unions are two lovers or two beloveds, two people looking in the mirror at themselves trying to build a tower to meet their own needs without God. This only leads to death. This is why the church throughout history has guarded the marriage covenant. It is the Image of God in the earth. As I said, God is the Most Relational Being in the Universe. And even if you are not married, God is calling you into the life of the Holy Trinity. Jesus said the Father has given him everything and that the Holy Spirit will lead us into everything. Adam and Eve were created to be part of the Life of the Trinity. God was calling them into that, that they would become fully human and produce more offspring who would be fully human. Fully loved, fully loving, fully alive. So the Holy Trinity is not a doctrine. The trinity is an experience. As Jesus said, if you abide in me, and my word abides in you. How do we abide? We surrender and submit ourselves, like Mary and Jesus did, to the Holy Spirit. And the same word that created all things then lives in us. As I have said before, your inner life determines your creative output. And you can see from what is created who is tapped into the life of God, and who is not. This is why we judge a tree by its fruit. In a mysterious way, everyone of us can enter into the life of the Lover and the Beloved. We become the Beloved and the Love and life of God inspires us and we create. And out of this holy relationship with God, we become little creators, the restored and original plan God intended for humanity. Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live your life in and through us that we would be transformed and brought into the depths of love you intend for us. May our reconciliation with you bring healing and wholeness to everything we touch in this world. Amen. You can get the Belonging House Friday Email at https://mailchi.mp/44964233320d/friday-email-signup If you appreciate this work, coffee is always nice. https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto ### Let it Be to Me. URL: https://www.belonging.house/let-it-be-to-me/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:56.000Z Chapter 7 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Let it Be to Me. URL: https://www.belonging.house/let-it-be-to-me-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:16.000Z Chapter 7 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Holy Spirit is the Solution URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-holy-spirit-is-the-solution/ Last updated: 2025-06-09T05:41:45.000Z The Holy Spirit is the Solution 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedGenesis 11:1-9 Exodus 19:3-8, 16-20 Joel 2: 28-32 Acts 2:1-11 John 20:19-23 If you aren't paying attention, Pentecost seems to be the most random event in history. A group of people praying in a room in Jerusalem suddenly see fire on their heads and they begin to speak in various languages. And many people and churches do not understand why Pentecost is important and they call it the birthday of the church. And for people who believe that the Holy Spirit withdrew a generation later, they try to downplay this event and look at it as an anomaly. This is why we read all these lessons each year to show that Pentecost is part of a continuum in Scripture, and also a great restoration of God's original plan. Pentecost is the fulfillment of everything the Messiah said he would do. The Holy Spirit is the author of scripture, and the central character throughout. This is one of the interesting aspects of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit always directs the attention to someone else. You can miss the Holy Spirit in the Bible if you are not looking. The Bible begins with the Holy Spirit hovering over the waters and out of this chaos comes order. The Holy Spirit always brings order out of chaos. In Hebrew and Greek the word for "spirit" can be translated wind, breath, and spirit. The Holy Spirit, in the guise of the Ruach Ha'Kodesh: the Breath that is holy. The Wind that is holy. Breathed into Adam the breath of life. And when Adam disobeyed God, the Holy Spirit did withdraw--this is the only time there was cessation of the Holy Spirit, and Adam was made able to die. Without the Holy Spirit things die. And so man, humanity, decided it would try to build things without God. And they discovered they could do a lot without God. And so they built a city, and they built a tower, and they created a system of government without God. Babel. I mentioned in a Tuesday prayer talk that humanity is always on a spectrum: earthly, soulish, and demonic. And so the men at Babel began to build a tower out of the earth, and they combined the power of their human souls, and they were beginning to tap into the power of the demonic. And so, God knowing that they would become supernaturally evil, confused their speech. And the city would be forever the symbol of human government without God, the great beast, Babylon. Out of that chaos, the Holy Spirit moved again, and called a man. Abram. And Abram was given the promise that he would be the Father of many nations, more than the stars in the sky. And he was given a promise, that he and his wife Sarai would have a child in old age. And then God changed their names, to Abraham and Sarah. God added a "heh" to their names. They were given the Holy Spirit. And out of this child, Isaac, was born the nation of Israel. After Israel was freed from slavery, the Holy Spirit moved again, and they were brought to Mount Sinai. And the Lord was going to give this nation order in the midst of the chaos of the world. The Lord descended on Mount Sinai, and in fire and smoke, and a trumpet blast, the Lord gave them the Law. And the people were afraid, and they told Moses they would not receive the law for themselves, but only through him. And they took on themselves a veil. And because they did not embrace their calling as priests to the earth, they turned to idols. And Moses had to correct them. And God raised up Bezalel the artisan to create all that Moses saw on the mountain. And for the first time since Adam the Holy Spirit breathed into a man and filled him with gifts and abilities to make order out of chaos. And as the Old Testament story continued, the promise increased: God was going to raise up a new king from the house of David, and this King would be Anointed with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit would once again be poured out on all flesh. And there would be revelation: prophecy, dreams, and visions. There would be order. Freedom from captivity and bondage, the year fo the Lord's favor. And there would be life God would raise the dead, heal the sick, and restore all things. And there would be a new temple, with a river running out of it. The promise of the New Covenant is the Holy Spirit. And Jesus says this many times. Out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. If you destroy this temple, I will raise it up on the third day. In John's gospel, after the resurrection, Jesus breathes on them and they receive the Holy Spirit. The Church was not birthed on Pentecost. It was birthed during Passover. Pentecost, was the sign of the release of the New Law. Pentecost marked the shift, from a temple in Jerusalem to temples of human hearts where the law of life in Christ Jesus would rule. And in the upper room, we see for the first time, the release of the Government of God. Their speech was no longer confused, because the power behind them was not human, soulish, or demonic. It was from above, from the Holy Spirit. There was not one mountain, or one prophet, or one tablet of law. It was a group of people baptized in fire, and the law was inscribed on their hearts. They became a kingdom of prophets, priests, and kings. So what does this have to do with us today? It makes all the difference for us who are called to be artists and creative people in exile in Babylon. We cannot tap into the world system and do it in our own strength. Your earthly thinking, becomes soul power that masquerades as spiritual, and this eventually taps into the demonic. The world, the flesh, and the devil are our mortal enemies. Paul goes into detail in Romans chapters 6, 7, and 8 about the shift from the Old Covenant to the new one. As I once wrote, the New Covenant is not the just the old one with jazzy music. It is really different. The letter to the Romans is misunderstood because people think Paul is writing to a bunch of Presbyterians, and they are using Plato to interpret it. Paul is writing to a group of Jews, some of whom are believers, but not all. It is a Jewish book, written to Jews, full of Jewish ideas. When you read Romans as a Presbyterian who believes that the Holy Spirit withdrew at the end of the first century, then this book becomes confounding, and depressing. And so, you hear a lot of sermons on the end of chapter seven: O wretched man that I am, who will free me from this body of death? I do the things I do not want to do and I do not do the things I want to do. And the instruction to us is to live a life of stoicism in this unhappy state. That is garbage theology that is useless for hurting people. The folks who preach being gospel centered lead you to no gospel at all. Paul in Romans six and seven is describing in detail, the reality of Jewish life under the Old Covenant. You have the law and prophets, and you know what morality is. And your morality, no matter how many obligations you pile on, can only get you so far. That old law is a law of sin and death. And that old law makes you feel like a wretch. And Paul asks rhetorically, who will save you from this? And beginning in Romans chapter 8 Paul takes the truth I have already shared, God moved his glory from Mount Sinai and a physical temple to human beings. And out of these human beings will flow the Holy Spirit. There is therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in the Messiah Jesus. Because the law of the Spirit of Life in Messiah Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. And when ever you try to live under a law without the Holy Spirit, you are coming under condemnation, and you are as Paul says in Galatians, opening up yourself to a curse. Instead, we are invited to surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit, and in that surrendering we have a renewed relationship with God, and we cry "Abba Father." We are in the same relationship with the Father as Jesus. By the holy Spirit we are no longer condemned. By the Holy Spirit we have power to do the impossible. By the Holy Spirit, the law of God is written on our hearts, and we instinctively can go the right way. By the Holy Spirit, we can pray even though we do not know how to pray. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in ways that are mysterious. Because of the Holy Spirit, God is for us not against us. And nothing can seperate us from the love of God. For God works in all things in our lives by the Holy Spirit for good. The Holy Spirit in you, as a temple makes all of this possible. This is the new covenant, this is the undoing of Babylon. This is the Kingdom of God that Jesus said was inside of you. You don't need to look out to a building, a program, a system, or morality. You have to look in and experience the presence and power of Jesus in you. The Messiah is in you. This is the point of Pentecost. And those on that first day knew this was what everything pointed to, and the three thousand were baptized. Many people are afraid of the Holy Spirit, because they think things will get out of control. There was this meme that went around last year that showed a living tree branch with the word "Order" above it. Next to it was all the component parts, dissected, organized and arranged. The parts of the tree were taken apart and they were dead. And next to this systematic tree branch was the word "Chaos." People want their chaos and control, and not God's living order. The Holy Spirit brings life and order. Eighteen years ago God called me to raise up an army of artists. It's been a challenge to do it the Kingdom way and not the Babylon way. One night, in those early days I was watching a documentary on the Nazis and how they had pagan occult gatherings to access evil in order to establish the Third Reich. Remember what I said about earthly, soulish, and demonic power. They went right for the demonic. And as I watched this film, I prayed one of those simple, yet powerful prayers. Father, I ask for the same measure of power from the Holy Spirit for good, that those men accessed for evil. And I was knocked off my chair and onto the floor. We are living in evil days. What I have shared today is not just theological opinion. Christians all around us are unaware that we are in a war. And we need another Pentecost on this house, and our our army of artists. And so We invite you Holy Spirit to once again come down as fire and set a law in our hearts and bring order out of chaos. ### The Holy Spirit is the Solution URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-holy-spirit-is-the-solution-2/ Last updated: 2025-06-09T05:41:45.000Z The Holy Spirit is the Solution 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedGenesis 11:1-9 Exodus 19:3-8, 16-20 Joel 2: 28-32 Acts 2:1-11 John 20:19-23 If you aren't paying attention, Pentecost seems to be the most random event in history. A group of people praying in a room in Jerusalem suddenly see fire on their heads and they begin to speak in various languages. And many people and churches do not understand why Pentecost is important and they call it the birthday of the church. And for people who believe that the Holy Spirit withdrew a generation later, they try to downplay this event and look at it as an anomaly. This is why we read all these lessons each year to show that Pentecost is part of a continuum in Scripture, and also a great restoration of God's original plan. Pentecost is the fulfillment of everything the Messiah said he would do. The Holy Spirit is the author of scripture, and the central character throughout. This is one of the interesting aspects of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit always directs the attention to someone else. You can miss the Holy Spirit in the Bible if you are not looking. The Bible begins with the Holy Spirit hovering over the waters and out of this chaos comes order. The Holy Spirit always brings order out of chaos. In Hebrew and Greek the word for "spirit" can be translated wind, breath, and spirit. The Holy Spirit, in the guise of the Ruach Ha'Kodesh: the Breath that is holy. The Wind that is holy. Breathed into Adam the breath of life. And when Adam disobeyed God, the Holy Spirit did withdraw--this is the only time there was cessation of the Holy Spirit, and Adam was made able to die. Without the Holy Spirit things die. And so man, humanity, decided it would try to build things without God. And they discovered they could do a lot without God. And so they built a city, and they built a tower, and they created a system of government without God. Babel. I mentioned in a Tuesday prayer talk that humanity is always on a spectrum: earthly, soulish, and demonic. And so the men at Babel began to build a tower out of the earth, and they combined the power of their human souls, and they were beginning to tap into the power of the demonic. And so, God knowing that they would become supernaturally evil, confused their speech. And the city would be forever the symbol of human government without God, the great beast, Babylon. Out of that chaos, the Holy Spirit moved again, and called a man. Abram. And Abram was given the promise that he would be the Father of many nations, more than the stars in the sky. And he was given a promise, that he and his wife Sarai would have a child in old age. And then God changed their names, to Abraham and Sarah. God added a "heh" to their names. They were given the Holy Spirit. And out of this child, Isaac, was born the nation of Israel. After Israel was freed from slavery, the Holy Spirit moved again, and they were brought to Mount Sinai. And the Lord was going to give this nation order in the midst of the chaos of the world. The Lord descended on Mount Sinai, and in fire and smoke, and a trumpet blast, the Lord gave them the Law. And the people were afraid, and they told Moses they would not receive the law for themselves, but only through him. And they took on themselves a veil. And because they did not embrace their calling as priests to the earth, they turned to idols. And Moses had to correct them. And God raised up Bezalel the artisan to create all that Moses saw on the mountain. And for the first time since Adam the Holy Spirit breathed into a man and filled him with gifts and abilities to make order out of chaos. And as the Old Testament story continued, the promise increased: God was going to raise up a new king from the house of David, and this King would be Anointed with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit would once again be poured out on all flesh. And there would be revelation: prophecy, dreams, and visions. There would be order. Freedom from captivity and bondage, the year fo the Lord's favor. And there would be life God would raise the dead, heal the sick, and restore all things. And there would be a new temple, with a river running out of it. The promise of the New Covenant is the Holy Spirit. And Jesus says this many times. Out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. If you destroy this temple, I will raise it up on the third day. In John's gospel, after the resurrection, Jesus breathes on them and they receive the Holy Spirit. The Church was not birthed on Pentecost. It was birthed during Passover. Pentecost, was the sign of the release of the New Law. Pentecost marked the shift, from a temple in Jerusalem to temples of human hearts where the law of life in Christ Jesus would rule. And in the upper room, we see for the first time, the release of the Government of God. Their speech was no longer confused, because the power behind them was not human, soulish, or demonic. It was from above, from the Holy Spirit. There was not one mountain, or one prophet, or one tablet of law. It was a group of people baptized in fire, and the law was inscribed on their hearts. They became a kingdom of prophets, priests, and kings. So what does this have to do with us today? It makes all the difference for us who are called to be artists and creative people in exile in Babylon. We cannot tap into the world system and do it in our own strength. Your earthly thinking, becomes soul power that masquerades as spiritual, and this eventually taps into the demonic. The world, the flesh, and the devil are our mortal enemies. Paul goes into detail in Romans chapters 6, 7, and 8 about the shift from the Old Covenant to the new one. As I once wrote, the New Covenant is not the just the old one with jazzy music. It is really different. The letter to the Romans is misunderstood because people think Paul is writing to a bunch of Presbyterians, and they are using Plato to interpret it. Paul is writing to a group of Jews, some of whom are believers, but not all. It is a Jewish book, written to Jews, full of Jewish ideas. When you read Romans as a Presbyterian who believes that the Holy Spirit withdrew at the end of the first century, then this book becomes confounding, and depressing. And so, you hear a lot of sermons on the end of chapter seven: O wretched man that I am, who will free me from this body of death? I do the things I do not want to do and I do not do the things I want to do. And the instruction to us is to live a life of stoicism in this unhappy state. That is garbage theology that is useless for hurting people. The folks who preach being gospel centered lead you to no gospel at all. Paul in Romans six and seven is describing in detail, the reality of Jewish life under the Old Covenant. You have the law and prophets, and you know what morality is. And your morality, no matter how many obligations you pile on, can only get you so far. That old law is a law of sin and death. And that old law makes you feel like a wretch. And Paul asks rhetorically, who will save you from this? And beginning in Romans chapter 8 Paul takes the truth I have already shared, God moved his glory from Mount Sinai and a physical temple to human beings. And out of these human beings will flow the Holy Spirit. There is therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in the Messiah Jesus. Because the law of the Spirit of Life in Messiah Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. And when ever you try to live under a law without the Holy Spirit, you are coming under condemnation, and you are as Paul says in Galatians, opening up yourself to a curse. Instead, we are invited to surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit, and in that surrendering we have a renewed relationship with God, and we cry "Abba Father." We are in the same relationship with the Father as Jesus. By the holy Spirit we are no longer condemned. By the Holy Spirit we have power to do the impossible. By the Holy Spirit, the law of God is written on our hearts, and we instinctively can go the right way. By the Holy Spirit, we can pray even though we do not know how to pray. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us in ways that are mysterious. Because of the Holy Spirit, God is for us not against us. And nothing can seperate us from the love of God. For God works in all things in our lives by the Holy Spirit for good. The Holy Spirit in you, as a temple makes all of this possible. This is the new covenant, this is the undoing of Babylon. This is the Kingdom of God that Jesus said was inside of you. You don't need to look out to a building, a program, a system, or morality. You have to look in and experience the presence and power of Jesus in you. The Messiah is in you. This is the point of Pentecost. And those on that first day knew this was what everything pointed to, and the three thousand were baptized. Many people are afraid of the Holy Spirit, because they think things will get out of control. There was this meme that went around last year that showed a living tree branch with the word "Order" above it. Next to it was all the component parts, dissected, organized and arranged. The parts of the tree were taken apart and they were dead. And next to this systematic tree branch was the word "Chaos." People want their chaos and control, and not God's living order. The Holy Spirit brings life and order. Eighteen years ago God called me to raise up an army of artists. It's been a challenge to do it the Kingdom way and not the Babylon way. One night, in those early days I was watching a documentary on the Nazis and how they had pagan occult gatherings to access evil in order to establish the Third Reich. Remember what I said about earthly, soulish, and demonic power. They went right for the demonic. And as I watched this film, I prayed one of those simple, yet powerful prayers. Father, I ask for the same measure of power from the Holy Spirit for good, that those men accessed for evil. And I was knocked off my chair and onto the floor. We are living in evil days. What I have shared today is not just theological opinion. Christians all around us are unaware that we are in a war. And we need another Pentecost on this house, and our our army of artists. And so We invite you Holy Spirit to once again come down as fire and set a law in our hearts and bring order out of chaos. ### 40 Years of Becoming. URL: https://www.belonging.house/40-years-of-becoming/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:20.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThanks for your prayers. Forty years ago a dinner guest reached across my grandmother's dining room table and asked me if **I wanted to be born again**. I said "yes." My grandmother was horrified. If you read these Friday emails you know that I have not had the **conventional** Christian experience. I naïvely took the Bible as true, and was hungry for the Holy Spirit. These were the ingredients for adventure, triumphs, tragedies, challenges, persecutions, blessings, and defeats. A lot happens in forty years. **I have never been alone,** even in strange places with no friends. I have left mother, father, houses and lands, and I have seen God give me a new family. Jesus has always been with me. He is good. He forgives. **He is more committed to me than I am.** I have not gotten it perfect, or even *right* at times. I have fallen back into sin and addiction. I have had to **come back to Jesus** in tears. I **am** being healed, transformed, and changed into His Image. I guess, like the skin horse in the *Velveteen Rabbit,* I am becoming **real.** Becoming real only happens when you **embrace the truth of who you are,** and surrender to the Holy Spirit. It is a never-ending process of becoming. Jesus in me is transforming me into his likeness. And the things I am learning, in the process of becoming, work for others. God wastes nothing. Maybe forty years means I am moving into the "promised land" or something. More likely, it means tomorrow I wake up, ask God what the agenda is and again I take life on his terms. All things are possible if you keep believing **and keep going.** Thank you Jesus. He Never Fails, Christ --- Thanks for reading Belonging House Friday Email! Why not share it with a friend? ### Important Announcement. **We are transitioning all of our support to Zeffy.com.** Belonging House International can now receive tax-deductible donations. Zeffy gives us 100% of your donation, and asks for a voluntary tip to help pay for the service. **Just hit “other” in the drop down tip menu, and tip as little or as much as you want.** Check it out here. https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists ### Impossible URL: https://www.belonging.house/impossible/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:50:59.000Z Chapter 6 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Impossible URL: https://www.belonging.house/impossible-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:19.000Z Chapter 6 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Why Did Jesus Ascend into Heaven? URL: https://www.belonging.house/why-did-jesus-ascend-into-heaven/ Last updated: 2025-06-02T09:58:52.000Z Why Did Jesus Ascend into Heaven? 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedSimon Sinek once said that great leaders lead from their "why." I once worked for an art company that gave the staff random directions but never told us what we were doing or why we were doing it. And I recall the directions were always in bits, one task at a time. It was very frustrating, and the end goal always suffered because the staff did not know why they were doing it. Eventually I quit. A lot of people think God is like this. That everything is on a need to know basis, and that we are given directions to obey. And if you miss it, well it sucks to be you. Back to being an unhappy Christian trying to make the mean old man in the sky happy. This is not Christianity. God is in relationship with you, and He wants you to know why. Jesus tells us in many places, but most notably in John fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen why he is going to ascend into heaven. Jesus is going away, so that he is no longer limited by the finite restrictions of space and time. He is going away so that we can receive the Holy Spirit. And the disciples are told not to do anything until they receive the Holy Spirit. This is the "why." The Ascension of Jesus is the reason real Christianity works. And we are given evidence that Jesus believed the ascension was the whole point of his mission. In Daniel 7 we are given a cryptic vision: "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Jesus defines himself with the title Son of Man. He is referring to Daniel 7:13. At the beginning of Acts Jesus walks into a cloud, and on the other side he stands before the Ancient of Days. This returning to the Father is the ultimate act of victory. Jesus, a man in the flesh, has now entered the realm of the spirit. By being outside time and this created order, he can now be in all places at all times. And because he has lived in this created order, he can rightly judge and understand your human experience. And because Jesus is in the Holy Spirit, and the spirit of Jesus lives in us, by the Holy Spirit we are in him. He is in us. We are seated with him in heavenly places, and the kingdom of heaven is in our being. It is all by the Holy Spirit. Many Western Christians struggle with this because we have been influenced by Saint Augustine, who did not understand the Holy Spirit. He tried to reconcile his life experience in Greek philosophy with his Christianity, and he made the life in the Holy Spirit very hard to understand and impossible to experience. He replaced a Person who is living and active and operating with abstract concepts like "grace" and the bond of love between the Father and Son, and said that your mental agreement is enough. And of course, this is not enough, because you cannot experience it. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a vague concept. Jesus said, that if he went away, we would be with him. If he went away we would be with him. Hmmm. How? He has gone away, and because the same Spirit in him is in us, we are with him. Leanne Payne put it beautifully: No matter how sick or broken you are, there is always a place inside of you that is whole. That place is where Jesus is. Graham Cooke put it this way: Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit is in you. And if Jesus is in you, then all the things that Jesus is are in you. So, Jesus Christ is the most powerful person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the richest person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the Kindest person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the Most Loving person in the Universe. And on and on. If you need to be kind, you simply say, "Jesus you are in me, and you are kind. I am not kind, so I am going to get out of the way and let you be kind through me." And then the Kindness of God manifests. This takes the notion of calling things down from heaven to a higher level. Everything in the Kingdom of God is about relationship. Jesus did not ascend into heaven to leave us to our own devices. He ascended into heaven so that through the Holy Spirit he could not only be close to us, but inside us. And this is real Christianity. You are not a follower of Jesus trying to read the Bible and figure out what would Jesus do. No. You are a little Christ. Jesus, if you are born again by water and the Holy Spirit, has now taken residence inside of you. Jesus is abiding in you, and so you can agree with him. And when you do this, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus, if you live a life of surrender to him, will live in you. And so Paul will say the mystery is Christ in you the Hope of glory. He says we have the mind of Christ. He says his power is manifested in our weakness. We are "quantumly entangled" with the Holy Trinity. All of this is possible because Jesus ascended. This is the victory of the Incarnation, the victory of the cross, and the victory of the Resurrection. Heaven is not off out there. Heaven is here, right now. And all the great saints understood this. Many of those who were wonder workers describe "going up" and then coming down with the grace to heal. Others describe the reality that when you are in Jesus you are bigger on the inside than you are on the outside. And many describe having access to the resources of heaven because they are aware of the presence of Jesus in them. It is this Presence, of Jesus in you, that is the life in the Holy Spirit. Jesus went away, ascended on high, and is now seated with the Father. And because of the Holy Spirit we are seated in him and with him. Our calling is to surrender to this reality, Christ in us. Where he is we shall go. And by the Presence of the Holy Spirit, we are given a foretaste and a pledge of it, now. ### Why Did Jesus Ascend into Heaven? URL: https://www.belonging.house/why-did-jesus-ascend-into-heaven-2/ Last updated: 2025-06-02T09:58:52.000Z Why Did Jesus Ascend into Heaven? 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedSimon Sinek once said that great leaders lead from their "why." I once worked for an art company that gave the staff random directions but never told us what we were doing or why we were doing it. And I recall the directions were always in bits, one task at a time. It was very frustrating, and the end goal always suffered because the staff did not know why they were doing it. Eventually I quit. A lot of people think God is like this. That everything is on a need to know basis, and that we are given directions to obey. And if you miss it, well it sucks to be you. Back to being an unhappy Christian trying to make the mean old man in the sky happy. This is not Christianity. God is in relationship with you, and He wants you to know why. Jesus tells us in many places, but most notably in John fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen why he is going to ascend into heaven. Jesus is going away, so that he is no longer limited by the finite restrictions of space and time. He is going away so that we can receive the Holy Spirit. And the disciples are told not to do anything until they receive the Holy Spirit. This is the "why." The Ascension of Jesus is the reason real Christianity works. And we are given evidence that Jesus believed the ascension was the whole point of his mission. In Daniel 7 we are given a cryptic vision: "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Jesus defines himself with the title Son of Man. He is referring to Daniel 7:13. At the beginning of Acts Jesus walks into a cloud, and on the other side he stands before the Ancient of Days. This returning to the Father is the ultimate act of victory. Jesus, a man in the flesh, has now entered the realm of the spirit. By being outside time and this created order, he can now be in all places at all times. And because he has lived in this created order, he can rightly judge and understand your human experience. And because Jesus is in the Holy Spirit, and the spirit of Jesus lives in us, by the Holy Spirit we are in him. He is in us. We are seated with him in heavenly places, and the kingdom of heaven is in our being. It is all by the Holy Spirit. Many Western Christians struggle with this because we have been influenced by Saint Augustine, who did not understand the Holy Spirit. He tried to reconcile his life experience in Greek philosophy with his Christianity, and he made the life in the Holy Spirit very hard to understand and impossible to experience. He replaced a Person who is living and active and operating with abstract concepts like "grace" and the bond of love between the Father and Son, and said that your mental agreement is enough. And of course, this is not enough, because you cannot experience it. The Holy Spirit is a Person, not a vague concept. Jesus said, that if he went away, we would be with him. If he went away we would be with him. Hmmm. How? He has gone away, and because the same Spirit in him is in us, we are with him. Leanne Payne put it beautifully: No matter how sick or broken you are, there is always a place inside of you that is whole. That place is where Jesus is. Graham Cooke put it this way: Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit is in you. And if Jesus is in you, then all the things that Jesus is are in you. So, Jesus Christ is the most powerful person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the richest person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the Kindest person in the Universe. Jesus Christ is the Most Loving person in the Universe. And on and on. If you need to be kind, you simply say, "Jesus you are in me, and you are kind. I am not kind, so I am going to get out of the way and let you be kind through me." And then the Kindness of God manifests. This takes the notion of calling things down from heaven to a higher level. Everything in the Kingdom of God is about relationship. Jesus did not ascend into heaven to leave us to our own devices. He ascended into heaven so that through the Holy Spirit he could not only be close to us, but inside us. And this is real Christianity. You are not a follower of Jesus trying to read the Bible and figure out what would Jesus do. No. You are a little Christ. Jesus, if you are born again by water and the Holy Spirit, has now taken residence inside of you. Jesus is abiding in you, and so you can agree with him. And when you do this, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus, if you live a life of surrender to him, will live in you. And so Paul will say the mystery is Christ in you the Hope of glory. He says we have the mind of Christ. He says his power is manifested in our weakness. We are "quantumly entangled" with the Holy Trinity. All of this is possible because Jesus ascended. This is the victory of the Incarnation, the victory of the cross, and the victory of the Resurrection. Heaven is not off out there. Heaven is here, right now. And all the great saints understood this. Many of those who were wonder workers describe "going up" and then coming down with the grace to heal. Others describe the reality that when you are in Jesus you are bigger on the inside than you are on the outside. And many describe having access to the resources of heaven because they are aware of the presence of Jesus in them. It is this Presence, of Jesus in you, that is the life in the Holy Spirit. Jesus went away, ascended on high, and is now seated with the Father. And because of the Holy Spirit we are seated in him and with him. Our calling is to surrender to this reality, Christ in us. Where he is we shall go. And by the Presence of the Holy Spirit, we are given a foretaste and a pledge of it, now. ### You have a unique ability. URL: https://www.belonging.house/you-have-a-unique-ability/ Last updated: 2025-05-30T10:02:56.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Do you know why Satan and his minions **hate the artist?** You have a **unique ability** to see what is not seen, hear what is not heard, and create what has never been. You are just like God. In other words, you have a greater ability for faith. I did not say you have more faith. **I said you have greater ability for faith.** Faith is the evidence of things not seen. You can see things that are not there. And this is the most powerful gift on earth. It is the artist and creator, that God uses to release revelation, blessings, and prosperity. So Satan is very tricky. He works on you from birth to **believe the lie** that what you do is worthless, and that the artist is made to starve. He sends you trauma to lock up your creative gifts. And if he is lucky, he gets you into art school where you are brainwashed with the spirit of the age: That up is down, wrong is right, and your practice is more important than your product. If Satan can get you to believe that resources are finite, and poverty is inevitable, and that envying and destroying really productive people is a virtue, then you are no longer his enemy, you are no longer a threat, you are his helper. Jesus, on the other hand, saw what the Father was doing, and did it. And you, artist and creative person, can do the same thing. **You can sit and rest in Jesus.** You can hold out your hand and see the thing that God wants to do, and then you can ask God to do it. And when you do this, Jesus says God will do what ever you ask. That's faith. And it is powerful. Many people in our community are facing big battles right now. Let me pray for you. Lord, we are in an epic war right now between worldviews, systems, and civilizations. Thank you for counting us worthy to live in times like these. I pray for every artist under the Belonging House roof, that we would see what the enemy does not want us to see, and be aware of every lie we believe that keeps us from the Kingdom of God. May we experience your blessings and abundance, and the ability to see what the Father is doing, and translate it into a living work of art. Bless, protect, and uphold us by the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. He Never Fails, Christ --- Thanks for reading Belonging House Friday Email! Why not share it with a friend? ### Important Announcement. **We are transitioning all of our support to Zeffy.com.** Belonging House International can now receive tax-deductible donations. Zeffy gives us 100% of your donation, and asks for a voluntary tip to help pay for the service. **Just hit “other” in the drop down tip menu, and tip as little or as much as you want.** Check it out here. https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists ### The Holy Spirit URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-holy-spirit/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:00.000Z Chapter 5 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Holy Spirit URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-holy-spirit-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:20.000Z Chapter 5 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Holy Spirit Manifests URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-holy-spirit-manifests/ Last updated: 2025-05-26T12:44:21.000Z The Holy Spirit Manifests 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday I want to talk about how God does things. We are talking about the Kingdom. The Kingdom is present future, forward looking. This is in contrast to the religious grid, that is always backward looking, obsessed with the past either history, or sin, or tradition. The Kingdom is always looking at new creation. The Kingdom is always becoming. We see this in the readings near the end of the Easter season. The readings are now looking forward to the Ascension of Jesus and the Day of Pentecost. Jesus on the night before he suffered was not looking at the past, or even the events about to happen. He is talking about after the resurrection. And in this reading from John 14, we see a basic principle that exists all over the Bible. The Father speaks, the Son does what the Father speaks, and the Holy Spirit manifests it into reality. The Father spoke creation, the Son did the creating, and the Holy Spirit breathed the breath of life. And we see this here. Jesus says if you love me, the word here is "agapao," Agape. You will keep my word. Jesus defines "Agape" in this teaching, and he says that agape is when someone lays their life down for another. So to love is to lay your life down. And Jesus says, if you are going to lay your life down for another, you must lay your life down for the Word. His word. And if you love his Word, you love him. And then Jesus says, the Word is not his. The Word is the Father's word. The Father Speaks. The Son does, the Holy Spirit manifests. And so the Father calls a new creation. He sends his Son. And what does the Son do? The son only does what He sees the Father doing. The Father initiates, and the Son administrates. The Son carries out the word of the Father. And so the Son becomes sin for us. The son empties himself and becomes a servant. The Son becomes the word made flesh. The son conquers death and rises from the dead. But these things are limited by the physical reality that Jesus is one person. The Father has spoken, the Son has done his work, but the Holy Spirit must bring it into manifestation. You cannot know God, or the Word without the Holy Spirit. You cannot love Jesus or keep his words without the Holy Spirit. Jesus knows this, so he tells them, I am going away. And if I go away, I will send you "The Spirit, the Holy." It can be translated "The Spirit Who is Holy." This Spirit is not like any other spirit. This Spirit is holy. This Spirit is the power center of the Holy Trinity. This is the emotional center of the Holy Trinity. And this Spirit who is Holy has no name. This Spirit is a mystery-- represented as seven lamps in the temple. This Spirit is the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. There is only one name, the name of Jesus. There is only one name by whom we are saved, only one name we call upon. And if we call upon this name the Name of Jesus we have an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Paul says you can only say "Jesus is Lord" by the Holy Spirit. What Jesus says in the Greek is difficult. I will send you a "Parakletos." In the ancient world, if you were brought on charges, a Paracletos would argue and defend you in court, but also take care of your physical needs and well being, before and after the trial. This was an advocate, helper, support, and comforter. We don't have an equivalent in our world, part lawyer, part social worker, part emotional support, so this word gets translated, Helper, Counselor, Advocate, Comforter, and Paraclete. What it all means is this: You cannot do the word or love Jesus or even follow Jesus in your own strength. You need help. Anytime you do try in your own strength, you will eventually go off course. You will miss the mark. You cannot understand God's will or God's word in your own human way. The only way is through the help of the Holy Spirit. The Word you have heard from the Father that you received through the Son, and desire to surrender to in love, can only be manifested in your life by the Holy Spirit. In February, right before Lent, I heard Benny Hinn preach on this theme. He put it this way: the Father operates, the Son administrates, and the Holy Spirit manifests. And I began to go over the words that we have received as a community. And I began to ask the Holy Spirit to manifest the words. You would think that things would get better. Things have gotten worse and worse. And honestly, I feel like a caterpillar, who although I may crawl along the ground, and only munch the edges of leaves, and spend a lot of my time avoiding being eaten or being stepped on, I at least understand what I am doing. I asked the Holy Spirit to manifest and things have gone off script. When you go into the cocoon, nothing you knew before makes sense, and you become a lot of green goo as God transforms you from a slug to a creature that can fly. When you pursue a word from God, the Lord will often take you down a trail and you will learn something new. On this journey the Lord began to mess with my head about Jesus. He started highlighting evidence from scripture that supported the idea that Jesus was rich in his life, not poor. If you want to see religious demons manifest, start telling people that Jesus was a wealthy man. For instance: Jesus owned a house in Capernaum. In fact the text says it was his roof that was destroyed when they lowered the man into the house. Jesus owned a cloak that was worth a year's wages. Jesus had his own traveling accountant. And Jesus was probably the owner of the building that contained the upper room, because he is referred to as the "Master" of the house. And after the resurrection, they were able to wait and pray there until Pentecost. Who owned it? There's mind blower. Then God started speaking to me about the temple in Ezekiel, the body of Jesus in John 18, and the City of God in Revelation 21. Jesus said out of our bellies will flow rivers of living water, and all these descriptions have a river of water flowing out of them. You are the temple. You are the city. You are in Christ. Christ is in you. This is the mystery. But you cannot experience this mystery, or it's meaning without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the river in you. The Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the wealth and inheritance of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father. And only the Holy Spirit can teach you and lead you into all truth. Every word that God gives you cannot be manifested, until you are flowing in the Holy Spirit. This is not stagnant. It is moving. This is the living water, promised by Ezekiel, and Jesus, and John. This is the river teaming with fish, that gives life where ever it flows. This is the water that flows to the trees that produce leaves that heal the nations. So we have a lot of words: That we would have a house, that there would be an army of artists that would strike fear into the enemies of God during a global war, that we would feast on the wealth of nations, and become a global movement. These are words we have carried and we have tried to walk in, but we cannot go any further, unless we receive the Holy Spirit. We need you Holy Spirit to manifest and breath on the words, that these promises would manifest and glorify Jesus. O Holy Spirit, come like a mighty rushing wind and blow on the promises, and activate the dried mud we have formed and transform them into a living being. Only you are the Lord, the giver of life. Only you are our Advocate, our help, our support. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIf you like my work, you can also hit the tip jar: https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto ### The Holy Spirit Manifests URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-holy-spirit-manifests-2/ Last updated: 2025-05-26T12:44:21.000Z The Holy Spirit Manifests 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday I want to talk about how God does things. We are talking about the Kingdom. The Kingdom is present future, forward looking. This is in contrast to the religious grid, that is always backward looking, obsessed with the past either history, or sin, or tradition. The Kingdom is always looking at new creation. The Kingdom is always becoming. We see this in the readings near the end of the Easter season. The readings are now looking forward to the Ascension of Jesus and the Day of Pentecost. Jesus on the night before he suffered was not looking at the past, or even the events about to happen. He is talking about after the resurrection. And in this reading from John 14, we see a basic principle that exists all over the Bible. The Father speaks, the Son does what the Father speaks, and the Holy Spirit manifests it into reality. The Father spoke creation, the Son did the creating, and the Holy Spirit breathed the breath of life. And we see this here. Jesus says if you love me, the word here is "agapao," Agape. You will keep my word. Jesus defines "Agape" in this teaching, and he says that agape is when someone lays their life down for another. So to love is to lay your life down. And Jesus says, if you are going to lay your life down for another, you must lay your life down for the Word. His word. And if you love his Word, you love him. And then Jesus says, the Word is not his. The Word is the Father's word. The Father Speaks. The Son does, the Holy Spirit manifests. And so the Father calls a new creation. He sends his Son. And what does the Son do? The son only does what He sees the Father doing. The Father initiates, and the Son administrates. The Son carries out the word of the Father. And so the Son becomes sin for us. The son empties himself and becomes a servant. The Son becomes the word made flesh. The son conquers death and rises from the dead. But these things are limited by the physical reality that Jesus is one person. The Father has spoken, the Son has done his work, but the Holy Spirit must bring it into manifestation. You cannot know God, or the Word without the Holy Spirit. You cannot love Jesus or keep his words without the Holy Spirit. Jesus knows this, so he tells them, I am going away. And if I go away, I will send you "The Spirit, the Holy." It can be translated "The Spirit Who is Holy." This Spirit is not like any other spirit. This Spirit is holy. This Spirit is the power center of the Holy Trinity. This is the emotional center of the Holy Trinity. And this Spirit who is Holy has no name. This Spirit is a mystery-- represented as seven lamps in the temple. This Spirit is the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. There is only one name, the name of Jesus. There is only one name by whom we are saved, only one name we call upon. And if we call upon this name the Name of Jesus we have an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Paul says you can only say "Jesus is Lord" by the Holy Spirit. What Jesus says in the Greek is difficult. I will send you a "Parakletos." In the ancient world, if you were brought on charges, a Paracletos would argue and defend you in court, but also take care of your physical needs and well being, before and after the trial. This was an advocate, helper, support, and comforter. We don't have an equivalent in our world, part lawyer, part social worker, part emotional support, so this word gets translated, Helper, Counselor, Advocate, Comforter, and Paraclete. What it all means is this: You cannot do the word or love Jesus or even follow Jesus in your own strength. You need help. Anytime you do try in your own strength, you will eventually go off course. You will miss the mark. You cannot understand God's will or God's word in your own human way. The only way is through the help of the Holy Spirit. The Word you have heard from the Father that you received through the Son, and desire to surrender to in love, can only be manifested in your life by the Holy Spirit. In February, right before Lent, I heard Benny Hinn preach on this theme. He put it this way: the Father operates, the Son administrates, and the Holy Spirit manifests. And I began to go over the words that we have received as a community. And I began to ask the Holy Spirit to manifest the words. You would think that things would get better. Things have gotten worse and worse. And honestly, I feel like a caterpillar, who although I may crawl along the ground, and only munch the edges of leaves, and spend a lot of my time avoiding being eaten or being stepped on, I at least understand what I am doing. I asked the Holy Spirit to manifest and things have gone off script. When you go into the cocoon, nothing you knew before makes sense, and you become a lot of green goo as God transforms you from a slug to a creature that can fly. When you pursue a word from God, the Lord will often take you down a trail and you will learn something new. On this journey the Lord began to mess with my head about Jesus. He started highlighting evidence from scripture that supported the idea that Jesus was rich in his life, not poor. If you want to see religious demons manifest, start telling people that Jesus was a wealthy man. For instance: Jesus owned a house in Capernaum. In fact the text says it was his roof that was destroyed when they lowered the man into the house. Jesus owned a cloak that was worth a year's wages. Jesus had his own traveling accountant. And Jesus was probably the owner of the building that contained the upper room, because he is referred to as the "Master" of the house. And after the resurrection, they were able to wait and pray there until Pentecost. Who owned it? There's mind blower. Then God started speaking to me about the temple in Ezekiel, the body of Jesus in John 18, and the City of God in Revelation 21. Jesus said out of our bellies will flow rivers of living water, and all these descriptions have a river of water flowing out of them. You are the temple. You are the city. You are in Christ. Christ is in you. This is the mystery. But you cannot experience this mystery, or it's meaning without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the river in you. The Holy Spirit is the presence of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the wealth and inheritance of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father. And only the Holy Spirit can teach you and lead you into all truth. Every word that God gives you cannot be manifested, until you are flowing in the Holy Spirit. This is not stagnant. It is moving. This is the living water, promised by Ezekiel, and Jesus, and John. This is the river teaming with fish, that gives life where ever it flows. This is the water that flows to the trees that produce leaves that heal the nations. So we have a lot of words: That we would have a house, that there would be an army of artists that would strike fear into the enemies of God during a global war, that we would feast on the wealth of nations, and become a global movement. These are words we have carried and we have tried to walk in, but we cannot go any further, unless we receive the Holy Spirit. We need you Holy Spirit to manifest and breath on the words, that these promises would manifest and glorify Jesus. O Holy Spirit, come like a mighty rushing wind and blow on the promises, and activate the dried mud we have formed and transform them into a living being. Only you are the Lord, the giver of life. Only you are our Advocate, our help, our support. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIf you like my work, you can also hit the tip jar: https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto ### On Assignment URL: https://www.belonging.house/on-assignment/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:20.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. You, artist and creative person, are called to make a way for the coming of the Lord. **We are on an assignment toward something.** I learned a long time ago, people measure the wrong things in ministry: bank accounts and bums on seats. They do not measure **your faithfulness to God's directions.** In 2006 the Lord asked me to quit my job, worship in the morning, write in the afternoon, not do fundraising or ministry building, pray about everything, and tell the story. And God promised me he would use this to show the world **all that he could do through prayer,** and we would **become a global movement,** and I would be the **father** of a new generation of artists. I thought I was going crazy, so I went to one of my **very practical** friends in ministry, and he said "you don't sound crazy." So in 2006, I gathered with three friends in my apartment in Akron. We had dinner on Thursday nights and prayed in tongues for fifteen minutes. I went to the local coffee shop and wrote in a notebook with a pencil. The first three people to get this Friday email received an email from a free Gmail account. **We grew slow, and stayed low.** In 2009 our email list, then a whopping 60 people, triggered the largest pro-life protest in U.S. history. I started to wonder what God was doing. In 2015 before my first big international trip, our prayer team gathered in Keene, New Hampshire, and they prayed for my feet. And one of them said they saw me with my right foot in Great Britain, and my left foot in New England. Today we have over 1000 subscribers online, and my writing is getting about 6000 views a month. I have published twelve books. We are reaching artists in 35 countries. We pray every day online in tongues for fifteen minutes. We have a little church that has met every Sunday for five years. There are now over 200 podcasts from the Sunday sermons, and each week almost 200 people listen to them. And of course, I spend half my time in the UK and the other half in New England. We still pray about everything and we do not do traditional fundraising. God only pays for what he orders. Most people judge you by their starting place and by the world's methods: bank accounts and bums on seats. The Kingdom is always advancing, and Jesus wants to raise up an army of artists. We did this God's way. Yes, it is not that big and it has not been fast or efficient. But it belongs to Jesus, not me or any other person. God is telling our prayer team **that it is time to enter a new season.** Last week when I was in New Hampshire I saw five different full double rainbows. Over the years rainbows have confirmed callings and places I was called to serve. This was different. This was a double portion and reminder of God's commitment. As I said, you artist and creative person you are called to make a way for the coming of the Lord. We are on assignment towards something, at a time of global psychological war. The most powerful thing you can do is listen to God, and do what you are told. **That's the only thing that works.** He Never Fails, Christ --- ### Important Announcement. **We are transitioning all of our support to Zeffy.com.** Belonging House International can now receive tax-deductible donations. Zeffy gives us 100% of your donation, and asks for a voluntary tip to help pay for the service. **Just hit “other” in the drop down tip menu, and tip as little or as much as you want.** Check it out here. https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists ### Unique URL: https://www.belonging.house/unique/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:00.000Z Chapter 4 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Unique URL: https://www.belonging.house/unique-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:21.000Z Chapter 4 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Where Inheritance Lies URL: https://www.belonging.house/where-inheritance-lies/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:20.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. I have only said "no" to the opportunities before me two times since Belonging House started. The first was when God said move to London. I didn't say "no," but I delayed **and called it "discernment."** That delay has cost me a lot, and made it a lot harder to get established. And I was offered a place in a doctoral program at St. Andrew's University. That would have solved my visa issues and given me a level of perceived credibility that would have made a lot of things easier. I would have gotten my Doctorate before Covid. In both cases **I trusted my eyes** and not the Lord. I did get on track, and I did get into London, and although I am not established, I have a toe-hold. It's not been easy, but somehow, God continues to provide. I often look at the amount of money going out and know that sometimes a lot of resources pass through my hands, even though the bank account looks pretty slim. And I have always had a place to sleep, indoors, and I have always had very nice food. And often, very nice company. And most extraordinary of all, without an office, and staff, **or things people say you need**, I keep writing, preaching, teaching, and doing discipleship with emerging artists. Our community grows, and we see miracles and transformed lives. It is the life of the Holy Spirit **creating though me.** One day I was sitting with a friend in London and we were talking, and we discovered that I have slept in every borough of London. (I don't recommend this.) Somehow God has gone ahead and I have scoped out the place where our inheritance lies. Even if you miss an opportunity, if you **keep moving**, and you **keep listening** to the Voice of the Shepherd, you will end up where you need to be. So keep going, and don't stop. Jesus wants to **make something** beautiful with your life. He Never Fails, Christ --- *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes long form essays at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support Belonging House here. https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists (You can give for free by choosing “other” in the drop down menu. 100% of your support goes to Belonging House.) We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Real URL: https://www.belonging.house/real/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:01.000Z Chapter 3 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Real URL: https://www.belonging.house/real-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:21.000Z Chapter 3 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Lamb will be Your Shepherd. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-lamb-will-be-your-shepherd/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:01.000Z The Lamb will be Your Shepherd. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/c09f504a-e81b-4a05-b022-ad8b93c84c28_626x418-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe Lamb will be your Shepherd. Many people do not understand what I am doing. I am trying to create a culture of artists. We are creating a virtual artist colony with shared values and commitments. And so we come back to some core ideas again and again. Listen to the Lord and do what he tells you. Fear not God can be trusted. Your inner life determines your creative output. Jesus Christ came not to start a religion but rather to establish his Kingdom. Kingdoms have culture, and the culture of the Kingdom of Jesus begins with the Shepherd and his voice. A lot of the components of our Belonging House culture run counter to cultural trends in the church. There is an old adage that says the leaders of the last revival kill the leaders of the next one. And it is not surprising that more and more often I have tensions with folks from the independent charismatic stream who came out of the movements around the Toronto Blessing. We are doing a new thing. The Kingdom is always advancing, never retreating. Throughout the fifty days of Easter, the readings first look back to the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And then we transition from looking back to the Passover of the Lord to the Ascension of Jesus, and the day of Pentecost. We are now halfway between Easter and the Ascension. And this transition from the earliest time has been marked by readings from John 10. And so, this is called Good Shepherd Sunday. And if you do a simple search online, you will discover that the earliest depictions of Jesus are all *Iesus Pastor Bonum*: Jesus the Good Shepherd. Sheep are hard to find in the United States. We don't raise a lot of sheep here. And so, on my first trip to England, I was so excited that I was going to get to see a cuddly sheep and be friends. I had a great surprise. Sheep are stupid. Very stupid. And if you get close to a sheep it will run away from you. There is only one person that sheep will get near, and that this their shepherd. The sheep has known this person from birth. And they get to know the voice of the shepherd, and this is the only person they will follow and this is the only person they will listen to. And any other person from the sheep's point of view is either a thief or preditor. And the the sheep know who is a hireling, a person who is just there to do grunt work with no investment in the care of the sheep. The hireling is only there to make sure he gets his money at the end of the day. And because of this, the hireling only does the work that is necessary to get paid. And the welfare of the sheep is not the hireling's concern. They are not his sheep. John 10 is an exposition of Ezekiel 34, "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who who feed themselves on the best of the flock, and have no concern for the sheep." Jesus gives us a very different vision. We are the sheep for whom the Shepherd died. Rather than the shepherd taking from the flock for himself, the Good Shepherd lays down his own life for the flock. Today we get a beautiful alignment in the readings we get to see this idea from an earthly and a heavenly perspective. John recounts to us that the voice of the good Shepherd is the sound we follow. The voice of Jesus is the voice of the Father, because Jesus and the Father are one. Throughout scripture the voice is understood as the "Call of God." That call in Hebrew is the word "cara." It is the sound of creation. God spoke creation out of nothing. So when you and I hear the voice of God, and we respond, we are engaging in creation. God creates through his voice. The voice of God and the work of creating can never be disconnected. Creating is a supernatural act, in response to the voice. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:17 that if anyone is in Christ he or she is a new creation. The old is gone and the new is come. You are a new created being. Our Bibles use the word "saint" for this new being, but the Greek uses a word that doesn't make sense in English. You are a "holy." And so if we translated this properly you would read that Paul is greeting the "holies" in a certain place. Your identity as a sheep of the fold of the Good Shepherd is a "holy being." You are not a sinner. Sin is not what defines you. Sin is nothing more than static on your new identity, because Holies do not live in sin. And as you hear the Shepherds voice, and you present your body to the Shepherd, you are more and more transformed into the real you. Jesus tells you who you are. Jesus reminds you of his love. Jesus encourages you to become more and more your true identity in Christ. And everything that sticks to you, with the static cling of sin, will fall away. In Revelation we get this picture again. We are seeing the Good Shepherd from heaven's perspective. And it is shocking. The Shepherd is the Lamb. Remember from last week this Lamb has seven eyes and seven horns. The lamb has perfect power, perfect perception, perfect understanding. And this Lamb has been slain, and his blood has washed all of these people they are his sheep. These sheep are the vessels in God's temple, just like Moses splattered blood on all the vessels in the Tabernacle, to make them holy for service, so the sheep have been been made white and clean in the blood of the lamb. And the white robes are the white robes given to them at baptism. And now, they are holy. And because of this they are before God day and night and God will shelter them with his Presence. So if you are able to hear the Shepherd's voice you are now in the temple of God in heaven. And you are in his presence, and that Presence is going to be your protection. And out of that Presence you will not be hungry, you will not thirst, you will be protected from the toil of the heat in the midday sun, and you will be Shepherded by the Lamb. And God will guide you to the springs of living water. This spring of water is this thread we keep following-- out of your belly will flow springs of living water, out of the side of Jesus on the cross flowed water, the temple in heaven has a spring of water from it, and the New Jerusalem has a spring out of it. It is the life of the Holy Spirit out of you: the Presence of God. The Voice and the Presence makes you who you are in Christ. Being back in the US is very challenging. The church in the U.S. goes to extremes, is sin focused, and performance based. It is always hard for me to come back. Whatever you look at becomes larger. And so many around me are fixated on sin. When you fixate on sin, you cannot hear the voice of the Shepherd. As I mentioned earlier, sin is static on your true identity as a holy being. Imagine if a bluebird in my garden decided that it wanted to be a groundhog, and it started burrowing underground. Imagine if a fish in the stream decided it would like to run through a meadow. Imagine if a ground hog decided it was going to become a flying fish. All three creatures would die. This is not their nature. Your nature, when you hear the voice of the Father, is to be a holy creature. You are supernaturally made to be in the image of Jesus, and you are a new creation bent toward wholeness healing and peace. As Merton said, our trouble is we can choose to not be our true selves. We can choose to be bound to hirelings, and toil under the scorching heat of sin and death. We can choose to not follow the Shepherd to the living waters. This is not sin but it is a misdirection. And a lot of churches teach things to keep you in sin so that you can be controlled, and used to build up the membership and the budgets and the programs of the Hireling Church. When you become fixated on sin and repentance you are no longer in the Presence, and as we see all around this leads to death. The first step to freedom for many Christians is to get them to stop "repenting." And Jesus says, come to me. Listen to my voice. Listening to the Voice of Jesus begins to open up the flow of the living water. So first, we have to tune our hearts to the voice of the Shepherd. This is why we ask everyone who has made the Belonging House commitment to read the daily gospel reading. You can find this reading on Universalis.com or Oremus.org/almanac. We encourage people to use the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition. This isn't a command or a rule, it is just so that we as a community hear the voice together. It's about creating our culture. It's about being in a shared community, people like us do things like this. Jesus is the Rabbi. Jesus and the Father are one. And so we need to hear the voice of the Father, and that voice is the voice of Jesus. In a Jewish sense, Paul is in the rabbinical "school of Jesus" and so we understand that Paul is the interpreter of Jesus, Paul is not the Rabbi. And if you fixate on Paul's letters, and quote things out of context, you will become sin focused, and works oriented. Jesus is the Shepherd, not Paul. And then we want to open up the flow of the Holy Spirit and listen to God. Often, when I sit and listen to God, I get a lot of static on the line. When you listen to the radio sometimes there is static. Do you focus on the static or do you focus on the music you are trying to hear? So if there is static, I always begin with forgiving anything that is coming up. Sometimes I have to ask Jesus to forgive me for not living out of my true identity, and let it go. And then I have to give Jesus my rage and anger. The big red ball. And then I have to put my hand on my heart and speak calmly and gently and say, "It's okay, you can calm down, and listen to God now." And then I sit. Sometimes I get big prophetic words, other days, the Lord just tells me he loves me and that I am okay, and it will all be okay. And some times there is clear guidance and direction. And then I sit in the presence until my heart and my head are in alignment, and I have a sense of shalom. I can't leave my room or face my day until I am in that place with God. And the Lamb becomes my shepherd. It is very simple. And then you walk it out. Imagine if every artist on earth lived this way. Imagine what we could create and do. These simple steps work, and they will bring a shift in your life. ### The Lamb will be Your Shepherd. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-lamb-will-be-your-shepherd-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:22.000Z The Lamb will be Your Shepherd. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/c09f504a-e81b-4a05-b022-ad8b93c84c28_626x418-heic-1.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe Lamb will be your Shepherd. Many people do not understand what I am doing. I am trying to create a culture of artists. We are creating a virtual artist colony with shared values and commitments. And so we come back to some core ideas again and again. Listen to the Lord and do what he tells you. Fear not God can be trusted. Your inner life determines your creative output. Jesus Christ came not to start a religion but rather to establish his Kingdom. Kingdoms have culture, and the culture of the Kingdom of Jesus begins with the Shepherd and his voice. A lot of the components of our Belonging House culture run counter to cultural trends in the church. There is an old adage that says the leaders of the last revival kill the leaders of the next one. And it is not surprising that more and more often I have tensions with folks from the independent charismatic stream who came out of the movements around the Toronto Blessing. We are doing a new thing. The Kingdom is always advancing, never retreating. Throughout the fifty days of Easter, the readings first look back to the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And then we transition from looking back to the Passover of the Lord to the Ascension of Jesus, and the day of Pentecost. We are now halfway between Easter and the Ascension. And this transition from the earliest time has been marked by readings from John 10. And so, this is called Good Shepherd Sunday. And if you do a simple search online, you will discover that the earliest depictions of Jesus are all *Iesus Pastor Bonum*: Jesus the Good Shepherd. Sheep are hard to find in the United States. We don't raise a lot of sheep here. And so, on my first trip to England, I was so excited that I was going to get to see a cuddly sheep and be friends. I had a great surprise. Sheep are stupid. Very stupid. And if you get close to a sheep it will run away from you. There is only one person that sheep will get near, and that this their shepherd. The sheep has known this person from birth. And they get to know the voice of the shepherd, and this is the only person they will follow and this is the only person they will listen to. And any other person from the sheep's point of view is either a thief or preditor. And the the sheep know who is a hireling, a person who is just there to do grunt work with no investment in the care of the sheep. The hireling is only there to make sure he gets his money at the end of the day. And because of this, the hireling only does the work that is necessary to get paid. And the welfare of the sheep is not the hireling's concern. They are not his sheep. John 10 is an exposition of Ezekiel 34, "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who who feed themselves on the best of the flock, and have no concern for the sheep." Jesus gives us a very different vision. We are the sheep for whom the Shepherd died. Rather than the shepherd taking from the flock for himself, the Good Shepherd lays down his own life for the flock. Today we get a beautiful alignment in the readings we get to see this idea from an earthly and a heavenly perspective. John recounts to us that the voice of the good Shepherd is the sound we follow. The voice of Jesus is the voice of the Father, because Jesus and the Father are one. Throughout scripture the voice is understood as the "Call of God." That call in Hebrew is the word "cara." It is the sound of creation. God spoke creation out of nothing. So when you and I hear the voice of God, and we respond, we are engaging in creation. God creates through his voice. The voice of God and the work of creating can never be disconnected. Creating is a supernatural act, in response to the voice. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:17 that if anyone is in Christ he or she is a new creation. The old is gone and the new is come. You are a new created being. Our Bibles use the word "saint" for this new being, but the Greek uses a word that doesn't make sense in English. You are a "holy." And so if we translated this properly you would read that Paul is greeting the "holies" in a certain place. Your identity as a sheep of the fold of the Good Shepherd is a "holy being." You are not a sinner. Sin is not what defines you. Sin is nothing more than static on your new identity, because Holies do not live in sin. And as you hear the Shepherds voice, and you present your body to the Shepherd, you are more and more transformed into the real you. Jesus tells you who you are. Jesus reminds you of his love. Jesus encourages you to become more and more your true identity in Christ. And everything that sticks to you, with the static cling of sin, will fall away. In Revelation we get this picture again. We are seeing the Good Shepherd from heaven's perspective. And it is shocking. The Shepherd is the Lamb. Remember from last week this Lamb has seven eyes and seven horns. The lamb has perfect power, perfect perception, perfect understanding. And this Lamb has been slain, and his blood has washed all of these people they are his sheep. These sheep are the vessels in God's temple, just like Moses splattered blood on all the vessels in the Tabernacle, to make them holy for service, so the sheep have been been made white and clean in the blood of the lamb. And the white robes are the white robes given to them at baptism. And now, they are holy. And because of this they are before God day and night and God will shelter them with his Presence. So if you are able to hear the Shepherd's voice you are now in the temple of God in heaven. And you are in his presence, and that Presence is going to be your protection. And out of that Presence you will not be hungry, you will not thirst, you will be protected from the toil of the heat in the midday sun, and you will be Shepherded by the Lamb. And God will guide you to the springs of living water. This spring of water is this thread we keep following-- out of your belly will flow springs of living water, out of the side of Jesus on the cross flowed water, the temple in heaven has a spring of water from it, and the New Jerusalem has a spring out of it. It is the life of the Holy Spirit out of you: the Presence of God. The Voice and the Presence makes you who you are in Christ. Being back in the US is very challenging. The church in the U.S. goes to extremes, is sin focused, and performance based. It is always hard for me to come back. Whatever you look at becomes larger. And so many around me are fixated on sin. When you fixate on sin, you cannot hear the voice of the Shepherd. As I mentioned earlier, sin is static on your true identity as a holy being. Imagine if a bluebird in my garden decided that it wanted to be a groundhog, and it started burrowing underground. Imagine if a fish in the stream decided it would like to run through a meadow. Imagine if a ground hog decided it was going to become a flying fish. All three creatures would die. This is not their nature. Your nature, when you hear the voice of the Father, is to be a holy creature. You are supernaturally made to be in the image of Jesus, and you are a new creation bent toward wholeness healing and peace. As Merton said, our trouble is we can choose to not be our true selves. We can choose to be bound to hirelings, and toil under the scorching heat of sin and death. We can choose to not follow the Shepherd to the living waters. This is not sin but it is a misdirection. And a lot of churches teach things to keep you in sin so that you can be controlled, and used to build up the membership and the budgets and the programs of the Hireling Church. When you become fixated on sin and repentance you are no longer in the Presence, and as we see all around this leads to death. The first step to freedom for many Christians is to get them to stop "repenting." And Jesus says, come to me. Listen to my voice. Listening to the Voice of Jesus begins to open up the flow of the living water. So first, we have to tune our hearts to the voice of the Shepherd. This is why we ask everyone who has made the Belonging House commitment to read the daily gospel reading. You can find this reading on Universalis.com or Oremus.org/almanac. We encourage people to use the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition. This isn't a command or a rule, it is just so that we as a community hear the voice together. It's about creating our culture. It's about being in a shared community, people like us do things like this. Jesus is the Rabbi. Jesus and the Father are one. And so we need to hear the voice of the Father, and that voice is the voice of Jesus. In a Jewish sense, Paul is in the rabbinical "school of Jesus" and so we understand that Paul is the interpreter of Jesus, Paul is not the Rabbi. And if you fixate on Paul's letters, and quote things out of context, you will become sin focused, and works oriented. Jesus is the Shepherd, not Paul. And then we want to open up the flow of the Holy Spirit and listen to God. Often, when I sit and listen to God, I get a lot of static on the line. When you listen to the radio sometimes there is static. Do you focus on the static or do you focus on the music you are trying to hear? So if there is static, I always begin with forgiving anything that is coming up. Sometimes I have to ask Jesus to forgive me for not living out of my true identity, and let it go. And then I have to give Jesus my rage and anger. The big red ball. And then I have to put my hand on my heart and speak calmly and gently and say, "It's okay, you can calm down, and listen to God now." And then I sit. Sometimes I get big prophetic words, other days, the Lord just tells me he loves me and that I am okay, and it will all be okay. And some times there is clear guidance and direction. And then I sit in the presence until my heart and my head are in alignment, and I have a sense of shalom. I can't leave my room or face my day until I am in that place with God. And the Lamb becomes my shepherd. It is very simple. And then you walk it out. Imagine if every artist on earth lived this way. Imagine what we could create and do. These simple steps work, and they will bring a shift in your life. ### Big Plans URL: https://www.belonging.house/big-plans/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:21.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. I had big plans. I was going to get us an international headquarters. And as I sat with the Lord, to make sure I wasn't running ahead of God, the Lord said, **"Go for it. I am with you."** Since "going for it," I have been through a series of extremely painful experiences. I had to choose between following Jesus and my family. I lost my best friend. I had to walk through a new layer of memories of childhood abuse. The house I was pursuing fell through, and the new owner said I could no longer stay there as a guest, so I was again without an address in the US. And most of this happened right before Easter. And in every one of these hard moments, I had forgive, let go, come back to God, and trust. There's that word again, **trust.