MCC Blog

Matt Redman’s lyrics from the song WE SHALL NOT BE SHAKEN is good to remember in our uncertain and unstable times:

When everything’s breaking
You are left unshaken
When everything’s tumbling down
You are the solid ground
Nations could be quaking
Economies failing
When fear is found all around
You are the solid ground

Our God, You are all that You say You are
You never change, You never fail, You never fade
Our God, You are faithful in all Your ways
Forever You stand, forever You reign, forever remain
And we shall not be shaken

When all around is sinking sand
For You are never changing
You will stand, the Great I Am

Depression can hit anyone—even a powerful and faithful OT character like Elijah.  In 1 Kings, Baal worship had become the centerpiece of spiritual life in Israel thanks to King Ahab and Jezebel.  Baal was the god of fertility and rain, so it was fitting that God should stop the rain for 3½ years.  Elijah has a dramatic showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  God supernaturally wins the battle of the gods, and all of the prophets of Baal are destroyed.  Then Elijah prays for rain and a deluge comes.  It’s a tremendous spiritual victory.

In 1 Kings 18:46 Elijah is flush with the excitement of victory, so he runs 30 km. to Jezreel ahead of Ahab’s chariot.  He wants to be right in the thick of the revival that could break out and spread through all Israel.  Maybe Elijah is dreaming of a Scripture study in the palace and streams of pilgrims traveling to worship in Jerusalem.  At the peak of victory begins a downhill slide into discouragement.  Without realizing it, we depend on our success.  We are driven to keep succeeding to maintain an emotional high.  Sooner or later we fail and feel defeated.  Self-doubt creeps in and Satan exploits our self-focus and self-dependence.  Depression Trigger #1: Success.

Next in 1 Kings 19:1, vindictive Jezebel wants to discredit God’s victory, so she drives Elijah and his influence away with his tail beneath his legs—just when God needed him to stand in the gap and remain spiritually strong.  Depression Trigger #2: Crisis that overwhelms.

We lose our assurance that God is bigger than any circumstance.  We forget God is more powerful than any person or any scheme of Satan.  If Elijah can enjoy 3½ years of God’s protection and provision, join dramatic miracles in a mountaintop showdown, and still be overwhelmed by this latest crisis, then who are we to think we are immune??  Different people respond in different ways to crisis.  For some, crisis triggers depression.

So Elijah leaves his servant back in Beersheba and goes into the desert alone.  When we are depressed, we tend to withdraw from people and avoid responsibilities.  Loneliness is the dark companion of depression.  Without deep relationships, we flounder alone in a sea of emotions.  Depression Trigger #3: Lack of relationships.

  Elijah feels like a failure; now he wants to die in shame.  Elijah expected to accomplish something no one since David has done—turn Israel around spiritually.  Elijah thought that if he followed God’s will everything would succeed.  Depression Trigger #4: Disappointed expectations.

Elijah is angry.  Angry at Jezebel, angry at Ahab, angry at the nation Israel, angry at himself, and angry at God.  But, Elijah takes his anger out on himself by hoping to die.  Anger turned inward can lead to self-destructive habits.  Depression Trigger #5: Anger turned inward.

In 1 Kings 19:5, we discover that Elijah is also tired and hungry.  Twice the angel feeds Elijah and lets him sleep.  Depression can be a result of improper eating, rest, and exercise.  We drive our bodies until they crash in protest.  We eat erratically and when we do it’s the wrong kinds of food.  We don’t sleep enough.  And we don’t rest and take days off.  We wear out!  Depression Trigger #6: Physical depletion.

Clinical Depression (5+ symptoms for at least 2 weeks)

1. Feelings of despair, sadness, apathy, or even hopelessness

2. Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed

3. Decreased or increased appetite, => marked weight change

4. Change in sleep pattern: sleep constantly or insomnia

5. Loss of energy resulting in lethargy, fatigue, some helplessness

6. Feelings of worthlessness, self-blame, guilt, or increased anger

7. Impairment in the ability to think or concentrate

8. Recurring thoughts of death, desire to die, or suicidal thoughts

1 Kings 19:10, we see Elijah’s loss of perspective.  “I’m the only one left.”  When we lose our perspective we see things as much worse than they actually are.  We over-focus on ourselves by thinking we are responsible for everything, and then feel sorry for ourselves.   Depression Trigger #7: Distorted thinking.

