Once Saved, Always Saved

I was reading through some things the other day about different denominations and doctrines and such. The differences between Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Pentecostal, etc. are few in number it seems, yet major in belief at some times. It was interesting, though, as I was reading trying to see which I identified with more. I read from more than one source that Baptists believe "Once saved, Always saved" and I wondered how I felt about that. Honestly, the thought never crossed my mind before! The idea that once you believe and confess and give your life to Christ... that's it. You will never lose salvation. You can do whatever you want and still be saved.... Really? Not to discount someone else's beliefs, but for me personally, I think otherwise...
I found a website that explains how I feel better than I can (not great with those word-thingys) Once Saved, Always Saved - Fact or Fiction?   Click here for the opposing argument.
(Yes, I do believe that salvation is a gift that cannot be earned, because we are all unworthy of it. But gifts can be returned/rejected.)

I think that if you willingly walk away from or turn your back on salvation (even after you have accepted it) that you have made a conscious decision to abandon that salvation (although, I do believe that it is still available to you if you so choose to accept it again).  I don't see what the point would be for God to say "Oh, you have accepted Jesus as your personal savior?!?! Great! Now go and live as the world does! Nothing has to change. Just be who you've been, or worse, and I will still allow you to receive the gift of being with me eternally!" Now, I am not saying that if you sin, you will lose the gift of salvation. We all sin. ALL of us. Yes, even you. But it is one thing to be human and occasionally sin and feel guilty and repent and turn towards God, and another thing entirely to spit in His face and say "I'm gonna live how I wanna live."

I probably shouldn't have written about such a touchy subject, but I am curious to know how you feel and how you substantiate your beliefs biblically.

Here are some scriptures that stood out to me.

Hebrews 6:4-6  For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,  and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,  and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Hebrews 10:26-27 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

2 Peter 2:20-22  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

WHAT SAY YOU?!?!

Passion

~"strong and barely controllable emotion"~

A little while ago, I showed someone a video of a great worship song being performed by a local church. It was beautiful! The melody, the harmony, the lyrics... it was a moving song and they did a fantastic job performing it! However, the first comment I received from this person was "Wow... they look so excited." in regards to the congregation.  Needless to say, it was a facetious remark. There was no excitement from the audience. There was no emotion. There was no outward display of joy or worship or... anything. It was then pointed out that the congregation at this person's church acted in the same way. Emotionless. My response was "Well, I guess everyone worships in their own way."  Which I totally believe is true, but it did get me to thinking.... Where is their passion?

~There is an epidemic of misplaced passion.~

So, the past week or so, I have made it a point to observe people and their enthusiasm.  I have noticed that people ARE passionate! They DO express outward emotion!!!  When it comes to a sporting event, a video game, a tv show, a video on YouTube, a rant on Facebook, a song about family traditions, what they eat, exercising, animals... what's missing? God. There is an epidemic of misplaced passion.  People who claim to know Jesus aren't excited about Jesus. People who are moved by a song about drinking and smoking aren't phased by a song about being free from the bondage of sin. People who will talk and talk and talk about gun rights will not discuss briefly their relationship with Christ.  People ARE passionate, but mostly about earthly matters. It was really an eye-opener, to realize that we place our joy in things that are insignificant in the "grand scheme of things".  

~For me personally~

I, too, have felt the lackadaisical atmosphere at church, at Bible study, in small groups, during praise and worship, and many other activities that pertain to our faith in Jesus Christ. I have often felt the need to contain my joy or emotion or conviction because those around me are seemingly apathetic. For me personally, I am very moved by music. There is something about music and singing that releases a world of emotion within me that is otherwise left undiscovered. How sad would it be for me to be passionate about songs that glorify the use of alcohol, drugs, profanity, lust, and greed yet become indifferent to songs about my LORD and SAVIOR?  How unfortunate for us to shout for joy because a human being put a ball through a goal and sit silently as we hear the GOOD NEWS about Jesus Christ DYING for us even though we are sinners?!? 

~What about you?~

The Bible says that "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" and most people agree that "actions speak louder than words", so wouldn't it be safe to say that our actions/reactions are a direct reflection of the contents of our heart as well? 

~Think about it... where is YOUR passion?~

Are you busy?

     

     Wow, have I been busy lately?!?!  Whew!  But it's the kind of busy where you don't really "accomplish" anything, ya know? Haha!  I was thinking about this yesterday as I had a long conversation with myself...  Man, I've been busy!   Church, life group, worship, Bible study twice a week, daily reading plan, prayer, devotions, not to mention the cooking and cleaning and raising of the children....  Just a lot of things happening right now, which for me is great. I prefer to be busy. I prefer not to be idle. I enjoy being involved with the church and progressing in my spiritual growth. But as I pondered my busyness, I began to compare the difference in being busy and being productive.

     Busyness does not guarantee productivity. We can spend all day going, going, going and not really get anything done.  The same can be said for our spiritual walk. We can go to church every time the doors open and we can volunteer for every need and we can go to group study sessions... but without that one on one relationship with God, what are we really accomplishing?

