Has God Chosen Some To Be Saved And Some To Be Lost?

I trust what Jesus says. I find it interesting what some people say expounding on the Scriptures but when it comes down to them and Jesus' words I will always choose Jesus' words. I know a few people who have married themselves to certain doctrines that are not found in the Word, that fly in the face of what Jesus said. One of these things is that our loving Father has decided who will be saved and who won't be. This means that no matter what some people decide, salvation will never be available to them.

Can we just review here what Jesus said?

"Then everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life. God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn its people. He sent him to save them! No one who has faith in God’s Son will be condemned. But everyone who doesn’t have faith in him has already been condemned for not having faith in God’s only Son." (John 3:15-18)

Look at it again. Jesus said "everyone" who has faith in him. Other translations says "whoever believes" in him. I don't need to go any further than these words. It is the promise I rely on, where I have placed my faith and trust, because of the one who said it.

My salvation is not a thing given to me because Yahweh has considered my favoured but because I believed in the one single act where Father sent the Son to die for the salvation of the entire world. Salvation is a free gift for everyone who decides to believe. We will be judged not according to our sins but according to whether we believed or not, whether we placed our faith in the Son of God, trusted his promises and accepted the gift.

Father has chosen to love the entire world of people, even in the midst of our rebellion, in all our ugliness, in all our guilt and shame. It is when we accept the promise that the promise is applied and everything is removed. None of this was done by me; my only part is to accept it, but it is my choice. Father has not chosen some to be saved and some to be condemned. He has chosen us all to be saved but it is up to us. He has given us a choice. That is what Jesus said and that is good enough for me.

Words That Shape Us

How you see yourself is exactly how you are going to act. That is why the words that we allow into our heart can be so powerful, if we allow them to change our perception. If we are not absolutely sure of who we are those words, which come from other people, can actually shape us into how other people see us. This is why it is important for parents to speak good things into their children because those young lives are still being shaped and are influenced by our words.

This is also why it is important that we only allow God's words to shape us. We need to be absolutely sure of who we are in Jesus so that assurance will prevent others from shaping us. Consider these words:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved ... (Colossians 3:12a)

Chosen, holy, loved. This describes us. Chosen because God made a choice in sending Jesus so that we may be saved from destruction and adopted into the Father's family. Holy because, by God's grace, that is what he has declared over us and made the decision how to see us, even though we are not worthy of that word; it is who we are because God said we are holy. Loved because God has poured out all his mercy, forgiveness and compassion on us, transforming us into something new, saving us from ourselves and sitting us at his right hand with Jesus.

Now how could we ever listen to any words that say we are ugly when God says we are beautiful? There are too many hurtful words that we could repeat here but why bother; they don't apply to us. God has told us exactly who we are and we need to act on those words, allowing them to shape our perception and action. If words can be spoken to convince us we are stupid and we act stupid, should not the words of God propel us into acts of greatness?

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (v12)

Because we are chosen, holy and loved we are shaped so that we become compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. If you are not sure of who you are then words will shape you into other actions even though you desire to be these things from God. You may want to be compassionate but because you are not convinced you are chosen, holy and loved, your actions will not reflect Jesus' character; you will not cooperate with the Holy Spirit in you.

We can't just attend church, Bible Study and sing sings, hoping for the best. We have to be transformed. We have to allow the blood of Jesus Christ to transform us into the new creation to which God has called us. We need to allow the power of the Holy Spirit to continue the transformation process daily. We need to be convinced of who we are in Jesus so the words of God are the only words that shape us. Know who you are in Jesus and walk that walk.

Knowing You Are Called By God

There are no careers in the Church. You don't become a worship team member because you can sing. You don't become a youth pastor because you have energy. You don't become a pastor because you are a good  manager. You don't become a missionary because you like to travel. You don't become an evangelist because you like being the center of attention. Whatever you do in the Church is because God called you to that thing. If you chose your position you are in a lot of trouble.

As a member of the Body of Christ you must always be aware that God chose you for that place. Apostle Paul was always aware and kept reminding himself that he did not choose but was chosen:

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness. (Colossians 1:25)

Paul is referring to being a servant to the Church. He was keenly aware that it was Jesus who gave him that responsibility and as such he dare not walk away from it. How did Paul find the strength to go through what he did to present the gospel to the world? It's amazing what you can go through when you know that Jesus chose you and is backing you up.

