The Church of Christ Jesus, and the local churches

2 Tim 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, 
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

The Church of Christ Jesus, and the local church of which you are a member...

An elect is united to THE ONE glorious church of Jesus Christ, in time, by the grace of God alone, through the effectual calling out of the state of sin and death, in which he is in by nature, to grace and salvation, without his meeting any condition (obviously one in the state of sin and death can't possibly meet any condition, can he?). This is eternal salvation by God's free grace ALONE. And ALONE means ALONE.

A child of God (an elect that has been effectually called) becomes a member of a local church through obeying the command of Christ to 'repent and be baptized.' And he maintains his membership by his walking in the ways of the Lord - daily entering the strait gate, and walking the narrow way. This is working out his own salvation with fear and trembling. This is temporal salvation conditioned on the obedience of God's children.

1689.26.5 -
"In the execution of this power wherewith He is so intrusted, the Lord Jesus calleth out of the world unto Himself, through the ministry of His Word, by His Spirit, those that are given unto Him by His Father,(9) that they may walk before Him in all the ways of obedience, which He prescribeth to them in His Word.(10) Those thus called, He commandeth to walk together in particular societies, or churches, for their mutual edification, and the due performance of that public worship, which He requireth of them in the world.(11)"

The Lord God CALLS out of the world unto Himself, through the ministry of His Word, and by His Spirit (this is the same as the effectual calling stated in 1689.10.1 - "Those whom God hath predestined unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call,(1) by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ...) ...

Those that are thus called out of the world into His one church by His sovereign grace, He commands to walk together in particular churches through the gospel ministry.

There is one general church of Jesus Christ...
and...
there are many particular churches of Jesus Christ, a partial manifestation of that one Church in time.

"An elect is united to THE glorious church of Jesus Christ, in time" - i.e. at God's own appointed and accepted time. The time an elect is united with the ONE glorious church of Jesus Christ is determined by the Triune God alone.

The time a child of God united himself with a particular church is co-determined by himself and that particular church.

Put Christ back into your Christmas, you say?

This is a feast to the LORD who brought us out of Egypt! 

Aaron sincerely put the LORD God into his idolatry of the golden calf, and the people happily declared, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt... To morrow is a feast to the LORD."

Like so many are clamouring to put Christ back into Christmas (they realized there was no Christ in the pagan Christmas); they sincerely dedicate a festival of pagan origin to Christ Jesus, claiming that it is all for His glory and honour.

Exodus 32
2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

It was a feast dedicated to the LORD, unto His honour and glory; they sincerely intended that. How pious of! But what was the LORD's response?

Ecc 1:9
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Sonship and Discipleship...

Enjoying a picnic dinner by the FTZ coastal park.
Picture was taken by Brother Ban YS.

Here are two questions.

"What must I do to be born again?"

"What must I do to be saved?"

Do you know the difference? Many don't have a clue! They see them as synonymous!

"What must I do to be born again?" - Before having been born again, a man is dead in trespasses and sins... such a man is actively in enmity and rebellion against God, and loves wallowing in this state of sin and death. There is nothing he can or will do to be born again. It is absolutely a nonsensical question. It is like a dead man asking what he must do in order to be raised from the dead!

"What must I do to be saved?" - ONLY an elect whom the Lord God has bestowed eternal salvation through the effectual call [whereby a man is called out of his native state of sin and condemnation to that of grace and salvation in Christ Jesus] is able to ask a question like that. And the salvation such a person is inquiring is the temporal salvation... there are lots of things a child of God must do, in obedience to God's will for him, in order to work out HIS OWN salvation with fear and trembling.

Our four children were conceived and born without them making any decision or doing anything. That's begetting and sonship.

They were nurtured and trained to grow up (with the help and involvement of not a few others); these require their active obedience. That's parenting and discipleship.

Get it?

============
Great Mama so often prepared picnic dinners and got the family out to the beach along the FTZ. She makes the "bestest of the worlderest" pizzas and garlic bread. With roast chicking, steamed corn cobs, and cucumber, what great time we so often had along that stretch, with nice cycling path for children.
Blessed be the Lord for all His great kindness and mercies.

(Photo was taken by Brother BYS who was visiting us then. We thank the Lord for every remembrance of that kind Brother.)

By Grace Alone - is this what you mean?

The LONE bird perches on a branch ALONE

God ALONE purposed eternal redemption for all the elect.

Christ ALONE accomplished the eternal redemption for all the elect.

The Spirit ALONE applied that eternal redemption to each individual elect personally.

All these are the free and sovereign acts of God... without man playing any part whatsoever.

When the eternal redemption has been applied to each elect, he is perfectly and completely fitted for eternal glory.

Nothing further is needed for their entrance unto their eternal glory.

God ALONE will consummate that eternal redemption for all His children at the return of Christ for His redeemed.

And ALONE means ALONE... not alone plus some effort or contribution of man.

This is the truth of salvation by God's free grace alone.

The ministry of the gospel is ordained for the well-being of God's children as they journey through this world unto their eternal glory.

The gospel ministry does not add anything to their BEING as God's children immutably destined for eternal glory.

The gospel ministry has been ordained for the spiritual well-being of God's redeemed elect; for their instruction, to make them wise concerning eternal their salvation by the free and sovereign grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Titus 2
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD.

"Come now, and let us reason together, 

saith the LORD...." Isa 1:18a

"Produce your cause, saith the LORD; 

bring forth your strong reasons, 

saith the King of Jacob." Isa 41:21

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 

1Th 5:21

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: 

and be ready always to give an answer 

to every man that asketh you

 a reason of the hope that is in you 

with meekness and fear."1Pet 3:15

Go to link and download this 138-slide on the subject:
The Logic of Faith. 
http://www.letgodbetrue.com/pdf/reasoning-in-the-scriptures.pdf