‘Publication’

Tuesday, May 19, 2009. The “creep” factor shoots pretty high when you start thinking or talking about hell. “Hell no!” seems to be the only appropriate response to the topic. Definitely disturbing. It surprised me to discover God is uncomfortable with the subject too. Scripture suggests that He hates hell and He hates that people are going there (see Ezek. 33:11). God’s dream is for all to experience eternal life. But the problem still exists: the Bible says there is a hell and people are going to go there forever. I still can’t get my mind around that.

The Bible is clear: there is a hell. And whatever it is like, it is a real and horrible place. That being said, there are varying opinions on whether or not the descriptions of hell given in Scripture are to be taken literally or symbolically. Saying a description is “symbolic” is not to say the place being described is not real.

When examining the descriptions of eternity (heaven or hell), we find the imagery given to us in Scripture a little confusing. The literal view of hell has produced some pretty wild imaginations in the past. In the fourteenth-century Dante imagined a place of absolute terror where the damned writhe and scream. The descriptions of hell come complete with loud wails of sinners boiling in blood, terrified and naked people running from hordes of biting snakes, and lands of heavy darkness and dense fog. In Dante’s hell, people must endure thick, burning smoke that chars their nostrils, and some remain forever trapped in lead cloaks, a claustrophobic nightmare.

Descriptions like Dante’s have proven somewhat effective at jolting folks to repentance, but the Scriptures do not explicitly teach what he imagined. Certainly, the Bible teaches that hell will be a place of frightful judgment, but precisely what it will be like physically is really questionable. “It would be a mistake to think that [hell isn’t that bad]. It is a loss of everything, and it’s meant to stand for the fact that hell is the worst possible situation that could ever happen to a person.”

GOD IS LOVE

This discussion seems important to me because many push back from faith because they cannot justify the idea of a loving God sending someone to an unimaginable torture
chamber for all of eternity. But what if we are missing the point here? The Bible says 49 times that God is a rock—none of us think He is literally a “rock.” Thinking so would make us miss the point.

What if the point of hell is not torment?
What if it is actually proof of God’s respect for the human race and a compliment to the reality of human freedom? Remember, God’s will—His great longing is that no one perish, not a single person. So, why does He allow anyone to do so? Because He created human beings with free will, and He has no intention of violating that. We are not modified monkeys, subject to instinct alone; we are unique creatures who have the power to cognate, reason, and choose. God will not force his purpose on us (though the purpose He set for the human race is one that causes us to flourish in a way nothing else can!). We can choose to reject God’s purpose for us (and to ignore or reject God). God created us with that right. Sadly, many choose to ignore and reject God. This is the worm that has curled its way into the apple of the human condition.

Here’s the deal: we humans either have free will or we don’t. If we do, then God cannot strip us of the right to choose, even if we choose something He did not want for us. That means it would be a violation of our free will for God to force us to be with Him for eternity if we don’t want to be. By allowing us to say no to Him, God is actually showing respect for us and keeping human dignity in tact.

The formation of hell is not an indication that God is mean, angry, or capricious, like a spoiled child who is hacked off about not getting his own way, so He’s decides to make the disobedient pay. It is evidence that God will never force Himself on the human race. It evidences that He honors human will by choosing to create a place where He is not. There is a hell (whatever it will be like) precisely because God loves the human race.

From: http://www.allaboutgod.com

Christian Halloween? Halloween is undoubtedly more misunderstood than any other holiday event. Is it hocus-pocus superstition or truly Christian focused?

It can appear to be nothing more than a pagan event dreamed up by some deviant opportunist and/or candy and costume manufacturer, but All Hallows Eve was actually intended to be a righteous opportunity purposed in history past to commemorate old saints.

We encourage you to carefully examine the history of Halloween. Halloween, which comes from the word All Hallows Eve is tied directly to All Saints Day celebrated on November 1 of each year to commemorate the old saints who have passed on. These “saints” were heroes and martyrs for the Christian Faith.

