On my heart... (Take a moment to listen to the song by Casting Crowns)

It is all over the news.  Everywhere I look.  No, it is not the crime rate, or the horrible attacks that kill scores of people.  It is not the political agenda, or the division that is severing our country.  It is the humongous footprint of hate.  And the part that is hurting my heart, is the hate that is spewing from those who call themselves by the name of Christ.  

There is the church from Kansas, who spend their time going around the country to protest the gay agenda and at soldiers funerals.  Where is their love?  Their website is an agenda of hate, and it even uses the word hate right there on the first page.  Their current teaching is that God hates .. lots of things.   

And this is true. God hates that which destroys us.  Just as a mother hates to see her child get involved in things that will harm that child, God hates to see us get involved in things that will destroy us.  But He does not hate US.  Or for that matter, He does not hate anyone.  He loves everyone, which is why He sent Jesus to pay the price for the things we do wrong.  No greater love exists.  And yet... 

I read an article today from my local AOL, with the heading " Why do Christians express joy in knowing that their friends are going to be tortured in Hell?"    It made me sad.  Because I know there are those out there, professing to be Christians who are like this. 

I attempted with all my might to respond to Atheist.  I am inept enough on the computer to never have gotten the message posted.  But I can post my reply to him here, hoping somehow he will see it, and know that he is not hated.  

And here we go...

Dear Atheist, I am sorry that your perception has been that Christians enjoy expressing the fact that God would send people to Hell. This is so far from the truth, well, it is a blatant lie.  And it is not representative of who Christians are supposed to be. Although I am aware that there are those out there of this bent, it can be said of them that they are either only professing to be Christians, or that they have fallen out of relationship with Christ.  The message that He brought was that of love, and that is the true mark of a Christian. He loved everyone, regardless of their tenets of belief, regardless of whether they accepted Him or rejected Him. 

The truth has obviously not been told to you, that Hell was created not for humans, but for fallen angels.  The truth is that those who do not accept Christ, will be going there. And the truth is that a way was made for them NOT to go there.  Its all in the acceptance of Christ as your redeemer, savior and friend. 
A simple example of how this works is this:  You are offered a ticket, paid for in full to get out of Hell when the big one hits.  You can either accept the ticket, or decide to go to Hell and be destroyed.  But YOU are the one who is in control of that, not God.  He is the one who paid for the ticket. 

It is true that there are those unloving, hell fire preaching, damnation people who yell, with a gleam in their eye, that YOU ARE GOING TO HELL. Do not let yourself be deceived.  Just because they look like they are enjoying it, doesn't mean what they are saying is not true.   However, a true Christian would love you, no matter what, and CRY because you are going to Hell.  I no more understand the hell fire and damnation people than I do those who would reject the chance for a free ticket to Heaven.  But I know this much. My Savior would have me love them both, just as He does.  No matter what. 

I do not know you.  But He does.  And He knows the hurt that is in your heart, the things that drive you, and the path you are on.  He wants to walk with you, loving you, and leading you to a life that exhibits love. Personally, I cannot imagine my life without Him, nor would I want to.  

I hope someday you will finally understand.  I will pray for you.  

Romans 5:7-9

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.