Where is heaven and what is it like? Heaven is God’s dwelling place, the city where He is enthroned as King and Lord and is continuously worshiped by angels and the saints who have gone on ahead. The walls of the city are made of jasper, the city is pure gold, as clear as glass. It is built on a foundation inlaid with precious stones, many of which are not familiar to us, including jasper, sapphire, agate, onyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. The gates are made of pearls and the streets of pure gold. There’s not a single temple structure there because the Father and Son are the temple; the place is bright, never dark, but its light does not come from the sun or the moon: God’s glory lights it up (see Revelation 21:18-23).
Living like citizens of heaven is not a suggestion; it is a command for the church that needs to be obeyed. This command implies that we, the church, are already citizens of heaven, and should know how citizens should behave. It also implies we should live now as if we were already in heaven; how we live now on earth should be consistent with how we will live in heaven when the time comes. If you are a Christian, you already know that the world is nothing like heaven. The world is the devil’s domain, and he has much influence in it, leading to sin, evil, chaos, wars, and death. On the other hand, there’s order, peace, love, health, and unending life in heaven. Just imagine: we will see God face to face and be with Him forever; He will wipe all tears away from our eyes. Nothing evil will ever enter heaven; there will be no more crying, pain, fear, sorrow, or death (see Revelation 21:3-4). This is exciting, and a good reason to look forward to going there!
To be able to live like citizens of heaven, you should first become a citizen of heaven while here on earth. Dear reader, if you are not already a citizen of heaven, it’s not yet too late for you. But it will be soon if you don’t act quickly. Here’s what you have to do:
1) Admit you are a sinner deserving God’s judgment—you are a sinner because God says so, and it’s based on the fact that you inherited the sinful nature of your ancestors, and so you do sin (see Romans 3:23).
2) Repent of your sins and ask (pray to) God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ, His Son, who took on the punishment all sinners deserve (see John 3:16). If you refuse to accept that Jesus paid for your sins by dying in your place, it means you’ve decided to bear the punishment for your own sins: spending life after death in Hell forever. In that case, you cannot live in this world like a citizen of heaven, because you won’t be going there. I encourage you to come to God today through Jesus; hell is not a joke!
3) If you do the above two sincerely, God will forgive you, and as confirmation of your new relationship with Him, He’ll send His Holy Spirit to come and live in your Heart to identify you as His child, and guarantee that you have become a citizen of heaven, entitled to the inheritance promised to His children. Then, with the help of the Holy Spirit and following His instructions in the Bible, and with the support of the church, you’ll begin to think and live differently from your former life. You might even wonder how you were able to live the life you lived before. From this point on, you are ready to live here on earth as a citizen of heaven, looking forward to going home.
So, how should citizens of heaven live? The Bible tells us to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ (see Philippians 1:27). We are to demonstrate our love for God through obedience to His Word, and loving each other. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32). We need to “Stand together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News” (Philippians 1:27).
If we take this charge seriously, our lives, individually and collectively, would be so much more fulfilling, and we would be much happier and more content as we wait for our home-going. For instance, we would lovingly care for each other, and there would be no unmet needs in the body. Disagreements, in-fights, and Church-hopping could become things of the past. We would then understand that God’s plans for us are for good and not for disaster, to give us a future and hope (see Jeremiah 29:11). Also, Jesus said, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). A rich and satisfying life will require some effort on our part: taking our charge seriously of obeying the Word and imitating God in how we live.
The apostle Paul again encourages us to have the attitude of Christ by being tender-hearted and compassionate, agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose (see Philippians 2:1-2). Wow! If we can honestly achieve this, we would accomplish so much more for God regardless of the denomination we belong to. Little differences that are not about salvation, Christian living, and our eternal home should not divide the church. Can you imagine the impact if local churches of different denominations loved each other, coming together to saturate their community with the gospel? But as it is right now, each church does its own thing; how sad! I would think it grieves God’s heart.
Lord Jesus, we the church need your help! We have not been living as citizens of heaven! We live like citizens of this world. We don’t obey you with the deep reverence and fear that displays the results of our salvation. Forgive us, and help us to cultivate your attitude of love and service. Although you are God, you gave up your divine privileges, left the glories of heaven, and came down to redeem us, your enemies. Please help the universal church love each other without feeling like one denomination is better than the other. May our love be not only for those we worship with or those of the same denomination. If we believe we are going to live as a community with each other in heaven, we should be able to do the same here as we prepare to go home. Thank you, Lord! I ask this in your holy name!
No comments:
Post a Comment