The Guru on Top of the Mountain

 

The Guru on Top of the Mountain

By Gary L. Clendenon

A man desperately sought the meaning of life. He heard that there was an all-wise guru at the top of a mountain who possessed the wisdom he sought. It was a long and difficult journey to the top of the mountain, but the man deeply craved the truth regarding the meaning of life and he persevered until he finally made it to the top.

After resting from his arduous journey, the man received an audience with the all-wise guru. The man said, “I have come a long way and climbed this tall mountain to find the answer to this one all-consuming question: ‘What is the meaning of life?’”

The guru answered, “You have journeyed far and struggled greatly to reach this high place, so I know that you are sincere in your desire for the Truth. I will give the answer to you without delay and complete in one sentence: ‘TO LOVE is the meaning of life’.”

The man pondered the teacher’s short answer, but surprisingly found it unsatisfactory! He then said to the guru, “Thank you, Wise Teacher, for that simple, succinct answer, but what does it mean ‘to love’?”

The guru replied, “You are wise to seek clarification on what it means ‘to love’. We are to love our Creator, GOD, first, and then to love the people around us, second. That is what it means ‘to love’. First we receive perfect, unconditional Love from our Creator GOD, then filled to overflowing with that Love, we gladly share it with all whom we meet.

“Thank you, dear Guru, for that helpful clarification,” the man said, “If you don’t mind, since I will only be here this one time, just one more question, please: ‘What would that look like in real life action?’”

“Well,” the teacher said, “Because GOD is the source of Love, it would naturally be unwise to seek Love from any other person, place, or thing. GOD is too large to be contained by any image, box or structure, so even though we spend our lives learning to know more about GOD, we must always let GOD be ineffable GOD. Because the name of GOD—YeHoVaH—is Holy, we will naturally use and speak that name with reverence and love. And, we would never want to miss honoring GOD’s invitation to celebrate the Earth and all Creation’s weekly birthday on the seventh day of the week. That’s what ‘loving GOD’ looks like.”

“The most basic understanding,” the guru continued, “the bare minimum of what loving others looks like is this: “We love and honor our parents as best we can. It is not loving, nor our place, to take another human’s life. The gift of sexuality was given to us to enjoy as married partners. “True Love” respects that gift. Because GOD’s Kingdom of Love is based on giving, not taking, we rely on GOD as Source for what we need and don’t take things from others. We always tell the truth—in the kindest way possible. Instead of wanting what others have, we take all our desires to the GOD who decides what is best for us—in all things. That’s what ‘loving others’ looks like.”

“Now Dear Sir, let me ask YOU a question: ‘Why did you make all that effort to come all the way up here, seeking for “the meaning of life” when all of these things and even more are written in your Holy Books?’ Now that I have shared with you the “meaning of life”, seek out and apply this meaning from your Holy Books often, as it is there—in many places—just waiting to be discovered by you.”

Grace Note #96 "From Servants to Friends"

Grace Note #96 “From Servants to Friends”

Adapted excerpt from Ty Gibson’s book An Endless Falling in Love, pages 121-126.

I am absolutely certain that people who are in love should not relate to each other as masters and slaves. To do so would suggest that the relationship is not founded in love.

“And it shall be in that day,”

Says the Lord,

“That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’

And no longer call me ‘My Master’” (Hosea 2:16).

Here is presented a sharp contrast between two very distinct pictures of God, and two very distinct ways of relating to Him. One is true and the other is a false conception.

Satan led the Eden couple into sin by misrepresenting God’s character. Such was the distorted picture painted on the inner canvas of the human heart by the fallen angel, a portrait that made God out to be an arbitrary, restrictive, self-centered slave master.

Once the false image was embraced, the situation became even more complicated. The severe sense of guilt that rightfully attended Adam and Eve’s transgression served to reinforce the lie now residing in their darkened perception—that their guilt was being arbitrarily imposed on them by God—and they now believed Him to be a self-serving master ruling over them as slaves.

Then came the long and sordid history of human beings attempting to appease the anger and earn the favor of the God they believed to be an arbitrary dominator. Believing God to be a master ruling over humanity as slaves, men have developed various systems of worship that cannot help but reflect that misconception.

With this belief system, it is thought, or at least felt, that our happiness is to be found in disobedience to God’s rules, for those rules restrict our pleasure and prevent our elevation. So, obedience means bondage. God doesn’t want us doing whatever He has forbidden, not because those actions will cause us harm, but merely in order to control us.

