The Harsh Lesson of Nabab & Abihuh
Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.
Leviticus 10:1-2
Solomon said, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10) Unfortunately, most Christians don’t live by this truth. We’ve grown up in a church and a society that often misunderstands God. We like to comfort ourselves thinking that because God is Love, that somehow he’s not the same God as in the Old Testament. We like to think of the Old Testament God as being angry, and the New Testament God is somehow kinder and gentler. We say things like, “in the Old Testament, God was judgment; but in the New Testament, God is grace and love, and a God of forgiveness.” There’s some truth in this statement, however taken as a whole, it’s incorrect.
First of all, God does not change. The Old Testament God is the same God as the New Testament God. Secondly, the method of salvation is the same under both covenants. I know you’re saying, “ wait a minute, John – you’re wrong.” Nope I’m not. Under both covenants the way of salvation is salvation by faith. The Bible testifies about Abraham, that, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him righteousness.” (Romans 4:3) So in both covenants, repentance, obedience, and a changed heart are necessary for salvation. The difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament is that they looked forward to a Savior, and in the New Testament Church, we look backward to the Savior.
We’ve completely misunderstood God and his grace. We think that somehow the cross and grace give us a license to sin. We forget that God is a holy God that cannot even look upon sin. We also forget that the Bible puts people into just 2 classes of people: the wicked and the righteous. You’re either one, or the other. Another way that the Bible classifies people is by calling them either friends of God, or enemies of God. There really is no other way you can classify people.
So how do you get to be a friend of God? You get to be a friend of God through obedience and humility. God rightly demands to be obeyed and respected. His happiness and Glory are infinitely the highest and greatest good in the universe.
The wicked thing that Nabab and Abihu did was that they mixed incense with a grain offering and then burned the offering before the Lord. Doesn’t seem like such a big deal, does it? It doesn’t until you realize that Nadab and Abihu willfully disobeyed the command of God. (Exodus 30:9) Now it’s a BIG deal. They dishonored and disobeyed the very one they should have been very careful to obey, the infinite and holy Lord God Almighty – he is high and lifted up and rightfully adored. When you disobey God, you set yourself in opposition of God, and he must show Himself to be the Righteous Judge.
Judgment in the New Testament
Ok. So you’re still thinking, but Nadab and Abihu were Old Testament Priests; that sort of thing doesn’t happen in the New Testament. Yes it does. What about Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts 5:11) They lied to The Holy Spirit and they died on the spot.
Or what about Herod? (Acts 12:20-25) The people praised Herod by saying, “this is the voice of a god, and not of a man.” In doing this, the people were dishonoring God by giving the praise that rightfully belonged to the Almighty to a mere man. When Herod did not correct the people, but instead accepted God’s praise for himself, an angel of the Lord struck Herod down and he died.
And what about Paul? When God had enough of him persecuting the church, Jesus himself confronted Paul and struck him with blindness. (Acts 9:1-19) Jesus was there to protect his church, and if Paul wouldn’t have repented on the spot, the story may have turned out differently.
Judgment and Wrath are worse for New Testament Believers
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Hebrews 2:1-4
Judgment is always based upon light; therefore wrath will be much more fierce and terrible for New Testament believers than it was for Nabab and Abihu. Nadab and Abihu only had Moses. We have Moses, the Prophets, Jesus, the Apostles, and 2000 years of God’s dealing with the church. We know so much more than the Israelites did, therefore if we dishonor God, our punishment will be proportionately greater. The writer of Hebrews knew this fact, and eloquently pointed it out to his readers.
Conclusion
We’ve been wrong as a church. God does not accept those that willfully disobey him and openly dishonor him. God’s honor is much more important than the interests of any of us mere mortals. God will defend his honor against those that dishonor him, and he will come to those that need him.
So when you hear of priests who molest innocent children, take heart, because the wrath of God is about to be revealed against these evil men. God has sharpened his sword and bent his bow, and the demise of the disaster of these infidels will be swift and disastrous.
God has not forgotten justice, and he is not slow to act like men think. The disobedient and evil man will be called to account for all his misdeeds. The only reason that God puts up with evil men in his realm is they have been given time to repent; but God will not wait forever. One day he will lose his patience with rebels that refuse to obey, and then their eternal demise will come.
