I learned something this week! It was an Aha! moment. In Sunday School Class we are studying the Bible with the focus of seeing where we are right now in the progression of the 'end times' - - with the intent of seeing events through that filter.
The first thrust of that focus has been centered in a comparison of the parables of Matthew 13 (the first 7 of Jesus' parables) and the seven churches of Revelation (Chapters 1-3).
It was in re-reading Matthew 13 yesterday that my Aha! moment occurred. The Parable of the Sower (as it is titled, and as Jesus references it) has previously struck me as being more appropriately 'The Parable of the Soils.' After all, it is the receptiveness of the different types of soil which represent the receptiveness of peoples' hearts and minds. I've even noted that my soil conditions can vary from one time to another in how much I absorb.
But - in reading this passage this week, what jumped out at me was that the sower sowed no matter what kind of soil it was.... He could have been very selective where he sowed. He wasn't. He cast the seed - did his part - without caution. It spoke volumes to me. Too often I have hid behind the 'Don't throw your pearls before swine' notion - - not wanting to speak up about my faith if it was within what I perceived to be a non-receptive group. I still believe that is something to be considered under the parameters of the leading of the Holy Spirit - - but what I realized yesterday was that I don't have to pre-determine the receptiveness of the soil.
Freely I have received. Freely I must give. It needs to come naturally out of my life and relationship to God, whether I am in a receptive situation or not.
So - with that lesson noted, last night I attended a 'party' I was invited to - and in visiting with 2 lovely ladies, it came up that I had left my former church. Our visit began with my affirmation of how cute the hat was that one lady was wearing. She's a 'red-hatter.' I said, When I was at my [former church] I wore my hats. I love my hats. But I could never do that where I am attending now. That's when she said "I didn't know you left." And I was asked why - so I explained about the theological differences that caused me to make that decision. I could tell one lady was very receptive to hearing what I had to say, and one was not. But - I was just reporting. So I continued.
I explained that God is the one who made the rules - not me - and that He was who had decided that Jesus was the only way to God. God couldn't save through any other way. He had already established that as the parameter. I wasn't being narrow. I didn't make the rule - - but I had to go by what the Bible teaches....
Seeing the one lady's pursed lips - - I knew she was holding back what she might have said - but, finally she said, "I would make a good Jew. I believe in God, but I don't believe in Jesus." And then she asked, "If Jesus was so important, why did they lose him for all those years?" She related that she used to even teach Sunday School, but one time she asked her pastor about events related to Jesus' birth - and he told her that the Christmas Story was just 'made up' - so she stopped believing and never believed again.
Our discussion progressed to my sharing a little of my personal testimony - - how I had walked away from my faith for a couple of years - - but in my moment of deepest hurt and despair when I was on the verge of miscarrying the baby I was carrying I cried out to God, "IF you are there, IF you exist, if you will save this baby, I will recommit my life to you." He did - and I did.
I told her, "It's O K if you don't believe. It's your choice. But - there are over 700 prophecies in the Old Testament that point to Jesus, and He fulfills every one of them." I also suggested that if she really wanted to know, God was up to the challenge....
I had no idea where she stood in her views or her faith when the conversation began. I wasn't trying to offend. It just came up naturally in conversation. I didn't try to determine the receptivity of the soil before casting seed.
I want so desperately to not offend - - but when I stand before the LORD who created heaven and earth, I don't want to offend HIM for not sharing His story!
I am a child of God's grace - - absolutely unworthy - - but washed in the blood of the lamb. When God sees me, he sees me through the filter of His Son - - through the blood Jesus shed as our sacrifice for sin. He took the punishment so we don't have to. What an amazing GOD - - that He would choose to come to earth - - God incarnate - - and take on human form, then die for the created to pay the penalty sin demands.
I believe in Jesus! What He did for me is unbelievable, unfathomable. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone.... The promised Messiah came as a babe to Bethlehem. He came to draw men to Him. Proclaimed himself as God, not just another prophet as some religions promote. He died. He took his life up again in glorious resurrection. He lives! His kingdom is in mens' hearts. He is Savior! He is LORD!!!!
