Heaven By Default?

The question from the title is, is Heaven the place where people are set to go when the time comes and only “bad” people work themselves into Hell? My answer is, NO! It is actually the other way. We are defaulted to Hell.

“²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” — Romans 3:23 (ESV)

Looking at the above verse, the key phrase to back up the defaulted destination is Hell would be the underlined, “all have sinned”. Not, some have sinned or a few have sinned, but “all have sinned”. This was due to events that occurred in the beginning with Adam and Eve and their encounter with Satan and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God had given man and woman only one restriction in the garden and Satan went right after it and enticed the first sin against God. From that point on, all that were and come after them are sinners.

In short, thanks to our ancestors, we are what we are, sinners in the eyes of God. That does not mean He does not love and want more for us though. And to get that more, just like with everything, there is a cost. The interesting thing is that the cost was paid by Jesus for us.

“⁸but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8 (ESV)

So, we are all sinners and our default destination is Hell. We needed a way out and God provided that in Jesus and His death in our place. The immediate thought is that well, I am good then, Jesus paid the debt and now my destination has been changed. Well, not exactly. Yes the way to get to Heaven has been provided, but we still have to travel that road to get to the destination. And that road is small.

“¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” – Matthew 7:14 (ESV)

One might think well, I will just get on that narrow road and get to Heaven. Yes, that is the idea, but see that it is narrow and only a few find the road. There is only one way onto the road that leads to Heaven and that is through Jesus.

“⁶Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 (ESV)

So, NO, Heaven is not the default destination for us all. We are defaulted to Hell and all of the anguish, punishment, and darkness that is there. But, we have a way to get to Heaven and that is through the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He died so I did not have to. He endured the anguish, punishment, and darkness so that could avoid it. He provided the only way for me, a sinner, to change my final destination to Heaven.

What is your thought about your destination? So you believe that you are headed to Heaven by default? What if you were to realize that the default for all us sinners is Hell and that to get to Heaven we have to take the narrow road provided by Jesus Christ?

How Big a Deal is Heaven, Can We Know?

Heaven, the destination of Christians. But can we really imagine Heaven?

Baseball was a passion of mine as I was growing up. I had dreams of playing ball in college and then professionally (either of which did not work out). I was given the analogy that Heaven was the place where all dreams come true and to imagine it to be where there were baseball fields as far as the eye could see and a game was always on. Of course, at the time this was an amazing visual, and helped me to understand the beauty of Heaven, but that was all it was, just a visual for the young mind.

Where do we go to find a more accurate description for the adult mind, Scripture. God’s Word tells us what to expect when we arrive. Randy Alcorn points out a few verses to get us started: Hebrews 11:16, Revelation 19:9, 21:2, and 22:1-2. These are of course just a few to get us started and “see” what Heaven will be like and according to these, Heaven will be cities and kingdoms and gardens and countrysides, and celebrations.

I remember going to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was somewhat underwhelmed as to what I saw. I am not sure what I expected, but it was not what I experienced, and the same can be said for our trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame. I knew it was a collection of memorabilia from the past, related to the sport, but for me, it just did not hit the spot. I need help to understand that which I cannot see. I should have done more research on my destinations of the Halls of Fame, and maybe the experience would have been more in line with my expectation.

God’s Word gives that help. In Scripture, we are shown what Heaven to be like and we should take the time to study and visualize what others have seen when they got a glimpse. John, Isaiah, and Ezekiel were there and wrote about what they saw and experienced.

Not all who have seen Heaven describe what they saw, Paul for instance says,

“³And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— ⁴and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.” – 2 Corinthians 12:3-4 (ESV)

He had been there, and even as it was “paradise”, he was not permitted to tell of what he saw. But the others were permitted and boy did they tell us.

So the question is, can we know just how big a deal Heaven is? YES we can!!! In order to know, we have to do our research in God’s Word. Look to all the accounts of what was seen. Look to all the different translations. Find what works for you to put it all together. Know that heaven may not be baseball fields as far as the eye can see, but it is an amazing place for us to spend eternity.

What is your vision of Heaven? Are you able to imagine what it will be like? What if you did not have to imagine, but took the eye witness accounts found in scripture to put you there as they were?

Look Forward to Heaven

This morning I am starting a new study on Heaven. The writer, Randy Alcorn, points out that it is the place that we should be looking to to keep us going when things get tough in this life.

The day one lesson asks, “Are You Looking Forward to Heaven?” Well, are you?

I know that for me I do get drawn in to the things of this world, whether the work, the fun, the experience, or simply the existence. Am I looking forward to what comes after, and if I am, where are my eyes fixed? It does matter and I am here to tell you that I guess I do not really thought about the looking forward part, even as I know and write about the joys that lay there. I am thankful for this study to draw me to placing my gaze on the LORD and what comes next as opposed to what is here in this world.

“¹¹Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol,

along with the music of your harps.

Maggots are spread out under you,

and worms cover you.”

¹²Shining morning star, a

how you have fallen from the heavens!

You destroyer of nations,

you have been cut down to the ground.

— Isaiah 14:11-12 (CSB)

Let’s start with why we might think of Heaven as an existence of doing the same thing over an over. Well it is the Devil. He was kicked out of Heaven and now has sour grapes over the place that he once called home. The Devil is miserable and wants nothing more than for everyone to join him. He purposely points to Heaven as a place of drudgery and that this world is where the fun is. This world is where the excitement is. This world is where all can experience pleasure. The reality is that, as Randy Alcorn says, “Satan hates us”.

“²¹For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” – Philippians 1:21-24 (ESV)

Now, Heaven and what a wonder it is to look forward to. Paul wrote the above to the church at Phippi. He was explaining that he is not giving in to death, for the sake of those who are in need of the gospel and encouragement. He is, however keeping his eyes on that reward in Heaven, for that is what is keeping him going in this world to ensure that we are cared for and led to the LORD and the glory that comes. Paul understands that there is work to do here in this world, yet the reward does not come here, it is in that place, Heaven, where things will be glorious beyond what we can imagine. To finish the statement from Randy Alcorn that I mentioned earlier, “Satan hates us, he’s determined to rob us of the joy we’d have if we believed what God tells us about the magnificent world to come.”

I choose to look forward to Heaven as opposed to dwelling in this world. I know that I have work to do as assigned by God. My reward is not here, but in Heaven with the Father and this world is just along the journey to get there.

What is your thought on Heaven? Is it a place you are looking forward to as drudgery? What if you were to look forward as it is, the place far better than this and this world is only the place to do the work assigned by God as we wait on arrival there?

Bring Glory to God

And there it is, the ultimate goal of every leader and every Christian for that matter, bring glory to God. Too often we are out there looking for the direction or next goal to pursue. We are searching to be be on top or at least be headed that way. When actually we should be seeking to bring glory to the LORD and for us as Christians, that is all. Now as leaders we should also be seeking spiritual maturity and creating new leaders to round out the goals of it all, but the ultimate goal is still to bring glory to God.

Even Jesus did not look to bring glory to himself but for God (John 8:50). The goal of Jesus was to carry out the will of the Father here in this world. He sought the Father’s guidance at every turn, and where His spiritual maturity was well established He did provide for us the pattern to follow in our own growth. And let’s think about it, Jesus taught, not just so others would learn, but so they could take over for Him when He was gone. He created future leaders.

Now, how and when are we to bring glory to God. Well, that is a tough one to answer definitively as for each of us has a different role to play and frankly any number of gifts give by the Holy Spirit. But, regardless of those gifts and/or role, we are to use them to take action (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are not to sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to do the work we are assigned by God. As spiritual leaders, we are to be in the work and not just directing the work. We have tasks to complete as well as the goals to achieve. Remember those goals start with bringing glory to God and out from there. We are to be taking action to achieve the goal.