1 Kings 19 also contains some recovery and healing for depression.  God knows Elijah is physically depleted and needs food, water, and sleep.  God knows that Elijah has to be physically restored to face his struggles.  Counselors suggest the “HALT” method: don’t make a snap decision when you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.  Twice God gave him food and rest.  If you are stressed, exhausted, malnourished, then your brain chemicals deplete and you cannot effectively address emotional and spiritual struggles.  You need Healing #1: Physical restoration.

Elijah travels 40 days to make a 320 km. journey, (that’s only 8 km. per day!).  During this time, God allows Elijah to unwind from the pressures and think about things.  God essentially takes Elijah on a spiritual retreat.

Healing #2: Spiritual renewal is important in our lives also—times when we take a break, leave town, and reflect.  We get caught up in pressures and need to get away and reflect.

1 Kings 19:9, God asks Elijah: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  God is really asking, “Elijah, why didn’t you trust Me to protect you back there?  Do you really understand who I am?”  Elijah has lost sight of God’s sovereignty and care.  So God challenges Elijah to explore his distorted thinking and swirling emotions.

Depression is emotional pain that signals something inside our soul has been injured and needs healing.  When you are depressed, Satan deceives you to think you’re trapped; you’ve gotten a raw deal; so you must self-protect.  We need to challenge our interpretations to see with spiritual eyes.

            Healing #3: Discerning questions.  We need someone who can help us see things more clearly.  Discerning questions are more clarifying than black-and-white pronouncements or clichés like “Trust God more!”  “Pull yourself out of it!”  “Suck it up and be a man!”

We need trusted people who love us enough to jump into the water with us, throw us a lifeline, and show us the way back to shore when we’ve lost our perspective.

Finally in 1 Kings 19:11-12, the heart of the lesson and healing: ¹¹The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  ¹²After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Elijah was looking for the extraordinary and flashy.  So God brings earth, wind, and fire to demonstrate that, though sometimes He moves in dramatic ways, most often God is found in the quiet, unnoticed, gentle whisper.  The small, still voice of God is heard in a heart that longs to listen to God and know Him deeply.  Healing #4: Listen for God.

When we train our spiritual ear to hear, God speaks in a gentle, quiet voice in our inner spirit.  It’s not a voice easily heard in the noise of a hurried life, or in our media saturated society.  It’s not a voice easily heard in prayers filled with a grocery list of requests.  It’s the voice heard in deep relationship.

God goes on to explain to Elijah that He is very much at work on the national and international scenes.  He also tells Elijah that far from being alone and useless, God has 7000 true worshipers.

The same is true right now in Egypt.  Many see storm clouds and feel hopeless.  But God still has true worshipers here that He wants to use to bring about His kingdom purposes.  God is at work!

God also gives Elijah a disciple to mentor—Elisha.  Healing #5: Serve others.  Depression leads us to loneliness and isolation; serving others takes our eyes off ourselves.

Carl Meninger, a pioneer in mental health, was answering questions during a speech.  Someone said, “What would you advise a person to do if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?”  Most people thought he would say, “Go see a psychiatrist immediately.”  To their astonishment, he replied, “Lock up your house, go find somebody in need, and help that person.”

