Merv Griffin died this weekend. The late night news began its report on Merv by saying, "Merv Griffin died this weekend, finally losing his battle against prostate cancer." I immediately thought, "Did he really lose?" In the church, we rarely say someone "lost" when they die of some disease. We usually say, "Their battle ended." Why? Despite our grief at having lost a loved one, we believe that person, if on a faith journey, actually wins the greatest prize of all.
Last week I cautioned against using "avoidance of hell" as the primary reason/method by which to encourage someone to begin their faith journey. I still stand by those thoughts. It is true that at some point you have to understand the reality of hell as part of your faith journey, but does it have to be the main thing you understand? What about the benefits of being on a faith journey? What about the fact that in heaven, you are in a place where you receive a new body, just like the one Christ received at his resurrection that will never need repair, never grow old, never suffer aches or pains? What about the reality that in heaven there is no sorrow, no grief, no emotional disorders or mental illness? What about the joy of knowing that you get to be in the actual, physical, and literal presence of the God who created the universe and you get to do so forever? That sounds a lot like winning to me, regardless of how it phrased by the people of this world.
There are lots of other ways to talk about losing and winning on our faith journeys. Maybe that's something for my next set of thoughts. For now, think about what you win on your faith journey.
When is the right time?
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This past week I had coffee with the pastor of the church we're now
attending. I talked for about an hour straight, telling my story. All the
while he prov...
15 years ago
1 comment:
Matt:
I have a couple thoughts on your most recent post. I hope these thoughtd will not upset you and cause you not to post my reply.
Merv Griffin who although I did not know was very highly respected not only as a shrewd business man, but also as good man. I do not know if he was a Christian. I jst happened to be surf channeling and I caught an interview with Steve Guttenburg on CNN (this is not a channel I watch at all, but I was curious), so I watched Steve describe Merv as a kind and thoughtful man. He stated that Merv has class and that we should celebrate his life. I wonder where Merv was on his journey? He was after all a very rich man, but as the play states "You can't take it with You!" I can only hope that Merv made it right before he passed otherwise he may not have gone to heaven. This is a harsh thought, but it is just "keeping it real". A Christian must do more than just be good, we must be saved to avoid hell. Hell is nothing more than a separation from God.
You have also stated that we should avoid hell as the primary reason to encourage someone to begin their faith journey (I guess that is what you mean by being saved, however you seem to be a little vague). Why don't we dwell on the positives and avoid the negatives after all that is clealy what Jesus did. No. He took he devil head on. He said to always be ready. In fact, Jesus never used the phrase "faith journey". He did say "take up your cross and follow Me". However, how many would do it today in the church. How many would do it in your church?
We want dress up "The Message" with all these so much more positive thoughts and themes, however, this seems to be going in the wrong direction. I notice that you (Matt) do not hesitate to mention heaven or a gloious body or being in God's presence. However, you as a Christian cannot get there without a clear understanding that "the way to heaven is narrow and "the way to hell is wide". Simple and true.
If you state it clearly, "you should say that the Christian Walk (not faith journey because that might include muslims, hindus, etc)must include both heaven and hell in order to be going the right way (the narrow way). The Christian story and message is perfect just the way it is and does not need a press agent. Just a thought.
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