Sadly, it has been a while since I "witnessed" in the traditional sense. By traditional, I mean meeting a complete stranger and sharing the gospel with him. By God's grace, I have had many opportunities to have spiritual discussions with people at work and even had the joy of watching some come to Jesus. But it is sobering to think that most people I see HOPE they can get into Heaven. The fact is that everyone thinks about death. Especially in the wake of the California fires, people directly and indirectly affected take stock of their lives and where they might go when they reach the end of the line. What a ministry opportunity I waste when someone starts small talk in line at the grocery store! "Yeah, it's terrible", I might fumble around to say to this 'weirdo' who doesn't know me but started talking to me. How about saying, "Really makes you think about what's important. Do you feel comfortable about where you will go when you die?" Chapter 3 was a good reminder to me that I should not hold onto the knowledge of Heaven that I will read in this book and Scripture for myself, but proclaim it to those around me. The world's default destination should first break my heart and then lead me to doorsteps. But it MUST break my heart FIRST. Only then can I talk to unbelievers about the realities of Hell with pure motives and a clean heart - not trying to pound it into their heads. I appreciated how Randy Alcorn stated it would be unloving to not share with others the reality of Hell. I do think that there is a general caution today not to offend people so we shy away from Hell. The gospel must be at the forefront of our minds and mouths but the warning of Hell for those who reject the gospel must also be present.
With that said, I also appreciated the 'eternal non-life' description of Hell. Taken from 2 Thess. 1:9, Alcorn stated that community, friendship, and God Himself would be absent from Hell. There will be no company for the miserable! What also struck me was "For Christians, this present life is the closest they will come to Hell. For unbelievers, it is the closest they will come to Heaven". What a crazy thought. It is encouraging for us as we live in the presence of prevailing sin and deception, but it is awful for those who know nothing of Jesus Christ and His love that drove Him to Hell for those who would believe.
I pray that we will be more faithful to speak about Jesus and warn against Hell to those around us.
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