No I In Jesus

Minnesotas Sam Bradford (8) leads his team into the huddle.

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

What if I were to ask you your opinion of Jesus?  What would your answer be?  Is He your savior, your heavenly Father or the cleanser of your lifetime of sins?  What are the limitations you put on this man you see as Jesus?  Many is the christian who recognizes the sacrafice of Jesus yet fails to see the flip side of Christ at His empty tomb.  For Jesus is much more than the blood He shed to wash away the sin which we were all born into {Romans 3:23}.  While it's true that Jesus was made to become sin on our behalf {2 Corinthians 5: 21}, the truth of the Jesus of today happened after His crucifiction.  As the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 6, our old man was crucified with Jesus on that cross.  Why is this truth so hard to comprehend?  Why is this the truth which Paul refered to as the "Mystery among the gentiles" {Colossions 1:27}?  Well, for one thing, I really don't recall ever dying.  However, in my heart I know that it is Christ Jesus who lives through me.  Why did our old man need to be put to death?  As Paul tells us, "That the body of sin might be done away with."  Yes, each one of us has  sinned and fallen short of the glory of a holy God.  It is that life of sin which we were once born into which Jesus took upon Himself to be put to death on the cross.  The sin spirit we once carried is no longer within us, having been replaced by the Spirit of Christ Jesus.  As Dennis likes to tell it, our former occupier has been evicted, replaced now with that original spirit which we now share with Adam and Eve.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

We are assured of this new spirit within us by Pauls words in Galations 2:20.  It is no longer "I" who live, but Christ lives in me.  There is a popular motivational phrase out there which touts that there is no "I" in team.  The meaning, of course, is that it takes a team to compete and win, not just a individual.  Knowing this, I submit that there is also no "I" in Jesus.  For if indeed Jesus is within us, then everything that we do we do as Christ.  It is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us.  Everything that we see, touch and experience we do AS HIM.  Are we struggling in our marriages?  Then it is Christ who is struggling.  Are we entering a new chapter of our lives?  Then it is Christ Jesus who is walking this new life path.  If indeed Paul tells us in Galations that it is no longer we who live but that Christ lives in us, then it is Jesus Himself who enters into all that we experience.  We now live as Jesus who is in us.  It is no longer we but He.  Therefore, we can say with the utmost confidence that there is no "I" in Jesus.  We are certainly not independent as so many have falsely believed, but one in Christ.  Dennis, my unofficial editor, has often pointed out that I mistakingly use the word "I" in my writings.  To not see the error in this thinking is to not see Christ living through us.  Old habits die hard.

~Scott~

Ten Miles Of Bad Road

18Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."
Genesis 50: 18 - 20 NKJV

Some might confuse the christian life as days of wine and roses.  I am not so naive.  Yes, we're saved and our sins have been forgiven, but this christian life is far from a party.  Far from it, for we often suffer the same setbacks, crisis and life events as those around us.  Indeed, to be a follower of Christ Jesus does not give us a pass on lifes chaotic events.  On the contrary, we may often have a rougher row to hoe than most others.  One may ask just how God could provide for us such trying circumstances.  Haven't we sacraficed enough already?  I mean, it's no easy gig being a christian in this fallen world.  With persecutions and life events, we've certainly got our hands full.  You may often stop and think that life is way too much for one person to handle.  Well, life was not meant for us to go through on our own.  On the contrary, this life which we live was meant to be lived in the presence of our heavenly Father.  For we are not independent, but creations of the most high.  There is absolutely nothing about us which is independent from God.  For in Him we have our being {Acts 17: 28}.  So, just how are we to approach a life which will surely bring us pain and trouble?  Well, we could certainly ask Joseph, one of the patriarchs of the old testament.  In their jealousy, Josephs brothers beat him and sold him to some traveling slave traders.  What was Josephs crime?  He simply related a dream to his brothers in which he explained that they would one day bow down to him.  Of course it all came true, but not before God worked through Joseph to accomplish what He wanted done.  How did Joseph react to his brothers treachery?  God worked through him there also.  As his brothers stood before him at his mercy, Joseph calmed their fears, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."

2My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces apatience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1: 2 - 8 NKJV

More than a few times I've come across the first chapter of the book of James and slammed my bible closed!  Count it all joy?  Was I to count these persecutions, ugliness and disrespect from others as joy?  Absolutely!  What about God?  Was I to count those times when things didn't go the way I wanted as joy?  Absolutely!  I recently found myself in a two hour conversation with my heavenly Father about why He would not provide a employment opportunity which I so desired.  Why didn't He answer me?  Did I do something wrong?  Whether it was His revelation or me simply recalling that story of Joseph and his brothers, there was a gentle reminder that my situation was not over, not by a long shot.  What others meant for evil, God meant for good.  From my human perspective, it surely looked like I had been ignored by God.  But we simply cannot view God from the filter of our human perspective because that is not Gods arena.  We are not privy to the behind the scenes activity which God is so often accomplishing on our own behalf.  However, we can rest assured that whatever it is, it will be to His glory.  Those of us who are not parents may not understand the often gentle yet sometimes heavy handed guidance which a parent uses to teach and guide a child.  There are times when a gentle approach simply will not get the message across.  I say this not to advocate discipline, but to illustrate just how it is that our heavenly Father guides His children along this pathway of life.  In the moment we may not understand, but as time passes His plans for us will be revealed.  In that day we will count it all joy.

Temptations hidden snare
Often takes us unaware
And our hearts were meant to bleed
For every thoughtless word and deed
And we wonder why the test
When we try to do our best
But we'll understand it better BY AND BY
~By And By - Bill Gaither~

~Scott~

At The Summit

 24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one jblood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."
Acts 17: 22 - 27 NKJV

It's a claim spoken by many a pastor week after week, "Get closer to God."  Hence begins the week by week and perhaps even the lifelong struggle the chirstian endures as he tries to make himself "Good enough" for our Lords forgiveness.  We offer challanges, tithes, fasting and on our knees prayer in order to reach that summit where God dwells and we dwell with Him.  It's here where we want to stay, not only near Him but with Him.  To be in His presence where our heavenly Father is only a monents whisper away.  We invest many an hour in this quest to reach that place.  Of course, one of the rarest of sermons in the modern church is the one of our joy of just how close we ALREADY ARE to our heavenly Fathers presence.  In Acts 17, the apostle Paul tells us that "He is not far from each of us."  Yet our struggle to get closer to God continues.  What did Paul know that we today seem to have forgotten?  Well, for starters it's that we who have accepted Christ Jesus today now live in a restored relationship with God.  Yes, we were indeed born under the curse of sin perpetrated in the garden, but through the truth of Christ, we are no longer bound to that old man which once defined us.  Again, it is Paul who assures us of our pressence in Christ Jesus.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2: 20 NKJV

I have become convinced that the reason that the truth of Christ is not preached in the modern church is that if it were, the church as we have come to know it would no longer exist.  For the modern church has staked its reputation on the traditions and requirements it has preached for thousands of years.  The message of our endless efforts to become more like God/Jesus is one which has been shouted from the rooftops for centuries.  Never mind that this message runs contrary to the finished work of Jesus on the cross.  For it is Jesus Himself who became sin on our behalf that our old sin nature would be put to death with Him {2 Corinthians 5: 21}.  We are told Jesus died to forgive our sins, and in the very same breath we're told to ask our Lords forgiveness for our daily sins.  Excuse me, what sins did Jesus forget to wash away as He died?  It is teachings such as this which keep many a christian in the bondage of our church traditions.  We are told that we need get closer to God.  Friends, it is useless for us to work ourselves into a frenzy in our quest to get closer to God.  We're already there.  This is exactly what Paul was getting at as he proclaimed, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."  if the Spirit of Christ Jesus resides within us, how much closer do we need to be to Him?  How much harder do we need to strive in order to get there?  In our attempt to reach that summit where God resides, our heavenly Father waits to meet us exactly where we are.

~Scott~

Wayward Christians

31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” 34Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35“And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
John 8: 31 - 36 NKJV

Something strange happens whenever I tell people that I have no church home which I attend on a regular basis.  I usually can count on a long blank stare as if the person I'm talking to is in utter disbelief of what they have just heard.  How can a christian not belong to a local congregation?  How can one survive in this world without being "Led and fed" each and every Sunday?  For surely we are in need of Gods chosen annointed leaders to guide His flock less we go astray?  The funny thing is, most people I've talked to about church attendance are already of the opinion that I've gone astray!  Not only that, but they offer prayers over me that God would bring me back into the fold.  It seems that I am destined for a life without the ordained guidance of Gods annointed pulpit pounders.  So is that a bad thing?  I glanced over a article Dennis forwarded to me recently about how millenials have been ditching the modern church in ever increasing numbers.  My response to this was, what took them so long?  Have they come to that very same realization I have?  It makes me wonder just how many wayward christians are out there among us.  One of the main reasons which I have read that so many people are leaving the modern institutional church is that the church has simply become too religious, too confining.  Indeed, the traditions and trappings of the modern church have led many to walk out its doors never to return.  Now, even though I have not participated in a Sunday church service in some time, I'm all too familiar with the weekly agenda.  First you have the rousing opening music which supposedly is designed to get we christian soldiers motivated and excited for God.  Following this you'll have a few opening announcements, a offering and then finaly the sermon from Gods ordained pulpit pounder.  At the risk of being excommunicated yet again, I submit that this is not the assembly which God intended.  It's my belief that God desires a communion with His children in an arena without the walls, restrictions and traditions of the modern church.

