Back in Tennessee, just after I became a Christian, I attended a funeral that seemed off to me. I don't remember who the person was or why I was there, which is weird, but I do remember that this person did claim to be a Christian. As the service started and people began to speak about him, I noticed that most of the people around him were not. When his friends came to to speak they would say things like "I guess he had some kind of belief in God, which we disagreed on, but he was a good guy." The leader of the church would give the generic verses in most TV and movie funerals, then that was it. I left feeling empty. A little more recently, yet so far away, I went to a funeral of an older man from our local church. They were singing for joy and talking about how he was with Jesus now and his suffering was all over. It was a celebration! We sang and worshiped just like it was a church service. I enjoyed that funeral more, but still left a little empty. I mean, there was ve...
...our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction - 1 Thess 1:5