     I recently read an article aimed at Pastors, but this one part really stuck out at me:
"We also need to make prayer and Bible reading a major function of our daily discipline. Spiritual health is not birthed out of busyness for God but by creating space in the soul to hear from God and talk to God. "
~http://thegospelcoalition.org/article/pastors-you-make-your-own-sandwich

     That is so true. We need that quality time with our Father. Not "quantity" time being seen and heard.  I am reminded of the scripture that says:  "Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." ~Colossians 3:22

     This passage in context is spoken in reference to obeying earthly masters... Shouldn't it be that way even more so in our serving the Lord? Shouldn't we do things out of the sincerity of our hearts, not to please men or gain their approval? This is not to say that we should not be involved or participate in such activities as church functions or group studies, etc. But, I believe that we should be doing ALL things to honor God and to please HIM.  If we are doing things with the wrong motives or intentions, what will we gain? How will we develop in Christ?

     For me, personally, I enjoy being with Christ-centered people. I have a passion for music. I love to learn. I desire wholesome conversation. That is why I like to involve myself in various activities. I know that I could be doing much worse things with my time, that's for sure. I don't want to be like the old me. I want to be transformed. I want to be spiritually healthy. But I also know that I need to be productive in my activities. I need to be an example. I need to bring others to Christ. I need to talk to God and nurture my relationship with Him before any other.  It is important that we do not become so busy in our activities that our relationship with God becomes stagnant.

     

Pray?

    

      I am going to take this time to allow myself to be vulnerable and open with my most recent thoughts and emotions. I welcome feedback, instruction, insight, and even correction.

     The thing that I seem to be struggling with lately is prayer. I am going through this "phase" where I wonder HOW I should be praying or WHAT I should be praying for, or even WHY...

     It's like this: God knows everything. He knows my heart. He knows what I seek. So, why should I ask for things? Also, I feel like "Who am I?" to be asking things of God? I feel so meaningless in the great big scheme of things. And just how effective is prayer? It's not a magic wand. God already knows the outcome. It's kind of like a "What's the point?" thing. I know that I need to pray, and I still do. Yet, I wonder if it is effective. We have been discussing James 1 in Bible Study on TeamSpeak3 and it speaks to praying with unwavering faith, praying without doubt, and I don't think that I have doubts in prayer, but then again I can't say that with any amount of certainty, so there is something I have doubts about...

     Ok, example:   A couple of weeks ago Carter, my son, had a fever. He has had seizures associated with fever in the past. On that Wednesday night, I specifically prayed for him to not have another seizure. On Thursday morning I awoke to the terrifying sound of him gasping for breath, and opened my eyes to him convulsing with his eyes rolled back in his head, foaming at the mouth, his lips turning blue. 

     No, I don't "blame" God. No, I am not angry that I didn't "get what I asked for". But I do wonder, how effective is prayer? And if He already had a plan and knows how things will happen (and I do NOT question His plan) what does it matter if I ask for something? I asked and He said "No". Ok. I get it, it was part of His plan. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." ~Romans 8:28

     But, was my prayer the night before just a waste of breath? Was I doubting? Was I asking outside the will of God? I know that I am supposed to ask in faith, believing that I will receive.(Mark 11:24)  I know I need to pray about everything (Phil 4:6) and pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17)  I know God answers prayer (and sometimes the answer is yes, no, or not yet.)

     I know that He is the Father and I am His daughter and He wants to hear from me and have a relationship with me. And I know that I can approach the throne with boldness... But for some reason I still feel.... discouraged. 

I will continue to pray, to talk to God. I will try my best the only way I know how. But I would love some insight on how you feel about prayer, how you should pray, what you should pray for, how you stay encouraged through prayer, etc.  And, like I said at the beginning, I believe this is a "phase" and is more about me in my emotions and living inside my own head more than anything. I obviously have some things I need to sort out.... Ok, see there I go again, trying to take control away from God. Trying to place all the weight on my shoulders, when He loves me and will help me. So let me say, there are obviously some things that God is still working on in me. 

Church: To Go or Not To Go?

Let's talk about church. No, not THE church, the body of Christ, the people "not the building"... Not that. I wanna talk about the place where we go to worship and learn. More specifically, I want to discuss the reasons why people either do or do not attend church. There are many reasons we may give when asked: Why do/don't you go to church?

Here are some reasons Christians give for why they DO attend:

• fellowship with other Christians
• being fed spiritually
• good music
• encouraging messages
• habit
• obligation

Here are some reasons Christians give for NOT attending:

• obligation
• organized religion feels forced/not genuine
• not being spiritually fed
• feeling that attendance does not grant salvation
• hypocrisy within the church
• feel guilty of sin
• offended by pastor/members

Hebrews 10:24,25 states:

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 

25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

I think that it is important for us to each examine our reasons/excuses for why we have decided to attend/not attend.  If you DO attend, are you going for the right reasons? Are you going because it makes you feel good? Are you going because you think you have to? If you DON'T attend, is it because you have been hurt? Is it because you feel like you don't have to go to church to be a Christian?

The main thing is: If you ARE or AREN'T going for any other reason than God, then you may want to reevaluate your choices.

