God's Call

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call." 

Joel 2:32

Salvation - plainly put, is of God. It is not man, nor by the will of men! It is by the sheer will and grace of God (Eph.2:8). Personally, I am glad. No one can dictate my salvation except myself and God. No one except God's Son (Heb.9:15; 12:24) can stand between me and God at anytime for any reason.

It’s very important to understand though, that in any rescue operation, the rescuer gets to determine means and method of the rescue. You and I do not get to determine how we are saved. God has placed this authority in His Son only.  "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col.1:18-20)."  Jesus said, "I am the way…. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).  Jesus doesn’t say he’s a good way, or a nice way, or even the best way because there are many ways. He says, “I am THE way..."  If there was an alternate way, another way, another savior besides Jesus, then God wouldn’t have sent Him to die for you. How cruel would it have been to have Jesus go through all the suffering and pain of the cross, only to have God say - "Sorry...there's also this way and this way, and this prophet and that guru that can get you here too!"  We know that this is NOT what the scriptures teach! If you’re going to be saved and have all your sins forgiven, there’s only one way it will happen, and there’s only one person you can call on … Jesus.

Many will fuss at this, many like those who have gone before will downright refuse it. Yet, this does not negate what God has said.  "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Heb.1:1,2)" You have the right and the freedom to choose another way, another shepherd, another Savior. Yet again, hear what God says,   "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.(Jn.10:1-3)." 

So, maybe its time to ask yourself - Are you following the right Shepherd? If you feel that you are not, can I introduce you to Jesus?

Jim

Rev.3:20 - Inviting Jesus Into Your Heart

Found this on Parchment and Pen's Blog - very interesting article!!

Inviting Jesus into your Heart (Dan Wallace)

~ Dan Wallace ~

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he [will dine] with me.” The crucial phrase for our purposes is “I shall come in to him.” This text has often been taken as a text offering salvation to a lost sinner. Such a view is based on two assumptions: (1) that the Laodiceans, or at least some of them, were indeed lost, and (2) that the Greek εισελεύσομαι πρό means “come into.”

Both of these assumptions, however, are based on little evidence. Further, the resultant notion is anything but clear. To invite Christ into one’s heart is hardly a clear picture of the gospel.

Regarding the idea that those in the Laodicean church were not believers, note that in the preceding verse, the resurrected Lord declares, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline.” Here φιλέω is used for “love”—a term that is never used of God/Jesus loving unbelievers in the NT. This φιλέω is applied to the Laodiceans here, for the verse concludes, “Be zealous, therefore, and repent.” The inferential ‘therefore’ connects the two parts of the verse, indicating that the Laodiceans are to repent because Christ loves (φιλέω) them!

The second assumption is that εισελεύσομαι πρό means ‘come into.’ Such an assumption is based on a less than careful reading of the English text. The ASV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, for example, all correctly render it ‘come in to.’ (Note the space between the prepositions.) The idea of ‘come into’ would be expressed with είς as the independent preposition and would suggest a penetration into the person (thus, spawning the idea of entering into one’s heart). However, spatially πρό means toward, not into. In all eight instances of εισοέρχομαι πρό in the NT, the meaning is ‘come in toward/before a person’ (i.e., enter a building, house, room, etc., so as to be in the presence of someone), never penetration into the person himself/herself. In some instances, such a view would not only be absurd, but inappropriate (cf. M ark 6:25; 15:43; Luke 1:28; Acts 10:3; 11:3; 16:40; 17:2; 28:8).

What, then, is this verse is affirming? First, it is not an offering of salvation. The implications of this are manifold. Among other things, to use this text as a salvation verse is a perversion of the simplicity of the gospel. Many people have allegedly “received Christ into their hearts” without understanding what that means or what the gospel means. Although this verse is picturesque, it actually muddies the waters of the truth of salvation. Reception of Christ is a consequence, not a condition, of salvation. Second, as far as the positive meaning of this verse, it may refer to Christ having supremacy in the assembly or even to an invitation (and, consequently, a reminder) to believers to share with him in the coming kingdom. Either way, it is not a verse about salvation at all, for the Laodiceans were already saved.

