“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

I’m grateful for those in the church who point me to eternity. As I read through my bible I find that over and over again the great men of faith have had eyes to see that which is eternal.  We read that Moses was able to turn his back on the treasures of Egypt because he saw eternity:

“He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” (Hebrews 11:26)

We’re told in the New Testament to “seek the things that are above”:

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2)

The great need of the church in this hour is to be able to see and articulate that which is eternal. 

Scripture directs our attention to eternal things because, first of all, our God inhabits eternity.

“For thus said the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity…”  (Isaiah 57:15)

If that is not enough of a reason (and it should be!), we have another-  the things we can see with our eyes and hold on to with our hands are all temporary; this world is passing away! 

The Church is the world’s witness of eternity; we have been given eyes to see that which is invisible.  How terrible then, if the church should lose it’s sight!  What do we have to offer the world, if not eternity?

Seeing Jesus correctly

It’s impossible to grasp who Jesus really is without a vision of the eternal.  The reason so many see Jesus as a “good teacher” but fail to knowledge Him as their “Lord” is because they have faulty vision- they see only that He was a good man, not that He is KING OF KINGS and LORD Of LORDS. 

“On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16)

The clearer our vision of eternity becomes the more sobering the reality is- Jesus who has come to save, will one day judge the world!  He will reign and rule!

Christians at the judgment seat of Christ

Even born again Christians often fail to appreciate who Jesus is.  We see Him as “a friend of sinners”, the Lover of our souls, the Lamb of God who takes away our sins- and thankfully He is all of that and more!  But do we understand that we will one day appear before Him at the “judgment seat of Christ”?  What did the Apostle Paul know that we seem to have missed when he said:

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”  (Philippians 2:12)

What did the writer of Hebrews know that would cause him to say: “… so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” ?  (Hebrews 12:28-29)

One of the most recognized phrases among Christians is, “We walk by faith, and not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)  It’s used all the time to talk about the “faith walk” and Christians the world over use it in the general sense to talk about the necessity of “walking by faith”.  But have you read the sentences before and after that verse?  They deal with death and facing eternity, and appearing before the judgment seat of Christ.  Talk about sobering! 

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

I’m trying to think of how many times in the last 26 years I’ve heard the message of “walking by faith” connected to the judgment seat of Christ.  I’m not honestly sure I can think of a single instance in my own experience!  But God makes that connection- as we walk by faith we should be seeing eternity; and as we see eternal realities we are made aware of who God is- and that one day we will be appearing before Him as He sits in perfect judgment.  Do we see what John saw; even have a glimpse?

“When I saw Him I fell at His feet as though dead…” (Revelation 1:17)

May we have a vision of eternity and the Eternal One.

As I opened up the paper this morning I noticed the obituaries:

A 14 year girl had died in an automobile accident, and below her was the name of a 97 year old woman who had also died the same day. It reminded me of why the bible says:

“As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

We have no guarantee of tomorrow, so the bible tells us not to put off the issue of eternity. One may live for 14 years, another for 97- since we have no idea when we will be leaving this world we better make some decisions now, before it’s too late.

The newspaper said the authorities didn’t believe speed or alcohol were involved in the young girl’s accident. Two vehicles collided and her time on earth was done.

The strange thing about life though is that time doesn’t necessarily make us any wiser. The 14 year old could have given her life to Christ, and the 97 year old may not have! In this case I don’t know what decisions where made by the two concerning Christ.

Giving your life to Jesus

One thing I do know is that every day on this planet young people die who have already given their life to Jesus. They came to Jesus and received Him even though they were young. When death came they were prepared.

Thankfully, there are also those who’ve lived full lives of many years who have also “given their life” to Jesus- when death comes they too will be ready.

It’s the ones who never “get around to it” that the bible’s concerned about. Like a voice pleading from eternity come the words:

“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

14 or 97- Who will leave this earth first? Don’t be so quick to say you know! In the case of our town both ended up dying and leaving the same day.

It would be wonderful if both did, in fact, belong to Jesus… and they just may have! One thing is certain- a very young woman and a very old woman both left this world on the same day and will face eternity locked into the choice they either did, or didn’t make, concerning Jesus Christ.

Since none of us knows when we will be leaving this world the bible clearly tells us to not put off until tomorrow the single most important decision a person can ever make.

Now is the time to make decisions about eternity. What if tomorrow never comes? We can be sure that for everyone of us there will be a tomorrow that doesn’t come- we will wake up in a place outside of this world and be faced with heaven or hell as our final destination. How wonderful, whether we are 14 or 97, if we find ourselves in heaven! How tragic and horrible to be faced with hell for eternity because we never received Christ as our Lord and Savior; because we never gave a thought to what would happen after we die.

Here are just a few of the things Jesus says about eternal life:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though He dies…” (John 11:25)

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36)

Give your life to Jesus today

Since you have no idea what the span of your life will be, why would you ever put off such an important decision? I hope today will be the day you give your life to Jesus!

For more information please read, “Heaven, Hell and Eternal Life”.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how most of the people I know are so busy.  I’ve just been noticing more and more that friends who were at one time pretty easy going, and always seemed to have time to talk or get together, just don’t have the time anymore.  I was talking to another brother in the Lord recently and he’s been noticing the same thing with people he knows.  Everyone’s so busy that they don’t seem to have the time to do the simple things of life- there’s less peace and more strain.  Are we just rushing from thing to thing and not realizing how foolish it really is to live like that?

My mom died of cancer 5 years ago and one thing that she said really stuck with me.  We were in a grocery store one day and she noticed how stressed and rushed so many of the people seemed to be.  She told me she used to be like that, but after being diagnosed she saw the futility of it all.  She told me the difference between her and the people that she saw racing around, was that she knew her time was almost up here and how precious life really is.  It’s worth the time to slow down.  Constantly being preoccupied and busy robs us of the quietness we need to think, to ponder- to really live.

The great paradox that I saw with Mom was that even though she was running out of time here on planet earth, she started to slow down and live like she had all the time in the world.  She took in the flowers at spring and noticed things we just passed by.  When talking with her, you had the sense she wanted to hear every word you had to say, and there was no place she’d rather be than right there with you.  Sometimes I could see her taking me all in, or looking up at the sky and absorbing it all like a big sponge.  She was dying, but in many ways I’d never seen her so full of life.  She embraced it, treasured it, took it all in.

Only a month or so before Mom died, we walked out of Wal-Mart on a beautiful spring day.  I watched her look up into the sky, take a deep breath of the spring air, and say, “What a glorious day!”  She taught me one of the most priceless lessons.  It’s one we all know, but seem to forget… Life is short, and too precious, to just let it pass us by.

But if this life is too precious to just let it pass by, how much more are we missing out on if we fail to live for eternity?  Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”  Life is too short to make this world your goal!  The best lived life soon ends, and then what?

The great tragedy is that Jesus is wanting to spend time with us but we think we have “better things to do”.

How can we take this most precious of treasures and just walk on by?  Jesus is speaking from heaven, are you too preoccupied with this world to hear the voice that speaks of eternity?  Soon you will be there, and what will this world be to you then?  How the devil loves to keep us distracted by that which will soon be gone.  Jesus is your greatest treasure.  How He longs to walk with us “in the cool of the day”.  What could be better than that?

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.”  (Acts 2:2)

I’m not content with a “sound from earth”- I want to hear “a sound from heaven”.  If the early church had never heard that sound I wonder where we’d be today?  I’m not talking about some of the weird stuff going on today that passes for a sound from heaven.  I don’t recall reading that the early church barked liked dogs, rolled around the floor in uncontrollable laughter, had gold dust falling from the sky or anything like that.  What I’m talking about has nothing to do with this sort of thing at all-  I’m not interested in going to revival meetings where men prance around and make big shows of the “power of God”, creating a spectacle of themselves and the church.  But I do want to hear a sound from heaven…

Jesus speaks from, and of, eternity- and that is what we so desperately need today.

You can take the supernatural circus, I don’t want it.  You can take the coffeehouse “cultural faith”-I’m really not interested in that either.  I’m tired of hearing about a “social gospel”, a “cultural gospel”, and that we’re here to “create beauty” through the arts and on the earth.  Whatever happened to the eternal gospel?  Can someone please tell me about heaven, hell, sin and redemption?  Who will stand up to preach the cross, tell of Jesus’ blood, and preach to win souls?  Will someone please give me that gospel- the one I see saints laying down their lives for in the Book of Acts?

