3 Common Misconceptions About Heaven
Posted on January 10, 2014 3 Comments
What happens after we die? It’s one of the most gripping questions that human beings have wrestled with since the beginning of time. Thankfully, we are not left in the dark on such an important issue. The Bible gives us the answers.
However, much of what people think about the afterlife – in particular, about heaven and hell – is misinformed. This post will deal with three common misconceptions about heaven, and I will publish a follow-up post covering three misconceptions about hell.
For now, here are some common misconceptions about heaven.
Misconception #1 – Most people go to heaven when they die
It is common for people to speak of those who have died as having gone “to a better place”. We also often declare for them “RIP” (rest in peace). Yet, do we know for sure that they have gone to a better place? Do we know that they are resting peacefully?
We tend to believe that the vast majority of people go to heaven, or some state of bliss, after they die. But is that true? The Bible teaches that some people do indeed go to heaven when they die, and praise God for that! But it also indicates that the percentage of people who do so may not be as high a number as we hope. Consider, for instance, the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14…
[13] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Jesus plainly states that the path to destruction (hell) is “wide” and “easy” and that “many” find it. In contrast, the path to life (heaven) is “narrow” and “hard”, and only a “few” will find it.
These words should be concerning. Not nearly as many people as we’d like to think went to heaven are actually there. It’s not easy to think about, but it is the truth.
There is only one “gate” to heaven. The gate is Jesus himself. He states in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” The teaching of the Bible is that only those who trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins will enter into heaven when they die. Sin is what disqualifies us all from heaven. And since we cannot remove or repay our own sins (Ephesians 2:8-9), we must have a Saviour do the work for us. That is what Jesus accomplished on the cross. He died to pay the penalty for our sin, so that if we place our trust in him our sins have been paid for and we can live in paradise forever. This is good news!
Heaven is not our default destination. We must be saved from hell by Jesus. Anyone who is not a believer in Jesus as their Saviour is not on the path towards heaven. If that is you, please trust what Jesus has done for you!
Misconception #2 – Heaven is “out there somewhere”
Heaven is most definitely a physical place. It is not a state of mind, or some ethereal experience with a foggy feel to it. Jesus clearly says “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). So where is this place located?
We tend to think of heaven as existing somewhere beyond the sky, out in the universe. To some measure this is true. In the Bible, when people see visions of heaven, they always seem to be looking up into the sky (Acts 7:55, Revelation 19:11). But this is not how heaven will exist for all of eternity. In fact, the Bible teaches that the final state of heaven is joined with the earth.
Sound weird? Read it for yourself! Revelation 21:1-4 says…
[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Notice that both heaven and earth are re-created. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, described how heaven and earth will be consumed with fire at the end of time, only to be re-created. The book of 2 Peter 3:10-13 states…
[10] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. [11] Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, [12] waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! [13] But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
All of this is to say that, even though heaven is currently in an unknown place somewhere in the universe, it will not remain that way. When the end of time comes, God destroys heaven and earth as we know it and joins the two together. It is a dramatic image of God living among his people. So, even though heaven is currently separated from earth, it will one day be brought back together, as it was intended to be.
Misconception #3 – Heaven is boring
Christian art has done a lot to erode the excitement of heaven. The typical imagery is fat, baby-looking people floating around in diapers and playing harps…hardly what I’d like to be doing for the rest of eternity! If Christians are going to spend eternity in heaven, what exactly will we be doing? After all, if we will be there forever, hopefully there’s something interesting going on!
The Bible describes what heaven will be like in two ways. The first way is what the garden of Eden was like before sin entered into creation (Genesis 1-2). The second way is what the new heavens and earth are described as being like at the end of time. If we pull together insights from these descriptions, heaven will be something like this:
- There will be no crying, death, mourning, or pain (Revelation 21:4).
- We will recognize and know one another (1 Corinthians 13:12).
- It will be brand new (Revelation 21:5).
- It will be a place of beauty and opulence, with streets of gold and buildings of jewels (Revelation 21:15-21).
- There will be no night, and the light of the glory of Jesus will replace the sun (Revelation 21:23 and 22:5).
- We will see Jesus face to face (1 John 3:2).
- There will be no sin or sinners there (Revelation 21:27).
- There will be no sickness (Revelation 22:2).
- There will be pure water and delicious food to enjoy (Revelation 22:1-2).
- We will worship Jesus (Revelation 22:3).
- Every blessing is free (Revelation 22:12).
- It will be a place of pure joy and pleasure (Psalm 16:11).
- Children will be playing in the streets (Zechariah 8:5).
- The lion and lamb will lie down together (Isaiah 11:6-9).
