Messages From Heaven: Today's Insight from God!

Messages From Heaven: Today's Insight from God!: Stories transport us into another world. They hold our attention. They become remarkable vehicles for the communication of truth and mean...

Today's Insight from God!

Stories transport us into another world. They hold our attention. They become remarkable vehicles for the communication of truth and meaningful lessons that cannot be easily forgotten. If a picture is better than a thousand words, a story is better than a million!
Some of the best stories are those spun from everyday life or from our past. Family histories are held together and handed down from generation to generation in stories. And these strong cords of memory actually become the ties that bind.
Biographies drip with interesting accounts worth passing on. For example, Human Options by the late Norman Cousins is a treasure house of his recollections, impressions, and encounters distilled from his dozen or more trips around the world. He calls it an "autobiographical notebook."
Stories, real and imagined, told with care and color, can say much more than a planned speech. It is probably not surprising, then, that the use of story was Jesus' favorite method of preaching: "he did not say anything to them without using a parable" (Matt. 13:34, NIV).
In fact, I've never heard a great preacher who couldn't tell a good story. Woven into the tapestry of the strong message is the ability to communicate solid stuff through an attention-getting story.
Had I lived in Spurgeon's day, I would no doubt have subscribed to his material. He published one sermon per week for every year of his ministry, from 1855 until his death in 1892. So prolific was this prince of the pulpit, that at his death there were still so many unpublished Spurgeon sermons, they continued to be printed at the same rate for twenty-five more years. Many include wonderful, memorable stories.
Are you interested in getting truth to stick in your child's head? Use a story.
Can't seem to penetrate your teenager's skull? Try a story.
Need a tip for making your devotional or Sunday school lesson interesting? Include a story.
Want to add some zest to your letter-writing ministry? A brief story will do the trick.
Want to learn how to tell them so folks will stay interested? Listen to Paul Harvey.
Best of all, read your Bible. His Story is one you won't be able to put down.
Grandparents (and parents, too) need to be reminded that our little ones love to hear about how it was and what it was that brought us to this moment. Tell your stories! Consider recording them or writing them down for future generations.
Are you interested in getting truth to stick in your child's head? Use a story.

Messages From Heaven: The Resurgence of Islam: The Response of the Churc...

Messages From Heaven: The Resurgence of Islam: The Response of the Churc...: Islam in America: What do You Need to Know? To be effective witnesses of Christ, we need to understand and face the challenges posed by...

The Resurgence of Islam: The Response of the Church!

Islam in America: What do You Need to Know?
To be effective witnesses of Christ, we need to understand and face the challenges posed by other religions and cultures. Islam is a growing force in America today, so we asked Pastor Lutzer to outline a Christ-centered response and some steps we can all take to increase our awareness of Islam.
Q: Your article for the beginning of this newsletter was very pessimistic about the future of the church and the resurgence of Islam. Can you give us a little bit of hope?
A: I can. At the conference I learned that Muslims are turning to Christ in large numbers—in Afghanistan, and even in the Sudan and Iran. For example, in the Sudan it is estimated that one million Muslims have converted to Christianity since the year 2000! Pastors are being trained in caves, and Bible studies are held in homes throughout the country.
Incredibly, even though there were only about 500 known converts in Iran in 1979, the estimate today is many hundreds of thousands. I’m told that when Muslims saw the events of 9/11, many of them realized they were seeing the true Islam and now they are ready to want Jesus.
Q: What else can we do to help Muslims see Christ as the Savior of the world?
A: We need to develop strategic networks. Churches need to have conferences together to discuss Islam and dialogue with adherents of the Muslim faith. We must be willing to sponsor debates on Islam (not everyone can do this well, but it has proved successful on university campuses, etc).
Most important, our seminaries and Bible colleges must develop courses on Islam, teaching the students how to dialogue with Muslims in a way that will provoke their interest and lead them into a serious consideration of Christianity. We need able scholars who can give a reasoned response to the challenge of other religions and the radical ideas that are posted on websites throughout the world.
Q: As you pointed out, the situation in Europe is much more ominous than it is in America. Do you foresee a day when threats and intimidation from the Islamic community will affect us here in America?
A: Definitely. A few years ago we had a very knowledgeable missionary to the Islamic world present us with a seminar on Islam here at The Moody Church. He suggested that we not publicize it too widely lest Muslims show up and disrupt the meeting. The same was true when we had a convert from Islam give his testimony.
One convert from Islam whose expertise is Islamic law warned us as believers that the day will come when Christians in America will have to learn the art of martyrdom. Just as hundreds of thousands of Christians have been killed for being Christians in Islamic countries, the same might happen here in years to come.
Q: Can you end on a more optimistic note?
A: Yes! First, if we pray and seek God, He might graciously protect us from the Muslim threat. God often reverses the trends of history ... we don’t know what He has in mind for His Church. So, when we speak about the future, it might turn out much brighter than my pessimistic remarks.
Second, we in the West forget that it is a great honor to suffer and die for Christ. Thus, what we consider to be so terrible—and it is when looked at from the standpoint of human suffering—might actually be a blessing. Luther understood it well:
The body they may kill
God’s truth abideth still
His kingdom is forever.

Messages From Heaven: Is God Unfair?

Messages From Heaven: Is God Unfair?: The Great White Throne Judgment When Terrified Multitudes Stand Before God Unprepared There is no topic as terrifying as the Great Wh...

