HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, August 9, 2025 – There were two prototype churches during Jesus’ ministry – the inner circle made up of Jesus and his close followers, and the outer circle made up of casual followers who came and went. After Pentecost, these prototypes became, respectively, the Kingdom Church, peopled by Holy Spirit-filled born-again believers, and the worldly church, peopled by everyone else who calls him- or herself a Christian. The two churches remain to this day.

As a born-again believer who came to faith instantaneously and miraculously, I am mystified by people who choose to remain in the worldly church (because it is a choice to remain there, a personal choice). I can’t fathom the mindset where someone would say “I’ll commit this much of myself to God, but no more”.  I can only assume the lack of commitment comes from not knowing the first Commandment or, knowing it, choosing not to follow it.

Before I was a believer, I knew many people in the worldly church. There wasn’t much to distinguish them from me, other than that some of them attended a church service on occasion or wore a cross under their shirt. They drank with me, cursed with me, did all manner of whatever with me, but then checked the “Catholic” or “Protestant” box on official forms. I even ridiculed their beliefs to their faces, and they just laughed. Their casual approach to God is one of the main reasons why I never at that time seriously considered looking to God for answers to my many problems, though even if I had considered looking to God, I wouldn’t gotten anywhere until he actually called me.

When God calls you, it’s a one-and-done deal. He doesn’t call you, is rejected by you, and then comes back later to try again. You get one shot. If you accept his call, he’ll test you to gauge your sincerity. If he finds you sincere, he’ll convert you and you’ll be born again, but the tests won’t stop there. They’ll keep on going until you draw your last earthly breath.

Most people in the worldly church have been called and are now being tested for their sincerity. They’re drawn to what God’s offering, but they’re also partly drawn to what Satan is offering. God is patient and so is giving them an allotted time to sort things out. During this time (the duration of which is known only to God), their commitment typically waxes and wanes, though as long as it remains above a certain measure, they’re still in the worldly church, which means there’s still hope for them. But, again, no-one knows the time God allots to each soul. When time’s up and that soul is still dithering, it’s lost forever. This spiritual fact should scare the you-know-what out of everyone in the worldly church.

I was born-again from atheism and so didn’t go through the worldly church phase. When God called me, I immediately threw my full lot in with him, holding nothing back. God knew this (knowing my heart) and so converted me (healed me) on the spot, giving me a portion of his Holy Spirit. The tests, though – the tests have been non-stop for me as a born-again believer, and I’ve struggled with many of them. The higher you climb the mountain, the more rugged the terrain and the tougher the conditions.

Jesus had to teach his casual followers in parables because they weren’t able to receive God’s Truth straight up. His close followers could receive it, but his casual followers needed it veiled. If any of you reading this are still in the worldly church, here’s a parable for you:

There once was a donkey. He was a nice enough donkey, as donkeys go. With few exceptions, he nearly always did what his master asked of him. And because the donkey was more obedient than stubborn, his master kept him and was kind to him and continued to feed and shelter him for many years.

But as time passed, the donkey grew less and less obedient and more and more stubborn. His master noticed this and tried to correct the donkey’s behavior. At first, he tried correcting him with a gentle hand, but the donkey ignored him. So then he tried correcting him with a heavier hand that slightly hurt the donkey (though just enough to get his attention and show him that his master meant business). Still, the donkey persisted in his bad behavior, growing more and more stubborn with each passing day.

The master was at a loss for what to do. He was fond of the donkey, but because of his stubbornness, the donkey was of no use to him. And so, one day, the master made the difficult decision to let the donkey go.

The man who came and took the donkey away didn’t care that he was stubborn.

He was a salami maker.