What’s the right way to handle grief?  It’s a relevant question since life is filled with constant loss.  In 2 Samuel 12, King David faced the life-threatening illness of his newborn son.  David’s initial grieving went on for many days!  Nathan delivers the crushing news: David’s adultery and murder will have consequences—his son will die.  Imagine the guilt and loss David feels!  David faces loss on many levels.  First, the loss of his newborn son.  Losing a child is especially hard because you feel the child is innocent and all your hopes and dreams for them suddenly evaporate away.  Second, David faces loss of reputation.  His secret is out.  How will others look at David now?  How much will his reputation decline now since his glory days of defeating Goliath??  Third, for almost a year David has experienced loss of relationship with God.  He has carefully hidden his alienation inside like a gnawing cancer before he admits to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”  Now David faces the harsh reality of his deteriorated spirit.  All these layers of loss translate into a huge amount of grief on many different levels.

Like David, our culture does everything possible to avoid pain.  When we have a headache, we take an aspirin.  It doesn’t heal the headache, but it does mask the pain.  We often treat emotional pain the same.  We are a culture of “avoid your pain.”  God gave us emotions to help us to handle life’s losses.

Experts identify five cycles of grief.  You don’t go through each cycle separately; rather cycles overlap and mix together.  These cycles may last hours or months or years depending on the loss.

Grief cycle #1 is denial; the shock of: “I can’t believe this is happening.”  It feels like a bad dream, but when you wake up, you realize it’s no dream.  You want to numb the painful reality.  This feeling of denial or avoidance comes when you experience ANY loss, not just death.  It could be the loss of a job, loss of a marriage, loss of a relationship, losing your health, loss of a social position, loss of a possession like wrecking your car or losing a watch, or having something stolen.  In large or small ways we want to avoid the feeling.  Any loss brings some amount of grief—even loss of a dream.  Sometimes the loss of an ideal is the hardest loss of all.

Grief cycle #2 is anger.  This anger may be directed at others, at self, or even at God.  Anger in the midst of grief is often an expression of blame.  Of self: “Why did I go there in the first place?”  Or another person: “Why couldn’t you be more careful?”  We think that if we can find a person or circumstance to blame, then maybe we can regain control of life.  Or our anger blames God.  We must wrestle with these questions as a part of the grieving process.  “Where is God?  Is He really all loving and all-powerful?”  We have to process the inward and outward anger in our loss.  David certainly must have had anger at himself for what he had done.  God had forgiven David, but David had to deal with his own anger at himself to accept God’s forgiveness.  He had to release control.

Grief cycle #3 is bargaining.  In verse 16, David pleads with God for the life of his son.  Nathan had made it quite clear that the child will die.  But David wants to change the reality of the situation.  David fasts, wears scratchy sackcloth, lies face down on the ground for 7 days and nights, and will not even eat the customary food of mourners.  David is bargaining with God for the life of his son.  Notice that God allows it to go on.  God knows that David needs to go through these cycles of grief to deal with his loss.

Bargaining promises to make amends for what has happened.  We want to make up for our loss by promising to be better so that we can get back what was lost or find happiness.  Sometimes in a broken relationship, one person promises to change if the other will take them back.  Change may indeed be necessary, but often it’s an impulsive emotional promise not backed up by real actions.

What loss are you grieving—large or small?  Loss of a loved one this past year?  Loss of a job?  Loss of a relationship?  Loss of a sense of security and peace living through a revolution?  Are you stuck in numbness or anger or bargaining?  What do you need to release to move on in the grief cycle?

Grief cycle #4 is sadness, the intense pouring out of emotions often through crying.  True sadness over our loss needs to be released like pumping water out of a flooded house.  If we hold it inside, it will only build up and damage our foundation.  With a major loss, this sadness may take the form of crying, even at unexpected or inconvenient times.  We may feel overwhelmed by sadness.  We may feel unspiritual for reacting like this; others may tell us to “Snap out of it!”  But sadness is a normal part of the human process.  Emotional pain is a signal that an injury has happened to our soul, and we need to discover the cause of that injury so we can heal and learn from it.

Here is the bottom line: Grief is God’s tool to develop your heart.  “God whispers to us in our blessings, but shouts to us in our pain.”  When we are overwhelmed with sadness, we are willing to stop and listen to God.  Sadness is the cycle of grief when our hearts are most open to connect to and hear God.  God uses sadness to pry open our heart and refine our character.

