Comments on: Is It Possible? http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/ It's more wonderful than you can imagine! Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:47:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Bruced http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-555 Bruced Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:49:53 +0000 http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-555 It certainly is possible... but when we allow ourselves to believe that it is PROBABLE, then it becomes an irresistibly life-changing force. Sadly, we don't believe. The "church" won't let us. It certainly is possible… but when we allow ourselves to believe that it is PROBABLE, then it becomes an irresistibly life-changing force.

Sadly, we don’t believe. The “church” won’t let us.

]]> By: kevin beck http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-554 kevin beck Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:47:02 +0000 http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-554 Cliff, Way back when I was preaching, I used to ask a similar question, but with a different motivation. I was trying to motivate my congregation to go out and "evangelize" (ie make converts to our way of thinking). I'd ask them, "How can you be at peace knowing that your friends and family members are going to burn in hell for all eternity? You need to get out there are tell them the Good News of what they must do to obey the gospel." Now, I see the point more clearly. If we believe that God will torture people, then we can't live at peace. It's just not possible. That's one reason why we find so many zealous religious folks acting in so many destructive and self-destructive ways. How can we live with ourselves and our 'god' if we believe that the god we consider to be all-powerful will hurt the people we love forever? Our hearts are saying "love' but our adherence to a doctrine says 'rejection.' It creates a cognitive dissonance that causes us to take out our frustrations somewhere. As a former minister, I know that I took out my frustrations on my congregation and my family. I couldn't see it at the time, but now it is very clear. Thanks for this post. Many blessings to you. Cliff,
Way back when I was preaching, I used to ask a similar question, but with a different motivation. I was trying to motivate my congregation to go out and “evangelize” (ie make converts to our way of thinking). I’d ask them, “How can you be at peace knowing that your friends and family members are going to burn in hell for all eternity? You need to get out there are tell them the Good News of what they must do to obey the gospel.”

Now, I see the point more clearly. If we believe that God will torture people, then we can’t live at peace. It’s just not possible. That’s one reason why we find so many zealous religious folks acting in so many destructive and self-destructive ways. How can we live with ourselves and our ‘god’ if we believe that the god we consider to be all-powerful will hurt the people we love forever? Our hearts are saying “love’ but our adherence to a doctrine says ‘rejection.’ It creates a cognitive dissonance that causes us to take out our frustrations somewhere.

As a former minister, I know that I took out my frustrations on my congregation and my family. I couldn’t see it at the time, but now it is very clear.

Thanks for this post. Many blessings to you.

]]> By: Don R http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-553 Don R Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:37:54 +0000 http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-553 Well put Cliff and great comment, Steve!! Well put Cliff and great comment, Steve!!

]]> By: geo http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-552 geo Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:35:16 +0000 http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-552 Steve, You bring up a good point. The confession of this Gospel does need to be confessed. But it needs confessed more to those who "claim" belief than it does to the unbeliever! I understand now what Paul said when he said this, "to the Jew first then to the Gentile" It is the Christian believer who needs to hear this message first, then to the unbeliever. I think that is where we have too not be ashamed of the gospel i.e in front of "Christian" believers. Who will persecute you when it is done. But take heart because the Gospel of Grace & Peace once planted in their hearts will grow! In Perfect Peace Geo Steve,
You bring up a good point. The confession of this Gospel does need to be confessed. But it needs confessed more to those who “claim” belief than it does to the unbeliever! I understand now what Paul said when he said this, “to the Jew first then to the Gentile”
It is the Christian believer who needs to hear this message first, then to the unbeliever. I think that is where we have too not be ashamed of the gospel i.e in front of “Christian” believers. Who will persecute you when it is done. But take heart because the Gospel of Grace & Peace once planted in their hearts will grow!

In Perfect Peace
Geo

]]> By: geo http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-551 geo Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:21:19 +0000 http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-551 WOW! I want to remind all of the readers who don't know, CLIFF is PASTOR of a local church! Now if we just had more pastors who speak the truth BOLDLY as Cliff does the world WOULD CHANGE! Cliff, You are a Pearl of Great Price! I love your heart and how you bring The Good News to us ALL! In Perfect Peace Geo WOW!
I want to remind all of the readers who don’t know, CLIFF is PASTOR of a local church!
Now if we just had more pastors who speak the truth BOLDLY as Cliff does the world WOULD CHANGE!
Cliff, You are a Pearl of Great Price! I love your heart and how you bring The Good News to us ALL!

In Perfect Peace
Geo

]]> By: Steve http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-550 Steve Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:08:02 +0000 http://boldgrace.com/2007/08/21/is-it-possible/#comment-550 <p>And another amen from the hills of WV. As I read this and watched George in the previous video post, I thought how important it is for us to believe and confess. But not that our belief and confession redeems us but that the cross already did that. It accomplished the impossible that while WE (all) were yet sinners Christ died for all of us ungodly people so that we could overcome a mindset of arrogance and condemnation and actually live in lasting peace, first with God and then with our neighbor, whoever they might be.</p> <p>Believing that our redemption is secure in Christ and His work alone (for us all) can bring about a lasting change to this world that all of the religious effort can never produce. That should be so very obvious. Confessing that Jesus Christ really has taken away the sin of the world can bring peace to minds. It can give hope to the hopeless.</p> <p>It is the arrogance of those who see themselves above others that continues to produce division, anger and wars. Only the love of God as demonstrated in the cross of Christ, conquers that...and it has. He led the captivity of us all captive. He gave gifts, totally free gifts, and the best that can be given to men. Oh that all men would but believe that but the religious resist it the most and do so in the name of a loving God while they heap condemnation on their perceived adversaries.</p> <p>May that which we, and others like us, confess to start a tidal wave of love that fills this world and brings in lasting peace to the minds of mankind and may we continue to speak it forth boldly. May those who still see some as their adversaries understand that God is at peace with His creation, both them and those adversaries. The cross ended hostilities. It is a new creation where the Prince of Peace reigns supreme. That is the good news. May it flood this world with love and grace.</p> And another amen from the hills of WV. As I read this and watched George in the previous video post, I thought how important it is for us to believe and confess. But not that our belief and confession redeems us but that the cross already did that. It accomplished the impossible that while WE (all) were yet sinners Christ died for all of us ungodly people so that we could overcome a mindset of arrogance and condemnation and actually live in lasting peace, first with God and then with our neighbor, whoever they might be.

Believing that our redemption is secure in Christ and His work alone (for us all) can bring about a lasting change to this world that all of the religious effort can never produce. That should be so very obvious. Confessing that Jesus Christ really has taken away the sin of the world can bring peace to minds. It can give hope to the hopeless.

It is the arrogance of those who see themselves above others that continues to produce division, anger and wars. Only the love of God as demonstrated in the cross of Christ, conquers that…and it has. He led the captivity of us all captive. He gave gifts, totally free gifts, and the best that can be given to men. Oh that all men would but believe that but the religious resist it the most and do so in the name of a loving God while they heap condemnation on their perceived adversaries.

May that which we, and others like us, confess to start a tidal wave of love that fills this world and brings in lasting peace to the minds of mankind and may we continue to speak it forth boldly. May those who still see some as their adversaries understand that God is at peace with His creation, both them and those adversaries. The cross ended hostilities. It is a new creation where the Prince of Peace reigns supreme. That is the good news. May it flood this world with love and grace.

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