In sharp contrast, from a Biblical perspective God’s law is a matter of altruistic principle rather than arbitrary requirement. Altruism is the “unselfish concern for the welfare of others”. In harmony with His true character, God’s law is based on selfless, other-centered love (Matthew 22:36-40, Romans 13:10). He designed all of creation for life and happiness and has, therefore, made no law that is not truly meant for our well-being and pleasure. To violate these benevolent principles brings negative consequences upon us that derive directly from sin itself.

The difference between these two pictures is dominance versus love.

Jesus called for the same kind of radical change in our perception of God: “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends….” (John 15:15) For Christ to say such a thing clearly indicates that His followers were, in fact, viewing their relationship with God as a master-servant arrangement.

We must ask the logical question: “What could possibly be wrong in relating to the Monarch of the universe as servants in subjection to a master?” Yes, the fact that we are sinners drives us to that humble position. But the astounding truth is that God refuses to accept that kind of arrangement.

Like the prodigal son, we say, “I am no longer worthy ... make me like one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:19). But like the “prodigal father,” apparently as “wasteful” with His love as the prodigal son was with his money, God responds by ignoring our plea for a servant’s position and says, “This my child was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24).

In a remarkable display of mercy, God allows us to approach Him as a Master, our hearts filled with misconceptions about His character, while He endeavors to allure us into a love relationship with Himself.

He allows us to relate to him as a Master, all the while desiring in His heart that we would grow up in our understanding to see Him as bridegroom and a friend.

God longs to hear from our lips, “Yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend (Song of Songs 5:16). Here is the high and beautiful end to which our spiritual experience is tending.

We begin our journey as children. We hear God saying to us, “No! No! No!” “Don’t touch that!” “Get that out of your mouth!” “Thou shalt not!” “Sit right there and don’t move!” “Why?” we ask. But we are incapable at this point of understanding the answer. So we hear Him say, “Because I said so!”

In the child stage of our spiritual journey, God looks like a master and His law feels like restrictive rules that must be kept in order to avoid punishment and to earn rewards.

But, notice what Paul says of his and our spiritual growth, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I am known” (I Corinthians 13:11-12).

God is eager for us to “grow up in all things” (Ephesians 4:15, 13). There comes a time in every spiritual journey when one must put away childish thoughts and understandings about God. We either continue to serve God as slaves or we mature to love Him as His faithful bride. Ezekiel 16:8 calls this juncture “the time … for you to fall in love” (TEV). This is when we move from being governed by the external rule of authority to the internal rule of love.

If we continue attempting to serve God with a slave-master mentality, moved merely by fear of being lost and desire for the rewards of Heaven, we will find the love-relationship language of the Bible to be foreign, mysterious, perhaps even offensive.

The most radical thing you will ever do is allow your heart to see God as He really is. Hosea’s prophecy clearly calls for a revolutionary paradigm shift in our perception of God and our manner of relating to Him. The Creator looks forward to “that day” when His people, you and me included, will no longer call Him “Master,” but rather “Husband.” 

When to Talk to a Man!

The following relationship advice is from is from Chapter 6 of John Gray’s book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus which is entitled “Men Are Like Rubber Bands”:

"When to Talk with a Man"

When a man is pulling away is not the time to talk or try to get closer. Let him pull away. After some time, he will return. He will appear loving and supportive and will act as though nothing has happened. This is the time to talk.

At this golden time, when a man wants intimacy and is actually available to talk, women generally don’t initiate conversations. This occurs for these three common reasons:

1. A woman is afraid to talk because the last time she wanted to talk, he pulled away. She mistakenly assumes that he doesn’t care and he doesn’t want to listen.

2. A woman is afraid the man is upset with her and she waits for him to initiate a conversation about his feelings. She knows that if she were to suddenly pull away from him, before she could reconnect she would need to talk about what happened. She waits for him to initiate a conversation about what upset him. He, however, doesn’t need to talk about his upset feelings because he is not upset.

3. A woman has so much to say that she doesn’t want to be rude and just start talking. To be polite, instead of talking about her own thoughts and feelings she makes the mistake of asking him questions about his thoughts and feelings. When he has nothing to say, she concludes that he doesn’t want to have a conversation with her.

"How to Get a Man to Talk"

When a woman wants to talk or feels the need to get close, she should do the talking and not expect a man to initiate the conversation. To initiate a conversation she needs to be the first to begin sharing, even if her partner has little to say. As she appreciates him for listening, gradually he will have more to say.

A man can be very open to having a conversation with a woman but at first have nothing to say. What women don’t know about Martians is that they need to have a reason to talk. They don’t talk just for the sake of sharing. But when a woman talks for a while, a man will start to open up and share how he relates to what she has shared.

"How Women Pressure Men to Talk"

A woman sharing her thoughts naturally motivates a man to talk. But when he feels a demand is being made that he talk, his mind goes blank. Even if he has something to say he will resist because he feels her demand.

