January 7, 2018

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God upon the throne, and from the Lamb.” And now all the angels were crowding around the throne and around the Elders and the four Living Beings, and falling face down before the throne and worshiping God. “Amen!” they said. “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God forever and forever. Amen!” Then one of the twenty-four Elders asked me, “Do you know who these are, who are clothed in white, and where they come from?” “No, sir,” I replied. “Please tell me.”“These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation,” he said; “they washed their robes and whitened them by the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are here before the throne of God, serving him day and night in his temple. The one sitting on the throne will shelter them;  they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb standing in front of the throne will feed them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water of Life. And God will wipe their tears away.” Revelation 7:9-17

I have occasionally asked, "What on earth are you doing for Heaven's sake?"

An appropriate response to that question might be, "What SHOULD we be doing on earth for Heaven's sake?"

That is precisely the question that is answered in the verses above and all this week I have been unpacking the five activities happening in Heaven that should be happening on earth.

First, there is a diverse population in Heaven so we should be opposing racism and prejudice on earth.

Second, there is dynamic worship in Heaven so we should learn to worship well here.

Third, there will be delivery from suffering in heaven so we should be praying and working to relieve suffering.

Fourth, there will duties in heave so we should be serving in church and in the world.

Fifth, Heaven is the end of famine and fear, so we should be meeting physical and spiritual needs.

I once heard a successful man explain the "secret" to the financial fortune he had amassed through his business empire. "It is simple," he answered. "I just found a need and met it."

That is what God calls His people (us) to do in our communities and around the world. There are many needs all around us and God has unlimited supply to meet those needs. But the question is how does His supply get matched up with the needs?

The answer is through you and through me! We are the pipeline or conduit through which He is able to supply needs.

In Heaven there will be no needs! But until that day God is looking for people of faith who will see the needs around them and trust God to meet those needs through him!

Perhaps it is a fresh water well drilled in an arid country.

Maybe it is medicine to prevent malaria or dysentery.

It could be the gift of a dairy cow to provide milk, butter and cheese for a family in need.

Perhaps it is bags of rice that will feed a family for a week.

Teaching a man how to farm his land and produce a crop that will provide a nice income for his family.

Jesus once said, "Look all around you!"

You won't have to look far to find a real need you can meet. And when you do that you are practicing for Heaven! When you do that His Kingdom comes to earth!

January 6, 2018

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands.  And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God upon the throne, and from the Lamb.” And now all the angels were crowding around the throne and around the Elders and the four Living Beings, and falling face down before the throne and worshiping God. “Amen!” they said. “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God forever and forever. Amen!”  Then one of the twenty-four Elders asked me, “Do you know who these are, who are clothed in white, and where they come from?”  “No, sir,” I replied. “Please tell me.”“These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation,” he said; “they washed their robes and whitened them by the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are here before the throne of God, serving him day and night in his temple. The one sitting on the throne will shelter them; they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb standing in front of the throne will feed them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water of Life. And God will wipe their tears away." Revelation 7:9-17

If you wanted to take Jesus seriously and strive to help His kingdom come and His will to be done what would that look like?

To answer that question you would need to know what is done in Heaven and needs to be done on earth.

From the Scripture text above I have identified three heavenly activities and today I will highlight a fourth.

• There will be a diverse population in Heaven so we must oppose racism and prejudice on earth.
• There will be dynamic worship in Heaven so we must learn to worship well on earth.
• There will be delivery from suffering in Heaven so we must pray and work to relieve suffering.

The fourth heavenly activity is there will be duties in Heaven. So, let's serve Jesus in the church and in the world.

Some are possessed of the notion that work was a result of the curse. I would remind them that one of the first things God did for Adam in Eden was to assign him the job of tending the Garden and all that was contained therein. Even prior to that, God had Adam name the animals and maybe even some of the plants. Who can know for sure?

But the point is God instituted work into the human experience as a part of His perfect original plan. So work is good! Work is holy! Work is worship! Work is a witness!

Rest assured that you won't be sitting idle for eternity lounging in leisure or burdened by boredom. You will be working - serving God and serving others in meaningful and fulfilling ways!

Work is a blessing not a curse. Especially when your work is a function of what you were created and gifted to do! As perfect and wonderful as Heaven will be, the duties you and I are assigned will add to the total experience of this eternal paradise!

So, if you will be serving eternally in Heaven what are you doing to serve today? Have you volunteered in your church? Are you volunteering in your town or around your community?

According to the Word of God you will have duties assigned to you in Heaven. How do you think you can get away with not serving dutifully in your local church and in your community?

Don't just sit there! I'm sure there is something you should be doing!

Where did you serve in your church last Sunday?

What have you volunteered to do in your church tomorrow?

On Earth As It Is In Heaven...

