Acts 27:31 reads: Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved" Whenever we come to Christ, We can't go out and live in the world as we did before. We must stay in God, otherwise we won't be saved. We have to keep on track and stay focused on God. It's not an easy task but it's possible.
The men were afraid of crashing onto the rocks, so they wanted to abandon ship. Several Christians are afraid of what people will think and fear persecution, so they abandon God and return to the world. But God offers more protection from harm than the world does. Imagine if a storm hit. Would those men have been better off in the protection of the ship, or out on their own in the waves?
Most people don't want to be Christians because they think it's hard, they think it's a battle. Life's a battle, Christian or not, there's no way around it!
Notice the scripture says: "Unless THESE MEN stay in the ship, YOU cannot be saved"
Paul's not talking to the ones who are wanting to leave the ship, he's talking to others on the ship. They were responsible for one another, otherwise none of them would make it. We're all more likely to make it through life if we have at least one person there to keep us on track, and put us in our place when needed! Similarly, If we notice someone slipping out of the boat or trying to get out, or even in the water swimming away, it's up to us to at least try to stop/help them. If we don't even try, we too will be held accountable before the throne of God.
There is so much power in the unity of Christ. This is an amazing post Josh.
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