Does this mean that those who have come to faith in Christ via Rev 3:20 are not saved? This answer needs some nuancing. First, if they have truly put their faith in Christ, and they understand that he alone can save them from their sins, then of course they are saved. The problem is that many people cling to the symbol but never understand the reality it is intended to represent. Hundreds of thousands of people have “invited Christ into [their] hearts,” thinking that a mystical experience is what saves them. Then, they go on their merry way, living their lives as they did before. If you were to ask them, “How do you know that you are going to heaven?” they would respond, “Because I invited Christ into my heart.” But if you probe, there is nothing beneath the shallowness of that reply. They did what someone told them to do, but never really embraced the Savior.

What then should we say when we are trying to lead someone to Christ? I think a better picture is simply what the New Testament uses as its normative word– πίστι/πιστεύω. The noun form (πίστι) can be translated ‘faith,’ ‘belief,’ or ‘trust.’ The verb can be translated ‘I believe,’ ‘I have faith,’ ‘I trust.’ In some contexts the object of belief is emphasized (namely, Christ); in other contexts, the kind of belief is emphasized (namely, a genuine trust, an embracing). Thus, πίστι has this twofold force of content and conviction. To be saved, one must have the right object of faith (content); and one must truly put his trust entirely in that object (conviction).

If it causes us some measure of panic to have to use other than Revelation 3:20 when we share the gospel, keep in mind that the earliest Christians did not have this verse. Revelation is the last book of the Bible to be written. How was it possible for Peter and Paul and James to ever see anyone get saved without this verse? They never had it! But if I read the book of Acts correctly, they had a measure of success in sharing the gospel even in spite of this handicap.

Fishing

I live in an area where fishing is a key sport. We have both Salt Water as well as Fresh Water fishing, and even tournaments - you should see the beach when that happens. You would think you were stuck in LA Traffic at rush hour.

Jesus invited the disciples to "come and I will make you fishers of men." An interesting concept. We love to fish for fish, but mention becoming a fisher of men to someone, and instead of flocking to the beachheads, people scatter like a bear has just dropped into the middle of a picnic. Why?

I think people are afraid to commit for fear of failure. And here I speak of myself. I find myself, telling myself that I need to do this, and then the other side of me finding reasons why I shouldn't, or reasons to put it off. So, how do I commit? The same as with any kind of fishing - you never will catch a fish until you cast the net or the line to do so.

This brings me to the second reason that we do not want to do this, and that is what do we do with them once the net or line has brought them in. In real fishing we know we have to clean and dress the fish, to prepare it for cooking and the table. But what do we do with the "spiritual fish" that our nets have brought in? This is where things gets complicated. I actually have to engage the individual(s). But with what? Evidently they are interested in the Message, or they wouldn't have come into the cast net or have taken the line. Jesus gives us some insight on this in Matt.9:35-37.

• Once teaching has caught the interest of someone and their interest is piqued, then vs.35 shows us that continued teaching is required. Explanations of things such as salvation, the kingdom of God, fidelity to the Lord are needed things.
• Vs.35 also shows us that Healing is a needed thing. Jesus healed physical ailments, and most certainly this behooves us to be aware of the physical needs of those we teach, and to do what we can to help them. Yet, healing also has a spiritual side. When we encounter people with further teaching, many discover that they need spiritual healing of one sort or another. Many will discover that their hearts are "cut" (Acts 2:37) and that they need the healing of Christ's blood (Acts 2:38). Others, will discover that old scars and wounds have reopened (1 Jn.1:9) and that they need the healing balm of forgiveness.

Why then are we afraid to engage people to "fish for men" when we already know of the salvation of Christ, and of the Forgiveness he gives in Grace as we continue to walk with Him?
Perhaps we are not convinced that we are truly saved or forgiven? Perhaps we are not appreciative of the grace that has been given to us? Perhaps, we just don't want to?

To my knowledge, discipleship and helping to aid into the effort to generate disciples is not an optional thing (2 Tim.2:2). We go fishing because we want to, we enjoy it, and we like the rewards. Spiritual fishing is equally enjoyable once you know how, and the rewards are far better. So, let's get the tackle and nets ready. Its time to go fishing!