Alright so once again I've been away for quite some time. Life seems to come at you full force when you're in my shoes.
Unfortunately, for me, this will be the last time I have to worry about posting this, because this will also be my last post. Lora and I are currently in training to become missionaries. We don't know where we're going yet, but the plan is to go through an organization called New Tribes Missions which, as the name suggests, deals solely with tribal people groups.
*pause for the shock to wear off*
For those of you who know me, you may have seen me elude to the fact that I'm a Christian in the past. The problem is, I wasn't living my life in a way that proved it. Well since my wife and I got back together from our breakup, (Search the archives you'll figure out what I'm talking about.) we've both been continually working on improving our relationship with each other by improving our relationship with God. In the process, it's become obvious that our calling is to be missionaries.
So now for the explaination as to why. The following is a letter I wrote specifically to answer that question.---
What’s so important about what you believe that makes you want to be a missionary to a third world area? Why does it matter if someone else doesn’t believe the same thing you do?
They’re questions I get, in one form or another, all the time. Whether it’s actually asked, or just from the look of confusion on someone’s face when they realize I’m “crazy” enough to take my entire family into an area of the world that has nothing we would recognize as even basic conveniences and teach them something they’ve never even considered as being important. Ultimately it all ends up being a simple “why?”.
The answer is actually pretty simple, too. Christianity, at least real Christianity, is based around love. We are called to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” as well as to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Both of those commandments are found in Matthew 22:37-39. As a matter of fact Jesus calls them the greatest commandments.
So, based on that, true Christians share their faith with others because of the importance of what happens when this short life is over. Many don’t see why it matters, but it comes down to this; whether you choose to believe it or reject it, the truth doesn’t change. The location of a building doesn’t change because someone wants to think it exists somewhere else. And try as you might, you will never get to that building unless you go to the one place where it does exist. Heaven is the same way. There’s only one way to get there, anything else will result in a failed attempt, and the alternative to Heaven is anything but pleasant.
Here’s the point of all this. Christians share their faith because we’re concerned about the people around us. God’s standard for entrance into Heaven is absolute perfection. And as you know, nobody on the entire planet is perfect, including Christians. The Bible explains it like this in Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned. We all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
To make matters worse, there’s a penalty for our sins that we can’t get out of on our own, and that penalty is death. I’m not just talking about your body dying, I mean eternal death, or what we know as Hell. But there’s good news, too. In Romans 6:23 we see the warning and the promise. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” That just means that God loves humans too much to see us all condemned to Hell with no way out. So, Jesus, the true Son of God, came to our planet, lived a perfect life, and allowed Himself to be killed to take the punishment for all of us. Better still, he was resurrected three days later and now lives in Heaven preparing a place for those who accept his gift of payment for our sins.
So ultimately we have a choice. Try to imagine an eternity of unending pain, loneliness, sadness, suffering and emptiness far worse than anything you ever thought possible. That’s a good start at Hell. Hell was created to punish Satan and those who followed him in his rebellion against God. Humans don’t stand a chance.
Now consider these words from Psalm 84:10 “A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.” So with that knowledge, think of all the best days of your life. Maybe your wedding day, the day your children were born, your favorite memories from your childhood, a great vacation you had, or anything else that you thought was one of the best moments of your life. Put 1,000 of those together, and it still doesn’t add up to a single day in Heaven.
So how do you accept the gift Jesus offers? It’s extremely simple. Pray to God and admit you’re a sinner, honestly repent (apologize) of your sins. Then accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. That’s it. If you truly mean it, you will move from a path that leads to eternal death, to one that grants you eternal life! Yes, it really is that easy! ```
No, you won’t be perfect. Christians still make mistakes all the time. But we’ve already been forgiven, and we try to share our faith so that others can experience the awesome freedom we already know. I pray you won’t wait. There’s no way to know what will happen even for the rest of today. Jesus wants you to come to know Him, but it’s your decision.
---So there you have it. That's why. I can't live with myself knowing I have the key to saving people from the most terrible fate they can encounter and not at least trying to share it with them. I'm more than willing to answer any and all questions. I'll update my contact info on my profile so everyone can get in touch with me, but just in case, my email is [email protected]
I've had fun here, but my time is focused on something far more important now. I'll miss you guys more than I will the game.
