ET...Yes or No

I was reading a sermon by a pastor of a local UR church tonight in which he asked three questions to those who believe in ET, ECT, Hell, or whatever you wish to call it. Here they are, please leave your own comments for all to read....

1. Did God ever threaten Adam & Eve with an endless burning Hell?
2. Is there a law given in the old covenant that if broken, was punishable by eternally torturing the law breaker.
3.If eternal torment in a devil's hell is the punishment for sin, then did Jesus NOT pay the penalty for our sins?

"I don't think that most Christians who believe in ET, ever stop to think what they are accusing God of doing, and even worse, of being".

(The above questions and last quotation come from a sermon delivered by Pastor Michael Spradlin of the First COvenant Church of Irving, TX)

God's Path to Happiness in Life...?

After a visit with my wife who is working in Houston, I decided to take the backroads to come home. I try to avoid the interstate highways if I'm not in a hurry. As I was driving through the countryside of southeast Texas, I saw a billboard which caught my eye. It said, "The Path to Happiness in Life". Under the title was a graphic representation the tablets on which were written the ten commandments. I couldn't help but think of Roman, chapter 7. What bondage we place ourselves under by not understanding the purpose of the Law. Many, many of my Christian brothers have placed themselves in bondage to the Law by misunderstanding His purpose in giving Israel the Law. I pray that we all will seek His will and purpose for us so that we truly will find "God's Path to Happiness in Life".....

Hell in the Early Church

That damnable doctrine, ET, ECT, or whatever you may call it, hasn't always been a part of the Christian experience. I know to some that may sound incredible. However, if you have been studying the subject for a while, you will have encountered this fact. Up until about the 5th century, the concept of hell was foreign (literally) to the Christian's way of thinking. It wasn' t until the universal church (Catholic) chose to use Latin as it's "official" language that hell began to creep into the belief system . In large part, we can thank Augustine for doing that. A great blog, "The Beautiful Heresy" has several good articles on this subject should it be of interest to you. Follow the accompanying link and use the search tool on the blog to find more.

http://christian-universalism.blogs.com/

Sharing Your Beliefs about the Gospel of Grace

When the "Gospel of Grace" was first revealed to me, I felt, as a former teacher, I must share this wonderful news with others. I just knew they would see the logic of it and drink it in like as thirsty man in the desert. I quickly realized that's probably not the best way to proceed. I stepped back for a moment and thought about the whole picture. Being a real newbie to the "Gospel of Grace", I really felt quite ill-equiped to present it and answer questions about it. In fact, I had a lot of questions that as of yet had gone unanswered. I trusted that in His time, if He wanted me to know, God would answer.

Then I came across a word of advice from someone who had believed in Universal Reconciliation for a long time. Here is his advice:

May I share a word of advice? This word especially applies if you have experienced deep wounding through spiritual abuse. Ask the Lord to grant you grace to:
refrain from debating about this full gospel or being overly anxious to help other to "see" it. Give the Holy Spirit room to work!
forgive people who in the past conveyed the gospel inadequately to you—or perhaps even spiritually abused you. Instead, thank the Lord that they gave what they had, and ask Him to shower His healing and blessing upon them.
not make understanding Christ’s total victory a requirement for fellowshipping with your Christian brothers and sisters—whatever you do!
not make this full gospel "your subject" conversationally more than enjoying the Lord Himself and bringing His healing life to others. People who think a good deal, who have been deeply wounded, can fall into that snare while the devil throws a party! JESUS CHRIST MUST REMAIN THE FOCUS. (The early Pentecostals had to learn the same lesson about sharing their newfound freedom in the Holy Spirit!)
refuse to start a new denomination or "non’’-denomination; the Lord knows there are too many already!
be led of the Holy Spirit in all situations where the Lord Himself receives honor and—by His power—lives are transformed and healed. Even if it means on occasions He may lead you to minister truths that seem to reveal little or nothing of Christ’s total victory.
become a brighter light that attracts others to Christ Himself—and not just words and concepts about Him.
not be hurt if some Christians misjudge you. Trust the Lord to do business. He will! Hasn’t He always? Remember, some who misunderstand you today may be beside you proclaiming Christ to a needy world tomorrow!
be at liberty not to go to great lengths to hype or to hide your understanding of the gospel. Just enjoy constant fellowship with the Lord and trust His light to shine through you.
remember that, by God’s astonishing grace, many Christians who do not completely share your understanding of Scripture—nevertheless—know God’s heart, perhaps better than you do! So avail yourself of every opportunity to be blessed by your other praying, Christ-honoring brothers and sisters. You need them and they need you!

