Is There a Hell and Do People Go There?

Is There a Hell and Do People Go There?

 

            These days, as we all face the temptation to be and do "church lite", we must remember that there are simply times when the church has to go deeper.  This is one of those times.  This weekend, we are going to address fundamental, eternal, and very hard questions.  Ironically we are going to be speaking to two curse words; hell and damnation.  In effect, we are  asking if those words are real.

            In one sense, there is no shortage of opinion.  Awhile back, I was watching a talk show as the host interviewed a representative from a well-known but very controversial church.  The representative was very clear about it and did not hesitate to name specifically who was going to hell and who was not. 

            On the other side of the equation, I remember a conversation I had with a long time church member from another place.  She was very clear.  She said that she simply chose not to believe in hell, end of story.  Needless to say, the conversation didn’t last very long.

            If we are honest, most of us are somewhere in the murky middle.  Pastor and author Timothy Keller, in a recent article, reports that according to a recent survey, 64% of Americans expect to go to heaven when they die, but less than 1% think they might go to hell.  C.S. Lewis used to say that when we get to heaven we are going to be surprised at who is there and surprised at who is not there.

            The contemporary church needs to address this “murky middle”.  What we think about the afterlife really does matter. It should and does make a difference on how we act every day. 

            So I invite you to join us for worship this Sunday morning.  With humility, fear, and an earnest desire to hear truth, let’s see what the Bible has to say about this dark side of the afterlife.  I think you will find that there is much more to it than simplistic images of eternal fire and devils with pitch forks.  In our day and age, when so many are living in hell on this side of eternity, we all need to pay attention to the same Christ, who still says, “I am alive for ever and ever!  And I hold the keys of death and Hades…”  See you on Sunday morning!

In Christ,

Pastor Pete