Re: Why Did This Happen God?
| Posted On: 04/27/07 02:25:05 PM |
Age 47, WV |
Patrick,
Well said. After seeing the drivel that passed for truth on TV this is a breath of fresh air. The truth should be preached under all circumstances...
bob
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Re: Re: Re: Why Did This Happen God?
| Posted On: 04/26/07 01:19:28 PM |
Age 40, CA |
We don't go to hell because of our sins, but because of our SIN of choosing to remain in our rebellion against Christ. Jesus did not come to condemn but to save us because WE WERE ALREADY CONDEMNED (John 3:17-18).
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Why Did This Happen God?
| Posted On: 04/26/07 09:46:59 AM |
Age 44, NJ |
Emulating the compassion of Christ, in response to questions put to him when people died when a tower fell on them, and when a horrendous dictator murdered fellow Jews, Jesus said,
"I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way."
I am pointing this out so you understand that if Christ didn't hesitate
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Re: Re: Re: Why Did This Happen God?
| Posted On: 04/25/07 10:41:19 AM |
Age 40, CA |
Yes, I agree that we should speak the truth, that without Christ, and without being regenerated by the Holy Spirit, no one can enter the Kingdom of God.
Should we use tragedy to make the Gospel more effective? According to the Apostle Paul, the Gospel is "the power unto salvation." The Holy Spirit does its work in salvation, and the Gospel does its work as well. The Holy Spirit makes the ground fertile, and the Gospel is the seed of the Life of Jesus Christ.
Although pleasing the emotions is not always good, sometimes, and again I emphasize, sometimes, we need to be gentle in our words when speaking to people who have lost a special loved one. Other times, we can be as bold as Jesus was when preaching the Truth about eternal life and hell. But for the most part, we should be humble servants to all, always considering the welfare of others before ourselves, always considering everyone better than ourselves (Phil 2).
Again, I say, we must preach the Truth -- boldly and without leaving anything out -- regardless of anyone's emotions. But when we lose a dear loved one, the pain can sometimes be overwhelming to the point of death. Is there any harm in being sensitive during those isolated and infrequent times of intense suffering? This was and still is my only point.
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Re: Why Did This Happen God?
| Posted On: 04/24/07 01:31:03 PM |
Age 44, NJ |
A wise old friend taught me this years ago and it has kept me in good stead since when fear grips me and I am tempted to doubt God. It's the same prayer I prayed with a brother who has just injured himself badly falling off a ladder at his old age. I was afraid for my friend that he would be upset with God over this, but I was worried for no reason as he humbly agreed with me. And this prayer is also for those at Virginia Tech who have been hurt by the evil done there. It is my hope for all of us Christians to always humbly pray...
***************
Patrick Burwell, OnlyJesusSaves.com
Show us how we can bring your name glory in this, Father.
Amen.
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Re: Re: Why Did This Happen God?
| Posted On: 04/24/07 01:11:37 PM |
Age 44, NJ |
I have a restircted number of characters to impart, but this the additional paragraph you don't see, which is on my newsletter link;
"A wise old friend taught me this years ago and it has kept me in good stead since when fear grips me and I am tempted to doubt God. It's the same prayer I prayed with a brother who has just injured himself badly falling off a ladder at his old age. I was afraid for my friend that he would be upset with God over this, but I was worried for no reason as he humbly agreed with me. and this prayer is for those at Virginia Tech who have been hurt by the evil done there. It is my hope for all of us to always humbly pray...
Show us how we can bring your name glory in this, Father.
Amen."
Maybe that is the "less harsh" part you were looking for...
But don't lets use tragedy to justify imparting a false doctrine like teenagers being saved just because we love them...
No. Tragedy is just that, tragic, but to lie to someone about what is True, that we must ALL repent and trust in Jesus or we will face God's Judgement of Hell for our sins: that would be a crime greater than what Cho did...
Patrick J Burwell, OnlyJesusSaves.com
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Re: Why Did This Happen God?
| Posted On: 04/23/07 10:54:51 PM |
Age 40, CA |
This might be a little harsh (not gentle enough) to present to someone who just lost a very, very special loved one.
We live in a fallen world in which we experience evil of various sorts, almost on a daily basis. Death is just one of those experiences we all must face because of the sin that we inherited from Adam. Why some die the way some do is unknown. Although, according to Bible history, Christians are not immune to painful, horrific deaths, the Bible does provide evidence that God does give his saints peace during death, regardless of the amount of pain involved (e.g. the stoning of Steven).
Although we may know that a child of God experienced what is, obvious to all, a horrific death (Virginia Tech), we may not know the amount of peace the victim may have experienced while he or she died.
Knowing that God is a good God, I would have faith, and through this faith, believe that God provided peace to His children who faced death as they did at Virginia Tech.
They are much more happy than we can ever be in this temporary body in which our spirit resides. And what's best is that one day we will see them again -- in a paradise that no mind on this earth can ever imagine.
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