A Glimpse Through the Portal: Part I

Introduction:

Imagine that the Lord opened a portal, which would allow each and every Christian one minute in Hell. Any and all Christians who took the opportunity to spend one minute in Hell would never be the same.  The torments and agony experienced in that sixty second interval would radically reshape their attitude towards sin, as well as their compassion for the lost. 

Since no such portal exists, I invite you to read the following, and contemplate the depths of Hell.  This is by no means an accurate account, but an imaginative, biblically informed estimation as to what Hell might be like.  Hell is a frightening reality to contemplate because just as no one can conceptualize the glories of heaven, no one can grasp the horrors of Hell as the extent of both lie outside of our earthly comprehension. 

The Portal

In the last waking hours of a person’s life, as he lies upon his death-bed with a weary body ravaged by the likes of cancer, heart failure, AIDS, etc.  His mind vacillates from the terror of the unknown to the sweet comfort of believing that his suffering shall come to an end.  Yet, when his eyes close and his heart stops beating a new reality awaits.  He leaves the comforts of this world, filled with the common graces of fun, food, friends, and family, to an isolated chamber, devoid of any and all pleasures afforded to him in this earthly life.   He enters a fixed and final state, an inescapable prison which will torment him forever. 

Hell welcomes him with the roar of a blast furnace as his soul is submerged in the torrents of the flame.[1]  While on earth, when he touched an iron with the tip of his finger, he had the luxury of pulling away rapidly. God gave him the common grace to provide abundant cool, flowing water to comfort his blistered finger.  [2] God gave him Neosporin and aspirin to ease the effects of the burning surface on his finger tip. 

Yet, in hell, much more than the tip of his finger is burning.  Rather, his whole body is being consumed by flames.    He might try to escape, but everywhere he turns he is greeted by the same wall of fire.  Thoughts of cool water, Neosporin, and relief enter his mind, but only seem to worsen the pain as he realizes relief will never come. 

Dave Hintz

[1] Luke 16:24 Note: this is a temporary holding place for the spirit.

[2] Acts 14:17; Mat. 5:45 Note: There is no common grace in Hell as one is separated from God.

Encouraging the Fainthearted

Tired of preaching sermon after sermon with little response from the congregation, a pastor resigns from his post.  Feeling isolated from the rest of the world, a missionary family decides that it’s time to return from the field.  After years of subtle putdowns and critical comments, a wife leaves her husband whom she can never make happy.  What went wrong?  Who failed?  While it’s easy to point the finger at the pastor, missionary, and wife, one has to wonder about the role of the church, the supporters, and the husband.  What could they have done to save the church, mission, and marriage?

I believe the apostle Paul would have had an able answer.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 we read, “encourage one another, and build up one another”; in verse 12, “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you”; and finally in verse 14 he teaches us to “Encourage the fainthearted.”  While he would doubtless have some issues to address with the pastor, missionary, and wife, Paul would also point the finger at failure of the church, missionary supporters, and husband.   Namely, they failed to encourage. 

The basic definition of encouragement is to hearten one’s soul through words of comfort, consolation, and affirmation.  In the world, people often do this by stroking egos and affirming their self-worth.  For instance, a friend of yours gets dumped by his girlfriend and you say “Obviously, she wouldn’t know a good man if he was right in front of her.”  Now that comment may give your friend a sense of vindication, as it suggests that any discerning woman would be drawn to his appearance and charms.  Yet, in the long run that comment does not point him to his true Comforter – our Father.  If you want to raise someone’s confidence and comfort them, point them to the cross.  Say, “God is good God and He has a perfect plan in all of this,” or, “I see the Holy Spirit at work in your life in all of this, as you are handling it in a godly fashion.”  Such comments point your downtrodden friend to the Divine Comforter and assure him that God is at work in his life. 

