THE CHURCH IS A HOSPITAL FOR SINNERS
NOT A COUNTRY CLUB FOR SAINTS
by John, Revised 3/7/11
TRUE RELIGION CAN’T MAKE YOU TOTALLY HOLY, SO…IS IT FAKE?
I heard a story about an evangelist that took very tough, criminal group on a trip into the forest to try to find God and change their lives. On the way their, the bus driven by the only man of God, got a flat tire. They were already running late and now the other group of hikers, who left on time, in another van, would have to wait even longer for them at the camp. Everyone got out of the van and [Fake name]Bill E. Vangelist started to change the flat tire, jack up the car, remove the lug nuts and pulled the tire off. What do you suppose happened next? The jack tilted and the bus fell onto the rim and to make matters worse the only Christian, Bill, let out a string of curses. Some of the men laughed, but no one said anything.
“What are You thinking God? These guys might attack me, hitchhike home, or start fighting amongst themselves. I’m trying to invite these men to the great and powerful God and you’re letting them think you’re weak and can’t even prevent a flat tire. And now they know what a weak Christian I am. Maybe they’re thinking that I a hypocrite. I’m trying to bring them to Heaven with you, Lord, but you’re working against me. A little help, please” thought Bill.
With the tires all full of air, they continued on the road to the woods for a good day of hiking. On the way back one of the tough guys told Bill,
“I’ve given my life to God and I’m going to give up my old dirty life and follow him.”
Bill asked, “What led you to that great decision, was it the preaching, the Bible tracts, the religious testimonies, or being in God’s nature?”
“None of that”, he said, “When I heard you cursing I figured if you could be a Christian, then anyone could.”
That’s a humorous story, but sometimes we wonder how great Christians, who can quote hundreds of Bible verses, even pastors of priests in a church can sometimes sin so greatly. Luckily sinful Christians can't keep people from seeing the truth & dedicating their lives to God & mankind. Even more to the point,
WHY DOES GOD LET ME SIN?
I tell people about God, even though I’m shy and I don’t know much about religion and then I sin and feel like my faith is a lie. How can I really be a Christian and how can anybody be one, when in the privacy of their home, when they hit their finger with a hammer & curse or a great tragedy happens to their family & no one wants to go to church & loses their faith, but the sinful family next door is spared & they seem protected from pain and suffering? We have to struggle against sin, because we must love obedience to God more than sin. It builds character & strengthens faith.
JOB
These are the questions of Job. Job’s response is the correct one. He said, God I’m righteous (I’m saved), I love you, I love my neighbors and I don’t worship false god’s and yet you’re attacking me and my family. Then he falls on his face and says (paraphrased), “I worship you God, because I owe my existence to you and if you give me things you can take them away and I’ll still worship You. I bless your holy name”.
GOD IS ABSENT AND NEVER PROVED HE EXISTED
God showed Himself: to his first pair of earthly humans, then to a gentile or non-Jew named Abraham, then the Jew Moses, millions of Jews and Egyptians saw & heard about the Ten Plagues, then as a human baby to Mary & Joseph, the Wise Men, Philip a Greek convert, the Samaritan Woman (half Jew) at the well, then the Roman Procurator Pilate, then Jewish convert Soldier Cornelius, etc. Jesus and his Father God is the God of gentiles, pagans, infidels, slaves, primitives, women, children and men & Jews and the other eleven tribes of Israel. Pre-Judaism, Judaism and Christianity all followed the God of Adam & Eve. The God of Abraham’s deeds are recorded in history and on the face of the earth, but the other gods are clearly myths.
