Time is running out... what then?

⁴ “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Psalm 39:4-5

Our Days are numbered… 3 people die every second in the world…180 die every minute…11,000 die every hour…250,000 people go to heaven or hell everyday!

People have been thinking of what happens after this life since the beginning of time. In light of this, there are a lot of misunderstandings and fears that people carry. Well, there is no need for ignorance or anxiety.

“There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of 'Heaven' ridiculous by saying they do not want to 'spend eternity playing harps'. The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

The Bible provides for us enough information to form a good theology of Heaven and the “after-life”. What does the future hold? (use the following as a Bible study or small group lesson on Heaven)

1. Our Final Destination

a. New Heaven and New Earth and New Jerusalem –Revelation 21:1-8

b. Three Parts but One unit. A coming together…

i. Ephesians 1:10 “to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.”

ii. The ultimate Goal… Redemption

iii. God with Man= He will come to us and dwell with us!

2. A Physical and Spiritual Reality

“Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” CS Lewis

a. New Glorified Bodies- Romans 6:5, Philippians 3:21, John 5:28-29

b. Restored Eden- Genesis 2:9, Rev. 2:7, 22:2

c. Revelation 21:1-8… This is Physical and Spiritual!!!!

3. An immediate and intermediate place upon our death…

a. Luke 23:43- the thief on the cross

b. Philippians 1:23-“I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;…”

c. 2 Corinthians 5:8- ^“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

4. Here Comes the Judge

“Christians who did the most for the present world are those who thought the most of the next.” CS Lewis

1^st … A Judgment of Faith (Salvation)- Revelation 20:11-13

2^nd … A Judgment of Works – For those whose names are in the Lambs Book of Life…Romans 14:10-12, II Corinthians 5:10, I Corinthians 3:10-14

There you go… all cleared up! J

Well, maybe not, but I hope this little study helps you become more informed and more curious about where we will spend eternity.

See ya on the other side!!!

Pastor David

Chewing on the Cud

This weeks blog by Sierra Hanna.

I had an interesting vision the other day as I was walking around the farm while visiting my parents in Holmes County. I was stewing over a “my timing verses God’s timing” issue and decided to ask God to teach me something through this.

I looked into the field and saw a cow chewing on some grass. A cow will chew on the same piece of grass for hours before swallowing. Then later the cow will bring it back up to chew on it some more. I know... it's kind of gross but... eating is a process in order to receive all of the nutrients in the grass. ( Don’t ask why I was thinking about the digestive system of a cow)

Psalm 139 1-12
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

“Investigate my life” The Message says “my life is an open book to you.” It goes on to talk about how God sees everything and darkness is light to him. There is no hiding from God. Even the smallest emotion or deepest darkest secret is known by God. When you open up your life to Christ, expect him to do surgery! He can see things that are deep inside that need to be brought out in order to make your life, your relationships, and your walk better.

Like this cud... even if you have been on your journey for a while, God can and will teach you something new about yourself, your calling, or his character. Even when you think he is done working on you for a while, he will bring up new things for you to chew on. It has been so beneficial in my life to sit every morning and invite God into my day opening up my hands to his plan. Then, when I least expect it, I find myself in the middle of a lesson on how to break down another wall, worship more freely, be more forgiving, and ultimately grow close to the father.

God wants to draw us closer to his glory to make our lives better. HE wants our relationships to be healthier. He wants to free us up from bitterness, shame, and fear. This honors Him! This week I encourage you to sit and listen to what new thing God is doing to grow you. It never stops and the blessings are amazing!!!

Have a great week,
Sierra