Some time ago a verse of scripture came to my mind: Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” At that same moment the fullest meaning of that verse came to my mind, that Jesus IS building His “called out ones” into a cadre of faithful followers and believers and has been doing so for two thousand years and more! His “church” is not an identifiable denomination of like-minded Christians. His assembly of followers is culled from myriads of differing denominations. Some of His faithful ones have never been a member of any given denomination. But they have all been seekers of truth with a innate hunger and desire to please their Lord in all things.
The apostle Paul wrote, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, THEY are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14). When true spiritual awakening begins to stir in a human heart, that person so stirred might be already affiliated with about any given denomination or assembly of believers. Those with whom that one is associated might have long embraced spiritual error in some matters of belief or practice. The one spiritually awakened might himself, or herself, be walking in error. But remember in John 9:41, Jesus said that those who are spiritually blind are without sin in that regard. And in James 4:17 we are reminded that it is the one who KNOWS to do right and fails to do so that is charged with sin.
To say that God is fair is a gross understatement. There is no mind in the universe that is as fair-minded as God. “Are not my ways equal?” says God to ancient Israel. (See Ezekiel 18:29). Few seem to grasp that God has a plan, a perfect plan, a plan that will eventually give all born human a chance, a grand opportunity of coming into a right and eternal relationship with their Creator. A human being’s death presents no obstacle to God, neither does one’s being born severely retarded, or blind, or deaf, or born into abject slavery and poverty. NOTHING is an impediment to God and His willingness and ability to impart eternal life to any human being.
Time figures largely in our manner of thinking and understanding. When we learn that the Colorado River has been carving out the Grand Canyon for six million years, our minds are staggered. When we are told that the earth itself is 4.5 BILLION years old, we are amazed. But to God “a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day” (See 2 Peter 3:8). Peter could just as accurately have said, “with God a day is as a billion years and a billion years as a day.” And your Creator’s “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (See Micah 5:2). Our Creator was industriously and ingeniously working, creating and producing long before 4.5 billion years ago.
Folks, we are not at the end of God’s great plan of the ages. We are in its very beginning stages. This is what most preachers do not comprehend. Some seem to think Jesus is going to suddenly “break through the blue” someday with a great ring of keys in His hand and say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s closing time.” When, in in all probability, He will say, “OK , let’s get started!”
Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley