Blasphemychallenge.com is an atheistic site that will send people a DVD if they upload a video on YouTube with them stating that they deny the Holy Spirit. They are doing this in a way that seems call Jesus’ bluff (though it certainly isn’t a bluff) when he says in Mark 3:29, “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal fire.” I guess they think that if there is no hell they can’t be sent there by God.
Whether those who post videos are actually blaspheming against the Holy Spirit can be debated later but I wanted to make people aware of this site (especially youth ministers) so that if someone says they have done this or know someone who has done this they have already investigate what blasphemy is for themselves and be prepared to give them some sort of a response to those who have a question concerning this.
Hopefully I can find a few minutes to spend time finding out exactly what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit entails. But this is disturbing to say the least. Perhaps God will bring some to repentance by his grace if they are not actually blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
A couple from my community group made a mix CD of Praise and Worship music for everyone this Christmas and I have been listening to ‘I Have To Believe’ by Rita Springer on it a lot. It’s a great song and I love singing it in church at Sojourn. But I’ve been thinking about some of the lyrics that say…
“He said that He can move mountains
And if He can move mountains
He can move my mountain
He can move Your mountain too”
Of course God can move mountains but what if instead of God moving mountains out of your way, God moves one in your path and you can’t get around it? How are we as believers supposed to respond when the providence of God seems to be against what we want to do or are working towards in any of the categories of life? Is it a test of patience and should we wait until the mountain is removed or should we look for another…well, whatever God is blocking you from?
I intended to write I think one should do in this situation but then I realized that sometimes we have to wait and sometimes we have to give up that dream. So there is no formula to go by, all we can do is have confidence in God (Romans 8:28) and the seek out wise counselors he places in our life. In thinking about this it reminded me of a C.S. Lewis quote which says, “We’re not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us, we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”