I honestly feel sorry for those who are seeking God and have to wade through the mess of Christian blogs and churches that offer up this pathetic, watered down, twisted mess!  Oh, I know there are some who still faithfully preach the cross and are focused on eternity… but I remember a time before there were hundreds of thousands of blogs with everyone’s religious opinions; a time when the world was a much easier place to navigate.  There has always been bad doctrine, but there’s never been an explosion like what we’re seeing today of confusion and doctrinal error.  We can thank the internet for that- it was the perfect vehicle to usher in every unbiblical belief under the sun and spread it around the earth.  It has given a voice to people who probably never should have been speaking in the first place because they were never called by God to do so.

In the bible men were actually “called by God” to speak and act as God directed- they were sent out by Him, and anointed by the Holy Spirit.  I’m not sure many Christians worry about that today, we just all assume we should speak our mind.  And that’s the problem… I’m tired of hearing the sound of people speaking their minds-  I want to hear a sound from heaven!  I want to hear from those who are called, who speak by the Holy Spirit and cause us to focus on eternal things.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

The man who hears a sound from heaven, who hears Jesus, speaks of eternal things.  There’s a famine of the Word of God today, a famine of hearing from heaven, and because of that, not many people are talking about eternity.  Are we so focused on earthly things simply because we’ve never had a revelation of the glories of eternity?  Have we heard “a sound from heaven”, or are we just parroting the world we live in?  The Christian’s focus isn’t to be about earthly things!

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)

See, it’s not about the arts, it’s not about Christian music, it’s not about Christians getting involved in politics, it’s not about social justice, it’s not about some culturally driven faith, it’s not about a prosperity gospel where God makes us all rich, it’s not about gold dust and holy laughter… it’s not about all this stuff and so many more of the things we’ve been told it’s about.  This world is passing away along with all the things we think are so important.  I’m really tired of sitting in a church (like I did a couple weeks ago) and being told that we should be focusing on this earth.  I don’t appreciate being told that D.L. Moody got it wrong with his notion that this world was a sinking ship, and that we needed to get as many saved as we could before it went under.  Wrong?  Moody got that wrong??  God help us-We need an army of Moody’s!  We are in a desperate hour when the ship is sinking and the Captains of the ship are out taking the world for a pleasure cruise!  We should be on a rescue mission but we’re out “creating beauty”.  Moody said, “You don’t polish the brass of a sinking ship”.  If we could only see what Moody saw- this world is passing away.  He heard a sound from heaven, saw the sinking ship, and tried to bring as many as he could to the safety of eternity in Jesus Christ while they still had a chance to be saved.

Twenty-six years ago, when I was just turning 24, I also heard a sound from heaven.  I heard the Spirit say, “You can be born again!”  I got a glimpse of eternity and saw the world (and myself) for what it was- dead in sin and without God.  I grabbed hold of Jesus with everything I had, and as I looked into His face I began to be changed from one degree of glory to another.  The thing I’d been looking for my whole life was Jesus!  Like the old hymn says,

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.”

Do we see what we’re doing today in the church?  Do we understand where this embracing of the world system is taking us?  Does Jesus really want your eyes off of Him and off of heaven? Does He want you “polishing the brass” of this sinking ship, or looking to eternity?

“For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)

I hope I will stir some of you to think about this.  Read your bible and ask yourself honestly what the focus of the early church was on.  Read Acts and ask yourself if you’re focused on eternity like that?  Are you wanting to reach the lost like they were?  Has it dawned on you and alarmed you that this world is quickly passing away?  Does eternity fill your vision?  Maybe it’s time to sit in your upper room, read your bible, pray, and wait on God until you hear a sound from heaven!

In “Whatever Happened To Jesus?” I give a call to return to the “old paths” of faith in Christ as well as a call to return to our “first love” of Him.  I wrote the song early on in my Christian walk (about 3 years after being born again) and  noticed at that time that the church-at-large seemed to be embracing the surrounding culture rather than rejecting it.  As a brand new believer I couldn’t understand this since Jesus had just delivered me from “the world” and it’s influences- why would I want to return to the life I’d just left behind?  The amazing thing is that some in the church believe that the way to revitalization is by embracing the surrounding culture!  “If we are to be relevant to the surrounding world we must be like them”, they would say.  Being culturally relevant is seen as a way out of our lifelessness- and so we see a church today that in many ways now looks exactly like the world it was supposed to come out of.

