Someone needs to hear this today.
Belonging House Fellowship
Christ John Otto is the founder of Belonging House. We are called to raise up an army of artists who will build Jesus a throne in the earth. You can find him at https://x.com/ChristJohnOtto and If this encourages you, support my work at
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Put Out into the Deep
Belonging House Fellowship
Christ John Otto writes at and If this encourages you, support my work at
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Hidden in Plain Sight
Belonging House Fellowship
Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 2:22-32 It's hard to believe, but Christmas was forty days ago. This year, the end of the Christmas cycle, The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple falls on a Sunday. We have been talking about how the Kingdom of God is a symbolic Kingdom, and how this relates to the sacramental principle, and the means of grace: God uses physical things and actions to communicate his Presence, Person, and Power. Today we are going to look at the presentation of Jesus and in order to discover how to encounter the Holy Spirit when God is moving. People...
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The Sacrament of Scripture
Belonging House Fellowship
Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 _________________ When we talk about the means of grace, after the sacraments is the word of God. And the reading and proclamation of the word is a sacrament. It is an act that releases the power and grace of God. And so this week, we are given two readings where we actually see this happen, under the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah and Jesus in the Synagogue. This week I want to look at this passage in Luke from a slightly different angle, and talk about two things: the ancient pathway that never gets old; the way the church has encouraged us...
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Nothing Changes Water
Belonging House Fellowship
It is a bit shocking that God would use the most common of all elements to be the sign of birth into the Kingdom. And throughout scripture water will be linked to the Holy Spirit. Water is the sign of creation, rebirth of the world, the river of life from the Temple, rivers of living water out of our bellies, washing, cleansing, and blessing. And yes, Paul says water is a symbol of death and resurrection, but that reference is an outlier. Water is more often about life and birth. Jesus is the living water. Water is the most powerful solvent on earth. All things can dissolve in water....
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God's Kingdom is a Symbolic Kingdom
Belonging House Fellowship
The Kingdom of God is a symbolic kingdom. Symbols are God’s primary language. This is why if you focus too much on the Bible as a written word you miss so much. And this is why Christianity has produced so much visual art, and why this art is full of language and messages that we can read. Christ John Otto writes at and If this encourages you, support my work at Or become a Patron at
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The Kingdom Begins in the House of Bread
Belonging House Fellowship
Matthew 2:1-10 This isn't about stars and kings and Christmas gifts. This is about the Kingdom of God, and Matthew is showing us that outsiders, pagans, who are paying attention, recognize that the Kingdom of God is being manifested on earth, and those who are supposed to know miss it. He is pointing out what Jesus would say later on: beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. Politics is not the Kingdom, and neither is religion. The Kingdom is about food. It is about being fed by the good Shepherd, and he is bringing bread for the life of the world. He is bread for the...
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After the Angels Leave
Belonging House Fellowship
Turn in your Bible to Luke 2:15-21. The Christmas readings often stop at verse 20. And because this story is in Christmas specials sandwiched between Rudolph and ads for Coca-Cola, we think that this story, the one with shepherds and angels is fantastical. These angels are for many of us, just like Santa's elves at the North Pole. Even "evangelicals" have been so influenced by liberal theology that they have accepted that this is in the mythical category. Classical, Catholic and Orthodox Christianity teaches us that these angels are not mythical and that at any moment you might...
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Come Back to the Father's Table.
Belonging House Fellowship
The Messiah is coming, and you are not ready. Get ready. We are back to the central theme of scripture: God is a Father looking for bride for his son. The bride is faithless, so the son lays down his life to redeem her, and then we all sit down at the Father's table forever. Christ John Otto writes at and If this encourages you, support my work at Or become a Patron at
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There Will Never Be Another You.
Belonging House Fellowship
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. Christ John Otto writes at and If this encourages you, support my work at Or become a Patron at
info_outlineThe Kingdom of God is a symbolic kingdom.
Symbols are God’s primary language.
This is why
if you focus too much on the Bible as a written word
you miss so much.
And this is why
Christianity has produced so much visual art,
and why this art is full of language and messages
that we can read.
Christ John Otto writes at https://Belonginghouse.org and https://christjohnotto.substack.com
If this encourages you, support my work at https://buymeacoffee.com/christjohnotto
Or become a Patron at https://patreon.com/belonginghousemedia?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink