We All Know About Hell

Quite a few years ago, I asked my 5 year old daughter a question, “If you believe in Jesus when you die, where do you go?” She answered, “Heaven.” Then I asked her, “if you don’t believe in Jesus when you die, where do you go?” She thought for a moment and then said, “fire!” The amazing thing about her answer was, my wife and I never taught her this, neither had anyone else that we know. So I asked her, “how do you know this?” She said, “I don’t know, I just do.”

Pushed Out of Our Minds

You may recall as a child knowing the truth of heaven and hell, yet for some reason, many people, actually most people, even Christians, put it out of their mind as some childish notion of a bad place that they assume a God of love would not possibly allow. They think it is a fable or a childish, nightmarish bedtime story designed by cruel men to scare, oppress and even suppress the masses into obedience.

Softer Approach Is Not Working

Pastor Neil Ryan of the Unley Park Baptist Church in South Australia said: “You know there is a lot about hell that I don’t understand, but that’s not what worries me. It’s what I do know about hell that worries me...We’ve spent years trying to take a softer approach with a hard truth. Do you know what I think the Holy Spirit is saying to us, “It’s not working.” We’ve tried so hard to make the gospel inoffensive and exciting that there’s no place for fear at all. I would say basically among Gen Y kids today that there is not one skerrick of fear of God.”

Make the Truth About Hell Clear

We must bring the truth about hell out into the open, because to most of humanity today, that is where they will spend their eternities, so it is our responsibilities to warn them now. We can only warn them in one way and that is clearly without holding back a thing. When Jesus spoke about hell, He was deadly serious and very cutting, holding no punches, as you will find out by the scriptures that I quote in future blogs.

Hell is Impeccably Biblical

According to the Bible, Hell is not only a real place of torment and damnation, but that it is scriptural and that it is just and right. The word hell is mentioned 109 times in scripture. References to hell in the bible is 63 times in the New Testament and several hundred times in the Old Testament. Every single book of the bible from Genesis to the revelation mentions hell more than once.

In Christ

Robert Cartledge

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Faith To Become Holy In Christ

In this blog we look at how faith can cause to walk in obedience to Christ.

Faith to Fulfil the Law

“Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.” (Romans 3:31 NLT) If faith comes from obeying, then this Scripture makes perfect sense. As we obey by faith, the Holy Spirit, who is in us and leads us as we devote ourselves in prayer, guides us in holiness. This holiness comes from Holy Spirit inspired, law abiding lifestyles. When, by faith, we obey the law, it becomes apparent that God enables us to obey it by our faith in the Holy Spirit, we then walk in the righteousness of Christ. We do not steal because God gives us a holy conscience which tells us not to steal. 

Faith By Hearing

Faith, then, is essential to obey the law. This faith comes by hearing the Father by the Holy Spirit, whom the Son gave to us, and by Him we live holy lives. We cannot live a holy life unless we have faith in the Holy Spirit to guide us into holiness. This faith is increased and we become more sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as we pray and earnestly seek His face.

Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:19 says, “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.” In the coming move of God, there is going to be a tremendous emphasis upon the people of God being slaves to righteousness. For Romans 6:19 says, that if we offer the parts of our body as slaves to righteousness, that this will lead to holiness. Therefore, this is a secret to living a holy, godly and blameless life in Christ.

Righteousness and His Kingdom

A slave is the legal property of whoever he is enslaved to. In being a slave you are forced to obey. In the Christian life, righteousness is supposed to be our master and we its slave. The true Christian is supposed to listen to and obey this Master, who by the receiving of a holy conscience, will convict us in what we say, do, look at and listen to. If we take heed of this holy conscience that we all as Christians receive, we will walk in holiness. Jesus Himself tells us this same secret, “But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) There it is, add to seeking righteousness the seeking of God’s Kingdom, the reward for a life of serving God in holiness and never recanting of the faith. This Kingdom promise gives us the added incentive to continually seek righteousness and to be its slave.

Credited as Righteousness

“However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5) Trusting God is credited to us as righteousness. This righteousness by faith in Christ comes alive by the Holy Spirit who is deposited within us by faith when we walk by faith and sin no more by faith. To walk in the holiness of Christ we must walk in repentance and by the faith that we can overcome sin, because, “Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.” Without faith no man can please God. In summary; holiness comes by seeking righteousness and becoming its slave by faith in the Holy Spirit to enable us to walk in it.

In Christ

Robert Cartledge

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Living Life in Christ Part 3

This is Part 3 and the final part of the article, now a blog, taken from the ezine I started in 2010 called "The Reviver."

