One of my regular, daily routines is to check my Facebook feed for anything interesting other people have posted. Sometimes, when I find something, I share it on my own page.

The above meme is one such example. Often, as a result, some will comment, either in agreement or in disagreement. Without further elaboration, here is one exchange I had with an “in disagreement” friend and one exchange with an “in agreement” friend …

DISAGREEING FRIEND EXCHANGE

Friend

I must be tough thinking that all your loved ones are going to suffer in hell because they don’t believe exactly as you do. Yes. Change your Church, I did, I could not listen to people who thought the know a god that wanted to punish them. You can’t frighten people in to heaven. Faith Hope and Love, and the greatest of these is Love … The Greatest of these is Love. So for you, if your love ones don’t repent they are going to be torture by god for ever? Is this your Righteousness Loving god? As I said you cannot frighten people in to heaven why do you make it so complicated, your gospel is far too long.

Me

I suppose your reply came as no surprise although your “care” sticker did. Have you read my most important posting on my website (see here)? We are agreed that the Love of God is a very important truth but may disagree when I say that when it comes to sharing the Gospel message that we should begin with the Righteousness of a Holy God who can’t stand sin and since He is the God of love that cost His only begotten son His life. A church that ignores the call to sinners (all of us) to “Repent Turn From Sin” is not doing what it should! … It is not about frightening people but rather telling the truth about a loving God that is holy and righteous than cannot abide sin into His presence so He sent His Son to take penalty we deserve – best news ever and all I do is relay it and leave it to individuals to how they respond and God to how they respond to their response! … I’m sure like you I try to be empathetic and offer comfort to dying friends. Sometimes I say nothing about eternal matters, and perhaps to my shame, especially as in your example he/she shows no interest in God, I don’t say anything about God out of respect. It seems to me the best service you can give though is to speak truthfully and kindly and the most important truth we can share concerns Him who offers eternal life to those who believe in Him irrespective of their past.

AGREEING FRIEND EXCHANGE

Friend

Well done dear friend in recycling this absolutely vital message. The fact you’re not yet seeing change in those who object to Truth is to their disadvantage. I don’t waste time in engaging for they’ve been warned and will find it’s too late to repent when in wrong post-mortem place, as I nearly did.

Me

Perhaps the greatest tragedy I see in this age of craziness and deception is not so much people, especially Christians, not getting what is really happening in the culture or even them succumbing to wokeism in their attempts to include and empower “the other ” but that the churches, including the so-called Evangelical ones, too often preach a different and false gospel. It seems obvious to me that pushing the notion of an all-loving God is a widely appealing one that also has scriptural basis, but that of an all holy one that judges sin is less appealing and may therefore ditched in order to draw in the unchurched or the churched that wants just to be made to feel good. We have lost the fear of God all too often, evidence of which is proclaiming a message that is unbalanced and, worse still, false. Of course, there are many signs of the people of God doing the right thing, speaking needed truth and waking up. It is beholden for the likes of people such as us as to the end of our lives to point folk to the truth and to encourage the next generation of true gospel proclaimers.