To the Laodecians, part II

To you: (do not read until you've read part I)
To me: (please do not forget the sense of urgency you've suddenly felt....)


It was a friday night, and my wife and I were at my cousins house celebrating his recent promotion. It was just a barbeque and alcohol. I had purchased Tequila as a gift, but after a couple of shots of that, we were all moving on to better drinks.

Then he said it.... "Dude, I know I am going straight to hell for that one! ::loud laugh:: Shit, I'm goin to hell for a lot of things!" ::look of concern for 2 seconds, then the loud laugh again::
I am looking at this guy (who is my cousin's cousin) and I say, "Wait, why are you going to hell?"
"Cos man, I'm a baaaaad boy. Bad boy! Can't stop the sinnin! ::again the look of concern:: You wouldn't know. You think sin is when you lied to yo daddy. I've been baaaaaad!!!" ::loud laugh::
I say, "Nah nah nah. That's not sin and neither is anything you do. You believe in Jesus right?"
"Of course!", he says.
"Well then I'll see you in heaven!"
"How do you even figure man? ::chuckle, eyes sobering up:: Seriously bro, respectfully, I know I have done things that God can't forgive. I have knowingly done bad things man. I have accepted this. I am going to hell."

Now I am thinkin.... Does anyone NOT knowingly do bad things?
And I open my mouth to respond and then my cousin interupts. "Both of you shut the hell up! You're ruinin the party! Why you guys gotta talk about religion when I am trying to get drunk. Lets have fun!"

I want to argue the point, but I love my cousin and I respect his home. Also, the Guiness and 2 Bass' are ready to leave my urinary tract. But while I am aiming my urine into the toilet bowl, I feel the spirit urge me to make a point to this guy.

"S****, I hate to disrespect you", I say as I exit the bathroom, "but let me just tell T*** one thing. T***, ::I am looking him straight in the eye/I can feel the spirit of God on me:: there is only one sin. And that is to not believe in Jesus. Period. There is nothing else that seperates us from God. If you in your heart of hearts believe in Jesus as the saviour, then I will see you in heaven. Sorry S****, I'll shut up now."

I sit down. T*** looks at me. "Thanks man....."
He got it! He knew!

I could go off on the rest of the evening and how he thanked me for the words like 4 more times. But I want to make a point.

Lets evaluate the scripture I posted.
John 16:8-11 NCV (Holy Bible)
8 When the Helper comes, he will prove to the people of the world the truth about sin, about being right with God, and about judgment.9 He will prove to them that sin is not believing in me.10 He will prove to them that being right with God comes from my going to the Father and not being seen anymore. 11 And the Helper will prove to them that judgment happened when the ruler of this world was judged.

Verse 8 says the helper (the spirit of God) will show the world (us) 3 things. What sin is, how to be right with God and how we shall be judged.

What is sin? ---- "sin is not believing in me." Jesus is a few hours from crucifixion when he reveals this. He is through with the parables and he is through with the hidden meanings. He is out of time. So he is saying it as plainly as he can. I can't elaborate on this because this is as blunt as it gets.

So how can I be right with God (i.e. Righteousness)? -- "being right with God comes from my going to the Father and not being seen anymore." You wanna please God? Be 'right' with him? Have faith! What is faith? Believing the impossible. People today mock Jesus. They mock faith. They mock church. They mock your beliefs. Romans 3:4 says, "...the Scripture says, 'Abraham believed God, and God accepted Abraham's faith, and that faith made him right with God.' Thats all God is looking for. Thats all he has ever wanted. Believe just one thing. Jesus existed. He died so I could live, then went to be with His father in Heaven. Believe in that and God will be pleased with you beyond anything you could believe.

How will we be judged? -- "judgment happened when the ruler of this world was judged." It is finished. You will not be judged for any wrong you do because Jesus was already tried, proved guilty, convicted and handed the death penalty for all your wrongs. You are free because He took the rap for you.

Read it. Those are not my words. They are Jesus'. Read it in any translation you want. They all say the same thing.
I have more to share to myself on this, but I think this is enough for now.

I hope this all makes sense. Maybe you know this already. But maybe you don't.
Give me one more entry. I'll tie it together. ; )