My prayer

I read this today along with Ephesians 2, and both chapters 2 and 3 are outstanding works about how God saved us and the fact that we had nothing to do with it. He doesn't save us because we are better than anybody else. It's not because we have something to offer Him. We don't. It's simply because of His perfect love for very, very imperfect beings. I look at these passages and realize that if God can save me, then He can save anybody. Read this passage slowly; take in everything it says, and I hope that it brings as much blessing and hope to your day as it has mine:

Ephesians 3:14-20

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love,18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Reading list

It's been a little while since I last blogged, but I figured that it's probably better that I think long and hard about what I put on here so that I don't get caught with my foot in my mouth. I promise that this entry shouldn't do that. Who knows...maybe it might?

Since graduating from college in December, I've had a lot of things demanding my time and it caused me to question my priorities. What really is important to me in my life? One of the things that I never thought would be is reading. Since graduating, reading has become somewhat of a savior to my mind in that because I'm not in classes everyday I no longer feel challenged intellectually. I feel as if over the last four and a half years my mind has become a sponge, and now that the "water" is gone...well...we all know what happens to sponges when they just sit for a while...

I've been trying to put together a reading list for myself so that I can put it down somewhere and track my progress. I thought to myself, "Why not put it on the blog?". I also thought it would be cool if readers would comment at the bottom some suggestions on books that maybe I should add to it. That's all up to you. Below is my reading list since the turn of the new year, and it will increased as soon as I hear back from you on what I should read. What I have read or am reading will be in bold:

The New Testament Epistles and Acts (God)

Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller)

The Seven Checkpoints (Andy Stanley)

The Forgotten Ways (Alan Hirsch)

A Series of Unfortunate Events books 1-5 (Lemony Snicket)

How to Read a Book (Mortimor Adler)

Searching for God Knows What (Donald Miller)

Through Painted Deserts (Donald Miller)

To Own a Dragon (Donald Miller)

ReJesus (Alan Hirsch)

Untamed (Alan Hirsch)

Jesus for President (Shane Claiborne)

The Connecting Church (Randy Frazee)

Lectures to My Students (C.H. Spurgeon)

Vintage Jesus (Mark Driscoll)

The Signature Classics (C.S. Lewis)

A Series of Unfortunate Events books 6-13

Ready. Set. Go.

Real men love Jesus...and are humble

Well everybody, it's February, according to some rodent we have six more weeks of this coldness before we can go outside and actually enjoy it. Regina Spektor is blaring from my Pandora, and if you don't like that then too bad. I like me some soft "anti-folk" music.

The other day I was walking next to some parked cars and one of them had a sticker on the back, and in all capital letters was this phrase:

REAL MEN LOVE JESUS

Now don't get me wrong, I have seen these bumper stickers before, and for the most part I've never really thought about any of the implications that were being made to those who, by this sticker-displayer's definition, weren't "real men". I'm going to question here how a non-Christian would take the words that were shown on the back of this person's vehicle if they happened to be driving behind them. What is the person who has put this sticker on the back of their car trying to say to the non-Christian? Here are a couple of theories:

1) "REAL MEN LOVE JESUS, and you obviously aren't a real man like me."

2) "REAL MEN LOVE JESUS, and I'm comfortable enough with my masculinity to admit it."

3) "REAL MEN LOVE JESUS, and you're not, so that makes me more man than you"

4)"REAL MEN LOVE JESUS, and when you become a Christian you can be a real man just like me."

5)"REAL MEN LOVE JESUS, and you should love Jesus so that you can be a real man like me."

I could go on and on, but the point here is that most people would say that they display this (or any other foolish Christian propaganda) on their stuff because they don't want to be ashamed of being a Christian. Some would even say that this is a "proselytizing" or "witnessing" tool..."We just want to get them saved"...

Oh please.