Now this all seems simple enough.  But, like many other simple things, it is far from easy, and many people (including myself) fail at this vital ministry.  Why is this so?  I believe there are a few reasons:

1. Lack of Awareness: Often we keep our conversations so superficial that we do not even detect discouragement in others.  Even worse, we never think to ask about other people’s problems because we are so consumed with our own.
2. Bitterness: If you ever want to know if you are truly bitter at someone, see if you have it in you to encourage them.  Many times in our sinfulness, our desire to see our enemies as evil makes us sweep their redeeming virtues under our mental carpet.  If a friend of yours has slandered you, how easy would it be to say to her “I praise God for the way I see you sacrificially serve in the children’s ministry”?  We often withhold encouragement as a means of retribution.
3. A False View of Motivation: Sometimes people do not want to encourage their husbands, wives, friends etc. because they are afraid that encouragement will lead to complacency.  For instance, your wife made a dinner that was better than last week’s effort, but still substandard.  You think about encouraging her, but you reason that if you do, she would never try to improve.  This makes about as much sense as teaching your child to read, but never encouraging him until he is at an acceptable college reading level.  Without some choice words of encouragement, your wife or child will begin to wonder if any progress is being made at all.  And more than likely, they will give up trying altogether. 
4. You Are Not Good at It: When I was younger, I remember complementing a friend by mentioning that her fresh baked cookies tasted like they were bought from a store.  It was a feeble effort.  If I had to do it over again, I would say these cookies are so good you could sell them in a store.  You will flub a few times, everybody does.  Yet, God knows your heart, and if you are sincere and earnest you the recipient will see it, too. 

Encouragement is a wonderful ministry.  It comforts the downtrodden, spurs the brethren to excel still more, and confirms work of the Spirit in a believer’s life.  If your spouse seems easily offended, if your pastor’s preaching dips, or if you sense a missionary struggling, take some time to write a note, call them, or speak words of encouragement in person.  By doing so, you will safeguard your brothers and sisters from the despondency that has ensnared so many.

Dave Hintz

Better and Best: TV and the Use of Your Time

Watching television can be a medium which brings much glory to God.  Who can argue that watching the Jesus Film or a biblically sound preacher should wound our conscience?  Thus, on the heels of the last article which detailed when watching television is sin, I wanted to address television choices when it’s not a sin.  

As I address this issue, it must be pointed out that just because something is not sinful does not mean that it’s worthwhile.  For instance, playing a few games of solitary on your computer may not be a sin, but then again is it really worth the time?  In the same way the value of television must be measured against alternative activities. Now in an attempt to justify the value of TV, many people point to three basic advantages: 1. It came be used to facilitate family time.  2.  It has educational value.  3.  You Can Use it to Watch Movies.  All three of these reasons have some warrant, but are there better options, or perhaps pitfalls which accompany them?

"It’s Family Time"

Growing up, I have found memories of popping popcorn, gathering the family around, and watching our favorite TV show – Family Ties.  And no doubt many of you have wonderful times together as a family in front of the TV.  But, is this really the best you can do?  Television does not require any creativity on our part, nor do we have a chance to exchange thoughts and ideas as most of the family watches in silence.  Instead of watching television, why not take a walk, play a game, have people over, play tennis, etc? 

If you do decide to watch TV in the name of family time, make sure you do it as a family.  To enforce this, why not take the televisions out of the kid’s rooms, so that they have to come to the living room to watch it with the rest of the clan.  Sure, everybody won’t be able to control the remote, nor may they be happy about the show selection, but it could be a great opportunity for those dissidents to place other’s needs and desires above their own.    

"It Has Educational Value"

This is what I call the “Pop Tart” sales pitch.  If you ever take a close look at the packaging of those sugary “breakfast” treats, they mention that they are fortified.  This gives kids a powerful weapon in their struggle to coerce their parents to buying toasted sugar squares. How many kids have put Pop Tarts in the baskets convincing them that it’s actually a nutritious snack? No doubt, many justify television because it’s fortified with “education.” But let’s keep this in perspective.  For instance, in my college days, I may watch two hours of instructional videos a semester.  The rest of my education came from listening to lectures, interacting with the professors, and reading books.  Now there is a reason why the university designed my courses that way, because those methods provided the greatest educational benefit.  Having your kids watching the Discovery channel four hours a day will not get them into an Ivy League School.  Further, the TV is no substitute for helping them learn to love reading, answering their questions, and creatively explaining the world to them.  Television does have educational value, but it’s a mere pittance in comparison to the treasure trove found in active parenting. 

