Dozens and dozens of rabbis and observant Jews were gathered at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem, Israel. They stood facing the huge structure and prayed to God for a Messiah that had already come. Their ritualistic prayers went no further than the pieces of paper overstuffed in the cracks between the enormous blocks.
A few of the other pastors from our group were gathered a little ways from the Wall watching. I joined their group and heard a quote that stuck in my mind. Bro. Cameron Giovanelli (president of Golden State Baptist College) was observing the spectacle of empty spirituality laid out before us. He mentioned a soul winning partner of his from years ago that said the following statement as part of a prayer before they went out to knock on doors...
"The only thing worse than going to Hell, is going to Hell thinking that you are on your way to Heaven"
One of the other men did not quite hear what Bro. Giovanelli said and asked him to repeat himself.
"The only thing worse than going to Hell, is going to Hell thinking that you are on your way to Heaven"
What an unforgetabble thought. For these last few weeks since that day I have mulled over that statement and considered the truth and gravity hidden within that simple thought...
Lessons Learned in the Holy Land:
The Only Thing Worse Than Going to Hell...
Adjectives do not do justice to the place we know as Hell. A Christian understands that the fire, the pain, and the anguish are not the scariest attributes of Hell. The very worst part of beginning your eternity in Hell is the realization that you have sentenced yourself to a never ending existence without God.
To those that claim that they already live without God, I say you are sadly mistaken. Your very existence is bound up within the shelter of God given life and the offer of His love. You see, regardless of what our world tells us, we do not deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We all deserve Hell. Period.
Only by the marvelous grace of our loving Lord do we even have the opportunity to be united with His perfect love. Friend, His perfect justice can only be satisfied if we except the sinless sacrifice He made for us on the cross. If you do not quite grasp what I am saying then please stop reading this post and click this link immediately for a more in depth explanation.
You that know the Bible, you that have made a profession of faith, you that spend your Sundays in a church pew, I have not told you anything that you do not already know. What I want to pass onto you through this post begins now...
“Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”
Going to Hell is not worth your pride
A preacher should never have the goal of making people doubt their salvation, and that is not my intention now. I only ask a simple question: Do you know for sure?
I am speaking to those that had an experience. An experience they may not remember, an experience they may not feel confident in. How sad to read a simple post on a church's website, realize that you truly need His amazing grace, but pass it by. All because you don't know what people will say. All because you think it will be embarrassing. Going to Hell is not worth your pride. To those that know that they know...
“...but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Be a bold witness, not a behind the scenes Christian
You may have heard this before but it bears repeating, "The only thing better than going to Heaven, is taking someone with you". How true that is! To bring the souls that you interact with here on this earthly plane to that celestial place because you simply cared enough to tell them must be so joyous!
I cannot imagine the feeling. No matter my failures, my ills, my weaknesses, I can only wonder at the fulfillment and joy that would overwhelm me to meet those that are in Heaven in part because of me. Can you truthfully sing...
“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.”
I Love to tell the Story?
Not only should we love to tell our story, we should love to hear our fellow believers' stories. We assume too much sometimes. How do we know our fellow church members are saved? How do they know you are saved? When was the last time anyone heard your story? We should not try to judge another man's heart, but we should make the telling of our stories much more commonplace. We should not need a testimony time at church to feel the need to tell the when, where, and how of our sin debt being paid in full!
When was the last time you asked a fellow Christian friend for his or her salvation testimony? It should never be an offense when someone asks you for your testimony! It should be a joy to share it! You should volunteer it without anyone asking for it! And lastly...
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
What are you doing to reach the untold millions?
A significant portion of our world thinks that they will end up in their version of Heaven one day. And we can go days, weeks, months, and years at a time without trying to help a single person come to a saving knowledge of Christ. More sobering than walking through a Holocaust museum and seeing the lives already lost to death, is walking through a "holy place" like the Wailing Wall and seeing the hundreds of people that will be lost to death and Hell if we do not do something. More sad than a Holocaust museum is walking through any public place here in America and seeing thousands of people bound for Hell... thinking they are on their way to Heaven...
"The only thing worse than going to Hell, is going to Hell thinking that you are on your way to Heaven"