Hell Dot Com

On my way to work displayed in placards on an overpass was the message, “JesusSavesFromHell.com.” The word “Hell” was in red letters. I could hardly wait till I got to work to see who in the world was behind this red letter edict. The web wove an interesting answer to my question. It appears that this freeway forecast was an advertisement for the books of one Mary K. Baxter an ordained pastor in the Pentecostal movement. It seems that Ms. Baxter in the mid seventies was visited by Jesus and given a guided tour of hell for thirty nights followed by a glimpse of heaven for ten more nights. Her two books give an account of her Dante’s Divine Comedy experience as she and Jesus work their way through the human shaped portals of hell located in the core of the earth. I’ll let you youtube an interview with Ms. Baxter and you can judge the veracity of her witness and cast you vote whether delusional or divinely inspired. What I would like to discuss is not the reality of heaven and hell but the upside down approach of asserting Jesus as savior for the hell bound (i.e. a red letter emphasis).

Do I think preaching ought to have a little “hell” raising? Yes, the reality of eternal punishment is a fear that ought to hold its place in the heart of all believers. However, I think it might be best served in the ratio that Jesus employed. Take up a concordance and see how many times Jesus speaks of heaven as opposed to speaking of hell. Talk of heaven just naturally dominates the conversation when hearts are turned toward God and the promises of eternal life. Would I like to see a freeway placard proclaiming, “Want to know how to make your way home to God in heaven?”… Why, yes!

But aren’t you afraid some will be saying, “Lord, Lord (Matthew 7:21-23).” If we don’t put the fear of God in people they will cheapen grace and have false expectations! If our destination was dependent on making sure we didn’t do anything to deserve hell I might agree. However, entrance into heaven’s gates is not based on who you are but who you have become in Christ! It’s about living heavenly lives in a world marred by sin. It’s about surrendering to Jesus Lordship and being sealed by the Spirit until that promised day. It’s about Jesus writing your name in the Lamb’s book of life! It seems to me that Ms. Baxter forgot an important part of Jesus story of the rich man and Lazarus. Abraham tells the rich man that his five brothers don’t need a witness from beyond because “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead (Luke 16:31).” I’m with Ada Powell… “Sing to me of heaven, let me fondly dream…” DAN

Garden Party

I grew up on those black and white family sitcoms like Leave It to Beaver , Father Knows Best and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Show. My oldest sister loved Ricky Nelson and so she was elated when she met his wife and twin boys while working at a five and dime in Burbank in the early seventies. Ricky had become cool again by that time with the biggest hit of his career, “Garden Party.” The song was auto-biographical about a rock’n roll reunion concert at Madison Square Garden in 1971. If you remember the lyrics reflect his rejection that night because he didn’t sing or look like he did in the fifties and consequently was met with a wave of boos. I woke up recently singing this song and it made me think of another garden party that’s been on my mind.

It’s the original garden party where an uninvited guest spoiled all the future parties of life. This talking snake with a “not” in his tale convinced Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil by telling her if she ate the forbidden fruit, “you will not surely die (Genesis 3:4).” Deceived, complicit and dripping with consequences Eve and her acquiescing partner Adam opened death’s door. When God shows up to the party in the cool of the day, sin is in its usual place –hiding. But you can’t hide from God and you can’t hide from the destruction that sin always leaves in its path. This is the only time in Scripture that I have ever felt sorry for the devil (and of course I’m kidding) but Adam blames God for the defective woman he gave him and Eve blames the devil snake and the helpless snake hasn’t got anybody left to blame. You see the loss of innocence is also about the birth of the blame game. Sinners from this point forward will tend to blame others for their selfish indulgences. But as promised the fruit bowl at this garden party resulted in God’s proclamation, “from dust you are and from dust you will return (Genesis 3:19).” Or as Paul reflects, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).”

This garden story I believe has one more veiled insight. Before God put Adam and Eve out of the garden he made them suitable clothes (fig leaves have a shelf life). So, he clothed them in skins (leather is the original fashion statement). But what must be assumed and is vital to our understanding of sin and grace is that such required the loss of innocent life… the shedding of blood in behalf of mankind. This awful mixture of grace filled love and the consequences of sin should never be far from our lips. How great is the price for our sins! May we never forget what we lost at the Garden Party… and lament our sinfulness as we embrace the grace that covers us! -DAN

What Is Your Life?

Life has its favorites… favorite sport, favorite ice-cream, favorite vacation spot, and I guess if we go back far enough, favorite stuffed animal/blanket/thumb to suck. What lasts a lifetime is favorite people, close friends, those birds of a feather that flock together. This past week I reunited on the phone with some of my favorite people, Ken and Jan Siminoe from Ukiah days. Their house was always a place to let my hair down… yes, I had more hair in those days. One could be themselves and share heart, fears, joys and laughter. A preacher doesn’t always find a place where he doesn’t feel he has to put on the airs of the calling but Jan and Ken made me always feel at home. After some formal matters we began to catch up and reminisce about times. Realizing how long it had been since seeing each other, Ken reflected on the book of James affirmation that life is short… “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14).” Those are sad words if your mist isn’t rich, full and joyous. However, if your life is “good” as Ken asserted, the answer to “What is your life?” is “a great ride!”

Maybe the most revealing question is to ask, “What makes one’s life rich, full and joyous?” Let me be brash enough to say what I think makes up that list. First and foremost would be resilient faith. This is the kind of faith that is not hitched to people, facts, feelings or tradition but rather is anchored in relationship with Jesus. This is faith that can’t be taken away by any force on earth because it rests in heaven! Second, and companion to this faith is a humble humorous bone. People who take themselves too serious have frail misty lives but one who can laugh at his weakness, chortle over his mistakes and belly laugh at life’s blemishes is rich, full and joyous indeed. (Ken and Jan were the first to join me in laughing about my pulpit plunder when I said prostate instead of prostrate). Included in this list is family and like a favorite child not heralded but known to be favored, family is just the best! My list would be incomplete if I didn’t include art appreciation, world travel (or at least exposure to different cultures), silly time, reading enrichment, hand and foot (or whatever card game you like), poetry and yes, O yes… the greatest of these is love!

I’m quite sure your list looks different than mine but amazingly the same! From our guts we know what makes life rich, full and joyous! The common prayer of all our lives is that we can say with Ken, “Life’s been good!” So, how has your ride been? -DAN

The Ministry of Prophesying

School in the 1960’s was more experimental, arts friendly and open to a relaxed atmosphere for learning. In eighth grade I took music appreciation. O, I had grown up appreciating music through singing in church, listening to the radio or records and rocking out to the Beatles… but I hadn’t been moved deep within until I heard Ferde Grofe’s Grand Canyon Suite. Suddenly, music took on a new power in my life and melody was more than toe tapping or vocal gymnastics –it was spiritual, mystic and spoke a language of the heart. The greatest songwriter of all time, King David, knew that power as he soothed the moody reigning King, Saul (1 Samuel 16:23). Later David set apart 288 skilled musicians for the “music of the temple of the Lord (1 Chronicles 25:6).” However, David first identifies their ministry as “the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals (v.1).” Prophecy not in forecasting future events but in its most basic meaning of revealing the divine will. Music is a gift from God and an integral part of our physical and spiritual design. That is, our hearts beat to a rhythm and our feet respond to a steady beat with toe-tapping body swaying delight. God has programmed us with music appreciation that moves us deep within.

So how about that church music? Without a doubt it is a prophetic voice revealing God’s will… Paul who soothed his wounds and discomfort along with Silas sang the jailhouse blues (Acts 16:25). Later he wrote of how church life needed music as divine conversation that spoke, taught and admonished (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16). Music gives voice to words that exceed their conversational use and become lyrical memories that capture the essence of faith, hope and love. Music transports us to a deeper understanding of grace that now becomes Amazing Grace and how to cope with life no matter what our lot may be so we can say It Is Well With My Soul. The musical library of our hearts furnishes us with spiritual guidance to travel through this life’s journey with assurance, confidence and joy.

So, next time you gather with the Saints and the song leader initiates the downbeat… sing like the 288 with the assurance that you are part of a ministry of prophesying! Sing like you mean what you say and say what you mean. This is no time to check out mentally with, “Not this old song” or “Wow, something from the last two centuries would be nice!” Rather, sing like a prophet… a passionate, dedicated and heartfelt proclaimer of good news and God’s love! And if God has gifted you to be on tune that would be nice as well. -DAN