**Continuing the series on salvation, I would like to share a passage from the book Called
In my experience, the extent of discipleship I’ve been presented with goes something like this:
Chris raised an interesting topic in his last post on the story of Demas, a man who served with and eventually deserted the apostle Paul at a time when the early church was rapidly expanding and God’s power was frequently made apparent through the miracles done in His name. Chris’s conclusion was that Demas was probably never truly saved. He might have been attracted by the power of Christ that he saw working in Paul or the joy he felt in partaking in something that was much greater than himself but he never truly allowed Christ to be ruler of his life. The fact that someone could have served with Paul as a missionary and never have been saved is troubling because it would put into question the salvation of a lot of us who live in the US. Some might think it a blessing but I think we in the western world are plagued by an easy Christianity. For this reason, I want to spend some time on the topic of salvation, on what it takes to be saved, if we can lose our salvation, and finally if we can be assured of it.
** This is a guest post by my brother, Chris Carden, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan
Have you ever heard of Demas? Did you know he is mentioned in 3 books of the Bible? He was right there with Paul in Rome at the very beginning when Christianity began to take hold at the far reaches of the empire. I am sure that he saw God perform amazing miracles through the faith of those early believers, and I am certain that he was able to daily sit at Paul’s feet and hear the most God inspired teaching since Jesus’ death. Paul refers to him in Philemon 1:23-24 “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. 24 So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers.” From this we can infer several things.
Large food companies will be the first ones to preach personal responsibility, mostly because it directs the blame elsewhere. It’s easy to agree with them too. I mean McDonalds cannot force us to eat their hamburgers. They can however make their food so cheap, convenient and tasty that it becomes irresistible to a lot of people. Fast food is often the first thing people think of when they get hungry not only because of the factors mentioned above but also because they have been primed to think of certain foods by large corporations in a pavlovian sort of way.
No one is to blame but ourselves. Right? I mean, c’mon, no one is forcing us to eat that triple whopper, fries and coke. It’s our choice. We could eat a salad if we wanted to. Ok, truth be told, the choice is not that simple. If we talk about price and convenience, there is really no comparison. A typical burger and fries meal at a fast food restaurant will run you about $5 bucks and let’s be honest, it’s gonna taste really good. On the other hand, if you want to eat healthy and have it taste good, you are going to be spending a lot more time and money to fill your stomach.
Don’t let this poem tell the story of your life! Find Contentment wherever you are..
It was Spring, but it was Summer I wanted
The warm days and the great outdoors
It was Summer, but it was Fall I wanted:
The colorful leaves and the cool, dry air.
It was Fall, but it was Winter I wanted
The beautiful snow and the joy of the holiday season
It was Winter, but it was Spring I wanted
The warmth and the blossoming of nature
I was a child, and it was adulthood I wanted
The freedom and the respect
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted
To be mature and sophisticated
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted
The youth and the free spirit
I was retired, but it was middle-aged I wanted
The presence of mind without limitations
My life was over, and I never got what I wanted.
It was never my intent to use this blog as a personal journal. However, I feel that I owe at least an explanation for why I’ve been silent the past few weeks. I also think that the process I went through and the conclusion I arrived at might benefit at least a few of you.
**This is the final excerpt of Andy Stanley’s book: The Principle of the Path
The prudent see danger and take refuge. That is, they do something about it. As we stated earlier, they act on what they see. Prudent people know that it’s what you do that makes the difference, not what you see. Seeing danger and doning nothing doesn’t accomplish anything. Now, that may seem so obvious that you wonder why I bother to state it. But as a preacher, I live in a world of nodding heads and note takers who walk right out the door every Sunday and do very little with what they’ve heard. And I don’t take it personally; we’ve all done that. We listen, agree, feel convicted, buy the CD, subscribe to the podcast, and take no action. We see trouble coming, and we keep on going.