** Remember, we are walking by faith because we are building in the Resurrection. **The Holy Spirit does not build like we do.** The Holy Spirit is not like the stock market. The Holy Spirit prunes first and then brings the growth. It hurts. I have been through this before, it's how I got to Boston, and how I got to London. And so I know that in the pruning, and in the cutting, the Lord is about to bring new growth. In the Resurrection, we are given the power to build and create in the Power of the Holy Spirit. This power to build and create comes through pressing and squeezing to release the oil of anointing. We are creating, and we are re-forming into Belonging House International. We are praying for the International Headquarters for Belonging House. We are praying in a million sanctified, fearless artists and creative people. We are praying in our international gathering October 10-12, 2025. And we are asking the Holy Spirit to **manifest all the promises** that God gave us. Breathe into the clay, and make a living being. The Kingdom is always advancing, never retreating. God said I could go ahead with my big plans, even so, I have to trust Him and do it His way. I mentioned last week the State of New Hampshire officially recognized **Belonging House International** as a new non-profit. This squeezing is bringing out the best in our community. Listen to these thoughts from Elizabeth Averill:Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe can now receive tax-exempt giving here. https://www.zeffy.com/donation-form/raise-up-an-army-of-artists God has big plans, **and this story is becoming epic.** He Never Fails, Christ --- *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes long form essays at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Ordinary URL: https://www.belonging.house/ordinary/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:02.000Z Chapter 2 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ordinary URL: https://www.belonging.house/ordinary-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:23.000Z Chapter 2 from Mary: honor and value. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Best Bibles for Artists URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-best-bibles-for-artists/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:21.000Z **The greatest source material for the arts is the Bible.** I lead a Christian community of artists and creative people. Often I am asked what Bibles I recommend, and what Bible I use. Here are my current recommendations. There should be something here to offend everybody. #### When I am looking for a Bible, I ask these questions: **1\. Are words and ideas related to the arts and creativity mistranslated, or translated in a way that obscures the intent of the original?** You may be surprised, but the words *artisan, artist, creative, imagination, and icon*, all appear in the original greek and Hebrew but are often intentionally mistranslated. **2\. Does the translation use beautiful language in the English?** Is the language clear? Does it represent the best in the English Bible tradition? If it is a contemporary language version, is the text easily readable? **3\. Does the Bible include the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books?** Our community is in the Anglican tradition, and we use the [lectionary](https://almanac.oremus.org/?ref=belonging.house). The lectionary includes readings from the Apocrypha. I also consider several passages from Sirach and Wisdom to be foundational for a theology of the arts, so it is important that an artist can read them. **4\. Does the Bible have a balanced theological perspective?** Does the translation team come from a broad representation of the church, and is it recognized by various Christian denominations? **5\. Is the Bible available in an edition that uses beautiful type, is well designed, and in an excellent binding?** I am an artist, and if I am going to use a Bible, it needs to be lovely object to read, hold, and carry. For full disclosure, I have two degrees in Bible and theology. My undergrad is in Bible and Christian Education, and my masters degree is a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary. My personal perspective is Anglican/Wesleyan. I read Greek, and try to read the Bible in the original language as much as possible. I group Bibles in categories: What I use, highly recommend, recommend with reservation, and do not recommend. And sadly, I list a few Bibles you should avoid. **Again, this is a list of Bibles for artists and creative people.** It's not a list for engineers or reformed pastors. Please keep this in mind if you want to comment. **And it should be noted, the Word of God is living and powerful.** Any legitimate translation of the Bible can change your life. At some point in my life I have used most of the Bibles on this list. My recommended Bibles are available at the[ Belonging House Media Bookshop.](https://bookshop.org/lists/bibles-for-artists?ref=belonging.house) (https://bookshop.org/lists/bibles-for-artists) #### What I use. **For my personal Bible study I use the *New Cambridge Paragraph Bible*.** It is a scholarly edition of the King James Version. It was edited by David Norton, one of the foremost English literature scholars in the world. The original King James is actually very easy to read and is very close to the original languages. It is a gorgeous Bible with wide margins and elegant type, but it is a beast, at around seven pounds. I have schlepped this monster all over the world. The [Penguin version of the Bible](https://bookshop.org/p/books/text-bible-kjv-david-norton/11643771?ean=9780141441511&next=t&aid=101448&listref=bibles-for-artists&next=t&ref=belonging.house) uses the plates from this book if you want to try it out without the big price tag. Thats what I did. And you can draw pictures in a paperback. **For reading and teaching in public, I use the *Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition*.** My current Bible is the second edition from Ignatius Press. I use this because it corrects some of the theological problems in the original Revised Standard Version. The RSV is the Bible from my youth in the Episcopal Church, and my first two years of seminary. I am still impressed by the poetic word choices, and believe that this is the best heir of the Tyndale Bible translation tradition. It is the Bible recognized by the largest number of Christian denominations, East and West. The RSVCE is now available in a lot of nice editions, and is the version used in Father Mike Schmidt's *Great Adventure Bible*. #### Highly Recommend **For study, I highly recommend the *Ignatius Study Bible Old and New Testaments* edited by Dr. Scott Hahn.** Yes, it is a Roman Catholic Bible, but the theological perspective is up front and the notes and scholarship are far superior to all of the other study Bibles I have found on the market. It is the only study Bible I have found with quotes and annotations from the church fathers. It is also the only study Bible with a supernatural worldview without going weird. Scott Hahn went to Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and then converted to Roman Catholicism. Our community waited ten years for the whole Bible, and here it is. Like the *New Cambridge Paragraph Bible*, this one is a beast. It is for study, not travel. **I also highly recommend the *New Living Translation*.** It is a thought for thought translation, and often makes themeaning of the text clear. If you want a Bible that gives you a fresh modern take, with a lot of great editions to choose from, go for the NLT. The New Living Translation also has a broadly representative translation committee, and I know a few of the translators personally. #### Recommend with Reservation I recommend the *English Standard Version*, with a few caveats. First the good. **It is a very accurate translation**, and it has an excellent track record when translating words related to art and creativity. It is also available in more editions than any other translation right now. Recently it was chosen as the official version of the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain, a big improvement over the *New Jerusalem Bible.* **My reservations.** Our community prays the psalms together periodically, and the ESV leans "prosaic." They have intentionally taken the RSV text and made it into a board meeting report. Sometimes the Psalms are so flat that it is jarring. **My other caveat concerns the translation committee.** The ESV only used translators from the Reformed/Calvinist camp. This is the "Official Bible of the Gospel Coaltion." They were very faithful, and accurate, but their shared perspective and worldview is still present. When one spends time in this Bible, the flavor begins to come through. It is a dry Bible. Unlike Roman Catholic Bibles, where the point of view is clearly stated, the ESV is not. #### The Passion Translation And this leads us to *The Passion Translation*. **I recommend it and it is a very good Bible for artists to use.** I know Brian Simmons, he was a leader in New England when I was there and he is a close friend of many of my associates. He is a linguist, former missionary, and Bible translator by training. **There is no problem with his scholarship.** It is a very good translation. Brian knew that his work would be controversial, so he put every decision he made into the notes. The notes are very interesting if you understand Bible translation. The controversy arises because Brian Simmons translates the spiritual experiences described in the text as one who has also had them. This is offensive to the Gospel Coalition camp, and they have gone to war against him. And they made it personal. As a person who has experienced the same censorship and shadow banning Brian Simmons has, I have very little sympathy for his critics. This is about the **false doctrine of cessationism**, that the Holy Spirit withdrew and the supernatural ceased following the completion of the New Testament. Think about this for a moment—most of your Bibles do not accurately translate the experiences it wants you to have, because the translator has never had them personally. Many translators do not fundamentally understand the nature of the text they are studying. **The only caveat is it is a one man translation.** Brian supports a minority view that the original language of the New Testament was in Aramaic. There are other versions that use the same methodology. I recommend using the Passion Translation alongside another translation. I would say this about the J.B. Phillips or Young's translations. #### Do Not Recommend for Artists. **The New International Version.** This began as the evangelical reaction to the RSV in the 1970's. It was hastily put together, and there are a lot problems that continue to come up. Weights and measures are inconsistent. **It is horrible regarding the arts, and whole verses are left out if they cannot be mistranslated.** **The New Revised Standard Version.** In the second half of my seminary, scholars switched from the RSV to the NRSV. I have used both at an academic level. I used this for many years, until Covid, when I began reading Greek daily. There are so many mistranslations and fudges that it put me on a quest to find a new Bible. Many decisions were made based on gender inclusive language. More on that later. **The New American Standard Bible, and the New American Bible.** One is Baptist and one is Catholic, and both are ugly. Terrible translation choices in both, and the **NASB is horrible to read**. The editions of both also tend to lean on the ugly design side. **The New Jerusalem Bible.** This is an English translation of a French version of the Latin Vulgate. It's like a game of "Telephone" from the original. For example, "lamb" in Exodus 13 is translated "animal." There are places where the perspective makes you think, but it is overall an unclear translation and should not be used as your primary Bible. ## AVOID. **Inclusive Language Bibles.** Gender inclusive language is a “trojan horse” used to fudge on theology or hide theological agendas. I have seen this in liturgical changes, and now in Bibles. The NRSV started it, and now the NRSVUE (Updated Edition) is trying to push for changes regarding human sexuality. The TNIV should be avoided as well. **Pink Girly Coloring Book Bibles.** I don't mention these by name anymore, because Zondervan sends me ones to try to change my mind. **They are not good for artists.** If you want to illuminate your Bible, buy one with a wide margin and do it yourself. It's cheaper. **Dated Bibles.** *The Good News Bible*, and a few others just haven't stood the test of time. Find a good accurate translation. *The Message* paraphrase is beginning to slip into this category. **If you are an artist or creative person, the most important thing you can do is read the Bible, and make the Bible Story your story. Your inner life determines your creative output.** Get a Bible, and read it. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Heaven is in You. URL: https://www.belonging.house/heaven-is-in-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:03.000Z Heaven is in You. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/0fe8d711-a525-493d-9820-7550e4b3b3fa_626x418-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedJesus Christ did not come to start a religion. Jesus Christ came to establish a Kingdom. This Kingdom is not one of outward appearances, but a kingdom of internal realities. As Jesus said, his body was the temple, and it would be destroyed, and on the third day it would be raised up. On the cross the veil of his temple was torn, his heart was pierced, and out of that temple of his body flowed blood and water. That water, was the Holy Spirit. To be a Christian is to be a little Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit as Paul tells us. And this calling to be a temple is both inward and outward. Christ is in you. This is the mystery of our faith. And so we present our bodies as living sacrifices, and as we do this, we become living places for the fire of the Holy Spirit to consume us. We present a sacrifice and we become the place of communion. This is the mystery and the reality of the faith. John, in the book of Revelation is giving us a glimpse into heaven. We are getting heaven's perspective and in Christ we are in this place. There can be here in our hearts. This week I want to look at this passage from the Book of Revelation, chapter 5. And look at the Resurrection from Heaven's perspective. Many people miss what's going on in Revelation because they go straight to interpretation before they observe what the text says. So this vision of heaven in Revelation 5 is part of a larger series of visions that John says he had while on Patmos on the Lord's Day. Patmos is a small island off the coast of modern Turkey. This is the Asia described in the book. Patmos was very near Ephesus, and it makes sense that John would be there since it is close to where he was living. The island is small, rocky, and does not have a large population. Patmos is traditionally described as a penal colony, and that John was in prison on the island. There is no historical evidence for a penal colony on the island. More likely, John was on the island because it was a safe place during times when Jews and Christians were being persecuted. Since he was the leader, he could still be close to home, and still have contact with his congregation, but also be “under the radar.” John tells us that he is on this island, and it is the “Lord’s Day.” That is, Sunday morning, the weekly celebration of the Resurrection. John has gone through a revolution from one covenant to another. He is now in the New Covenant. And to him and in his mind, this day, the first day of the week in his world, is also the Day of the Lord—the new Messianic era. He is talking about a shift in time, and this shift is important throughout Revelation. And because John is in a new era, he is also in the era of the Holy Spirit. And he is in the Spirit. Paul instructs us: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. Ephesians 5:18-20 Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18 Paul is describing here what the New Testament assumed was the normal experience of all believers: to be in the Holy Spirit. Be—not do. Your identity and personality is formed by being in the Holy Spirit. John is describing the Spirit filled life. And being in the Holy Spirit, full and established, will enable you to receive revelation. When you are in the Spirit, you are in contact with the Eternal Realm. Smith Wigglesworth once described himself as larger on the inside than on the outside. This is what many of the holiness preachers called the “normal christian life.” We need to keep in mind that in the New Testament, all the writers believed that the New Covenant established by Jesus was about releasing the Holy Spirit in the earth. They understood that everyone would be filled with the Holy Spirit at baptism, that they would receive and operate in spiritual gifts, and that they would bear fruit of the spirit in their lives— love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. Father I pray for everyone listening that they would be full of the Holy Spirit, and walk in the awareness of your presence. To be a Christian was to be in the Kingdom, through this Covenant in the Holy Spirit not meet religious requirements. Jesus Christ came to make you a temple of the Holy Spirit. So John is in the place of worship and communion with God, and he hears a voice behind him. And the Voice tells John to write a book and send it to the seven churches. The voice comes from behind John, and so he redirects his attention, to the place where the voice appears. this is like Moses turning his attention to the burning bush. All revelation comes to us when we turn our attention and our affection toward God. If you receive revelation, you will be given more. And this encounter also gives us a window into how God reveals things to us. God is always the initiator, we are not. But, when God reaches out to get our attention, he always gives us a moment to respond. For John, that response is his turning around to hear where the voice came from. In the book of Revelation the most used number is the number seven. Remember, numbers are a language all by themselves in the Bible. Seven is fullness, completeness, and wholeness. Seven is Shalom. He sees seven golden lampstands. In the first century a lampstand was the brightest form of light. We are going to see a lot of gold in the book of revelation. Gold is incorruptible, it doesn’t rust or tarnish. Gold points to the worship in the tabernacle, and gold points to heaven. Gold and light are going to point us to God and heaven and true worship. So we are looking at the fullness of incorruptible light. The full light of heaven and the fullness of worship in heaven is being revealed. And who is standing in the middle of this full revelation? One like a Son of Man. John again refers back to Daniel 7 and the term that Jesus used throughout his ministry to describe himself. This is the one who walked out of a cloud before the Ancient of Days. John is seeing Jesus in a long robe, with a golden sash across his chest, his head and his hair are white white as wool, white as snow, his eyes are full of flames of fire, his feet are as highly polished bronze, and his voice is as many waters. There is a lot in this, so lets unpack it. John is seeing a Theophany—an encounter with God. The book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus so we are going to see things about Jesus we never saw before. Jesus is standing in the middle of complete light, and that light is going to reveal a complete revelation. John sees Jesus dressed in the white robe the High Priest wore on the day of atonement. But the gold sash is the sash that the emperor wore. If you go into a greek orthodox church and look up, you will see a dome. And usually, in the middle of the dome you will see a painting of Jesus, holding up his right hand in blessing, and wearing a gold sash around his waist. This was the sign in the Roman empire of the office of the Emperor. This icon is called the Pantocrator: Emperor of the Universe, and was inspired by this scene in Revelation. it is the pictorial representation of the primary way to address God in Jewish Prayer: Barach atta Adonai eluheinu malech ha olam: Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe. Jesus is the King of the Universe. Jesus is both High priest, and King of Kings. He is white— he is the head of the body and his head is pure like the unblemished lamb for Passover, and like snow. And after this encounter with Jesus, John receives seven messages for the churches in Asia. And at the end of these messages, There is a transition. John looks up and he sees a door in heaven. And John is invited to "Come up hither." One thing we have to understand is that John is not showing us a linear story in the earthly sense. He is showing us things from multiple perspectives outside of time. Revelation is revealing more than one dimension at a time. There is a sense when you spend time in Revelation that things are happening in parallel to earth. In 2006 I found myself in a similar vision to the one described here. I was dancing in my living room, when I suddenly found myself in a cloud, and when I got to the other side of the cloud there were four golden lampstands, and there were bowls of incense. And I looked up and I saw an emerald colored disk that formed a rainbow at the edge. And below the disk were four giant sized creatures that were around the throne crying to one another Holy, Holy, Holy. And they were an intense blue, and they were covered all over with eyes. And there was this vast multitude of people all around the throne. They held hands, and they danced together. And they were in worship. As an artist, two things happened to me. I was overcome with the music, the sound, and the color. The color in heaven spoiled color for me on earth, and it ruined my painting. I could never capture the colors and when I attempt, people tell me I don't understand color theory. It makes you want to quit. And here in Heaven, God shows John a book. And the book is sealed. Last week I saw a documentary on the burial of the pope. When the pope's casket is closed, an official comes and puts a red wax seal on the coffin. And the only person who can break the seal is an official from the Vatican who oversees the causes of saints. A seal is like a lock on the door to a room full of secrets, or a vault full of treasure. A seal can only be broken by a person with greater authority than the person who made the seal. So John sees a book with seals, and the seals must have been put there by the Father, because there is no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth who has authority to break these seals. And John began to weep. Remember the tomb in the garden. There were seals on the tomb, put there by the high priests and the Roman officials. The religious and political authority sealed the tomb, so no one could open the tomb and say that Jesus rose from the dead. And Mary, and the disciples wept, because no one could open the tomb. And one of the elders in heaven says to John, Weep not. Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed. There is one person who can break the seal on the tomb. There is one person who can break the seals on the book. The one who rose from the dead. And behold, in the midst of the throne stood a lamb who looked as if it had been slain. Remember, we are looking at a vision that is being explained in Hebrew symbolic language. This lamb, that had been slain is alive. And because he is alive, and has conquered death he has seven horns. John isn't seeing a mutant lamb. Horns are a very important symbol in the Bible. A horn in the Bible is a symbol of power, military might, and victory. This lamb has complete and total power might, and victory. And he doesn't have seven eyes. He has complete and total fullness of vision. He sees all, perceives all, and knows all. God leads us with his eye, so this direction is perfect. We are told this complete and total power and complete and total perception is the complete and total Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is going out all over the earth in fullness of power and vision. So John is seeing the Resurrection and Pentecost, all at once, from heaven's perspective. And then the elders bring the book to the Lamb, and this is accompanied by prayer and worship from the church both on earth and in heaven. John is re-experiencing Easter morning, from the vantage point of heaven. "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Jesus the Lamb, offered himself, and was a spotless sacrifice. And then he conquered death, and was able to unlock everything that was hidden. He is the Key of David from Isaiah 22:22 who opens all that was shut. He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. And because of this, he is Worthy. For many years, I led worship at an event called the Ten Days of Prayer. I was doing what they called "Harp and Bowl" worship. That is, I led people in worship and prayer using passages from the Bible. One day, I had my Bible open to Revelation 4 and 5, and began to sing. Sometimes things just fall into place, and I began to sing a little tune that was catchy. It was very catchy, because we sang it for several hours. Over and over again. And then we stayed in those chapters for months as I went back and forth between these phrases from heaven. In the end I set two chapters of Revelation to music. And I began to ask God, "If you own everything, and you are above everything, why are we saying you may receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, blessing, and honor? You have it all." We have been in the last few chapters of John for a few weeks. And Jesus tells us that if we live in him and he lives in us we can ask anything in his name and he will do it. We are seeing this as intimate fellowship with God. This truth does not change when we look at this from heaven's perspective. The truth that John is seeing the Lamb doesn't change the reality that the Lamb is living inside John and John is in the Lamb. Jesus prayed that John would be in him and that Jesus would be in John. And so this throne and this temple by the Holy Spirit is in you. There is no temple in the city, because the lamb is the light and the river flows from the throne. Out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. You are the temple. And when we worship and ascribe to Jesus all these things this triumph, this victory, this power, we are building up in our hearts the temple that we are. We are the temple of the Sevenfold Spirit of God, the spirit with complete vision and total power. So when we ascribe to him all of these things, we are seeing, Jesus, you are in me, and you are the richest person in the universe. If you lack resources, proclaim his wealth. Jesus you are in me, and you are the most powerful person in the Universe. If you lack strength ascribe to him power and strength. Holy Spirit, your vision is perfect, see through me. If you lack vision praise his seven fold complete vision. Holy Spirit, your power is perfect, manifest through me. Jesus is worthy, because he has won all of these things for us, and made it possible for us to manifest these things in the earth. The point is this: Christ is in you. This is the hope of glory. John was in the Spirit, and when he was in the spirit, the door to heaven was open to him. And when we go through this door, we have access to all that the Lamb through his own blood purchased for us. This is nonsense to a religious mindset that thinks we need to make things happen through prayer and worship. This is not the Kingdom. Our goal is to come into agreement with heaven's perspective and come into agreement with the Kingdom of God that is within you. Jesus is the King. His Kingdom is in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. So there is a place in you that is spotless, whole, complete, wealthy, and blessed. Jesus made this possible. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. ### Heaven is in You. URL: https://www.belonging.house/heaven-is-in-you-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:24.000Z Heaven is in You. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/0fe8d711-a525-493d-9820-7550e4b3b3fa_626x418-heic-1.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedJesus Christ did not come to start a religion. Jesus Christ came to establish a Kingdom. This Kingdom is not one of outward appearances, but a kingdom of internal realities. As Jesus said, his body was the temple, and it would be destroyed, and on the third day it would be raised up. On the cross the veil of his temple was torn, his heart was pierced, and out of that temple of his body flowed blood and water. That water, was the Holy Spirit. To be a Christian is to be a little Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit as Paul tells us. And this calling to be a temple is both inward and outward. Christ is in you. This is the mystery of our faith. And so we present our bodies as living sacrifices, and as we do this, we become living places for the fire of the Holy Spirit to consume us. We present a sacrifice and we become the place of communion. This is the mystery and the reality of the faith. John, in the book of Revelation is giving us a glimpse into heaven. We are getting heaven's perspective and in Christ we are in this place. There can be here in our hearts. This week I want to look at this passage from the Book of Revelation, chapter 5. And look at the Resurrection from Heaven's perspective. Many people miss what's going on in Revelation because they go straight to interpretation before they observe what the text says. So this vision of heaven in Revelation 5 is part of a larger series of visions that John says he had while on Patmos on the Lord's Day. Patmos is a small island off the coast of modern Turkey. This is the Asia described in the book. Patmos was very near Ephesus, and it makes sense that John would be there since it is close to where he was living. The island is small, rocky, and does not have a large population. Patmos is traditionally described as a penal colony, and that John was in prison on the island. There is no historical evidence for a penal colony on the island. More likely, John was on the island because it was a safe place during times when Jews and Christians were being persecuted. Since he was the leader, he could still be close to home, and still have contact with his congregation, but also be “under the radar.” John tells us that he is on this island, and it is the “Lord’s Day.” That is, Sunday morning, the weekly celebration of the Resurrection. John has gone through a revolution from one covenant to another. He is now in the New Covenant. And to him and in his mind, this day, the first day of the week in his world, is also the Day of the Lord—the new Messianic era. He is talking about a shift in time, and this shift is important throughout Revelation. And because John is in a new era, he is also in the era of the Holy Spirit. And he is in the Spirit. Paul instructs us: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. Ephesians 5:18-20 Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18 Paul is describing here what the New Testament assumed was the normal experience of all believers: to be in the Holy Spirit. Be—not do. Your identity and personality is formed by being in the Holy Spirit. John is describing the Spirit filled life. And being in the Holy Spirit, full and established, will enable you to receive revelation. When you are in the Spirit, you are in contact with the Eternal Realm. Smith Wigglesworth once described himself as larger on the inside than on the outside. This is what many of the holiness preachers called the “normal christian life.” We need to keep in mind that in the New Testament, all the writers believed that the New Covenant established by Jesus was about releasing the Holy Spirit in the earth. They understood that everyone would be filled with the Holy Spirit at baptism, that they would receive and operate in spiritual gifts, and that they would bear fruit of the spirit in their lives— love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. Father I pray for everyone listening that they would be full of the Holy Spirit, and walk in the awareness of your presence. To be a Christian was to be in the Kingdom, through this Covenant in the Holy Spirit not meet religious requirements. Jesus Christ came to make you a temple of the Holy Spirit. So John is in the place of worship and communion with God, and he hears a voice behind him. And the Voice tells John to write a book and send it to the seven churches. The voice comes from behind John, and so he redirects his attention, to the place where the voice appears. this is like Moses turning his attention to the burning bush. All revelation comes to us when we turn our attention and our affection toward God. If you receive revelation, you will be given more. And this encounter also gives us a window into how God reveals things to us. God is always the initiator, we are not. But, when God reaches out to get our attention, he always gives us a moment to respond. For John, that response is his turning around to hear where the voice came from. In the book of Revelation the most used number is the number seven. Remember, numbers are a language all by themselves in the Bible. Seven is fullness, completeness, and wholeness. Seven is Shalom. He sees seven golden lampstands. In the first century a lampstand was the brightest form of light. We are going to see a lot of gold in the book of revelation. Gold is incorruptible, it doesn’t rust or tarnish. Gold points to the worship in the tabernacle, and gold points to heaven. Gold and light are going to point us to God and heaven and true worship. So we are looking at the fullness of incorruptible light. The full light of heaven and the fullness of worship in heaven is being revealed. And who is standing in the middle of this full revelation? One like a Son of Man. John again refers back to Daniel 7 and the term that Jesus used throughout his ministry to describe himself. This is the one who walked out of a cloud before the Ancient of Days. John is seeing Jesus in a long robe, with a golden sash across his chest, his head and his hair are white white as wool, white as snow, his eyes are full of flames of fire, his feet are as highly polished bronze, and his voice is as many waters. There is a lot in this, so lets unpack it. John is seeing a Theophany—an encounter with God. The book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus so we are going to see things about Jesus we never saw before. Jesus is standing in the middle of complete light, and that light is going to reveal a complete revelation. John sees Jesus dressed in the white robe the High Priest wore on the day of atonement. But the gold sash is the sash that the emperor wore. If you go into a greek orthodox church and look up, you will see a dome. And usually, in the middle of the dome you will see a painting of Jesus, holding up his right hand in blessing, and wearing a gold sash around his waist. This was the sign in the Roman empire of the office of the Emperor. This icon is called the Pantocrator: Emperor of the Universe, and was inspired by this scene in Revelation. it is the pictorial representation of the primary way to address God in Jewish Prayer: Barach atta Adonai eluheinu malech ha olam: Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the Universe. Jesus is the King of the Universe. Jesus is both High priest, and King of Kings. He is white— he is the head of the body and his head is pure like the unblemished lamb for Passover, and like snow. And after this encounter with Jesus, John receives seven messages for the churches in Asia. And at the end of these messages, There is a transition. John looks up and he sees a door in heaven. And John is invited to "Come up hither." One thing we have to understand is that John is not showing us a linear story in the earthly sense. He is showing us things from multiple perspectives outside of time. Revelation is revealing more than one dimension at a time. There is a sense when you spend time in Revelation that things are happening in parallel to earth. In 2006 I found myself in a similar vision to the one described here. I was dancing in my living room, when I suddenly found myself in a cloud, and when I got to the other side of the cloud there were four golden lampstands, and there were bowls of incense. And I looked up and I saw an emerald colored disk that formed a rainbow at the edge. And below the disk were four giant sized creatures that were around the throne crying to one another Holy, Holy, Holy. And they were an intense blue, and they were covered all over with eyes. And there was this vast multitude of people all around the throne. They held hands, and they danced together. And they were in worship. As an artist, two things happened to me. I was overcome with the music, the sound, and the color. The color in heaven spoiled color for me on earth, and it ruined my painting. I could never capture the colors and when I attempt, people tell me I don't understand color theory. It makes you want to quit. And here in Heaven, God shows John a book. And the book is sealed. Last week I saw a documentary on the burial of the pope. When the pope's casket is closed, an official comes and puts a red wax seal on the coffin. And the only person who can break the seal is an official from the Vatican who oversees the causes of saints. A seal is like a lock on the door to a room full of secrets, or a vault full of treasure. A seal can only be broken by a person with greater authority than the person who made the seal. So John sees a book with seals, and the seals must have been put there by the Father, because there is no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth who has authority to break these seals. And John began to weep. Remember the tomb in the garden. There were seals on the tomb, put there by the high priests and the Roman officials. The religious and political authority sealed the tomb, so no one could open the tomb and say that Jesus rose from the dead. And Mary, and the disciples wept, because no one could open the tomb. And one of the elders in heaven says to John, Weep not. Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed. There is one person who can break the seal on the tomb. There is one person who can break the seals on the book. The one who rose from the dead. And behold, in the midst of the throne stood a lamb who looked as if it had been slain. Remember, we are looking at a vision that is being explained in Hebrew symbolic language. This lamb, that had been slain is alive. And because he is alive, and has conquered death he has seven horns. John isn't seeing a mutant lamb. Horns are a very important symbol in the Bible. A horn in the Bible is a symbol of power, military might, and victory. This lamb has complete and total power might, and victory. And he doesn't have seven eyes. He has complete and total fullness of vision. He sees all, perceives all, and knows all. God leads us with his eye, so this direction is perfect. We are told this complete and total power and complete and total perception is the complete and total Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is going out all over the earth in fullness of power and vision. So John is seeing the Resurrection and Pentecost, all at once, from heaven's perspective. And then the elders bring the book to the Lamb, and this is accompanied by prayer and worship from the church both on earth and in heaven. John is re-experiencing Easter morning, from the vantage point of heaven. "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Jesus the Lamb, offered himself, and was a spotless sacrifice. And then he conquered death, and was able to unlock everything that was hidden. He is the Key of David from Isaiah 22:22 who opens all that was shut. He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. And because of this, he is Worthy. For many years, I led worship at an event called the Ten Days of Prayer. I was doing what they called "Harp and Bowl" worship. That is, I led people in worship and prayer using passages from the Bible. One day, I had my Bible open to Revelation 4 and 5, and began to sing. Sometimes things just fall into place, and I began to sing a little tune that was catchy. It was very catchy, because we sang it for several hours. Over and over again. And then we stayed in those chapters for months as I went back and forth between these phrases from heaven. In the end I set two chapters of Revelation to music. And I began to ask God, "If you own everything, and you are above everything, why are we saying you may receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, blessing, and honor? You have it all." We have been in the last few chapters of John for a few weeks. And Jesus tells us that if we live in him and he lives in us we can ask anything in his name and he will do it. We are seeing this as intimate fellowship with God. This truth does not change when we look at this from heaven's perspective. The truth that John is seeing the Lamb doesn't change the reality that the Lamb is living inside John and John is in the Lamb. Jesus prayed that John would be in him and that Jesus would be in John. And so this throne and this temple by the Holy Spirit is in you. There is no temple in the city, because the lamb is the light and the river flows from the throne. Out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. You are the temple. And when we worship and ascribe to Jesus all these things this triumph, this victory, this power, we are building up in our hearts the temple that we are. We are the temple of the Sevenfold Spirit of God, the spirit with complete vision and total power. So when we ascribe to him all of these things, we are seeing, Jesus, you are in me, and you are the richest person in the universe. If you lack resources, proclaim his wealth. Jesus you are in me, and you are the most powerful person in the Universe. If you lack strength ascribe to him power and strength. Holy Spirit, your vision is perfect, see through me. If you lack vision praise his seven fold complete vision. Holy Spirit, your power is perfect, manifest through me. Jesus is worthy, because he has won all of these things for us, and made it possible for us to manifest these things in the earth. The point is this: Christ is in you. This is the hope of glory. John was in the Spirit, and when he was in the spirit, the door to heaven was open to him. And when we go through this door, we have access to all that the Lamb through his own blood purchased for us. This is nonsense to a religious mindset that thinks we need to make things happen through prayer and worship. This is not the Kingdom. Our goal is to come into agreement with heaven's perspective and come into agreement with the Kingdom of God that is within you. Jesus is the King. His Kingdom is in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. So there is a place in you that is spotless, whole, complete, wealthy, and blessed. Jesus made this possible. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. ### Trusting URL: https://www.belonging.house/trusting/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:22.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Once upon a time I worked for an organization that did fundraising. I then went from there to work on a capital campaign for another large organization. Before that I raised money to do church planting. There is nothing crazier than to know how to raise money and not be allowed to do it. After God called me to live by faith, I was hired to direct a non-profit that was in crisis. And I was responsible for their annual fundraiser. I won't bore you, but there were a lot of challenges. And there was a serious effort to make sure I failed. So, I brought in my prayer team and we began to pray. We sat with God, **and asked how much money we needed to pray for.** And God said, "$200,000." Well, things did not go well for the event. It was a catered banquet, and the previous director called people and told them not to come (after we paid for their dinner). There were lots of empty seats with cold expensive dinners. We kept praying, and trusting God, **not our eyes.** And when the envelopes were opened, the first check was $10\. *Meh.* The second envelope contained $20. And the third one was **a personal check for $200,000.** You, artist and creative person, are called to make a way for the coming of the Lord. And in order to do that, you **have to learn to lean into heaven's resources**. In the Resurrection we are called to create the Kingdom on earth in the power of the Holy Spirit. The chaos in this world is from trying to build kingdoms in the power of the flesh. George Muller said the path to provision always goes through the valley of difficulties. The past few months were difficult. Yesterday, during the National Day of Prayer in Concord, New Hampshire, the State approved our reorganization. **Belonging House International** is now official and we will again be able to receive donations as a non-profit. Listen to God, and trust the process. He Never Fails, Christ *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes long form essays at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Mary: Honor and Value URL: https://www.belonging.house/mary-honor-and-value/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:05.000Z It is all about relationship. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mary: Honor and Value URL: https://www.belonging.house/mary-honor-and-value-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:26.000Z It is all about relationship. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### In the Resurrection URL: https://www.belonging.house/in-the-resurrection/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:22.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedAlleluia! Christ is Risen! Part of my call to raise up an army of artists is a call to pray about everything, and listen to God and do what He tells me. And then tell the story of what God can do **through prayer.** Being a disciple of Jesus in the world of the arts takes a lot of faith. Those of us who know, know **we live in a war zone.** And a piece of this "listening to God and praying about everything assignment" is the direction to say "yes" to everything. That's not a business strategy. It's a correction to my tendency to be overcautious. I almost never have the resources to do the things that come up. And so, I bite my lip, take a breath, and say "yes." Knowing full well I am going **to have to trust God again** for a plane ticket, or whatever. And I have learned to trust God, mostly. Many people never experience the care of a loving God, because they refuse to trust the loving God **and surrender.** So again, last January, I was invited to attend the Commonwealth Prayer Gathering in London, and I said "yes," even though I didn't want to. And God provided plane tickets, decent clothes to wear, and favor with everyone I met. A lot of prayer gatherings are backward looking. Back in the day people repented for the sins of the past. And a lot of prayer people haven't moved on. And at the end of the meeting, the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop stood up, and he said: "In the Resurrection your sins are washed away, and we are called by the power of the Holy Spirit to look forward, and create in the Kingdom. The Resurrection is looking forward, not back." In the Resurrection we are **called to create.** We are called to look forward and not back. There are fifty days between Easter and Pentecost. And those days are meant to build from the Resurrection to the Release of the Holy Spirit. We are called to create in the Kingdom. And so over the next few weeks, I am going to tell more stories of how God is calling us to create and to build. God wants us to show the world all that artists and creative people can do when they listen, pray, obey, and move in the power of the Holy Spirit. Alleluia, Christ is Risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia. He Never Fails, Christ --- *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes long form essays at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### The Last Cup URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-last-cup/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:06.000Z A fitting end during Passover. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Last Cup URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-last-cup-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:29.000Z A fitting end during Passover. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Love's Redeeming Work is Done. URL: https://www.belonging.house/loves-redeeming-work-is-done/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:07.000Z He did it all for love. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Love's Redeeming Work is Done. URL: https://www.belonging.house/loves-redeeming-work-is-done-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:30.000Z He did it all for love. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Blessed is the Wood. URL: https://www.belonging.house/blessed-is-the-wood/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:08.000Z Good Friday looks forward, not back. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Blessed is the Wood. URL: https://www.belonging.house/blessed-is-the-wood-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:31.000Z Good Friday looks forward, not back. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I was thinking of you. URL: https://www.belonging.house/i-was-thinking-of-you/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:23.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedI held in my arms the mother of a young man who was murdered on the streets of Boston. She screamed, and screamed, and screamed, and I held her and I let her. That was the right thing to do. The Bible doesn’t say Mary screamed. But John was there, and he held her. I am sure of it. It wasn’t like the holy cards and the plaster statues in the front of the church from my childhood. No, there was blood, no soft clouds, serene faces, and pastel robes. No. This was a grisly, horrible execution as the King of Kings **was enthroned upon the cross.** He took upon himself the entire weight of human brokenness, and became the perfect peace offering to restore our relationship to the Father. St. Augustine said that He would have done it for just one of us. The cross is the ultimate **expression of your value to God.** No man has greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus **wants to be your friend,** and you are his friend if you listen to his word and do it. It is really hard when you work with artists. You have to hear a lot of heartbreaking stories. We live in a culture that devalues the role of artists. And these creative people are the products of a school system that tells them we evolved from nothing for no apparent reason. A large portion of my work is helping others overcome the deep sense of worthlessness that they carry. This worthlessness is reinforced by every ad on the internet, television, and radio. It’s supported by movies, TV, and online media. And it says, “You just don’t measure up, and so you need to try harder.” Jesus says, "You matter. You matter to me. And if I was thinking of who would take care of my mother, in the most excruciating moment of my life, I was **thinking of you too.** I would have gone there to death and hell if there was no one else. You are worth everything to me. You don’t have to push your way to the front. You are a part of my family, we are in this together, and I am with you. I promise." And a spear pierced the sacred Heart of Jesus, and a sword pierced Mary’s heart. Blood and water and tears flowed. A new Family was born at the foot of the cross. One born by water and blood, by water and the Holy Spirit, and nourished by water, wine, and bread. You matter, and you are welcome at the Father's table. We adore you, O Christ *because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.* *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes long form essays at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### The Greater Work of Love URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-greater-work-of-love/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:10.000Z Passover of the Lord: Holy Thursday _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Greater Work of Love URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-greater-work-of-love-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:33.000Z Passover of the Lord: Holy Thursday _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Everything URL: https://www.belonging.house/everything/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:11.000Z More than you think. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Everything URL: https://www.belonging.house/everything-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:36.000Z More than you think. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### A Most Important Story. URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-most-important-story/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:26.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. This is the most important time of the year. We are coming into the time when we are **called to remember** the saving acts of God in Jesus Christ. I am fortunate that I am also called to remember my own genetic heritage, that we were once slaves in Egypt, but with an outstretched arm and a mighty hand our own God brought out of slavery and into **freedom.** It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Full stop. And our own God tread the winepress alone. God sent a son to redeem a slave, and brought many sons to God. **Stories matter.** And the story of the next week has inspired more art, literature, and music than any other in human history. It really is the greatest story ever told. This story makes you who you are. **You are a living expression of this story.** I say this every year, but don't rush to Easter. You need to wave your palms and follow Jesus on the donkey. You need to listen to the whispers as the betrayer plots and gets his thirty pieces. You need to follow Jesus into the upper room and feel the water on your feet. You need to go to dark Gethsemane and hear the sighs and see the kiss. You need to follow Jesus into the court of Pilate, and follow Jesus through the city and see the trail of blood. You need to wipe his face and look at the image. You need to see him hanging on the cross and watch them lay him in the tomb. **Do not miss the story.** This is where we came from and why what we do matters. Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: so clothe us in your Holy Spirit that we reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you, *for the honor of your name. Amen.* *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Little cups. URL: https://www.belonging.house/little-cups/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:12.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Little cups. URL: https://www.belonging.house/little-cups-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:39.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### What did Jesus Write? URL: https://www.belonging.house/what-did-jesus-write/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:12.000Z What did Jesus Write? 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/0b3e5df6-e097-4845-a676-2bd7cdbd4350_1024x739-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week, the fifth week of Lent we make a dramatic shift from a focus on general discipleship to setting our faces to Jerusalem. Next week we will celebrate Palm Sunday, and we will begin Holy Week. And in less than two weeks, we will celebrate the Passover of the Lord. And this year the readings all highlight the living water, the Holy Spirit. Today we have one of the gospel readings that has captured the imaginations of millions of people. This wild story, where a woman is caught in the act of adultery, and dragged into the temple precincts, and she is about to get stoned. And of course, this episode is a test to see what Jesus will do. They are trying to provoke him so that they have a pretext to claim he is a false prophet, so that they can stone him along with the woman. Lots of people have talked about the obvious facts. No one commits adultery alone. Where is the other party? Was he the married one? And why were all these scribes and Pharisees in the right place at the right time? And of course, the real thing, the thing that everyone is confused about. Why did Jesus stop and write on the ground, and what did the writing say? You have heard me say that Jesus came to establish his Kingdom, and every detail in the gospels is going to tell us something about the Kingdom. There are no random details in the Bible, and especially in John's gospel. So in order to understand this story, we need to look at the larger context. In John chapter seven we are told that the tensions around Jesus have increased, and that it is now too dangerous for him to go to Jerusalem with his disciples. In John's gospel we get a sense that Jesus and his entrourage used the pilgrimage feasts as an opportunity to reach a larger audience, and Jesus was in and out of Jerusalem on a regular basis. It is the feast of Sukkot, and it is six months before the important Passover at the end of the life of Jesus. And Jesus says, "go on without me." Sukkot was a major event and the city was full of light at night. And on the last day of the feast, as John describes it, the great day, Jesus appears. There was a ceremony at the end of Sukkot where the priests would try and enact the scene depicted in Ezekiel 47, when water would begin to pour out of the south end of the temple and it would become a fount of living water for the whole world. It was all about the Holy Spirit. They were waiting and anticipating a Messiah who would release the Holy Spirit. And so the priests would take vats of water and they would pour water off the side of the temple in hopes of getting the water to flow. It was an enactment but also an attempt to "prime the pump." And at that moment, out of the crowd, Jesus stands up and cries "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth in me as the scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water." So Jesus makes several points, and these are going to be re-emphasized over the next two weeks. First, the water is the Holy Spirit, and he is the source of that water. If you come to Jesus you will experience a release of the Holy Spirit that will flow out of your body. And the second, in his Kingdom, the temple is your body. His body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And that body is going to be opened, and when it does, he is going to make it possible for us to become temples of the Holy Spirit. And our bodies will become temples, and we will be the new temple that Ezekiel promised, and a river of living water will flow out of each of us. That's the promise. That is the New Covenant. It is all about the Holy Spirit. After Jesus does this, they rise up to oppose him, and Nicodemus stops the crowd from stoning him on the spot. The next morning, Jesus comes down into Jerusalem, and enters the temple. And it says they brought the woman, and they tempted and accused him. They were trying to get him to contradict the law. And Jesus does not say a word. He stoops down and takes his finger, and begins to write in the dust, as though he heard them not. He ignored his accusers. And they began to challenge him again, and he spoke. He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone. And then he knelt down again and began to write in the dust. And they began to depart, from the oldest to the youngest. So what is going on here? Jesus wrote in the ground twice with this finger. And they all walk away. Remember what happened the day before, Jesus said he was the living water. And they rejected him. Listen to Jeremiah 17:13: O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake thee shall be put to shame; those who turn away from thee shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. Other translations say "their names will be written in the earth" Jesus was enacting a passage from Jeremiah, and not only that, fulfilling the promise that they would forsake the Lord the fountain of living water. And they saw their names in the dust, and they went away one by one. They knew the gravity of what Jesus was doing. They knew this wasn't about the woman, or about trapping Jesus. This was about attempting to bring about the Kingdom without the Christ and rejecting the hope of Israel, the fount of Living Water. And in rejecting him they were being written in the dust. And the accusers left. And Jesus says to the woman, "Where are your accusers, and who will condemn you?" And Jesus says "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1) This wasn't about adultery. It was about the water. About the fount of living water. Benny Hinn pointed out in a recent talk that the pattern in scripture is the Father speaks the word, the Son does what he sees the Father doing, and the Holy Spirit manifests. We see this pattern in creation. And we see it in the history of our community. God gave me a word to pray for a house and raise up an army of artists, and then Jesus activated that word. We have not seen the full manifestation, and it has caused me to cry out to the Holy Spirit to begin to manifest the promises. This begins when we make a low pressure zone around us that attracts the wind of the Holy Spirit. As we prepare for the Passover of the Lord, we are going to take some time for corporate reconciliation today. Traditionally, we call this the Rite of Forgiveness. Our church used to do this at the end of Lent, and it is a practice from the Byzantine church, who did this at the beginning of lent. We want to be a body that is flowing in the holy Spirit, and awash with the rivers of living water. **The Rite of Forgiveness** Priest: Brothers and sisters, forgive me, a sinner, all the sins I have committed this day and all the days of my life, in thought, word, and deed, both outwardly in my body, and inwardly in my soul. Response: May God forgive you and have mercy on you, Bless, reverend father, and forgive us sinners the sins we have committed this day and all the days of our lives, in thought, word, and deed, **both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls.** Priest: Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. Brothers and sisters, forgive me for all the ways I have not fulfilled my call to lead and shepherd, for any hurts or disappointments I may have caused, and any way I may not have been a living example of our Lord in my teaching, my leadership, or my life. Response: May God forgive you and have mercy on you, and we forgive and release you from any of our expectations or hurts. Bless, reverend father, and forgive us for any ways we have not prayed for you, spoken ill of you, or judged you, and any ways we have not supported you in the mission of the gospel **and failed in our calling as members of the body of Christ.** I forgive and release you. May the Lord Almighty, + Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, forgive us our sins, and give us the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit to hereafter lead a sober, godly, and righteous life. Amen. ### What did Jesus Write? URL: https://www.belonging.house/what-did-jesus-write-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:40.000Z What did Jesus Write? 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/0b3e5df6-e097-4845-a676-2bd7cdbd4350_1024x739-heic-1.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week, the fifth week of Lent we make a dramatic shift from a focus on general discipleship to setting our faces to Jerusalem. Next week we will celebrate Palm Sunday, and we will begin Holy Week. And in less than two weeks, we will celebrate the Passover of the Lord. And this year the readings all highlight the living water, the Holy Spirit. Today we have one of the gospel readings that has captured the imaginations of millions of people. This wild story, where a woman is caught in the act of adultery, and dragged into the temple precincts, and she is about to get stoned. And of course, this episode is a test to see what Jesus will do. They are trying to provoke him so that they have a pretext to claim he is a false prophet, so that they can stone him along with the woman. Lots of people have talked about the obvious facts. No one commits adultery alone. Where is the other party? Was he the married one? And why were all these scribes and Pharisees in the right place at the right time? And of course, the real thing, the thing that everyone is confused about. Why did Jesus stop and write on the ground, and what did the writing say? You have heard me say that Jesus came to establish his Kingdom, and every detail in the gospels is going to tell us something about the Kingdom. There are no random details in the Bible, and especially in John's gospel. So in order to understand this story, we need to look at the larger context. In John chapter seven we are told that the tensions around Jesus have increased, and that it is now too dangerous for him to go to Jerusalem with his disciples. In John's gospel we get a sense that Jesus and his entrourage used the pilgrimage feasts as an opportunity to reach a larger audience, and Jesus was in and out of Jerusalem on a regular basis. It is the feast of Sukkot, and it is six months before the important Passover at the end of the life of Jesus. And Jesus says, "go on without me." Sukkot was a major event and the city was full of light at night. And on the last day of the feast, as John describes it, the great day, Jesus appears. There was a ceremony at the end of Sukkot where the priests would try and enact the scene depicted in Ezekiel 47, when water would begin to pour out of the south end of the temple and it would become a fount of living water for the whole world. It was all about the Holy Spirit. They were waiting and anticipating a Messiah who would release the Holy Spirit. And so the priests would take vats of water and they would pour water off the side of the temple in hopes of getting the water to flow. It was an enactment but also an attempt to "prime the pump." And at that moment, out of the crowd, Jesus stands up and cries "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth in me as the scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water." So Jesus makes several points, and these are going to be re-emphasized over the next two weeks. First, the water is the Holy Spirit, and he is the source of that water. If you come to Jesus you will experience a release of the Holy Spirit that will flow out of your body. And the second, in his Kingdom, the temple is your body. His body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And that body is going to be opened, and when it does, he is going to make it possible for us to become temples of the Holy Spirit. And our bodies will become temples, and we will be the new temple that Ezekiel promised, and a river of living water will flow out of each of us. That's the promise. That is the New Covenant. It is all about the Holy Spirit. After Jesus does this, they rise up to oppose him, and Nicodemus stops the crowd from stoning him on the spot. The next morning, Jesus comes down into Jerusalem, and enters the temple. And it says they brought the woman, and they tempted and accused him. They were trying to get him to contradict the law. And Jesus does not say a word. He stoops down and takes his finger, and begins to write in the dust, as though he heard them not. He ignored his accusers. And they began to challenge him again, and he spoke. He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone. And then he knelt down again and began to write in the dust. And they began to depart, from the oldest to the youngest. So what is going on here? Jesus wrote in the ground twice with this finger. And they all walk away. Remember what happened the day before, Jesus said he was the living water. And they rejected him. Listen to Jeremiah 17:13: O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake thee shall be put to shame; those who turn away from thee shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. Other translations say "their names will be written in the earth" Jesus was enacting a passage from Jeremiah, and not only that, fulfilling the promise that they would forsake the Lord the fountain of living water. And they saw their names in the dust, and they went away one by one. They knew the gravity of what Jesus was doing. They knew this wasn't about the woman, or about trapping Jesus. This was about attempting to bring about the Kingdom without the Christ and rejecting the hope of Israel, the fount of Living Water. And in rejecting him they were being written in the dust. And the accusers left. And Jesus says to the woman, "Where are your accusers, and who will condemn you?" And Jesus says "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1) This wasn't about adultery. It was about the water. About the fount of living water. Benny Hinn pointed out in a recent talk that the pattern in scripture is the Father speaks the word, the Son does what he sees the Father doing, and the Holy Spirit manifests. We see this pattern in creation. And we see it in the history of our community. God gave me a word to pray for a house and raise up an army of artists, and then Jesus activated that word. We have not seen the full manifestation, and it has caused me to cry out to the Holy Spirit to begin to manifest the promises. This begins when we make a low pressure zone around us that attracts the wind of the Holy Spirit. As we prepare for the Passover of the Lord, we are going to take some time for corporate reconciliation today. Traditionally, we call this the Rite of Forgiveness. Our church used to do this at the end of Lent, and it is a practice from the Byzantine church, who did this at the beginning of lent. We want to be a body that is flowing in the holy Spirit, and awash with the rivers of living water. **The Rite of Forgiveness** Priest: Brothers and sisters, forgive me, a sinner, all the sins I have committed this day and all the days of my life, in thought, word, and deed, both outwardly in my body, and inwardly in my soul. Response: May God forgive you and have mercy on you, Bless, reverend father, and forgive us sinners the sins we have committed this day and all the days of our lives, in thought, word, and deed, **both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls.** Priest: Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen. Brothers and sisters, forgive me for all the ways I have not fulfilled my call to lead and shepherd, for any hurts or disappointments I may have caused, and any way I may not have been a living example of our Lord in my teaching, my leadership, or my life. Response: May God forgive you and have mercy on you, and we forgive and release you from any of our expectations or hurts. Bless, reverend father, and forgive us for any ways we have not prayed for you, spoken ill of you, or judged you, and any ways we have not supported you in the mission of the gospel **and failed in our calling as members of the body of Christ.** I forgive and release you. May the Lord Almighty, + Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, forgive us our sins, and give us the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit to hereafter lead a sober, godly, and righteous life. Amen. ### Twelve is the number of the Kingdom URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-house-of-artisans/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:27.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. In January I started talking about putting a wall around Belonging House. The description of the army of artists in Zechariah ends with the City of God containing the Glory of God **surrounded by a wall of fire.** There is safety in knowing where you belong. So we have talked about the multitudes, the one hundred and twenty, the seventy-two, and now we are down to the Twelve. **Twelve is a very auspicious number in Hebrew.** There were Twelve Tribes of Israel. There will be twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem. There were Twelve apostles. Twelve can be divided two ways: six times two--meaning man, humanity, separated from the world. or three times four-- creation intertwined with God. This is the Kingdom of Heaven. Five years ago the entire world went mad, and we started having a prayer meeting on Sundays. That prayer meeting became an accidental church. And about six months in the Lord told us, **this would always be a little church with a global impact.** Today, our Sunday teachings go all over the world, and we sometimes have as many nations as attendees. Eventually we asked God for a name, and the name was "*Beth Charashim*." That's Hebrew for House of Artisans. The House of Artisans **is now the spiritual heart of Belonging House.** Although Belonging House is unaffiliated, we are not "independent." Belonging House was birthed out of English Christianity, whose roots are as deep as the first Christians in Britain. We continue in the long history of Celtic Saints and monastic faith and prayer in the Anglican tradition. Belonging House emerged out of the charismatic renewal in the Catholic and Anglican churches, and we affirm the present functioning and our life together reflects that. We are also sensitive to the Jewish framework and community of the early church. We are Jewish "flavored." God called us to make disciples in the arts. The church is the primary vehicle **God created for discipleship.** There really is no getting around it. And for those who have become part of the Twelve, it really has been life transforming. It has transformed me. House of Artisans is our spiritual home. This is the heart of our culture: people like us do things like this. If you are an artist or creative person and you want to know more and how you can be part of Beth Charashim please shoot me an email. If you want to check it out, you can follow the Zoom link below. If you are an artist who just can't find a church, maybe this is the place for you. And by the way, you can always be part of the seventy-two, and be part of your own church. **Check out our** [**Mighty Network**](https://belonging-house.mn.co/share/HjIDhis2OirTPR6r?utm%5Fsource=manual) **community.** There is quite a ruckus happening over there. He Never Fails, Christ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/c2bd04ff-4991-4b1b-a2da-f42f2944ccd2_1200x360-heic.jpg) *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Body URL: https://www.belonging.house/body/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:14.000Z If you are, you are. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Body URL: https://www.belonging.house/body-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:43.000Z If you are, you are. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I will Arise and Go to My Father. URL: https://www.belonging.house/i-will-arise-and-go-to-my-father/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:14.000Z I will Arise and Go to My Father. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/c3fcb95a-199b-40a5-88c8-57ddd871a853_924x676-heic.jpg) James Tissot, *The Prodigal Son in Modern Times: The Return.* Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis Sunday we turn a corner toward the Passover of the Lord. The fourth Sunday in Lent marks the week when those who were asked to leave the church over issues of sin were allowed back into the fellowship. And the name of this Sunday, Laetare means rejoicing. There is rejoicing in heaven whenever one sinner returns to the Lord. This Sunday is about repentance. As it says in Hosea: Come, let us return to the Lord who has stricken us, and he will heal us, and on the third day he will raise us up. We are back to this word we never leave: Shuv. The act of returning to God in Hebrew is Teshuva, and the root of this is Shuv, return. Return to me. A few years ago I recorded a video where I explained that many people want the fruit of revival and not the God of revival and so no revival happens. You cannot understand Shuv, unless you understand that all Hebrew verbs are directional and relational. So you turn toward Someone, not away from Sin but toward God. The object of the verb matters. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is probably the most well known of all the stories Jesus told. And this is dangerous because we think we know what we are talking about. We think we know what's there, and we think we know what the story is about. This story is about a selfish son, who demands his inheritance, and he goes and runs off and gets into sex, drugs, and rock and roll and he blows the money. And then the father receives him back and kills the fatted calf. And we are all that son, and we are all in need of returning to the Father. But that is only one part of the story. This is not the story of a prodigal son. This is about the Kingdom, not the experience of getting saved. And the second part of repentance after turning to God is Metanoia, Having your thinking changed. A lot of us change our behavior, but we do not change our thinking. And because of this, we never experience the fullness of what God has for us. In order to understand this story, we need to begin a page earlier at the end of Luke, Chapter 13. Jesus has announced that he is now on his way to Jerusalem and that he must die there like all the prophets. On the Shabbat, he goes to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees. And he taught them and healed, and talked about the Kingdom. And honestly, he challenged them about how they said some people were more valuable than others because of rank or class. He challenged their belief that they have to do things to make God happy. He challenged them about their obsession with money. Then Jesus left, and great multitudes followed him. And it is clear, he went from the fancy dinner with the Pharisees and scribes, and then began to eat with the sinners and the tax collectors. And the Pharisees and scribes began to gossip and talk behind his back, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." In response, Luke 15, Jesus teaches three of his most well known parables. The parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the story of the prodigal son. But this story is not about the son. And Jesus tells us it is not about the son, because the story begins "A man had two sons." A man. This is the story of a father. And the younger son, who we think is the bad boy, goes to his father, and asks for his inheritance. We forget that the young man is saying, "Dad, I wish you were dead so I could have all my inheritance." And the Father is a sensitive and tender soul who does not want to lose his son. He grants the wish. The Father divides his property between the two sons, equally. And the turn of this story is how the two sons respond to receive their full inheritance. This is a very important detail. Both sons get their inheritance. Let me say that again, because I don't think I have ever heard it mentioned. Both sons get their inheritance. And the Father, with no property, and no work, goes and waits for the one son to return. The Father is broken hearted. As we know, the younger son eventually comes to his senses. And desides to Shuv: To return to the Father. He has a change of thinking, and his suffering cures his narcissism, and he becomes willing to be a slave in his father's house. And the Father, who is sitting on his roof looking toward the road where his son left, sees his son in the distance. It is not about property, it is not about disobedience. It is about having a relationship. The Father wants to have a relationship with his son. And so the Father runs and goes and meets him. And he takes this son who by the world's standards is a scoundrel and a failure, and he makes him a conquering hero. There is something heroic in embracing an honest revelation of our lies. There is something heroic in receiving the gift of repentance. And we have the feast, with a fatted calf. Now remember, the Father has two sons. And he has no property. That calf belonged to the older son. And the older son, well he received his inheritance at the beginning of the story. And yet, he didn't celebrate. He worked harder. And it is clear, he was angry and resentful toward his brother who left, not just with half the property, but left him with all the work. And he is pretty resentful toward his dad as well. Notice that the father is all alone. And the older son refuses to come to the celebration. He's mad at everybody. And the son says to his father. I have kept all the rules, perfectly. I have done all the work. And you have never even given me just a little to have a party with my friends. (Now remember, he has received all his inheritance.) And now you are throwing a party for my rotten brother. And the Father says, You are always with me. Everything I have is yours. You are always with me. Everything I have is yours. You are always with me. Everything I have is yours. The older son, even though he got the better inheritance was an orphan. And because he was an orphan, he could not rejoice over the return of his brother. He could not embrace the lavishness of the father. The orphan says, it all depends on me, and if there was all the money in the world there would still not be enough. This is all about the Kingdom. Jesus has laid bare the reality that the scribes and Pharisees are doing everything they can to bring the Kingdom of God and now that it is here they are not interested. I remember when I first went to Boston, and I was at a prayer meeting and people were crying out for God to send leaders to Boston to lead. And I went up to the person leading afterward and said, God just moved me here and I think I might be the answer to your prayer. She looked me up and down and said, "No thanks." Jesus had just come from dinner with the leaders. They had received the full inheritance. They had the first opportunity to be with Jesus, and instead of celebrating, they argued and challenged him. We want a Messiah, but not this one. And so Jesus left, and he ate with the multitudes. How much do you want to bet, that dinner with the tax collectors and sinners was not kosher? Billy Joel once sang that he would rather live with the sinners than die with the saints, the sinners are much more fun. And those sinners wanted to be with Jesus and they wanted to come back to the Father. And Jesus said if you want to come with me you have to die. And so they came and he ate with them. If you have seen Jesus you have seen the Father. This is the gospel. This isn't a message for the unsaved today. This is a message for the believer. It might shock you, but you are probably not right. Most of the people who come to me and challenge me begin by assuming that they are right and I need to be corrected. That's fine, but there is great danger in judging other people by your starting place. The measure you use for others God promises he will use for you. And Jesus is saying, yes, you wicked sinners need to stop living like pigs, and come home, where being a slave is better than where you are. And if you do this, the Father is going to run and he is going to dress you and he is going to throw a feast for you. But more importantly, Jesus is saying some of you have had all the benefits of a Christian culture, and a Christian family, and have been blessed in a multitude of ways. Part of your repentance is to come into the feast, welcome the latecomers without all the benefits, and celebrate with them. Some of you need to give up all your right ideas about God and theology and stop correcting other people's fine points of doctrine, and you need to meet the Most Relational Being in the Universe, who is sitting in the back of your church. Being right about a God according to a system is not a replacement for a relationship with God. Some of you need to come back to the God of Revival. Your prayer meetings, and fixation on unity to make God do something, and trying to repent for every sin ever committed in the past has kept you from knowing the Father. And you may be doing it all perfectly, but you have never walked into your inheritance. The Father has given you his inheritance. He has given you the Holy Spirit as a downpayment, and he has given you the True Bread from Heaven, Jesus. You have all you need, and the Father says come. Come unto me. Come unto me. Let me be your Father. I want to know you. Jesus was telling this story to the Pharisees, and he reinforced it by telling them another story. The next parable is about the dishonest steward: who did what the tax collectors were doing, changing all the bills for their own benefit. And Jesus praises them. And Jesus ends this episode with a telling statement: "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." (Luke 16:14) Context is everything. We are given an opportunity today to turn to the Lord before we celebrate the saving acts of God. God knows everything about you. God sees everything. We live in the illusion that if people do not see things God doesn't either. God sees the heart. And some of the greatest sin is in the church. I'm not talking about sex or porn. I am talking about self-righteousness. Are we judging others and making our views and our lifestyle the standard for others? Are we looking at other Christians and trying to point out their fine theological errors? Are we trusting in our own activity? Are we living in the past? Are we hard toward God and other people? Are we loving money? Have we embraced a theology of the strong that rewards gym memberships, financial statements, and self-achievement? There is this trend in the United States where people are digging around in the pasts of others and bringing down leaders. Somehow this is seen as some righteous act. And in the United States, Christian leaders are guilty and never proven innocent. This isn't about secret sin, this is a self-righteous witchhunt. No one can survive this level of scrutiny. Are you spreading stories of leaders thinking you are helping? Gossip is a form of witchcraft, a form of demonic prophecy. It kills everything God is doing. Are you spreading stories? God does not rejoice in the death of a sinner. The Father is here. The full inheritance is yours. The Kingdom is all about having a relationship with the Father and turning to the God of revival in honesty, humility, and as a community is the only path to real revival. I will arise and Go to my Father. The Father will run to meet you. This is the gospel. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published ### I will Arise and Go to My Father. URL: https://www.belonging.house/i-will-arise-and-go-to-my-father-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:44.000Z I will Arise and Go to My Father. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/c3fcb95a-199b-40a5-88c8-57ddd871a853_924x676-heic-1.jpg) James Tissot, *The Prodigal Son in Modern Times: The Return.* Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis Sunday we turn a corner toward the Passover of the Lord. The fourth Sunday in Lent marks the week when those who were asked to leave the church over issues of sin were allowed back into the fellowship. And the name of this Sunday, Laetare means rejoicing. There is rejoicing in heaven whenever one sinner returns to the Lord. This Sunday is about repentance. As it says in Hosea: Come, let us return to the Lord who has stricken us, and he will heal us, and on the third day he will raise us up. We are back to this word we never leave: Shuv. The act of returning to God in Hebrew is Teshuva, and the root of this is Shuv, return. Return to me. A few years ago I recorded a video where I explained that many people want the fruit of revival and not the God of revival and so no revival happens. You cannot understand Shuv, unless you understand that all Hebrew verbs are directional and relational. So you turn toward Someone, not away from Sin but toward God. The object of the verb matters. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is probably the most well known of all the stories Jesus told. And this is dangerous because we think we know what we are talking about. We think we know what's there, and we think we know what the story is about. This story is about a selfish son, who demands his inheritance, and he goes and runs off and gets into sex, drugs, and rock and roll and he blows the money. And then the father receives him back and kills the fatted calf. And we are all that son, and we are all in need of returning to the Father. But that is only one part of the story. This is not the story of a prodigal son. This is about the Kingdom, not the experience of getting saved. And the second part of repentance after turning to God is Metanoia, Having your thinking changed. A lot of us change our behavior, but we do not change our thinking. And because of this, we never experience the fullness of what God has for us. In order to understand this story, we need to begin a page earlier at the end of Luke, Chapter 13. Jesus has announced that he is now on his way to Jerusalem and that he must die there like all the prophets. On the Shabbat, he goes to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees. And he taught them and healed, and talked about the Kingdom. And honestly, he challenged them about how they said some people were more valuable than others because of rank or class. He challenged their belief that they have to do things to make God happy. He challenged them about their obsession with money. Then Jesus left, and great multitudes followed him. And it is clear, he went from the fancy dinner with the Pharisees and scribes, and then began to eat with the sinners and the tax collectors. And the Pharisees and scribes began to gossip and talk behind his back, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." In response, Luke 15, Jesus teaches three of his most well known parables. The parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the story of the prodigal son. But this story is not about the son. And Jesus tells us it is not about the son, because the story begins "A man had two sons." A man. This is the story of a father. And the younger son, who we think is the bad boy, goes to his father, and asks for his inheritance. We forget that the young man is saying, "Dad, I wish you were dead so I could have all my inheritance." And the Father is a sensitive and tender soul who does not want to lose his son. He grants the wish. The Father divides his property between the two sons, equally. And the turn of this story is how the two sons respond to receive their full inheritance. This is a very important detail. Both sons get their inheritance. Let me say that again, because I don't think I have ever heard it mentioned. Both sons get their inheritance. And the Father, with no property, and no work, goes and waits for the one son to return. The Father is broken hearted. As we know, the younger son eventually comes to his senses. And desides to Shuv: To return to the Father. He has a change of thinking, and his suffering cures his narcissism, and he becomes willing to be a slave in his father's house. And the Father, who is sitting on his roof looking toward the road where his son left, sees his son in the distance. It is not about property, it is not about disobedience. It is about having a relationship. The Father wants to have a relationship with his son. And so the Father runs and goes and meets him. And he takes this son who by the world's standards is a scoundrel and a failure, and he makes him a conquering hero. There is something heroic in embracing an honest revelation of our lies. There is something heroic in receiving the gift of repentance. And we have the feast, with a fatted calf. Now remember, the Father has two sons. And he has no property. That calf belonged to the older son. And the older son, well he received his inheritance at the beginning of the story. And yet, he didn't celebrate. He worked harder. And it is clear, he was angry and resentful toward his brother who left, not just with half the property, but left him with all the work. And he is pretty resentful toward his dad as well. Notice that the father is all alone. And the older son refuses to come to the celebration. He's mad at everybody. And the son says to his father. I have kept all the rules, perfectly. I have done all the work. And you have never even given me just a little to have a party with my friends. (Now remember, he has received all his inheritance.) And now you are throwing a party for my rotten brother. And the Father says, You are always with me. Everything I have is yours. You are always with me. Everything I have is yours. You are always with me. Everything I have is yours. The older son, even though he got the better inheritance was an orphan. And because he was an orphan, he could not rejoice over the return of his brother. He could not embrace the lavishness of the father. The orphan says, it all depends on me, and if there was all the money in the world there would still not be enough. This is all about the Kingdom. Jesus has laid bare the reality that the scribes and Pharisees are doing everything they can to bring the Kingdom of God and now that it is here they are not interested. I remember when I first went to Boston, and I was at a prayer meeting and people were crying out for God to send leaders to Boston to lead. And I went up to the person leading afterward and said, God just moved me here and I think I might be the answer to your prayer. She looked me up and down and said, "No thanks." Jesus had just come from dinner with the leaders. They had received the full inheritance. They had the first opportunity to be with Jesus, and instead of celebrating, they argued and challenged him. We want a Messiah, but not this one. And so Jesus left, and he ate with the multitudes. How much do you want to bet, that dinner with the tax collectors and sinners was not kosher? Billy Joel once sang that he would rather live with the sinners than die with the saints, the sinners are much more fun. And those sinners wanted to be with Jesus and they wanted to come back to the Father. And Jesus said if you want to come with me you have to die. And so they came and he ate with them. If you have seen Jesus you have seen the Father. This is the gospel. This isn't a message for the unsaved today. This is a message for the believer. It might shock you, but you are probably not right. Most of the people who come to me and challenge me begin by assuming that they are right and I need to be corrected. That's fine, but there is great danger in judging other people by your starting place. The measure you use for others God promises he will use for you. And Jesus is saying, yes, you wicked sinners need to stop living like pigs, and come home, where being a slave is better than where you are. And if you do this, the Father is going to run and he is going to dress you and he is going to throw a feast for you. But more importantly, Jesus is saying some of you have had all the benefits of a Christian culture, and a Christian family, and have been blessed in a multitude of ways. Part of your repentance is to come into the feast, welcome the latecomers without all the benefits, and celebrate with them. Some of you need to give up all your right ideas about God and theology and stop correcting other people's fine points of doctrine, and you need to meet the Most Relational Being in the Universe, who is sitting in the back of your church. Being right about a God according to a system is not a replacement for a relationship with God. Some of you need to come back to the God of Revival. Your prayer meetings, and fixation on unity to make God do something, and trying to repent for every sin ever committed in the past has kept you from knowing the Father. And you may be doing it all perfectly, but you have never walked into your inheritance. The Father has given you his inheritance. He has given you the Holy Spirit as a downpayment, and he has given you the True Bread from Heaven, Jesus. You have all you need, and the Father says come. Come unto me. Come unto me. Let me be your Father. I want to know you. Jesus was telling this story to the Pharisees, and he reinforced it by telling them another story. The next parable is about the dishonest steward: who did what the tax collectors were doing, changing all the bills for their own benefit. And Jesus praises them. And Jesus ends this episode with a telling statement: "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." (Luke 16:14) Context is everything. We are given an opportunity today to turn to the Lord before we celebrate the saving acts of God. God knows everything about you. God sees everything. We live in the illusion that if people do not see things God doesn't either. God sees the heart. And some of the greatest sin is in the church. I'm not talking about sex or porn. I am talking about self-righteousness. Are we judging others and making our views and our lifestyle the standard for others? Are we looking at other Christians and trying to point out their fine theological errors? Are we trusting in our own activity? Are we living in the past? Are we hard toward God and other people? Are we loving money? Have we embraced a theology of the strong that rewards gym memberships, financial statements, and self-achievement? There is this trend in the United States where people are digging around in the pasts of others and bringing down leaders. Somehow this is seen as some righteous act. And in the United States, Christian leaders are guilty and never proven innocent. This isn't about secret sin, this is a self-righteous witchhunt. No one can survive this level of scrutiny. Are you spreading stories of leaders thinking you are helping? Gossip is a form of witchcraft, a form of demonic prophecy. It kills everything God is doing. Are you spreading stories? God does not rejoice in the death of a sinner. The Father is here. The full inheritance is yours. The Kingdom is all about having a relationship with the Father and turning to the God of revival in honesty, humility, and as a community is the only path to real revival. I will arise and Go to my Father. The Father will run to meet you. This is the gospel. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published ### Coming Under the Belonging House Roof URL: https://www.belonging.house/coming-under-the-belonging-house/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:28.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. Last week I shared about the one hundred and twenty. After sending out the 120, Jesus sent out another group. This group was closer to Jesus and were given the commission to go with nothing, and preach the Kingdom. **Seventy-two is six times twelve,** some Bibles say seventy, but I think it was seventy-two. This is humanity coming into the Kingdom. This is the mission of human beings to be the vehicle for the Kingdom of God **on the earth.** The seventy-two were just that, they were the **living embodiment** of the Kingdom of God on the earth. And Jesus said that he saw "Satan fall like lightning" because of their work. When you get close to the Kingdom, you experience the intensity of the battle. You discover that you are **now in a war** and you need someone standing next to you. This is why our calling to artists is a call to **raise up an army**. An army is disciplined, and is committed to solid core values. Seth Godin described a shared culture this way: "People like us do things like this." If you are in the trenches, you want to know the person next to you is as committed as you, there is safety and support in a common set of values and behaviors. You cannot do it alone, but you also can't do it without some **solid holy habits.** Many Christians are like a blowtorch that has been turned on all the way. There is a bright yellow flame, but it goes all over the place and it is ineffective, wild, and wasteful. It can set things on fire, but it can't do much else. When you tighten that nob on the blowtorch, the flame changes color, and suddenly, you have a tool that can cut steel. Making the Belonging House commitment is about becoming a little copy of Jesus the Master Copy of the Father. We ask those who come under the Belonging House roof to make the following commitment: Agree to our "[12 I wills.](https://belonginghouse.substack.com/p/our-commitment)" We also ask that you read the [daily gospel ](https://universalis.com/mass.htm?ref=belonging.house)every day and take time to listen to God. Pray for Belonging House regularly. Form or become part of a small group of artists. [Fast](https://methodistprayer.org/wesleyfast?ref=belonging.house) one day a week, traditionally on Fridays. Support Belonging House financially. (If the hotlinks are missing, you can find the details here: https://belonginghouse.substack.com/p/our-commitment) Beginning April 1, our [Mighty Network](https://belonging-house.mn.co/?ref=belonging.house) community will become a closed group for those who have made the Belonging House commitment. We will be creating content and opportunities for those who have come under the Belonging House roof. Those who make this commitment are core to our life and mission. This is part of putting a door on the house, and we hope this will make our community stronger. [Yes, I want to join the 72!](https://belonging-house.mn.co/share/HjIDhis2OirTPR6r?ref=belonging.house) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedNext week, we will talk about the Twelve, those who were entrusted with the core message. He Never Fails, Christ *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Presence URL: https://www.belonging.house/presence/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:16.000Z God with us. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Presence URL: https://www.belonging.house/presence-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:47.000Z God with us. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Reality vs. Unreality. URL: https://www.belonging.house/reality-vs-unreality/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:16.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMoving from unreality to reality. This week I read an article that said the most important discussion that needs to happen today concerns what is real. With the rise of AI and Deep fake reality, and virtual reality, the question many are asking is what makes something real. This is not a new question. Just because something is on a screen does not make it real. If the power goes out all your online world vanishes. The process of healing and being transformed is a constant movement from unreality to the True. We are called out of the realm of illusions and into the solid world, the world that God intended for us. This movement is a healing of our memories, our emotions and soul, and our bodies. I have seen so many physical healings take place when we get our souls healed, that I think this is central to the process of healing. This week I want to talk about moving from illusion to reality. Deuteronomy 30:19 says this: I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days. It is life and death. Of course, the history of Israel shows us they did not choose life. In fact, it is almost impossible to go against the flow of death in this world. We fail. We make mistakes. We miss the mark. We turn to the darkness and willfully rebel. And so after we remove the obstacles to healing, the next thing we need to do is begin the healing process. We have to deal with sin. Sin is unreality. It is not a creative thing. It is always a destructive thing, and it always costs us. Sin holds us back, and keeps us from moving forward, or moving in a straight line. Sin is an outward manifestation of an internal problem. This problem could bean unhealed hurt. It could be the result of trauma. But most of the time Sin the is the by-product of being disconnected with God. The original sin in Eden was the violating and breaking of a relationship. And it did not take long for someone to commit murder. This is why the most important part of dealing with sin and getting healed is learning how to stay in contact with God. Unlike the things we mentioned before, Sin is not an obstacle to healing. Sin is a barrier between you and God. Religious thinking says that God is the one who put up the barrier, but in reality, the barrier is on our side. And in order to deal with this we are given three tools. Unfortunately, two of these tools are mis translated in our Bibles, so we are not experiencing the fullness of what we are promised in the New Testament. Two of these words are translated "repentance." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Reality vs. Unreality. URL: https://www.belonging.house/reality-vs-unreality-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:48.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMoving from unreality to reality. This week I read an article that said the most important discussion that needs to happen today concerns what is real. With the rise of AI and Deep fake reality, and virtual reality, the question many are asking is what makes something real. This is not a new question. Just because something is on a screen does not make it real. If the power goes out all your online world vanishes. The process of healing and being transformed is a constant movement from unreality to the True. We are called out of the realm of illusions and into the solid world, the world that God intended for us. This movement is a healing of our memories, our emotions and soul, and our bodies. I have seen so many physical healings take place when we get our souls healed, that I think this is central to the process of healing. This week I want to talk about moving from illusion to reality. Deuteronomy 30:19 says this: I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days. It is life and death. Of course, the history of Israel shows us they did not choose life. In fact, it is almost impossible to go against the flow of death in this world. We fail. We make mistakes. We miss the mark. We turn to the darkness and willfully rebel. And so after we remove the obstacles to healing, the next thing we need to do is begin the healing process. We have to deal with sin. Sin is unreality. It is not a creative thing. It is always a destructive thing, and it always costs us. Sin holds us back, and keeps us from moving forward, or moving in a straight line. Sin is an outward manifestation of an internal problem. This problem could bean unhealed hurt. It could be the result of trauma. But most of the time Sin the is the by-product of being disconnected with God. The original sin in Eden was the violating and breaking of a relationship. And it did not take long for someone to commit murder. This is why the most important part of dealing with sin and getting healed is learning how to stay in contact with God. Unlike the things we mentioned before, Sin is not an obstacle to healing. Sin is a barrier between you and God. Religious thinking says that God is the one who put up the barrier, but in reality, the barrier is on our side. And in order to deal with this we are given three tools. Unfortunately, two of these tools are mis translated in our Bibles, so we are not experiencing the fullness of what we are promised in the New Testament. Two of these words are translated "repentance." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Don't Be Deeply Weird. URL: https://www.belonging.house/dont-be-deeply-weird/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:17.000Z Don't Be Deeply Weird. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3fc2f7cd-6c63-4f17-936e-887b4b23a875_1400x1400-heic.jpg) This week I am experimenting with the podcast feature of Substack. Feel free to try the “Transcript” feature. Thanks. --- You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto You can view Belonging House Books here: [https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse](https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse?ref=belonging.house) Jay Ayliff's teaching on the word Leitourgeo: Nick Cave's blog:[https://www.theredhandfiles.com/what-does-it-take-to-be-free/](https://www.theredhandfiles.com/what-does-it-take-to-be-free/?ref=belonging.house) My book Very God is here: https://a.co/d/07LeXYh ### Don't Be Deeply Weird. URL: https://www.belonging.house/dont-be-deeply-weird-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:48.000Z Don't Be Deeply Weird. 0:00 /200 1× ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/3fc2f7cd-6c63-4f17-936e-887b4b23a875_1400x1400-heic-1.jpg) This week I am experimenting with the podcast feature of Substack. Feel free to try the “Transcript” feature. Thanks. --- You can get our Friday email at https://belonginghouse.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto You can view Belonging House Books here: [https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse](https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse?ref=belonging.house) Jay Ayliff's teaching on the word Leitourgeo: Nick Cave's blog:[https://www.theredhandfiles.com/what-does-it-take-to-be-free/](https://www.theredhandfiles.com/what-does-it-take-to-be-free/?ref=belonging.house) My book Very God is here: https://a.co/d/07LeXYh ### And the Holy Spirit Came URL: https://www.belonging.house/and-the-holy-spirit-came/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:28.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. When you really read the gospels you discover a lot of things that bend our conventional understanding. There is evidence Jesus preached in Greek, lived among Gentiles, and had a very complex community around him. There was a band of wealthy women who followed Jesus and paid for all his needs. Jesus had a house that he returned to. Jesus had a guest room near Jerusalem. **Jesus had a "school of ministry."** We wouldn't call it that, but Jesus took one hundred and twenty out of the crowd and that group **he released** to go out heal the sick, preach the kingdom, and cast out demons. And if you are Jewish, **120 is a meaningful number.** It is the government of man, 10, multiplied by the Kingdom of God, 12. **It is heaven invading earth.** For Belonging House, the One Hundred and Twenty is our larger body of subscribers, both free and paid, on Substack, the Friday email and various media platforms. **You resonate with my message,** and our call to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. I measure our progress by the number of subscribers. You, my friend are very important to my life and work. Thanks. There are no prerequisites to become a subscriber. You do not have to be an artist, a baptized Christian, or align with our core beliefs. I am grateful you take the time to read, and also support our work. Thanks for opening, reading, and sharing my work. And out of our subscribers, we have friends who join us for prayer. We have friends who build relationships, and we have friends who make a deeper commitment. And that deeper commitment is coming under the Belonging House roof. The One Hundred and Twenty were very important. In Acts, it says they gathered in one place and waited for the promise of the Father. The One Hundred and Twenty were the ones there on the day of Pentecost. It was to them that the Holy Spirit came. Holy Spirit, we ask you to visit every person who reads my Friday emails. Move among us and produce a mighty Christian revolution, and cast the fear of the unknown out of our lives. He Never Fails, Christ --- *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes longer essays at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co Thanks for reading Belonging House Friday Email! This post is public so feel free to share it. ### Covenant URL: https://www.belonging.house/covenant/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:19.000Z Eating and Drinking in the Presence of God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Covenant URL: https://www.belonging.house/covenant-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:52.000Z Eating and Drinking in the Presence of God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Monoculture. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-monoculture/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:19.000Z We are all disciples of the Internet. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Monoculture. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-monoculture-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:52.000Z We are all disciples of the Internet. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### A cutting from the Glastonbury Thorn. URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-cutting-from-the-glastonbury-thorn/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:20.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### A cutting from the Glastonbury Thorn. URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-cutting-from-the-glastonbury-thorn-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:53.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Blessed are the Cheesemakers. URL: https://www.belonging.house/blessed-are-the-cheesemakers/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:28.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. One of the funniest moments in a Monty Python film is from the *Life of Brian*. For full disclosure, I couldn't watch the whole thing. There is a group of people and they are on the last row of the Sermon on the Mount. People are talking, and others are trying to hear what Jesus is saying. One person pokes someone and asks: "What did he say?" His friend replies, **"Blessed are the CHEESE-makers!"** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/2aed5e60-8d61-4332-b84b-bd136dade722_498x281-heic.jpg) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWhenever you do something that raises a ruckus, you attract a crowd. I've experienced two viral events since Belonging House started. And you soon receive feedback and discover although folks are attracted to the activity, they really **have no idea** what you are talking about. People in the **Multitude** are the casual persons who pass by and stop to see what all the fuss is about. **There is no commitment.** They are the ones who are given a book, and may or may not read it. They are the ones who saw you online, or heard about you from a friend. They are the ones who mispronounce your name and think you have a "messiah-complex." Jesus never sent the multitudes away. **The multitude is a good thing,** because out of the crowd comes the curious. And out of the curious comes the committed. Many folks in the arts and creative professions focus on the multitude. This is the email blast, and the spam. This is the commercial that interrupts your favorite movie right at the good part, and the junk mail in the post. Capturing the multitude **not a good return on your investment.** In Belonging House the multitude is the outward face of our community, and these are largely men and women who enjoy my teaching, and books, casually glance at something I posted online, and our online presence. They are not subscribers, and they may never become part of our community. If you subscribe to this email, you are not the multitude. **And I am grateful.** Jesus did not put his trust in the crowd. The same people who thought he said "blessed are the cheesemakers," eventually cried "Crucify." Next week we will be talking about the one hundred and twenty. He Never Fails, Christ *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* **You can support us at** buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto **Belonging House has a bookshop!** https://bookshop.org/shop/belonginghouse **We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network.** https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Eat My Flesh URL: https://www.belonging.house/eat-my-flesh/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:21.000Z What Jesus was saying. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Eat My Flesh URL: https://www.belonging.house/eat-my-flesh-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:41:57.000Z What Jesus was saying. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### We want to lead artists to Jesus. URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-want-to-lead-artists-to-jesus/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:25.000Z A message on our fifth anniversary on Zoom. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### We want to lead artists to Jesus. URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-want-to-lead-artists-to-jesus-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:01.000Z A message on our fifth anniversary on Zoom. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I'm not a joiner. URL: https://www.belonging.house/im-not-a-joiner/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:29.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. It's hard to believe that this Belonging House experiment **has been going on for twenty years.** What started with three people having dinner in my apartment in Akron, Ohio has become over 800 people in 35 countries. It's like a good stock. Slow, with ups and downs **but continuous long term growth.** Twenty years ago, I worked with another artist in a corporate job. And whenever we were forced to do group activities, my friend would respond, **"No thanks, I am not a joiner."** A lot of artists, especially those who came of age in the 1960's and 1970's have this attitude. And because I surround myself with a lot of artists, I have chosen not to make membership in the organization a priority. Instead I focused on creating a culture. People like us **do things like this.** Jesus modeled for us a healthy way of having boundaries in his ministry. There were the multitudes, the one hundred and twenty, the seventy-two, and the twelve. And out of the twelve he chose three who would become his future leaders. And only one was entrusted with training the next generation. We have been aware of the need for more structure in Belonging House for some time. A number of people have been hurt because of the lack of boundaries, and generally, those who do not share our core values and mission often demand more time and energy than those who do. And sadly, those who do not align with the mission hurt me hurt others and get hurt because **they are in the wrong tribe**. Belonging House was created to provide a place to belong for those who are called to our core mission: Raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. That means being a disciple in the arts to shape and transform culture. When we do this, **we disciple nations.** During Lent I am going to be talking about these groups in our community: the multitudes, the one hundred and twenty, and the seventy-two. Beth Charashim, The House of Artisans, our Sunday church is the Twelve. and I am taking these Sundays to talk about where we came from and why we are unaffiliated, but not independent. My hope is, we will create a stronger **place to Belong.** He Never Fails, Christ *Belonging House International is a community of artists and creative people called to build Jesus a throne in the earth. In other words, we make disciples who will disciple the nations in the world of creativity.* Christ John Otto writes at https://christjohnotto.substack.com You can support us at buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto We have a community for those who have made the Belonging House Commitment on Mighty Network. https://belonging-house.mn.co ### Sign URL: https://www.belonging.house/sign/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:27.000Z It's right in front of you. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Sign URL: https://www.belonging.house/sign-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:04.000Z It's right in front of you. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### And we're back on Substack. URL: https://www.belonging.house/and-were-back-on-substack/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:29.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThank you for your prayers. There is an old "preacher story" about a city man visiting a successful farm in the country. The city slicker said to the farmer: "Wow, God sure blessed you with a wonderful farm." The farmer wryly replied: "You should have seen it when God had it without me." I have been "living by faith" *a la* George Muller for over eighteen years. I don't discuss it as much as I once did. I live by faith to do what I do. I don't live by faith **to live by faith.** I have a purpose: to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. **I make disciples** who are called to shape and transform culture. And lately I have been reminded that outside our merry band, folks still do not understand why making Christian disciples in the arts matters. I have to tell the story more effectively, and to a bigger audience. And so, I am back on *Substack*, because my target audience hangs out here. Your inner life **determines your creative output.** And I would also argue, the inner life of our civilization manifests the same way. A big part of my work **is telling the story,** and I have been through about ten platforms that I use for storytelling. Email has become marketing and not content. I loved publishing on Ghost, and for the first time the Friday email really looked like what I wanted to publish. But we were losing subscribers and money. Bummer. And so my Friday emails are being pruned weeded, and hopefully heading into a fruitful spring. Faith requires making decisions **and being wise.** Sometimes in your walk with God you have to make choices and decisions. And they all require wisdom. I have to bring all my decisions to God and ask for his perspective. Never go forward without the Lord's guidance. And so, I am back to *Substack*. There are more changes ahead as we lay a new foundation for Belonging House: More details in March. In the meantime, you can still join us for prayer and worship. You can still listen to my [Sunday teaching](https://www.youtube.com/@belonginghouse?ref=belonging.house). You can still [help out](https://buy.stripe.com/6oE9EG6ObfnF2nSbII?ref=belonging.house) as the Lord moves you. Thanks for being part of our successful garden. He Never Fails, Christ ### Symbol URL: https://www.belonging.house/symbol/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:29.000Z Signs of the Kingdom. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Symbol URL: https://www.belonging.house/symbol-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:08.000Z Signs of the Kingdom. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Coming soon URL: https://www.belonging.house/coming-soon-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-26T17:30:54.000Z This is Belonging House Friday Email. [Subscribe now](https://belonginghouse.substack.com/subscribe) ### Be Different URL: https://www.belonging.house/be-different/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:31.000Z Thank you for your prayers. When you create a culture that **means you are doing something different.** Sadly, we have come through a time in history where being different has been squashed. **Cultural institutions** **have been highjacked** **to disciple the nations** **in a school of lies.** We are called to do something different, and that means being different. I get a lot of emails from people saying that my Bible teaching is **different**. The stew of my teaching isn't "made from a mix." **It is artisan stew.** I tell them I had eight years of excellent training in Bible, ancient languages, good theology, brilliant pastoral care and liturgical training, nearly thirty years of practical experience, a side hustle as a professional artist and musician, and a bit of Jewish DNA. I pray often. I listen to God. I am in my Bible all the time. All that goes into my artisan stew, and **that's why it tastes so good.** Belonging House is different because we pray in the spirit every day for fifteen minutes. Our core group reads the daily Gospel and knows the sound of the voice of Jesus. We bless the new moon every month. We gather to receive Holy Communion. We forgive and keep our accounts short. We have many people who pray for Belonging House daily. And we encourage people to be well-grounded and professional, not just be prophetic and arty, A professional gets up every morning, regardless of feelings **and shows up** **and does the work.** And hopefully, if you are a Christian, you work unto the Lord-- in other words, you do good work. That's the point. We aren't going to lead a spiritual awakening in the arts if we are sloppy and lazy. We aren't going to lead a cultural revolution if we are as naïve and uninformed as our tired overlords. You have to know your Bible, and how to rightly understand it, and know your craft. Like I said, **we let unbelievers disciple the nations** **for a generation** and we went along. A number of Christian leaders in the arts bought into this scam so that they could get credentials, grant money, and book deals. It's been a disaster. Are you ready to join a real army of wide awake artists and creative people who are different? Are you ready to be a bold disciple in the arts and creative world for Jesus? We are recruiting. He Never Fails, ![Be Different](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/28d11233-22a1-453d-8391-12e00f921486_125x92-jpeg.jpg) #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) [You can give to support this email here.](#/portal/support) ### Remember URL: https://www.belonging.house/remember/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:30.000Z It is in the doing that remembering happens. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Remember URL: https://www.belonging.house/remember-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:12.000Z It is in the doing that remembering happens. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Heart of Blessing URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-heart-of-blessing/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:31.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Heart of Blessing URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-heart-of-blessing-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:12.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Door on the House URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-door-on-the-house/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:32.000Z Thank you for your prayers. Because we have never had a physical house, we have never had a physical door. Ghandi once said that he liked to keep an open mind, but that "he did not let people walk through his open mind with their dirty feet." **We didn't have a doormat either.** I used to work for a very controlling denomination. And our core group of artists in the first few years was made up of people who were "done." They were burned out and "done with church." Oddly, my relaxed Anglo-Catholic spirituality felt like freedom to these folks who were used to programs. **We prayed together** **and ate together,** but we didn't really have structure, rules, and "membership." The time came when that became a problem, and we have had a number of folks who thought my relaxed attitude was weakness and they tried to burn the house down. **Funny how none of them were artists.** A lot of the stuff we see in church, like **gossip**, backbiting, and turf wars, come from the belief that church is a game-- a leisure activity. **The Kingdom is life and death,** **not a game.** In Zechariah, God shows us a global army of artisans **who will overcome** in an age of discouragement for God's people. And the vision ends with Jerusalem being surrounded by a wall of fire and the glory of God within. A wall of fire is dangerous and scary, because we need safety inside. **Our house,** **is called to be a place of safety and protection** **for those who are called to the dangerous world of the arts.** I have seen more people lose their souls in the arts than anyplace else. Satan hates you. Belonging House is called to make a place for **these holy artists to belong.** In order to do this, in March we are beginning to put structures in place that many have resisted in the past. **There will be a membership requirement** **to be part of the Mighty Network Community,** **and a membership process to join our church,** **The House of Artisans.** The purpose is to make this house a home for those who are called to make a way for the coming of the Lord. This is going to be a welcoming door, and many of you who read my Friday emails **already meet the qualifications** to enter. In March I will share the details. **It is time to get ready to lead** **in a cultural awakening.** He Never Fails, ![The Door on the House](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/4c76179a-dec5-4fe9-9657-4d992c59c250_125x92-jpeg.jpg) **Update on the House** As you know, I am taking steps to acquire a physical house to serve as our **international headquarters**. This week I filed papers with the state of New Hampshire to establish "Belonging House International" here. We sent a proposal to the owner of the house, and contacted the Mayor of Manchester, NH about attracting Christian artists here. One day, and step, at a time. #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) [You can help keep this going here.](#/portal/support) ### Sacrifice URL: https://www.belonging.house/sacrifice/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:33.000Z Getting close to God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Sacrifice URL: https://www.belonging.house/sacrifice-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:16.000Z Getting close to God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### I'm looking for a house for our community. URL: https://www.belonging.house/im-looking-for-a-house-for-our-community/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T16:39:59.000Z This was the first announcement. Something more slick is coming. ### I'm looking for a house for our community. URL: https://www.belonging.house/im-looking-for-a-house-for-our-community-2/ Last updated: 2025-02-10T16:39:59.000Z This was the first announcement. Something more slick is coming. ### Dynamic Grace URL: https://www.belonging.house/dynamic-grace/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:35.000Z An Adequate Definition. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Dynamic Grace URL: https://www.belonging.house/dynamic-grace-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:20.000Z An Adequate Definition. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Pray for a house. URL: https://www.belonging.house/pray-for-a-house/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:32.000Z It was an average morning, and I was driving to work. In those days, I began my day with a question: "Lord, what do you want me to do today?" **"I want you to start praying for a house."** That was sometime in the summer of 2005. I didn't even write it in my journal. Six months later, that prayer began to get real. God asked me to quit my job, and start living by faith. And a few months after that, my friend Vinny Difilippo, a successful artist and toy designer, gave me a prophetic word **that I was going to do something** **special with artists.** The rest, as they say, is history. I learned a long time ago not to tell people that I wanted a house for artists. They immediately either thought I was a wild eyed dreamer, a L'abri wannabe, or a hippy. I hate lentils. **Honestly,** **the fact we have prayed for a house for 20 years** **is a bit mind-blowing.** The house we prayed for has turned out to be a **real movement** of artists and creative people looking for a city not made with hands. In twenty years I learned who I was, that what I was doing was valuable, and I tried to create a place for artists and creative people to belong. If we had gotten the house in Akron, we would have **become servants of the house**, rather than have a house to serve our calling. The house was about the Friday emails, fabulous dinner parties, twelve books, daily prayer, and a lot of transformed lives--including mine. A few years ago, I let go of the dream. When you let go of a dream it often comes back and surprises you. **Right now I need some help before we can start receiving money.** I need a few key board members, help with our online community, and folks who can help put financial and legal structures in place. Thanks for reading an extra email from me this week, for your prayers, and for walking with me on this great adventure. **If you are interested in helping out,** **shoot me an email at** [**belonginghouse@tuta.com**](mailto:belonginghouse@tuta.com)**.** He Never Fails, ### Hidden in Plain Sight. URL: https://www.belonging.house/hidden-in-plain-sight-eb4/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:36.000Z Do not miss the day of your visitation. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Hidden in Plain Sight. URL: https://www.belonging.house/hidden-in-plain-sight-eb4-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:21.000Z Do not miss the day of your visitation. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Answers URL: https://www.belonging.house/answers/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:38.000Z More on the Holy Communion. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Answers URL: https://www.belonging.house/answers-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:25.000Z More on the Holy Communion. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Sacrament of Scripture URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-sacrament-of-scripture/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:39.000Z The Bible is a Means of Grace _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Sacrament of Scripture URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-sacrament-of-scripture-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:26.000Z The Bible is a Means of Grace _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Metanoia URL: https://www.belonging.house/metanoia/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:41.000Z Understanding Repentance, part 2. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Metanoia URL: https://www.belonging.house/metanoia-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:30.000Z Understanding Repentance, part 2. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Return URL: https://www.belonging.house/return/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:44.000Z Understanding Repentance. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Return URL: https://www.belonging.house/return-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:34.000Z Understanding Repentance. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Kingdom is a Symbolic Kingdom URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-kingdom-is-a-symbolic-kingdom/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:44.000Z Unpacking the Sacramental Principle, Part 1 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Kingdom is a Symbolic Kingdom URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-kingdom-is-a-symbolic-kingdom-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:34.000Z Unpacking the Sacramental Principle, Part 1 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Rebuild URL: https://www.belonging.house/rebuild/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:32.000Z Thank you for your prayers. Can you feel the cultural wind shifting? The folks who controlled the conversation and determined the cultural questions are on the run. **This is the end of the generation of the Sons of Eli,** **and the emerging Generation of David.** I knew this day was coming, because you can only hide behind a smoke screen of moral and intellectual superiority for so long. Eventually **the cultural tree begins to bear fruit.** I have been digging down to the bedrock of the Kingdom of God to **find the footing** for an emerging army of artists. I came back to the U.S. to sort out a few administrative problems. I discovered that I didn't need to fix, I needed to **rebuild**. The past few weeks have been spent praying, asking friends questions, and reading. In the midst of this, the opportunity to buy a house appeared, and this also changed my focus. Last week, God began talking to me about the next forty years: And how we will need to rebuild the cultural foundations that have been devastated. Belonging House is not about me, or my personal brand, or even my books and teaching. It's about raising up a place in the earth the reflects the culture of heaven. And the best way to do this is the way that has always been the best, tell stories, write songs, paint pictures, create signs and wonders. **This is how you create culture.** Sadly, Christian leaders are already committed to the stuff that is collapsing. [They are thirty years behind the culture](https://a.co/d/aJISFbb?ref=belonginghouse.org), and this change is happening very fast. We have to get ahead of the shift. In the next few weeks we will be **launching a new non-profit**. We will begin putting in place the structures to disciple and provide pastoral care for an army of artists who are called to a task a lot like Ezra and Nehemiah, who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. We are going to establish a **system of membership** for our community, so that we can provide a safe home for those who are called to our core mission, without distractions. We are going to **establish a fund** to help emerging artists get started, and also provide help with healthcare. And we are going to **create the hub** that will make it easier for me to travel the world without fear that I won't have a place to go home to. And of course, we **will keep creating resources** and make this open source media company viable. The David generation is on the horizon. He Never Fails, [Help support the rebuild.](#/portal/support) #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) [![Rebuild](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/6090618e-04e1-4d24-b1e3-27343d9936e7_214x60.png)](buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto) ### The Pendulum URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-pendulum/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:33.000Z Thank you for your prayers. Culture is my business. **Culture** **is sometimes described as a pendulum.** Although many folks want to put everything on a "left vs. right" political spectrum, the cultural pendulum is a lot bigger than that. **Politics follow culture.** Culture swings from one kind of excess to another, and generally the force of gravity keeps things somewhere near the cultural center. The pendulum swings from libertine to puritan, from freedom to tyranny, from excess to simplicity. But throughout Western Civilization, most of the time **the pendulum stays somewhere in the center**. I've been in ministry for thirty-two years, and experienced my first inkling of a call forty years ago, May 1985. **You see a lot in forty years.** The last time the cultural pendulum swung freely and naturally was in the 1980's. This was a response to the 1960's and 70's. For most people those were not happy times. In the 1990's a number of things happened that **upset the natural swing** of the cultural pendulum. One was the end of the Soviet era and the Cold War. Another was the beginning of the Internet age. And another can be symbolized by Bill Clinton, who came of age in the early 1970's and was old enough to be President in the 1990's. The folks of Bill's era seized the moment, and began propping the pendulum. **And not just propping it,** **they pushed it in one direction.** I have warned leaders in private that the cultural pendulum has been pushed and artificially held in place by social coercion, media, and institutions for a long time: About 25 years now. My warning was this: **when that pendulum breaks loose** **there will be a fury like nothing** **you have ever seen.** You know from physics, that every action delivers an equal but opposite reaction. And so, there has been energy building up for a quarter of a century against this artificial pressure. There are signs that the props are breaking. **Culture is my business.** I am called to raise up an army of artists and to build Jesus a throne in the earth. I am called to raise up people who will bring the culture of heaven: sound, light, color, values, and beauty, into a world on the edge of hell. I came back to the US after being in exile to sort out a few administrative problems. **It's become a total rebuild** **and reorganization.** More and more those words from Isaiah 61 are before us: **you will rebuild the ruined cities,** **and the places long devastated.** I'm praying in the fore-runners and the leaders. I'm praying in new board members, and start up funds, and looking for the physical hub for our global system of spokes. And of course, listening to God about our open-source media company. As the fury is unleashed, we have to seize the moment and lead, not respond. Over the next few weeks I want to talk about what this looks like. The best really is ahead. He Never Fails, [You can give to support us here.](#/portal/support) #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) ### The Point URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-point/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:45.000Z the substance of the Christian Life _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Point URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-point-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:35.000Z the substance of the Christian Life _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### New Year Flow URL: https://www.belonging.house/new-year-flow/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:33.000Z Thank you for your prayers, blessings on this ninth day of Christmas, and happy New Year. **My daily rhythm** **begins around five in the morning.** I make coffee, and then I open up my daily office, and read the daily scripture readings. And as I invite others to do, I focus my attention on the daily gospel reading. Many mornings I have to push through "static" and I have to ask God to show me heaven's perspective, and often I have to forgive someone, or I have to let go of anger over something. **Anger stops the flow of life.** Being a shepherd to a growing flock of artists requires a constant flow of the life of the Holy Spirit. I am learning that in order to receive, I have to make open space in my life. Sometimes open space means giving something away, letting go of a dream or desire, or releasing a person. Recently, I have done some hard letting go in order to make space that only God can fill. And the same is true for artists and creative people. Often we get **clogged up** with our dreams, desires, and ideas. I get a new idea about once an hour. You have to let them go. I write them down and I give them away. You cannot hold onto them. Ideas are just ideas, some are good, and some are bad. **No idea is precious.** And when you let go, forgive, release, or set free, you begin to sense the flow again. It is a new year, and many of us are faced with unanswered questions, and unbelievable challenges. And the only way you can get a new start **is to release the old season.** It's okay. **Things don't always go the way we hope.** Sometimes even a word from God, doesn't work out in the time frame or the circumstances we thought they would. Your hearing wasn't wrong-- there were things in the mix **that were outside of your control**. It's okay. Today, release the thing blocking your path. Put it in God's hands, and believe that he will work it out better than you can. And breathe deep the air from the **open space** in your life. God has more for you and can fill it in ways you never imagined. He Never Fails, [You can support me here.](#/portal/support) #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) ### Mystery URL: https://www.belonging.house/mystery/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:45.000Z The first chapter of Body: Where You Belong _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mystery URL: https://www.belonging.house/mystery-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:36.000Z The first chapter of Body: Where You Belong _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Life, Light, and Pressure URL: https://www.belonging.house/life-light-and-pressure/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:34.000Z Thanks for your prayers. This year the twelve days of Christmas symbolic of the Kingdom of God coming into the earth; and the eight days of Hanukkah, the feast of the Dedication of the Temple: a repeat of Sukkot, **the feast of God dwelling with us**, are happening at the same time. *The Lord whom you seek* *will suddenly come to his temple* *and he will purify the Sons of Levi.* *God is with us.* *The Word became flesh,* *the true light has come into the world.* *The light shines in the darkness,* *and the darkness cannot overcome it.* **This is also the last Friday of 2024.** Normally I write an email to recap the year, recount how much growth and increase has happened and share some of my hopes and dreams for Belonging House. 2024 was a year of intense pressure, challenges and changes in me. And as a great writer has said, **Your inner life determines your creative output.** [I wrote a book that is getting impressive reviews on Amazon](https://a.co/d/hELdcSJ?ref=belonginghouse.org). In 2006 God said "leave the old ministry model behind." And he would show us a new way to do ministry. Part of the new way is going **open source**. And some of the new way is finding a way to fund Belonging House that is not the old non-profit model and not commercial Christianity. **I have been on my knees** **crying out for wisdom.** Pressure changes you, and that change produces a new anointing, a new focus, and new fruit. **The fruit of the Spirit** **never goes bad.** One thing is really clear: **our culture has no leaders**. Recent events have revealed all the folks with "cred" in the Christian arts world aren't leading, but following. Once upon a time Christians did not respond to the culture, **they made it.** This year I am focusing my efforts on raising up forerunning tough artists who can go into crumbling institutions and systems and begin rebuilding. We are promised that the Kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. **We are called to build a throne for Jesus** in the earth, a place where he sits where he rests, and where he rules and reigns. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Blessed New Year. ![Life, Light, and Pressure](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/dd5d80db-c2f2-45f6-9292-cebf449c5588_125x92-jpeg.jpg) #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) [![Life, Light, and Pressure](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/bec1b1f9-d3fe-4222-bcdd-3d9f8ebdd7fe_214x60.png)](buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto) [You can invest in Belonging House here.](#/portal/support) ### The Life of the World to Come URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-life-of-the-world-to-come/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:45.000Z From Very God: An Artist Explores the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Life of the World to Come URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-life-of-the-world-to-come-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:36.000Z From Very God: An Artist Explores the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### glory to God in the highest. URL: https://www.belonging.house/glory-to-god-in-the-highest/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:34.000Z **Merry Christmas** The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. John 1:14 The Message. **Joyeux Nöel** Celui qui est la Parole est devenu homme et il a vécu parmi nous. Nous avons contemplé sa gloire, la gloire du Fils unique envoyé par son Père : plénitude de grâce et de vérité ! Jean 1:14 **Frohe Weinachten** Das Wort wurde Mensch und lebte unter uns. Wir selbst haben seine göttliche Herrlichkeit gesehen, eine Herrlichkeit, wie sie Gott nur seinem einzigen Sohn gibt. In ihm sind Gottes Gnade und Wahrheit zu uns gekommen. Johannes 1:14 **Veselé Vianoce** A Slovo sa stalo telom a prebývalo medzi nami a my sme videli jeho slávu, slávu, akú má od Otca jednorodený Syn, plný milosti a pravdy. Ján 1:14 **Feliz Navidad** Y la Palabra se hizo carne, y habitó entre nosotros, y vimos su gloria (la gloria que corresponde al unigénito del Padre), llena de gracia y de verdad. Juan 1:14 (RVC) **Feliz Natal** E o Verbo se fez carne e habitou entre nós, e vimos a sua glória, como a glória do Unigênito do Pai, cheio de graça e de verdade. João 1:14 (ARC) **חג מולד שמח** הדבר נהיה בשר ושכן בתוכינו. אנחנו ראינו את כבודו, כבוד הבן היחיד מהאב, מלא חסד ואמת. הבשורה על-פי יוחנן 1:14 **圣诞快乐** 14 道成为肉身，住在我们中间，充满了恩典和真理。我们见过祂的荣耀，正是父独一儿子的荣耀。约翰福音 1:14 **Heri ya Krismasi** Naye Neno alifanyika mwili, akakaa kwetu; nasi tukauona utukufu wake, utukufu kama wa Mwana pekee atokaye kwa Baba; amejaa neema na kweli. ### Fulfillment URL: https://www.belonging.house/fulfillment/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:35.000Z Thank you for your prayers. I recently went to an event, and I thought if Jesus actually returned during this conference, the organizers would be shocked. Being weird for weird's sake is not good. **But being weird for a purpose** **is powerful.** We are making a way for the coming of the Lord. Being upright in a world that is bent is a weapon. Being holy in a world that is profane is world shaking. God becoming Man in a world that worships marble statues, and keeps rules for no apparent reason, is revolutionary. **You make a way for the coming of the Lord** **by making this world like heaven.** You make a way for the coming of the Lord, when you offer God your body like Mary did, and say "Let it be to me according to your word." And you make a way for the coming of the Lord, when you listen to God, and do what he says, like Joseph who didn't run from the call to raise the Son of God. Pregnancy leads to birth. Faith leads to fulfillment. Obedience leads to blessing. Live your life with expectation, not just for Christmas, but for the fulfillment of all things. Part of your calling artist, and creator is to life there here. That is weird, but it is on purpose. Even so, Come Lord Jesus. He Never Fails, ![Fulfillment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/7916f6cc-87c9-49a0-8339-cfae5c5b1e6e_1200x675.png) #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) [![Fulfillment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/d5448453-4cc3-4277-84de-af4b98a342a0_214x60.png)](buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto) [You can leave a tip here, thanks.](#/portal/support) ### One Baptism URL: https://www.belonging.house/one-baptism/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:46.000Z From Very God: An Artist Explores the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### One Baptism URL: https://www.belonging.house/one-baptism-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:37.000Z From Very God: An Artist Explores the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Be Weird. URL: https://www.belonging.house/be-weird/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:36.000Z Thank you for your prayers. One day I was chatting with my friend Mark Pierce, and he said the darndest thing. "You know, you are like John the Baptist." When he said that, I understood for the first time part of the call on Belonging House: **to make a way for the coming of the Lord.** Let's face it, John the Baptist was weird. I was raised in a part of the United States that frowns upon being weird. "We just want you to be normal," was the phrase I heard again and again. I worked for a denomination that frowned upon being weird. In the end the need to conform "and be collegial" was used as a weapon to make the whole thing weird, to disastrous ends. I am an artist with a photographic memory, high IQ, and a big call from God. I am weird. Full stop. A lot of my life I put a lid on myself just to fit in. **I'm just discovering that** **being blessed by God is not a problem.** Some of you have been pegged as weird, because of the extreme callings on your lives, and the incredible gifts and talents you were given by God. And some of you are being bound not by lack, **but by blessing.** You just can't seem to embrace the fulness of what God has for you. Being full color is weird in a world that prefers beige carpeting. **There is no beige carpeting in heaven.** You are called to rise and shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is rising upon you. **You are called** **to make a way** **for the coming of the Lord.** And with him comes light, sound, color, and freedom. Go ahead, run ahead of the pack, and be weird. He Never Fails, #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) [You can leave a tip here.](#/portal/support) [![Be Weird.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/2999449b-d0ea-4ac4-8a47-6c3eaccbc4c3_214x60.png)](buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto) ![Be Weird.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/bd8a4eec-f63c-4d0f-b630-a9e983ba95d0_1200x675.png) ### We believe in the Church URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-believe-in-the-church/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:47.000Z more from Very God: An Artist Explores the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### We believe in the Church URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-believe-in-the-church-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:37.000Z more from Very God: An Artist Explores the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### There Will Never Be Another You URL: https://www.belonging.house/there-will-never-be-another-you/ Last updated: 2024-12-09T21:28:04.000Z There Will Never Be Another You 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedA few years ago some friends gave me a three day pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Lourdes. One of the things that happens every day is a procession with candles in honor of the Virgin Mary. The high time of the year is mid-August, when as many as twenty thousand pilgrims process at night fall. I was there at that time, and it was a pretty awe inspiring sight. One night I went up to the top of the Basilica and looked down on the procession. And as I looked at the thousands of people carrying their candles, I began to have a conversation with Jesus. "Lord, how do you feel about this? Don't you think this smacks a bit of idolatry?" After a moment, the Lord quietly spoke to me. "I love my mother." Danny Silk said that the culture of the Kingdom of heaven is a culture of honor. More than honor, the Kingdom of heaven is a culture of celebration. So often we get the idea that if we give glory to a person we are taking glory away from God. God celebrates every person who bears his image in the world. In Luke 1 we are given an incredible window into how God sees people. In the sixth month, an angel named Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin who was betrothed to a man of the house of David named Joseph. And the virgin's name was Mary. First, the angel has a name. God names even his angels. What was the first thing God told Adam to do? Name the creatures. A name defines and describes. Gabriel means a Mighty Man of God-- like a Lord or a Master. A powerful he man alpha male type. So God sends this mighty being to a young woman, a virgin, and she of course, is afraid. And the angel greets her. Not like the other times angels greet people. He does not start off with "fear not." He starts off with "Χαῖρε" "Chaire" This is a salutation, that would be used if one was addressing Caesar. It's the way the soldiers addressed Jesus when they were mocking him, "Hail, King of the Jews." The mighty man of God is sent from the presence of the Lord, to a girl, and he submits to her. The greek is much more descriptive of her: Hail, woman who is eternally graced. Or one who is overflowing with grace. It is one of two words in the New Testament that only occur once in all greek literature. The angel creates a word to salute this person who is royalty from heaven's point of view. And she would later be celebrated more by her cousin Elizabeth. All generations will call you blessed. And she was blessed, because out of her would come the Messiah, the Son of God. The angel's greeting is over the top. It is ridiculous. It is lavish. It is generous. The Kingdom is the same. So many of us think that the Kingdom of God is a big pie and if we take too much we are going to take something away from God. And we also think that there is a limit on what we can receive from God. Jesus is up on the hill multiplying bread and fish and we only take a tiny bit, because there is not enough for everyone. In the heart of God, he created a woman with the intent that she would be able to first undo the curse of Eve by saying yes to the angel. And second, have the grace to bear and mother the Son of God. And God from the beginning sent an angel and from the moment he met her he honored and celebrated her. In all these years of leading Belonging House, I have encountered so many religious Christians who limit themselves. They have been taught that to shine and rise above, and be talented, was not Christian. They thought to be fully who they were in Christ and who they were made to be as professional artists and performers was not Christian. They held themselves back and dumbed themselves down and limited themselves. And when someone gave them a compliment they would respond, "Oh that was all God, that was just Jesus." It was not me. Thankfully, I spent my formative art years around heathens, and I learned an important lesson early on. When someone pays you a compliment you say "Thank you." When you do good work, people pay you. This is a virtue, it is called magnanimity. It is one of the seven virtues, that you would humbly glow in the state of blessedness. Blessed people are happy. There is nothing good about spiritual fakery and pride couched in religious yaya. Mary was special. She was called to a special job, and she succeeded. And everyone of you, just like Paul says to us in Ephesians 2:10, is a unique masterpiece, that was planned before creation, and redeemed and restored in Christ to do the unique work you were created to do before the creation of the world. You, before the creation of the world. You, were created for a purpose, and there is something in you, that only you can do. We are living in a brilliant moment. The restoration of Notre Dame du Paris is a sign that this little dark age is coming to an end. One thing is clear we have a desperate need for Christian leaders in the arts and culture. Recent events have shown us that so many Christians have simply kissed up to the various corruptions in the church, culture, and academia to have a name, but they are not leading. They are just Christian versions of the same dull, tired, and failing ideas. This idea of trying to cut up a pie is not just about glory. You are not taking from God's glory if you fully walk in the calling on your life. You are an expression of God's glory. And when you are an expression of God's glory, you can bake another pie, and not worry about dividing up yesterday's pie. There is more than enough. There are more fish and bread to break and multiply. Glory, honor, celebration, and blessing are the heart attitudes the open up the heavens. And Mary was confronted with heaven's perspective. She was troubled by it. She was troubled by the assignment, but in the end, she said yes. So often I meet folks who say no when they are confronted by heaven's perspective, and God's calling, and all the wealth and riches that were put in them. And looking "religiously acceptable" meant saying no and limiting yourself. God is saying today, take the lid off. There are no limitations. With God all things are possible. There is something in you that only you can do. God has given you unique abilities, callings, giftings, and experiences. There will never be another you. It's okay to celebrate that and embrace that. And when you do, when you discover that embrace, you can experience and walk in the flow of God for your life. And you can celebrate that in others. God isn't threatened by candles at Lourdes, or someone getting praise for a job well done. God is getting greater glory, as the things he made work out the good plan he set in motion before the dawn of time. Celebrate and honor. ### There Will Never Be Another You URL: https://www.belonging.house/there-will-never-be-another-you-2/ Last updated: 2024-12-09T21:28:04.000Z There Will Never Be Another You 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedA few years ago some friends gave me a three day pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Lourdes. One of the things that happens every day is a procession with candles in honor of the Virgin Mary. The high time of the year is mid-August, when as many as twenty thousand pilgrims process at night fall. I was there at that time, and it was a pretty awe inspiring sight. One night I went up to the top of the Basilica and looked down on the procession. And as I looked at the thousands of people carrying their candles, I began to have a conversation with Jesus. "Lord, how do you feel about this? Don't you think this smacks a bit of idolatry?" After a moment, the Lord quietly spoke to me. "I love my mother." Danny Silk said that the culture of the Kingdom of heaven is a culture of honor. More than honor, the Kingdom of heaven is a culture of celebration. So often we get the idea that if we give glory to a person we are taking glory away from God. God celebrates every person who bears his image in the world. In Luke 1 we are given an incredible window into how God sees people. In the sixth month, an angel named Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin who was betrothed to a man of the house of David named Joseph. And the virgin's name was Mary. First, the angel has a name. God names even his angels. What was the first thing God told Adam to do? Name the creatures. A name defines and describes. Gabriel means a Mighty Man of God-- like a Lord or a Master. A powerful he man alpha male type. So God sends this mighty being to a young woman, a virgin, and she of course, is afraid. And the angel greets her. Not like the other times angels greet people. He does not start off with "fear not." He starts off with "Χαῖρε" "Chaire" This is a salutation, that would be used if one was addressing Caesar. It's the way the soldiers addressed Jesus when they were mocking him, "Hail, King of the Jews." The mighty man of God is sent from the presence of the Lord, to a girl, and he submits to her. The greek is much more descriptive of her: Hail, woman who is eternally graced. Or one who is overflowing with grace. It is one of two words in the New Testament that only occur once in all greek literature. The angel creates a word to salute this person who is royalty from heaven's point of view. And she would later be celebrated more by her cousin Elizabeth. All generations will call you blessed. And she was blessed, because out of her would come the Messiah, the Son of God. The angel's greeting is over the top. It is ridiculous. It is lavish. It is generous. The Kingdom is the same. So many of us think that the Kingdom of God is a big pie and if we take too much we are going to take something away from God. And we also think that there is a limit on what we can receive from God. Jesus is up on the hill multiplying bread and fish and we only take a tiny bit, because there is not enough for everyone. In the heart of God, he created a woman with the intent that she would be able to first undo the curse of Eve by saying yes to the angel. And second, have the grace to bear and mother the Son of God. And God from the beginning sent an angel and from the moment he met her he honored and celebrated her. In all these years of leading Belonging House, I have encountered so many religious Christians who limit themselves. They have been taught that to shine and rise above, and be talented, was not Christian. They thought to be fully who they were in Christ and who they were made to be as professional artists and performers was not Christian. They held themselves back and dumbed themselves down and limited themselves. And when someone gave them a compliment they would respond, "Oh that was all God, that was just Jesus." It was not me. Thankfully, I spent my formative art years around heathens, and I learned an important lesson early on. When someone pays you a compliment you say "Thank you." When you do good work, people pay you. This is a virtue, it is called magnanimity. It is one of the seven virtues, that you would humbly glow in the state of blessedness. Blessed people are happy. There is nothing good about spiritual fakery and pride couched in religious yaya. Mary was special. She was called to a special job, and she succeeded. And everyone of you, just like Paul says to us in Ephesians 2:10, is a unique masterpiece, that was planned before creation, and redeemed and restored in Christ to do the unique work you were created to do before the creation of the world. You, before the creation of the world. You, were created for a purpose, and there is something in you, that only you can do. We are living in a brilliant moment. The restoration of Notre Dame du Paris is a sign that this little dark age is coming to an end. One thing is clear we have a desperate need for Christian leaders in the arts and culture. Recent events have shown us that so many Christians have simply kissed up to the various corruptions in the church, culture, and academia to have a name, but they are not leading. They are just Christian versions of the same dull, tired, and failing ideas. This idea of trying to cut up a pie is not just about glory. You are not taking from God's glory if you fully walk in the calling on your life. You are an expression of God's glory. And when you are an expression of God's glory, you can bake another pie, and not worry about dividing up yesterday's pie. There is more than enough. There are more fish and bread to break and multiply. Glory, honor, celebration, and blessing are the heart attitudes the open up the heavens. And Mary was confronted with heaven's perspective. She was troubled by it. She was troubled by the assignment, but in the end, she said yes. So often I meet folks who say no when they are confronted by heaven's perspective, and God's calling, and all the wealth and riches that were put in them. And looking "religiously acceptable" meant saying no and limiting yourself. God is saying today, take the lid off. There are no limitations. With God all things are possible. There is something in you that only you can do. God has given you unique abilities, callings, giftings, and experiences. There will never be another you. It's okay to celebrate that and embrace that. And when you do, when you discover that embrace, you can experience and walk in the flow of God for your life. And you can celebrate that in others. God isn't threatened by candles at Lourdes, or someone getting praise for a job well done. God is getting greater glory, as the things he made work out the good plan he set in motion before the dawn of time. Celebrate and honor. ### Running Ahead. URL: https://www.belonging.house/running-ahead/ Last updated: 2026-07-24T23:51:37.000Z Thank you for your prayers. One day a friend came up to me and said something odd. **"You are like the pointy end** **of the spear."** There was a time when the romantic idea of the "forerunner" was going around the church. There is nothing romantic about running ahead of the pack. There is more danger out ahead alone. More often than not, the pack behind you is happy to shoot you in the back. Running ahead is part of the prophetic calling. It is part of the calling on the army of artists. Run ahead and make a way for the coming of the Lord. **Run ahead** **and make a way** **for the coming of the Lord.** And I can promise you this. **Folks will not understand.** They will ask why you aren't doing the ministry thing. They will ask why you are working so hard but the fruit and the success is slim. Folks will wonder what on earth is motivating you. **Nothing on earth is motivating you.** When you hear the call in the desert, "Prepare the way of the Lord," and you go out to make a path in the wilderness, clearing it of stones, and cutting back the underbrush, you are called to a solitary calling. You are not called to be a pack dweller. You are called to a singular task: Jesus is coming back. **He needs a landing strip,** **and people need a road to meet him.** It's that simple. And you, if you hear this voice, and follow it faithfully, are honored with a unique task. **Make a way** **for the coming of the Lord.** If you find yourself running out ahead in that dangerous place, don't be surprised if you find there is a Lion beside you. He Never Fails, [You can support the Friday Email here.](#/portal/support) #### Join us for prayer and worship. We pray daily in tongues at 7 am ET/12 noon UK for 15 minutes Monday-Friday. Join us on [Zoom](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org). We gather as a community for worship and holy communion on Sundays 1 pm ET/6 pm UK time. Join us on [Zoom.](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8766320130?ref=belonginghouse.org) [![Running Ahead.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/b8fa9027-5607-480c-9129-bca34f5b014c_214x60.png)](buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto) ### We Believe in the Holy Spirit URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-believe-in-the-holy-spirit/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:47.000Z Apart from the Holy Spirit you can do nothing. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### We Believe in the Holy Spirit URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-believe-in-the-holy-spirit-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:38.000Z Apart from the Holy Spirit you can do nothing. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Healing the Trauma of Christmas Past URL: https://www.belonging.house/healing-the-trauma-of-christmas-past/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:48.000Z An Annual Tradition since 2012. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Healing the Trauma of Christmas Past URL: https://www.belonging.house/healing-the-trauma-of-christmas-past-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:38.000Z An Annual Tradition since 2012. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### He Ascended into Heaven URL: https://www.belonging.house/he-ascended-into-heaven/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:48.000Z from Very God: An Artist Looks at the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### He Ascended into Heaven URL: https://www.belonging.house/he-ascended-into-heaven-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:39.000Z from Very God: An Artist Looks at the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### In Accordance with the Scriptures. URL: https://www.belonging.house/in-accordance-with-the-scriptures/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:49.000Z Because of the Resurrection, I believe in the Bible. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### In Accordance with the Scriptures. URL: https://www.belonging.house/in-accordance-with-the-scriptures-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:40.000Z Because of the Resurrection, I believe in the Bible. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Kingdom is About the King URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-kingdom-is-about-the-king/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:50.000Z Jesus is the King of the Kingdom _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Kingdom is About the King URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-kingdom-is-about-the-king-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:41.000Z Jesus is the King of the Kingdom _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### He Rose Again from the Dead URL: https://www.belonging.house/he-rose-again-from-the-dead/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:51.000Z The continuing series from Very God: An Artists Looks at the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### He Rose Again from the Dead URL: https://www.belonging.house/he-rose-again-from-the-dead-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:43.000Z The continuing series from Very God: An Artists Looks at the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Free Your Mind from Poverty URL: https://www.belonging.house/free-your-mind-from-poverty/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:52.000Z Free Your Mind from Poverty 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday I want to talk about a subject that impacts every artist and creative person. The poverty mindset. The first reading this week comes from the I Kings 17. Ahab becomes king of Israel, he marries a princess named Jezebel, and she goes on a religious mission to stamp out the worship of God. God calls Elijah to confront Ahab, and tells him that there will be a three year drought in the land. Although there is no food or water, God sends ravens to Elijah who bring him food every day. And that worked until the water in the brook dried up. When the conventional supply lines dry up we are forced to depend on a word from God, and that's what Elijah did. Sometimes God brings you to a place where the brook dries up so that you will listen and move to where he needs you. Then the Lord speaks to Elijah, and God says to him, "I have commanded a widow in Zarephath to feed you." If you have one take away today, it is this: We are characters in God's story, God is not a character in our story. When you get this right, your thinking will begin to change. The second important takeaway is this: you have to let go and release if you are going to receive. God is asking Elijah to travel to an area that is in modern Lebanon, and to the area, Sidon, where Jezebel's father is King. So often, when God offers us a solution, it is about advancing, not retreating. Elijah is not on a mission to get food, he is on a mission to the place where the curse on the land originated. God is telling him to go to the most dangerous place he could go outside of Ahab's castle. God is always asking us to run toward the danger, not away from it. So Elijah travels to Zarephath. And when he gets there, he finds a widow who is gathering sticks. And he asks her for something to drink and for something to eat. And this is the clincher: She responds that she only has a handful of meal, and a bit of oil, and she is gathering a few sticks so she can make a cake and she and her son will eat, and then we will die. We are characters in God's drama, God is not a character in our drama. You have to let go and release in order to receive. Graham Cooke once said "poverty is not a lack of resources, but rather a lack of possibilities." In other words, when you fall into the poverty mindset, you think that what you see is the end. She saw dry dead sticks, an empty jar of oil and meal, and no options in the future. But there was something ahead that she didn't expect. Often we base our expectations on what we see and hear, and our knowledge. Knowledge can be a form of false faith. The first year I was here in the UK I was very diligent that I needed to have $2000 in the bank account at all times for a cushion. I remember the first time the account dropped below $2000. I panicked. And the Lord said to me, "Don't worry, there is more where that came from." Elijah looks at the widow, and he says, "Fear not." When you have limited possibilities you are going to be afraid. And when you make decisions based on fear, you are going to make bad decisions. This is one of the main reasons we are instructed to not be afraid. There is more where that came from. I will never forget the time God moved me from Akron to Boston. The first two years of living by faith were very hard. One day I was pretty annoyed at God, and I said, "What are you going to do, Feed me with ravens like Elijah?" I turned the corner to my apartment, and there was a huge flock of crows on the little patch of grass out front. And when I arrived they all flew up and around me. "Very funny, Lord." At the end of that season, I was really out of money. I was in deep trouble, and I had to get out of my apartment. And then to make matters worse, I missed my train, and had to sleep in the house of prayer. It was rough. The next morning my friend Kaye came in and said, I have something for you. It was a check for $2500. Unbeknownst to me, the organization that ran the house of prayer wanted to pay me retroactively for my time in prayer. I paid all the outstanding bills. Wow. If you think there are no options, and you have reached a dead end, there is probably something happening that you do not know. God is always moving and working in the background. Do limit your thinking with your limited possibilities. There is always a solution. So Elijah tells the woman not to be afraid. Make me a cake with the meal and the oil, and then make one for you and your son, because God is going to make the meal and the oil last until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth. There is only one way out of the poverty mindset. You have to take the spotlight off yourself and give up center stage. You have to become a character in God's story, and give up making God a character in your story. The only way to break free from poverty, and to release the flow is to let go. And letting go is scary, because letting go requires risk. Every time you make a choice to let go, you are acting in faith. And when you act in faith, you are exposing yourself to danger. When you are afraid, and you have no possibilities, you become tightfisted. You hold onto what you have because there will not be any tomorrow. And this is the heart of poverty. You become obsessed with cutting up and dividing a pie, but you have no thought about baking another one. I know the emotions that the woman experienced. She was being given a choice, to feed this stranger first, with the possibility of watching him eat her last bit of food before she died. Or to believe that this word was true and let go and believe that there would be enough. She was given the choice between life and death. And she made the choice to trust. And as she made that first cake for Elijah she looked in the jar, and there was more meal. And she made the second cake for her son, and she looked in the jar, and there was more meal. And she made a cake for herself and there was more meal. And there was more meal the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, until the day that Elijah broke the curse on the land, and the water began to flow. The provision opened up for her, when she let go, put Elijah before herself, and trusted the word. It was a big risk, but it was what opened up the provision. In this instance, she moved from being the center of her own story, and became a player in a bigger story, the story God was writing with Elijah, the story God was writing with Israel, and the story that would become our Bible. Perspective is everything. If you are struggling with poverty, with limited possibilities, and a lack of cash, that is not the problem. Cash flow and provision and wealth are about the way you think. There is more than enough for all that God called you to. Would God call you to something that isn't supplied? Do not be like the Galatians who thought they had to add their work to the work of God in order to be in the Kingdom. I get a lot of emails from artists and creative people who just can't seem to get out of the poverty cycle. There are two critical things: getting in alignment with God's story, and listening to God. Sometimes God tells you to do weird things, like go to Zarephath. Sometimes God tells you to surrender, let go and then expect him to bless. Over the years I have heard the Lord ask me to give what seemed like a large amount of money, and then God released a financial miracle. God is very gracious with us and our weakness, but sometimes delayed obedience is disobedience. If God is asking your to do something, don't hold back, let it go. We are going to end this prayer with a prayer for release from poverty, and financial blessing. (You can hear the prayer on the audio.) --- Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and [The Mission of BezalelThoughts on reformation in the arts, Christianity, and culture.By Christ John Otto](https://christjohnotto.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fcampaign=publication%5Fembed&utm%5Fmedium=web) If this encourages you, support my work at [https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto](https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto?ref=belonging.house) Or become a Patron at My new book is Artists at a Shift in Time. https:// tinyurl.com/3etazb6s ### Free Your Mind from Poverty URL: https://www.belonging.house/free-your-mind-from-poverty-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:43.000Z Free Your Mind from Poverty 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday I want to talk about a subject that impacts every artist and creative person. The poverty mindset. The first reading this week comes from the I Kings 17. Ahab becomes king of Israel, he marries a princess named Jezebel, and she goes on a religious mission to stamp out the worship of God. God calls Elijah to confront Ahab, and tells him that there will be a three year drought in the land. Although there is no food or water, God sends ravens to Elijah who bring him food every day. And that worked until the water in the brook dried up. When the conventional supply lines dry up we are forced to depend on a word from God, and that's what Elijah did. Sometimes God brings you to a place where the brook dries up so that you will listen and move to where he needs you. Then the Lord speaks to Elijah, and God says to him, "I have commanded a widow in Zarephath to feed you." If you have one take away today, it is this: We are characters in God's story, God is not a character in our story. When you get this right, your thinking will begin to change. The second important takeaway is this: you have to let go and release if you are going to receive. God is asking Elijah to travel to an area that is in modern Lebanon, and to the area, Sidon, where Jezebel's father is King. So often, when God offers us a solution, it is about advancing, not retreating. Elijah is not on a mission to get food, he is on a mission to the place where the curse on the land originated. God is telling him to go to the most dangerous place he could go outside of Ahab's castle. God is always asking us to run toward the danger, not away from it. So Elijah travels to Zarephath. And when he gets there, he finds a widow who is gathering sticks. And he asks her for something to drink and for something to eat. And this is the clincher: She responds that she only has a handful of meal, and a bit of oil, and she is gathering a few sticks so she can make a cake and she and her son will eat, and then we will die. We are characters in God's drama, God is not a character in our drama. You have to let go and release in order to receive. Graham Cooke once said "poverty is not a lack of resources, but rather a lack of possibilities." In other words, when you fall into the poverty mindset, you think that what you see is the end. She saw dry dead sticks, an empty jar of oil and meal, and no options in the future. But there was something ahead that she didn't expect. Often we base our expectations on what we see and hear, and our knowledge. Knowledge can be a form of false faith. The first year I was here in the UK I was very diligent that I needed to have $2000 in the bank account at all times for a cushion. I remember the first time the account dropped below $2000. I panicked. And the Lord said to me, "Don't worry, there is more where that came from." Elijah looks at the widow, and he says, "Fear not." When you have limited possibilities you are going to be afraid. And when you make decisions based on fear, you are going to make bad decisions. This is one of the main reasons we are instructed to not be afraid. There is more where that came from. I will never forget the time God moved me from Akron to Boston. The first two years of living by faith were very hard. One day I was pretty annoyed at God, and I said, "What are you going to do, Feed me with ravens like Elijah?" I turned the corner to my apartment, and there was a huge flock of crows on the little patch of grass out front. And when I arrived they all flew up and around me. "Very funny, Lord." At the end of that season, I was really out of money. I was in deep trouble, and I had to get out of my apartment. And then to make matters worse, I missed my train, and had to sleep in the house of prayer. It was rough. The next morning my friend Kaye came in and said, I have something for you. It was a check for $2500. Unbeknownst to me, the organization that ran the house of prayer wanted to pay me retroactively for my time in prayer. I paid all the outstanding bills. Wow. If you think there are no options, and you have reached a dead end, there is probably something happening that you do not know. God is always moving and working in the background. Do limit your thinking with your limited possibilities. There is always a solution. So Elijah tells the woman not to be afraid. Make me a cake with the meal and the oil, and then make one for you and your son, because God is going to make the meal and the oil last until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth. There is only one way out of the poverty mindset. You have to take the spotlight off yourself and give up center stage. You have to become a character in God's story, and give up making God a character in your story. The only way to break free from poverty, and to release the flow is to let go. And letting go is scary, because letting go requires risk. Every time you make a choice to let go, you are acting in faith. And when you act in faith, you are exposing yourself to danger. When you are afraid, and you have no possibilities, you become tightfisted. You hold onto what you have because there will not be any tomorrow. And this is the heart of poverty. You become obsessed with cutting up and dividing a pie, but you have no thought about baking another one. I know the emotions that the woman experienced. She was being given a choice, to feed this stranger first, with the possibility of watching him eat her last bit of food before she died. Or to believe that this word was true and let go and believe that there would be enough. She was given the choice between life and death. And she made the choice to trust. And as she made that first cake for Elijah she looked in the jar, and there was more meal. And she made the second cake for her son, and she looked in the jar, and there was more meal. And she made a cake for herself and there was more meal. And there was more meal the next day, and the next day, and the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, until the day that Elijah broke the curse on the land, and the water began to flow. The provision opened up for her, when she let go, put Elijah before herself, and trusted the word. It was a big risk, but it was what opened up the provision. In this instance, she moved from being the center of her own story, and became a player in a bigger story, the story God was writing with Elijah, the story God was writing with Israel, and the story that would become our Bible. Perspective is everything. If you are struggling with poverty, with limited possibilities, and a lack of cash, that is not the problem. Cash flow and provision and wealth are about the way you think. There is more than enough for all that God called you to. Would God call you to something that isn't supplied? Do not be like the Galatians who thought they had to add their work to the work of God in order to be in the Kingdom. I get a lot of emails from artists and creative people who just can't seem to get out of the poverty cycle. There are two critical things: getting in alignment with God's story, and listening to God. Sometimes God tells you to do weird things, like go to Zarephath. Sometimes God tells you to surrender, let go and then expect him to bless. Over the years I have heard the Lord ask me to give what seemed like a large amount of money, and then God released a financial miracle. God is very gracious with us and our weakness, but sometimes delayed obedience is disobedience. If God is asking your to do something, don't hold back, let it go. We are going to end this prayer with a prayer for release from poverty, and financial blessing. (You can hear the prayer on the audio.) --- Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and [The Mission of BezalelThoughts on reformation in the arts, Christianity, and culture.By Christ John Otto](https://christjohnotto.substack.com/?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fcampaign=publication%5Fembed&utm%5Fmedium=web) If this encourages you, support my work at [https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto](https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto?ref=belonging.house) Or become a Patron at My new book is Artists at a Shift in Time. https:// tinyurl.com/3etazb6s ### How To Be Blessed URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-be-blessed-1c1/ Last updated: 2024-11-05T09:34:36.000Z The Beatitudes will transform your life. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How To Be Blessed URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-be-blessed-1c1-2/ Last updated: 2024-11-05T09:34:36.000Z The Beatitudes will transform your life. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### He Was Crucified. URL: https://www.belonging.house/he-was-crucified/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:53.000Z The heart of the matter. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### He Was Crucified. URL: https://www.belonging.house/he-was-crucified-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:44.000Z The heart of the matter. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Of the Virgin Mary URL: https://www.belonging.house/of-the-virgin-mary/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:53.000Z The woman in the Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Of the Virgin Mary URL: https://www.belonging.house/of-the-virgin-mary-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:45.000Z The woman in the Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Freedom From Curses URL: https://www.belonging.house/freedom-from-curses/ Last updated: 2024-10-28T10:32:44.000Z Freedom From Curses 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published Under the Belonging House roof: We will not be limited in our thinking, but will remember that all things are possible with God. We are called to reveal the lavishness of the Kingdom and the abundance of the Father. All of our artists will understand that there is no lack for those who build the throne of Jesus and that all things are given to us that pertain to life and godliness. We will not fear though the earth be moved and the mountains are thrown into the sea. We will not hesitate but rather, take bold steps, and seize every moment and opportunity. We will listen to the Lord and know the difference between the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the Voice of the Shepherd. We are blessed in the city and blessed in the country. We are blessed when we go in, and blessed when we come out. Our storehouses are full, and we prosper in all that we undertake. We have favor with even our enemies and those who come against us one way will flee from us seven ways. We will be the head, and not the tail. We will be the lenders and not the borrowers. We shall wisely take our seat at the gate, and use every tool at our disposal. We will create a new culture on the web, in the media, and in institutions, that reflects the culture of honor in heaven. That the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Freedom From Curses URL: https://www.belonging.house/freedom-from-curses-2/ Last updated: 2024-10-28T10:32:44.000Z Freedom From Curses 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published Under the Belonging House roof: We will not be limited in our thinking, but will remember that all things are possible with God. We are called to reveal the lavishness of the Kingdom and the abundance of the Father. All of our artists will understand that there is no lack for those who build the throne of Jesus and that all things are given to us that pertain to life and godliness. We will not fear though the earth be moved and the mountains are thrown into the sea. We will not hesitate but rather, take bold steps, and seize every moment and opportunity. We will listen to the Lord and know the difference between the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the Voice of the Shepherd. We are blessed in the city and blessed in the country. We are blessed when we go in, and blessed when we come out. Our storehouses are full, and we prosper in all that we undertake. We have favor with even our enemies and those who come against us one way will flee from us seven ways. We will be the head, and not the tail. We will be the lenders and not the borrowers. We shall wisely take our seat at the gate, and use every tool at our disposal. We will create a new culture on the web, in the media, and in institutions, that reflects the culture of honor in heaven. That the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### The Nature of Witchcraft URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-nature-of-witchcraft/ Last updated: 2024-10-28T08:40:52.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Nature of Witchcraft URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-nature-of-witchcraft-2/ Last updated: 2024-10-28T08:40:52.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### For us and our salvation, HE CAME URL: https://www.belonging.house/for-us-and-our-salvation-he-came/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:54.000Z This is the continuing series from my book Very God: An Artists Explores the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### For us and our salvation, HE CAME URL: https://www.belonging.house/for-us-and-our-salvation-he-came-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:46.000Z This is the continuing series from my book Very God: An Artists Explores the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Of One Substance with the Father URL: https://www.belonging.house/of-one-substance-with-the-father/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:54.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMuch of the church’s teaching in this age can be summed up in one word: Inadequate. We have come through a dark age where the majority of Christians have settled for shallow and “dumbed down” ideas in exchange for entertainment and cultural relevance. Any concept that is difficult to explain and can’t be put on a bumper sticker gets ignored or simplified. At the same time we have pseudo-intellectuals on all forms of media spouting some of the oldest heresies as new teaching to promote the spirit of the age. I hope that you have begun to recognize that the men who wrote the Creeds took all of this very seriously. They were very careful in how things were worded, and described. And we forget a lot of history, so I am going to recap a few important pieces here. At the beginning of the fourth century after the church came out from under the long persecution, it was clear that there were many beliefs circulating in the church. Remember that in 325 the Bible as we know it was not completely organized. It would be over 100 years before Jerome translated the Greek into Latin and created the first complete edition of what we know as the Bible. In 325 most congregations had copies of parts of the New Testament. Some churches had some parts, and some churches had other parts. The idea that one person would have their own personal copy of the Bible was an impossible idea. The Gutenberg Bible was almost 1200 years into the future. When you only have a portion of the New Testament, you are going to miss things. So there were churches that were like people today, who only read one section of the Bible and get off balance. One important part of the Kingdom is balance. Along with this, many scrolls and books were seized and destroyed during the persecutions, so many people only knew key passages and memorized prayers. They knew the parts they heard during the Sunday liturgy, and they knew the parts that were read in public, but they were not able to go back and get a sense of the whole picture. And so, there arose a number of ideas about Jesus that tried to explain how he could be both God and man, and how God could have suffered death and died. Remember, all heresy is man’s attempt to reconcile great paradoxes. So, Jesus is a very Jewish Messiah. He is Emet. Emet is a Hebrew word that contains the first, last, and middle letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is the word for truth. Jesus is the Beginning and the End, and he is both fully man and fully God. He is the living embodiment of the Jewish belief that truth is two seemingly opposite positions that are some how held together in tension. He is both man and God. But to a Greek-Western mind, who needs principles and precepts to argue, and truth is a set of propositions that one agrees to, this idea is ludicrous. How can an immutable, omnipotent, omnipresent, transcendent, sovereign being feel pain and die? And so there were many versions of a basic heresy: Jesus the Human Being must be different than Christ the God. And the loudest of those at the time of the Creed was Arius, who said that Jesus became God and that he was of a similar substance to God, but not quite God. At the council the orthodox position was defended by Athanasius. Arius and Athanasius knew each other and were both scholars at the schools in Alexandria. This basic heresy, that Jesus was not fully God, is sometimes stated this way: Jesus was in flesh until he died, then he became a Spirit. His resurrection was spiritual. Because of this we can have enlightened spiritual experiences. His bodily resurrection doesn’t matter. Sometimes it is described this way: God created Jesus and called him the Son, and Jesus experienced an epiphany during life when he discovered he was God. Because of this he is one of the enlightened ones like Buddha, Confucious, or Mohammed. Many of these ideas come down to us in liberal theology and progressive or “emergent” Christianity. (As well as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons). And so the Creed makes it very clear, through a series of seemingly repetitive statements the core of Biblical Truth. I mentioned earlier that the Creed never references Greek philosophy, but alludes to the Bible. These statements are all biblical, and either come from the mouth of Jesus or the gospels. The council wanted to make it perfectly clear what the Bible says about Jesus. Jesus, as I mentioned earlier, is the Only begotten Son of God. And as you study the creed, you see that it is the theology written in the Gospel of John, and the letters of John that have the most influence over creed’s wording. So this section on the nature of Jesus begins with Begotten of his Father before all worlds. Jesus was there at the very beginning with the Father. That’s John 2:2. And the Creed makes it clear, these were not two gods in a pantheon. No, the Father and the Son were intrinsically related from the beginning. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Of One Substance with the Father URL: https://www.belonging.house/of-one-substance-with-the-father-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:46.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMuch of the church’s teaching in this age can be summed up in one word: Inadequate. We have come through a dark age where the majority of Christians have settled for shallow and “dumbed down” ideas in exchange for entertainment and cultural relevance. Any concept that is difficult to explain and can’t be put on a bumper sticker gets ignored or simplified. At the same time we have pseudo-intellectuals on all forms of media spouting some of the oldest heresies as new teaching to promote the spirit of the age. I hope that you have begun to recognize that the men who wrote the Creeds took all of this very seriously. They were very careful in how things were worded, and described. And we forget a lot of history, so I am going to recap a few important pieces here. At the beginning of the fourth century after the church came out from under the long persecution, it was clear that there were many beliefs circulating in the church. Remember that in 325 the Bible as we know it was not completely organized. It would be over 100 years before Jerome translated the Greek into Latin and created the first complete edition of what we know as the Bible. In 325 most congregations had copies of parts of the New Testament. Some churches had some parts, and some churches had other parts. The idea that one person would have their own personal copy of the Bible was an impossible idea. The Gutenberg Bible was almost 1200 years into the future. When you only have a portion of the New Testament, you are going to miss things. So there were churches that were like people today, who only read one section of the Bible and get off balance. One important part of the Kingdom is balance. Along with this, many scrolls and books were seized and destroyed during the persecutions, so many people only knew key passages and memorized prayers. They knew the parts they heard during the Sunday liturgy, and they knew the parts that were read in public, but they were not able to go back and get a sense of the whole picture. And so, there arose a number of ideas about Jesus that tried to explain how he could be both God and man, and how God could have suffered death and died. Remember, all heresy is man’s attempt to reconcile great paradoxes. So, Jesus is a very Jewish Messiah. He is Emet. Emet is a Hebrew word that contains the first, last, and middle letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is the word for truth. Jesus is the Beginning and the End, and he is both fully man and fully God. He is the living embodiment of the Jewish belief that truth is two seemingly opposite positions that are some how held together in tension. He is both man and God. But to a Greek-Western mind, who needs principles and precepts to argue, and truth is a set of propositions that one agrees to, this idea is ludicrous. How can an immutable, omnipotent, omnipresent, transcendent, sovereign being feel pain and die? And so there were many versions of a basic heresy: Jesus the Human Being must be different than Christ the God. And the loudest of those at the time of the Creed was Arius, who said that Jesus became God and that he was of a similar substance to God, but not quite God. At the council the orthodox position was defended by Athanasius. Arius and Athanasius knew each other and were both scholars at the schools in Alexandria. This basic heresy, that Jesus was not fully God, is sometimes stated this way: Jesus was in flesh until he died, then he became a Spirit. His resurrection was spiritual. Because of this we can have enlightened spiritual experiences. His bodily resurrection doesn’t matter. Sometimes it is described this way: God created Jesus and called him the Son, and Jesus experienced an epiphany during life when he discovered he was God. Because of this he is one of the enlightened ones like Buddha, Confucious, or Mohammed. Many of these ideas come down to us in liberal theology and progressive or “emergent” Christianity. (As well as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons). And so the Creed makes it very clear, through a series of seemingly repetitive statements the core of Biblical Truth. I mentioned earlier that the Creed never references Greek philosophy, but alludes to the Bible. These statements are all biblical, and either come from the mouth of Jesus or the gospels. The council wanted to make it perfectly clear what the Bible says about Jesus. Jesus, as I mentioned earlier, is the Only begotten Son of God. And as you study the creed, you see that it is the theology written in the Gospel of John, and the letters of John that have the most influence over creed’s wording. So this section on the nature of Jesus begins with Begotten of his Father before all worlds. Jesus was there at the very beginning with the Father. That’s John 2:2. And the Creed makes it clear, these were not two gods in a pantheon. No, the Father and the Son were intrinsically related from the beginning. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Through Him All Things Were Made URL: https://www.belonging.house/through-him-all-things-were-made/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:54.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe section on the nature and deity of Christ ends with with another reference to the first chapter of the Gospel of John: “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made, that was made.” (John 1:3) Jesus Christ is the Maker of heaven and earth, just as the Father is maker of heaven and earth. 300 years after the Nicene Creed was written, a group of Christians rose up and began cutting the hands off the artists who painted icons. Today we call this the “Iconoclast Controversy.” It was an ugly chapter in church history, and it sadly was repeated again during the Protestant Reformation. Those who believe that all forms of art and creation are idolatry, fundamentally miss the heart of the matter: The Christian is a little Christ, and this Messiah is God in the Flesh. God with us. And our Messiah is the creator of all that is, seen and unseen. And as we transition to the section of the Creed about his life, we shall see that the Incarnation changes everything. So let’s look at this phrase: Through Him all things were made. Jesus Christ is the Eternal Artisan Hebrews 13:8 tells us “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” In the charismatic streams of the church, this verse is generally used to win a theological argument with people who believe in the false teaching called cessationism. Cessation is the heretical idea that miracles, signs, wonders, and the supernatural all ceased when the Bible was completed. And Hebrews 13:8 rightly tells us: Jesus Christ still heals today. But this verse is about something much bigger. It’s about the nature and character of Jesus Christ. Before the Incarnation, during his life on earth, and now, in all eternity, Jesus Christ is the same. He never changed when he became a man from who he was before all creation. And the Creed says: Through Him all things were made. Jesus Christ, Just like the Father, is Maker. And this comes from John 1:3: “all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made.” Let’s define a word: Prior to the late 19th Century the concept of the “artist” was very different from today. There were no “artists” as we understand them. There were only artisans, and they were members of a trade. The primary job of the master artist was to record historical events, retell stories from history and important cultural truths, keep a record of collective cultural memory, and record the images of important members of the community, like heroes, royalty, and saints. Through painting, storytelling, song, and theatre, the artisan kept the culture alive. As it says in Ecclesiasticus 38:34 “They keep stable the fabric of the world, and their prayer is the practice of their trade.” So if the true artist stops doing their true job, the world goes into chaos and loses all stability. So when you hear the word “artisan” in the Scripture, this word means painter, sculptor, weaver, potter, woodworker, writer, scribe, and a thousand other applied crafts. And this is the way I use the word. So the Bible begins with God speaking the word, and creating all things. As I mentioned earlier, the word for “call” is very important in the first chapter of Genesis. And from John 1, we can assume that Jesus was the Word that was spoken in that moment. And when Genesis 1 refers to “Us” and “We” in reference to God we have to understand that Jesus was there with the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the source of every creative miracle in the Bible. He is, and was, first and foremost creator. He was the Maker. Jesus was one of the three visitors who spoke the word to Abraham, and Sarah conceived. Jesus was the one who led the Israelites out of bondage into freedom. This is why when Jesus said in John 6:35 “I am the Bread that came down from heaven” he was setting the record straight. He was the source of the Manna. He was the bread who sustained Israel, so that not one of them were sick in the desert, and none of their shoes wore out. They were experiencing New Covenant reality in the Old Covenant. This is why Bezalel was called in Exodus chapters 31 and 35, and is named the first Artisan in the Bible. Bezalel was given an extraordinary list of gifts when he was filled with the Holy Spirit: Etching gem stones, hammering gold weaving cloth, making dyes, carving wood, making incense, and the ability to teach. This is why Bezalel could construct something exactly as Moses saw it on the mountain. All these things pointed to Jesus the maker of all things. There are thousands of books about Christ in the Tabernacle. And when Jesus took flesh, he learned a trade. And he was the son of the carpenter. He continued to be a maker in his earthly life. The word in Greek that is translated “carpenter” is not a builder of buildings and houses. This is the word for “artisan with wood.” He was a fine craftsman and spent his time carving utensils, home implements, fine furniture, torah scrolls, spice boxes, and other wooden objects. And of course, Jesus created many things during his earthly ministry: water into wine, bread for the multitudes, opening blind eyes, causing the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, and the dead to rise. And he was a story teller and a culture maker. And in his death and resurrection Jesus established a New Covenant and a Kingdom. And Paul said that he created a new creation. He created a new day of worship, the eighth day. And then before he ascended he told us he was going to continue making. He was going to prepare a place for us. He is making right now as you read this. And Hebrews tells us that this place is the place that Abraham saw, all those thousands of years ago. A city whose Master Architect and creative designer is God. The words in the Greek are artisan and divine creative force. And then we look at the end of the Bible, in Revelation 21 we see a new creation. A city made in heaven of hammered gold, and etched gemstones, and filled with light and color And kings from every culture will bring their glory into it. It is the marriage of heaven and earth, God and man. The establishment of the Kingdom under the rule of the King. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. In several of my books I talk about the shift we have made into the next Christian era. And I have said that the pastor would no longer be the dominant leader of the church. God is raising up artists and artisans who will operate in the full five-fold ministry: Apostles who pioneer the Kingdom in every realm of the arts and creativity. Prophets who reveal the true revelation of heaven untainted by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Evangelists who declare the good news of the Kingdom to those who have never heard it. Teachers who use their gifts to unpack Scripture and lead people to maturity. Pastors who care for the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer. And these five-fold artisans are being raised up to bring the Kingdom and prepare the way for the return of the Lord. As you can imagine, pastors didn’t like what I said. And the few publishers and book reviewers to whom I sent my books either refused to publish or review it or sent me full on abusive reviews. But as I study Scripture, and follow these threads, the picture in the original languages is more and more clear. God is the artist, the designer, the Author of Beauty, the King of Creation, and is preparing a thing for us and we are his masterpiece. We are little copies of the Icon of the Father. God created us to be like him and he wanted us to take a wild world and make a Kingdom where we could rule and reign with him in beauty and honor together. Jesus Christ was both the image of the Father, and the creator of masterpieces-- Little reflections of him and his kingdom. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Through Him All Things Were Made URL: https://www.belonging.house/through-him-all-things-were-made-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:47.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe section on the nature and deity of Christ ends with with another reference to the first chapter of the Gospel of John: “All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made, that was made.” (John 1:3) Jesus Christ is the Maker of heaven and earth, just as the Father is maker of heaven and earth. 300 years after the Nicene Creed was written, a group of Christians rose up and began cutting the hands off the artists who painted icons. Today we call this the “Iconoclast Controversy.” It was an ugly chapter in church history, and it sadly was repeated again during the Protestant Reformation. Those who believe that all forms of art and creation are idolatry, fundamentally miss the heart of the matter: The Christian is a little Christ, and this Messiah is God in the Flesh. God with us. And our Messiah is the creator of all that is, seen and unseen. And as we transition to the section of the Creed about his life, we shall see that the Incarnation changes everything. So let’s look at this phrase: Through Him all things were made. Jesus Christ is the Eternal Artisan Hebrews 13:8 tells us “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” In the charismatic streams of the church, this verse is generally used to win a theological argument with people who believe in the false teaching called cessationism. Cessation is the heretical idea that miracles, signs, wonders, and the supernatural all ceased when the Bible was completed. And Hebrews 13:8 rightly tells us: Jesus Christ still heals today. But this verse is about something much bigger. It’s about the nature and character of Jesus Christ. Before the Incarnation, during his life on earth, and now, in all eternity, Jesus Christ is the same. He never changed when he became a man from who he was before all creation. And the Creed says: Through Him all things were made. Jesus Christ, Just like the Father, is Maker. And this comes from John 1:3: “all things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made.” Let’s define a word: Prior to the late 19th Century the concept of the “artist” was very different from today. There were no “artists” as we understand them. There were only artisans, and they were members of a trade. The primary job of the master artist was to record historical events, retell stories from history and important cultural truths, keep a record of collective cultural memory, and record the images of important members of the community, like heroes, royalty, and saints. Through painting, storytelling, song, and theatre, the artisan kept the culture alive. As it says in Ecclesiasticus 38:34 “They keep stable the fabric of the world, and their prayer is the practice of their trade.” So if the true artist stops doing their true job, the world goes into chaos and loses all stability. So when you hear the word “artisan” in the Scripture, this word means painter, sculptor, weaver, potter, woodworker, writer, scribe, and a thousand other applied crafts. And this is the way I use the word. So the Bible begins with God speaking the word, and creating all things. As I mentioned earlier, the word for “call” is very important in the first chapter of Genesis. And from John 1, we can assume that Jesus was the Word that was spoken in that moment. And when Genesis 1 refers to “Us” and “We” in reference to God we have to understand that Jesus was there with the Father, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the source of every creative miracle in the Bible. He is, and was, first and foremost creator. He was the Maker. Jesus was one of the three visitors who spoke the word to Abraham, and Sarah conceived. Jesus was the one who led the Israelites out of bondage into freedom. This is why when Jesus said in John 6:35 “I am the Bread that came down from heaven” he was setting the record straight. He was the source of the Manna. He was the bread who sustained Israel, so that not one of them were sick in the desert, and none of their shoes wore out. They were experiencing New Covenant reality in the Old Covenant. This is why Bezalel was called in Exodus chapters 31 and 35, and is named the first Artisan in the Bible. Bezalel was given an extraordinary list of gifts when he was filled with the Holy Spirit: Etching gem stones, hammering gold weaving cloth, making dyes, carving wood, making incense, and the ability to teach. This is why Bezalel could construct something exactly as Moses saw it on the mountain. All these things pointed to Jesus the maker of all things. There are thousands of books about Christ in the Tabernacle. And when Jesus took flesh, he learned a trade. And he was the son of the carpenter. He continued to be a maker in his earthly life. The word in Greek that is translated “carpenter” is not a builder of buildings and houses. This is the word for “artisan with wood.” He was a fine craftsman and spent his time carving utensils, home implements, fine furniture, torah scrolls, spice boxes, and other wooden objects. And of course, Jesus created many things during his earthly ministry: water into wine, bread for the multitudes, opening blind eyes, causing the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, and the dead to rise. And he was a story teller and a culture maker. And in his death and resurrection Jesus established a New Covenant and a Kingdom. And Paul said that he created a new creation. He created a new day of worship, the eighth day. And then before he ascended he told us he was going to continue making. He was going to prepare a place for us. He is making right now as you read this. And Hebrews tells us that this place is the place that Abraham saw, all those thousands of years ago. A city whose Master Architect and creative designer is God. The words in the Greek are artisan and divine creative force. And then we look at the end of the Bible, in Revelation 21 we see a new creation. A city made in heaven of hammered gold, and etched gemstones, and filled with light and color And kings from every culture will bring their glory into it. It is the marriage of heaven and earth, God and man. The establishment of the Kingdom under the rule of the King. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. In several of my books I talk about the shift we have made into the next Christian era. And I have said that the pastor would no longer be the dominant leader of the church. God is raising up artists and artisans who will operate in the full five-fold ministry: Apostles who pioneer the Kingdom in every realm of the arts and creativity. Prophets who reveal the true revelation of heaven untainted by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Evangelists who declare the good news of the Kingdom to those who have never heard it. Teachers who use their gifts to unpack Scripture and lead people to maturity. Pastors who care for the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer. And these five-fold artisans are being raised up to bring the Kingdom and prepare the way for the return of the Lord. As you can imagine, pastors didn’t like what I said. And the few publishers and book reviewers to whom I sent my books either refused to publish or review it or sent me full on abusive reviews. But as I study Scripture, and follow these threads, the picture in the original languages is more and more clear. God is the artist, the designer, the Author of Beauty, the King of Creation, and is preparing a thing for us and we are his masterpiece. We are little copies of the Icon of the Father. God created us to be like him and he wanted us to take a wild world and make a Kingdom where we could rule and reign with him in beauty and honor together. Jesus Christ was both the image of the Father, and the creator of masterpieces-- Little reflections of him and his kingdom. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### On Spiritual Warfare URL: https://www.belonging.house/on-spiritual-warfare/ Last updated: 2024-10-14T10:17:53.000Z On Spiritual Warfare 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedOne of the topics that comes up in our community is the subject of spiritual warfare. It is very clear when you walk into the world of the arts that there is a spiritual battle going on for the cultures of the world. So for the next three weeks I am going to talk about spiritual warfare. This week will be a foundation, next week will be about the nature of witchcraft, and the last week will be on blessing and cursing. Usually, when we talk about spiritual warfare, most folks begin with Ephesians 6, beginning in the tenth verse. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, I'm going to start at the end of this passage and tell you how we fight spiritual war: 1\. Prayer: We pray in the Spirit at all times with all prayer and supplication. 2\. We keep alert with perseverance. 3\. We pray for all Christians. 4\. We proclaim the gospel. Ultimately, I would say prayer and spreading the gospel are the two most powerful weapons of spiritual warfare. So back to the beginning of the paragraph. Paul tells the Ephesians that the resistance they experience and difficulties they are encountering are not flesh and blood. Paul says that our warfare is against an unseen realm. Like Jesus in Luke, Paul describes an organized kingdom, And this kingdom is made up of rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of this current dark age, and spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. And then Paul tells us to put on the armor of God. We need protection. So the first principle of spiritual warfare, is to have a Biblical understanding of the universe. The prayer team has seen this diagram before: in the center of the picture is the earth. After the fall, humanity came under the dominion of spiritual forces in opposition to God. These forces live in a place that many call the "second heaven." This is the unseen dimension of the spiritual world. I won't go through an exhaustive study, but this realm is the realm of the demons and unclean spirits, the souls of the dead, and spiritual forces that are somewhat mysterious. This is also the realm that Paul is referring to in Ephesians. The Bible strictly forbids engaging with this realm in large part because you do not know what you are going to get. As Michael Heiser said when you engage with this spiritual realm you are dealing with beings older and smarter than you. It can create a heap of trouble. Then beyond the "second heaven" realm is the "Third Heaven." This realm is the Kingdom of God, and it is mysterious as well. This is where the Lord Jesus ascended, and where the souls of redeemed humanity dwell. And this is also the angelic realm. Paul stresses throughout his writings, but most clearly in Colossians that Jesus Christ is supreme over the unseen realm. When Jesus died on the Cross and rose again, he overcame the kingdoms of the second heaven. And when we come to Christ, we are seated with him above the second heaven. As it says in Colossians 3, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." The most important thing you need to remember in spiritual warfare is your identity in Christ. Jesus lives in you. Jesus has redeemed you. You are seated with him in heavenly places. You are part of the family of God. So one of the things we have to contend with when we talk about spiritual warfare, is lies. Lies and deception are the primary weapons in the arsenal of our enemies. So Paul tells us in Ephesians we need the full armor of God. And this armor is interesting. We put on a helmet of salvation. So your head is protected by the saving work of Jesus. This is identity. Paul says you need a breastplate of righteousness. And of course, we are not righteous, so we need to put on the righteousness of Jesus. The belt of truth. Your tender parts are protected with Truth. First Jesus, who is the truth, and then the truth of Scripture and true teaching. Your feet have to wear shoes of preparedness of the gospel of peace. Your feet need to be taking you places to share the gospel. You need to be prepared in all times and all places. We are called to be on the offensive, not the defense in this war. We need the Sword of the Spirit. The sword of the spirit is the knowledge of the Bible, but also the living word of God. The sword of the spirit is that practice of listening to the Lord and doing what he tells you. And finally, the shield of faith. Faith is your protection. You have to have faith in God and all his word. Lies and deception will undermine your faith. And faith, when you act in it, and speak out in it, will extinguish the lies of the devil. Again, our powerful weapons in the kingdom concerning spiritual warfare are very simple. 1\. Prayer: We prayer in the Spirit at all times with all prayer and supplication. Consistent prayer. This is one of the reasons why we pray every weekday together in tongues. We do not know how to pray, but God does. It is amazing how this fifteen minute prayer meeting has come under attack many times. It is very powerful. 2\. We keep alert with perseverance. Keep alert. Pay attention to the world and things around you. And with alertness comes the refusal to give up and to keep going no matter the circumstances. If you have a word from God, you have to stick to it until it is fulfilled. 3\. We pray for all Christians. We pray for our brothers and sisters. We are one body, and we have to pray for one another. I cannot tell you how many times I have received an email from a stranger who was moved to pray for me and Belonging House. God will often bring us support and protection in a way that outsmarts our adversaries. 4\. We proclaim the gospel. Graham Cooke once said that Satan is not looking for victims, he is looking for allies. One of the most important things we can do in spiritual warfare is go into all the world and make disciples. This is snatching people out of the enemy kingdom, and bringing them into the Kingdom of God. And this is probably the greatest form of spiritual warfare. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### On Spiritual Warfare URL: https://www.belonging.house/on-spiritual-warfare-2/ Last updated: 2024-10-14T10:17:53.000Z On Spiritual Warfare 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedOne of the topics that comes up in our community is the subject of spiritual warfare. It is very clear when you walk into the world of the arts that there is a spiritual battle going on for the cultures of the world. So for the next three weeks I am going to talk about spiritual warfare. This week will be a foundation, next week will be about the nature of witchcraft, and the last week will be on blessing and cursing. Usually, when we talk about spiritual warfare, most folks begin with Ephesians 6, beginning in the tenth verse. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, I'm going to start at the end of this passage and tell you how we fight spiritual war: 1\. Prayer: We pray in the Spirit at all times with all prayer and supplication. 2\. We keep alert with perseverance. 3\. We pray for all Christians. 4\. We proclaim the gospel. Ultimately, I would say prayer and spreading the gospel are the two most powerful weapons of spiritual warfare. So back to the beginning of the paragraph. Paul tells the Ephesians that the resistance they experience and difficulties they are encountering are not flesh and blood. Paul says that our warfare is against an unseen realm. Like Jesus in Luke, Paul describes an organized kingdom, And this kingdom is made up of rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of this current dark age, and spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. And then Paul tells us to put on the armor of God. We need protection. So the first principle of spiritual warfare, is to have a Biblical understanding of the universe. The prayer team has seen this diagram before: in the center of the picture is the earth. After the fall, humanity came under the dominion of spiritual forces in opposition to God. These forces live in a place that many call the "second heaven." This is the unseen dimension of the spiritual world. I won't go through an exhaustive study, but this realm is the realm of the demons and unclean spirits, the souls of the dead, and spiritual forces that are somewhat mysterious. This is also the realm that Paul is referring to in Ephesians. The Bible strictly forbids engaging with this realm in large part because you do not know what you are going to get. As Michael Heiser said when you engage with this spiritual realm you are dealing with beings older and smarter than you. It can create a heap of trouble. Then beyond the "second heaven" realm is the "Third Heaven." This realm is the Kingdom of God, and it is mysterious as well. This is where the Lord Jesus ascended, and where the souls of redeemed humanity dwell. And this is also the angelic realm. Paul stresses throughout his writings, but most clearly in Colossians that Jesus Christ is supreme over the unseen realm. When Jesus died on the Cross and rose again, he overcame the kingdoms of the second heaven. And when we come to Christ, we are seated with him above the second heaven. As it says in Colossians 3, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." The most important thing you need to remember in spiritual warfare is your identity in Christ. Jesus lives in you. Jesus has redeemed you. You are seated with him in heavenly places. You are part of the family of God. So one of the things we have to contend with when we talk about spiritual warfare, is lies. Lies and deception are the primary weapons in the arsenal of our enemies. So Paul tells us in Ephesians we need the full armor of God. And this armor is interesting. We put on a helmet of salvation. So your head is protected by the saving work of Jesus. This is identity. Paul says you need a breastplate of righteousness. And of course, we are not righteous, so we need to put on the righteousness of Jesus. The belt of truth. Your tender parts are protected with Truth. First Jesus, who is the truth, and then the truth of Scripture and true teaching. Your feet have to wear shoes of preparedness of the gospel of peace. Your feet need to be taking you places to share the gospel. You need to be prepared in all times and all places. We are called to be on the offensive, not the defense in this war. We need the Sword of the Spirit. The sword of the spirit is the knowledge of the Bible, but also the living word of God. The sword of the spirit is that practice of listening to the Lord and doing what he tells you. And finally, the shield of faith. Faith is your protection. You have to have faith in God and all his word. Lies and deception will undermine your faith. And faith, when you act in it, and speak out in it, will extinguish the lies of the devil. Again, our powerful weapons in the kingdom concerning spiritual warfare are very simple. 1\. Prayer: We prayer in the Spirit at all times with all prayer and supplication. Consistent prayer. This is one of the reasons why we pray every weekday together in tongues. We do not know how to pray, but God does. It is amazing how this fifteen minute prayer meeting has come under attack many times. It is very powerful. 2\. We keep alert with perseverance. Keep alert. Pay attention to the world and things around you. And with alertness comes the refusal to give up and to keep going no matter the circumstances. If you have a word from God, you have to stick to it until it is fulfilled. 3\. We pray for all Christians. We pray for our brothers and sisters. We are one body, and we have to pray for one another. I cannot tell you how many times I have received an email from a stranger who was moved to pray for me and Belonging House. God will often bring us support and protection in a way that outsmarts our adversaries. 4\. We proclaim the gospel. Graham Cooke once said that Satan is not looking for victims, he is looking for allies. One of the most important things we can do in spiritual warfare is go into all the world and make disciples. This is snatching people out of the enemy kingdom, and bringing them into the Kingdom of God. And this is probably the greatest form of spiritual warfare. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### The Only Son of God URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-only-son-of-god/ Last updated: 2024-10-09T06:04:32.000Z "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Only Son of God URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-only-son-of-god-2/ Last updated: 2024-10-09T06:04:32.000Z "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 5785: The Death of Jezebel URL: https://www.belonging.house/5785-the-death-of-jezebel/ Last updated: 2024-10-07T10:24:10.000Z 5785: The Death of Jezebel 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThursday was Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, or more Biblically, Yom T’ruah, the feast of Trumpets. God works through times and seasons, and if you pay attention, you discover that like it says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time to plant and a time to harvest, there is a time for war, and a time for peace, there is a time to cast stones and a time to gather them up again. We are in the midst of the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In Jewish tradition, the new year begins with a shofar blast, the blast of a trumpet. Then for the next ten days, we are called to a time of reflection: to Teshuva--repentance, to Tsedaka--giving alms, and Tikkun, repairing the creation. Judaism teaches that God opens the books in heaven, and for during this time judges your life. At the end of these ten days, on Yom Kippur Judaism teaches that God decides if your name will be written in the book of life for the next year. And so, the customary greeting is L'Shana Tova "May you be written." These fall feasts, as you know, are not on the Christian Calendar. These feasts were not fulfilled in Messiah. These feasts point to the future: to the return of Jesus, when the trumpet will sound, and He will return on the earth for thousand years, and then judge all things rightly. This pattern is in these holidays. God spoke to me about this season some time ago, and it is interesting how over the past few years these days have begun to appear on the radar of Christians. I have learned over the years that these days are times of open heaven. It's a time when prayer and hearing from God is easier. Usually, God gives me what I call my "marching orders" on Rosh Hashanah. Last year I received a big download on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Lord gave me a new Hebrew name in Israel, Baruch David--Blessed David. And last year was all about the promises to rebuild David's fallen tent, and the promises to David and all his descendants. Honestly, I am still processing some of that word, and how it manifests in our mission to raise up an army of artists. Normally, the words I receive at Rosh Hashanah "simmer" inside me for a while, and then they begin to come to pass around Advent, and they begin to fully manifest at Christmas. This is a clear pattern I have watched for two decades. God isn't religious, and the Jewish and Christian feast are all his. This is part of the annual rhythm with the Lord. Last year God said that the coming year was a time of war. And within two weeks Israel was at war. And the level of spiritual war I have faced since the mid summer is at a level I truly have not experienced before. I have felt so much spiritual pressure that I actually have felt pain in my body from it. I begin waiting on God for what the new year holds beginning about a month before Rosh Hashanah. As I reflected on the Hebrew numbers for this year, and waited on God, the overwhelming sense I have had is that this is the year of the overturning of the government of man, and the restoration of the government of God. I made a video for our community that goes into this, and I will link to it in the comments. God is calling us to open our mouths wide so he can fill them. This is going to be a year of unbelievable creativity and a creative move of God in earth. Trials and difficulties are going to release creative solutions. Trails and difficulties are also going to release faith. This is how God builds faith in us, by giving us a problem. God's ways are not our ways. God gives us strength by making us weak. This Rosh Hashanah was very unusual, and a bit stressful, in that I had to fight to find a place for quiet, and to listen to God. And even when I did find a quiet place, I had to fight to hear God. On the morning of Rosh Hashanah, I began morning prayer, and there was an unexpected reading. It was II Kings 9, the death of Jezebel. Oddly, this was the word God gave me for this year to share with others. For our prayer team, and those close to us, you know that we have dealt with an ongoing issue with people who operate in the Jezebel spirit. Whatever you tolerate, dominates. So this is word is a significant shift for Belonging House. After the death of David, Solomon introduced the practice of making alliances with other nations through marriage. And part of this introduced the foreign gods of these wives into Israel. Because of Solomon’s idolatry, God said he would judge the nation, but for the sake of the promise to David, he would preserve a remnant. Fast forward about two hundred years. Israel and Judah have been divided. Israel has openly become polytheistic. The King of Israel, Ahab, married a Phoenician princess named Jezebel. This is probably the most evil character in the Bible. Jezebel was a pagan priestess, she led the worship of Baal, fed 400 prophets of Baal, killed God's prophets, stole the inheritance of Naboth, and because of her witch craft brought a famine on the nation. Before his death, Elijah prophesied her end, and said she would be eaten by dogs in the valley of Jezreel. And so we come to the ninth chapter of II Kings. Elisha is near the end of his life, and he gathers the company of prophets together. Ahaziah the young king of Judah, is the grandson of Jezebel. His mother was the daughter of Ahab, and Ahaziah as a Baal worshipper. In other words, Judah is in a crisis, and the bloodline of David, and the promise to David is under threat. We are not going to go into depth on the Jezebel spirit this week, other than to say Jezebel in the Bible and Jezebel in the church operates through intimidation, control and manipulation in order to gain domination. This usually works two ways, either through deceit, and usually through withholding information in order to be in control, or through sickness, using sympathy to maintain control and dominate. I reflected on this passage for days before I realized the issue here in II Kings is that Jezebel formed an alliance with Judah through marriage in order to destroy the promise to David and remove the possibility of the Messiah ever being born. So Jezebel is the enemy of the establishment of David’s line, and the fulfillment of the eternal kingdom. This is conflict between two kingdoms the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the enemy. And so Elisha calls a young prophet, and he says, "Run, go anoint Jehu, the grandson of Jehoshaphat, King. And then get out of there." And this young prophet does what Elisha commands. And in the anointing, Jehu is released into his calling. Jehu is King over God's people. Jehu shall strike down the House of Ahab and he shall avenge on Jezebel the blood of God's servants the prophets and blood of the servants of God. Jehu drives like a maniac to kill the two wicked kings of Judah and Israel, Joram and Ahaziah. So we need to keep a number of things in mind here. It has been a long time since Elijah died. It has been twelve years since Ahab died, and because of the nature of the court in Ancient Israel, Jezebel is the most powerful person in both nations, she is the Gebarah, the Queen Mother. In a polygamous culture, the mother or grandmother of the king is more powerful than the queen. And so Jezebel is the most powerful person in both Israel and Judah. She was on a mission to stop the Messiah from being born. As we see so many times in the Bible, things have to reach their fullness before something happens, and then after what seems like a long wait, God moves in a suddenly. And suddenly, a prophet runs in. Suddenly Jehu is anointed. Suddenly the troops recognize who he is. Suddenly he heads to Jezreel. And Joram sees Jehu coming, and he sends messengers. And each time Jehu commands the messenger to get behind him and fall in line. And the messenger obeys. Jehu knows who he is and those around him respond. And bam, he kills both kings. Now remember, Jezebel is a foreigner. She is not of the line of David, and she is an enemy of God. But she is still the most powerful person in both kingdoms. Jezebel is a foreign oppressor a priestess of a foreign god, on assignment to undermine the purpose of the nation of Israel. She dresses herself, and puts on her makeup. And stands at the window, intending to intimidate Jehu. She is accustomed to weak and powerless men who bow down to her. She taunts Jehu, but Jehu doesn't engage with Jezebel. Engagement is toleration. He ignores her. He engages with the eunuchs, probably taken in war, who were forced to serve her. And they throw her down. And according to the word of the Lord, Jezebel is eaten by dogs. The word for this new year is recompense. This is going to be a year of repayment. This is going to be a year of God's government being released in the earth. God is going to move in anointing and a lot of promises that we have been waiting for are going to be released. For many in our house, we have had to deal with ongoing witchcraft attacks. And the Lord is saying, not to engage, but to pray for the advancement of the Kingdom into the lives of those opposing me. We want disciples, not to be protected. And in the arts world in general, there seems to be an endless battle with intimidation and control. God is going to raise up a number of leaders who have been hidden. The breath of God is being released right now. These are people who have been contending against injustice, intimidation, and witchcraft. The Lord is releasing Jehus. And like Jehu people are going to come and ask "are you coming to keep peace with the injustice and the status quo,?" And these Jehu's are going to respond: "hold my beer, I am on a mission from God to restore the bloodline of David." We are going to see the house of David established. We are going to see the throne of David in the earth. Jehu is on a mission to put an end to witchcraft intimidation. Jehu is on a mission to restore the true worship true anointing, and true mission of God in the earth, that the Kingdoms of this world would become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Hold on tight, because this is going to be a very wild year. A long time ago I had a vision of a big old theatre. On the front row was a group of famous leaders. One by one, they got up from their seats. And right behind them there were a group of people who did all the right stuff to be groomed to take the front row seats. And they waited, and a number of them, even though they were not on the front row acted like they were. And a few tried to climb over the seat and get into the front row. And then an usher came forward, and he went to the other rows of the theatre. Some were in the back, some were in the third row, some were in the balcony. And these were escorted to the front row. And the folks on the second row were very offended. Because a lot of these folks didn’t look like they should be on the front row. We are in for an interesting ride this year. God is clearing out the ministry system, but he is also re-positioning and putting those who have been serving in the low place. This is going to be a year of creative repayment, recompense, and re-order. It is going to be a year of the creative breath of God. And the wind blows where it will. ### 5785: The Death of Jezebel URL: https://www.belonging.house/5785-the-death-of-jezebel-2/ Last updated: 2024-10-07T10:24:10.000Z 5785: The Death of Jezebel 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThursday was Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, or more Biblically, Yom T’ruah, the feast of Trumpets. God works through times and seasons, and if you pay attention, you discover that like it says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time to plant and a time to harvest, there is a time for war, and a time for peace, there is a time to cast stones and a time to gather them up again. We are in the midst of the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In Jewish tradition, the new year begins with a shofar blast, the blast of a trumpet. Then for the next ten days, we are called to a time of reflection: to Teshuva--repentance, to Tsedaka--giving alms, and Tikkun, repairing the creation. Judaism teaches that God opens the books in heaven, and for during this time judges your life. At the end of these ten days, on Yom Kippur Judaism teaches that God decides if your name will be written in the book of life for the next year. And so, the customary greeting is L'Shana Tova "May you be written." These fall feasts, as you know, are not on the Christian Calendar. These feasts were not fulfilled in Messiah. These feasts point to the future: to the return of Jesus, when the trumpet will sound, and He will return on the earth for thousand years, and then judge all things rightly. This pattern is in these holidays. God spoke to me about this season some time ago, and it is interesting how over the past few years these days have begun to appear on the radar of Christians. I have learned over the years that these days are times of open heaven. It's a time when prayer and hearing from God is easier. Usually, God gives me what I call my "marching orders" on Rosh Hashanah. Last year I received a big download on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Lord gave me a new Hebrew name in Israel, Baruch David--Blessed David. And last year was all about the promises to rebuild David's fallen tent, and the promises to David and all his descendants. Honestly, I am still processing some of that word, and how it manifests in our mission to raise up an army of artists. Normally, the words I receive at Rosh Hashanah "simmer" inside me for a while, and then they begin to come to pass around Advent, and they begin to fully manifest at Christmas. This is a clear pattern I have watched for two decades. God isn't religious, and the Jewish and Christian feast are all his. This is part of the annual rhythm with the Lord. Last year God said that the coming year was a time of war. And within two weeks Israel was at war. And the level of spiritual war I have faced since the mid summer is at a level I truly have not experienced before. I have felt so much spiritual pressure that I actually have felt pain in my body from it. I begin waiting on God for what the new year holds beginning about a month before Rosh Hashanah. As I reflected on the Hebrew numbers for this year, and waited on God, the overwhelming sense I have had is that this is the year of the overturning of the government of man, and the restoration of the government of God. I made a video for our community that goes into this, and I will link to it in the comments. God is calling us to open our mouths wide so he can fill them. This is going to be a year of unbelievable creativity and a creative move of God in earth. Trials and difficulties are going to release creative solutions. Trails and difficulties are also going to release faith. This is how God builds faith in us, by giving us a problem. God's ways are not our ways. God gives us strength by making us weak. This Rosh Hashanah was very unusual, and a bit stressful, in that I had to fight to find a place for quiet, and to listen to God. And even when I did find a quiet place, I had to fight to hear God. On the morning of Rosh Hashanah, I began morning prayer, and there was an unexpected reading. It was II Kings 9, the death of Jezebel. Oddly, this was the word God gave me for this year to share with others. For our prayer team, and those close to us, you know that we have dealt with an ongoing issue with people who operate in the Jezebel spirit. Whatever you tolerate, dominates. So this is word is a significant shift for Belonging House. After the death of David, Solomon introduced the practice of making alliances with other nations through marriage. And part of this introduced the foreign gods of these wives into Israel. Because of Solomon’s idolatry, God said he would judge the nation, but for the sake of the promise to David, he would preserve a remnant. Fast forward about two hundred years. Israel and Judah have been divided. Israel has openly become polytheistic. The King of Israel, Ahab, married a Phoenician princess named Jezebel. This is probably the most evil character in the Bible. Jezebel was a pagan priestess, she led the worship of Baal, fed 400 prophets of Baal, killed God's prophets, stole the inheritance of Naboth, and because of her witch craft brought a famine on the nation. Before his death, Elijah prophesied her end, and said she would be eaten by dogs in the valley of Jezreel. And so we come to the ninth chapter of II Kings. Elisha is near the end of his life, and he gathers the company of prophets together. Ahaziah the young king of Judah, is the grandson of Jezebel. His mother was the daughter of Ahab, and Ahaziah as a Baal worshipper. In other words, Judah is in a crisis, and the bloodline of David, and the promise to David is under threat. We are not going to go into depth on the Jezebel spirit this week, other than to say Jezebel in the Bible and Jezebel in the church operates through intimidation, control and manipulation in order to gain domination. This usually works two ways, either through deceit, and usually through withholding information in order to be in control, or through sickness, using sympathy to maintain control and dominate. I reflected on this passage for days before I realized the issue here in II Kings is that Jezebel formed an alliance with Judah through marriage in order to destroy the promise to David and remove the possibility of the Messiah ever being born. So Jezebel is the enemy of the establishment of David’s line, and the fulfillment of the eternal kingdom. This is conflict between two kingdoms the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the enemy. And so Elisha calls a young prophet, and he says, "Run, go anoint Jehu, the grandson of Jehoshaphat, King. And then get out of there." And this young prophet does what Elisha commands. And in the anointing, Jehu is released into his calling. Jehu is King over God's people. Jehu shall strike down the House of Ahab and he shall avenge on Jezebel the blood of God's servants the prophets and blood of the servants of God. Jehu drives like a maniac to kill the two wicked kings of Judah and Israel, Joram and Ahaziah. So we need to keep a number of things in mind here. It has been a long time since Elijah died. It has been twelve years since Ahab died, and because of the nature of the court in Ancient Israel, Jezebel is the most powerful person in both nations, she is the Gebarah, the Queen Mother. In a polygamous culture, the mother or grandmother of the king is more powerful than the queen. And so Jezebel is the most powerful person in both Israel and Judah. She was on a mission to stop the Messiah from being born. As we see so many times in the Bible, things have to reach their fullness before something happens, and then after what seems like a long wait, God moves in a suddenly. And suddenly, a prophet runs in. Suddenly Jehu is anointed. Suddenly the troops recognize who he is. Suddenly he heads to Jezreel. And Joram sees Jehu coming, and he sends messengers. And each time Jehu commands the messenger to get behind him and fall in line. And the messenger obeys. Jehu knows who he is and those around him respond. And bam, he kills both kings. Now remember, Jezebel is a foreigner. She is not of the line of David, and she is an enemy of God. But she is still the most powerful person in both kingdoms. Jezebel is a foreign oppressor a priestess of a foreign god, on assignment to undermine the purpose of the nation of Israel. She dresses herself, and puts on her makeup. And stands at the window, intending to intimidate Jehu. She is accustomed to weak and powerless men who bow down to her. She taunts Jehu, but Jehu doesn't engage with Jezebel. Engagement is toleration. He ignores her. He engages with the eunuchs, probably taken in war, who were forced to serve her. And they throw her down. And according to the word of the Lord, Jezebel is eaten by dogs. The word for this new year is recompense. This is going to be a year of repayment. This is going to be a year of God's government being released in the earth. God is going to move in anointing and a lot of promises that we have been waiting for are going to be released. For many in our house, we have had to deal with ongoing witchcraft attacks. And the Lord is saying, not to engage, but to pray for the advancement of the Kingdom into the lives of those opposing me. We want disciples, not to be protected. And in the arts world in general, there seems to be an endless battle with intimidation and control. God is going to raise up a number of leaders who have been hidden. The breath of God is being released right now. These are people who have been contending against injustice, intimidation, and witchcraft. The Lord is releasing Jehus. And like Jehu people are going to come and ask "are you coming to keep peace with the injustice and the status quo,?" And these Jehu's are going to respond: "hold my beer, I am on a mission from God to restore the bloodline of David." We are going to see the house of David established. We are going to see the throne of David in the earth. Jehu is on a mission to put an end to witchcraft intimidation. Jehu is on a mission to restore the true worship true anointing, and true mission of God in the earth, that the Kingdoms of this world would become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Hold on tight, because this is going to be a very wild year. A long time ago I had a vision of a big old theatre. On the front row was a group of famous leaders. One by one, they got up from their seats. And right behind them there were a group of people who did all the right stuff to be groomed to take the front row seats. And they waited, and a number of them, even though they were not on the front row acted like they were. And a few tried to climb over the seat and get into the front row. And then an usher came forward, and he went to the other rows of the theatre. Some were in the back, some were in the third row, some were in the balcony. And these were escorted to the front row. And the folks on the second row were very offended. Because a lot of these folks didn’t look like they should be on the front row. We are in for an interesting ride this year. God is clearing out the ministry system, but he is also re-positioning and putting those who have been serving in the low place. This is going to be a year of creative repayment, recompense, and re-order. It is going to be a year of the creative breath of God. And the wind blows where it will. ### We Believe in One Lord Jesus Christ URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-believe-in-one-lord-jesus-christ/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:56.000Z The ongoing series from Very God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### We Believe in One Lord Jesus Christ URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-believe-in-one-lord-jesus-christ-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:48.000Z The ongoing series from Very God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to make open space in your life. URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-make-open-space-in-your-life/ Last updated: 2024-09-30T07:35:40.000Z How to make open space in your life. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedOh that all of the LORD's people were prophets, and the LORD would put His spirit upon them. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. In Mark 7, 8, and 9 the disciples forbid people from coming to Jesus, stop people from healing, and prevent children from being blessed. In Numbers 11, Joshua tries to stop two men from prophesying. There is a common thread throughout the readings today. It is this: there are folks doing things by the Holy Spirit that are outside the established structure. And both Moses and our Lord Jesus respond to this problem the same way. Whoever is not against us is for us. Oh that all of God's people were prophets. There is a reason the Holy Spirit is most often described as water. Water in the form of steam can go anywhere. Water can break rocks and move mountains. Water can go everywhere and transform everything. The Holy Spirit is “strong like water” whereas religion is brittle and fragile. And this is another key piece of discipleship and it runs deeply contrary to religious thinking. If a person, and in our case, artists and creative people, choose to empty themselves, become servants, listen to God, take up their crosses and deny themselves, they have created a vacuum. That vacuum can only be filled by the Holy Spirit. Pastor Cho in Korea once prayed that God would make open space in his life so that God could fill it. When we embark on the path of discipleship, it is a path of death, but that death creates a way for resurrection. And it is this decision to go to the cross with Jesus that results in a tendency among the religious to become morbid. And you see this kind of morbid spirituality, focused on self mortification, discipline, and asceticism in lots of places. Discipline is only half the equation, and if you stay there, you become fixated on sin and you do become very negative. Or you create a theology for the strong for those who have the strength to look good without God. This is the cost without the grace. In true discipleship, you empty yourself to make a place for God to fill. And in both these readings today, Jesus and Moses are in agreement. Oh that all of God's people were prophets. Oh that everyone was doing miracles in my name. This brings us back to something I said a few years ago. Jesus did not come to establish a religion. He came to set up a Kingdom. And Moses knew this. It was not about forming a religion in the desert. It was about creating a people, who would bring the Kingdom of YHWH to the earth. They were called to be a nation of priests, not for themselves alone, but for all the nations. Israel's calling was to serve the nations and bring them to God. And eventually, it did happen, but not the way they wanted or expected. The religious spirit is at enmity with the Kingdom. And we see this here in both of these readings. Moses needs help and he summons seventy elders to receive a portion of the Holy Spirit. And two of the elders were rebellious, and didn't do what they were asked to do. Even so, God imparted to them anointing and they began to prophesy. They were doing this outside the official structures. The disciples come to Jesus and they tell him that they have stopped people who are healing in his name. Both Moses and Jesus do not forbid the healing and the prophecy. They encourage it. Psalm 115:2 Says that God is in heaven and he does whatever he wills. God does whatever he wants. We all have versions of apostolic succession. You wouldn't believe how often I get asked about my credentials. I generally don't answer because when someone wants your credentials, that's a religious question. They want a reason to not receive you because you aren't in their stream, flow, or denomination. It's about who is dominant. Most religious controversies are about getting dominance over other people. And of course, that always leads us back to witchcraft. Witchcraft in every form is about control, manipulation, and domination. Jesus, when asked about his credentials said the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, the dead rise, and the poor receive good news. Blessed is anyone who is not offended by me." Jesus said, judge a tree by its fruit. And for us, this is really important. I had a good hippy Jew friend who worked with me as an artist. She always told the company, when she was asked to do some corporate thing: "I'm not a joiner." We are living in a time when all the religious institutions seem hopelessly corrupt. A core part of Belonging House are "dones." These are folks who are done with the institutional church. And to religious people who are looking for the sign on the door, or the certificate, or the right theology, this is very offensive. Paul chastised the Corinthians when they made factions. They were following "streams" Peter, Apollos, or Paul. Paul said you better follow Jesus. Jesus is the rabbi, not us. Jesus is the King. Jesus is Lord. And Paul says in the second chapter of I Corinthians that we do not make our decisions based on human wisdom but by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Whenever you fall into human wisdom, what the Greek calls "soulishness," you begin to see cracks and crevices in the body of Christ. This is the circulation problem. Divisions increase, and people begin forming little camps around human thought systems. And these thought systems often become demonic strongholds. There is only one solution, turning to God and being filled with the Holy Spirit. So we are back to this core idea: Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. When we talk about disciples in the arts, we have to talk about the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the wind blows where it will. The Wind, the Breath, the Ruach, is the Holy Spirit. And Jesus tells Nicodemus in the third chapter of John that so it is with everyone who is born of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship is not discipline and self-control. Discipleship is making the ongoing decision to deny yourself, die to your own desires, and to receive. And this is where a lot of people miss it. You need to be emptied, so that you can be filled. Lots of people preach the death without the resurrection. This is why there is this ongoing series of scandals going on. It's finally reached the squeaky-clean evangelicals. You cannot preach deny yourself, and leave an empty hole. And you cannot preach sanctity without the Power of the Holy Spirit. It's sham theology. We all have needs. If you don't fill the void with the Holy Spirit, you will go after money, sex, and power. That's a cheap imitation of Provision, Wholeness, and Anointing. And it costs a lot to get those things. For full disclosure, in this year of being stretched hard I have had many nights where I was severely tempted. And I had to put my hand on my heart and say, Jesus, if you don't meet the need in my heart, then I am going to go out and do something that will hurt me and others. I need you to meet my need. And the Holy Spirit met the need in my heart. And when you do this over and over again, you gain strength, you gain authority, and you gain anointing. Provision, wholeness, and anointing are much better than money, sex, and power. And there are too things that are really okay, struggle and progress. If you are struggling in any area God can meet your need. That’s back to humility. This is the Kingdom. And Jesus tells us, you don't have to be in the right denomination or the right church. As much as I love the Church catholic, I have learned that God does what ever he wills. And I have seen the Lord move in the most unlikely of places. We are called to judge a tree by its fruit. God did not say judge a tree by its credentials. So how do we receive this? We have talked about self denial, and about taking up your cross. Often when you sit and listen to God, you will be giving difficult instructions. So first, if you are listening to God, you are listening to the Holy Spirit. We hear people say "the spirit told me." Be careful, you don't want just any spirit, you WILL be deceived. You want the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is going to say Jesus is Lord. The Holy Spirit is going to lead you to Jesus and to the clear word of God. So you listen to God, and God gives you some difficult direction. And you know that it is more than you can do. God is always going to give you an impossible job. That's great. You have to depend on God. And so you say, Lord, I am completely ill equipped for what you want me to do. I do not have the \_\_\_\_\_ that I need to do this. Then you invite the Holy Spirit to come. You ask, you do not order the Holy Spirit. O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul. Fill me, console me, strengthen me, guide me. Give me your orders. Whatever you ask, I submit to you, only show me your will. And then you sit. I put my hand on my heart, and I breathe in the Holy Spirit. I breathe you in Holy Spirit. I receive you. And I receive all of your fruit Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, I know you are in me. I need you Jesus. Jesus all your qualities that I need I ask you to manifest in me. All the gifts you have for me to carry out your will and advance the Kingdom I ask you to give me and release in me. Lord, I want everything you have for me today. Only show me your will. And then I breathe again. And this is how you begin to walk out the promises that Jesus gives to his disciples: You will do greater works than the ones I do. This is discipleship. You empty yourself, and you ask God to fill you. You cannot have one without the other. ### How to make open space in your life. URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-make-open-space-in-your-life-2/ Last updated: 2024-09-30T07:35:40.000Z How to make open space in your life. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedOh that all of the LORD's people were prophets, and the LORD would put His spirit upon them. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. In Mark 7, 8, and 9 the disciples forbid people from coming to Jesus, stop people from healing, and prevent children from being blessed. In Numbers 11, Joshua tries to stop two men from prophesying. There is a common thread throughout the readings today. It is this: there are folks doing things by the Holy Spirit that are outside the established structure. And both Moses and our Lord Jesus respond to this problem the same way. Whoever is not against us is for us. Oh that all of God's people were prophets. There is a reason the Holy Spirit is most often described as water. Water in the form of steam can go anywhere. Water can break rocks and move mountains. Water can go everywhere and transform everything. The Holy Spirit is “strong like water” whereas religion is brittle and fragile. And this is another key piece of discipleship and it runs deeply contrary to religious thinking. If a person, and in our case, artists and creative people, choose to empty themselves, become servants, listen to God, take up their crosses and deny themselves, they have created a vacuum. That vacuum can only be filled by the Holy Spirit. Pastor Cho in Korea once prayed that God would make open space in his life so that God could fill it. When we embark on the path of discipleship, it is a path of death, but that death creates a way for resurrection. And it is this decision to go to the cross with Jesus that results in a tendency among the religious to become morbid. And you see this kind of morbid spirituality, focused on self mortification, discipline, and asceticism in lots of places. Discipline is only half the equation, and if you stay there, you become fixated on sin and you do become very negative. Or you create a theology for the strong for those who have the strength to look good without God. This is the cost without the grace. In true discipleship, you empty yourself to make a place for God to fill. And in both these readings today, Jesus and Moses are in agreement. Oh that all of God's people were prophets. Oh that everyone was doing miracles in my name. This brings us back to something I said a few years ago. Jesus did not come to establish a religion. He came to set up a Kingdom. And Moses knew this. It was not about forming a religion in the desert. It was about creating a people, who would bring the Kingdom of YHWH to the earth. They were called to be a nation of priests, not for themselves alone, but for all the nations. Israel's calling was to serve the nations and bring them to God. And eventually, it did happen, but not the way they wanted or expected. The religious spirit is at enmity with the Kingdom. And we see this here in both of these readings. Moses needs help and he summons seventy elders to receive a portion of the Holy Spirit. And two of the elders were rebellious, and didn't do what they were asked to do. Even so, God imparted to them anointing and they began to prophesy. They were doing this outside the official structures. The disciples come to Jesus and they tell him that they have stopped people who are healing in his name. Both Moses and Jesus do not forbid the healing and the prophecy. They encourage it. Psalm 115:2 Says that God is in heaven and he does whatever he wills. God does whatever he wants. We all have versions of apostolic succession. You wouldn't believe how often I get asked about my credentials. I generally don't answer because when someone wants your credentials, that's a religious question. They want a reason to not receive you because you aren't in their stream, flow, or denomination. It's about who is dominant. Most religious controversies are about getting dominance over other people. And of course, that always leads us back to witchcraft. Witchcraft in every form is about control, manipulation, and domination. Jesus, when asked about his credentials said the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, the dead rise, and the poor receive good news. Blessed is anyone who is not offended by me." Jesus said, judge a tree by its fruit. And for us, this is really important. I had a good hippy Jew friend who worked with me as an artist. She always told the company, when she was asked to do some corporate thing: "I'm not a joiner." We are living in a time when all the religious institutions seem hopelessly corrupt. A core part of Belonging House are "dones." These are folks who are done with the institutional church. And to religious people who are looking for the sign on the door, or the certificate, or the right theology, this is very offensive. Paul chastised the Corinthians when they made factions. They were following "streams" Peter, Apollos, or Paul. Paul said you better follow Jesus. Jesus is the rabbi, not us. Jesus is the King. Jesus is Lord. And Paul says in the second chapter of I Corinthians that we do not make our decisions based on human wisdom but by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. Whenever you fall into human wisdom, what the Greek calls "soulishness," you begin to see cracks and crevices in the body of Christ. This is the circulation problem. Divisions increase, and people begin forming little camps around human thought systems. And these thought systems often become demonic strongholds. There is only one solution, turning to God and being filled with the Holy Spirit. So we are back to this core idea: Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. When we talk about disciples in the arts, we have to talk about the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the wind blows where it will. The Wind, the Breath, the Ruach, is the Holy Spirit. And Jesus tells Nicodemus in the third chapter of John that so it is with everyone who is born of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship is not discipline and self-control. Discipleship is making the ongoing decision to deny yourself, die to your own desires, and to receive. And this is where a lot of people miss it. You need to be emptied, so that you can be filled. Lots of people preach the death without the resurrection. This is why there is this ongoing series of scandals going on. It's finally reached the squeaky-clean evangelicals. You cannot preach deny yourself, and leave an empty hole. And you cannot preach sanctity without the Power of the Holy Spirit. It's sham theology. We all have needs. If you don't fill the void with the Holy Spirit, you will go after money, sex, and power. That's a cheap imitation of Provision, Wholeness, and Anointing. And it costs a lot to get those things. For full disclosure, in this year of being stretched hard I have had many nights where I was severely tempted. And I had to put my hand on my heart and say, Jesus, if you don't meet the need in my heart, then I am going to go out and do something that will hurt me and others. I need you to meet my need. And the Holy Spirit met the need in my heart. And when you do this over and over again, you gain strength, you gain authority, and you gain anointing. Provision, wholeness, and anointing are much better than money, sex, and power. And there are too things that are really okay, struggle and progress. If you are struggling in any area God can meet your need. That’s back to humility. This is the Kingdom. And Jesus tells us, you don't have to be in the right denomination or the right church. As much as I love the Church catholic, I have learned that God does what ever he wills. And I have seen the Lord move in the most unlikely of places. We are called to judge a tree by its fruit. God did not say judge a tree by its credentials. So how do we receive this? We have talked about self denial, and about taking up your cross. Often when you sit and listen to God, you will be giving difficult instructions. So first, if you are listening to God, you are listening to the Holy Spirit. We hear people say "the spirit told me." Be careful, you don't want just any spirit, you WILL be deceived. You want the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is going to say Jesus is Lord. The Holy Spirit is going to lead you to Jesus and to the clear word of God. So you listen to God, and God gives you some difficult direction. And you know that it is more than you can do. God is always going to give you an impossible job. That's great. You have to depend on God. And so you say, Lord, I am completely ill equipped for what you want me to do. I do not have the \_\_\_\_\_ that I need to do this. Then you invite the Holy Spirit to come. You ask, you do not order the Holy Spirit. O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul. Fill me, console me, strengthen me, guide me. Give me your orders. Whatever you ask, I submit to you, only show me your will. And then you sit. I put my hand on my heart, and I breathe in the Holy Spirit. I breathe you in Holy Spirit. I receive you. And I receive all of your fruit Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, I know you are in me. I need you Jesus. Jesus all your qualities that I need I ask you to manifest in me. All the gifts you have for me to carry out your will and advance the Kingdom I ask you to give me and release in me. Lord, I want everything you have for me today. Only show me your will. And then I breathe again. And this is how you begin to walk out the promises that Jesus gives to his disciples: You will do greater works than the ones I do. This is discipleship. You empty yourself, and you ask God to fill you. You cannot have one without the other. ### Maker of All Things URL: https://www.belonging.house/maker-of-all-things/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:56.000Z Seen and unseen. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Maker of All Things URL: https://www.belonging.house/maker-of-all-things-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:48.000Z Seen and unseen. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to Be Great Like God URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-be-great-like-god/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:56.000Z How to Be Great Like God 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week we continue our series on making disciples in the arts. I moved to Boston in 2009\. When I arrived there I came upon a Christian community that was in shock. The previous spring Same-sex marriage was forced through the legislature. Those who were politically savvy understood that if this went through in Massachusetts, New York would be next, and within a year or two, Same-sex marriage would be the law of the land. And it was. The slippery slope is real. These folks had lost a big battle, and a lot of people were in shock and defeated. I was new in town, so I just listened to people. I asked questions. And I discovered an interesting thing. In the 1990's the Pride lobby came up with an ingenious plan. They took volunteer jobs in offices in the Massachusetts state house. They stuffed envelopes, took out the trash, and ran errands. They were political volunteers. They helped out. And in the process, they got to know the legislators. And as the "culture war" issues heated up these legislators, a lot of whom were supposedly Christians, would leave their office and face angry constituents. The Christians were standing there with signs, and petitions, and bullhorns-- Trying to win the day. And then the legislators would go back to their office and they would get served coffee and donuts by a friendly, multi-color haired, lesbian. The legislator had a name and a face, and a friendly volunteer on their mind when they went into the vote. And they had a bunch of angry screaming Christians that they would have to face afterward. You do the math. And the Christians I talked to resented the “dirty tricks” the pride lobby played by volunteering in the offices. It was then that I learned the power of what Jesus said in today's gospel. "If any man desire to be first, he must be last of all, and the servant of all." Irony. And we are back to the heart of discipleship. We are moving toward birthing a discipleship movement in the arts. And this issue, servanthood, is key. The heart of the disciple is one that goes low. You have to as they say, choose "downward mobility." Servanthood is the opposite of pride. And pride is the poison killing the church. As many of you know, I get a lot of emails and messages. In 2009 I went through a season where I was getting around 5000 emails a day. And a generous ten percent was genuine hate. That's a good education in media. I have a strange name. Yes, I am aware. And when I get emails from strangers, there is a trend. It is amazing how many people for whatever reason, change my name. I get called "chris" or "john" or someone called me "johnny" this week. Argh. And the worst is "C.J." This week an app on my phone changed my name to "Christi." I've been accused of having a Messiah complex, and some people actually think it's a title I have adopted like "Grand Poobah." And generally, the more religious a person is the more apt they are to change my name. So let's think about this. I was taught that if you do not know a person's name, as a matter of respect and honor, you address them in print as the name appears. And if you are unsure, you may ask them if that was an error, but you don't assume that it is wrong. And you don't assume you have the right to change a person's birth certificate. Here is my New York Birth Certificate, just so you know that the accent is real and the name is too. These people are not interested that I am named after my great-grandfather who mostly raised my dad. They don't know he was named for his father who died when he was a child. They don't know that my great-great grandfather was Jewish, and that he took the German word for "Christian" as his name to avoid dying in a pogrom. We don’t know what his given name was. That's why I don't change it. Pride makes you blind and spiritual pride makes you double blind. Two and a half years ago the Lord asked me to start wearing a clerical collar. I resisted God for seven weeks, and then accepted that he is God, and I am not. It was one of the greatest deaths I have experienced. The response from Christians was almost immediate: I was accused of pretending I was a priest. I was told I was misrepresenting myself. I was accused of worshipping the sun, worshipping King Charles, and that I didn't believe the Bible. The level of basic disrespect and rudeness from Christians has been astonishing. They didn't know that in 1997 I made the choice between faithfulness to the Gospel or a promising career in the Episcopal church. I made this decision after eight years of very good and very expensive ministry training for the priesthood. The decision ruined me financially, and professionally. And they didn't know I was doing all the stuff that a priest does, with a lot of real fruit, for sixteen years before I put the collar on. The same folks who had no problem with my ministry and authority before the collar were suddenly bothered by a little white piece of plastic. Spiritual pride is what is killing the church in American and Britain, and it is the core reason the church in the US has lost over 30% in the past 20 years. People think they have their theology right, but they are getting every thing else wrong. Again and again, Christians are quick to correct and see the fault in other people without asking questions. When you start from the place that you are right and you have the authority to correct others you are going to become a judgmental jerk. And the root of that is pride. There is only one cure for that. And it is the same cure I proposed last week for thinking like the world, the flesh, and the devil. You have to follow Jesus to the cross. The cross is the only antidote. You have to die to your own ways, Your own opinions, your own agendas. You have to assume you do not know the answers, and submit yourself to God. You cannot be great in the Kingdom until you are the servant of all. Going low is the way to greatness as a disciple, and in the Kingdom. When I was a student at Houghton, when it was still a Christian college, their motto was "Raising up Christian scholar-servants." They believed their mission was to send servants into academia, media, business, and society. And because we were called to be servants our education was rigorous. It was a tough place, and they said to us every day, you need to be a life long learner. You need to learn something new every day, and you need to read fifty pages a day for the rest of your life. Wow. Why, because if you want to go low, you have to be the best at what you do so that nothing is a threat to you. And we see this in the life of Esther and Mordecai, We see it in the life of Daniel. We see it in the life of Paul. And ultimately, we see it in the life of Jesus. James said, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. When you have a solid foundation, and you are confident in who you are you can take the lowest seat at the table. And folks will see the substance in you, and call you up to the front. When you choose to empty the waste baskets, and volunteer for the less than grand jobs, you have opportunities to see things very few people ever see. You get to know things. And the more you lay down, the higher God can raise you up. This is the secret. You don't climb your way up in the Kingdom. That's the world's thinking. The Kingdom is built on the foundation of a Lamb who was slain. The law of the universe is the law of death and resurrection. You choose to die to something, and the greatest death is to your pride. And when you choose this, the resurrection life of Jesus the power of the Holy Spirit, cannot resist. The Holy Spirit loves the humble. The Holy Spirit loves those who choose to go low, and not advance themselves. This is what listening to God and doing what God says is all about. It is not my way, but yours Jesus. It is not my way, but yours Jesus. And that is perfect theology. We are living in a time when many people are living under the illusion you can use marketing and the internet to build a big ministry. This pattern of guys who are getting caught taking advantage of women is not about sex. It’s about power. Bill Hybels was power hungry. Building big ministries is about power. And you can make anybody feel like it is the Holy Spirit if you make the music loud enough. I used to joke that the ministry game was all smoke and mirrors. Now it really is. As you know, God asked me to go low 18 years ago. It was about the ministry system. It has been a personal death by a thousand cuts. And it has been about going low. You have no idea what it is like, when you are taught how to grow a church from twelve to a thousand in three years, how hard it is to teach less than ten on Zoom. Every Sunday is a real surrender. It has transformed me. God is calling us to make disciples. Discipleship is about transformation. I am slowly listening to God about big changes to my ministry. God is saying create an alternate media platform for Christian artists, untainted by the Gospel Coalition or Charismatic crazy, and that I need to start making my ideas open source. In other words God is saying start giving stuff away. God is calling me to be the last of all in the Christian arts scene, and the servant of all. God is calling Belonging House to greatness. This is a tough message. Pride has to die. People are replacing the Holy Spirit with dopamine, and the Lord is grieved. We have to go low. We have to empty ourselves, and let the Lord lead us into a place where we are the servants of all. There are a lot of folks who have written books about how Rome became Christian. Protestants think that it was from the top down, that Constantine created a syncretistic religion and forced it on people. That's just ignorant. The truth is a lot more interesting. It comes down to three things: thinking, miracles, and servanthood. The pagan philosophers and poets had run out of ideas, and most of it was drenched in sex. The Christians were more articulate, and had answers to deep questions and could express them well. Pagan Rome had primitive medicine at best. Healing and miracles were common place among the Christians. Many, many people came to Christ simply because of the miracles. Christianity gained it's first foothold, among slaves and soldiers. It was the servant classes who carried the gospel into the houses of leaders across the empire. In fact, many surmise that Constantine embraced Christianity because his whole army was already Christian. They would fight for a leader who shared their faith. Rome became Christian not from the top down, but from the bottom up. Jesus emptied himself and became a servant, and because he surrendered more than anyone else in all creation, He was raised above everything else. This is why his name is above every other name. This is why at the name of Jesus every knee and every tongue will bend and confess. This is heart of the kingdom. And this is how you become great like God. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/5c652b3c-34a6-417d-93e9-0aeff56b46b8_110x132-heic.jpg) [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### How to Be Great Like God URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-be-great-like-god-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:49.000Z How to Be Great Like God 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week we continue our series on making disciples in the arts. I moved to Boston in 2009\. When I arrived there I came upon a Christian community that was in shock. The previous spring Same-sex marriage was forced through the legislature. Those who were politically savvy understood that if this went through in Massachusetts, New York would be next, and within a year or two, Same-sex marriage would be the law of the land. And it was. The slippery slope is real. These folks had lost a big battle, and a lot of people were in shock and defeated. I was new in town, so I just listened to people. I asked questions. And I discovered an interesting thing. In the 1990's the Pride lobby came up with an ingenious plan. They took volunteer jobs in offices in the Massachusetts state house. They stuffed envelopes, took out the trash, and ran errands. They were political volunteers. They helped out. And in the process, they got to know the legislators. And as the "culture war" issues heated up these legislators, a lot of whom were supposedly Christians, would leave their office and face angry constituents. The Christians were standing there with signs, and petitions, and bullhorns-- Trying to win the day. And then the legislators would go back to their office and they would get served coffee and donuts by a friendly, multi-color haired, lesbian. The legislator had a name and a face, and a friendly volunteer on their mind when they went into the vote. And they had a bunch of angry screaming Christians that they would have to face afterward. You do the math. And the Christians I talked to resented the “dirty tricks” the pride lobby played by volunteering in the offices. It was then that I learned the power of what Jesus said in today's gospel. "If any man desire to be first, he must be last of all, and the servant of all." Irony. And we are back to the heart of discipleship. We are moving toward birthing a discipleship movement in the arts. And this issue, servanthood, is key. The heart of the disciple is one that goes low. You have to as they say, choose "downward mobility." Servanthood is the opposite of pride. And pride is the poison killing the church. As many of you know, I get a lot of emails and messages. In 2009 I went through a season where I was getting around 5000 emails a day. And a generous ten percent was genuine hate. That's a good education in media. I have a strange name. Yes, I am aware. And when I get emails from strangers, there is a trend. It is amazing how many people for whatever reason, change my name. I get called "chris" or "john" or someone called me "johnny" this week. Argh. And the worst is "C.J." This week an app on my phone changed my name to "Christi." I've been accused of having a Messiah complex, and some people actually think it's a title I have adopted like "Grand Poobah." And generally, the more religious a person is the more apt they are to change my name. So let's think about this. I was taught that if you do not know a person's name, as a matter of respect and honor, you address them in print as the name appears. And if you are unsure, you may ask them if that was an error, but you don't assume that it is wrong. And you don't assume you have the right to change a person's birth certificate. Here is my New York Birth Certificate, just so you know that the accent is real and the name is too. These people are not interested that I am named after my great-grandfather who mostly raised my dad. They don't know he was named for his father who died when he was a child. They don't know that my great-great grandfather was Jewish, and that he took the German word for "Christian" as his name to avoid dying in a pogrom. We don’t know what his given name was. That's why I don't change it. Pride makes you blind and spiritual pride makes you double blind. Two and a half years ago the Lord asked me to start wearing a clerical collar. I resisted God for seven weeks, and then accepted that he is God, and I am not. It was one of the greatest deaths I have experienced. The response from Christians was almost immediate: I was accused of pretending I was a priest. I was told I was misrepresenting myself. I was accused of worshipping the sun, worshipping King Charles, and that I didn't believe the Bible. The level of basic disrespect and rudeness from Christians has been astonishing. They didn't know that in 1997 I made the choice between faithfulness to the Gospel or a promising career in the Episcopal church. I made this decision after eight years of very good and very expensive ministry training for the priesthood. The decision ruined me financially, and professionally. And they didn't know I was doing all the stuff that a priest does, with a lot of real fruit, for sixteen years before I put the collar on. The same folks who had no problem with my ministry and authority before the collar were suddenly bothered by a little white piece of plastic. Spiritual pride is what is killing the church in American and Britain, and it is the core reason the church in the US has lost over 30% in the past 20 years. People think they have their theology right, but they are getting every thing else wrong. Again and again, Christians are quick to correct and see the fault in other people without asking questions. When you start from the place that you are right and you have the authority to correct others you are going to become a judgmental jerk. And the root of that is pride. There is only one cure for that. And it is the same cure I proposed last week for thinking like the world, the flesh, and the devil. You have to follow Jesus to the cross. The cross is the only antidote. You have to die to your own ways, Your own opinions, your own agendas. You have to assume you do not know the answers, and submit yourself to God. You cannot be great in the Kingdom until you are the servant of all. Going low is the way to greatness as a disciple, and in the Kingdom. When I was a student at Houghton, when it was still a Christian college, their motto was "Raising up Christian scholar-servants." They believed their mission was to send servants into academia, media, business, and society. And because we were called to be servants our education was rigorous. It was a tough place, and they said to us every day, you need to be a life long learner. You need to learn something new every day, and you need to read fifty pages a day for the rest of your life. Wow. Why, because if you want to go low, you have to be the best at what you do so that nothing is a threat to you. And we see this in the life of Esther and Mordecai, We see it in the life of Daniel. We see it in the life of Paul. And ultimately, we see it in the life of Jesus. James said, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. When you have a solid foundation, and you are confident in who you are you can take the lowest seat at the table. And folks will see the substance in you, and call you up to the front. When you choose to empty the waste baskets, and volunteer for the less than grand jobs, you have opportunities to see things very few people ever see. You get to know things. And the more you lay down, the higher God can raise you up. This is the secret. You don't climb your way up in the Kingdom. That's the world's thinking. The Kingdom is built on the foundation of a Lamb who was slain. The law of the universe is the law of death and resurrection. You choose to die to something, and the greatest death is to your pride. And when you choose this, the resurrection life of Jesus the power of the Holy Spirit, cannot resist. The Holy Spirit loves the humble. The Holy Spirit loves those who choose to go low, and not advance themselves. This is what listening to God and doing what God says is all about. It is not my way, but yours Jesus. It is not my way, but yours Jesus. And that is perfect theology. We are living in a time when many people are living under the illusion you can use marketing and the internet to build a big ministry. This pattern of guys who are getting caught taking advantage of women is not about sex. It’s about power. Bill Hybels was power hungry. Building big ministries is about power. And you can make anybody feel like it is the Holy Spirit if you make the music loud enough. I used to joke that the ministry game was all smoke and mirrors. Now it really is. As you know, God asked me to go low 18 years ago. It was about the ministry system. It has been a personal death by a thousand cuts. And it has been about going low. You have no idea what it is like, when you are taught how to grow a church from twelve to a thousand in three years, how hard it is to teach less than ten on Zoom. Every Sunday is a real surrender. It has transformed me. God is calling us to make disciples. Discipleship is about transformation. I am slowly listening to God about big changes to my ministry. God is saying create an alternate media platform for Christian artists, untainted by the Gospel Coalition or Charismatic crazy, and that I need to start making my ideas open source. In other words God is saying start giving stuff away. God is calling me to be the last of all in the Christian arts scene, and the servant of all. God is calling Belonging House to greatness. This is a tough message. Pride has to die. People are replacing the Holy Spirit with dopamine, and the Lord is grieved. We have to go low. We have to empty ourselves, and let the Lord lead us into a place where we are the servants of all. There are a lot of folks who have written books about how Rome became Christian. Protestants think that it was from the top down, that Constantine created a syncretistic religion and forced it on people. That's just ignorant. The truth is a lot more interesting. It comes down to three things: thinking, miracles, and servanthood. The pagan philosophers and poets had run out of ideas, and most of it was drenched in sex. The Christians were more articulate, and had answers to deep questions and could express them well. Pagan Rome had primitive medicine at best. Healing and miracles were common place among the Christians. Many, many people came to Christ simply because of the miracles. Christianity gained it's first foothold, among slaves and soldiers. It was the servant classes who carried the gospel into the houses of leaders across the empire. In fact, many surmise that Constantine embraced Christianity because his whole army was already Christian. They would fight for a leader who shared their faith. Rome became Christian not from the top down, but from the bottom up. Jesus emptied himself and became a servant, and because he surrendered more than anyone else in all creation, He was raised above everything else. This is why his name is above every other name. This is why at the name of Jesus every knee and every tongue will bend and confess. This is heart of the kingdom. And this is how you become great like God. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ed/59/ed590bfa-368b-4bcf-b1f2-6ba9ca9abcdb/content/images/2026/07/5c652b3c-34a6-417d-93e9-0aeff56b46b8_110x132-heic-1.jpg) [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### The Father, the Almighty. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-father-the-almighty/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:57.000Z An Artist Looks at the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Father, the Almighty. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-father-the-almighty-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:49.000Z An Artist Looks at the Nicene Creed. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### How to Think Like God URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-think-like-god/ Last updated: 2024-09-16T10:50:39.000Z How to Think Like God 0:00 /200 1× *I include my notes from my Sunday message as a public service (haha). Sadly, I will not be able to get these notes up to the standard I usually set for my published writing. Please forgive any issues. The audio will vary a lot from the manuscript. That’s showbiz. Thanks.* --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFor the next season we are going to look at being an artist disciple in the Kingdom. Our warriors are disciples. I once found the best description of discipleship, in all places, on Wikipedia. A disciple in the ancient world was a person who followed a master teacher and tried in every way to become like them, in dress, in speech, and in learning. As I put it a few years ago, A disciple is a master copy of the original. Jesus is the Icon of the Father, and a disciple is a copy of the Icon. A disciple is a walking work of conceptual art. A disciple is the ultimate method actor, playing the role of Jesus for all the world to see: responding like Jesus, motivated by the Father, just like Jesus. And as Jesus says in many places, and in this gospel lesson from Mark 8, if you want to be my disciple, you must take up your cross and follow me. This chapter is the heart of discipleship. 1\. You must confess that Jesus is the Christ. 2\. You must think like God, not humanity. 3\. You must take up your cross, deny yourself and follow Jesus. Mark 8 is an important place in Mark's gospel. Mark is unique in that there is no origin of Jesus. Jesus appears on the scene, and from the first verse, begins preaching the kingdom. And that message creates the conflict that builds to chapter 14, the cross. The gospel of Mark is all about the cross. It's high drama. And the key to the drama is revealed in this chapter. In August I talked in depth about the importance of the feeding of the multitude. So we need to note that this chapter begins with the multitude. And the chapter ends with a quiet moment around a campfire. Jesus is very busy, and then he reflects on the busyness with his disciples. These are not followers. These are men who have decided to pattern their lives on the life of Jesus. And Jesus asks them a question: What's my latest poll numbers? How am I trending on Social Media? Have you seen the papers? Who do people say that I am? This is just a setup. And the disciples relay to him the buzz on the street. And then Jesus says, who do YOU say that I am? And this is the first step in discipleship. In the old days preachers would say "God has no grandchildren." We are not all God's children. Natural children are not his, God's children are adopted, and born again, from above, by water and the Holy Spirit. And this birth begins, as it says in Romans 1, "If we confess with our mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead." And so Jesus tests them. "Who do you say that I am?" And Peter says: "You are the Christ, the only Son of God." And Jesus tells him that he is blessed, because he could have only known this by revelation. And this is what sets Peter apart. He was the first to truly listen to God and act on it. He had an unusual spiritual sense, and he was developing the ability to receive revelation. And out of this, he makes his declaration. In order to be a disciple, you need to receive revelation from God, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is the beginning. But this story doesn't end there. Jesus begins telling them about the cross. This is the part of the drama where tension builds toward the climax. The tone of Mark's gospel is going to shift after this chapter. And when Peter hears this new revelation he immediately challenges Jesus. And Jesus stops him. Get behind me Satan. You are not thinking like God, but like men. And this, honestly is the heart of discipleship. It's from Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." The greatest obstacle to discipleship and going forward in the Kingdom is thoughts and opinions. Again and again I am confronted with people who have made a confession that Jesus is Lord, and had an experience of God but they are hamstrung by thoughts and beliefs that are not transformed. They believe a lot of worldly ideas couched in religious sounding language. And as Jesus says to Peter, this is satanic. Discipleship is not about gradual self improvement or therapy on your worldly life that makes you better and better. Discipleship is not about a becoming more moral. Discipleship is not about learning the right theology. Discipleship is not about ticking off boxes of training, religious rituals, or even education. Discipleship is all about presenting your body, daily, as a living sacrifice, and being transformed by the renewing of your mind. And how our mind is renewed is very counter intuitive. We think mind renewal is about information: a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy. You get more good information and that displaces bad information. As this now ancient maxim from computing says: garbage in, garbage out. And bad information is bad. Most people have no idea that they are being discipled by movies media, and general cultural swill. Jesus said you renew your mind this way: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. Your mind must be renewed. And like everything in the Kingdom, mind renewal comes only one way. Your old way of thinking has to be nailed to the cross. It has to die. And in dying you begin to experience a resurrection in your thinking. The Holy Spirit and the Holy Scripture begin to give you the Mind of Christ. All of us struggle. The struggle is usually in an area where we are trying to get our way and massage God into accepting it. It's subtle control. We often quote I Samuel 15:23, "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft" to get people to obey our rules. We rarely hear the second half of the verse: "And stubbornness is as the sin of idolatry and iniquity." Derek Prince once said that stubbornness is making an idol of your own opinion. When you are called to discipleship, you are called to listen to the Lord and do what he tells you. Someone this week sent me a more succinct version of this: Hear and obey. God is going to transform your thinking, in the Greek this could be your soul or your mind. And this transformation begins when we stop coming up with our human ideas and asking God to bless them. That is human, worldly thinking, and it always drifts into diminishing Jesus until you have Christianity without Christ. Human beings without the cross always drift off into allegiance with Satan. Original sin is always about trying to do it apart from a relationship with God. It always begins with good intentions and ends in hell. In my life, transformation in my thinking looks like this: Often God will ask me to fast from something. And immediately, I discover that some simple thing in my life is actually a stronghold where I am choosing to do it my way and not God's way. And often, there is a thought process behind what I was doing that was opposed to the Lord and his Kingdom. This happened with social media. God first told me to go off social media in 2016. I resisted. "But Lord, I need social media to sell my books and build my ministry." (Never mind that God said not to build a ministry.) The Lord continued to gently speak to me. And in 2017 I took the Marketing Seminary with Seth Godin. And after analyzing my marketing activity, I discovered social media was not helping me one bit. In fact, it was costing me money, and causing me trouble. And when I walked away I noticed that books kept selling, the Friday email kept growing, and I kept meeting and speaking to new people. And I didn't have someone constantly telling me how to think. We are being discipled all the time. Buildboards are discipling you. Music in shops is discipling you. Taylor Swift is discipling you. Streaming is discipling you. Social media is discipling you. If you drink from a poisoned well, you will eventually get poisoned. Note that the things around bombarding you with messages all have artists and creative people in them. This is why Satan needs to control the arts. Whoever controls the arts, disciples the nations. This is why I talk about basic discipleship all the time and not about the arts. Let me share some of how this looks in my life. Lately the Lord has said "no news and no booze." (For the record, I have one pint of Guinness on Thursdays) (And also for the record, this is happening in the context of my daily rhythm of prayer, Bible study, communing with Jesus and listening to God.) When the Lord touched this area, I discovered a major area of pride in my life that needed to die. I discovered that one pint a week dulled my senses enough that I would miss opportunities when they arose. God said news was like acid on my faith. I was being discipled to think like the world and not like God. I don't have time to tell you how much removing sugar transformed my thinking. And for those of us who are called into the creative professional realm this is really important. We are called into a real spiritual war zone. The standard line is if a Christian is going to make it in the arts they have to outdo those in the world to get to the top, and then you have a platform then you can use that to advance the Kingdom. Of course, many of those who choose this route are not deep disciples. This goes really bad for most folks, and by the time they get to the top, they forgot they were Christians. And some become high-profile agents of Satan. Just do a search on Duck Duck Go. Others find it safer to create an alternate Christian eco-system where everybody is just as worldly as the world, but squeaky clean, smiley, and mean. Did he really say that? When you go out into the real world, things are very different. Babylon is a very dangerous place. New York, London, Paris, and Rome are tough places. You have to be as wise as a serpent, and as innocent as a dove. And the only way you can do that is to get quiet and not run ahead of God. You have to say, not my will, but Yours. I will not do it my way, or the way I was told it would make me successful. Doing what God says is going to transform your thinking. Because God never asks us to do something for the obvious reasons. God asks us to do things to train us and to shift our way of seeing things. It is never for the obvious reasons. God never lets you know why you are doing things until you have done them. And then you understand. Understanding comes after obedience. Abraham didn't know why he had to leave his country and go to the place God showed him. We know. God calls us to come and die, and then God gives us the reason why. That's how transformation happens. At the end of his life, Paul was in jail. He thought he was a failure who sent a few letters to little bands of followers scattered across the world. He didn't know someone would save all those letters. Listening and obeying will change you. You have no idea what you are doing. But you need to do it. This is costly grace. This is discipleship. As Bonhoeffer said, it is costly because it demands we give up everything. It is grace because we are called to follow Jesus Christ. Confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. ### How to Think Like God URL: https://www.belonging.house/how-to-think-like-god-2/ Last updated: 2024-09-16T10:50:39.000Z How to Think Like God 0:00 /200 1× *I include my notes from my Sunday message as a public service (haha). Sadly, I will not be able to get these notes up to the standard I usually set for my published writing. Please forgive any issues. The audio will vary a lot from the manuscript. That’s showbiz. Thanks.* --- Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFor the next season we are going to look at being an artist disciple in the Kingdom. Our warriors are disciples. I once found the best description of discipleship, in all places, on Wikipedia. A disciple in the ancient world was a person who followed a master teacher and tried in every way to become like them, in dress, in speech, and in learning. As I put it a few years ago, A disciple is a master copy of the original. Jesus is the Icon of the Father, and a disciple is a copy of the Icon. A disciple is a walking work of conceptual art. A disciple is the ultimate method actor, playing the role of Jesus for all the world to see: responding like Jesus, motivated by the Father, just like Jesus. And as Jesus says in many places, and in this gospel lesson from Mark 8, if you want to be my disciple, you must take up your cross and follow me. This chapter is the heart of discipleship. 1\. You must confess that Jesus is the Christ. 2\. You must think like God, not humanity. 3\. You must take up your cross, deny yourself and follow Jesus. Mark 8 is an important place in Mark's gospel. Mark is unique in that there is no origin of Jesus. Jesus appears on the scene, and from the first verse, begins preaching the kingdom. And that message creates the conflict that builds to chapter 14, the cross. The gospel of Mark is all about the cross. It's high drama. And the key to the drama is revealed in this chapter. In August I talked in depth about the importance of the feeding of the multitude. So we need to note that this chapter begins with the multitude. And the chapter ends with a quiet moment around a campfire. Jesus is very busy, and then he reflects on the busyness with his disciples. These are not followers. These are men who have decided to pattern their lives on the life of Jesus. And Jesus asks them a question: What's my latest poll numbers? How am I trending on Social Media? Have you seen the papers? Who do people say that I am? This is just a setup. And the disciples relay to him the buzz on the street. And then Jesus says, who do YOU say that I am? And this is the first step in discipleship. In the old days preachers would say "God has no grandchildren." We are not all God's children. Natural children are not his, God's children are adopted, and born again, from above, by water and the Holy Spirit. And this birth begins, as it says in Romans 1, "If we confess with our mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead." And so Jesus tests them. "Who do you say that I am?" And Peter says: "You are the Christ, the only Son of God." And Jesus tells him that he is blessed, because he could have only known this by revelation. And this is what sets Peter apart. He was the first to truly listen to God and act on it. He had an unusual spiritual sense, and he was developing the ability to receive revelation. And out of this, he makes his declaration. In order to be a disciple, you need to receive revelation from God, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is the beginning. But this story doesn't end there. Jesus begins telling them about the cross. This is the part of the drama where tension builds toward the climax. The tone of Mark's gospel is going to shift after this chapter. And when Peter hears this new revelation he immediately challenges Jesus. And Jesus stops him. Get behind me Satan. You are not thinking like God, but like men. And this, honestly is the heart of discipleship. It's from Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." The greatest obstacle to discipleship and going forward in the Kingdom is thoughts and opinions. Again and again I am confronted with people who have made a confession that Jesus is Lord, and had an experience of God but they are hamstrung by thoughts and beliefs that are not transformed. They believe a lot of worldly ideas couched in religious sounding language. And as Jesus says to Peter, this is satanic. Discipleship is not about gradual self improvement or therapy on your worldly life that makes you better and better. Discipleship is not about a becoming more moral. Discipleship is not about learning the right theology. Discipleship is not about ticking off boxes of training, religious rituals, or even education. Discipleship is all about presenting your body, daily, as a living sacrifice, and being transformed by the renewing of your mind. And how our mind is renewed is very counter intuitive. We think mind renewal is about information: a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy. You get more good information and that displaces bad information. As this now ancient maxim from computing says: garbage in, garbage out. And bad information is bad. Most people have no idea that they are being discipled by movies media, and general cultural swill. Jesus said you renew your mind this way: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. Your mind must be renewed. And like everything in the Kingdom, mind renewal comes only one way. Your old way of thinking has to be nailed to the cross. It has to die. And in dying you begin to experience a resurrection in your thinking. The Holy Spirit and the Holy Scripture begin to give you the Mind of Christ. All of us struggle. The struggle is usually in an area where we are trying to get our way and massage God into accepting it. It's subtle control. We often quote I Samuel 15:23, "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft" to get people to obey our rules. We rarely hear the second half of the verse: "And stubbornness is as the sin of idolatry and iniquity." Derek Prince once said that stubbornness is making an idol of your own opinion. When you are called to discipleship, you are called to listen to the Lord and do what he tells you. Someone this week sent me a more succinct version of this: Hear and obey. God is going to transform your thinking, in the Greek this could be your soul or your mind. And this transformation begins when we stop coming up with our human ideas and asking God to bless them. That is human, worldly thinking, and it always drifts into diminishing Jesus until you have Christianity without Christ. Human beings without the cross always drift off into allegiance with Satan. Original sin is always about trying to do it apart from a relationship with God. It always begins with good intentions and ends in hell. In my life, transformation in my thinking looks like this: Often God will ask me to fast from something. And immediately, I discover that some simple thing in my life is actually a stronghold where I am choosing to do it my way and not God's way. And often, there is a thought process behind what I was doing that was opposed to the Lord and his Kingdom. This happened with social media. God first told me to go off social media in 2016. I resisted. "But Lord, I need social media to sell my books and build my ministry." (Never mind that God said not to build a ministry.) The Lord continued to gently speak to me. And in 2017 I took the Marketing Seminary with Seth Godin. And after analyzing my marketing activity, I discovered social media was not helping me one bit. In fact, it was costing me money, and causing me trouble. And when I walked away I noticed that books kept selling, the Friday email kept growing, and I kept meeting and speaking to new people. And I didn't have someone constantly telling me how to think. We are being discipled all the time. Buildboards are discipling you. Music in shops is discipling you. Taylor Swift is discipling you. Streaming is discipling you. Social media is discipling you. If you drink from a poisoned well, you will eventually get poisoned. Note that the things around bombarding you with messages all have artists and creative people in them. This is why Satan needs to control the arts. Whoever controls the arts, disciples the nations. This is why I talk about basic discipleship all the time and not about the arts. Let me share some of how this looks in my life. Lately the Lord has said "no news and no booze." (For the record, I have one pint of Guinness on Thursdays) (And also for the record, this is happening in the context of my daily rhythm of prayer, Bible study, communing with Jesus and listening to God.) When the Lord touched this area, I discovered a major area of pride in my life that needed to die. I discovered that one pint a week dulled my senses enough that I would miss opportunities when they arose. God said news was like acid on my faith. I was being discipled to think like the world and not like God. I don't have time to tell you how much removing sugar transformed my thinking. And for those of us who are called into the creative professional realm this is really important. We are called into a real spiritual war zone. The standard line is if a Christian is going to make it in the arts they have to outdo those in the world to get to the top, and then you have a platform then you can use that to advance the Kingdom. Of course, many of those who choose this route are not deep disciples. This goes really bad for most folks, and by the time they get to the top, they forgot they were Christians. And some become high-profile agents of Satan. Just do a search on Duck Duck Go. Others find it safer to create an alternate Christian eco-system where everybody is just as worldly as the world, but squeaky clean, smiley, and mean. Did he really say that? When you go out into the real world, things are very different. Babylon is a very dangerous place. New York, London, Paris, and Rome are tough places. You have to be as wise as a serpent, and as innocent as a dove. And the only way you can do that is to get quiet and not run ahead of God. You have to say, not my will, but Yours. I will not do it my way, or the way I was told it would make me successful. Doing what God says is going to transform your thinking. Because God never asks us to do something for the obvious reasons. God asks us to do things to train us and to shift our way of seeing things. It is never for the obvious reasons. God never lets you know why you are doing things until you have done them. And then you understand. Understanding comes after obedience. Abraham didn't know why he had to leave his country and go to the place God showed him. We know. God calls us to come and die, and then God gives us the reason why. That's how transformation happens. At the end of his life, Paul was in jail. He thought he was a failure who sent a few letters to little bands of followers scattered across the world. He didn't know someone would save all those letters. Listening and obeying will change you. You have no idea what you are doing. But you need to do it. This is costly grace. This is discipleship. As Bonhoeffer said, it is costly because it demands we give up everything. It is grace because we are called to follow Jesus Christ. Confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him. ### We Believe in One God URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-believe-in-one-god/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:57.000Z from Very God: An Artist Explores the Nicene Creed _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### We Believe in One God URL: https://www.belonging.house/we-believe-in-one-god-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:50.000Z from Very God: An Artist Explores the Nicene Creed _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Do Not Be Afraid URL: https://www.belonging.house/do-not-be-afraid/ Last updated: 2024-09-09T08:28:47.000Z Do Not Be Afraid 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe phrase "Fear not" or it's variants "be not afraid" "do not be afraid' appears well over five hundred times in the Bible. "Be of good courage" appears 56 times. "Be strong and courageous" appears 49 times. We are probably most familiar with these passages that appear around Christmas: "Fear not Mary, for you have found favour with God." "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings this day which shall be for all people, for born to you this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord." Our first reading this week comes at the end of a long word of judgement against the nations. Things are going to get very bad. There will be a time of waste. There will be confusion and there will be chaos in the earth. There will be a time when kingdoms and kings will fall and wild animals will take over great cities. And this did happen to Babylon, Assyria, and Israel in the period before the rise of Greece and Rome. And Isaiah says "Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are afraid, fear not, be strong, Because God is coming to save. He will come and save you." And as we see in the Gospel God did come and save. God took on flesh and Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy. And the sign was the opening of the eyes that were blind and the unstopping of the ears that are deaf. There is another kingdom and this kingdom is one of creative miracles where the physical and spiritual senses are restored. Creativity is central to the Kingdom. God is going to create a new thing. God is going to make streams in the desert. God is going to make the desert burst forth in bloom. God is coming to save, and with salvation comes a new thing. Every time someone has an encounter with God or an angel the first words are always Fear not. That’s because whenever the heavenly realm reveals itself in our realm it scares us. We are not in control, and angels are scary. Fear not. And whenever heaven breaks into our reality, it’s usually because heaven’s order is needed on earth. Yes, things are scary. Yes, it looks like chaos is reigning. Yes, it looks like there is no hope, and things are going to rack and ruin. Yes. That is real. Only those who are in serious denial realize what is happening all around. We really are living in scary times, and those who are not Christians but who are thinkers and culture watchers are trying to figure it out. And when you don’t have Jesus the future looks pretty grim. When the Lord called me to this work, to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth, it came with a lot of prophetic words. And it really has been stunning to watch over the past nearly two decades how these words have come to pass. God knew what was coming, and he told a lot of people. And the first word he spoke to me was "Be not afraid." With that came a call to leave the ministry system. God called me to abandon commercial Christianity and the conference circuit. God said I needed to prepare for what was coming, and disengage from the system. No credit, no fundraising, no marketing and self-promotion. And no teaching people how to do it the old way. And it was scary, and God said, "Do you trust me?" And for a lot of years, my answer to that question was very honest. "No! This whole thing is crazy. I don't trust you." But, my life depended on listening to God and doing what he told me. And so I kept obeying. It was life or death. About two years ago, I was sitting with the Lord. And I was reviewing the past decade and a half, and I said "Lord, you asked me to get ready and to prepare people. I don't feel like I have done it. I'm not ready for what is happening." I haven’t created my prepper pantry, I haven’t gotten a house for people, and it seems this thing just never gets going. And the Lord said, "You are ready. You learned to trust me." And earlier this year I was in Assisi and the Lord said, "You have become my friend. Now it's time to teach others how to be my friend." This is not a religious calling. This is a calling to make disciples in the arts. This is a calling to introduce people to friendship with Jesus. And that is the only way you can overcome in the season we are in. You have to be close to the one who is coming to save. And when you are close to the one who saves, you have no reason to fear. You have no reason to fear. He is your courage. In 1738 church attendance in Britain was nearly zero. It was lower than it is today. Gin was a new invention, and it was the strongest drug on the market at the time and drunkenness was rampant in society. The industrial revolution was just beginning and people were leaving the country to live where the jobs were. And the jobs were hard, and the pay was low. And for the first time in history, people were working but they were getting poorer. And so booze filled the gap. John and Charles Wesley, along with George Whitefield began preaching on the streets, and in the open fields, and many people heard the Gospel for the first time. And millions of people came to Christ. Methodism was not a religious or a church movement. For the first fifty years of it's history most Methodists attended their local church or chapel, often a Church of England parish. It was a renewal movement. If you were a Methodist, you attended a class meeting. And the class meeting was the way all these new converts were transformed from the dregs of society to what we now call the middle class. They were discipled, and taught how to have a relationship with God and that transformed every area of their lives. And it continued for close to one hundred years on both sides of the Atlantic. And the proof is in history: child labor laws, public hospitals, Sunday schools and eventually universal education, women's sufferage, the end of the global slave trade, and a global missionary movement all have their roots in the Methodist class meetings. The Salvation Army, Holiness, Pentecostal, and Charismatic movements all point to the Wesleyan movement as their genetic root. Although Methodism became a dead sect as Wesley himself predicted, the dynamic of his theology continues to jump fences and start new things. And although I look Catholic to you all, my education was in Wesleyan institutions. It is my foundation. Once upon a time I used to paint at prophetic art and prayer events. I had a rule in those days that I would not give my paintings away. This really offended a few people. Folks wanted me to give my paintings away, and I was selling them, right after church. I was trying to teach people that art had value. Paint is expensive. Years ago I painted a picture of little fires all over the earth. They were interconnected and in the middle of each fire was the outline of a menorah: the seven spirits of God. It was the only picture I painted in that season that I gave away. God said to give it away. And that painting went all over the world. It traveled to a yeshiva in Jerusalem and there are a group of ultra-orthodox rabbis who have copies of it. And then, one day, in the house of prayer in Boston, a friend walked in and handed me a tube. That picture came back. Those little fires were bands of artists. Artists who were disciples. And they were underground. They could go into art schools and universities where Christians and Jews are being harassed and silenced. Disciples who can go into industries where the prevailing worldview is the worldview of Anti-Christ. Artists who can have influence in governments trying to remove Christianity. Artists who can overcome in places suffering under sharia law. Artists who can make a way for the coming of the Lord. Those old wine skins do not work in a culture that is anti-Christian. You will not make it in the next season the old way. It's time to get prepared. And God says, do not be afraid. We have been given the opportunity to live in a time of chaos. Be not afraid. We have been given the opportunity to live at a time of great darkness. And this is the coolest thing. When you have a little fire, it burns brighter the darker it gets. We are going to light candles and we are going to bring light. There is nothing to fear. God is coming to save. Be not afraid. All that is happening around us is part of the big picture, and the big plan. Be not afraid. A few weeks ago my mom told me I needed a registry for people so that they knew what I needed. I’m sitting in an empty office in London. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the next steps. In a few weeks the audio book of *Artists at a Shift in Time* will be released. I am praying about how to launch this book, and also launch a vision for millions of little fires all over the earth. We need a new website, and a lot of other things. And of course, I still do not have stable housing. Honestly, I’m not afraid. God is coming. God is on the move, and he is ready to save. Be not afraid. ### Do Not Be Afraid URL: https://www.belonging.house/do-not-be-afraid-2/ Last updated: 2024-09-09T08:28:47.000Z Do Not Be Afraid 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThe phrase "Fear not" or it's variants "be not afraid" "do not be afraid' appears well over five hundred times in the Bible. "Be of good courage" appears 56 times. "Be strong and courageous" appears 49 times. We are probably most familiar with these passages that appear around Christmas: "Fear not Mary, for you have found favour with God." "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings this day which shall be for all people, for born to you this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord." Our first reading this week comes at the end of a long word of judgement against the nations. Things are going to get very bad. There will be a time of waste. There will be confusion and there will be chaos in the earth. There will be a time when kingdoms and kings will fall and wild animals will take over great cities. And this did happen to Babylon, Assyria, and Israel in the period before the rise of Greece and Rome. And Isaiah says "Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are afraid, fear not, be strong, Because God is coming to save. He will come and save you." And as we see in the Gospel God did come and save. God took on flesh and Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy. And the sign was the opening of the eyes that were blind and the unstopping of the ears that are deaf. There is another kingdom and this kingdom is one of creative miracles where the physical and spiritual senses are restored. Creativity is central to the Kingdom. God is going to create a new thing. God is going to make streams in the desert. God is going to make the desert burst forth in bloom. God is coming to save, and with salvation comes a new thing. Every time someone has an encounter with God or an angel the first words are always Fear not. That’s because whenever the heavenly realm reveals itself in our realm it scares us. We are not in control, and angels are scary. Fear not. And whenever heaven breaks into our reality, it’s usually because heaven’s order is needed on earth. Yes, things are scary. Yes, it looks like chaos is reigning. Yes, it looks like there is no hope, and things are going to rack and ruin. Yes. That is real. Only those who are in serious denial realize what is happening all around. We really are living in scary times, and those who are not Christians but who are thinkers and culture watchers are trying to figure it out. And when you don’t have Jesus the future looks pretty grim. When the Lord called me to this work, to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth, it came with a lot of prophetic words. And it really has been stunning to watch over the past nearly two decades how these words have come to pass. God knew what was coming, and he told a lot of people. And the first word he spoke to me was "Be not afraid." With that came a call to leave the ministry system. God called me to abandon commercial Christianity and the conference circuit. God said I needed to prepare for what was coming, and disengage from the system. No credit, no fundraising, no marketing and self-promotion. And no teaching people how to do it the old way. And it was scary, and God said, "Do you trust me?" And for a lot of years, my answer to that question was very honest. "No! This whole thing is crazy. I don't trust you." But, my life depended on listening to God and doing what he told me. And so I kept obeying. It was life or death. About two years ago, I was sitting with the Lord. And I was reviewing the past decade and a half, and I said "Lord, you asked me to get ready and to prepare people. I don't feel like I have done it. I'm not ready for what is happening." I haven’t created my prepper pantry, I haven’t gotten a house for people, and it seems this thing just never gets going. And the Lord said, "You are ready. You learned to trust me." And earlier this year I was in Assisi and the Lord said, "You have become my friend. Now it's time to teach others how to be my friend." This is not a religious calling. This is a calling to make disciples in the arts. This is a calling to introduce people to friendship with Jesus. And that is the only way you can overcome in the season we are in. You have to be close to the one who is coming to save. And when you are close to the one who saves, you have no reason to fear. You have no reason to fear. He is your courage. In 1738 church attendance in Britain was nearly zero. It was lower than it is today. Gin was a new invention, and it was the strongest drug on the market at the time and drunkenness was rampant in society. The industrial revolution was just beginning and people were leaving the country to live where the jobs were. And the jobs were hard, and the pay was low. And for the first time in history, people were working but they were getting poorer. And so booze filled the gap. John and Charles Wesley, along with George Whitefield began preaching on the streets, and in the open fields, and many people heard the Gospel for the first time. And millions of people came to Christ. Methodism was not a religious or a church movement. For the first fifty years of it's history most Methodists attended their local church or chapel, often a Church of England parish. It was a renewal movement. If you were a Methodist, you attended a class meeting. And the class meeting was the way all these new converts were transformed from the dregs of society to what we now call the middle class. They were discipled, and taught how to have a relationship with God and that transformed every area of their lives. And it continued for close to one hundred years on both sides of the Atlantic. And the proof is in history: child labor laws, public hospitals, Sunday schools and eventually universal education, women's sufferage, the end of the global slave trade, and a global missionary movement all have their roots in the Methodist class meetings. The Salvation Army, Holiness, Pentecostal, and Charismatic movements all point to the Wesleyan movement as their genetic root. Although Methodism became a dead sect as Wesley himself predicted, the dynamic of his theology continues to jump fences and start new things. And although I look Catholic to you all, my education was in Wesleyan institutions. It is my foundation. Once upon a time I used to paint at prophetic art and prayer events. I had a rule in those days that I would not give my paintings away. This really offended a few people. Folks wanted me to give my paintings away, and I was selling them, right after church. I was trying to teach people that art had value. Paint is expensive. Years ago I painted a picture of little fires all over the earth. They were interconnected and in the middle of each fire was the outline of a menorah: the seven spirits of God. It was the only picture I painted in that season that I gave away. God said to give it away. And that painting went all over the world. It traveled to a yeshiva in Jerusalem and there are a group of ultra-orthodox rabbis who have copies of it. And then, one day, in the house of prayer in Boston, a friend walked in and handed me a tube. That picture came back. Those little fires were bands of artists. Artists who were disciples. And they were underground. They could go into art schools and universities where Christians and Jews are being harassed and silenced. Disciples who can go into industries where the prevailing worldview is the worldview of Anti-Christ. Artists who can have influence in governments trying to remove Christianity. Artists who can overcome in places suffering under sharia law. Artists who can make a way for the coming of the Lord. Those old wine skins do not work in a culture that is anti-Christian. You will not make it in the next season the old way. It's time to get prepared. And God says, do not be afraid. We have been given the opportunity to live in a time of chaos. Be not afraid. We have been given the opportunity to live at a time of great darkness. And this is the coolest thing. When you have a little fire, it burns brighter the darker it gets. We are going to light candles and we are going to bring light. There is nothing to fear. God is coming to save. Be not afraid. All that is happening around us is part of the big picture, and the big plan. Be not afraid. A few weeks ago my mom told me I needed a registry for people so that they knew what I needed. I’m sitting in an empty office in London. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the next steps. In a few weeks the audio book of *Artists at a Shift in Time* will be released. I am praying about how to launch this book, and also launch a vision for millions of little fires all over the earth. We need a new website, and a lot of other things. And of course, I still do not have stable housing. Honestly, I’m not afraid. God is coming. God is on the move, and he is ready to save. Be not afraid. ### Very God: The Nicene Creed URL: https://www.belonging.house/very-god-the-nicene-creed/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:58.000Z Returning to the heart of the Christian Faith _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Very God: The Nicene Creed URL: https://www.belonging.house/very-god-the-nicene-creed-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:50.000Z Returning to the heart of the Christian Faith _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Bezalel the Teacher URL: https://www.belonging.house/bezalel-the-teacher/ Last updated: 2024-09-02T07:37:52.000Z Bezalel the Teacher 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week I want to do an end of summer wrap up, and also retread some familiar territory. Luann reminded me that I didn't do justice to the topic of "teacher" in the five fold ministry series. And so this week I want to complete that series and also reconnect all of this to our primary calling to artists and creative people. We are in a new season, and it is always good to revisit the foundations when you enter another chapter. So this week, I want to talk about Bezalel the Teacher. In Exodus 35:30 Moses speaks to the people and publicly calls and ordains Bezalel to lead the creation of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. I'm reading from the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible with my own corrections to the translation. And Moses said unto the Children of Israel: "See, the LORD hath called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; and to devise artistic works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting stones to set them, and in carving wood, to make all manner of artistic work. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he and Oholiab, of the tribe of Dan. Them he hath filled with wisdom of heart, to work in all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the skilled artisan, and of the embroiderer, in blue, purple and scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that create artistic designs. When we look at Bezalel there are two things we need to pay attention to. First, his name means the "Image of God" and is an anagram of Genesis 1:26. B'tselem Elohim. From the nature of Hebrew names, we can deduce that Bezalel is the prototype human being. He is a representation of the highest calling of the human being. And this begins to make our brains swim a bit, because this human being is the director of an artisic army called to create a beautiful place where human beings can eat and drink with God. Bezalel's primary call is the establishment of heaven on earth. And the calling is to impose beauty on the wilderness. Second, all of this is possible, because Bezalel is filled with the Spirit of God. And this gives us a little window into New Testament reality. The only person in the Old Covenant to be filled with the Holy Spirit is Bezalel. And it is clear here and in Exodus 31, that because Bezalel is filled with the Holy Spirit, he is gifted. I think it is interesting that Jim's teaching last week, and the teaching on the five fold ministry hinges on this word for a donation. Bezalel is the physical gift to the people of Israel, just as those who carry the various five fold leadership impartations are also gifts to the church. Bezalel is the gift of the Image of God to Israel. He is the Incarnation of what it is to be fully human in their presence. They are seeing an example. The gifts he carries are a subset of this. So when we get into the New Testament, Paul uses the word "charismata" to describe this. This word is completely misunderstood because it is translated "gifts" by people who do not understand the charismatic reality of the Kingdom of God. Charismata is the plural of charism, which is rooted in the word "charis." That word is often translated "grace." And in the New Testament the at word is rooted in the Hebrew word, Chesed. This word is very important. In your Bible it is often translated "lovingkindness" or "steadfast love." It is the active favour and blessing of God toward you. It is the mercy and grace of God. It is the substance of his love. And so when we talk about the spiritual gifts, we are talking about "tokens of love." And these are not about functions. And they are not rigid and systemic. These are abilities just like your ability to paint, draw, or sing. They are part of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and they flow out of you, and they can be developed. These spiritual gifts can grow and mature just like your artistic gifts. And so Bezalel had seventeen of these gifts. For the New Testament Christian there is a difference between the Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, Prophet, and Apostle, and the "tokens of love." The charismata. They are different things, and because the text is translated by people who do not believe in these things or understand them we have confusion. This is very simple. A fireman's job is to put out fires. He needs to learn a lot of things, skills to put out fires. He learns first aid, He learns how to tie knots. He learns about water pressure. He learns about burns. He learns what causes and stops fire. All of those things are like the spiritual gifts. They are his "charismata" as a firefighter. An Apostle, can be gifted in healing, miracles, discernment, prophecy, and teaching. They are the tools to be the Apostle. And so we meet Prophets who are teachers. We meet Evangelists who have strong prophetic gifts, and we meet pastors who the ability to discern spirits. The "charismata" are like when I was a child and my grandma would come to visit. And she would take out of her bag a "goodie" for us. A little gift to show she loved us. This is what the spiritual gifts are. They are all about love. This is why Paul interrupts his teaching on the gifts to expound on love. Chesed is love. Grace is love. God is love. And the gifts are about love. They are not about ministry function. And this gets a bit confusing when we get to the teacher. In Exodus it says that God put it in Bezalel's heart that he would teach. In the earlier passage about Bezalel, teaching is the last in the list of seventeen gifts. So what is the teacher? In the New Testament the word is *disdaskalon*. It appears all over the New Testament and always relates to teaching the Bible and teaching about the Kingdom. Jesus taught them the Scriptures, Paul taught the Scriptures, Priscilla taught Apollos, and so on. And this is the rub, the teaching is always described as with "authority." There is a supernatural power to the teaching. There is a revelatory quality. It is not just conveying information effectively. The teacher and the gift of teaching impart knowledge, wisdom, and revelation. Often this will be the ability to expound Scripture. Over the years I have been privileged to sit under some amazing teachers. Those who walk as teachers incarnate the teaching gift. When you sit under a particularly gifted teacher you receive more than information. You receive an impartation and you will often receive more than the words you are hearing. It is multidimensional. Probably the greatest teacher in our generation is Bill Johnson. I have been honored to sit under him many times during the prime of his ministry. When a teacher teaches, the people get very quiet, and something happens. Honestly, one time I was at a meeting in Kansas City and I could feel my brain moving in my head while he taught. Another person who had a supernatural gift of teaching was Leanne Payne. She said more than the word conveyed. And some of the books written by great teachers are like this as well. You have to go back and re-read. Paul obviously had a profound teaching gift, and there are places in the New Testament like this. A similar quality is in John's writing. And the person who incarnates Teacher will be a living parable. Everything around them is a lesson. They do not have to talk. I think this is what St. Francis meant when he said, "Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." This brings us back to Bezalel. Earlier in Exodus 35 God moves the people to give. It is the amazing offering where there is too much and Moses begs the people to stop bringing because God put it in their hearts to give. And then a few lines later, it says the God put it in Bezalel's heart to teach. A teacher is not a pond. Often you meet people who get degrees or training, but it is for them. They are climbing the educational ladder, and it is not about the students. It is not about the next generation. In the Kingdom the gift of teaching and the function of teacher are by nature generous. The Lord puts it in your heart to teach. In other words, all the stuff you know and have received you are wired to give away. And in this giving the Body grows and others benefit from the things you learned. They get to receive without cost what you paid a price to learn. Again we are back to the cross and laying your life down for others. Freely you have received, and freely you will give. And the consequences for not doing this are terrible. Hosea 4:6 warns that God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The Sons of Eli in I Samuel were judged because they did not teach the people. The Levites throughout history did not teach. Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint. Where there is no teaching, the church and the culture withers and dies. It will bring death because there is no passing the torch from one generation to another. All those artistic abilities that Bezalel and Oholiab received needed to be taught to others so that the Tabernacle could be maintained, could be improved, and could be sustained. In every generation we have to be like those who left Egypt. We have to keep teaching these things to our sons and daughters. And so the teacher is not a pond where all the information pours in and you become home for tadpoles and slugs. You may have degrees and credentials, but they are not for you. They are for others. You become a lake where there is a flow in from the Holy Spirit and a flow out to others. And this is a gift. And this gift is interesting, because those who have the gift of teaching can't help it. They are always teaching. And those who are called to be Teachers cannot help it either. Both the charism and the Person of Teacher are curious, voracious learners, and hungry to learn. A teacher never stops learning, and when they learn something new they cannot wait to tell someone else, just like the evangelist. It is like a lake. You cannot stop the flow. And the interesting thing about this love gift is when you teach, you do not lose what you learn. In fact, sometimes you learn more as you go, because the revelation you are sharing is being poured into you. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will enable you to unlock the mind of someone else or give you way to communicate you never knew. It is a profound thing to receive the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I listen to the recording of our sessions and I wonder who is talking. I didn't remember saying what I was hearing. This is the gift of teaching. And of all the gifts and People that the church needs today, it is the teacher who is most needed. We need Apostles who teach, Prophets who teach, Evangelists who teach, Pastors who teach, and an increase of teachers. So back to the hand. When all these functions are working, you have a hand. And the hand can do anything. This week I had a strange encounter. I met several people who were either amputees or born with birth defects and they had no hands. As so often this was about the church, and about what God is saying about the Body. We this thing right now that is like the Borg in Star Trek. It is half man and half machine, and because it is both, it is neither. It is everything and nothing. The church has been operating functionally for a generation, based on man's opinions and ministry models. This is was not the kingdom or the plan. And this thing because it is not operating in the five-fold ministry, it like a person who no hands. Just stubs. As we end this week, Let us pray for a birthing of a five-fold ministry in the arts. Lord raise up Artistic Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. Raise up the Bezalels in our day to build you a throne in the earth. Raise up those who are truly generous and concerned about the flow. Raise up a million sanctified, fearless artists and we pray that they would come together as little fires all over the earth. May we make a way for the coming of the Lord and make a place for heaven on earth. Give us wisdom and a heart to teach. Amen. ### Bezalel the Teacher URL: https://www.belonging.house/bezalel-the-teacher-2/ Last updated: 2024-09-02T07:37:52.000Z Bezalel the Teacher 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week I want to do an end of summer wrap up, and also retread some familiar territory. Luann reminded me that I didn't do justice to the topic of "teacher" in the five fold ministry series. And so this week I want to complete that series and also reconnect all of this to our primary calling to artists and creative people. We are in a new season, and it is always good to revisit the foundations when you enter another chapter. So this week, I want to talk about Bezalel the Teacher. In Exodus 35:30 Moses speaks to the people and publicly calls and ordains Bezalel to lead the creation of the Tabernacle in the wilderness. I'm reading from the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible with my own corrections to the translation. And Moses said unto the Children of Israel: "See, the LORD hath called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; and to devise artistic works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting stones to set them, and in carving wood, to make all manner of artistic work. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he and Oholiab, of the tribe of Dan. Them he hath filled with wisdom of heart, to work in all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the skilled artisan, and of the embroiderer, in blue, purple and scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that create artistic designs. When we look at Bezalel there are two things we need to pay attention to. First, his name means the "Image of God" and is an anagram of Genesis 1:26. B'tselem Elohim. From the nature of Hebrew names, we can deduce that Bezalel is the prototype human being. He is a representation of the highest calling of the human being. And this begins to make our brains swim a bit, because this human being is the director of an artisic army called to create a beautiful place where human beings can eat and drink with God. Bezalel's primary call is the establishment of heaven on earth. And the calling is to impose beauty on the wilderness. Second, all of this is possible, because Bezalel is filled with the Spirit of God. And this gives us a little window into New Testament reality. The only person in the Old Covenant to be filled with the Holy Spirit is Bezalel. And it is clear here and in Exodus 31, that because Bezalel is filled with the Holy Spirit, he is gifted. I think it is interesting that Jim's teaching last week, and the teaching on the five fold ministry hinges on this word for a donation. Bezalel is the physical gift to the people of Israel, just as those who carry the various five fold leadership impartations are also gifts to the church. Bezalel is the gift of the Image of God to Israel. He is the Incarnation of what it is to be fully human in their presence. They are seeing an example. The gifts he carries are a subset of this. So when we get into the New Testament, Paul uses the word "charismata" to describe this. This word is completely misunderstood because it is translated "gifts" by people who do not understand the charismatic reality of the Kingdom of God. Charismata is the plural of charism, which is rooted in the word "charis." That word is often translated "grace." And in the New Testament the at word is rooted in the Hebrew word, Chesed. This word is very important. In your Bible it is often translated "lovingkindness" or "steadfast love." It is the active favour and blessing of God toward you. It is the mercy and grace of God. It is the substance of his love. And so when we talk about the spiritual gifts, we are talking about "tokens of love." And these are not about functions. And they are not rigid and systemic. These are abilities just like your ability to paint, draw, or sing. They are part of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and they flow out of you, and they can be developed. These spiritual gifts can grow and mature just like your artistic gifts. And so Bezalel had seventeen of these gifts. For the New Testament Christian there is a difference between the Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, Prophet, and Apostle, and the "tokens of love." The charismata. They are different things, and because the text is translated by people who do not believe in these things or understand them we have confusion. This is very simple. A fireman's job is to put out fires. He needs to learn a lot of things, skills to put out fires. He learns first aid, He learns how to tie knots. He learns about water pressure. He learns about burns. He learns what causes and stops fire. All of those things are like the spiritual gifts. They are his "charismata" as a firefighter. An Apostle, can be gifted in healing, miracles, discernment, prophecy, and teaching. They are the tools to be the Apostle. And so we meet Prophets who are teachers. We meet Evangelists who have strong prophetic gifts, and we meet pastors who the ability to discern spirits. The "charismata" are like when I was a child and my grandma would come to visit. And she would take out of her bag a "goodie" for us. A little gift to show she loved us. This is what the spiritual gifts are. They are all about love. This is why Paul interrupts his teaching on the gifts to expound on love. Chesed is love. Grace is love. God is love. And the gifts are about love. They are not about ministry function. And this gets a bit confusing when we get to the teacher. In Exodus it says that God put it in Bezalel's heart that he would teach. In the earlier passage about Bezalel, teaching is the last in the list of seventeen gifts. So what is the teacher? In the New Testament the word is *disdaskalon*. It appears all over the New Testament and always relates to teaching the Bible and teaching about the Kingdom. Jesus taught them the Scriptures, Paul taught the Scriptures, Priscilla taught Apollos, and so on. And this is the rub, the teaching is always described as with "authority." There is a supernatural power to the teaching. There is a revelatory quality. It is not just conveying information effectively. The teacher and the gift of teaching impart knowledge, wisdom, and revelation. Often this will be the ability to expound Scripture. Over the years I have been privileged to sit under some amazing teachers. Those who walk as teachers incarnate the teaching gift. When you sit under a particularly gifted teacher you receive more than information. You receive an impartation and you will often receive more than the words you are hearing. It is multidimensional. Probably the greatest teacher in our generation is Bill Johnson. I have been honored to sit under him many times during the prime of his ministry. When a teacher teaches, the people get very quiet, and something happens. Honestly, one time I was at a meeting in Kansas City and I could feel my brain moving in my head while he taught. Another person who had a supernatural gift of teaching was Leanne Payne. She said more than the word conveyed. And some of the books written by great teachers are like this as well. You have to go back and re-read. Paul obviously had a profound teaching gift, and there are places in the New Testament like this. A similar quality is in John's writing. And the person who incarnates Teacher will be a living parable. Everything around them is a lesson. They do not have to talk. I think this is what St. Francis meant when he said, "Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words." This brings us back to Bezalel. Earlier in Exodus 35 God moves the people to give. It is the amazing offering where there is too much and Moses begs the people to stop bringing because God put it in their hearts to give. And then a few lines later, it says the God put it in Bezalel's heart to teach. A teacher is not a pond. Often you meet people who get degrees or training, but it is for them. They are climbing the educational ladder, and it is not about the students. It is not about the next generation. In the Kingdom the gift of teaching and the function of teacher are by nature generous. The Lord puts it in your heart to teach. In other words, all the stuff you know and have received you are wired to give away. And in this giving the Body grows and others benefit from the things you learned. They get to receive without cost what you paid a price to learn. Again we are back to the cross and laying your life down for others. Freely you have received, and freely you will give. And the consequences for not doing this are terrible. Hosea 4:6 warns that God's people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The Sons of Eli in I Samuel were judged because they did not teach the people. The Levites throughout history did not teach. Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation the people cast off restraint. Where there is no teaching, the church and the culture withers and dies. It will bring death because there is no passing the torch from one generation to another. All those artistic abilities that Bezalel and Oholiab received needed to be taught to others so that the Tabernacle could be maintained, could be improved, and could be sustained. In every generation we have to be like those who left Egypt. We have to keep teaching these things to our sons and daughters. And so the teacher is not a pond where all the information pours in and you become home for tadpoles and slugs. You may have degrees and credentials, but they are not for you. They are for others. You become a lake where there is a flow in from the Holy Spirit and a flow out to others. And this is a gift. And this gift is interesting, because those who have the gift of teaching can't help it. They are always teaching. And those who are called to be Teachers cannot help it either. Both the charism and the Person of Teacher are curious, voracious learners, and hungry to learn. A teacher never stops learning, and when they learn something new they cannot wait to tell someone else, just like the evangelist. It is like a lake. You cannot stop the flow. And the interesting thing about this love gift is when you teach, you do not lose what you learn. In fact, sometimes you learn more as you go, because the revelation you are sharing is being poured into you. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will enable you to unlock the mind of someone else or give you way to communicate you never knew. It is a profound thing to receive the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes I listen to the recording of our sessions and I wonder who is talking. I didn't remember saying what I was hearing. This is the gift of teaching. And of all the gifts and People that the church needs today, it is the teacher who is most needed. We need Apostles who teach, Prophets who teach, Evangelists who teach, Pastors who teach, and an increase of teachers. So back to the hand. When all these functions are working, you have a hand. And the hand can do anything. This week I had a strange encounter. I met several people who were either amputees or born with birth defects and they had no hands. As so often this was about the church, and about what God is saying about the Body. We this thing right now that is like the Borg in Star Trek. It is half man and half machine, and because it is both, it is neither. It is everything and nothing. The church has been operating functionally for a generation, based on man's opinions and ministry models. This is was not the kingdom or the plan. And this thing because it is not operating in the five-fold ministry, it like a person who no hands. Just stubs. As we end this week, Let us pray for a birthing of a five-fold ministry in the arts. Lord raise up Artistic Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers. Raise up the Bezalels in our day to build you a throne in the earth. Raise up those who are truly generous and concerned about the flow. Raise up a million sanctified, fearless artists and we pray that they would come together as little fires all over the earth. May we make a way for the coming of the Lord and make a place for heaven on earth. Give us wisdom and a heart to teach. Amen. ### The Provision Journal: A Seat at the Gate URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-provision-journal-a-seat-at-the/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:58.000Z How God provided a place in central London. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Provision Journal: A Seat at the Gate URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-provision-journal-a-seat-at-the-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:51.000Z How God provided a place in central London. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Eating and Drinking Life URL: https://www.belonging.house/eating-and-drinking-life/ Last updated: 2024-08-19T08:47:09.000Z Eating and Drinking Life 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe are on week four of the sixth chapter of John. Remember, we began this journey on the side of the lake, where 5000 were fed by five loaves and two fish. And then Jesus and the disciples went across the lake to the Synagogue in Capernaum. Jesus walked part of the way across the water. And then, after the synagogue service Jesus and the crowds that followed him began to have a Torah discussion about the manna. And Jesus said to them, I AM the bread of life. And now, we are coming to the climax of this discussion. And if you read Greek, a number of threads in the teaching of Jesus, threads in the New Testament, and threads in our practical experience as Christians all come together. We are back to signs, and this massive conceptual art piece that we call the Incarnation, coming into sharp focus. The purpose of all this is so that Jesus, who has seen the Father, can reveal the Father to us. Jesus is the Bread of Life. This is all about life. This passage is one of those places where the Greek not only gives insight, it makes a difference. Because Jesus chooses his words carefully, to make a point. In verse 51 Jesus says: I am the bread, that is living that is coming down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. And this bread is my flesh and I give my flesh for the life of the world. Here is a bit of context John would have understood, and Jewish readers would have also understood. Jesus is teaching this in the synagogue. If you were in the ancient world, you would have understood that if you went to a temple to sacrifice, the purpose of the sacrifice was not to placate or pay off a god. The purpose was to draw close and commune with God. Sacrifices were not sin taxes that were burnt up. They were food you cooked and ate in the presence of God. This is highlighted in the Amidah, the Jewish prayer book. There is one story that is repeated in every prayer service in the Jewish prayer book. It is the story of Abraham offering Isaac. The word sacrifice in Hebrew means to come close to God. If you understand what a sacrifice really was, a way to get close and experience a god, suddenly things start to click. Abraham was asked by God to bring his Son as a sacrifice. Abraham understood immediately that God was asking him to eat his son. And the Canaanites practiced human sacrifice, so this idea would not have been foreign. So, when Abraham went up the mountain with Isaac, he believed that he was going to kill and eat his miracle, and that in doing this He was going to get something far greater in return, because God is going to come close. So Abraham wasn't choosing to kill his son, He was choosing to get close to God. He understood that the killing was the price to get close. In this death there would be some kind of life. If you think a sacrifice is a payment for sin, this all gets weird, because Abraham Isaac isn't atoning for anything. This is one of those places where the “grid” doesn't work. And of course, when they get to the mountain God provides a Lamb. And it says that Abraham believed God. Abraham chose closeness to God over his child of promise, and believed that getting close to God would somehow fulfill the promise in another way. So fast forward to the synagogue in Capernaum. They have heard just heard this story, in the context of the synagogue service, and they understand what a sacrifice is about. And Jesus says if you want to have eternal life, you have to eat my flesh, and drink my blood. And my flesh and blood are food for the world. I am the sacrifice. And they begin to argue. "What? Are you saying that we are going to have to eat you just like Abraham was asked to eat Isaac?" They imagined Jesus on the altar at the temple, and a bunch of his cannibalistic followers in a frenzy around him. And then Jesus removes all doubt. He changes the words for eating and drinking. He uses a form of the word "Trago" for eating. Literally chewing and devouring like a lion in the coliseum. The word for drinking is the word for drunkenness and partying. He is saying you have to devour me like an animal and guzzle my blood or you won't have life. This is not a metaphor for faith in Christ. Jesus is saying you have to really eat and drink. He takes away all other possibilities. Jesus says that if someone eats his flesh and drinks his blood, just like a vulture or a lion, he will have life eternal and God will raise him up in the last day. You will consume the seed of eternity. And the life of Jesus in you will activate a resurrection. In the Greek it says “For my flesh TRUE is food, and my blood TRUE is drink.” This is the real food, the eternal food. And then Jesus uses a word that appears in John 15, John 16, and John 17. If you eat my flesh you will abide in me. You will live in me. If you live in me and my words live in you, you can ask anything in my name and I will do it. Eating his flesh and drinking his blood will give you a place to live in him. So what is going on? In the ancient world, People went and sacrificed to a god and then entered into communion or deep fellowship with that God. Recent events have put Bacchus on people's minds. If you went to the temple of Bacchus you gorged yourself on food, got drunk on drugged wine and had an orgy, and then the spirit of Bacchus entered into the revelers. And they had a demonic encounter. Jesus is saying, instead of offering something else I am offering myself. And my body, my flesh is the food, and my blood is the drink, and if you eat and drink of me, then you will be close and live in me. More than close you are in him. So instead of a lamb, Jesus is the lamb. And Jesus said earlier in the chapter, he is God. He is the son that Isaac prefigured. He is the offering. God is the offering, and God is going to feed us. We are going to eat God. And God is going to offer his body and blood for us to receive. And we will be more than close, we will live in him. And if we live in him we will live forever, Because all this eating and drinking is the source of real life. And once you connect these dots, the story of Abraham and Isaac makes more sense. The petition in the Lord's Prayer "give us our super-substantial bread" makes more sense. Abiding in him makes more sense. It's not a mental exercise, it is a practical act. If you receive this bread you live in him. Simple. Not easy, because it involved the cross, but it is simple. When we offer this bread and this wine we not only recall the past, we reconnect to him right now. We enter into the life of God. And eternal life of God comes into us in a mysterious and powerful way. When I was the Assistant to the Dean of the Chapel at Asbury, I heard one of these mysterious, but simple and Biblical stories. During the Pre-Seminary orientation for new students, we hosted a series of special chapels, and the last one was always a communion service. That September, a man had come to seminary after having an encounter with God through something called the Emmaus Walk. It was an intense three day retreat where he had a clear encounter with Jesus, and he believed he had received a call to the ministry. And he decided to come to seminary. His wife did not. Even so, they sold their home, quit their jobs, and moved to Kentucky, because sometimes you do things you don’t agree with, because you love someone. And this woman loved her husband. So during the last chapel of the Pre-Seminary Orientation this couple sat up in the balcony. The wife of the new student wasn’t so sure about this, and was looking the place over. And it came time to come forward and receive the Bread and Cup, and this couple made their way down from the balcony, and up the central aisle of the chapel. As they made the slow way forward, the woman looked up, and she didn’t see the Dean of the Chapel, or anyone else. She looked up and she saw Jesus. And Jesus was breaking pieces of Himself off his own body, and placing those broken pieces into the hand of each person who came forward to receive. And she began to weep, because although she was a Methodist, she was not a Christian, and she quietly resented what her husband had decided to do. When she took the bread from the hand of Jesus, she received His own Body, and also received eternal life. The story of her life, and her marriage, all changed that day at Asbury. She knew Jesus in the breaking of the bread. She was a woman who was blind, but now can see. How she saw I do not know. Quite a story. The Real Presence of Jesus in the Bread and the Wine is True Food. It is the source of Life. Life. It is all about life. We receive his life when we eat of his flesh and blood. And of course at the end of the story, most of the crowd left him. They no longer were with him. He couldn't be God, and he couldn't give them his flesh, and they certainly were not going to become cannibals to follow him. And Jesus turned to Peter and said "Will you leave me too?” And Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? Only you have the words of eternal life. The Life of God is not dependent on you knowing things or understanding concepts. The life of God is dependent on you eating and drinking with him and in eating and drinking with him we are promised we are eating and drinking him by the power of the Word and Holy Spirit. This is life. This is the source of life. I am the Bread of Life, if anyone eats this bread they will live for ever and I will raise them up on the last day. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Eating and Drinking Life URL: https://www.belonging.house/eating-and-drinking-life-2/ Last updated: 2024-08-19T08:47:09.000Z Eating and Drinking Life 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe are on week four of the sixth chapter of John. Remember, we began this journey on the side of the lake, where 5000 were fed by five loaves and two fish. And then Jesus and the disciples went across the lake to the Synagogue in Capernaum. Jesus walked part of the way across the water. And then, after the synagogue service Jesus and the crowds that followed him began to have a Torah discussion about the manna. And Jesus said to them, I AM the bread of life. And now, we are coming to the climax of this discussion. And if you read Greek, a number of threads in the teaching of Jesus, threads in the New Testament, and threads in our practical experience as Christians all come together. We are back to signs, and this massive conceptual art piece that we call the Incarnation, coming into sharp focus. The purpose of all this is so that Jesus, who has seen the Father, can reveal the Father to us. Jesus is the Bread of Life. This is all about life. This passage is one of those places where the Greek not only gives insight, it makes a difference. Because Jesus chooses his words carefully, to make a point. In verse 51 Jesus says: I am the bread, that is living that is coming down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever. And this bread is my flesh and I give my flesh for the life of the world. Here is a bit of context John would have understood, and Jewish readers would have also understood. Jesus is teaching this in the synagogue. If you were in the ancient world, you would have understood that if you went to a temple to sacrifice, the purpose of the sacrifice was not to placate or pay off a god. The purpose was to draw close and commune with God. Sacrifices were not sin taxes that were burnt up. They were food you cooked and ate in the presence of God. This is highlighted in the Amidah, the Jewish prayer book. There is one story that is repeated in every prayer service in the Jewish prayer book. It is the story of Abraham offering Isaac. The word sacrifice in Hebrew means to come close to God. If you understand what a sacrifice really was, a way to get close and experience a god, suddenly things start to click. Abraham was asked by God to bring his Son as a sacrifice. Abraham understood immediately that God was asking him to eat his son. And the Canaanites practiced human sacrifice, so this idea would not have been foreign. So, when Abraham went up the mountain with Isaac, he believed that he was going to kill and eat his miracle, and that in doing this He was going to get something far greater in return, because God is going to come close. So Abraham wasn't choosing to kill his son, He was choosing to get close to God. He understood that the killing was the price to get close. In this death there would be some kind of life. If you think a sacrifice is a payment for sin, this all gets weird, because Abraham Isaac isn't atoning for anything. This is one of those places where the “grid” doesn't work. And of course, when they get to the mountain God provides a Lamb. And it says that Abraham believed God. Abraham chose closeness to God over his child of promise, and believed that getting close to God would somehow fulfill the promise in another way. So fast forward to the synagogue in Capernaum. They have heard just heard this story, in the context of the synagogue service, and they understand what a sacrifice is about. And Jesus says if you want to have eternal life, you have to eat my flesh, and drink my blood. And my flesh and blood are food for the world. I am the sacrifice. And they begin to argue. "What? Are you saying that we are going to have to eat you just like Abraham was asked to eat Isaac?" They imagined Jesus on the altar at the temple, and a bunch of his cannibalistic followers in a frenzy around him. And then Jesus removes all doubt. He changes the words for eating and drinking. He uses a form of the word "Trago" for eating. Literally chewing and devouring like a lion in the coliseum. The word for drinking is the word for drunkenness and partying. He is saying you have to devour me like an animal and guzzle my blood or you won't have life. This is not a metaphor for faith in Christ. Jesus is saying you have to really eat and drink. He takes away all other possibilities. Jesus says that if someone eats his flesh and drinks his blood, just like a vulture or a lion, he will have life eternal and God will raise him up in the last day. You will consume the seed of eternity. And the life of Jesus in you will activate a resurrection. In the Greek it says “For my flesh TRUE is food, and my blood TRUE is drink.” This is the real food, the eternal food. And then Jesus uses a word that appears in John 15, John 16, and John 17. If you eat my flesh you will abide in me. You will live in me. If you live in me and my words live in you, you can ask anything in my name and I will do it. Eating his flesh and drinking his blood will give you a place to live in him. So what is going on? In the ancient world, People went and sacrificed to a god and then entered into communion or deep fellowship with that God. Recent events have put Bacchus on people's minds. If you went to the temple of Bacchus you gorged yourself on food, got drunk on drugged wine and had an orgy, and then the spirit of Bacchus entered into the revelers. And they had a demonic encounter. Jesus is saying, instead of offering something else I am offering myself. And my body, my flesh is the food, and my blood is the drink, and if you eat and drink of me, then you will be close and live in me. More than close you are in him. So instead of a lamb, Jesus is the lamb. And Jesus said earlier in the chapter, he is God. He is the son that Isaac prefigured. He is the offering. God is the offering, and God is going to feed us. We are going to eat God. And God is going to offer his body and blood for us to receive. And we will be more than close, we will live in him. And if we live in him we will live forever, Because all this eating and drinking is the source of real life. And once you connect these dots, the story of Abraham and Isaac makes more sense. The petition in the Lord's Prayer "give us our super-substantial bread" makes more sense. Abiding in him makes more sense. It's not a mental exercise, it is a practical act. If you receive this bread you live in him. Simple. Not easy, because it involved the cross, but it is simple. When we offer this bread and this wine we not only recall the past, we reconnect to him right now. We enter into the life of God. And eternal life of God comes into us in a mysterious and powerful way. When I was the Assistant to the Dean of the Chapel at Asbury, I heard one of these mysterious, but simple and Biblical stories. During the Pre-Seminary orientation for new students, we hosted a series of special chapels, and the last one was always a communion service. That September, a man had come to seminary after having an encounter with God through something called the Emmaus Walk. It was an intense three day retreat where he had a clear encounter with Jesus, and he believed he had received a call to the ministry. And he decided to come to seminary. His wife did not. Even so, they sold their home, quit their jobs, and moved to Kentucky, because sometimes you do things you don’t agree with, because you love someone. And this woman loved her husband. So during the last chapel of the Pre-Seminary Orientation this couple sat up in the balcony. The wife of the new student wasn’t so sure about this, and was looking the place over. And it came time to come forward and receive the Bread and Cup, and this couple made their way down from the balcony, and up the central aisle of the chapel. As they made the slow way forward, the woman looked up, and she didn’t see the Dean of the Chapel, or anyone else. She looked up and she saw Jesus. And Jesus was breaking pieces of Himself off his own body, and placing those broken pieces into the hand of each person who came forward to receive. And she began to weep, because although she was a Methodist, she was not a Christian, and she quietly resented what her husband had decided to do. When she took the bread from the hand of Jesus, she received His own Body, and also received eternal life. The story of her life, and her marriage, all changed that day at Asbury. She knew Jesus in the breaking of the bread. She was a woman who was blind, but now can see. How she saw I do not know. Quite a story. The Real Presence of Jesus in the Bread and the Wine is True Food. It is the source of Life. Life. It is all about life. We receive his life when we eat of his flesh and blood. And of course at the end of the story, most of the crowd left him. They no longer were with him. He couldn't be God, and he couldn't give them his flesh, and they certainly were not going to become cannibals to follow him. And Jesus turned to Peter and said "Will you leave me too?” And Peter said, Lord, to whom shall we go? Only you have the words of eternal life. The Life of God is not dependent on you knowing things or understanding concepts. The life of God is dependent on you eating and drinking with him and in eating and drinking with him we are promised we are eating and drinking him by the power of the Word and Holy Spirit. This is life. This is the source of life. I am the Bread of Life, if anyone eats this bread they will live for ever and I will raise them up on the last day. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### A New Way to Eat URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-new-way-to-eat/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:58.000Z The key to overcoming in Babylon. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### A New Way to Eat URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-new-way-to-eat-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:51.000Z The key to overcoming in Babylon. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Scandal of Seeing URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-scandal-of-seeing/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T06:32:55.000Z The Scandal of Seeing 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday I want to talk about the scandal of seeing. In this week's reading, Jesus draws a connection between seeing him as the one who is revealing the Father, and seeing him as the bread of life. And most important of all, He connects eating the bread seeing him and receiving eternal life. You cannot receive eternal life unless you see correctly. Seeing correctly, and eternal life are related. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published We are finite beings who live in a fallen world. We die, and we are surrounded by death. Jesus came to bring life and give us fullness of life. Some of you may remember the story I shared about a man who had been living with a large amount of post traumatic stress. He had prematurely aged, and his hair was white. As I prayed for him, the hair in his eyebrows began to go back to dark. His hair turned color right in front of my eyes. And as this was happening, I felt my mind and my eyes struggle with what was happening. In my "rational" mind, this doesn't happen. Our sense of sight is tuned to this fallen world, rather than the way things are in heaven. And because of this, many people miss the day of their visitation. Last week I shared that although it seemed like the men in the synagogue in Capernaum arguing with Jesus were not in agreement with him they were actually all on the same page. They were tracking with him. They thought he was the Messiah. And then, at the end of the reading, Jesus states clearly, I am the bread of Life. He who eats of this bread shall live forever. And they say, Lord, give us this bread always. They get it. And then, something shifts. This moment is like the moment in Nazareth where it says everyone was in agreement with what he was teaching. And then a voice in the back of the crowd says "Isn't this Joseph's son?" They had seen a revelation, they were recognizing the day of visitation, but someone corrected them so that they only saw the earthly perspective. This is like the proverbial crabs in the bucket, who pull any crab trying to escape back into the bucket. That voice stopped the revelation. And because of this, they lost their faith, Jesus could do very few miracles, and in the end they tried to kill him. I have seen this so many times when God begins to move. People who think they are smart completely miss it because they are using their human senses to see. Jesus keeps coming back to seeing here. He connects seeing him seeing the Father and seeing him in the bread. Jesus tells us that only He has seen the Father. And because only He has seen the Father, the Father has sent him to show us the Father. We need to see. The one we need to see is Jesus. And this causes a scandal among the men in the synagogue. They begin to argue because Jesus is no longer discussing truth with them. He is claiming he is God and this not only changes the argument, it redefines the entire conversation. And they just can't believe this person, who is the son of people they know, can be God. And from an earthly perspective this is crazy talk. So Jesus pushes it further, he quotes Isaiah 54:13: All your sons will be taught by the LORD. And those who are taught are the ones the Father has drawn to himself. God is doing in Jesus what God did with Moses and the burning bush. Moses saw a bush that was burning, but the bush was not being consumed. And he drew close to this thing. It was all about seeing. It was all about recognizing that something is different. God is in this thing. And those who are drawn are being called by the Father. And those who draw near hear the voice. God is in this thing. And those who see are then brought in to see more. And Jesus tells us here, that your eternal life is dependant on you seeing properly. Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said: Earth is crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees Takes off his shoes – The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries. Over the years I have seen many, many people miss what God was doing, because they chose not to see. There was a song from the Jesus movement that had this line: There are none so blind as those who refuse to see. You will miss your moment of visitation when you trust your physical senses, what you think you know, the way things are, and conventional wisdom. And the folks in Nazareth missed their day. And these folks here in Capernaum are starting to miss it. And I am afraid a lot of Christians miss it all the time. I traveled doing revival meetings for many years. Through that I saw a lot of stuff. I learned a lot. One time in Aruba we did meetings in a church that had never had a move of the Holy Spirit. We were doing a tour across Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao that was ending with a big Bible conference. And every place we went, God moved powerfully. Lives were being changed all over. And during this meeting in Aruba, the room was electric. The Lord was moving, and all the people were right on edge. If we had given the invitation, everyone would have come forward. The director of our ministry, expecting to see a miracle, handed the meeting over to the pastor. And the pastor began to give announcements about a special cake and coffee time after the meeting. Through the whole meeting he was thinking about cake, and he didn't see what God was doing. He was just going about his business as a fat, happy conventional pastor. He missed the day of visitation. Bummer. Here Jesus is saying, I am the bread. I am the one who is going to give you eternal life. I have seen the Father, and no one can come to him unless they come to me. If you have seen me you have seen the Father. I am the bread of life, and the bread of life is my flesh. Whoa. Do you see? Do not miss your day of visitation. This is the scandal. It never looks like what you think it will. On Thursday we celebrate eighteen years. God has done a lot of miracles, and I am really amazed and in awe of the goodness of God. Over all this time, we have seen people come and go, and a handful of times I have had to put boundaries between our house and a person. It is a real drag. It's not what I signed up for. It's no fun showing someone the door. Usually, the person just doesn't see what God is doing. We are called to raise up an army of artists. To some that alone is offensive. Belonging House is a community of strategic disciples called to be God's special forces. God wants to raise up artists who can fight in these times of war. These days are evil. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. They are the weapons of seeing. We are called to help conventional people see the unseen. And this is serious spiritual war. Satan hates what we do. When I show someone the door, it's usually because a Christian is partnering with witchcraft. Some would call this the Jezebel spirit. It seems to be a fairly regular cycle. These aren't witches. These are immature, selfish Christians misusing their authority to hurt me, and stop what God is doing, because they want their own way. I see it over and over again. If they can't dominate they will destroy. It's a real drag. This is why we have to align our hearts with the word of God. We have to forgive and not succumb to anger. Unforgiveness will open you right up to deception. It is easy to get deceived, and these are extremely dangerous times. Deception is at a level I have never seen before. The folks who come into our house who missed what happened thought I was starting a little church to make them happy. They aren't artists, and they usually give me lots of trouble. Eventually, the patience and good grace I extend to people, makes them think I am a bit dumb, and they can cross the line and push me around. And then they think they can play the power games that they played in the little churches that they left. They have no fear of God, and are not afraid of touching the anointing. One hard lesson I have learned, is to honor the call and the anointing on people who I may not agree with. I have seen a lot of leaders up close and in person. Everyone has flaws. We are human beings. God uses broken people because that is all he has to work with. And I have learned, the hard way, not to judge, and I have had to choose to make a conscious decision to honor the person God has chosen, regardless of what my eyes see. David saw the worst of Saul, but he understood this was the man God chose, and it was not his job to take him out. It is about choosing to see what God sees. I don't want to miss my day of visitation. If God has chosen and called someone there is something there that is holy. I cannot touch holy things. It's been mystifying over the years to have people who have heard the story of how we started, seen the miracles, read my books, and listened to my teaching, who think that it would be okay to oppose me, touch the glory, and mess with the anointing. And it's not about me. They probably oppose every leader they meet. They thought that their disfunctional church behavior was benign, when in every case they opened themselves up to the demonic. And it has cost us money, and set our work back again and again. When you make it all about you, you become a channel for witchcraft. There are folks who think the power they have accessed is the Holy Spirit. And in every case, they thought their opposition to me was doing the will of God. Not one of them has come to a good end. Here is a rule of thumb: if you think it is your business to pray against a person to change them, you are out of alignment. God didn't give you sovereignty over other people, and you need to stop. Any time you try to control or manipulate someone, you are trying to dominate, and that's power, and that's witchcraft. Stop it. This week I had to break two curses put on our ministry by Christians. One of these people summoned a demon to stop me. That's not funny. And I can't tolerate this in our community, so I had to put a hard boundary between us. Gossip, slander, and idle chatter will get you into serious trouble. It is a demonic spirit of prophecy. So Friday morning I broke these two curses. I demanded I forgive and release. Within an hour someone sent us £6000 for an office in Chelsea, a new iPhone, and a new Macbook Pro. When you do not see things accurately, you are going to miss the day of visitation. And you are going to miss the blessing God has for you. Because God is going to oppose you. God opposes the proud. I've had to make a decision that if someone new comes to our community over the age of thirty who is not an artist, directly connected to the arts through family or career, or called to support the arts in a real way, I am going to have to send them away. You behave differently in a time of war than you do in a time of peace. These are dangerous times. We need to be looking at Jesus, and know what we are looking at. We can't judge with our human judgement. The word for this in Greek is "soulish" or "carnal." You can't rely on your own human wisdom in a time of deception and psychological warfare. This is why the media is so dangerous. It will not give you insight or help you pray. You have to align with the word of God. We have to judge with our spiritual eyes. The only tuning for this sense is Jesus. He is the image of the Invisible God. He is the one who has seen the Father. And if you have seen him you have seen the Father. And the more you look at Jesus the more you become like him. And this comes back to this teaching on the bread of life. Next week Jesus is going to start talking about eating his flesh. And in the Greek it is clear, he is not talking about a metaphor. He is talking about chewing and swallowing. And in this context, Jesus is telling them, if you look at the bread and you just see bread you are missing what's happening here. Yes, it is bread and wine. But for those who have eyes to see, it is my body and my blood. Every Sunday we get to have a moment of visitation. Every Sunday we get to have a revival and a move of God. Every Sunday we get to experience a miracle. This is the point. Let the one who has eyes see. This is the scandal of seeing. ### The Scandal of Seeing URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-scandal-of-seeing-2/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T06:32:55.000Z The Scandal of Seeing 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday I want to talk about the scandal of seeing. In this week's reading, Jesus draws a connection between seeing him as the one who is revealing the Father, and seeing him as the bread of life. And most important of all, He connects eating the bread seeing him and receiving eternal life. You cannot receive eternal life unless you see correctly. Seeing correctly, and eternal life are related. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published We are finite beings who live in a fallen world. We die, and we are surrounded by death. Jesus came to bring life and give us fullness of life. Some of you may remember the story I shared about a man who had been living with a large amount of post traumatic stress. He had prematurely aged, and his hair was white. As I prayed for him, the hair in his eyebrows began to go back to dark. His hair turned color right in front of my eyes. And as this was happening, I felt my mind and my eyes struggle with what was happening. In my "rational" mind, this doesn't happen. Our sense of sight is tuned to this fallen world, rather than the way things are in heaven. And because of this, many people miss the day of their visitation. Last week I shared that although it seemed like the men in the synagogue in Capernaum arguing with Jesus were not in agreement with him they were actually all on the same page. They were tracking with him. They thought he was the Messiah. And then, at the end of the reading, Jesus states clearly, I am the bread of Life. He who eats of this bread shall live forever. And they say, Lord, give us this bread always. They get it. And then, something shifts. This moment is like the moment in Nazareth where it says everyone was in agreement with what he was teaching. And then a voice in the back of the crowd says "Isn't this Joseph's son?" They had seen a revelation, they were recognizing the day of visitation, but someone corrected them so that they only saw the earthly perspective. This is like the proverbial crabs in the bucket, who pull any crab trying to escape back into the bucket. That voice stopped the revelation. And because of this, they lost their faith, Jesus could do very few miracles, and in the end they tried to kill him. I have seen this so many times when God begins to move. People who think they are smart completely miss it because they are using their human senses to see. Jesus keeps coming back to seeing here. He connects seeing him seeing the Father and seeing him in the bread. Jesus tells us that only He has seen the Father. And because only He has seen the Father, the Father has sent him to show us the Father. We need to see. The one we need to see is Jesus. And this causes a scandal among the men in the synagogue. They begin to argue because Jesus is no longer discussing truth with them. He is claiming he is God and this not only changes the argument, it redefines the entire conversation. And they just can't believe this person, who is the son of people they know, can be God. And from an earthly perspective this is crazy talk. So Jesus pushes it further, he quotes Isaiah 54:13: All your sons will be taught by the LORD. And those who are taught are the ones the Father has drawn to himself. God is doing in Jesus what God did with Moses and the burning bush. Moses saw a bush that was burning, but the bush was not being consumed. And he drew close to this thing. It was all about seeing. It was all about recognizing that something is different. God is in this thing. And those who are drawn are being called by the Father. And those who draw near hear the voice. God is in this thing. And those who see are then brought in to see more. And Jesus tells us here, that your eternal life is dependant on you seeing properly. Elizabeth Barrett Browning once said: Earth is crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees Takes off his shoes – The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries. Over the years I have seen many, many people miss what God was doing, because they chose not to see. There was a song from the Jesus movement that had this line: There are none so blind as those who refuse to see. You will miss your moment of visitation when you trust your physical senses, what you think you know, the way things are, and conventional wisdom. And the folks in Nazareth missed their day. And these folks here in Capernaum are starting to miss it. And I am afraid a lot of Christians miss it all the time. I traveled doing revival meetings for many years. Through that I saw a lot of stuff. I learned a lot. One time in Aruba we did meetings in a church that had never had a move of the Holy Spirit. We were doing a tour across Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao that was ending with a big Bible conference. And every place we went, God moved powerfully. Lives were being changed all over. And during this meeting in Aruba, the room was electric. The Lord was moving, and all the people were right on edge. If we had given the invitation, everyone would have come forward. The director of our ministry, expecting to see a miracle, handed the meeting over to the pastor. And the pastor began to give announcements about a special cake and coffee time after the meeting. Through the whole meeting he was thinking about cake, and he didn't see what God was doing. He was just going about his business as a fat, happy conventional pastor. He missed the day of visitation. Bummer. Here Jesus is saying, I am the bread. I am the one who is going to give you eternal life. I have seen the Father, and no one can come to him unless they come to me. If you have seen me you have seen the Father. I am the bread of life, and the bread of life is my flesh. Whoa. Do you see? Do not miss your day of visitation. This is the scandal. It never looks like what you think it will. On Thursday we celebrate eighteen years. God has done a lot of miracles, and I am really amazed and in awe of the goodness of God. Over all this time, we have seen people come and go, and a handful of times I have had to put boundaries between our house and a person. It is a real drag. It's not what I signed up for. It's no fun showing someone the door. Usually, the person just doesn't see what God is doing. We are called to raise up an army of artists. To some that alone is offensive. Belonging House is a community of strategic disciples called to be God's special forces. God wants to raise up artists who can fight in these times of war. These days are evil. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. They are the weapons of seeing. We are called to help conventional people see the unseen. And this is serious spiritual war. Satan hates what we do. When I show someone the door, it's usually because a Christian is partnering with witchcraft. Some would call this the Jezebel spirit. It seems to be a fairly regular cycle. These aren't witches. These are immature, selfish Christians misusing their authority to hurt me, and stop what God is doing, because they want their own way. I see it over and over again. If they can't dominate they will destroy. It's a real drag. This is why we have to align our hearts with the word of God. We have to forgive and not succumb to anger. Unforgiveness will open you right up to deception. It is easy to get deceived, and these are extremely dangerous times. Deception is at a level I have never seen before. The folks who come into our house who missed what happened thought I was starting a little church to make them happy. They aren't artists, and they usually give me lots of trouble. Eventually, the patience and good grace I extend to people, makes them think I am a bit dumb, and they can cross the line and push me around. And then they think they can play the power games that they played in the little churches that they left. They have no fear of God, and are not afraid of touching the anointing. One hard lesson I have learned, is to honor the call and the anointing on people who I may not agree with. I have seen a lot of leaders up close and in person. Everyone has flaws. We are human beings. God uses broken people because that is all he has to work with. And I have learned, the hard way, not to judge, and I have had to choose to make a conscious decision to honor the person God has chosen, regardless of what my eyes see. David saw the worst of Saul, but he understood this was the man God chose, and it was not his job to take him out. It is about choosing to see what God sees. I don't want to miss my day of visitation. If God has chosen and called someone there is something there that is holy. I cannot touch holy things. It's been mystifying over the years to have people who have heard the story of how we started, seen the miracles, read my books, and listened to my teaching, who think that it would be okay to oppose me, touch the glory, and mess with the anointing. And it's not about me. They probably oppose every leader they meet. They thought that their disfunctional church behavior was benign, when in every case they opened themselves up to the demonic. And it has cost us money, and set our work back again and again. When you make it all about you, you become a channel for witchcraft. There are folks who think the power they have accessed is the Holy Spirit. And in every case, they thought their opposition to me was doing the will of God. Not one of them has come to a good end. Here is a rule of thumb: if you think it is your business to pray against a person to change them, you are out of alignment. God didn't give you sovereignty over other people, and you need to stop. Any time you try to control or manipulate someone, you are trying to dominate, and that's power, and that's witchcraft. Stop it. This week I had to break two curses put on our ministry by Christians. One of these people summoned a demon to stop me. That's not funny. And I can't tolerate this in our community, so I had to put a hard boundary between us. Gossip, slander, and idle chatter will get you into serious trouble. It is a demonic spirit of prophecy. So Friday morning I broke these two curses. I demanded I forgive and release. Within an hour someone sent us £6000 for an office in Chelsea, a new iPhone, and a new Macbook Pro. When you do not see things accurately, you are going to miss the day of visitation. And you are going to miss the blessing God has for you. Because God is going to oppose you. God opposes the proud. I've had to make a decision that if someone new comes to our community over the age of thirty who is not an artist, directly connected to the arts through family or career, or called to support the arts in a real way, I am going to have to send them away. You behave differently in a time of war than you do in a time of peace. These are dangerous times. We need to be looking at Jesus, and know what we are looking at. We can't judge with our human judgement. The word for this in Greek is "soulish" or "carnal." You can't rely on your own human wisdom in a time of deception and psychological warfare. This is why the media is so dangerous. It will not give you insight or help you pray. You have to align with the word of God. We have to judge with our spiritual eyes. The only tuning for this sense is Jesus. He is the image of the Invisible God. He is the one who has seen the Father. And if you have seen him you have seen the Father. And the more you look at Jesus the more you become like him. And this comes back to this teaching on the bread of life. Next week Jesus is going to start talking about eating his flesh. And in the Greek it is clear, he is not talking about a metaphor. He is talking about chewing and swallowing. And in this context, Jesus is telling them, if you look at the bread and you just see bread you are missing what's happening here. Yes, it is bread and wine. But for those who have eyes to see, it is my body and my blood. Every Sunday we get to have a moment of visitation. Every Sunday we get to have a revival and a move of God. Every Sunday we get to experience a miracle. This is the point. Let the one who has eyes see. This is the scandal of seeing. ### Deliver Us from the Evil One URL: https://www.belonging.house/deliver-us-from-the-evil-one/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:59.000Z Evil is personal. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Deliver Us from the Evil One URL: https://www.belonging.house/deliver-us-from-the-evil-one-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:52.000Z Evil is personal. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Signs URL: https://www.belonging.house/signs/ Last updated: 2024-08-05T07:53:28.000Z Signs 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWhen I was sixteen years old I took my first paid art job. I painted signs. (in the UK they would say I "wrote signs"). Lettering and letterforms have always been my go-to art form. And the most wonderful thing about good signs is that they show you the way. The word sign appears many times in the sixth chapter of John. The chapter begins with the multitudes following him to a deserted place because of the "signs." And as I said last week, Jesus fed the 5000 and that action was a sign, full of symbolic meaning about the fulfillment of the Messianic Promise. And I shared how the people in the crowd would have understand the meaning, and known exactly what Jesus was doing. That night Jesus needed to get away from the crowd again, and so he walked across the sea, and met the disciples mid-voyage. We have it recorded that Jesus walked on the sea two different times. We will have to save that for another day. The next day, the people notice that Jesus is missing, but his boat is still there. And so they get into boats, and go looking for him. And after a search, they find him. And then the crowd asks him "How did you get here?" I am going to insert a detail that John adds at the end of the chapter, because it will give you a better context. The next day must have been a Shabbat, because has this exchange in the synagogue in Capernaum. And this context helps a lot, because what follows is a very Jewish exchange. We get to see Jesus the Rabbi, operate as rabbinical teacher. To a gentile who has been trained to read this chapter with a spiritualized Greco-Roman grid, some of it will be lost. Jesus is making a connection between feeding the five-thousand, the manna of Moses in the past, and the bread of the New Covenant. And he is going to connect this New Covenant to Bread. I am going to say this several times, because I have to jam your circuits. The New Covenant is the breaking of the Bread. If you try to lay evangelical protestant thinking about “accepting Jesus” onto this conversation, it will seem like Jesus and the men in the synagogue are talking past each other. They are not. Jesus and the ones talking with him are both on the same page, talking about the same thing. To an outside this looks like arguing, but is the Jewish wrestling to find the truth. They are talking about the nature of New Covenant. And it is part of this normal engagement to be slightly challenging and argumentative. Although it looks like Jesus is deflecting and redirecting the conversation, he is actually taking the conversation deeper with each question. And it is all about signs. Like I said last week, the feeding of the five thousand wasn't about the food. It was about the New Covenant being established as a fulfillment of Torah and the calling of Israel. And Jesus was giving them a sign: broken bread. And so Jesus confronts them in a very rabbinical fashion. "You aren't looking for me, you are looking for the free food. I gave you food for which you didn't work. And now you want more. Do not work for perishable food, but rather, for eternal food. And the Son of Man is going to give you this food, because the Father has chosen him." He redirects the conversation. And if you are a gentile, the next question seems out of place. "What must we do to be doing the works of God?" They know this is not about the food. They know this is all about a fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18, where Moses tells the people that God would one day send a prophet to displace him. The people know that God is doing a new thing. In the Old Covenant, as a Jew you were born into it. There were two signs you were in the Covenant. You were circumcised if you were a male, and you kept the Passover. These are the works you have to do in order to be in the Covenant. You are a Bar Mitzvah, son of the Commandment. So they want to know what they will have to do in this new covenant be in it. They want what Jesus is offering. They get it. It's not about works, it's about wanting to be in the covenant. These folks aren't following Jesus because of the food. They are following Jesus because of the signs, and the signs all point to Jesus being the Messiah. It's all about the signs. And what are the signs? The sick are healed, the blind see, the lame walk, and the deaf here. They are watching the prophets be fulfilled. And now they are seeing bread multiply. And Jesus turns the question in a different direction. Your work before was to do the commandments. Now, your work for God is to believe on the one God sent. And they get it, because an honest question follows: "And what sign will you do if we believe in you?” Because after the last covenant was made, the people were given Manna, and they didn't have to work. They honestly ask, “Are you going to give us food like that?” This is not disbelief. The Jewish mind is not abstract and spiritual. They are asking a real question, because the witness of scripture is "If you believe this, something will happen." There are always signs that God does after He makes a covenant. They want the same assurance. There is a tangible real element to Biblical faith. They are not interested in "accepting Jesus," or agreeing with a set of precepts and principles. They are interested in the guy who is going to deliver them from the Romans, just like Moses delivered Israel from Pharaoh. They are asking a practical question, in good faith, and not testing him. They believe that the Messiah is going to be a King. And Jesus intensifies things, because he wants to challenge their assumptions. "You think Moses gave the Manna. No, God gave you the Manna. The manna was a shadow of the new Bread that God is about to give, and that bread will be a bread of the New Covenant. And when this bread comes down from heaven it is going to give life to the world." These are not the Pharisees challenging Jesus. These are folks who get it. They are tracking with him. They are waiting for the New Covenant promised by Ezekiel. The signs are powerful and they see the direction they are pointing. And they reply, "Lord, give us this bread always." And then Jesus says, "I am the bread of Life, he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall not thirst." First, he stuns them. I am. This is the unspeakable name of God. YHWH. Hashem. Jesus is the Name. I am. Jesus says he is God. And then he says he is also the Bread. I am the manna. I am more than the manna. I am the one who will feed that part of you that is always hungry. I am the fulfillment of the prophecy. I am better than the twelve baskets full. These are all signs pointing to a new thing. And all these signs point to me. And they understood where he was going, and what he was saying and that all this pointed to something a lot bigger than feeding people on the side of a mountain. God is the Bread. Jesus is God, and if you eat of this bread you will live forever. Think about that for a while. We are a community of artists and creative people. In a very real way, literally with our work, we are all called to create signs. Charismatic folks emphasize the miraculous. And yes, they play an important role. I can't tell you how often me just talking about my daily life intrigues people and they want to know more. I’m so accustomed to God doing things, that I do forget it is unusual for most people. People are hungry, and they are always looking for bread. When I was dabbling in my fantasy of becoming a monk, the monks at Gethsemani talked about true contemplation. Contemplation is deeper than meditation. Contemplation is finding that place in prayer and with God where you tap into eternal reality, and spend time there. Another description for this might be soaking in God's presence. This is a deep thing. And when you do it, you are changed. It is interesting when you discover artwork that comes from this place of contemplation. And there is a lot of it. I saw this in Assisi with some of the frescoes of Giotto. You could tell he was praying and meditating on the subject while he painted. I've discovered that there are a few things you can go back to in meditation and contemplation that seem to be an endless source of nourishment. I was stunned that Bezalel is one of these sources. I have gone back to Bezalel again and again and find a new level of revelation everytime. The encounter between Mary and Gabriel is one. And this sign, the Bread, and the relationship it has to so many things, is also a source of endless contemplation. This is written into universal reality. Jesus is the bread. Jesus was born in Bethlehem “the house of bread” and laid in a manger. He was food and bread for the world. That was the plan. Lord, give us this bread always so we may never be hungry again. ### Signs URL: https://www.belonging.house/signs-2/ Last updated: 2024-08-05T07:53:28.000Z Signs 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWhen I was sixteen years old I took my first paid art job. I painted signs. (in the UK they would say I "wrote signs"). Lettering and letterforms have always been my go-to art form. And the most wonderful thing about good signs is that they show you the way. The word sign appears many times in the sixth chapter of John. The chapter begins with the multitudes following him to a deserted place because of the "signs." And as I said last week, Jesus fed the 5000 and that action was a sign, full of symbolic meaning about the fulfillment of the Messianic Promise. And I shared how the people in the crowd would have understand the meaning, and known exactly what Jesus was doing. That night Jesus needed to get away from the crowd again, and so he walked across the sea, and met the disciples mid-voyage. We have it recorded that Jesus walked on the sea two different times. We will have to save that for another day. The next day, the people notice that Jesus is missing, but his boat is still there. And so they get into boats, and go looking for him. And after a search, they find him. And then the crowd asks him "How did you get here?" I am going to insert a detail that John adds at the end of the chapter, because it will give you a better context. The next day must have been a Shabbat, because has this exchange in the synagogue in Capernaum. And this context helps a lot, because what follows is a very Jewish exchange. We get to see Jesus the Rabbi, operate as rabbinical teacher. To a gentile who has been trained to read this chapter with a spiritualized Greco-Roman grid, some of it will be lost. Jesus is making a connection between feeding the five-thousand, the manna of Moses in the past, and the bread of the New Covenant. And he is going to connect this New Covenant to Bread. I am going to say this several times, because I have to jam your circuits. The New Covenant is the breaking of the Bread. If you try to lay evangelical protestant thinking about “accepting Jesus” onto this conversation, it will seem like Jesus and the men in the synagogue are talking past each other. They are not. Jesus and the ones talking with him are both on the same page, talking about the same thing. To an outside this looks like arguing, but is the Jewish wrestling to find the truth. They are talking about the nature of New Covenant. And it is part of this normal engagement to be slightly challenging and argumentative. Although it looks like Jesus is deflecting and redirecting the conversation, he is actually taking the conversation deeper with each question. And it is all about signs. Like I said last week, the feeding of the five thousand wasn't about the food. It was about the New Covenant being established as a fulfillment of Torah and the calling of Israel. And Jesus was giving them a sign: broken bread. And so Jesus confronts them in a very rabbinical fashion. "You aren't looking for me, you are looking for the free food. I gave you food for which you didn't work. And now you want more. Do not work for perishable food, but rather, for eternal food. And the Son of Man is going to give you this food, because the Father has chosen him." He redirects the conversation. And if you are a gentile, the next question seems out of place. "What must we do to be doing the works of God?" They know this is not about the food. They know this is all about a fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18, where Moses tells the people that God would one day send a prophet to displace him. The people know that God is doing a new thing. In the Old Covenant, as a Jew you were born into it. There were two signs you were in the Covenant. You were circumcised if you were a male, and you kept the Passover. These are the works you have to do in order to be in the Covenant. You are a Bar Mitzvah, son of the Commandment. So they want to know what they will have to do in this new covenant be in it. They want what Jesus is offering. They get it. It's not about works, it's about wanting to be in the covenant. These folks aren't following Jesus because of the food. They are following Jesus because of the signs, and the signs all point to Jesus being the Messiah. It's all about the signs. And what are the signs? The sick are healed, the blind see, the lame walk, and the deaf here. They are watching the prophets be fulfilled. And now they are seeing bread multiply. And Jesus turns the question in a different direction. Your work before was to do the commandments. Now, your work for God is to believe on the one God sent. And they get it, because an honest question follows: "And what sign will you do if we believe in you?” Because after the last covenant was made, the people were given Manna, and they didn't have to work. They honestly ask, “Are you going to give us food like that?” This is not disbelief. The Jewish mind is not abstract and spiritual. They are asking a real question, because the witness of scripture is "If you believe this, something will happen." There are always signs that God does after He makes a covenant. They want the same assurance. There is a tangible real element to Biblical faith. They are not interested in "accepting Jesus," or agreeing with a set of precepts and principles. They are interested in the guy who is going to deliver them from the Romans, just like Moses delivered Israel from Pharaoh. They are asking a practical question, in good faith, and not testing him. They believe that the Messiah is going to be a King. And Jesus intensifies things, because he wants to challenge their assumptions. "You think Moses gave the Manna. No, God gave you the Manna. The manna was a shadow of the new Bread that God is about to give, and that bread will be a bread of the New Covenant. And when this bread comes down from heaven it is going to give life to the world." These are not the Pharisees challenging Jesus. These are folks who get it. They are tracking with him. They are waiting for the New Covenant promised by Ezekiel. The signs are powerful and they see the direction they are pointing. And they reply, "Lord, give us this bread always." And then Jesus says, "I am the bread of Life, he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall not thirst." First, he stuns them. I am. This is the unspeakable name of God. YHWH. Hashem. Jesus is the Name. I am. Jesus says he is God. And then he says he is also the Bread. I am the manna. I am more than the manna. I am the one who will feed that part of you that is always hungry. I am the fulfillment of the prophecy. I am better than the twelve baskets full. These are all signs pointing to a new thing. And all these signs point to me. And they understood where he was going, and what he was saying and that all this pointed to something a lot bigger than feeding people on the side of a mountain. God is the Bread. Jesus is God, and if you eat of this bread you will live forever. Think about that for a while. We are a community of artists and creative people. In a very real way, literally with our work, we are all called to create signs. Charismatic folks emphasize the miraculous. And yes, they play an important role. I can't tell you how often me just talking about my daily life intrigues people and they want to know more. I’m so accustomed to God doing things, that I do forget it is unusual for most people. People are hungry, and they are always looking for bread. When I was dabbling in my fantasy of becoming a monk, the monks at Gethsemani talked about true contemplation. Contemplation is deeper than meditation. Contemplation is finding that place in prayer and with God where you tap into eternal reality, and spend time there. Another description for this might be soaking in God's presence. This is a deep thing. And when you do it, you are changed. It is interesting when you discover artwork that comes from this place of contemplation. And there is a lot of it. I saw this in Assisi with some of the frescoes of Giotto. You could tell he was praying and meditating on the subject while he painted. I've discovered that there are a few things you can go back to in meditation and contemplation that seem to be an endless source of nourishment. I was stunned that Bezalel is one of these sources. I have gone back to Bezalel again and again and find a new level of revelation everytime. The encounter between Mary and Gabriel is one. And this sign, the Bread, and the relationship it has to so many things, is also a source of endless contemplation. This is written into universal reality. Jesus is the bread. Jesus was born in Bethlehem “the house of bread” and laid in a manger. He was food and bread for the world. That was the plan. Lord, give us this bread always so we may never be hungry again. ### Lead Us Not into Temptation URL: https://www.belonging.house/lead-us-not-into-temptation/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:51:59.000Z The difficult sentence in the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Lead Us Not into Temptation URL: https://www.belonging.house/lead-us-not-into-temptation-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:53.000Z The difficult sentence in the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Not about the food. URL: https://www.belonging.house/not-about-the-food/ Last updated: 2024-07-29T08:58:53.000Z Not about the food. