A Worthy Gift

A Worthy Gift

I remember the first day I stated categorically during a Sunday School class that once a person is saved, he or she has contained ETERNAL LIFE and therefore cannot be unsaved again; therefore such a person is forever saved…

The Parish mummy walked up to the microphone and said to me… “You will go to hell and you will take all those who believe in your gospel with you”

It was not a nice day at all

It felt as if I was undressed in pubic and made to dance to the popular “I will never bed wet again chant”

She didn’t support her judgment with scriptures

She said what she had to say and the whole church went silent.

I took the castigation in stride

The Parish pastor decided to mitigate the obvious frayed feelings between me and the Parish mummy

He called us into his office

The parish mummy said I have zeal without knowledge and she was not going to allow a heretic confuse her with the wrong gospel

She refused to listen

The following week, a deacon in the church who was believed to be measured was asked to research the topic “Salvation” and teach at digging deep

I was at the service and so was the parish mummy

The church was divided

Some youths were with me because I had been teaching them the gospel and its spiritual reality for many months but the older ones were with the parish mummy

The Deacon got on the altar and presented his teaching based on John 3:16, passages in Acts and Hebrews etcetera

The opposite argument chose two scriptures, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” and “Hebrews 10: 37 37For, “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.” 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls…”

The time came for questions and contributions

I decided I wouldn’t say a word

The speaker had destroyed the arguments posed by the ‘performance to be saved’ preachers

Apostle Paul worked out his salvation in the desert of Arabia, Galatians 1:17 *

It is very important for every believer, to take time to study and get what it means to be saved (It has nothing to do with perform to earn heaven doctrine)

 The second scripture was countered by what the book of Hebrews stood for, it was addressing the Jews

The Jews had a religion they were practicing before Christ came

Those who shrink back are those who go back to Judaism after having met the Lord

Gentiles don’t have the luxury of going back to Judaism

It is possible for the hunger to wane and zeal to fade but eternal life is a gift God gives to those who believe in Jesus, it cannot be taken away because you made a mistake or had a moment of weakness

If it can be taken back, it will no longer be a gift

The argument was poised on a knife’s edge

The pastor couldn’t rule in favour of one or the other

The Parish mummy asked for the microphone and said, such a doctrine would encourage believers to sin and not obey the law

One of the youths stood up and said “This is what you teach at home and preach ma, that it is important to keep the aw to please God and yet I know a young lady who was practically begging to sleep with me weeks ago. This was what she believed too. I believe I have been saved and must live my life to please God; this was why I didn’t sleep with her. I would have slept with her if it was several months ago because I always saw myself as trying but not able to attain holiness so I would usually just throw in the towel and fall into guilt and depression after doing the deed but this time I didn’t even feel the urge to comply

The gospel that changed my life was the gospel that placed me in right standing with God rather than the one that said I have to strive to be in right standing with God!

Parish mummy turned to the boy and said, “Because you didn’t fall this time, you boast and shake like a peacock, will we hear anything if you did it?”

Wow!

She didn’t get it

Parish pastor diplomatically closed the service

As we were leaving the church, the young man walked up to me and said “The young lady is her daughter, that girl can sleep with anything and nobody knows because she leads prayer meetings and acts all born again at home

Hmmm

Read through the New Testament yourself, you will be shocked at the reality that will hit you

A believer has been translated out of darkness into God’s marvelous light

He or she cannot be untranslated from there.

-GSW-