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Do
You Believe God?
Believing
in God is one thing. Believing God is another.
Copyright 1995 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org
What a bunch of disbelievers we are!
Just listen to a couple men talking. One says he can drive from
here to there in four hours without speeding.
"No way, man," will come the reply. "Nobody can
drive it less than five. I know, because...," and he trots out a list
of proofs for his argument.
Watch a dieter on the bathroom scales. Last night's overindulgence
at the BBQ, and the triple dip cone at the ice cream parlor had nothing to
do with his weight increase. Not at all. It's the scales that are wrong!
The student won't believe his low mark is legitimate: his teacher
is out to get him.
A pilot I know, nearly crashed his plane in a snowstorm because he
broke the rule Always believe your instruments.
Throughout the bible we see people refusing to believe, even though
it was God himself who sent the message.
God had performed miracles to attract Moses, and to show he was the
one to lead the Israelite nation out of Egypt. Did Moses believe? No.
He told God, "I cccccan't tttalk to Phphphpharoah. IIII've got
ththththis ttterible ssssstamer."
An angelic ambassador from God told Gideon he was to drive the
Midianites from Israel. But did Gideon believe? Not at all: he wanted a
sign. And later he asked God for more signs.
Peter is, perhaps, the best-known disbeliever in the bible. Jesus
told the disciples they would all lose faith in him. What was Peter's
reply? "Not me, Lord. I'll die rather than deny you."
Terrible. isn't it? Not believe God! The very thought! Why, you'd
never do that, would you?
Some time after Jesus Christ's ascension to heaven, God said
through Paul, "All scripture is inspired by God, and is
profitable."
But most Christians say only some scripture applies today. And most
of them don't even believe the scripture they say is valid. You'd almost
think they know more than God!
Turn to John
3:13 to discover Jesus' own words. Then read what Peter, inspired by
the holy spirit, preached nearly two months after Christ's resurrection (Acts
2:34).
Me not believe God? Absurd! Is it?
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Do
NON-CHRISTIANS Get A Second Chance?
God doesn't want to deny
anyone eternal life. But can he give it to those who have never heard of
the saving love of Jesus Christ?
Copyright 1994 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
More than 200 Muslims were trampled to death during an annual
pilgrimage to Mecca. They were inching toward a cave for symbolic stoning
of the devil.
Serves them right, doesn't it? If they were Christians they
wouldn't have been doing such things.
More than 100 people died near Calcutta when two boats collided
during a Hindu pilgrimage.
Well, no wonder. They're pagans. If they were Christians God would
have protected them.
Ten Tanzanian Seventh Day Adventists drowned trying to walk on
water as a test of faith.
Well, they call themselves Christians, but they go to church on
Saturday. That's the Jews' day.
Three churches were destroyed and nineteen worshippers were killed
during Palm Sunday services, when tornadoes struck Alabama.
Now what? They weren't Muslims. They weren't Hindus. They weren't
those crazy people who still believe Saturday is the day to worship.
No, they were Sunday-keeping people who call themselves Christians.
Christians get sick and die, don't they? Just like Muslims and
Hindus and Jews. Don't Christians die in car accidents and from on-the-job
injuries? Christians are raped and abused and murdered, aren't they?
Possibly more than North American people of any other religion. Why?
In the Genesis account there were no religions, just people. And as
long as they obeyed God they had no problems.
But that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, has deceived the
whole world (Revelation
12:9), beginning with Eve.
Yes, he's even deceived Christians!
He told Eve she wouldn't die for eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis
3:4). And he's deceived the world about death ever since.
Almost nobody believes they die: most believe they live forever
somewhere else, or in a reincarnated form, or in an exalted existence.
"Death is just a step in life," say many Christians.
But the bible says every person must die and be judged (Hebrews
9:27) before they can receive eternal life.
Christians are being judged every day (I
Peter 4:17) by what is written in every book of the bible (Revelation
20:12).
But what about the billions of people who aren't Christians? How
can they be judged? They don't have the bible for their text book.
Paul told the Corinthians all people who ever lived and died will
be resurrected (I
Corinthians 15:22). Why? So God can punish the Hindus and Muslims and
Buddhists for not knowing the truth?
Hardly. God doesn't want to refuse anyone eternal life (2
Peter 3:9). Their resurrection will be so they can be taught God's way
of life for the first time.
When they've repented of their old ways they'll be given eternal
life as a gift (Romans
6:23), the same as Christians who obey God's laws and believe all --
not just part -- of what God says in his bible.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
DEAR
GOD, WHAT IS LOVE?
laturvey@becon.org
A young boy shows his love
for his sister through offering the ultimate sacrifice.