Dead lifeless churches are obviously not God’s desire, but neither is a worldly, culturally driven church the will of God for His people- we need a return of authentic life in Christ.  An authentic walk with God does not need worldly hype and fads to produce life.  Instead of having more of the world in the church, we need more of the life of Jesus in us!  I believe we need to get back to the “old paths”- repent, return to Jesus, and get back to Jesus and the Word of God as our supreme source for life and truth.

Whatever happened to Jesus?  Isn’t this supposed to be about JESUS?

I’m as tired of dead, formal religion, as anyone else is because it keeps people from Christ rather than leading them into an experience of Him-  Jesus is alive, and if we’re not experiencing that, there’s something radically wrong.  But how did we go from wanting the church to be “alive” to somehow thinking that the way to this “life” is by embracing the world?  One of the most disturbing trends is how God’s Word is now thought of as antiquated- this belief is bringing about apostasy in the church.  

Apostasy is basically a falling away from God’s Word and departure from His truth, which leads to a falling away from Jesus.  When God’s Word is downplayed, denied, twisted, referred to as antiquated, and relegated to a place where the church prefers the words of men over the Word of God, we have full blown apostasy.  The Word of God should be the litmus test for our belief and practice, but it is increasingly being tossed aside as outdated and irrelevant.  One of the most insidious departures from God’s Word is when  biblical terminology  is thrown out and replaced by new language that often has a radically different meaning than the original- this deconstructing and reconstructing of God’s Word has again been done in the name of being “relevant”.  The whole notion that we need to change to reach the times and culture we find ourselves living in is spurious- We are the ones who have eternity in Christ; it is not we who need to become like the surrounding culture in order to change it, rather we are to “shine like stars in the universe” as we “hold out the word of life” to a “crooked and depraved generation”.

This world- it’s lusts and it’s culture- are ALL passing away, “but the man who does the will of God abides FOREVER”.  The Emergent Church (as well as those who hold to it’s obsession of being culturally relevant) are missing this important truth:

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him… everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me.”  (John 6:43-45)

It is NOT our identification with culture that wins people to Christ, rather, it is the work of our Father who draws people to Christ.  Our obsession needs to be with our Father and with His Son, not with the latest cultural fad.  The Spirit of God points to JESUS, not to this world’s culture.

Where can I find authentic life in Christ?

Some have seen the downward slide in the church and have decided they will leave it completely.  They believe they are to “come out and depart“ from the church and leave it all behind. But is this God’s answer?  Does He want you sitting home alone, no longer gathering with other Christians?  I don’t think sitting at home alone is the answer- God may call you out of a specific church for various reasons, but do you really believe His intent for you is to spend the rest of your time here on planet earth alone and cut off from gathering with other Christians?

The fact is, we are told that in the last days there will be a great apostasy, and we are seeing it.  There is no quick fix of church structure or form that will solve the problem and sitting home alone disconnected from other Christians is no solution either- we must hold fast to Jesus and His Word and stay connected with other Christians.

“Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

If He can bear the whole world’s sin
then who am I to say to Him,
that mine is just too much?

Surely such a sacrifice
is worth my very heart and life…
Look at how He bled and died,
Look at how He loves me!” 

I hardly need to say a word about my lyrics for today… God’s love is amazing!  He has power to forgive sins, but not just power… more than enough power!  When I start to believe that my sin is just too bad to forgive, or that I’ve sinned the same sin one too many times to be forgiven, I remember that Jesus’ death was powerful enough to take away the whole world’s sin! 

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”  (1 John 2:2)

Think about it:  That’s the whole world’s sin for all time, not just my lifetime.  If He can do that, then who am I to say that mine is just too much to forgive?  There’s mercy for you in Jesus, and not just enough, but overflowing, overwhelming mercy, far exceeding any sin you have committed.  The power of what Jesus did on the cross for you, is greater than your capacity to sin.  In all ways His blood shed on the cross is enough; you cannot sin more than He is able to forgive!  That’s how powerful His sacrifice for you is!

Now, having said that, there is something you can do if you want to continue on and die in your sin… You can turn your back on Jesus and say no to His forgiveness, but why would you?

