Yes, you are correct, I'm no Ph.D. holder. I'm a child of God however, and my angle on this is to line up what has been related in the book to what God tells us in His Word. And, as my husband said, "These are all experiences (re: what has been related in the book) but they are not doctrine". Thus my comparing with the Bible as my standard and my Witness.
I will be quoting snitches and snatches from the book and then commenting as we go along.
From the book page 61:
"George Gallup Jr. said, "One of the main results of NDEs was a strengthening of personal religious beliefs." Ring (another fellow they quoted) concluded in his study that the NDE is a spiritual experience that can produce spiritual behavior. Ring differentiates between religious and spiritual with a saying by a wise man, "A religious person follows the teaching of his church, whereas the spiritual person follows the guidance of his soul."
> There is truth in that I believe. Following Jesus is not a religion but a relationship. A relationship between God and man (if the man will cooperate). God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23). We have the guidance of God's Holy Spirit in our lives when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior.
We can thank God for a NDE as that can point us to Him and our relationship with Him. Do we have one? If so, how are we developing that relationship with Him. He loves you and cares deeply about you. If you are not one of His family yet, there is for this very minute, still time to accept Jesus as Savior. Admit and confess we sin and are sinners. Repent of them. Ask Jesus to wash all your sins away with the blood He shed for you on the cross. He took the full penalty of our sin, going all the way to hell and back for us. The penalty was death and hell. When you have done that He will forgive you and cleanse you from all sin. "The blood of Jesus Christ cleans us from all sin." (1 John 1:7). Then thank Him for all He's done for you. Start on your journey of relationship with Him by reading God's Word and finding out just what pleases Him and then obey it. In this way we can draw near to Him. In so doing we also no longer need to fear death; a near death experience or a real death one either.
NDEers often come to the brink of either Heaven or Hell. It is either a euphoric or a terrifying experience. With Christ, we no longer have to fear death or the hereafter.
Page 61-62.
"...both believers and non-believers come out of NDEs saying religion concerns your ability to love and that denominations do not count."
> More truth in that...God is love (1 John 4:8). Those who belong to Him should love Him, and their neighbor as their self (Matthew 22:39). I'd like to insert here that it's not religion but relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ that will directly spark our ability to love and maintain the unity of the Spirit. When we get that concept that God loves us to the core, accepts us for who we are, then we, in turn can love Him back and radiate His love out to others.Denominations often divide, true enough. Form, law, duty and often not a lot of grace as we toe the line and guard it. Religion is a form. We should love God and Jesus and build a relationship with Him. As some have said, "love conquers all". Let it be God's love in us to love others as He has first loved us (1 John 4:19).
~ERC 2016~
Bibliography
The Eternal Journey by Craig R. Lundahl, Ph.D. and Harold A. Widdison, Ph.D.; Copyright 1997; Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New Your, NY 10020; A Time Warner Company.
No comments:
Post a Comment