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God upon the throne, and from the Lamb.” And now all the angels were crowding around the throne and around the Elders and the four Living Beings, and falling face down before the throne and worshiping God. “Amen!” they said. “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God forever and forever. Amen!” Then one of the twenty-four Elders asked me, “Do you know who these are, who are clothed in white, and where they come from?” “No, sir,” I replied. “Please tell me.”“These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation,” he said; “they washed their robes and whitened them by the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are here before the throne of God, serving him day and night in his temple. The one sitting on the throne will shelter them; they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb standing in front of the throne will feed them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water of Life. And God will wipe their tears away.” Revelation 7:9-17

Jesus certainly gives us a clue in the pattern for prayer He left His followers, "...your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

Could it be more clear?

Jesus want us to be doing on earth the things that will be (and probably are) done in Heaven.

For that to happen you must know what is going on in Heaven!

That's what these verses reveal to us!

There will be a diverse population in Heaven so we should be opposing racism and prejudice here on earth!

There will be dynamic worship is Heaven so we should be learning to worship better here on earth!

And, thirdly, there will be delivery from suffering!

See verses 13-15, "Then one of the twenty-four Elders asked me, “Do you know who these are, who are clothed in white, and where they come from?” “No, sir,” I replied. “Please tell me.”“These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation,” he said; “they washed their robes and whitened them by the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are here before the throne of God, serving him day and night in his temple. The one sitting on the throne will shelter them; they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat."

One of the things most people DO know about Heaven is there is nor ever will be any suffering, pain or tears!

Won't that be Heavenly?!

So, if Heaven is free from suffering and pain shouldn't those of us on earth get involved in relieving some of the suffering we see in our community?

There is certainly no shortage of suffering around us! If the people of God don't respond to the needs who will?

Heavenly action point number three is - Let's pray and work to relieve suffering.

What greater tool is there to work against suffering than the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Gospel means good news and the good news is that it can transform a human heart and mind! Nothing else can!

But the reality in a broken world is that people who need the gospel are often so burdened with physical hunger or illness that they aren't receptive to the Gospel story. So the challenge of Gospel believing churches is to discover the most effective ways to meet felt needs in order to open a door for the Gospel.

Make no mistake! The church, our church, is about saving souls! There is only short-term value in feeding a hungry person or healing a sick person but not presenting a clear and compelling Gospel message!

That is why FredWes collects food for SECA! That is why we do dinners at a homeless center or a motel. That is why we send missionaries and go on mission trips. It is why we raise money to drill fresh water wells in Africa. It is not to make ourselves look better or feel better but it is about creating opportunities to share the Gospel!

So, to help God's kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven we must work and pray to relieve suffering.

And ultimately, if we do our job well, we will not only relieve their suffering but help them one day go to an eternity free from suffering, tears or pain!

January 4, 2018

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God upon the throne, and from the Lamb.” And now all the angels were crowding around the throne and around the Elders and the four Living Beings, and falling face down before the throne and worshiping God. “Amen!” they said. “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God forever and forever. Amen!” Then one of the twenty-four Elders asked me, “Do you know who these are, who are clothed in white, and where they come from?”“No, sir,” I replied. “Please tell me.”“These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation,” he said; “they washed their robes and whitened them by the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are here before the throne of God, serving him day and night in his temple. The one sitting on the throne will shelter them; they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb standing in front of the throne will feed them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water of Life. And God will wipe their tears away.” Revelation 7:9-17

If you are going to spend the VAST majority of your life in Heaven, wouldn't it be a good idea to begin doing on Earth what you will be doing in Heaven?

Why not get a head start on Heaven?

I am highlighting five activities of Heaven that Jesus wants us to do in this stage of our life.

In yesterday's post we learned that there will be a diverse population in heaven, according to verse 9!

Today we learn from this portion of Scripture that there will be dynamic worship in Heaven!

"And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God upon the throne, and from the Lamb.” And now all the angels were crowding around the throne and around the Elders and the four Living Beings, and falling face down before the throne and worshiping God. “Amen!” they said. “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God forever and forever. Amen!” Vv. 10-12

So, heavenly action number two is - LET'S LEARN TO WORSHIP WELL!

Worship music and worship style has been a sadly divisive and disruptive issue in American churches for decades. That is incredibly unfortunate.

If we are planning to spend an eternity in Heaven and if worship will be a central activity of Heaven shouldn't we get busy learning how to worship well now?

Let's see what we can learn from Heaven that might help us on earth.

In Heaven worship is centered on the Savior!

What would happen to your personal worship if you intentionally focused more on the Savior?

What would happen to the worship at your church if it was focused on the Savior more than style or performance?

In Heaven worship is centered on salvation!

When the Savior means more to you then salvation will mean more to you! The same is true of your church!

Worship is a salvation celebration in Heaven. Salvation is how you get to Heaven so no wonder there is so much excitement over salvation!

In Heaven angels will be our worship team!

At FredWes we are blessed with a real good worship team but in Heaven we will have angels leading us and joining us in worship!

In Heaven we will also sing songs of praise and glory to God!

Our earthly worship can never measure up to that in Heaven, but while we are here let's learn to worship better! Let's sing songs to the Savior and songs about salvation and song of praise and glory to God!