David’s response after 7 days of intense grieving was to care for himself and go into the temple to worship God.  David’s mood and response have shifted.  His heart has been chastened and instructed by God.  David is resolved that the loss is real.  He is emotionally processing the loss and learning what God wants to teach him right now.  David’s hope is seeing the child in heaven someday.  David’s life is again firmly planted in God’s hand!

Grief cycle #5 is acceptance.  We realize that things will be different and that loss hurts, but we can keep growing.  Times of feeling overwhelmed are less frequent as life takes on a more present and future orientation.  We may still experience strong emotions.

We are now released to give ourselves away to comfort and support others.  This is a key principle of the Body of Christ.  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”  Grief is also an opportunity to support others.  Have you ever noticed that when you go through a difficulty that afterward God brings across your path people who are currently going through a similar thing?  God gives us the opportunity to minister His grace that we have received from Him to other people.

Is it Revolution 2.0?  It’s beginning to feel a lot like … last February!  The tension and anxiety levels have risen dramatically.  We pray the elections will take place so that forward movement can take place.  But as violence and fear rise, God is mightily at work!

Be sure to read the last blog on 11.11.11 to understand this blog.  I spoke with an Egyptian pastor yesterday who was at the prayer rally to ask about what is going on spiritually in Egypt.  While you read alarming headlines, God is counter-punching Satan to open doors like never before!  In addition to 71,000 praying—the largest Christian gathering in over 1000 years by one estimate—it was also an unprecedented event in bringing unity among the three major Christian groups in Egypt: Orthodox, Evangelical, and Catholic.  Most of the 8 million Christians in Egypt are Orthodox (Coptic).  These groups have moved quite separately for centuries, so praying together was nothing short of a miracle of the Holy Spirit!  The walls are coming down!

If that was not enough, there is more!  Muslims who came to check out the prayer event expected to hear Christians pray God’s curses down as a result of the burning of churches like in Maspero and the killing of Christians in mid October.  Instead they experienced the Spirit of God as Christians prayed for peace, healing, and blessing on ALL of Egypt.  One Muslim news media person is reported to have texted on Twitter, “I am in heaven now.”  As a result, relational bridges are being built like never before.  It was not about converting; it was about extending a hand of love and cooperation.  Imagine the spiritual power released when 71,000+ used God’s tools of love and forgiveness rather than Satan’s tools of hate, violence, and fear.

As a result, many Orthodox leaders are anxious for further prayer opportunities together.  Don’t under-estimate the power of prayer.  It’s one potent tool when done with the right motive! One evangelical church that right at the epicenter of the Revolution on Tahrir Square has added another dimension to building bridges.  They opened their church to be a clinic for those who have been injured.  I don’t know about you, but I think I smell the spirit of Jesus over-powering the dust and smoke and gunpowder!

