Comments on: Am I Going to Heaven? http://www.increasingfaithblog.com/biblical-faith/am-i-going-to-heaven Looking at Faith from a Fresh Perspective Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:36:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: kurt http://www.increasingfaithblog.com/biblical-faith/am-i-going-to-heaven/comment-page-1#comment-115 kurt Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:22:50 +0000 http://www.increasingfaithblog.com/?p=43#comment-115 Thanks for the thoughts Brian. To clarify the point of what I am trying to convey, I am not attempting to, nor advocating judging whether or not someone claiming the name of Christ will be granted access to heaven, thankfully that is not my job. My goal, and maybe I was not as clear as I would have liked to be, was two fold. 1. To cause readers to look at their own lives. If the sum total of your transformation is buying a ticket, then based on what Christ said, you should evaluate if that ticket is genuine. Christ's message was one of total devotion. Yes, transformation takes time and is a process, but if there is not transformation, then is there really belief? 2. To bring attention to how we present the Gospel. As a church, we often resort to ticket selling. We pride ourselves in how many tickets we sell, but Christ never asked us to sell tickets. He asked us to make disciples. Being a disciple is much more than being a ticket holder. When we present the gospel, we need to be careful to not just sell tickets, but to convey the totality of what following Christ means. No, change will not happen overnight everytime, but lack of desire to change to align oneself with Biblical teaching should be concerning. I totally agree, planting seeds takes time, and we have no idea what one seed will do in the course of someones life. My only concern is that we are actually planting the seeds of following Christ, and not seeds of train tickets. I hope all that makes sense, and thanks again for the thoughts. Thanks for the thoughts Brian. To clarify the point of what I am trying to convey, I am not attempting to, nor advocating judging whether or not someone claiming the name of Christ will be granted access to heaven, thankfully that is not my job.

My goal, and maybe I was not as clear as I would have liked to be, was two fold.

1. To cause readers to look at their own lives. If the sum total of your transformation is buying a ticket, then based on what Christ said, you should evaluate if that ticket is genuine. Christ’s message was one of total devotion. Yes, transformation takes time and is a process, but if there is not transformation, then is there really belief?

2. To bring attention to how we present the Gospel. As a church, we often resort to ticket selling. We pride ourselves in how many tickets we sell, but Christ never asked us to sell tickets. He asked us to make disciples. Being a disciple is much more than being a ticket holder. When we present the gospel, we need to be careful to not just sell tickets, but to convey the totality of what following Christ means. No, change will not happen overnight everytime, but lack of desire to change to align oneself with Biblical teaching should be concerning.

I totally agree, planting seeds takes time, and we have no idea what one seed will do in the course of someones life. My only concern is that we are actually planting the seeds of following Christ, and not seeds of train tickets.

I hope all that makes sense, and thanks again for the thoughts.

]]> By: Brian Coburn http://www.increasingfaithblog.com/biblical-faith/am-i-going-to-heaven/comment-page-1#comment-113 Brian Coburn Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:03:15 +0000 http://www.increasingfaithblog.com/?p=43#comment-113 New ticket holders are selfish and very unaware of what the spiritual implications of following Jesus is all about. We are all, as Christ followers in the stages between the planting of the seed and seeing the perfect face of our Lord. I did not say "I DO" 9 years ago and change. Through much grace and witnessing on the part of some seasoned and not so seasoned Christians I started to understand this more. I was blind and now I see. Our perfect Holy Father in Heaven just keeps giving us more and more but we have to accept it. We have to try and understand it the best that our minds can. For some this may take longer than others. Listening to your fathers testimony is "I think" a great example of this. Look at the fruit from his life now and then. Was I saved 2 months after being saved and still living a life that was not glorifying to my Lord? Three years later when I still was not in the Bible was I going to Heaven. This is where my heart seems to be right now. Planting the seed is part of this.. You may lose some of those tickets that need to be cultivated if you don't give them time to grow. Random floating thoughts. I don't write much as you can see. New ticket holders are selfish and very unaware of what the spiritual implications of following Jesus is all about. We are all, as Christ followers in the stages between the planting of the seed and seeing the perfect face of our Lord. I did not say “I DO” 9 years ago and change. Through much grace and witnessing on the part of some seasoned and not so seasoned Christians I started to understand this more. I was blind and now I see. Our perfect Holy Father in Heaven just keeps giving us more and more but we have to accept it. We have to try and understand it the best that our minds can. For some this may take longer than others. Listening to your fathers testimony is “I think” a great example of this. Look at the fruit from his life now and then. Was I saved 2 months after being saved and still living a life that was not glorifying to my Lord? Three years later when I still was not in the Bible was I going to Heaven. This is where my heart seems to be right now. Planting the seed is part of this.. You may lose some of those tickets that need to be cultivated if you don’t give them time to grow.

Random floating thoughts.
I don’t write much as you can see.

]]> By: Derek Price http://www.increasingfaithblog.com/biblical-faith/am-i-going-to-heaven/comment-page-1#comment-108 Derek Price Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:23:12 +0000 http://www.increasingfaithblog.com/?p=43#comment-108 Great Stuff, Kurt! Thanks for sharing, honestly, this was the first post I read, and I am getting ready to read your other posts. Thanks for bringing to light such a glaring issue in the church today. (I was a ticket holder myself) Keep up the great work! Derek Great Stuff, Kurt! Thanks for sharing, honestly, this was the first post I read, and I am getting ready to read your other posts. Thanks for bringing to light such a glaring issue in the church today. (I was a ticket holder myself) Keep up the great work!

Derek

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