O Heaven Where Art Thou?

 

But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

1 Corinthians 2: 9 NKJV 

A few years back, after listening to another radio sermon, I found myself going to sleep one night amid thoughts if my recently passed mother was indeed in heaven.  I'm not really sure why I shaken from my sleep that night, but I recall being suddenly awakened.  It was then that the thought hit me.  Not really a voice but a realization in my spirit, "She watches you and then she returns."   It took me some time to realize it, but this was my first encounter with heaven.  I have no doubt that this was Gods way of assuring me that my mother is indeed now in the presence of the Lord she loved.  In recent years there have been more than a few books written by those who have claimed that they have indeed seen heaven.  A group of Christian brothers I know will be beginning a study on Randy Alcorn's book Heaven.  It seems that Mr. Alcorn as well once had his own heaven experience.  I am of the belief that heaven is a reality enjoyed by those who love the Lord.  Therefore, I will not be discussing here whether or not heaven is real.  What I will be writing on is the Christian perspective of just where heaven is.  Have you ever wondered to yourself where heaven is?  I have.  The scriptures tell us that heaven is place somewhere in the sky above us.  Indeed, with verses containing words such as "ascended" and "heavens," what else are we supposed to believe?  We're told that Elijah "went up" by a whirlwind into heaven {2 Kings 2:11}.  By all accounts, the roadmap to heaven should start with a sign with a arrow pointing up.  Yet, are we indeed sure of that location?  How can we be?  I agree that we have more than a few examples of the existence of heaven, yet not one of these instances gives us a clear idea of where heaven really is.  To this I will pose another question...does it really matter?  Think about it, if we are assured in our own hearts that heaven does exist, does it really matter its location?  Yet we humans are curious types and will constantly seek answers to the unknown.  However, God has indeed blessed us with much knowledge of our eternal home.

"In My Fathers house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

John 14: 2 - 3 NKJV 

I'll admit that I've spent more than enough time wondering and worrying about where the Lords kingdom is.  Again, why do we occupy ourselves with such things when we are assured that we will be with the Father in heaven?  If there is one thing that my own heaven experience has taught me is that our own views of where heaven is might just be a bit skewed.  I don't feel that we're to blame for this as much as that of the original translators of the bible.  For they are the ones who included words such as "up" and "ascend."  Perhaps that is how they understood how best to describe what happened?  That's my opinion anyway.  What I learned from my near heaven experience is that wherever heaven is, it must be somewhere very near the reality we see, perhaps another dimension entirely.  Growing up I read plenty of books by Hans Holzer and other ghost story writers, so I have always been curious about the spirit realm.  Could it be that the ghostly experiences so many people have encountered are nothing more than our own encounters with another dimension we rarely see?  Could this be heaven?  There have been many instances of people seeing long lost relatives after they have passed from this earthly realm.  I know, I experienced my own.  I believe that that which we see is closely knit with the heaven we cannot see.  Some say we may be living in heaven right now.  One thing is for certain, I'm less concerned now about the location of my final home.  As the apostle Paul claimed, "absent from the body and present with the Lord."

We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5: 8 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Gods Country

 

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7: 14 NKJV 

I grew up in an era where these United States have been considered to be blessed by the Lord God.  That somehow we are a chosen nation among many whom God has decided to spread His favor.  I will not argue that my country has indeed been blessed by the Lord over the years.  However, I also know that we have committed our share of bad behaviors as well.  Does our good outweigh the wrong we have done?  I'm not sure, but I do find it a bit arrogant that we would stake claim to Gods blessed nation status.  Especially since Israel, the Lords chosen people, has had such a troubled history.  What makes us different?  Well, I would agree that our nation was founded upon Christian principles by God fearing men.  I would also agree that our own history is one of religious freedoms and recognizing the Lord.  For much of our history, Sunday mornings have been known as a time where families gather to worship the Lord in their own way.  This was what we did in a time before Sunday football games took over our interest.  But to say that this nation has been blessed among all nations?  I'm not buying that.  What I will agree with is the fact that our country, as far as we can see, belongs to the Lord.  He created it, He populated it...so I think that makes it His.  In fact, everything that we see has the Lords fingerprints all over it.  This is the belief that God is all in all.  I made the comment to a friend this past week wondering how it is that we can ignore the fact that God is in all that we see if He is the one responsible for all which we see coming into existence.  By His spoken word, He created all which surrounds us {Genesis 1:1}.  It astounds me that, in a nation so deeply rooted in Christianity, that we have never had a holiday where we celebrate all which God has provided for us.  Sure, we have Christmas and Easter, but we celebrate these expecting to get something in return.  

