Faithful Writers

Let me say it another way: The Gospel doesn’t need a glow-up, a rebrand, or a marketing team. It doesn’t need to be wrapped in skinny jeans or delivered by someone with a TikTok following and a smoke machine. What it needs — what it’s always needed — is a person bold enough to live it out with honesty and imagination. You. Me . Regular, middle-aged humans who’ve seen some things. People with bills, back pain, doubts, and decades of faith wounds. We don’t need a better version of the Gospel. We just need a better version of us — one that’s brave enough to take Jesus seriously when He said, “Follow Me.” Not a Selfie, a Story Somewhere along the way, a lot of us traded the Gospel story for a spiritual selfie . We made it all about personal salvation, getting into heaven, and behaving well enough to earn a gold star. We trimmed the rough edges off of Jesus — those moments when He flipped tables, challenged religious leaders, and spent His days with the outcasts and the overlooked. We made Him polite. We made Him palatable. But friend, Jesus wasn’t safe. He was love with legs. Fire with skin. He didn’t come to tidy up religion. He came to blow the hinges off the temple doors and let the riffraff in. And He wasn’t asking for cosmetic changes. He was inviting transformation. Gospel Means Good News — Not Good Behavior So, what is the gospel? Well, the word “gospel” literally means good news . Not good advice . Not good vibes . Not good intentions . But, Good News. Isaiah 52:7 (ESV) “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news , who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”God’s love showed up in the dirt.The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood (John 1:14). Rachel Held Evans said, “God stoops. The God of Scripture stoops. He kneels. He writes in the dirt.”— From her reflections on John 8. Rachel is also quoted as saying: “This is what God’s kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table… not because they are rich or worthy or good, but because they are hungry, and because they said yes.” The Gospel invites us to stop performing and start participating. Honesty Isn’t a Liability A lot of us feel like we’ve got to clean up before we show up. Even at church. Maybe especially at church. You walk in with grief, doubt, anger, or that nagging question you can’t shake — Does any of this still make sense? And what do you hear? “Just have more faith.” “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” “Everything happens for a reason.” But honesty is not the enemy of faith. Pretending is. The Gospel is for real people with real problems. Not plastic saints. Not Pinterest-perfect Christians. If you’re struggling, good. It means you’re alive. It means you care. The Bible is packed with people who wrestled with God — Jacob, David, Job, even Jesus in Gethsemane. Jesus doesn’t flinch at our honesty. He knelt in the dirt with a woman caught in adultery.He let Thomas touch His wounds.He called Peter back after his betrayal — not with a lecture, but with breakfast. So if your story feels a bit chaotic — or even more than a bit — you’re in good company. The Gospel was never a neat story. It was a true one. Imagination Is Faith’s Playground Now, let’s talk imagination.Not unicorns and glitter. I mean Spirit-filled imagination. The kind that lets you see the Kingdom of God breaking in around the edges of your everyday life. Because let’s be honest, adulting is exhausting. We’ve got spreadsheets, errands, and a slow drip — and sometimes a river — of cynicism from the news cycle. But Jesus said the Kingdom belongs to children — not because they’re naive, but because they still look for wonder . Faith without imagination is just routine. But with imagination? The Gospel becomes electric. A living thing. It turns interruptions into invitations, ordinary days into holy ground. It asks: What if forgiveness isn’t weakness, but revolution? What if kindness to your cranky neighbor is sacred resistance? What if the slow, quiet work of love is more world-shaking than a viral sermon? As Frederick Buechner put it, “The world says, Mind your own business. Jesus says, There is no such thing as your own business.” When the Gospel Is Lived, It Doesn’t Need Hype When you live the Gospel out loud, it doesn’t need PR.You don’t have to sell it. Live like you believe love is stronger than hate.Live like grace is real, like second chances are normal, like no one is disposable. Live like Jesus meant it. You know what’s more powerful than a polished sermon? A life that smells like Jesus. That shows up when someone’s in the hospital. That listens instead of preaching. That loves without keeping score. Gal 5:6 says, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” That’s it. Not perfect theology. Not church attendance. Not political alignment. Just love. Lived out in the real, raw, unfiltered middle of life. Summary: It Never Needed a Makeover. Just a Mirror If the Gospel feels stale or powerless, maybe it’s not the message that needs changing.Maybe it’s just waiting for us to live like it’s still good news. We don’t need to modernize it.We don’t need to soften it. We just need to remember it . To embody it . To risk it — in conversations, relationships, everyday kindness, and bold love. Because the Gospel still has the power to heal, restore, flip tables, and raise the dead parts of us to life. But only if we’re brave enough to stop editing it and start embodying it. Key Takeaway : The Gospel doesn’t need a makeover, it needs you to live it with honest doubt, wild grace, and a little holy mischief. Let the world see a love too stubborn to quit and a hope too loud to hide. © Gary L Ellis