Questions on Eternal Punishment

I found this list of questions on eternal punishment. I can't for the life of me remember where I got them so that I can properly give credit where credit is due. They're not mine. Thank you whoever wrote them. They are worth closer examination.........

As we are required to love our enemies, may we not safely infer that God loves His enemies? (Matt. 5:44)
If God loves His enemies, will He punish them more than will be for their good?
Would endless punishment be for the good of any being?
As God loves His friends, if He loves His enemies also, are not all mankind the objects of His love?
If God loves those only who love Him, what better is He than the sinner? (Luke 6:32-33)
As "love thinketh no evil," can God design the ultimate evil of a single soul? (1 Cor. 13:5)
As "love worketh no ill," can God inflict, or cause, or allow to be inflicted, an endless ill? (Rom. 13:10)
As we are forbidden to be overcome by evil, can we safely suppose that God will be overcome by evil? (Rom. 12:21)
Would not the infliction of endless punishment prove that God HAD been overcome by evil?
If man does wrong in returning evil for evil, would not God do wrong if He was to do the same?
Would not endless punishment be the return of evil for evil?
As we are commanded "to overcome evil with good," may we not safely infer that God will do the same? (Rom. 12:21)
Would the infliction of endless punishment be overcoming evil with good?
If God hates the sinner, does the sinner do wrong in hating Him?
Is God a changeable being? (James 1:17)
If God loves His enemies now, will he not always love them?
Is it just for God to be "kind to the evil and unthankful," in their present life? (Luke 6:35)
Would it be unjust for God to be kind to all men in a future state?
If all men justly deserve endless punishment, will not those who are saved, be saved unjustly?
If God "will by no means clear the guilty," by what means can just punishment be evaded? (Ex. 34:7)
As no man can measure endless punishment to his neighbor, will endless punishment be measured to him? (Luke 4:38)
Would it be merciful in God to inflict endless punishment? -- that is, merciful to the sufferer?
Can that be just which is not merciful?
Do not cruelty and injustice go hand in hand?
Can that be merciful which is not just?
Does divine justice demand the infliction of pain from which mercy recoils?
Does divine mercy require any thing that justice refuses to grant?
If the demands of divine justice are opposed to the requirements of mercy, is not God divided against Himself?
If the requirements of mercy are opposed to the demands of the justice of God, can His kingdom stand? -- (Mark 3:24)
If the justice and mercy of God are any way opposed, do they "keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace?'

Making the Break

After nearly two years of my journey to find God's truths, I found myself still a member of a conservative, evangelical church. I haven't been inside the building this year, but my membership was still there. This week a was rereading Martin Zender's book, "How to Quit Church without Quitting God", and was reminded how it once was for me on the inside of organized religion. So, I did it. I called the church office and asked that they remove me from the church roll......Nothing happened.. No bolt from above, no calls from the membership committee. I made the break! I don't know why I hadn't done it before now. There had been no contact with anyone from the church since February of this year. I had long since felt no need for the coffee, donuts, and social niceties associated with Sunday mornings at 9:30. There are nice folks who attend there. The pastor is a very nice, warm-hearted guy, who I like. There are some not so nice, fundamentalist, hellfire and brimstone types as well who I won't miss for sure. Christ and His father along with my good friend Roy keep me anchored now. Roy and I meet at the 1st Church of Mickey D as often as possible to discuss things. He's always got a new story to tell concerning his job. Roy is a hospice chaplain. He's seen more in 4 years of dealing with death and the dying than I have in a lifetime. It was Roy who challenged me to see things with a different perspective. And Roy was on the staff of a local, conservative, Protestant church for over 25 years. He peaked my curiosity about a lot of things I'd never thought of before in my church-filled journey. That curiosity lead me to Martin Zender and his book. I saw the title, and thought to myself, "how can I possibly do that?" That being quitting church without quitting God....I was immensely curious about it. After a couple of weeks of internal debate, I ordered the book from Amazon. It changed my life. Martin was raised catholic and eventually left the church at 18 and never looked back. I, on the other hand, had been in a basically fundamental, conservative, Protestant denomination for 58 years!! Martin had a headstart on me. Everything he presented in his book made such sense. Imagine a Catholic telling a Protestant about how to quit church! What a novel idea! All I can say is Thank You, Martin, from the bottom of my heart. My only regret is that I took so long to find the truth and then waited so long (1 1/2 years) to Make the break..............