And when do we bring glory to God, ALWAYS. At every moment of every day we are to be working to bring glory to God. Not just when things are going well or we are in church worshiping, but always. There will be times when we will be having a bad time of it or suffering and our approach and continued rejoicing will bring glory to God (1 Peter 4:13). Whatever we are doing or experiencing, we are working to accomplish the goal of bringing glory to God.

And there it is. The role as Henry & Richard Blackaby indicate, “Spiritual leadership is moving people on to God’s agenda”. This is done by working toward the three goal of, 1. “Bringing Glory to God”, 2. “Spiritual Maturity”, and 3. “Leading Others to Lead”.

What is your first and most important goal as a leader? Are you looking to rise up and be recognized for the work your doing? What if you were to start all things with the number one goal of “Bringing Glory to God”?

Prepare for Departure

Being a leader is noble and rewarding. It does however carry with it some challenges. One of which is preparing for your departure from the role. It is common for leaders to work right from their installation through their exit from the organization. There are a lot of factors that drive that commonality, but the real thing is that the leaders never prepare for when they are gone from the organization.

It is important, dare I say paramount for the leader to build strength in the organization that is ready to take over and continue the work of that organization when the time comes. There should always be someone on deck to lead with confidence and skill to do so.

The same is said for the spiritual leader. The role of the spiritual leader is to guide people to God’s agenda. Give them the tools that will prompt them to seek the LORD in all things, whether inside or outside the organization. Those that are being prepared should know of and have those influences that come from God, His authentication, have encounters with Him, character/integrity, and preparation. They should be seeking the spiritual maturity that demonstrates continued growth and learning and reliance on God for all. And they should work to bring glory to God always.

I know that I have failed in these areas in the past and may only be in the middle of preparing my family’s successor, but I am working on it daily by doing just what I am doing here. I am in God’s Word, learning and growing in to the man He has for me to be. I am demonstrating to my boys what it means to be the leader of the household and can only do more of the same. At some point I will no longer be here, but my family that comes after me will be prepared to continue. I am preparing for my departure.

What is your view of what comes after you leave? Are you not concerned as you will be gone? What if you were to take the approach that it is your role to ensure that the organization continues to seek the will of the LORD even after you are gone?

We Can Only Take Others as Far as We Have Been

One concept of leadership that I believe wholeheartedly is that a leader cannot expect their team to do things that they themselves have not or are not willing do. If a leader is asking someone to sweep the area, they should have at some point or be willing to sweep the area themselves. As a spiritual leader the goal is to lead others to God’s agenda and a right relationship with Him. If your relationship is not there, then you would not be able to lead someone there.

A bit more should be explained. As a spiritual leader, it is our ultimate goal to lead someone to spiritual maturity in relationship with God. This was laid out to us in scripture:

“⁴You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” – Exodus 19:4 (ESV)

Here the LORD tells the people, through Moses, that the destination is not a place but God Himself. It is not about a physical location that spiritual leaders take someone or an organization, it is a relationship with God. One that is deep and complete. Dependent and thankful.

I have been a Christian for about 40 years and I I am working every day to grow in my relationship with the LORD. I am praying daily, studying discipleship, and doing additional bible study. Yet, I still need to pray more, witness more, and memorize more scripture. My relationship with the LORD is the journey I am on and I will not fully know Him until I arrive in heaven, but I can continue to grow closer to Him every day.

In my growth and as I grow, I can also lead others to meet me there. As a spiritual leader, I am bringing others along with me to meet the LORD. They can walk alongside me, even run with me. Together we can grow. There is no need to “sell” God’s agenda, I am here to share it and inspire others to find out for themselves and join me on the journey.

What is your view of leading others to a destination? Are you expecting that without knowing God yourself, you will be able to lead someone to Him? What if you were to first focus on your relationship with God and then just brought others along with you on the journey?

