I posted one of my stories on the K-Love Facebook page as a comment and received an unexpected reply. A well-intentioned lady posted “fear again Wayne I beg you to stop fear training. Look up the translation of the word. Awe and Wonder!!! God did not create the human brain to be terrified and harmed. Trauma causes trembles – because it physically harms the human brain. Train people to SEE Jesus in the beauty and wonder he created and the love we give, rather than scaring them to death.” I disagree with her, but is that really love?
My story “Your Best or Worst Day” was a well balanced message that draws the reader to the conclusion that the day we die will be our best day if we accepted JESUS and are saved or our worst day, if we didn’t. The story contained very little about the consequences of dying in our sin, but that would be appropriate, considering the gravity of that choice. I purposely spent more time about the way of salvation and the urgency of acting sooner rather than later but is that really love? I mentioned the love of GOD, which is what makes my stories “good.”
A lot of people only speak about the love of GOD, with no mention of sin or its consequences. That may be the message GOD gave them, but He gave me both sides. There are so few people preaching on the reality of Hell that it has been relegated to fairy-tale status. Is that really love? People use it to curse people, or to describe a bad situation, but that is oh so wrong! The pain and agony of the flames are beyond description; because we would mercifully pass out if it happened to us. Those who have been on fire and didn’t pass out could give some idea of the agony, but they eventually got some relief. But the torment of Hell will never end.
If GOD only wanted us to speak about His love, why did JESUS mention the consequences of sin so many times? He shared the story of the rich man in Hell (Luke 16:19-31) and went into great detail about his torment and hopeless situation. JESUS didn’t do it to “scare people to death” but hopefully to life. We warn our children about things that will hurt or kill them, why would we not tell them the “wages of sin is death” and then go on to tell them “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23 KJV). It would be wrong to leave out “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV), which is the “Good News” of our faith. Note that is also infers that unbelievers will perish, which includes everlasting death. JESUS told the whole story and that really is love.
So why don’t I just go along with the crowd and limit my story to the love of GOD? Because the crowd is headed for Hell if they don’t repent (change direction)! There you go again, now you are being judgmental! JESUS said “wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Mat 7:13-14 KJV). 150,000 people die in this world every day and that should scare us to death if we are lost! It should embolden those who have found life in JESUS CHRIST and sharing all the Good News really is love!
Wayne Lance