- We will be perfectly healthy and full of energy, like a leaping calf (Malachi 4:2, Isaiah 35:5-6).
- We will have resurrected, perfected bodies like the one Jesus rose with (1 Corinthians 15:35-55).
- There will be a great feast of celebration (Revelation 19:6-10) where God will sing over his people (Zephaniah 3:17).
- Everyone will have God-appointed tasks to do that will be enjoyable and not burdensome, including care of the earth, building things, and preparing food and drink (Genesis 2:15, Isaiah 65:21-22, Revelation 21:24).
- It will be even better than anything we could ever imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Some people worry they won’t get to enjoy their favourite hobbies in heaven. Though I can’t say for sure, it seems likely to me that there will still be fashion, song writing, sports, and maybe even technology in heaven.
In other words, imagine the best day ever, times a million, every day for the rest of your eternal life. Sounds pretty sweet!
Please make sure that know you will get to enjoy heaven and be with Jesus forever by putting your faith in him today!
Hit the “Backspace” Button
Posted on January 6, 2014 1 Comment
There is great power in our words. What we say can make a great difference in the lives of others – for good or for bad. In fact, one of the most discussed subjects in the Bible is how people use their words. Consider just a few samples:
- Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. (Proverbs 18:21)
- There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18)
- I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak… (Matthew 12:36)
- Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. (Proverbs 21:23)
- Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 29:20)
- Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. (Proverbs 17:27)
The list could go on and on. The point is that how we use our words matters. They are powerful agents that we need to use wisely.
Yet, in our modern age, technology has made it even more difficult to speak in ways that honour God. For one, there are so many outlets to speak through (texting, email, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, blogs etc) that we tend to open our proverbial mouths more often than we should. Second, we can respond instantly to conversations via technology…not always a good thing, as our emotion often gets the better of us.
All of this to say, here is one modern-day application of Biblical wisdom: use the backspace button. Don’t send that accusing text. Don’t post that sarcastic comment. Don’t tweet what you are thinking and feeling right now. Instead, use the backspace button and un-type what you’ve typed. Give it some time, some thought, and some prayer.
I think if we listened to the classic advice to “think before you speak”, we would probably end up saying half of what we do. And that’s not a bad thing.
4 Practical Tips for Better Sermon Deliveries
Posted on January 2, 2014 Leave a Comment
Many people know that communication is partly non-verbal; a person’s mannerisms, facial expressions, and body language can covey a message just as clearly (sometimes more so) than the actual words they are speaking. While preaching cannot be compared in all respects to public speaking, it is still a form of it, and we preachers would do well to learn from those who are good communicators, wether they be within the secular world or not.
In this post I am not dealing with the backbone of good preaching: biblical faithfulness, doctrinal accuracy, leading from the Holy Spirit, a good outline etc. Here I am assuming that these main pieces are already in place. Instead, I’d like to offer 4 practical tips for better sermon deliveries that serve more as added flavour, not the main course.
1. Be comfortable. A good sermon can be ruined by a preacher who is preoccupied by unnecessary distractions. Take steps ahead of time to ensure you will be as comfortable as possible while preaching. Some ideas include wearing clothes that are comfortable (not itchy, no annoying tags, no shoes that hurt to stand in etc.), testing the mic ahead of time (especially making sure a headset mic fits properly), having room-temperature water handy (cold water constricts vocal chords), going on the platform ahead of time (to get a feel for lighting, walking room etc.), going to the washroom ahead of time, and anything else you can think of.
2. Find your style. Some preachers use manuscripts, while others use minimal notes. Some preachers like to “work the stage”, while others prefer to stand behind a pulpit. Some preachers are naturally funny, others not as much. Some use a paper Bible, others a tablet or iPad. There is all kinds of variety. Please don’t try to copy your favourite preachers! Instead, discover what works best for you and do that. It takes some tinkering and practice to figure it out.
3. Preach like a TV show. Ok, this one sounds a bit weird, but hear me out. A TV show usually has about 7 minutes worth of show followed by a brief commercial break. This is because TV people have learned that about 7 minutes is what the average person’s attention span is. So, they break up the content. Sermons should work the same way. Figure out ways to reset your audiences attentions span every 7 minutes or so. Phrases that do this well are:
- “This makes me think of a story…”
- “I learned this for myself when…”
- “If you could imagine for just a moment…”
- “Now, at this point you might be thinking to yourself…”
- “Let me take you back to the setting this takes place in…”
- “A good illustration of this is…”
Statements like these naturally perk people’s attention because they break the flow of a sermon. It acts much like a reset button.