Last night after I came home from the party my human concern leaped straight to: I hope I didn't offend her. And - it's true. I would rather not offend - - but I realize that when we speak the truth - - even in love - - some people will be. But - - what if there is a tiny seed planted? What if in the interest of finding out someone goes to their Bible and starts reading? What if we can be a catalyst? One plants, one waters, one harvests. I may not get to see the end result - but I do need to be faithful in my little corner of the world.... It is my job to sow....
Lord, I know you love this lovely lady so much that you died for her. Reveal yourself to her. As I told her, I can't be her Holy Spirit!!! But you can!!!!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
THANKSGIVING
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE. LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!
Every day should be a day of Thanksgiving - but the special thing about the designated day we celebrate today is that it was...designated.
Our nation’s first President, George Washington, issued the following proclamation:
“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor, and
Whereas both houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God,
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great and glorious being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
Our founding fathers certainly weren't all Christians - but our foundation was based on belief in God as the one and only true God - yet the allowance was made for the freedom for all people to believe as they choose within the boundaries of our nation. It is a philosophy that allows differences of opinion - yet that very 'freedom' seeks to destroy the hand that fed it....
America as we have known it was created by the assimilation of people from all over the world. Not everyone who comes here shares the faith we were founded on. That is their choice. But - we have always been 'One Nation Under God' and instead of changing laws to embrace peoples' differences of religious expression, there should absolutely be tolerance of those differences without compromising our nation's foundational belief. We are a Christian nation. When we cease to be a Christian nation, we will be devoured and cease to retain any resemblance to the nation we were founded to be. In fact, we may cease to exist at all....
And - while all who come make this their home don't share our foundational religious belief, they seem to love the freedom they are allowed here that they wouldn't be afforded in their native countries. Yet, more and more I hear that political decisions are being made to incorporate laws of other belief systems that conflict with the laws we are governed by. If that happens it will spell disaster. It is too great a compromise.
The problem with being too 'politically correct' in wanting to make everyone happy is that we take God out of the equation. He still reigns supreme. He is still on the throne. I'd think as a nation that we'd want to remember to honor that reality!
Just saying...we still have a LOT to be thankful for. First, thanks to God just for being God, then continued thanks for the land of the free because of the brave, as well as thanks for the blessings living here has allowed us...but we have been promised CHANGE, and the changes I see so far aren't in our best interest....
Every day should be a day of Thanksgiving - but the special thing about the designated day we celebrate today is that it was...designated.
Our nation’s first President, George Washington, issued the following proclamation:
“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor, and
Whereas both houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God,
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these states to the service of that great and glorious being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
Our founding fathers certainly weren't all Christians - but our foundation was based on belief in God as the one and only true God - yet the allowance was made for the freedom for all people to believe as they choose within the boundaries of our nation. It is a philosophy that allows differences of opinion - yet that very 'freedom' seeks to destroy the hand that fed it....
America as we have known it was created by the assimilation of people from all over the world. Not everyone who comes here shares the faith we were founded on. That is their choice. But - we have always been 'One Nation Under God' and instead of changing laws to embrace peoples' differences of religious expression, there should absolutely be tolerance of those differences without compromising our nation's foundational belief. We are a Christian nation. When we cease to be a Christian nation, we will be devoured and cease to retain any resemblance to the nation we were founded to be. In fact, we may cease to exist at all....
And - while all who come make this their home don't share our foundational religious belief, they seem to love the freedom they are allowed here that they wouldn't be afforded in their native countries. Yet, more and more I hear that political decisions are being made to incorporate laws of other belief systems that conflict with the laws we are governed by. If that happens it will spell disaster. It is too great a compromise.
The problem with being too 'politically correct' in wanting to make everyone happy is that we take God out of the equation. He still reigns supreme. He is still on the throne. I'd think as a nation that we'd want to remember to honor that reality!
Just saying...we still have a LOT to be thankful for. First, thanks to God just for being God, then continued thanks for the land of the free because of the brave, as well as thanks for the blessings living here has allowed us...but we have been promised CHANGE, and the changes I see so far aren't in our best interest....
