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Aug 16
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The Reality of Hell posted by John Sorensen on Aug 16, 2018

When is the last time you heard a sermon about Hell?  Or Heaven, for that matter?

I remember the day I went to Dr. Kennedy, Evangelism Explosion’s founder, and asked, “Why is it that pastors don’t seem to want to get involved in the Great Commission?” He thought for a moment and said, “John, if God would dip all pastors in Hell for a fraction of a second and then yank them up by their shirt tails–as they’re standing there smoldering and their clothes and skin are full of black soot, and their shoes have half melted off, I think their commitment to the Great Commission would substantially increase.”

I raced to write that down. We made it into an ad that we ran in a Christian magazine, aimed at pastors. The purpose was not to offend them. The purpose was to raise the main point for discussion: at least from our actions, it appears that we don’t believe in Hell.

Now I get that it’s not a fun discussion. I understand that it’s horrific to think about our friends and family going there for all eternity. And I know that many have tried and shared and have not been able to get our unsaved friends and family to listen. It’s not fun to think about. But the answer cannot be for us to pretend that it’s not real.

I think the point Dr. Kennedy was making was that the real problem is that we don’t believe in Hell, or we choose to not think about it. And that impacts our actions, for the worse mind you.

I was reading today from the great Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I was reminded of one of his great quotes when he cried, “Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not madly to destroy themselves. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there un-warned and un-prayed for.”

Friends, what can we do? First, I think we need to remind ourselves of the truth of how short this life is, and how long eternity is. Then we need to work hard to make sure that everyone we know has heard the Gospel, and had the chance to respond.

I had the privilege of writing a book with Dr. Kennedy called, “Well Done.”  In it, he wrote a chapter on Heaven. It’s beautiful.  I cry every time I read it.  If you’d like a copy, I’d be happy to send you one.  Just visit ShareLife.today, and look for the link where you can request yours.  Read the chapter on Heaven, called A New Heaven and a New Earth!  Then share this great news with everyone you can this week.

Have a great week in Christ as you do.



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