Heaven on Earth

for our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20  NASB

In heaven – You don’t belong here!  But this is where you are today.  Your home is where your heart is, and that’s not here, but this is where you are today.  If you are really a part of the community of heaven, then you act with heavenly perspective.  No man expects to enter heaven and continue to live in exactly the same way he lives here on earth.  But you might be surprised.  If you aren’t living as a part of the community of heaven while you are waiting for the Messiah to arrive, you just might find that when He gets here you have no idea what you are supposed to be doing.  Earth is practice for heaven.  It isn’t filled with seats in the grandstand.  Every single one of us is a player on the field, honing our skills so that we will step into the coming Kingdom without missing a beat.  If you’re not practicing heavenly moves now, you will most certainly be out of place later.

The parables teach us that we are preparing for more action, not for retirement.  Earth is God’s farm teams.  This is where He sees our commitment, our desire, our willingness to make something happen for good.  This is where we learn redemptive behavior.  When the King arrives, He will call us up to the Majors, if we are ready.  What a day of celebration that will be!  What joy we will feel when we step on the real field of play, knowing that we have been prepared for the cosmic tasks ahead.  The angels will fill the stands, cheering and praising the skill of the Master displayed in us.  No one would want to miss that day.

But a lot of people will.  They will miss that day because they spent no time practicing while they were assigned to the minor leagues.  They didn’t provide water to the thirsty, food for the hungry, clothes to the naked.  They didn’t visit the sick, comfort the brokenhearted, preach good news to the imprisoned.  They tended to their own business, business which had no lasting effects for the big leagues.  They cloistered themselves in philadelphia,[1] loving those who were just like them.  They didn’t love their enemies or do good to those who threatened them.  They believed that charity begins at home, that bad things happen because someone sinned and that they have enough on their plates without getting involved in someone else’s problems.  In the end, they will simply strike out of the game.  The truth about Christianity is this:  if you build it, the wrong people will come.  The real message of the Kingdom is, “As you are going, disciple!”   Citizens of heaven who are now assigned to earth know that they are headed somewhere and while they are traveling, they must bring heavenly salve to all who cross their paths.

Philadelphia is nice if that’s where you intend to spent eternity.  Agapate tous echthrous[2] is better.

Topical Index:  heaven, philadelphia, echthrous, citizenship, Kingdom, Philippians 3:20

[2] Luke 6:35