Hello PapaPops,
Now I’m beginning to make some of the connections that various parts of the Bible must have with each other. I’m thinking especially of the connection you referenced of Jonah with Jesus’ Gospel teachings. Perhaps in time I’ll get some more insights.
I do remember singing that hymn “Christ Arose,” from years ago when I went to Easter Church services with my wife. She has been much more of a Church-goer over the years than I have, you know. I admit now that it’s rather sad that we men should leave so much of the “church work” to our wives. Actually, it should be equally as important to us men as to our wives and children, don’t you think? I wonder why we neglect that part of our lives….
I’m planning to take your advice and read that fifteenth chapter of the Bible book of 1 Corinthians. From what you say, that makes the resurrection of Jesus Christ of supreme importance, and I want to see for myself what it says.
Aren’t there some other possible explanations, though, such as one I think I’ve heard that he didn’t really die, but seemed to be pretty near dead, and that he revived later in the cold, damp tomb? Does that explanation hold any water, as the saying goes?
Well, PapaPops, that’s about it for me for now. “See” you again soon!
-- with my best wishes, -- Art
Showing posts with label Gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gospel. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Art, and the Story of the Resurrection
3-03-08
Hello, Art,
You remarked about the story of Jonah in the Bible. And yes, indeed, it is a great story. Very interesting, but also heartening when you think of how God gave His servant Jonah a second opportunity to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach God’s message there. Very encouraging, too, with respect to a large population repenting and turning to God, upon hearing the preaching of God’s servant, no matter how reluctant he was at first! Besides that, it’s simply great to know that God cares about people everywhere and wants them to love Him and follow His plan for their lives. Isn’t that so?
I take the Book of Jonah in the Bible very seriously because of these factors. But in addition, it’s because our Savior referred to Jonah in His teachings recorded in the Four Gospels of the N.T. He used the story of Jonah spending three days in the interior of the great fish to illustrate His own burial, and rising again from the dead on the third day.
Soon we will be celebrating Resurrection Sunday once again (Easter), re-telling the fantastic and wonderful record in the Bible of Jesus our Lord rising from the dead. One of the greatest hymns about this, I think, is “Christ Arose,” by Robert Lowry. Dating back to the year 1874, it clearly and simply relates, in a very singable musical setting, the triumph that Christ experienced over death and all His foes, when He arose from the dead nearly two thousand years ago!
Art, if this interests you, my recommendation is to read the fifteenth chapter of one of the Apostle Paul’s letters, the one we call 1 Corinthians. In that chapter, Paul states clearly that if Christ did not rise from the dead as the evidence states so forcefully, then we who are His followers are most to be pitied of all people. And he goes so far as to say that if Christ did not rise, then we are still in sin, i.e. we have no hope for a marvelous future with the Lord someday when we finish our earthly journey!
But the Bible does promise that everyone who receives Christ as Savior and believes in Him can know for sure NOW that he or she will be in God’s family forever. And that’s not through any amount of good works that you and I might do (or anyone else do, either). Instead, it’s entirely because God loves us each one, and gave His Son to be our Redeemer by His death on the Cross and His resurrection on that first Easter Sunday.
Now that’s not just a “nice story,” Art. I dare say that it is the best-attested story in history, -- that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures!
Art, if you’ve never given much thought to this tremendous theme of the Bible, the “Greatest Book Ever Written,” then I hope you will do so soon. And let me know what you think. I’ll be praying that this year will mark a turning point in your life, a turning point that is directly related to Christ’s death and resurrection.
Wishing you all the best, -- PapaPops
Hello, Art,
You remarked about the story of Jonah in the Bible. And yes, indeed, it is a great story. Very interesting, but also heartening when you think of how God gave His servant Jonah a second opportunity to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach God’s message there. Very encouraging, too, with respect to a large population repenting and turning to God, upon hearing the preaching of God’s servant, no matter how reluctant he was at first! Besides that, it’s simply great to know that God cares about people everywhere and wants them to love Him and follow His plan for their lives. Isn’t that so?
I take the Book of Jonah in the Bible very seriously because of these factors. But in addition, it’s because our Savior referred to Jonah in His teachings recorded in the Four Gospels of the N.T. He used the story of Jonah spending three days in the interior of the great fish to illustrate His own burial, and rising again from the dead on the third day.
Soon we will be celebrating Resurrection Sunday once again (Easter), re-telling the fantastic and wonderful record in the Bible of Jesus our Lord rising from the dead. One of the greatest hymns about this, I think, is “Christ Arose,” by Robert Lowry. Dating back to the year 1874, it clearly and simply relates, in a very singable musical setting, the triumph that Christ experienced over death and all His foes, when He arose from the dead nearly two thousand years ago!