In His love,
Rob (Rhysis)
Unfortunately, for me, this will be the last time I have to worry about posting this, because this will also be my last post. Lora and I are currently in training to become missionaries. We don't know where we're going yet, but the plan is to go through an organization called New Tribes Missions which, as the name suggests, deals solely with tribal people groups.
*pause for the shock to wear off*
For those of you who know me, you may have seen me elude to the fact that I'm a Christian in the past. The problem is, I wasn't living my life in a way that proved it. Well since my wife and I got back together from our breakup, (Search the archives you'll figure out what I'm talking about.) we've both been continually working on improving our relationship with each other by improving our relationship with God. In the process, it's become obvious that our calling is to be missionaries.
So now for the explaination as to why. The following is a letter I wrote specifically to answer that question.---
What’s so important about what you believe that makes you want to be a missionary to a third world area? Why does it matter if someone else doesn’t believe the same thing you do?
They’re questions I get, in one form or another, all the time. Whether it’s actually asked, or just from the look of confusion on someone’s face when they realize I’m “crazy” enough to take my entire family into an area of the world that has nothing we would recognize as even basic conveniences and teach them something they’ve never even considered as being important. Ultimately it all ends up being a simple “why?”.
The answer is actually pretty simple, too. Christianity, at least real Christianity, is based around love. We are called to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” as well as to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Both of those commandments are found in Matthew 22:37-39. As a matter of fact Jesus calls them the greatest commandments.
So, based on that, true Christians share their faith with others because of the importance of what happens when this short life is over. Many don’t see why it matters, but it comes down to this; whether you choose to believe it or reject it, the truth doesn’t change. The location of a building doesn’t change because someone wants to think it exists somewhere else. And try as you might, you will never get to that building unless you go to the one place where it does exist. Heaven is the same way. There’s only one way to get there, anything else will result in a failed attempt, and the alternative to Heaven is anything but pleasant.
Here’s the point of all this. Christians share their faith because we’re concerned about the people around us. God’s standard for entrance into Heaven is absolute perfection. And as you know, nobody on the entire planet is perfect, including Christians. The Bible explains it like this in Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned. We all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
To make matters worse, there’s a penalty for our sins that we can’t get out of on our own, and that penalty is death. I’m not just talking about your body dying, I mean eternal death, or what we know as Hell. But there’s good news, too. In Romans 6:23 we see the warning and the promise. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” That just means that God loves humans too much to see us all condemned to Hell with no way out. So, Jesus, the true Son of God, came to our planet, lived a perfect life, and allowed Himself to be killed to take the punishment for all of us. Better still, he was resurrected three days later and now lives in Heaven preparing a place for those who accept his gift of payment for our sins.
So ultimately we have a choice. Try to imagine an eternity of unending pain, loneliness, sadness, suffering and emptiness far worse than anything you ever thought possible. That’s a good start at Hell. Hell was created to punish Satan and those who followed him in his rebellion against God. Humans don’t stand a chance.
Now consider these words from Psalm 84:10 “A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.” So with that knowledge, think of all the best days of your life. Maybe your wedding day, the day your children were born, your favorite memories from your childhood, a great vacation you had, or anything else that you thought was one of the best moments of your life. Put 1,000 of those together, and it still doesn’t add up to a single day in Heaven.
So how do you accept the gift Jesus offers? It’s extremely simple. Pray to God and admit you’re a sinner, honestly repent (apologize) of your sins. Then accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. That’s it. If you truly mean it, you will move from a path that leads to eternal death, to one that grants you eternal life! Yes, it really is that easy! ```
No, you won’t be perfect. Christians still make mistakes all the time. But we’ve already been forgiven, and we try to share our faith so that others can experience the awesome freedom we already know. I pray you won’t wait. There’s no way to know what will happen even for the rest of today. Jesus wants you to come to know Him, but it’s your decision.
---So there you have it. That's why. I can't live with myself knowing I have the key to saving people from the most terrible fate they can encounter and not at least trying to share it with them. I'm more than willing to answer any and all questions. I'll update my contact info on my profile so everyone can get in touch with me, but just in case, my email is [email protected]
I've had fun here, but my time is focused on something far more important now. I'll miss you guys more than I will the game.
In His love,
Rob (Rhysis)
