Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
First Page - Now launched! All the stories are true, or based on real events. Unlimited reading for $4.99 / month. No downloads. Read on your phone, tablet or computer.
La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.
First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.
Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.
Manna Minutes en español:
Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.
Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:
Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.
Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
The Unbalanced Gospel of Jesus Christ
summary: The gospel of Jesus Christ is not all hell fire and damnation. Nevertheless, it's not only about the goodness of God either. The Christian Bible reminds the believer as well as the unbeliever that both the goodness and severity of God is to be preached and believed.
In earlier years there were some preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ that may have been over zealous in their ministries. Some did not take time to receive full understanding before they preached. The apostle Paul even wrote of people who preached Christ to start contention, to add affliction to his life, in envy, and in insincerity (KJV, Philippians 1:15-16).
The Goodness and Severity of God
It's no wonder that many messages and sermons on the gospel of Jesus Christ ended up emphasizing only one side of the Lord--the goodness of God or the severity of God. According to these unbalanced teachings, The Lord was either all fury or all love, but seldom both. Many messages emphasized hell fire and damnation by an angry, ill-tempered, mean, and impossible God. Others stressed the love of God to the point of suggesting that he loves away the sins of men while they continue to rebel against his commandments.
The one side may have sought to win souls to Christ solely through fear. The other side may have sought to win souls to Christ by a complete avoidance of the mention of hell fire and damnation. The fact is that neither side has enjoyed the success of winning people to the Lord with their lop-sided gospel of Jesus Christ as did the Christians of old with the whole gospel. Why? It doesn't seem strange that the constant preaching on hell fire and damnation would be rejected by people. However, what would cause messages of God's love that strategically avoid the mention of hell fire to also fail at attracting the masses?
Just as many people bristle up against the message of God's punishment of sin, many don't take kindly to the idea of a God who allows sin to go unpunished either. Why? If a person will only take a moment to consider how government works, he will begin to see a truth he may not have realized before.
He would simply imagine that he lived in a country where the king pardoned the crimes of everyone in the name of love. This sounds wonderful to the ears of a criminal. Nevertheless, it is very unsettling to the law-abiding citizens. Would they really want to serve a ruler who's so mushy with love that he can't even maintain order or offer protection?
Although an earthly government or kingdom is a flawed and crude shadow of the kingdom of God, it's an important analogy. Jesus, in his parables, often compared spiritual things to earthly things in order to impart understanding. Both the goodness and severity of God are real; hell fire and damnation are also real. One has only to read the Bible to verify these things for himself. He will see why the scripture of Romans 11:22 says, "behold therefore the goodness and severity of God." The preaching of an unbalanced gospel of Jesus Christ only points to an undesirable God.
Related reading:
Ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus?
Reasons for Resistance to the Gospel and to Becoming a Christian
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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