Art, if this interests you, my recommendation is to read the fifteenth chapter of one of the Apostle Paul’s letters, the one we call 1 Corinthians. In that chapter, Paul states clearly that if Christ did not rise from the dead as the evidence states so forcefully, then we who are His followers are most to be pitied of all people. And he goes so far as to say that if Christ did not rise, then we are still in sin, i.e. we have no hope for a marvelous future with the Lord someday when we finish our earthly journey!
But the Bible does promise that everyone who receives Christ as Savior and believes in Him can know for sure NOW that he or she will be in God’s family forever. And that’s not through any amount of good works that you and I might do (or anyone else do, either). Instead, it’s entirely because God loves us each one, and gave His Son to be our Redeemer by His death on the Cross and His resurrection on that first Easter Sunday.
Now that’s not just a “nice story,” Art. I dare say that it is the best-attested story in history, -- that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures!
Art, if you’ve never given much thought to this tremendous theme of the Bible, the “Greatest Book Ever Written,” then I hope you will do so soon. And let me know what you think. I’ll be praying that this year will mark a turning point in your life, a turning point that is directly related to Christ’s death and resurrection.
Wishing you all the best, -- PapaPops
Monday, December 3, 2007
My Apology to Art
To Art,
Needless to say, I was saddened by your response to my last e-communication with you. If I have offended you by some way that I have expressed myself in writing to you, I apologize sincerely, Art. I am well aware that I am imperfect, and therefore I may be vulnerable to offending others. However, if you or anyone at all is offended by the Gospel of Christ our only Savior, then I really cannot help that.
I didn’t originate or formulate the Gospel. Instead, it came from God alone. What is the Gospel? It is the wonderful plan of our great Creator God, devised and implemented for our redemption. He revealed it to us in His Book, the Bible, and in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. He is expressing His great love for you and me, Art, through that plan, -- His love for all the world!
Friend, I want to make it clear that I certainly do not pretend to be better than others, nor to have any special “in” with God, apart from His love and grace, which are available to all. I do know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I am now a child of God, by grace through faith in His Son. And I know that when I complete my earthly journey, I will be at home with the Lord. You, too, can know that, Art. Anyone can. I have NOT worked for it, because I couldn’t succeed in a million years, and neither can anyone else.
There’s more that I want to write you, Art, if you’re willing. You sounded very skeptical when you wrote me on the 27th. You had asked me about the end of the world. Would you like to know more? I don’t claim to have all the answers, but would be glad to pass along to you some of the Bible teachings that I have learned. They can be of tremendous comfort and encouragement to you, Art.
I sincerely care about you, as well as the many other friends that I have known over the years. My desire is to know that you will prepare your self now, to join me someday in the Heavenly mansions that our Savior went to prepare.
Sincerely,
PapaPops
Needless to say, I was saddened by your response to my last e-communication with you. If I have offended you by some way that I have expressed myself in writing to you, I apologize sincerely, Art. I am well aware that I am imperfect, and therefore I may be vulnerable to offending others. However, if you or anyone at all is offended by the Gospel of Christ our only Savior, then I really cannot help that.
I didn’t originate or formulate the Gospel. Instead, it came from God alone. What is the Gospel? It is the wonderful plan of our great Creator God, devised and implemented for our redemption. He revealed it to us in His Book, the Bible, and in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ. He is expressing His great love for you and me, Art, through that plan, -- His love for all the world!
Friend, I want to make it clear that I certainly do not pretend to be better than others, nor to have any special “in” with God, apart from His love and grace, which are available to all. I do know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I am now a child of God, by grace through faith in His Son. And I know that when I complete my earthly journey, I will be at home with the Lord. You, too, can know that, Art. Anyone can. I have NOT worked for it, because I couldn’t succeed in a million years, and neither can anyone else.
There’s more that I want to write you, Art, if you’re willing. You sounded very skeptical when you wrote me on the 27th. You had asked me about the end of the world. Would you like to know more? I don’t claim to have all the answers, but would be glad to pass along to you some of the Bible teachings that I have learned. They can be of tremendous comfort and encouragement to you, Art.
I sincerely care about you, as well as the many other friends that I have known over the years. My desire is to know that you will prepare your self now, to join me someday in the Heavenly mansions that our Savior went to prepare.
Sincerely,
PapaPops
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Art Replies!
Dear PapaPops,
It was good to hear from you, to receive your recent letter. It surely has been a long time, hasn’t it? Yes, I agree that those “old times” to which you refer are good to remember. I’m glad for your encouragement in this way, and I surely want to be an encouragement to you, too.
