The Wrong Question (Part 2 of 2)

Last week, I began by sharing why I believe the question, “Will I go to heaven when I die?” is the wrong question for us to ask. The question primarily conveys an attitude of works – have I done enough to warrant a place in heaven. As I wrote last week, that question does not reflect the Bible’s teachings. We should serve because we are saved, but we cannot work to be saved (Ephesians 2.8-10). This week, I will continue that thought by focusing on three words most Christians, and a large number of people have said – “Thy Kingdom come.”

The real reason that the question above is wrong is that it puts the focus on a place rather than God. A similar understanding is found among most Christians with relation to the church. When the word church is spoken a place comes to mind. For instance, churchgoers often say, “I am going to church.” That expression is meant that I am going to a place, but the church is not a place, it is a people. The same words could be spoken and have a meaning of, “I am going to be with the fellowship of believers,” but it doesn’t. The word “churchgoers” used just above, could likewise mean that the church (the people) are going out on mission, rather than going to a building. But again, the word has come to mean a group of people who go to a place.

Most everyone uses the word “church” to denote a place. Don’t we do the same with a phrase such as “God’s Kingdom?” But God’s Kingdom is not a physical space, or at least not a confined (nor contiguous) space. God’s Kingdom is where God is king; that is, wherever God rules. If we are serious about being with God in a place, then why should we wait until we die? We can be with Him in our current space just as easily as we can be in a future space.

If we tie this thought back to the original question, we may rightly consider that heaven is a place where God rules, so we want to go to heaven. But Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1.15). Jesus came, in part, to bring God’s Kingdom to earth which is evident in the three words from His prayer, “Thy Kingdom come.” The idea is about God’s dominion spreading throughout the earth “as it is in heaven.” In one sense, God is fully in control of all that happens on the earth, but we certainly do not follow His will as perfectly as the celestial beings serving Him in heaven. Thus, our praying the prayer is a statement of our willingness to submit to God’s will here just as we will do in eternity.

Ultimately, “Thy Kingdom come” is not about a spatial relationship, it is about a personal one. Christians often talk about having a “personal relationship with Jesus” but sometimes act as if they are more interested in having a spatial relationship with heaven. Remember, heaven was a part of creation, so God is obviously greater. Thus, a better question might be: If Jesus was not in heaven, would you rather be in heaven or with Jesus? Personally, I will choose Jesus! If He made heaven, and doesn’t want to be there, imagine how much better wherever He might chose must be! (This scenario is hypothetical as Revelation 21 and 22 indicate that Jesus will be present in the new heaven and new earth.)

But while that question may be better, a simplified version of that question is what counts: Do I want to be with Jesus when I die?

If the answer is yes, why wait until you die? Start your life with Him today!

If you need more information on becoming a Christian, you can find many great websites on the web including this one.

The Wrong Question (Part 1 of 2)

As a pastor, I have been asked many questions. One question that is pervasive, although it takes various forms, could be simply stated as, “Will I go to heaven when I die?” As the title of this post suggests, I believe that is the absolute wrong question and I will explain why momentarily. However, to provide an answer to the question above, all I can truly admit to anyone is that I cannot know that answer for anyone but myself. 1 John 5.13 states that we can know that we have eternal life, but I cannot necessarily know about you nor can you know about me. We might suspect the answer, but God searches (and knows) the heart. You and I can only see the outside evidence. Certainly, the fruit of faith is important, but just as the fruit we eat can look deceptively good (or bad) it is the inside that truly matters.

But let me turn towards the primary reason for this post. In fact, 1 John 5.13 provides evidence for my statement about going to heaven being the wrong answer. You might not see it at first, and if so, it is because of a definition that many have entrenched in their minds. The verse says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” Do you see the answer now? If not, let me clarify.

Eternal life does not begin when we die – it begins when we “believe in the name of the Son of God.” Now that doesn’t mean we know the name Jesus, it means we have faith in the name and all that He represents. But the point here is that we have life when that faith begins, not when we die. Thus, when we ask, “Will I go to heaven when I die?” we are really saying, in some fashion, “Will I get to enjoy all God has promised once I die?” (More specifically, many people are asking “Have I done enough to get to heaven?” but that is a worse question, in my opinion, and deserves another post altogether.)

The reason that the earlier question is the wrong one is that Jesus has promised to be with His people always (Matthew 28.20), and sent the Spirit to guide us throughout our lives as Christians (John 14.16-17; 15.7). Furthermore, those who follow Jesus are children of God (1 John 3.1-2), and that benefit begins on earth...we need not wait for heaven.

I realize of course that this earth is not what heaven will be. Problems we face while living on this side of eternity will disappear completely on the other side. But that fact is true of eternity, not of heaven. Heaven is a place and may represent our concept of eternity, but heaven was created, just as was the earth. Thus, we need not focus on “going to heaven” we need to keep our focus on God, not a place we might idolize by our desiring to be there.

Ultimately, we must ask ourselves if our goal is to be in heaven or to be with Jesus. The two need not be mutually exclusive, but, I fear, for too many people heaven is the greater goal. For me, I do not care if I ever go to heaven and long as I am with Jesus. Eternity for me is about being with a Person, not being in a place. In Part 2 of this two-part series (next week), I will elaborate on this idea further.

The Kingdom

In the previous post ("JOURNEY") I briefly listed the word associated with each letter of the acrostic. In my next post, I will begin discussing the individual component beginning with the letter "J". The "J" is for Jesus. As a Christian, a disciple, a follower, or however else you want to be designated, the JOURNEY must begin, and end, with Jesus. But we must come back to the destination of the Kingdom one more time before entering our JOURNEY.

Again, our journey is destined for the Kingdom. Yes, we find can find Jesus in church, but when the church ceases to exist, Jesus, and His Kingdom, will remain. In fact, as Jesus begins His ministry (as recorded by Matthew and Mark), he mentions the Kingdom is at hand. Throughout the gospels, Jesus mentions the church three times (once in Matthew 16, twice in Matthew 18). However, the term the Kingdom is mentioned over 120 times, mostly by Jesus. In the book of Matthew alone, the phrase Kingdom of Heaven is used more than 30 times.* Jesus wanted to ensure the people focused on Him, and His Kingdom. When we place our trust in a person, a church, or any other man made institution (even if created/ordained by God), we will be disappointed. But Jesus and His Kingdom are true and last forever.

*Matthew was interested in showing his readers (the Jews) that the Kingdom they desired was one which was spiritual, not physical. In addition, while Mark or others could have used Kingdom of God, the Jews would not write God's name (YHWH, Yeshua, etc) and thus, Matthew spoke to them in terms of Heaven, not G-d.).

So, it begins with Jesus, as the Son of God. If we seek first His Kingdom (Matthew 6.33), then we will not be disappointed. If we seek His Kingdom, we begin to experience it on earth, and will serve in it for eternity. Jesus' Kingdom is not of this world (John 18.36), but we are to serve Him now by faith with love and obedience (John 14 and 15).

Does this mean the church is irrelevant? No. The church DOES matter. The church (you and I as believers) is the agent for God in His Kingdom. Truly, we should not think of church as a place to attend, but rather something to be. Of course, in being the church, we should gather with others to worship, serve, and disciple others. However, inviting someone to church is selling God's ultimate destination short. The church is a part of the Kingdom, not the final destination.

As we begin to shift our mindset towards a Kingdom mindset, we must engage AS the church to not only live our lives in, not of, but help others to do so as well. We do that by remembering Jesus!