It is hard for a man when a woman demands that he talk. She unknowingly turns him off by interrogating him. Especially when he doesn’t feel the need to talk. A woman mistakenly assumes that a man “needs to talk” and therefore “should”. She forgets that he is from Mars and doesn’t feel the need to talk as much.

To reject a man for not talking is to ensure that he has nothing to say. A man needs to feel accepted just the way he is, and then he will gradually open up. He does not feel accepted when she wants him to talk more or resents him for pulling away.

A man who needs to pull away a lot before he can learn to share and open up will first need to listen a lot. He needs to be appreciated for listening, then gradually he will say more.

"How to Initiate a Conversation with a Man"

The more a woman tries to get a man to talk the more he will resist. Instead of wondering how she can get him to talk a better question might be “How can I achieve greater intimacy, conversation, and communication with my partner?” A woman can initiate more conversation but with a mature awareness that not only accepts but also expects that sometimes he will be available and at other times he will instinctively pull away.

When he is available, instead of asking him 20 questions or demanding that he talk, she could let him know that she appreciates him even if he just listens. In the beginning she should even discourage him from talking.

For example, she could say “Honey, would you listen to me for a while?” After talking for a couple of minutes, she could pause and say “I really appreciate when you listen to my feelings, it means a lot to me.” This appreciation encourages a man to listen more.

Without appreciation and encouragement, a man may lose interest because he feels as though his “listening” is “doing nothing.” He doesn’t realize how valuable listening is to her. Most women, however, instinctively know how important listening is. To expect a man to know this without some training is to expect him to be like a woman. Fortunately, after being appreciated for listening to a woman, a man does learn to respect the value of talking.

When a man feels appreciated for listening and he doesn’t feel rejected for not sharing more, he will gradually begin to open up. When he feels as if he doesn’t have to talk more, then naturally he will. But first he needs to feel accepted. If she is still frustrated by his silence then she is forgetting that men are from Mars.

Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus, pages 99-104.

“The Grand Re-enactment”

“The Grand Reenactment”

By Ty Gibson, from his book, The Sonship of Christ, Chapter 8.

Adapted by Gary L. Clendenon, October, 2021.

As the son of God, the life of Jesus was a complete and faithful reenactment of Israel’s history. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the whole point of the Bible.

Christ passed over the same experiential ground Israel traversed, but He was true to the covenant in place of Israel’s failures. The parallels between the two stories are deliberate and striking.

In the Old Testament, a young man named Joseph had dreams and was sent into Egypt to preserve his family. In the New Testament, another Joseph had dreams and then fled with his family to Egypt—escaping certain death.

When Israel came out of Egypt, God called the nation, “my son” (Exodus 4:22). When Jesus came out of Egypt, God said, “Out of Egypt I have called my son” (Matthew 2:15), forging an intentional parallel between the story of ancient Israel and the story of Jesus as God’s new Israelite son.

God’s son, Israel, passed through the Red Sea as they fled from the Egyptian army. The apostle Paul says they were thus “baptized unto Moses … in the sea” (I Cor. 10:2). Directly after being baptized as Israel’s new corporate representative, Jesus was introduced to the world by God with the words, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is relaunching Israel’s history.

Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years … yielding to temptation over and over again, finally entering into the Promised Land of Canaan under the leadership of a man bearing the name, “Joshua,” which means Yahweh saves. Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil without ever yielding, before He began to lead humanity into the heavenly Promised Land under the name “Jesus,” which also means Yahweh saves, being the Greek equivalent of “Joshua.”

Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the 10 Commandments from God and then delivered them to Israel. In Israel, Jesus positioned Himself at another mountain, announcing that He had come to “fulfill” the law and magnify its relational significance.

Ancient Israel was composed of the twelves sons of Jacob and their posterity—the “Twelve Tribes of Israel”. Jesus deliberately followed this narrative pattern by calling twelve apostles, from which emerged a spiritual posterity that would become the continuation of Israel, called the church, now composed of all nations.

Israel was called to be “a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation,” for the purpose of being a light to all nations, the intent being to incorporate into Israel every people group of the world (Exodus 19:6; Deut. 4:5-8). The church Jesus founded was the new Israel, called to be “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation” (I Peter 2:9), composed of people from every nation, and given the mission of bringing the light of God’s love to the whole world.

So all of that is there in the Bible? Wow! The sheer literary art of the narrative is so breathtaking that it simply cannot be a coincidental production. The chances are so remote as to be impossible.