Monday, November 22, 2010
THANKSGIVING: Our Christian Heritage
I found the following on the internet this morning. It whets my appetite for wanting to read the book this excerpt is from! My education in public school, Sunday School – and even college at a Christian University – never informed me of the extent of the Christian foundation of America! My first insights came through viewing THE TRUTH PROJECT, by Del Tackett, which provides a Christian Worldview as opposed to the altered version we received in our textbooks. This article continues that insight. It is a wonderful link to our history this Thanksgiving season!
God in Washington D.C.
by Gary DeMar
The official minutes of the first session of the continental congress in 1774 show that Sam Adams made a proposal that the sessions be opened with prayer. Not everyone agreed. John Jay and John Rutledge opposed the recommendation claiming that the diversity of religious opinion precluded such an action. Their minority opinion did not carry the day. At the end of the debate over the proposal, Adams said that it did not become “Christian men, who had come together for solemn deliberation in the hour of their extremity, to say there was so wide a difference in their religious belief that they could not, as one man, bow the knee in prayer to the Almighty, whose advice and assistance they hoped to obtain.”
After the appeal by Sam Adams, the disputation ceased and Reverend Jacob Duché led in prayer. John Adams wrote home to his wife that the prayer by Duché “had an excellent effect upon everybody here…. Those men who were about to resort to force to obtain their rights were moved by tears” upon hearing it. The Continental Congress also issued four fast-day proclamations. The July 12, 1775, fast-day is especially significant. All the colonies were to participate. John Adams, writing to his wife from Philadelphia, said, “We have appointed a Continental fast. Millions will be upon their knees at once before the great Creator, imploring His forgiveness and blessing; His smiles on American Councils and arms.”
Declaration of Independence
With the drafting of the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776, the colonies moved into a new era of political independence with ties to its Christian past. The Declaration is a religious document, basing its argument for rights on theological grounds. Rights, the Declaration maintains, are a gift from the Creator: “We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights.” The logic is simple. No Creator, no rights.
The moral state of our nation is directly tied to this single phrase in the Declaration. Today, while our nation clamors for rights, it rejects the standard by which those rights secure their moral anchor. “Nature’s God,” who is the “Supreme Judge of the world,” makes rights a reality. While the Declaration is a theistic document, referring to “Divine Providence,” it is not specifically a Christian document. Even so, the religious phrases found in the body of the Declaration were easily understood in terms of the prevailing Christian worldview of the time. One Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration wrote: “When I signed the Declaration of Independence I had in view, not only our independence from England, but the toleration of all sects professing the Christian religion, and communicating to them all equal rights.”
The Congressional Bible
In 1777 Congress issued a proclamation for a day of thanksgiving for November of that year. December 18 was also to be set aside for “solemn thanksgiving and praise.” The proclamation called upon all citizens to “join the penitent confession of their manifold sins,” and to offer “their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance.”
The same year Congress issued an official resolution instructing the Committee on Commerce to import 20,000 copies of the Bible. With the outbreak of war with England, the sea lanes had been cut off to the colonies. This meant that goods that were once common in the colonies were no longer being imported—including Bibles printed in England. Congress decided to act. Historian B. F. Morris states the following:
The legislation of Congress on the Bible is a suggestive Christian fact, and one which evinces the faith of the statesmen of that period in its divinity, as well as their purpose to place it as the corner-stone in our republican institutions. The breaking out of the Revolution cut off the supply of “books printed in London.” The scarcity of Bibles also came soon to be felt. Dr. Patrick Allison, one of the chaplains to Congress, and other gentlemen, brought the subject before that body in a memorial, in which they urged the printing of an edition of the Scriptures.
The committee approved the importing of 20,000 copies of the Bible from Scotland, Holland, and elsewhere. Congressmen resolved to pass this proposal because they believed that “the use of the Bible is so universal, and its importance so great.” Even though the resolution passed, action was never taken to import the Bibles. Instead, Congress began to put emphasis on the printing of Bibles within the United States. In 1777 Robert Aitken of Philadelphia published a New Testament. Three additional editions were published in 1789, 1779, and 1781. The edition of 1779 was used in schools. Aitken’s efforts proved so popular that he announced his desire to publish the whole Bible; he then petitioned Congress for support. Congress adopted the following resolution in 1782:
Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled, highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, subservient to the interest of religion as well as the progress of the arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report, of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work, they commend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.
The Continental Congress’s records show that it was not neutral to religion. “Its records are full of references to ‘God,’ under many titles, to ‘Jesus Christ,’ the ‘Christian Religion,’ ‘God and the Constitution,’ and the ‘Free Protestant Colonies.’”
The First United States Congress
The first order of business of the first United States Congress in 1789 was to appoint chaplains. The Right Reverend Bishop Samuel Provost and the Reverend William Linn became publicly paid chaplains of the Senate and House respectively. Since then, both the Senate and the House have continued regularly to open their sessions with prayer. Nearly all of the fifty states make some provision in their meetings for opening prayers or devotions from guest chaplains. Few if any saw this as a violation of the First Amendment.
On April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office with his hand on a Bible. After taking the oath in Federal Hall, New York, he added, “I swear, so help me God”—words that were not part of the oath. Every president since Washington has invoked God’s name in this way. The inauguration was followed by “divine services” that were held in St. Paul’s Chapel, “performed by the Chaplain of Congress.” The first Congress that convened after the adoption of the Constitution requested of the President that the people of the United States observe a day of thanksgiving and prayer:
That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness.
This resolution was opposed by some as an infringement on the authority of the states: “It is a business with which Congress has nothing to do; it is a religious matter, and as such is proscribed to us.” Nevertheless, the resolution was adopted. Washington then issued a proclamation setting aside November 26, 1789, as a national day of thanksgiving, calling everyone to “unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions.” Washington called for days of prayer and thanksgiving on January 1 and February 19, 1795.
Good Government and Religion
Prayers in Congress, the appointment of chaplains, and the call for days of prayers and thanksgiving do not stand alone in the historical record. The evidence is overwhelming that America has in the past always linked good government to religion—and, in particular, to Christianity. Historians and constitutional scholars Anson Stokes and Leo Pfeffer summarize the role that the Christian religion played in the founding of this nation and the lofty position it has retained:
Throughout its history our governments, national and state, have co-operated with religion and shown friendliness to it. God is invoked in the Declaration of Independence and in practically every state constitution. Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, is universally observed as a day of rest. The sessions of Congress and of the state legislatures are invariably opened with prayer, in Congress by chaplains who are employed by the Federal government. We have chaplains in our armed forces and in our penal institutions. Oaths in courts of law are administered through use of the Bible. Public officials take an oath of office ending with “so help me God.” Religious institutions are tax exempt throughout the nation. Our pledge of allegiance declares that we are a nation “under God.” Our national motto is “In God We Trust” and is inscribed on our currency and on some of our postage stamps.
After only a cursory study of the years leading up to and including the drafting of the Constitution and the inauguration of the first president, it becomes obvious that Christianity played a foundational role in shaping our nation. It is not surprising that when courts had to define religion, they linked it to the Christian religion. In 1930 the Supreme Court declared, “We are a Christian people, according to one another the equal right of religious freedom, and acknowledging with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God.” Further evidence of the role that the Christian religion played in the maintenance of our nation can be found in national pronouncements and inscriptions in our nation’s capital.
[Excerpt from America's Christian History: The Untold Story (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 1993, 2008), 113-118. Used by permission.]
God in Washington D.C.
by Gary DeMar
The official minutes of the first session of the continental congress in 1774 show that Sam Adams made a proposal that the sessions be opened with prayer. Not everyone agreed. John Jay and John Rutledge opposed the recommendation claiming that the diversity of religious opinion precluded such an action. Their minority opinion did not carry the day. At the end of the debate over the proposal, Adams said that it did not become “Christian men, who had come together for solemn deliberation in the hour of their extremity, to say there was so wide a difference in their religious belief that they could not, as one man, bow the knee in prayer to the Almighty, whose advice and assistance they hoped to obtain.”
After the appeal by Sam Adams, the disputation ceased and Reverend Jacob Duché led in prayer. John Adams wrote home to his wife that the prayer by Duché “had an excellent effect upon everybody here…. Those men who were about to resort to force to obtain their rights were moved by tears” upon hearing it. The Continental Congress also issued four fast-day proclamations. The July 12, 1775, fast-day is especially significant. All the colonies were to participate. John Adams, writing to his wife from Philadelphia, said, “We have appointed a Continental fast. Millions will be upon their knees at once before the great Creator, imploring His forgiveness and blessing; His smiles on American Councils and arms.”
