Ephesians 1:4 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.
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He chose us.
Read that again. He chose us. God. Chose. Us.
We didn’t choose Him. He chose us.
Our church is baptist, and as tradition in our denomination, we do an altar call at the end of service inviting anyone who feels led, to “walk the isle” and “accept Christ.” We’re told that we need to make the decision, that somehow I’m only accepted if I can set aside my own shy tendencies and stand in front of bunches of people. That somehow in my own physical act of stepping up, I am now a Christian.
Is that what that verse says?
No.
He chose us.
I came to Christ in baptist church of a thousand people. Pre-Christ, I was the shyest person you’d ever met. I was the one everyone expected to never leave our hometown. Ever. (As I’m writing from the coffee shop inside a mega-church 1,200 miles from my hometown… Christ does big things.)
If my membership in the body of Christ were up to me standing in front of the church, I promise I’d still be pagan. And thankfully this church didn’t require that. Neither does my husband, who is the pastor of our church. People can walk the isle, but people can also pray alone or with a leader after service.
Either way, Christ doesn’t require an action on our part. Prayer is simply us talking with God, and therefore is always a part of salvation. But coming into a relationship with our Savior is not based on any action of our own.
He chose us.
All we have to do is acknowledge that fact.
He chose us. Salvation begins the moment we acknowledge Him.
Beverly Womack says
The women in our church are awesome! Thank you so much! My prayer is that we can inspire the ladies of The Lakes Church to be all that God has called them to be! So comforting….He chose ME!!!!