Christian Halloween – The Pros and Cons?
We understand that much of Halloween has manipulated and “tricked” by the secular pagan world and much of what happens on Halloween is far from spiritual. In fact, some of the Halloween traditions have pagan origins.

The Bible doesn’t speak directly about Halloween, but some biblical principles apply. One things is clear — all pagan practices are to be avoided. Witchcraft, occult practices, sorcery, etc. are strictly forbidding in the Bible (Exodus 22:18; Acts 8:9-24; Acts 16, 19). It is obvious that a small child dressing up as a princess or a cowboy isn’t involving themselves with witchcraft, so what is a biblical stance on Halloween?

Parents, the decision is up to you. If you decide Halloween is something fun for your children, make sure they are kept far away from the evil aspects of Halloween. When believers participate in anything (even Halloween), their attitudes, dress, and behavior should glorify Christ (Philippians 1:27)

Christian Halloween – Take Advantage!
Halloween can be a “hands on” learning opportunity about God’s control over Satan and the fallen angels. God keeps them held powerless according to His will. Christian Halloween and All Saints Day come together in purposeful unity as the one protects and covers the other. It is a time for the Gospel to devour the ghouls.

Consider trying these Christian Halloween ideas, handing out Christian Halloween poems, and using fun Christian tracts with the kids who trick or treat in your neighborhood. Find stimulating and fun ways to reach out to kids and adults in your community who might not normally be contacted throughout the year.

Encourage your church to hold a party on Halloween night. Many parents would rather their children be inside and away from danger. Use this as an opportunity to tell these families about Jesus and about your church.

Dr. Alvin Reid and Jonathan Merritt – www.relevantmagazine.com

There is a story told about the time Sir Conan Doyle, the English writer who created the fictional character Sherlock Holmes, decided to play a practical joke on 12 of his best friends. The story goes that he sent all 12 of them a telegram that simply read: “Flee at once … all has been discovered.” Within 24 hours, all 12 had fled to other countries. Sadly, many—if not most—Christians
live with the same guilt. We feel guilty if we stay out too late on Saturday and sleep through church on Sunday morning. We feel guilty if the physical components of our relationships with our girlfriends or boyfriends “go too far.” We feel guilty if we don’t give money to the Church or spend the right amount of time in prayer. Unfortunately, many believers are driven to do these things—pray, tithe, attend church, remain sexually pure—by a rabid sense of duty.
This ought not to be. While these things are good things and goals to be sought after, and while guilt should be a natural reaction to sin from a regenerate heart, the Christian faith should never be driven by a sense of duty, guilt or entitlement. Instead, we should be driven to lives of holiness by passion—passion for God, passion for the lost, passion for the Gospel, passion for each other.

If we move from passion and excitement as motivation to duty and guilt, we lose the great idea of our faith. The great idea of our faith is that the Creator-God has made a way for regular folks like us to know Him. This great idea allows both for eternal life with Him in heaven and purpose in this life. This is an idea of freedom, is it not?

A guilt-driven faith will certainly go through the motions. It will drive you to action. But a passion-driven faith forces us to tell everyone we know about the great idea that can change the world. It will drive you to a lifestyle. And we would long for our neighbors, friends and families to embrace this great idea!

The Great Awakenings in the Church have come in no small part because men recaptured a sense of passion rather than guilt. John Wesley, an ordained, Oxford-educated minister, did not become a leader in the Great Awakening until he found an inner passion for Jesus Christ. Once that happened he seemed outlandish to others, and he eventually had to preach in the fields. The same could be said of Whitefield and Edwards, Finney and Spurgeon, Luther and Savonarola. They embraced a passion for the great idea of Christianity.

Our faith is certainly not comprised only of passion. It is also pure, revealed truth. But the truth of our faith is more than mere, propositional fact; it is a great idea that is worthy of infectious passion.

It seems a passionless faith may be one reason so many find our faith unattractive and disingenuous. We must revive the great idea of our great God. We must rediscover the great commission and great commandment. We must pursue a passion-driven Christianity. If our faith is to become a transformative, redemptive power within the culture, we need to flee guilt-driven, duty-centered puppetry and call down a passion for the great idea of the Gospel.