I hope you all are well. Things are well here in Kabul. Not sure
if you realize it, but it's been a rough last couple of weeks for
coalition forces. I know in KAF and Kabul its been a pretty costly
10 days or so. Looks like the winter is officially over and the
hills are alive! Be careful out there. What may have been a safe
valley in February, may not be now!!! Bottom Line Up Front: Watch
the recenty thawed out high ground!
On another topic; I would like to vent just a bit about a topic
close to my heart. Hope that's ok.
While I am in Afghanistan I seem to run into more and more people
that just don’t like the message that salvation can only come
through faith in the resurrected Christ Jesus. They say it’s unfair!
It’s a basic argument for most people. The argument that “good
people” will be able to go to heaven. This thought process is of
course a very palatable and fair idea. I get that logic. I
understand the human desire for “all people” to be good, and that if
you’re good; you get a good outcome after you die.
For me it’s hard to look at people that you know are going to
struggle to walk out a faith in Christ.
For example, if I were to lead one of my Afghan interpreters to
faith in Christ. Of course this could occur only by the power of
God’s Holy Spirit. Anyway, this faith would be a suicide mission
for him. He would have to be so sold out for Christ because his
entire world would be shattered in unimaginable ways if he even
mentioned believing in Christ as the risen Lord. Is this unfair?
So, do I not tell him…….?
Of course not, I have to tell him. Now, I have to be smart about
how I do it and I mostly have to pray for him, but this brings me to
my point.
Fairness has nothing to do with truth.
Put another way….for something to be true, it does not have to be
fair. Sorry, that’s the truth.
FAIRNESS IS NOT A REQUIREMENT OF TRUTH!!!!
Realizing this truth as a Christ follower is what fuels a lifelong
passion to tell other people about the truth that is Jesus. It may
not be fair from a non-believers perspective, but God is holy and
great in ways humanity can’t understand, so I am compelled to trust
Him, even if his judgments don’t seem fair.
What do you think?
Great post. Praying for God to continue to put people in your path that need to hear THE truth...and praying for the Holy Spirit to guide your words and for hearts to be open to receive. Keep fighting the good fight. I love you and be safe.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Matt. I'm praying God will give you insight and boldness to share the truth with those who desperately need to hear it. Praying that you are a great encouragement to those of faith who are serving there, too. Shared a link to your blog and your cell with a couple serving over there. Be safe and Godspeed.
ReplyDeleteGood point.
ReplyDeleteActually In my world view, God picks the most unfair time to give us grace.
I just finished Love Wins by Rob Bell, and he makes an interesting point concerning the question of
"If God is so love and He sends people to hell, does He get what He wants?"
He says
"It's not "Does God get what God wants?"
But
Do we get what we want?
And the answer to that is YES
Yes, we get what we want.
God is that loving.
If we want nothing to do with love, we are given a reality free from love, and we are given a life free from any of those realities. The more we want nothing to do with all God is, the more distance and space we create.
If we've had this sense that we've wondered far from home, God is there standing in the driveway, arms open, ready to take us in."
He later goes on to make a WONDERFUL POINT using Jesus story of the prodigal son.
"Grace and generosity aren't fair. That's their very essence."
"The father sees the younger brothers return as one more chance to practice 'unfairness'. The younger son doesn't deserve a party. That's the point of the party. That's how things work in the Fathers world. Profound unfairness.
People get what they don't deserve.
Parties are thrown for younger brothers who squander their inheritance."
THE POINT IS:
What God "The Father" does is re-tell our story.
The question then is, Are we willing to trust His version of it over ours?
In my opinion, I'm glad God isn't fair.
Otherwise, I might get what I deserve.
Concerning your friends who's lives would be turned upside down if they believed and trusted in Jesus, I just really believe that God will give them the courage and desire needed to stand up for their faith when the time come for them to do so. And I really believe that He is so unfair that He will not send them to Hell based on their works. Jesus gives us the strength, but He paid the price. That's hard for me to say because I am just a spoiled American, but I do believe that God will not give us anything that we He can't handle.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the key; He can handle it.