Unity, God's Power Within the Body of Christ to Change the World

In Genesis 11, a unified people intended to build a tower to Heaven.  This was not God's plan for Man's existence at that time, and the Bible says God scattered them.  Still, He was impressed by the oneness saying, "Behold, the people is one . . . and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do," Genesis 11:6 (KJV).

In Acts 1 and 2, the Bible mentions how the believers were on one accord as they patiently awaited the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the NEW EMANUEL, to come into the earth.  Their oneness did not determine when the Holy Spirit would arrive; Acts 1:5 indicates otherwise.  But I believe this unity, this oneness played no small part in terms who actually got filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

And so it should it be with us today.  Christians the world over need to stand together.  Satan has implemented in attacking us a military tactic as old as war itself, divide and conquer.  Our lack of oneness inwardly has made the Christian church impotent globally. 

We need to tear down the doctrinal, racial, and gender dividers!  A church of multiple denominations is not all what God intended for us.

Evil persists in the world because of us--because we are disjointed.  And because we are not the force in the earth God calls us to be, men who do not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ rise to the highest positions of authority. 

Together, we can change the political landscape.  Together, we can be the center of the global society.  Together, we can make certain that the gospel of Jesus Christ reaches the four corners of the globe.  This is simply how God created us.  As a collective on one accord, we can be exponentially more powerful than just the sum of our parts.

Evangelism, the Body of Christ's Political Movement

In July, 2011, President Obama successfully repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  Not long after, I, being former Air Force and a believer, discussed this with a close friend who is currently on active duty and a believer himself.  In this conversation, my friend says to me, "When you try to regulate morality, you've already failed."

Back in August, a new mosque opened in Murfreeboro, TN.  Over the previous two years, these muslims were in-and-out of court as the local community called upon the powers that be to hinder or halt the progress of the construction of this mosque even though in building this mosque, these muslims are doing nothing legally wrong.  It wreaks of a witchhunt, really, arguing guilt and forcing these muslims to prove innocence instead of the other way around.  They even that these local muslims were plotting to overthrow our Constitution and replace it with Islamic law.

For naught, though.  The opposition only increased their resolve, and today their building is open.

This morning, my wife tells me of several companies, whose products we regularly purchase, who are vocalizing their support for same-sex marriage.  My response to her was that these companies are supporting the position of whoever argues the loudest.  They'll go whichever way the wind blows, and in my opinion, the same-sex community is doing far more to direct that wind than the Christian church is.

We hear of situations like these and we gasp as if the wind has been knocked out of us.  At times, we make issue of such situations with politicians and on the floors of the courts because we view them detrimental to society even though those we oppose are doing nothing legally wrong.  But this is an outside-in (body=>soul=>spirit), reactive approach by which we force people to change when God's approach is an inside-out (spirit=>soul=>body), proactive approach by which we teach people to change.

The heart of the issue is that they think differently than believers do, but that's really our fault, not theirs.  For whatever angers us relative to society, God is not at all surprised.  This is expressly why Jesus told us (Matthew 28:18 - 20) to make disciples. 

More than get them to confess Christ, making disciples means teaching them continually until they know everything that Christ has taught you.  Jesus' instruction to make disciples was not only intended to resolve issues like those mentioned above but actually prevent them altogether.  He have to evangelize the lost, otherwise our adversary will sow deception in the space, i.e. the heart, alloted for God's truth.  From such deceptions, situations like those stated above are spawned.

EVANGELIZE FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR PROTECTION AND THAT OF YOUR FAMILY. 

EVANGELIZE FOR THE SAKE OF UNITY AND ONENESS IN OUR COUNTRY. 

EVANGELIZE TO FIX OUR POLITICS FROM THE BOTTOM UP.  You make disciples of your neighbors, and before long, your politicians will speak/act just like you.  Politicians are only a snapshot of their constituency.

What does it matter how many states legalize same-sex marriage if we are able to convince our society that homosexuality and lesbianism insult God, and people begin to seek deliverance from them?