4. Use word pictures. The Bible is jam-packed with analogies, metaphors, and illustrations. It is part of what makes the Bible so interesting and, many times, easy to understand. For example:
- Jesus teaches using parables (stories) and object lessons (ex. “a good tree bears good fruit”)
- God is described using understandable titles (King, Father, Judge, Counsellor etc.)
- Truths are taught with images (ex. the Church is like a body, discipleship is like walking a straight path, God’s Word is like a lamp that lights our way)
A good preacher makes use of the Bibles word-pictures in his sermon. It helps truth take on new forms and stick in people’s minds. This can be achieved through illustrations, object lessons, storytelling, or simply spinning a visual phrase (ex. “those who receive Christ are flooded with grace”).
There are, no doubt, a hundred other good tips that could be shared here. Hopefully this is a helpful addition to that list. What others might you add?
Happy preaching!
10 New Year’s Resolutions for Teen Guys
Posted on December 30, 2013 1 Comment
With New Year’s Day just around the corner, here are a few resolutions for teen guys to consider making.
- I will stop playing video games / surfing the internet until the wee hours of the night…then skipping school or church the next day because I’m “sick”.
- I will commit to reading my Bible (even if it’s just one verse) every day – or at least trying to.
- I will voluntarily put accountability software on my laptop and mobile devices, and have someone other than my friends oversee it.
- I will start to pray for the conversion of at least one person specifically by name, and consider how I can take action about it too.
- I will not have a girlfriend, unless I am stable in my walk with Jesus and an older, godly mentor – whose opinion I respect – thinks it is a good idea.
- I will speak respectfully to and of my parents.
- I will stay out of stupid drama among friends.
- I will use social media less, knowing that “When words are many, sin is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” (Proverbs 10:19)
- I will get a job and be the best employee I can be.
- I will get my drivers license and use that privilege wisely.
Jesus Brings People Together
Posted on December 29, 2013 Leave a Comment
Isn’t it weird how, when something is on your mind a lot, the topic seems to come up more than usual? Maybe it’s just that we are more aware of it; I’m not really sure why it seems to happen that way. But it has been happening to me quite a bit recently.
The thing that has been on my mind lately is how Jesus brings people together. For just one example, look at the 12 disciples. This was a group of men who had no reason to be together. They all came from such diverse backgrounds. Among them were fishermen, a tax collector, and a zealot. Some of these men were young and some were old. They had little in common…except, they were followers of Jesus. That is what brought them together.
Just this morning I preached on a text from Philippians 1:27-2:11. The dominant theme in these verses is church unity that comes through humility. Paul knows that there is some division and quarrelling in the Philippian church (see Phil. 4:2), and his prescription is unity (2:3-4) that comes from humility (2:5-11). When people make Jesus King, all of our differences can be put aside and we can be brought together in Christ. I love that.
With thoughts like these floating around in my mind, I spent some time this afternoon reading a copy of Just As I Am, the autobiography of Billy Graham. This book has been a very interesting read so far. It’s a beast of a book (over 700 pages), and I have no clue how Billy could have remembered so many details and stories about his life without having a personal scribe follow him around, but there was a story in the section I read today that was pretty cool.
It is 1952, and Billy is visiting Korea in the middle of World War 2. Among a dozen very interesting stories, he recounts one that really stood out to me:
One highlight was preaching to 2,500 a night in the unheated but huge and beautiful Young Nak Presbyterian Church in Seoul, pastored by Han Kyung Chik. Many GI’s got special leave to come from the front lines. I can never forget the sight of American soldiers alongside Koreans at the front of the church, responding to the Invitation. Korean pastors would grip my hand in their humble, gracious way and in tears thank us for coming to encourage them. (pg. 197)
How amazing is that? American soldiers sitting next to civilians of the enemy in church, both people groups responding to the invitation to make Christ their Saviour. I can’t think of a more hostile environment where people should have division between them. Yet Jesus shows just how transcendent he really is by bringing these two groups together.
If Jesus is the Lord my life, then I should be able to set aside any difference with another person who also has Jesus as their Lord. Sure, there will be disputes and disagreements. But in the end, Jesus is the King of the Universe, and anyone who follows him lives life under his banner. Even being enemies in a world war is considered secondary to being fellow citizens of God’s Kingdom. Allegiance to Christ comes before allegiance to country. Truly astounding when you think about it.
Thinking of Home Like a Foreign Mission Field
Posted on December 27, 2013 Leave a Comment
In North America, we are fond of sending missionaries overseas. Nothing gets a church fired up like sending people on short or long-term mission trips. But anyone who has participated in cross-cultural missions knows that it is not easy. There is a lot of preparation that makes missionary work successful. Learning a new language, studying the culture, knowing what the social norms are, and understanding the context is all important stuff. And even then, I’m assuming that one already has a rooted relationship with Christ and an ability to articulate the gospel clearly!
