When Jesus taught and ministered on earth, He did not simply tell people about a sweet by-and-by, where we could go when we die. That is not the hope of Christianity. That is not the message of Jesus.
Sure, life after death and eternal happiness with God in heaven is part of the gospel message, but it is not the only part—or even the main part.
The central message of Jesus was that in Him, heaven and earth were now being joined together. He was the nexus between God and man. In Him, heaven and earth were being rejoined and remade into one new creation of God. His message and His miracles indicated that this new creation had begun, but when Jesus left this earth and ascended back into heaven, He left to the church the task of finishing what He inaugurated.
It is the church’s task to take the Kingdom of Heaven and bear it with boldness and bravery into the meanest places on planet earth, to bring light to the darkness, healing to the sick, hope to the hopeless, and freedom to the captives.
We are to spread heaven upon the earth. We must not run from sin, but run headlong towards it. This is what Jesus did. This is what the apostles did. And this is the only way to bring forgiveness, grace, and mercy to those who are in hell.
In his book, Bringing Heaven Down to Earth,
God’s message is never: Turn away from this sinful world and find me somewhere else. God message is always: Immerse yourself in this sinful world that so desperately needs words and acts of healing, and you will find you are not alone, for I am already there, summoning you to help me.
When we go to hell to rescue and deliver those who are there, we do not go alone, for Jesus is already there, working to spread His kingdom and rescue the perishing. It is where He rescued us, and now that we have been delivered, He is calling us to return with Him and rescue others.
Hallelujah! You’re hitting on all cylinders here. Obviously, you’re pushing my buttons with these last couple posts. These central ideas are what drive me toward a new perspective and force me to fight for that perspective.
What if we work hard to rescue all that we can so that men’s hearts can heal and become stronger. Let men’s hearts receive guidance from God when they are in a mode of gratitude instead of in a mode of desperation. It makes all the difference in the world because it alters the context in which we relate to God. Or…something like that and other stuff.
One thing I see a little differently, if I may? Good points, as always but I would add, Jesus said on the Cross, “It is finished.” Then he told his disciples that he had to ascend to send the Holy Spirit. Without the presence of Him, we are going to have our butts handed to us.
Recall the poor souls that reported all battered and torn (more than 1 instance.) One group told they were attempting to cast our the demons in the name of the Jesus Paul preaches about. They evidently lacked the personal relationship with Him. (Acts 19).
Another group was told about the need of prayer and fasting before tackling that particular demon.
Then again, Jesus made it perfectly clear not to waste precious time on the reprobate. He told his disciples to travel in pairs. That is important: 1 will chase a thousand, two will chase 10,000. Also it is more likely an individual will more likely be pulled down before they ever lift anyone up when working on their own devices/strengths. This is almost a mandate for those in recovery doing 12-step work, you go out in two’s, at least.
And check if you’re fully prepared by having on ALL the armour of God. Those little fiery darts alone can add up and take their toll over time.
Then He made it perfectly clear, go into the village, preach the Gospel. If they refused to take them in or accept the message, they were to leave and knock the dust off of their sandals from that place so they didn’t carry the contamination with them to their next stop. Know when to say when and let it go. (Mt, Mark, Luke, Acts).
Good points. Sometimes we do need to move on other areas of ministry. Thanks for graciously pointing this out!