What does it matter how many states legalize marijuana if we lead people into a relationship with the Holy Spirit, and He is able to convict their hearts against the use of it?

I'm not an opponent of the Second Amendment, but I know many who are and understably so.  You evangelize those around you such that the love of Christ becomes a common thread in your community, and you will have your gun control.

Some of us are insulted by politics being discussed from the pulpit when what we learn from God's Word was always supposed dictate our politics.  If you believe your pastor/clergy speak by revelation of the Holy Spirit, you can't possibly think that flow of revelation ceases when he/she begins talking politics.  To get angry when politics are discussed in church is to presume God has no opinion concerning who leads this country.

Evangelism, making disciples is our political movement.  Regardless of how seemingly insurmountable the task may appear, God remains optimistic and so should you.  God remains optimistic because of you.  Fear not, for Christ has already overcome the world, and He is with us even to the end of the age. 

God recognizes our ability to change this world even if we don't; this is simply how He created us.  We change the hearts/minds of those around us, and we will change this country.  It is NOT the responsibility of our politicians.  This responsibility rests upon us.

Why 'Once Saved, Always Saved' Is NOT True

The idea of "once saved, always saved" is a very comforting thought--to know your salvation is secure no matter what you say or do.  But to me, such a belief is dangerous.  Use of the word, "always", implies there is no situation or scenario, no word or deed by which your salvation would be forfeit.  To believe so is underestimate yourself.  For God created all of Mankind innately capable of controling our own existence.  Your salvation is your responsibility, not God's.  Continue to read, and I'll explain why I believe this is true . . .

1.  I suppose the premise for this argument is Man's free will.  I know many Christians don't believe in this, but even with Israel in the Old Testament, God asked that they give offering only of their free will.  We can presume that our allowances by God to exercise our own decision-making capability extend much further than just giving offering.

This being a given, we choose to accept Jesus, the Christ as Lord and Savior.  Yet if "once saved, always saved" were true, that would mean we cannot choose to renounce Him.  And while it makes no sense to me, believe me when I say that people have tried.  Because we run into that word, always, again, those who would want to renounce Christ would be stuck with Him.  By contrast, I would not presume God to be so controlling.  To me, God wouldn't want you to stay in relationship with Him if you don't want to.  You come and go into God's kingdom as you please.

2.  What's more compelling is God's expectation of your holiness.  It makes sense that God would expect of you a lifestyle set apart unto Him, i.e. holiness.  And Hebrews 12:6 clearly says that without it, you will not see the Father.  But supposing you could never lose your salvation anyway, why would you really need holiness? 

In truth, God's expectation of your holiness is based on the very high cost He paid for your salvation, i.e. the blood of Christ, and He won't allow you to make a mockery of it.  Galatians 6:8 tells us that sowing to our sinful nature or flesh will reap corruption.  Romans 6:23 says that the wage of sin is death.  These statements are true whether you're saved already or not.  Remember, Adam created death, i.e. separation of God in state of perfection and uninhibited relationship with God.  He had no sin nature when he was created, but because of his sin, we're born with a sinful nature.  If he could create death being perfect, surely we could easily experience spiritual death since we are already born into an imperfect state.

3.  Furthermore, if "once saved, always saved" were true, what does "backslide" mean?  To me, it means that you've fallen away from the Body of Christ, you've broken relationship with the Father, God.  This term is used quite often throughout the Bible by different writers.  The context in which these numerous persons over multiple generations used this term appears the same as the definition I just gave.  Is this term no longer valid?

4.  If "once saved, always saved" is true, what is forgiveness for?  It seems clear that forgiveness is God's process by which you return to right-standing with Him, the means by which you re-establish the broken relationship.  Not just for your benefit, God established forgiveness as the means by which He could resolve Himself of the resposibility per His Word of holding your sins against you in eternity.  If your salvation were never yours to lose, He would ever need to forgive you?

