God's summons is His sovereign, specific call by which He appoints some to eternal life. Acts 13:48 says "as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed," and the word "appointed" always means an ordering from outside oneself, so faith is not self-generated. Through His Spirit God disposes the minds of those He calls, separating them from others and beginning to reveal Himself and His way, just as a parent calls one child out of a group for a specific purpose. Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:5 confirm that God predestines some to be called. Predestination does not mean every act of a life is fixed; Israel's wilderness failures show that people choose and that God wills an end while the path depends on response. Believers are to "work out" their salvation, since God supplies both desire and power. Because human nature is deceived and distracted, no one would find God unaided. Calling rests on grace, not merit: God chose the foolish, weak, and despised (I Corinthians 1:26-29), as He preserved the seven thousand in Elijah's day, solely by His influence. Our love for Him answers His initiative. Those not now called are passed over for the present, not damned, and will have opportunity in the second resurrection. This should produce humility, gratitude, and obedience.

God summons some to salvation and not others. Acts 13:48 says that as many as were ordained to eternal life believed, and the word "ordained" means appointed, in agreement with Romans 8:29-30, where predestination, justification, and glorification stand together. Like a parent calling one child out of a group, God supernaturally calls and separates a person, then reveals Himself and His way, because people are too deceived and self-absorbed to find Him. Faith is His gift (Acts 18:27), so believing is the consequence of His calling, not its cause. He did not choose on the basis of any virtue, wisdom, or prior love in us (I Corinthians 1:26-29, Deuteronomy 7, Romans 9:21). All come from the same lump of humanity, and He alone makes the difference. Those not now summoned are passed over for the present and appointed to a different place in His plan, with the second resurrection still ahead (I Peter 2:8-10). Predestination concerns the end result, not every act. God wills eternal life for the called, yet they keep free moral agency and must work out their salvation with fear and trembling, as Israel in the wilderness failed to do. God supplies both the desire and the power to do His will (Philippians 2:13). Since He is sovereign Creator and Master, asking whether He is fair is the wrong question. The calling should produce humility, gratitude, and obedience.

God's holy days are not invitations but summonses. In Leviticus 23, the feasts and Sabbaths are commanded assemblies, "holy convocations," and God uses the authority of His office to command His people to appear before Him. An invitation implies that one may refuse, while a summons carries legal force. There God instructs His people and fellowships with them. The One who issues the summons also sets the standards of dress and conduct, just as a host sets the terms of a party or a government sets the rules for its functions. God has set many such standards along with His summons. The words "sacred" (exclusively dedicated to God), "solemn" (serious, dignified, formal), and "formal" (according to rules) show what kind of occasion this is. The purpose of the occasion determines decorum, as in Nehemiah 8, where the people stood, bowed, and listened reverently. Wherever two or three gather in Christ's name, by His authority, He is present, whether in a hall or on a telephone line at home. The office matters, not the person, as Teddy Kollek put on a jacket to see the Prime Minister. Those summoned should therefore honor God with reverence, formality, and self-control, and should teach their children to do the same. Treating the summons casually shows that one does not see God's greatness, and tries to force Him to accept us on our own terms.