I have dedicated much of my time over the past 40 years or so trying to understand the bible and God! I have read and heard over and over from many different Christian sources about why I must repent and change "before it is too late!" Too late meaning if I don't get right with God before I die, I'm doomed to eternal punishment in Hell! What.....? Wow, that seems harsh from a loving God!
And how will I know if I'm right enough with God? Well you have to believe in Jesus!
OK I do! Yea but you also have to change your ways!
What ways? Well you know, stop cussing, stop lusting, go to church, don't drink, don't smoke, basically obey the 10 commandments.
Does anyone follow all those rules? Well, they are supposed to!
Ok but I thought I was good if I believed in Jesus, so am I good or not? Well yea but if you really believed in Jesus you wouldn't continue to sin!
Do you believe in Jesus? Yes!
Well have you stopped sinning? For the most part!
OK now I am confused. Am I in or out?
What about all the good Jewish people who don't believe in Jesus and what about all the people born in a country who will never hear about Jesus? What happens to them?
Any of that sound familiar to you? So here is what I would like you to kick around the barnyard for a while. The bible says that we are all created in God's own image. "All of us!" We are his children. One of the traits that must have come from God is our ability to love one another. I think one of the most profound loves we can experience on this earth is the love we have for our own creation, our children. So let me ask you something,"If your child decides to rebel against you, would you stop loving them? Would you stop loving them even if they chose not to come around and visit you anymore? Would you ever decide to have them thrown into solitary confinement in some awful prison somewhere and have them tortured every day for the rest of their lives because they missed the deadline of reconciliation with you?"
If we, in our broken, imperfect love wouldn't think of doing such a thing to our children, how in the world have some people, who claim to know God, come to the conclusion that He would do even worse to His own children? Sorry, but this just doesn't fit the overall picture and description of Jesus and what He taught. I know this may have been the doctrine for hundreds of years but I'm not buying it.
What makes more sense to you?
If Jesus forgave the guys who spent three years with him as his disciples, who then ran away and denied him when He was arrested, then surely he wouldn't deny someone who, through no fault of their own were born into a situation where Jesus isn't talked about or even known about. For crying out loud Jesus even forgave the men who nailed him to a cross. I mean if the guys who killed Jesus got a pass, doesn't it make sense that He is going to come back for all of us?
Here is my conclusion which I will stand by with all my heart.
You are loved by a mighty, wonderful, loving God. The world is broken. People are broken. But under the brokenness we are all God's children.
I may not vote like you.
I may not dress like you.
I may not talk like you.
I may not live like you.
But you and I have the same father! We are related. We are brothers and sisters!
It's Ok to disagree!
It's OK to do things differently.
It's OK to like different art, music, and food.
It's Ok to have different priorities in life.
It's ok to worship differently! BUT........
It is NOT OK to hate!
It's NOT OK to tear down and destroy!
It's NOT OK to cause unnecessary pain to people who happen to be different from you!
I know it is a very complicated world and there are those who have been so brainwashed with hate that they can no longer see or hear God's voice. But most of the people in the world do understand love, compassion, and kindness, all traits of Jesus!
So is there a HELL? Oh yes there is definitely a hell. You can find it right here on earth right now. It is being created by people who have lost their ability to hear God's spirit within them. Hell is when we become separated from God. God is love. So to be separated from God is to be separated from love.
Let's change ourselves with love so that we can change the world with love! Let's stop confusing people with a confusing message about Jesus and God! None of us are good enough! But Jesus' love is! It's called Grace! The free and unmerited favor of God! GRACE! If people understood the Grace that Jesus offers, every Sunday worship would be a celebration like no other. It's called the Good News, not the Confusing Damning News. I'll bet my life on Love and Grace any day!
Hope to see you soon! Sincerely, pastor kent.
Praise Community Fellowship and Immanuel Methodist church. Two congregations becoming one family. We welcome anyone who want's to learn more about Love and Grace! 800 North main Edwardsville.
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