Doesn’t a love like His demand your very heart and life?  Do you really want to walk away from the One who loves you more than anyone else in all the world, whose love goes beyond the grave and promises to be there for you throughout eternity?  Look at how He loves you!  He paid the penalty for sins you committed and offers you eternal life!  He doesn’t accuse you of sins you’ve committed, but washes them away!

“Surely such a sacrifice
is worth my very heart and life…
Look at how He bled and died,
Look at how He loves me!”

“He’s God’s only forgotten Son
Pushed away by a world gone wrong,
For there’s never a thought
Of the love that He brought
And no thanks for the things that He’s done

He’s the treasure of God’s own heart
To a world living in the dark,
And if they only knew
Even had just a clue
Their denial would tear them apart…”

Do you need any more proof of the reality of sin than that God’s only begotten Son could be so easily laid aside and forgotten?  The world goes on from day to day with barely a thought that it lies under the judgment of God, oblivious to the obvious… we will all one day die and have to face Him.  What’s even more startling though is God’s made a way of escape for all of us and we ignore it:  He sent Jesus to free us from the certain judgment that awaits us, and we don’t even care!  Tell me that sin isn’t real!

Deception and blindness is at the heart of all sin; Adam and Eve succumbed to it in the garden (Genesis 3) and we’re still blinded to this day.  The serpent told Eve, “You will not surely die”.  If there was ever a one trick pony, it’s the Devil.  He hasn’t changed a word since his original lie, and we keep falling for it… hook, line and sinker.

Do you want to know if sin has actual power?  Ask yourself what sane man would willingly board a bus to hell when God is offering a ticket to heaven free of charge?  The very Creator of the universe sent His Son into the world to rescue you from an eternity in hell and you don’t even care? I don’t need anymore proof of the blinding power of sin than that!  God’s Son comes to forgive you, and wash away your sin, and you toss Him aside because you have better things to do with your life than mess around with “religion”?  I hate to say it, but you’ve been blinded to the greatest love the world has ever known!

“The god of this age (the devil) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  (2 Corinthians 4:4)

The greatest thing that’s ever happened to this world was the entry of Jesus into it.  Do you know Him?  Are you living for Him?  Is He forgotten, or loved by you?

If you’re seeking, go here.

If you’re wandering away from the truth, go here.

Recently a friend of mine sent me a story about an unsaved preacher.  In the story the minister watched his dying friend pass into eternity all the while realizing he had nothing to offer him as death approached because the minister himself was an unsaved man!  The preacher had religion, but he lacked a real relationship with Jesus.  Sitting at his dying friend’s bedside revealed his emptiness; he had nothing to offer him at that moment but empty “comfort”.

Empty comfort is something the bible talks a lot about; the false prophets specialized in it: “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”  (Jeremiah 6:14)  Empty comfort coming from pulpits that refuse to speak the truth for fear of offending.  Telling people what they want to hear has always been more popular than telling people what they need to hear.  Many servants of God have been put to death simply because they refused to give empty comfort, and instead told the truth.  The pages of the bible are filled with such martyrs of the faith, and warn of those who bring empty comfort. “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”  (Jeremiah 5:31)

That is the issue, isn’t it… the end?  The end will come, and then what?  Well, the answer to that is the “empty comfort givers” will be right there at your funeral, still giving empty comfort!  They will attempt to assuage the pain of your grieving family and friends by telling them that you are in a “better place”.  But are you? I’m not trying to be insensitive here.  I’ve lost both sets of parents, my grandparents, and most recently, my Mom, just 3 years ago after a battle with Ovarian cancer.  I understand the pain of losing the ones I love most.  I also understand that not everyone goes to heaven.  As a Christian I understand that without Jesus, without being “born again”, there is no entrance to heaven… everything else is empty comfort.

This is why I keep sounding the same trumpet.  False peace will do you no good on the day you die.  Everyone might be at your funeral talking about how you’re in a “better place”, but what good will that do you if you really aren’t?  The “unsaved church” has been lulled into believing that all will be well with their souls.  Religion can be comforting; that is until you die.  Then you have to face a very uncomfortable truth; no amount of religion can get you into heaven.  How can we just sit back and say nothing while people slip into eternity unprepared?  We’re so worried about offending others, but it isn’t really being “nice” not to warn people, is it?  Eternal life is a gift.  It can’t be earned, and being religious doesn’t guarantee you’ll get it.  Find out more here.