One of the influential texts on cross cultural mission work is 1 Corinthians 9:19-22, which says
[19] For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. [20] To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. [21] To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. [22] To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
The principle here is that Paul immersed himself in a different cultural context in order to win that people group to Christ. So, when he was among Jews, he adhered to Jewish customs. When he was with Gentiles, he did not adhere to Jewish customs, but went along with Gentile customs. And so on it goes. He was, in one sense, like a chameleon, adapting himself to fit his environment. This was not compromise on his part. It was strategy. Paul was trying to remove as many cultural barriers as he could so that the people he was trying to reach could grapple with the gospel. If Paul had not done this, people would have been arguing with him over secondary stuff, like language and clothing and traditions, rather than with the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
Cross cultural mission work uses the same idea. We learn a culture so that when we enter into it, we can adapt to it and become one of the people. This, ideally, means our message is more readily accepted because it is not coming from someone who seems nearly as “outside”. It feels more like the message is coming from someone within our context who understands the situation at hand.
Jesus is the ultimate cross cultural missionary. Jesus left his throne in heaven and came to the culture of earth. He took on human flesh, spoke the common language, dressed the common dress, and lived among the people as one of their own. The incarnation is the greatest act of cross cultural missions work ever acted out. In that sense, Jesus is the ultimate missionary and the example we should follow.
Now, all of this has led me to grapple with a question. If we are so supportive of this mindset in cross cultural missions, shouldn’t we adopt the same mindset in local missions work? Or, to put it another way, what would a foreign missionary do if they were entering into the North American context?
I wonder these questions because of how much the North American church gets slammed by Christians. Negative talk of celebrity pastors, book deals, flashy programming, fancy lights, multi-million dollar buildings, and stuff of that nature abounds frequently. There is definitely a sense in which I can resonate with those feelings. Christianity has become too commercialized in my opinion. Yet, at the same time, is it possible for the church in North America to adapt into the North American culture without compromising it’s values? Can Christianity morph into the secular culture and still be a pillar of truth? We seem to think that we can do that in other cultures. Why not here?
I am not sure there are easy answers to these questions. I think it is a useful exercise to ponder what a missionary from (for instance) Africa or Europe might do if he planned on coming to North America to start a church and spread the gospel. Would his church end up looking a whole lot like the ones that already exist?
It could be argued that the modernization of many churches is exactly that: the adapting to culture in oder to save as many people as possible. More traditional churches would call it compromise. There is, no doubt, a sense in which some churches have compromised. But my thinking tends to believe that adapting the methods while retaining the message is a biblical concept. So I am in no way saying that churches should adapt their message to culture, but merely their methods.
I think it would be worthwhile for those of us serving in the North American context to consider what we would do if we had just arrived here on a boat or plane. What speaks to people in North America? What do they value? How is community formed? What systems drive how the culture operates? How are leaders chosen and recognized? These kinds of questions, and more, might help us to create churches that continue to be effective in our quest, like Paul, to become all things to all people, that by all means we might save some.
Mark Driscoll and Pastoral Plagiarism
Posted on December 4, 2013 Leave a Comment
Jeremiah 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another.
Mark Driscoll is making controversial headlines…again. This time, the accusations against the Seattle-area pastor are new: charges of plagiarism. There are a number of news articles covering the story as it unfolds, but in case you haven’t heard about it, you can read one piece here.
My point in this post is not to attack or defend Driscoll. Truth be told, not enough of this story has unraveled to make a clear judgment either way. While the evidence for his plagiarism seems pretty clear, it is interesting to me that Tyndale, the publishers of the book, have thus far stated that their investigation has found that Driscoll has cited his sources to industry standards. The authors that Driscoll is said to have plagiarized have yet to make any definitive public statements, either, so there will be more to this story in the coming weeks. (It doesn’t help that Driscoll has stated before that pastors who steal intellectual property should quit their jobs.)
Instead of looking at Driscoll and passing quick judgment, I take this as an opportunity to look at someone else: me. I need to be far more concerned with the guy in the mirror than with a celebrity pastor I don’t even know. So here is the question I ask myself: how would my teaching ministry stand up to charges of plagiarism?
This is a tough question to answer. Like many pastors, I read a look of books, blogs, and sermon transcripts. I also listen to a lot of online sermons, interviews, and podcasts. My theology and therefore, my teaching ministry, has been hugely influenced by people I have read and listened to. There is no doubt in my mind that the teaching of other Godly men has intensely shaped my understanding of Scripture and even my proclamation of it.