Copyright 1999 / Leslie A Turvey
Dear God: Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that, or was it
an accident? - Norma.
Dear God: Instead of letting people die and having to make new
ones, why don't you just keep the ones you have now? - Jane.
Dear God: I bet it is very hard for you to love all the people in
the world. There's only four people in our family and I can never do it. -
Nan.
Children are so sincere. They have no pretences. In Nan's prayer
she revealed a truth most adults try to cover up.
Christians often say, "I love everybody." But too often
'everybody' means their friends; or the people in their church (But I
can't stand Thelma. She thinks she's God's gift to men.); or the white
people; or whatever group of people 'everybody' covers for the moment.
Jesus told his disciples, "A new
commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must
love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another (John 13:34-35 / NIV)."
What a motley bunch they were. They were fishermen, a tax
collector, a physician, some rambunctious, one impetuous. They really had
nothing in common that they should love each other. Nothing, that is,
except they had left their professions to follow an itinerant teacher who
preached about something called the kingdom of God.
And he talked about love.
Now love is a word that's been bandied about, used and abused, and
misused depending on the whims of the user.
But what is love? Is a feeling? Is it just for the moment? Is it a
tattoo on the arm, or initials carved on a tree? Or is it something more?
Even Peter didn't seem to know what love was. Jesus asked Peter
three times if he loved him. In the end we read that Peter was grieved by
Jesus' questioning (John
21:15-17).
Workers at Stanford Hospital saw true love in action. Liza, a
little girl, was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her five-year
old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed
the antibodies needed to combat it.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked
the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
The brother hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath
and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liza."
As the transfusion progressed, the color began returning to Liza's
cheeks. Her brother's face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at
the doctor and asked with a trembling voice. "Will I start to die
right away?"
Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor. He thought he
was going to give Liza all his blood. He loved his sister, and understood
what Jesus taught, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends (John
15:13)."
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Could
You Go To HELL?
Is God so vengeful that he
tortures people in an ever-burning fire? That's what Christians would have
you believe. But that's not what the bible teaches.
Copyright 1994 / Leslie A Turvey laturvey@becon.org
Ever read an obituary saying, "In hell forever?" Or have
you seen a gravestone depicting a leering demon?
Chances are the answer is no. Yet ask any member of a mainstream
Christian denomination what happens to the unsaved, and you'll be told
they burn in hell forever.
Read tonight's obits and you'll think everyone's been saved.
They're "in the arms of the Lord," or "Jesus took them
home," or a husband and wife are "together forever," but
certainly not in hell.
Look for gravestones with crosses, and check the names of the
deceased. You'll be amazed at the old reprobates you knew who somehow made
it to glory.
Who determines these things? Who holds the scales of justice that
weigh your neighbor's sins against his good works? Who decides your
not-so-favorite niece mainlined once too often, and is now in the clutches
of Satan?
The minister, killed on his way home from counseling the young
divorcee, is in heaven, isn't he? If his congregation knew the counseling
took place in her bedroom they may have relegated him to another destiny.
Where do we get our ideas of hell? Is your god so vengeful that he
tortures people in an ever-burning fire because they made one error too
many?
Your bible tells of a loving father who doesn't want anyone to
perish eternally (II
Peter 3:9). It also describes a lake of fire where the incorrigible
will be quickly burned to ashes (Malachi
4:1,3). And it tells of a place where Satan and his demons will be
tormented for ever and ever
(Jude
6 / Revelation
20:10).
Satan knows he hasn't much longer to deceive the world about God,
his perfect laws, his goodness (Revelation
12:12). And Satan's deception comes through ministers who believe with
all their heart in a heaven-for-the-saved, hell-for-the-unsaved theory.
Your bible tells of a more exciting future than you've ever
imagined, even for the old sinner down the street (I
Corinthians 2:9). You, and your not-so-favorite niece, and the
adulterous minister will be taught the truth of God's love, and given an
opportunity to live his perfect way of
life. Only a few will reject such a wonderful future, and will have their
life, and even the memory of them, snuffed out eternally (Ecclesiastes
9:5).
But Satan and his demons won't share in this wonderful future.
They're the ones who will be tortured forever, not by fire, but by the
knowledge they are in a prison of darkness because they rebelled against
God (Ezekiel
28:13-15 / Isaiah
14:12-14).