"We Can Use it to Watch Movies"

This is not so much a reason to watch TV as much as a reason to own a television.  Eliminating cable and lopping off the antenna is an attractive alternative as it gives the individual greater control over what they watch and do not watch.  Yet, even with this approach caution is needed.  For instance, a trip to a rental store to acquire a “clean” movie may defile the mind of the renter as trudges through the minefield of lusty DVD covers.  Further, there are a limited number of clean movies in the world, and what happens when you watched them all.  Well, many people at this point are tempted to violate their convictions regarding what constitutes a “clean” movie, so that they can watch something they haven’t seen before. 

All of the above reasons for watching television can be God-honoring, but they are not without certain pitfalls.  The extent of our television viewing habits is a decision that each of us has to make.  Many of you can’t imagine life without it as you have never been without it.  If you fit into that category, let me challenge you to remove all your television sets and place them in the garage for a month.  Go on a television fast, and see what you do instead.  Do you read, exercise, talk, and socialize more?  Are you more joyful in the Lord and closer to your family?  If you take me up on this challenge, I imagine that at the end your fast you will realize how little you miss television.  Further, you will understand the two lifestyles, the one with and the other without television.  It is at this point, that you can truly make a decision between better and best.

Dave Hintz

Does Television Really Improve Your Quality of Life?

According to a National survey (1998) the average American watches 3 hours and 46 minutes of television each day! That same survey states that 98% of U.S. households have at least one television.  66% of Americans regularly watch TV while eating dinner.  49% of Americans say they watch too much TV.  Average number of hours the TV set is on during the day:  7 hrs., 12 minutes. 

Many of you know the drill, you come home searching for something to do, so you sit down and decide to flip on the television.   With your body on the sofa and your thumb on the remote control you flip through the channels hoping to find something that will titillate your senses, make you laugh, stir your emotions etc.   Thus, we pass precious time doing nothing more than sitting, breathing, and watching flashing dots on a glass window.

Often, when I broach the topic of television abstinence many defensively inquire, "What's wrong with a little television?"  My answer, "Nothing!"  That's right, it's not a sin to watch television (although it could be).  But that question troubles me.  It belies a passive mindset which is so pervasive among American Christianity instead of the active approach found in Jesus, the Apostles, and many great men of faith. 

As a college pastor, I am often asked the eternal purity question "How far is too far?"  In other words, how much kissing, caressing, and holding can I do before I sin?  I never fall for that, rather I ask them the better and more biblical question of, "How can you bring the most glory to God?  What actions can you take that will make His name great and help other people to love Him more?"  Those are the questions which should govern our lives; instead of how far can I indulge myself without sinning.  That is the difference between the active and passive approach to the Christian walk. 

Why do I bring this up?  Because I firmly believe that television perpetuates this passive mindset.  Think about it.  When you read this article your mind is at work.  You try to make sense of the sentences, you are more than likely forming an opinion, and some of you are already refuting what I am saying.  When you read fiction, your mind seeks to recreate the world or the written word.  You labor and concentrate on each sentence trying to follow the story line - even rereading certain pages when necessary.  Essentially, reading takes work! 

Yet, what happens when you watch TV?  Your mind does not have the creative license to fashion the fictive world to its liking.  The information comes too fast to effectively interact with it.  Emotions and desires are manipulated by sound bites and shocking images.  Television tells your mind what to think.  It brings many to a trance-like catatonic state where they tune out the world and drink in the information given to them by alternately flashing pixels and reverberating speakers.  Is it any mystery that many researchers agree that television stifles the development of a child's imagination? 

Television trains people to be passive, and this passivity impacts the church.  No wonder so many students have trouble consistently reading their Bibles, men have trouble engaging in active ministry, and the masses hunger for short pithy messages filled with jokes and stories.  These people still look at life through their television.  They content themselves to be passive Christians, who do not actively sacrifice the time, effort, and energy to toil for the Lord.  And when you ask them to reconsider one of the great time wasters in the history of creation, they retort "What's wrong with a little television?" Before you can seriously analyze your television viewing habits, you need to ask yourself if you are even asking the right question.