The common idea in any of our hypothetical thought patterns above is not Jesus, the one whom we should be pointing people to. Instead, when we display stuff like this, we are pointing people to ourselves. We are pointing people to our own pride and the fact that we think we've figured out something all on our own and that we are better than other people because of it. Even worse, we act like we had something to do with it. We act like we have made ourselves perfect before God and that somehow God looked down on "us" and saw how well we did things and poured out his approval while the rest of the world continues to live on in failure.

I honestly pray that if you think this way that you would do Jesus a favor and stop.

In Philippians 2 Paul puts together a very beautiful description of how Jesus emptied himself of himself to serve the world. I feel that if our real goal is to win the world we also must do this. We must not be so obsessed with feeding our own egos. We need to stop being so self-righteous by putting up ridiculous window clings and bumper stickers on cars that tell people how good we are. (Heavy, heavy sarcasm; take note)

May I remind you that Christ chose us and that it wasn't the other way around. We have nothing to offer God. Our righteousness is like a used tampon (aka, a filthy rag).

My resolution? I feel that the best move is to not put up window clings or bumper stickers and continue to fuel the Christian propaganda machine. If you have one that points people to look into YOUR EGO, then take it down. Please. We could be spending our money on so many better things. Consider helping out in the homeless ministry, or sponsoring a child, or giving money to missions work. I really don't want this blog to come across as rude or anything like that, but something needs to be said because most non-Christians have this view of Christians being self-righteous bigots; and you know what? They're right. We are.

We need to start practicing what we preach, and instead of telling people how they should be more like us, maybe we could set an example and do good deeds so that non-believers will see and glorify our Father in heaven. Maybe we could put a bumper sticker on the back of our car that says "I'm a dirty sinner and I nailed Jesus to the cross". At least that says "don't be like me!" We need to point people to Jesus, not ourselves.

Real men do love Jesus, but they also have an understanding that their salvation was not their own doing. They display it by loving others, not alienating the world from Jesus with Christian propaganda. We will never win the world without following Jesus' example, and that starts with humility. Everybody is given the invitation to join in on the feast that is to come.

Would you buy this?

Thanks to Kyle Burke's latest tweet, I thought I'd post this...

Sex Panther Cologne

"60% of the time it works EVERY TIME!"

http://bit.ly/cqyrhJ

Yes, it really exists...

Gotta love Anchorman...

Loving Jesus

I finished Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller this evening, and again as I have blogged about in the past, I highly recommend picking it up, especially if you consider yourself a highly staunch political conservative. Yes, I really believe politics can get in the way of loving Jesus. Look for it on Half.com and Amazon, I'm sure you'll get a good deal. I got my copy at a half-priced bookstore in Pittsburgh for like $4. Anyway, there was an interesting set of quotes at the end of the last chapter that I wanted to pass along for you to chew on:

"I think the most important thing that happens within Christian spirituality is when a person falls in love with Jesus."

...with that being said...

"I know our culture will sometimes understand a love for Jesus as weakness. There is this lie floating around that says I am supposed to be able to do life alone, without any help, without stopping to worship something bigger than myself. But I actually believe there is something bigger than me, and I need for there to be something bigger than me. I need someone to put awe inside of me; I need to come second to someone who has everything figured out" (p.237).

I can't really follow this up with anything other than how true it all is. It's really hitting home with me right now.

Doxology

A doxology is defined as "A liturgical formula of praise to God". At the end of Romans 16, Paul sums up his letter of justification through faith by giving a beautiful doxology that I think is a great connection between God's greatness and our need for Him:

"Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith - to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen."

Haiti Earthquake Relief

Just wanted to pass along two different organizations that you could donate towards to help minister to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti last week. They include:

Compassion International

-donate here: http://bit.ly/8aps1E

Convoy of Hope

-donate here: http://bit.ly/8EiNAH

Large amounts are wonderful, but I understand that sometimes funds are limited. Even as little as a dollar helps. I would encourage you to chose one (or both) of these and get involved and help turn this catastrophe into an opportunity for the Gospel to go forward in a place that needs it a lot. I've donated to both of these organizations so don't worry if the web addresses seem a little shady. I know there are a lot of hoaxes out there but I promise you that both of these are legit. If you still don't trust the links just go to there websites and go from there.