Declaration of Independence
With the drafting of the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776, the colonies moved into a new era of political independence with ties to its Christian past. The Declaration is a religious document, basing its argument for rights on theological grounds. Rights, the Declaration maintains, are a gift from the Creator: “We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights.” The logic is simple. No Creator, no rights.
The moral state of our nation is directly tied to this single phrase in the Declaration. Today, while our nation clamors for rights, it rejects the standard by which those rights secure their moral anchor. “Nature’s God,” who is the “Supreme Judge of the world,” makes rights a reality. While the Declaration is a theistic document, referring to “Divine Providence,” it is not specifically a Christian document. Even so, the religious phrases found in the body of the Declaration were easily understood in terms of the prevailing Christian worldview of the time. One Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration wrote: “When I signed the Declaration of Independence I had in view, not only our independence from England, but the toleration of all sects professing the Christian religion, and communicating to them all equal rights.”
The Congressional Bible
In 1777 Congress issued a proclamation for a day of thanksgiving for November of that year. December 18 was also to be set aside for “solemn thanksgiving and praise.” The proclamation called upon all citizens to “join the penitent confession of their manifold sins,” and to offer “their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance.”
The same year Congress issued an official resolution instructing the Committee on Commerce to import 20,000 copies of the Bible. With the outbreak of war with England, the sea lanes had been cut off to the colonies. This meant that goods that were once common in the colonies were no longer being imported—including Bibles printed in England. Congress decided to act. Historian B. F. Morris states the following:
The legislation of Congress on the Bible is a suggestive Christian fact, and one which evinces the faith of the statesmen of that period in its divinity, as well as their purpose to place it as the corner-stone in our republican institutions. The breaking out of the Revolution cut off the supply of “books printed in London.” The scarcity of Bibles also came soon to be felt. Dr. Patrick Allison, one of the chaplains to Congress, and other gentlemen, brought the subject before that body in a memorial, in which they urged the printing of an edition of the Scriptures.
The committee approved the importing of 20,000 copies of the Bible from Scotland, Holland, and elsewhere. Congressmen resolved to pass this proposal because they believed that “the use of the Bible is so universal, and its importance so great.” Even though the resolution passed, action was never taken to import the Bibles. Instead, Congress began to put emphasis on the printing of Bibles within the United States. In 1777 Robert Aitken of Philadelphia published a New Testament. Three additional editions were published in 1789, 1779, and 1781. The edition of 1779 was used in schools. Aitken’s efforts proved so popular that he announced his desire to publish the whole Bible; he then petitioned Congress for support. Congress adopted the following resolution in 1782:
Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled, highly approve the pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aitken, subservient to the interest of religion as well as the progress of the arts in this country, and being satisfied from the above report, of his care and accuracy in the execution of the work, they commend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.
The Continental Congress’s records show that it was not neutral to religion. “Its records are full of references to ‘God,’ under many titles, to ‘Jesus Christ,’ the ‘Christian Religion,’ ‘God and the Constitution,’ and the ‘Free Protestant Colonies.’”
The First United States Congress
The first order of business of the first United States Congress in 1789 was to appoint chaplains. The Right Reverend Bishop Samuel Provost and the Reverend William Linn became publicly paid chaplains of the Senate and House respectively. Since then, both the Senate and the House have continued regularly to open their sessions with prayer. Nearly all of the fifty states make some provision in their meetings for opening prayers or devotions from guest chaplains. Few if any saw this as a violation of the First Amendment.
On April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office with his hand on a Bible. After taking the oath in Federal Hall, New York, he added, “I swear, so help me God”—words that were not part of the oath. Every president since Washington has invoked God’s name in this way. The inauguration was followed by “divine services” that were held in St. Paul’s Chapel, “performed by the Chaplain of Congress.” The first Congress that convened after the adoption of the Constitution requested of the President that the people of the United States observe a day of thanksgiving and prayer:
That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness.
