As the apostle Paul was being delivered by ship to Rome, a terrible storm come upon them. Speaking to the men on board, Paul declared, “And yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship” (Acts 27:22). He urged them to take heart, “for I believe God that it will be just as it was told to me” (Acts 27:25). When Paul saw crew members putting the lifeboat into the sea to abandon ship, he admonished them to stay on board. “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved (Acts 27:31). And as the ship began to break up, some hung on to “…boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was they all escaped safely to land” (Acts 27:44). Their salvation occurred just as God had revealed it to His servant Paul. Had they chosen to abandon the ship they all would have perished.
As disciples of Christ today, we would do well to remember as we ponder our mission to advance the cause of Christ, that we must also remain in the church, the ark of safety. Where are the saved today? They are in the church of the most high God. Except one remain in the church that Jesus purchased with His blood, there can be no salvation. In Acts 2:47, we read the following: “…and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” If men today desire to escape the wrath of God, they must be obedient to His Word. They must seek relief from their sins by being washed in the precious blood of Jesus (Revelation 1:5b).
Paul, speaking to the elders at Ephesus, proclaimed, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). Salvation is found only in the blood bought church of Jesus Christ.
“I want on board. How do I get into the church of Christ?” Your admission is determined by your willingness to surrender all and submit to God. To meet God’s expectations for salvation, one must have a great desire to hear the word of God (Romans 10:13-17), believe Jesus is the only begotten son of God (Hebrews 11:6) (John 8:24), repent of sins (Luke 13:3-5) (Acts 17:30-31), confess His name (Romans 10:9-10), and be buried with Him in baptism for the remission of sins (Mark 16:15-16) (Acts 2:38) (Romans 6:1-10). Then you must remain faithful to God all the days of your life (Revelation 2:10).
Unlike the ship Paul was traveling on, the church of our Lord Jesus will never be destroyed, for Jesus said, “…I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it” (Matt. 16:18). Even though high winds of evil blow against the church, those who remain on board as faithful crew members of the blood-bought church, will in no way be overcome by the Devil. Indeed, if you will “…seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…” your entire life, your soul will be safe and secure (Matthew 6:33).
Is it your desire to be saved from the wrath to come? Then, why wait my friends, “God is ready to save you; are you ready to be saved?”