Sharing the Gospel with a Dying Unbeliever

As a believer in the eventual restoration of all, I am occasionally asked what I would say to an unbeliever on his death bed. 

Maybe, over a period of time, it might be something like this ... 
(A more concise version for a one-off death bed conversation follows at the bottom.)

When your time comes to leave this planet, your first conscious appointment will be with God.
This will be a huge event, because God is awesome - the Creator and Saviour of the world.
But let me tell you that ...

God loves you very much and holds absolutely nothing against you, no matter what you've done.
Indeed he is waiting for you as any loving and concerned father waits for his lost son to return home.
Jesus explained this in his story of the Prodigal Son.
Read or relate this parable and follow with a summary like ...
The father offers no judgement, no paying off the debt, no penalty, only full acceptance, wild celebration and reinstatement into the family.

God does this for you too, because of what Jesus has done for all of us.
Explain Jesus' Birth, Death and Resurrection.
Everyone's sins have been dealt with and everyone will live, eventually.
Isn't that just good news?

This great home-coming celebration depended only on the lost son ...
    his change of heart towards his father
    his readiness to admit his mistakes and selfish attitude
    his desire to return home and be reconciled to his father.
   
The father had already forgiven the son and was reconciled to him, even before the son had started heading for home.
But the father couldn't show him his love until the son had decided to return.
It was all up to the son.

So it's up to you how you meet God.
As someone with a bad attitude to God and fearful of meeting up with him.
OR
As someone confident and appreciative of God's love, forgiveness and full acceptance?

Yes, you can turn for home like the Prodigal did, and be reconciled to your Father.
And live happily and in harmony with him forever.

We will all get to that point eventually, one way or the other.
But the sooner we do, the easier it is; and the sooner that life can begin.
In fact, if we become reconciled to God before we leave this planet, we can start that life straight away.

That's what God calls the good news.
Jesus has done everything that needs to be done for you and me to live in harmony with God forever.

God is already on your side.

We just need to get on his side to get the full benefit of what Jesus has done for us.
What would you like to do now that you know all this?

Here's a simpler, more concise version I might use when time is short. 

Most people think that God is angry with them because of their sins.
Actually it's the other way around.  God is in love with them and they are angry with God.

The message of the Bible is that God is waiting for us to be at peace with him.

God loves us and is on our side.
He has done everything to make sure there is nothing between us and him, from his side, through Jesus Christ.

God asks us to believe him in this, to admit our mistakes and selfish attitude, and to genuinely desire reconciliation.

Which means to drop whatever we hold between us and him, to be at peace with him, and to thank him for his generous invitation to live in harmony with him.

Hopefully this simpler version will be enough to get their attention so that they ask the questions necessary to fill out the story and be given the faith to believe it. [ Romans 10: 17 ]

Please share your thoughts with me on this.

I am visiting an unbeliever on his death bed right at the moment, and asking God for the opportunity to share the gospel, and would love to have your feedback on the above.

Thanks.

Blessings, Barry

What's The Difference?

If everyone is to be saved, then what's the difference between Christians and non-Christians?
The difference is clearly not salvation as such.
The difference is this ........
Christians are those who have been appointed by God with a special charter or mission in this age.

We have been given the task of letting others know about their salvation,
and
We have been given the privilege of partnering the Holy Spirit as He transforms us into the likeness of Christ, thus preparing us for our role in the coming kingdom age.