I struggle a bit to define plagiarism in terms of biblical teaching. After all, if I believe there is only one correct interpretation of a given passage (which I do), is it wrong of me to learn it from other men and then teach it to others without giving credit? Do I only need to cite other teachers when I quote them word for word? Or should basic concepts be cited too? And what about a good sermon illustration? I am not sure I have good answers to these questions, but they are worth pondering.
I remember hearing Matt Chandler one time talk about how common it is for pastors to steal sermons from other pastors (I think he was quoting from someone else, perhaps Eugene Peterson?). The “joke” was that there should be a class in Bible college called “creative plagiarism” where pastors steal sermons from each other but tweak the language enough to obscure the original source. I have to confess that I have done similar things in my own teaching ministry. There has definitely been times when I was encouraged or enlightened by a particular sermon or book that inspired teaching of my own. I would like to think that in such cases I was doing so from a heart that was excited about truth and sincerely desired to share it with others. However, I am not convinced in my own memory that I have done this in a way that honours those who were the original sources.
It doesn’t help matters that I am a small-town pastor in youth ministry. If there was ever a situation where I could get away with stealing teaching content, this would be it. As a youth pastor, most of my teaching isn’t recorded for others to listen to later. I have no published books. Not to mention that I teach a young audience that is generally not very aware of the teaching ministries of others. In addition, I’m not in the celebrity spotlight where I’m expected to come up with world-class sermons on a weekly basis. I do not envy popular Bible teachers whose teaching is under such a great microscope by so many people.
Yet, I certainly should not use this as an excuse to be lazy in my study of the Word or teaching preparation, and certainly not in plagiarizing other people’s content. My guess is that a lot of the people who are reacting so strongly to Driscoll’s allegations are themselves guilty of the same thing. I know it’s a good opportunity for me, as a young pastor, to commit myself to the highest integrity in my teaching ministry from here on out. In this blog post, I am making such a declaration.
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
I would challenge my fellow brothers in the ministry to make a similar commitment, if they have not done so already. Think of this as a moment of God’s grace, bringing to light an important issue that probably many of us have been slack on. Rather than setting the bar low, let’s set the bar high when it comes to giving credit where it is due. And let’s not be lazy in our teaching prep, choosing to cut corners and adapt from others rather than studying the Scriptures ourselves. Iron should sharpen iron, but let’s err on the side of caution when it comes to crediting others for their work. In so doing, we will be more prepared to face our Judge as workers who have no need to be ashamed.
Die With Your Boots On
Posted on November 23, 2013 Leave a Comment
I spent some time over the last few days watching some of the videos from the R13 Conference that recently took place. R13 is put on by The Resurgence, which is the largest Christian leadership training blog in the world. They have some awesome stuff going on over there. If you haven’t checked them out before, you can visit their website at theresurgence.com
As I was watching some of the main sessions and interviews, there was one line that has really stuck with me. It was when Mark Driscoll and Crawford Loritts spoke of “dying with your boots on”. By this they meant that they had every intention of fulfilling their calling as pastors and preachers right up until the day the Lord took them home. Just like a soldier at war, they would die with their boots on.
I don’t necessarily think that someone who is called into pastoral ministry can never retire from pastoral ministry in a career sense. For some it probably is the right call. But the idea that you never retire from ministry is extremely significant for me. It completely flies in the face of what Western culture values.
Most people try to put forth as little effort as they need to, for as short a time as they need to, so that they can maximize their leisure time. This primarily shows up in the form of retirements that are packed with never-ending vacations, non-stop golfing, sun-tanning, or whatever your version of relaxation is. That stuff is great and all, but it’s not the goal to shoot for in life. Rest and relaxation is meant to re-energize us to do stuff. We were created by God to be productive people for his Kingdom.
I greatly admire older saints who still serve. Our church has a number of older people who have been Christians for decades and spent their lives serving the local church – yet there they are, first ones to arrive, last ones out the door, doing whatever their creaky joints will let them get away with (and then some).
You can retire from whatever career you may be in, but don’t forget that you never retire from following Jesus. You never retire from the great commission. You never retire from serving, generosity, forgiving, loving, and evangelizing. Being a believer in Jesus means every second of your life counts and is to be used for God’s glory. There are no days off, no vacations, no retirements. It’s not the time to kick your boots off and put your feet up. We’re still at war.
I don’t know where you are at in life. But wether you are young or old, close to retirement or years away, always remember that you are called to die with your boots on.
2 Timothy 2:4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
Canadian Bible Guy 