Rob Bell is wrong

I have to chuckle a bit as I begin.  When I was a few weeks into this blog, someone asked me, “Are you going to tackle controversial topics in your blog?”  I answered that I didn’t know.  Well, as you see from the title, I have tackled a controversial topic: Rob Bell’s new book: “Love Wins.”  Let me tell you that I don’t particularly relish the thought of tackling what I’m going to tackle today.  This content today is difficult and unpopular.  So put your seat belts on.

First of all, here's a fascinating link from ABC news talking about Bell's new book: 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/controversial-book-debunk-concept-hell/story?id=13070964

Notice the title: “Controversial new book looks to debunk concept of Hell.”  This was news to me. Initially, I thought Bell was only saying that everyone was going to ultimately get a free pass to Heaven, and that Hell was going to be dedicated exclusively to Satan and his demons.

The fact of the matter is this: Hell does exist.  Someone has said that Jesus talked more about Hell than He did about Heaven.  Just read through the gospels and you will see that this is a fair statement.

Furthermore, with sadness, I state that Hell is the destination for those who reject God’s Son, Jesus Christ.  But it can be avoided.  Paul was asked in Acts 16, “What must I do to be saved?”  And his answer was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (verse 31).  Pastor Gino Geraci has said that before he became a Christian, people would repeatedly ask him, “Are you saved?”  He was confused.  "Saved from what?" He would wonder.  In time, he discovered the answer is God’s wrath.

God is holy and sin must be punished.  We are sinners; but because of Jesus’ substitutionary atoning death on the cross, we can be saved from God’s righteous anger against our sin.  Charles Stanley says that Jesus “paid our sin debt.”  Now we can simply believe on the Lord Jesus.  That is, put our faith, trust, and confidence in Christ alone to forgive us.

I know some of you don’t like me talking this way.  Some of you don’t want me to be a “heresy hunter.”  Honestly, I am really not a combative, argumentative person.  Once again, to share this today isn’t easy or fun for me.  But someone needs to speak up and say, “This is the truth that the Bible declares.”  I for one will speak up, no matter how unpopular it is.

Kevin Bauer

Happy "3:16 day"

Today, a DJ duo team on a Christian radio station kept wishing the listener a “happy 3:16 day.”  They explained that March 16, or 3/16, put them in mind of John 3:16.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”  I could spent several paragraphs talking about the richness of this verse, but I won’t.  Rather, I want to encourage and challenge you to ponder this verse as if this is the first time you've ever read it.

Let me attempt to help get you started: “For God so loved...” contemplate with me again what it means that the Creator of the entire universe loves us.  Isaiah 40 declares that God “sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers” (verse 22).  We live on a small speck of the universe, a tiny planet called Earth, and yet God loves us, even though we are like tiny grasshoppers to Him.  This is astounding to me!

Another verse in Isaiah always blows my mind.  “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (62:5).  How’s that for an analogy?

Kevin

God is still in control

Like many of you, I've been shocked and saddened by the news of the huge loss of life because of an earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  I think the death toll is something like 10,000 if I heard correctly.

In this midst of such horrible circumstances, the normal question we want to ask is why do such horrible things happen?  There are no easy answers.  In Isaiah 55, God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways...As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  In other words, God is saying that He will allow things that are beyond our human comprehension.  God is under no obligation to explain why things happen the way that they do.  Furthermore, if He did explain it, we wouldn't understand.  It's simply beyond us.

But I do know this: God is still in absolute control.  Nothing takes Him by surprise.  I was recently comforted by an excerpt from Edward B. Pusey.  I think this will be helpful for any of us going through painful circumstances:

"Whatever befalls us, however it befalls us, we must receive as the will of God.  If it befalls us through man's negligence, or ill-will, or anger, still it is, in even the least circumstance, to us the will of God.  For if the least thing could happen to us without God's permission it would be something out of God's control.  God's providence or His love would not be what they are."

Kevin Bauer

(Ephesians 1:11)

Two heroes contrasted

After watching some episodes on DVD of both Batman and Spider-Man, a contrast between the two became obvious to me.  While Batman is typically considered to be a loner, I'd say this is really kind of an unfair label that is put on him.  Cary Friedman in his great book "Wisdom from the Batcave" writes of Batman, "Where would Bruce Wayne/the Batman be without Dick Grayson and Alfred Pennyworth?  They have saved his life and his sanity over the years...The Batman could not do what he does without the assistance of his friends" (that's a quote from chapter 14).  I agree with Friedman.