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
Condemned
To Die - In 24 Hours:
Tomorrow, next week, next
year. What would you do if you knew you had only twenty-four more hours to
live?
Copyright 1994 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
What would you do if you knew you had only twenty-four more hours
to live?
Another day, another hour, another breath is not guaranteed to you
or me. Yet we go through life saying, "Tomorrow I will do this,"
or "Next week I'll do that," when tomorrow may never come.
What would you do if you knew you had only twenty-four more hours
to live?
Would you plan a vacation? Absurd. Begin a new project? Not likely.
Maybe you'd start making out your will. A little late for that, but it
might be a step in the right direction.
If your death is to pay your debt to society, perhaps you'd be
thinking of what you want for your last meal.
If you knew you had only twenty-four more hours to live,
perhaps it would be good to phone everyone you know to share a few last
moments with them.
No one can afford one minute of feeling betrayed, nursing a hurt,
distrusting another. That minute is not ours to own. It is God's, and is
given to us to forgive and forget.
Look through your address book. How many people are recorded there?
A hundred? More?
Your school yearbook. Would you like to have a last moment with
friends who have gone other ways?
Your favorite bank teller, the butcher at the meat market, the
person you trust to service your car? What about the paper boy, the mail
carrier, your nearest neighbors?
The list grows longer as you include fellow workers, the boss, the
janitor in the building where you work.
Maybe you could add some of your own: your aunts and uncles, nieces
and nephews, cousins and parents and siblings.
What would you do if you knew you had only twenty-four more hours
to live? Would you harbor a grudge? Or say "I'm sorry." Spew
venom? Or say "I love you." In some instances it may be a matter
of forgiving or asking forgiveness.
How little time we would have if we shared those twenty-four hours
with everyone we could.
Statistics show we know at least 250 people who will visit at the
funeral home, or send flowers, or give a word of condolence when our
twenty-four hours are gone. Could you phone them all? What would you say
in the five or six minutes you'd have with each one?
Most of us look forward to having more than twenty-four hours left
in our lifetime. But shouldn't we treat everyone every day as though today
were our last? Some day it will be.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org. |
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The
Clay Blindfold:
A blind man was given his
sight when he washed clay from his eyes. Why did Jesus smear clay on this
man, when he could have simply commanded him to be healed?
Copyright 1999 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
As Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. And
his disciples asked, "Master, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "His blindness is not the result of sin. He
was born blind so the works of God might be shown in him."
Then Jesus spat on the ground and made clay with his saliva, and
smearing it on the blind man's eyes said, "Go and wash in the pool of
Siloam."
He went and washed, and came back seeing (John
9:1-4; 6-7).
Why the clay? Why didn't Jesus just heal the man on the spot? Or
tell him to go and wash?
That would be too easy. And people, being as they are, would have
claimed the man had not been blind, but was a charlatan. In fact, after
the healing the man's neighbors questioned whether this was the man they
knew had been blind.
Challenge: Put on a thick blindfold and walk to the corner store.
Guaranteed you'll stagger like a drunkard, and bump into everything along
the way.
Jesus, in the view of everyone, put a clay blindfold on the man.
Being blind, the man likely knew every pothole in the road to Siloam. With
or without the clay he would walk as people had seen him walk every day.
There could be no doubt this man was blind.
Another time Jesus was teaching in a synagogue. A woman in the
congregation had a crippling disease which had bent her over for eighteen
years. Jesus laid hands on her, and healed her, and she was able to stand
straight up (Luke
13:10-13).
This poor woman was not some groupie who followed Christ from place
to place, and made a pretence of being crippled. She was well known in the
village. The people likely had some undignified names for her. So when
Jesus healed her, there was no question who she was, or that she had been
healed.
Lazarus was dead. His friends and neighbors in Bethany knew he was
dead. They had comforted his sisters, and may have helped in the burial
preparations. And he had been dead four days.
But now Lazarus was alive. Jesus had ordered the stone removed from
the grave, prayed a short prayer to his father in heaven, then commanded,
"Lazarus, come forth." We're told, And he that was dead came
forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound
about with a napkin (John
11:44).
There was no question about the man's blindness, or the woman's
disability, or Lazarus' death. There was also no question that they had
all been restored. Yet the priests and Pharisees had Jesus crucified. Why?
Their self-righteousness had blinded them to the son of
righteousness. Their greed for position and power had crippled their
thinking. They were dead to the love of God, and to the stupendous future
he has in store for you and me.
What a difference! When the blind man was healed he believed in
Jesus, and worshipped him. When the woman was healed she glorified God.
