Two Realms

Two realms. Heaven and hell. One - a place, a realm where things are as God desires. The other - a place, a realm absent of how God desires things to be.

In the book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell, he talks about this way of living that to me hits the nail on the head. We get caught up many times trying to see heaven and hell as an end result. Places where we will spend eternity in one or the other. We then try to get people into heaven.

Jesus talked very little about the life beyond this one because he understood that eternity starts now. The question for Jesus was not, "how do I get into heaven?" but how do I bring heaven here to earth.

I think this is what makes the greatest impact in the world... seeing eternity as beginning now and not someday in the future. Are we bringing heaven to this earth or hell to this earth? Are we choosing to do something about the hell here and now? Poverty, injustice, suffering... they are all hells on earth. Maybe you've experienced some this yourself. As a follower of Christ, am I doing what I can to resist hell coming to this earth?

The reality of the Christian life is not about escaping this world but about making it a better place, here and now. The goal is to get heaven here. To make this a place that God can come to and touch lives. Change lives. Big impact happens when Jesus followers can live this reality out in their world. Realizing this is part of the journey. The other part is realizing we can't do it alone, but that we need our God and a church community to walk alongside us.

I choose to bring heaven to earth. How about you?

Peace.