On the other hand, if you want to talk about someone who I believe is a better candidate to be called a loner, I would suggest Spider-Man.  Think about it.  He does everything alone.  Yes, he has his Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, and Harry Osborn, but none of these people know that he is Spider-man (usually that's the case, but in some versions Mary Jane knows).  Spider-Man doesn't have a Robin or an Alfred to bounce things off of.  He can't say, "I just tangled with this villain who did this.  What do you think I should do about this?"  He has to figure it all out on his own.  He is a loner.

Why does Spider-man choose to live this way?  He doesn't want to share his secret life to his close friends and family to protect them.  While this is admirable, he also suffers for it.  Speaking for myself, when I have to keep my problems and difficulties to myself they seem twice as bad as they really are.  Whenever I've shared an issue I'm facing, the burden of it is lessened (and of course my challenges are nothing compared to Spider-Man's).

Because of today's blog thought, I've been inspired anew to share my life with my friends and my family - like Batman does - and not keep everything bottled up like Spider-Man.

Kevin Bauer

(Galatians 6:2) 

Happy birthday, Mom!

For many years I have loved to write, but anytime I try to write something regarding some of my mother's wonderful qualities, words don't come easy; not because there is little to say but because there is too much!  Here's a picture of her...

Mom's birthday is today and so, in honor of this day, let me attempt to divulge a few traits.

1) She is a woman of prayer.  I can't tell you the number of times that a negative situation has resolved itself only to have Mom reply, "That's an answer to prayer."

2) She is a woman of boldness.  What I mean here is if someone were to declare a falsehood, she will set you straight with the truth.  You may not always like it, but she will tell you the truth.

3) She is a woman of generosity.  She is always giving of herself.  That may mean giving of her time, her money, or her energy.  She lives out Jesus' maxim, "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

In short, if I had to boil it down to one sentence, I would say this: I thank God for my mother!

Kevin Bauer
(Philippians 1:3)

"Without You, I am nothing"

I really like a new song called "Search My Heart" by Hillsong United.  Here's the lyrics from Klove.com. 

http://www.klove.com/music/artists/hillsong-united/songs/search-my-heart-lyrics.aspx

As you see, there are a lot of good words in that song, but the line that really resonates with me is "without you, I am nothing."  I thought today that I would take the opportunity to declare what Hillsong United declares: without God, I am nothing.  That's why in every blog installment, I attempt to edify God, not Kevin Bauer.

One of my favorite books by Max Lucado is the one entitled "It's not about Me".  In chapter 1 of that book, Lucado makes a statement that I echo.  It's a statement that I hope people can see in me, not simply because I quote it in a blog, but because I live it in my life.  He said, "It's not about you.  It's not about me.  It's all about him."  Can't you just picture Lucado pointing up to the heavens when he says, "it's all about him"?

Kevin Bauer

"A Night with G.K. Chesterton"

This evening, I attended a CCU event called “A Night with G.K. Chesterton.”  It was essentially a one man play.  Using our imaginations, we pretended that we were in the year 1934.  The MC for the evening then introduced G.K. Chesterton.  Of course, it was really only a man on staff at CCU dressed up as Chesterton, but let’s not ruin the fun with such trivial details!  The man walked to the front of the room to give a lecture as if Chesterton himself were giving us a lecture.  I don’t have the name of the man who was portraying Mr. Chesterton, but he did a great job.

At one point in the evening, “Chesterton” made a statement about sex.  From all my research since this event, I am confident that at one time Chesterton actually did say this; I thought it was really profound.

“Sex is not meant to be a master; it is meant to be a servant.  If you make sex your master it will become your tyrant.”

This quote really spoke to me.  From personal experience I can verify the truthfulness of this quote C.S. Lewis made in his book "Mere Christianity:" “Those who are seriously attempting chastity are more conscious, and soon know a great deal more about their own sexuality that anyone else.”  For someone who is “attempting chastity” it was great to be encouraged to not let sex become my master.

Kevin Bauer

(1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)