Bell asks a lot of questions (350 by one count), we should not write off the provocative theology as mere question-raising. Bell did not write an entire book because he was looking for some good resources on heaven and hell.
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Bible Discussion - Bible Study Forums - View topic - The Purpose of the Gospel - 0 views
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God Is Still Holy and What You Learned in Sunday School Is Still True: A Review of "Lov... - 0 views
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As Bell himself writes, “But this isn’t a book of questions. It’s a book of responses to these questions” (19).
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Judgmentalism is not the same as making judgments. The same Jesus who said “do not judge” in Matthew 7:1 calls his opponents dogs and pigs in Matthew 7:6. Paul pronounces an anathema on those who preach a false gospel (Gal. 1:8). Disagreement among professing Christians is not a plague on the church. In fact, it is sometimes necessary.
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This is a book for people like Bell, people who grew up in an evangelical environment and don’t want to leave it completely, but want to change it, grow up out of it, and transcend it. The emerging church is not an evangelistic strategy. It is the last rung for evangelicals falling off the ladder into liberalism or unbelief. Over and over, Bell refers to the “staggering number” of people just like him, people who can’t believe the message they used to believe, people who want nothing to do with traditional Christianity, people who don’t want to leave the faith but can’t live in the faith they once embraced.
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Others—and they are in the worse position—will opt for liberalism, which has always seen itself as a halfway house between conservative orthodoxy and secular disbelief.
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This is misguided, toxic, and ultimately subverts
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This bold claim flies in the face of Richard Bauckham’s historical survey: Until the nineteenth century almost all Christian theologians taught the reality of eternal torment in hell. Here and there, outside the theological mainstream, were some who believed that the wicked would be finally annihilated. . . . Even fewer were the advocates of universal salvation, though these few included some major theologians of the early church. Eternal punishment was firmly asserted in official creeds and confessions of the churches. It must have seemed as indispensable a part of the universal Christian belief as the doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation. (“Universalism: A Historical Survey,” Themelios 4.2 [September 1978]: 47–54)
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Universalism has been around a long time. But so has every other heresy. Arius rejected the full deity of Christ and many people followed him. This hardly makes Arianism part of the wide, diverse stream of Christian orthodoxy. Every point of Christian doctrine has been contested, but some have been deemed heterodox. Universalism, traditionally, was considered one of those points. True, many recent liberal theologians have argued for versions of universalism—and this is where Bell stands, not in the center of the historic Christian tradition.
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Universalism (though in a different form than Bell’s and for different reasons) has been present in the church since Origen, but it was never in the center of the tradition.
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some of these are promises to God’s people, some are general promises about the nations coming to God, and others are about the universal acknowledgement (not to be equated with saving faith) on the last day that Jesus Christ is Lord. Not one of his texts supports his conclusion.
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Even a cursory glance at John 14 shows that the through in verse 16 refers to faith. The chapter begins by saying, “Believe in God; believe also in me.” Verse seven talks about knowing the Father. Verse nine and ten explain that we see and know the Father by believing that Jesus is in the Father and the Father in him. Verses 11 and 12 touch on belief yet again. Coming to the Father through Christ means through faith in Christ. This is in keeping with the overall purpose of John’s gospel (John 20:31).
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Bell cites Jesus’ words in John 3:17 that he “did not come to judge the world but to save it” (160). This Jesus, Bell says, is a “vast, expansive, generous mystery” leading us to conclude hopefully that “Heaven is, after all, full of surprises.” Bell’s lean into universalism here would be significantly muted had he gone on to Jesus’ words in verse 18: “Whoever believes in him [i.e., the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” Likewise, according to John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
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The Greek word for “unite” is a long one: anakephalaiōsasthai. It means to sum up, to bring together to a main point, to gather together. It is like an author finishing the last chapter of his book or a conductor bringing the symphony from cacophony to harmony. It’s a glorious promise, already begun in some ways by the word of Christ.
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The uniting of all things does not entail the salvation of all people. It means that everything in the universe, heaven and earth, the spiritual world and the physical world, will finally submit to the lordship of Christ, some in joyful worship of their beloved Savior and others in just punishment for their wretched treason. In the end, God wins.
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If you don’t accept God’s story about the world and resist his love, heaven will be hell for you, a hell you create for yourself. We are supposed to see this in Luke 15 where both brothers are invited to the same feast but one can’t enjoy it. Heaven and hell at the same party (176).