A Letter to My Brother-in-Law

I received am email from my brother-in-law today. He's a great guy who's been down the religious road as I have and can now take or leave church. It was quite unusual for him to send me a graphic video from YouTube on the "rapture". In it, an English minister is preaching from Matthew 24, on the rapture of "believers" which could happen at any time in an instant, like a bolt of lightning. The video scan the typical church going audience, then BOOM, like a bolt out of the blue, the preacher and about half the people disappear. The ones left stand and look around in shock, trying to figure out what happened. One guy eventually realizes and falls to his knees,crying his eyes out. Now, as I said, this is a very unusual thing for Bill (not his real name) to do. I began to ask myself, why he did this. Then I remembered a conversation we had sitting in his backyard a couple of years ago. I broached the subject of UR after he opened the door. Perhaps he wants my reaction to the video. I really don't know for sure. But I wrote him the following letter which I wanted to share with you.

Bill-

Thanks for the video. But the event of which Matt. 24 speaks has already taken place. It happened in 70 AD with the fall of Jerusalem. This video is typical of the scare tactics used by the church today to frighten people into the church; to scare the "Hell" out of them, to strengthen the church's hold on them; to prevent them from learning the Truth about God. The Kingdom of God has come. Jesus told his disciples this, they just didn't understand. The Old Covenant with Israel is passe. The New Covenant of grace is in effect because of the cross of Christ.. Maybe that's what the writer was speaking of in the hymn, AMAZING GRACE, although I'm not sure he understood what he was saying. The fall of Jerusalem was foretold by Jesus in Chap. 24 of Matthew. This is not some future event, but one that took place over 1900 years ago when the Romans surrounded, stormed and destroyed Jerusalem and with it the old system of Law He made with the Jews, who,by and large rejected Him. After His ascension to the Father, He chose the most unlikely man to take the real "good news" to "the nations", the gentiles, you and me. That man's name was Saul (Paul). Paul, receiving a revelation from Christ on the Damascus road, then went into Arabia for three years, where I believe he received the real gospel, the gospel of grace. The good news that you and I are reconciled to God thru the cross of Christ. The work has already been done. Everyone is redeemed, many just don't realize it. Paul tells us that the covenant with the Jews has not been voided and eventually, all Israel will be saved in spite of their stubbornness and refusal to accept Christ as the Messiah. After all, the Jews are to reign with Christ in the millenial kingdom along with the ones who believed in this eon (before the millenial kingdom begins). After the millenium comes to a close, in some future eon, Christ will have defeated all His enemies, the last to be defeated, Death,. He will then turn over the keys of the kingdom to His father and God will be "ALL IN ALL". If there is work to be done now, it is to let everyone know that Christ paid the price, our past, present, and future sins have been erased, taken care of. Now we can enjoy a full relationship to the Father, who "graciously" took care of it all for us and showed us the true meaning of LOVE, whether we know it or not. Paul's writings are the real "good news" Read Romans 5 and you will find that as a result of Adam's disobedience ALL were condemned; thus also it is thru one just act (by Christ) ALL shall be made just in the eyes of God. I Cor 15:22 states it again: for as in Adam ALL are dying, thus also, in Christ , shall ALL be made alive.. In the letter to Timothy, (may possibly not be Paul's hand, but certainly his theology) it says: for all this are we toiling and being reproached, , that we rely on the living God, who is the Saviour of ALL mankind, especially (which means, but not exclusively) of believers. Check out Rom. 11:32, For God locks up ALL together in stubbornness, that He should show mercy to ALL.

