Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

“…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:11-12; Titus 2:13) To be honest, I sometimes doubt the gospel. And by gospel I mean the biblical good news that after I die, at some point Jesus will return to resurrect me to immortal, eternal life.  Is that bad? No, just common sense working in me questioning something that I have never personally seen. That is, I have never seen someone who has died and was later brought back to immortal, never ending life. Jesus is the only person who has done so according to the bible and that occurred 2000 years ago and he is no longer physically present to prove to us he is alive, or immortal. “…our Lord Jesus Christ…who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can se...

Jesus said… "He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit" (John 15:5) I once heard a sermon on evangelism which said the above means that saved people go out and win others to Jesus. The sermon went on to suggest that if we were not soul winners then we needed to make sure we had really been saved and quoted… “…he who is wise wins souls.” (Proverbs 11:30) Believe it or not he got a few “Amens” from the self-righteous folks who were involved in the ministries of the church…like me at the time. As a child growing up in the church from age 7 to 15 such sermons as these caused me to doubt my salvation and get baptized 3 different times, trusting these preachers and being convinced by them that I had not been saved. The truth is that none of those decisions and baptisms saved me. God saved me and everyone else through Christ Jesus 2000 years ago! But what is this “fruit” that one who abides in Christ produces? “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy...