eChurch Christian Blog

Free will. My goodness this is a subject that has been the heart of philosophical thought since Adam begin.

Like many atheists and materialists I don’t believe in free will, although of course for differing reasons to them!

As my post about election shows man hardens his own heart, but that is because God has removed his hand of restraint from him.

I don’t believe that we have a choice to accept Jesus Christ or not to accept Jesus Christ. I totally believe in His irresistible grace.

Why? Because God, forbids us to judge one another. Therefore I do not believe that He would allow us to judge Him and His plan for humanity. Let alone judge His Son and His all encompassing atonement for us, and for us to decide whether He is worthy or not.  We do not have the right to judge God. I think that the belief that we have chosen Him, can be perceived as works and adding to the Cross.

The thought of God allowing us weak, sinful, pathetic humans to judge the Christ is just not the YHWH I know of. God chooses, period.

Throughout the Scripture God chooses us, not the other way round. He chooses, Abel, not Cain, Jacob not Esau, Isaac not Ishmael The nation of Israel and of course young David from all his brothers.

However, we do have to respond by loving Him, with our all our heart, soul and mind and dedicating our lives and living a life of worship. Rom 12:1

Does God chose to allow millions to go to damnation?

No, everyone should and deserves to go to damnation.

But He has chosen millions for salvation.

When I step back and look at the history in scripture. I see God was fully prepared to kill off the whole mankind once before at the Flood, but by His grace He didn’t.

Even when Jesus came, He came for the Jews, first and foremost.

This was obvious from the Greek woman who repeatedly asked for the demon to be cast out of her child, Jesus said” Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs” (the gentiles were called dogs by the Jews, but I guess you know that).

But God had a plan not only for Israel but to take people from every tribe and nation (John 3:16). If He really, really wanted to save every single person, He could, period.

However, He has chosen people for Himself to live with him for eternity.

The really big question is – How will we live our life here? Do we live this life with our eternal life as our main focus?

Because what we do in this life determines how we will live our eternal life.

Many will be there ….but by the skin of their teeth..not too regrettable for them, as better to sweep the streets of the New Jerusalem with God…

Will we built upon the foundation of Jesus with gold, silver and precious stones or we will build with hay and stubble? This is our choice!

We will live forever, Praise God, predestined before the foundation of the world, chosen to live with Him, because of His grace and mercy. However this is only because of God will give us immortal and incorruptible new bodies. He will sustain us by His Spirit and by partaking of the living waters and the tree of life.

This was why the Garden of Eden was closed off from Adam and protected by angels. The eating of the fruit from the tree of life continually gives immortality and if Adam had partook of the fruit after sin had entered him, we would have all been doomed.

I also believe that the spirit (essence) of man is eternal. However, I do not believe that the soul is eternal, animals have souls and yet scripture shows us that they are not eternal.

From physics we know that energy is indestructible and only transferable. The essence or spirit returns to God, from whence it came.

There is also so much scripture supporting the eventual destruction of the soul, and also the references to the second death (Rev 2:11, 20:6, 20:14, 21:8)

The lake of fire is however, everlasting as quoted in  Rev 20:14

“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” This is repeated in Rev 21:8 and the wicked “with have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

However, Rev 20:10 says that satan and his brethren are tormented for ever and ever.

Just wanted to add what Charlie Spurgeon said

“I do not come into this pulpit hoping that perhaps somebody will of his own free will return to Christ. My hope lies in another quarter. I hope that my Master will lay hold of some of them and say, “You are mine, and you shall be mine. I claim you for myself.” My hope arises from the freeness of grace, and not from the freedom of the will.”

Blessings

Christians in the UK must stand by their persecuted brothers and sisters “in spirit”, says Baroness Caroline Cox.

Baroness Cox, founder of the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), said at the Baptist Assembly on Saturday that there were at least 250 million Christians suffering around the world because of their faith.

“They are suffering … we do have an obligation to them. We have a living faith today because so many others paid the ultimate price.”

She added: “We cannot afford to forget that when one part of the body suffers we all suffer.”

In a session on persecution, Baroness Cox recounted visits she had made with HART to people suffering at the hands of oppressive governments, including Christians in North Korea, Armenia, Sudan and Burma.

She went on to say that reaching persecuted populations had often meant entering countries illegally and under dangerous circumstances.

One Armenian pastor she met would wake up each morning, even at the height of a bombing campaign by Azerbaijan, to pray in the pitch dark and freezing cold for his people. They narrowly escaped being killed in a direct hit on his house when a slab of concrete fell on the spot where they had been sleeping just moments after they had got up to pray together.

“It was one time I was literally saved by prayer,” the Baroness joked.

The pastor’s response to the bombing was to say: “Whatever demonic forces come against us … we must never hate; we must always love.”

Baroness Cox went on to condemn the “brutal crimes against humanity” committed by the Burmese military junta against its own people, including torture, rape, forced labour and the use of human minesweepers.

In Sudan, meanwhile, she warned that radical Muslims were investing massively in the southern region, particularly Darfur, and that church leaders there were desperate for Christian mission agencies to return to help them counter the spread of Islam.

“Sudan is on a knife edge,” she said.

Baroness Cox said that although supporting suffering Christians did not necessarily mean joining them in receiving the persecution, she said praying for them and “being with them in spirit” were very important.

“While we are living in our comfort zones, our brothers and sisters are still enduring their Calvaries and Gethsemanies,” she said. “We have a biblical mandate to be with the lost, last, least, forgotten.”

At church today the Pastor spoke on the following scriptures:

Luke 5

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples

1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Leaving aside for the moment the miracle itself and the fact that these fishermen immediately forsook all to follow Jesus….

The preacher majored on the need for the fishermen to unify together to haul in the abundant harvest and related this to the need for Christians to unify together in the same way.

A valid point and incredibly the issue of online social networking came up! I say incredible as I have been blogging about this very issue today!

Evangelism Using Twitter To Reach The World For Jesus

Twittering Christians

How the Spirit moves!

The Internet like everything else is a tool that can be used for Good or Evil and I think it is time to really push for the Internet to be used for Jesus by all Christians. I know many wonderful Christian websites already exist and my wifey is a big user of Christian forums.

Whether we like it or not, online internet social networking is HUGE and growing FAST and it can be a great opportunity for Christians to network together across denominational boundaries and in ways that would not normally be possible or practical.

I believe earnestly that Christians communicating together online can help us to understand each other and break down barriers and create a Spirit of unity.

Take this eChurchWebsites Blog for example, which has not been online very long. I posted some articles about Christians and mental health and was surprised by the interest that this topic generated and have now become aware of a need within our community (based on internet searches).

My response is to try to partner with specialist online Christian Psychiatric ministries and gain permission to use their expert articles on this issue. I am awaiting their responses but this is an example of Christian partnering online. I will of course ensure that all material is referenced to their website, so folks can go to them for support and guidance.

I was pointed to the Christian Concern for our Nation website and was so impressed and moved by their ministry that I am supporting them on this blog and disseminate their articles.

These are just a couple of ways that I am partnering with other Christians online.

I have also had this blessing the other way around, with Ultimate Tube helping me with website exposure on their website and also UK Christian Websites listing me on their exclusive Christian directory.

I know I might be biased as website development for Christians is what I do, but I believe that the Internet is a massive under utilised tool for the Christian community in general.

If you have an urge in your Spirit to have a Christian internet presence, (it could be a website, blog, directory, forum, social networking website or whatever else you can think of), do get in contact for an informal chat today!

The more Christians that are online, supporting one another and linking together creating networks, the more powerful our voices become.

Blessings Webmaster