How can a God who is all loving send someone to hell?

We had a birthday recently. Rebekah turned 10 years old. She got one of the best presents an American kid living overseas could receive: Oreos!



Savannah, EB, Rebekah and Elizabeth (Liz).

I was drinking cappuccino in the dining car of the train that was taking me from Budapest to the Czech city of Brno, where I was scheduled to speak that night. We were passing rolling hills and small villages along the Danube river in the northern part of Hungary. We even passed the Visegrad castle perched on a high hilltop above the river. I remember praying, “Thank You, Lord, that I can take Your message of reconciliation into a country where You are largely ignored. What an awesome privilege. I certainly must have the greatest job in the world!”

The Czech Republic is a country of 12 million people, yet has the same ratio of evangelicals as Poland: ½ of 1 percent of the population. In spite of the rich Czech history of the Moravians and the Hussites, the Czech people have shown little interest in the gospel since the fall of Communism. Yet when I arrived in Brno and met the staff of this student ministry (a group aligned with but not a part of Campus Crusade for Christ), my heart was encouraged. These Czech missionaries are working the campus at Brno, along with several other universities inside of Czech. Also EB’s mom’s family comes from Bohemia, which is modern day western Czech; my wife and children all have Czech blood.

After touring the city for 2 hours, I gave my presentation to 60 students on “If God is all-loving and all-powerful, how do we make sense of the evil and suffering around us?” After my talk, which was translated into Czech, I fielded some questions. When that was over, several students wanted to ask me questions one-on-one, including one young lady with tears in her eyes. “How can a God who is all loving send someone to hell, even if that person sincerely searched for God?” I took a deep breath, smiled and attempted answer to her plea.

“First, I appreciate your heart. It shows a tender spirit. I understand this is a difficult issue. It is for me too. Second, God created hell because many people want nothing to do with God. They shake their fist at God or ignore Him their whole lives. When they die, they merely get what they have spent their whole physical lives pursuing…separation from God. Therefore God would not be just if He didn’t create hell.

Third, I believe no one deserves heaven; rather we all deserve hell due to our rebellion against God and His incomprehensible holiness. So the fact that heaven is even an option for us is an indication of God’s grace toward mankind. And God maintained His just nature not by merely waving off our sin but by extracting in its entirety the penalty for our sin. Therefore even though there is a hell, God is still the Most Just Judge and the Greatest Love in the universe. (I didn’t but I should have at this point quoted Athanasius, an influential Christian theologian, when he said back in the third century, “What kind of person must He have been to bring us the salvation that He alone could have and did bring to us?”)

Fourth, I believe in hell because Jesus teaches about hell. And I trust Jesus. I may not always understand Him fully but I trust Him. Fifth, in a direct response to your question, I believe the Lord will move heaven and earth to get the gospel to those who truly seek Him. I reject the idea that God is unable or unwilling to get the gospel to those who honestly seek Him. In fact Ronnie (my pastor in Budapest who speaks frequently to this student group) travels to Iraq several times a year to meet with 13 Iraqi pastors. 11 of those 13 pastors came to faith in Christ because Jesus appeared to each of them individually in a dream and said, “Follow Me.” No Four Spiritual Laws, no TV preacher, no Jesus film showing. The Lord is prepared to do whatever it takes to call His sheep to Himself.”

She smiled, wiped away a tear, thanked me and left. I’m not sure if my words were helpful to her or not. But the staff there said I connected well with the students and even said they are anxious to have me back again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Matt

A view of Brno, Czech.

Memphis to Austin to emergency skin graft surgery

It was 2 weeks ago that EB and I returned to Budapest from the US. I spent the first 10 days in Memphis with two of our Polish staff. I wish I had great news to report to you. I wish I could tell you that both of the Polish men I worked with got their support fully raised. We had several great volunteers really sacrifice a lot and work hard to open doors for these two guys (their names in English were Mark and Luke; together we were Matthew Mark and Luke!). But for whatever the reason, folks weren’t buying. Some support was raised but these men will return to Poland soon (they remained after I left Memphis) still in great financial need. The battle may have been lost but the war is not!

From Memphis, I hooked up with EB and together we went to Austin. There the President of Campus Crusade (Steve Douglas) and many of the Vice Presidents of Campus Crusade had a weekend with some of the top donors of Campus Crusade from across America. There the dreams and goals of our ministries world-wide were presented to some of the ministry’s best friends and most generous donors. Poland was given center stage one night and Marek Wyrzykowski, who traveled with me in the States this past summer, gave a great presentation on what the Lord is doing and has done in Poland. Money was raised but still not enough to meet the needs of our Polish staff and ministries.

In Austin at the conference we met one man whose business was bought out by a large corporation. I asked him, “So what are you going to do with the money? Buy a bigger house, another car or new clothes?” “No!” he said as if I had just insulted him, “I am going to use the money to fund the Great Commission!” Music to my ears! We need thousands of men like this who will invest not in the temporal things of this life but who will channel their resources and abilities toward the work of the gospel around the world. God calls ALL Christians to live sacrificially in view of the Great Commission. Not all are called to go but all are called to live passionately whether that is through sending others, giving generously, or praying continually.

EB and me at the Austin conference.

The money is out there for the fulfillment of the Great Commission; there is no doubt. The Lord has blessed abundantly the church in America. There is no greater cause, no greater pursuit man can commit himself to than the spread of the gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of worship of all peoples everywhere. Outside of the direct worship of and communing with the Lord, there is no greater pursuit of the Christian church than missions.

Ben's foot 10 days after skin graft surgery

Perhaps the biggest news is what happened while I was in the States and EB was still in Budapest. Our son Ben suffered a third degree burn on his leg just above his foot. It required immediate skin graft surgery. It was over before I even knew what happened. I logged onto my email while in Memphis one morning and had received several emails saying, “Heard about Ben; we will be praying.” I was clueless. When I finally reached EB by phone she was with Ben at a hospital in Budapest where he was recovering nicely. The time change and an out of order phone kept EB from contacting me. Even though it will take some time, we are expecting a full recovery for Ben’s leg.

When we got back to Budapest our hot water was out, the heat didn’t work and our internet phone (with a USA phone number) was broken and there were 21 new mole hills in our front yard (I have been battling a mole for a year). Eventually everything came back on line but it took several days of repairs.

Thank you for your love and for standing with us in ministry; you are valued and needed. As you pray for us, please remember the four Ps:

1) passion: we will passionately follow the Lord Jesus

2) protection: from our kids and teenager to us as we travel, may the Lord watch over us and protect us.

3) provision: may the Lord provide abundantly for the work of the gospel across Eastern Europe

4) Poland specifically; may the Lord give us wisdom, strategy and energy to help raise people to fund the work of the gospel in Poland.

Everyone is costume for our office fall festival party: EB is a cowgirl, Rebekah is a hula dancer, Quentin is a cowboy and Savannah is a super model.

Here Elizabeth is helping with one of the games at our fall festival party.