"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For you created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."

Revelation 4: 11 NKJV 

I took a picture once while on a fishing trip of a sunrise over a local lake.  Eventually, I decided that it was good enough to frame for display.  I titled that picture "Gods sunrise" and it became one of my mothers favorite photos.  As I stood on the shore of the lake that morning I wasn't thinking of the beauty which the Lord had provided, only that it looked good to me.  That is what we are faced with when we began to see God as all in all.  We may find ourselves no longer seeing things in relation to the physical properties of ions and oxygen, but in beauty of the Lords creation.  Would that actress on tv look so attractive were she simply a pile of dust?  Probably not, but those are her origins.  We're told that God formed each of us from the dust of the ground {Genesis 2:7}.  By His spoken word all which we see came into being.  He was there from the beginning, and nothing came into existence without Him.  We may from time to time allow our pride to broadcast our own accomplishments for all to see.  Yet where would those accomplishments be without God?  Would your accomplishments exist had you not been created?  This is indeed a sobering realization once we understand that it's not we who make the world turn...but God.  

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1: 1 - 5 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Jailbreak

 

Now the 'He ascended,' what is it except that He first descended also into the lower parts of the earth.

Ephesians 4: 7  Concordant New Testament 

I'm going to make a observation that might make more than a few Christians uncomfortable.  In fact, some of you might downright question what I am suggesting.  That's ok, for I have it on good authority that these events are true.  What would you say if I told you that those who were deemed unworthy of the Lords eternal presence were somehow suddenly forgiven and shown the mercy of a God they had up until then refused to proclaim?  What would you say if that same grace was bestowed upon those who refused to see Christ Jesus for who He was, that He has indeed come in the flesh {1 John 4: 2}.  Would you wonder why God would redeem someone who refused to believe the deity of Jesus? {Romans 10:9}  I myself, when I first read these scriptures, wondered if they were indeed true or simply a statement of the authors opinion.  Because I've been instructed in what I need to do to ensure myself a seat at the Lords table.  Paul lays it out clearly for us in Romans what we as believers must do in order to be saved.  To confess the Lord Jesus and thus believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.  That's it.  We do that, and our future with the Lord is guaranteed right?  Of course, it's in the scriptures so it must be true?  Don't worry, I'm not here to upset the theological apple cart, only to suggest something which many Christians who feel a need to "work" for their own salvation might have overlooked.  While I agree with Paul in his requirements for our own salvation, I want to take it a step further.  I want to make a few well intentioned Christians uneasy.  First off, I get the entire striving for salvation thing.  I was once there with the rest of you fighting my flesh for a ticket at Gods table.  They said I needed to believe...I believed.  They said that I needed to confess the Lord Jesus...I did my part.  Therefore, I was in...right?  But then I find out that someone who hadn't walked the salvation path like I had was going to be seated at the same table as me?  What's with that?  The answer, in a nutshell, is that Gods mercy knows no bounds.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

Ephesians 2: 4 - 5 NKJV 

I get that more than a few Christians might be uncomfortable with sharing salvation with some who they "feel" does not deserve it.  Yet, who am I to tell God who He invites into His party?  When you get down to brass tacks, if not for Christ Jesus, NOBODY would deserve the salvation they now cherish and wear like some kind of jeweled crown.  It is by the love and mercy of the Father by which we owe our future with Him.  Not only us, but anyone else the Father chooses to invite into His presence as well.  This is where I got lost for a bit in my reading of Ephesians 4.  I'd heard the whispers of Jesus descending into the lower regions, but did not understand because I was not seeing it from the Fathers perspective.  Why would God, who loved us all, desire to free those He loved from captivity?  Why indeed.  Why did the father rejoice in the return of his wayward prodigal son? {Luke 15:32}  Because he who was lost had been found.  The son who was dead was once again alive.  Do we even need to wonder why it is that God would ensure that He restores as many of His children as possible?  Far from what we've been told, I believe that the desire of the Father is not to judge and condemn...but to restore.

"And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."

Luke 15: 31 - 32 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Slings And Arrows

 

Loudmouth in the corners getting to me

Talking about my earing and my hair

He ain't read the sign that says I've been to prison

somebody better warn him before I knock him off his chair

~Long haired redneck~  David Allan Coe 

I recently congratulated a dear friend of mine on his birthday by reminding him that he had survived one more year of putting up with me.  Seems pretty appropriate for those that know me.  Many of us cannot claim that we are perfect Christians.  On the contrary, we often let our words slip and speak our mind when circumstances warrant such a reaction.  I once heard a pastor I knew unleash a stream of all sorts of verbal venom on someone who had cut him off on the highway.  Yes, this was the very same guy who a few days later was preaching from the pulpit about forgiveness.  Double standard?  Not that I can see.  See, I know exactly how irritating and obnoxious that I can get a times.  I speak my mind and I rarely apologize.  Yeah, I've heard that such behavior is not Christian like, and yet I still do what I do.  Is this a matter of knowingly behaving badly?  Or, is it as simple as forgetting that person we really are inside?  In order to speak to this we need to understand who it is that we truly are deep down.  We understand that God created man in His own image {Genesis 1:27}.  We also understand that He breathed into us the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  From the dust of the ground to a living, breathing being, God has been a intimate part of our existence from the very beginning.  Still think that obnoxious behaving runt is really who you are?  Well, the apostle Paul may disagree with that belief.  It was Paul who described very well the man who he knew he really was.  Was he that persecuting official who chased down the early followers of the church of Jesus?  Nope.  Paul understood that he had died and put away such things.  The man Paul truly was...was Jesus {Galatians 2:20}.  That's right, it was Jesus who was living in Paul. 

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, who loves me, and gives Himself up for me. 

Galatians 2: 20 ~ Concordant New Testament

Paul also nailed it on the head when he described knowing Christ in us as the "Mystery among the Gentiles" {Colossians 1:27}.  Indeed, I have struggled with my own knowing of Jesus in me from time to time.  It is not simply a belief in Jesus, it goes much deeper than that.  Believe me, there are plenty of long haired hippies out there who claim to believe in Jesus.  Yet, when they behave badly the immediate response is that they are somehow a wicked, sinful person.  Yes, I've been there.  There is nothing worse for a believer than the hamster wheel of knowing Jesus one moment then being in His crosshairs the next.  But we were never intended to live our lives in fear of the impending judgement of Jesus {1 John 4:18}.  He's not there simply watching over us until we screw up.  This belief is part of the lie that we are separate from God.  Friends, how is it that we can be separate from He who created us from the dust of the ground?  This is a fools errand and we are anything but.  It is no wonder, therefore, that Paul took to referring to a life in Christ Jesus as a mystery.  Of course, it does not need to be that way.  When we encounter those moments where we behave badly, we understand that it does not in any way exemplify  who it is that we are inside.  Of course, having a deeper knowledge of Jesus in us may just help us head off more than a few of these bad behavior moments as well.  

To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is: Christ among you, the expectation of glory.

