Coastal Callings

Warning Against Neglecting Salvation

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Hebrews 2:1-4

Awake?  Paying Attention? What’s going on? Are we sticking to and focusing the message and salvation?

If salt loses it’s saltines, it is worthless and is thrown out. (Jesus — Gospel of John)

Are these the same two messages?  That we need to stick with it, not neglect, and pay attention to what we have heard.  It might seem simple, but how often can we lose focus and suddenly we are focusing on something that is not as important as this message from God, as our salvation?  I am not even sure we even realize we are doing it, and then we are there…our eyes are focused on something completely different from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as revealed in scripture.

Maybe that’s the key.  Scripture.  Scripture is what reveals Christ, the message and salvation to us.  Are we in scripture enough to be focused on those messages?  If just for a moment we take our eyes off Christ, we can find ourselves sinking like Peter, or focusing on a class, or a person, or a building, or tolerance, a meal, or a ministry even.  When they are our focuses, we are out of focus.  Paul said he preached Christ crucified and that was the most important thing.  Focus on Christ above everything else.  Yes classes, people, buildings, tolerance, meals, ministries aren’t in themselves bad, but they become idols when the focus becomes those things over what the Bible repeatedly tells us to focus on: Jesus Christ and Christ alone.

What does that look like today?  That solidarity focus?  Maybe you are saying that we have to have all these classes, people, buildings, tolerance, meals, ministries to have a successful church.  Honestly reading through the Bible, the early church didn’t seem to have much of any of those things.  Actually the early church was persecuted to the point of death, and it grew exponentially through the Holy Spirit.  So just hear me out…maybe we need more Holy Spirit, more focus on Jesus Christ and salvation.  Maybe we need focus?  Or is focus a lost art today in a world of “multitasking”?  Maybe we need to reinvent the idea of focus and say no to “multi-tasking” and therefore focus on Christ Jesus and Christ Jesus alone.  Maybe take a season in life and make that a priority.  Make Him (Jesus Christ) a priority and focus on Him more specifically.