I'm sure most of you have been approached by someone asking "if you died tonight, would you go to Heaven?"
Even though I accepted Jesus in a Baptist church when I was 10, have gone to two Bible schools, and hold a ministerial license, I don't think I could answer "yes" to that question.
Sure, I've done what the Bible says -- I do believe Jesus has been raised from the dead, for my sake, and He is my Lord.
But what the Bible says isn't good enough. According to most preachers, that won't guarantee eternity with God. We have to follow all the rules and regulations and bylaws and doctrines written by whatever preacher happens to be in front of us at that time. Heaven help us if we encounter different preachers on different street corners on the same night. Each will have a different "Earn Your Way Into Heaven" package to sell us! Each package will have different rules.
So, based on those preachers and their rules, I'm going to Hell.
I can't keep up with them any more. Who has the politically correct view of Heaven and Hell (and Christians are just as politically correct as atheistic liberals -- i.e., Christian views on abortion, considering that the word abortion does NOT appear in the Bible anywhere, so it's all politically motivated) ... where was I ... Who has the doctrinally correct view of who gets into Heaven? Dominionists, who insist that we must obey the Levitical Law right down to killing our children if they disobey? Word of Faith, who insist that if we don't live in mansions then we are displeasing God? Holiness, who insist that we must live pure lives and not even enjoy sex with our wives? Judgmentalists, who say that when bad things happen, they're signs of God's displeasure with us? Calvinists, who say that God chooses who He will save and we never know? Ariminians, who believe we can lose our salvation just for spitting on the sidewalk? Antimonians who say that there is no sin any more? Universalists, who say that we are all saved, even if we don't know it? Evangelicals, who believe once saved always saved, but insist that witnessing is the sign of true Christianity, and if we don't witness, we were never saved to begin with?
All that sounds like a bunch of legalistic and perfectionistic PAGANISM to me.
But what do I know? I'm one of the few who genuinely believes that Jesus loves me. I'm one of the few who takes sin so seriously that I won't even try to stop committing it in my own power. I'm one of the few who believes what Paul said that grace and mercy overpower judgment.
Meaning, I'm going to Hell. I am going to Hell because I believe that God's great love and Jesus' sacrifice was enough to overpower my flaws, my imperfections, my poverty, my sickness, my lust (and I do love making love with Trish twice a day for PLEASURE ...), my wrath (because all you holiness preachers make me sick and if it were up to me, I'd borrow Benny Hinn's Holy Ghost machine gun ... heaping laws on people who can't even lift their own heads ... shame on YOU!) ... see, I lost control. Losing control is a sign of going to Hell, thus sayeth they who know better. My parents died this year, so I guess God was displeased with me, and judged me, and took away something I loved dearly. I guess my sin was too great for Him to deal with through the Cross. I'm going to Hell ... no, I'm already there.
Yes, I'm ranting! It's time ... time to decide if we believe in the New Testament and grace, or do we believe in the Old Testament and salvation by the Law. We cannot do both! Man who rides fence has no balls!
But I don't mind going to Hell. I'm okay with that. I do not think I would want to go to the Heaven of legalists, perfectionists, predestinationalists, Levitical Lawyers, judgmentalists, and materialists, either. If Heaven is ruled by a mercurial judge who loves punishment, and the God of most Christians certainly does, then I will take my chances with the other guy. At least, Satan is honest -- he hates me and says so. The God of legalists says he loves me, but the actions of the legalists says otherwise.
The main thing is this ... God is God ... not Kenneth Copeland, not Ray Comfort, not Jerry Falwell, not Gary North, not Billye Brim, not Charles Stanley, not Kim Clement, not Pat Robertson ... God alone determines who gets in and who doesn't. It's His decision. Even Jesus Himself didn't address that.
And I pray that He has mercy upon me, a wretched sinner.
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2 comments:
I have been kicked out of Jehovah's Witnesses because I carry a staff. (Medical aid.) I limp very heavily. I think that's ridiculous. I had a hemmorhagic stroke and half my body is paralyzed.
I realize that some people might think I may know how to walk and don't really need it, but I relearned to walk. The doctors-3+!-didn't think I even could and it was only after I did that that they prescribed physical therapy for me.
The church and the Kingdom Hall both discriminate. Only a heartless institution could do that. While I allow that they feel they have a right to check on my home decor and my reading material, I feel this is going a little bit overboard. Imagine, I was in medical treatment for 8 years and it really hurts when I get discriminated agaist like that. I still read my Bible-yay for the Bible! but I liked fellowshipping there. (Sigh)
Sir, that's horrible! I don't know much about Jehovah's Witnesses, but it's awful that any church would kick someone out for using a staff. How do they think you can come to church without it?
Well, at least you have your Bible and God! Neither of them will kick you out for using a staff! Neither will we!
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