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The result is a simplistic formula: “God wants all people to be saved. God gets what he wants. Therefore, all people will eventually be saved.” This is a case of poor theologizing beholden to mistaken logic. If it is “the will of God” that Christians “abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3), does that mean God’s greatness is diminished by our impurity?
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If he’s right, most of church history has been wrong. If he’s wrong, a staggering number of people are hearing “peace, peace” where there is no peace.
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Bell figures God won’t say “sorry, too late” to those in hell who are humble and broken for their sins. But where does the Bible teach the damned are truly humble or penitent? For that matter, where does the Bible talk about growing and maturing in the afterlife or getting a second chance after death? Why does the Bible make such a big deal about repenting “today” (Heb. 3:13), about being found blameless on the day of Christ (2 Pet. 3:14), about not neglecting such a great salvation (Heb. 2:3) if we have all sorts of time to figure things out in the next life? Why warn about not inheriting the kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9–10), about what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31), or about the vengeance of our coming King (2 Thess. 1:5–12) if hell is just what we make of heaven? Bell does nothing to answer these questions, or even ask them in the first place.
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Some Jesuses should be rejected, Bell says, like the ones that are “anti-science” and “anti-gay” and use bullhorns on the street (8). But wherever we find “grace, peace, love, acceptance, healing, forgiveness” we’ve found the creative life source that we call Jesus (156, 159).
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At the very heart of this controversy, and one of the reasons the blogosphere exploded over this book, is that we really do have two different Gods. The stakes are that high. If Bell is right, then historic orthodoxy is toxic and terrible. But if the traditional view of heaven and hell are right, Bell is blaspheming. I do not use the word lightly, just like Bell probably chose “toxic” quite deliberately. Both sides cannot be right. As much as some voices in evangelicalism will suggest that we should all get along and learn from each other and listen for the Spirit speaking in our midst, the fact is we have two irreconcilable views of God.
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Bell’s god may be all love, but it is a love rooted in our modern Western sensibilities more than careful biblical reflection. It is a love that threatens to swallow up God’s glory and holiness. But, you may reply, the Bible says God is love (1 John 4:16). True, but if you want to weigh divine attributes by sentence construction, you have to mention God is spirit (John 4:24), God is light (1 John 1:5), and God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29). The verb “is” does not establish a priority of attributes. If anything, one might mention that the only thrice-repeated attribute is “holy, holy, holy.” And yet this is the one thing Bell’s god is not.
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What’s missing is not only a full-orbed view of sins, but a deeper understanding of sin itself. In Bell’s telling of the story, there is no sense of the vertical dimension of our evil. Yes, Bell admits several times that we can resist or reject God’s love. But there’s never any discussion of the way we’ve offended God, no suggestion that ultimately all our failings are a failure to worship God as we should. God is not simply disappointed with our choices or angry for the way we judge others. He is angry at the way we judge him. He cannot stand to look upon our uncleanness. His nostrils flare at iniquity. He hates our ingratitude, our impurity, our God-complexes, our self-centeredness, our disobedience, our despising of his holy law. Only when we see God’s eye-covering holiness will we grasp the magnitude of our traitorous rebellion, and only then will we marvel at the incomprehensible love that purchased our deliverance on the cross.
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The pain of hell is our fault. But it’s also God’s doing. Hell is not what we make for ourselves or gladly choose. It’s what a holy God justly gives to those who exchange the truth of God for a lie. The bowls of wrath in Revelation are poured out by God; they are not swum in by sinners. The ten plagues were sent by God, they were not the product of some Egyptian spell gone wrong. God’s wrath burns against the impenitent and unbelieving; they do not walk into the fire by themselves. Bell’s god is wholly passive toward sin. He hates some of it and says no to it in the next life, but he does not actively judge it. There’s no way to make sense of Nadab and Abihu or Perrez-Uzzah or Gehazi or Achan’s or Korah’s rebellion or the flood or the exodus or the Babylonian captivity or the preaching of John the Baptist or the visions of Revelation or the admonitions of Paul or the warnings of Hebrews or Calvary’s cross apart from a God who hates sin, judges sin, and pour out his wrath—sometimes now, always later—on the accursed things and peoples of this world.
