Jan
20
Written by:
Dan Cartwright
1/20/2009 2:06 PM
"If you believe there's a Heaven and a Hell and people go there, that eternal life is a possibility, how much to you have to hate others to NOT tell them about it?"
Recently I watched a short video clip from a well known American entertainer and atheist in which he made a very thought provoking statement. The speaker defended both atheists' and Christians' efforts in proselytizing. About Christians he asked a question that could be summarized: "If you believe there's a Heaven and a Hell and people go there, that eternal life is a possibility, how much to you have to hate others to NOT tell them about it?"
Think about it for a minute. . ., or two, or three, or more. This guy did.
Well, after the dust settled in my brain, and I picked my heart up off the floor, I had to admit that the man had a point. We MUST really hate our neighbor to NOT share with him/her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, I couldn't get it out of my head. Could there even be anything worse, more cruel or hateful, than NOT to share the truth that sets men free, can keep them from Hell, and assure them a home in Heaven? And it hit me like a ton of bricks. . .
Tell them, but. . .lie. . .
Just tell them . . .
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God loves them so much He can't imagine His heaven without them in it.
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They can come to Jesus WITH their sin.
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They can have their best life now !
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They have a special purpose in life, custom made by God, and they just need to discover it to be happy and fulfilled.
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Jesus died for their dreams.
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God knows we are just human and make mistakes that separate us from Him, so He sent His Son to "bridge the gap".
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All they have to do is "decide" to follow Jesus, "ask/accept" Him into their heart", or repeat a little prayer. That way they are in total control.
In other words, tell them stuff that emphasizes that they are the very center of God's universe and everything He does, He does just for them!
But don't ever tell them. . .
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That apart from Christ, we are all DEAD in our SINS, deserving of God's wrath - that we are "born on death row".
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The truth about SIN - it's not just mistakes and errors in judgment (things we do) but a terminal illness we are born with (who we are).
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That Jesus died for their sins, in their place, to appease the wrath of His Father against all sin.
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That the first word of the Gospel preached by John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter and John on Pentecost, was "repent".
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That repentance is part and parcel of the gift of faith and genuine belief in Christ.
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Being a Christian is no guarantee of a better job, house, car, or any other form of material gain.
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That they would face trials, persecution, be hated, and might face death because of their faith in Christ.
In other words, don't tell them that God's primary concern is His own Name - that everything He does is first and foremost a demonstration of His power, designed to bring Himself great honor and glory!
There you have it. Two ways to hate your neighbor: 1) Don't tell others about the path to peace and eternal life, or 2) tell them, but lie about it.