Ellis Potter (of L’Abri Fellowship) said this very powerful thing.
If you converted to Christianity today, do you think your life would be larger, richer, fuller, more attractive and creative, more involved with people, circumstances, art and culture around you?
Or do you believe that your life would be smaller, narrower, more withdrawn, judgemental and negative, less winsome and creative, less involved with the people,art, circumstances, and culture around you?”
Some friends of mine and I have been having an interesting discussion about the concept of Hell and whether or not it should be used to “convince” people to follow Jesus. I’ve always been of the opinion that, while real, hell is not necessarily the point of it all. I’ve seen in my own life that Jesus came to give life – and life in its most abundant form. It’s not just a “get out of hell free” card like in Monopoly – rather, its an invitation to your TRUE life, the way life was meant to be lived.
“I [Jesus] came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” (excerpt from John 10:10, The Message).
I was impressed and impacted by a friend’s response and asked her if I could share it here. She is a tremendous example to me in how she lives her life to know Jesus and make him known, her ability to cut through the crap to the heart of the matter and her fresh-thinking challenges me in almost every interaction we have. Plus, we both like our fair share of mischief. 
I believe that “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” AND if Jesus is the EXACT representation of God’s being then I think it’s reasonably safe to say that the way Jesus interacted with people is the Way I’d like to learn. Jesus did not frighten people into the kingdom. He invited them into relationship with himself and his Father. He was a minister of reconciliation, he came to serve, he told us to love, he showed us how to love, he told us to put others ahead of ourselves, he showed us what true love was by laying down his life for us “while we were still sinners”…. THAT is God.
Sure… we can scare people into the kingdom, or into following a bunch of rules, but LOVE is the heart of the good news of Jesus Christ and His kingdom not fear.. that’s why perfect love casts out ALL fear!!
Jesus is the Way. I’m learning His way… not man’s, which I believe has taken something beautiful and twisted it to the point where we think we’re doing God a favour by trying to scare the willikers out of people so that they submit to God’s rule and reign. Did you ever notice that even though Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, that he never once imposed that on anyone? He never said “bow down before me!” In fact, he did the opposite, he humbled himself and served those around him and told them they were his friends. He loved them, and by doing that they (and we) learnt that our heavenly Father loves us, and we can call him Daddy, and we can enter his throne room with boldness, and we are his friends.
Oh, to be a friend of God!
That is the relationship I’d like for my friends to have with their father. The one that Jesus demonstrated.
I don’t believe he was namby pamby… He was truth and light and love, not condescending, but not condemning either… he addressed our brokenness with love and understanding because he did understand.
Unless we start talking about the religious people who were misrepresenting God to those that were following them. Oh my, he was angry with them.
Now, I am not saying that there won’t come a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess his Lordship. Of course there will and on that day we will know Him as we are known, and I so can’t wait to lay every honour at his feet. But I’d like to bring a train of people along with me that adore God, that aren’t scared of Him but are so caught up in his loveliness that they can’t help but bring trains of people with them too.
Jesus died for the forgiveness of ALL people. He so loved the WORLD… All are forgiven, an all are invited to consummate that by having a relationship with God, just as it was in the beginning. THAT is good news. That in and of itself is THE good news! Why do we feel like we have to add to it??? Do we not think that’s enough? Do we seriously believe that relationship with our loving Creator isn’t attractive enough that we have to scare people into it?? And once they’re afraid that they won’t be acceptable to God because of their sinfulness (which of course has never been the case), what makes us think that that’s a great basis for their relationship with God to flourish?
If we do, I believe there’s something missing in our own understanding of God and what he did for us in the incarnation. I think Sandy put it brilliantly when she said: I don’t think love is watering down the gospel. I think that love is the heart of the gospel. Love is strong, not weak… Jesus talked about hell, of course. Hell is a terrible separateness from God. What he is offering is abundant life, life in the vine, life everlasting. That is the message we must preach.
