Linkage: Is Christian Hope Speculation?

What does it mean to have hope?  In our culture that is a word that has some baggage to it.  President Obama promised "Hope and Change," by which he meant to say that the he wanted to give the United States a bright looking future again.

I think for many people hope comes to mean wishful thinking.  A young lady might say, "I hope to be married someday."  What she means is that her wish, her desire, is to married, even though at the moment the prospects of that happening are not the greatest.  So hope becomes this weak wish list of what one looks forward to happening in the future.  There is no firm evidence for what the future holds which means that hope is nothing more than speculation on our part.

This is the reason why a book like Heaven is for Real becomes such a popular book in Christian circles.  We are looking for evidence that what we speculate about, what we wish for, what we "hope" for is actually true. Whether or not it provides such evidence is a discussion for another day.

Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed started a discussion on the nature of hope. We need to have this conversation.  If hope is nothing more than our speculation about the future and if we need to have evidence to support of speculation than are we really trusting God?

One word that has come up a few times in the last year’s discussion about life after death, about heaven and hell, and about who goes where, is the word “speculation.” A number of folks have used it, but two notables who have pushed against traditionalists with that word are Rob Bell and Shane Hipps. Is the Christian hope in life after death, in “heaven” (however understood), in eternal life, speculation? I cringe when I hear “speculation” because I wonder how extensive such a view is. Is it all speculation? Just speculation? Or is just some of it speculation? What of the Big Four: return of Christ, last judgment, resurrection, and new creation? 

A simplistic reaction to the “it’s speculation, after all” claim is to affirm or assert or dig one’s ground on the doctrine of Scripture. There’s a better way, and it’s a deeper way. The Christian hope is not simply believing the Bible. I will say it with Greek words and then spell this out as we discuss Tony Thiselton’s Life after Death. Here it is: euangelion is epangelia. (Gospel is promise.)

Continue reading Is Christian Hope Speculation?

Waiting for Rob Bell | Jesus Creed

In light of the post about Rob Bell from yesterday I think this from Scot McKnight is worth pondering:

I’ve not read the book, and I don’t trust blurbs or excerpts. Nor do I trust my own judgment of watching a provocative promo video and think I know where he’s going. Nor do I trust those who say they have read the book or parts of the book.

I think the entire post at Jesus Creed is worth reading, but I think this paragraph gets to the heart of what I was trying to communicate.  It is too easy to fire off a blog or a tweet in response to something we disagree with and not give the issue the amount of thought and reflection it requires.   Yes, we need to guard against false teachers, but we also have to be sensitive to the voice of the Spirit.

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Ben Witherington has also chimed in:

 Frankly this is all too typical of the hyper-Calvinistic wing of the Evangelical world.   Shoot first, ask questions later.   They’ve even given a Reformed Evangelical like Tom Wright this sort of treatment in some cases.

It is that shoot first and ask questions later mentality that I was questioning in my post yesterday.  I find it rather sad and frustrating because it really squelches any type of meaningful discussion.  The whole thing between John Piper and N. T. Wright over justification is just another example.  Don't be so eager to label someone as a false teacher or a hertic, because they might be saying something you need to hear.

Rob Bell's Upcoming Book on Heaven & Hell Stirs Blog, Twitter Backlash on Universalism | Liveblog | Christianity Today

At times it seems that there are Christians who have made it their life goal to point out the "heretics" and "false teachers" among us. I am not defending Rob Bell here since I am not sure what his position on hell is, but I rather would like to caution us about labeling people "false teachers" merely because they disagree with our position.

Rob Bell is somewhat of an enigma for me. On the one hand he has helped me rethink "Church" and I think he has some very good things to say in that regard. On the other hand I think that his doctrine can be a little suspect at times, and therefore it is very hard for me to endorse what he has to say.

What I am concerned about is not so much whether or not Rob Bell is a universalist, but rather how eager and flippantly some Christians leaders were in making the proclamation. What is even worse are those individuals that cloak their judgment in religious language: "I'll be praying for him." No, you just wanted to come off looking like a nice guy.

We live in a public world where we have access to millions of people because of the internet. The easiest thing in the world, especially if you see yourself as a guardian of correct doctrine, is to pass judgment on people via the web. This judgment then gets picked up and passed around (especially if you have a large following), all the while the real issue is never addressed. Notice how Rob's book isn't even out yet, but people want to comment on it even though they have not read it.

If these Christian Leaders were really concerned about Rob Bell, his teaching, and his salvation then instead of blogging and tweeting about him they should set up an appointment to visit with him, to pray with him, and to discover what the real Rob Bell thinks. The easy way is to make a declaration behind the comfort of a computer screen. The hard way is to engage the man personally. May we follow the example of Acts 18:26.

Rob Bell's Upcoming Book on Heaven & Hell Stirs Blog, Twitter Backlash on Universalism | Liveblog | Christianity Today

Finding Hope in Grace

Originally Posted Monday March 14, 2005

{1 Peter 1:1-6; NLT}
This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am writing to God's chosen people who are living as foreigners in the lands of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia. God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood.

May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.

All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. 

We all know life is tough. Even with the luxury that we live in here in the United States life is difficult. We have loved ones who are sick and dying, we are experiencing the pain of broken relationships, and we have carry the guilt of actions which cannot be undone. We may enjoy many different comforts, but that doesn't mean we are immune from the trials and tribulations of the world in which we live.

Peter opens his first letter with a reminder of hope that Christians have. With so much uncertainty and pain hope gives us a reason to live. I find three reasons for hope in the first six verses of 1 Peter.

1. The Grace of God: God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. (v. 2)

One of the things which jumps out at me from this verse is the work of the entire Trinity. The Father has chosen us, the Spirit makes us holy, and we are cleansed by the Son's blood. Each person of the Trinity was involved in the gift of grace we have received.

The reason we can have hope is because God has shown us His grace. We can know this gift is a reality because of the existence of the Church. The Church is the group of people God has chosen to be saved. Since we can see the positive impact God has made in the lives of Christians we can have assurance that He is working in our lives as well. We can be confident about God's grace because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit guides us into a greater knowledge and love of God, so our personal growth becomes evidence for God's grace. We can be confident about grace because Jesus' death and resurrection. The historical truth of Jesus and His resurrection provides us with evidence which helps us to trust in God's grace.

2. The Resurrection of Jesus: All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. (v. 3)

In Christianity we make a big deal out of the sacrifice of Jesus. Rightly so, it is Jesus' blood that deals with our sin, it is His death that is the substitute for our death, and it is Jesus' death that provides that takes on the penalty of our sin. The reality is that it is Jesus' resurrection that provides us with a reason to find hope in His death. It is resurrection which reveals to us that Jesus is who He said He was. It is the resurrection which shows us that life can be taken back from death. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope that Satan, sin, and death will all one day come to an end.

3. The Promise of Heaven: For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. (vv. 4-6)

Not only can we be certain that death is not the end, God has also promised us an inheritance beyond our imagination. This inheritance is more than what we can hope for and more than we can possibly imagine. In the person of Jesus Christ we have learned that God keeps His promises, and that means that if God promises us an inheritance we can expect an inheritance. What God promises He does.

This world is difficult and is filled with pain, fear, and all sorts of other trouble. Living in this fallen world can leave us to wonder what the meaning of life really is. One of the gifts of following Jesus is being able to live a life of hope. This hope is discovered through God's grace, through the resurrection of Jesus, and through the promise of heaven. When we focus our attention on these great realities we will experience the hope which makes life worth living.

A Joyous Feast

I want you to think about what event you would absolutely not miss. Everything else are side issues compared to experiencing this event. Perhaps it is the graduation of one of your children, the wedding of a granddaughter, or a dream vacation. We all have events and experiences that we want to be a part of that we would not let anything else get in the way of attending that event.

One of the experiences that I would drop everything in order to attend is the chance to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes play in a bowl game. If the opportunity came along for me to do that I would make the necessary arrangements to make it possible for me to attend. I wouldn’t miss that game for the world.

One of the ways we find out what is important to us is by identifying those experiences that we would not let anything else get in the away of our participating in. A person who loves football will make sure his Sunday afternoons are free and will make sure that nothing gets in the way of him and his remote. A dedicated golfer will golf in the wind and the rain and the extreme heat. Nothing except a closed golf course will get in his way. For many people family is important and they will drive hours for the chance to be with family. When we allow things to get in the way of certain events and experiences we are sending the message that these events aren’t all that important to us. Consider the message that is sent when you allow games, family gatherings, and work from participating in weekly worship services. It says that all those things are more important than worshiping God.

That is the message of one of Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom of God and heaven. Through the parable Jesus tells us that heaven isn’t very important to many people.

This is the setting of the parable. It is the last week of Jesus’ life. On Sunday He came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, a symbol of a king, to the triumphant shouts of the people. On Monday Jesus, in righteous anger, cleared the Temple of the money changers and the animal sellers.

Now it is Tuesday morning and a group of religious leaders have come to ask Jesus by whose authority has He done these things. In response, Jesus asked them a question about the authority John the Baptizer, but they refused to answer Jesus’ question. Therefore Jesus refused to answer their question. Instead Jesus told them three parables to illustrate what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. In the last of these parables Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a wedding banquet. Not just any wedding banquet, but the wedding banquet of the Prince. Not only would this be a big event, but it would be an event that people who were loyal to the King and loved Him would want to attend.

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there ca man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1-14; ESV)

In the culture that Jesus lived in wedding feasts were a big deal. They typically lasted several days. But because the way weddings were done the actual day the feast was to begin was a mystery. Invitations would be sent out by messengers informing them of the upcoming party so they could make plans to attend. As the day drew near messengers were once again dispatched to tell people that the feast was ready and to come immediately. So while the exact time may have not been known, the guests knew what was happening.

The image of a wedding feast was a frequent illustration used to symbolize the fellowship between the Messiah and his people and often the image of the Bridegroom is used to symbolize the bridegroom (The Chronological Life of Christ: From Galilee to Glory; p. 163; Mark Moore)

I love this image of the Kingdom of Heaven. I love spending time with my family because of the fun and conversation that happens over the dinner table. When I think about heaven this is what I think about. I think of relationships, story telling, laughter, and the enjoyment of one another. What a glorious feast that will be to be able to listen to the stories of Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and the countless other saints who will be there. In a lot of ways I can’t wait for that day. Yet, we can experience a little bit of that right now as we focus on relationships with each other rather than being distracted by the things of this world.

As we look at this parable we realize that the invitation to come was extended to many people, but only a few accepted that invitation. Not everyone was part of the banquet. This parable reveals two types of people.

The first type of people we are the outsiders, those who failed to become part of the wedding banquet, because they had something that was more important to them. In this group there really are three subgroups that we can focus on. First, you have the group that was invited to the feast, but refused to come because they had other obligations. Take a moment and consider the message that is sent by those who insist that they have something more important to do than to attend the wedding banquet of the prince of the kingdom? If they loved and honored the king would they respond such a way?

The second subgroup we meet in the parable are those who were originally invited to the banquet, but they responded in a hostile manner by beating up and killing the king’s messengers. These people don’t just love something else more than the king, but they hate the king, and they aren’t afraid to openly express their hatred. They are sending a clear message to the king. They have been given an honor, and they have rejected that honor with an act of hostility.

How does the King respond to these individuals? He sends in his army and wipes them out and burns their village. Isn’t that a little harsh? Remember these people have shown disrespect and contempt for the King. They are treasonous and can’t be trusted, they are likely to side with the King’s enemies. They have to be put down.

Let’s make a little application. Who are these people who had been invited to the wedding banquet of the King, but rejected the invitation? Originally these people were identified as Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah. They had the Old Testament Scriptures, heard His teachings, and saw His miracles and they killed Him.

Today, I think it can be extended to people who live in places where Christianity has influence. The message of Jesus has been easily available to them and there are churches in every community and they still reject Jesus and are at times very hostile and nasty about it. What Jesus tells us is that one day people who reject the invitation for life and turn their back on Him will be punished, and they will be punished harshly.

There still one type of person who misses out on the wedding banquet. That person is the man who doesn’t wear the right clothes.

Kings in ancient times would would often provide wedding garments for their guests. This man showed his lack of respect for the King by not wearing the clothes the King had provided. The result is that he is thrown outside with all the other people who did not properly accept the King’s invitation. Instead of joy they experienced misery. Instead of laughter the experienced sorrow and fear.

How does this apply today? There are many people in the Church who identify themselves as Christians. They may even put on a good religious show for people, but they have not put on the new nature God has made available to us by trusting in Jesus by being baptized and living a life of faith. In other words their lives, aside of a show of religion, are not any different from the world. So while they enjoy the fellowship of the Church on earth one day they will be thrown out and will miss the joys of heaven.

I like what William Barclay wrote about this group of people in his commentary:

“It reminds us that the appeal of Christ is not so much to consider how we will be punished as it is to see what we will miss, if we do not take his way of things. Those who would not come were punished, but their real tragedy was that they lost the joy of the feast. If we refuse the invitation of Christ, some day our greatest pain will lie, not in the things we suffer, but in the realization of the precious things we have missed.” (p. 268; The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew Volume 2)

What precious things will we miss out on by refusing Jesus’ invitation? Let’s take a look at the second type of people we find in the parable: the banquet attenders.

The first thing that jumps out at us is that these are people who were not originally invited to attend, but since the people on the first guest list decided to disrespect the King and were punished the wedding banquet was empty. So the King sent word for everybody to be invited. His messengers went out to invite everyone that they could find to come to the wedding. These aren’t the nobles and well to do people of the kingdom, but the workers and beggars and the other low people on the totem pole. The King is more concerned about a full house than the prestige of the attenders. Everyone willing to submit to the King’s wishes, including proper attire, can come to the feast. In this way the wedding hall is full and the sounds of laughter and fellowship fills the hall. These people have the chance to be with the King!

How does that apply to us today? It doesn’t matter who we are or what we have done, what matters is whether or not we will accept the invitation to the feast. Will we trust Jesus? Will we repent? Will we make the necessary changes in our lives? Will we put on the garments that God has provided us through Jesus?

Each of the wedding attenders had to make choices, they were not automatically accepted based on the invitation they received, they had to decide that this is where they wanted to be and trust that the King would provide what they needed to attend. Are you willing to go to heaven on God’s conditions?

In conclusion of this parable Jesus tells His listeners: For many are invited, but few are chosen. I have a question for you: Who are the ones who are chosen? Looking at the parable we realize that those who are chosen are the ones who accept the invitation. Not everyone is willing to accept the invitation: some have more important things to consume their lives, others hate God, and still others aren’t willing to put their complete trust in Jesus. They are not worthy of heaven and what God is prepared.

The ones who accepted the invitation aren’t anymore worthy to attend than those who refused, and in some ways you could say that they are less worthy because they were not the original guests, but they accepted the gracious invitation. It was their acceptance that made them worthy of what was being prepared. Remember we are not anymore worthy than anyone else to go to heaven, but because we have trust Jesus we are made worthy of what God has prepared for us.

This is what I want you to remember today: The joy of heaven awaits those who accept Jesus’ invitation. We can’t earn our way into heaven, we can’t love the things of this world more than God and His kingdom and expect to go to heaven, we can’t hate God and work against Him and thing Heaven awaits us, and we can’t expect to go to heaven if we are trusting our own good works. No, the only way we can be assured of Heaven is when we accept the invitation God has extended to us through Jesus, and trust Jesus enough to live our lives by faith.

Heaven isn’t based on our earthly success, it isn’t based on a religious life, but it is based on our faith in Jesus Christ, on our following Him everyday of our lives. What are you willing to do to get to heaven? Are you willing to trust Jesus with your life? Because that is how we accept the God’s invitation to His joyous feast of heaven.

The Most Important Thing

A Joyous Feast: Part 1

{Matthew 13:45-46; WEB}

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

Apparently it was the teenager’s first day on the job, because when O.D. Cleaver saw the flower arrangement that were delivered to the church building for their celebration in the brand new building he knew something was wrong. The arrangement had a ribbon banner across the front that read, “Rest in Peace.”

So O.D. called the florist to see what happened. The manager of the flower shop quietly listened to O.D.’s problem and then he said, “You think you’ve got problems. Somewhere in this city there is a set of flowers beside a casket with a sign which says, ‘Good Luck in your New Location!’”

When it comes to our eternal destination luck isn’t going to have anything to do with it. It is choice and not chance that determines where we spend eternity. It is our decision to accept or reject Jesus Christ that determines our eternity. So I have this question for you to consider this morning: Have you accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him? I am going to preach, but first I am going to pray.

I want you to think about what event is important to you that would not miss for the world. Everything else suddenly become side issues compared to experiencing this event. Perhaps it is the graduation of one of your children or the wedding of a granddaughter or a dream vacation. We all have events and experiences that we wouldn’t let anything get in the way of attending.

One of the experiences that I would drop everything in order to attend is to be able to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes play in a bowl game. If the opportunity came that would allow me to do that I would do whatever it took to make sure that I would be there. I wouldn’t miss that for the world.

As I thought about this I came to realize that one simple thing that I love to experience are family get-togethers. I love sitting around the table listening to the stories of my uncles and cousins. I could sit there all day and not say a word and throughly enjoy myself.

One of the ways we find out what is important to us is by what we will not allow anything else to interfere with. A person who loves football will make sure his Sunday afternoons are free in the fall, and nothing will get in the way of him and his remote. A dedicated golfer will golf in the wind and the rain and the extreme heat. Nothing except a closed golf course will get in his way. For many people family is important and they will drive hours for the chance to be with family. When we allow things to get in the way of certain events and experiences we are sending the message that these events aren’t all that important to us.

The point Jesus makes in the two short parables quoted above is that being part of the Kingdom of Heaven is the most precious thing we can have. If we truly understood it we would gladly sell everything we had in order to be part of what God is doing. I want to leave you with this question: How precious is being part of Heaven to you?

• Point to Ponder: The most precious thing we can have is to be part of God’s Kingdom.
• Passage to Remember: Matthew 13:44-46
• Prayer to Pray: Lord God, Help to understand my true priorities in life and what I might be holding on to that is preventing me from truly following Jesus.

Promised Life

The apostle Paul understood that there was a purpose for his life. This purpose is what drove Paul. It was the reason that he endured hardships and faced persecution. The purpose that Paul lived was to take the Good News of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. This is what Paul told the elders of Ephesus:

24 But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace. (Acts 20:24; NET)

It was God’s calling on his life that gave Paul his purpose. This calling caused Paul to see himself as both God’s servant and Christ’s apostle. Those are the titles Paul uses when he sat down to write a letter of encouragement and instruction to his student Titus. This is what Paul writes:

1 From Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. 3 But now in his own time he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior. 4 To Titus, my genuine son in a common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior! (Titus 1:1-4; NET)

Being a slave and an apostle Paul saw that his job was to build of the faith of Christians, to instruct them on what it means to live a righteous life, and to remind them of promise of God—eternal life. This is what I want us to take some time to consider. God has promised us life! Not just existence, but life, eternal life. That is reason to have hope.

Eternal existence isn’t reason to have hope. Because of sin existence is what we come to call life. Why would we want an eternal existence of sickness, hardship, bills, confusion, fighting, and a host of other problems that crowd our days? We wouldn’t. Eternal life is much more than just going from one day to the next. It would have to be, otherwise it wouldn’t something for us to hope for. The promise of eternal life should give us hope.

We don’t have a description of eternal life in this paragraph, but we are told that it is the promise of God. Why can we trust this promise? Because God has revealed the source of eternal life. This message, Paul says, had been entrusted to him. This message Paul proclaimed centered on God’s grace as found in Christ Jesus. We can trust God’s promise because God promised long ago to send a Messiah to set people free. Thousands of years past between God’s initial promise and Jesus, but in His timing God did exactly what He promised He would do. Jesus is the evidence we need so we can know that God will keep His promise of eternal life.

It is important for us to reflect on the promise of God and the life of Jesus. The difficulties of life, even the mundane routine of life, have a way of robbing us of the hope of eternal life. We can wonder: “Where is this eternal life? If I am a new creation, why do I still feel like the old creation?” Reflecting on God, His Word, His Son, and His promise will reorient our lives and fill our hearts with hope. We need hearts full of hope if we are going to survive this life of existence with our faith intact.

• Point to Ponder: Jesus is the evidence we need so we can know that God will keep His promise of eternal life.
• Passage to Remember: Titus 1:1-4
• Prayer to Pray: Father in Heaven, help me not to surrender to the despair of daily existence, but fill my heart with hope as I am reminded of Your great promise of eternal life found in Your Son Jesus.

Sunday Quote: The End Will Be Glorious

"To those of us who are Christians and faithful, when we are 'made alive in the spirit' we shall be living with our heavenly Father forever. Hence, regardless of the sufferings we may have to endure here, the end will be glorious." ~ Bruce Oberst, Bible Study Textbook: Letters From Peter, p. 90

What is the Motivation?

Let me ask you a question: What is your motivation for following Jesus? As I pondered this question I realized that often my motivation has been to live up to the expectations of those around me. In other words I have been seeking the approval of people rather than seeking the approval of God.

The apostle Paul opens his letter to the Colossians with an interesting thought, one that took me by surprise. This is what he wrote:

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints, 5 based on the hope laid up for you in heaven. Some time ago you heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and spreading all over the world, so it has been doing among you from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth. (Colossians 1:3-6; ISV)

I have to be honest, I have not been looking forward to the joys of heaven. I have been wanting a nice life right now. I have been wanting a nice life right now. Now wonder my motivation for following Jesus has been the approval of other people.

This motivation, seeking the approval of people, also comes with a cost. When I am unable to live up to expectations, when I am rejected by another person, my faith in Jesus takes a hit. I wonder how God could allow that to happen when I have been faithful. The reality is that it isn’t God’s fault that I am rejected, since it was I who had put my hope in the wrong thing.

What does it mean to hope for heaven. Here are a few ideas I have had since reading this passage.

1. It means we have to realize that this world cannot meet our deepest longings and needs.
2. It means that we value our relationship with God above everything else and make that relationship a priority in our lives.
3. It means we long to live life the way it was meant to be lived instead of being satisfied with life here and now.

When I first read this passage I thought that the Colossians were awfully selfish in their motivation. As I continued to ponder these verses I realized that my has been selfish because it has been all about me. The Colossians seemed to be motivated by their love of God, their desire to be with Jesus, and the love for other people. The were motivated by heaven because the loved God and they loved people.

Keep Focused on God

In my heart I know that there is nothing greater in this life than to have a relationship with God. I recall those times when life seemed so clear and I could truly call God my friend. Yet the reality of my life is that more often than not I live as if my relationship with God was of no consequence.

It is so easy to lose sight of the life God has planned for us as we are pushed forward by the tide of life. It is hard to focus on God when a thousand other things demand our attention. God quickly becomes an afterthought as we address what is urgent and immediate in our lives.

How can we be more consistent in focusing our lives on God? I believe that first step is to remember eternity. We put so much effort into accumulating things and trying to get noticed that we sometimes forget the temporary nature of the things we are chasing after. Champions are replaced, trophies are trashed, things break, and technology becomes obsolete. As the apostle John wrote; 17 And the world and its desires are fading away, but the person who does God's will remains forever (1 John 2:17; ISV). We need to stop and remember what is survives.

The second step is worshiping God. We worship whenever we focus our hearts and minds on God. It could be singing songs of praise, it could be a discussion with a friend, it could be listening to a sermon, it could be a walk in the woods. When we take our eyes off of God and begin to focus on the world around allows us to become more concerned with the busyness of our lives rather than trusting God. Worship gives us the opportunity to readjust our lives to God. The psalmist wrote:

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in the sky, which testifies to his strength! 2 Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him for his surpassing greatness! (Psalm 150:1,2; NET)

The third step is that we need to focus on is relationships. People are more important than the things in our lives. We agree that people are important, but often our lives tell a different story. It is very important for us to emphasis the relationships in our lives, because it is through spending time with people that we begin to experience life the way it is meant be lived. Through the relationships we have with family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors we are able to become a blessing to them. When we are a blessing we are then able to influence them. Influence, rather than position and power, allows us to have a greater impact on their lives.

13 For the Lord's sake submit yourselves to every human authority: whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live like free people, and do not use your freedom as an excuse for doing evil. Instead, be God's servants. 17 Show honor to everyone. Keep on loving the brothers, fearing God, and honoring the king. (1 Peter 2:13-17; ISV)

When our lives have lost their focus and we are drowning in the demands of life it is time to take time and refocus on lives on what is really important. We can allow ourselves to be pushed along with the tide of life, or we can choose to live in harmony with God. There is no greater life than the life that is lived for God.

• Point to Ponder: It is so easy to lose sight of the life God has planned for us as we are pushed forward by the tide of life.
• Passage to Remember: 1 John 2:17
• Question to Consider: How do you keep from allowing life to overwhelm you?

Bohemian Christianity

In chapter 9 of The Slumber of Christianity author Ted Dekker moves from explaining how our imaginations can be used to produce a desire of heaven in our hearts to discussing how we can use pleasure.

“We have explored that wonderful, expansive gift God has given us to awaken to the pleasures of the next life, namely the imagination.

“But there is another gift God has given us to awaken our passion for the next life: pleasure in this life.” (p. 163)

Pleasure is a tricky topic. On the one hand we see how pleasure is misused and abused by the world. On the other hand we realize that God has given us these pleasures, and if God has given them they are for our enjoyment. The church has seemed to over emphasis the first hand and down played the second as we have urged people away from anything that feels good.

“The response of many teachers who see a church enamored by the pleasures of this world has been to drive their flock away from the pleasures of the world rather than toward the pleasures of heaven, which results in only a deeper slumber stripped of not only the pleasures of heaven but those of earth as well.” (p. 166)

We need to remember that pleasure is a gift from God and when experienced within the context that He has decreed add joy to our lives.

“So let’s dismiss every misguided notion that any of God’s gifts are less than perfectly excellent. Let’s not mock the Giver by picking holes in his offerings to us.

“Having said that, however, if you want to enjoy the pleasures granted us by our Creator, you first must understand how they were intended to be enjoyed and what their true purpose is. It’s true that pleasure can be and often is corrupted. But it’s also true that all good pleasures come from God.” (p. 167)

One of the problems we have with pleasure is that we are bored with it. “Been there, done that,” could be the slogan of our lives. Things that brought us pleasure five years ago are now old hat and boring.

“But we aren’t like children. We’ve experienced all of these pleasures, and they no longer meet our expectations for fresh engagement. We grow bored with movies. Bored with our spouses. Bored with life. Bored with God. Bored with the familiar, anemic visions we have of heaven.

“They say that familiarity breeds contempt. You see it at the movies; you begin to feel it with every pleasure that once awed you.” (p. 169)

Of course we can’t get rid of our experiences and approach pleasure like it was the first time, but we can change our perspective on pleasure.

“We can adjust our understanding of those pleasures. We can accurately see all temporal pleasures as limited foreshadows of something coming later. For now, with pleasure as well as with knowledge, we see through only a glass dimly, but then we will see face-to-face. Now God’s gifts to us are fading, but then they will be brilliant.” (p. 170)

Our cravings and desires weren’t meant to be satisfied here, but are meant to point us to heaven. If we make be satisfied our goal the pleasures of this life will disappoint us, no matter how much or how we indulge.

“What does this have to do with heaven? We should not look for any great satisfaction on earth, but in heaven alone. When you finally come to the understanding that nothing in this world can truly satisfy the thirst God has placed in you to see him face-to-face, your disappointments with this world’s failure to deliver satisfaction will start to fade and you’ll begin to enjoy the pleasures on this earth for what they are. Foretastes of heaven.” (p. 171)

Remember we can’t just indulge in pleasure any way we would like. There are proper ways and improper ways on how we should use pleasure.

“Having said that, wallowing in the sin of spoiled pleasures in no fun and only detracts from the joy of hoping for heaven, so let’s agree with Paul and toss spoiled pleasure aside.

“There isn’t a single pleasure that can’t be corrupted. We think of sexual sin and drunkenness and drug addiction, but we also know that the pleasures of religion and worship and self-righteousness themselves can be offensive to God. “ (p. 175)

We have to be careful not to let the pleasures of this world blind us to the hope of eternity. If we let our lives be consumed by the things of this world we will miss out on the pleasures God has waiting for His children.

“But those who see clearly the hope of eternity, and who passionately long for the day of their redemption, and who embrace all that God has given them, acknowledging God as the Giver of all good gifts—these he will embrace as his children.” (p. 176)

When properly embraced the pleasures of this world point us to heaven.

“Again, I say embrace the pleasures God has given you as a foretaste of his great inheritance that awaits you in heaven. Celebrate them. Never abuse them or allow the enemy to fool you into thinking they are more or less than what they are.” (p. 179)

Find the other chapters:
Chapter 1: The Death of our Dreams
Chapter 2: The Search for Pleasure
Chapter 3: Foundations
Chapter 4: Give Me Pleasure or Give Me Death
Chapter 5: The Slippery Slope to Slumber
Chapter 6: In Living We Die; In Dying We Live
Chapter 7: Created to Obsess
Chapter 8: The Eyes of the Heart part 1
Chapter 8: The Eyes of the Heart part 2

The Eyes of the Heart part 2

Continuing on in chapter 8 of The Slumber of Christianity author Ted Dekker moves from talking about the need for us to use our imagination when it comes to thinking about heaven to how we can use our imaginations to set in us a desire for heaven. He writes:

“There are several practical ways to set your mind on the things of heaven so that the eyes of your heart might be opened to understanding how rich the bliss of that inheritance really is. I will address three: meditations, readings, and corporate exercises.” (pp. 142-43)

Part of the problem is that we haven’t given our imaginations the feed they need to develop a desirous picture of heaven. A new Ford truck or a vacation to the mountains or getting married (at least for me) are more real and desirable than heaven is.

“We are stale in the practice of informing our imaginations about heaven that reaching beyond ourselves requires a whole new way of thinking. Paul didn’t tell us to occasionally glance at the things of heaven. He urged us to set our minds on the things above.” (p. 143)

This requires us to be intentional about what we put into our minds and what we think about. We can’t hope to put any old thing into our minds and still expect to desire heaven.

“But in the end, setting one’s mind on heaven is a purposeful exercise demanding use of the imagination. Find a quiet place, close your eyes to minimize distraction, and think about the most incredible experience you can imagine regarding Christ in heaven. Meditate on heaven.” (p. 143)

In order for us to meditate on heaven we have to have an idea to meditate on. Meditation on its own won’t give us a desire of heaven, we need to proper fuel to fan the flames into a blazing fire.

“The problem with most Christians’ visions of heaven is that they are terribly vague. ‘Where there is no vision, my people perish’ could be easily translated ‘Where there is no clear vision, my people perish.’

“So make your vision clear. Think of specifics. Images from the Word of God. From stories you’ve heard or read.” (p. 145)

From meditation Dekker moves on to readings. Reading, by its very nature, activates the imagination. It doesn’t matter if it is fiction or non-fiction, but what matters is putting words and ideas into our minds that give way to images.

“Consider heaven in all that you read between Genesis and Revelation, because in one form or another every book in the Bible points not only to the Cross, but beyond it to the joy for which it was suffered.” (p. 146)

If we are going to create an accurate picture of heaven, rather than just our own made up fantasy, the Bible has to be our primary source of reading. Everything else must be filtered through it.

“Let me suggest you use you God-given imagination to develop you own analogy of heaven’s bliss. Feed your imagination with the analogies presented in the Word of God and deliberately connect with those images that quicken desire within your heart.

“If were were created to obsess, then we must feed our obsession with heaven, knowing that if we feed those obsessions, they will grow until we, too, can agree with Paul that dying to be with Christ is better by far.” (p. 147)

We need to find literature that will feed our imaginations and produce in our hearts a desire for heaven. Read the Bible, read fiction, read biographies, and read non-fiction. Meditate on the images they provide that stir a desire in your heart for heaven.

“I say set your mind on heaven. Liberate your imaginations and connect with God, who has given you an imagination to be frequently used.” (p. 156)

Meditation and readings are important in developing our imaginations to set our hearts towards heaven. A third activity Dekker points out that is useful is corporate exercise. Those things that we do as a church family, as a small group, as friends, and family that can give a foretaste of what heaven will be like.

“Music has a way of focusing our thoughts and emotions. It could be said that music is a form of raw imagination, and it is time the musicians among us flooded the airwaves and the church services with songs of hope directed toward the bliss that awaits.” (p. 156)

Songs play an important part in our lives and in what we do as church families. Music has a way of directing our thoughts and emotions to think about things we don’t normally thinking about, especially in an emotional way.

“With some noted exceptions, heaven is now a passing reference in the few songs that do mention it. There is certainly no general obsession with heaven in our worship. If you’re a writer, write songs that draw the people into a fascination for all that awaits us. The rest of us singers should sing songs that quicken our passion for heaven.” (p. 157)

Music is not the only corporate activity that we experience. There are a couple of traditions, handed down by Jesus Himself, that should be used to remind us of heaven. One of those traditions is communion (on a personal note, I think it is sad that we have such a lack of understanding about communion an the powerful part it should play in our lives).

“The early church did not sip from tiny plastic cups in a moment of silence. The threw banquets, because the death of Christ pointed them to the great wedding banquet in the next life. The feasts even got out of hand on occasion, and Paul had to correct the Christians for drinking too much wine at these celebrations (1 Cor. 11:21).” (p.157)

Aside from the fact that I think Dekker misrepresents what was happening in Corinth I still think he makes a valid point. We have watered down communion so it fits nicely in our order of service, but in many ways we have robbed it of its true significance. I would like to see us celebrate communion at fellowship dinner, at Christmas and Thanksgiving and Easter dinner, or when a few followers of Jesus get together to celebrate life. Take a time during the midst of the laughter, the jokes, the story telling and celebrate why these times can be so joyful and what they ultimately point us to. Something to think about.

What other activities can we do together that can center our minds and hearts on heaven? What about baptism? What about serving the community? What about weddings? What about funerals? Think about it.

If we are going to desire heaven it is will be because we engage our imaginations and not because God has given us a tangible sign. Imagination, especially when applied to heaven, is an act of faith.

“But that’s precisely the point, isn’t it? Our vision of heaven is weak because the faculties God gave us to engage his reward are unpracticed and have slipped into slumber. Many want something physical that requires no faith. Heaven in a bottle or in a pill. But we find the heaven God has given us primarily in our hearts and minds.” (p. 159)

Faith is what moves things from our imaginations into that real part of our lives. Faith makes God real, and faith makes heaven a reality to look forward to.

“We experience God primarily through our imagination. We know God through our faith.

“This is primarily a philosophical question that could lead us on a lengthy discourse of what it means to know something, a discussion we don’t have the space for here. But I think it’s helpful to focus on the fact that our primary interaction (experience) with God occurs beyond our five sense that we typically use to engage in our world—touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing.” (p. 161)

If we are going to know God and desire heaven it is going to happen outside our five senses. By using our imaginations we begin to allow that desire for what seems so far off and unreal now to grow in our hearts. Wake up and engage your imaginations.

Find the other chapters:
Chapter 1: The Death of our Dreams
Chapter 2: The Search for Pleasure
Chapter 3: Foundations
Chapter 4: Give Me Pleasure or Give Me Death
Chapter 5: The Slippery Slope to Slumber
Chapter 6: In Living We Die; In Dying We Live
Chapter 7: Created to Obsess
Chapter 8: The Eyes of the Heart part 1

The Eyes of the Heart part 1

So far Ted Dekker in The Slumber of Christianity has presented the case of how we, as followers of Jesus, have lost our desire for heaven and thus have lost what it really means to live. When we expect the things of this life to satisfy the longings of our hearts we will be disappointed because those longings can only be satisfied in heaven. On the other hand when we hope for heaven the things of this life become a little sweeter because we are not expecting them to satisfy us.

As Dekker moves into chapter 8 of his book he begins to take us on a journey to bring us out of slumber so we can once again live with passion because of the hope that we have discovered. This journey begins with seeing the world with the eyes of our heart. To push away from focusing on just the material and seeing the larger picture.

One of the problems we face as Christians is using language that doesn’t match up with the way we live. We talk about a “spiritual” life but we continue to live as if the physical was the most important part of life.

“Most Christians speak as though their spiritual beings are far more material than their bodies, yet they tend to dismiss spiritualism for fear of heresy prompted primarily by the New Age movement. We say we fight against principalities and powers and our pleasure is of another world, but we stay firmly planted in this world...”(p. 128)

We talk the talk, we parrot what we have heard other Christians say, but it isn’t real in our lives. Far too many of us know the lingo but we don’t know what it means. Our lives and our desires remain unaffected by what we have been taught. We don’t even know what to hope for.

“If the eyes of the heart can’t see heaven, the mind will never obsess after it. Most Christians have no vision at all of the afterlife, much less a vision that is attractive or inspiring, The eyes of their hearts have grown heavy and have subsequently been closed by slumber, and they no longer see the afterlife with the eyes of their hearts. Without a vision of heaven in clear view, they quickly lose interest.” (p. 129)

I have been there and many ways I am still there. I prefer to think about the future of my life here on earth rather than to think about what heaven will be like. It is a little mysterious and a little scary. The result is that we settle for talking about life right now rather than nurturing the hope for heaven in our lives.

So how do we begin to see with the eyes of our heart? According to Dekker we begin by gaining knowledge through word pictures and developing our imaginations.

“The eyes of the heart see with vision that brings knowledge through metaphor and analogy and word pictures and story. It is a vision that resides in the mind and the heart, but it is not less spectacular than any vision see with the eyes.” (p. 130)

When talking about things we can’t see all we can do is use words that will get our imaginations working. Since we can’t see heaven now we have to use our imagination to understand what we are talking about. That is part of what it means to see with the eyes of the heart. Dekker points his readers to Ephesians 1:18-19:

18 Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and the unlimited greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength... (ISV)

Dekker goes on to write:

“Paul was praying that his readers’ minds would be expanded so they might understand the richness of the bliss that awaited them in a way that fueled their desire. He was begging them to envision heaven. He was crying out for them to have a clear vision of their inheritance.” (p. 131)

When we use our imagination we can begin to form an idea of what heaven is like even though we have not seen it. Imagination is a gift from God and it sets us apart from the rest of creation. Imagination enables us to think beyond the here and now.

“Do birds use their imaginations? Do ants or worms? It is we humans, created in the image of God, who are blessed with an imagination. And it is through the imagination that our hope is primarily informed.” (p. 132)

Before you bristle at the notion that imagination plays such a key part in informing us about God and heaven remember that we live in a world of imagination. We use our imaginations so much that we don’t even realize that we are doing it. Imagining is part of life.

“If you think about this carefully, you will quickly discover that we live in a world of imagination. The moment something becomes reality, it passes into history, right? Our minds are occupied primarily with memories of the past and imaginations of what might occur later. We experience the present, but that experience is so fleeting that our primary engagement of any experience is through the imagination, either in the form of anticipation or memory. We depend on our imaginations.” (p. 133)

Perhaps the reason we aren’t more hopeful for heaven is because we are much too busy using our imaginations to anticipate future events in our lives.

“Again I will ask, are you desperate for heaven? No? May I suggest it’s because you have no living hope for the bless of heaven? And you have no living hope because you imagine heaven to be far less interesting than the earthly vacation you have your eyes on, or the man you would like to marry. Your imagination in regard to the vacation or the man is fully fleshed out. You’ve already picked out the destination for the vacation and the tuxedo for the man.” (p. 134)

What an indictment! We have allowed our lives to become consumed with this world and have ignored the promise of heaven. We have lost the vision for heaven.

“But vision is nothing more, or less, than raw imagination. It is a perceived outcome that follows a plan of action with the hopes of achieving that outcome. Envisioning an outcome, such as heaven, is the same as imagining that outcome.” (p. 135)

Dekker reminds us what Solomon wrote about vision: Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Prov. 29:18; KJV) He then goes on to write:

“Where there is no imagined outcome fueled by the creative power granted us by God, our hope will surely die and we will slip into a deep slumber. (p. 135)

Our imaginations play a key part in our interactions with God:

“In fact, we experience God primarily through our imaginations.

“Our experience of God is based on faith and hope, not on what we can see now, as Paul so emphatically insisted; otherwise, it would be no hope at all. So when I say that we experience God primarily through our imaginations, I am saying nothing new. I’m simply using rather pointed terms to say what we all already know. Our interaction with God occurs in our minds and hearts.” (p. 136)

In order to communicate truth to us God has relied heavily on our imaginations:
“Are you hearing this? God leans heavily on the human imagination when communicating with humanity. In fact, the use of mental images is God’s primary paradigm for illustrating truth, but through the writers of the Bible and through Christ’s use of parables.

“Now there is one critical element to figurative language that you must understand. Figurative language is fictional.” (p. 139)

I think this is the reason why we react negatively at the suggestion that we experience God through imagination. Fiction and imagination seems to mean not true, but that isn’t necessarily the case. In this case it means something that isn’t real at this moment. For example the Bible calls Jesus the “Lion from the Tribe of Judah.” Yet, Jesus isn’t a real lion. The name is a metaphor to help us understand His character.

What Dekker is trying to accomplish is something the likes of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis have already suggested: myth is a means God communicates truth. We, as followers of Jesus, should embrace story as a way to communicate the God’s truth to a reluctant people as well as to fuel our imaginations for the life that is to come.

Find the other chapters:
Chapter 1: The Death of our Dreams
Chapter 2: The Search for Pleasure
Chapter 3: Foundations
Chapter 4: Give Me Pleasure or Give Me Death
Chapter 5: The Slippery Slope to Slumber
Chapter 6: In Living We Die; In Dying We Live
Chapter 7: Created to Obsess

Created to Obsess

Chapter 7 of The Slumber of Christianity author Ted Dekker moves on to talk about the emotion of hope and how hope should drive us to prepare for heaven. He writes:

“If we don’t abandon ourselves to hope for the afterlife, we certainly won’t groan for it. If we discard hope as an untrustworthy emotion, or limit our hope to things that are immediately tangible, how can we develop great passion for something as intangible as heaven?

“We can’t.

“And so it is not wonder that our hope for glory has been put to sleep. We are far more comfortable clinging to and hoping for what we can see, here in this life, than hoping in a future that is not yet seen. As a result we have directed our hope toward objectives that are immediately tangible, the foretastes of the bliss that awaits us, and away from that which awaits us itself.” (p. 110)

To illustrate his point Dekker directs his readers to the parable Jesus told in Matthew 13:44:

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his joy he went and sold everything he had and bought that field.” (ISV)

Do we show the same obsession for heaven as this man who was sold everything in order to buy a field and thus the treasure it contained. We go to great lengths to find pleasure in this world, but we hardly give heaven a second thought. Dekker goes on to say:

“Clearly, Christ wasn’t promoting deception, but he obviously thought it was a useful tool in showing just how far someone might go to secure the kingdom of heaven. He was promoting a kind of obsession with the kingdom of heaven.” (p. 113)

Are we obsessed with heaven? Speaking for myself I know that I am obsessed with this life. Things like getting married and having that perfect ministry dominate my thinking. I think I can safely assume other followers of Jesus Christ fall into the same trap. That is why this passage from Luke that Dekker cites is worth considering:

33 “Sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don't wear out—a dependable treasure in heaven, where no thief can get close and no moth can destroy anything. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:33-34; ISV)

Dekker goes on to write:

“What bold statements! [he also cited 1 Timothy 6:19] Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If the treasure you obsess after is on this earth, your heart will remain on this earth; but if your treasure is in heaven, your heart will be there as well.” (p. 116)

The problem with obsessing over heaven is that it is unreasonable. It is much more reasonable to be concerned about the things of this life and to try to create a life that in some small way makes us happy. Why bank on something that is not visible? Dekker reminds us that following Jesus isn’t reasonable:

“But is following Christ reasonable?

“This is where the paths of Christianity as a religion and following Christ part ways in dramatic fashion. The fact is, following Christ is not a very reasonable thing to do in the eyes of unbelievers. Our following is based on faith, not on reason. There’s a tremendous amount of reason along the way, yes, but the journey itself is based on faith. This is a critical distinction when it come to understanding hope.” (p. 117)

The more a rely on reason the diminished capacity we have for hope, especially hope for heaven and eternal life. Dekker writes:

“We in the West are obsessed with reason, in the same way that I am going to suggest we be obsessed with hope. Our preoccupation with reason is what leads us to conclude that emotion is untrustworthy after we see it failing us repeatedly. So it could be said that one of the casualties of our reason is emotion, or passion for the afterlife. Our slumber is, in part, brought on by reason.” (p. 118)

Have we forgotten that as Christians we are to live a life of death? We are dead to sin, dead to this life, and that our lives are offered as a sacrifice to God. Yes, there is the power of the resurrection, but that power is only fully revealed to us after we have died. Dekker makes this point:

“What’s more, we Christians claim to live a life of death that brings life. ‘Take up your cross and follow me,’ Christ called. We are now dead to sin, buried and risen with Christ. True, Christianity hinges on the resurrection of Christ, and we like to live in resurrection power, but resurrection comes only after death and will not be complete until the day of our salvation after Christ returns.” (p. 119)

There is a great danger to forget about heaven. That danger is that we try to find all of God’s promises fulfilled in this life, but because we live in this world of sin that won’t happen. We will be disappointed and disillusioned. Read Dekker’s thoughts:

“But what if we who are being saved take our eyes off the great message of redemption at the end of time? Then we place responsibility for all of the gospel’s benefits on this life, and when those benefits fail to materialize as we once hoped they would, the gospel begins to sound a little foolish to us as well.” (p. 120)

Faith and hope really defy explanation. Sure we can cite reasons why we have faith and hope, but concrete realities allude us at times. There has to be a time in our lives, if we are really going to follow Jesus, when we say; “God, I don’t know, but I am going to trust You,” and then live our lives based on that commitment. Dekker writes:

“The day I tried to prove my faith in college was the day I lost that faith. When we shift the focus of our faith from the eyes of the heart to a purely rational exploration of fact, our faith will almost certainly weaken.” (p. 120)

I know that sounds like a scary thing. We want to be seen as reasonable and rational, but Christians throughout the centuries have appeared the opposite. The apostle Paul understood that this desire for heaven at times made him sound and look crazy:

13 So if we were crazy, it was for God; if we are sane, it is for you. (2 Corinthians 5:13; ISV)

Don’t allow the judgment of people deter you from pursuing heaven. While we are beings of reason and intellect we are also beings of emotions and desire. To hope is part of what it means to be human. Dekker writes:

“Birds and butterflies live in a world guided solely by the set of facts that surround them. They perform various functions based on a strict set of requirements for life.

“Not we humans, created in the image of God. We are guided by desire. We were created to hope, and the greatest kind of hope is nothing less than a form of obsession.” (p. 121)

Too many Christians have fallen asleep. We have settled for religion rather than living a life of desire for heaven.

“Christians have fallen asleep to the promise of the afterlife and no longer dream of that great day. Their obsession for eternity is in slumber. And being creatures created to obsess, many have redirected their obsession to the pleasures of this world alone.” (p. 121)

We do this to our own peril. This world can’t possible satisfy the cravings of our hearts. Not only do we do this to our own peril but we also do it to the neglect of Christ’s commission to make disciples. We are so consumed with creating life that we forget about the vast majority of people who have no hope for life. A desire for heaven opens our eyes to the evil and suffering of this world. When we understand the horrors of this life we will be motivated to bring hope to the hopeless.

Find the other chapters here:
Chapter 1: The Death of our Dreams
Chapter 2: The Search for Pleasure
Chapter 3: Foundations
Chapter 4: Give Me Pleasure or Give Me Death
Chapter 5: The Slippery Slope to Slumber
Chapter 6: In Living We Die; In Dying We Live

In Living We Die; In Dying We Live

Chapter 6 of The Slumber of Christianity deals with the teaching of Jesus that real living is found in heaven. According to Ted Dekker we put ourselves at risk of falling into slumber when we put our expectations in finding satisfaction in this life.

“We expect perfect bliss in our marriages here on earth when when such a bliss isn’t available, at least not here.

“We beg God for better jobs, but none come.

“We trust for growth in our churches, but numbers stagnate.

“And when we don’t find these expected benefits to our faith, we begin to falter.

“We must dump the loads of expectations for nirvana in this life along with the burden of find ultimate happiness. That happiness simply isn’t available during our alloted eighty-odd years. The bliss we seek awaits in the next life. Our faith is being sure of this hope. The pleasures God has given us serve as a reminder of far greater pleasures to come.” (p. 81)

Dekker goes on to talk about death and how true life is found when we die. He then asks this question:

“In living we die. But don’t fear, because in dying we live! Then we do we sweep death under the rug?” (p. 82)

Good question. We try our best, even in our sermons and lessons and books, to avoid talking about death. We want to avoid that discussion at all costs, but according to Biblical theology it is through death that we truly begin to live. When we don’t fear death, when we have hope for better things to come, then we can enjoy the things of this life better without being bound to them.

Have we forgotten the promise, the Good News, of the New Testament?

“Spiritual death was a thing to be feared, which explains why Paul wrote tirelessly on the subject. The world lives in spiritual death, but through Christ we are born again into a new life. Not a new physical life, but a new spiritual life that makes physical death irrelevant.” (p. 85)

Do we believe that? Honestly it is hard for me to not think about all the things I will miss out on if I died today. Death, physical death, hardly seem irrelevant to me. No wonder I do what I can to protect this life I have.

“Yet we seem to have it backward. We tend to go to extremes to protect the body rather than the soul. And it’s no wonder, really. The god of this world know all too well the devastating nature of spiritual death. He’s gone to great lengths to distract us from that death by redirecting our fears of death to physical death. He began by slaughtering Christ. Then he continued by killing as many of Christ’s followers as he could, intending to strike fear into their hearts.” (p. 86)

Instead of fearing physical death we need to put our trust and our hope in Jesus. Yes, Satan killed Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead. What a promise for us! Can we find hope in the resurrection? Yet, for us to find hope in the resurrection we have to believe that heaven holds more joy and pleasure than what we can find here. Let’s face it we like this world way too much.