The truly remarkable thing is that this story invites us to believe the very thing we secretly hope in our inmost hearts to be true—we are the objects of a faithful love that would rather die than let us go. One of the reasons we can know the story of Scripture is true is because it is true to our deepest longings for a quality of love that finds no perfectly satisfying match in this covenant-breaking world of ours. Jesus embodies what we intuitively know we are made for—perfect relational integrity.

Unfortunately, over time, the theological vision of Christianity became so thoroughly saturated in Greek thought by the medieval church, that the distinctly Hebrew orientation toward covenant relationship is almost unknown in modern Christianity.

The Bible is telling us a story. Jesus is the towering, central figure of the story. The goal of the story is that covenantal love would be restored to the human race. Everything that God promised to the world through Israel, God’s unfaithful son, was now brought to pass in God’s faithful son, Jesus Christ.

This, then, is the sense in which the New Testament calls Jesus, “the son of God.”

“The Grace of Hell!” (Grace Note #75)

 

"The Grace of Hell!" (Grace Note #75)

GARY L. CLENDENON· MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019· 5 MINUTES

In this “Grace Note”, I will attempt to explain my understanding of “Hell”, a VERY important topic! In my research, I found a website with the following helpful graphic regarding different beliefs that currently exist in Christianity about Hell:

On this chart you will see that there are 3 main view regarding Hell: Traditionalism, Universalism, and Conditionalism.

Traditionalism, as the name suggests, is the traditional view brought to us by the Catholic Church. This view argues for ETERNAL torture and punishment in a specific location called “Hell” for all bad people.

Universalism states that EVERYONE lives FOREVER. Now, the bad people may have to go through various levels of growth and refinement until they get to Heaven, but they can eventually get there. The Catholics call this place of refining PURGATORY. Other denominations or religions use the tool of reincarnation to keep you coming back until you get it right.

Conditionalism holds the belief that our immortality is conditional on whether or not we choose to be saved by Jesus Christ. If we are saved by Jesus, we live forever. If we are not saved by Jesus, then we have chosen destruction and are annihilated, destroyed--gone forever (This view is also called "Annihilationism"). Here is the statement of this belief found on the website rethinkinghell.com.

As for which of these 3 positions has the strongest Biblical argument, in my opinion based on my studies, I would put them in this order: Conditionalism: Strong, Traditionalism: Weak, Universalism: Weakest.

As most of you know, I am a Seventh-day Adventist, and our Biblical teaching on this topic is one of the things I am most proud of as an SDA (as most any search you make on the internet would lead you to believe Hell is a definite PLACE and LASTS FOREVER!). We believe in Conditionalism / Annihilationism, and SDA's are one of the few churches that teach that Hell is not a place that operates permanently! (For more on this unique teaching, see Fundamental Belief #27)  Here is an excellent article that speaks to the uniqueness of this SDA belief.

What does the Bible say about Hell? One of the strongest BIBLICAL arguments against eternally burning fire is found is Jude 7 and was taught to me by my good friend Donald Howard Blue.  Jude 7 says,

"Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." (KJV)

After sharing this text with me, Don asked me, "Are Sodom and Gomorrah still on fire?" “No,” I answered. “They are NOT!” (Since then I have seen actual photos and videos of Sodom and what happened there.)

Then Don explained to me that the phrase used to support the idea of Hell in the Bible is the phrase "eternal fire". Since we can clearly see that Sodom is not still on fire, then "eternal" must mean something else. If you watch the video above, you will see that clearly the destruction of Sodom was eternal in the sense that it will never come back to its former glory. The consequences were eternal, not the fire!

Now, if we transfer this meaning to the other verses that use the term "eternal fire", we have a strong argument against an eternal hell fire and for a destruction that is short, yet final--eternally final. For more Biblical support on this line of thinking, read this article.

As I have shared before on Facebook, in addition to my Biblical belief of Conditionalism / Annihilationism, I have two personal beliefs about hell that are stated in “Gary-ism #12” and “Gary-ism #13”.

Gary-ism #12, says, “Hell is a state of mind!” (Original quote: C.S. Lewis). I personally believe that Hell happens in our minds when we are COMPLETELY separated from GOD. That is what killed Jesus--the separation from His Father. I don't believe, as some Christians do, that Jesus went to Hell. Because he experienced Hell when that separation happened. He took our place and experienced the mental anguish that was ours to experience, and it was this that killed him.

In the end of all things, the "eternal fire" comes to burn up all who have chosen not to side with GOD. These who will be burned up, in my opinion, will be already dead--having experienced their own personal Hell as GOD respected their choice to separate themselves from Him and His Kingdom. The fire that comes is just to purify and clean the Earth from all who have made that choice.