Is God Unfair?

The Great White Throne Judgment
When Terrified Multitudes Stand Before God Unprepared
There is no topic as terrifying as the Great White Throne Judgment…but what do we really know about it? Let’s look at Revelation 20:11-15 together.
Who is on this majestic throne?
We can be sure that Jesus is sitting on this throne, for God has “committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). Jesus is now the Judge of all the unredeemed. His throne is great, majestic, and being white, signifies His holy justice and impartiality.
Who are the defendants standing in line?
John continues, “I saw the dead, small and great stand before God.” They were summoned from all parts of the world, raised from the dead to give an account to God. John explains, “and the sea gave up the dead who were in it…” The ancients believed that if you died at sea or were cremated and your ashes thrown into the sea, the gods could never find you so you need not fear an afterlife. But God knows every particle of matter in the universe and thus summons all bodies, regardless of circumstances, to appear before Him.
John writes, “Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them…” Hades is the abode of the souls of all unbelievers who have died and who will die in the future. The souls in Hades are joined with their resurrected bodies that are fitted for eternity—bodies, I might say, fitted for the lake of fire.
The small and the great are there: the king stands among slaves; rich with poor; religious zealots with atheists. No doubt all religions are represented: Protestants, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, etc.
On what basis are they judged?
A book is opened that details all their works. The basic principle: they will be judged for what they did with what they knew. To the pagan who has never heard of Christ, God will never say, “you will be thrown into the lake of fire because you didn’t believe in Jesus.” As M.R. DeHann wrote, “Hell for the pagan headhunter who has never heard the word of God is going to be heaven compared to what it will be for those who have heard the pleading of the gospel and rejected it.” But all who are at this judgment will fall short, for all lack the one requirement needed to enter heaven. Since their names are not found in the Book of Life (that is, the Book of the Redeemed), they are cast into the lake of fire.
For more on the justice of God’s eternal judgment, turn to page 4.
Is God’s Judgment Really Fair?
God’s judgment of unbelievers—especially those who have never heard the Gospel—is one of the most controversial doctrines in Christianity today. In fact, even many Christians have rejected the idea, choosing to believe that “everyone finds their own way to God.” So can a loving God condemn people to hell? Pastor Lutzer explains.
Q: You said that all the people at the Great White Throne Judgment lack the one requirement needed for entry in to heaven. I assume you mean belief in the Gospel?
A: Yes, and more specifically, they lack not only the forgiveness of God, but the gift of righteousness whereby we are declared to be as perfect/holy as God. The only person qualified to give us this gift is Christ; therefore only those who trust Him come under the shelter of His protection and are welcomed into heaven.
Q: Could you clarify what standard is used in this judgment?
A: Paul taught that those who do not know the Gospel will be judged by their own conscience and the light gleaned from nature. This judgment will show that no one has lived up to what they intuitively and rationally knew to be right. Now, as for those who have heard the Gospel, that is a different story. Jesus said that it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah than for those cities that rejected Him when He was on Earth. Clearly, those who heard the Gospel and rejected it—or those who had access to the Gospel as we do in America—will be more strictly judged.
Also, those who did evil will be given a lesser punishment than those who not only did evil but also influenced others to do the same. For example, Jesus said of the person who causes a little child to stumble, it would be better for him if he had a stone tied around his neck and drowned. It is one things for a man to be immoral; it is quite another when he publishes a pornographic magazine read by millions that entices people to be immoral. Judgment for such people will be immeasurably severe.
Q: Is the lake of fine the same as hell?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you believe in a literal fire in hell?
A: We can’t be sure because hell is both spoken of as a lake of fire and also a place of “outer darkness.” Perhaps those two ideas seem incompatible to us. The point is that even if these are figures of speech, what they represent is frightful and terrifying.
Q: It seems that eternal punishment is profoundly unjust. Okay, so these people knowingly did wrong, but after all, they were born sinners along with the rest of us. Temporary punishment yes, but eternal punishment sounds like overkill. Doesn’t eternal punishment fly in the face of common human compassion and fairness?
A: You have stated the dilemma exactly! I’m not sure I have an entirely satisfying answer to this question, but let me give some perspective. What if, as Jonathan Edwards said, the greatness of a sin is determined by the greatness of the being against whom it is committed? To throw a snowball at a mailman is one thing; to throw one at a policeman is another. And if you throw a snowball at the President of the United States, you will be arrested. Using that analogy, think of the infinite crime of sinning against an infinite God. Sin is much more serious to God than it is to us.
Also, because we are eternal beings, those who are in the lake of fire bear the consequences of their personal guilt forever.
Q: What do you say to the person who has a spouse or a son or daughter who has died as an unbeliever?
A: It comes down to this: God is repeatedly described in the Scriptures as meticulously just. We honor Him by believing and trusting in His justice, knowing that someday we will agree with all of His decisions and forever sing, “Just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints!” I have no doubt that those who are in the lake of fire will agree that they are being justly punished. After all, the sin they committed on Earth will be present to their mind and consciences. This in itself would be a form of hell. Difficult doctrine to be sure, but God is more incomprehensible than we generally believe Him to be.

Messages From Heaven: Oprah, Osteen, Jakes and Homosexuality!

Messages From Heaven: Oprah, Osteen, Jakes and Homosexuality!: I discovered a surprising silver lining to the recent controversy over Bishop T.D. Jakes "evolved and evolving" comments about...