John Wheeler
Bible quotes from Pradis Bible Software, Version 5.17.0014 by Zondervan
Categories: johnwheeler98374, johnwheeler98374
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Imagine there's no Heaven
Imagine there’s no heaven
I was fortune to hear a replay of John Lennon’s final interview before his tragic and senseless death. They asked him something like, “do you really mean to say there’s no heaven?”
To which John Lennon replied, “I didn’t say there was no heaven. I just wanted people think about the possibility.”
This reminds me of some of the fruitless questions that people from the Emergent Stream are asking during their Conversations, and then passing themselves off as profoundly spiritual. First of all, questions never make you wise. Just because you can ask questions that can’t be answered, doesn’t make sagacious – any 2 year old can ask questions that can’t be answered. Secondly, wisdom does not come from continuously questioning truth and reason; instead wisdom comes from believing and understanding the truth. The problem with many people is that they never find the answers to their questions – so they never become wise, and they fail to find the true and living God.
Does it matter that they don’t find the answers to their questions? Yes. God enlightens the mind and the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. You can get the answers you need.
My brothers, find the truth. Don't ask fruitless and pointless questions, that only lead to unbelief.
In God's Service,
John Wheeler
Monday, May 5, 2008
Being Missional
“Give me souls or I die!”
Unknown
Unknown
I’ve been reading everything that I could get to on Post-Modernism, The Emerging Church, and the idea of being missional. I think all of each of these ideas have merit, and they each have some places where people have aligned themselves with the idea and gotten into some heritical belief system. I especially like the idea of being a missional church. From the little I know of the concept, I think it’s a great idea and will bring us closer to being the church that Jesus intends us to be. However, I don’t think any of these ideas by themselves (or even in concert) will bring about the revival we need in America.
I firmly believe that America will continue to spiritually decline as long as we Christians allow it to.
Okay, I’m going to say it again so that we hear it – People will continue to dishonor God and go to hell as long as we allow it. We need to remember that the Saviors name is not Obama, not Hillary, and not McCain – the Saviors name is JESUS, and we are the ones that he commissioned to bring the gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world.
People don’t usually come to Christ without some Christian praying fervently for them, and sharing the good news. Rarely do people come to Christ by themselves.
When someone comes to Christ there are usually 3 agents, (although there can be only 2), and 1 tool. The 3 agents are: The Holy Spirit, A Christian who shares the good news, and an unbeliever. The tool by which we are brought to God is the Truth, or the word of God. We know that God desires to see everybody come to Christ, and doesn’t wish that any be lost – so we KNOW the Holy Spirit is doing everything he can to reconcile men to Christ. And it seems the Unbelievers are doing a fine job of unbelieving. We also know that the Word of God is effective in the salvation of men. So that only leaves Christians that are doing a poor job.
Two things will happen if the Church of America continues the way they’re going:
1.) People will continue to dishonor God by ignoring him and pretending there are more important things in this life than serving God with all your heart.
2.) Unbelievers will continue to fill Hell.
As long as we’re content letting our parents, our children, our family, our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors, our community, and our nation rush headlong into an eternity of divine punishment, then that’s exactly what will continue to happen at alarming rate. As long as our hearts are cold, and we’re so disinterested in our neighbor’s eternal soul, then things won’t change, no matter how many new measures we come up with.
It’s high time the American church wakes up and repents. We need to examine our actions to see what we’re doing for souls. Does our heart beat and bleed for souls like Jesus’ does? Are we doing everything we possibly can to save as many as possible?
If the answer is no, then we need to beg forgiveness from God for not having his heart and his best interest in mind; and then we need to change. It does no good to ask forgiveness without changing. This is not the Biblical idea of repentance. We need to have a change of heart, and a change of actions.
We need to be about the Father’s business. We need to be fervent and passionate about bringing the lost to Christ.
John Wheeler
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Repent Now
Repentance is one of those Biblical words that is sadly misunderstood.
So what is repentance?
Repentance is a complete and permanent change in ultimate intention. It's a change from selfishness to benevolence. A change from all known sin and willful rebellion against God to entire obedience to God.
Repentance is not just leaving sin, however turning from sin is implied in repentence. Certainly when the Prophets spoke, they intended for people to quit sinning and stop sinning now.
