I can see that I have not posted since April. I did not realize it had been so long. During these few months, I have finished my Master's degree and have done various other, boring, yet time-consuming things. I have been crocheting like crazy and I will post about what I have made in the near future. We decided that I would make all our Hanukkah/New Year gifts this year, so I started in Septemeber (I did make one item in June) and I have been going like crazy. I have 24 gifts to make and I believe I have 14 done. I have also done baby gifts and a wedding gift, so I have been busy, busy, busy with crochet!
As is well known, I have had to quit working due to medical issues. Jonathan has started an electrical business but it is slow in growing. The lord is providing for our daily needs, but sadly, we will have to leave our house in December. We are unsure where we are going to live, but we are looking at a couple of options. Our income has decreased so much that we just cannot keep up with all the bills. Rent is something that has to be cut so we are cutting it and exploring other options for living arrangements.
Additionally, first aid care has seemed to increase just as drastically as our income decreased. I am praying about pursuing further medical training when my health is finally straightened out. Teaching no longer seems to be where the Lord wants me. I would appreciate your prayers for wisdom on this. I have always enjoyed medical but never pursued it due to my poor math skills. But maybe it is time to re-examine that option. I am also going to apply myself and focus on increasing my Spanish. Enough of this not being able to communicate stuff!
Now, onto the actual intended content of this post:
What do I mean when I say "does it matter"? Jonathan and I have spent a lot of time discussing various doctrinal things, as a ministry couple is inclined to do. One thing I often say is "does it matter" and Jonathan always has to step back and think about it to see if I am being heretical or not! Of course, I am not talking about things related to salvation, I usually refer to things that are like splitting hairs, however one concept I said this too just about escalated our discussion into an argument (it didn't, but almost did). We were discussing the topic of heaven.
"What!!! How can you say 'does it matter' about heaven"???. That was exactly Jonathan's response! Let me clarify what I mean. The Bible is actually pretty vague about what heaven is. We as humans have added our own traditions, imaginings, and interpretations about heaven, but Scripture is actually very vague. The only thing Scripture states is that it is a place and that we will be with Adoani for eternity. After this, we only have mankind's conjectures.
Before you stone me for heresy, hear me out. We need to understand what "heaven" is because a commonly asked question is "why should I follow Christ?" A common answer is "to have eternal life with God in heaven". Well, what is heaven? A variety of answers follows this question, but does it matter if we know what heaven is? Isn't eternal life with Adonai enough?
Here are a few examples of what I have personally heard heaven is:
1) The New Jerusalem here on Earth
2) A New Earth
3) Living with the Angels
4) Being in the throne room 24/7
5) Ruling your own planet (Mormon belief)
I am sure there are more, these are just the ones I have heard the most. But again, does it really matter? Does the actual location and appearance of heaven affect our salvation? More importantly, does it affect whether or not you accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour? No, it absolutely should not. That is what I mean by "does it matter"?
While here on Earth we are commanded to spread the Gospel, baptize people and create disciples. Anything else is extra, and although it is important to study, it honestly does not matter if souls are not being saved.
Another thing I often say "does it matter" too, is end-time prophecy and study. I acknowledge that the end of time is approaching and the Lord will return soon. But again, I still firmly believe our focus should be on saving souls, not debating if we will meet our end by nuclear warfare or if we will be forced into hiding or another exodus, or anything else like that. The end-time prophecy is more about what will happen and less about when it will happen. My experience with these teachings has been okay, but everyone became so focused on end-time signals, that no one even thought about evangelism. We were all preparing for the end, keeping ourselves in a community, planning on keeping our faith strong and together, while ignoring anyone not a part of our faith. I am grieved when I think about how I was in agreement with that for many years. And now, I look back and ask, "does it matter?"
Does it matter if you wear clothes of mixed fibers? Does it matter if heaven is Jerusalem on Earth, or Jerusalem in heaven? Does it matter what the end of time occurrences are? How is your salvation affected by this? More importantly, how is someone else's salvation effected? Are we spending so much time debating these things that the wheat right under our noses is withering away because we are to busy to notice it is ready to be harvested?
I encourage everyone to study everything for themselves and to continue to grow spiritually, but when it comes to saving souls I ask you to consider what is most important for them to know? Does it matter for their salvation? That should always be asked when talking with whether new or non-believers. Does it matter for salvation?
I hope to post again soon. May Adonai richly bless you and your homes.
