FighterforJC

I feel that the visible church in general, has assumed the role of God's PR guys. We are called God's ambassadors, but the church seems to be more concerned about trying to make God more appealing to the masses. While this certainly includes the whole church growth movement/ "seeker-friendly" churches, which for the most part is an apostacy, I'm also talking about the apologetic attitude some have when it comes to sharing the Gospel to non-believers. Sorry if I'm making it confusing, I don't mean "apologetics." I've talked to numerous Christians who act as though they have to protect God's reputation or image, as though it needed to be defended. Statements like, "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner." Oh yeah? Then why doesn't God send the SIN to hell and send the sinner to Heaven? What about "MY God will NEVER ___________" Or "God doesn't send anyone to hell, people choose that for themselves." Last time I checked, Jesus instructed us to FEAR God, who not only has the power to destroy the body, but to cast the soul into hell as well. Perhaps one of the favorite questions that a lot of Christians tend to avoid is "Does God predestine people to go to hell?" Well does He? He predestines people to go to heaven, right? What about those who weren't predestined to go to heaven and weren't chosen from the foundations of the world? Do they sorta just float in space and slowly gravitate towards hell? It is true that it is God's kindness that leads to repentance, but a lot of Christians tend to misinterpret "kindness" as "niceness" or God's reluctance to send people to hell. God is awesome, He is great, He is love. But God is also JUST. In the end, people will go to hell. Everyone who has not put their faith in Christ. Loved ones. VERY nice people. That nice old lady next door who always baked you cookies. And what about those who never even heard the Gospel? Yep, they're going to hell, too. Paul made that perfectly clear in Romans. How can they believe if they have not heard? How can they hear if nobody tells them? How can anyone tell them unless they are sent? These are the "hairy" issues that Christians tend to dance around or sugar coat. When faced with such questions like "Did Mother Theresa go to hell?" or "What about those in the middle of nowhere in some part of the globe that nobody has ever been to?" Most would shy away from what the Bible says and come up with their own thing to avoid "scaring off" people or making God "look bad." Usually something noble, idealistic and heretical will come out of that person, to avoid confrontation or to get himself out of hot water. Jesus said that the world will hate us just as it hated Him. He also forecasted that the road is narrow and FEW people will find it. Our goal is to spread the TRUTH, not to become the most popular group in the world. We've been called out of this world and we are pilgrims. We should start acting like it instead of trying to blend in with the crowd at the expense of creating a God in our own image.

First of all, according to "soul sleep" believers, those whose souls are "asleep" until the resurrection day will not even sense any passage of time. Meaning that from the time that the person died and his soul went to sleep, to the time that he wakes up on resurrection day, it would've seemed instantaneous, and he wouldn't even feel like his soul has been asleep for centuries. So the doctrine, even if were true, is really a moot point. And as far as your friend pointing out how "it would've been too cruel" for Jesus to pull out Lazarus from heaven, well, that argument really sounds more like an opinion. God's ways are above ours, and I thank God that He doesn't do things the way we would. To answer your questions: 1. No, I don't believe in soul sleep. 2. I'm at work and can't do any real in-depth research, but the Bible teaches us that "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." In Jesus story about the beggar and the rich man who both died, Jesus described how the rich man was in Hades being tormented while the poor beggar was in Abraham's bosom. The rich man was definitely not in "soul sleep," as he begged to be able to communicate with his still living brothers so that they wouldn't have to experience the torment. The rich man also requested for the beggar to reach out with his finger so that at the very least his tongue could be cooled. Also, in Revelation, the martyred souls were pleading with God as to when their blood will be avenged. Maybe they were talking in their sleep? 3. No, the idea of it is so absurd that to me it is even shameful to take it into serious consideration. Besides, salvation is not based on whether or not you believe in the doctrine of soul sleep. What does bother me is why professing Christians would devote themselves to promoting this doctrine. Once every single Christian in the world believes in "soul sleep," how does that glorify the Lord, and what would've been accomplished for the kingdom of God? Absolutely nothing.

There's nothing wrong with getting an emotional high. Just don't think that the Christian walk is all about emotional highs. That's where the problem lies, professing Christians who believe that becoming a Christian is all about bliss. As far as the "fading off" experience, so what? We are called to be filled with the Spirit, not to "keep the momentum going." What a pathetic hope we have if our faith is based on "keeping the momentum going." It's okay to get these emotional highs as long as they do not define your walk.

Just remember that our relationship with God should never be based on feelings and emotions. What a fickle gauge our feelings can be, so don't lean on them. God's Word and promises should always be above our feelings. Even if we don't feel it, it doesn't change the fact that we're born again and our names are written in the Book of Life. The reason Christ died for us is because we are hopeless sinners destined to go to hell. He did not die for us to give us warm fuzzies or so that we'll have a permanent smile on our faces or so that we're always walking on cloud 9. While there is much to celebrate and be happy about being God's child, that is not what our faith is based on. Be content with the facts as stated in the Bible. Feelings change, emotions come and go. It doesn't change the Truth.

I am a HUGE fan of boxing and MMA, hence my screenname. I've asked myself this question before, as have others. I don't think boxing or any type of fighting sport is immoral. When it comes to inflicting physical punishment on someone, the issue at hand is always the motive behind it. In boxing or mma, the goal is to push your body to its limits, and through sheer skill and determination, come out victorious or at least have a good showing by giving it all you've got. Of course, there has been many boxing matches in which both combatants had a genuine dislike for one another. The moral dillemma lies within the hearts of those two combatants, not the sport. Boxing is a challenge and requires 100% commitment if one is to excel. Most of the time a boxing match consists of two athletes who have dedicated themselves to strict regimens and discipline and are not motivated by hate. In fact, dozens upon dozens of some of the bloodiest prizefights have resulted in lifelong friendships between the fighters who have developed respect for one another after trying to pummel each other to death. Paul the apostle seems to have been a sports fan himself, as another poster have shown with the Biblical verses. Certainly, Paul did not condemn boxing even though he demonstrated that he was well aware of its existence, using boxing metaphors to describe our walk. In fact, Jesus Himself was a boxing fan, giving sound boxing advice with verses like, "It is better to give than to receive," or "turning the other cheek" which is a clear reference to rolling with the punches. JK! But I thought that was funny. Hehehe. But seriously, I personally feel that boxing is a great metaphor for life. Some people describe life as a journey, while some simply think it's a party. Some even say life's a beach. I think life is a fight in which you will certainly take punches, get knocked down, get back up. and keep on fighting. You swing and miss, take the lumps, roll with the punches, dish out some of your own, get bruised and bloodied. It's okay to get knocked down. The important thing is to get up by the count of nine.

I'm glad to hear that you recognize your sin when you left your first husband. Just like everyone else has said, your sin has been forgiven and you have entered in to a new marriage. Learn from the pitfalls of your last marriage and be sure to take all practical steps to avoid the same traps that were set by the enemy. Dissolve ALL friendships with the opposite sex. It is a tough decision to make, but neither you or your new husband should maintain exclusive friendships with the opposite sex. It's not a popular theme, I know, but you should be content with each other. This is not a matter of not trusting each other, but a matter of acknowledging the fact that none of us is above temptation. We're all grown ups here and we know that there is no such thing as a purely plutonic relationship between a man and a woman. God bless you both.