Gary-ism #13 says, “Hell is a Satanic plot!” and is an original saying from me. I believe that Satan has misrepresented GOD's position and teaching on "eternal fire" to created a false understanding of a mean, wrath-filled, vengeance-filled God. I call "Bullshit" on this. Satan is the mean, wrath-filled, vengeance-filled, deceiver and hater of all things good. He has created this false narrative to scare people into following GOD and destroying the Truth of a picture of a Loving, Grace-filled, Merciful God.

This is the "plot" I speak of--the conspiracy (1st meaning) of a false narrative/plot (2nd meaning). My 3rd meaning of plot is "a piece of land". It is also this I am also referring to: the fake and phony place or location where "Hell" is supposed located. This supposed place only serves to confirm and bolster Satan's plot to create an image of a mean, spiteful, and punishing God--burning people forever and ever.

Who could serve such a God? Many have said, to Satan's joy, "Not me!" and rejected this God completely! Instead of rejecting GOD, I would much rather reject this false teaching. And that is how I have made my peace with GOD and the Biblical concept of Hell, for “the Truth will set you free”!

That is my understanding of Hell from a Biblical perspective!

P.S. For an excellent book on Hell, I recommend Rob Bell's book Love Wins, which is in alignment with my personal beliefs. Note: Rob Bell is not an SDA, if that matters to you.

"Remember . . . ."

Remember . . .

A Short Story by Gary L. Clendenon (c) 2013

Introduction: The following short story is the result of a dream I had. I made my best effort to be faithful to the dream and so, in a way, don't feel total ownership of the story or the ideas presented in the story. It is what it is. Make of it what you will!

I was outside. Walking somewhere. Green grass, sunshine, birds singing. That's all I remember. That's the most I can recall as I attempt to piece together what happened.

Some noises caught my attention as I walked: other people briskly walking—important people on a mission. Noises in the background of important machinery—high tech machinery, also suggesting important people were afoot.

Curious, I began to turn my head back to the right to see what was happening. At that split second, my life went into slow motion as I simultaneously heard and felt a giant shock wave impact my head and body. It felt like I had been shot by a cannon, I thought—in no specific place, but everywhere at once.

As I slowly feel to the ground—completely incapacitated, my line of sight slowly spiraling down, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a military man in a full dress green uniform pass by me headed toward a nondescript office building. It seems others were following him, perhaps many, but I only saw the General before I hit the ground.

Lying there on the ground, immobilized—head pounding like a bass drum, I heard one sound grow louder than the rest. It was a hi-tech whirring sound coming towards me from above and behind me. Not understanding what was happening and unable to move, a feeling of terror came over me as the sound came closer and closer. Out of the corner of my eye, just before I forced my eyes shut, I saw a hovering robot descending toward me. It looked like the head of WALL-E with its giant, friendly eyes, but I was completely enveloped in utter terror believing that this thing was responsible for my sudden shock, pain, and confusion.

Descending into unconsciousness, the last thing I remembered was this airborne robot flying just above and in front of my face. Hovering. Somehow checking me out like a rescue dog sniffing a discovered body. It took every ounce of energy I had to not open my eyes. I waited in terror—expecting the final blow. And then, I was gone.

[An undetermined amount of time passes]

As I slowly came to, I awoke first to loud noises and very bright lights. They weren't, actually, but due to my condition, that is how I perceived the world I was coming around to. My head was throbbing in pain and every muscle in my body joined the chorus of pounding pain. I felt like I used to feel after a game of tackle football, only many times worse: every square inch of my body beat up and abused.

I lay in a large room somewhere—a sterile place with quiet muzak playing somewhere in the distance. I could hear someone near me occupied with something that kept them busy while I lay there. He hummed an unrecognized tune as I slowly continued to awake to my surroundings. With some effort, I peeked out of one eye and then the other. Finally, I was able to flutter both eyes open at the same time.

“Ah, there you are!” said the friendly voice of the man who had been humming as he turned and rolled over to me on his mobile stool. He explained that he was a doctor and I nodded yes or no as he went through the medical protocol for checking me out.

He was a balding, late-middle-aged man with short-cut hair on the sides. He was tall and chunky. Strong nose. Friendly face. He explained that he was a specialist in helping people like me go through the recovery process and not to worry, in a day or so, I would be back to normal.

Having finished his medical protocols, the doctor—taking a more casual, humorous tone—said to me, “So, you must be one of them—to receive such special treatment, or was it just a case of 'wrong place—wrong time'?”

Sitting up, I found my voice and shakily said, “If by 'one of them' you mean 'anti-government rebels', then no,” I weakly smiled. “If by 'one of them' you mean 'crazy, conspiracy behind every bush', then I'd probably confess to that,” I quietly chuckled. “If by 'one of them' you mean 'a Sabbath-keeper', then yes, I am. Guilty as charged.”