A Christian businessman was traveling in Korea. In a field by the road, he saw a young man pulling a primitive plow while an old man held the handles. The businessman took a picture of the scene. “These people must be very poor,” he said to the host who was guiding their group.
His host responded, “Yes, those two men are Christians. When their church was being built, they were eager to give something toward it, but they had no money. So they decided to sell their only ox and give the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves.”
The businessman was silent for a moment then said, “What an incredible sacrifice!” His host answered, “They didn’t see it that way. They considered themselves fortunate they had an ox to sell!”
When the businessman arrived home, he showed the picture to his pastor and told him the story, then added, “I want to do some plow work. Until now I have not given God anything involving real sacrifice.”
God knows that how we give of our material resources says much about our heart. Jesus says in Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So where’s your treasure? Giving reflects relationship with God. So how could you do some “plow work” for Jesus in your life?
In today’s world, we have a gross misconception. We think if we give money to God, then He is obligated to give us back more money in return. Who wouldn’t want that deal?? These “prosperity gospel” people based this wealth and health spiritual philosophy on Malachi 3:10.
Here is the context for that verse: 8Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you ask, “How do we rob You?” In tithes and offerings. 9You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing Me. 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
Tithe literally means “tenth,” so that the Old Testament (OT) Jew first gave 10% of the produce of his land—his income. OT offerings were a separate amount given as animal burnt offerings and sin offerings, peace grain offering, first born offering, etc. All of these various offerings were the priests’ portion from which they derived their living. One estimate is the average Israelite gave 25% of their income every year!
The problem was that they had stopped bringing in the prescribed amount to the temple. The priests and Levites now had to turn to other means of support in order to survive. God’s system of worship and relationship with the people—the OT offerings and sacrifices—were compromised.
The consequences of withholding God’s resources? God says in verse 9 that their actions will result in a curse. In their case, God is saying that He will send famine and pestilence to reduce their crops and herds. God sees not bringing in the whole tithe as dishonoring their relationship.
The New Testament (NT) does not command believers to bring a tithe. There’s NO prescribed amount that we are commanded to give to God. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 provides a summary, 6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (Note: some people argue that the tithe was linked to Abraham and not Moses, therefore it is still in effect.)
Giving is done of our free will, as God has blessed us as an expression of the depth of our relationship with God. It is an act of worship. Unfortunately, the amount Christians feel “cheerful” about giving has been steadily declining. During the Great Depression in the 1930s in the USA, Christians gave 5% of their income vs. 2.5% today (where the standard of living has risen to a much higher level).
Malachi is addressed specifically to the nation of Israel for their time and circumstance. Malachi tells them to bring in the whole tithe, so God can open the floodgates of heaven and pour out overflowing blessings. In other words, God will send sun and rain that will make their land fertile and productive. God will keep pests from devouring the crops. They will receive so much that the only limitation of God’s blessing will be their ability to store it. Israel will never be able to out-give God.
It’s important for us to distinguish between OT commands and promises God made to the nation of Israel, and NT principles that God still has for us as individuals. God still promises in the NT to supply all of our needs when we seek first His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). A right focus on God helps us realign our priorities in life. We give back to God in faith, trusting that God will take care of us. The real blessing is in the deeper relationship with God; we care less about the things of this world and more about how to walk with Him more closely.
This does not mean that God cannot or will not open the floodgates of heaven to bless our giving. He often does! There are countless stories of how people have given in faith, trusting God to sustain them and God richly blesses them. But those times are almost always when they gave without strings attached or demanding that God make them prosperous.
What I am speaking about is our motive for giving. Giving is not about trying to leverage a physical blessing from God in return. Giving is not about becoming rich in money and possessions and power. Our giving should always point to God and not be about making us look good or even making us feel good. It’s okay if it feels good, but that is not our primary drive. So take some time to examine what you give and why you give it. Take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to worship God in your life!

Selem—peace!  One definition is: harmony and agreement vs. fighting and war.  Another definition is: calm and serenity vs. agitation and turmoil.  Peace is the “Holy Grail” of religion—the ultimate quest of the human soul.  Yet isn’t it ironic that some of the most bitter and violent conflicts in history have been fought over religion?!  Not much of an advertisement for true spiritual enlightenment!  Yet these are the deeply flawed human versions of religion.  Is there an authentic peace that we can have in this life?

The first two brothers in the history of the world—Cain and Abel—were divided by envy and conflict over an offering to God.  Cain was driven by fear of rejection to commit the first murder.  We too experience fear that drives us to places and things that we would rather not admit.  We fear losing something we desperately need so we fight and withdraw in resentment of some other person or group.  These fears can even lead to war.  Our human tendency when we are insecure is to try to fill our empty heart with ineffective substitutes.  But, it’s beyond our human capacity to bring ourselves peace.  How do you fill your empty space?

God offers us peace that only He can deliver and keep.  In his final words on earth in John 14:27, Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (NIV)  These words contain a promise that peace is available to us—it’s not the impossible dream.  The world’s peace depends more on outward things we have like: money, possessions, job title, or prestige.  The pressure is overwhelming!  God’s peace is unique.  It is not based on outward things, but instead shapes your heart away from these ineffective substitutes.

