I can still remember some of the misconceptions that I once had concerning this matter when I was still living a life of sin. I had always said that I didn’t want to go to Heaven when I died. I honestly thought that Heaven was going to be the dullest place imaginable.
I mean, what was there to do for a player like me? There are no night clubs up there, and there are no wild parties or loose women running around. There are not even any drugs up there, so I couldn’t get high, kick back on one of the clouds and just chill out. So what was there to do besides walk around all day and sing a bunch of church songs that I didn’t even know? Besides, I figured that once the angels heard me sing, they weren’t going to let me join the choir anyway.
Why would I even want to go to heaven? I wasn’t going to know anyone there, at least not anyone that I wanted to hang out with. I figured that heaven was going to be full of squares. You know... people that had to work for a living, went to church on Sundays and went to bed at night. You know… those kinds of people.
No, heaven was not for me. There was not going to be any partying there either. The real party was going to be in hell where all of my friends were going to be. I could just see it, all of us down there together: Fuzzy, Tadpole, C.J., Red and all of the other players and hustlers. We would all be there, together again, smoking the best weed, sipping on some Johnny Walker Red and partying with some of the finest women in hell. What a good time that would be. It would be the ultimate party.
Although it might be a little warm and uncomfortable down there, I’d get used to it. Besides, you should see some of the hell holes that I have been in while here on earth.
I know that some of the things that I just said might be funny or unimaginable to some of you, but that was how I really felt. You would be surprised at the number of people who are lost, know they are on their way to hell, but think it is no big deal. In their eyes, hell is nothing they can’t handle.
Many of them feel that they have no choice in the matter. It is too late for them so they may as well make the best of it. Some of them think they might even enjoy it. It can’t be any worse than life has been for them here. We have to reach out to them and let them know that hell is not what they think it is. We have got to let them know that it ‘ain’t that kind of party’.
Some people believe that hell is a state of mind. Others think we make our own heaven and hell right here on earth. Carlton Pearson now teaches that no one is going to hell, but that is not what the Bible says.
Jesus said, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). If we are going to snatch sinners from the gates of hell, we must launch an all out offensive against Satan and his disciples. In order to do that, we must be prepared for warfare, and believe me when I say that this is definitely warfare.
As you can tell by my other books, I used to watch a lot of cartoons, movies and television programs such as Superman, Popeye, Mighty Mouse, and The Lone Ranger. Batman was another favorite. I really like the way that Batman prepares for battle. I truly believe that if we as Christians were to prepare for battle the way Batman prepares for battle, we would be awesome warriors for the Lord.
The first thing that he did was go to the Bat Cave. You see, Batman felt the need to get away from everything and everyone. He had to get away from Alfred. He had to get away from the mayor. He had to get away from all of the distractions of Gotham City, so he went to the Bat Cave where he could meditate and concentrate on the task at hand.
Sometimes Christians need to go the Bat Cave. We need to get away from our spouses. We need to get away from our friends. We need to get away from the television, the stereo, and all of the other distractions of the world. We need to go to the Bat Cave so we can meditate on God’s word, seek His guidance, and concentrate on the task at hand.
Jesus called it the secret place. “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt. 6: 6).
While Batman was in the Bat Cave he would do something that was very important. He would get on the Bat Phone. The Bat Phone was a very special phone because it was the main line that went straight to the commissioner. The Bat Phone was never busy. He always got through; no matter what time he called, day or night. When he got off of the Bat Phone he was ready for battle.
Let me tell you something. You cannot go to the Bat Cave and just sit there. You have to get on the Bat Phone. The Bat Phone is a very special phone because the main line goes straight to the commissioner, who is God Almighty. My grandmother used to sing a song that said, “Just call Him up and tell Him what you want.”
Something else that I noticed about the Bat Phone is it was a two-way line. Therefore, Batman did not always do the calling. Sometimes the phone would ring and it would be the commissioner wanting to discuss something with him.
Sometimes God wants to talk to you. Sometimes He wants to tell you something. Sometimes He doesn’t want to wait for you to call Him, so He will call you. That’s why the songwriter said, “Can’t sleep at night. That’s all right. Maybe God is trying to tell you something.”
So the next time you are having a sleepless night, it might be your Bat Phone ringing. Don’t just lay there tossing and turning. Get out of bed, go to your secret place, get down on your knees and answer your Bat Phone.
There was something else that I noticed about the Bat Cave. Whenever Batman went in there, he was not the same when he came out. He went in as Bruce Wayne, an ordinary citizen who had a lot of material things but no power. He went in dressed like everyone else. He walked like everyone else. He talked like everyone else. He acted like everyone else. But when he came out he was no longer like everyone else. He came out with his battle clothes on. He had on his cowl, his Bat suit, and his cape. He was ready for battle because he was wearing his uniform.
It is time for the Church of God to put its battle clothes on. You know what your battle clothes are, don’t you? The old saints used to call them war clothes. It is the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the Gospel of peace, and the sword of the Spirit.
There is something else that you need to know about Batman. After he went to the Bat Cave, spoke on the Bat Phone, and put on his cape, he got into his Bat Mobile and went on the mission of taking back the streets of Gotham City. He took the streets back from The Riddler. He took the streets back from The Penguin. He took the streets back from Cat Woman, Mr. Freeze, and The Joker.
We must have the same mind set. After we have spent time in the Bat Cave, spoken on the Bat Phone, and put our battle clothes on, we have to go into our communities and take back the streets of our cities. We have to take the streets back from the gang bangers. We have to take the streets back from the drug dealers. We have to take the streets back from the pimps, the players, the slum lords, and the crooked politicians. We have to go to them with the love of Jesus Christ. We have to let them know that God loves them. We have to make them understand that they don’t want to go to hell because it ‘ain’t that kind of party’.
If we get discouraged while delivering the message of salvation to our brothers; that is when we must remember to fall on our knees and ask the Lord for strength. He’s Only a Prayer Away.
He's Only A Prayer Away: Examples Of Praying Until Your Breakthrough
In stores Sept 1st, 2010 by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.
Available at Barnes & Noble, barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com
Love you all,
Rev. Burton Barr Jr. (Author of "He's Only A Prayer Away", "The Hoodlum Preacher" and "Amazing Grace: The Storm Is Passing Over") & Cedric Mixon
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