1 Peter 1:3-5
“3 Praised (honored,
blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His
boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 [Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of
change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading,
reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your]
faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be
revealed [for you] in the last time.”
What is asking God of you oh
Israel! to just believe, obey and follow Him. What else could He have provided you?
Did He leave you abandoned in the wilderness/dessert? No. He took you to the Land
he promised your Ancestors; He has been faithful to you despite your unfaithfulness.
God has given everything to
His People, including His Most Precious Treasure, Jesus, The Messiah, His Only
Begotten Son! He only asked for sole worship and acknowledgement of Him as
their Savior, who brought them out of Egypt. Nowadays, Jesus is asking the
Church, His church, to follow and obey Him by going to preach His Gospel to ALL
Nations; to the ends of the earth! Unfortunately, the same disobedience and
disrespect God’s People (Israel) showed to Him in ancient times, the Church is showing
towards Jesus Christ, His Builder and Savior. As Israel, the Church must repent
and return to Jesus Christ. The Church is engaging in the same attitudes and conducts
Israel did: idols idolatry, compromising with the World; accepting the World as
is, and lastly but not least, participating in the things of the World. The
Church has lost His Builder’s Vision and Command.
The Church is called to be the
Essence and Aroma of Christ; the Light of the World, the Salt that preserves
and give flavor to the World, unfortunately, she has lost its way in the world,
acting like It. Praise be to our Father that He is Merciful and continues to give
us opportunities to repent, however, let us not take His mercy for granted
(Hebrew 2:3).
The Father provided Salvation through
His Son Jesus Christ, but repentance is a personal act and decision. When the message
of the Gospel is preached to us and we respond positively to it, the Holy
Spirit opens our hearts to understand what it means. The revelation of
Salvation is imminent for obedience, determination and dedication to the spreading
of this life changing Gospel given to humanity. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 says: 17 “Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed
away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through
Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that
is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting
their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation.” Therefore, let us not boast ourselves thinking that we can be
saved on our own. Our Heavenly Father provided a Way, Jesus Christ, to
reconcile man with Him.
“Christians often talk about
salvation, but do we really understand what it requires? Too many of us think
that being saved is our own responsibility, but it’s really the work of God. He
causes us to be born again.” Humanity cannot receive Salvation through work; we
cannot make ourselves righteous. The Only Righteous One is Jesus Christ, and
when we accept His Gospel, the Father sees us righteous in Him; it is not our
work! Humanity became corrupted through Adam, but Jesus’s Blood on the Cross
broke the curse of death on us set us free. “The good works and righteous acts
can never earn God’s forgiveness and favor.” Church of Christ, stop thinking
that because of your good deeds You are saved. Repent and return to Christianity
of the Heart and flee from Christianity of Formalism. There are no more rituals
or confessions to men. You can now come to the Father without priests or any
intermediator. Jesus Christ opened the door for us to enter freely to the Holy
Place! Alleluia…Amen.
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