So .... we chosen or appointed ones ......... we are special, privileged people with a special, privileged assignment.
Let's not be distracted in any way, but give ourselves wholly to God's calling.
2 Timothy 2 : 4

Blessings, Barry

A Recent Conversation

A Recent Conversation with Woodsy.
Woodsy is a local father with three sons who can't understand why I believe that God is going to eventually save everyone.
-------------------------------------------------
Barry:  If you had to choose one of your children to hopelessly suffer forever and not be able to receive any help or relief from you, who would it be?
Woodsy:  I would never do something as ridiculous as that.  I love them all, and wouldn't choose any of them to suffer forever. 
B:  Great, you're not a Calvinist. You must believe God loves all his children equally and chooses none of them to be eternally lost.
W:  Certainly.  God must love his children at least as much as I love mine.
------------------------------------------------
B:  If one of your boys foolishly puts himself in danger, and you have the chance to save him from the consequences of that choice, would you do it?
W:  Of course I would.
B:  Even when he didn't want you to interfere?
W:  Of course.  I wouldn't want him to be hurt.  I might leave him there for a while to help him see the error of his ways, but I wouldn't let him be permanently damaged or risk his life.
B:  So, you would over-ride his freewill, if it's for his ultimate good?
W:  Certainly.
B:  Do you think God would do the same for his kids who have made foolish decisions?
W:  I suppose so ....... I would certainly hope so.
B:  Great, you're not an Arminian.  You must believe God is sovereign and uses his position and power to keep his kids safe from long-term harm.
W:  Hmmmm .....  But doesn't he allow us a free choice ...... to go to heaven or hell?
B:  Would you with your boys?
W:  No, but ......
B:  So you care for your boys more than God cares for his children?
-------------------------------------------------
Woodsy didn't finish the conversation.
I would have enjoyed telling him that God loves his kids even more than we love ours, and that he would never let his kids totally destroy themselves no matter what choices they made or how loudly they protested about his interference.
And I would also have enjoyed showing him the verses in Scripture that convince me of that.
Blessings, Barry

Can You Recommend a Good Church?

Some of you will know I have struggled with the "institutional church" for much of my life.
Sure there have been some exceptions, but generally speaking mainstream christianity leaves me frustrated.

So it was a great surprise towards the end of my working life that God called me to pastor a small church and lead a state-wide restructure of the denomination of which that church was a part.

But apart from those rare times when I could make a contribution to the way the church worked and to what it believed, church involvement was (and still is) a huge struggle.

I often ask myself why this is so, since so many of my friends enjoy church and are heavily involved in its activities, and have finally been able to articulate my reasons in just one simple sentence.

For a church to be attractive to me
it needs to be

• believing and proclaiming the good news that God is the Creator and Saviour of the world

and

• preparing believers for their priestly function in the coming kingdom age.

The ways in which a church might do these things can be as varied as it likes, but if these goals are not being achieved, or at least being genuinely desired, then it will never attract me.

Many churches do good things of various sorts for their members and the communities in which they are located, and would therefore qualify as good social or community clubs.
But I am sure Jesus did not establish his church to be a social club, nor did Paul believe a social club would make God's wisdom known to the authorities in the heavens.

I hope you have found and are involved in a good church - I'm still looking for one.

Blessings, Barry

What We Learn from the Costa Concordia

I gave you this one yesterday by email, but thought it was worth putting on the blog.

Because each new post or comment on the blog is sent to all of us by email to keep us in touch with what is being added to the blogsite, you will have a double up in your email INBOX,  Sorry.  Barry

In the largest passenger ship loss since the Titanic, 33 of the 4,252 passengers and crew of the Costa Concordia perished. The captain of the ship was arrested on preliminary charges, including manslaughter.
Despite the fact that some 99.2% were saved, it remains a tragic loss of life. Every life on board the ship was of unique value, and their individual death is a great tragedy.

Just the other day, my dear friend and brother, Jim Burson, shared with me an astute illustration spawned by this cruise ship incident.

"There was a large passenger ship with a thousand people on it. The captain assembled all passengers and announced to them, 'The ship is about to sink, but I have GOOD News. Fifty of you will be able to make it to dry land.'

"This is the 'Good News' of traditionalism, but I contend that it is not 'Good News' at all. For the nine hundred and fifty who are about to perish, it certainly is not 'Good News.' For those fifty who will not perish, it is not 'Good News,' because they likely will leave behind children, wives and husbands. Most of all it is not 'Good News' to the captain because he knows it was his responsibility to assure the well-being of his passengers."

