Many years ago, the church I was attending was leading an evangelism course. They believed that folks didn’t like to evangelize the lost mainly because they didn’t know how to. They figured if people were taught what to say and how to say it then it would be easier.

They believed that evangelizing the lost was summed up in one pertinent question. “If you were to die tonight do you know for sure where you would go and why?” The question was supposed to solicit a Heaven or Hell answer. It seemed to be a direct question and one worthy of pondering.

I tried it with conviction and thought it was a solid way to approach the situation of Heaven or Hell.

Now through my re-learnings I think I am seeing that when I die I will not go to Heaven… or Hell… or at least straightaway. It seems that in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 it mentions the dead in Christ rising first to meet him in the air. If… when I die and I go to Heaven, presuming I am a Christ follower, and I am IN Heaven when the trumpet sounds and Christ comes back to gather his own, then… if Christ is coming DOWN on the clouds and I am UP in Heaven already, shouldn’t I be coming down with him?

Would this assume that I will not go directly to Heaven when I die? That possibly I will go into a very long deep sleep.

Funny thing is that as I am asking this question of anyone I can I am getting only 2 answers. They will either say, ‘definitely Heaven!’ or… gee I am not sure. Not because they ponder their salvation but because they are not sure of when the resurrection of the dead will be.

Nowhere in the bible does it say that we go right to Heaven when we die. That’s the way I was taught. That’s what they sing about in most of the contemporary Christian songs. That is what they say at a funeral or about sister so-and-so who just passed away. ‘She is in a better place now. She’s in Heaven with Jesus.’ Is she? Please share with me what scripture says that?

If I am missing something please feel more than free to share with me. I do not want to be reading something that is not there. I have no problem being told I am wrong as long as you can back it up with scripture and preferably not one-liners taken out of context.

Note: For all of you out there in blog-reading land, I am sorry if my past post about me not going to Heaven caught a few of you unaware. Actually, I was wondering if any would read what I wrote or hear what they thought I said. I didn’t say I wasn’t going to Heaven. I said, I wasn’t going to Heaven when I died. I think we all read and hear what we want to believe even if that is not what was truly said.

Thanks and be blessed!!

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. ~~ John 13:14-15

In 27 years of church services I have never had anyone wash my feet. Why I wonder? The church is hip to the tithe, the guilt, the commands, the rituals, the religion but not to the service of those that attend?

I think if more churches applied the foot washing techniques there would be far less hypocrisy within it. It would weed out the religious seekers and leave only those sincerely desiring all that God would have for them including a heavy dose of humility. Therefore causing the true church of Christ to populate and cultivate in the way Christ had intended.

He never meant for us to get all caught up in the buildings, the funding, the mortgages, the fancy lighting and seats, the best speakers, and child care workers that needed to be paid to teach your children about himself.

 How will a little wee one learn the true humility, sacrifice, and love for one another when all he will get is a picture to color and sing a few songs about going to heaven?

Instead of promoting church services we should be promoting ‘service’ unto each other.

When was the last time you saw your pastor serve someone? Oh he works hard each week making you think he is serving you. He is serving his need for power, money and status among the lost little sheepies. But when was the last time he picked up the sheep turds in the back yard? Oh, that is for the ‘workers’ to do you say? Because of course, you will quote that the bible says a man is worth his wages.

Yes he is. So let the man/pastor go out and work. Paul and any of the New Testament folks that shared the good news all worked independently to meet their needs so that they would not be a burden to any church.

Why does modern America have church all backwards? Where is the humility? The service? The servants heart?

Father, burden me with a need to serve your body in any way possible to your glory. Washing feet is not a fun or status filled position but you did it and told us to do it also. If we have not done it to the least of these then it is as if I have not done it to you. Lord I want to ask for you to bring on the feet. Then my human side gets squeamish at the thought of ugly, filthy, dirty feet. Feet that have stepped in nasty stuff. Feet that may not get cleaned too often and have a putrid smell. Oh God you know how sensitive my nose is. But I have to come back to your purpose. You purposed to save me so that I might be a servant in your name for your glory. Lead me on Lord. Wherever you lead I will follow. And if I stumble just know my heart wants to know you deeper than I know myself and that to know the ultimate servant is to emulate his behavior.

