Growing up in Memphis, I attended an independent Baptist church with my sister. Sunday School included fun songs and a large flannelette board with paper figures that represented the people in the bible stories. Big church, as I called it, was quiet and solemn. The hymns were my favorite part of the service, and sometimes I cried while I sang the lyrics. Then the preacher talked and an invitation followed, while “Just As I Am” was being sung. The same woman, sporting a variety of hats, played the piano and the same man played the organ every week. The seats in the sanctuary and the carpet were plush, and the baptistry was situated behind the choir section. This was a neighborhood church constructed in the 1930s with a modest neon sign displayed on the property at the street corner.

I cannot recall specific sermons, but I remember a frequent topic was heaven and hell. A visiting preacher came one week for revival, and we heard a lot about hellfire and brimstone. He paced back and forth behind the podium, using his handkerchief frequently to mop his forehead. I prayed to be saved at age 12 because I did not want to go to hell, and I followed through with Baptism in the church. I also wanted to know more about this person, Jesus, who loved all the children of the world. Church was a safe place for me, and I enjoyed the social activities with the other kids for a few special years.

The congregation and the pastor aged over the subsequent decades, and younger families were beginning to trend east of the city into new neighborhoods and subdivisions. The church decided to follow and moved out of the inner city when I was a young teen. I had no transportation and was no longer able to attend. I missed church. A lot. A very small church of another denomination was located within walking distance in the neighborhood and I visited a few times, but it was not the same and I did not continue.

Fast forward many years. God’s abundant grace over my life triggered a desire for relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when Scott moved to heaven in 2011. I believe every interruption in life comes with an invitation from God to allow Him to be involved in our situation. I was completely devastated at that time, and I welcomed Him with my broken heart and unlimited tears. That was all He needed. As our relationship began to develop, I noticed that in some of the teachings I was listening to and reading, there was no mention of hellfire and brimstone. Now everything was about “grace”. Some of the older pastors still spoke of the wages of sin, but the younger ones I heard rarely mentioned the words “sin” or “hell”. During the years I was out of church, apparently there had been a shift in preaching and style of service.

I read that the emphasis on sin and hell was too much and people did not want to hear that all the time. In an effort to keep and increase attendance and tithing numbers, it appeared that some churches attempted to “sell” the gospel by softening the truth, catering to demands of the congregation, instead of simply presenting the gospel as it is written, as instructed by the Lord. I discovered that choirs and alter calls had disappeared. The Holy Spirit was not mentioned much, and there was a lack of spiritual power manifesting in the church. Different ideas and strategies were implemented. Modern construction had replaced the traditional church buildings from the past, removing steeples and crosses. The steadfast faithfulness of the senior saints had been pushed aside in the quest to grab the young and to present a more youthful enthusiasm to entice visitors to return and get connected. It seemed the majority of churches were following the same programs.

I visited different denominations during my dark years, but nothing satisfied my search. I needed Jesus and I did not find Him there. I heard words but received little spiritual nourishment. I found countless people seeking identity through their position of service and networking in the church but not hungering after God.

I received a dream on June 7, 2015:  I am seated at a dinner table, attending a performance by a famous comedian, who is doing a skit. A man in the audience is trying to talk to him personally, out loud from his seat, while the comedian is on stage. I look down at the table. There is a small solid white feather resting on the rim of the plate on the right side. The comedian is aware of what the man said, but continues in character. The man in the audience speaks out loud again and declares, “He won’t talk to me”. The comedian then addresses the other players in the skit and ends the performance. I look down once more, and there are now three white feathers on the rim of my plate. I woke up at this point. No other specific faces in the dream are visible except the comedian’s face on stage, who is dressed in a white tunic. I can only see the upper body. I understood the partial message of the dream at that time. Many people go to church to be entertained, to be happy and to laugh. Other people have questions or problems that are not addressed because the “show must go on”, so to speak. Time does not allow for interruptions in the program, for the Holy Spirit to move. He cannot be controlled by man’s schedules. People are hungry for spiritual truth. They are searching. Methods and styles of music and preaching have changed through the centuries since Christ returned to heaven. But the Gospel has not changed. The need for salvation for every person remains.  

The closer I have grown to God, the more burdened my heart has become for the lost and the prodigals. I have not heard a sermon on hellfire and brimstone in some time, but that reality stands. There are only two choices when our lives end on earth, heaven or hell, and we must make that decision before we die. II Peter 3:9 NLT tells us, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” God gives us the freedom to choose. He will not force us. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned. We have only to receive it. Emotional response does not indicate salvation. We have the assurance of our salvation through the Word.

Step 1 – Everyone needs salvation because all have sinned.

Romans 3:10-12, and 23 NLT
“As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”  

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Step 2 – The price (or consequence) of sin is death.

Romans 6:23 NLT
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Step 3 – Jesus Christ died for our sins. He paid the price for our death.

Romans 5:8 NLT
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Step 4 – We receive salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9-10, and 13 NLT
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Step 5 – Salvation through Jesus Christ brings us into a relationship of peace with God.

Romans 5:1 NLT
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
Romans 8:1 NLT
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:38-39 NLT
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

A sample prayer:  “O God, I am a sinner and I am lost. Life is a mystery I cannot solve. Lord, I know that one day I will face you, and I want to be right with You. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You died on the cross and paid my sin debt with Your shed blood. I believe the Father raised You from the dead. I trust You, Jesus. Come into my life. Forgive my sin. Save me, Jesus. I receive it by faith and that settles it. You are now my Lord, my Savior, my God, my friend. Thank You for saving me. Begin now to make me the person you want me to be and give me the courage to stand for you. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”