This resolution was opposed by some as an infringement on the authority of the states: “It is a business with which Congress has nothing to do; it is a religious matter, and as such is proscribed to us.” Nevertheless, the resolution was adopted. Washington then issued a proclamation setting aside November 26, 1789, as a national day of thanksgiving, calling everyone to “unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions.” Washington called for days of prayer and thanksgiving on January 1 and February 19, 1795.
Good Government and Religion
Prayers in Congress, the appointment of chaplains, and the call for days of prayers and thanksgiving do not stand alone in the historical record. The evidence is overwhelming that America has in the past always linked good government to religion—and, in particular, to Christianity. Historians and constitutional scholars Anson Stokes and Leo Pfeffer summarize the role that the Christian religion played in the founding of this nation and the lofty position it has retained:
Throughout its history our governments, national and state, have co-operated with religion and shown friendliness to it. God is invoked in the Declaration of Independence and in practically every state constitution. Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, is universally observed as a day of rest. The sessions of Congress and of the state legislatures are invariably opened with prayer, in Congress by chaplains who are employed by the Federal government. We have chaplains in our armed forces and in our penal institutions. Oaths in courts of law are administered through use of the Bible. Public officials take an oath of office ending with “so help me God.” Religious institutions are tax exempt throughout the nation. Our pledge of allegiance declares that we are a nation “under God.” Our national motto is “In God We Trust” and is inscribed on our currency and on some of our postage stamps.
After only a cursory study of the years leading up to and including the drafting of the Constitution and the inauguration of the first president, it becomes obvious that Christianity played a foundational role in shaping our nation. It is not surprising that when courts had to define religion, they linked it to the Christian religion. In 1930 the Supreme Court declared, “We are a Christian people, according to one another the equal right of religious freedom, and acknowledging with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God.” Further evidence of the role that the Christian religion played in the maintenance of our nation can be found in national pronouncements and inscriptions in our nation’s capital.
[Excerpt from America's Christian History: The Untold Story (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 1993, 2008), 113-118. Used by permission.]
Monday, November 8, 2010
23 MINUTES IN HELL
This is my first entry after our trip. We traveled over 10,000 miles - and some of our experiences will make their way into my blog and my facebook page eventually....
But, today I am detoured by a link I received and listened to in trying to catch up on e-mails. The leader of the small group (AKA Adult S. S. class) I attend on Sunday mornings sent a connection to a 64-minute video of a man named Bill Wiese telling about his out-of-body experience of spending 23 minutes in hell.
It is compelling viewing, even though the speaker is soft-spoken and not at all like the fire and brimstone preachers of my childhood. In fact, he is not a preacher, but a Real Estate agent. But God chose him for this task....
You can type in '23 minutes in hell' and get several options for viewing portions of the full message. As our instructor said, I recommend not doing it before bedtime. I did, though - - listened to it, then went to sleep. It did not haunt my dreams. It informs my 'awake.' Now that I have seen this, I don't know what to do with the information.
If I thought it would draw unbelievers to God, I'd definitely want them to see it - to be admonished by the warning, and to turn to God before it is too late.
The reality is: I cannot think of one person who was drawn permanently to God out of fear of hell. We as Christians need to know it is real so we don't deny it exists. There is a heaven to gain, which means there also is a hell to shun. And, I admit, I've been guilty of 'hoping' that those who are good people who never accept Jesus just 'die' - - not go to such an awful, wicked place - - but this man's message curtails that hope. The portrayals are beyond-belief horrible.
It is, at the very least, a reminder of what we have been spared by the love of God: sin demands payment - and God, in his enormous love, provided us a way of escape by paying the penalty himself - - by coming to earth and becoming the sacrifice justice demands. God incarnate. Yeshua/Jesus/Messiah taking the full brunt of sin by being rejected, cruelly beaten, then dying on a despicable cross so we can escape the judgment we deserve. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world...if people only turn to Him. After all the blood sacrifices of the Old Testament, he became the final sacrifice. We are saved by His shed blood. He sealed salvation with His resurrection, defeating death, hell and the grave. He rose in victory!
Non-Christians feel that hell is a threat: They hear the message "You need to turn to God and accept Jesus Christ or you will die - or worse yet, go to hell" as merely a threat instead of the truth. Their focus is on the negative side - and so they choose to dismiss it as unloving and unkind, rather than seeing that there is very loving God who forewarns - - much like a 'Bridge out' sign placed purposely before a cataclysmic drop-off.
