Today's readings are Joshua 10.1-25 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Josh.+10.1-25 ), Acts 11.19-30 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Acts+11.19-30 ), and Joshua 10.28-22.34 ( http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?q=Josh.+10.28-22.34 ).
As we look at Acts 11, let's notice carefully the way the early Church leaders treat believers. They nurture them, exhort them in the Gospel, support them when they endure persecution, and they encourage them not to depart from their faith. I have lately engaged in discussions with Calvinists who say that those who depart from their faith only seem to have been Christians before. But what does the Holy Spirit tell us through the author of Acts? These were believers and they were being encouraged not to depart from the faith. It is a very clear possibility that unbelief could grow in a genuine believer's life, planted and nourished by adversity, driving the believer away from Christ.
With this in mind, let me make two exhortations. First, we should not go beyond Scripture to protect God's sovereignty or his ability to save and guard his people. The Scripture says that all who are believing on Christ are safe. The Scripture says that we can depart from the faith. We dare not say those people who depart from the faith never had it in the first place. They are called believers in Scripture. The second exhortation, and obviously the most important one, is that we must cling to faith in Christ and his atonement for our sins. We do not add anything to our salvation. We can take away from our salvation. Let us not put ourselves in jeopardy by trying to add to our salvation. Let us not be discouraged by adversity and trials. Let us hold fast to our Lord.
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