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Love Wins assures people that everyone’s eternity ends up as heaven eventually. The second chances are good not just for this life, but for the next. And what if they aren’t? What if Jesus says on the day of judgment, “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matt. 7:23)? What if at the end of the age the wicked and unbelieving cry out, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Rev. 6:16)? What if outside the walls of the New Jerusalem “are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Rev. 22:15)? What if there really is only one name “under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)? And what if the wrath of God really remains on those who do not believe in the Son (John 3:18, 36)?
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A to Z - Evangelistic Ideas | www.globaloutreachday.com - 0 views
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Set up a table with books and evangelistic literature in a prominent place. This can be a great attention getter and conversation starter.
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Pray for a good idea to gain access, and then go knocking on doors. Within a short time you can build trust and ultimately lead the people to Jesus.
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Contact a local Christian rehab centre, get to know people addicted to drugs and tell them the good news that Jesus sets free. If they are open for it, pray for their deliverance.
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Try to see them regularly, earn their trust and lead them to Jesus. Keep the friendship alive and be a role model.
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Alternatively, you could just give away evangelistic literature and pray for the patients from ward to ward.
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Show the "JESUS Film" publicly and invite people to come to the screening. You can also lend the film out to people and then meet with them later to talk about it.
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K-Mart, post office, petrol station etc.Use the brief opportunities you get throughout the day to tell somebody about Jesus or give them an evangelistic booklet.
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If you introduce them to Jesus, they will realize that he is what they have been looking for. Attend New Age fairs and other events to share the Gospel with these hungry people.
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Why not contact a home and offer a short programme for special occasions? Afterward you can offer them an opportunity to receive Christ.
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Public transportation presents a great opportunity to talk to people. Take evangelistic literature with you the next time you ride the bus or tram. They are great conversation starters.
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By getting permission from their pimp and giving them roses, you share the love of God and the Gospel with these women and pray with them.
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Plan activities that are tailored to one specific target group. These should incorporate their language and fit their environment. Be creative and think carefully about how you can specifically and effectively reach individual target groups.
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Asia - 0 views
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The increase in the number of Muslim Background Believers (MBBs). The hatred and violence of Islamist extremists most likely contribute to many Muslims’ disillusion and greater openness to the gospel. While there are pockets of particularly momentous change, the inflow of Muslims into the Kingdom of God is indeed happening through much of the Muslim world, albeit under the radar and on a modest level in many areas. Dreams and visions from the Lord, combined with encounters with Scripture and demonstrations of God’s love, play a large role in many of these testimonies. Other major factors include specific and sustained intercession for the Muslim world, increased efforts to reach them, more sensitive cultural approaches and the widespread use of media – satellite television programmes, radio and film/video. The impact of the Internet in communicating the gospel, leading Muslims to faith in Jesus and discipling new believers cannot be overstated.
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Missions vision. The vast majority of Kingdom increase in this region is through the faithful witness of indigenous believers sharing the good news village by village and town by town. But the gospel has rarely jumped across ethno-linguistic or caste boundaries. This is changing as the South Asian Church increasingly commits to reach the least reached groups in its region – of which there are literally thousands.
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How Narratives Can Prepare Hearts for the Gospel - 0 views
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Stories can get past "watchful dragons"; that is, they can penetrate the resistance put up by rationalized bad behavior; they can pierce the heart and gain a hearing even when ears might otherwise be dull.
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At times, she embodies the approach of the prophet Nathan, who was assigned to deliver God's message to David after he had committed adultery and murder. It was story that breached the barrier, penetrated the heart, and led to David's repentance.
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She recognizes the supernatural nature of her work and sees prayer as essential to undergirding her use of story.
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Using Chronological Teaching * EffectiveEvangelism - 0 views
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start with Creation when you teach the Gospel, and present God's story chronologically from Creation to Christ. This is proving to be one of the most exciting and productive soul-winning and discipleship methods available
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Unfortunately, most people only hear bits and pieces of the Bible, and never really understand how it all goes together. No wonder so many are confused about what the Bible and the Gospel is about and what it all means. They have simply never had the whole story clearly explained from the beginning, in correct order.
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We are told that evangelists who show the Jesus film have found greater success when they first show the God's Story video.
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Here on ChristianAnswers.Net, The HOPE has proven to be the most effective evangelism video we have ever used (and we have used just about all of them). We are showing it on-line.
