There is a Message in the Cross

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:21)

Before I even begin this writing, I would like to quote myself. In my profile on the hubpages (www.kristeen@hubpages.com) and also on my blog (www.christinesgoodnewsblog.blogspot.com) I state; I love God and my wish is for everyone I meet to know Him and to know the freedom from sin and death, and the joy that abounds through faith in Jesus. I do not speak these words lightly. I truly feel sad for those who don’t know Jesus because they are missing so much and they have no hope – nothing to look forward to but death. With these words in mind I write this message.

Jesus tells us in His word that as His followers, we will face criticism, ridicule and persecution at times. He says; Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11)

I have written several controversial hubs on the hubpages and on my blog. The two which seem to have inspired the most controversy are What does it mean to be a Christian? and The Truth about Hell. In general, my hubs inspire positive comments and feedback, but in the comments of these two hubs there are definite negative comments.

As Christians we, out of love for Christ and all He has done for us, will do our best to love and forgive others. We will accept the fact that we ourselves are sinners and need God’s forgiveness. We will work to build people up rather than tear them down. We will gladly use our blessings and gifts to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Most importantly, we will speak the truth in love, not with criticism. These things being said, I would like to discuss some of the things Christians are accused of.

These accusations are pointed not only at me, but at all who profess to be followers of Christ. Keep in mind here, as stated in the above paragraph, that we are all sinners. Often people who profess to be Christians are not true followers of Christ. These people cause others to look at Christians in a bad light. As Christians, Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died…Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5: 14,17) We are to be a light to the dark world of sin that surrounds us.

“Eternity is forever” - When I stated that eternity is forever to a person who was rejecting God, I was asked if I was referring to, or saying that this person was going to hell.

• My Response - Only God can judge what is in a person’s heart, but she had just flat out rejected God. If she truly does not believe in Jesus as her Savior from sin, then she is destined for hell. John 3:36 tells us; Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. John is very clearly telling us that if we don’t believe we are lost.

A Veiled Threat - I was told that my statement, “eternity is forever” is a veiled threat of hellfire (the passive aggressive method that is so favored by Christians to make their points).

• My Response - It is not a threat but a warning and it does not come from me, but from our Creator God. Hell is a horrible and devastating choice, but at the same time it is just that – a choice. No one is forced to choose hell.

Christian Belief is a trap - Christian belief is a trap – that is very difficult to get free of.

• My Response - It is not Christianity that traps people. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the TRAP of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2Timothy 2:25, 26)It is Satan who makes people feel trapped. Belief in Christ and faith in Him means FREEDOM from sin and death.

Christians are Misleading Ego Maniacs

• My Response - Anyone who is an Ego Maniac is not truly a Christian. Those who mislead others into false beliefs are the false prophets Jesus warns about in Matthew 7:15 where He says; Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

I genuinely love the Lord and wish for others to feel the same joy I feel in knowing Him, and to experience freedom from the weight of sin that drags people down.

I am a member of the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). The WELS does not deviate from the truth of scripture in any way. I can’t speak for other church bodies, but as a WELS member I am confident that my faith is based on the truth of God’s word.

Christians are Unloving –

• My Response – Christians are sinners too. All people, Christians and non Christians alike are guilty of being unloving at times.

To love God is to Love others. If a true Christian has treated you or someone you know in an unloving way, they are in the wrong and need to kneel at the foot of the cross in repentance to God and to the person they mistreated.

Extremely Delusional – They expect people to believe nonsense.

• My Response – The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14) In other words, only by faith from the Holy Spirit are we able to understand the things of God, and even then there are things about God which we do not understand, but accept by faith. We receive that faith through the Word. Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) So, to those of you who think Christians believe in delusional nonsense, pick up a Bible and begin reading. Give the Holy Spirit a chance to work in your heart. The NIV is an easy version of the Bible to understand. I suggest you begin reading in the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.

Slanderers- Christians subject people to all kinds of slander, character assassinations and ridicule just because they refuse to accept nonsense as sense.

