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"Hey Bev -
Knock, knock..."
"Hugh, we don't have time for that now. We shouldn't waste
the viewer's
time reading your dumb knock-knock jokes."
"How about: Did you hear about the guy who...
"Hugh, that's enough."
"Oh, sorry, Bev. Do you feel like talking about something
controversial?"
"Will I be sorry for asking?"
"Umm... we'll see.
I've been thinking about 'predestination' lately. What do you think
about
it Bev?"
"Let's not go there, Hugh."
"As I was saying... there seems to be a wide scale of thought about
it. Do
you think God has everyone's future all planned out? Is
everyone either in
the book of life or not? How about... I take one
side, and you take the
opposite view. What do you say, Bev? It
will be fun, won't it? Sure it will...
I'll start..."
"Hugh, ...HUGH! ...HUGH! ...please relax! Just breathe
deep and start over."
"Oh... OK... I'm sorry. I guess my brain started to have a
synapse misfire.
I'm better now. OK, for sake of argument, if
we all have predestined futures,
does it matter if we are God's
witnesses? If the end result of everyone's life
is already set,
then, it can't be changed, can it? People are either good or bad,
right?"
"Boy, Hugh, nothing like dropping a bombshell on me.
First of all, I don't think you can classify everyone as either 'good' or
'bad'.
Everyone has issues in their lives that shape them into what
they will
become. Someone we meet today might be going through some
tough times,
and maybe are choosing a poor way of handling it at the
moment. That
person may learn from the mistakes and be very
constructive and influential
to others someday."
"Good point, Bev. I guess that could be true."
"Back to your first point about everyone's futures:
I
certainly don't know the answers to all of that, but God does, and we have
to have faith and trust that He will do what is right and just in His own
sovereign way."
"Another good point, Bev."
"Also, let's role play here for a moment...
"OK. I'll be your weird Uncle Larry..."
"No, no. Not like that! I meant:
If we meet someone standing at a street corner today and small talked
with him, would we know if he has been saved or not?"
"Probably not..."
"Let's say that he's predestined to be in the book of life as one
of God's
family. Do we know where he stands with the Lord at this
time?"
"Maybe... on the street corner?"
"Maybe, but we don't know that, do we? For all we know, it
might be
one of US that is suppose to witness to him to start the ball
rolling."
"Is that kind of like the old expression: You can lead a horse
to water, but
a pencil must be lead?"
"Boy, Hugh, that was bad."
"So you're saying that we aren't predestined?"
"I don't know if we are or not. I believe that mankind as a
whole is
predestined to have the chance to hear and accept the gift of
salvation,
but as for individuals, I have no idea. All I know is
that we should live
each day as witnesses for Christ in words and actions
as the Bible says,
and let God do the rest."
"That makes sense, Bev. What was that verse about the great
commission
again?"
"It's in Mark 16:15-16. [ He said to them, Go into all the
world and
preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and
is baptized
will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be
condemned.]"
"Strong words, but important ones.
Thanks, Bev. Oh by the way, did you hear about the two....
"Hugh, you have way too much free time on your hands!"
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