There was a whole lot of research that I did for this week's prayer topic that I decided not to share because they're above my paygrade, so to speak. Theologians and other scholars explain it all much better than I could ever hope to (of course), so I'll just touch on the topics.
So many Christians today seemingly choose to ignore anything in the bible that isn't in line with their beliefs; they pick and choose the passages that neatly fit the characteristics they want God to have. It just doesn't work that way. When you read and study the bible, when you spend time talking to Him, praying, you get to know Him and His character, and not just the warm and fuzzy aspects.
I made the above sign, but it was a quote from a church sign I saw last summer and have just been waiting for the perfect time to share it. It is a very sad and unfortunate part of life; people reject God. In rejecting Him, they're choosing to live eternity in hell.
We as Christians do a terrible disservice to unbelievers (and perhaps it's a selfish and futile attempt to take the burden and pressure off of ourselves) when we don't openly talk about sin, hell, the elect. Time is running out. We have to talk about these things. Find a way. If you've ever wondered why you're here / what's your "destiny", this is it! It's the same purpose, the same destiny for all of us. We're here to share the gospel. Period. Plain and simple.
Since I'm not going to type out this week's research and notes, I do want to at least share some resources:
If it's still on Netflix, you need to watch "American Gospel". It's really informative, mostly covering the prosperity gospel, but it has a lot more to it than that. Note Ray Comfort's approach to sharing the gospel. Several years ago, he completely changed my mind about Creation with his DVD "God vs. Evolution", which I also recommend.
Next, I recommend the book, "Whatever Happened to Hell?" by John Blanchard.
Finally, my husband suggested this awesome sermon which I listened to today and it gave me chills. If I weren't already a Christian, this would've scared me enough to convert. It's called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by the theologian Jonathan Edwards. He preached this sermon in 1741 and it has withstood the test of time. Below the video you'll find the transcript of the sermon so you can follow along - that's what I did.
The link to the transcript of the sermon can be found here.
Here's an excerpt from it:
It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: for “who knows the power of God’s anger?”
Because of his sermon, I feel even more compelled to share not only the Good News but also the Bad News for those who do not repent. Non-believers see us as judgmental, hypocritical. They need to understand that we all sin, and why we sin, and why, because of our sin, our loving and merciful Father in Heaven sent His only begotten Son to die a horrible, horrible death and bear God's wrath for all of our sins.
This is often referred to as The Unpardonable Sin...
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Matthew 12:31-32 NKJV
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Please join me in praying that we as believers get to know all the characteristics of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through spending time in the word, and through prayer. Let's pray that we grow in knowledge and understanding so that we can share the truth with others. Pray that we're given the words and encouragement to share the gospel with unbelievers and save many souls from an eternity in hell.
I'll post daily reminders on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power
#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #compensation #forgiveness #grace #hell #justice #mercy #sin #sovereignty #wrath
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