List of Sins

Colossians 3:8-9, “But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.” If you add this list to Colossians 3:5, you get a pretty intense list of sins and there are other such lists in the Gospels and the Epistles. I have not the time in this article to go into details about the sins themselves, but I advise you to do such a study, as it is an incredible revelation about our human character and that we all still sin terribly. Even though Paul says that we should ‘strip off our old evil natures with all its wicked deeds’, we still seem to entertain such sins in our everyday walk. This must change as the Lord’s return becomes more apparent. For a more in-depth look at sin, listen to and read my two sermons called, What About Sin? and How to be Blessed! (These sermon transcripts can be found at the following URL - http://mtlministries.com/_/Sermon_Podcasts/Archive.html)

The New Nature

Colossians 3:10, “In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.” Paul says that this new nature within us is continually being renewed as we learn more and more about Christ, who created this nature in us. This renewal can only come by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and repentance. Repentance is the only act before God that can gain God’s forgiveness for sins that we commit against Him. The act of repentance is also for us to be released from the guilt that we feel after we have committed these sins. Only by repentance can we walk away from our sinful lives and be renewed in Christ and become holy. As we learn more and more about Christ, we learn more and more about the exact requirements He has of His servants, and this causes us to acknowledge sinful ways within us that we may never have seen before.

List of Righteous Qualities

Colossians 3:12-13, “Since God chose you to be the holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Paul lists the qualities that we should all possess in increasing measure and he caps it off by appealing to us to forgive others by pressing the point that the Lord forgave us our sins. Therefore, we must forgive others for the sins they commit against us. Jesus makes it even more potent when He says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25) Forgiving others is a condition of entrance into Heaven, for if we do not forgive others God cannot forgive us, therefore if we are not forgiven, we are not saved either. Without forgiving others you cannot be holy. Colossians 3:14, “And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.” This is why Paul calls ‘love’ the most important piece of clothing, because if we truly love we can then truly forgive.

Clothed with Christ

“In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.” (Colossians 3:10) Our confidence is in Jesus clothing us with Himself (the Christ-like nature), as we begin to learn more and more about Him. Jesus has promised us that as we press into Him, He will clothe us with His new nature, the nature that was made perfect on the cross. It was at the cross that Jesus purchased us, and He purchased these new natures that we can claim for ourselves, our born again birthright in Jesus Christ. We must lay hold of this right in prayer and be transformed by the renewing of our hearts and minds by repentance and walking in holiness.

In Christ

Robert Cartledge

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Living Life in Christ Part 2

This Part 2 of an article, now a blog, taken from the ezine I started in 2010 called "The Reviver." Part 3 tomorrow...

Death to Gain Life

Colossians 3:3, “For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” This Scripture tells us clearly that when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour that our old life died with Christ and now we have a life in Christ that is hidden, or kept safe in Him. And then Paul continues about this hidden life: Colossians 3:4, “And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” This is the promise: If our old life stays dead at the cross and we remain hidden in Him in salvation, with the evidence of a life of holiness and prayer in the secret place of Christ, then we will share in His glory, when He is revealed to the whole world in the coming days.

Put to Death

Colossians 3:5, “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.” Now here is the point of this article: If we just vicariously and without effort on our part, become holy just by accepting Christ as Lord, and from then on have no need to watch over our lives and conduct or the need for daily repentance, then why did Paul remind us and warn us to not partake in sin any longer? You know why? Because, from experience, Paul saw Christians departing from the holy life in Christ and returning to their former ways of living. That is why his stern warning comes in the next verse, Colossians 3:6-7, “God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. You used to do them when your life was still part of this world.”

Disqualification is Possible

How clear is that! This modern Christian philosophy of “Once saved, always saved” has been the curse of Christianity and has caused modern Christians to not strive with all their heart to live holy lives in Christ. Listen to how hard Paul strived and also why Paul strived for it. 1 Corinthians 9:27, “No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” Paul beat his body into a submissive slave to holiness, he worked hard on himself, he punished himself severely to become ‘The Apostle Paul,’ and why? It was so that after he preached to others, he himself would not be disqualified and lose his place in Heaven. Saints, I must tell you, disqualification from heaven is possible, read Matthew 7:21-23.

Press On Towards the Goal

With this in mind, the Scripture in Philippians 3:13-14 makes more sense, when Paul says, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.” Paul did not consider himself to have yet taken hold of his salvation, and because of this he strained and pressed on towards Heaven, without letting go of Jesus. This is a secret to the effective ministry of Paul: Paul never assumed anything about his salvation, but rather he resided himself to living each day as if every word, action and deed was being judged by a Holy God and in knowing this, he lived a holiness that very few in history have ever achieved.