Until we speak again...

Escape

Romans 5:12-21

In this there is a very interesting comparison made by Paul between Adam and Jesus. Both are covenantal heads of the human race. What this means is that Adam was supposed to be the forerunner for a complete and wholesome life, but due to his disobedience in the Garden of Eden, he became the forerunner of sin and death for the entire human race. Now everybody who would be born after Adam would experience sin and all of its consequences which all comes to a head in death. Jesus, on the other hand, comes onto the scene as a "second Adam", in that instead of an act of disobedience, he obeys God and his act of obedience brings about righteousness before God.

The issue here is that, you, me, and Dupree are all under the curse of Adam by default. We are born into the human race under the law of sin and death, and to them both we are destined to pay debt. What Jesus offers us in being a second Adam is an opportunity of second birth. We are given an opportunity to ultimately cancel out the curse, and not by our own merit, but by the act of obedience of Jesus on the cross. He died so that the law of sin could be destroyed and he rose again that we also might follow him as the forerunner in beating death ourselves one day. We still will die on this earth, but if we have experienced second birth, we also will experience eternal life.

We can be one or the other: We are either "in Adam", or we are "in Christ", one of which causes us to die forever, and another that gives us life abundantly that starts now and continues on for eternity.

"All are in Adam by physical birth, while only those with the new birth are in Christ." -- ESV Study Bible

Acts 2 and the last days

I began a Bible reading plan courtesy of YouVersion (http://www.youversion.com). YouVersion is a website/smart phone application that has a numerous amount of Bible translations and also contributions by users on selected texts. It is a great tool, and I really recommend taking a look at it and signing up. It is completely free. I just began an 83 day reading plan that takes me through the New Testament Epistles and Acts. I am really enjoying it so far.

Today I read Acts 2 and something stood out to me about Peter's retelling of Joel's prophesy. It says this:

¹⁷"'And in the last days it shall be, God declares,that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
¹⁸even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
²⁰the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
²¹And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:17-21)

What stood out to me was that at the coming of the Holy Spirit to the church a significant prophesy from the Old Testament was fulfilled. However, in vintage Jesus fashion, it didn't happen like everybody thought it would happen. The above prophesy was preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost as if it had all come to pass at that moment, meaning that verses 17 and 18, which had just immediately occurred, were soon to be followed by verses 19 through 21...the second coming of Christ and restoration of all things. As Peter preached this message at Pentecost, he believed that the end was very imminent. In fact, most of the New Testament church believed that Jesus was going to come back very imminently. For example the church at Thessalonica had quit their jobs and sold most of their things and were sitting in the pubs with paper bags over there head like in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy waiting for Jesus to come back. Paul later corrected them by telling them not to that and to keep living life. He was still a believer in Jesus' imminent return though. The interesting thing with this collection of scriptures in Acts 2 for a 21st century reader like myself is that the bridge between verses 18 and 19 still hasn't been bridged yet...

What I would say is that, even though that gap in the text still exists, Jesus' return is still imminent, and as Christians, we must live accordingly. The entire 21st century world does not live in this imminence. In fact, most Christians do not live like it either. We as Christians must realize that the end is near, and I'm not saying that we go nuts and sell everything and quit our jobs and put paper bags on our heads, but here are a few things that come to mind for living in expectation:

1) Live life: I once heard someone say, "Live like Jesus is coming back today, plan like he's coming back in 100 years". I find a lot of wisdom in this statement.

2) Live out your purpose: Realizing that the reason we are still alive is to fulfill God's purposes is important. If you are a Christian, then you are alive to bring healing to the world. If you aren't a Christian, become one because there is healing here. The reason Jesus hasn't come back yet is because he is waiting for more people to experience salvation (2 Peter 3:9)

3) Realize other people are more important than you

4) Serve God and people

5) Seek the will of God instead of your own for the future. I think this is why Jesus got so upset over people's planning. There is a lot of pride in it if it's not rooted in the will of God.

