Oh, how I would love to give a 22 page sermon on the Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West controversy. If you are like me and only heard about this through Facebook or at work- check out YouTube and see what all the fuss is about. All I know is that if I was her daddy, me and Mr. (and I use that term lightly) West would be having some face to face words.
Actually, what I want to talk about is in the news as well. The sad and painful passing of Patrick Swayze. What I would like to do is look at it from a theological point of view. As I am sure you have seen on Facebook, MySpace, on the news, in the magazines, and in the papers Patrick Swayze has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. I have to say that from a personal point of view it was actually very difficult to see the drastic damage this awful disease did to that once healthy and athletic man.
I found out about the actor's passing on Facebook as I was greeted on the morning of with a long line of "RIP to the Dirty Dancer", or "that is so sad RIP". My heart does go out to his family and friends as I have experienced the death of someone very close to me and know the pain all too well.
But, the Christian in me couldn't help but think. Is he really "Resting in Peace"? Now, there are some of you who will think that even this question is insulting to his memory. Well, I think if we come to the table with the proper heart, we can ALWAYS use the Word of God to assess and learn from ANY situation. That is why God wrote it.
My initial response is always to wonder if the person who died was saved.
As Christians we cannot ever truly know that heart of a stranger like Patrick Swayze. We should never sit back and say something like, "Well, that guy's in hell." All we can do is set our affections on heaven and know that all will be revealed on that glorious day.
I have done some internet research on Mr. Swayze's religious affiliation. I did not find anything that shouted to me that He was a Jesus Freak. But, we ALWAYS hope that he REPENTED and TRUSTED JESUS CHRIST before he passed. The truth of the matter is that anyone who doesn't do this will experience this.
Now, I told you all of that so I could tell you all of this......
This is the Word of God, it doesn't matter if you believe it or not. All that matters is... is it true? God tells us that there are two places where people end up. Heaven or Hell. Which one will it be for you? Which one will it be for all the people that you love in your life?
Last point...People are afraid to share Jesus Christ with other people- strangers, friends, co-workers, and even family. My question to you is... Do you love them enough to lay down your fear and tell them the Good News? Do you love them enough to warn them of the eternity that awaits them without Jesus Christ? Do you love God enough to obey his commands to do all this? Do you love ANYONE enough to stop making small talk and start sharing the TRUTH with them? I get scared sometimes too, and I ask God for forgiveness and strength (and another opportunity). Please consider this in you heart. Please!
(if you have read this entire thing and not checked out any of the links, please go back and do it again, otherwise all you are getting is my words and not the ones that save, you know HIS WORDS).
Do I love you enough? Probably not, I have failed you too many times. I am both guilty and forgiven. It is both my shame and joy.
the Ogre
Hey it's not your job, its the Lord to save people. You may have not let him use you like he intended at that time and place, which isn't good, but don't let yourself feel guilty about it.(He will find another way) Which I noticed you said you don't but the whole thing where you say "you failed too many times" don't let that get ya down. No one is perfect that’s why Jesus died for us. I've miss many many times myself. There is also various times I've told people and it pushed them farther away and wished I didn't tell them because maybe that wasn't God's plan for me to tell them like that right then, ya know?
ReplyDeleteAlso with the whole Patrick thing, we don't really know. I was thinking the same thing about my Dad and I'm still not sure today but I had a friend tell me something that comforted me a lot about that. Her brother who died a few years back, who she thought for sure, was not a believer of the Lord Jesus. However one night she dreamed and she was running to her brother and told him "I'm so glad your here cuz I learned of the Lord after you died and I have to tell you about him. So that you can be saved" And he cut her off in and comforted her and said "don't worry I've come to tell you don't have to worry about me anymore that I already know of the Lord Jesus Christ, He is my Lord and savior and I am now save with Him now in heaven. " So from then on she is glad to think that even though her brother died before she could tell him the news about Jesus, that the Lord gave her that dream so she wouldn't worry about it anymore and know for sure he is safe with Him in Heaven even though she thought for sure he didn't make it to heaven.
I firmly beleive that if we care about people we will tell them about Jesus Chirst. If it drives them "away" then that is their choice. God is glorified when we proclaim His name regardless of the outcome. We are commanded to preach the gospel and we fail when we fail to preach it, not when we don't immediately see a conversion. We may have just been planting a seed for someone else to water. I do know that salvation is of the Lord, but we have to be saved in this life, because as His Word says, we are to live once then the judgement (Hebrews 9:27). I really think you could benefit from some solid doctrine knowledge. It seems to me that you let too many things "trump" the Bible. Do you find yourself seeing a lot of contradictions in the things you read in the Bible?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this, and thanks for reading.