Wow! This was another grand day at Hopedale: both kids and adults coming to make professions of faith, people joining the church and another baptism. Church is really a great time of worship and a great blessing when God continues to make His presence known through the testimonies of His people!
If you are a reader that is in Ozark or the surrounding area, I want to invite and encourage you to come and worship with us at Hopedale. If you are not in this area (which would be most of you), I want to encourage you to find a place to attend church so that you can worship the Creator and be blessed by His presence. There are plenty of churches that truly love God and love those that are looking for answers to life's questions. I hope that you find one.
Pastor Terry's message was a reminder from the Bible that we are ambassadors for Jesus--His representatives on Earth. We have been charged as the ones to bring reconciliation to the lost.
A blog is not really the best forum to talk about God's plan of salvation, but it is what I have at this moment and the only contact I have with most of you.
So here's my question: In your personal opinion, what do you understand that it takes for a person to go to heaven?
I am interested in hearing what you have to say. I will not post any comments unless you specifically tell me that I can post your opinion. It is not my intent to say this one's right and that one is wrong. I am really interested in your thoughts on heaven and hell, good and evil, life and death. I hope that the promise of privacy will help you to feel free to share your thoughts with me.
Have a grand day!
John
The deeper I get into ministry, the more I feel eternity is, for me, about my personal belief in God in Christ. It is more about this than it is about how many other persons I have told about Jesus--but don't get me wrong, I believe in witnessing and do so every day. There are many dimensions to the walk and talk of Christianity, because we all have been given different gifts. A great deal depends on my discernment of what my spiritual gifts are as to how well I am able to take in more and more mysteries about God in Christ simply on faith. Sometimes studying the Bible and theology can prevent real intimacy with God in Christ. Yet unshakable faith in Him is what matters. I will never be able to understand everything, much less know it all, or I would not need God in Christ. Also, just because I am a "vocational Christian" does not give me any advantage over anyone else, either, in terms of getting to heaven. My destination will be determined by the matter of my faith, not my deeds, and I praise God for that! I can sin as easily as anyone else, and I would be doomed if getting to heaven depended more on good works and piety than faith. You may show my comment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response, Claudia. It is very true that sometimes theology (the study of God) can get in the way of our relationship with God. Knowing about God and knowing God are two very different things.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, not only does the "vocational Christian" status not give you (or me) an advantage, the Bible says that we will be judged by a different standard. The responsibility of the call to ministry isn't one to be taken lightly. The stewardship for the souls of the people that we encounter is an awesome one and one that I am not looking forward to answering for.
Thanks again for reading and commenting.