(This post is the same as my comment on the other post. I'm just wondering if this is a better way to do it?? All of you should have the ability to create a post like this. So look at both formats and let me know which way you like better. I know that sometimes I miss the comments section, but a new post I usually see. Just a thought. Plus, on a post, I can put cool pictures like this one:))
So, Heaven. Laurie and I talk about having the same definition of terms. This is so important when talking about Heaven. Present Heaven or Eternal Heaven (or New Earth). This is a distinction that must be made in our conversations, yet it (up til now) never has been. So, now that we have the same definition of terms, we can continue without confusing one another.
So here are some of my random thoughts:
1. I'm glad he mentions Hell and it's reality and focuses a little on it. Page 24 says it best. "The reality of Hell should break our hearts and take us to our knees and to the doors of those without Christ."
2. Jackie Chan says in the new Karate Kid, "Kung Fu is everything, and everything is Kung Fu." I beg to differ. But replace Kung Fu with Balance, and I agree. On pg 16 he says that Satan sabotages us by getting us to see Heaven as undesirable or unimaginable. Somewhere I wouldn't want to go, or somewhere that's too good to be true. I'm sure the word balance will come up more as we continue this.
3. I know this is a book by Randy Alcorn, but I'm convinced C.S. Lewis was a genius. His writings never cease to amaze me. Take his story of the Silver Chair. This point about Heaven and Earth, that the things of Earth are an extension of Heaven, not the other way around, was so wonderfully depicted in that story. (Alcorn makes the same point again on pg 54 in case we didn't catch it the first time.) Lewis is quoted many times, and I love it.
4. I like the idea that Eden is in the New Jerusalem in the Present Heaven right now. That helps my brain imagine better. It also answers where is Eden, thinking it is still here. Which leads to that whole part about string theory he mentioned and how scientists believe there could be ten dimensions that we can't see out there. So Eden was just part of a different dimension that, before sin, God allowed Adam and Eve to see. Maybe.??
5. Pg 52 talks of how when drawing inferences about Heaven, why would we draw them from the nature of God? Heaven is created, God is not. So it would make more sense to draw our inferences from the nature of man. Good thought.
6. We are commanded to set our hearts and minds on Heaven. pg 20-21, or Col 3:1,2. So good thing we're reading this. And we probably should never stop talking about it.
7. The beginning chapter talks of the neglect of past great men, books, and sermons to mention the reality of Heaven. I think I knew this, but it was crazy to see the facts of how it is such a neglected truth. Oh how the enemy has won so many victories in this area. It's so true what he says on pg. 11, that our incorrect thinking of Heaven causes us to set our minds on this life, this world, and therefore, not be motivated to share our faith. May it not be so for us.
Well, that's all for now. Please don't expect this long of comments from me all the time. It just worked out this way. Neither do I expect your comments to be this long.
I'm very glad we're doing this and look forward to the month and months ahead.
God bless you all.
By the way, you can't mention a "discussion" that happened without letting the rest of us know what the discussion was about.
I'm having trouble finding my way between a post and comments. I just fumble around until it happens so forgive me if I'm not in the right area.
ReplyDeleteI signed my wife up (hopefully correctly) in the hopes that she would enter the discussion and explain our, LA/DK/PK's "discussion" the other night as I'm sure I would misrepresent what those two were were trying to present.
My take on the "discussion" was the importance of heaven. For many years I felt that heaven was better than hell and it was why I accepted Christ, to escape the fires of hell. But after reading this book a number of years ago, it helped me realize more fully, the love of God. It helped me move from fear of God to love of God. Now I still struggle with understanding the balance and the need for both fear and love but at least it's not one sided. Still I have attempted to share this with others and have not been successful. I purchased this book for our former pastor, my former boss, and my current pastor and none of them have appeared to read them or acknowledge the importance. This is why I'm excited that Trevor picked this book. Now I realize that in my excitement I tend to be a little bullheaded and I apoligize if I come across as being a know-it-all. But this has been a huge part of change in my life. It has helped me change (again hopefully) my daughters view of life stuck in a wheelchair and what she has to look forward to. Hope for the future. It has helped me not fear death but look forward in anticipation to the end. Especially now that it's 2/3 over! :) And it might even be partially responsibe for my rants on Angels! I guess in all my enthusiasm, I tend to not communicate clearly. I still remember a staff devo I gave years ago on heaven that I tried to encourage people with and all I got was rather blank looks. Acey tried to help by saying he'd never heard it presented this way but I think I failed miserably. But Randy Alcorn doesn't! He does a great job of balancing what scripture says (not a whole lot) and what other experts such as CS Lewis have said in the past, and his own thoughts. Is it inspired "God breathed"? No. But I do think it's as inspired as any other book that you will find at the Family Christian Bookstore....maybe even more.
So I'll quit ranting and try to stick to discussing the book. I just thought this might help others to understand where I'm coming from.
I told you the word balance would come up over and over. It seems a little weird that you, Doug, are distinguishing your ranting from the book, because it seems to me that your ranting is saying the same thing that Randy is saying in the book. Focusing on Heaven is hugely important because it affects how we live here on Earth. It's funny how you say this book and the focus on Heaven has made you move from the fear to the love of God. I'd say it does the opposite for me. But the key is, as you said, balance. It's like I said in #2 above, Satan simply wants us out of balance. Then he can twist the truth and get us off course. I love the part where he talks about being a little selfish because he's focusing on building up rewards in Heaven. I think this is okay though, because the only way to do that is to not be selfish here on this Earth. God knows that is what is best for us. So, bottom line, our view of Heaven effects our life here on Earth one way or another. If we study what the Bible says, it should cause us to live here on Earth the same way Jesus did. If we have an incorrect view of Heaven, or ignore the issue (which probably means we have an incorrect view of it), then we will focus on things of this world and not be motivated to share our faith. I disagree, Doug, that the Bible does not say a whole lot about Heaven. I believe it says a lot. As Randy says, scripture reveals enough for us to study, meditate on, and understand Heaven - not exhaustively, but accurately.
ReplyDeleteLove y'all.