The moment of salvation is rightfully referred to as being "born again". For salvation is the beginning of a life in Christ, not the end. In the same way that an infant is celebrated as he/she enters the world can ultimately can ultimately grow into an adult who is a serial murderer and die strapped to gurney, so can your salvation being celebrated by the angels could be followed by you being disgruntled and choosing to leave the Body of Christ. The choice is yours. People stop attending church all the time for numerous reasons, and normally their heart or Spirit Man left a long time before their body did. Because of this "once saved, always saved" belief, they'll actually believe there's no spiritual consequence for it.

I implore you to recognize the obvious, that life is choice-driven.  And regardless of how soothing it is to know you've been protected from yourself by this deception, remaining under the covering of Christ's blood is still one of those life choices.

Seedtime and Harvest, the Principle that Governs

In my opinion, seedtime and harvest is the grand-daddy of all principles.  The the cookie-cutter principle into which all other principles fit.

With Proverbs 13:18, we learn that even the honor we receive is the result of the seed that we sow.

Seed:  ". . . he who regards a rebuke"
Harvest:  "will be honored".


Luke 6:38 is a principle that governs how to receive from God.

Seed: "Give"
Harvest: "and it shall be given to to you good measure, pressed down, shaken together shall men give into your bosom . . ."

In James 4:7, God informs us on how to turn away our adversary.  That he runs from us is only the result of seed sown

Seed: "Resist the devil"
Harvest: "and He will flee from you."

James 4:8 is a principle that governs your relationship with God, but it is an emulation of seedtime and harvest.

Seed:  "Draw nigh to God"
Harvest:  "and He will draw nigh to you . . ."

Galatians 5:16 is a principle that governs subjecting your flesh. 

Seed:  "Walk in the Spirit"
Harvest:  "and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

Cause and effect, give and take, bartering, supply and demand . . .  All are reflections of seedtime and harvest.

In my opinion, seedtime and harvest is the chief among principles that govern.  And regardless of whether or not we recognize it, our very existence is submitted to this principle:  "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest . . . shall not cease." 

All you say and do is seed sown.  For your good or your bad, this principle is always in operation.  The only question is what you're sowing.
                                                                                                                                                                                 

Empowered by Seedtime and Harvest

In Mark 4, Jesus does a very granular teaching on the subject of sowing and reaping.  In verse 26, He equates sowing and reaping to God's Kingdom.  While many Christians might refer to the Kingdom of God as God's dwelling place or even the people over whom He rules, the Kingdom of God is actually God's way of doing things or His modus operadi.  In a phrase, His M.O. is seedtime and harvest.

Whenever God attempted to accomplish anything in the earth, He sowed a seed.  In creating the world, He sowed the seed of His Word.  When wanting to conceive His son, Jesus, He sowed His seed within Mary . . . only after she verbalized her consent, of course.  When He wanted to redeem Man back to Himself, He sowed the seed of sacrificing that very same son that He might reap a harvest of many sons and daughters.

Given that God gives Himself no allowances to violate this governing principle, you certainly should not expect that desires and needs will just drop in your lap being unrelated to a seed sown.  In other words, if God has to sow seed, you definitely have to do it.  In fact, in sowing towards God's Kingdom as directed by His Word, you put the onus on God to return a harvest to you. 

Therein is the empowerment of seedtime and harvest.  Given that God is always as good as His Word, your obedience to His Word, which is the seed, manifest the promises thereof in your life, which is the harvest.

It is unfortunate that people believe "God works in mysterious ways."  In light of seedtime and harvest, it's simply foolish to think this way.  Indeed God gave Man His Word expressly for the purpose of taking the mystery out of having a relation with Him. 

From academic success to poor physical health, from landing your first after-school job to moving into your corner office, from saying "I do" to divorce court, we all recognize that the decisions we make will determine the future we have.  Make no mistake about it, my friend, God established sowing and reaping/seedtime and harvest to put the control of your existence in your own hands.