Repentance is not sorrow for sin. Sorrow by itself is not enough, and certainly sorrow by itself is significantly less than Godly repentance. We've all seen plenty of people that are sorry for their sin that neither quit sinning, nor turn themselves wholeheartedly to God.
Which leads to the next idea of repentance - making things right. Part of repentance is setting things right with your fellow man if and when possible.
Also implied in the Biblical idea of repentance is the idea that complete repentance is possible. To say that repentance is impossible is to blashpheme God by saying he requires men to do what they cannot possibly do.
Another thing that is required by repentance is immediacy. You are required to repent and repent immediately and completely. If you don't repent now, it shows exactly how evil, wicked and rebellous towards God you are in your heart.
A common misconception about repentance is that it can be anything less than complete. There's a common falacy in the church that somehow God accepts something less than total and complete consecration from the hearts of men. As far as I can see this is one of the most dangerous fallacies on planet earth, and it has contributed millions of souls to the eternal coffers of hell.
Make no mistake repentence must be complete and whole hearted. You must give your heart wholly to God. You must be converted. You must turn from sin to holiness. You must turn your back upon your past life. Don't be like Lot's evil wife and turn back and long for your sin.
Repentance is turning to God with all your heart, and loving your fellow man as yourself. Nothing less is accepted.
John
So what is repentance?
Repentance is a complete and permanent change in ultimate intention. It's a change from selfishness to benevolence. A change from all known sin and willful rebellion against God to entire obedience to God.
Repentance is not just leaving sin, however turning from sin is implied in repentence. Certainly when the Prophets spoke, they intended for people to quit sinning and stop sinning now.
Repentance is not sorrow for sin. Sorrow by itself is not enough, and certainly sorrow by itself is significantly less than Godly repentance. We've all seen plenty of people that are sorry for their sin that neither quit sinning, nor turn themselves wholeheartedly to God.
Which leads to the next idea of repentance - making things right. Part of repentance is setting things right with your fellow man if and when possible.
Also implied in the Biblical idea of repentance is the idea that complete repentance is possible. To say that repentance is impossible is to blashpheme God by saying he requires men to do what they cannot possibly do.
Another thing that is required by repentance is immediacy. You are required to repent and repent immediately and completely. If you don't repent now, it shows exactly how evil, wicked and rebellous towards God you are in your heart.
A common misconception about repentance is that it can be anything less than complete. There's a common falacy in the church that somehow God accepts something less than total and complete consecration from the hearts of men. As far as I can see this is one of the most dangerous fallacies on planet earth, and it has contributed millions of souls to the eternal coffers of hell.
Make no mistake repentence must be complete and whole hearted. You must give your heart wholly to God. You must be converted. You must turn from sin to holiness. You must turn your back upon your past life. Don't be like Lot's evil wife and turn back and long for your sin.
Repentance is turning to God with all your heart, and loving your fellow man as yourself. Nothing less is accepted.
John
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Impending Doom - My Search for Truth Part II
The 2nd thing I realized in my search for truth is that the Church of Jesus Christ doesn't teach the Judgment and the Wrath of God like it should. Before I go on and lose your attention, let me say,
There, I got that out of the way and now we can go on. First of all, I charge the Church with moral cowardice, because we're not able to stand up to people like John the Baptist did. John called the religious leaders of his day to account by saying, "you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" And then John called Herod to account by saying, "it is not right for you to have your brother's wife."
This age was not worthy of John and so he was beheaded.
Instead of warning people to flee impending wrath and prepare to stand before God at the Judgment, we tell them Jesus loves them (which is certainly true and not a bad thing to tell them). However, the Ungodly and Wicked have heard, "Jesus Love You," until it's become useless to them. They don't even pay attention to it anymore. Even worse, they make fun of the sayings, "Jesus Saves," and "Jesus Loves You." So now it's time to change our message, and make it more Biblical.
It's time to tell people that there is a final Judgment for both the Wicked and Righteous. Each man will stand before the Lord God most high and give account for everything done in this life, both good and bad. The Godly will recieve a reward for the good things they have done, and the wicked will suffer eternal punishment because they refuse to repent and turn to God.
And if you're a professing Christian that is practicing sin - stop now. The Holy God commands you to be holy and accepts nothing less. Don't think that just because you go to church that God somehow allows you indulgences. God forbid. God accepts only one thing from you - entire obedience to his will.