GOD IS UNKNOWABLE
This God is never quite what we expect Him to be and He often throws our ideas about Him into confusion. We get laid off from our job, but when a co-worker, gets his friends and family to write letters of praise for him, in the name of some customers, the boss believes his ruse and he gets an award. It’s just not fair. The child we loved, who wanted to be a nun or nurse a priest or doctor gets a rare lung disease and dies a painful death. The neighbor lets their children run around unsupervised and later they get into gangs, sex and drugs and they grow up to be a famous actor or musician. The very thing that discourages me from following my God, makes me want Him even more. One day He will judge everyone and reward everyone, according to their golden or dirty deeds. Everyone, that Jesus also accepts, gets the unimaginable gift of Heaven, where He lives. One day there won’t be rape, drugs, divorce, depression, prison, war, hatred, hunger, humiliation, tragedy or injustice. One day we will know Him. This life is a test. Say it out loud:
“THIS LIFE IS A TEST”
How did that feel? It makes me feel better. It will soon be over, like a bad dream.
I just have to walk with God, joyfully, one day at a time until I go to sleep & wake up in Jesus. I don’t like this life of pain, suffering, struggling and a little pleasure, and I don’t like tests. But I want to graduate with my Diploma of Eternal Life so, I have to do the best I can on this test, my entire future depends on it.
BEFORE YOU KNOW IT YOU WILL DIE
I comfort myself with this thought, “Maybe tonight I’ll die in my sleep and wake up seeing Jesus in the distance. All my worry, fears, lack of money, pain, frustration, & dread will be gone in one moment”.
After Purgatory or The Reward Center or The Welcome Center and/or the Re-education School I'll get my Diploma & it will gain me entrance into the throne of God. That’s a reward that won’t ever fade, ever. The day after my College diploma, I felt let down & my joy died. But in Heaven joy never dies, because we won’t be stuck with sinful, negative, & God hating spirit. One day we’ll meet those who will tell us,
WHAT WILL THEY TELL YOU IN HEAVEN?
“We saw you going to Church every Sunday, (Saturday & Wednesday) & that made me take my children. If you could sacrifice your time like that so could we”.
“You were the one with all those religious bumper stickers on your car and when I pulled up to you at the traffic light, you had religious radio on. I scanned the radio until I found the station and I started listening to it. I gave my life to God a year later.”
“I saw you helping that old couple out and they said you did it for free and that you were a Christian. I started to pray one night, wondering if God was real and here I am, thank you.”
“I used to go to church, for my wife, but I thought everyone there were either hypocrites or losers. I noticed how respectful and well behaved your family was and how gently you loved each other and I wanted that for us.”
“I saw you alone every Sunday in cheap weird clothes and a bad haircut. I felt sorry for you until I watched you for a while. When you sang & prayed your face seemed to glow and the cloud of depression over your head would lift higher the longer the service went on. I thought, ‘Imagine what God could do for me’”.
“You told me ‘No, thank you. I love Jesus more than sex (drugs, alcohol, stolen goods or a gang). Heaven will be ten times better than anything here’, I laughed at you and felt sorry for you. What could be better than sex & I heard the answer in my head, ‘Heaven with God and the good people.’”
“You invited me to church and you sat with me, instead of your friends, week after week until I was baptized. I wouldn’t have gone by myself, I hated going anywhere alone. I love you. I love everyone & everyone in Heaven loves me.”
“I saw you mistreat your son and I hated you so much, especially since you were a Christian, but you kept going to Church and your son turned out much better than he should have. I thought that God must have done a miracle for him, because you were faithful to God. I knew I had a lot of flaws too, but maybe God would forgive me also.”
“I saw you on the news admitting that you, a TV minister, committed adultery and that your wife was divorcing you. You could have blamed God for letting that happen, but you founded another church and saved so many lives with social programs and teaching about the love and forgiveness of God. I thought if God let you get away with that then my sins were not that big of a deal. I fell down while following Jesus many times, but I got up, up, and up, & I woke up here”.
“You invited me for lunch after church and after you found out that my family would never go to church, you became my religious family. I couldn’t have made it without you, Dad, Mom, Brother, Sister.”
“When you told me that Heaven was a real place in the sky, I thought you were a fool. But then you told me Heaven was also inside you and all around you and I could experience Heaven now and then I was hooked.”
Let's tell others about our experience of Jesus Christ
& religion & let the Holy Spirit be responsible for the results.
