Why is there evil in the world?

Most of us have wondered why a loving God would make a world with the potential for evil. Many have heard the Christian teaching on the fall of Adam and Eve. We know about a bad devil and his hatred for man. We have heard that man is born into sin. I do not believe any of these are the reasons why there is evil in the world. Let me share some of my insights into this question.

Have you meet a man who is a controller? His wife and children fear that saying or doing something wrong would ignite his wrath. He may be a deacon in the church having gained respect from his peers because of how well behaved his family is. All seems to be good, but this is not love, because it is forced love. Now think about how the world views Christians. Do they see us screaming at homosexuals from the local street corner? Do they hear the call to repent or burn? Do they see Christians screaming at women as they enter an abortion clinic? I do not believe any of this is based on God's love.

What type of emotion does the phrase "Freedom of Choice" bring up in your Christian thought? Does it draw your mind to the abortion debate? Have you considered that forcing a women to have a child instead of an abortion does not teach her to love? God created us to love but in order to know if we love Him and others, He gave us a choice. To force someone to do this only produces resentment which leads to hatred.

God made us in His image of love. All of his intelligent creation has the ability to choose between love and evil. If God did not give us the ability to fail, we would only experience forced obedience. We have historical examples in Hitler and Stalin of this type of leadership. How did that work out for them? Of course if we choose evil this is not God's fault nor plan. Religion takes law and wraps it in grace. It uses grace to bend the law into a form that meets their need to control. Religion is just like the Jack-In-The-Box toy. The music sounds like fun, but inside there is just a scary clown. Religion has become cruel and boring.

My friends, there is someone waiting to embrace you with His love. Father God sent His Son, Jesus, to free you from law and works based religion. This is a life of freedom as we put away the weapons of judgment and pick up the tools of love.

One of the music leaders here at Bethel is Kim Walker. Kim Walker has an international worship ministry. There is a post on Youtube and GodTube with her song "How He Loves Us". You can view it at this link:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=23b94b8e7cc226404b6e
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

My special wife, Saundi, and I are very excited about the radical changes happening in our life. During our 15 years on the mission field, we saw how lacking mission work has been to bring real transformation. We have cried out for God to reveal Himself in a deeper way. God in now empowering us to share this revival culture with the body of Christ.

Kenton

Summer of new foundation under Grandma's cabin.

I spent an entire summer in near slavery to put a new foundation under my Grandparents house. It was the summer of 1972 and I was 15 years old. After my Father was killed in an automobile accident my three sisters and I were given custody to our Grandparents. My Grandparents had bought a large cabin on Rimrock Lake in Washington State and we had moved into the cabin in April of 1971. The cabin was built upon a foundation of 18 x 18 inch wood beams. These beams were sitting directly on the ground and had become rotten over the years. This caused the floors of the cabin to be uneven. Just after school ended my Grandfather, Uncle, and I began to dig out the old foundation and put a new cement block foundation. In order to do this we had to dig a 3 foot trench around the house and begin to remove sections of the old rotten foundation and insert the new foundation as we went. After this was complete we still had to level the house. This required removing all the dirt from under the house so a person could work under it. I would use a crowbar and dirt pick to breakup the hard rocky soil. I would shovel it part way to the foundation wall opening, then move to the pile and throw it farther, then finally throw it outside where my Sisters and Cousins would load up the wheel barrel to haul the dirt away. After all the dirt was removed we put in cement bricks, jacks, and leveled the house. Thirty five years later this foundation is still holding up that cabin.

This time at Bethel has become a time of tearing out my old foundation and building another one underneath my Christian faith. It is not that the house of my faith is bad it is just falling in. This falling process has taken many years. This is because my foundation has been made of wood instead of solid rock. In other words, my foundation is of law instead of grace. Last night I expressed my frustration to my Wife because I have lived 31 years as a Christian but yet I have expressed very little of the Father's love. Sure I can quote the scriptures and I can teach classes on God's love but the Father's love has been nearly absent from my daily experience. I have been striving to be something as a computer expert, business man, and missionary, I have been judgmental and hard on others just as I have been on myself. My childhood was not surrounded by love. I have never known a father's love or mother's nurturing. I made up for that by trying to be a really good Christian. In my work I have always tried to be the best by working many hours per day. I have lived 15 years on the mission field trying to please God and be thought of well among my friends. My Christianity has been based on works of law instead of grace. I was hard on my son and have continued to be hard on my wife forcing her to remain on the mission field as she cried during the night for more than a year. All of this while my church family and friends saw me as a Christian of Godly passion and commitment.

Kenton as he has been known is now very much changing. What I am learning here at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry is overhauling me in a big way. I have been reading one of our required books titled, "Experiencing Father's Embrace" by Jack Frost. I have been reading the book really slow. This book has been shaking me and tearing me up from the inside out. I have been going through a process of forgiving myself and releasing the mind set of judgment, self-achievement, and trying to please others. We are being taught in just about every class about the Father's love. Saundi and I are taking extra classes on being free from the garbage that has molded our life and a class called, "Loving on purpose".

My friends, if your foundation is built upon anything but love then it may be time to get the crowbar and dirt pick out and start demolition of that old foundation. Do you want a radical change in your life? Spend $15.00 dollars and purchase "Experiencing Father's Embrace" by Jack Frost. I would love to be able to teach everyone what I am learning. Maybe someday the Lord will give me a place to do so. Until then I can only recommend the same books I am reading. There is a Novel titled, "The Shack" by William P. Young based on a true experience. This book will rock your view of Christianity and bring you to a place of love and acceptance for those around you.

My heart cries out to experience the Father's love. I want so much to know the Father's embrace. I do not want to live a life of law and judgment. I want to be open to heartache and pain because the same door that allows the Father's love in also allows others in even if they bring hurt to you. Forgiveness is the fortress of the heart of love. Nothing else will protect an open and loving heart. The Father's love is the answer and the only thing I desire. I don't want a house of religious doctrines, false ideas, judgments, jealously and deceit. I cry out for the Father's love to remove the old foundation of law and give me a new foundation of grace.