June 9 - Balancing Salvation and Election
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Acts 13:48 - And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

We must place our emphasis on the message, not on whether people accept that message or not.

It is important to believe in Christ to be saved, but when there is too much emphasis placed on believing and not enough importance placed on what a person believes, that is easy believism.

The emphasis in the scripture that teaches about believing is what that person believes, not on their believing.

Notice the times in this passage that the Word of God is declared and the people who like the message and those that don’t like the message. It is important to understand that the Word of God must be declared. God takes care of who does the believing. We are not the Holy Ghost, and we ought not to take the place of the Holy Ghost in drawing people. Paul and Silas preached the Word - this is their job. God does the saving - this is His job.

Ezk. 3:15-21 - Ezekiel was called to be a watchman. We are also called to be a watchman. It is our job to sound the warning, and when we sound the warning, the blood of the guilty is removed from our hands. If we fail to sound the warning, the blood of the guilty is upon us. Whether or not they repent doesn’t determine whether we have their blood on our hands. Whether we tell them or not determines whether we have blood on our hands or not.

Notice the following scriptures: The early church was more interesting in preaching about Jesus than there were in trying to get people to believe.

A. They were more interested in the message than the result.

Acts 4:4 - Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

Acts 4:32 - And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

Acts 5:14 - And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.

Acts 8:12,13 - But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. A follow through of these two verses is found in verse 14 in that the Bible says they received the word of God when they believed.

Acts 8:37 - And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This shows that Philip was more interesting in preaching about Jesus than he was in trying to get the Eunuch to believe.

Acts 9:42 - And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.

Acts 10:43 - To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Acts 11:17 - Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

Acts 13:12 - Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.