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe are going to save the end of the series on the Five Fold ministry for another time. We were down to the Teacher and talking about maturity. And honestly, I think the best way to express the role of the Teacher is to bring forth good teaching. Every three years in year B in the Lectionary, we are brought to the sixth chapter of John. This passage is so important that we get the miracle, and the explanation of the miracle over several weeks every three years. This chapter is the heart of Christian teaching, and the intent is that we will take several weeks to teach on the core of the New Covenant. Of all the stories and miracles in the New Testament, there is only one that is repeated in all the gospels. There is only one miracle that Jesus stopped and explained. And there is only one miracle that is referenced again and again throughout the early church fathers. And this miracle is the feeding of the five thousand. In my Bible and seminary training, the teachers, and most of the protestant commentators, said that this miracle is recorded in every gospel because they were living in a subsistence economy, and these were people who were oppressed and this is about a "justice issue." It's about the food. And as was typical, we got what to think, not how to think. No reflection, full stop, move on to something more important. Yes, it's about the food. But it is not about the food. Every time we see people eating and drinking together in the Bible, we are tapping into one of the over arching themes in the Bible. And this theme, eating and drinking in the Kingdom of God, is closely related to another theme, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Again and again, food, marriage, and love are linked. God is pursuing us, just like a young man pursues his beloved. In John 6, Jesus gets in a boat and goes to the other side of the sea of Galilee. You get this sense in John's gospel, that Jesus is spending a lot of time crossing the sea in a boat in order to escape the crowds. And the terrain around the sea is very hilly, and it says that Jesus went up into a mountain and sat down with the disciples. We have to pay attention to the details. No detail in Scripture is ever wasted. John tells us that the Passover, "Pascha" was coming. What is passover? It is the feast of the Unleavened Bread. How do you celebrate it? By breaking the bread. What does it celebrate? The Covenant God made with Moses when they were delivered by the blood of the Lamb from slavery in Egypt. So already, the events here are not about the food. They are about Passover. And then Jesus sees the crowds coming toward them. And he asks Philip, "Where can we buy bread to feed these people?" It says that Jesus asks him this so that Jesus could test him. And Philip responds not with where, but with his earthly thinking. "It would take more than a year's wages to buy just a little bit for each person." I would like to buy food, but I'm broke. I guess they will have to starve. Poverty thinking. Jesus is revealing the heart of limited thinking. How human thinking sees a problem and then says "I need this much money to solve the problem." We pray and ask God to give us the money, so that we can solve the problem. That is giving Mammon power in the situation. It's really interesting how often this way of thinking manifests itself. I have to stop people praying this way all the time. And I have to stop myself from thinking this way. As we are going to see, Jesus solves this problem without ever spending a dime. Out of the all disciples, Andrew was the possibility thinker. I find it interesting that whenever he is mentioned it says that he is Simon Peter's brother. Andrew sees the possibility, he found someone in the crowd who has some food. The boy has five loaves and two fish. But Andrew also speaks out his disbelief: "What are these among so many?" It is really important here to unpack what is going on here from a Jewish symbolic grid. This is a symbolic book, Jews used numbers in a clear symbolic system, and John was the supreme master of their use in the New Testament. Every number matters in John. Five, from the Old Testament lens always points back to the Torah, to the five books of Moses. And here, there are five barley loaves. Barley is mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:8 as one of the signs they have entered the promised land. It was one of the grains permissable to eat at Passover and was part of the wave offering at the feast of the first fruits. It represented God's provision, favor, and abundance. Two fish also have a symbolic meaning. The Jews of second temple Judaism linked all seafood to Leviathan the sea monster who is symbolic of satan. It was during this period that Jews began eating fish on Friday nights during their Shabbat meal because they believed that in the Resurrection at the coming of the Messianic age they would be eating the flesh of Leviathan. It is was a sign of the victory of the Messiah. This is where fish on Friday originates. Two is the number of division and separation. Two is the splitting of the cell, the dividing of the day from the night, and the turning from evil. Paul expressed the symbolism of two in II Corinthians 6:14, by pairing ideas: Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? And fellowship has Christ with Belial? And what part do believers have with unbelievers? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, "I will dwell in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, and touch not the unclean thing. And I will be your Father, and you will be my people. In order to become one with God you have two become two with the darkness. The first century Jewish reader would immediately understand all this. Jesus is taking the bread of the promised land, the bread of the Torah, and he is taking the flesh of Leviathan and calling us to turn to metanoia, to shuv to repent. Why, because this is about the Messianic age. This is about the Kingdom. It is not about the food. And Jesus tells them to sit down. In the Greek it says they were reclining, just like at the passover. This isn't a picnic full of hungry people. This is a passover feast. We are reclining, we are not slaves in Egypt. God is about to do a miracle, and you don't have to do anything to make it happen. And now we see 5000 men. Earlier on John uses the generic word for "people" in the Greek, but here, it is very clear he is using the word for "males." This is about the "minyan" about a representative gathering of Jewish men. There are five thousand because we are back to the Torah. These men are the nation of Israel. They are the representative of all the Jewish men who have ever lived. These are the men of the book. And then we come to heart of the miracle: Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, divided it among the disciples and to those who were reclining. Let me read you some of this in the Greek: Elaben, oun tous artous ho Iesous kai eucharistesas, diedoken. Jesus took bread, made eucharist and divided it. Where else did Jesus take bread, give thanks, and divide it? He did it when he fed the four thousand. He did it in the upper room. He did it in the house in Emmaus. And he did it by the seashore. After Pentecost, the disciples did it every day in the temple. Paul did it on a ship right before a shipwreck, and it says that the bread fed 247 people! And of course, Paul says that he received directly from the Lord this instruction in I Corinthans 11. And it says that they were all filled and were satisfied. This is not about the food. This is about the Kingdom. And Jesus says to them "gather up all the fragments so that nothing may be lost." Every bit of the this Kingdom is precious. This bread is the bread of the Promised land. And notice there is no fish leftover because the power of leviathan is completely broken. And just to prove it is about the Kingdom they had twelve baskets left over. Twelve is the number of Israel and the government of God. Twelve, the number of the Kingdom is three, God, times four, the creation. God reunited and rebuilding a broken creation. This is not an allegory, this is the language of Scripture. And every time we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim the Lord's death, the Coming of the Kingdom, until he comes again. We are giving what we need for the in-between, the already, but not yet, Kingdom. And the folks in the crowd recognized what was going on, because they say, "surely this is the prophet that was promised." They got it. They saw what was happening. This bread and this multitude are the New Covenant. The Messiah is going to break the back of Leviathan and create a new people. And we will be at rest, and there will be enough. And the abundance is the sign of the Government of God in the earth. There is no limit to this kingdom. It is not limited by the bank account. It is not limited by circumstances. And the provision of God is released, when we offer it to God, give thanks, break it, and give it away. And this Kingdom is all about eating and drinking at the Father's table. I find it interesting that Friday night there was a satanic ritual played out before the world. The Olympics chose to mock the Eucharist before the whole world. They didn't mock the Quran or Buddha. They mocked the thing that was real and true. What fellowship has light with darkness? And yesterday, the power went out in Paris. There was only one place that had light, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacre Coeur, at the top of Montmartre. You can't make this stuff up. This broken bread is the source of our life and our power. It is the bread for the journey and the sign that God is going to win. Lord Jesus, we thank you for the five loaves and two fish that you have given us. We thank you for the breaking. And we thank you that in the breaking and the giving you feed the multitudes. We ask you Lord to make us this broken bread and poured out wine so that that all may see and know that your kingdom is unstoppable. Amen. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Not about the food. URL: https://www.belonging.house/not-about-the-food-2/ Last updated: 2024-07-29T08:58:53.000Z Not about the food. 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWe are going to save the end of the series on the Five Fold ministry for another time. We were down to the Teacher and talking about maturity. And honestly, I think the best way to express the role of the Teacher is to bring forth good teaching. Every three years in year B in the Lectionary, we are brought to the sixth chapter of John. This passage is so important that we get the miracle, and the explanation of the miracle over several weeks every three years. This chapter is the heart of Christian teaching, and the intent is that we will take several weeks to teach on the core of the New Covenant. Of all the stories and miracles in the New Testament, there is only one that is repeated in all the gospels. There is only one miracle that Jesus stopped and explained. And there is only one miracle that is referenced again and again throughout the early church fathers. And this miracle is the feeding of the five thousand. In my Bible and seminary training, the teachers, and most of the protestant commentators, said that this miracle is recorded in every gospel because they were living in a subsistence economy, and these were people who were oppressed and this is about a "justice issue." It's about the food. And as was typical, we got what to think, not how to think. No reflection, full stop, move on to something more important. Yes, it's about the food. But it is not about the food. Every time we see people eating and drinking together in the Bible, we are tapping into one of the over arching themes in the Bible. And this theme, eating and drinking in the Kingdom of God, is closely related to another theme, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Again and again, food, marriage, and love are linked. God is pursuing us, just like a young man pursues his beloved. In John 6, Jesus gets in a boat and goes to the other side of the sea of Galilee. You get this sense in John's gospel, that Jesus is spending a lot of time crossing the sea in a boat in order to escape the crowds. And the terrain around the sea is very hilly, and it says that Jesus went up into a mountain and sat down with the disciples. We have to pay attention to the details. No detail in Scripture is ever wasted. John tells us that the Passover, "Pascha" was coming. What is passover? It is the feast of the Unleavened Bread. How do you celebrate it? By breaking the bread. What does it celebrate? The Covenant God made with Moses when they were delivered by the blood of the Lamb from slavery in Egypt. So already, the events here are not about the food. They are about Passover. And then Jesus sees the crowds coming toward them. And he asks Philip, "Where can we buy bread to feed these people?" It says that Jesus asks him this so that Jesus could test him. And Philip responds not with where, but with his earthly thinking. "It would take more than a year's wages to buy just a little bit for each person." I would like to buy food, but I'm broke. I guess they will have to starve. Poverty thinking. Jesus is revealing the heart of limited thinking. How human thinking sees a problem and then says "I need this much money to solve the problem." We pray and ask God to give us the money, so that we can solve the problem. That is giving Mammon power in the situation. It's really interesting how often this way of thinking manifests itself. I have to stop people praying this way all the time. And I have to stop myself from thinking this way. As we are going to see, Jesus solves this problem without ever spending a dime. Out of the all disciples, Andrew was the possibility thinker. I find it interesting that whenever he is mentioned it says that he is Simon Peter's brother. Andrew sees the possibility, he found someone in the crowd who has some food. The boy has five loaves and two fish. But Andrew also speaks out his disbelief: "What are these among so many?" It is really important here to unpack what is going on here from a Jewish symbolic grid. This is a symbolic book, Jews used numbers in a clear symbolic system, and John was the supreme master of their use in the New Testament. Every number matters in John. Five, from the Old Testament lens always points back to the Torah, to the five books of Moses. And here, there are five barley loaves. Barley is mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:8 as one of the signs they have entered the promised land. It was one of the grains permissable to eat at Passover and was part of the wave offering at the feast of the first fruits. It represented God's provision, favor, and abundance. Two fish also have a symbolic meaning. The Jews of second temple Judaism linked all seafood to Leviathan the sea monster who is symbolic of satan. It was during this period that Jews began eating fish on Friday nights during their Shabbat meal because they believed that in the Resurrection at the coming of the Messianic age they would be eating the flesh of Leviathan. It is was a sign of the victory of the Messiah. This is where fish on Friday originates. Two is the number of division and separation. Two is the splitting of the cell, the dividing of the day from the night, and the turning from evil. Paul expressed the symbolism of two in II Corinthians 6:14, by pairing ideas: Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? And fellowship has Christ with Belial? And what part do believers have with unbelievers? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, "I will dwell in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, and touch not the unclean thing. And I will be your Father, and you will be my people. In order to become one with God you have two become two with the darkness. The first century Jewish reader would immediately understand all this. Jesus is taking the bread of the promised land, the bread of the Torah, and he is taking the flesh of Leviathan and calling us to turn to metanoia, to shuv to repent. Why, because this is about the Messianic age. This is about the Kingdom. It is not about the food. And Jesus tells them to sit down. In the Greek it says they were reclining, just like at the passover. This isn't a picnic full of hungry people. This is a passover feast. We are reclining, we are not slaves in Egypt. God is about to do a miracle, and you don't have to do anything to make it happen. And now we see 5000 men. Earlier on John uses the generic word for "people" in the Greek, but here, it is very clear he is using the word for "males." This is about the "minyan" about a representative gathering of Jewish men. There are five thousand because we are back to the Torah. These men are the nation of Israel. They are the representative of all the Jewish men who have ever lived. These are the men of the book. And then we come to heart of the miracle: Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, divided it among the disciples and to those who were reclining. Let me read you some of this in the Greek: Elaben, oun tous artous ho Iesous kai eucharistesas, diedoken. Jesus took bread, made eucharist and divided it. Where else did Jesus take bread, give thanks, and divide it? He did it when he fed the four thousand. He did it in the upper room. He did it in the house in Emmaus. And he did it by the seashore. After Pentecost, the disciples did it every day in the temple. Paul did it on a ship right before a shipwreck, and it says that the bread fed 247 people! And of course, Paul says that he received directly from the Lord this instruction in I Corinthans 11. And it says that they were all filled and were satisfied. This is not about the food. This is about the Kingdom. And Jesus says to them "gather up all the fragments so that nothing may be lost." Every bit of the this Kingdom is precious. This bread is the bread of the Promised land. And notice there is no fish leftover because the power of leviathan is completely broken. And just to prove it is about the Kingdom they had twelve baskets left over. Twelve is the number of Israel and the government of God. Twelve, the number of the Kingdom is three, God, times four, the creation. God reunited and rebuilding a broken creation. This is not an allegory, this is the language of Scripture. And every time we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim the Lord's death, the Coming of the Kingdom, until he comes again. We are giving what we need for the in-between, the already, but not yet, Kingdom. And the folks in the crowd recognized what was going on, because they say, "surely this is the prophet that was promised." They got it. They saw what was happening. This bread and this multitude are the New Covenant. The Messiah is going to break the back of Leviathan and create a new people. And we will be at rest, and there will be enough. And the abundance is the sign of the Government of God in the earth. There is no limit to this kingdom. It is not limited by the bank account. It is not limited by circumstances. And the provision of God is released, when we offer it to God, give thanks, break it, and give it away. And this Kingdom is all about eating and drinking at the Father's table. I find it interesting that Friday night there was a satanic ritual played out before the world. The Olympics chose to mock the Eucharist before the whole world. They didn't mock the Quran or Buddha. They mocked the thing that was real and true. What fellowship has light with darkness? And yesterday, the power went out in Paris. There was only one place that had light, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacre Coeur, at the top of Montmartre. You can't make this stuff up. This broken bread is the source of our life and our power. It is the bread for the journey and the sign that God is going to win. Lord Jesus, we thank you for the five loaves and two fish that you have given us. We thank you for the breaking. And we thank you that in the breaking and the giving you feed the multitudes. We ask you Lord to make us this broken bread and poured out wine so that that all may see and know that your kingdom is unstoppable. Amen. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Provision Journal: Unplanned Trip to Rome URL: https://www.belonging.house/provision-journal-unplanned-trip/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:05.000Z Part of the ongoing story of my adventure with Jesus _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Provision Journal: Unplanned Trip to Rome URL: https://www.belonging.house/provision-journal-unplanned-trip-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:42:59.000Z Part of the ongoing story of my adventure with Jesus _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Forgive Us Our Debts URL: https://www.belonging.house/forgive-us-our-debts/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:05.000Z The unseen grace in the Lord's Prayer _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Forgive Us Our Debts URL: https://www.belonging.house/forgive-us-our-debts-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:00.000Z The unseen grace in the Lord's Prayer _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Super-substantial Bread URL: https://www.belonging.house/super-substantial-bread/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:06.000Z The Lord's Prayer, a kingdom perspective, and the word Jesus invented. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Super-substantial Bread URL: https://www.belonging.house/super-substantial-bread-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:01.000Z The Lord's Prayer, a kingdom perspective, and the word Jesus invented. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Evangelists URL: https://www.belonging.house/evangelists/ Last updated: 2024-07-15T06:22:39.000Z Evangelists 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week we are going to talk about the most unique of the Five-Fold People. The Evangelist serves a very important job, they expand and send out "tendrils" of growth in the body. They are the reproductive system, they cause the body to increase. They are the feet the go to new people and places. And they are the ones who get the message out. When we look at the hand, and the middle finger. You notice it is the finger that extends the furthest. The Evangelist extends the reach of the body. But the middle finger is also the one that is most apt to break, or get sprained. This is the finger that needs the help and support of the others most. It's the longest but also the weakest on its own. And of course, the middle finger is offensive. The word "Evangelist" is a greek word that has been "transliterated" into English. “Angelos” in the greek means messenger. So an angel is a messenger first and foremost. And angels are singular in purpose, they just do the job they were directed to do and nothing else. Angels bring a message from God. So we start with "messenger." Then we add the prefix "Eu" to it. That means "good." So an evangelist is a good “newser,” a person who brings a good message. And of the five-fold ministries, evangelists stand alone. They bring good news. They are called, just like apostles and prophets, but called to one job and one purpose. And what is this good news? Many people believe that most human beings are basically good, and if you are bad you go to hell. And the mean old God in the sky decides arbitrarily if some are good and some are bad, so you better be good for goodness sake. This is not the good news. Every human being is born separated from God. This the broken relationship. And if you remain in that broken relationship you will be die eternally separated from God, regardless of your goodness or badness. And that relationship can only be restored through faith in Jesus Christ. It is about relationship with God, not your behavior. And so the evangelist is created and called to get people into that relationship with God. It is a vital part of the five-fold gifts. The best model of the evangelist is found in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Philip, in Acts 22 is described as "the evangelist." Let's turn to Acts 8:26-end. But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert road. And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Canda′ce the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: “As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus. And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azo′tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare′a. (RSVCE) There are several distinct qualities displayed by Philip in this story, that give us a window into how an evangelist is wired, and how they operate. 1\. Philip is engaged with God in prayer and listening. Several times in this account, God communicates with Philip and then Philip does what God says. He is directed by an angel. He is told to join the chariot. And he is led by the Holy Spirit to Caesarea. A mature evangelist listens to God, and then does what God tells them. So the mature Evangelist is just as deep as the Prophet or Apostle. They go where the harvest is ripe, and they go for it. 2\. Philip engages with a stranger of a different class. Evangelists tend to ignore protocols and customs, and see an opportunity and seize it. They will talk to anyone at any time, if they see an opportunity. To other people this will seem a bit rude, but usually this will bear fruit. When you hang out with an evangelist, you often get sidetracked, because they are constantly talking to strangers, and they are often overstepping social norms. 3\. Evangelists always carry the core of the gospel message: Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. It is always central and simple. Often evangelists get accused of over-simplifying the gospel. They don't see it that way, Evangelists see the part they share as the essence. You need to know that Jesus died for you, you need to know that Jesus rose again, and you need to know that if you confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. They are committed to getting people into relationship with God. 4\. Evangelists go for the immediate response. They “strike while the iron is hot.” Evangelists believe it is their job to get someone to decide, and so Philip baptizes the man immediately, with no explanation or follow up. This is why the evangelist needs to work in tandem with the other five-fold ministries. They understand “go ye into all the world and preach the gospel,” but they don't think about discipleship, or the long term. They think about getting the message out and getting it out fast and wide. They are casting seeds. 5\. Evangelists often function in the miraculous. Signs, wonders, and miracles often follow the evangelist. Evangelists are not afraid to pray with strangers on the street. Evangelists see miracles in all sorts of forms, and working wonders is part of how they operate. They preach the gospel with demonstrations of power. They also get words of knowledge, and have a supernatural ability to be in the right place at the right time. 6\. Evangelists often keep moving and preach to whomever they can. Evangelists tend to be on the move, going to the next place where people have not heard the gospel. Quite possibly one of the greatest evangelists in history was George Whitefield. Right there in his name the fields were white unto harvest. And he was one of the greatest preachers in history. He and John Wesley started out together, but one of the things about evangelists is their tendency to grate against the apostle. The Apostle wants to build something that lasts, and establish a culture. The Evangelist wants to get as many people into the kingdom as possible, by any means possible, and think all that culture building is unnecessary and slows the evangelism down. And so Wesley and Whitefield clashed over many things. Whitefield went to America and was probably the most well known celebrity in the colonial period. And Whitefield's influence on the culture of the church in America is felt right up to the present day. He could preach to 10,000 people and be heard clearly. And he was often criticized for being too simple. One time he preached a week of meetings at a church in New England. The first night his title was, "You must be born again!" The second night his title was, "You must be born again!" the third night he preached, "You must be born again!" and the same on the fourth and fifth. Before the last night, the pastor and the elders pulled him aside and said, "Mr. Whitefield, we brought you here to preach a week of meetings, and every night you preach the same sermon. Why are you doing this?" And Whitefield replied: "You must be born again!" This is one of the core marks of an evangelist. But it is also the weakness of the evangelist, and why they must be brought into union with the apostle, prophet, pastor, and teacher. George Whitefield left no legacy after his death, other than anecdotes. He didn't build any lasting community or structure. And if you look at many of the lives of famous evangelists, many people make decisions, but the long term fruit is often slim. At the end of his life Billy Graham had his Evangelistic Association do a thorough review of the success of his crusades. They discovered that roughly 2% of those who made decisions continued on into discipleship and long term Christian commitment. At the end of his life Billy Graham regretfully stated that he wished he had prayed, studied, and listened to God more than he did. And of course, when you are in a church that overemphasizes the evangelist and evangelism, the arts become nothing more than "the ox that pulls the cart of evangelism." Thanks to my friend Rick McKinniss for that. And this leads us to another interesting thing about evangelists that I think makes them unique among the five-fold people. Evangelists believe that everyone else should be an evangelist too, and that the role of the evangelist is the only one that matters. These folks are programmed to tell people about Jesus and see folks make a decision. This their strength and their weakness. It is a strength because this single focus gives them a tenacity and fearlessness that nobody else has. They are attack sheep. And anytime they talk to anybody, they find a way to make that conversation about the gospel. They are wired to do evangelism. This is their single focus. Sometimes this is offensive and rude, and annoying. Another great evangelist was William Booth who founded the Salvation Army. Right there, Salvation Army. One focus, one purpose. He was very offensive in his lifetime. He took music hall songs and put Christian lyrics to them. He went into really bad East London slums and preached outside brothels. And he found that because he was among the poor and the needy, he had to feed as well as preach. But the feeding and caring for the poor was part of the single focus: evangelism. William Booth was focused on making converts, so the Salvation Army does not baptize or celebrate Holy Communion. Sometimes evangelists will become renegades, and often will lead people to Christ, but not lead them into discipleship. I have many friends who are evangelists, and I recently chatted with one, and I told him he was an evangelist, but I am not. His immediate response was "well we all need to be evangelistic." Well, no we don't. That’s like, as Paul said, all the ears telling all the feet we all need to be ears. We are a body. But we do need evangelists, they are extremely important. A body without evangelists is like a person who has been sterilized. They cannot reproduce. And reproduction is an essential part of life. Anytime the church gets focused on the apostolic, or the prophetic it becomes inward focused and moribund or weird. When the church becomes too focused on the pastoral ministry or teaching, it becomes lazy and intellectual. The point of the evangelist is to keep shaking things up. The evangelist keeps birthing new babies, and babies are messy and life is disorganized. New life is messy, and good. And although a family with a lot of kids is full of activity, dirty diapers, and noise, it is also full of new life. Our community tends to draw people who are apostolic or prophetic. And that is wonderful. As we get into the Five fold ministries, you start to see that these various types of people are meant to be working in relationship. Just like a man is more of a man when a woman enters his life, so the people in the five fold ministry come into a clearer focus when they work together. And there is tension. This is by design. The Prophet needs to give direction, insight and revelation. The Apostle needs to keep establishing a solid foundation and has to make sure the essential elements of Kingdom Culture, Baptism, Eucharist, and Discipleship are in place. And the Evangelist has to keep pushing the boundaries, and keep people from being too inward focused. So today we ask that the Lord would send us some evangelists who can share the message to the one million sanctified fearless artists we need. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### Evangelists URL: https://www.belonging.house/evangelists-2/ Last updated: 2024-07-15T06:22:39.000Z Evangelists 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week we are going to talk about the most unique of the Five-Fold People. The Evangelist serves a very important job, they expand and send out "tendrils" of growth in the body. They are the reproductive system, they cause the body to increase. They are the feet the go to new people and places. And they are the ones who get the message out. When we look at the hand, and the middle finger. You notice it is the finger that extends the furthest. The Evangelist extends the reach of the body. But the middle finger is also the one that is most apt to break, or get sprained. This is the finger that needs the help and support of the others most. It's the longest but also the weakest on its own. And of course, the middle finger is offensive. The word "Evangelist" is a greek word that has been "transliterated" into English. “Angelos” in the greek means messenger. So an angel is a messenger first and foremost. And angels are singular in purpose, they just do the job they were directed to do and nothing else. Angels bring a message from God. So we start with "messenger." Then we add the prefix "Eu" to it. That means "good." So an evangelist is a good “newser,” a person who brings a good message. And of the five-fold ministries, evangelists stand alone. They bring good news. They are called, just like apostles and prophets, but called to one job and one purpose. And what is this good news? Many people believe that most human beings are basically good, and if you are bad you go to hell. And the mean old God in the sky decides arbitrarily if some are good and some are bad, so you better be good for goodness sake. This is not the good news. Every human being is born separated from God. This the broken relationship. And if you remain in that broken relationship you will be die eternally separated from God, regardless of your goodness or badness. And that relationship can only be restored through faith in Jesus Christ. It is about relationship with God, not your behavior. And so the evangelist is created and called to get people into that relationship with God. It is a vital part of the five-fold gifts. The best model of the evangelist is found in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Philip, in Acts 22 is described as "the evangelist." Let's turn to Acts 8:26-end. But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert road. And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister of the Canda′ce the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: “As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken up from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he told him the good news of Jesus. And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azo′tus, and passing on he preached the gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare′a. (RSVCE) There are several distinct qualities displayed by Philip in this story, that give us a window into how an evangelist is wired, and how they operate. 1\. Philip is engaged with God in prayer and listening. Several times in this account, God communicates with Philip and then Philip does what God says. He is directed by an angel. He is told to join the chariot. And he is led by the Holy Spirit to Caesarea. A mature evangelist listens to God, and then does what God tells them. So the mature Evangelist is just as deep as the Prophet or Apostle. They go where the harvest is ripe, and they go for it. 2\. Philip engages with a stranger of a different class. Evangelists tend to ignore protocols and customs, and see an opportunity and seize it. They will talk to anyone at any time, if they see an opportunity. To other people this will seem a bit rude, but usually this will bear fruit. When you hang out with an evangelist, you often get sidetracked, because they are constantly talking to strangers, and they are often overstepping social norms. 3\. Evangelists always carry the core of the gospel message: Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. It is always central and simple. Often evangelists get accused of over-simplifying the gospel. They don't see it that way, Evangelists see the part they share as the essence. You need to know that Jesus died for you, you need to know that Jesus rose again, and you need to know that if you confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. They are committed to getting people into relationship with God. 4\. Evangelists go for the immediate response. They “strike while the iron is hot.” Evangelists believe it is their job to get someone to decide, and so Philip baptizes the man immediately, with no explanation or follow up. This is why the evangelist needs to work in tandem with the other five-fold ministries. They understand “go ye into all the world and preach the gospel,” but they don't think about discipleship, or the long term. They think about getting the message out and getting it out fast and wide. They are casting seeds. 5\. Evangelists often function in the miraculous. Signs, wonders, and miracles often follow the evangelist. Evangelists are not afraid to pray with strangers on the street. Evangelists see miracles in all sorts of forms, and working wonders is part of how they operate. They preach the gospel with demonstrations of power. They also get words of knowledge, and have a supernatural ability to be in the right place at the right time. 6\. Evangelists often keep moving and preach to whomever they can. Evangelists tend to be on the move, going to the next place where people have not heard the gospel. Quite possibly one of the greatest evangelists in history was George Whitefield. Right there in his name the fields were white unto harvest. And he was one of the greatest preachers in history. He and John Wesley started out together, but one of the things about evangelists is their tendency to grate against the apostle. The Apostle wants to build something that lasts, and establish a culture. The Evangelist wants to get as many people into the kingdom as possible, by any means possible, and think all that culture building is unnecessary and slows the evangelism down. And so Wesley and Whitefield clashed over many things. Whitefield went to America and was probably the most well known celebrity in the colonial period. And Whitefield's influence on the culture of the church in America is felt right up to the present day. He could preach to 10,000 people and be heard clearly. And he was often criticized for being too simple. One time he preached a week of meetings at a church in New England. The first night his title was, "You must be born again!" The second night his title was, "You must be born again!" the third night he preached, "You must be born again!" and the same on the fourth and fifth. Before the last night, the pastor and the elders pulled him aside and said, "Mr. Whitefield, we brought you here to preach a week of meetings, and every night you preach the same sermon. Why are you doing this?" And Whitefield replied: "You must be born again!" This is one of the core marks of an evangelist. But it is also the weakness of the evangelist, and why they must be brought into union with the apostle, prophet, pastor, and teacher. George Whitefield left no legacy after his death, other than anecdotes. He didn't build any lasting community or structure. And if you look at many of the lives of famous evangelists, many people make decisions, but the long term fruit is often slim. At the end of his life Billy Graham had his Evangelistic Association do a thorough review of the success of his crusades. They discovered that roughly 2% of those who made decisions continued on into discipleship and long term Christian commitment. At the end of his life Billy Graham regretfully stated that he wished he had prayed, studied, and listened to God more than he did. And of course, when you are in a church that overemphasizes the evangelist and evangelism, the arts become nothing more than "the ox that pulls the cart of evangelism." Thanks to my friend Rick McKinniss for that. And this leads us to another interesting thing about evangelists that I think makes them unique among the five-fold people. Evangelists believe that everyone else should be an evangelist too, and that the role of the evangelist is the only one that matters. These folks are programmed to tell people about Jesus and see folks make a decision. This their strength and their weakness. It is a strength because this single focus gives them a tenacity and fearlessness that nobody else has. They are attack sheep. And anytime they talk to anybody, they find a way to make that conversation about the gospel. They are wired to do evangelism. This is their single focus. Sometimes this is offensive and rude, and annoying. Another great evangelist was William Booth who founded the Salvation Army. Right there, Salvation Army. One focus, one purpose. He was very offensive in his lifetime. He took music hall songs and put Christian lyrics to them. He went into really bad East London slums and preached outside brothels. And he found that because he was among the poor and the needy, he had to feed as well as preach. But the feeding and caring for the poor was part of the single focus: evangelism. William Booth was focused on making converts, so the Salvation Army does not baptize or celebrate Holy Communion. Sometimes evangelists will become renegades, and often will lead people to Christ, but not lead them into discipleship. I have many friends who are evangelists, and I recently chatted with one, and I told him he was an evangelist, but I am not. His immediate response was "well we all need to be evangelistic." Well, no we don't. That’s like, as Paul said, all the ears telling all the feet we all need to be ears. We are a body. But we do need evangelists, they are extremely important. A body without evangelists is like a person who has been sterilized. They cannot reproduce. And reproduction is an essential part of life. Anytime the church gets focused on the apostolic, or the prophetic it becomes inward focused and moribund or weird. When the church becomes too focused on the pastoral ministry or teaching, it becomes lazy and intellectual. The point of the evangelist is to keep shaking things up. The evangelist keeps birthing new babies, and babies are messy and life is disorganized. New life is messy, and good. And although a family with a lot of kids is full of activity, dirty diapers, and noise, it is also full of new life. Our community tends to draw people who are apostolic or prophetic. And that is wonderful. As we get into the Five fold ministries, you start to see that these various types of people are meant to be working in relationship. Just like a man is more of a man when a woman enters his life, so the people in the five fold ministry come into a clearer focus when they work together. And there is tension. This is by design. The Prophet needs to give direction, insight and revelation. The Apostle needs to keep establishing a solid foundation and has to make sure the essential elements of Kingdom Culture, Baptism, Eucharist, and Discipleship are in place. And the Evangelist has to keep pushing the boundaries, and keep people from being too inward focused. So today we ask that the Lord would send us some evangelists who can share the message to the one million sanctified fearless artists we need. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) ### On Earth as it is in Heaven URL: https://www.belonging.house/on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:06.000Z Continuing a series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### On Earth as it is in Heaven URL: https://www.belonging.house/on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:02.000Z Continuing a series on the Lord's Prayer. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### A Prophet's Reward URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-prophets-reward/ Last updated: 2024-07-08T05:52:45.000Z A Prophet's Reward 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIn the New Covenant and the Kingdom, human beings and how we relate to God and one another are central. As I have said many, many times, the God of the Bible is the Most Relational Being in the Universe. As my friend Steve Seamands has said, to remove relationship from Christianity is to go against the grain of the Holy Trinity. And so, when we talk about both the Prophet and the Apostle, and all the five fold ministries, we do not talk about specific roles, gifts or functions. We talk about human beings. We talk about people. And the New Testament, other than the direction to test the spirits to see if they acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, doesn't talk a lot about the prophetic message. There are not six simple rules to test prophecy. But the New Testament, and Jesus especially, talks a lot about how we receive a prophet and an apostle. And Jesus tells us that we will be judged at the end of our lives, by how we receive the people God sends us. Whenever we move the focus to people suddenly the question of honor also becomes central. Often Matthew 10:41 is quoted out of context: "those who receive a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward." Context is everything. I want to look at the context of this verse in Matthew 10 and 11 and unpack it a bit, because there is some really good direction for those who walk in the prophetic and apostolic calling, and also some direction for those who have experienced rejection. If you turn in your Bible to Matthew 9:35 this is where the context begins, Jesus goes about teaching and preaching and healing every sickness and disease. He is moved with compassion for them, for they are like sheep without a shepherd. Then he prays that the Lord of the Harvest would send labourers into the harvest. So right here, we see that Jesus recognizes the work is too big for him alone. When God sees a problem, God provides a solution. And throughout the Bible the solution is always a person. As Jim Leach has said, "human beings are the technology created by God to contain God," so if God wants to get into a situation God will get there through a person. And in this case, Beginning in Matthew 10:1 Jesus calls the Twelve to himself, gives them power to do the things he did, and gives them direction. The Twelve are the technology God is using. In Luke's gospel, it says that Jesus called them "Apostles" at this point. Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, so he uses Jewish language, and they are more or less referred to as prophets. So right here we see this the interrelated nature of the apostle and prophet. I am going to skip the details for a moment and focus on Matthew 10:30, because it highlights the core of what we have already said about being an artistic prophet or apostle. Jesus tells them, "For it is not you who speaks, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you." Remember I said that the Apostle is like an ambassador of the Kingdom. Just like if I go to the American Embassy in London, once I am inside it is the United States, and the diplomats I meet are like talking to the President and the Congress. Apostles are representatives with the diplomatic immunity of the Kingdom. And if I am a prophet, I am speaking on behalf of the Father. Honestly, I think most of the prophetic nonsense out there would disappear if more "prophetic" people had a sober understanding that they are called to only say what the Father is saying. Jesus is saying here that when a prophet or apostle goes somewhere they are his representatives in that place. So the Prophet speaks for the Father, and the Apostle is the physical representative of Jesus. Once we establish this, we can look at the whole passage, and we see that they way someone receives a prophet and an apostle is really the way that person receives God. And then Jesus says it will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for the cities that reject you. Jesus says similar things to the Pharisees and over Jerusalem. How prophets and apostles are received has eternal consequences. Why? Because these two groups of people represent Jesus. If you reject his representatives you reject him. In the Kingdom, everything is always personal. This is why a lot of theology is a mirage. When you bring it back to Jesus, and the Incarnation, and the fact that the Five-fold ministry is about the Incarnation, and that artistic apostles and prophets are Incarnations of Jesus, it is all very clear. If you reject a prophet and an apostle you are rejecting Jesus. And Jesus says this clearly Matthew 10:40: He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives Him who sent me. We hear this same kind of language in John seventeen: that they might be one, just as you Father are one with me so that the world may know that they are my disciples. It's the same idea. And then finally: If you receive a prophet in the name of a prophet you will receive a prophet's reward. So to sum this all up Jesus calls and creates these representatives: prophets and apostles, and he gives them the abilities to represent himself. They are incarnations of the Incarnation. They are performance artists, acting out and revealing the Kingdom of Heaven into the earth. And then Jesus says how people treat me is how they will treat you. And he goes into a lot of descriptions. This is part of taking up your cross and following him. And then, Jesus says, those who receive you will be rewarded. So people will be judged negatively or positively by how they treat an apostle or prophet. And then, Matthew tells us how we can recognize a prophet or an apostle. John the Baptist is in prison. He is the last of the Old Testament prophets, and he is hearing about what Jesus and the Twelve are doing. So he sends some of his followers to Jesus and asks, are you the one we are waiting for? And Jesus responds the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended by me. So through examples, Jesus says to John: "John, judge a tree by its fruit. I'm bearing good fruit and it's the fruit promised that the Messiah would bear." So the first key to responding to a prophet or apostle is what fruit do they bear? Notice Jesus did not say, I have a the right endorsement from another ministry. I am the right denomination. I have the right CV. I have the right credentials. I am in Apostolic succession. I have all the trappings but no fruit. No. Jesus said, judge me by my fruit. Jesus said to judge me by my fruit. Jesus said this. And a servant is not above his master. And then Jesus says, blessed are those who are not offended by me. My guess is that even John, who was the greatest prophet before Jesus, may have been a bit offended. Jesus is out at parties. Jesus is not a hermit or ascetic. Jesus is hanging out with prostitutes and sinners. Jesus is embracing life in its fullness while John is in prison. An interesting thing about the Lord is that he doesn't judge like in the comic strips. God lets people self-sort. I have seen this again and again, and this is what is happening in our day. People are choosing sides, deciding their eternal destinies, without God even doing a thing. God has given sovereignty to man in the earth, and so God will let human beings choose their own destiny. I've had a few redefining moments recently. Last year in Israel I had a very difficult trip where almost everyone on the trip treated me somewhat badly. Toward the end of the trip, at the altar of Melchizedek, the Holy Spirit spoke to me very strongly and told me to give someone a word. And it was one of those heavy, serious words. And this person took great offense that I interrupted her worship, and wouldn't let me give her the word. And then she said, "I have had enough, and I'm not going to put up with you today." She made it personal. And it was clear that through the trip, the feeling I had was clear, the folks in the group had rejected me. And it was a weird spiritual thing. Robin Williams once said, "It's one thing to feel alone, and another to be in a room full of people who make you feel alone." This really is part of taking up your cross behind Jesus. It's not you. There are a few other people in my life where this has happened, and my presence, without me saying or doing a thing brings a reaction. And I have mentioned that God has sent a number of unusual people to me, and when he does, you have to really listen to God, because often God will use an offensive person to test our hearts. In those moments, you have to ask God to give you the ability to see the way he sees. And you have to judge the tree by its fruit. And when you do this, often God will bless you. I've mentioned the women who came to me in Salem, but I have had many encounters with wild looking folks who were true prophets of God, who gave me words or met a need at a critical time. And all of this leads us to this point: What do you do with rejection? I have a situation right now where a person in my life is not walking with Jesus and he is rejecting me. It's been a hard situation. Jesus said that if a city doesn't receive you, shake the dust off your feet. In other words, you let go. You do not have to make everyone like you, and you do not have to convince or change someone else. This is where a lot of "ministry" stuff is misguided. You cannot change someone else, through prayer or any other means. You have to let them go. Shake the dust off your feet. They self-sorted. As I have said many times, it's not about you or your ministry. It's about Jesus. You are the performance artist carrying the message of the Kingdom re-enacting Jesus in front of them. The person and how they receive you doesn't have a problem with you, they have a problem with Jesus. And when you do this, something really interesting happens. You are free from them, and often you are free to let the grace flow. Wow. Rejection hurts but it does not have to be a poison that goes in. ### A Prophet's Reward URL: https://www.belonging.house/a-prophets-reward-2/ Last updated: 2024-07-08T05:52:45.000Z A Prophet's Reward 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIn the New Covenant and the Kingdom, human beings and how we relate to God and one another are central. As I have said many, many times, the God of the Bible is the Most Relational Being in the Universe. As my friend Steve Seamands has said, to remove relationship from Christianity is to go against the grain of the Holy Trinity. And so, when we talk about both the Prophet and the Apostle, and all the five fold ministries, we do not talk about specific roles, gifts or functions. We talk about human beings. We talk about people. And the New Testament, other than the direction to test the spirits to see if they acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, doesn't talk a lot about the prophetic message. There are not six simple rules to test prophecy. But the New Testament, and Jesus especially, talks a lot about how we receive a prophet and an apostle. And Jesus tells us that we will be judged at the end of our lives, by how we receive the people God sends us. Whenever we move the focus to people suddenly the question of honor also becomes central. Often Matthew 10:41 is quoted out of context: "those who receive a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward." Context is everything. I want to look at the context of this verse in Matthew 10 and 11 and unpack it a bit, because there is some really good direction for those who walk in the prophetic and apostolic calling, and also some direction for those who have experienced rejection. If you turn in your Bible to Matthew 9:35 this is where the context begins, Jesus goes about teaching and preaching and healing every sickness and disease. He is moved with compassion for them, for they are like sheep without a shepherd. Then he prays that the Lord of the Harvest would send labourers into the harvest. So right here, we see that Jesus recognizes the work is too big for him alone. When God sees a problem, God provides a solution. And throughout the Bible the solution is always a person. As Jim Leach has said, "human beings are the technology created by God to contain God," so if God wants to get into a situation God will get there through a person. And in this case, Beginning in Matthew 10:1 Jesus calls the Twelve to himself, gives them power to do the things he did, and gives them direction. The Twelve are the technology God is using. In Luke's gospel, it says that Jesus called them "Apostles" at this point. Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, so he uses Jewish language, and they are more or less referred to as prophets. So right here we see this the interrelated nature of the apostle and prophet. I am going to skip the details for a moment and focus on Matthew 10:30, because it highlights the core of what we have already said about being an artistic prophet or apostle. Jesus tells them, "For it is not you who speaks, but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you." Remember I said that the Apostle is like an ambassador of the Kingdom. Just like if I go to the American Embassy in London, once I am inside it is the United States, and the diplomats I meet are like talking to the President and the Congress. Apostles are representatives with the diplomatic immunity of the Kingdom. And if I am a prophet, I am speaking on behalf of the Father. Honestly, I think most of the prophetic nonsense out there would disappear if more "prophetic" people had a sober understanding that they are called to only say what the Father is saying. Jesus is saying here that when a prophet or apostle goes somewhere they are his representatives in that place. So the Prophet speaks for the Father, and the Apostle is the physical representative of Jesus. Once we establish this, we can look at the whole passage, and we see that they way someone receives a prophet and an apostle is really the way that person receives God. And then Jesus says it will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for the cities that reject you. Jesus says similar things to the Pharisees and over Jerusalem. How prophets and apostles are received has eternal consequences. Why? Because these two groups of people represent Jesus. If you reject his representatives you reject him. In the Kingdom, everything is always personal. This is why a lot of theology is a mirage. When you bring it back to Jesus, and the Incarnation, and the fact that the Five-fold ministry is about the Incarnation, and that artistic apostles and prophets are Incarnations of Jesus, it is all very clear. If you reject a prophet and an apostle you are rejecting Jesus. And Jesus says this clearly Matthew 10:40: He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives Him who sent me. We hear this same kind of language in John seventeen: that they might be one, just as you Father are one with me so that the world may know that they are my disciples. It's the same idea. And then finally: If you receive a prophet in the name of a prophet you will receive a prophet's reward. So to sum this all up Jesus calls and creates these representatives: prophets and apostles, and he gives them the abilities to represent himself. They are incarnations of the Incarnation. They are performance artists, acting out and revealing the Kingdom of Heaven into the earth. And then Jesus says how people treat me is how they will treat you. And he goes into a lot of descriptions. This is part of taking up your cross and following him. And then, Jesus says, those who receive you will be rewarded. So people will be judged negatively or positively by how they treat an apostle or prophet. And then, Matthew tells us how we can recognize a prophet or an apostle. John the Baptist is in prison. He is the last of the Old Testament prophets, and he is hearing about what Jesus and the Twelve are doing. So he sends some of his followers to Jesus and asks, are you the one we are waiting for? And Jesus responds the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended by me. So through examples, Jesus says to John: "John, judge a tree by its fruit. I'm bearing good fruit and it's the fruit promised that the Messiah would bear." So the first key to responding to a prophet or apostle is what fruit do they bear? Notice Jesus did not say, I have a the right endorsement from another ministry. I am the right denomination. I have the right CV. I have the right credentials. I am in Apostolic succession. I have all the trappings but no fruit. No. Jesus said, judge me by my fruit. Jesus said to judge me by my fruit. Jesus said this. And a servant is not above his master. And then Jesus says, blessed are those who are not offended by me. My guess is that even John, who was the greatest prophet before Jesus, may have been a bit offended. Jesus is out at parties. Jesus is not a hermit or ascetic. Jesus is hanging out with prostitutes and sinners. Jesus is embracing life in its fullness while John is in prison. An interesting thing about the Lord is that he doesn't judge like in the comic strips. God lets people self-sort. I have seen this again and again, and this is what is happening in our day. People are choosing sides, deciding their eternal destinies, without God even doing a thing. God has given sovereignty to man in the earth, and so God will let human beings choose their own destiny. I've had a few redefining moments recently. Last year in Israel I had a very difficult trip where almost everyone on the trip treated me somewhat badly. Toward the end of the trip, at the altar of Melchizedek, the Holy Spirit spoke to me very strongly and told me to give someone a word. And it was one of those heavy, serious words. And this person took great offense that I interrupted her worship, and wouldn't let me give her the word. And then she said, "I have had enough, and I'm not going to put up with you today." She made it personal. And it was clear that through the trip, the feeling I had was clear, the folks in the group had rejected me. And it was a weird spiritual thing. Robin Williams once said, "It's one thing to feel alone, and another to be in a room full of people who make you feel alone." This really is part of taking up your cross behind Jesus. It's not you. There are a few other people in my life where this has happened, and my presence, without me saying or doing a thing brings a reaction. And I have mentioned that God has sent a number of unusual people to me, and when he does, you have to really listen to God, because often God will use an offensive person to test our hearts. In those moments, you have to ask God to give you the ability to see the way he sees. And you have to judge the tree by its fruit. And when you do this, often God will bless you. I've mentioned the women who came to me in Salem, but I have had many encounters with wild looking folks who were true prophets of God, who gave me words or met a need at a critical time. And all of this leads us to this point: What do you do with rejection? I have a situation right now where a person in my life is not walking with Jesus and he is rejecting me. It's been a hard situation. Jesus said that if a city doesn't receive you, shake the dust off your feet. In other words, you let go. You do not have to make everyone like you, and you do not have to convince or change someone else. This is where a lot of "ministry" stuff is misguided. You cannot change someone else, through prayer or any other means. You have to let them go. Shake the dust off your feet. They self-sorted. As I have said many times, it's not about you or your ministry. It's about Jesus. You are the performance artist carrying the message of the Kingdom re-enacting Jesus in front of them. The person and how they receive you doesn't have a problem with you, they have a problem with Jesus. And when you do this, something really interesting happens. You are free from them, and often you are free to let the grace flow. Wow. Rejection hurts but it does not have to be a poison that goes in. ### The Provision Journal: $5000 URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-provision-journal-5000/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:07.000Z An ongoing account of my adventure with Jesus. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Provision Journal: $5000 URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-provision-journal-5000-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:03.000Z An ongoing account of my adventure with Jesus. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Prophets are Called and Tested URL: https://www.belonging.house/prophets-are-called-and-tested/ Last updated: 2024-07-01T06:44:23.000Z Prophets are Called and Tested 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedOften people overlook passages of scripture because they are focused on the "important bits" or they are just looking for things to support a doctrine. And because of this, they miss what's really going on. Acts 21 is one of those places. I don't think I have ever heard a sermon on this chapter. In Acts 21, Paul sets his face toward Jerusalem. In the previous chapter, as I mentioned last week, Paul receives a series of prophetic words that are all pointing in the same direction. Wherever he goes, the prophets are all saying the same things. Paul believes that he must go to Jerusalem, and he has received a series of prophetic words in every city, that he is going to experience imprisonment or worse. As I mentioned before, prophetic ministry will affirm and confirm what God is saying. And often, the prophetic will intensify before a momentous thing happens. Eventually Paul and his companions arrive at the house of Philip, who by this time is identified as "the Evangelist." And we get a sense here that this is a spontaneous prophetic gathering. Philip’s four young daughters begin to get prophetic words. And then Agabus, who is identified as a prophet arrives and begins to do a prophetic enactment of Paul's imprisonment in Jerusalem. So we have a picture of lots of prophetic activity, and a sort of homecoming of Paul. And Agabus, who is also mentioned in Acts 11 we assume is told by the Holy Spirit to visit. So here in this passage we have several obvious things happening: Paul is an Apostle. Philip is an Evangelist. Agabus is a Prophet. And Philips daughters are operating in the charism of prophecy. We are seeing a very dynamic picture of the five-fold ministry and body ministry all happening. When you strip away your churchy grid, you begin to see an organic spirit led body in operation. It reminds me of the house meetings that happened all over after Toronto broke out. Agabus is an example of someone who walks in the gift of Prophet. He was a gift to the church. Years ago someone was sent to pick up Bob Jones at the airport and when they arrived, he had been waiting for over an hour. His plane arrived early. Bob asked the man “why didn’t you come earlier?” The man, who was very sensible, said that the plane was scheduled for a different time. Bob replied, “well, if you had been listening to God, you would have been on time.” It makes one wonder how Agabus, in a time of no communication could know Paul was at Philip’s house. Last week we talked about the "charism" of prophecy. This week, we are going to talk about the persons who are gifted to the church as prophets. As I mentioned last week, the charism of prophecy is the ability to reveal what is going on in the Kingdom with those of us on earth. It is the ability to hear God at an advanced level, and share that communication with others. Thank you for reading The Mission of Bezalel. This post is public so feel free to share it. Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIn the Western Church the role of the prophet has nearly vanished. The Eastern church maintained a prophetic office largely in monastic settings, and the only church that officially recognizes an unbroken line of prophets is the Ethiopian church. I think this is because there was no Roman influence. At the time of the Reformation all the five-fold ministries were folded into the title "pastor" and prophetic ministry was styled as "preaching." People like John Knox fashioned themselves as Old Testament Prophets. And so we have a very distorted concept around the prophet. So first, there is a difference between the charism of prophecy and the gift to the church in the person of a prophet. This is clear in the Greek, but very murky if you read English only, and even murkier if you read prophetic stuff on line. The term "Office of the Prophet" doesn't appear in the Bible. Instead, we have people who incarnate the prophetic gift. Their lives are prophecies. And like the Apostle, Prophets embody a revelation of Jesus. Ephesians 2:2o says that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. So right here we can understand a few things. If the Apostle embodies Jesus and is supposed to bring the culture of the Kingdom, first the Church is built on the culture of the Kingdom, and it's foundation should look like Jesus. Second, If the prophetic gift brings revelation from the Kingdom then the Church is going to have fresh revelation and direction. And this fresh revelation is going to reveal and display the culture of the Kingdom. They are going to work in tandem. A prophet is not going to run counter to the true apostolic. And when we look into the Book of Acts, we shall see that the Apostle and the Prophets often travel together. Paul traveled with Barnabas and Silas, and both were called prophets. Although there is a big difference between the prophets of the Old Testament and the prophets in the New Covenant, there is some continuity. If you are a prophet, you are going to receive a call from God. There is this false sense in the prophetic movement that when you grow in your ministry, then you move from being prophetically gifted into being a prophet. And a true prophet is recognized because they have a big ministry. And we always get this sense that if you have a big ministry you must be a truer prophet. This not the picture we see in the scripture. You don't work your way up to being a prophet. You are called, tested, refined, and then released. As an aside, It is interesting, that several years ago I said that there was a false prophetic spirit in the American prophetic movement, and in this year a number of big name “prophets” have either gone silent, gone on hiatus, or stopped posting new words. And of course, we are in a treacherous time when people need a word from God. They were building ministries when God was calling us to prepare for the coming war. So lets look at these four components of the prophet: Prophets are called, tested, refined, and then released. You are called. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Samuel were all clearly called by God. Just like the Apostle, and all the five-fold ministries, the Prophet will receive a call. This is a mark of any of those who operate as Five Fold Beings. You are called by God to be a gift to the Church. And this is extremely important, because when God calls, God creates. Prophecy is a creative act. So when God brings a Prophet and an Apostle together, God is going to birth something new. Every person I know who walked as a prophet, in their process of hearing God, had an experience of a clear call from God. Prophets are tested. Part of the process of being called is the testing of the calling. The first prophetic word God gave Samuel was that the house of Eli was going to be judged and destroyed. That's a big word to tell the person who is giving you food and shelter. And I have seen this process work out in the lives of many prophets, they will often have to give a word to a leader or someone in authority. And more often than not, it has been some liberal pastor who is leading people astray. And the person is forced to confront the anti-Christ system. There is a purpose in this. A prophet has to be loyal to God alone. A prophet is often called to go against the flow, and so your loyalty cannot be to a human system or another person. And often God will use this to test the leader, and also to reveal the issues the prophet has with authority. The root of rebellion distorts the prophetic gift. Often I see hurting people attack good leaders because they are unhealed, and they think they are prophets. No, you are broken, and if you are running from one ministry to another leaving brokenness and mayhem, you need to turn to God and change your thinking. God didn’t call you to be an afflicter, and the Prophet in the New Covenant brings life, not destruction. The second type of testing that the prophet endures is waiting. Psalm 105:19 says that the word of the Lord "tested" Joseph. He waited about 18 years before the words God gave him about his family came to pass. And often prophets will go through extreme and weird situations to hone and purify their character and their gift. You have to wait. You have to go low. This is why I am very cautious about big ministries. Anybody can rent a room, manipulate an algorithm, buy airtime, and say crazy stuff to draw a crowd. Folks who do this are aborting the process. And this leads to the next stage. Prophets are refined. When a person receives a prophetic call, God will take them on a journey. And often that journey will have what look like a series of disconnected episodes, before they are released. I'm very grateful for mature people in my life who pointed out patterns that seemed a bit crazy to me. This was not conventional. My friend Sharen Cooke helped me see that I move two to five years ahead of every one else. Often prophets will live in the future, and be ahead of the crowd in their whole lives. One day I had a conversation with one of the great pastors to prophets, Garris Elkins. I was 42, so that was ten years ago! And he was very excited that I was in my forties. He said that life is like a slow-cooker. God will take you through many situations and they are like ingredients in the slow cooker. It takes a long time for these ingredients to come together, but eventually they become the stew that is your life and when you reach your forties, you suddenly discover what it is you have been cooking. The trials and tribulations of failure, rejection, misunderstanding, and mistakes are the ingredients that produce a mature prophet. There are several reasons for this. First, you need to learn the nature and character of Jesus. It is not enough to have a word from the Lord. You need to sound like Jesus when you bring that word. You need to look like Jesus when you carry the message. And your message will still be an apostolic message, it will support the apostolic mission. It will be Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. Prophets are also incarnations of the Word who made the Universe. Many of the prophetic voices out there need to go back into the incubator. They derailed the process of refinement and built a ministry. Finally, Prophets are released. Prophets are not ordained, just like Apostles are not. God ordains the prophet in the call. The calling is the credentialing. And Jesus said, then you judge them by their fruit. Suddenly someone recognizes the gift. God releases you, not people. And you don't release you. God does. And how does this look? I see a lot of people who are looking for someone to bless them so that they can then do what God called them to do. I was stuck there for a long time, waiting for the man of God to bless me. Elisha was never ordained by Elijah. He caught the mantel of Elijah as it fell from the sky. A prophet will go through the steps of calling, testing, refining, and then when they are confident that it was God that called them, when they become confident that the voice that is guiding them is the Lord, when they become confident in their relationship with God, and begin to rest in the favour of the Lord, then God will orchestrate a release, and people will begin to recognize their role in the body. Of course, in a traditional church setting, this will never happen, and this is why a lot of prophets have either left church or are in fringy churches. And this leads to another topic, which I will cover next week: How do we receive a prophet? How do we receive prophetic words? [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published ### Prophets are Called and Tested URL: https://www.belonging.house/prophets-are-called-and-tested-2/ Last updated: 2024-07-01T06:44:23.000Z Prophets are Called and Tested 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedOften people overlook passages of scripture because they are focused on the "important bits" or they are just looking for things to support a doctrine. And because of this, they miss what's really going on. Acts 21 is one of those places. I don't think I have ever heard a sermon on this chapter. In Acts 21, Paul sets his face toward Jerusalem. In the previous chapter, as I mentioned last week, Paul receives a series of prophetic words that are all pointing in the same direction. Wherever he goes, the prophets are all saying the same things. Paul believes that he must go to Jerusalem, and he has received a series of prophetic words in every city, that he is going to experience imprisonment or worse. As I mentioned before, prophetic ministry will affirm and confirm what God is saying. And often, the prophetic will intensify before a momentous thing happens. Eventually Paul and his companions arrive at the house of Philip, who by this time is identified as "the Evangelist." And we get a sense here that this is a spontaneous prophetic gathering. Philip’s four young daughters begin to get prophetic words. And then Agabus, who is identified as a prophet arrives and begins to do a prophetic enactment of Paul's imprisonment in Jerusalem. So we have a picture of lots of prophetic activity, and a sort of homecoming of Paul. And Agabus, who is also mentioned in Acts 11 we assume is told by the Holy Spirit to visit. So here in this passage we have several obvious things happening: Paul is an Apostle. Philip is an Evangelist. Agabus is a Prophet. And Philips daughters are operating in the charism of prophecy. We are seeing a very dynamic picture of the five-fold ministry and body ministry all happening. When you strip away your churchy grid, you begin to see an organic spirit led body in operation. It reminds me of the house meetings that happened all over after Toronto broke out. Agabus is an example of someone who walks in the gift of Prophet. He was a gift to the church. Years ago someone was sent to pick up Bob Jones at the airport and when they arrived, he had been waiting for over an hour. His plane arrived early. Bob asked the man “why didn’t you come earlier?” The man, who was very sensible, said that the plane was scheduled for a different time. Bob replied, “well, if you had been listening to God, you would have been on time.” It makes one wonder how Agabus, in a time of no communication could know Paul was at Philip’s house. Last week we talked about the "charism" of prophecy. This week, we are going to talk about the persons who are gifted to the church as prophets. As I mentioned last week, the charism of prophecy is the ability to reveal what is going on in the Kingdom with those of us on earth. It is the ability to hear God at an advanced level, and share that communication with others. Thank you for reading The Mission of Bezalel. This post is public so feel free to share it. Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIn the Western Church the role of the prophet has nearly vanished. The Eastern church maintained a prophetic office largely in monastic settings, and the only church that officially recognizes an unbroken line of prophets is the Ethiopian church. I think this is because there was no Roman influence. At the time of the Reformation all the five-fold ministries were folded into the title "pastor" and prophetic ministry was styled as "preaching." People like John Knox fashioned themselves as Old Testament Prophets. And so we have a very distorted concept around the prophet. So first, there is a difference between the charism of prophecy and the gift to the church in the person of a prophet. This is clear in the Greek, but very murky if you read English only, and even murkier if you read prophetic stuff on line. The term "Office of the Prophet" doesn't appear in the Bible. Instead, we have people who incarnate the prophetic gift. Their lives are prophecies. And like the Apostle, Prophets embody a revelation of Jesus. Ephesians 2:2o says that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. So right here we can understand a few things. If the Apostle embodies Jesus and is supposed to bring the culture of the Kingdom, first the Church is built on the culture of the Kingdom, and it's foundation should look like Jesus. Second, If the prophetic gift brings revelation from the Kingdom then the Church is going to have fresh revelation and direction. And this fresh revelation is going to reveal and display the culture of the Kingdom. They are going to work in tandem. A prophet is not going to run counter to the true apostolic. And when we look into the Book of Acts, we shall see that the Apostle and the Prophets often travel together. Paul traveled with Barnabas and Silas, and both were called prophets. Although there is a big difference between the prophets of the Old Testament and the prophets in the New Covenant, there is some continuity. If you are a prophet, you are going to receive a call from God. There is this false sense in the prophetic movement that when you grow in your ministry, then you move from being prophetically gifted into being a prophet. And a true prophet is recognized because they have a big ministry. And we always get this sense that if you have a big ministry you must be a truer prophet. This not the picture we see in the scripture. You don't work your way up to being a prophet. You are called, tested, refined, and then released. As an aside, It is interesting, that several years ago I said that there was a false prophetic spirit in the American prophetic movement, and in this year a number of big name “prophets” have either gone silent, gone on hiatus, or stopped posting new words. And of course, we are in a treacherous time when people need a word from God. They were building ministries when God was calling us to prepare for the coming war. So lets look at these four components of the prophet: Prophets are called, tested, refined, and then released. You are called. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and Samuel were all clearly called by God. Just like the Apostle, and all the five-fold ministries, the Prophet will receive a call. This is a mark of any of those who operate as Five Fold Beings. You are called by God to be a gift to the Church. And this is extremely important, because when God calls, God creates. Prophecy is a creative act. So when God brings a Prophet and an Apostle together, God is going to birth something new. Every person I know who walked as a prophet, in their process of hearing God, had an experience of a clear call from God. Prophets are tested. Part of the process of being called is the testing of the calling. The first prophetic word God gave Samuel was that the house of Eli was going to be judged and destroyed. That's a big word to tell the person who is giving you food and shelter. And I have seen this process work out in the lives of many prophets, they will often have to give a word to a leader or someone in authority. And more often than not, it has been some liberal pastor who is leading people astray. And the person is forced to confront the anti-Christ system. There is a purpose in this. A prophet has to be loyal to God alone. A prophet is often called to go against the flow, and so your loyalty cannot be to a human system or another person. And often God will use this to test the leader, and also to reveal the issues the prophet has with authority. The root of rebellion distorts the prophetic gift. Often I see hurting people attack good leaders because they are unhealed, and they think they are prophets. No, you are broken, and if you are running from one ministry to another leaving brokenness and mayhem, you need to turn to God and change your thinking. God didn’t call you to be an afflicter, and the Prophet in the New Covenant brings life, not destruction. The second type of testing that the prophet endures is waiting. Psalm 105:19 says that the word of the Lord "tested" Joseph. He waited about 18 years before the words God gave him about his family came to pass. And often prophets will go through extreme and weird situations to hone and purify their character and their gift. You have to wait. You have to go low. This is why I am very cautious about big ministries. Anybody can rent a room, manipulate an algorithm, buy airtime, and say crazy stuff to draw a crowd. Folks who do this are aborting the process. And this leads to the next stage. Prophets are refined. When a person receives a prophetic call, God will take them on a journey. And often that journey will have what look like a series of disconnected episodes, before they are released. I'm very grateful for mature people in my life who pointed out patterns that seemed a bit crazy to me. This was not conventional. My friend Sharen Cooke helped me see that I move two to five years ahead of every one else. Often prophets will live in the future, and be ahead of the crowd in their whole lives. One day I had a conversation with one of the great pastors to prophets, Garris Elkins. I was 42, so that was ten years ago! And he was very excited that I was in my forties. He said that life is like a slow-cooker. God will take you through many situations and they are like ingredients in the slow cooker. It takes a long time for these ingredients to come together, but eventually they become the stew that is your life and when you reach your forties, you suddenly discover what it is you have been cooking. The trials and tribulations of failure, rejection, misunderstanding, and mistakes are the ingredients that produce a mature prophet. There are several reasons for this. First, you need to learn the nature and character of Jesus. It is not enough to have a word from the Lord. You need to sound like Jesus when you bring that word. You need to look like Jesus when you carry the message. And your message will still be an apostolic message, it will support the apostolic mission. It will be Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again. Prophets are also incarnations of the Word who made the Universe. Many of the prophetic voices out there need to go back into the incubator. They derailed the process of refinement and built a ministry. Finally, Prophets are released. Prophets are not ordained, just like Apostles are not. God ordains the prophet in the call. The calling is the credentialing. And Jesus said, then you judge them by their fruit. Suddenly someone recognizes the gift. God releases you, not people. And you don't release you. God does. And how does this look? I see a lot of people who are looking for someone to bless them so that they can then do what God called them to do. I was stuck there for a long time, waiting for the man of God to bless me. Elisha was never ordained by Elijah. He caught the mantel of Elijah as it fell from the sky. A prophet will go through the steps of calling, testing, refining, and then when they are confident that it was God that called them, when they become confident that the voice that is guiding them is the Lord, when they become confident in their relationship with God, and begin to rest in the favour of the Lord, then God will orchestrate a release, and people will begin to recognize their role in the body. Of course, in a traditional church setting, this will never happen, and this is why a lot of prophets have either left church or are in fringy churches. And this leads to another topic, which I will cover next week: How do we receive a prophet? How do we receive prophetic words? [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published ### Come, Kingdom of God URL: https://www.belonging.house/come-kingdom-of-god/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:07.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThy Kingdom Come Last week I shared the spiritual principle that the Father has direct personal power in heaven, but that on the earth that power has been given to human beings. We have been given dominion over the earth and our job is to be good stewards over this earth so that everything would multiply and be fruitful. The purpose of this is so that God could have a relationship of love with men and women that is to some degree equal. As my friend Steve Seamands has remarked, removing relationship from the Kingdom is going against the grain of the Holy Trinity. God wants you to choose him as your friend and lover. This is a risky proposition, because people choose wisely and poorly. People choose God differently, Some choose fully and completely, and other choose half heartedly, and some think they can choose God and have a few other relationships on the side. Along with this, we have a bunch of spiritual forces deeply committed to deceiving humanity and destroying the earth. These forces do everything to keep you out of relationship with God. But ultimately the kingdom can only come through humanity in relationship with God agreeing with it, and calling it in. And so, Jesus gives us a prayer that is incredibly focused, and supports this principle. In order for His Kingdom to be established on the earth he needs human beings to pray it in. As I mentioned, this prayer Given to us by Jesus is very different from standard Jewish prayers from his time and throughout time. It is also very different than all the forms of prayer in the pagan world, which are accompanied by a lot of frenetic activity and repetition. One of the tests of New Covenant prayer is this: does this prayer model, or prayer movement, demand you do something in order to make God do something? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Come, Kingdom of God URL: https://www.belonging.house/come-kingdom-of-god-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:04.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThy Kingdom Come Last week I shared the spiritual principle that the Father has direct personal power in heaven, but that on the earth that power has been given to human beings. We have been given dominion over the earth and our job is to be good stewards over this earth so that everything would multiply and be fruitful. The purpose of this is so that God could have a relationship of love with men and women that is to some degree equal. As my friend Steve Seamands has remarked, removing relationship from the Kingdom is going against the grain of the Holy Trinity. God wants you to choose him as your friend and lover. This is a risky proposition, because people choose wisely and poorly. People choose God differently, Some choose fully and completely, and other choose half heartedly, and some think they can choose God and have a few other relationships on the side. Along with this, we have a bunch of spiritual forces deeply committed to deceiving humanity and destroying the earth. These forces do everything to keep you out of relationship with God. But ultimately the kingdom can only come through humanity in relationship with God agreeing with it, and calling it in. And so, Jesus gives us a prayer that is incredibly focused, and supports this principle. In order for His Kingdom to be established on the earth he needs human beings to pray it in. As I mentioned, this prayer Given to us by Jesus is very different from standard Jewish prayers from his time and throughout time. It is also very different than all the forms of prayer in the pagan world, which are accompanied by a lot of frenetic activity and repetition. One of the tests of New Covenant prayer is this: does this prayer model, or prayer movement, demand you do something in order to make God do something? _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Provision Journal: Waiting URL: https://www.belonging.house/provision-journal-waiting/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:07.000Z The ongoing account of my adventure with God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Provision Journal: Waiting URL: https://www.belonging.house/provision-journal-waiting-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:05.000Z The ongoing account of my adventure with God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Mature Prophetic Gifts URL: https://www.belonging.house/mature-prophetic-gifts/ Last updated: 2024-06-24T06:36:02.000Z Mature Prophetic Gifts 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week we continue our series on the artistic five-fold ministry. Last week I began by saying that there is a difference between the charism, what our English Bibles translate as "spiritual gifts" and what is described in Ephesians as the donation: the five fold ministry people. Those who operate in the five-fold ministry are the embodiment of the charism. And the clearest example of this is in the difference between the gifts of prophecy, and the one who is called a prophet. This week I am going to give an overview of the gift of prophecy, and unpack the "charism." In part, because we are in a season where good teaching is lacking on this subject. And I don't say this often, but if my teaching helps you it would help me and Belonging House if you share these messages with your friends. The only way we will have a mighty Christian revolution is if the things that bless you begin to bless others. So first, let's define "prophecy." In Numbers 11 Moses is having a lot of trouble leading the people who have come out of Egypt. He calls seventy elders from the tribes and clans of Israel, and summons them to a gathering. He is going to commission these elders as assistant judges in Israel. In this gathering some of the Holy Spirit that was apportioned to Moses was deposited on the sixty-eight and they prophesied. And, as an example of the obstinate hearts of the people, two didn't show up. And even so, those two also received a portion of the Holy Spirit and they began to prophesy in the camp. Joshua, who was angry that they didn't obey Moses, said to Moses, "Why don't you stop them, they are prophesying without your authority." And Moses says a forward looking word: "Oh that the all the LORD's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them." (Numbers 11:29) This is the point of the New Covenant: we are all intended to be filled with the Holy Spirit and we are all intended to operate at some level as prophets. When we baptize, we anoint every believer as a prophet, priest, and king. Paul would echo this in I Corinthians 14:5: I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more I want you to prophesy. In John chapter 10 Jesus tells us that his sheep hear his voice. So one of the defining marks of the Christian is the ability to hear God speak. As you know this is a central belief of this community. I firmly believe that we can all hear from God. And this ability to hear from God is the foundation of the prophetic gift. Some folks have a greater ability to hear from God than others. I Samuel 9:19 the text tells us that in the beginning prophets were called "na'abi" "seer." So throughout scripture prophecy is connected to the ability to not only hear God's voice but also to see. The prophetic gifts unlock a mystical realm where you not only can hear from the Lord, you can, as Joel said, dream dreams, see visions, and prophesy. And again, this was intended for “all flesh.” From the New Covenant point of view it is abnormal, or strange for you to not experience these things. This is why thirty years ago when the prophetic gifts began to be restored to the church so many people became "prophetic artists." A lot of people, regardless of artistic ability began trying to record what they saw. That was the trickle of an immature beginning, and now it’s time walk into maturity. Now God is raising up artistic prophets, and we are in a time of war and those who refuse to grow into maturity are going to be sidelined. We are called to maturity. Years ago Steve Witt did a year long course at our church on the prophetic. I can’t share all of that with you, but I want to unpack the basics this week. So what is the prophetic gift? It is the ability to reveal on earth what is going on in heaven. In other words, it is the revelation on earth as it is in heaven. Some of have said that prophecy is hearing God for other people, but this gets a lot of folks in trouble. The goal of the New Testament is that you will hear God for yourself. There is a difference between learning to hear the voice of God for the community, and learning to develop a deep relationship with God. So again the prophetic gift will bring a revelation of the Kingdom to the body. Everyone can hear God’s voice, and some will be more able than others to communicate it. All the spiritual charisms are on a spectrum and some are stronger than others, and just like natural talents, they can be developed, and nurtured. Paul says the most about the gift of prophecy in I Corinthians 14. And we have to make a clear statement up front: in the Old Testament the prophet was often a minister of death. We see prophets killing, judging, and correcting all the time. A lot of weird stuff happens in church when unbalanced people read these stories and they start becoming Elijah. We once had a woman wander into our church in Kentucky, and she said that "God comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comfortable." "God sent me here because I am an Afflictor!" Yikes. So first off, the gift of prophecy is an expression of the Promise of the Father. The gift of prophecy is going to come from the comforter, advocate, and giver of life. The New Covenant is about life. New Covenant Prophecy is a gift of life, not judgement and death. And Paul says this in I Corinthians 14. Prophecy first is for upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation. The gift of prophecy is going make people feel stronger, strengthened to go in the right direction, and be healed and restored. Prophecy edifies the church. In other words, the whole body is going to be built up and strengthened by the gift of prophecy. Finally, Paul tells us that the gift of prophecy reveals the secrets of the heart. And this is a supernatural act. It is the holy Spirit revealing things often unbeknownst to the speaker. Prophecy will confirm what God is already saying. Often Prophecy will help give direction, like when Paul saw the man of Macedonia, and they changed direction. But most of all the true gift of prophecy will strengthen and encourage you. I’ve encountered a lot of people who came to me and said they were prophets to me and told me that I needed to in this direction or that. In the end they were just narcissists, and when I didn’t do what they said they tried to undermine the whole community. A prophetic word is never going to come out of nowhere. God really doesn’t work that way. In the New Testament the gift of prophecy is always held in check by three things: first, love. The prophetic word is imperfect, and must always be subject to the law of love. Do unto others as you would have others do to you. And prophecy is always subject to the guidance of leaders. III John is a short letter about two false prophets who refuse submit to his authority. Ask this question: Does this word reflect the love of God? Can I imagine Jesus saying the word I just received? Second, Prophecy is always subject to the Bible. If someone says they are hearing things that are not lining up with the Bible, they are not true prophets. I mentioned that one of the things that derailed my ordination process was a prophetic word that someone received telling them to commit adultery. That’s a demonic voice. Be careful when someone starts saying “the spirit told me.” The Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible, and the Holy Spirit is not going to contradict the Bible. As an aside, sometimes people confuse their own souls with the voice of God. There is a lot of "prophetic art" out there that is just people expressing things in their souls that do not have an outlet. I've been the speaker at a lot of prophetic art events, and I can't tell you how many people get in the groove to often very sensual "worship music" and start painting obviously phallic or sexual images. I have seen a lot of ladyparts! And weirdly, people act like I have a dirty mind when it is right there in front of us and I point it out. I don’t have a dirty mind for pointing out the obvious. So, right here, all prophecy--be it art, writing, music, or design, is going to bring a revelation of heaven. There is going to be order, shalom, beauty, and even if it doesn't depict a religious subject, it is going to reveal Jesus. It is going to lift people up. Third, Prophecy is subject to discernment. It's not all good. As I have said before, some things we see are God, some are our flesh, and some is the devil. And the most cunning of all is our flesh, because it can mimic the voice of God. I John 4:1 instructs us to test the spirits. Now there is a difference between testing the spirits and shutting down the prophetic. People claim to be discerning, when in fact they are shutting down prophecy. People will often reject a prophetic word outright and say "I will believe it when I see it." They often reject people that God sends them for the same reason. This is why I try to receive strangers, and some of the most unusual people have had a great impact on our community. And why I also let people speak. It's dangerous and it is risky. One time we had a person in a prayer meeting who began getting prophetic words. They were all manipulation and control and the person was using "prophecy" to voice their unhappiness with my leadership. I called them on it in the meeting and said the word wasn't from the Lord. Boy was she mad! Afterward I discovered the person was raised in a family involved in witchcraft, and she had a habit of manipulating people with prophetic words. Another ministry had problems with her in the past for this reason. Rather than pursue freedom and healing, she left our community. This is one of the reasons prophetic churches and ministries attract narcissists. True prophecy is not about you, and you don't have the authority to speak to others on behalf of God. And this leads to something extremely important: discernment. It's not all good. Spiritual gifts often come in “clusters.” Often prophetic gifts will come with the gift of discernment. Discernment is a heightened sensitivity to the spiritual atmosphere. For example, I can hear a difference in the sound of the true prophetic and the false. And I can feel what's operating in the atmosphere, sometimes I will hear, see, or feel something that reveals the spiritual atmosphere. I often feel pressure in my ears when I am around witchcraft. And this is a good thing. Discernment will freak you out at first, and it takes time, as all the spiritual gifts do, to develop maturity. Finally, we need to follow some general rules about the prophetic gift. As Paul says in I Corinthians 14, these gifts are for our building up, but they are not to be crazy. There was a time when I attended what I would call "tag-team" prophetic ministry events. One person would get up after another and yack. Some of it was from the Lord, but most of it was stream of consciousness, just like a poetry slam. If you read some of the prophetic stuff on line, you find a lot of it is either riffs off other people, or riffs off what they read in the newspaper. The greatest prophets of our generation are not on social media or doing being events. When we get to heaven we are going to discover there were great prophets turning their revelation into prayer, guiding people behind the scenes, and learning to translate their words into other ways of communication. I'm grateful that we have built a culture of order and a culture of honor so we don't see as much crazy anymore. We have to always operate in the gifts out of reverence for one another and for Jesus. And we have to let the gifts operate, even if it's risky. Some good rules around prophecy should be kept in mind: No mates, and no dates. We all have blind spots, and women in particular will get words about their husband. Don't trust them. And men will get words about their big ministries. Don't trust them. Personal prophetic words are always to be held loosely, and never taken as the final authority. I have found that in general in my life, prophecy is part of the mix with Scripture, the overall direction of my life, and the input of wise people. All prophecy in the New Covenant is going to bring life and it is going to point to Jesus. The point is to bring you into maturity. No direction and no sin. I have seen people tell others "you have to do this and that if you want God to bless you." You are answering a question nobody is asking, and directive prophetic words beyond Scripture are getting into fortune telling. Don't do it. If God is giving direction it will happen in the context of waiting on the Lord, and whatever direction emerges will be clear and have a consensus from the group. God works through the body. God does not give you knowledge of other people's sin. There is a story from the Spanish Inquisition where the inquisitor brought in a little girl who was having encounters with Jesus. They intended to put her to death, but before they did, the inquisitor sent the little girl home and told her to ask Jesus what he confessed at his last confession. When the little girl returned, the inquisitor wanted an answer. And the little girl told him Jesus said: "I forgot." You are not God, and if you think God is showing you people's sin, you are listening to a demon, because the accuser keeps a record of wrongs. I hear this kind of thing fairly often and that's clairvoyance, not prophecy. You are the one in sin. If you are having this kind of thing, where you know other people’s sins, or you see demons on people I suggest you contact me and we have a prayer for deliverance. And finally, as I said, all the gifts are on a spectrum. There are levels of prophecy, what I call the low level prophetic flurry, where people find meaning in everything out there, and they give you fluffy words that are fairly benign. I would say 90% of the prophetic movement lives here. And then there is maturity where you begin to learn and understand God's nature and ways. Mature prophetic gifting is going to go slow and low. And those who walk in it will reflect the King of the Prophets. The point of all the gifts is to help you grow closer to God and love one another. Next week we are going to talk about the people who incarnate this gift. The Prophets. ### Mature Prophetic Gifts URL: https://www.belonging.house/mature-prophetic-gifts-2/ Last updated: 2024-06-24T06:36:02.000Z Mature Prophetic Gifts 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedThis week we continue our series on the artistic five-fold ministry. Last week I began by saying that there is a difference between the charism, what our English Bibles translate as "spiritual gifts" and what is described in Ephesians as the donation: the five fold ministry people. Those who operate in the five-fold ministry are the embodiment of the charism. And the clearest example of this is in the difference between the gifts of prophecy, and the one who is called a prophet. This week I am going to give an overview of the gift of prophecy, and unpack the "charism." In part, because we are in a season where good teaching is lacking on this subject. And I don't say this often, but if my teaching helps you it would help me and Belonging House if you share these messages with your friends. The only way we will have a mighty Christian revolution is if the things that bless you begin to bless others. So first, let's define "prophecy." In Numbers 11 Moses is having a lot of trouble leading the people who have come out of Egypt. He calls seventy elders from the tribes and clans of Israel, and summons them to a gathering. He is going to commission these elders as assistant judges in Israel. In this gathering some of the Holy Spirit that was apportioned to Moses was deposited on the sixty-eight and they prophesied. And, as an example of the obstinate hearts of the people, two didn't show up. And even so, those two also received a portion of the Holy Spirit and they began to prophesy in the camp. Joshua, who was angry that they didn't obey Moses, said to Moses, "Why don't you stop them, they are prophesying without your authority." And Moses says a forward looking word: "Oh that the all the LORD's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them." (Numbers 11:29) This is the point of the New Covenant: we are all intended to be filled with the Holy Spirit and we are all intended to operate at some level as prophets. When we baptize, we anoint every believer as a prophet, priest, and king. Paul would echo this in I Corinthians 14:5: I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more I want you to prophesy. In John chapter 10 Jesus tells us that his sheep hear his voice. So one of the defining marks of the Christian is the ability to hear God speak. As you know this is a central belief of this community. I firmly believe that we can all hear from God. And this ability to hear from God is the foundation of the prophetic gift. Some folks have a greater ability to hear from God than others. I Samuel 9:19 the text tells us that in the beginning prophets were called "na'abi" "seer." So throughout scripture prophecy is connected to the ability to not only hear God's voice but also to see. The prophetic gifts unlock a mystical realm where you not only can hear from the Lord, you can, as Joel said, dream dreams, see visions, and prophesy. And again, this was intended for “all flesh.” From the New Covenant point of view it is abnormal, or strange for you to not experience these things. This is why thirty years ago when the prophetic gifts began to be restored to the church so many people became "prophetic artists." A lot of people, regardless of artistic ability began trying to record what they saw. That was the trickle of an immature beginning, and now it’s time walk into maturity. Now God is raising up artistic prophets, and we are in a time of war and those who refuse to grow into maturity are going to be sidelined. We are called to maturity. Years ago Steve Witt did a year long course at our church on the prophetic. I can’t share all of that with you, but I want to unpack the basics this week. So what is the prophetic gift? It is the ability to reveal on earth what is going on in heaven. In other words, it is the revelation on earth as it is in heaven. Some of have said that prophecy is hearing God for other people, but this gets a lot of folks in trouble. The goal of the New Testament is that you will hear God for yourself. There is a difference between learning to hear the voice of God for the community, and learning to develop a deep relationship with God. So again the prophetic gift will bring a revelation of the Kingdom to the body. Everyone can hear God’s voice, and some will be more able than others to communicate it. All the spiritual charisms are on a spectrum and some are stronger than others, and just like natural talents, they can be developed, and nurtured. Paul says the most about the gift of prophecy in I Corinthians 14. And we have to make a clear statement up front: in the Old Testament the prophet was often a minister of death. We see prophets killing, judging, and correcting all the time. A lot of weird stuff happens in church when unbalanced people read these stories and they start becoming Elijah. We once had a woman wander into our church in Kentucky, and she said that "God comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comfortable." "God sent me here because I am an Afflictor!" Yikes. So first off, the gift of prophecy is an expression of the Promise of the Father. The gift of prophecy is going to come from the comforter, advocate, and giver of life. The New Covenant is about life. New Covenant Prophecy is a gift of life, not judgement and death. And Paul says this in I Corinthians 14. Prophecy first is for upbuilding, encouragement, and consolation. The gift of prophecy is going make people feel stronger, strengthened to go in the right direction, and be healed and restored. Prophecy edifies the church. In other words, the whole body is going to be built up and strengthened by the gift of prophecy. Finally, Paul tells us that the gift of prophecy reveals the secrets of the heart. And this is a supernatural act. It is the holy Spirit revealing things often unbeknownst to the speaker. Prophecy will confirm what God is already saying. Often Prophecy will help give direction, like when Paul saw the man of Macedonia, and they changed direction. But most of all the true gift of prophecy will strengthen and encourage you. I’ve encountered a lot of people who came to me and said they were prophets to me and told me that I needed to in this direction or that. In the end they were just narcissists, and when I didn’t do what they said they tried to undermine the whole community. A prophetic word is never going to come out of nowhere. God really doesn’t work that way. In the New Testament the gift of prophecy is always held in check by three things: first, love. The prophetic word is imperfect, and must always be subject to the law of love. Do unto others as you would have others do to you. And prophecy is always subject to the guidance of leaders. III John is a short letter about two false prophets who refuse submit to his authority. Ask this question: Does this word reflect the love of God? Can I imagine Jesus saying the word I just received? Second, Prophecy is always subject to the Bible. If someone says they are hearing things that are not lining up with the Bible, they are not true prophets. I mentioned that one of the things that derailed my ordination process was a prophetic word that someone received telling them to commit adultery. That’s a demonic voice. Be careful when someone starts saying “the spirit told me.” The Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible, and the Holy Spirit is not going to contradict the Bible. As an aside, sometimes people confuse their own souls with the voice of God. There is a lot of "prophetic art" out there that is just people expressing things in their souls that do not have an outlet. I've been the speaker at a lot of prophetic art events, and I can't tell you how many people get in the groove to often very sensual "worship music" and start painting obviously phallic or sexual images. I have seen a lot of ladyparts! And weirdly, people act like I have a dirty mind when it is right there in front of us and I point it out. I don’t have a dirty mind for pointing out the obvious. So, right here, all prophecy--be it art, writing, music, or design, is going to bring a revelation of heaven. There is going to be order, shalom, beauty, and even if it doesn't depict a religious subject, it is going to reveal Jesus. It is going to lift people up. Third, Prophecy is subject to discernment. It's not all good. As I have said before, some things we see are God, some are our flesh, and some is the devil. And the most cunning of all is our flesh, because it can mimic the voice of God. I John 4:1 instructs us to test the spirits. Now there is a difference between testing the spirits and shutting down the prophetic. People claim to be discerning, when in fact they are shutting down prophecy. People will often reject a prophetic word outright and say "I will believe it when I see it." They often reject people that God sends them for the same reason. This is why I try to receive strangers, and some of the most unusual people have had a great impact on our community. And why I also let people speak. It's dangerous and it is risky. One time we had a person in a prayer meeting who began getting prophetic words. They were all manipulation and control and the person was using "prophecy" to voice their unhappiness with my leadership. I called them on it in the meeting and said the word wasn't from the Lord. Boy was she mad! Afterward I discovered the person was raised in a family involved in witchcraft, and she had a habit of manipulating people with prophetic words. Another ministry had problems with her in the past for this reason. Rather than pursue freedom and healing, she left our community. This is one of the reasons prophetic churches and ministries attract narcissists. True prophecy is not about you, and you don't have the authority to speak to others on behalf of God. And this leads to something extremely important: discernment. It's not all good. Spiritual gifts often come in “clusters.” Often prophetic gifts will come with the gift of discernment. Discernment is a heightened sensitivity to the spiritual atmosphere. For example, I can hear a difference in the sound of the true prophetic and the false. And I can feel what's operating in the atmosphere, sometimes I will hear, see, or feel something that reveals the spiritual atmosphere. I often feel pressure in my ears when I am around witchcraft. And this is a good thing. Discernment will freak you out at first, and it takes time, as all the spiritual gifts do, to develop maturity. Finally, we need to follow some general rules about the prophetic gift. As Paul says in I Corinthians 14, these gifts are for our building up, but they are not to be crazy. There was a time when I attended what I would call "tag-team" prophetic ministry events. One person would get up after another and yack. Some of it was from the Lord, but most of it was stream of consciousness, just like a poetry slam. If you read some of the prophetic stuff on line, you find a lot of it is either riffs off other people, or riffs off what they read in the newspaper. The greatest prophets of our generation are not on social media or doing being events. When we get to heaven we are going to discover there were great prophets turning their revelation into prayer, guiding people behind the scenes, and learning to translate their words into other ways of communication. I'm grateful that we have built a culture of order and a culture of honor so we don't see as much crazy anymore. We have to always operate in the gifts out of reverence for one another and for Jesus. And we have to let the gifts operate, even if it's risky. Some good rules around prophecy should be kept in mind: No mates, and no dates. We all have blind spots, and women in particular will get words about their husband. Don't trust them. And men will get words about their big ministries. Don't trust them. Personal prophetic words are always to be held loosely, and never taken as the final authority. I have found that in general in my life, prophecy is part of the mix with Scripture, the overall direction of my life, and the input of wise people. All prophecy in the New Covenant is going to bring life and it is going to point to Jesus. The point is to bring you into maturity. No direction and no sin. I have seen people tell others "you have to do this and that if you want God to bless you." You are answering a question nobody is asking, and directive prophetic words beyond Scripture are getting into fortune telling. Don't do it. If God is giving direction it will happen in the context of waiting on the Lord, and whatever direction emerges will be clear and have a consensus from the group. God works through the body. God does not give you knowledge of other people's sin. There is a story from the Spanish Inquisition where the inquisitor brought in a little girl who was having encounters with Jesus. They intended to put her to death, but before they did, the inquisitor sent the little girl home and told her to ask Jesus what he confessed at his last confession. When the little girl returned, the inquisitor wanted an answer. And the little girl told him Jesus said: "I forgot." You are not God, and if you think God is showing you people's sin, you are listening to a demon, because the accuser keeps a record of wrongs. I hear this kind of thing fairly often and that's clairvoyance, not prophecy. You are the one in sin. If you are having this kind of thing, where you know other people’s sins, or you see demons on people I suggest you contact me and we have a prayer for deliverance. And finally, as I said, all the gifts are on a spectrum. There are levels of prophecy, what I call the low level prophetic flurry, where people find meaning in everything out there, and they give you fluffy words that are fairly benign. I would say 90% of the prophetic movement lives here. And then there is maturity where you begin to learn and understand God's nature and ways. Mature prophetic gifting is going to go slow and low. And those who walk in it will reflect the King of the Prophets. The point of all the gifts is to help you grow closer to God and love one another. Next week we are going to talk about the people who incarnate this gift. The Prophets. ### Who Reigns in the Heavens URL: https://www.belonging.house/who-reigns-in-the-heavens/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:08.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWho is in the heavens. Matthew 6:9 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Everything for the disciple of Jesus begins with God. The Lord's Prayer is some of the most precise Greek in the New Testament. When you read it in the Greek, you discover that there are a number of surprising differences between the original and the traditional text we recite. This of course begs the question: did Jesus teach this in Greek or Aramaic? The answer is probably "yes." I have seen religious people freak out over this, but Jesus and his disciples were business people in a cosmopolitan world. This is before the Jewish diaspora, and Jesus and the disciples lived in a crossroad of cultures. Jesus spoke to non-Jews at times, and the common language they used was probably greek. And even if Jesus prayed this prayer in Aramaic, there is an indication that he explained it in Greek. There is more than one place where the Greek is so refined and indicates so much more than the known Aramaic version that we have to suspect that the early teaching was in Greek. Matthew would have been fluent in Greek because he worked for the Romans. All the record keeping and correspondence he did would have been in Greek. Like many places in the world today, Aramaic was a spoken language in the home, but Greek was the language of business, literature, and correspondence. The world of the New Testament _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Who Reigns in the Heavens URL: https://www.belonging.house/who-reigns-in-the-heavens-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:05.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedWho is in the heavens. Matthew 6:9 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Everything for the disciple of Jesus begins with God. The Lord's Prayer is some of the most precise Greek in the New Testament. When you read it in the Greek, you discover that there are a number of surprising differences between the original and the traditional text we recite. This of course begs the question: did Jesus teach this in Greek or Aramaic? The answer is probably "yes." I have seen religious people freak out over this, but Jesus and his disciples were business people in a cosmopolitan world. This is before the Jewish diaspora, and Jesus and the disciples lived in a crossroad of cultures. Jesus spoke to non-Jews at times, and the common language they used was probably greek. And even if Jesus prayed this prayer in Aramaic, there is an indication that he explained it in Greek. There is more than one place where the Greek is so refined and indicates so much more than the known Aramaic version that we have to suspect that the early teaching was in Greek. Matthew would have been fluent in Greek because he worked for the Romans. All the record keeping and correspondence he did would have been in Greek. Like many places in the world today, Aramaic was a spoken language in the home, but Greek was the language of business, literature, and correspondence. The world of the New Testament _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Artistic Apostles Embody Jesus URL: https://www.belonging.house/artistic-apostles-embody-jesus/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:08.000Z Artistic Apostles Embody Jesus 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday we continue our series on the artistic five-fold ministry. We have had two weeks of introduction! Last week I promised we would get on to the Apostle, but first, we have to lay a little more foundation, and I want to re-emphasize something I have already said. There is a difference between the Five-Fold Ministry and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the Greek this difference is obvious. But our Bibles are largely translated by people who do not believe in or understand the supernatural gifts mentioned in the New Testament. And because of this, they try to make sense of words and concepts in an academic sense, with no point of reference in their own lives. And so In Ephesians 4, Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in the Greek are called "donations" to the church. They are a physical grant, blessing, or tangible object the church receives. As I have said many times in my books, whenever God sees a problem, God raises up a person. And so before we can go further, we have to acknowledge the deep error in protestant theology. Anything that diminishes the power of the incarnation is the spirit of Anti-Christ. Jesus Christ is our model. God became a man, took on flesh, was baptized, was filled with the Holy Spirit, embraced the cross and was resurrected to live a new kind of life before us. And then he told his disciples, wait in the city, and you too will receive power from on high to live the same kind of life I have shown you. Paul says that the five-fold gifts are for the Body. And what is the Body? It is the physical presence of the spiritual reality of Jesus in the earth. It is not a group of people who have embraced some doctrine, it is the embodiment of Jesus in the earth. You and everyone else are supposed to be the body of Jesus on earth. This is Incarnational reality: As it says in Colossians: This is the mystery: Christ in You, the hope of Glory. One of my greatest frustrations and something I try to attack in all my writing is the crazy-making that Christian artists endure. Even ones who call themselves charismatic or prophetic disconnect the spiritual from the physical. Because the Incarnation is not understood or taught, or experienced through the sacraments, Most of the artists I work with do not understand that God became a man to redeem and restore this physical world, and that the plan is for God to live in you so that you are more and more transformed into his Image and likeness so that you will be one in him. Because there is a misunderstanding of the Incarnation, artists feel a niggling sense of shame and guilt for creating. God did not get you saved in the past so that you could live a moral life and then get your bit of pie in the sky. That is heresy, and so much less than the gospel. God called you to Himself, so that you could become more and more like him and like your True Self. Hurting people come to me and they try to reconcile their protestant theology with what I am asking them to do. And for a season they struggle, and things get worse. And then I tell them you have to give up your evangelical theology, because trying harder and faking it is what is keeping you in sin. Your only hope is surrendering to God, listening to his voice, and letting the light and love of Jesus change you. Jesus changes us through abiding in his presence, receiving the Eucharist, listening to his voice, and obeying. God brought you into his Kingdom so that you could more and more walk into the fullness of your true identity. And this identity flows out of the real you. This is the power of the New Creation. This is what Paul is saying in II Corinthians 5:17. You are a new kind of humanity, where through the power of the Holy Spirit you are renewed from the inside out, into the likeness and image of Jesus. This is not about information, this is about transformation. This is discipleship in the truest form. So when we get to these unique people who are gifts to the church, they are the Incarnation of the Charism, the living embodiment of the spiritual giftings. And this leads us to the first of the five-fold gifts: the Apostle. There is no definition of what an apostle is in the New Testament because it was a common term in the Roman world. And it is an unusual word that Jesus chose. Luke 6:13 tells us that Jesus spent a night in fasting in prayer, and in the morning he chose Twelve who he called "apostles." This is not a Jewish word. It's a word from the Roman empire. And it is a very important word for us who are called to make and transform culture. Because the term apostle is all about culture. The Roman Empire was first a mercantile empire. When the Romans went to a new place they did not send the military in first. They sent a group of people who would first set up a trading post, build a forum and a theatre, and a gymnasium. And they would woo the local population in by the best of Roman values, culture, and commerce. And artists were part of this, that's why some of the best preserved Roman mosaics and frescoes are in Hull, in the North of England. The Romans brought the best of the best of the best to a new place. And the name for the persons who expanded the empire by bringing Roman culture was "Apostoloi." And of course, if the locals didn't embrace the culture of Rome, well then, they came in with force. And Jesus, after calling and making the apostles gave them these instructions. "And he called the Twelve together and he gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal. And he said to them, take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and not have two tunics." Luke 9:1-3 RSV-CE So Jesus sends them out, and gives them the power of the New Covenant. He tells them to take the culture of the Kingdom everywhere they go. Notice he didn't say go be apologetic or convince people with reasoning. No, he said go do what I am doing. Heal the sick and preach the gospel. So from this, and from what Paul tells us in his letters in many places, the apostle is an ambassador of the Kingdom. The Apostle is a Kingdom diplomat. The Apostle is the physical representation of Jesus in this world. And the Apostle goes first. In I Corinthians 4 Paul tells us that the Apostle goes low, becomes a fool by worldly standards, and suffers all kinds of things to expland the Kingdom. What are the marks of an apostle? First, in the New Testament, and throughout history, Apostles have an encounter and receive a calling from the Risen Lord Jesus. I think this is the purpose of the events of Paul's life, to show us that there was someone who was not with Jesus during his earthly life who had an encounter with Jesus and was called to be an apostle. And this pattern is repeated throughout history, there are many people who have had encounters with Jesus. Second, the encounter and the calling are always to a specific mission or a specific people group. So we have Saint Patrick being called to Ireland, Cyril and Methodias called to the Slavs, and Francis called to rebuild the church that has drifted from the Kingdom. Third, Apostles are called to healing and miracles. All true apostolic ministry will be accompanied by signs, wonders, and miracles. And this miraculous ministry will be in the areas of healing and provision. We see this in the New Testament. The first apostolic miracle that is recorded is the feeding of the five thousand. Remember, Jesus said, "You give them something to eat." Jesus did it with the apostles. Fourth, All apostles will be called to the core message: It is all about Jesus, the preaching of the cross and the resurrection, the kingdom of God, calling people to be transformed and return. Apostles also restore and call people back to the Eucharist. Paul does this in I Corinthians 11, but we see this throughout history, when the Eucharist gets set aside or distorted, God brings apostles to restore order. This was the case with the Franciscans. And I find it interesting that three protestants: John Wesley, George Muller, and Smith Wigglesworth made communion central to their lives. The core of the apostle is the mystery of the faith, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And finally, An apostle embodies the life of Jesus. We are back to the Incarnation. These folks, to quote Paul again, are living letters. Apostles go low, and become the foundation. Apostles bear in their bodies the marks of Jesus. They are the living embodiment of the King and his kingdom. And because of this, Apostles will function in a lot of the charismatic gifts: and any gift that is needed in a moment will manifest. All the apostles in the New Testament spoke in tongues. All worked in miracles, healed the sicked, casted out demons, and operated in prophecy. And in exchange, those same Apostles suffered terribly. To whom much is given, much is required. Artists and creative people are first called to build up, restore, and communicate culture. And so there is a synergy here between the apostolic calling and the artistic one. Artistic apostles are going to reflect Jesus in their work and in their lives. Artistic apostles are going to go into dark places and be Jesus. As you all know, our house, Belonging House carries and apostolic mantle. And I am so grateful to see how the foundation laying process is now beginning to pay off. Others can now stand on the foundation that has been laid through prayer, sacrifice, teaching, and miracles. We have begun to really form a culture for others to embrace. Next week, we are going to talk about the Prophet. ### Artistic Apostles Embody Jesus URL: https://www.belonging.house/artistic-apostles-embody-jesus-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:06.000Z Artistic Apostles Embody Jesus 0:00 /200 1× Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedToday we continue our series on the artistic five-fold ministry. We have had two weeks of introduction! Last week I promised we would get on to the Apostle, but first, we have to lay a little more foundation, and I want to re-emphasize something I have already said. There is a difference between the Five-Fold Ministry and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the Greek this difference is obvious. But our Bibles are largely translated by people who do not believe in or understand the supernatural gifts mentioned in the New Testament. And because of this, they try to make sense of words and concepts in an academic sense, with no point of reference in their own lives. And so In Ephesians 4, Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in the Greek are called "donations" to the church. They are a physical grant, blessing, or tangible object the church receives. As I have said many times in my books, whenever God sees a problem, God raises up a person. And so before we can go further, we have to acknowledge the deep error in protestant theology. Anything that diminishes the power of the incarnation is the spirit of Anti-Christ. Jesus Christ is our model. God became a man, took on flesh, was baptized, was filled with the Holy Spirit, embraced the cross and was resurrected to live a new kind of life before us. And then he told his disciples, wait in the city, and you too will receive power from on high to live the same kind of life I have shown you. Paul says that the five-fold gifts are for the Body. And what is the Body? It is the physical presence of the spiritual reality of Jesus in the earth. It is not a group of people who have embraced some doctrine, it is the embodiment of Jesus in the earth. You and everyone else are supposed to be the body of Jesus on earth. This is Incarnational reality: As it says in Colossians: This is the mystery: Christ in You, the hope of Glory. One of my greatest frustrations and something I try to attack in all my writing is the crazy-making that Christian artists endure. Even ones who call themselves charismatic or prophetic disconnect the spiritual from the physical. Because the Incarnation is not understood or taught, or experienced through the sacraments, Most of the artists I work with do not understand that God became a man to redeem and restore this physical world, and that the plan is for God to live in you so that you are more and more transformed into his Image and likeness so that you will be one in him. Because there is a misunderstanding of the Incarnation, artists feel a niggling sense of shame and guilt for creating. God did not get you saved in the past so that you could live a moral life and then get your bit of pie in the sky. That is heresy, and so much less than the gospel. God called you to Himself, so that you could become more and more like him and like your True Self. Hurting people come to me and they try to reconcile their protestant theology with what I am asking them to do. And for a season they struggle, and things get worse. And then I tell them you have to give up your evangelical theology, because trying harder and faking it is what is keeping you in sin. Your only hope is surrendering to God, listening to his voice, and letting the light and love of Jesus change you. Jesus changes us through abiding in his presence, receiving the Eucharist, listening to his voice, and obeying. God brought you into his Kingdom so that you could more and more walk into the fullness of your true identity. And this identity flows out of the real you. This is the power of the New Creation. This is what Paul is saying in II Corinthians 5:17. You are a new kind of humanity, where through the power of the Holy Spirit you are renewed from the inside out, into the likeness and image of Jesus. This is not about information, this is about transformation. This is discipleship in the truest form. So when we get to these unique people who are gifts to the church, they are the Incarnation of the Charism, the living embodiment of the spiritual giftings. And this leads us to the first of the five-fold gifts: the Apostle. There is no definition of what an apostle is in the New Testament because it was a common term in the Roman world. And it is an unusual word that Jesus chose. Luke 6:13 tells us that Jesus spent a night in fasting in prayer, and in the morning he chose Twelve who he called "apostles." This is not a Jewish word. It's a word from the Roman empire. And it is a very important word for us who are called to make and transform culture. Because the term apostle is all about culture. The Roman Empire was first a mercantile empire. When the Romans went to a new place they did not send the military in first. They sent a group of people who would first set up a trading post, build a forum and a theatre, and a gymnasium. And they would woo the local population in by the best of Roman values, culture, and commerce. And artists were part of this, that's why some of the best preserved Roman mosaics and frescoes are in Hull, in the North of England. The Romans brought the best of the best of the best to a new place. And the name for the persons who expanded the empire by bringing Roman culture was "Apostoloi." And of course, if the locals didn't embrace the culture of Rome, well then, they came in with force. And Jesus, after calling and making the apostles gave them these instructions. "And he called the Twelve together and he gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal. And he said to them, take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and not have two tunics." Luke 9:1-3 RSV-CE So Jesus sends them out, and gives them the power of the New Covenant. He tells them to take the culture of the Kingdom everywhere they go. Notice he didn't say go be apologetic or convince people with reasoning. No, he said go do what I am doing. Heal the sick and preach the gospel. So from this, and from what Paul tells us in his letters in many places, the apostle is an ambassador of the Kingdom. The Apostle is a Kingdom diplomat. The Apostle is the physical representation of Jesus in this world. And the Apostle goes first. In I Corinthians 4 Paul tells us that the Apostle goes low, becomes a fool by worldly standards, and suffers all kinds of things to expland the Kingdom. What are the marks of an apostle? First, in the New Testament, and throughout history, Apostles have an encounter and receive a calling from the Risen Lord Jesus. I think this is the purpose of the events of Paul's life, to show us that there was someone who was not with Jesus during his earthly life who had an encounter with Jesus and was called to be an apostle. And this pattern is repeated throughout history, there are many people who have had encounters with Jesus. Second, the encounter and the calling are always to a specific mission or a specific people group. So we have Saint Patrick being called to Ireland, Cyril and Methodias called to the Slavs, and Francis called to rebuild the church that has drifted from the Kingdom. Third, Apostles are called to healing and miracles. All true apostolic ministry will be accompanied by signs, wonders, and miracles. And this miraculous ministry will be in the areas of healing and provision. We see this in the New Testament. The first apostolic miracle that is recorded is the feeding of the five thousand. Remember, Jesus said, "You give them something to eat." Jesus did it with the apostles. Fourth, All apostles will be called to the core message: It is all about Jesus, the preaching of the cross and the resurrection, the kingdom of God, calling people to be transformed and return. Apostles also restore and call people back to the Eucharist. Paul does this in I Corinthians 11, but we see this throughout history, when the Eucharist gets set aside or distorted, God brings apostles to restore order. This was the case with the Franciscans. And I find it interesting that three protestants: John Wesley, George Muller, and Smith Wigglesworth made communion central to their lives. The core of the apostle is the mystery of the faith, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And finally, An apostle embodies the life of Jesus. We are back to the Incarnation. These folks, to quote Paul again, are living letters. Apostles go low, and become the foundation. Apostles bear in their bodies the marks of Jesus. They are the living embodiment of the King and his kingdom. And because of this, Apostles will function in a lot of the charismatic gifts: and any gift that is needed in a moment will manifest. All the apostles in the New Testament spoke in tongues. All worked in miracles, healed the sicked, casted out demons, and operated in prophecy. And in exchange, those same Apostles suffered terribly. To whom much is given, much is required. Artists and creative people are first called to build up, restore, and communicate culture. And so there is a synergy here between the apostolic calling and the artistic one. Artistic apostles are going to reflect Jesus in their work and in their lives. Artistic apostles are going to go into dark places and be Jesus. As you all know, our house, Belonging House carries and apostolic mantle. And I am so grateful to see how the foundation laying process is now beginning to pay off. Others can now stand on the foundation that has been laid through prayer, sacrifice, teaching, and miracles. We have begun to really form a culture for others to embrace. Next week, we are going to talk about the Prophet. ### Provision Journal: Head and Not the Tail URL: https://www.belonging.house/provision-journal-head-and-not-the/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:09.000Z The ongoing story of God's provision. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Provision Journal: Head and Not the Tail URL: https://www.belonging.house/provision-journal-head-and-not-the-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:07.000Z The ongoing story of God's provision. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Father of Us All URL: https://www.belonging.house/father-of-us-all/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:10.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedLord, Teach us to pray. When Jesus Christ came, he came to establish a kingdom, not a religion. This kingdom operates through prayer. Prayer is the operation of God's will on earth through the indwelling Holy Spirit in the lives of believers who speak into this world the realities of the Kingdom. In other words, we agree with Christ in us, and speak out of this agreement. Prayer is not talking to God, but coming into unity with God to establish his will. And this reality is woven through the prayer Jesus gave us. God spoke creation into existence, and in speaking, God created man and woman. And God gave humanity authority over the created earth, and we as baptized members of the royal priesthood have been given authority to speak into this earth his will. We do this in relationship with God, because everything God does is relational. So when we pray, our primary calling and goal is to extend and advance the Kingdom in the earth. And because this is the nature of prayer, we can be fruitful and multiply. Prayer, more than any other undertaking is a creating act. And this is why prayer is so important for artists and creative professionals. I think it is important to note that the first direction Jesus gave his disciples was to wait in Jerusalem and pray. He said to do nothing but to pray for the promise of the Father. And it is not until the middle of the book of Acts before we see anything like a doctrinal statement. Prayer is the foundation. By nature our Kingdom is a supernatural expression of our relationship with God. Everything that Jesus Christ said and did was about the Kingdom. And so when we he taught us to pray, the prayer was about the Kingdom. The Lord's Prayer is first about the King then about the Kingdom then the resources we need in building the Kingdom. Larry Lea in his book *Could You Not Tarry One Hour?* said the that the Lord's prayer is an outline of how we should pray. There is a lot of truth in that. The Lord's Prayer can also be a declaration. And the Lord's Prayer can be a meditation. The earliest document outside the New Testament, the *Didache*, instructed Christians to pray the Lord's Prayer three times a day, at morning, noon, and night. For most of this series we are going to be using the version of the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew's Gospel. This is the version we recite when we celebrate the Eucharist, and it is the version used universally in worship and common prayer. Matthew's gospel is summed up in Matthew 5:17: Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. So in Matthews gospel, Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses: he goes up on a mountain, and speaks to the people like Moses did in the book of Deuteronomy. Matthew organized his gospel thematically-- he put all the teaching together, the miracles together, and the parables together. And so in Matthew's gospel, the Lord's Prayer appears in the sermon on the Mount, and within a series of teachings on how we should pray. Matthew doesn't give us context. And as we have said many times before, in the Kingdom and in the New Testament, Context is Everything. To get some context we have to look at Luke 11. Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer, like his version of the Beatitudes, is much shorter and more direct. Luke 11 begins with Jesus praying, not preaching. Jesus is not telling them how to pray, he is praying. And when he stopped, one of the disciples asked him to teach them to pray. And this is one of the keys to the life of prayer. Prayer is a living, dynamic, organic thing. The disciples saw that Jesus was praying in a unique way, and they wanted to know how to pray like Jesus. Real prayer is caught not taught, and real discipleship is about transformation, not information. As an aside, I spent decades in various prayer movements. In retrospect, the fruit of most of it wasn't very good, because they were not praying like Jesus taught us. The purpose of the Lord's Prayer is to come into agreement with the Father. In Matthew 7, the Sermon on the Mount ends with Jesus telling them of the many who will come to him on the last day and say "We have done all these great things in your name," and Jesus answers them, depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of iniquity." The people who came to Jesus were prophets and people who cast out devils. These were good people deceived into believing their ministry activity was building the Kingdom. And Jesus sends them to hell. This is a serious warning, more prayer is not necessarily good prayer, and prayer from an earthly perspective without the Father can be counter to the Kingdom. Now remember, Jesus is not about starting a religion, or a rabbinical school. Jesus is laying the foundation for a Kingdom. It's clear from Luke 11, that the disciple is asking Jesus to give them prayers just like John gave his disciples a way to pray. And Jesus responds in a way that is a bit surprising. He does not begin his prayer using the conventions of Jewish Prayer. Almost all Jewish prayers begin with "Baruch Atta Adonai . . ." Blessed are you Lord. This is an outside in perspective. Jesus prays from within the Trinity. Inside out. And this may be why the disciple asked how to pray, because Jesus wasn't speaking to the "Other, unknowable, Adonai. with the unrepeatable name." He was talking to someone he knew, personally and intimately. And so he begins his prayer in an unusual way. If you want a barometer for someone's relationship to God, listen to how they pray. The disciple recognized that Jesus prayed differently than everyone else. Jesus says (in the Greek), when you pray, say "Father, of us." The word order in this case, puts the most important word first. Father. There are a lot of implications to this. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Father of Us All URL: https://www.belonging.house/father-of-us-all-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:08.000Z Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedLord, Teach us to pray. When Jesus Christ came, he came to establish a kingdom, not a religion. This kingdom operates through prayer. Prayer is the operation of God's will on earth through the indwelling Holy Spirit in the lives of believers who speak into this world the realities of the Kingdom. In other words, we agree with Christ in us, and speak out of this agreement. Prayer is not talking to God, but coming into unity with God to establish his will. And this reality is woven through the prayer Jesus gave us. God spoke creation into existence, and in speaking, God created man and woman. And God gave humanity authority over the created earth, and we as baptized members of the royal priesthood have been given authority to speak into this earth his will. We do this in relationship with God, because everything God does is relational. So when we pray, our primary calling and goal is to extend and advance the Kingdom in the earth. And because this is the nature of prayer, we can be fruitful and multiply. Prayer, more than any other undertaking is a creating act. And this is why prayer is so important for artists and creative professionals. I think it is important to note that the first direction Jesus gave his disciples was to wait in Jerusalem and pray. He said to do nothing but to pray for the promise of the Father. And it is not until the middle of the book of Acts before we see anything like a doctrinal statement. Prayer is the foundation. By nature our Kingdom is a supernatural expression of our relationship with God. Everything that Jesus Christ said and did was about the Kingdom. And so when we he taught us to pray, the prayer was about the Kingdom. The Lord's Prayer is first about the King then about the Kingdom then the resources we need in building the Kingdom. Larry Lea in his book *Could You Not Tarry One Hour?* said the that the Lord's prayer is an outline of how we should pray. There is a lot of truth in that. The Lord's Prayer can also be a declaration. And the Lord's Prayer can be a meditation. The earliest document outside the New Testament, the *Didache*, instructed Christians to pray the Lord's Prayer three times a day, at morning, noon, and night. For most of this series we are going to be using the version of the Lord's Prayer found in Matthew's Gospel. This is the version we recite when we celebrate the Eucharist, and it is the version used universally in worship and common prayer. Matthew's gospel is summed up in Matthew 5:17: Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. So in Matthews gospel, Jesus is the fulfillment of Moses: he goes up on a mountain, and speaks to the people like Moses did in the book of Deuteronomy. Matthew organized his gospel thematically-- he put all the teaching together, the miracles together, and the parables together. And so in Matthew's gospel, the Lord's Prayer appears in the sermon on the Mount, and within a series of teachings on how we should pray. Matthew doesn't give us context. And as we have said many times before, in the Kingdom and in the New Testament, Context is Everything. To get some context we have to look at Luke 11. Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer, like his version of the Beatitudes, is much shorter and more direct. Luke 11 begins with Jesus praying, not preaching. Jesus is not telling them how to pray, he is praying. And when he stopped, one of the disciples asked him to teach them to pray. And this is one of the keys to the life of prayer. Prayer is a living, dynamic, organic thing. The disciples saw that Jesus was praying in a unique way, and they wanted to know how to pray like Jesus. Real prayer is caught not taught, and real discipleship is about transformation, not information. As an aside, I spent decades in various prayer movements. In retrospect, the fruit of most of it wasn't very good, because they were not praying like Jesus taught us. The purpose of the Lord's Prayer is to come into agreement with the Father. In Matthew 7, the Sermon on the Mount ends with Jesus telling them of the many who will come to him on the last day and say "We have done all these great things in your name," and Jesus answers them, depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of iniquity." The people who came to Jesus were prophets and people who cast out devils. These were good people deceived into believing their ministry activity was building the Kingdom. And Jesus sends them to hell. This is a serious warning, more prayer is not necessarily good prayer, and prayer from an earthly perspective without the Father can be counter to the Kingdom. Now remember, Jesus is not about starting a religion, or a rabbinical school. Jesus is laying the foundation for a Kingdom. It's clear from Luke 11, that the disciple is asking Jesus to give them prayers just like John gave his disciples a way to pray. And Jesus responds in a way that is a bit surprising. He does not begin his prayer using the conventions of Jewish Prayer. Almost all Jewish prayers begin with "Baruch Atta Adonai . . ." Blessed are you Lord. This is an outside in perspective. Jesus prays from within the Trinity. Inside out. And this may be why the disciple asked how to pray, because Jesus wasn't speaking to the "Other, unknowable, Adonai. with the unrepeatable name." He was talking to someone he knew, personally and intimately. And so he begins his prayer in an unusual way. If you want a barometer for someone's relationship to God, listen to how they pray. The disciple recognized that Jesus prayed differently than everyone else. Jesus says (in the Greek), when you pray, say "Father, of us." The word order in this case, puts the most important word first. Father. There are a lot of implications to this. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Five-Fold Ministry: Artistic Glory URL: https://www.belonging.house/five-fold-ministry-artistic-glory/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:10.000Z The continuing series on the five fold ministry. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Five-Fold Ministry: Artistic Glory URL: https://www.belonging.house/five-fold-ministry-artistic-glory-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:09.000Z The continuing series on the five fold ministry. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Provision Journal: Not in Crisis Mode URL: https://www.belonging.house/provision-journal-not-in-crisis-mode/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:11.000Z An ongoing account of walking close to God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Provision Journal: Not in Crisis Mode URL: https://www.belonging.house/provision-journal-not-in-crisis-mode-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:10.000Z An ongoing account of walking close to God. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Five-Fold Artistic Ministries URL: https://www.belonging.house/five-fold-artistic-ministries/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:12.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Five-Fold Artistic Ministries URL: https://www.belonging.house/five-fold-artistic-ministries-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:10.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Provision Journals, installment 1. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-provision-journals-installment/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:12.000Z In May of 2006 I responded to a call to follow the model of George Müller. Müller established a ministry to orphans in Bristol, England without raising funds, only praying about everything. I’ve been doing this for eighteen years, but I have not shared the inside story with very many people. Recently I felt a nudge from God to tell the story in a journal form. Almost as soon as I began to do this, the adventure became a lot more intense. I am posting these journals on our Belonging House mighty network. I will periodically share some of them on Substack, because artists and creative people need to see this adventure. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Provision Journals, installment 1. URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-provision-journals-installment-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:11.000Z In May of 2006 I responded to a call to follow the model of George Müller. Müller established a ministry to orphans in Bristol, England without raising funds, only praying about everything. I’ve been doing this for eighteen years, but I have not shared the inside story with very many people. Recently I felt a nudge from God to tell the story in a journal form. Almost as soon as I began to do this, the adventure became a lot more intense. I am posting these journals on our Belonging House mighty network. I will periodically share some of them on Substack, because artists and creative people need to see this adventure. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ministry or a Move of the Holy Spirit URL: https://www.belonging.house/ministry-or-a-move-of-the-holy-spirit/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:14.000Z My story for Pentecost 2024 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Ministry or a Move of the Holy Spirit URL: https://www.belonging.house/ministry-or-a-move-of-the-holy-spirit-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:12.000Z My story for Pentecost 2024 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### St. Matthias: Don't Do Anything. URL: https://www.belonging.house/st-matthias-dont-do-anything/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:14.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### St. Matthias: Don't Do Anything. URL: https://www.belonging.house/st-matthias-dont-do-anything-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:14.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Not as Orphans URL: https://www.belonging.house/not-as-orphans/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:16.000Z The Ascension and the Spirit of Adoption _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Not as Orphans URL: https://www.belonging.house/not-as-orphans-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:15.000Z The Ascension and the Spirit of Adoption _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Kingdom Reflects the King URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-kingdom-reflects-the-king/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:16.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Kingdom Reflects the King URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-kingdom-reflects-the-king-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:16.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Means of Grace: The Body of Jesus URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-means-of-grace-the-body-of-jesus/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:17.000Z Luke:24:35-48 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Means of Grace: The Body of Jesus URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-means-of-grace-the-body-of-jesus-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:16.000Z Luke:24:35-48 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Means of Grace: Receive the Holy Spirit URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-means-of-grace-receive-the-holy/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:17.000Z Experiencing the Resurrection. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Means of Grace: Receive the Holy Spirit URL: https://www.belonging.house/the-means-of-grace-receive-the-holy-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:17.000Z Experiencing the Resurrection. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 153 Fish. URL: https://www.belonging.house/153-fish/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:19.000Z One of the mystery numbers in the Bible. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### 153 Fish. URL: https://www.belonging.house/153-fish-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:18.000Z One of the mystery numbers in the Bible. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Love's Redeeming Work URL: https://www.belonging.house/loves-redeeming-work/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:20.000Z My Homily from the Great Vigil of Passover. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Love's Redeeming Work URL: https://www.belonging.house/loves-redeeming-work-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:20.000Z My Homily from the Great Vigil of Passover. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Good Friday: Blessed is the Wood. URL: https://www.belonging.house/good-friday-blessed-is-the-wood/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:21.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Good Friday: Blessed is the Wood. URL: https://www.belonging.house/good-friday-blessed-is-the-wood-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:21.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Holy Thursday: The New Covenant and the New Commandment. URL: https://www.belonging.house/holy-thursday-the-new-covenant-and/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:22.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Holy Thursday: The New Covenant and the New Commandment. URL: https://www.belonging.house/holy-thursday-the-new-covenant-and-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:22.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### People like us do things like this. URL: https://www.belonging.house/people-like-us-do-things-like-this/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:22.000Z Palm Sunday, 24 March, 2024 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### People like us do things like this. URL: https://www.belonging.house/people-like-us-do-things-like-this-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:22.000Z Palm Sunday, 24 March, 2024 _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Reflecting on an accidental church plant. URL: https://www.belonging.house/reflecting-on-an-accidental-church/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:23.000Z the only explanation is the Power of God _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Reflecting on an accidental church plant. URL: https://www.belonging.house/reflecting-on-an-accidental-church-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:23.000Z the only explanation is the Power of God _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Shalom-maker URL: https://www.belonging.house/shalom-maker/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T00:52:23.000Z the beginning of a new adventure _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Shalom-maker URL: https://www.belonging.house/shalom-maker-2/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T16:43:24.000Z the beginning of a new adventure _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Coming soon URL: https://www.belonging.house/coming-soon/ Last updated: 2024-03-15T11:20:35.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### Coming soon URL: https://www.belonging.house/coming-soon-3/ Last updated: 2024-03-15T11:20:35.000Z _This post is for paying subscribers only._