In Christ

Robert Cartledge

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Living Life in Christ Part 1

This blog/article is taken from an ezine I created in 2010 called the Reviver. Hope you enjoy it.

Sin Again?

Living life in Christ is not only the most challenging life you could ever hope to embark upon, but it would have to be the least understood of all Biblical ideals. The reason for this is simple; Christ calls for radical holiness consisting of deep daily repentance and turning from all sin. Many Christians think and are taught that when we are born again that their old sinful habits will just vicariously (automatically) disappear miraculously with no need for daily repentance. These same Christians then cannot understand why they slowly begin to live in sin again. This is a foundational issue and something that new converts must have explained at the outset of their new life in Christ. We must choose to live holy lives when we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour and in so doing we must be prepared to resist the urges within us to sin.

Take Control

Colossians 3:1-14 is a point-by-point list in relation to living life in Christ Jesus. It is an excellent exhortation of how to live out the Christian life. It emphasises our responsibility to take control of our life as we become sensitive and obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who uses our conscience to declare right from wrong.

Heaven's Reality

Colossians 3:1, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honour and power.” Paul tells believers to set their sights on the realities of Heaven because Paul preached the same message as Jesus, John the Baptist and the Twelve, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” If we have set our sights on Heaven we will live in daily repentance and sinlessness. For, “Through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.” (Proverbs 16:6

How To Walk in Holiness

Colossians 3:2, “Let Heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.” We are reminded by Paul to let Heaven fill our thoughts. Leonard Ravenhill said, “Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs.” We must keep the realities of Heaven and the judgement of Christ, ever before us and uppermost in our mind, in doing so we are reminded daily to walk in holiness before a Holy God.

Heavenly Minded

I am reminded of a saying which goes, “He is so heavenly minded that he is of no earthly good.” This saying is in direct contradiction to the Word of God. We are told in Scripture to be heavenly minded and not only earthly minded. This saying comes straight from the pit of hell and is to keep the Saints of God from becoming heavenly minded. I believe that we should change the saying to: “If you are not heavenly minded you are of no earthly good”.

In Christ

Robert Cartledge

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Response to Richard Dawkins Book 'The God Delusion'

To Richard Dawkins

You said in your book, 'The God Delusion,' "How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, 'This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant'? Instead they say, 'No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.' A religion, old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the Universe as revealed by modern science might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths."

Awesome Beyond Imagination

Relating to Christian believers as saying that 'my god is a little god,'? When and where has any Christian, who is a true Christian, said, "my God is a little God." This statement is an outright lie. My God is the Life Giving Energy Source of the Universe who began all things and exists and lives outside of the Creation He created. He is so much greater than who we are as an intelligent existence, that men have no power within their minds to grasp or understand who He is or how He operates. He is so superior to us, that our wisdom is as foolishness to Him. 

Better Than We Thought

The reason that major religions have looked at science and not concluded that it's better than we thought is because it's not!!! Science is built around man made hypothesis that are only theories until they are proven wrong and outdated by more modern thought. Science can never replace religion to the true believer. Faith in the God of the Bible has been around since the beginning of human history and has stood the test of time to those who can understand it. 

Wasted Pursuit

You spend your days trying to disprove God's existence and waste your life in a useless vocation. The theory of Atheism has no proof whatsoever that God doesn't exist, and cannot prove that He doesn't. I have watched many debates between Atheists and Christians and are yet to see an Atheist bring forth clear proof that God doesn't exist. Yet the Christian brings forth massive amounts of evidence that God does exist of which the Atheist can only attempt to tear down. Atheism has no substance whatsoever as a belief system, it really should be simply called another 'Anti-Christ Theory.' 

Why Would I Believe You?

Why would I want to give up eternal life with Jesus because some free thinkers like yourself have come along and tried to think better than the God who created them. Your thoughts are futile and rebellious. You are working with darkness in deluding the multitudes into rejecting their God and losing eternal life. I pray that you would one day open your eyes and see that the sheer complexity and design of all existence points to there being a Creator. Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Comment Submitted by Stephen on Mon, 06/08/2009

It's so true isn't it - Science is but all theories, and even then, shakey ones. How many times over the course of history has Science's perspectives changed, admitting they're wrong, but insisting that they are right this time. First, they thought the earth was flat, then they figured out it wasn't. They thought that you could cure insanity by bleeding people out, then they discovered that wasn't the case, etc. Science has changed so many times, yet Christianity has not changed its basis once. We still believe in the same God for the same reasons - He is unchanging, and will stay that way, no matter how many times science changes. Science in itself is only a collective mass of theories of different perceived ways of viewing the interactions of different elements of God's universe; a human way to try and explain away the Divinity of Creation, without a lot of basis' behind the different theories that science tries to hold as fact.