Paul often wrote on this subject, reminding people again and again that we do not get to decide what we are in the Body. It is not by our aptitude, talents or psychological profile; it is according to the will of God. Read in 1 Corinthians 12 the reminder that the Spirit chooses the spiritual gifts for us and it is God who appoints people to positions. Remember in general that Jesus told us that we did not choose him but he chose us. We have to remember that and take our proper place.

It is funny how I knew I was going to be a pastor even when I was lost in my rebellion as a teenager. Even though I had walked away from God, the church and anything to do with Jesus, I knew what my calling was. It wasn't that I had any talent for it. I was not a people person. I was not good at public speaking. I had nothing at all to offer, yet I knew what God had knit into me and what he had prepared for me to do. So here I am.

It is with this keen awareness that you never quit. No matter how difficult it gets, or how tired you become, or even how much discouragement you face, it is impossible to quit when you know you have been commissioned by God. A pastor can never walk away, no matter the cost, because it was God's choice not his. Paul could never quit. It was impossible for him. Even after jail time, beatings, stonings, shipwrecks and abandonment by those he trusted, Paul pushed through, because Jesus had chosen him.

If you can understand of what I am writing here then you understand the depth of God's calling. But if this means nothing to you and you have walked away from many things in your life, you should take a serious look at what you think you have been called to do.

There is one other thing about God's calling: It is irrevocable. Even if you failed to walk in it in the past; even if you failed in it; even if others consider you unworthy, the calling is never removed. If you were called to that thing 50 years ago and never responded to God, you are still called to it today:

As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. (Romans 11:28-29)

So, time to take a good evaluation of what you are doing and why. Don't waste your life doing something that was not God's intention for you. Move back into his will and watch the strength and blessings flow in your calling.

Discouragement Comes When We Forget

Is it possible for a Christian to become discouraged? Absolutely, when we forget. There are a lot of things we can forget that would lead us to discouragement, even depression. We can forget God's promises, presence, love, forgiveness, mercy, grace. We can even forget that we did not choose him but he chose us.

We forget this because we think that the decision we made meant that we chose him. We forget who created us in the first place and we forget he created us for friendship with him. We forget that he has pursued us throughout time and he laid down his plans to rescue us. We forget that he chose the cross. We forget he sent the Spirit. We forget that he decided for us before the beginning of time. We forget that Jesus even told us:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. (John 15:16)

I think Paul often reminded himself and his readers that he had not chosen this relationship and calling himself but he had been chosen:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. (Colossians 1:1)

This was important to remember because Paul had been a persecutor of the Church and there were many people in the world who did not want Paul to forget. I am sure there are many people in your life who do not want you to forget what you were or what you have done. The great accuser certainly doesn't want you to forget. He wants you to remain weak, pitiful and useless to God. Between yourself, other people, and the great accuser it is hard to forget. But you must forget in order to remember who chose you.

You are not a freak chance of nature; you were purposefully designed and given life. You have been called to greatness in the Kingdom of God of which you are a citizen. You are a constant companion of God, called friend by Jesus and filled by God himself. You have been pursued by Jesus who does not want to lose you. You are cherished, loved and protected.

There are other choices you can make yourself. You can chose to ignore God. You can chose to stay miserable in the darkness of your soul. You can chose to hide under the blanket of tormenting emotions. You can chose to hide behind the frailty of man's logic. You can chose to remain enslaved to things you do not even realize exist. You can make these other choices or you can accept the fact that you are chosen.

Jesus is reminding you today, to encourage you, to lift you up, that you did not choose him but he chose you. Live in that knowledge today, accepting the fact that you never face anything alone but are always in the presence of the great overcomer. He said he will never leave you or forsake you. You will never be abandoned or forgotten. You are precious. Despite how you feel, what you think, how you act, God is always pursuing your friendship. He has chosen you, and his forgiveness, mercy and grace are enough to preserve you until the day of Jesus' return. Relax, forget about everything else, enjoy the journey and enjoy Jesus.

Not Choosing But Chosen

We who follow Jesus Christ, who are citizens of his Kingdom, who have died and now live through him, are a very blessed people. We need to be reminded of that fact. The reason we need to be reminded is because we forget.

We forget that we are blessed because living in this place, where we do not belong, can cause us to forget. We get busy, distracted, overwhelmed and we forget. We forget who we belong to. We forget we are here with purpose. We forget that this is a temporary thing and the permanent is on the way. We forget to look up.

