I believe we are called to restoration.
We are here to restore people to their God. We are here to restore the earth to as close to the state of the Garden as we can which is as close to Heaven as we can get until God finally restores order.
That means healing the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing people, and displaying God's love.
If the best I have to offer to demonstrate I am in Christ is that I used the right method to read the Bible, got the wine vs. Welch's argument right, and got the music issue right, I will see quickly how far the grace of Jesus Christ extends.
Why do we have welfare and other such aid programs? Because there was need that wasn't being met by the people of Christ. Why are we debating health care? Because it has become hard for business to do our job of healing the sick.
If we are a Christian nation why did we ever let it go to such a state that anyone ever thought it was a good idea to get government involved in carrying out the things God expects us to do?
We have been so busy glorifying Satan with our endless and tedious debates that all around us despair has been ignored. Antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed drugs in the US with over 10% taking them. While some people obviously have a chemical issue to be treated, we are an unhappy nation. Another 5.5% find their comfort in alcohol addiction and roughly similar numbers by using some sort illicit drug. An estimated half of all suicides, murders, and accidental deaths involve alcohol. People seek comfort in chemicals or illicit sexual relationships, how many could have avoided that pain and torment if they just felt the love of God expressed in the body of Christ?
The failure to bring people into the love of Christ destroys not just them but innocent victims as well.
But at least with a few more debates we can finally solve the important things like old hymns vs. new.
Lively: I believe we are called unto salvation... and given command to teach others the good news. We are commanded to teach others of Jesus Christ... if one never brings another, its may not be his fault if another makes choice not to have salvation... in the days of Noah... being a preacher of righteousness, who went into the ark with him but his wife, three children and their wives... that is it... that is it.. just his family... what he was told to do was to preach to the world of a flood to come and to change their ways and seek God...
Rom 1:6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Th 2:14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
1Pe 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
We are called of Jesus, called to be saints, called by the gospel... called to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord, called to receive the promise of eternal inheritance...