Bill don't be fooled by what you've been taught all your life by the church. Do your own thinking and seek the Truth. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to it. He will show you if you truly desire it. took me 58 years to learn the Truth. Check out my blog at: http://searchforlife-don.blogspot.com/

Read as many of my posts as you want, I encourage you to do so. I am telling you these things because I love you and don't want you to spend another moment suffering guilt and disappointment when you find you can't live up to what the church tells you to do in order to be "saved" and "get to heaven". There are more atheists in this world because of Christians than any other reason. On my blog, there are links to other blogs which I read regularly and to other websites which will add to your understanding of the "real gospel", the gospel of grace.
You Melchior
Modest Menzinsky
Giorgio Merighi
Francesco Merli
Alexander Miltschinoff
Frank Mullings
Corneliu Murgu

Sergej Naida
Nikola Nikolov
Hanns Nocker
Virgilijus Noreika

Carl Martin Öhman
Stephen O’Mara
Dennis O’Neill
John O’Sullivan
Giuseppe Oxilia

Elliot Palay
Antonello Palombi
Antonio Paoli
Tino Pattiera
Luciano Pavarotti
Aureliano Pertile
Wladimir Piawko
Nino Piccaluga
Frank Poretta
Gilbert Py

Torsten Ralf
Lance Ryan
David Rendall
Ilosfalvy Róbert
Helge Rosvænge

Gabriel Sadé
Miguel Sanchez
Gino Sarri
Norbert Schmittberg
Bruno Sebastien
Josef Simándy
Raimo Sirkiä
Leo Slezak
Zurab Sotkilava
Ian Storey
Set Svanholm

Francesco Tamagno
Vitaly Taraschenko
Georges Thill
Larry Thomas
Eugene Tobin
Richard Tucker

Jacques Urlus

Jon Vickers
Eduardo Villa
Ramón Vinay
Franz Völker
Oleksander Vostriakov

Jon Frederic West
Wolfgang Windgassen

Renato Zanelli
Giovanni Zenatello
Renato Zuin

Jesus' Commission

About five months ago, I came across a verse which I had never noticed before (by no means the only I never noticed before. I was reading out of the CLNT. Since purchasing the Concordant Literal New Testament, I have discovered a lot of verses I hadn't noticed before or had missed the significance the verse. Now I don't get a percentage, but I hardily recommend it. But I digress.). When I read the verse in one of Martin Zender's books, I checked it out. I stopped and said, "Huh??? That can't be right." But there it was, straight out of Matthew's gospel; Chapter 15, verse 24. It was pretty plain and simple. Does it mean what it says? I thought to myself, "Literal first if possible. If not possible, figurative." This verse seemed a completely plausible verse which made perfect sense to me. But, did it really mean what it said. I like some comments about what you think it means. Go for it. MATT 15

24 Now He, answering, said, "I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

I Have to do it.....

I work downtown in a city of over half a million population. In the central part of downtown is an entertainment district called Sundance Square. It has movie theaters, stage production theaters, a large concert hall, clubs, bars, and many restaurants.

On Friday and Saturday nights, street preachers from around the local area make their way to Sundance Square to "preach the good news" to the sinners who congregate there. They are for the most part very confrontational, standing on the corners, yelling to people as they make their way to the restaurants, bars, and movies. A friend of mine's son and girl friend were down there one night and were called "fornicators" by one of "God's messengers" as they walked by his location. Now I'm pretty sure this guy was making a fairly wild prognostication about these two young people. Does this kind of evangelism bother anyone else than just me. The local newspaper did a story on the street preachers who told the reporter that God instructed them to preach there. " I have to do it". They claim they were just doing the Lord's Work". There's also a homeless shelter downtown. I wonder if these street preachers show up there yelling their condemnatory remarks at the regulars who sleep at the shelter or do they bring food and clothing instead. I have an idea I know the answer to that one. These men shout the "good news" that God loves you; if you are smart enough to realize it, make the right decision and mean it, then live a basically sinless life, all the while living with the guilt of constantly failing to live up to the standard. That's the "GOOD NEWS". I don't think so. I think they're wrong in so many ways I'd need a small book to put it all down. Man, I'd like to show them the REAL "Good News". I'm glad I don't frequent the preacher's territory. I'm afraid I might say something I shouldn't to one or more of them, and it wouldn't be "good news".

