Chosen~Elect~Saints~Believers~Sons of God

[Kat]

There was a miraculous coming of the Holy spirit to the disciples and the followers of Christ on Pentecost, and this was the beginning of the greatest working of the Spirit of God for believers in this world.

Act 2:1-4 And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven as borne along by the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Act 5:14  And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

The Christian church is now 2.1 billion, this is the largest organized religion in the world, with Islam being next with 1.3 billion, 33% of the world population is Christian.

Excerpts from Ray's Lake of Fire series - part 7
http://bible-truths.com/lake7.html ---------

There is great debate over when the Church of God really started. I don't see the problem myself, because the first mention of "the Church" is in Acts 7:38 where we read: "This is He [Christ, I Cor. 10:4] that was in the church in the wilderness..." (Acts 7:38).
That is the first historical identification of a "church" in the Bible.
As you are all aware, the church came from the wilderness and finally had a permanent home headquartered in the Temple in Jerusalem.
But, was as it a holy, righteous, God fearing church? No, contraire.' It was utterly corrupt.

God never intended for everyone to understand His Word or His Plan, except for the few that He calls in every generation.
He is not even trying to save the whole world in this lifetime or even in this age.
The prophet Habakkuk tells us this,
"For the earth shall be FILLLED with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14).

Oh it "shall" shall it? WHY NOT NOW?
Wouldn't it be better NOW if the earth were FILLLED with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord? Why later?
Because it is God's way. Let me quote Hab. 2:3 from the Revised Standard Version:
"For there is still a vision for the APPOINTED TIME; it speaks of THE END, and does not lie., If it seems to tarry, wait for it, it will surely come, IT WILL NOT DELAY."

God's ways take time and He does everything according to His schedule, trust me,
EVERYTHING IS RIGHT ON SCHEDULE.

Why God hasn't even called whole categories of people during the past two thousand years:
"For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, ARE CALLED" (I Cor. 1:26).
And of those called, only a "few are chosen."
And those few are admonished to search, and hunt, and dig for the truth.
None of this is an accident nor is it God's plan gone amuck.
God's plan is on schedule to the millionth of a millisecond.
God knows how many hairs were lost on your head today because He had already planned how many you would lose, a long time ago.

God is considerably smarter and more powerful than most people could ever conceive (including myself).
Who but God would have designed and created the Hebrew and Greek languages.
(People the world over are still saying, "It's GREEK to me")!
God caused these languages to die out. Later God revived these two 'dead languages' in Italy, France, and England during the period of time God preordained to be called the Renaissance. Before this, no one spoke Hebrew or Greek in Europe, and very few scholars understood these languages.
God planned that this alone would be a major barrier to understanding His Word.
And when God finally put it within the hearts of men to translate His word out of the Greek, it was found to be jam packed with metaphors, parables, figurative language, and ancient idioms, difficult to translate.

God has hid these mysteries from the world and even from the Church, I am sad to say.
Not that I am the only one to begin understanding these things.
There have always been some in every generation that God gave this understanding to. And there are now people scattered around the world that understand these deep mysteries of God and His prophecies for the future, but they are relatively few in number.

Notice Revelation 5:10,
"And has made US unto our God KINGS and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."

Now Proverbs 25:2,
"It is the glory of God to CONCEAL a thing: but the honour of kings is to SEARCH OUT a matter."

And so if we are to be kings, it is our honour to "search out" these things. You must want it more than anything in the world; more than anything in life, more than life itself! If you want life, you must SACRIFICE your life.

Therefore, how many churches complete THE WHOLE CHURCH OF GOD?
"...write in a book and send it unto the SEVEN churches which are in Asia..." (Rev. 1:11).

Because these seven congregations completed all that Jesus had to say to all congregations, everywhere. This is a COMPLETE revelation for ALL CHURCHES. These seven congregations had within them all of the sins, weaknesses, and shortcomings of all congregations everywhere during ALL TIME.
These churches that personify in symbol all of God's church for the past two thousand years, are in fact, the training ground and the proving ground for the elect.
Coming out of this carnal system puts one among the called and the chosen and the VERY elect. Paul called it "the HIGH CALLING."
Just as all the rewards are promised to all the overcomers in all generations of the Church, so likewise, do all the sins and shortcomings apply to all the churches throughout all generations.
And the sins and shortcomings of God's Church are monstrous!

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. For her sins have REACHED UNTO HEAVEN, and God has remembered her iniquities" (Rev. 18:4-5).

Yes, God is talking about His people, who are in His church, but ... BUT, who must nonetheless, "REPENT" (Rev. 2:5 & 5, 16, 21, 22, 3:3, 19—seven times, COMPLETE REPENTANCE), and "COME OUT OF HER."
Coming out of her is no small part of this "repentance."

