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Yesterday I decided to Ask Google (not Jeeves) how many people were in the world in 2012. Sure enough Google didn’t disappoint when it returned over 6 billion results, one of which was a website aptly called How Many Are … Continue reading
Today as I sat down in my local church and listened to the bible study teachings, I pondered on the theme which was ‘Being ashamed of the gospel’. What I found it to mean was not necessarily detaching oneself from hearing or believing the word of God but shying away from telling someone else about Him. As a Christian it’s a hard-hitting truth to be reminded that if I deny Christ on earth then He will deny me in Heaven. Surely, it wouldn’t cost me anything to just open my mouth and tell someone close by that there’s more to this life and that we need to be repentant so that we can live a life (an after-life) eternal. But it’s not as easy as that and I’ll tell you why.
Society dictates what is the norm, what is cool, what is acceptable, and as a result Christians sometimes seem to be treading on eggshells when it comes to speaking up about Christ. If we always worried about what people would think about us based on our actions then we would never act. It goes with everything else and not just religion. If I worried about what my friends would think then I wouldn’t go for salsa classes (well, I’ve stopped now but only because it’s too damn expensive, honest!). It’s a big barrier that could mean the difference between saving a soul or leaving that soul to be tormented in the depths of hell. How about skeptics or agnostics who challenge Christian beliefs? They appear to be obstacles too and they sometimes put up really good, factual arguments that could even make the most fanatical Christians doubt their faith a teeny bit.
All that’s required of Christians in sharing the gospel is to do just do that – Share it. There’s no need to worry about how the other party will receive it or if they will give their lives to Christ that minute – It might be the next day, a fortnight or even a year after before they finally surrender their lives to Christ.
For those who do not believe in any religion whatsoever my question is this: Just what IF (and notice this is a big ‘if’) there is life after death, there is a Heaven and a Hell, there is a Judgement day…would you want to take that chance and reap the consequences for the rest of your life? I wouldn’t.
Some doubt that God can do such things as allow His children to suffer in Hell because He created us. What about the victims of the great flood in the time of Noah? Fast-forward to 2010 and you have the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile which at the last count took 300 lives and affected 400,000 others. There are more and more disasters each year, some natural and some man-made: The World Trade Center attacks in 2001 took close to 3000 lives including 800 of the rescue workers. The Tsunami of 2004 took nearly 250,000 lives a day after Christmas. Where are all their souls right now. Is it just a case of ‘Ashes to ashes, dust to dust’?
I believe the reason why a lot of us are still alive today is just by the Grace of God. He gives us more than a second chance to surrender our lives to Him. He loves us. He gave us free will, otherwise he could just as easily have created us such that we serve Him by default like robots. Ironically He knows which way we’ll sway though He gives us (limited) chances, put His message in the media, talk to us through people who are ready to spread his word, etc. This way no one can say they didn’t know or they didn’t hear.
The end times are already in progress and with the pace of Global warming we’re set to see even more radical changes in weather and probably a shift to the Ice Age – I think Washington got its first glimpse of what Obama coined as ‘Snowmageddon’. If what happened in the 2012 movie were to happen today then I bet the churches across the world would be packed to full capacity but would it be too late by then?
So now what can little old me do to share the word? The Bible study teacher said every time you do something nice for someone or give to those in need and they say ‘thank you’ you could respond with ‘Jesus loves you’ – that drives the message home. The art of Giving is so powerful, rewarding and therapeutic: The more you give, the more you receive (in Heaven and Earth).
Other ways of spreading the gospel would be through distribution of tracts or daily devotionals. You just might touch someone’s life without even knowing it. Blogs are another fantastic way to share the Word and you could reach a worldwide audience. I’m no saint but I hope I’ve lived a life so far that would want to make someone say ‘Hey, I want to be happy like him. What’s his secret?’ It’s simple – I know that Jesus loves me…and I’m not ashamed to say it 😀
Take a step into an alternate world where absolutely anything is possible. There are no limits whatsoever. Mistakes can be corrected. Dead people can be brought to life (please note this point). You can fast-forward from the period of record vinyls to the arrival of MP3s. No point making VHS when you can enjoy DVDs. You can go one step beyond choosing the sex of your unborn child – you can see exactly what he/she would look like…at age 30.
There’s no need to go through two, three or more dead-end jobs after university. You graduate and immediately start earning in your dream job. Dating more than one person is a waste of time when you can wait for the precise moment when you will bump into your perfect partner e.g. 13th April 2009, Wednesday at 3.26pm…on Facebook! Physical attributes will not limit you in any way. You can have the spring in those legs to get you slamdunking your way to the NBAs. You can get the perfect cleavage to nail that job interview (with a male/lesbian boss), to get that wealthy business tycoon or to just boost your self-esteem. You can get the dream physique to get you into the modeling industry too. You don’t hear insecure men going ‘Size doesn’t matter, it’s the motion in the ocean’. They are all well-endowed naturally, give or take the exaggerated inch ; )
Weight-gain is a thing of the past since all the foods on this planet are engineered to help you maintain your fit healthy body. Goodbye ugly fat people, Hello cast of Beverly Hills 90210! Balding men do not exist here. They can sport their hair any which curl, dread, lock, fringe, mohican, ace-ventura way they like! Gymnasiums go out of business because you can WILL yourself into those desired biceps, triceps, pectorals and abs. It gets better – You and your partner can agree on the exact time you both want to climax together…and you can set it by the milli-second…every single time.
Speaking of time, just wait a damn second! I told you at the very beginning to ‘take a step’. You’ve probably already packed your bags from EARTH and you’re getting ready to set off on a one-way rocket trip to HT-RAE. Don’t you want to know what living there would be like? I can tell you it’s not all you hoped for. Behind this seemingly perfect world there are consequences which you’d have to deal with.
If everyone had the same idea of a perfect athletic build then everyone would be 1st place in the Mens 100m at the Beijing Olympics. Usain Bolt and the other 7 competitors would break & set new world records…together, every four years. There will be no silver or bronze medals to give out because everyone would get a gold one. If all the women at an interview employed the same cleavage tactic then the male/lesbian boss would have a hard time making a selection. If everyone could look like or act as well as the big Hollywood stars then there wouldn’t be a point for giving out Oscars.
If dating was only reserved till the moment you would meet your destined partner then you would live an inexperienced love life. Yes you can make all the mistakes and correct them when you meet ‘the one’ but why go through all that hassle? If we were enjoying the latest-est-est-est technology NOW then there would be nothing better to look forward to. Transition can be a slow process but its fun when you can look back at where you started. But this planet would also be extremely competitive. You wouldn’t be able to stand out in virtually anything. How can you be the best at something when everyone else doing ‘that thing’ is just as good? Think about it. Do you still want to go to planet HT-RAE now?
If I’ve succeeded in convincing you otherwise then you have made the right decision. Life on EARTH is tough but that’s why you should see it as a challenge. Live the experience. Try again if you don’t succeed the first time. Believe in yourself and pray, pray and then pray some more.
At this point I want you to know that HT-RAE is not just my imagination. It exists and I’m going back there…only, you’re not invited because it’s getting pretty crowded up in here – with all the dead people being brought back to life and all, lol. See you when I get back!
N.B – Ticket availability (1 left)
..xTx..