January 3, 2018

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God upon the throne, and from the Lamb.” And now all the angels were crowding around the throne and around the Elders and the four Living Beings, and falling face down before the throne and worshiping God. “Amen!” they said. “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God forever and forever. Amen!” Then one of the twenty-four Elders asked me, “Do you know who these are, who are clothed in white, and where they come from?” “No, sir,” I replied. “Please tell me.”“These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation,” he said; “they washed their robes and whitened them by the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are here before the throne of God, serving him day and night in his temple. The one sitting on the throne will shelter them; they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb standing in front of the throne will feed them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water of Life. And God will wipe their tears away.” Revelation 7:9-17

The Book of the Revelation was written by the Apostle John to record a supernatural spiritual vision of Heaven and end times given to John while he was exiled to the remote Island of Patmos. 

Can you imagine how difficult it would have been to describe the incredible sights he saw in Heaven with the limited vocabulary of first century languages?

Early in John's vision was a series of seven messages delivered to the pastors of seven churches in the Middle East. These sober and prophetic messages bore wise principles that apply to the 21st Century Church as well!

Only a divinely inspired prophetic message from God could have the wisdom and power to guide the young Church of Jesus Christ for 20 centuries!

In addition to the timely message of God directed to each of the Pastors of each of the seven churches are majestic views of Heaven, our eternity and best of all Jesus!

So, one could say that among the Books of the New Testament, God saved the best for last!

From this portion of the Revelation found in the 7th chapter referenced above I will draw five activities happening in Heaven that need to be practiced on planet Earth.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Your Kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven..." So, what Heavenly activities need to come to Earth?

I will share the first one today. According to verse 9 there will be a diverse population in Heaven, "After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb..."

Since Heaven will be a very diverse place with races and tribes from all over the Earth, shouldn't we be opposing racism and prejudice in this world?

What are you doing to fight those evils?

What should you do?

• Follow the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and judge people by the content of their character not the color of their skin!

Look into peoples hearts don't judge them by looking upon their skin color. Are you doing that?

• Learn to see individuals not groups!

It's harder to hate an individual person than a group of people. Especially as you take the time to get to know the person rather than prejudge or generalize a group.

Do you see groups or do you see each individual person?

• Intentionally diversify your own circle of friends!

What are you doing to make friends of people from other races or backgrounds?

• Let's see how many races and tribes we can reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

As the children's song says, "Red and yellow black and white they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world."

If God loves all people of all races from every tribe and if Jesus died on the cross to save them from their sins, shouldn't His Church and His people be busy trying to reach as many with the Gospel of Salvation to all of them? To each of them?

So, Jesus says we should be doing on Earth what is being done in Heaven! That means you and I must know what is going on in Heaven so we can prepare ourselves and others for Heaven!

And, if you are planning to spend eternity in Heaven shouldn't you be practicing one earth what you will be doing in Heaven?

January 2, 2018

".....your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

As with much of Jesus' teachings simple statements have profound implications!

If you have any questions of how God wants you to live in 2018, do what is done in heaven!

In order to know how to do that you really need to be familiar with what is going on in heaven!

Right?

Heaven isn't just something that happens when you die. By the way, do you know for sure that if you were to die today you would awake in Heaven? You need to know that and you can know that!

You have probably heard the expression, "Don't be so Heavenly minded you are of no earthly good."

Jesus would paraphrase that to, "Be so Heavenly minded that you can do more earthly good!"

As a follower of Christ, He expects you to live your life in order to bring the holiness of Heaven to your corner of the world!

If you are going to commit your life to bringing His Kingdom of Heaven to earth shouldn't you be very clear on the Heavenly activities you need to commit to?

Also, doesn't it make sense that if you plan to spend eternity in Heaven shouldn't be practicing the things you will be doing there?

In my next few posts and in my message on Sunday I will identify exactly what Jesus refers to when He says, "Your Kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!"

Interested?

January 1, 2018

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 1

There is a significant reoccurring phrase in Chapter 1 of Genesis. Can you find it?

You are right! It is, "And God said......"!

Actually, anything God says is significant, because of Who says it AND because of WHAT HAPPENS when He speaks!

In this dramatic account of the creation of the universe whenever God says, "Let there be...." - there was! God spoke and His words created! Whatever God commanded became a reality. And everything that happened as a result of His words were perfect!

It figures that perfect words from the mind and the mouth of a perfect God would result in the creation of perfection. Everything He spoke appeared and He pronounced it, "Good"!

The lesson for us, other than awe over the power over of our God, is that everything in the universe obeys God - except people. And everything that obeys Him becomes perfect - even people. His creation was perfect until one person refused to obey God. And it is Adam's disobedience that has ruined the perfect creation and sent the world into chaos.

What would it take to restore order? Is there a way for God's perfect will to be reestablished in His creation?

If there was any hope of it happening it would have to happen through perfect obedience. Perfect obedience by someone like --- Jesus.

Want to add a little perfection to your 2018? 

Want to be used by God to create a better world? 

Try a little obedience - or a lot of it!