In the service of the Holy One,
John Wheeler
YOU WILL STAND BEFORE GOD TO ANSWER FOR THE DEEDS YOU DID IN THIS LIFE!
There, I got that out of the way and now we can go on. First of all, I charge the Church with moral cowardice, because we're not able to stand up to people like John the Baptist did. John called the religious leaders of his day to account by saying, "you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?" And then John called Herod to account by saying, "it is not right for you to have your brother's wife."
This age was not worthy of John and so he was beheaded.
Instead of warning people to flee impending wrath and prepare to stand before God at the Judgment, we tell them Jesus loves them (which is certainly true and not a bad thing to tell them). However, the Ungodly and Wicked have heard, "Jesus Love You," until it's become useless to them. They don't even pay attention to it anymore. Even worse, they make fun of the sayings, "Jesus Saves," and "Jesus Loves You." So now it's time to change our message, and make it more Biblical.
It's time to tell people that there is a final Judgment for both the Wicked and Righteous. Each man will stand before the Lord God most high and give account for everything done in this life, both good and bad. The Godly will recieve a reward for the good things they have done, and the wicked will suffer eternal punishment because they refuse to repent and turn to God.
And if you're a professing Christian that is practicing sin - stop now. The Holy God commands you to be holy and accepts nothing less. Don't think that just because you go to church that God somehow allows you indulgences. God forbid. God accepts only one thing from you - entire obedience to his will.
In the service of the Holy One,
John Wheeler
Friday, September 7, 2007
What will Heaven be like?
What will Heaven be like?
The question of what will heaven be like is probably best answered by asking, what are you like? For Heaven is a place that will be created for YOU!
God is self-existent (meaning he always existed and wasn’t created), so he existed before Heaven was created. Therefore Heaven wasn’t created for God – he didn’t need it. Since Angels are spirits, it’s possible that they didn’t even need heaven; or at the very least they don’t need the same things in heaven that you and I need in Heaven.
So Heaven is created for us.
Think about the splendor of Heaven. Heaven will not have any sin, evil, or decay, so all of the things that are ugly and lack beauty here on earth will not exist in Heaven. When you walk around Heaven you will be aware of the beautiful Holiness and Purity of the place. Heaven will be clean and pure in a way that you cannot imagine right now. There will be no sickness or disease. There will be no poverty. Heaven will be perfect because God made it that way and there will be nothing to change that.
Heaven will be a place of peace and love. When the Beatles sang about peace and love in the 60’s they were longing for Heaven. Heaven, and the fact that it exists has been birthed in your heart. It will be like your most fantastic dream come true. You will see the lion lay down with the lamb. You will bask in the love, mercy and presence of the Almighty God. God will walk with you face to face. People will love each other in a way that you cannot even imagine in this life.
Heaven will be more beautiful than you can even imagine. Heaven will be the most beautiful place that The Almighty can imagine. You’ll be awed by just how wonderful his imagination is. If you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon and stood on the rim and marveled at the size, scope, beauty and grandeur of this amazing place, then you’ve had a teeny tiny sample of what heaven will be like.
Every place in Heaven will be incredibly more beautiful than anything you’ve ever seen or dreamed of on earth. You will see mountains that will absolutely awe you with their beauty and grandeur. There will be waterfalls that will floor you with how beautiful they are. There are going to be islands that will make the Caribbean or Hawaii look like garbage dumps, because they are more beautiful than anything you’ve ever thought of.
And one of the most interesting things about Heaven will be it’s size. We read in Revelation about the New Jerusalem and think that Heaven will be limited. NO WAY!
Heaven will be made for people that are going to live forever; a people that like to explore; a people that must learn new things to be challenged; a people that are filled with insatiable curiosity; a people that could easily become board in eternity if Heaven weren’t designed to meet their needs. So heaven will go on forever and ever. You will never explore it all. Nobody will. You will go to a waterfall one day (there won’t be days in Heaven, but bear with me. It’ll be easier for both of us to understand if we talk in terms of this age that we understand.) The next day you will go to another beautiful waterfall and you will marvel at its beauty, and so it will continue. Each place and each experience will be rewarding, mentally challenging, and invigorating. Heaven is made to keep you interested and fulfilled forever.