His voice and tone grew serious and sad as he sighed, “Ah, Shabbat.” After a moment of hesitant silence, he looked around as if to see if anyone was listening and slid his stool closer to me, then said in an intimate, vulnerable voice, “I miss Shabbat.” Another heavy sigh. “I miss my family. Such good times we had on Shabbat. Watching my wife light the Shabbat candles and then hearing her say the Shabbat Blessing. Going to the synagogue. Listening to the Torah. 'Remember the Sabbath day....' Why'd they have to go and make such a big deal about that? I do. I do remember.”

A door abruptly opened and the doctor was called out. As he left the room, he turned to me with a kind smile and quietly said, “Don't ever forget!”

As I sat in silence waiting, I pondered his words through the painful, dizzy haze that was my mental state until some time later, the same door the doctor had gone out, opened again. A soldier, dressed in fatigues, was carrying something odd in his hands. As he walked by me and then exited out another door to my left, I gasped, then fainted at the horrible realization of what I had seen. It was the doctor's head—wrapped in clear, sterile plastic.

“Remembering” was against the Law.

"THE VOICE: How Amy Grant Saved my Theology!" (Grace Note #86)

 

By Gary L. Clendenon, April 6, 2020

(Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, the following words are my own personal thoughts, opinions, and beliefs.)

I went as a Student Missionary to Indonesia in 1981. Before I left, I was trained, along with others, to do what missionaries do: Spread the Gospel of the Love of GOD shown through the Gift of GOD’s son, Jesus Christ! We were taking part in fulfilling the Gospel Commission given by Jesus to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) “and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).

It was taught from these texts that Jesus’ return was dependent on us and all Christians to get out the name and story of Jesus to everyone in the whole world or they would be lost! These ideas were reinforced with Jesus’ own words “I am the way . . . No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6) and Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (emphasis mine)

Naturally, this teaching (1), as it still does, created quite a motivation in most Christians to get the word out by whatever means necessary—including the ultimate sacrifice of one’s life! It inspired every missionary to “Go”, and they/we went! We felt good that we went because we were accepting Jesus’ Holy Calling and that was exciting!

I and four other young men were stationed in a large city where we taught Conversation classes from which we would invite our students to Bible classes and religious programs once a week. Halfway through the year, we had a vacation which we took to a village hundreds of miles away from our city. In order to get to this village, we flew, then we drove on paved roads, then unpaved roads, and finally, we hiked for a whole day on a trail before arriving at our destination.

Being at this village was an interesting cognitive experience for us. As we had grown up in the Church on “missionary stories” and we had prepared and studied to live in Indonesia, for the first time we felt that the pictures in our minds of what it looked like to be a missionary matched up with where we were! Being in the city didn’t do that for us, but this village was a perfect match for what we thought we had prepared for somehow! It felt “just right”. And yet, the reality of our missionary experience in the city was way different than our expectation.

This trip to a secluded village in the mountains of Indonesia triggered some other cognitive challenges for us. We had a painful, challenging thought that begin to gnaw at our minds. We had been to one of the most secluded places on the planet and begin to think of all the other secluded places on the planet and the feasibility of reaching all those places with “The Gospel”. The thought began to become more clear, and the further we pondered it, we came to the startling conclusion that it was not humanly possible to get the Gospel to every person of “every tribe, nation, people, and language”!

This was an earth-shaking bit of knowledge to process. It created a lot of cognitive dissonance in our minds. It was not humanly possible to do the job we were trained and set out to do! How could this be? Was the Bible wrong? Were we wrong? What were we missing? What would happen to those who fell through the cracks and didn’t hear the name of Jesus? How would they be judged? It wasn’t their fault they didn’t know Jesus!

With all these questions colliding in my head after we returned back home to the city, I headed to my bedroom. One of the other teachers had loaned me a cassette tape of Amy Grant’s 1977 debut album. I was listening to this cassette when Amy’s words arrested my attention. It was the song “Old Man’s Rubble” and I rewound the cassette and listened again as I heard these words:

“Deep within you there’s a spiritual battle. There’s a voice of the darkness and a voice of the light. And just by listening you’ve made a decision, ‘cause the voice you hear is gonna win the fight!” (2)

You know that “Aha moment” when the Heavens open up and a light shines down and charges up the light bulb above your head until it flashes and then you know—you just absolutely know—that you’ve been given a Word of Knowledge from above. Ya, it was like that for me!

Amy Grant’s words contained the answers to all those questions I had been chewing on unsuccessfully. Every person that ever lived in every corner of the globe—no matter how remote—was given the same opportunity: to listen to or reject the Voice of Light within them. That was GOD speaking to them through the Spirit of GOD. Everyone would hear that Voice and they would ultimately be judged on how well they listened and followed Its leading.