Will simply going to church get you into heaven? No. Will avoiding church help you grow spiritually? No.  God should be the driving force in all of our decisions.  I am not against going to church, nor am I opposed to those who do not attend. 

My personal story is this:

I used to avoid church. I was in the category that believed that going to church made me a Christian as much as walking into a garage made me a car. And I still believe that! The act of attending an hour long meeting once a week does not make you a Christian. I have seen the division in the church, and the gossip, and the lies, and some very "un-Christian-like" behavior. It bothered me. I looked around at a bunch of sinning hypocrites and wondered "What's the point?" But, although I studied at home on my own and sang and worshiped on my own, I did not feel that I was growing in my spiritual walk. I wasn't happy and I felt like I needed someone to hold me accountable, so I started attending church more. And guess what!? I still wasn't content! The people were disappointing. The message was disappointing. Nothing was just how I wanted it. That's right! I avoided church and I was unhappy, I went to church and I was unhappy. So, I changed the reasons why I was going. I started going to hear the Word and to learn about God. I started going to praise and worship Him. I started to realize that everyone there was just like me! Human. Fallible. Sinner. Yes, even our beloved Pastors. I realized that I needed God's grace and mercy just as much as I thought THEY needed it! I don't always want to go to church, but I go anyway. Not because I feel like I have to, but because I think that it is one of the better choices I can make with my time. I enjoy fellowship and I enjoy worship. I enjoy learning and hearing. And I don't put my focus on man, but on God: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I think that it is beneficial for us to gather and learn and worship together. And not just when it feels good or comfortable! It helps to discuss the uncomfortable things. The testing of your faith produces endurance! Let's not just talk about how kind and loving and giving and merciful God is! Let's talk about the stuff that is "not-so-comforting" to most. Let's talk about how God is jealous for us! Let's talk about His anger with our sin! Let's talk about the consequences of our actions! 

I may have went off on a little tangent in here somewhere...  :)

Either way, everyone has their reasons for why they do what they do and I would LOVE to hear your reasons for why you DO or DO NOT attend church services. Please leave your replies in the comment section!  :)

Scrutiny

How do you know you are a Christian? You believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? You asked for forgiveness and accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? You have repented? You have a relationship with Him? Whatever it may be that you have personally experienced, you KNOW in your heart that you are a Christian. Right? 

Ok, then riddle me this...  How do OTHER PEOPLE know you are a Christian? How do THEY know that you have a relationship with Jesus? How do they know that you are a believer and FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ? Do you think it's because you post it all over Facebook or because you quote scripture? Do you think it's because you go to church or sing about Jesus? 

Doubtful.

Actions truly speak louder than words.

The things that you do.... people are watching. Christians and non-Christians alike. Your very lives and actions are a testimony to your walk with God. How you conduct yourself speaks volumes in regards to your beliefs. We are examples. We are examples to the world of Christ. We are to live in such a way that we cannot be accused of anything other than loving Christ and living for Him.

We are also human and horribly flawed, each and every one of us is errant. But that is no excuse to give up trying to be more like Christ. People are watching you. They hear you profess that you are Christian and that you love God! And then they see that curse word you post on Facebook or that picture of a scantily clad woman or some rapper smoking weed. You don't look cool. You look like a hypocrite. And people aren't looking for what you do right. They will always see the ways you fail before they recognize the ways you succeed.

You may be saying to yourself  "Who are they to judge me?!" But maybe it's not judging. Perhaps it's simply making an educated analysis of what they see. We are all guilty of making assumptions like this. Perhaps you have a friend or family member who goes to church twice a week and volunteers for the homeless and quotes scripture and creates beautiful music to magnify the Lord and curses like a sailor. Isn't it sad? That one little oopsy can completely negate all the wonderful deeds and words. Or you have a Pastor whom you love dearly and then you find out that he/she smokes cigarettes. Something simple that has no effect on you whatsoever, yet your view of their validity as a Christian is altered.

Let's face it: We have ALL sinned and fallen short of His glory. But it is not an excuse to conform to this world! Being a Christian is hard work! It isn't something you just say and POOF you're a Christian! It is a daily struggle and a lifestyle change! It is difficult and OH SO WORTH IT! It is rewarding and exciting and lonely at times! But DO NOT GIVE UP! Be more aware of what you are doing. You never who know is watching!

 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 
~1 Peter 2:16


For further study:
https://bible.org/seriespage/mark-1-example-others-imitate
http://christianteens.about.com/od/whatthebiblesaysabout/a/GodlyBehavior.htm
http://www.openbible.info/topics/being_a_good_example
http://www.gty.org/resources/study-guides/40-5216/godly-living

Attitude of Gratitude

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

~1 Thessalonians 5:18

In every thing... EVERY thing! Every good thing and bad thing. Happy thing and sad thing. Every trial and triumph. Give thanks! No matter what is going on, we are to give thanks and glorify God.

It's not easy, though. We are so easily distracted by our situations, sometimes is seems difficult, if not impossible, to show gratitude. We feel so "down" we forget to look "up".