I think we have been taught to believe that there are very few reasons to not keep a marriage intact. Most would use the scripture Matthew 5:31-32: It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

In Exodus 21:10 it says, If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

Here it not only says that a husband should give his wife ‘duty of marriage’ or in other words, meet her sexual needs, but that was applied if he were to take on a second or third wife! God expected the man to fulfill all the sexual needs of however many wives he took. That’s a lot of ‘need-meeting’!

I wonder what happens if a husband does not or will not meet her needs physically. Does it cause a burden within her? Or does she just learn to put away the God-given desires that were granted to her and allowed to be explored in her marriage?

I think of the stigma of divorce. Or at least the church created stigma. If divorce is a sin then does God really regard one type of sin any worse than another? Why is it that folks want to tell me I am trying to justify my divorce yet they sin by sinning every day and it is ok? Why is it ok for a pastors wife to call a Christian an unsaved pig yet that is not sin?

I think the Christians have taken to interpreting the bible in any way they deem fit for their purpose and God’s detriment. I think we are a self-righteous bunch of religious hypocrites that delight in wagging our fingers at others so no one will notice the sin within our lives. But sadly it is evident.

Brothers and sisters, I am preaching to myself also, let’s learn to appropriate just a bit of that grace that was so freely given to us by our Lord and Savior! Without grace we would all be doomed to live in our shallow pits of desperation.

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.~~ Matthew 25:45-46

 

In the 27 years of church life I was told many things. I was told to just have faith and believe. I was told to repeat prayers… but mean them in my heart. I was told to pray more, read more, attend more church services. I did it all! And now I find out I am not even going to go to Heaven when I die!? What!?

Why? What did I do wrong? What did I forget to do?

The songs all talk about walking the streets of gold, dancing with the angels and seeing our loved ones! Well at least those that we believe accepted Jesus into their hearts. Why did all the pastors tell me if I accepted Jesus that when I died I would go to heaven!?

But I am not! Why did they tell me that? Why did I believe them? Why am I not going to heaven when I die? Why?

11:13 P.M.

Last night went by without much flair. I finished painting a small dresser. Did some laundry. Listened to the celebrating neighbors’ off-colored jokes and loud drinking voices as they ‘partied’. I thought my daughter was going to come over with my grand-daughter to swim but then they decided on something else. So other than the loud neighbors it was fairly quiet.

I thought I heard some fireworks off in the distance and went to the balcony to see if I could see anything but they must have been far enough away or on the other side of the building.

I decided to head to bed early. I climb in bed to finish the end of my book. (I am rereading ‘So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Any More’ by Jake Colson. Free online book. Fantastic!) I turn the lights off around 11:06 and am laying there just talking to the Father about life and how badly I want his life in mine. I am talking about all the incredible things that I read in the book and how I want that for my life. I am asking again about the divorce and if I am supposed to be going through it. I slowly drift off to sleep.

Bang! Bang! The noise woke me up. I thought it was the blinds banging against the windows from the wind. I looked around the room but there was no wind or blowing blinds. I sat up for a few seconds then got up to check the rest of the windows in the room. As I get to this one open window the fireworks caught my attention!

I was looking around to see where they were coming from. And why? They were not personal bought fireworks. They had a definite cadence in their sounds, colors and artwork. It was like a mini professional firework show… for me?! I watched in awe. They were seeming to becoming from the open field where the cows grazed. But who at this time at night would be setting off this show? Again, this was not just some people lighting a few cheap, random fireworks in their back yard. And why at this time at night and not when the rest of the town was doing theirs? I watched in awe. I just smiled.

The whole show couldn’t have lasted more than a minute. As I headed back to bed pondering all this and smiling my eyes spotted the clock. They went off at 11:13 p.m. 11:13. November 13th, that’s my birthday. How odd. What did this mean, if anything.

I think of seeing Evan Almighty the other day and in the movie God kept trying to get Evan’s attention through his clock that said 4:16. The clock was a GENeral Electric and all but the GEN of the silver writing was worn off so it said Gen. 4:16 which is what God was trying to show him.

Special fireworks just for me at 11:13. Wow. It just makes me smile to wonder how and if God will reveal this to me.