Next, I compared my “Aha” to those earlier Bible texts I cited. Did they match up? Was Jesus still the only Way? Yes, only Jesus and His sacrificial blood could make it possible for the unreached soul to be saved—even if that soul never heard of or called upon the name of Jesus! When that soul meets Jesus, they will recognize His voice as The Voice they chose to listen to and follow. (3)

If this was true, then some other things must not be true. The idea that if someone didn’t hear the name of Jesus, and call upon His name, they couldn’t be saved: not true. Therefore, my reaching that unreached soul was not an “eternal life” matter. They could be saved even if I didn’t get to them! What a relief! What a burden was lifted from my soul as the weight of the world’s lost souls were removed from my shoulders!

It’s literally a crying shame all of the damage that has been done by Christians in Jesus’ name to our fellow humans in the name of this misunderstood teaching: “Crusades”, banishment, judgment, shaming, torture, executions, forced confessions, ostracizing, condemnation, manipulation, peer pressure, sweet talking, finger pointing, arm-twisting, behavior control, and most of all, outright hellish fear of eternal damnation!

For thousands of years we Christians have been trying to scare people into the Kingdom of GOD—by whatever means necessary! These methods we’ve been using are NOT “The Gospel”! The word “Gospel”, literally translated means “Good News”! I challenge you to find any good news in these completely negative, abusive—one could even go so far as to say “evil”—methods!

What, then, is the “Good News”? Let’s look at the most famous text in the Bible: John 3:16. In it Jesus says:

“For God so loved the world...” Does a God who loves sound like good news to you? A further study of the Bible reveals that there are numerous verses clarify, reinforcing, and expounding upon these words. It can be said without dispute that the central theme of the whole Bible is summed up in these words. (4) It would be hard to argue that being loved by one’s Creator is not good news!

“...that he gave his one and only son...” People who love, give gifts to those whom they love. GOD’s gift to humanity was a personal representation of the Godhead wrapped into a person humans could see, touch, and listen to. God wanted to be “with us”, one of us, so that we could understand the Godhead better and answer those most important philosophical questions: “Who am I?” “Why am I here?”

“...that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” There were two parts to the gift of GOD’s son. The 2nd part was Jesus’ gift of His death—taking our place for the required Death Penalty that hung over our heads. Jesus stated His purpose for coming in John 10:10: “I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.” Not only a fully actualized life now, but life forever with the GODhead. Is there any doubt as to why the Gospel is called “Good News”?? Perfect Love, Gifts, and a Full Life now and forever with our Creator? C’mon!

Most people stop at verse 16 of John 3, but I love the fact that Jesus keeps going (there were no verses back in Jesus’ day). Notice what He says next: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Think about this, please! Why would Jesus say such a thing? I am arguing that He wouldn’t have said these words if there was not an idea floating around somewhere that GOD’s purpose was “to condemn the world” and Jesus wanted to make sure that all humanity understood this was not the Truth! As I already alluded to, this practice of condemnation is sadly very common now among Christians; it seems to be one of GOD’s enemy’s favorite deceptions! (5)

So, the “Good News” of the Gospel is: GOD’s Perfect Un-condemning Love, The Gift of Jesus and His Teachings, The Gift of Jesus Death—saving us into a Full Life now and then forever with our Creator? If so, then we Christians need to get back to “The Gospel” meaning what it’s supposed to mean—“Good News”—and get rid of all the baggage we have added to what used to be “Good News”. No more condemnation or anything even remotely related to that! If there is ever meant to be a time of condemnation, rest assured that that will still not be our job as Christians. It will be GOD’s job and it will be done in such a loving manner that whomever is being “condemned” will pronounce the judgment right and fair!

Understanding the lesson learned from Amy Grant’s song completely changed my perspective on what in Christian circles is called “Evangelism”. This is the fancy word for “doing whatever it takes to get someone into the Kingdom of GOD”. Only now the false urgency is gone for me—it’s not life or death. Is it still important? Absolutely! Jesus asked us to share the “Good News” all around the world. And here’s the thing about good news, it almost spreads itself! If you are excited about something or someone, you can’t wait to tell everyone you meet. I believe that’s what “Evangelism” ought to look like—people sharing their good news with others.

One Christmas a few years back, I noticed something about the Angel appearing to the Shepherds with the news of Jesus’ birth. Check this out: “...the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11, emphasis mine) Now, check out the word “Evangelism”. If you look closely, the word “angel” is in the middle of that word! It was then that I came to a new understanding of the word “Evangelism”. Now I understand “Ev-angel-ism” to be “The Message of the Angel”: “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news (The Gospel). This news will cause you great joy. You have a Savior!”

