Sorry guys, this is a long one!
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Hi guys.
Hello Miss 55, or do you prefer Jacqeline? or maybe I should shorten it to Jac?
Anyway... hi.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: I don't know where to post this, but the Lord has been laying it on my heart for the past few days to tell people about Jesus.
Interesting way of putting it...
Which Lord is this? I hope it's not my boss.... not even I would call him a Lord.
And I don't think he would want anyone to tell people about Jesus.
Where did you get this notion that you had to tell people about Jesus?
I'm willing to bet that you got it from someone else... either directly or through something that someone wrote, like in a book...
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: This burden is so strong that I have felt sick and very desperate to reach out to others and tell them about Jesus.
That is worrisome. I think you should see a psychologist, at least... maybe a psychiatrist.
A healthy human being has no such desperation.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: I asked my Pastor if there were any ministries I could do through my church to serve God, but all he said to me was that if there was anything, he'd let me know. God has been driving me to serve Him so bad that I don't think I can wait much longer for an answer from my Pastor, I am desperate here and I don't think he understands just how urgent it is to witness to the lost. People are dying and going to Hell. That is no laughing matter.
Again, Psychiatrist. Trust me, it will do wonders to that desperation thing.
Witness... what have you witnessed?
If people are lost, perhaps a map would be better... no?
People are dying, yes. It is unfortunate, but it's a part of life.
The going to Hell part, on the other hand... tell me... how would anyone know about that? Notice, I used the word "know". It has a very distinct connotation from "believe". I don't care for what people believe and then call it knowledge.... I want actual knowledge.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: So I am going to write a post and witness to the lost on here...
Oh, do you mean I'm lost?
I have a GPS on my phone that I keep with me at all times. It has both online and offline maps, so I can use it when I don't have proper signal.
You think you can help me find my way from home to work and vice-versa? I think I can manage without getting lost, but any help is welcome!
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Dear person much loved by the Lord,
Come on, now.... I know my boss likes having me around, but... "loved"? he's married and I'm not into guys.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners like you and me.
Wait-a-minute!
Who came into the world to save what from what!???
Some bloke called Jesus Christ? The Jesus part, I'd accept... the Christ is a title. That can't have been anyone's name.
Save? Save from what?
Sinners? what are these things? any relation to Singers?
Oh wait, "sinners like you and me"... so sinners are people? Why didn't you just say people? Or are these sinners a specific subset of people?
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Have you ever thought about what happens after you die? I have. It has brought me much anxiety thinking about it, because I know that this life does not last forever and one day, we all will die.
Yes, it's true. Life doesn't last forever. We all know it. Most of us fear it. Most would like it to go on forever. Many that reach old age understand that their time comes and they become at peace with that.
After I die, I suppose I'll either be buried or cremated.
But that's not what you mean, is it?
You mean what happens to my consciousness after I die... That depends on what that consciousness is. How is it maintained.
To me, it seems that it is tied into my brain. If the brain dies, the consciousness ceases to exist. Much like it didn't exist before my brain started working, when I was still inside my mother's womb.
If you have knowledge that there is some aspect of consciousness that doesn't depend on the brain being alive, then I'm all for it... just remember, I want knowledge, not belief.
The bottom line is, this life is the one we get. There is nothing after that for each of us.
Many of us would like to go on indefinitely. Oh wouldn't that be marvelous!?! But it doesn't seem to be the case, does it?
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: A lot of people today do not think about where they will spend eternity, and this thinking is a big mistake.
Maybe it's because "eternity" is a long long time and you'll get bored, regardless of where you spend it.
Or because after the big disconnection, you don't care.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: But what happens after death? The Bible is the only book that can tell us what happens to us after we die. God Himself wrote this great book; it is probably the most important book that was ever written.
Now that right there is absolutely wrong!
There are many books that claim to tell us what happens after death... up there, I just wrote something about it. You think I could make my own book on the subject?
The bible was not written by any god. Sorry to disappoint. There is ample evidence that it was written by people. Many people, many believers... but ALL of them were people.
Like I said above, belief does not equal knowledge, so whatever those people believed in and wrote about in that book, does not equate to actual knowledge about "what happens after death".
After that psychologist visit, I also advise you to learn to critically analyze information conveyed to you by other people.
Other people are often wrong. In fact, it is far far easier to be wrong than to be right about many subjects... just look up at the sky and tell me: is the Sun going around the Earth?
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Do you mind if I quote some Scriptures? Some people get offended when I quote the Bible, but I never do. Do you know why? Because I am a Christian and I believe that Jesus is my Saviour. The Bible says so. And with that being said, I will give you some Bible verses to help you and educate you.
I don't mind you quoting ancient texts. Just be aware that I think they carry little to no trustworthy information.... so educating me with those would be an exercise in futility.
Again with this saving thing... What did this Jesus save you from? What do I care that the Bible says so?
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: So what happens after we die? The Bible teaches that man is a tripart being composed of spirit, soul, and a fleshly body. At death, our souls separate from our body and goes back to God to be judged by Him. God will judge everything we do in the body, whether good or bad.
And what if..... just what if... what if that "teaching" is totally wrong? Totally bollocks? totally untrue? totally false?
Because that's how it looks to me.
Biology has shown that mammals have a central nervous system and a brain that coordinates their actions.... not just mammals, but birds and lizards, too.... Human brains have developed a bit more and have provided us with the ability to introspect.