All I know to do is to keep proclaiming Jesus as THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, and pray for the Holy Spirit to do His work. I can't do it for Him - - no matter how badly I want to help! And I pray for those I know and love to hear God's message of love for them before it is too late. I know God's Word is true - - and believe that anyone who truly wants to find out only has to challenge God with "Show me!" then open His Word to search for whether He reveals himself! He will respond to all earnest seekers!
He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. Whether or not we accept Eternal Life is our choice - but it is accomplished by His grace and what He did for us on the cross. We can't earn it. We don't deserve it. But we can have it! I am amazed anew at the reality that GOD - who created the universe - cares so deeply about me (and you) as an individual that He yearns for me (and you) to have a personal relationship with Him!
Thank you, Lord. You are amazing! Open eyes to see and ears to hear the TRUTH of the Good News of your Word! And help me live faithfully as a model of your amazing grace.
Amen.
But, today I am detoured by a link I received and listened to in trying to catch up on e-mails. The leader of the small group (AKA Adult S. S. class) I attend on Sunday mornings sent a connection to a 64-minute video of a man named Bill Wiese telling about his out-of-body experience of spending 23 minutes in hell.
It is compelling viewing, even though the speaker is soft-spoken and not at all like the fire and brimstone preachers of my childhood. In fact, he is not a preacher, but a Real Estate agent. But God chose him for this task....
You can type in '23 minutes in hell' and get several options for viewing portions of the full message. As our instructor said, I recommend not doing it before bedtime. I did, though - - listened to it, then went to sleep. It did not haunt my dreams. It informs my 'awake.' Now that I have seen this, I don't know what to do with the information.
If I thought it would draw unbelievers to God, I'd definitely want them to see it - to be admonished by the warning, and to turn to God before it is too late.
The reality is: I cannot think of one person who was drawn permanently to God out of fear of hell. We as Christians need to know it is real so we don't deny it exists. There is a heaven to gain, which means there also is a hell to shun. And, I admit, I've been guilty of 'hoping' that those who are good people who never accept Jesus just 'die' - - not go to such an awful, wicked place - - but this man's message curtails that hope. The portrayals are beyond-belief horrible.
It is, at the very least, a reminder of what we have been spared by the love of God: sin demands payment - and God, in his enormous love, provided us a way of escape by paying the penalty himself - - by coming to earth and becoming the sacrifice justice demands. God incarnate. Yeshua/Jesus/Messiah taking the full brunt of sin by being rejected, cruelly beaten, then dying on a despicable cross so we can escape the judgment we deserve. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world...if people only turn to Him. After all the blood sacrifices of the Old Testament, he became the final sacrifice. We are saved by His shed blood. He sealed salvation with His resurrection, defeating death, hell and the grave. He rose in victory!
Non-Christians feel that hell is a threat: They hear the message "You need to turn to God and accept Jesus Christ or you will die - or worse yet, go to hell" as merely a threat instead of the truth. Their focus is on the negative side - and so they choose to dismiss it as unloving and unkind, rather than seeing that there is very loving God who forewarns - - much like a 'Bridge out' sign placed purposely before a cataclysmic drop-off.
All I know to do is to keep proclaiming Jesus as THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, and pray for the Holy Spirit to do His work. I can't do it for Him - - no matter how badly I want to help! And I pray for those I know and love to hear God's message of love for them before it is too late. I know God's Word is true - - and believe that anyone who truly wants to find out only has to challenge God with "Show me!" then open His Word to search for whether He reveals himself! He will respond to all earnest seekers!
He who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. Whether or not we accept Eternal Life is our choice - but it is accomplished by His grace and what He did for us on the cross. We can't earn it. We don't deserve it. But we can have it! I am amazed anew at the reality that GOD - who created the universe - cares so deeply about me (and you) as an individual that He yearns for me (and you) to have a personal relationship with Him!
Thank you, Lord. You are amazing! Open eyes to see and ears to hear the TRUTH of the Good News of your Word! And help me live faithfully as a model of your amazing grace.
Amen.
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