Salvation at Thirteen

There he sat, a hot sweaty, thirteen year old kid. It was a hot, stiflingly hot, summer afternoon in Texas. The parents, good, God-fearing people, were really worried about their only son. He hadn't made a "decision for Christ", and he was way beyond the "age of accountability". What if something happened to him, God forbid. He was destined for a Devil's Hell. They had to do something about it, even if he wouldn't. To top it all off, his best friend had made his "decision" that morning. Wouldn't it be great if they were baptized together. Well, if he wouldn't do something about that, they would. They called the pastor and asked him to come over and speak to their son.

That thirteen year old kid was me. Making a "decision for Christ was the farthest thing from my mind as I was playing outside with the neighborhood kids on that hot, Texas Sunday afternoon. I remember my Mom calling me inside. I remember wondering whose car that was in the driveway. Then it hit me. It was the preacher's! Holy cow, I mean spirit-filled bovine, what had I done? I had no clue. I then remembered that my friend had "gone down front" that morning and I thought that must be it. As I walked, sweating like a pig, into the house, there he was, the preacher. The man scared me to death. He was a stern-faced individual who rarely smiled. His booming voice during services had certainly put the "fear of God" in me, just not quite enough to get me to "make my decision". So now he was here to beat it, no, no coax it out of me. First, an aside, you gotta understand that our house had one air conditioner and it was in my parent's bedroom/ TV room. So on this near 100 degree day, where did all of us go to discuss this very, very, weighty subject, the living room. The unairconditioned living room. I mean, that's the only place to visit with the pastor, right?
There we were, my parents and the preacher sitting on the couch and me, sitting across from them, in the hot seat, so to speak.

I am only quoting from a distant memory now, but I believe the preacher said something like this, "Donnie, you know Bill (not his real name) made his "decision for Christ" this morning and will be baptized tonight. Don't you want to do the same, so ya'll can be baptized together?" There was a long pause.........What was I supposed to say? No thanks, don't think so, I got things to do outside. Can I go now? The sweat began to roll down my forehead onto my nose as the steely-faced preacher waited for my answer. I finally said, "OK". Everyone smiled, including, unexplicably, the preacher. Whew, glad that's over. So, I "went down front" that night at church and was "saved". Oh, and I was baptized that same night right behind my friend.

So what's wrong with that picture? You know, I remember making fun as a kid of all the ritual stuff that the Catholic kids in my town had to do at church. Up and down, up and down, repeat this prayer, say that phrase, go to communion, go to confession. How silly I thought that was. I made fun of THEIR ritual. I can remember thinking all those other churches are wrong and WE have it right. Was what happened to me on that hot Texas summer day RIGHT? Did all the others have it WRONG? Was I then as a thirteen year old kid assured of "going to heaven" because the preacher put me in the (literal) hot seat and got me to "give it up"?

I don't blame my parents. They were wonderful, loving parents. I always felt safe and loved. It WAS and IS the system which tells us God loves you more than you can imagine, IF YOU LOVE HIM BACK (ENOUGH).....................................

Every Knee will bow.........

Welcome to my blog. Never in my life would I have ever thought I would be doing something like this. Please bear with me as I learn the ropes. Maybe "old dogs" can be taught new tricks. If you haven't read my story, you can find it at YBMT, my friend Bruce's blog at http://blog.ybmt.org . Saves me a lot of typing, at which I am not all that great.

As a great master once said, "keep it simple stupid". So, I would like to start by asking for your comments on bowing the knee to God. This idea is found in several places in scripture. What does it mean to you? How is it to be interpreted? Let me hear from you. Your comments are important to me. Till next time......