Comments on: Life’s Toughest Questions: 06 Is God in Your Future? http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/ A community of Faith, Hope and Love Mon, 8 Sep 2008 10:28:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Jessica Joy http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2073 Jessica Joy Mon, 23 Oct 2006 13:26:23 +0000 http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2073 I've been tuning in on a quest for wisdom. Erwin's messages have been so clarifying to my heart and soul this last month. When your soul begins to crave the answers to questions. . .when your faith is shaken, not drowned. . .talks like these are revolutionizing the spirit inside me. I am renewed when I hear Erwin say things that have been whispered to us by God already, but now clarified in words that inspire and encourage me to tell others. Thanks, Erwin. You are being used to cinch more and more gaps between the Most High and creation. I’ve been tuning in on a quest for wisdom. Erwin’s messages have been so clarifying to my heart and soul this last month. When your soul begins to crave the answers to questions. . .when your faith is shaken, not drowned. . .talks like these are revolutionizing the spirit inside me. I am renewed when I hear Erwin say things that have been whispered to us by God already, but now clarified in words that inspire and encourage me to tell others. Thanks, Erwin. You are being used to cinch more and more gaps between the Most High and creation.

]]> By: Eugene Booyens http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2066 Eugene Booyens Mon, 23 Oct 2006 04:35:30 +0000 http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2066 Hi Erwin & team! You guys are doing an awesome job! Thanks for fulfilling your calling and taking all the effort to do what you do, because it is blessing so many people! I just had such fun listening to the "Is there a hell?" sermon! Fun from listening to someone articulate God's heart when it comes to the subject of hell. I cried several times during your sermon just being overwhelmed with God's Goodness and Grace (imagine that during a sermon on hell!) and I really want to encourage you that what you are doing is making an eternal difference in the lives of many, many more people than you can think and your works will pass through the fire and show to be of the highest quality! Last week I stayed over with a friend while visiting a different town. This friend of mine stayed with me at university and I haven't seen him much since that time. He has been exposed to so many different religions and schools of religious thought and really "messed up" with books like "Conversations with God". In spending a couple of hours with him and just talking about God he is ready to go back to Church and his faith is strengthened - God really timed this so well. The best thing about my visit was that I could pull out my laptop and burn the podcasts from your latest series on CD for him and he would have started to listen to them already. They will be addressing the core questions of his life and provide faith, love and hope for his journey ahead. I will of course be sure to follow up with him but I just wanted to let you know that your labor is not in vain but rather of immeasurable value and is spreading like wildfire to places and people you could not imagine! God bless you all! Eugene Booyens Johannesburg South Africa Hi Erwin & team!

You guys are doing an awesome job! Thanks for fulfilling your calling and taking all the effort to do what you do, because it is blessing so many people! I just had such fun listening to the “Is there a hell?” sermon! Fun from listening to someone articulate God’s heart when it comes to the subject of hell. I cried several times during your sermon just being overwhelmed with God’s Goodness and Grace (imagine that during a sermon on hell!) and I really want to encourage you that what you are doing is making an eternal difference in the lives of many, many more people than you can think and your works will pass through the fire and show to be of the highest quality!

Last week I stayed over with a friend while visiting a different town. This friend of mine stayed with me at university and I haven’t seen him much since that time. He has been exposed to so many different religions and schools of religious thought and really “messed up” with books like “Conversations with God”. In spending a couple of hours with him and just talking about God he is ready to go back to Church and his faith is strengthened - God really timed this so well. The best thing about my visit was that I could pull out my laptop and burn the podcasts from your latest series on CD for him and he would have started to listen to them already. They will be addressing the core questions of his life and provide faith, love and hope for his journey ahead. I will of course be sure to follow up with him but I just wanted to let you know that your labor is not in vain but rather of immeasurable value and is spreading like wildfire to places and people you could not imagine!

God bless you all!