Given these ideas, here are some questions you might think about for your own personal evangelism and the evangelistic program of your church. 1. “Is what I/we am/are bringing to people being brought and received in a Spirit of Fear or a Spirit of Love?” 2. “Is what I/we am/are bringing to people being shared with the excitement of “Good News” that causes “Great Joy” or with the droll seriousness of a funeral parlor?

Personally, I believe the Power of our witness as individuals and as churches has been lost because we’ve lost sight of the Angel’s message. Instead we tend to bring the Message of GOD with fear, seriousness, and a complete lack of any sign of Joy! And we wonder why our churches are shrinking and our children are leaving! I would even go so far as to say that unless we change our perspective and attitudes about evangelism, we, and the people around us, might be better off if we take a break from what we call “Evangelism” and spend some time praying the prayer of David “Restore to me the Joy of your salvation.” (Psalms 51:12)

If the beliefs I derived from Amy Grant’s words are true, then there is one more popular Christian teaching that must also not be true: the belief I was raised with and taught that “there is a only a small, limited number of people that end up being saved” (at one time that number was 144,000 only). If this is not true, then my understanding and beliefs about who would be saved needed to grow beyond 144,000, beyond the “elect remnant” of my denomination, and most shockingly of all, beyond the confines of my own Christian religion!

If the salvation of people who never hear the name of Jesus or get a chance to know Him and His Teachings fully is to be determined by whether they consistently chose to listen to GOD’s Voice through the Holy Spirit, then that must mean that there will be people outside of my denomination that will be saved. Further out, it means that there will be people of other religions that will be saved. And lastly, it must mean that people of no religion or belief system will be saved!

Have you ever had this thought: “There could even be Atheists in Heaven!” Think about that for a while! I love how SDA Pastor John McLarty puts this idea: “Many who call themselves nonbelievers will discover, when all the misunderstandings have been swept away, that God is precisely the ideal to whom they devoted their lives. ....many who are not Christian will be saved at last.” (6)

I was surprised to find out that this is similar to what the Ultimate “You need Jesus” Evangelist of my lifetime—Billy Graham—believed, and also, like me, grew to believe over time:

"I used to play God, but I can’t do that anymore. I used to believe that pagans in far-off countries were lost–were going to hell–if they did not have the gospel of Jesus Christ preached to them. I no longer believe that. I believe that there are other ways of recognizing the existence of God–through nature, for instance–and plenty of other opportunities, therefore, of saying ‘yes’ to God.” - Billy Graham, 1978

A while back I came across the perfect parable that really spoke to me regarding all these ideas:

A person dies and shows up at the pearly gates. St. Peter meets them and then gives them a tour of Heaven, showing them everything in great detail. After the tour is over, St. Peter asks if they have any questions, and the person says “Yes, just one: You gave me a very complete tour of everything here in Heaven, but I couldn’t help noticing that you didn’t show me what is behind that wall over there!” St. Peter leans over and in a hushed voice says, “Oh, behind that wall? Those are the Adventists. They think they’re the only ones here!”

It’s been 38 years since I first encountered these thoughts, and the thoughts that followed have taken numerous years to process and sort through to get where I am today. For you, this might be your first encounter with thoughts like these, so I just ask to think about them, ponder them, mull them over, compare them with your understanding of Scripture, Prophecy, and Reality. I’m not trying to change your Theology—well maybe a little bit—but mostly I just wanted to share the “Good News” and Joy of what I have come to believe with you: “Outside of a real relationship with Jesus Christ, it is whether or not you chose to listen to the Voice of GOD that determines whether or not you will be saved!”

Naturally, I encourage you to get to know that Voice, as I slowly am, and Listen well!

Footnotes:

1. I just learned this teaching has a name. It’s called “Restrictivism” or “Particularism”.

(http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/heathen.htm)

2. “Old Man’s Rubble” on Amy Grant, 1977, Written by Brown Bannister.

3. I did not realize it at the time, but my beliefs had just moved from “Restrictivism” to “Inclusivism”.

(http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/heathen.htm)

4. Ellen White wrote a comprehensive history of the Earth’s 6,000+ year history in relationship to GOD. It took up 5 books with a total of over 3,500 pages. The first three words in the first book and the last three words of the last book are exactly the same: “God is Love”. Throughout all her writings, White confirmed that Love was the primary message of the Bible and thus, also, her own writings.

5. Paul affirms that this message is legitimate and important to the Christian by re-emphasizing it again: “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1, emphasis mine.)

6. John Thomas McLarty, Adventist Spirituality for Thinkers and Seekers, p. 87.