Image by Author Introduction The Internet and YouTube, especially, are full of content on end-times Bible prophecy, which includes intense accounts of spiritual warfare and great deception. A lot of people are interested in extraterrestrial aliens these days. The U.S. government now has an office that investigates UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) called The AARO (All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office). The DoD released the “FY24 Annual UAP Report,” covering over 1,600 UAP incidents occurring from May 2023 to June 2024. This report attributed most of the sightings to balloons, drones, or atmospheric phenomena. Some of the cases remained unexplained, but the report confirmed that no evidence of extraterrestrial life or technology had been found. Background As Christians, we already know from the Bible that another dimension to reality exists, a spiritual dimension, containing both benevolent and malevolent beings. Scripture affirms that humanity is not alone, but it does not describe non-human intelligent beings as space aliens. Instead, the Bible speaks of: Angels and Fallen Angels (Psalm 82; Daniel 10) Demons with intelligence and intent (Mark 1:23–26) Supernatural beings capable of physical manifestation (Genesis 6; Job 1) Scripture repeatedly warns that deception will increase toward the end of the age: “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) End-times deception will include lying signs and wonders (Matthew 24:24) Some people in modern society assume that extraterrestrial life exists and that it will be discovered eventually. How should we respond to their assumption? Should we try to argue them out of their belief? That would be an exercise in futility. Using Scripture, we can defend our view of alien encounters as encounters with beings from the demonic realm. The “Aliens = Demons/Fallen Angels” View Christian authors such as Hugh Ross (astrophysicist), Chuck Missler (Bible teacher and former Navy engineer), and Michael Heiser (PhD biblical scholar) all agree that the best explanation for people claiming to have experienced alien encounters is demonic deception. The following examines their reasoning for this claim. Chuck Missler emphasized that the Bible presents a multi-dimensional reality in which spiritual beings operate in invisible realms. “The Bible is a book about a supernatural reality that intersects our own. UFO phenomena fit better into an interdimensional model than an extraterrestrial one.” — Chuck Missler, Cosmic Codes He claims that UFO behavior, such as the sudden appearances and disappearances of aircraft that defy the laws of physics, is incompatible with interstellar space travel but consistent with interdimensional beings . This category aligns with biblical descriptions of angels and demons. “Angels are not constrained by time, space, or mass in the way physical creatures are. UFOs exhibit similar properties.”— Chuck Missler, Alien Encounters Hugh Ross argues that deception is the dangerous hallmark of demonic activity. He says that in our scientifically advanced culture, spiritual beings presenting themselves as “aliens” is far more believable than believing they are evil demons. “Given the Bible’s description of demons as deceptive beings, it makes sense that they would appear as technologically advanced extraterrestrials rather than as mythological creatures.”— Hugh Ross, Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men Hugh Ross has investigated many alleged alien encounters and noticed an unusual detail: many people reported that their encounters stopped when the name of Jesus Christ was invoked . Ross also noted that supposed alien encounters were strikingly similar to cases of demonic oppression. Sleep paralysis and immobilization Telepathic communication Sexual or reproductive themes Psychological trauma Obsession or fear following encounters “There are documented cases where calling upon Jesus immediately ended the experience — something difficult to explain if these entities are merely biological creatures from another planet.”— Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men Dr. Ross writes about how UFO/UAP phenomena exhibit characteristics of an interdimensional reality and states in his book “Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men”: UFOs are often reported to: Appear and disappear suddenly Pass through solid objects Defy known laws of physics What Messages Do These Entities Communicate? People who say aliens have abducted them or have had some contact with non-human intelligent beings say the encounters have the following themes in common. Humanity is evolving beyond Christianity Jesus was merely an enlightened teacher Sin and judgment are outdated concepts Advanced beings are genetically engineered humans L. A. Marzulli, an American author and documentary filmmaker, is best known for his work researching UFO/UAP phenomena and supernatural claims. He uses this research in his interpretation of Bible prophecy and states that the messages conveyed in alleged alien encounters directly contradict the gospel, thereby revealing the source. This aligns with biblical warnings that false spirits will seek to undermine core Christian doctrines (1 John 4:1-3). “The message is always the same — deny the deity of Christ, deny salvation through the cross, and replace it with a counterfeit narrative.”— L. A. Marzulli, On the Trail of the Nephilim Marzulli and Missler both agree that aliens are the perfect end-time disguise, ideally suited to today’s society. Marzulli connects this directly to end-times prophecy, suggesting UFO disclosure by authoritative sources could be used to explain away events such as the Rapture. “Aliens may become the ultimate explanation for biblical prophecy in a world that rejects God.”— L. A. Marzulli, Days of Chaos Dr. Hugh Ross stresses that the goal of this deception is not curiosity, but the erosion of Biblical authority . This is clearly in line with Satan’s character and plans. Conclusion These authors emphasize that, rather than living in fear, Christians should practice discernment and avoid sensationalism. They advise Christians to: Test the spirits (1 John 4:1) Anchor understanding in Scripture Avoid being fascinated by signs apart from Christ The idea that aliens may actually be demons or fallen angels in disguise is a sound argument held by respected Christian thinkers and supported by Biblical narratives. Scripture reminds believers that the greatest threat is not out there somewhere among the stars, but spiritual deception close to home . For Christians, the ultimate question is not “Are we alone in the universe?” The Bible already answers that. The real question is: Whose voices will we trust? © Debra Hodges First published in the Mustard Seed Sentinel on Medium. Resources Hugh Ross — Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men Chuck Missler — Alien Encounters , Cosmic Codes L. A. Marzulli — On the Trail of the Nephilim , Days of Chaos , The Watchers series

Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash “Why would God give us four Gospels that don’t even agree?” It’s the kind of question that unsettles new Christians and delights skeptical TikTokers. The Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — tell the same broad story but often differ on the details. One has shepherds, one has wise men. One says two angels at the tomb, another says one. Jesus flips a table at the start in John, but near the end in the others. For some, these variations are proof of error. For others, they’re an embarrassment to be explained away. But what if they’re the very feature we should be paying attention to? The beauty of difference We’ve been trained to want a single, authoritative camera angle. We want one feed. One voice. One perfect version of events. But God gives us four. Four voices. Four angles. Four portraits of Jesus, all telling the truth, but none pretending to tell the whole truth. They overlap, diverge, harmonize, and occasionally jar — not because they’re flawed, but because they’re faithful. Like a set of eyewitness testimonies in court, it’s their very difference that makes them trustworthy. If four people described a public event in exactly the same words, we’d suspect collusion. But if they highlight different moments, different emotions, different meanings — we lean in. That’s how memory works. That’s how life works. And that’s how God chose to reveal his Son. Not a documentary — a declaration The Gospels aren’t security-camera footage. They’re not 21st-century journalism. They’re more like banners, declarations, personal portraits of Jesus for different hearts and histories. Matthew speaks to the Jewish longing for a Messiah, the one who fulfills the law and prophets. Mark writes with breathless urgency, dragging us into a Jesus who disrupts and demands. Luke tells it with compassion and order — a historian’s heart for the poor and outcast. John writes like a poet, pulling back the curtain to show us glory in the flesh. Do they sometimes place the furniture differently? Yes. Do they sometimes rearrange the order of events to make a point? Absolutely. That’s not trickery — it’s theology. Each Gospel is telling the truth on purpose — not flattening it into sameness, but deepening it into multidimensional glory. What if you’re the one who needs all four? Let’s be honest: we don’t read the Gospels that way. We skim. We search for our favorite verse. We memorize the Christmas story from Luke and quote John when we’re evangelizing. But maybe the very differences that bother us are the ones we need most. Because we’re not one-dimensional either. There are days you need the Jesus who weeps. Other days, the Jesus who warns. Some days you’ll identify with the confused disciples. Other days, the bold woman who just touches the edge of his cloak. Each Gospel has a different path into his presence. And taken together, they help us not just know about Jesus — but know him . And what if God wanted it this way? We assume a perfect Bible would be uniform. Seamless. Linear. But maybe God values something else. Maybe truth — the kind that grips the heart and changes a life — needs room to breathe. Maybe God wanted the Gospel to feel less like a script and more like a song: the kind you can’t stop playing because every time you listen, you hear something new. Jesus is not a brand. He’s not a soundbite. He’s not a curated persona. He is the truth made flesh. And the Gospels don’t just describe him — they reveal him. In different voices, different rhythms, different textures — but the same Jesus. This is where devotion begins Devotion isn’t about finding a perfect answer. It’s about lingering in the presence of a perfect Saviour. It’s about returning again and again to the same Gospel stories, not to master them, but to be mastered by the One they reveal. That’s why the Gospels are different. Not to confuse us — but to draw us deeper. Not to test our precision — but to soften our hearts. If you’ve only ever read one Gospel, maybe it’s time to open another. Read them all. Slowly. Side by side. Let them clash a little. Let them correct and complement. You might just see Jesus more clearly than ever. Want help seeing Jesus more clearly, one day at a time? Download a free 3-day sample of Identity in Christ , a devotional designed to help you sit with Scripture and let it speak into your heart. © Nathan Cole

Until shortly after I graduated college, I was a moderately-avid horror film consumer, specifically those of the spiritual nature. My brother, who shared this mild fascination with the supernatural, eagerly viewed them with me and it became a sort of hobby we shared. Though we weren’t obsessive about them, whenever the latest scare came out on DVD, we’d snatch it up and pop the popcorn. We enjoyed classics like The Amityville Horror & The Shining , but the newer ones were the ones that really pulled us in. Think: the Annabelle , The Conjuring, and Insidious worlds. Each of those movie universes explored demon-hunting and spiritual warfare which, both of us being Christians, we knew to be real (not so much the Hollywood version, but rather the concepts). Some of the movies would make me jumpy and on-edge afterwards. Others would give me nightmares. I knew they were increasingly affecting me, yet I continued to fill my mind with images and jump scares that I will never be able to unsee. That is, until one evening when the Holy Spirit got a hold of me. We were watching the newest release and the still small voice of the Lord told me to stop mid-movie. It was crystal clear and undeniably the Holy Spirit . My horror-watching days had come to an abrupt halt, and I’ve never looked back. Who is Satan? Satan goes by many common names, such as Lucifer, The Devil, The Enemy and The Fallen Angel. Genesis refers to him as a serpent, and we see a description of Satan as a dragon in Revelation . John tells us that Satan is a murderer, liar, and the Father of Lies. However, did you know he was also known as the Morning Star and Son of the Dawn before he fell? How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! — Isaiah 14:12 Satan is crafty, cunning, and good at making sin look beautiful. He brought down legions of angels with him when he fell from heaven. He is wicked and deceptive, tempting mankind and luring us away from God. He is also powerful. Even Michael, the highest ranking angel of the Lord, recognized this and did not speak against him when given the opportunity. Rather, he called on the name of the Lord when he went up against his opponent. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” — Jude 1:9 That should tell us something, folks. We don’t fear Satan if we are covered by the blood of Christ. But we should respect that he is more powerful than we are on our own. If an angel mightier than Satan dared not go up against him without invoking the name and authority of the Lord, we shouldn’t either. We also shouldn’t go looking for him. Playing with Fire Voluntarily participating in, playing with, viewing, or otherwise exposing ourselves to evil is like dancing around a bonfire with gasoline on your clothes. You might be okay, but you might not. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. — Psalm 4:23 When my brother and I were consuming so many horror films, we were not guarding our hearts. We were allowing our minds to be infiltrated with scenes and ideas that celebrated darkness. Those are in direct opposition with the types of things we’re told to fill our minds with. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. — Philippians 4:8 Am I saying Christians can’t watch scary movies? No, not at all. But I am saying we should be careful with what we allow in our minds, because it shapes us. Though not as often now, I still experience spiritual attacks to this day because of some of the things I exposed myself to more than a decade ago. In the preface to his book, The Screwtape Letters , C.S. Lewis writes: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors… I love this line, because it succinctly states how Scripture instructs Christians to interact with dark forces —  be aware of, but don’t invite. Have nothing to do with the fruitless acts of darkness, but rather expose them. — Ephesians 5:11 Some translations even say, “have no fellowship with…” Just saying. A Warning to My Brothers and Sisters None of this is written to invoke fear (or legalism when it comes to what movies we watch). Rather, my hope is that you will take very seriously the fact that we do have an enemy who is very much out there in the world. The tactics he uses are cunning and deceitful. His greatest skill is packaging up lies and half truths and making them appear innocent, even holy . See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. — Colossians 2:8 Don’t be taken in. Be on your guard. Stay in the Word. Thanks for reading! If any of this resonated with you, or you’d like to see more content like this, please consider subscribing so you’ll never miss out on a post. 🫶🏻 © Stephanie M Other articles you may want to check out: The Spiritual Battle I Did Not Expect That time the enemy tried to silence us, and almost won… Trauma, Sin and Breaking Cycles My response to a beautifully written half truth

Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”— Maya Angelou Here’s the theme of Psalm 3 spoken like we were thinking and praying it today: There are mornings when you wake up already tired. Before your feet even hit the floor, you can feel the weight —the worries, the whispers, the stuff you thought you’d shaken off yesterdaybut somehow crawled back onto your shoulders overnight. That’s the kind of day Psalm 3 understands. “Lord, how many are my foes.” Or in my language: Okay, God… it feels like everything is coming at me at once . People around me have opinions. People inside me have opinions. And not all of them are kind. Some days , a little voice says, “There’s no help for you.”And I almost believe it. But then something steadies inside me —not loud, not flashy —just a gentle strength that feels like it comes from somewhere deeperthan the noise. “You, O Lord, are a shield around me.”Not the kind of shield that blocks me from living my life, but the kind that reminds me: I’m not walking through any of this alone. My head lifts — not because I’m impressive, not because I finally figured everything out —but because Love keeps nudging my chin upwardwhen all I want to do is stare at the dirt. And David says he cried out to Godand God answered from His holy mountain. I get that. Most of my prayers don’t sound spiritual. They sound like, “Help.”“Please.”“Can we not do today like this?”And somehow that’s enough. Then this line hits me like a deep breath after holding it too long: “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.” Sleep isn’t small. Waking up is grace. Being held through the night — even when my thoughts run wild —that’s mercy. So I say to myself, “I don’t have to fear the ten thousand thingstrying to run circles in my mind.” Arise, Lord. Not like a warrior charging out with fireworks —but like the quiet courage You tend to place in mewhen I think I’ve run out. You break the hold of the lies I’ve believed. You silence the voice that keeps telling me I’m on my own. Salvation belongs to the Lord. But the blessing? That lands right here —on the ordinary, messy, hopeful people trying to live another day. And that includes me. And you. © Gary L. Ellis

Shield up, thoughts down, as you thump to this I think it wise to guard our hearts, not only because the Christian God says that the very issues of life flow from it, but also because emotions can join in and then our senses will shred that sucker to pieces. Think I’m kidding? I wish. My mind is my favorite place. There I can imagine all sorts of things. Wild and exciting things, treacherous and unimaginative realities, horrors beyond any blood-soaked limitation, I can do it all. I can be it all, but what I find most fascinating is the ability to connect with words. Words are fantastic! They carry healing, but they can also whip. I’ve experienced the euphoria and harrow of both. I have endured the brutality of being called things I am not. I have been exposed far too young and far too often that finding a holy, sacred balance between the intense desires to share the enormity of what’s unfolding in my mind versus removing the shackles of a frost-bitten past can be extremely difficult. Yet I push, and I push, and I push because I want a very large space to be. Call it overcompensation for decades trapped beneath a pile of rubble, but no part of me wants to slow down. But, then I hear a whisper. Caution. Because it is my heart speaking, the overflow of a river being made pure, and who’s to tell where that may lead. It’s terrifying, yet more so exhilarating. The curiosity unleashed; what if I can finally do it? What if I can finally break free from me? What if I can loose all of my inhibitions? What if I can un-tether the