Accidents don't happen by accident

We had some bad things happen to our house over the Christmas holiday.  I won’t go into boring details but let’s just say that Christmas Eve SUCKED until about 5:30 PM when I tucked in to one of my mother-in-law’s home made rolls.  Mmmmmmm rolls!  Sorry I got side tracked.  With the ice storm and the water damage, and church being cancelled due to the power outage I am left once again wondering what the heck God is thinking sometimes.  Whether or not we understand what God is up to; we must NOT make the mistake of thinking that He is not in and behind every single thing that happens.  The Bible clearly states that every cast of the lot in the lap is from the Lord.  I do not believe in chance and I do not believe in accidents.  I do not believe that things, “just happen” no they do not.  God knew, God allowed and in some way God caused these things to unfold as they did, and He knows WHY He did.  He did it because of His great love for me.  Some day in the future I will look upon all the things He has done and thank Him for them.  I will thank Him for the Tsunami that killed almost half a million people.  I will thank Him for 9/11.  I will thank Him for Katrina.  I will thank Him for Hell.  I will thank Him because He did these things or “allowed” these things because He loves His glory, and His love for His glory is the most loving thing He can do for me.  I don’t have time or energy to really explore the whole of that reality, but it is the central truth of the Bible.  It is the first commandment in living color.

So WHY did these things happen?  What was God thinking?  He was thinking He loves me.  My task in this time is to search out any specific lessons He wanted me to learn from all of this.  God teaches in many ways.  He leads with every tool that He can.  He uses the best tool for the job.  So I have to trust in God’s love.  We all do.  On the scale of tragedies this one is pretty low.  A minor inconvenience.  I will learn to be grateful.  We may end up with new carpet and better walls and ceiling etc.  I will learn to be optimistic.  My family and I were warm and comfortable and fed throughout.  I will learn to trust Him to take care of us.  We got help from many friends and family.  I will learn to lean on those that love me. 

There is much to learn.  I love His leadership!

 

 

I don't want to believe in Hell

I heard a radio program today via Podcast that deeply stirred me.  It was about Carlton Pearson; a pastor of a church in Oklahoma that decided one day that Hell did not exist.  I say he decided it didn’t exist because according to his own admission that is how it happened.  He was praying and just felt like Hell didn’t exist; like it couldn’t.  I would encourage everyone to go to www.thisamericanlife.com and listen to this program.

 I used to listen to this man preach.  He launched the careers of many huge evangelical / Pentecostal people.  People like TD Jakes.  He was on TBN.  He was dubbed “Bishop” by his peers in the evangelical community.  He used to sing on Carman’s records ( I know I just dated and begeeked myself in the reference to Carman but regardless).

This man no longer believes in Hell.  He believes that the blood of Jesus covers EVERYONE on earth regardless of what they have done or what they believe.

I have thought a lot about this even before I heard this program.  I wish I could believe it.  I wish the Bible wasn’t so completely clear on this issue.  I wish Jesus hadn’t talked so much about Hell.  I hate Hell, but I love God.  Because I love God, I agree with Hell.  Because I love God’s glory I understand why Hell is necessary.  That doesn’t mean I like Hell.  I don’t want to believe in Hell.  I really don’t.  If I found sufficient Biblical reason for not believing in Hell, or even for not believing that Hell lasted forever, that it was a temporary torment to punish the wicked for a time and then release them, I would jump at the chance.  I don’t care what the whole of the church has believed before me.  If the Bible doesn’t support it then I feel no responsibility to believe it.  The problem is that the Bible makes no bones about Hell.  It is there.  It is clear.  There is no way around it.  Hell exists and without an active relationship with God through a living faith in the work of Christ on the Cross to take away your sins you are going to go there.

I don’t want you to go there.  I don’t want anyone to go there.  I hate that so many will be going there, but that doesn’t mean I can throw away God’s word.

Bishop Pearson says that the Bible has been misread and mistranslated, twisted to sell us a bill of goods.  I’m sorry Bishop, you are wrong.  I do not think YOU are going to Hell sir.  You still believe in the power of the cross, but I am afraid of all those you will send to Hell because of your misinformation.  I worry about those who will comfort themselves with your words and never give themselves to God through Christ.

God help us all!  Teach us to be humble and to be righteous at the same time.  Teach us to know what is right and to know how wrong we are.

Forgive us all for heresy because every one of us is a heretic.  Every one of us is a hypocrite.  Every one of us is a sinner.

Thank you for the precious blood of your Son.  Thank you for forgiveness.  Thank you for always being like yourself.  I love you.

Amen