Eugene Booyens
Johannesburg
South Africa

]]> By: Kristy Meier http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2039 Kristy Meier Sat, 21 Oct 2006 17:47:03 +0000 http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2039 I just wanted to express how much your messages have been to me. I recently gave my life to Christ again but this time was different I am living by what the bible says and what Christ leads me to. Your messages have given me hope and made me relize I am not crazy for thinking I need to live like this or act this way. This world trys to pull me in many directions but through your podcasts I stay grounded and I stenghtens me everytime I listen. You make the bible come alive and make sense. Thank you for tackling theses tough questions and bringing them to the forefront of your messages. You have helped me in my walk and made my life brighter and expanded my knowledge and made it alright for me to take a stand in my life for Christ when others have made fun of me or mocked me for my stand for Christ. Keep tackling theses tough questions because they need to be addressed. You help so many people. thanks I just wanted to express how much your messages have been to me. I recently gave my life to Christ again but this time was different I am living by what the bible says and what Christ leads me to. Your messages have given me hope and made me relize I am not crazy for thinking I need to live like this or act this way. This world trys to pull me in many directions but through your podcasts I stay grounded and I stenghtens me everytime I listen. You make the bible come alive and make sense. Thank you for tackling theses tough questions and bringing them to the forefront of your messages. You have helped me in my walk and made my life brighter and expanded my knowledge and made it alright for me to take a stand in my life for Christ when others have made fun of me or mocked me for my stand for Christ. Keep tackling theses tough questions because they need to be addressed. You help so many people. thanks

]]> By: Tiv M http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2028 Tiv M Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:07:21 +0000 http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2028 I've read some Piper books and love 'em. I think deep down inside I'm a calvinist in that God is ultimately soverign. The other side of this coin is as Erwin says we need to be compassionate and loving like Christ..ultimately we need line up with His moral will for us. I was just discussing this last night in a Gospel, Church, Culture class I'm taking. The prof. went to John 8 where Jesus asks the people who want to stone the adultress says 'He has he who no sin cast the first stone' ..they all gradually disperse. This shows Jesus' compassion for the adultress. Then he says to her 'Go and sin no more' This shows Jesus' conviction/Truth side ....Jesus is a 'colloborator' that balances conviction and compassion..Truth and Love .. I think social action while filled with the Spirit and thus acting with the fruits of the Spirit ( Gal 2:20) we can do this domino effect that Erwin talks about. Pluralism/diversity is a good thing and God wants all saved and we are to act/imagine with all we are to exhibit His Love but yet balanced with conviction ( operating with our minds and hearts as if we are in the Kingdom on earth..which we are in the Kingdom when we become saved!). It's like the questions : can God build a rock bigger than He can lift ?.. Is God outside of time and space..yeah ....is He soverign ? does He know we are going to act out in the world with compassion like a mother Teresa and start this domino effect ? I think ultimately He does because He is soverign but we need to resolve(good Piper, Johnathon Edwards word :-)) to engage the culture and world with agape love and compassion now.. with all that we are ..mind, body, will, soul, spirit, imagination, heart..like Jesus. I’ve read some Piper books and love ‘em.

I think deep down inside I’m a calvinist in that God is ultimately soverign. The other side of this coin is as Erwin says we need to be compassionate and loving like Christ..ultimately we need line up with His moral will for us.

I was just discussing this last night in a Gospel, Church, Culture class I’m taking. The prof. went to John 8 where Jesus asks the people who want to stone the adultress says ‘He has he who no sin cast the first stone’ ..they all gradually disperse. This shows Jesus’ compassion for the adultress. Then he says to her ‘Go and sin no more’ This shows Jesus’ conviction/Truth side ….Jesus is a ‘colloborator’ that balances conviction and compassion..Truth and Love .. I think social action while filled with the Spirit and thus acting with the fruits of the Spirit ( Gal 2:20) we can do this domino effect that Erwin talks about. Pluralism/diversity is a good thing and God wants all saved and we are to act/imagine with all we are to exhibit His Love but yet balanced with conviction ( operating with our minds and hearts as if we are in the Kingdom on earth..which we are in the Kingdom when we become saved!).