deepest, darkest, most perplexing parts of my soul? Will there be anyone left to entertain? Will I have gone too far? Unraveled too fast, and instead spooked everyone away? I may, and it’s a deeply perplexing thing, but it feels too good to stop. To want to simply find out, how much guarding have I’ve been doing? Is it in a fashion that does not honor the Christian God, instead dims my light? What if what I’ve assumed is guarding is really hiding? And what if I’m ready to connect mind, body and soul? Will the world be ready to catch me? Perhaps… But the world is so fickle. No, it will never do. I think more so, my mind should stay fixed on my Savior, the Author and Finisher of my Faith. The beauty of Who He is far more captivating than any of my five senses have beheld, albeit they’ve beheld much. I am sooo eccentric. Lol. 😆 But, every day, more and more, I am learning to not be ashamed of that, but to fully embrace it and run with it for the simple reason to just become all that I am destined to become. And I’ve learned I can not do that by throwing pieces of me away. I can only accomplish this completeness I desire, by willingly giving pieces of me away. I have been told many times that I am too much, and I get it now, more than ever, light makes darkness very uncomfortable. I did not come to this conclusion through observation. I speak from the recesses of my own mind, not yours. Yet, I remain resolute. Guard your heart, sure, but as I learn to let more light out, and more of your light in, I will enjoy the pour. Every layer exposed, heart laid bare, yet simultaneously guarded because innocence is as unfamiliar to me as righteousness. Neither never at my hand to give. © Stay

Photo by Nathan Dumlao  on Unsplash This might sound a little unusual, but stay with me for a moment, because it’s the second part that I’m really getting at. We often thank God  (or should be)  for what He has done for us, all the answered prayers, doors opened, mountains moved, surprise blessings, and gracious mercies. But how often do we stop and thank Him for what He hasn’t done? “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3  God sees the entire picture while we see only small fragments.   There are countless times when we’ve prayed for something with complete trust and sincerity, whether it's an opportunity, a relationship, a move, or a dream, and it just didn’t happen.  At the time, it might have felt like silence, leaving you disappointed and perhaps confused. But looking back, do have that moment of realizing His “no’s”  were a mercy in disguise. (This has happened to me more times than I can count) Now, let’s add another layer to all of this. How often do we thank God for what He’s done that we’ll never know about? “The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time and forever.” Psalms 121:7–8 Think about it.  Like, really think about that.  Many people get frustrated or angry over what God does and doesn’t do in their lives (the things they can see) , but there’s a much larger picture to be considered. God sees the unseen; He sees what we are not capable of seeing, let alone understanding. He is and always has been shielding us from many unforeseeable and horrible things. “For He looks to the ends of the earth; He sees everything under the heavens.” Job 28:24 “For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.” Psalms 91:11 “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 Sit and ponder on this : What has God protected you from or done for you that you don’t have a clue about and never will?  Next time you’re in prayer with God, thanking Him, maybe also thank Him for everything you don’t know about.  © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your contribution helps keep this work going. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

Photo by Yaopey Yong on Unsplash The mantra often rises in secular society: “How could a good God create hell?” How could a benevolent divine being, capable of seeing how things are likely to pan out, create a scenario in which some (or many) of his precious children innocently stumble into a covered pit of molten lava and haunted house horrors and torture? The answer is simple — when you see what we’re actually talking about here, you’re going to wish for it, want it, and hope it’s really true. Hell is one of the best promises the Bible has to offer. I can prove it in three points. Imagine no hell below us The opposite choice is worse. Imagine being dragged against your will into the heavy embrace of a glorious being who completely overwhelms your independence, leaving you powerless and overcome by a love you didn’t want or choose. And not just in the afterlife. To get you to paradise, he has to completely subsume your will from birth so as to make sure you never err, preparing your sinless entry into eternity. As a consequence, you may only watch your life passively, never actively making a decision of your own until you are vacuumed up into an irresistible heaven that you never asked for. That’s a hard pass for me. I’d take the freedom to choose or reject God over a guaranteed entry into heaven that required me to lose my