Rob Bell's highly controversial book, Love Wins, effectively eliminates hell as a possible destination, but to his credit, it has stirred up the subject of Hell and engaged conversation about this very real place.
I'm preaching on Hell because I believe the believers have need of hearing it and I hope to stir us up to be more active in sharing our faith. Hell is a real place and real people are going there everyday.
My studies on Hell are the hardest I've done emotionally. There is nothing positive about Hell, nothing uplifting, yet Jesus spoke a lot about Hell in order to warn His listeners. This season of study has driven me to pray more for my friends, neighbors, and loved ones. I have spoken to many of them in the past with little visible results. But, my heart hurts for them because I know Hell is real and I am deeply concerned for their eternity. I woke up the other morning around 6:00 am, and God gave me the idea to write letters to the people I want to talk to. As a result of this early morning wake up call, I have started my letter campaign and I am believing God to use my letters to speak to my friends and loved ones.
Like my preaching on Hell, the intent is not to come across as an angry preacher with threatenings of Hell, but to show loving concern for a friend or a relative by simply asking them the question concerning their life after death. The letter shares with them what the scripture says about salvation and the fruit that follows. Many say they believe in God, but there is no fruit, no evidence, in their life of a relationship born out of salvation.
What if every person who is a follower of Jesus took the time to write the letter and send it to five people in their lives? What if one million people sent out the letter to five people? What if your letter, anointed by the Holy Spirit, changed the destiny of your friend or loved one?
I have been visited by the Holy Spirit and stirred to do something. I pray that a million Christians will be stirred by the Holy Spirit to join me. The letter can make a difference, the Letter God has given us still makes a difference in my life after thirty-six years of knowing Him. It convicts me, comforts me, and guides me. Let's write the letter.
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This touches a chord no one likes to visit, and yet it is so very necessary to learn the truth. It is so much easier to approach strangers with this message, than family & friends. I know when my Dad was sick with cancer, I was urged to talk to him about his salvation. I just couldn't do it, forgive me Lord, but Tonya had the opportunity & did it for me. Very successfully, I might add, Thank You Tonya. It gave me peace in the midst of the storm of cancer.
ReplyDeleteI still don't know if I can do this or not, but I am praying about it. I share the Lord verbally with my family & friends often. I don't really know if I get through or not. I just try to live my life as an example. Doug was always a great example to me, and even more so when he was sick with cancer. His thoughts were not of this world, but of Heaven.
Why does it take a crisis to make us wake up? People that never pray, do when a crisiscomes.
Lord, how do you put up with us??? I pray that God gives us all the boldness & the courage to speak out!!! PTL