And when Lazarus was resurrected we're told many of the Jews who had seen
the things Jesus did, believed on him.
Are you spiritually blind, or crippled, or dead to the love of God?
Jesus Christ can heal you. And your neighbors will surely
know.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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CHRISTIANS
BACKWARD GET THEIR THINKING:
You
wouldn't disobey God would you? Not if you're a Christian. Or would you?
Read on, and study the scriptures. You may be surprised.
Copyright 1995 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Some people get things all backward.
A local business person said she wasn't going to advertise 'til her
business got better known. She went broke waiting.
Her thinking seemed to be she was in business to advertise. But you
advertise to stay in business, to get your business better known.
Would you trust an airline whose pilots don't know how to fly?
There's no sense training them 'til they've had a few hours in the cockpit
of the big birds, right? Not if I'm a passenger!
Don't let an experienced physician give me a heart transplant. I'd
rather have an intern do the job. (Like the apostle Paul said, "I
speak foolishness.")
As foolish as it may seem, Christians too often backward get their
thinking.
When God says, "Do," Christians say, "Don't."
When God says, "Don't," the we're-going-to-church crowd thinks
he means "Do."
In the sermon on the mount Jesus told hundreds -- perhaps thousands
-- of people, "Think not that I came to destroy the law." But
what do Christians think? The law is done away with. They get it backward!
A few chapters later Christ said, "Don't think I've come to
bring peace on earth." Yet despite Christians killing Christians in
Ireland, and Palestinians killing Jews, and (un)civil war in Bosnia, and
terrorism and rape and murder right here at home, Christians insist on
calling Jesus the
Prince of Peace.
Jesus didn't get it backward when he said, "Search the
scriptures," and honored the Christians in Berea when they did so
daily. And they weren't new testament Christians: they had only the
scrolls of the old.
Dust off your bible and try this test:
1) When God says, "Don't learn the way of the heathen (Jeremiah
10:2-4)," do you get his directive backward?
2) God says worshipping the rising sun is an abomination -- an
obscenity -- to him (Ezekiel
8: 16-17). When he says, "Don't," do you do, perhaps
carrying a palm branch in your hand?
3) What do you do with the fourth commandment (Exodus
20:8-11)? Thick books have been written about why the day of rest was
changed. But God says, "I don't change (Malachi 3:6)."
Is it any wonder we have hundreds of denominations, each getting
God's word backward, yet each claiming to be followers of Christ?
Only when we search the scriptures and let the entire bible -- not
man -- interpret the bible, will we truly be able to call ourselves
Christian.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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Boring?,
NOT MY BIBLE:
As
one lives with the bible, it springs to life with stories of the past, and
prophecies for our exciting future.
Copyright 1999 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
What a disappointment. A young couple viewed a strip of land for
sale in the prairies, and at first glance it was boring. Nothing but tall
brown grass.
But they'd come to see the land. May as well give it a closer look.
The land bordered on a river. Circles of stones and cold ashes were
evidence of campers who had stopped there, perhaps as they paddled toward
the mountains.
The couple decided they wanted the land despite their initial
disappointment. Deed in hand, they made camp, and spent several weekends
living near their river.
Disappointment turned to amazement as prairie flowers added their
colors, and the music of the breeze played through the greening grass.
Bluebirds, waxwings, hummingbirds, and flickers kept them company
by day, and at night they were lulled to sleep by the whoo, whoo-whooing
of a great horned owl. A small island became home to a pair of Canada
Geese, and a brace of deer paid a visit for a drink from the river.
With no city lights to dim the evening sky, the new owners searched
out majestic constellations and galaxies.
Their story is a reminder of David, who wrote, "The heavens
declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork (Psalm
19:1)." David marveled at the heavens, the moon and the stars,
and wondered why God, who could create the vast expanse of the universe,
would pay a attention to a speck of dust called man (Psalm
8:3).
Their story reminds us of Solomon's canticle, "Lo, the winter
is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the
time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard
in our land. The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with
the
tender grape give a good smell (Song
of Solomon 2:9-13)."
But the young couple's story also has a parallel in the book from
which these verses are taken.
Most homes have a bible somewhere. Perhaps it's a small white copy
stored away with the bride's wedding dress. Possibly it's the standard
black-covered bible that gets dusted off and placed on the coffee table
when the pastor calls. Or it may be the souvenir of an overnight stay at a
hotel.