freedom, my autonomy, and my identity. Choice requires alternatives, and the alternative to forced union with God is the ability to reject Him. That’s what hell is. Hell is the consequence of rejecting the source of life. Eternal weed burning Secondly , one of the mistakes we make in considering hell is trusting Dante over Jesus. Dante, in his 14th-century work The Inferno, describes descending levels of hell in which luckless victims (mostly Dante’s political opponents) suffer endless horrific tortures. The Church has used that imagery as a tool for manipulation ever since. That’s not what the Bible describes. The most common image of hell in the teachings of Jesus is weeds that are gathered up to be burned. That’s not an ongoing thing. That’s a one -and- done. The language of conscious torment comes primarily from a parable of Jesus in which a rich man descends and a poor man ascends, and then they have a conversation. What readers miss is that one version of this parable preceded Jesus in the Babylonian Talmud, and Jesus takes this preexisting story and riffs on it to make his own point. It shouldn’t be taken as a description of metaphysical reality; it’s a story with a moral that matters. There is not much case to be made for a hell that is endless conscious torture. It’s final, and eternal in its finality. But it’s the end. Let justice roll down So, thirdly , in addition to the fact that hell is the final cessation of those who reject God, it’s the final promise of justice for those who have been abused, raped, tortured, exploited, trafficked, and discarded. Don’t you dare steal this from them. Their Father loves them too much to let the crimes against them go unchecked and unpunished . The rejection of hell is largely an elitist, privileged, developed-nation view of apathetic secularists who talk about justice while doing nothing about it. They recycle and vote, but they’re not doing anything sacrificial, and they don’t donate much financially. Outside of the wealthiest cultures, oppressed people don’t bemoan the possibility of a judgment day. They look forward to it. So hell is great, right? To review: Hell is the ultimate affirmation of freedom Hell is the cessation of those who reject life, not torture And hell is the final promise of justice in an unjust world All that to say, if you begrudge the Lord hell, you might be an enemy of freedom, justice, and the promise of a world where sadness ends. Maybe. I really like hell. Looking forward to it — I mean, not directly. If you disagree, text me when you get there and tell me I was wrong. First published in the Mustard Seed Sentinel publication on Medium. © James W. Miller

ChatGPT I was recently reminded of an ongoing — and frankly absurd — theological argument that baffles me to no end because it’s literally split churches: Will a person go to heaven if they aren’t water baptized? I had a conversation with someone who was adamant  that a deathbed acceptance of Christ, without baptism, meant nothing. According to them, that person would still be going to hell.  They said the heart alone was worthless without water baptism, it didn’t matter when they accepted Christ, that baptism was a must, no matter what. And yep, you read that right. And before anyone makes assumptions — no, this wasn’t a Baptist. Some people genuinely believe this. Not only believe it, but preach  it, sometimes even shouting it. I’ve been in their presence to witness this first hand. So, do I believe a person who accepts Christ but isn’t immersed in water will still go to heaven? Absolutely — and I’ll argue that till my last breath. Because no person has the right to remove God’s grace from anyone. The Thief We know one of the men crucified next to Jesus mocked Him, but the other recognized who He truly was. And what did Jesus say to that man? “ Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. ” We also know this man wasn’t baptized before he died. The usual argument I always hear is that he was under “ old covenant laws ” and, therefore, exempt from the requirement of water immersion. But here’s where that collapses. Jesus died before that man did. That’s where the discussion went south fast. They got angry, actually accused me of lying, and when I directed them to John 19 , instead of pausing to reconsider, they doubled down and refused to read John, and then they claimed Jesus must have made a one-time exception for this man. I don’t know about their Bible, but mine doesn’t show Jesus making exceptions for anyone. He holds everyone equally accountable. It’s good — great, in fact — to defend your beliefs. But when Scripture clearly challenges your position, maybe back the heck down a bit. This person was defending his opinions and feelings at that point, not God. Things to Consider Works don’t get us into heaven. Period. Never have, never will. When you turn baptism into a mandatory requirement for salvation, you’ve made it a work and that's a big no-no. Scripture absolutely shows the importance of baptism. If you can do it, you should. It’s a powerful outward demonstration of your new life in Christ. But there is no Biblical command that says you must  be baptized to pass those pearly gates. Look at this verse: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16 Notice what it doesn’t say.  “Whoever does not believe AND  isn’t baptized will be condemned.” That difference matters. Paul also speaks about baptism in Romans 6:3–4, Galatians 3:26–28, and Colossians 2:11–12, as an outward sign  of conversion, not a ticket to heaven. And logically, you can’t make something required  if it’s not always possible. Think About This A year ago, I listened to the church I attend online sometimes and my heart was crushed. A young man and his girlfriend both gave their lives to Christ at 17 years old. They planned to be baptized together on the next baptism Sunday which was just two weeks away. But he was tragically killed in a car accident days before. Are we seriously saying that the God of mercy said, “Sorry, son. You gave your heart to Me, but you didn’t make it to the water tank”? Or consider a young boy I know who is in a wheelchair and can’t be fully immersed for medical reasons. Is he denied heaven too? Because, according to this “work”  parameter, he’s not properly saved. Another thing I want to point out, because I got curious about the matter while writing this. What about prisoners? They have the religious right to be baptized, but the process can take months for approval — and some prisons don’t have baptismal tanks or anything similar I learned. They’re drenched with water from bottles. So are they out too? Please. Make this make sense. I was always taught that God’s grace is sufficient — beautiful and merciful. Has that been edited out of people’s Bibles? Let’s Be Honest We have a Father who forgives murder, adultery, theft, lies, and wipes our slate clean. “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:2 And you’re gonna tell me and others that a lack of water will keep someone out of heaven? Come on. Let’s stop twisting grace into legalism.Let’s stop pretending that human rules can limit divine mercy. Because the cross was enough. “Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.  The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.  But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.” John 19:31–33 © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider   supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going. You can visit me at   faithfulwriters.com  online, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

We often hear the phrase  “Love the sinner but hate the sin” , sometimes worded slightly differently, such as “Hate the sin and love the sinner.”   Regardless of the phrasing, it’s repeated so frequently that most of us never stop to ask what it really means, or whether we actually live by it. First, it’s important to note that the phrase isn’t actually in the Bible. It’s a condensed idea derived from Biblical principles, popularized by St. Augustine and later referenced by Mahatma Gandhi.  On its own, the concept is sound, but over time it has become quite trite; it’s spoken as a hollow mantra and, worse, as a thinly veiled judgment. Some of the verses this concept is from: “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” Jude 1:22–23 “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” 1 Pt 2:17 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,” Luke 6:27 “First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, for kings and all who are in authority, [..]” 1 Tim 2:1–3 I’m going to bet those stung a wee bit, considering the climate in our society at the moment. Everyone is hating on everyone, and that includes Christians. Here’s what I see daily: people repeating this phrase over and over, but not out of understanding, but as an excuse to nod approvingly at their own assumed “moral superiority,” and then walk away in judgment. Beyond The Words We do not have to condone sin, and before assuming any moral high ground, remember: we are all sinners. But we are called to act differently from the world; the world judges harshly, and we are not to join in that behavior. You need to know, it is ok to look out at the world and feel empathy. But it’s not ok to see someone dressed a certain way and judge them harshly for the path they are taking that leads them away from God.  It is not our job to gossip about them behind their backs, wish them harm, or make fun of them; it is not our job to look at them any less than you would the person sitting next to you in a church pew. It is our duty to pray for them. To “ love the sinner  ” is to extend grace, empathy, and care, even when we disagree or recoil. To “ hate the sin”  is to reject destructive behavior, but without letting condemnation eclipse compassion . It’s a call to humility, not judgment; to action, not empty repetition. In practice, it means listening more than speaking, helping more than condemning, and reserving space for both truth and mercy. It challenges us to see people as God sees them: flawed, but beloved, worthy of love even when we cannot embrace their choices. Love the sinner. Hate the sin.  But never let your judgment drown out your mercy. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.