Colossians 1: 27 ~ Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Fields Of Gold

 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

Luke 16: 13 NKJV 

I heard a radio preacher this week proclaim that the largest owner of gold in the entire world is not the U.S. government.  It's not some criminal organization.  No, the sole owner of most of the worlds gold belongs to none other than the catholic church.  Now, at first I approached this with skepticism, but after considering everything which I know about the ornate appearance of many churches, I am inclined to believe this claim.  Indeed, we all have seen the stately appearance of many of the churches we encounter.  For me, it does not matter how you decorate your church, as long as the fundamentals of Christ are taught within its walls.  When I look at the majority of catholic churches today, I see many cathedrals decorated with the finest man can buy, yet the truth of Jesus is rarely taught.  What is the truth of Jesus?  Well, the apostle Paul spoke to that subject in Galatians when he described Jesus living in him {Galatians 2:20}.  Keep in mind that Jesus is all too aware of these ornate temples that we claim are to glorify God.  Tell me, how is God glorified when His Son is not glorified?  Yet we will heap mountains of glory upon the very mother of Jesus without mentioning that it was the Father who orchestrated it all.  So it seems that there is a price of admission for being a believer in Jesus.  The proceeds from these gate receipts most certainly go to maintaining the appearance of the church.  Now, obviously not all houses of worship are so ornately decorated, but there are certainly many of them.  As I said, you can decorate your church however you like as long as long as the truth of Jesus is taught there.

"If you had know Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.  Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.'  Jesus said to him, 'have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, show us the Father?"

John 14: 7 - 9 NKJV 

The truth we see about Christ Jesus is that He is not distant and removed from us, but very much in us today.  Paul referred to this teaching as the "mystery among the Gentiles" {Colossians 1:27}.  We're all too often taught that Jesus, upon rising on that third morning, ascended into heaven to be seated next to the Father.  We accept this as true without also accepting the truth of Christ in us.  This is the disconnect in modern theology.  Are we to ignore the words and teachings of Paul in order to carry on ages old teachings?  I would say no.  Is it wrong to be rich?  Not at all.  Yet, what is the Father asking that you do with your wealth?  If we hold tight to the view that we and we alone are responsible for achieving our own success, then we've missed the entire point of who the Father is.  God is not one who created all that we see only to erase His fingerprints once man inhabited the earth.  No, God created all.  God is all in all.  

~Scott~ 

Greetings From Rome

 

Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?"  He answered him said, "It is as you say".  

Luke 23: 3 NKJV 

I remember watching the film The Passion of the Christ with a few church friends when it first was released some years ago.  honestly, my very first reaction to this film was one of shock and horror.  I had read scripture upon scripture of the persecutions of Jesus, but I had never seen with my own eyes what it must have been like back in the day.  The fact that I knew that Jesus was a innocent man carried no weight in His death on that cross.  Those that held His life in the balance haggled over His fate.  Now, knowing what I know now, I would have voted for Jesus to die on that cross as well.  Why?  Because Jesus took my sin upon Himself that I would be saved {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Of course, none of those who were presiding over the fate of Jesus that day even knew that He must die for others to live.  Jesus knew His fate.  He predicted it more than a few times to His own disciples.  Yet to see the punishment dealt upon Him was too much for me.  To see the pain and anguish He must have endured was painful to watch.  Yet, in a sense, I had been a front row participant in the death of Jesus on that cross.  The apostle Paul explains to us in Galatians that he himself had been "Crucified with Christ."  This was Paul's explanation of Christ living in him {Galatians 2:20}.  So, if Jesus in fact lives in me, was I not there with Him on that fateful day?  Wasn't I nailed to the cross right there beside Jesus?  Well, in a sense, yes.  For it was my former sin nature which was put to death beside Jesus on that cross.  Everything about me which said that I am but a sinner died that day with Jesus.  What remains is the new creation brought forth by Christ {2 Corinthians 5:17}.  The fact that a innocent Jesus had to die upon the cross has been lost over time.  Yes, Jesus was undeserving of the punishment He received.  However, this is the way it had to be.  The innocent lamb sacrificed for many.  The real story here is that through the love and mercy of the Father, Jesus took upon Himself the punishment meant for me.