6) Find urgency in introducing people to the real Jesus: Many non-Christians have no idea why we do this thing. I think there is a reason for that: they don't know the real Jesus, they only know the severely skewed, heretical, Discovery Channel Jesus. There is a real Jesus who really cares about people and wants to heal them.

7) Practice repentance, daily: Grace is wonderful, and I don't think there is a day that goes by that we don't need it. Don't think that a day goes by that God doesn't want to give it either. Peter's sermon is climaxed by his call for repentance, so let's realize that we need it and act accordingly.

8) Take the bag off your head do something: This wraps up the last seven in that we as Christian commit terrible sins of omission by simply DOING NOTHING. We don't expect Jesus to come back, and we do nothing. It's a double wammy. Let's flip this. Let us expect Jesus and do something about it. Acts 2 recounts the giving of the Holy Spirit. We've been given power, so let's use it and make a difference for the King. Jesus is coming back, and even if it seems like he never will, that's okay, because he said it would be like that. He's coming like a thief in the night, so maybe if today is a day that seems like he could never return, it could be a great day for him to bust into the house. Let's live.

...oh yeah...one more thing...

The reason

I am currently reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, and I must say, it is a phenomenal read. I highly recommend it. Not only do I think that Miller's writing style is very poetic and beautiful (and funny at times), but for some reason, I can identify with just about every situation illustrated in this book. I really think he has a lot of beneficial things to say, especially to people who think they have the world and Christianity all figured out. It is definitely a perspective-broadener. Here's an excerpt from him regarding his realization of his need for Jesus:

"I know a little of why there is blood in my body, pumping life into my limbs and thought into my brain. I am wanted by God. He is wanting to preserve me, to guide me through the darkness of the shadow of death, up into the highlands of His presence and afterlife. I understand that I am temporary, in this shell of a thing on this dirt of an earth. I am being tempted by Satan, we are all being tempted by Satan, but I am preserved to tell those who do not know about our Savior and our Redeemer. This is why Paul had no questions. This is why he could be beaten one day, imprisoned the next, and released only to be beaten again and never ask God why. He understood the earth was fallen. He understood the rules of Rome could not save mankind, that mankind could not save itself; rather, it must be rescued, and he knew that he was not in the promised land, but still in the desert, and like Joshua and Caleb he was shouting 'Follow me and trust God!'"

-Blue Like Jazz, pages 100-101

Where to look

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while...it was a crazy week this week. I have two finals this week and a project to turn in, but then I'm done :) Read through Philippians yesterday and Colossians today. Paul is pretty legit. Here's something to chew on today:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

-Colossians 3:1-4

This is an interesting command; to set our minds on God and not on earth. I think that this is a call to make everyday decisions with Jesus in mind; from the most mundane to the most important. This includes, but is not limited to: relationships, politics, speech, love, forgiveness, conduct, etc. I think one of the things that we, as Christians, need to make sure we are doing is to "hide our lives with Christ", because we are supposed to be dead to our old ways. If we don't allow that to happen, we won't get an opportunity to really live. This world is passing away, maybe quicker than our eyes can see. One thing is sure, however, that there is something better coming, and we can have a preview of that here if we allow ourselves to die to the old life.

What is to come

Just thought I'd give an update on what's going to happen in the month of December, what I plan on reading and reviewing, and where all this might go:

-Next Tuesday, December 8th, Chelsea and I are driving down to Ocean City, Maryland to preach at the DEEP, the youth ministry of Ocean City Worship Center.

-Next Friday, December 11th will be the last day of class in my undergraduate education. I don't really know how I feel about that one.

-Thursday December 17th will be my last final of my undergraduate education.

-Saturday December 19th I will leave Valley Forge for the last time to go back to Pittsburgh.