So like Jesus says, “Lay up your treasure in Heaven.” Keep your mind fixed upon Heaven and your eternal home. The 80 years of hardship that you endure here on earth will be immediately forgotten as soon as you get to Heaven.
John Wheeler
The question of what will heaven be like is probably best answered by asking, what are you like? For Heaven is a place that will be created for YOU!
God is self-existent (meaning he always existed and wasn’t created), so he existed before Heaven was created. Therefore Heaven wasn’t created for God – he didn’t need it. Since Angels are spirits, it’s possible that they didn’t even need heaven; or at the very least they don’t need the same things in heaven that you and I need in Heaven.
So Heaven is created for us.
Think about the splendor of Heaven. Heaven will not have any sin, evil, or decay, so all of the things that are ugly and lack beauty here on earth will not exist in Heaven. When you walk around Heaven you will be aware of the beautiful Holiness and Purity of the place. Heaven will be clean and pure in a way that you cannot imagine right now. There will be no sickness or disease. There will be no poverty. Heaven will be perfect because God made it that way and there will be nothing to change that.
Heaven will be a place of peace and love. When the Beatles sang about peace and love in the 60’s they were longing for Heaven. Heaven, and the fact that it exists has been birthed in your heart. It will be like your most fantastic dream come true. You will see the lion lay down with the lamb. You will bask in the love, mercy and presence of the Almighty God. God will walk with you face to face. People will love each other in a way that you cannot even imagine in this life.
Heaven will be more beautiful than you can even imagine. Heaven will be the most beautiful place that The Almighty can imagine. You’ll be awed by just how wonderful his imagination is. If you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon and stood on the rim and marveled at the size, scope, beauty and grandeur of this amazing place, then you’ve had a teeny tiny sample of what heaven will be like.
Every place in Heaven will be incredibly more beautiful than anything you’ve ever seen or dreamed of on earth. You will see mountains that will absolutely awe you with their beauty and grandeur. There will be waterfalls that will floor you with how beautiful they are. There are going to be islands that will make the Caribbean or Hawaii look like garbage dumps, because they are more beautiful than anything you’ve ever thought of.
And one of the most interesting things about Heaven will be it’s size. We read in Revelation about the New Jerusalem and think that Heaven will be limited. NO WAY!
Heaven will be made for people that are going to live forever; a people that like to explore; a people that must learn new things to be challenged; a people that are filled with insatiable curiosity; a people that could easily become board in eternity if Heaven weren’t designed to meet their needs. So heaven will go on forever and ever. You will never explore it all. Nobody will. You will go to a waterfall one day (there won’t be days in Heaven, but bear with me. It’ll be easier for both of us to understand if we talk in terms of this age that we understand.) The next day you will go to another beautiful waterfall and you will marvel at its beauty, and so it will continue. Each place and each experience will be rewarding, mentally challenging, and invigorating. Heaven is made to keep you interested and fulfilled forever.
So like Jesus says, “Lay up your treasure in Heaven.” Keep your mind fixed upon Heaven and your eternal home. The 80 years of hardship that you endure here on earth will be immediately forgotten as soon as you get to Heaven.
John Wheeler
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
My Struggle for the Truth
My Personal Struggle for Truth (Part 1)
At about the age of 18 I started a long and arduous spiritual journey to find the truth about God. I grew up in church, but a lot of what I had been told didn’t make sense. The gospel that I was taught didn’t intuit well – it made no sense. I saw people come to church on Sunday and live like the Devil the rest of the week, and we were supposed to believe that they were children of God and even elders in the church. It makes no sense that you can live anyway you like and not offend a holy God.
I was taught that salvation required no works. In fact to think that you had to do anything to procure salvation was evil. All one had to do to be saved was to sincerely pray the sinner’s prayer.
I heard and saw people pray the sinners prayer and they didn’t make any changes their lives. Obviously they didn’t have any faith in God or Jesus other than that he possibly existed; but because they prayed the sinner’s prayer the pastor or other religious leader would pronounce them miraculously “saved.” Sometimes this rite of the church was such a farce that the saved person himself didn’t even believe that he was saved and didn’t understand what he had just said. Not to worry, we were taught that salvation was so wonderful the carnal mind could not fathom it, and these were new citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Like so many other Christians, I believed what I was taught about salvation until one night I saw a great travesty. A woman had come to the church. She was the mother of a young lady that attended the church. The woman, who’s name escapes me, was from a Pacific Island, barely spoke any English, and if she wasn’t a little mentally ill at the very least she was simple minded.