From the roadside the parcel of land looked boring. But as the
young couple discovered when they lived with their land it sprang to life,
and became exciting to them.
While it sits on the coffee table, or supports other books on the
shelf, the bible may be seem boring. No colorful pictures on the cover to
arouse the senses.
But as one lives with the bible, it too springs to life with
stories of the past, and prophecies for our exciting future.
Although David had only a portion of the bible, he didn't see it as
boring. He sang in praise to God, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path (Psalm
119:105)."
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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The
Bible - Full Of Contradictions?:
Does
the bible mean what it says, or is it full of contradictions as many
people believe?
Copyright 1996 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
The bible is full of contradictions," the lady challenged. Was
she right?
"Well, that's what my father always said," she added,
when I asked her for some examples. She admitted she'd be hard-pressed to
give me even half a dozen. I would have been satisfied with two or three.
Most people would never admit ignorance to events in the news.
They'd be embarrassed to say they knew nothing about the sports scene. And
forbid it that anyone should discover they were un-en-lightened about who
was cheating on whom in the soaps. But it's amazing how many are willing
to admit with alacrity, their ignorance of the bible. They're like Tom
Sawyer
who thought the first two disciples were David and Goliath.
It's understandable that folk who know more about Homer Simpson
than about the bible might believe it's full of contra-dictions. Let's
look at one of the most evident possibilities. The crucifixion story is
told every spring.
Matthew reports the sign on the cross said, "This is Jesus,
the king of the Jews." Mark, however says the sign stated only,
"The king of the Jews." Luke tells us the sign said, "This
is the king of the Jews." And John says Pilate wrote "Jesus of
Nazareth, the king of the Jews."
Well, now, who is right?
None of the gospel writers were secretaries. They reported the
events of Christ's ministry as they recalled them long after his ascension
into heaven.
Not only that, the crucifixion was a very emotional event. Details
may have become blurred by the tearfulness of the afternoon.
Think of a billboard you've seen several times. What exactly does
it say? Now ask a friend who's seen the same billboard. Guaranteed you
won't agree.
But you will agree on the overall content of the sign. And the
gospel writers all agreed on the overall content of Pilate's sign,
"the king of the Jews."
Contradiction? I think not.
A glaring example of a supposed contra-diction is in Proverbs
26. Verse 4 states, "Answer not a fool," while the next
verse admonishes, "Answer a fool." That's about all the biblical
ignoramuses read before they shout. "Aha!"
Should they read further they would find the two verses tell us
there are times to respond to a foolish person, and times to say nothing.
Well, then, what about Jesus? He had long hair, yet Paul said long
hair is a shame to a man (I
Corinthians. 11:14).
This is neither a contradiction, nor is it biblical. At least the
part about Jesus having long hair isn't found in the bible.
The visual concept of Jesus comes from paintings made throughout
the centuries. It's no wonder the ten commandments say, "You shall
not make for yourself any graven image."
Contradictions? The next time the soaps come on, turn off the TV
and turn to the bible. You'll be amazed to discover the bible upholds the
bible, and the so-called contradictions become vapor.
Let's see now. Who were the first two disciples?
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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BANKING
ON THE GOLDEN RULE:
What's yours is mine.
What's mine is my own. Is this any way to build a marriage?
Copyright 1998 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
There's a see-through His 'n Hers bank sold at novelty shops and
crafts booths. At first glance it looks quite normal.
But closer inspection reveals any money put in His side is
automatically shunted to Hers. (Of course, any money put in Her side goes
into her account too.)
Not a bad deal for her. What's yours is mine; what's mine is my
own! And for most couples the bank is a lot of fun.
But that bank can represent a one-sided relationship: all for her;
nothing for him. Too often that's the way a woman wants her marriage.
She wants an expensive, sporty car. He can have the old clunker.
She wants a fur coat and diamonds. He can wear last year's outfit.
Now whoever made the bank could just as easily have reversed the
signs to Hers and His, with all the money going into His side.
Unfortunately too many men want their married life to be like that: all
for him; nothing for her.
You know the type. All the latest toys and gadgets he'd be just as
well off without. Keep the old lady barefoot and pregnant.
There are His 'n Her banks that keep the money separated. What's
put in His side stays on his side, and what's put in Her side stays there.
This represents a 50/50 relationship. What's yours is yours; what's
mine is mine. And a lot of marriages are based on this selfish system.
These are often career marriages, with each partner tied up with
his or her personal ambitions. They both may have fancy cars and
fashionable clothes. But they're really only two people sharing the same
bed.
