Q:
"Do you preach about Hell all the time?"
A:
Jesus preached far more on Hell than He did on Heaven. We MUST preach about Hell because--unlike the American justice system--we are ALL GUILTY of sin and condemned to Hell at death unless we accept God's free gift of salvation through Jesus the Christ. When we buy houses, don't we look at them first, inspect them, and THEN make the investment? Why would someone want to accept a reservation for a home in Hell without checking the alternative, which is life abundant in Heaven. Jesus said He is making a MANSION, in Heaven, for His followers. THAT is the reservation you want, isn't it? A life without Jesus is an ETERNAL death verdict. Many people believe that there is an afterlife and that it will be "better" than life on earth, but they don't believe in a "literal Hell." Jesus said there was one. Take Him at His Word because He is the one who authored it.
Q:
"Come on, you Baptists don't REALLY believe the Bible is true, do you? I mean, who in the twenty-first century would believe a man would get swallowed up by a fish, survive in it for days, and then get spit out?"
A:
At Southwood Baptist Church, we study The Bible as the LITERAL TRUTH FROM GOD HIMSELF. What do you have to lose if you don't believe The Bible is telling the truth? Your chance at salvation and your only opportunity to escape a firey, burning afterlife in Hell. What do you have to gain if you believe The Bible and become a Christian? God's gift of everlasting life. That's what The Bible says, and we happily accept those words, just like all the others in The Bible. Have you ever seen a "red-letter edition" of The Bible? The Words that are written in red represent Jesus, Himself, talking. In Matthew 12:40, you'll see red letters (Jesus talking) and these words, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jesus HIMSELF said Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish. He confirmed it for us and, when we die, we'll see confirmation of all that is in God's Word. Don't ignore God's Word, but STUDY it--with us, if you'd like--every chance you get.
Q:
"Is your church full of 'normal' people or will I feel out of place?"
A:
God looks at the HEARTS of men, not their BODIES. We try to do the same as Christ's followers. Our church is open to the saved and lost alike. We are all sinners who fall short of the glory of God, so that makes all of us "normal." We do not demonstrate our faith, at Southwood Baptist Church, with certain outward manners, as is the practice in some church families. But, we accept all believers in Christ--regardless of their church home and denomination (Pentecostal, Lutheran, Catholic, etc.)--as lifted from sin.