Her Daughter had a great desire to see her mother saved, so when the Pastor made an alter call that evening, the daughter helped her mother to the front of the church. After a few moments at the front of the church, the mother, the daughter, myself and possibly some others were directed into a room off the main sanctuary where we could spend some time with the woman.
I’m not really sure what the woman understood about God, about Jesus, or about religion in general. To my mind, it seemed like she understood nothing about God (although because of the language barrier, I may have gotten the wrong impression). Our time with the woman centered on getting her to recite the Sinner’s Prayer and have faith. She belligerently resisted for at least 20 minutes, but the crowd’s desire to see her “saved,” and the fact that her daughter was in anguish for her mother’s unrepentant soul caused people to persist. The poor woman was encouraged and badgered with words such as, “Don’t you want to go to heaven?” “All you have to do is say this prayer with us, and you will go to heaven,” or, “just have faith in Jesus, that’s all you need.”
Finally, I think they told her just to say, “Jesus,” and she would be saved. As I remember it, the woman finally repeated whatever the group wanted her to repeat, and there was exuberant praise because another soul had been added to the Kingdom.
I was less than convinced by the conversion. I don’t think she had saving faith at all. I doubt that a soul was added to the Kingdom that night, and I don’t see that God was glorified by our actions.
In fact this night has haunted me like Poe’s Raven, constantly causing me to question the instructions that we give sinners.
John Wheeler
PS, I will post Part II soon
At about the age of 18 I started a long and arduous spiritual journey to find the truth about God. I grew up in church, but a lot of what I had been told didn’t make sense. The gospel that I was taught didn’t intuit well – it made no sense. I saw people come to church on Sunday and live like the Devil the rest of the week, and we were supposed to believe that they were children of God and even elders in the church. It makes no sense that you can live anyway you like and not offend a holy God.
I was taught that salvation required no works. In fact to think that you had to do anything to procure salvation was evil. All one had to do to be saved was to sincerely pray the sinner’s prayer.
I heard and saw people pray the sinners prayer and they didn’t make any changes their lives. Obviously they didn’t have any faith in God or Jesus other than that he possibly existed; but because they prayed the sinner’s prayer the pastor or other religious leader would pronounce them miraculously “saved.” Sometimes this rite of the church was such a farce that the saved person himself didn’t even believe that he was saved and didn’t understand what he had just said. Not to worry, we were taught that salvation was so wonderful the carnal mind could not fathom it, and these were new citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Like so many other Christians, I believed what I was taught about salvation until one night I saw a great travesty. A woman had come to the church. She was the mother of a young lady that attended the church. The woman, who’s name escapes me, was from a Pacific Island, barely spoke any English, and if she wasn’t a little mentally ill at the very least she was simple minded.
Her Daughter had a great desire to see her mother saved, so when the Pastor made an alter call that evening, the daughter helped her mother to the front of the church. After a few moments at the front of the church, the mother, the daughter, myself and possibly some others were directed into a room off the main sanctuary where we could spend some time with the woman.
I’m not really sure what the woman understood about God, about Jesus, or about religion in general. To my mind, it seemed like she understood nothing about God (although because of the language barrier, I may have gotten the wrong impression). Our time with the woman centered on getting her to recite the Sinner’s Prayer and have faith. She belligerently resisted for at least 20 minutes, but the crowd’s desire to see her “saved,” and the fact that her daughter was in anguish for her mother’s unrepentant soul caused people to persist. The poor woman was encouraged and badgered with words such as, “Don’t you want to go to heaven?” “All you have to do is say this prayer with us, and you will go to heaven,” or, “just have faith in Jesus, that’s all you need.”
Finally, I think they told her just to say, “Jesus,” and she would be saved. As I remember it, the woman finally repeated whatever the group wanted her to repeat, and there was exuberant praise because another soul had been added to the Kingdom.
I was less than convinced by the conversion. I don’t think she had saving faith at all. I doubt that a soul was added to the Kingdom that night, and I don’t see that God was glorified by our actions.
In fact this night has haunted me like Poe’s Raven, constantly causing me to question the instructions that we give sinners.
John Wheeler
PS, I will post Part II soon
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