Psalm 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 2 Serve the
Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye
that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we
ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into
his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be
thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy
is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Exhortation: Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
It is God who made us when we belong to HIM. By HIS own will we are set into the body of Christ. It is not done by our will but by HIS will.
Acts 2:47 ...And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
James 1:18 ... Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Romans 9 ... For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Therefore we greatly rejoice that HE chose us and that HE revealed Himself to us and that he put us into the family of God.
While there are many evils on this present earth and Paul says those evils will get worse and worse, I find in the midst of the evils of this world I am greatly helped when I consider how God put me into the church.