At first look, it does seem like our consciousness is independent from our fleshly body, doesn't it? It also seems like the Sun revolves around the Earth.
Further investigation reveals that our consciousness is in our brains. Some parts of the brain fail and that leads to a failure in our consciousness, or failure in sensory processing... from multiple studies of brain injury, the simplest conclusion is that the brain drives consciousness.
Whatever it is that you choose to call "spirit or soul", in my mind, it gets translated into consciousness. If you wish to make a distinction, be my guest, but it will either lead to a nonsense concept, or one patently made up to fit the narrative.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: But here is the bad news. You see, nobody is truly a good person. You see, only God is truly good.
That is false... whatever that God fellow is...
I am a truly good person. It says so right here in the previous sentence I wrote!
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever hated anyone? If you have, then you have sinned. Killing others is also a sin, and yet you hear every day on the news that someone has murdered somebody else. Why? Because mankind are sinners and on their way to a burning Hell.
I may have told a lie, yes. But if it was for the greater good, then it was better than not telling the lie...
Stolen something? no, not really.
Hated someone? no... can't think of anyone I've ever hated.
Sinned? what is this? Is it related to the sinners? the people?
Killing? no. Frankly, how many people do you know that have killed someone?
A burning Hell... where is that? what is that? It's not the first time you speak of a Hell. How do you know about this Hell? How would anyone know about it?
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Romans 3:23 -- For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The Romans were a great bunch.
What is glory?
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Now that you know that no one is good in God's eyes, how do we then become good? How do we become vindicated before God? The Bible teaches that we need to have Jesus' righteousness but the only way to do that is to come to Him by faith:
Wait... when did we establish what this God thing is?
Now, it has eyes?!!! I think you're getting ahead of yourself! Assuming much?
And what's the difference between Jesus and God? ah, wait, I think I remember... Jesus was a person, right? So.... what is God?!
What does "come to Him by faith" mean?! Come to Jesus? but.... didn't that guy die at the end of the story? (I know, I know.... spoilers.... sorry!)
Faith... doesn't that involve believing in something?
Again, no actual knowledge about things... I am disappointed in your reasoning abilities.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Romans 10:9 -- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Confess? I have done nothing wrong that needs confessing to anyone!
Saved.... again.... saved from what?!
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: Romans 10:10 -- For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Will you believe it? I am righteous without belief in that nonsense!!
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: So you see that you need to believe in your heart that God raised up Jesus from the dead, and you also need to confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is the Lord.
Oh, confess that JC is the Lord.... so, this Jesus bloke is the Lord you were talking about.... but he's dead, says so in the story.
And you claim this other God thing raised JC from the dead?
How cool....
Oh!!!! Now I remember that bit... it was added at the end in a later edit... "The Extended Director's Cut", they called it.
You know... I like my stories in their original version, that's why I got the Star Wars Despecialized Edition.
No, I won't believe that R2 managed to squeeze behind that rock that they added in the special bluray edition. Just like I don't believe that this God thing you speak of could raise anyone from the dead. Where is this raised up JC, now, huh?
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: If you die without Christ, you will spend eternity in Hell.
How would you know this?
Also, where is this Christ, so I can latch on to him when I'm close to dying?
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: In our modern world today, people think that Hell is a place of never-ending parties and good times. They think that all of their friends will be there. But that is far from the truth. You would think that these people have never read the Bible, or that they have never taken it seriously.
The Bible teaches that Hell is a place of never-ending fire and torment, and my dear friend, that is not very much fun (this truth has scared a lot of people). It is a place of tears and no hope. It is darkness and loneliness. You won't be able to see anyone at all. It is eternal separation from God Himself. Since God is the Source of Joy and Happiness, that means that everything apart from Him is tears, sorrow, and no happiness. And that does not sound like very much fun at all, doesn't it?
Oh, so that's what Hell is! "eternal separation from God Himself". Considering that I can't find any God here, nor have I ever found any God, how bad can it be?
Oh wait... I'll be dead, won't I? dead, as in, no consciousness, no awareness, no sensory input, no nothing.
I'm starting to think that this Hell is a bogey man, made up in such a way that leads people to behave properly.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: So my dear friend, for your own eternal safety, I pray that you will accept Jesus Christ into your heart today, and make Him Lord over your life.
What is this "pray" now?
The dead guy cannot be my boss, sorry. That position is already taken.
The other thing that made the dead guy become alive again seems to have missed the long term mark, as the previously dead guy is nowhere to be found.
Also, that eternity, is an eternity of nothingness... like the eternity of nothingness that preceded my life. I think I can live at peace with that.
(June 7, 2017 at 8:06 pm)JacquelineDeane55 Wrote: If you have done this, you need to find a Bible-believing church where you can grow in God's Word. And you also need to find out what God wants you to do with your life, so that you may serve Him.
Serve?
Serve?!!!
I'm not a slave!
I don't care if you consider yourself a slave, or a sheep, or a zombie.... but I am not any of those.
Any god that wishes me to acknowledge that it exists need only do one thing: show up. To everyone.
Remove religions' requirement of belief.
Knowledge surpasses belief.
I want to know about the world, the Universe, Life, and Everything beyond.
I don't want to believe... that is how you get deceived by false knowledge. The myriad religions that mankind has made up are an obvious testament to that.
Why would yours be any different?!
Hint: The Earth goes around the Sun.