Being a sinner means being wrong. Since we still sin after confessing Christ, we still must deal with the fact that we are wrong when we sin. Being a Christian does not make wrong right. Being a Christian does not excuse what we do, say, or think that is wrong. Following Christ means agreeing with what is right, hating what is wrong, and asking that God make us right.
Accepting God’s grace means that we know we are wrong, that we deserve punishment for being wrong and that Jesus took the punishment on himself that we deserved. Grace does not remove the need for justice to be served; it was served on the cross. Having been excused from punishment by Jesus being punished for us, God begins the process of doing in us what we want to do but cannot do ourselves, the process of being made right, the process of being a Christian. Christians agree sin is wrong, confess and reject what is wrong in them, recognise and turn from what is wrong in the world, and depend on the ability to see and the power to become right by agreeing with and depending on the one who is right. Being right is not about me, it is about what is right and he who is right. I want to be right.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Invitation
There is very little worldly gain to being one of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. All humanity is invited to join the fellowship via a charter personally introduced and delivered by the founder. Membership includes the founder's love and the inclusion as an heir to his kingdom. Members are required to love the founder with all their being and respect him by following the charter.
Membership also requires the willingness to give all one owns and is in this world. Those who accept the invitation may only be asked to give a part of what they have, spread out over the tenure of their membership. Others may be asked to give a majority if not all of what they have at any time, to include the moment after they agree to join. The time at which each member is asked and the amount of each member's offering is not revealed or justified to anyone, to include the member asked. All members will be asked to give everything at some time also unknown to anyone but the founder. Members understand the offering to be an investment of eternal value and compounding interest, worth infinitely more than the offering required. Those who are asked to give the most of their worldly possessions and give the most willingly receive the greatest worldly understanding and enjoyment of their eternal investment. Those who are not asked miss the blessing of the chance and those who do not respond willingly miss the blessing in proportion to their opposition.
Those who refuse the invitation to join the fellowship will not be eligible for the benefit of knowing and being an heir to the founder, the option of investing or the resulting benefits. All they have will be taken anyway. It is better for the one who chooses not to join than for the one who accepts but does not willingly give when it is asked of them. Choose carefully how you respond and consider seriously the result of your choice.
Membership also requires the willingness to give all one owns and is in this world. Those who accept the invitation may only be asked to give a part of what they have, spread out over the tenure of their membership. Others may be asked to give a majority if not all of what they have at any time, to include the moment after they agree to join. The time at which each member is asked and the amount of each member's offering is not revealed or justified to anyone, to include the member asked. All members will be asked to give everything at some time also unknown to anyone but the founder. Members understand the offering to be an investment of eternal value and compounding interest, worth infinitely more than the offering required. Those who are asked to give the most of their worldly possessions and give the most willingly receive the greatest worldly understanding and enjoyment of their eternal investment. Those who are not asked miss the blessing of the chance and those who do not respond willingly miss the blessing in proportion to their opposition.
Those who refuse the invitation to join the fellowship will not be eligible for the benefit of knowing and being an heir to the founder, the option of investing or the resulting benefits. All they have will be taken anyway. It is better for the one who chooses not to join than for the one who accepts but does not willingly give when it is asked of them. Choose carefully how you respond and consider seriously the result of your choice.
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