Here is what we learn from the Costa Concordia: the captain is always responsible for his ship – and all under his care. Any loss is unacceptable, even .8%. This is even truer concerning the Sovereign of the Universe. He is responsible for all He has made – for His entire creation – and He emphatically declares Himself to be the "Savior of all men" (I Timothy 4:10).

In effectually discharging His responsibility God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to "take away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), proclaiming Him to be the actual "Savior of the world" (John 4:42).

In spite of all of this, Christianity has the faithless audacity to bring an indictment against God: the vast majority of His creation will be eternally lost, and His Son will utterly fail, being guilty Himself of dereliction of responsibility for His Saviorhood.

Our Lord Jesus Christ "came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10), and He Who leaves the 99, tirelessly and unfailingly will "go after that which is lost, until He finds it" (Luke 15:4). Some of Christianity would have the nerve to suggest that only a fraction will eventually be saved. However, if Christ's rate of salvation was that of the Costa Concordia's – 99.2% – He would be an utter failure, as He was not declared to be the "99.2% Savior of the world."

Salvation is not the responsibility of the crew or passengers, but of Salvation's Captain (the "Captain of their salvation" – Hebrews 2:10, KJV) – the successful "Savior of the WORLD." He, and He alone, will see to its full and complete accomplishment. The Good News is that the ship Salvation is in unwaveringly capable hands. Father and His Son are in absolute control.

Rest, and enjoy the cruise.

Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr.  

You'll have to excuse the American spellings in most of these quotes, but it is truly amazing how many people have held this "universalist" position, in one form or another, over the centuries.

Since discovering all these authors I have been tempted several times to stop writing my book as it has all been said before, but I am definitely continuing, as my presentation will be much "lighter" and more geared to 'the man in the street' than most of the books and sites I have discovered.


Blessings, Barry

Burning Sons and Daughters

In my research, I am coming across dozens of authors of books and websites who hold similar positions about the eventual reconciliation of all as we do.

Here is a quote from one of them.

"For the people of Judah have done evil in my eyes," declares the LORD. "They have put their detestable idols in the house that is called by my name in order to defile it.

They have built high places at Topheth in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I didn't command this, and it never entered my mind!"

[Jeremiah 7:30-31]

God calls burning children an abomination, but He burns His children – forever?

It has never even entered God's mind to do such a thing! Yet, it is a common and very acceptable idea that that's what God is going to do to His children, and not only burn them as the Hebrew's did, but the common belief is that God is even going to change their bodies such that they cannot have the luxury of dying!

NO! He is going to do no such thing! By the sacrifice of His son, ALL are redeemed.

Grant Miller
Author of "Think, and Be Free"

Blessings, Barry

A Frequent Question

A question I am often asked is, "If everyone is to be eventually saved, why do you bother to evangelise?"

Yes, everyone will be eventually saved.
That was decided by God, by his grace, before the ages even began.
And Jesus showed God's intention in that by dying for the sins of the world 2000 years ago.

But how many of us will rule with Christ in his coming 1000 year kingdom?
Being saved (by the short or the long route) and being in the kingdom are two different things.

To qualify for the kingdom, we need to be reconciled to God in the now.
And once reconciled, to be in training for kingdom responsibilities - being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, becoming more Christ-like in character and being an overcomer in the circumstances where God places us.

So why do I evangelise?
I want as many people as possible to be reconciled to God NOW and enjoying living in fellowship with him NOW.
I want as many as possible to be ready to participate in the kingdom age with Christ.
I want as few as possible to have to travel the long, tough route to fellowship with God.

Are they good enough reasons?

I think so, but I have one more for good measure - actually it is one of Paul's reasons.

"That is why we labour and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe."
[ 1 Tim 4 : 10  NIV ]

I want to serve this magnificent God of love and grace also.

Do you have any questions?
Then fire away (no topic is off-limits) and let's tackle them together.
Let's use the BLOG in 2012 to clear some of the fog from our minds.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous new year.  Barry