Don’t Equate Bigger with Better

Even Jesus was not pleased with all of the large crowds following Him. He new that there were those who were, as known in the sports world, “fair weather fans”. Those that once things got a little difficult or when He would not be around would turn away and go back to the life they had before.

“⁶⁰When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ ⁶¹But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this? ⁶²Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴But there are some of you who do not believe.’ (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) ⁶⁵And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’” – John 6:60-65 (ESV)

Jesus had just told the people of His being the Bread of Life and gave some hard truths. The people heard and were grumbling of the difficulty of it all. He did not do this to scar the people, but to inform them that the to be a disciple of His, it would take work and would not always be a winning proposition. To which they turned away as their shallow following was exposed.

Jesus was working to build the church with a strong foundation and that could only be with those who would understand, stay, and carry it forward, even when things were hard and when He would not be there for them to follow. The church is built on Christ, not some charismatic individual that can draw a crowd. When that individual is no longer there, the “fair weather fans” will leave and only the devoted will stay to carry the church forward.

The church is not to be a crowd of people, but a team of disciples. Those who will take what they have learned and carry it forward. Yes, numbers are important, for the larger the numbers, the larger the reach. But, there should not be a sacrifice of quality in the interest of quantity. Beware of large numbers. As they are not a sign of a healthy church.

What is your view on crowds? Are you enamored at them and see them as a sign of great things? What if you were to be cautious with them and looked to devotion as opposed to simply a hoard of “fair weather fans”?

Not Just the Goal

In this final week of my study on spiritual leadership, it is about God’s agenda and getting people to join the journey. Henry and Richard Blackaby ask the questions, “Which do you think is more important for a leader – the journey for the destination? Or, are they equally important?” The way that I phrased the first sentence above indicates that I believe they are both important, I would say that they are 1 and 1a in importance.

Jim Collins, in his writings, made popular the philosophy of “First Who, Then What” or “Getting the right people on the bus”. You see, ensuring that the people are on board with the leader is the most important thing. Generally, getting people on board is about providing them a destination. No the journey may not be straight, but the place we are going is agreed upon and if a detour is found to be needed to get there, everyone is okay with it and will stay focused on that destination. So, the destination is of importance, and that destination should be worthwhile to ensure that everyone is okay with the journey itself.

Now, I do know that there is more to the “First Who, Then What” philosophy. I am not here to discuss all the merits of this philosophy. You see, the journey is important for a number of reasons, but ultimately it is about a worthwhile journey to reach the result. There are times, more than we think, that the destination is not result or goal that can be fully quantified. Let’s look at the case of God’s agenda and getting there. Jesus commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations. Where, yes, we can count the number converts, it is not about just getting the numbers, as Jesus also said to shake the dust off your feet as you leave those who do not receive you. This says that it is not just about the number of converts, but the spreading of the gospel.

I may have rambled a bit in the above, but here is where I was going. The spiritual leaders are charged with providing a goal or destination to attain. The destination is not of the leader, but of God. That destination is to unite the organization, not to just provide a goal to achieve. The leader is to ensure that those following are following to reach the destination, regardless of what the journey looks like. The spiritual leader guides toward God and His agenda. This agenda is to magnify God and not just reach some tangible or quantifiable end. So 1 and 1a it is, destination is 1, and getting there is 1a.

Destination or Journey for you? Are you just looking to reach the destination that is a mark of having arrived? What if you found the destination of God and then worked to get there however needed, focusing on magnifying Him however needed?

Be Prepared

The motto for the scout movement is, “Be Prepared”. This phrase also influences the spiritual leader as he begins and proceeds in leadership.

It is important to be prepared for the role that you are taking on. For example, if you do not know anything about basketball, it will make it difficult to play the game, much less lead a team. If you don’t know anything about music, playing an instrument will not generally go very well, and leading an orchestra, well who will follow you. I recall a US Senate hearing related to interviewing a new director of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). The nominee, demonstrated his complete lack of knowledge as related to aviation and was swiftly rejected.