What's really needed is a His 'n Hers bank with no divider. The
money, regardless of whether it goes into His side, or Hers, would all end
up in the same place. This kind of relationship says what's mine is ours,
and what's yours is ours. It's a 100 percent relationship with each member
giving everything to the other.
He opens the door for her. She polishes his image to her friends.
He helps with the dishes. She brings him coffee to his office in the
basement. He cares for the kids so she can spend an evening with the
girls. She's a gracious hostess when the guys come to play poker. He tells
her she's beautiful, even with her hair in curlers. She says he's the
handsomest prince on earth.
There's a biblical principal called the golden rule: Do to others
as you would have them do to you (Matthew
7:12).
When people follow the golden rule life is worth living. But when
it's mine, all mine, greed destroys the relationship.
The His 'n Hers bank from the novelty shop may be fun. But a
marriage based on that system is doomed.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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The
"BAD NEWS" Christians:
Is eternal torture in a
fiery hell the fate of unsaved souls, or does the bible tell a different
story?
Copyright 2000 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Christians are certainly a peculiar lot.
They offer heaven if you're one of them;
Never-ending torture if you're not.
It's true, isn't it? Christians have nothing but bad news for those
who are outside their select society. Even though the bible teaches the
wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), Christians say it's eternal life
somewhere else.
A child learns by asking, "Why?" Shouldn't God's children
ask why as well? And who? what? when? where? and how? If they did they'd
discover hell, as Christianity teaches it, is not the fate of
non-Christian souls.
Let's look at some facts:
Every old testament reference to hell comes from to the Hebrew Sheol,
meaning the world of the dead, the grave, a pit. There's not one reference
in the old testament to hell as a place of torment.
There's at least eight new testament references to hell from the
word Hades, the Greek equivalent of sheol.
There are eleven new testament references from the Greek word Geenna,
from the Hebrew gahee, a gorge or valley, and
from Hinnom, a man's name. Geenna was the
Jerusalem garbage dump into which executed criminals were thrown and
burned, and where Jesus Christ would have been disposed of had Joseph not
begged Pilate for his body (Matthew
27:58; Luke
23:52).
Jesus used the garbage dump as an example of the lake of fire
reserved for those few incorrigibles who, despite having been shown God's
way of life, will refuse his government. Rather than unmercifully forcing
them to observe his laws, they will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation
21:8), and their bodies will be burned to ashes (Malachi
4:1,3). We won't even remember they lived (Ecclesiastes
9:5).
Only in 2
Peter 2:4 is there a reference to eternal torment, and that is from
the Greek word tartaros, meaning the deepest
abyss of hades, to incarcerate in eternal torment, to cast down to hell.
This, however, does not refer to the torment of humans, but to the angels
that sinned. It is
the singular reference in the entire bible to eternal torment, and that
not a torment of fire but of darkness (Jude
1:6).
Where did we get the idea lost souls will be tortured forever?
Jesus died and was resurrected so the world might have eternal life
(John
3:16-17). Satan, the antithesis of Christ, knowing he will be
tormented forever, wants us to believe Christ's sacrifice is powerless, so
has convinced Christians that those outside the fellowship are the ones
who will suffer.
The history of hell as a place of eternal punishment, comes mainly
from the apocrypha, and from Persian writings. The Italian poet, Dante
Alighieri (1265-1321), popularized the concept when he wrote "The
Divine Comedy," described in The LIFE Millennium as "...an
allegorical and
literary triumph, a walk through the cultural, political, and religious
landscape of 13th century Italy...his vivid description of the nine
circles of hell terrified centuries of ordinary readers with its
descriptions of horrendous punishments after death."
Having the facts before you will you continue to be a bad news
Christian, or will you now look to the bible for the truth of God's
mercy?
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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The
Awesome Power Of Earthquakes:
The most powerful
earthquake ever recorded generated the equivalent of 199 million tons of
dynamite. But the worst is yet to come.
Copyright 1995 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Consider the awesome power of earthquakes.
The Richter system of measuring earthquakes can be expressed by the
explosive energy of dynamite: a tremor with a magnitude of 1 on the
Richter Scale releases the same energy as six ounces of TNT.
But in terms of energy released during an earthquake, each full
step is 32 times the previous step. In other words it would take 32
magnitude 1 earthquakes to equal one magnitude 2 quake.
Japan's January 1995 earthquake measured 7.2 Richter. In dynamite
terms it released the energy of more than 199 thousand tons of TNT.
The most powerful quake ever recorded was on the Columbia-Ecuador
border in 1906. It measured 8.9 Richter, or the equivalent of nearly 199
million tons of dynamite: 1000 times the power of the one in Japan.
Following the January '95 quake, Japanese authorities said Japan
had not seen so much destruction since the atomic bomb dissolved
Hiroshima. The power of that bomb was about equal to a 6.3 magnitude
earthquake. That's enough energy to enough to lift a 4000 foot high
mountain with a base diameter of twenty miles, one foot off the ground.
The energy of an 8.9
magnitude earthquake could blast the same mountain two miles into the air!
Fortunately earthquake energy radiates in all directions, not just
upward, so we don't see such dramatic rearranging of the landscape. Yet
many quakes have shifted the ground several feet horizontally: one sank an
enormous tract of land nearly ten feet.
Jesus Christ said in the last days great earthquakes will occur in
many places. Dr. Charles Richter considers any earthquake of magnitude 8.0
or higher as "great." That means a minimum energy equivalent to
6,270,000 tons of TNT. Most geologists believe the greatest earthquake
possible would measure 9.5 on Dr. Richter's scale.
But one cannot assume God measures earthquakes by the Richter
Scale. In Christ's revelation to John we're told, "And there was a
great earthquake such as was not since men were on the earth, so mighty an
earthquake, and so great, and every island fled away, and the mountains
were not found (Revelation
16:18,20)."
But will a globe-shaking earthquake that's powerful enough to
dissolve the Himalayas, the Andes, and Canada's Rockies convince humanity
to turn away from its sins? The next verse says, "And men blasphemed
God."
What will it take?
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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Attitude:
A Matter Of How You Look At Life:
A backwoods Arkansas woman
looks at what she has, not what she hasn't.
Copyright 1994 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Attitude is everything. Keep yours positive." This was the
message on a card passed around several years ago.
But what is attitude? Funk & Wagnall's says it's a state of
mind, behavior, or conduct regarding some matter, as indicating opinion or
purpose. It's a lot easier to understand it as one's way of looking at
life.
Attitude is a matter of deciding whether the cup is half full or
half empty.
Too often we look at life in a woe-is-me manner, seeing only what
we don't have, rather than being thankful for what is ours.
There's a story told - I understand it's true - about an elderly
lady in Arkansas.
The state voted to increase welfare payments to indigents. Hoping
for a tear-jerker story, a television inter-viewer went into the back
hills where many welfare recipients lived.
The old woman he chose to interview lived in a one-room shack:
draughty in winter, stifling in summer.
Her bed was a few rough planks nailed together. She slept on a
pine-needle mattress. A couple thin blankets, and a fireplace, did little
to protect her from the cold.
Her furniture, a table and two chairs, were fashioned from the same
rough wood as her bed. Some shelves held a few cans of food from the
general store, a three mile walk down the road. Some dusty jars of
preserves and a few squash completed her larder.
She had no fridge or freezer. The fireplace provided heat for
cooking.
With no phone or television her only connection with the outside
world was an old radio that pulled in three or four local stations on a
good day.
The old woman had one convenience, running water. A crystal clear
stream gurgled a short distance behind her home.
A small garden near her back door provided fresh vegetables during
the summer, and some squash and turnips for the winter.
A tidy flower garden brightened the front of her house.
The television crew arrived and set up their big expensive cameras.
Their mobile station broadcast pictures of the woman and the place she
called home.
Eventually the interviewer asked the old woman, "If the
government gave you $200 more each month, what would you do with it?"
Without hesitation the woman replied, "I'd give it to the
poor."
How do you look at life? Do you see only what you don't have, or
are you thankful for what is yours?
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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ARE
YOU AN ENEMY OF GOD?:
Fashion shows and
televangelists have something in common, and like them you might be making
a ridiculous display of your religion.
Copyright 1996 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
Fashion shows are fascinating.
An almost inhumanly shaped model walks like no normal human walks,
wearing a pout that would make the saddest clown laugh. She takes a
ridiculous pose to display clothing no sane person would ever wear. She
never speaks: we'd likely never understand her if she did!
But, there's a pot of gold at the end of the runway for those who
put on the best show.
Weekend television has its own version of a fashion show. It's the
Sunday morning televangelist hour.
One preacher runs back and forth across the stage like the devil's
after him. Another screws up his face, and squints when he talks. Another
prays in a pose that would make a contortionist wince. And they all have a
special language, especially when they pronounce the name of Jeeeeee-zuz.
Why not? There's a pot of gold at the end of the program for those
who put on the best show.
