How Alien Are We? Really?

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13

The writer of the book of Hebrews was referring in this instance to the Old Testament saints; however, it is safe to say that unless we are here when the Lord Jesus returns, we too will die. In another respect, unlike our Old Testament brothers and sisters, we look back. They looked forward to our Lord’s promised coming and His death on the cross. Indeed, Jesus told His disciples that we today who believe are blessed because we believed not having been there to witness our Lord’s ministry. Nonetheless, if we believe, then we were persuaded of God (to cry out to Him for forgiveness), and because of that, we embraced (took Him into our hearts and minds). However, I must admit that for many years I would tell others that I was persuaded and had embraced Him, but looking back, I don’t think my confession before men made me appear to them a stranger and pilgrim on the earth.

I am in awe of God. I am in awe of His one true church; those who certainly were persuaded, embraced and confessed themselves as strangers; pilgrims; aliens on earth. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians of Christ’s body and who made it up, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”  God doesn’t care if you are black, white, Hispanic; Iranian, Chinese, Russian, Chilean, Indian; young or old; handsome like me or as my mother used to say of my girlfriends, ‘they’re all homely.’ What we’re told is that in Christ Jesus we are one race! An alien race! A race of God’s children, beloved of God; purchased at a tremendous cost, but I will tell you truly and with all Christian love, do not be deceived. How we appear before men, we will likewise appear before God; all will be revealed. Do we stand for God’s truth? Do we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and might, and our neighbors as ourselves?

What is our confession to the world? How do we express our confession through our language, appearance, and entertainments? Do we cherish the soul of the one who sits across from us, or do we lust after them; see them in the most base form imaginable when God made them beautifully, wondrously in His image? Some of the guys reading this will yell, ‘Yeah baby; that’s what I’m talking about!’ How do I know? Because there is no sin that is uncommon to man. We lust after many things and will practically do anything to acquire them, but we ignore our Spirit, which lusts after our flesh for our salvation, which runs eternal. What is increasingly rare in this world are those men and women that truly conduct themselves as aliens and love their homeland, which for us is heaven where we will stand in His wonderful, thrice holy and majestic presence forevermore.

Over the past couple of weeks, many people from across the nation (black, white, Hispanic; men and women; young and old) have indicated that they ‘liked’ Millpond Ink and our postings on FB. I personally don’t know whether you have been persuaded and have embraced the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, but if you have done so, please do yourself an eternal favor: check out your FB page and look at its confession in the light of the Bible and the testimony that it gives to your friends. Please, do so, and as God inclines your heart, make your confession true. I really do care about you; all of you, and as part of our ministry, we can only speak the truth as God gives us lead.