Dave Hintz

When Watching TV is Clearly a Sin

As mentioned in the last post, watching television in and of itself is not necessarily wrong, yet there are certain times when it is clearly sin.  In this article, I want to look at four instances in which time in front of the tube damages your relationship with God. 

1.  When it becomes a stumbling block. 

This may take many forms.  Ladies, let’s say a certain show has a male character whom you find yourself drawn to.  You imagine having a relationship with him, you start comparing your husband to him, and thoughts of him lead you down the road of discontentment.  Or men, perhaps you find yourself continually lusting after a certain beautiful actress.  Or it may not be a person at all that makes you stumble; it could be that reruns of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous have left you with an idolatrous longing for “champagne wishes and caviar dreams.”  In other words, if you detect a pattern of sin—whether discontentment, lust, or covetousness—centered upon a certain television show or commercial, then you need to cut it off.  To paraphrase the words of Jesus, if your television show or your DVD causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame or without entertainment, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire. (Matthew 18:8).  

2.  When it defiles your mind. 

I doubt many of you would argue that watching pornography is good and acceptable in God’s sight; however, the fact that the MPAA doesn’t give it an X rating does not mean that it passes God’s standards.  So often, Christians will take the posturing that if such and such an act on television doesn’t bother them and they can ignore or overlook it, then they can watch it.  But the better question would be “Should it bother me?”  For instance, should your mind be bothered by a show whose premise is a bunch of married women attempting adultery, even if its contents are deemed clean enough for prime time?  What about the entertainment shows which exist to deliver the latest Hollywood gossip?  Or shows that celebrate an evil message, making homosexuality and other sins that are offensive to God seem delightful and humorous?  Perhaps the show has a nice moral tone and, after making you wade through a sea of flesh, concludes that adultery is bad.  A good message with an evil method is still evil.  When watching television we should bear in mind the words of David in Psalm 101:3 “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.”  If God hates it, and Christ died for it, then we have no business being entertained by it.

3.  When you neglect your God-given responsibilities to watch it. 

This happens when television becomes so important to you that it edges out your spiritual priorities.  Your love for a particular show or set of characters leads you to see them as your “television family”: you plan your week around them, think about them constantly, relax with them, and look to them for your greatest source of joy and laughter—and they’re not even real!  Your television family does not need you, but your real family and your spiritual family do.  If television in any way interferes with your responsibilities as a believer, then it is sin.  Husbands, can you honestly love your wife as Christ loved the church and wash her with the water of the word when your time at home is primarily spent watching television (Eph. 5:25-30)?  Mothers, can you shepherd your little ones and raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord with your eyes (and theirs) glued to the tube (Tit. 2:4)?  Christian, can you make time to read the word daily (1 Pet. 2:2), engage in fellowship with others (Heb. 10:24), use your spiritual gift to serve the body (1 Pet. 4:10), and pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) when you watch three to four hours of television a day?  If television prohibits you from obeying God’s commands for your life, stop watching it.

4.  When It Erodes Your Affection for God. 

This is an extremely subtle effect of television.  In Colossians 3:1, the apostle Paul commands “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”  Christ is to consume us, He is to dominate our thoughts, He alone is to be our passion and the object of our pursuit.  Those familiar with fire know that it either grows or dies.  Whether you douse a fire with water or simply withhold fuel, it will burn out.  In the same way, watching television may douse your passion for the Lord immediately by soliciting you to sin; or it may slowly starve your passion by prohibiting you from feeding it.  As we all know, it is rather difficult to read the Bible or commune with God in prayer while parked in front of a TV, and even away from the tube many Christians spend more time thinking about the plotline of their favorite show than about the Lord.  We would do well to heed Susanna Wesley, who said “Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself.”

The solution to each of these sins is simple: turn off the television.  The joy that is found in obeying, delighting in, and communing with the Lord dwarfs any pleasure brought about by the amusements of the world.

Dave Hintz