Greetings FB members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me for some Fine Points from yesterday’s service and message.
Our Annual Missionary Day service will be held this Sunday, January 12th at 2:30 pm. The guest preacher for the occasion will be Rev. D. S. Taylor who is the pastor of East Rock Ford MBC in Wadesboro. All members are asked to bring a special offering of $25 for the program. Dinner will be served between services.
And now just a few comments on yesterday’s message “Terms of Acceptance”. The family of many deceased people often state in their loved one’s obituary that he or she accepted Christ at an early age. The fact is that acceptance is much more that that joining a church or being baptized. Acceptance is not done in isolation, but involves another party or set of conditions or circumstances.
In the case of Christianity, acceptance centers around a relationship that is a covenant or agreement between individuals and Christ. The relationship is one of master and slave or Lord and servant. This is the only relationship that is acceptable to God. It is in no way degrading or demeaning like the enslaving men do to other men.
But this relationship is about allowing God to be in charge and deciding what we can and can not do without overruling his decision. Slaves are not allowed and cannot overrule the master’s decision without undoing the relationship. So whenever someone says a person accepted Christ, they may not understand that what they are saying is a person accepted a relationship in which Christ is their master and they are his slave.
However, that is rarely the case. Because most people don’t adhere to Christ as their master and do what they please. So saying we accepted Christ and submitting to the relationship is not always the same thing. And most people don’t know or understand this.
Furthermore, the terms of acceptance cannot just be agreeable to us, but they must be agreeable to Christ as well. In a covenant, which is symbolized when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, both parties must agree to the terms and uphold their part of the agreement in order for the covenant to be honored.
The terms of the agreement are nonnegotiable. God is the master and we are the slave. As Master, he has the right to dictate and decide the bound of our lives and conduct. As slaves, we cannot challenge or overrule His decisions, but must carry they out.
Unlike involuntary servitude where chains and enslavement is forced upon people and they are compelled into acceptance of something they don’t want, Christianity is just the opposite. Christians voluntarily accept the Master-Slave relationship because it is good for them.
God is a great Slave Master and treats us like His children and provides and gives us all the things we need and takes care of things we don’t have to be concerned with. This is why Apostle Paul proclaimed himself to be the slave of the Lord in his correspondence to his Christian brothers and sisters.
Look for our Sunday School preview that comes out on Thursday of this week on our Facebook page and mobile app. You can also enjoy the SS Daily Bible Readings anytime and anywhere at our website. As always, remember to fear God and keep His commandments
Pastor Jordan
Dealing touched me. Thank you Jesus and Thank you Pastor Jordan.