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

At some point in the future I will be doing a page on how we hold on to those symbols of our beliefs.  However, for now I will suggest that it is not the cross which we Christians should be turning to in our search for knowing and understanding Jesus.  That cross was simply a prop used by the Romans to dish out their punishment upon those who went afoul of Roman law.  If Jesus had endured His punishment today, He may very well had been marched into a chamber where He would have been administered a lethal injection.  The method and form of His death has never been the issue.  What is at stake is our own understanding of why Jesus did what He did.  Why did Jesus suffer such a horrible punishment?  Well, He did it for me.  Not only for me, but for all mankind.  That's right, Jesus endured His punishment even for those who may not deserve it.  I find the words of Jesus as He died upon the cross to be prophetic.  "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do"{Luke 23:34}.  Here was Jesus, suffering on the cross, and yet He held mercy for those who were persecuting Him.  I believe that this is the true nature of Jesus.  Not one of judgement, but of love {1 John 4:8}.  It is not the cross which we should leading us to Christ, but what He has done for us.  

Upon the cross of Jesus, the Roman authorities placed a sign which read, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  This was not meant as much as a proclamation of what Jesus Himself had declared, but as a warning from the Roman rulers of the region that anyone who decided to challenge the authority of Rome would suffer the same fate as this Galilean carpenter.

And a inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Luke 23: 38 NKJV

~Scott~ 

Gods Playlist

Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Ephesians 5: 19 NKJV 

I pondered for awhile just what this mornings topic was going to be.  Then, the inspiration hit me after a email from a friend on the topic of Christian music.  Now, he and I have gone around and around on this topic more than once.  I'll admit that my own viewpoint on this issue is biased from the time I have spent in various mainstream churches.  Where you walk in each week to a playlist of selected hymns and songs which hopefully will engage the congregation in the topic of that mornings sermon.  Let's call this Gods playlist.  A good friend of mine made the comment more than a few years ago while in church that he would love to hear a few Christian hymns to the tune of a little classic rock music.  Of course, his idea was not taken seriously, but he had a point.  Is our praise and worship music supposed to be from a scripted list of songs, or are we allowed to sing praises to the Lord in whatever way moves our own hearts?  I believe that both praise and worship of God begin in the very same place, that is in the hearts of the believer.  I have a pretty good selection of old Promise Keepers music, which I play throughout my day.  A good friend said it right recently when he described the awesome sound of all of those men in stadiums across the nation singing praise to the Lord.  Never once when I attended one of those conferences did I hear the question, "Is this song appropriate according to scripture?"  No, we simply sang out what we were feeling in our hearts.  I am not a huge supporter of those who would deny a certain song simply because it does not represent a certain point of view.  Remember, the Nazi's burned books that represented views they disagreed with.  Have we come to the point where we ignore music because it doesn't fit a scriptural narrative?  I certainly hope not.  

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Hebrews 13: 15 NKJV 

One of my all time favorite Christian songs happens to be "He has made me glad" sung by the Promise Keepers Maranatha band.  Why is this?  Well, because it speaks to the truth of how I feel in the presence and worship of the Lord.  It makes me happy that Jesus would love me enough to take my sin upon Himself {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  It makes me happy that Jesus would deal a death blow to the sin which had burdened me for so long {Romans 6:6-11}.  Above all, it makes me happy that Jesus Himself lives in me today {Galatians 2:20}.  I am glad because I am all which Jesus is.  I am one with He and the Father.  So, why can't I sing about how happy this makes me?  Should I disavow this song since it does not represent a form of the teaching of the gospel of Jesus?  That is a dangerous road indeed.  As I've said, I believe that praise and worship for the Lord begins in the hearts of believers.  Lauren Daigle recently released another song which I love titled "You say."  This song speaks to me because it is affirmation of how God sees me in His eyes.  Of course, it does not conform to teaching a viewpoint of the scripture...so should we discount it?  If we were to ask the author of this song, I believe that she would say that she simply sang of what her heart was feeling in the moment.  Truly a good worship song. 

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 

John 4: 23 NKJV 

~Scott~