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If you are serious about reaching out to those who don't have a clear understanding of the Bible and salvation, we highly recommend chronological Bible story telling and these wonderful resources.
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You don't have to be a gifted orator to sit down with a neighbor and read through a book together, and that's the beauty of this resource.
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The HOPE can purchased on DVD, and may be viewed in its entirety, free on-line. (80-minutes) The HOPE can be shown in segments. See on-line list of suggested segments.
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God’s Story uses artist’s illustrations of biblical events to share the gospel, from Creation to eternity. It is available for purchase on DVD or VCD and is already available in a plethora of languages.
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The Cape Town Commitment - Lausanne Movement - 0 views
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thousands of people groups around the world for whom such access has not yet been made available through Christian witness
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pastor-teachers. We will make every effort to identify, encourage, train and support them in the preaching and teaching of God’s Word
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evangelism at the centre of the fully-integrated scope of all our mission, inasmuch as the gospel itself is the source, content and authority of all biblically-valid mission
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Oral cultures The majority of the world’s population are oral communicators, who cannot or do not learn through literate means, and more than half of them are among the unreached as defined above. Among these, there are an estimated 350 million people without a single verse of Scripture in their language. In addition to the ‘primary oral learners’ there are many ‘secondary oral learners’, that is those who are technically literate but prefer now to communicate in an oral manner, with the rise of visual learning and the dominance of images in communication.
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only those whose lives already display basic qualities of mature discipleship should be appointed to leadership
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authentic Christian leaders must be like Christ in having a servant heart, humility, integrity, purity, lack of greed, prayerfulness, dependence on God’s Spirit, and a deep love for people
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long that God would multiply, protect and encourage leaders who are biblically faithful and obedient
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focus more on spiritual and character formation, not only on imparting knowledge or grading performance, and we heartily rejoice in those that already do so as part of comprehensive 'whole person' leadership development
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Half the world now lives in cities. Cities are where four major kinds of people are most to be found: (i) the next generation of young people; (ii) the most unreached peoples who have migrated; (iii) the culture shapers; (iv) the poorest of the poor
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All children are at risk. There are about two billion children in our world, and half of them are at risk from poverty. Millions are at risk from prosperity. Children of the wealthy and secure have everything to live with, but nothing to live for.
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God can and does use children and young people - their prayers, their insights, their words, their initiatives - in changing hearts
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For God to send labourers into every corner of the world, in the power of his Spirit; For the lost in every people and place to be drawn to God by his Spirit, through the declaration of the truth of the gospel and the demonstration of Christ’s love and power; For God’s glory to be revealed and Christ’s name to be known and praised because of the character, deeds and words of his people. We will cry out for our brothers and sisters who suffer for the name of Christ; For God’s kingdom to come, that God’s will may be done on earth as in heaven, in the establishment of justice, the stewardship and care of creation, and the blessing of God’s peace in our communities. B) We will continually give thanks as we see God’s work among the nations, looking forward to the day when the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ.
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shared by IN Too on 21 Nov 11
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…and They'll Know We are Christians by Our Love « Reflections in the WORD - 0 views
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Christianity Church Giving Help Legalism Love Ritual Sharing Unity Brotherhood Mosaic-Law Fellowship Bible-Study Bible-Teaching Devotional
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Bible translation and mission : Bible translation and the cross-cultural DNA of the church - 0 views
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over the centuries the major peoples that have most persecuted Christians have been those who were evangelized, but never had the Scriptures in their own language
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wherever a missions thrust resulted in the early translation of the Scriptures and the absorption of its contents into the culture, the Gospel light has rarely been extinguished even if terrible persecution has come—examples being the Armenians, Georgians, Copts of Egypt, the Ethiopians and the Russians
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The importance of a people proudly having their own version of the Bible cannot be under-estimated for the preservation and advancement of its culture.
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Missionaries are often accused of “destroying cultures”. The 20th Century demonstrated that it was actually the missionaries who preserved and ennobled cultures when the Scriptures were translated. It was rather the insensitivity, greed and ecological degradation of soldiers, traders, loggers, drug cartels that have done the damage. Without the translation of the Bible, many languages and cultures will disappear. Many cultures where the Gospel has been preached but do not have the Scriptures will be anaemic and without a strong Christian core embedded in their corporate life.