• My Response – As Christians we are to speak the truth in love as stated in Ephesians 4:15,16 ; Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Subjecting others to slander, character assassinations and ridicule is a part of the sinful nature that all people have inherited from Adam and Eve. It is wrong and it is a sin. It is done not only by Christians, but by people of all beliefs. As Christians however we need to set an example to others of love rather than hatred.

Jesus warns Christians that as His followers we will get more than our share of ridicule, slander and persecution in Matthew 5: 11 as stated above. He then goes on to assure us that in the end our reward will be great.

So, Atheists, Agnostics, Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists etc. – be prepared to take slander and ridicule sometimes. It will happen because we are all sinners.

Very Aggressive – “The Christians on the forums (the Hubpages) are very aggressive…The Ku Klux Klan was a result of fragmentation and they consider themselves Christians.”

• My Response – The Ku Klux Klan may consider themselves Christians, however that does not mean they are. As a Christian and follower of Christ I would completely disassociate myself from them. They do not fit the profile of a Christian and follower of Christ as stated by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:14 & 17 above.

The Bible is plagiarized off previous mythology – “Egyptian, Greek etc… All the ideas were based on astrology and mythology. There is not a scrap of evidence that any key Bible characters (including Jesus) actually existed.”

• My Response – The Bible does coincide with History. Separate the word “History” into two parts and you get “His Story” The Bible is the story of God and the events in the Bible do coincide with the History books.

Religion is just another Addiction – “You can get addicted to anything that rings your bell and religion does that for a lot of folks.

• My Response – Religion may be a man made addiction, but faith is an addiction from God. It is a wonderful addiction which can only result in good for those who believe. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, and now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:2)

Christians are blinded by their beliefs – “Extreme religious people can be so delusional and blinded by their beliefs that they abuse the people they are supposed to love.”

• My Response – The religious extremists, as extremists of any organization, are not a good representation of true Christians who love the Lord. They are misguided by humanly contrived doctrine and self-centeredness.

Hypocrites – Christians are hypocrites

• My Response – Yes, some people who profess to be Christians are hypocrites. Jesus offered this warning to the hypocrites of His day; Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are…And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. (Matthew 23: 15 & 35) Those who are hypocrites will get their punishment from God in due time.

Belief in a two-faced God – who cries while he fries - The point behind this statement is; How can a loving God damn the people He created to hell?

• My Response – We are given choices in this life. God did not make us robots to do His bidding. He wants us to serve Him out of love and gratitude for all He has done for us. The people of the O.T. whom God destroyed were evil and did despicable things. God had been truly good to them, but they rejected Him. They worshipped idols and even sacrificed their own children in the fire to the god of Molech. They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded , nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin. (Jeremiah 32:35)

Science and the Bible don’t match up

• My Response – Science and the Bible do match up. Read my hub The Signature of God.

Christian Belief is “Fear Doctrine”

• My Response – Those who love the Lord and believe in Jesus as their Savior from sin have nothing to fear from the devil or hell. They are protected in Jesus.

I have stated before that I will not argue Christianity with anyone. Either we believe, or we don’t. I just want all to know that my heart truly does bleed for those who don’t believe because they are missing out on wonderful blessings which will affect them both for time and for eternity.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) We certainly have nothing to lose and so much to gain by loving God rather than hating and rejecting Him.

By Kristeen – To God be the Glory!

Ashamed of the Gospel?

After reading so many negative and abusive comments regarding the subject matter in this hub, it has made me wonder if I should even write such controversial articles. But God talked to me through His word today which came to me in an email devotion I receive each day from the WELS. Today's devotion was entitled "Suffering for the Gospel". The Bible reference is 2 Timothy 1:8 & 9 and it reads - So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord...But join with me (Paul) in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

These words from the apostle Paul made me realize that what I am feeling/suffering because I am standing up for the truth of the word is nothing compared to what he and other apostles of Jesus day went through and especially compared to what Jesus Himself suffered. It gave me a new resolve to continue to speak the truth and reach out to those who don't know the Lord. I further resolve with the Lord's help to take Jesus' advice and shake the dust off my feet regarding those who don't want to listen and are too proud to admit that they are in the wrong. They will know the truth the day God demands their life from them.