SITTING UP WITH THE DEAD...

The Lord does not delay his

promise, as some account of delay,

but is longsuffering towards you,

not willing that any should

perish, but that all should

come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

OK, now I know there are people from all backgrounds reading the entries on this blog. As such I am about to ask you to do me and you a big favor, especially if you are prone to argument for the sake of winning...
.
Here's my request, put away the claws...
.
Your "My doctrine is better than yours" claws...
.
Your "If you only understood" claws...
.
Your "Unable to see clearly when you disagree with someone" claws...
.
GO AHEAD...
.
I'LL WAIT HERE...
.
DON'T SPARE THE ROD WITH THIS REBELLIOUS CHILD...
.
I'M STILL WAITING...
.
ONE LAST MINUTE...
.
Now there, we can proceed. Now let's see why I am wanting you to put those nasty sharp statements, judgements and overbearing speech for the sake of the "dead".
.
You may not agree, but I think I've got some ammo for the next statement...
.
Every person who knows Christ as savior, trusting him to bring life here and life everlasting, share beliefs that 80%-90% of all other Christians hold. These basics of the faith are so apparent in Scripture there is little you can do to argue against them (in most cases no room for movement, that is unless you lack these foundational beliefs). Let's take a quick look so that we are all on the same page...
.
~The Bible is inerrant, misunderstood and often attacked, but inerrant none the less. It has survived by God's grace. (Just a side note, if you were to burn all the Bibles in the world, you could reassemble all of it but few verses just by looking at historical documents that have used scripture in their addresses to others.)
.
~Jesus was a real person who lived on the earth, died and rose again from the dead.
.
~Jesus was, as he claimed clearly, the Son of God, God in flesh. "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father" is what he said. Jesus was 100% man and 100% God. A mystery that only He understands but one that we'll totally grasp in heaven.
.
~Jesus claimed to be the only way to heaven (Jn. 14:6).
.
~As a Christian, you are called to love others, even those who are your enemy.
.
~Christians are to share the gospel, this is the call of all not just church leaders.
.
Christians as called to live holy before God, not to take their position in Christ for granted.
.
~Christians are called to pray, read scripture and care for other believers
.
~As a believer in Christ, I am to be salt, light and witness to the world of Christ's love and sacrifice so others will be drawn to him as he is lifted up.
.
I pray this serves to remind all of us, we didn't get this "salvation" on our own, it was by Christ's gift, therefore, don't waste the gift walking on other believers just because you spent too much time studying church doctrine and not enough time living Bible principles.
.
NOW to the subject at hand, SITTING UP WITH THE DEAD. I want to give you a list (not exhaustive by any means) when God/Jesus visited the "dead"...
.
...The widow's son
.
...Son of the Shumanite
.
...The church that he called dead
.
...The widow at Zarephath son
.
...Jairus's daughter
.
...dead man who touched Elisha's bones
.
...Don't forget Lazarus
.
...Dorcas
.
...Saints at the time of the resurrection
.
...What about the Pharisees, "outwardly look beautiful, but full of dead men's bones"
.
...As saved people, we were "dead in sin"
.
...Jesus spoke of his own death and resurrection, then he came out of the grave (should be our favorite time He visited death, it means eternity to us that he did)
.
...Last and certainly not least, my Old Testament favorite, Ezekiel and the dry bones.
.
Let me finish there, take the weekend and read this treasure, it's found in Ezekiel Chapter 37.
.
We'll visit this passage next week.
.
Till then, happy reading.