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shared by Barry L on 25 Apr 09
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Thanks to Calvary - Online Bible Discussion - 0 views
www.thankstocalvary.com
online bible discussion religion jesus christ cross calvary christian salvation god
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At Thanks to Calvary, our goal is to spread the word of God to as many people as possible, with our focus being on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks to Calvary is a great place for some online bible discussion and fellowship with other believers. This website is owned and operated by a born again Christian and is not representing any particular denomination.
The Gospel Message (HD) - YouTube - 0 views
Why Does God Want to Save Mankind? | GOSPEL OF THE DESCENT OF THE KINGDOM - 1 views
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Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? * ChristianAnswers.Net - 0 views
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While there is much evil in the world, there is even more that is good. This is proved by the mere fact that people normally try to hang on to life as long as they can. Furthermore, everyone instinctively recognizes that “good” is a higher order of truth than “bad”. We need also to recognize that our very minds were created by God. We can only use these minds to the extent that He allows, and it is, therefore, utterly presumptuous for us to use them to question Him and His motives. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). “Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, why hast Thou made me thus?” (Romans 9:20). We ourselves do not establish the standards of what is right. Only the Creator of all reality can do that. We need to settle it, in our minds and hearts, whether we understand it or not, that whatever God does is, by definition, right.
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Having settled this by faith, we are then free to seek for ways in which we can profit spiritually from the sufferings in life, as well as the blessings. As we consider such matters, it is helpful to keep the following great truths continually in our minds. There is really no such thing as the “innocent” suffering. Since “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), there is no one who has the right to freedom from God’s wrath on the basis of his own innocence.
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As far as babies are concerned, and others who may be incompetent mentally to distinguish right and wrong, it is clear from both Scripture and universal experience that they are sinners by nature and thus will inevitably become sinners by choice as soon as they are able to do so. The world is now under God’s Curse (Genesis 3:17) because of man’s rebellion against God’s Word. This “bondage of corruption,” with the “whole world groaning and travailing together in pain” (Romans 8:21-22), is universal, affecting all men and women and children everywhere. God did not create the world this way, and one day will set all things right again. In that day, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain” (Revelation 21:4).
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The Lord Jesus Christ, who was the only truly “innocent” and “righteous” man in all history, nevertheless has suffered more than anyone else who ever lived. And this He did for us! “Christ died for our sins” (I Corinthians 15:3). He suffered and died, in order that ultimately He might deliver the world from the Curse, and that, even now, He can deliver from sin and its bondage anyone who will receive Him in faith as personal Lord and Savior. This great deliverance from the penalty of inherent sin, as well as of overt sins, very possibly also assures the salvation of those who have died before reaching an age of conscious choice of wrong over right. With our full faith in God’s goodness and in Christ’s redemption, we can recognize that our present sufferings can be turned to His glory and our good. The sufferings of unsaved men are often used by the Holy Spirit to cause them to realize their needs of salvation and to turn to Christ in repentance and faith. The sufferings of Christians should always be the means of developing a stronger dependence on God and a more Christ-like character, if they are properly “exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11). Thus, God is loving and merciful, even when, “for the present,” He allows trials and sufferings to come in our lives. “For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Against the Wind - Gospel for Asia - Pdf - 0 views
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shared by IN Too on 15 Dec 10
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The Man with the Palsy | Deeds vs. Declarations: How do you see your brother?... - 0 views
reflectionsintheword.org/...ns-how-do-you-see-your-brother
Declarations Deeds Faith Forgiveness Gospel Healing Help Hypocrisy Judging Judgment Law Love Mercy Ministry Outreach Palsy Paralytic Paralyzed Scribes Serve Service works Bible-Study Bible-Teaching Religion Blog Inspiration christianity spirituality salva
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Liberty Gospel Tracts - 0 views
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shared by Ebey Soman on 25 Jan 09
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The Deaths of the Twelve Apostles - 1 views
www.relijournal.com/...-of-the-Twelve-Apostles.332305
Tacitus historians church christianity christian apostles death matyr deaths twelve disciples jesus christ gospel emperor nero persecution early times crucified crucification crucifix
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Historians such as Tacitus, Tertullian, Suetonius and many others recorded how Christianity faced unprecedented persecution after the death of Christ and the rise of Emperor Nero to power. All of the original apostles of Christ faced trials and were put to death either by the Roman Empire or local authority figures - but they all died for their faith.