I was thinking more about what you said over the last few days. I'm always evaluating my beliefs, and my views and actions, always trying to improve where improvement is needed, or change where change is needed, as I"m striving to be as acceptable to the Lord as I possibly can and align my will with His.
So, I'm always doing a brutaly honest "quality control check" on myself............LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We really should all be doing that all the time.........but anyway..........I was thinking more in depth about what you said about teaching love and that is the most important thing, and I agree 150% about that. But the hell thing, I'm not so sure about.
I do believe that unbelievers will be outside of the kingdom of God in the afterlife, and they will be conscious of it and, unfortunately, suffering at the hands of the demons that reside there until God finally destroys the place for good.
I always thought hell was forever, but recently learned that it's not, God will eventually destroy it. AMEN TO THAT!!!!!!!
But anyway...........I was thinking about whether or not it's loving to warn people of hell. If I saw someone reaching for a hot frying pan on the stove, I would warn them. How is hell any different? If you love people, and you believe in the words of Jesus, He also warned people of hell, and I think it's our responsibility to do so in a loving way.
Now, there are some that are disgusting like Westboro Baptist Church, they make my hair stand on end because it appears that they actually take delight in knowing that some people will go to hell, and I think that's WRONG! If your will is in alignment with God's will, then you will not want anyone to go there no matter what. So, that's horrible, but I'm talking about warning people, trying to wake them up, before it's too late.
What do you guys think about that?????
The problem with preaching Hellfire and Damnation is that at least in America it has been shoved down people's
throats so much that the "Good News" has been overshadowed with it....Christianity has become more works and fear based and love has come last, if at all....We do need balance, we are all lost without Jesus who set the example for us. But he did not go about, beating people into submission...take the woman caught in adultery for instance, or the Samaritan woman...he spoke grace, peace and love. He did not condemn them..in fact he said to the woman caught in adultery, "Woman, where are thine accusers", she said, "there are none Lord," and he said, "neither do I accuse you, go and sin no more."
Jesus was harsh on those that wore religious garb and spoke religious garb-age....He became a servant to all, and was not a respector of persons....he was in the company of prostitutes, adulterers and tax collectors and was even accused of being a drunkard, lol!
Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."
I am not against teaching that hell exists...it does because the Word says it. But, I do not feel led to tell someone that they are going to hell..meaning I have not had the Spirit speak that to me to tell someone else. If the Spirit led me to do so, I pray that I would be obedient to that. What I hear more than anything else from the Spirit is to love...even the vilest of people...and that is a hard line, it has not been easy for me. Especially in my own life, there have been things that have been done to my loved ones that are unforgiveable and yet he says to forgive. It has broken me, but I have been obedient...and I am so much more free now because I KNOW that HE IS IN CONTROL OF ALL THINGS, even that person and their very soul. He has taught me to love, THAT love has come from him,
through his Spirit because I could not possibly have love for someone who had harmed my family so bad if the love had not come from him.
That's the great thing about Jesus, he was tempted in every way that we are and so we have an advocate, that we may approach the Throne of Grace where we may find grace and mercy in our time of need and he is so faithful, he does give us what we need and abundantly so. We need not run away and hide our face in shame when our actions betray our desire to serve God, we MUST run to him....that is faith...faith in Jesus, that His blood was sufficient once and for all, covering every sin on the face of the planet. His love did that for me, for you and for the vilest person that you personally know...
Now, picture this if you may....you are standing in front of that vile person and you say, "You are so vile, unless you turn your heart to Jesus you will burn in Hell."
Have you opened the door of grace for him/her? Or, have you placed the last nail in their coffin?
Now, picture this...you are standing in front of that vile person and you say, "I don't have it in my heart to love you for the things you have done, but the Lord has given me so much love for you....a love that I know comes from Him.... You've done some hateful and harmful things and I don't know why, but God does...there are reasons that only you and He knows...I can see your pain...pain that is very real. I just want you to know how much God loves you. Yes, there are consequences for the choices you have made, but there is One that will wipe away every wrong you have committed...take away your shame and set you free...His name is Jesus.
Which message is clearer to the hearer? The one where hell and damnation further separates or the one that acknowledges that wrong yet gives them a graceful way of making it right?
We all walk with the same inward pain...an emptiness, a longing to know and be known, a void that needs to be filled...we are all searching...Until...we meet the Savior and then we KNOW and it is joy. We need to share the joy of the Savior, the freedom, the bliss and sometimes that means suffering in the hands of those that don't have understanding yet...we become servants to the One who went before us, and he suffered greatly for the love of the ones that crucified Him. Until we have that much love to give, it's just easier to tell them they are all going to Hell and be done with it? Or, do we take the hard road and love them to Heaven?