Your heart can be freed from continuing restlessness or fear.  If you find that the events of life unsettle you, or the people around you keep you stirred up, then your heart is troubled.  Or if you worry that you will not succeed and will be shamed, or are nervous in the midst of uncertainty, then your heart is afraid.  Fear keeps us in bondage.  There is an alternative of a calm and tranquility heart no matter happens.  What happened in the past no longer controls you.  What will happen in the future no longer paralyzes you.  God’s promise of peace is based on His reliable character, not life’s circumstances.

      When Nathan, a two-year-old boy, was moving overseas, he was terrified of flying on an airplane.  During the flight he covered his head with his security blanket.  During the first few months of adjusting to their new home, Nathan carried that security blanket with him everywhere.  He couldn’t fall asleep at night without it.

Some months later, Nathan’s father had to travel on an airplane to a meeting.  As the dad was packing for the trip, Nathan followed him around nervously asking all kinds of questions.  He was particularly worried about his daddy having to fly in one of those airplanes.  Dad tried to reassure Nathan that everything would be fine.

That night when Nathan’s dad unpacked at the hotel, he opened his suitcase and there was little Nathan’s security blanket!  He had no idea how it got in there but dad immediately realized that his family must be desperately searching all over for it since it was already Nathan’s bedtime.

Dad went to the phone and called his wife, hurriedly explaining that the all-important blanket had somehow ended up in his luggage.  As he was apologizing, his wife quietly informed him that she already knew where the blanket was and how it got there.

She explained that after he had left the house, she and Nathan sat by the window and prayed for dad to have a safe trip.  After the prayer, Nathan looked up at his mother and said, “Don’t worry, Mommy.  Daddy will be okay ‘cause I gave Daddy my blanket to keep him safe.”

God has offered to be our security blanket to keep our soul safe.  He gave up His precious son to offer you peace.  Isaiah 26:3 says about God, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (NLT)

Virtually all civilizations have an innate sense of the eternal—the belief that there is something more after this life.  Yet different cultures and religions have varied and conflicting ideas about what happens after you die.  So are there many different paths to God and His eternal home in heaven??

In Matthew 7:13-14, 21  Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. … Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”  Even more direct and less popular is Jesus answer in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  Trusting faith in Jesus and His sacrificial death on the Cross (not just head knowledge about Jesus) is the New Testament’s only road to heaven.  Think about this: If everyone eventually ends up in heaven through one path or another, what was the point of God sending Jesus to die for our sins?

There is some disagreement among Christians about what happens after you die.  Some believe our body AND soul will sleep until the future resurrection.  However, the Bible seems to indicate that a believer in Jesus passes immediately into the presence of God in heaven.  In Luke 27 Jesus told the thief on the cross that we would be with him that same day in Paradise based strictly on faith.  We are less clear whether we live in heaven in a spiritual state or with some type of physical body.  If you believe the stories of those who believe they have gone to heaven in a near-death experience, we will have some type of glorified body.  (For instance, one 3 year old boy’s story is told in Heaven Is For Real, which is near the top of current bestselling books).

Then some time later in the future comes the judgment of believers in Jesus that is described in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.  “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”  Again, this is NOT a judgment for salvation, but for rewards in heaven.  Whether or not you get into heaven is based solely on believing in Jesus while you were still living.  So what kind of rewards are these?  Some verses in the Bible describe them as “crowns”.  Crowns are always associated with ruling.  So these rewards seem to be related to ruling with Jesus in heaven based on our faithful service on earth (check out Luke 19:11-19).

God’s kingdom is well-described in Old Testament passages like Daniel 7 and Isaiah 60.  One day all corrupt human government and abusive relationships will end to be replaced by God’s righteous reign in heaven AND earth.  Daniel 7 describes how the saints will share the rule of that kingdom with God!

So what future are you living for today?  How are you building up treasure now that won’t rust or fade away in heaven?  How you live your life now does make a difference!

