Pastor's Corner - April 2011
Have you ever thought about the kind of people who will live in Heaven? The closing paragraph of that classic book The Great Controversy reads, “The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation.” I love those words – “one pulse of harmony”! Wow, what will that be like? When I hear beautiful, harmonious music, it resonates in my soul. Just think what social and interpersonal harmony will be like. No more bickering, complaining, arguing, evil surmising, gossiping, manipulating, taunting, harassing, abusing, cheating, lying, stealing, murdering, spying, conniving, betraying, plundering, rioting, raping, looting, pillaging, squandering, etc. Think of all the words which could be eliminated from our vocabulary! In Galatians 5 the apostle Paul elaborates on this theme and describes the characteristics which citizens of the Kingdom of God will exhibit.
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5 NKJV; see also I Corinthians 6:1-11, Romans 1:28-30, and 2 Timothy 3:1-5)
If the citizens of Heaven will live the fruit of the Spirit and “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17), when will they begin exhibiting those wonderful attributes? Will it be on the day Jesus comes back for His people, or during the flight to Heaven, or perhaps when they arrive? Or will it take place before the “seal of the living God” is placed on their foreheads, before the four winds of strife begin to blow on this earth? I think the answer is obvious. It will have to be sometime before that final seal is placed in their foreheads and that means beginning now until that seal is affixed.
Before the first Advent of Christ, John the Baptist preached by the river, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) Hundreds heard that cry for repentance and they came in droves to be baptized unto repentance for their sins. Even some of the Pharisees came for baptism, but John rebuked them by saying: “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.” (Matthew 3:7-9) If repentance was necessary before the First Advent, how much more before the Second Advent of our Saviour? For as Paul wrote in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Is it enough to confess our sins? No, repentance means turning away from our sins. Paul made this clear; “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ....We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Rom. 6:1-4 NIV)
Jesus often reminded his disciples to live humble and contrite lives with each other. Just before his crucifixion He said to them “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35 NKJV) Paul wrote of this to the church in Ephesus, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 3:29-32 NIV)
My innermost desire is to be ready for citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven; therefore I must allow the Holy Spirit to refine my character and to exhibit the characteristics of Heaven’s citizens now. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means developing a trusting relationship with Christ Jesus now.
The five wise virgins in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25 had extra oil. What does it mean to have extra oil? Does it not mean being filled with the Holy Spirit? And what does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Look at the response from the master of the wedding feast to the five foolish virgins who did not have any extra oil with them. When they finally returned late to the feast with some oil they had managed to find, he said to them, “I do not know you.” Being filled with the Spirit means spending time with Jesus now, talking to Him in prayer, reading and meditating on His words, so that when His Kingdom comes that relationship can continue for eternity.