If I was to ask you what you thought about 'heaven' how would you respond? How about the phrase 'Kingdom of God'?
'The Kingdom' was something absolutely central to Jesus' teaching. It is a phrase that is found throughout the gospels. So you would have thought that most Christians would have a pretty good grasp of what Jesus was going on about.
Let's come back to the concept of heaven.
Do you think of heaven as somewhere you go to when you die? You are evacuated there from this planet. You escape there from your physical body.
Or do you think about heaven as something that you can bring to earth now?
From the New Testament clearly there is a future aspect of the Kingdom of God, but there is also a present aspect (e.g. Jesus talks about the KoG as being already 'upon you', Matthew 12:28, within the context of exorcism). It is this present aspect of the KoG that we sometimes lose sight of.
So often when we watch the news we are confronted with situations that may be described by some as 'hell on earth'. But, what would 'heaven on earth' look like? What would it look like in the community where I live?
I believe that environmental issues are important - not primarily because of the raging debate on global warming, but because God has given us this planet to care for, rather than to destroy. Is there rubbish in heaven? I'd say 'no'. So, where in my community are there areas where there is excess rubbish - and if I clear that rubbish away how does that relate to the present coming of the KoG? Will there be pollution in heaven, leading to health problems? Again, 'no'. So how do my attempts to reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions (e.g. walking and cycling rather than driving, using public transport rather than my car, using energy saving light bulbs...) relate to the coming KoG? And what about the multitude of other ways that communities and lives can be transformed by the people and the power of God?
Hey, it's been a long day and my brain's done - I'd appreciate your comments.
Click here to listen to Pastor Keith: "I'm a Christian - get me out of here". Willesden Green. 15 July 2007.
For more detailed article on the Kingdom of God click here
6 comments:
As to the subject of the Kingdom of God, you have provoked my thinking as well. This morning I looked at Ephesus in Acts 19 and 20 as an example of what happens in a locality when the Kingdom (19.8, 20.25) is preached effectively. Your question is intriguing, as to what difference it would have made to the patriotic majority of Ephesian
worshippers of Artemis (19.27), including the idol-craftsmen (19.24), and to the obstinate Jews (19.9), including the pseudo-Christians (19.13), if the lecture hall of Tyrannus and those who worshipped there had suddenly disappeared!
What on earth is that last comment about?
One man's hell is another man's heaven. Take CO2 immissions. Cows give off a massive amount of 'pollution' so won't there be any cows in heaven? Will heaven have ozone? If not, the rules we have on pollution are totally wrong! Peter talks about his body as a tent. He cares very little about this life. I don't believe going all out to stop 'pollution' should be the focus of our efforts on earth. After all, this earth is going to pass away. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. That having been said, my kids have to live on this earth so I make every effort to keep it clean and healthy.
I'm not sure that there will be cows in heaven! I think that Paul is talking about 'his' life rather than 'this' life - and his context wasn't conservation.
The fact that our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren ... have to live on this planet is probably one of the more powerful influences we have to change people's behaviour but if we believe that the earth and everything in it belongs to God (Psalm 24:1) then surely we should do all we can to care for it rather than destroy it.
Heaven on earth? From the Bible and experience, I say Yes! -- though our present experience of the Holy Spirit, of eternal life, of fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, of being new creations, is only a foretaste of what's to come, a deposit (Eph 1.14) guaranteeing our full inheritance. The best is yet to come (Eph 2.7, 1 Cor 13.12), and by comparison 'we ain't seen nothin yet!' To experience heaven on earth, Jesus said "You must be born again" (John 3.7).
Injun - do you have to be born again to experience heaven on earth? Did the people who Jesus healed not experience something of heaven on earth - yet that experience was not conditional of them being disciples of Jesus.
Can a church bring something of heaven to earth for their community irrespective of whether that community believed in Jesus or not? PK.
PK - Agreed, Jesus seems often to have healed people apart from any condition that they believed in him, for example in Capernaum (Mark 1.21-34). Following all the wonderful things Jesus did for the people there, one would have expected the community to turn to God and believe in Jesus -- or at least to have peace, prosperity and a zero crime level. But no, (and I find this deeply challenging), in spite of all the miracles Jesus did, the people of Capernaum did not repent, and he had to denounce them and warn them that on the day of judgement it would be more tolerable for sinful Sodom then for them! (Matt 11.20-24)
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