13And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Colossions 2: 13 - 17 NKJV

I have reflected a few times in these writings of a gathering which Dennis and I had recently at the home of a friend on a Sunday morning.  There was no worship music, no traditional church fanfare and no offering.  How could something such as this be considered church?  Let me see, a gathering of Gods children in His name to celebrate their freedom in Jesus?  That sounds more like church to me than anything I've seen in any multi million dollar church facility.  That morning the focus was not on the pagentry of church tradition but on coming together in the freedom we shared in Christ Jesus.  Just another group of wayward christians needing to be brought back into the flock.  Indeed, one of the reasons which I no longer participate in a Sunday morning service is that we have our own group of brothers which meets each Sunday  morning at a local fast food joint in the freedom of Christ.  This is our church, or our McChurch if you will.  Can this be considered church?  The apostle Paul seemed to think so.

24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."
Acts 17: 24 - 27 NKJV

What is it that we can give God?  Does He desire ornate building?  Church annointed leadership?  More and more tithes?  No, I believe that one thing which we can offer up to our heavenly Father is our relationship with Him through Christ Jesus.  The buildings, the traditions and pagentry only serve to place man made tradition over God.  Perhaps this is why we chose a fast food restaurant as our gathering place on Sunday morning.  We've done away with all the traditions and instead replaced it with community and fellowship in Him.  Typical of wayward christians.

~Scott~

~McChurch~

The Spirit And The Flesh

38Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 39He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 40Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
Matthew 26: 38 - 42 NKJV

A question has come up once again in our quest to know more of the truth of Christ Jesus.  Upon asking Dennis for prayer this week I was met by a interesting response.  His response was somewhere along the lines of, "This is what I pray for you, Matthew 26:41"  What?  Now, I admit that initially I was thinking that he was indeed being flippant, but upon further reflection I came to realize that what he was doing was taking yet another opportunity to show me Jesus.  For as we look at Jesus' words in this passage we see see two often opposing sides of our being.  This being our spirit and our flesh.  As Jesus tells his disciples who have once agian dozed off while keeping watch in the garden, the spirit was indeed willing but it was the flesh which was weak.  Now, for those who have come to know Christ Jesus, the "spirit" is Jesus Himself who now lives through us {Galations 2:20}.  Knowing this, it doesn't take a democrat pollster to see just what Jesus means when he points out the weak flesh.  This is our ever neutral flesh which all too often is influenced by it's surroundings.  Knowing this, it is easy to see why Christ would refer to our flesh as weak.  For it is the flesh which carries our emotions and heart which are so easily persuaded by our surroundings.  How often I have worked myself into a worried frenzy in the face of a certain situation.  Indeed, His spirit within us is willing, but our flesh is weak.  It is here where I got lost when Dennis said he would pray for me.  I was expecting the "formal" prayer which Jesus was telling those assembled on the Mount of Olives that day {Matthew 6: 6 - 19}.  This is how many view prayer to the point that they refer to it as the "Model prayer."  For the pulpit pounder claims that this is how we should pray.  However, what is far less known is that Jesus was speaking to a crowd steeped in the traditions and requirements of the old covenant on that day.  Now, if you indeed intend to live your live in the old covenant seperated from Christ Jesus then by all means embrace this model prayer in Matthew 6.

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25“O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26“And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Luke 17: 20 - 26 NKJV

Upon reflection, it is my belief that the prayer which we should be focusing on is not found in Matthew 6 but in Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemene which we see  in Luke 17.  It is here that Jesus prays that we who know Him would one with the Father as He and the Father are one.  How prophetic, as that is exactly how those who have accepted Christ Jesus live today.  For the truth of Jesus which the apostle Paul speaks of in Galations 2:20 assures us that it is Christ who lives through us today.  I believe that this is the willing Spirit which is within us which Jesus proclaims in Matthew 26:41.  It is only natural that the Father would desire a uniting of His spirit within us and our neutral flesh.  When this happens, we will come to that realization of who we truly are in Him.  This certainly would have helped me this week when I asked for Dennis' payers.  However, he could not have asked God for anything better for His child than for me to see Himself in me.  Well done pastor.

