Bring Down The Thunder ......Not !

 Remember the story of Jonah. Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh . So he fled in hopes of getting away from God's call to go and preach repentance. Well God used a extreme method , being in the belly of a whale is not my idea of a good time , to get Jonah to Nineveh. Jonah brings God's message , the people repent and what does Jonah do ? He gets angry . God rebukes him for his anger and shows He is a God of mercy.

Even the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of God's patience in the presence of great wickedness. Abraham pleads with God if he can find at first 50 righteous men , then it gets lower and lower. God's mercy is amazing considering the evil within the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the New Testament John and James want to call down judgement against an Samaritan village the would not receive Jesus . But Jesus rebukes them .


[51] When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. [52] And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. [53] But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.  [54] And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” [55] But he turned and rebuked them. [56] And they went on to another village.
(Luke 9:51- 56)

The point is God is full of grace and compassion . He is slow to anger. He takes no delight in the perishing of the wicked . Should our response be the same when we encounter those who are against the gospel .

Over the last couple of years atheism has been reinvigorated with what has become called their own four horsemen. Samuel Harris,Daniel Dennett , Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. They have no real new arguments but with their militant push and flare , have gotten much attention. Hitchens is perhaps the most visible. An excellent journalist and one who has wit,charms and bombast. His bestselling book ,"God is Not Great", received much press. I could quote numerous sayings , but needless to say his disdain towards Christianity is well documented. He is a clear enemy of the gospel.

Just little over a month ago , he revealed he has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer . Needless to say , it is a very nasty type with a very low 5 year survival rate. To say there have been a few Jonah ,John and James in the ,"I'm a Stupid Fundy" ,announcing this is as a judgement of God against his blasphemies would be an understatement, they are from the nut wing groups and although vocal, they are a small minority. Is it  from God , yes . God is sovereign over all . Is it a judgement , yes in the sense we all are under the curse of sin and death. We know the wages of sin is death. But before we are so condemning ,  we were sinners just as hell bound , just as guilty.

So understanding grace , should we not extend that same grace to Hitchens in his time of need . Listen to the words of Christ.

[43] “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
[44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
(Matthew 5:43-44)


        [35] But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be         great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. [36] Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
(Luke 6:35-36)

What we should do is love him , showing him the truth  of Christ by praying for him . Pray the Holy Spirit will awaken his dead heart to the light of Jesus Christ . That the same God he does not believe exist but hates at the same time , extends grace and mercy . He is an interesting man and in some ways reminds me of someone who would be very interesting having a pint of ale with .

So may the Lord Jesus Christ make Himself known to Hitchens and bring him to the same repentance of sin that the city of Nineveh experienced and I have. All for God's glory.