Nougat 21

What makes a church a church? Is it the ornateness of the building? The stained glass windows? The cross, the fixtures, the pews, the vestments and paraments (.ie. clothing for pastor/priest and cloths for the building), the smells and bells, or the simplicity? Consider today’s Holy Nougat

“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Although our nougat refers to our bodily temples, one thing remains clear. Whether we refer to a building, a congregation, or all denominations, there is only one common denominator – Jesus Christ the third person in the Triune Godhead. Our faith is grounded in Jesus – His death and resurrection – and it is upon that faith that we become the church (see Matthew 16).

Now let’s not get it twisted. We have all established that Jesus is a package deal: John 1 establishes that He was at the beginning as The Word, and He was with God. Genesis 1 which John 1 references, is clear – God’s Spirit hovered over the earth (and galaxies) in anticipation of the enfleshiing Creation. Further, in John 14 we learn that for us to fully experience God’s grace, God’s Spirit will come to us. Thus, our belief in Jesus is inclusive: both of God and God’s Spirit.

An awareness of our faith in Jesus Christ is critical however; because it is the root of our salvation and it distinguishes us from other faiths, including traditional Judaism. The Jews are heirs to God’s Promises, they are God’s Chosen Ones, whether we like it or not. We are also God’s Chosen, the sent out ones – whose faith in Jesus is manifested in our lifestyles. For, unlike the original Jews, who have been permitted to be cloistered, we have a mandate to share the hope God’s Love brings with the entire world! A world that these days is dying for want of this hope.

Because of our Chosen Sent-ness, each of us who identify with Jesus in Faith, have been set apart. This happens by the in-dwelling of God’s Spirit, for the sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ (ie the Gospel). I can’t emphasize enough how it is the presence of God’s Spirit in us that makes our holiness visible to the world. And if being set apart from the common and ordinary is what makes us holy, then being holy in every way demands us allowing God’s Spirit to be visible in all facets of our lives.

Can we resolve to allow God’s Spirit total access to our lives?

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May all we seek be found in Christ