re: United Methodist Church special session this week

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The problem is many verses teach the opposite of what Calvin taught, especially in the areas of Limited Atonement and Irresistible Grace. For example, "Quench not the Spirit" (I Thessalonians 5:19). But if it's already been decided who's in and who's out, this verse is meaningless, since whoever is in can't quench the Spirit (irresistible grace) and whoever is out won't be drawn by the Spirit in the first place (limited atonement).

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Quenching the spirit simply means that we, as regenerate believers, quench the fire of the Spirit by removing the fuel of fellowship, worship, prayer, etc. that stoke the flames of the Spirit within us. Christians can stop going to church, not pray, not read the scriptures, and not be uplifted by Christian fellowship to the point where our faith becomes dull. That doesn't mean the Spirit is gone out and we are no longer saved. That would contradict what Christ, Himself, said in John 10 regarding the Father giving His people eternal life so that none of us should perish and that no one can snatch us out of His hand. The reason? We belong to Him as His bride and His reward and He will have each and every one of us.