Too heavenly minded..?

During August we are doing a short preaching series on the Resurrection, exploring the significance of Jesus’ rising from the dead and the impact of this event on our lives – present and future. And they are huge!!

At yesterday’s meeting @ City Centre there was a big focus on our future hope as Christians, a focus that came across both in the worship and the preaching – and for me, it was awesome! Jesus’ triumph over death was a turning point in history, and on it turns the destiny of every person who puts their faith in Him. Because Jesus broke the power of death and rose from the grave, death is no longer what it used to be; it has lost it’s sting – for the believer. This is a truth that, in my opinion, many Christians have too week a grip of, with the result that they are troubled with anxieties and fears about the future.

Then for some reason, that old adage went through my mind, about being too heavenly minded to be of any earthly use; ever heard it? I guess it conjurers up the image of a mystical individual in a sort of trance, who’s forgotten about everybody else, and even how to dress and feed himself! Is that what a strong future hope does to you? Absolutely not, in fact the New Testament teaches that our hope should actually make us more effective in the here and now – especially in the way we treat others. Look at this from Colossians ch1:
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
Do you see that? Love for all the saints exactly because of the hope laid up for you in heaven!

John Piper, commenting on these verses put it like this:
‘A strong confidence in the promises of God and a passionate preference for the joy of heaven over the joy of the world frees a person from worldly self-centredness, from paralyzing regret and self-pity, from fear and greed and bitterness and despair and laziness and impatience and envy. And in the place of all these sins, hope bears the fruit of love.’

Evan, keep working on that new song – we need more of this focus on our future hope in Christ because it changes us and builds the church!

Goff