My Heart Stopping Experience (Literally!)

Jesus’ Journey to the Cross Gives Us Eternal Life

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Several years ago I had a literal heart stopping experience. My heart had begun beating irregularly (technically called atrial fibrillation). So to get it back into normal rhythm, the doctors decided to do a “cardioversion.” That’s a defibrillation through electric shock to the chest. Thankfully, they put me under for a few minutes while they did it.

The doctor explained that while I was asleep, they’d first stop my heart for a few moments. Then they’d (hopefully!) start it again with the shock, and then (hopefully) it would beat properly. They had me sign all the papers saying that if I died during the procedure, it wasn’t their fault and I couldn’t sue them!

The anesthesiologist put a mask over my nose and said to count backwards from 10. I only got to about 8. The next thing I experienced was really awesome. I felt the most wonderful feeling of peace and joy. I was in a place that I didn’t ever want to leave. Never before or since have I felt like that. It was incredible.

Carolyn and I have two different theories of what happened:

I think I had a near death experience and got halfway to heaven. Many have had similar experiences. For a great book on the topic see the book Imagine Heaven: Near-Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future That Awaits You by John Burke.My wife Carolyn, an RN, thinks it was just a drug induced stupor!

But here’s what’s wonderful: the Bible promises that heaven will be something like that blissful experience I had. While I only had it for a fleeting moment, in heaven it will last for eternity. And we can know we’re headed for heaven!

How do we know that we will have that feeling and eternity forever? Because of Jesus’ journey to the cross.

Here are 4 facts that give us hope for our final heart stopping experience:

1. Jesus’ journey to the cross was entirely intentional.

Many think Jesus’ life was all about:

• Being an example

• Being a great moral teacher

• A tragic end to a good person

But in fact, Jesus’ life was all about going to the cross to die for our sins.

“When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51 ESV)

“And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31 ESV)

2. Jesus’ heart stopping experience was a physical and spiritual death for us.

Jesus literally died physically. For three days he was in the tomb.

He also died spiritually when he took our sins upon Himself. He could do this because He was God the Son.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:8 NIV)

3. Jesus journey to the cross culminated in His resurrection from the dead.

Had Jesus stayed dead, we would be hopeless. But instead, he rose from the grave to conquer sin and death.

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25 NIV)

4. When we know Jesus, we know eternal life.

So far the death rate hovers around 100%. (That’s a joke—it is 100%!) From the richest to poorest, greatest to smallest, smartest to not so bright, all die.

Jesus provides the solution to the final heart stopping experience for all of us!

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22 ESV)

If you aren’t sure that you have received salvation from your final heart stopping experience, please see my salvation page to do so.

SPECIAL NOTE: This lesson somewhat parallels the first lesson of my new ministry Discipleship Journeys with Jesus. I’d love you to pray for us as we begin this new mission that will provide 52 lessons for making mature disciples. If you’d like to get email updates, please sign up on the home page of our DJJ website.

For more biblical advice and insight into heaven and eternity, see my articles and podcasts:

• Six Reasons all Roads DON’T Lead to Heaven

• How to Prepare for Eternity Now and Face Death with Confidence Later

• What Can We Learn from a Cemetery Under a City Park?Hungry for Heaven

• Podcast: Since Jesus paid the price, is everyone heaven-bound?

• Podcast: How can I age gracefully and productively to the glory of God?

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth

What Will The Afterlife Be Like?

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The afterlife is something most everyone thinks about. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “He has also set eternity in the human heart.” (NIV) We humans have an inborn sense that there is something after this life. God put that in our hearts.

Podcast recorded live at New Song Community Church in Oceanside, California

So people have a lot of questions about what the afterlife will be like such as:

• What is paradise and the 3rd heaven?Will we meet aliens from other planets?

• What’s the difference between the Judgment Seat and the Bema Seat of Christ?

• What happens to our spirit at our death?

• What will heaven and hell be like?

We answer all these questions on the afterlife in this podcast.

Who is “we?”

This podcast was recorded live at New Song Community Church in Oceanside, CA. Pastor Hal Seedand I were answering questions posed to us live that day. New Song is Carolyn’s and my home church where I have served on the Leadership Board for many years.

Dr. Hal Seed, Senior Pastor of New Song Community Church

So please listen to this podcast on the afterlife.

For more biblical insight into the afterlife, see my articles and podcasts:

• How to Prepare for Eternity Now and Face Death with Confidence Later

• What Can We Learn from a Cemetery Under a City Park?

• Hungry for Heaven

• Podcast: If I commit suicide, will I go to hell?

• Podcast: Is cremation biblically permissible for Christians?

• Podcast: Isn’t Christianity arrogant to claim to be the only way to heaven?

• Podcast: What exactly is hell?

• Podcast: What will happen in the end times?

To learn more about this “Christianity Questions and Answers” podcast and how to submit your questions, click HERE.

To develop your relationship with God, get my free eBook “10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth” click HERE.

You can leave a comment below.

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Why Christians Can Be Confident in Crushing Circumstances

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Are you facing crushing circumstances? Carolyn and I have. In 2008 we suffered major financial setbacks due to the mortgage crisis, my stepmother was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, a close family member was threatening suicide and so on. The problems seemed overwhelming.

I became emotionally exhausted and discouraged. It felt like God had reneged on His promises of blessing. It was like He had abandoned me. I lost much of my confidence in God, in myself, and in the future.

Since then I’ve discovered that I made mistakes by adding my own emotional meltdown to the crushing circumstances. My crisis of faith and confidence only added to the difficulties. I should have been confident despite the crushing circumstances.

Because of the wonderful promises of God, we can be like the Apostle Paul who wrote: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT)

How can we find confidence and determination in crushing circumstances? The following verse gives us two reasons: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT)

Here are 2 reasons you can be confident despite crushing circumstances:

1. It is God who began the good work in you.

This verse says “God, who began the good work within you…”

Believers often overemphasize our part of salvation and sanctification. Yes, we had to say “yes” to Jesus. But even that “yes” was a gift given by God “who began the good work within you…”

Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV)

If you are a born again Christian, you can be confident because you didn’t save yourself, God did! He saved you and began the good work in you!

2. God has promised to complete His good work in you.

Philippians 1:6 continues, “And I am certain that God…will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Sometimes I stress-out by thinking “if it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” There’s a sense in which that is true—I have to do my part. But another sense in which that thinking is harmful and lacks faith.

If we’re doing our part with reasonable effort, God will do His part and finish His work. No matter what crushing circumstances we may face, God WILL complete His work in and through us.

It’s so easy to stress out about:

• Finances

• Health

• Task lists

• Interpersonal conflicts

• Politics and elections

But when we begin to stress over seemingly crushing circumstances, let’s remember these 2 simple lessons:

• God began the work in us

• He will complete the work He started

So go with confidence despite whatever crushing circumstances you may be facing today!

For more encouragement, here are other articles I’ve written:

• How Reluctant Leaders Become Confident Achievers for God

• Video vlog: Have You Been Pecked At?

• You Can Do It!

• How to be Big in God’s Kingdom When You Feel Small

• 4 Ways to Find Contentment Now

• How to Survive Rejection and Find Acceptance Today

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth