Heaven

Twila was always a very calm, even keel person. Nevertheless I asked her, "Are you afraid, Twila? Are you afraid of dying?" The doctors said she only had a few weeks. "No," she replied instantly; "I did it once before and it was absolutely beautiful."

From all that I've read and heard the accounts are all the same. Those who have died and come back say it's amazing on the other side, so much so that they don't want to return.

It is proof?  No.   It is evidence?  Yes.

I believe in Heaven because Jesus taught that we have a home with God after our life here is complete (John 14:1-3). I believe in Heaven because I believe that Christ's victory over the grave is a shared victory. It's shared with us.

But I also believe in Heaven because of logic and experience. I experience the love of God here and now in this life. So to me it logically follows that the eternal God's relationship with me (and you!) will not end when we take our last breath.

Former Princeton Theological Seminary President Dr. Thomas Gillespie once put it this way:

By raising Jesus from the dead, God gives us a 'sneak preview' of our own destiny. The risen Christ declares, 'Because I live, you will live also.' That is where our faith begins. And in this faith our hope is grounded.

Yet, contrary to popular opinion, faith is not blind. Faith believes in eternal life, not merely because it is written in the Bible. Faith believes in eternal life, not merely because it is taught by the Church. But rather, faith believes in eternal life because it is experienced now in this life. Faith believes because it knows.

Here's a thought: Heaven is perfectly consistent with the love of God.

Prayer: Thank You, Gracious God, that your love is eternal and therefore so is my life in you. In the Name of the Risen Lord.  Amen.

Extra Credit:

Martin Copenhaver is a U.C.C. pastor and author. He once wrote this about eternal life.

"God cannot be indifferent about our destiny any more than a mother can forget the name of her own child. To believe in eternal life, then, is not to believe in something in addition to believing in God. To believe in eternal life is to believe in this kind of loving God. There is another way to put it. If we believe in God--a God of justice rather than a God of indifference, a God who fulfills rather than taunts, a God who loves rather than torments--then eternal life is simply too good not to be true."

World Religions - The Salvation Question

When I was a teenager in church we called it the "Pygmy Question."  It went like this: "What about the Pygmies in Africa? Will they be saved?"

What about folks deeply committed to religions other than Christianity?

And what about those who've never heard?

CNN's Larry King brought up the issue one night to Evangelist Billy Graham. Rev. Graham gave an answer that surprised me - "I believe people will be judged on the merits of their own religion." With all due respect, that's pretty good for a Baptist! Then Billy went on to say, "But ultimately we all get to heaven because of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ." I believe that, even if I can't logically wrap my brain around it.

"Christ died for our sins, once and for all, in order to bring us to God.   
                                            - I Peter 3:18

My favorite answer to the Salvation Question, however, comes from Christian author, Brian McLaren. When asked the "What about other religions?" question, McLaren responds, "How the heck should I know? And furthermore, it's not my problem. It's God's."

Amen.

Prayer: Gracious and Loving God, I trust in your love for all people, and I trust in the love that I experience through the grace of Jesus Christ. Receive my thanks and my love this day and always. Amen.



Extra Credit

One passage that comes up a lot with this issue is John 14, Jesus' words to the disciples at the Last Supper:

"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."     - John 14:7

It seems pretty straightforward and clear. However one thing the commentaries point out is that Jesus was speaking to his own followers at the culmination of his ministry with them. He's saying, "The way to know God as I've been teaching you - as a personal, loving parent - is by following my ways and my truth. That's your sure way to know God as Abba."

Christ is the Christian Way; He is the Christian Truth, He is the Christian Life in the Spirit. There are other ways, but the Christian way is through Christ.

Christians & Other Religions

I'm beginning a series of teachings this Sunday, October 14 entitled, "Bridges to the Great Religions of the World." So this topic has been on my mind a lot.

It goes without saying that we live in a multicultural world. Many of us live in a multicultural neighborhood. You probably work with someone or encounter someone in your daily life who is part of another religion.

So how do committed Christians interact with folks of other religions?

Can we be fully committed Christ-Followers and still affirm the spiritual journey of others?

Of course, we can.

There are a number of ways up the mountain to God. And no religion has a monopoly on spiritual truth. Not even ours. In fact one of the first things we have to do is get rid of our "Superiority Complex" when it comes to religion. It's pretty hard to truly learn from others if our basic approach and attitude is, "My religion's better, but still, please tell me about yours."

Below is something I found on saltproject.org, a very creative forward-thinking site. I think this says a lot.

Prayer: God of all humanity, give us the humility, the openness and the curiosity to learn from those who look at You and at life very differently. In the Name of Christ our Lord, Amen.

Extra Credit: Coexist?

I'm sure you've seen this bumper sticker:

It's a fine bumper sticker. But here's my question:

Coexist?      Is that the best we can do?

Grace

It happens every mission trip. The resident is appreciative of the work being done by 5 kids and an adult for a solid week. Houses get painted. Porches get repaired or replaced. Windows get caulked. Lives get touched. Hearts get blessed.

It usually happens midweek as the home owner becomes more and more comfortable with the experience. It's then that they ask,

"Hey, how much do you kids get paid for all this work?"

"We don't get paid anything," they reply. "We have to pay to come on these trips, and we have to raise money all year long to come."

It's a moment of grace. Pure grace.

C.S. Lewis said that grace is Christianity's chief contribution to the study of God.

St. Paul taught us that it's "by grace that we are saved" (Ephesians 2:5).

Grace is a free gift. Theologically it's the free gift of God's love. Unmerited. Unearned. Unlimited. It can't be earned. Therefore it can never be lost, because we didn't earn it in the first place. God simply loves us. Period.

Questions:

How have you experienced grace in your life?

How have you experienced God's grace in your life?

Prayer: Thank You, Loving God, for the gift of your acceptance, your favor and your love. Thank you for showering us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Thank you for the gift of salvation and the gift of your unconditional love. Amen.


Extra Credit

John Newton's "Amazing Grace"

It's perhaps the most beloved hymn of all time; yet it can be a little disconcerting calling ourselves "wretches."

Amazing Grace how sweat the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found
Twas blind but now I see.

This might help. The composer, John Newton, led a rather wretched life for a number of years. He was a sailor as a young man and became involved in the slave trade. He himself was captured and enslaved. Eventually he became a strong convert to Christianity and a  prominent supporter of the abolition of slavery.

In an influential pamphlet, "Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade," Newton described the horrific conditions of the slave ships and apologized for "a confession, which ... comes too late ... It will always be a subject of humiliating reflection to me, that I was once an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shudders."

It was Newton's deep awareness of his own sinfulness that led him to pen
such a tribute to God's Grace.

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear.
The hour I first believed.

John Newton 1725 - 1807