Thessaloniki, Thessalonia, Salonica...however you have heard of it, there it is on the map above.
Paul's first letters in the New Testament were to believers in Thessalonia, who had heard the Gospel from Paul and his crew and been moved by God to seek His Salvation.
Newbie Christians, (the only kind around in those days) they had questions and Paul had answers from God for them.
One point that Paul makes is that they were indeed in Christ because God had chosen them:
"2We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;
3constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,
4knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;"
holding it right there, friends-God does the picking and choosing.
He decides who gets to go to Heaven, and who end up in hell.
The reason I'm covering this ground again is simple: I pray for friends and family to be saved, I pray for others such as President Obama to be saved, knowing that it is God's decision. If God says no, it is no.
I would love to see everyone I care about make it to Heaven. I'm selfish that way-I want those I love or even just like to be with us in Heaven. I might someday be rubbing elbows with those early Thessalonian
saints on Paul's mailing list. That will be cool. I'd love to see you there.
10 comments:
I didn't quite go in the direction intended by the title of the post-it was going to be more about being thankful to God and not apologizing to anyone about His having saved me.
It wasn't me. I didn't do anything to deserve Salvation, but I am so very thankful to be saved.
I know that my attitude is like smoke in the eyes to some, but there it is.
Yet you say in one breath that it's God's decision and that President Obama isn't saved. If it's God's decision, how do you know?
Hello Lu, hope that you are enjoying some sort of Spring,if the snows have gone.
" If it's God's decision, how do you know?"
I can do this in one breath, but it might take a few more words.
Just as I know absolutely that I have been saved, I can know with some conviction whether someone is truly a Christian.
Am I omniscient? Not a chance. But I do have spiritual discernment, and can follow what Scripture states about how to recognize false believers.
Galatians chapter five details the differences between those who have God's Spirit and everyone else.
Jesus Himself warned against false brethren, Paul and Peter and Jude and John all go into detail about false believers, to watch for them and to keep separate from them.
Lu, if it is your view that if someone calls himself a Christian then you can't judge whether or not he is one...does that make sense? Is that logical? Do you accept what anyone says about themselves without critical thinking, without discernment?
No? Then why should I, especially when Christians are told to watch out for false believers?
My view is that no human being is either authorized nor qualified to judge anyone else's spiritual state.
"My view is that no human being is either authorized nor qualified to judge anyone else's spiritual state."
agree to disagree, Lu.
I mentioned the gift of spiritual discernment above. That's not just Christian jibber jabber.
Also, I 'judge' someone's spirituality not against my prejudices and opinions, but against Scripture.
If someone claims to be a Christian but rejects what God has clearly defined in His Word, then I know that they are not true Christians.One of the latest heresies I've heard is that people can be saved apart from Christ. For that to be true, entire chapters of Scripture would have to be torn out or re-written.
Lu, are you suggesting that you do not judge my spiritual state? Go ahead-I can take it.
Yes, I think I do, sometimes, and that's wrong. That wasn't the answer I wanted to give you, but it's true.
If I were a better person... well, if I were a better person I probably wouldn't still be here, but since I am here, I'll try to imagine what a better person would do here. If there's a God, I devoutly hope He/She/It/They aren't as mean as the God you worship. I think, as I've said before, that a chief joy in your life is judging and condemning people, and that therefore you worship a God who lets you, nay, wants you to do that. I think you emphasize parts of the Bible that say Those People are Bad, and skim over the parts that say love one another, and, sorry, but that does not mean scolding them for being different. (Mt. 25:31-46.)
That's a moral judgment, definitely. Is it a spiritual one? I'm not sure if God exists, and I tend more and more to doubt it, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for me to say if you're right with God or not. If you are, I'm toast.
There's no double meaning in this statement: I know I am right and I don't want you to be toast.
I read a similar notion recently about us 'pro-lifers', that we are somewhat pleased when unmarried women become pregnant, as they are 'getting what they deserve', meaning being burdened with unwanted children.
So, who was it with such a low opinion of our motives?
John Irving, author of "The Cider House Rules" in a memoir about his movie making business.
He assumes that we relish the idea of others being punished and Lu, you might think that also;nothing I say can change a made up mind.
But I'm not pleased when someone suffers any more than I like it when it happens to me. I get no joy out of others misfortune.
I don't click my heels and shout for joy when someone dies and goes to hell.
Would I suggest that there are NO Christians who act hateful? No-we may be saved, but we are still human, still sinners, and we have knuckleheads on our side of the fence, too. They will stand before God and give an accounting of their lives just as I will-not for whether or not we will be saved, but for how we lived, what we did with our lives after becoming saved.
Ouch. I just got up for a moment, and I realize that I need to get to bed. I'm doing more physical labor on my present job (which ends in a few days) than I have in years. That recent post about striated aging is still true, except now it all feels old.
I hope that you have a nice Mother's Day, Lu.
They will stand before God and give an accounting of their lives just as I will-not for whether or not we will be saved, but for how we lived, what we did with our lives after becoming saved.
You once wrote that once saved a person was in like Flynn, and could, if he chose, veg out on the couch for the rest of his days and still go to heaven. So where does the accounting come in?
Oh, and I did have a nice Mother's Day, thank you. I hope you find steadier, less stressful employment.
Lu said, "So where does the accounting come in?"
"11For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.
14If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward.
15If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." 1 Cor 3:11-15
Simply put, what a Christian does with his life, what he does to glorify God while here on earth will be judged, not pertaining to Salvation, but rewards or lack thereof.
what I do will be judged, and all the selfish self aggrandizing elements of my life will be burned away. If I have 50 years as a Christian to account for and I did nothing for God, nothing to please God, I would have 50 years of selfish works burned up and little to show for it in Heaven.
If, however, I do try to honor God and do His Will and Glorify Him with my life, when my works are tested by fire there will be treasure there.
But I don't live now just for the rewards later. Call that the bare minimum. I live for God because He has saved me, and cares for me and I return the love He has for me.
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