I am currently still looking for a position to take as a youth and associate pastor. it's still my dream and I believe my calling in life. My passion is to learn as much as I can and to take what I learn and reciprocate it back to people who need to hear in an effective way. I am currently candidating at two churches, so we will see where that goes. As far as education, my plan is to take next semester off from school, and then no matter where I am, serving in the church or in a secular place, I want to begin graduate level work in the Fall of 2010 online. I've been looking at a couple of places, but am nowhere close to deciding on where I would want be.

I still am in the middle of like 50 books, so next semester hopefully will see the fulfillment of me completing them. I have enjoyed this semester blogging about Tozer based on my daily devotions and will continue to that on the next book that I read. Here are some of the things I'm reading or going to be reading and how the blogs are going to look in the future:

-Core Values by George O. Wood (reading for myself, probably wont blog about it)

-Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (read the first chapter; have heard positive/negative things about it)

-The Theologia Germanica of Martin Luther (will probably be my next blog review)

-The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch

-Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll

-Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw

Those will probably be on my reading list through Christmas and New Years, as the end of the semester takes up most of my time with school work. This is it, and we'll see where it goes. Thanks to everybody who's been a part of this journey so far and who has helped to make it successful. Thanks to everybody who believes in me and supports me, it does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.

Between the sacred and the secular

One of the largest problems in contemporary American Christianity today is that self proclaiming Christians are not acting like Jesus. There could be a lot of unpacking done with that statement, but I would rather be broad in saying that, in general, American Christianity is more focused on things like politics, institutionalizing, media, and culture than it is on its founder, who is Christ. I've been (slowly) reading Alan Hirsch's book The Forgotten Ways which talks about this idea of returning to the roots of what he calls the "Apostolic Genius" in both living and proclaiming a missional style of Christianity. I've found it rather intriguing that in his chapter on the heart of Christianity how he talks about this split between a Christian's understanding of the sacred and the secular, and how that split in a Christian's mind and thus lifestyle can be disastrous to the name by which we claim. Here are a couple interesting quotations on this topic:

"By setting up a place that we call 'sacred' because of the lighting, the incense, and the religious feel, what are we thereby saying about the rest of life? Is it not sacred? We cannot escape the conclusion that by setting up so called sacred spaces we , by implication, make all else 'not-sacred,' thereby assigning large aspect of life in a non-God, or secular, area." (p. 95)

"It is left to the believer to live one way in the sacred sphere and to have to live otherwise in the secular." (p. 96)

Whether you are a long-time devoted Christian or an occasional church go-er, this statement can speak volumes to you. This question begs to be asked: Is God only God on Sunday, in a church building, and under certain predetermined conditions, or is he God everywhere in the lives of everyone whether they choose to acknowledge him or not? I believe that the latter far outweighs the former. I mean come on, we're talking about God here, and yet how many times is there this mental and behavioral split between the sacred and the secular in our lives? Hirsch continues on about this subject by bringing attention to a pretty current event where this split is happening: the Rwandan genocide in Africa. He quotes Lee Camp who said:

"In fact, the Rwandan genocide highlights a recurrent failure of much historic Christianity. The proclamation of the 'gospel' has often failed to emphasize a fundamental element of the teaching of Jesus, and indeed, of orthodox Christian doctrine: 'Jesus is Lord' is a radical claim, one that is ultimately rooted in questions of allegiance, of ultimate authority, of the ultimate norm and standard for human life. Instead, Christianity has often sought to ally itself comfortably with allegiance to other authorities, be they political, economic, cultural, or ethic. Could it be that 'Jesus is Lord' has become one of the most widespread Christian lies? Have Christians claimed the lordship of Jesus, but systematically set aside the call to obedience to this Lord? At least in Rwanda, with 'Christian Hutus' slaughtering 'Christian Tutsis' (and vice versa), 'Christian' apparently served as a brand name - a 'spirituality,' or a 'religion' - but not a commitment to a common Lord" (p. 99)