It’s like the questions : can God build a rock bigger than He can lift ?.. Is God outside of time and space..yeah ….is He soverign ? does He know we are going to act out in the world with compassion like a mother Teresa and start this domino effect ? I think ultimately He does because He is soverign but we need to resolve(good Piper, Johnathon Edwards word :-)) to engage the culture and world with agape love and compassion now.. with all that we are ..mind, body, will, soul, spirit, imagination, heart..like Jesus.

]]> By: Dave W http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2021 Dave W Fri, 20 Oct 2006 01:09:50 +0000 http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2021 I love Erwin’s messages too, and this one is no exception, but I fear that he has cast an overly bleak picture of Calvinism (was he using Calvinism as a pejorative?). To be sure, Calvinists can live up to the moniker of the “frozen chosen”, but that’s a distortion of the doctrine. As you might have figured out, I’m a Calvinist and yet the domino illustration Erwin used fits perfectly with my understanding. The more I understand about the depth of my sin and need of a savior, the more humbling it is that God could have possibly chosen me. That in turn compels me to share the Good News with others so maybe they’ll find they are chosen in Christ too. As positive examples of Calvinists or those in the reformed camp I’d hold up Tim Keller in New York City and the work of John Piper. No one could accuse these men of being fatalists as they seek to preach and live Christ to the culture. It’s hard to fathom how God could have a dynamic relationship with us and also have chosen us before the foundation of the world, but while I can’t understand that tension, this is what the bible teaches. A good read on the subject is “Chosen by God” by R.C. Sproul. I love Erwin’s messages too, and this one is no exception, but I fear that he has cast an overly bleak picture of Calvinism (was he using Calvinism as a pejorative?). To be sure, Calvinists can live up to the moniker of the “frozen chosen”, but that’s a distortion of the doctrine. As you might have figured out, I’m a Calvinist and yet the domino illustration Erwin used fits perfectly with my understanding. The more I understand about the depth of my sin and need of a savior, the more humbling it is that God could have possibly chosen me. That in turn compels me to share the Good News with others so maybe they’ll find they are chosen in Christ too.

As positive examples of Calvinists or those in the reformed camp I’d hold up Tim Keller in New York City and the work of John Piper. No one could accuse these men of being fatalists as they seek to preach and live Christ to the culture.

It’s hard to fathom how God could have a dynamic relationship with us and also have chosen us before the foundation of the world, but while I can’t understand that tension, this is what the bible teaches. A good read on the subject is “Chosen by God” by R.C. Sproul.

]]> By: beedubya http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2013 beedubya Thu, 19 Oct 2006 04:19:58 +0000 http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-2013 THANK YOU, Erwin, for such a timely message. I've been treading water in a sea of fatalism and exclusion, and you've thrown me a lifejacket. Bless you and praise Him. THANK YOU, Erwin, for such a timely message. I’ve been treading water in a sea of fatalism and exclusion, and you’ve thrown me a lifejacket. Bless you and praise Him.

]]> By: Tiv M http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-1995 Tiv M Tue, 17 Oct 2006 14:04:54 +0000 http://mosaic.org/2006/10/15/lifes-toughest-06/#comment-1995 Hi, With every one of these messages I get more of a sense that I am totally enveloped in Kingdom - right now and right here on earth. The Keys of scripture keep opening the door of heaven as it pours out on earth ..on us - the Body. Every breath, every second of time the Kingdom and God's presence is around us and in us ! as Erwin prayed in the last podcast. And of course with this comes more thirst and hunger for God's Word...more desire to excercise my spiritual gift in social action. I thank you Lord Jesus for this mosaic ministry with all my heart soul and mind. I would so love to be at the Ethos event in NY city in November but I will need to work those days. uhg. Hi,

With every one of these messages I get more of a sense that I am totally enveloped in Kingdom - right now and right here on earth. The Keys of scripture keep opening the door of heaven as it pours out on earth ..on us - the Body. Every breath, every second of time the Kingdom and God’s presence is around us and in us ! as Erwin prayed in the last podcast. And of course with this comes more thirst and hunger for God’s Word…more desire to excercise my spiritual gift in social action. I thank you Lord Jesus for this mosaic ministry with all my heart soul and mind.

I would so love to be at the Ethos event in NY city in November but I will need to work those days. uhg.

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