Archives for category: Heaven
This coming Easter Sunday, 4/9/23, why not ask Jesus to be your personal Lord & Savior, so you too can have ‘Eternal Life’? Please read, Romans 10:9-10 & perhaps John 14:6, for further info.
This episode of, ‘Frankly Speaking’ was a continuation of the show I did the previous month regarding the topic of, ‘Eternal Salvation – What it Is & What it Ain’t’, with the same guest, Pastor Greg Odiorne of the Merrimack Valley Baptist Church in Merrimack NH. This particular episode was recorded in the Nashua Public TV studio on 1-18-23.
Among the topics included in this show were: the 10 Commandments, and how they pertain to Salvation for those who lived before Jesus Christ; how Jesus ‘moved the proverbial goal posts’ regarding even hating someone the equivalent to murdering them; the presumption that Hell is probably more populated than Heaven; why we are now living in what the Bible refers to, ‘the End Times’; exactly how effective is Ray Comfort’s ‘The Way of the Master’ outreach approach to actually “converting people to Jesus Christ”; what can people expect on Judgement Day according to the Bible; what exactly did Jesus mean when he said that we (His followers) would be doing “greater works” than even himself; why do prayer requests sometimes fail; and lastly, what are the significance of “Crowns” in the Bible?
Perhaps to fully grasp the entire context of Pastor Odiorne’s message on, Eternal Salvation, you may also want to watch and study the initial part of this topic from the ‘Frankly Speaking’ episode we recorded about a month earlier on, 12-28-22.
Incidentally, if you wish to learn more about the Merrimack Valley Baptist Church, or maybe ask Pastor Odiorne a few questions from something mentioned in this episode, please feel free to log onto: http://www.MVBC.org .
Local entertainer Sharon DiFronzo of Screamin Heart Records, sang the intro and outro theme song of this show, “ Comin’ and Goin’ ” .
Pastor Greg Odiorne of Merrimack Valley Baptist Church in Merrimack NH, was my guest for this episode of, ‘Frankly Speaking‘, which was recorded on 12-28-22 in the Nashua Public TV studio.
In this episode we discussed the Biblical meaning of “Eternal Salvation“; a.k.a. “Saved“, “Born Again“, “eternity in Heaven“, etc. We spoke about the simplicity of how easy God made salvation for anyone who realized that they needed to have Jesus Christ as a personal Lord and Savior in their life via a belief in their heart, along with a prayer (often referred to as the, Sinner’s Prayer, or Salvation Prayer), which is outlined in Romans 10:9-10.
We also discussed a few misconceptions of what many people often mistake for Eternal Salvation, such as: Water Baptism, Last Rites, and Miraculous Supernatural Signs.
This is an especially fantastic episode to watch, especially if you’ve never accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior into your life yet and you still have some questions and concerns about this whole subject matter.
If you wish to contact Pastor Odiorne, or anyone else about anything mentioned in this episode, the Merrimack Valley Baptist Church is located on 517 Boston Post Road in Merrimack; and its website is: http://www.MVBC.org . Their regular weekly services include: two Sunday morning services, and a Wednesday evening Bible study.
Local area entertainer Sharon DiFronzo of Screamin Heart records sang the intro and outro theme song to this show, “Comin’ and Goin’.”
While I was visiting my parents’ grave site recently, I couldn’t help but notice this nearby tombstone. It’s a very fascinating epitaph, to say the least. Looking on the opposite side of this monument, it’s dedicated to a man who succumbed before his 55th birthday. The guy’s facial likeness is even etched on the front side of that tombstone – it’s just amazing what some of these gravestone artists can do these days.
First and foremost, I’m sure this individual in question was viewed as a great man, at least in his circle of friends and relatives – I wouldn’t even attempt to argue otherwise in this case. After seeing his name, I’m fairly sure this individual was not a public figure or a public official around the area of this cemetery – and even if this guy was a public figure, I wouldn’t mention his real name in this particular blog post. On the same token, I have no desire whatsoever to do a Google search on this guy in some weird, vain attempt to discredit the epitaph stated on this tombstone. Having said all that, I’m fairly sure there were a number of people who were deeply hurt by this man’s passing. I’m also fairly sure that the people who attended this guy’s funeral service, probably heard the clergy who did the eulogy, say many of the same things written here on his monument.
Also, to be perfectly honest, I would rather someone shower me with compliments than rip me apart with insults. I’m only human (especially after I’m dead and gone), and my ego is probably not that much different than the guy buried underneath this monument. I hope and pray, that my friends and relatives will make similar type of bold, favorable comments about me after I pass away, as this guy’s inner circle stated about him on this tombstone. To claim otherwise, would make me a liar but there is another perspective here to consider.
My question here is, in the grand scheme of things, are any of the character traits mentioned here about this guy as important as, let’s say, accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, or maybe, doing God’s Will (the Bible) to the best of his ability? Specifically, I’ve got a real problem with the last paragraph of this epitaph from a Christian viewpoint:
“…God speed you. May you watch over us and pray for us that we may model your demeanor as a man.”
I would much rather pray for my sons, for example, to model Jesus Christ’s demeanor as a man versus somebody spiritually flawed like myself. If my relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc., have any desire whatsoever for eternal life in Heaven, they’ve got to make Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior in their lives, and further strive to have Him as their own personal role model and standard bearer – please read, Romans 10:9-10.
If I were to have a tombstone, and sort of set it up before my passing, I think I would just go with the great verse of scripture from 2 Timothy 4:7 —
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Besides that, how many people – whether they visit my grave site, or visit someone else’s nearby tombstone – would be further interested in studying Bible scriptures after reading my epitaph? Even if it’s just one person, it would still be worth it.
As far as Jesus himself goes, His last words on the cross were, “It is Finished”, to indicate that He accomplished everything He needed to accomplish from then to the Second Coming of Christ.
Personally, I would just assume trade-in all possible epitaphs on my tombstone, and maybe be Cremated with my ashes poured in the Atlantic Ocean or perhaps be buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave to hear Jesus say to me, just before my Judgement Day, “Well done, my good and faithful servant”. Everything else is just superfluous and trivial as far as I’m concerned.
What’s stopping YOU from applying this Biblical scripture in your life RIGHT NOW??? Just remember: There’s no time like the present because there’s no guarantee any of us will live to see tomorrow. Take care and may God bless.
One Bad Decision Away From Homelessness 