It is true that I have been successful in my chosen field of business, and have therefore been able to accomplish a lot of the things you have spelled out. It has been gratifying to help my children get a good start on their own careers in life. And the traveling that my wife and I have done has taken us to some very beautiful spots here on Planet Earth. Isn’t this an amazing place? It’s inhabitable, complex, and has tremendous variety which is available to us every day.
I can’t help but congratulate you on the work you have done in the Gospel ministry. It must be a very good feeling to help bring about positive changes at the “deep places” of people’s lives. Your work, compared to mine through the years, seems to have had the greater impact in the things that matter most. Do you think so?
Now I’ll admit that I feel a little uneasy, PapaPops, when I consider the question of “What next?” after I’ve done all that I can do. Certainly, as with everybody else, I’m on the road to that place in life where my health and natural abilities will have greatly diminished. I really don’t like to contemplate that. Do you? I wish for the best, both here and hereafter, but I’m concerned that I don’t have much solid hope, as you seem to have. Is hope of that nature and magnitude really possible for people like you and me?
How can you say that you know, yes, actually know, that you will be “at home with our Lord and Savior,” to use your words, when your earthly journey is done? It seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? How can anyone know what is ahead for us beyond the grave? Shouldn’t we be responsible for ourselves, rather than rely on a payment from somebody else, on our behalf, as your “Gospel” maintains?
PapaPops, I’m a little mystified in your writing about “our Savior” as someone who is alive today, and personal. And who can know that he or she will be somehow “saved” forever?!? How can the death of any person that occurred some two thousand years ago make a real difference in your life or mine today? Isn’t this wishful thinking, -- perhaps an expression of a religious sentiment long-ago described as the “opiate of the people?”
As for reading the Gospel of John, in pursuing your suggestion, is it really worth the time that would take, do you think? After all, the Bible is an old book (very old), and how can it anticipate today’s problems? How can it suggest workable, high-value answers to those problems? Can it really put forward a satisfying solution for people like you and me? I don’t mean to suggest that what you say is superfluous, but tell me -- what is an “honest doubter” to think?
With great appreciation for your willingness to help me find true meaning and a lasting purpose, I am –
Sincerely yours, -- Art
It was good to hear from you, to receive your recent letter. It surely has been a long time, hasn’t it? Yes, I agree that those “old times” to which you refer are good to remember. I’m glad for your encouragement in this way, and I surely want to be an encouragement to you, too.
It is true that I have been successful in my chosen field of business, and have therefore been able to accomplish a lot of the things you have spelled out. It has been gratifying to help my children get a good start on their own careers in life. And the traveling that my wife and I have done has taken us to some very beautiful spots here on Planet Earth. Isn’t this an amazing place? It’s inhabitable, complex, and has tremendous variety which is available to us every day.
I can’t help but congratulate you on the work you have done in the Gospel ministry. It must be a very good feeling to help bring about positive changes at the “deep places” of people’s lives. Your work, compared to mine through the years, seems to have had the greater impact in the things that matter most. Do you think so?
Now I’ll admit that I feel a little uneasy, PapaPops, when I consider the question of “What next?” after I’ve done all that I can do. Certainly, as with everybody else, I’m on the road to that place in life where my health and natural abilities will have greatly diminished. I really don’t like to contemplate that. Do you? I wish for the best, both here and hereafter, but I’m concerned that I don’t have much solid hope, as you seem to have. Is hope of that nature and magnitude really possible for people like you and me?
How can you say that you know, yes, actually know, that you will be “at home with our Lord and Savior,” to use your words, when your earthly journey is done? It seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? How can anyone know what is ahead for us beyond the grave? Shouldn’t we be responsible for ourselves, rather than rely on a payment from somebody else, on our behalf, as your “Gospel” maintains?
PapaPops, I’m a little mystified in your writing about “our Savior” as someone who is alive today, and personal. And who can know that he or she will be somehow “saved” forever?!? How can the death of any person that occurred some two thousand years ago make a real difference in your life or mine today? Isn’t this wishful thinking, -- perhaps an expression of a religious sentiment long-ago described as the “opiate of the people?”
As for reading the Gospel of John, in pursuing your suggestion, is it really worth the time that would take, do you think? After all, the Bible is an old book (very old), and how can it anticipate today’s problems? How can it suggest workable, high-value answers to those problems? Can it really put forward a satisfying solution for people like you and me? I don’t mean to suggest that what you say is superfluous, but tell me -- what is an “honest doubter” to think?
With great appreciation for your willingness to help me find true meaning and a lasting purpose, I am –
Sincerely yours, -- Art
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