Are You Working Out Your Own Salvation?
A group of God’s people were asked something one time, by a powerful prophet.
How long are you going to halt between two opinions?
It seems that the time has also come for many of us, that there are some decisions we are going to have to make, about the Kingdom of God, and what our part is in it.
I believe that the Spirit will ask us once more, what is the responsibility of the Church, the Body of Christ today?
In other words, what are we supposed to be doing?
How do we compare now, with the early Church?
Why now? Why would God be questioning what we are doing today? What might be His intent?
One of the first things we are going to have to be reconciled with, is just who does our church belong to anyway?
Who owns it, and who is in charge and the ultimate authority there?
Did anyone there give their blood for it? And what price did the people who run it, pay?
Is it in line with the things that were written?
Are the things truly in place that God put in the church?
Are all offices of the ministry honored in total?
Just how much of man’s way is in charge?
There’s no need to try and offend anybody. The time is too short and the mission too precious for us to argue.
It’s way past time for that. It’s time to reason together. What path are we on and have we somehow veered off from the main road?
If some, or much of the body of Christ has somehow failed in their maturity and have not reached the potential and true demonstration and power that the Spirit intended, are we to be held accountable?
Did we relegate our spiritual growth and authority in Christ to others? Have we not done enough yet?
It’s been said often that we are not to neglect the gathering of ourselves together as believers.
Most of us believed that, some still do. Then why does it seem that so many who do desire to see things operate as it was written, feel that most of this final demonstration, may have to be done outside the walls?
We’re not talking about shallow or fully satisfied folk. We are speaking of those who are genuinely seeking to follow the leading of the Holy Ghost and are digging deeper in the Spirit and the Word, than ever before in their very lives now.
Some darts are already flying; you can just sense it…. Then let’s now re-visit something that Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians.
He praised them for obeying what he had taught them; not only just in his presence, but even more in his absence.
But it’s the next comment he made, that speaks to the journey after that. We know it well, because it was once taught in our churches and sanctioned by those whom God had placed in leadership.
It’s this, “Work out you own salvation, with fear and trembling.”
Ask yourself, why was it he said this?
This idea of a one-fold or two-fold ministry will not go into my head. The time came, when no one could speak to such a thing.
If you questioned authority, you were being rebellious, and furthermore, you could not go to heaven if you did not follow explicitly, what some man told you to do.
The voices that were placed in the Church to address such situations, were silenced or refused entrance. Most still are, in many places.
Is this the will of God? Is this what Jesus Christ died for and what He intended then and now for His own Church?
There were false brethren, false teachers and also false leadership in the early church. It is written so.
Those who were anointed, appointed and called, actually warned those of that day and even our day, to watch out for such. It seems that it is no different now.
I speak in the fear of God, that if we do not have our own one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit of God, we have likely lost our way.
I honor those called in leadership; I mean that. But I cannot rely solely on anyone, to grow into what I was called to be.
See Philippians 2.
~ Robert Blackburn
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