But what does preparation mean and/or look like? It is widely known that learning comes from a number of places, so the formal education is not the only source. Now, it is important to be educated in a field in order to gain knowledge of that field, I will not argue. But what I will point out is that there are people who know more about a subject or field based on their experience and time spent in that field.

My father-in-law worked in the signage field for many years and then had his own welding shop for many years after that. An engineer came to him with specifications for a flag pole and my father-in-law rejected them telling the engineer that what he had was overkill and he could indeed get by with less to accomplish what he was wanting. The engineer left, recalculated and returned confirming with my father-in-law the new specifications would indeed work. It was not the formal education, but the deliberate study and experience in the field that produced the results.

Leadership is not that much different. It is preparation in the field that will produce the results. One must have a “plan to continue growing personally and mentally” – Henry & Richard Blackaby, in order to be prepared to lead spiritually. Leaders should stop and take a look at where they are and seek out the resources to get them where they want to be.

I get a lot of ribbing from my family for wanting to be prepared. I set up contingency plans on top of contingency plans to ensure that I will generally know what to do if things go a little sideways. The ribbing continues until that thing happens and the quick adjustment, that I had prepared for, is made and we just continue with our path. It is the knowledge and preparation that make the difference. Shouldn’t our preparation to spiritually lead be the same.

“²⁹Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will stand before kings;

he will not stand before obscure men.”

— Proverbs 22:29 (ESV)

That skill comes from study and preparation. It does not generally come automatically. It is something that is worked on over time and will deliberate action. To have a skill or be a leader, we mus be prepared.

What is your thought on skills? Are you of the opinion that someone is just born with it? What if you were to see and understand that is more about learning and growing in the field and preparing for the role, in this case the role of spiritual leader?

Integrity, Be Aware

I have heard that integrity is not always what you do, but what you do when no one is watching. It is important to be the same in public and in private as the demonstration of your integrity. This morning I continue my study on spiritual leadership from the Fall 2011 MasterWork series with Henry and Richard Blackaby as the writers and today is the lesson on character and integrity.

This morning I write about character and integrity as one when looking at the impact on spiritual leadership. These two items work together to define the make up of a spiritual leader. As noted above, integrity is what you do when no one is watching. What you do in those private moments between you and the LORD. Character is what people see in those public moments. So there is the correlation of the two working together to define the public and private you.

In society today, no one is completely out of the public eye. Our lives are on full display in what seems like all day, every day. Social media has made it very difficult, if not improbable to be completely private. Even if you are not the one actively utilizing the web, you will be in public and will likely be caught on someone’s camera, or audio recording at some point. This is not to say that this is a “bad” thing, but we have to be even more aware of our behavior at all times. In the past, it would have been possible to separate to some degree our public and private lives, but today, not so much.

The final two sentences of the lesson today speak to how integrity becomes so integral in our lives; “Integrity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens on purpose.” Integrity is intentional. I have to remember that I am under the microscope in my life, regardless of where I am. Yes, social media has made it difficult to keep my private life private, but there is a more important, dare I say the most important, one watching me always, GOD.

“¹⁴Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” – 2 Peter 3:14 (ESV)

We are to watch ourselves to be seen by God, the only one that matters, as striving to be blameless as Jesus was. In my public and private life, God is watching and seeing my heart to be for and about Him. I can only do so when I am filled with the Holy Spirit and showing Him for all the world to see. Showing Him in my public and private life. Being aware of my actions to ensure that I am intentional. Remembering that, “Integrity is not automatic” – Henry and Richard Blackaby.

What is your view of integrity? Are you aware that it matters and how it comes to be? What if you were to realize that it is as important in your private life as in public and that it “is not automatic” but intentional to walk like Christ?