~Scott~

Unlike most pulpit pounders, you've taught me so much :)

The Thoughts Of A Heretic

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be adone away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7For he who has died has been bfreed from sin. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6 - 11 NKJV

An interesting dinner conversation with Dennis morphed into the question of just how we who know Jesus see ourselves.  Do we see ourselves as being complete in Him, or do we think that we are forever striving to reach a ever distant goal.  A goal which many a pulpit pounder has preached that we need to "Be more like Jesus."  While it is honorable to choose to resemble the very image of the invisible God, I feel that it is in this quest that we continually fall short.  Therefore, the message from that pulpit each and every Sunday continues to preach that we are to seek that goal for our lives.  But what if we there is no goal for us to reach?  What if we are indeed already there?  Well, not only would that nullify a primary narative of the institutional church, but present a radical change in how it is that we see ourselves.  Do we see ourselves as continually chasing that perfect image of Christ Jesus which the church claims we must do?  If this is how we see ourselves, then there is a freedom out there which we have yet to realize.  The freedom of knowing that we are complete in Christ Jesus and have no need to continue to strive to seek Him, to be more like Him.  For Paul tells us in Galations that those days are gone.  The reality is that in the truth found in Jesus, that we ARE Jesus.  Think back to your new testament pages on the reaction which Jesus received as He proclaimed that He was indeed the son of God!  Blasphemy!  The Jewish Pharisees of the day had a cow over this claim.  It was this bold truth which ultimately led his persecutors to put Him to death.  How can anybody claim to be God?  It is a well known fact that those who have made such claims have been branded as heretics.  If this is true, then I am a proud heretic!  I no longer chase what I already have.

9But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8: 9 - 11 NKJV

One of the main parts of our discussion this week was just who we see that we are.  All too often we look at our flesh vessels and proclaim that this is who we ultimately are.  Of course, this is a dangerous error.  The book of Genesis tells us that we were ultimately created in His very image.  It is here where I go tripped up myself.  I just assumed that my fleshly body was that image in which I was created.  Well, you know what happens when we assume.  Instead of being that flesh image which we see each day in the mirror, this is not our true identity.  It is Paul who proclaims that we are not in the flesh but in the spirit.  This spirit image is our core identity.  This is the image of He who created us.  What better way for God to manifest Himself than through His spirit which is in us.  This is indeed how the image of the invisible God walked the earth, in the flesh of a man.
As I sat in the local coffee shop this morning I happened to overhear two men gushing over just how they were knocking themselves out in their quest to continually seek to be filled with Jesus.  It seemed as if struggling to the point of collapse was a badge of honor to these two.  All in the name of being more like Jesus.  Of course, I already knew where that narrative came from.  Once upon a time I myself followed it.  I decided against showing them the error of their thoughts.  For who would believe the thoughts of a heretic?

~Scott~

McChurch

2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
2 Timothy 4: 2 - 4 NKJV

In my constant search for blog material I am so very often drawn into the antics of a few local congregations which I once frequented.  This past week was no exception.  For some time now I have been receiving social media updates from a pastor friend on "his" congregation.  Now, this man is a wonderful man of God and a good friend whom I would most assuredly seek advice from if needed.  However, I have often wondered over a few of his social media posts about the church he leads.  This week I noticed a few references to how this congregation was praying that God would raise up people to leadership positions for the congregation.  Now, unless you have had your head in the sand, those who have perused this blog already know my feelings on those who seem to place institutional religion and tradition over the truth of Christ Jesus.  Of course, this truth found in Galations 2:20 tells us that Jesus indeed shares our lives with us today.  This is indeed the restoration of that holy relationship we shared with God up until the fall.  As Dennis likes to put it, these are our original factory settings.  That relationship man had with God up until that first bite of the forbidden fruit has now been restored for those who have trusted in and accepted Christ Jesus.  For them, they share each and every day living as Jesus who is in them.  Sadly, this is a message that has been lost on almost all church congregations.  For instead of preaching the truth and freedom of truly knowing Jesus, they esteem the man made traditions of the institutional church.  Such it was with my friends congregation.  Does this mean that he does not know Jesus?  I don't believe that for a minute.  Rather, I believe that he is just stuck in that narative which has permeated churches for thousands of years.

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or eprincipalities or fpowers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossions 1: 15 - 17 NKJV

One of the first questions Dennis asked when I shared this latest news was a good one, what church does God belong to?  Of course, any christian worth their salt of the earth would claim that God IS THE church.  For if Jesus is the head of the church and He is also the image of the invisible God, then Jesus is indeed the head of the church.  Then, what is the church?  Is the church that ornate building which we dutifully flock to Sunday after Sunday?  That church which is only exists due to the faithfull giving until it hurts?  Or is it something more?  Is the church exactly what scripture tells us that Christ is the very head of, the church BODY?  That is, each and every believer.  What church would God attend?  I suggest that our heavenly Father is at home not only in a large congregation but also in the smallest of home groups.  How can we attempt to say that the most high is limited to what buildings of people that He might visit?  In fact, does effective worship even need a fancy building?  The apostle Paul didn't think so at all.

Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25“Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26“And He has made from one jblood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27“so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28“for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Acts 17: 23 - 28 NKJV

Indeed, God is not limited to one particular congregation or group of believers.  God does not dwell in temples which we make for ourselves, but in us.

~Scott~

~McChurch...Realizing that God dwells within us, not the building~