Reply Submitted by Rob on Mon, 06/08/2009

That is very true Stephen, reminded me of this quote I transcribed from a Youtube vid of
 William Lane Craig in 'Dr. William Lane Craig humiliates Dr. Peter Atkins' (Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkBD20edOco&feature=related) said,

“Science cannot account for everything. There are a good number of things that cannot be scientifically proven but they are all rational to accept. 1) Logical and mathematical truths cannot be proven by science, science presupposes logic and math, so that to try to prove them by science would be arguing in a circle. 2) Metaphysical truths like, there are other minds other than my own, or that the external world is real, or that the past was not created 5 minutes ago with an appearance of age, are rational beliefs that cannot be scientifically proven. 3) Ethical beliefs about statements of value are not accessible by the scientific method. You can’t show by science whether the Nazi scientist in the camps did anything evil as opposed to scientists in Western democracy 4) Aesthetic judgments cannot be accessed by the scientific method, because the beautiful like the good cannot be scientifically proven. 5) And finally and most remarkably would be science itself. Science cannot be justified by the scientific method. Science is permeated with un-provable assumptions, for example; in the special theory of relativity, the whole theory hinges on the assumption that the speed of light is constant in a one way direction between any two points a and b, but that strictly cannot be proven, we simply have to assume that in order to uphold to the theory. None of these beliefs can be scientifically proven yet they are accepted by everybody.

Robert Cartledge

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Approaching God Acceptably

Coming before God in prayer should be approached in an acceptable manner. What I mean is this. If we had an appointment to meet the Queen of England, would we not be trained in correct etiquette (the rules and conventions governing polite behaviour) by her entourage before entering her quarters? We would also prepare ourselves in advance with a plan of the reasons for our meeting with her? How much more should we be prepared in etiquette and a plan when approaching God in prayer. This blog is on the scriptural way of coming before God in prayer.

Through Jesus

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. Noone comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) This scripture tells us that to pray to God we must pray through the Lord Jesus. For He is the way to God, the Truth of God and the Life of God.

By the Blood of Jesus

[Read about the Most Holy Place Hebrew 9:1-15 and discuss.]

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22) When we pray we enter the Most Holy Place. 

Jesus Christ has opened up a way for us to enter the Most Holy Place by His blood. To enter this place we must be cleansed by His blood, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience. We are told to sprinkle our hearts spiritually with the blood of Christ. We do this by repentance in the name of and by the blood of Jesus.

In the Holy Spirit

We must also pray in the Spirit. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18) The Holy Spirit is also called the Holy Counsellor (John 14:16-17) and He is our guide when we pray. No-one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. (1Corinthians 12:3) You cannot believe in Jesus without the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the fact that you believe proves that you have the Holy Spirit.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” (1Corinthias 6:19-20) Now that we believe in Christ, we are a temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore the Holy Spirit lives within us. 

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2Corinthians 13:14) This tells us we are to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Fellowship means to have friendly association with someone. To have friendly associations with the Holy Spirit we pray and communicate with Him. For the Holy Spirit is as God as Jesus is God. 

The early Church did not have a new testament to guide them as we do, they had the Holy Spirit. Jesus had deposited in the early disciples the words of life. The thing to understand here is, the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost and He directed the prayers and every word and deed of the early Church. 

The Bible and the Spirit

Today we have the New Testament + the Old. The New however is composed of the letters and accounts of Jesus life written by the early disciples and by Christian Historians of the first century. When we combine the Bible and the Holy Spirit we can recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in us and trust Him as He guides us in our life.

The Holy Spirit comes to guide us in all things. He is the perfect companion as we pray before God. “But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) As we pray with the Holy Spirits guidance, we must trust in Him to give us burdens for souls or places in the world the Lord wants to touch.

THE LORDS PRAYER

“This, then, is how you should pray: `Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

In Summary

We come to God in prayer through Jesus Christ, having been cleansed by His blood in repentance. We can believe and we can pray because we have the Holy Spirit within us and the Bible to guide us.

In Christ

Robert Cartledge

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