Over the next few days I want to remind you of the greatest blessings we have received. I want to remind you, in all your busyness of living, to look up. And I am starting with this reminder:

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. (Ephesians 1:4)

First blessing: He chose us! Yes, so often we think it is us who have chosen him and perhaps that is a reason we get things so wrong all the time. Jesus said:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. (John 15:16)

Remember those words today as you hurry around in the insignificant busyness of your little life. Jesus chose you, knows you, loves you and has appointed you to something bigger than your life. So grow into it.

He didn't just choose you though. Jesus chose you before the creation of the world. Before God called light into being he knew you intimately and he made provision for each day of your life. He knew you and still he decided to go ahead with it. He went ahead with it because he enjoyed the thought of having even the possibility of being with you.

Don't miss out on the important bits here. He chose us for something. He chose us to be holy and blameless in his sight. Not that we could do this but he has blessed us by declaring us holy and blameless. It is what Jesus has done for us. We forget this. We forget that it has already been done for us and we try to do it ourselves. Instead of just letting the Spirit work this blessing out in our life we struggle and fill our life with guilt and shame when we fail.

We can be really stupid sometimes.

Look up!

Realize who you belong to and why. Realize what our King has done for us and why. Realize you have been chosen and blessed beyond measure and you walk around today holy and blameless in his sight. Realize you are more than what you see in the mirror. You are more than all your failings combined. Your failings do not define you. Jesus defines you.

My friend, you are blessed.

Look up!

Be defined today.

You have been chosen and you are holy and blameless.

Are You Called To Be An Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor Or Teacher?

What would you say if I told you that education isn't everything? What would you say if I told you that not everyone behind the pulpit was called by God to be there? What would you say if I told you that our way is not God's way, and our thoughts, ideas, opinions and traditions are not God's? Somewhere along the way we have forgotten that people have to be chosen and sent by God, not by man. Paul opens his letter to the Galatians like this:

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. (Galatians 1:1)

Sent not from men nor by man. Because of this assurance Paul was able to face sufferings, trials, and hardships that no normal man would have been able to endure. If I thought my calling had come as a result of a man I would have quit a long time ago. No one convinced me of anything and no one tagged me to go. In fact, there are a number of people who are called by God that man has rejected because of some fault that we do not consider acceptable. Today, those who try to answer God's call have to submit themselves to a barrage of psychological, physical and mental tests. If these had been around in the 1800's I doubt many of the greats would have made it through.

God's calling is not based on good looks and talents, intelligence and speaking ability, management and people skills. God's calling is based on the anointing and gifting of God. God chooses by the condition of a person's heart not their ability to draw people. He looks for those who are willing to believe that all things are possible, who are willing to obey and who know how to confess and repent their disobedience. He is looking for a David's heart. King David, who should have been fired many times because of his mess ups but who always pleased God because, despite his mess ups, he loved the Lord.

For God it is always a question of the heart and no test can ever reveal that to the selection board. The thing that mature Christians can see is the anointing and calling of God, not revealed by outward mannerism but revealed by the Spirit of God. There are great speakers in the Church, with wonderful talents and intellect. We have others that are great managers and others who know how to follow the formula for building large churches. But the real question is, were they sent by man or God? I would rather sit under the anointed preaching of a plumber or brick layer than under the intellectual teaching of a man. I would rather be prayed over by an anointed garbage man than by a well meaning degreed pastor. We have to change our thinking to come back in line with God's heart.

We are trying too hard to be like the world, forcing the chosen to go to colleges and universities to earn degress so they can be more acceptable to the world. Some are called to go this way because God has a plan for them but others he has sent out to the highways and by-ways, to preach from the roof tops and in the gutters, to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. The person sitting in the tavern, drinking their lost and pathetic life away because they cannot find any purpose, does not need to hear the various theories of who wrote the letter to the Hebrews. He does not need to hear the various arguments around baptism or the latest debate on hell. What he needs to hear is that God has purpose for him, that Jesus loved him enough to die for him and that God has launched a rescue plan just for him, to bring him from the darkness into the light. Perhaps that someone chosen to bring him this good news is you.

It doesn't matter that you don't have a Bible College degree and it doesn't matter if you are awkward with people. It doesn't matter if you are afraid of talking in front of people or if you have no background in working with the homeless. It doesn't matter if you have had not training in how to craft a sermon. All that matters is if you are willing to be obedient to God's calling. If he has called you then he will equip you. I should know, after he called me he completely changed me to fit the purpose he had for my life.

Sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ.

And that is all that matters.