Hirsch interpets this by saying:

"What does all this practically mean for those seeking to recover the Apostolic Genius in the life of the community of God? For one, it will involve (re)engaging directly the central confession of 'Jesus is Lord' and attempting to reorient the church around this life-orienting claim"

"...we need to constantly go back to our Founder and reset our faith and communal life on him." (p. 99)

"The first step in the recovery of Apostolic Genius is thus the recovery of the Lordship of Jesus in all its utter simplicity"

(p. 100)

The subtraction of the sacred away from all aspects of one's life can be highly damaging, whether one is a practicing Christian or not. Obviously the consequences can be deadly, and it's not just been in Rwanda, but in any injustice or genocide caused by Christians throughout history. A Christian needs to understand that their allegiance is to be to Christ, and his agenda, not ours, needs to come first and be promoted. Christians need to act the way Jesus wanted them to act. The sacred and the secular cannot be two but must be one. Jesus' lordship is the foundation to the Gospel moving forward effectively.

Acquaint thyself with God

A great end to The Knowledge of the Holy entitled "The Open Secret" which brings to a head all of the things discussed in the book and what to do with them. Everything that is in here is useless unless it is put into practice. I hope you enjoy the end to this wonderful work and consider reading it.

"When viewed from the perspective of eternity, the most critical need of this hour may well be that the Church should be brought back from her long Babylonian captivity and the name of God be glorified in her again as of old. Yet we must not think of the Church as an anonymous body, a mystical religious abstraction. We Christians are the Church and whatever we do is what the Church is doing. The matter, therefore, is for each of us a personal one. Any forward step in the Church must begin with the individual."

"The secret is an open one which the wayfaring man may read. It is simply the old and ever-new counsel: Acquaint thyself with God. To regain her lost power the Church must see heaven opened and have a transforming vision of God"

-Tozer busts into a list of six things that one may do to make this "return" happen-

"First, we must forsake our sins."

"Second, there must be an utter committal of the whole life to Christ in faith."

"Third, there must be a reckoning of ourselves to have died unto sin and to be alive unto God in Christ Jesus, followed by a throwing open of the entire personality to the inflow of the Holy Spirit."

"Fourth, we must boldly repudiate the cheap values of the fallen world and become completely detached in spirit from everything that unbelieving men set their hearts upon, allowing ourselves only the simplest enjoyments of nature which God has bestowed alike upon the just and unjust."

"Fifth, we must practice the art of long and loving meditation upon the majesty of God. This will take some effort, for the concept of majesty has all but disappeared from the human race. The focal point of man's interest is now himself."

"Sixth, as the knowledge of God becomes more wonderful, greater service to our fellow men will become for us imperative."

"There is a glorified Man on the right hand of the Majesty in heaven faithfully representing us there. We are left for a season among men; let us faithfully represent Him here."

A.W. Tozer The Knowledge of the Holy p.114-117

Man's will is free because God is sovereign

Compatiblism at its best. I always feel the need to err on the side of God's sovereignty over man's choice, yet one cannot ignore that man does have a choice just as much as we are to believe that God is in complete control. Although this whole chapter was a great read (and I recommend doing so if you have five extra minutes), here are some interesting insights. I tend to side with Tozer here.

"Here is my view: God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, "What doest though?" Man's will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign would not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so." (italics added)

"The whole matter of moral choice centers around Jesus Christ. Christ stated it plainly: "He that is not with me is against me," and "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me." The gospel message embodies three distinct elements: an announcement, a command, and a call. It announced the good news of redemption accomplished in mercy; it commands all men everywhere to repent and it calls all men to surrender to the terms of grace by believing on Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

We must all chose whether we will obey the gospel or turn away in unbelief and reject its authority. Our choice is our own, but the consequences of the choice have already been determined by the sovereign will of God, and from this there is no appeal."

A.W Tozer The Knowledge of the Holy p. 110-113