So what do you think?  Is heaven strictly a spiritual state?  Sitting on a cloud and playing a harp and polishing your halo?  I mean how else can one experience God (who is Spirit) if only through the spiritual realm?  And how could a physical space like heaven contain God who is infinite?  Therefore, doesn’t that mean that heaven is just being in the spiritual presence of God?  Besides, if heaven is a physical place wouldn’t that elevate physical pleasures (food, activities, etc.) equal with God?  These are the kinds of questions with which the church has struggled for centuries.  As high sounding as an exclusive spiritual heaven sounds, it is NOT how Scripture describes it.  Scripture uses decidedly physical terms:

John 14:2-3, In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.

Hebrews 11:10, For he [Abraham] was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.  Why describe a spiritual city in physical terms??

Matthew 8:11, I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

You may still contend: “Doesn’t the Bible say the earth will be destroyed one day?”  Revelation 21:1 describes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.”  2 Peter 3:10 describes it this way, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”  But “laid bare” doesn’t mean destroy, but to lay open for change.  In most forests, fire is necessary to burn off the accumulation of leaves, pine needles, and sticks to cleanse the soil from disease.  Some trees cannot reproduce without fire to open the pine cones.  Fire cleanses and renews the forest for new growth.  So while the earth may change, it will not pass away completely.

Psalm 148:3-6, says, “Praise Him, sun and moon!  Praise Him, all you twinkling stars!  Praise Him, skies above!  Praise Him, vapors high above the clouds!  Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for He issued His command, and they came into being.  ⁶He set them in place forever and ever.  His decree will never be revoked.”   Someday God will “upgrade” the earth to return it back to His original design of a perfect garden.

Does the thought of living in a real, physical paradise change how you choose to live your life now?  What you do now–how you live your life–is laying a foundation for your eternity.

What do you think heaven will be like?  Halos and harps?  Sitting on clouds?  Never ending singing (but what if I don’t like to sing!)?

We will explore this question for three more weeks continuing this Friday evening at 5 pm (plus Saturday evenings at 5 pm starting August 20th).  Add your blog comment. Let’s see what kind of dreams/imaginations/dreads you have!

By way of review from the church service on Friday, August 5th, we looked at how Jesus’ came to earth with a real human body.  The Bible says that He was bodily resurrected into a glorified body.  That body was touched and handled by the disciples and He even ate with them.  Luke 24 describes it in great detail: “38He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?  39Look at My hands and my feet.  It is I myself!  Touch Me and see; a ghost [spirit] does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’  40When He had said this, He showed them His hands and feet.  41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, He asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’  42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and He took it and ate it in their presence.”  So if Jesus had a real, glorified resurrected body and He is our pattern for the future, His bodily resurrection guarantees ours!  Something does happen to our soul AND body after death.  The Bible does not teach annihilation (nothingness when you die).  Nor does the Bible teach reincarnation of the soul into a new body–a core belief of Eastern Religion that is connected to working your way into Nirvana (an impersonal heaven).

In fact 1 Corinthians 15 contrasts our mortal body with our immortal body.  ⁴²So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.  The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.”  Later 2 Corinthians 5, reinforces this same idea that a disembodied human spirit is like being naked: “¹Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.  ²Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ³because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.  ⁴For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”

Deterioration, decay, and death were a consequence of sin entering the world, not the consequence of having a physical body.  In fact the whole creation (maybe even the farthest reaches of the universe?) have been corrupted by sin according to Romans 8:19-22.  So we have something to look forward to after we die, something to anticipate and stoke our fires of hope!  Imagine a body that won’t age or get diseased or die ever!  Imagine hearts and minds that are transformed into something whole and perfect that are able to see God face to face!  Imagine relationships with no one taking advantage of anyone else–no more fights and conflicts because our sin nature is gone!  I don’t know about you, but I am really looking forward to heaven!!  God has planned countless wonderful things to allow us to worship Him a multitude of ways!