Concentrate on God's Word

I got this warning. I thought that I would mention it and respond to it since the warning came out in the open for people to read:

Jeff, I am praying for you. I would suggest you stop reading so many books and concentrate just on God's Holy Word.

He then follows it up with this statement:

Reading a book written by two Quakers who are promoting universalisim is not healthy and it is completely contradictory to what the Bible teaches us.

He then nails his point home on the following statement (universalisimm):

When you hold to the belief that ALL people will go to heaven, then you have just trampled the blood of Jesus under your feet. You have also given permission to your youth that they can sin all they want because they are going to heaven anyway, regardless of whether they repent or not.

To my fellow brother in Christ whom I shall be breaking bread with some day in heaven, thanks for your words and your warning. However, let me address some of your concerns and your thoughts.

First, thanks for the prayers. I appreciate them. It is great when fellow believers lift each other up in their prayers. It is a very Biblal practice and we see Paul encouraging and lifting his brothers and sisters up in the letters that he wrote to churches in the 1st Century.

Second, I enjoy reading boos and I like stretching my thoughts, so I am not sure if I will give up my book reading. Many of the books that I read are very challenging to me and they pull and stretch me to be more Christ like.

Third, Ido read, concentrate and pray over and through the Holy Scripture. Just because I list the books that I am reading and give reviews, do not mean that I am ignoring God's Word. Also, I read for my "own" insiht and then I read the Scriptures that are associated with my teaching time and daily devotions.

Fourth, the boo that you are referring to is a very good book to wrestle with scripture. I do not have it in front of me but there are hundreds of Scriptures in that book. Thus, to say ading Scripture is unhealthy, I do not agree with. Now, you may think it is unhealthy with their conclusions on Scriptures. But, once again, I find it very helpful to understand how various people can read Scripture and come to a different understanding.

Fifth, I have never said that I fully support that position. I am sure that you can/will/would do a great job of cutting and pasting and ommitting things from our conversations to bring my views in the light that you want to see it.

HOWEVER, for those that hold to that view, they would say that is the farthest thing from the truth. It bings His death to greater relevance and reverence for what He was willing to do and did for a hurting and dying world.

To my readers, maybe my brother has shed some light on an area that I need to be covering in this blog. Maybe, I will also start sharing the Scriptures that I am reading, praying over and seeing how we (as a community) are living them out and making a difference in the world.