“We Christians, like the world, are so taken with this life full of its colors and sounds and tastes that give us joy, we don’t really want the next life, which, as far as we can see, consists of nothing more than playing harps around a throne. It’s no wonder we don’t want to die.” (p. 88)

When we lack the hope of a better and indescribable life to come we put ourselves at risk of losing our faith completely. Hope is what keeps us going when everything else looks bleak.

“Christianity’s foundation rests on a living hope that fills us with an inexpressible joy for that which is to come. Without this hope, our faith will fail, we won’t have the power to withstand our trials, and we will slip into a slumber.” (p. 91)

Our hope rests in the promise of Jesus to prepare a place for us. We might be content in building huts and play kingdoms in this world, but Jesus is in heaven preparing us a place that is wilder than anything that we can imagine.

“There can be no mistake about the object of our hope. It is not in what we see now. It is not in the gifts of the Spirit. It is not in a large ministry or a thriving church. It is not in a good marriage or good health or good food.

“It is heaven. This is true Christianity, and this is what we were saved into. A kingdom so rich in reward, our hope for that kingdom causes us to groan.” (p. 97)

If our hope isn’t in heaven do we really understand the gospel?

“One has to wonder if we truly understand the good news at all. Buildings and programs and attendance and well-run services aren’t the gospel, yet they preoccupy our minds. The fact that because of Christ there is coming a blessed day when we will finally be able to dive into God himself rather than be eternally separated from him, is the good news. We ought to let that reality ravage our minds.” (p. 98)

Dekker references the parable of the ten bridesmaids (Matthew 25-1-13). He makes the point that the only difference between the five who were let into the wedding banquet and the five who were shut out was their preparation. He goes on to write:

“The notion that we have some responsibility to secure oil for our journey to the wedding feast is an unpopular notion in Christianity today. Our religion is focused on quick fixes that require nothing. But here Jesus is clearly making the case that the virgin’s responsibility to secure oil before the wedding was critical to their journey.” (p. 102)

Dekker suggests that the lamp oil represents hope. So hope isn’t just something that is given to us, but it is something that we must find. I don’t know if he is right, but I would agree that hope is something that we must find. While is initially a gift it grows as we live by faith and experience God more and more. If we are not living by faith and just going through the motions of a religion we, like the five bridesmaids who run out of oil, will find our light fading as our hope runs out.

“And of all the gifts, hope is perhaps the most personal. You can show love, you can demonstrate faith, but you either have or do not have hope. The amount of hope you have, like oil, may be shown in how bright your lamp shines. You may attend a church filled with colorfully dressed Christians who sing and wave their lamps in celebration. But check the flames that light the path to the wedding feast, and you will know if the bridesmaids you dance with are wise or foolish.” (p. 103)

Hope is what attracted so many to the Church.

“The New Testament is like a seed itself, rich in the oil of hope. You can’t read a single book without being soaked in it. The early church thrived in this oil. Hope lit their lamps and attracted thousands into a persecuted movement.

“The early Christians eagerly awaited their inheritance. Each day they sang songs about death being swallowed up in victory at the end of days. Their entire faith burned with hope for a day that would soon come, not only for the days that had come.” (p. 103)

We need to take some time and rediscover the teachings of the New Testament. Not to dissect them and discover who has the correct doctrine, but to immerse ourselves in the promises and the hope that it contains.

“It is time that we understand the true nature of our own faith. Christianity is as much about death as life. It’s about the end of spiritual death, through a spiritual birth, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection. Death has become life, in part now, and in whole after this life. After we die.

“And the way we engage this entire truth is through a small portal into the reality that lies beyond. The portal is hope.

“But our eyes of hope have grown heavy and dark, and we can no longer see past the skin of this world into the next.” (p. 104)

Life takes on a whole new significance when we allow ourselves to die to the things of this world and long for what God has prepared for us in heaven. Clinging to Jesus, His death and resurrection, means we don’t have to fear death any longer, because we know better things wait for us on the other side.

Find the other chapters:
Chapter 1: The Death of our Dreams
Chapter 2: The Search for Pleasure
Chapter 3: Foundations
Chapter 4: Give Me Pleasure or Give Me Death
Chapter 5: The Slippery Slope to Slumber
Chapter 7: Created to Obsess
Chapter 8: The Eyes of the Heart part 1
Chapter 8: The Eyes of the Heart part 2

Not My Home

The follower of Jesus Christ is being led through a rough and dangerous land to home. I wonder if we, as the Church, have missed this point. Our sermons, lessons, and books deal with having our best life now and living life on purpose, but we seldom hear that we strangers in a strange land. Our teachings help us blend into the world rather than helping us stand out.

An alien in a foreign land stands out because they are different. They speak a different language (or at least with an accent), they dress differently, celebrate different holidays, and have different values. According to the New Testament a Christian is to be different, like a stranger in a strange land. I have used this verse time and time again in my ponderings, but here it is one more time:

11 Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and exiles to keep on abstaining from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 12 Continue to live such upright lives among the Gentiles that, when they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good works and glorify God when he visits them in judgment. (1 Peter 2:11-12; ISV)

How does the apostle Peter want us to live? As aliens and exiles! We are displaced. We are not at home. I want you to catch this: when we live no differently than the world we are no better off than the world. God isn’t interested in people who will merely confess Him and believe in Him, everyone is going to do that anyway. What God wants is a people who will live by faith. People who will be motivated by a different set of desires. People who live by a different set of standards. People who love people no one else will love. People who will remember they are on a journey to get home. What is the value of believing in Jesus if that belief doesn’t change your life? Is such a belief really faith?

Read what Erwin McManus wrote in The Barbarian Way:

“From the moment we become citizens of the kingdom of God, we become aliens and strangers in a world that chooses to live absent of God. From the first step taken to follow Jesus, we are out of step with the rest of the world. Once your life is in sync with the story of God, you become out of sync with any story that attempts to ignore or eliminate God. You are a stranger to them, an alien among them, a nomadic wanderer who, while refusing to be rooted in this life, seems to somehow enjoy this life most.” (p. 93)

Are you walking out of step with the world? I am afraid that most of us aren’t. Sure we may have morality issues with how the sinners live, but our hopes and dreams are wrapped up in the very same things the world hopes and dreams for. Success, money, happiness, and love. The list could go on, but the point is that while we are morally different from the world we are not spiritually different from them. That my friends was one of the problems Jesus had with the Pharisees. They looked good on the outside, but the inside they were filled with dead men’s bones. White washed tombs. We need to quite fooling ourselves that be different from the world is just about morals. Being different from the world primarily has to do with our desires, dreams, attitudes, and thoughts.

I am coming to believe that one of the ways we truly begin to live differently than the rest of the world is to begin to desire heaven. An exile doesn’t put down roots in the land he is living. Instead he hopes and dreams for his home and thinks of ways to one day return. How can we think about settling for the things of this world when God is offering us so much more? How can we think about being like the citizens of the world when God is calling us to be citizens of heaven? This world is not our home so let us not act like it is.

• Point to Ponder: When we live no differently than the world we are no better off than the world.
• Passage to Remember: 1 Peter 2:11-12
• Question to Consider: Are you living out of step with the world?