One Church

As I have been reading through the book of Acts I have enjoyed catching some “small” details that can have such a huge impact on my life. Every inch of the Bible is packed with such great wisdom. All we have to do is stop, take the time to read, and listen to what the Lord has to show us. 

One of the simple statements I came across is found in Acts 2:1. This is the chapter that talks about Pentecost, “…they were all together in one place.” One place, one heart, one desire… when I read this all I could think was unity. A body of believers coming together and the Holy Spirit moving. This was the start of “The Church”. 

Today, so many of us, including myself, can get caught up in the identity of “our” church, that we forget we are all a part of The Church. If we want to see God move again like He did on that day, the day of Pentecost, we need to put down our pastoral idols, and lift back up the one, forever Good Shepherd, Jesus. God moves through His people in a powerful way when there is unity among them. We should be one church with one vision: To see that the lost are found! 

“Hope for every soul.” “A healing place for a hurting world.” “A community of God seekers, God followers, and God doubters.” These shouldn’t just be individual tag lines, but the united cry of His church. My heart and prayer for myself, and us all, is that we can all learn to walk together, arm in arm, to bring about His kingdom. I think when we start to do that, we will see great things happen throughout our nation. 

 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:35

Salvation & Sin

   Sin is defined as any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.  Salvation is when a person abandons their sinful nature and accepts Christ as their savior and Lord of their life.  To receive salvation a person must receive the effective calling which is defined as: an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which He summons people unto Himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.  So, effective calling can not be received without someone first hearing the gospel call which is a general calling given to all, those who accept it and those who do not, through human speech.  Once a person receives the effective calling of the Lord he or she goes through a process of regeneration, or being born again.  Being born again is when a person begins to truly go though a spiritual transformation and is given the ability to "see" life with a new and true perspective.

   Hopefully this post helps bring clarity to anyone with questions, or helps to arise an inquisition of one's self. I know it is a topic I have always tried to fully grasp, and I'm not saying I still have all the answers. In the end true salvation is the condition of one's true character and heart, and that only God can see.  I lived my whole life in and out of church, but for so long wondered if I ever really "got it".  I asked God into my heart over and over because I would fail and think maybe I wasn't really saved, and ask again to just fail again, and again, and again, etc. But, personally, I think we look at our actions so much that our heart becomes about "doing the right thing" instead of being the right person. Take King David for example. He slept with a married woman, got her pregnant, killed her husband, and had another man assassinated while he (King David) was on his death bed!? Yet, God blessed him and still speaks highly of him in scripture. We can't explain God's mercy, and like me, it can take years to accept it, but once you do your life is radically changed. Now, I have received a bit of a grasp on God's grace for my life and past. I have had my effective calling.  There has been true spiritual growth and revelation to my life.  Does this mean I'm perfect? No! Not at all. But the Christian walk is about progress, not perfection. And the above part about regeneration; it doesn't happen over night. Trust me. But, now that my eyes have been opened to the full picture, so many scriptures and biblical stories that I grew up hearing are now truly impacting my life and are so much more clear and applicable to my life.

   The topic of Sin and Salvation is a foundational truth for the Christian Faith because our very existence revolves around them both.  In the beginning Satan fell due to the sin of pride.  After his fall he then looked to destroy God's greatest masterpiece; man.  Before mankind was even created there was sin.  Then, through sin man fell, and because of our sin we then needed a savior to make us worthy of our Father's presence again.  Until man realizes that he is sinful and requires salvation to be a Christian, there is no foundation.