God is creating Sons that bear His Name, have His Spirit, have the Mind of Christ,
and are the express image of our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ.
It is the highest calling in the universe!
Although the sacrifices are great, the rewards are FAR GREATER!
If God is calling you to be a Son, you must come out of "Mystery Babylon the Great, mother of harlots, and the abominations of the earth."

e-mail -----------------------------------------------------

Dear Daryn:

The answer is BOTH. God calls "His people"--His chosen, elect, saints, out of Babylon,
which is the church of God turned apostate.
But when we come out of Babylon, we are still saints and we are still member of the The Church of Jesus Christ, The Church of the Living God.
As such we assemble ourselves together with believers in light, not the apostate church of darkness.
We are to have no fellowship with them (II John 10, II Cor. 6:14-18, Rev. 8:4, I Cor. 5:9-13, Eph. 5:6-11, etc.).
The chosen, few, elect, overcomes in this church age are promised "eonian" life with Christ during the oncoming eons.
The rest of humanity will NOT be given rulership in the Kngdom of God during the eons or ever. That's the difference.

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Mat 22:8 Then he said to His servants, "'The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited {these are the called} were unworthy of it.

Luk 14:23-24 "And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel {these are the chosen} them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper."

The chosen are the ones, foreknown and chosen by the Father.
Jesus came not to condemn, but to save.  We are in Him as He is in us.

Act 17:28  For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also certain of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.

Rom 8:29  For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Chosen (Gk. Eklektos) G1588 From G1586; select; by implication favorite: - chosen, elect.

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few chosen.

1Peter 2:4  As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,

Rev 17:14  They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful."


Elect (Gk. Eklektos) G1588 From G1586; select; by implication favorite: - chosen, elect.

Mat 24:31  And He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Rom 8:33  Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.

Luk 18:7  And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?

Saints ( Gk.  hagios) - G40 From hagos (an awful thing) compare G53, [H2282]; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated): - (most) holy (one, thing), saint.

Eph 3:18-19  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Eph 4:12  for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:

Col 1:26  the mystery having been hidden from the ages and from the generations, but now was revealed to His saints;

1Cor 6:2  Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

Rev 19:8  And it was given to her that she be clothed in fine linen, pure and bright; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

Sons (uihos) of God - G5207 Apparently a primary word; a "son" (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figurative kinship: - child, foal, son.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly awaits the revelation of the sons of God.

Gal 3:26  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Phi 2:15  that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world,

Believers G4100 pisteuō  From G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one's spiritual well being to Christ): - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.

Act 4:32  Now the whole group of believers was one in heart and soul, and nobody called any of his possessions his own. Instead, they shared everything they owned.

1Thess 2:13  And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

1Peter 1:21  who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

From Ray's Lake of Fire series- part 8
http://bible-truths.com/lake8.html --------------

One more important verse regarding our calling, that I will cite out of the Concordant Literal New Testament because I believe they translate the Greek aorist tense properly, whereas the King James uses the past tense:

"Now we are aware that GOD [it is unfortunate that the King James leaves out "God" even though it is in the manuscripts. Most translations do put "God" in this opening phrase. Things don't just 'work' together without GOD doing the 'working'] is working all together for the good of those who are loving God, who are [being] called according to the purpose that, whom He foreknew, He designates beforehand, also, to be conformed to the image of His Son, for Him to be Firstborn among many brethren. Now whom He designates beforehand, these He calls [not 'called' as all are NOT YET called, it is the aorist tense] also, and whom He calls, these He justifies, also; now whom He justifies, these He glorifies also" (Rom. 8:28:30).

Now, pay attention: All which God foreknew, He then designates beforehand (He hand-picks them, if you will). And therefore, since He has already designated them beforehand, when they are born in whatever generation God designates; He then calls them. Now it is true that God calls MANY OTHERS whom He has NOT designated to be "conformed to the image of His Son" AT THE TIME that each generation appears in history.

There are many more "called" in each generation than are actually, "chosen" to be conformed to the image of His Son at that time. All that are not chosen will be in the second resurrection/white throne judgment/lake of fire. These will go the "broad way into destruction" from which they will await judgment at the great white throne.

But, those which God foreknows and designates beforehand, He definitely does call, but these designated ones GO ON to be JUSTIFIED AND GLORIFIED. They are not just the "called," but the "called AND CHOSEN" which will go on to glorification in service with Christ, as the manifested Sons and Daughters of God, in the Kingdom of God, to bring the rest of heaven and earth to SALVATION!

When Jesus says that, "Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord... Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity" (Matt. 722-23), He is not speaking of a minority but a majority. The "many" NEVER means the minority!

God is creating Sons that bear His Name, have His Spirit, have the Mind of Christ, and are the express image of our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. It is the highest calling in the universe!
Although the sacrifices are great, the rewards are FAR GREATER!
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There is so much more that could be added to this,
so please feel free to share anything more you understand.

mercy, peace, and love
Kat

[snorky]

Kat as usual you hit the nail on the head. May the Holy Spirit continue to work through you!--snorky

Deb

[hillsbororiver]

Hi Kat,

I would like to add this bit of Deuteronomy Chapter 4 to your topic;

Deu 4:27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.

Deu 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Deu 4:30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

Deu 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Deu 4:32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?

Deu 4:33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?

Deu 4:34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

Deu 4:35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.

Deu 4:36 Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.

Who is the Lord speaking of here? It sure sounds like the experiences of many in this Forum and of course other brethren out there, past present and future. We can find many other witnesses to how our Lord calls His chosen, throughout the OT & NT.

His Peace and Wisdom to you,

Joe