One of the many topics that my former friend and I discussed when we were studying The Bible was that of the entertainment industry, what it takes to make it there (the secret deal), and the issue of salvation with specific focus on the thief on the cross story in Luke chapter 23.
I told him that I had just read an article on secret society members, self-described movers and shakers, who by their own admission are fixated on more wealth, power, and fame and often join these groups because of the promises of these things. In this article, it said that some of them are fully aware of the Lord’s existence but continue to live the way they do anyway, counting on the thief on the cross story at the end of their lives in which Jesus says that one of the criminals being crucified with Him will be “with Him in paradise” for pronouncing his faith in Him and knowledge of His innocence, asking to be “remembered when He comes in His kingdom.”
I said that this will not work because they are knowingly going against the truth for their own selfish ends, living for this world, and then trying to escape at the end. He said that someone who does such a thing can still be saved, without citing any Biblical evidence, and I said that they would not, with me secretly thinking that he was saying this so adamantly because he might have one foot still planted in the world, a problem that I still wrestle with occasionally as well.
I was reminded of this when reading Matthew and coming across The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, told by Jesus, shedding some light on the subject. In the story, a landowner (God) hires workers (Christians) for work in His vineyard (kingdom). To get workers, the landowner goes out to the marketplace in the morning and finds any workers he can, mutually agreeing that they will be paid one denarius for the day’s work.
Throughout the day, the landowner continues to go back into the marketplace and hire more workers, all the way up until five in the afternoon when he hires workers with only about an hour left in the day. In the cases after the ones in the morning, they are not told what they will be paid, either being told that it will be “what is right” or being told nothing at all (“You also go and work in my vineyard”).
When it comes time to distribute the funds, the landowner tells the foreman (Jesus) distributing them to start with the workers who came in the latest and progress to those who came in first. When the ones who came in later receive one denarius, those who came in first expect to be paid more since they have “borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day,” but instead still receive just one denarius like the rest. Despite their protests, the landowner reminds them that they were paid what was agreed upon and says that he has decided to be generous to those who came after, being able to do whatever he wants with his money. Jesus concludes, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
With this statement, Jesus is saying that all Christians have the same gift of eternal life (one denarius). Whether one has been faithfully working their whole life for God or truly repents on their death bed after a long lifetime of sin, salvation is salvation, and God can do whatever He pleases with His sovereign authority.
Would I be “grumbling” as well? Probably. If I knew that someone knew the truth and continued to discard it to live an easier, worldly life, only to try to use a “get out of jail free card” at the end, I would probably not be pleased, either. But then again, were they truly happy pursuing those things instead of God? In my life, I had never truly had joy before accepting Jesus into my heart and becoming a member of my church, with the sign above the door where I got my photo taken saying “happiness is an inside job.” As William Schnoebelen, an ex-occultist and Christian once said in his video “Mormonism’s Temple of Doom,” you can visibly see the difference between the heaviness of secret society members (or any other unbelievers for that matter) and joyous Christians with light burdens.
In addition, God knows everything about each and every individual’s life, and therefore our judgments cannot override His, whatever they are. Just as the deathbed scenario can happen, I can with certainty be sent on a worldwide mission by Him, and other Christians should support it, regardless of how they feel about it.
Sometimes, however, I even wonder if they understand that it is a done deal that I am going. I have tried to explain this the best I can here on my blog, but another family member has again proposed an alternative mission trip program. I appreciate the input, but I am without a doubt going on this one, no matter what the goal or donation amount says, since God has said so. I don’t mean to offend anyone whenever I speak to them, but I naturally just state what I know to be true without realizing how it might affect others. For instance, when I was driving for Uber and Lyft before being hired as a teacher, there was a Jewish lady who I actually had to pick up from a hospital room, having to serve as a person being there for some purpose that I can’t remember. It took a while, but I certainly didn’t mind because I had pity for her. By the end of the drive to her place, however, it looked like she would have hurt me if she could after bluntly stating how I got saved and what church I go to.
Similarly, I have a friend who is a Mormon, and this is one of the reasons I also have doubts that they are actually a Christian organization. Although we used to talk more frequently, the talks abruptly ended after I told her on the phone what happened and we had an argument about it, with her saying a similar thing happened with her at the Mormon church but I wouldn’t believe her, and that all roads are basically the same, general love is all that matters, etc. She once said something on my Facebook page about Christ coming back and defended Freemasons, so this is very confusing.
If I thought that I was hated when I was more tolerant with sin, I was wrong; it has actually gotten much worse after cleaning up and declaring Christ’s name. But as He said, everyone hates you when you become His disciple. I am happy He chose me to be a part of it, because I don’t think that I have that much to lose or that many people who liked me to begin with. I hope that every time they see my Facebook picture, the beginning of the message I received after I got hired, it plants something in their brains that will eventually lead them to repentance. Although I didn’t really understand the nature of Christians I worked for in their construction company (One Way) at the time, five years ago or so, I didn’t think they were delusional. After all, I had seen how God has worked in other lives. Ultimately, I think that all men know and just decide to take another route.
So, in contrast to the way I felt before during that Bible study, I’ve decided that any decision that the God who redeemed me from the pit makes is the correct one. I’m glad that I have come to be saved early enough in my life where I can still do a substantial amount of work for His kingdom, and I accept any other additions who come along before they die, transferring them from eternal damnation to salvation. To wish otherwise would seem to be sadistic, when they are really missing out on the secret of JOY to begin with: Jesus, Others, Yourself.
