The “Day of Salvation” is like no other. As much as people argue about the finer details of “How” one “receives Salvation”, one thing is clear: people are redeemed, transformed, adopted and chosen by God Himself. And once that has occurred, there is a tremendous sense that all things are in order. And from an Eternal perspective, they surely are. A holy transfer, translation, conveyance occurs...bringing ironclad certainty that we belong to a different King and Kingdom...
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
But this does not mean we are complete, perfected or finished. Much the opposite. We are not at the Finish line, but rather at a Starting Line. We are not a completed “Vessel of Honor”, but an ongoing work in the hands of the Potter. While Salvation is to be celebrated, it is not to be considered an Achievement on our part. Instead, we are grafted into the Body of Christ, of whom He is the Head. And we have a job to do...
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain...”
We are not a completed “Vessel of Honor”, but an ongoing work in the hands of the Potter.
All too often we get lulled into an unbiblical sense of “security.” Security of Salvation is to be understood in the specific Context in which it is defined. We are to “rest” in the finished atoning, redemptive work of Christ that secures our Salvation. But we are not to casually sprinkle “security” like a magic dust that removes any obligations on our part. As if we have no Mandate, Mission or Purpose to fulfill in God’s economy. Perish the thought. We have been bought for a price...and a Purpose .
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves Slaves to Obey, you are that one’s Slaves whom you Obey, whether of Sin leading to Death, or of Obedience leading to Righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were Slaves of Sin, yet you Obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from Sin, you became Slaves of Righteousness. ...But now having been set free from Sin, and having become Slaves of God, you have your Fruit to Holiness, and the end, Everlasting Life.”
We have been bought for a price...and a Purpose.
Clearly our day of Salvation is the day we are repositioned under another Master. God Himself. But make no mistake, He is a Master. Our initial creation, and our subsequent Redemption, have a Divine and Eternal Purpose. And it’s not to help us “reach our Potential’, to “live our Best Life now” or have some self-satisfying “Purpose driven life.” Our Purpose is constrained to this: God’s own Glory, Honor and Pleasure. This includes “Salvation” itself. Salvation is not something to be attained, or received, or bestowed, only to be placed in a Spiritual Trophy Case. Jesus does not save us, make us new and reposition us out of mere sympathy, or some arbitrary act of kindness. He reconciles us back to the Father that we might begin fulfilling His Purposes for our existence. Salvation, being “born again”, is the essentially a rebooted Starting Point.
Salvation, being “born again”, is the essentially a rebooted Starting Point.
This is a pillar of the Bible School Ministry in the slums. What many students initially view the program as an educational task to accomplish, soon discover it has a far greater Aim and Purpose. Discipleship through the Word of God is honorable...as long as we yield to that Discipleship and follow in the steps of Jesus. It is not “Hearing” that makes us His Disciples, but “Doing.” And so the emphasis is always on Real Life Application. How to take the Word of God, and apply it the very brutal Realities of Life and ministry in the urban slums. Is that what I am doing when I read, study and meditate on the Word of God? Or am I merely ticking off another box on my Bible Reading Plan? All too easily we can drift from Relationship with our Master, into mere Religious Philosophy about Him.
In December, we had our annual Graduation from the 3 DSM Bible Institutes. 60 Pastors and Ministry Leaders were awarded Diplomas in Bible Studies! Quite an accomplishment by any metric or measure. It takes a minimum of 2 years to finish the program, but most of our students take 3+ years. Every day they are in Bible School, they are missing a day of wages. It is a tremendous sacrifice on their part. The days are long, the teachings serious, the homework difficult and the discipline quite shocking. But it’s not just about grades and attendance. You must meet the Spiritual standard to progress. And it’s all for a God-given Purpose...making Disciples and Disciple-makers! Not mere Graduates.
It is not “Hearing” that makes us His Disciples, but “Doing.
Our Duty is to Encourage them along “the Way”. I’ve always said, if ALL we do is “Encourage the Brethren”, then it is worth every effort on our part. Encouragement is not a small thing. It is a HUGE thing. And a very Rare thing these days. I jokingly refer to people that have the “Gift of Discouragement”. I’ve been on the receiving end of their “gifting” all too many times. I never want to be known to do the same. While we are called to tear down idols, we are never to tear down people. God didn’t send me 10,000 miles across the globe to discourage the brethren, but rather to build them up in Christ. I need to remember that should be my aim within my own family and community as well.
The Ministry of Encouragement comes mostly through personal contact and connection. It cannot be done remotely, casually or disingenuously. It’s done face- to-face, in the valleys of life...with sweat, tears and turmoil. Like Jesus in the Garden. Even while the apostles slept, Jesus would awaken them to Encourage them to pray. Not reprimand them. He never lowered His standards, and neither should we. But as God remembers that our “frame is weak”, we ought to be Encouraging the brethren to press on. Not pushing them in our urgency to see outcomes we imagine should be happening. It’s fine line to tread. But one that the Holy Spirit knows how to implement.
And so Graduation Day was glorious. I’m not one to cry much...but I’ve never gotten through a Graduation celebration yet with dry eyes. It’s all so glorious, so righteous, so Purposeful...so Encouraging! When you see Pastors of the Least change from witchcraft infected religious bullies into humble, holy and spiritually strong Watchmen...it is well beyond words to describe what has transpired before you eyes. Souls literally plucked out of the clutches of hell-bound religious fervor and remade into holy Vessels of Honor in the Master’s hands. That is not something happening everywhere in the Church these days. It is truly a work of the Holy Spirit. Nothing less could account for such transformations and eternal impact in the midst of such squalor, corruption and destitution.
What I see in them Encourages me to press on... to the Starting Line.