Mahatma Gandhi was asked why he wasn't a Christian. Gandhi replied
simply, "Christians."
Many Christians are their own worst enemies. They make a ridiculous
display of their religion, and fools of themselves to the sinners they try
to convert.
They pray using centuries-old words as though thee and thou are
somehow more pleasing to God than the pronouns we use today.
They prowl around telephone booths and public washrooms, leaving
pamphlets designed to scare the hell out of the reader.
And they - if you don't see them coming and duck out of sight -
lecture you to accept Jesus before it's too late.
Preaching their brand of Christianity is their religion, and it
generally includes a threat of eternal torment found nowhere in the bible.
Jesus Christ said, "Let your light so shine before men that
they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven."
This verse from Matthew
5:16 says nothing about good preaching. It does say, however, let your
light shine so men may glorify God.
Christians aren't only their own worst enemies. They can be enemies
of God.
It's one thing to do good works - quietly deliver some groceries to
a needy family, take a fatherless child to a hockey game, invite a widow
to dinner. Might not these good works invoke an attitude of gratitude
toward the God they may not know?
It's another thing to preach to everyone about getting saved, and
leaving them disgusted with you and the God you profess to represent.
Gandhi was right. Sunday morning televangelists, and family-reunion
preachers do little to convince the unconverted to become Christians.
The Christian who quietly does what he can to help others
physically and mentally, will also help them spiritually. Those who put on
a religious fashion show may not help them at all.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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ALL
YOU DID WAS ARGUE:
Christians
are great arguers. They argue about what is in the bible, and about what
isn't. What will Jesus Christ say about it all in the judgment?
Copyright 1998 / Leslie A Turvey
laturvey@becon.org
There's an awful lot of people out there arguing about 'the
rapture'. Will somebody please tell me what it is, or what they think it
is?
This question, raised by a seeker for truth, underlines a basic
problem with Christianity. Christians can't agree.
One person responding to the query stated, "For the
Evangelicals and Charismatics, it refers to those people whom the Lord
will lift off this earth before the last terrible days begin."
Another said, "The rapture is a synonym for an escape,"
while someone else noted, "The escapist idea of rapture is a new one
on the scene, and wasn't believed by the early church.
Another calls it, "Sensationalist nonsense. A false promise. A
prophetic tangent regarding God's last evangelists."
And when asked for the purpose of the rapture, one person said,
"it is for hypocrites to have a fairy tale to believe in so they
don't have to obey Christ."
Is it any wonder Mahatma Gandhi, when asked why he wasn't a
Christian, answered simply, "Christians."
Christians argue about concepts, such as the rapture, which has no
basis in the bible. Baptism comes from the bible, but entire denominations
have been split because their members can't agree on the method, or on who
should be baptized, and when.
For some it's total immersion of those who have reached the age in
which they can decide whether they're ready; for others, it's by
sprinkling, especially of infants in case they die before they grow up.
One self-styled evangelist held a mass "baptism" by spraying his
converts with
a fire hose hooked up to a hydrant. (The quotation marks around baptism
should give an indication of my thoughts on his method.)
Walk around the main part of any city and you'll see a Presbyterian
church, a Baptist, the Roman Catholic church of Mary and Joseph, a
Pentecostal, and a host of other churches. Christians cannot even agree on
what their name should be, even though the bible refers only to the Church
of God.
Then, of course, there's contention over the day of worship: most
say Sunday; some Saturday; and one groups says all days are holy.
There's disagreement over which parts of the bible are valid today;
whether we should pray in modern English, or whether God prefers thee and
thou; how many angels can dance on the head of a pin (as though it
matters); whether one must speak in tongues; and the proper position for
prayer.
Regarding the last one, Sam Walker Foss wrote a wonderful poem,
'The Prayer of Cyrus Brown.' Several ranking church people gave their own
pious ideas. Then comes the coup de grace: "Las' year I fell in
Hodgkin's well, Head first," said Cyrus Brown, "With both my
heels a-stickin' up, And my head a-pointin' down. "An' I made a
prayer right then an' there - Best
prayer I ever said, The prayin'est prayer I ever prayed, A-standin' on my
head."
No one could argue with Cyrus, about the proper position for
prayer. And we shouldn't be contentious about the multitude of other petty
things that divide us.
In the judgment there will be a lot of surprised people when they
stand before Jesus Christ and he says, I gave you a book to go by, and all
you did was argue.
You may
contact the Life Lines author at laturvey@becon.org.
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