Sunday’s Specials List

     If each week was a meal then Sundays would be the main course. And I’m not talking about fast food or buffet snacks. No, this is the real deal, packed full of gourmet cooking, honest wholesome food, colour, spices and freshness!
  But I mustn’t get bogged down discussing food! (Although I would love nothing more!)
  The Sabbath day- one day in seven reserved for rest, fellowship and worship. A day given over to God. It is no wonder therefore that a Christian can feel refreshed and healed, full of peace and purpose by the end of the 24 hours.
  That’s normally when the  Monday-morning feeling hits in!
  To help you with the ‘new week blues’ I would like to share a few of the scrumptious treats I enjoyed this Sabbath.

Triumphant     

Last week, like many others, our Church ran a Holiday Bible Club. We had good numbers, enjoyed good weather, preached the gospel to children and parents alike and generally had an enjoyable week. After such a week however, as our visiting speaker pointed out, it can be tempting to want some overt signs of success, some cold hard results; and in the absence of any apparent conversions it is easy to see the time spent as wasted.
    It was a sweet encouragement, therefore, to hear the words of 2 Corinthians 2:14.

    But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.(2 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)

    The scene pictured is that of a conquering army returning home in glorious array, flags and banners flying high over the heads of the King and his mighty lords, while the sound of trumpets and minstrels swells in a majestic chorus across the cheering and adoring crowds.
    It is simultaneously inspiring and humbling to think that through Christ, God will always lead his Church victorious. Despite our failures and stumblings, the gospel of our God will be successful!

 

Thankfulness in Adversity

    Matthew Henry, the famous bible commentator, wrote an interesting piece in his journal shortly after finding himself robbed:

• I am thankful that he has never robbed me before.
• I am thankful that, though he took my purse, he didn’t take my life.
• I am thankful that, although he took all I had, that wasn’t very much.
• I am thankful that, although I was robbed, I wasn’t the robber.

 

God’s Witnesses

  “Isn’t it getting dark early.”
   If you haven’t heard that rhetorical question at least 10 times in the last two days then you obviously are in a different time zone than the rest of the United Kingdom! Although it happens every year, although we have had ample warning, we can never fail to be surprised that, after turning the clocks back an hour, the afternoons are so dark!
   Driving home  I couldn’t help but notice how I was drawn towards every speck of light amidst the gloom- houses, street lamps, other drivers- they all seemed to be something I could associate with to find protection against the overpowering darkness.
  That is the exact principle in play in a Christian’s life! We are to be beacons of hope, lamps of purpose and burning torches for the glory of God. When a non-Christian sees our lives he or she should be drawn to the image of Christ showing from us. That is quite a responsibility!

Ozymandias:

                 the Self-proclaimed “King of Kings”

“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

  My favourite poem (excluding hymns, psalms and biblical wisdom literature) is probably Ozymandias.
  Ozymandias…..
   ….. say the name slowly and roll it over your tongue.
   It is a name filled with ancient dread and power (If you have a healthy and vibrant imagination like me that is!).
  In 1818 two friends wrote competing sonnets with the same name: (you’ve guessed it) Ozymandias. The more famous of the two final articles, written by Percy Shelley, is the most ironic and poignant of the pair. They tell of the fall of nations, and the unequivocal fate of emperors and tyrants. Have a read and see what you think.

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert... Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear --
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.’

     The poem has a ring of Isaiah 39-40 about it. The prophet Isaiah writes an account set in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah. Hezekiah, on the whole, was a good godly King. However we learn that after God had blessed his reign with peace, stability and wealth, a number of envoys (or ambassadors) arrived from the local superpower: Babylon. The King seized the opportunity to show off his wealth and power; he showed the men every storeroom, every treasury and every armoury in his capital. Through his prophet, God rebuked Hezekiah for his pride. Isaiah chapter 40 is a stinging reminder that all of the might and power of men ultimately is worthless. God describes the nations as ‘a drop in a bucket’ and as ‘dust on a set of scales’.  God doesn’t stop there; we are reminded that, just like grass withers and flowers fade, all men will die eventually. To God, Isaiah writes, mankind is like a colony of grasshoppers running and jumping around on the surface of planet earth.

   Horace Smith’s version of Ozymandias helps us to remember that, like the Egyptian super-state before us, the British and American civilisations will eventually crumble (some would say it has already began!).

In Egypt's sandy silence, all alone,
Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws
The only shadow that the Desert knows:
"I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone,
"The King of Kings; this mighty City shows
"The wonders of my hand." The City's gone,
Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose
The site of this forgotten Babylon.
We wonder, and some Hunter may express
Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness
Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chace,
He meets some fragments huge, and stops to guess
What powerful but unrecorded race
Once dwelt in that annihilated place.

  Thankfully Isaiah chapter 40 tells us of someone whom we can trust, someone who will never crumble or be forgotten, someone who’s name is mightier than any Empire or civilisation. The Bible tells us that there is one with whom we can entrust our hopes, dreams and even our eternal souls.

    Have you not known? Have you not heard?   The LORD is the everlasting God,        the Creator of the ends of the earth.
    He does not faint or grow weary;
        his understanding is unsearchable.
    He gives power to the faint,
        and to him who has no might he increases strength.
    Even youths shall faint and be weary,
        and young men shall fall exhausted;
    but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
        they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
    they shall run and not be weary;
        they shall walk and not faint.(Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV)

Worship Who?

    Everyone worships something. What do you worship?

Living in the mirror of eternity

    8ft below me, in a spare room, a number of new born chicks are huddled beneath the EcoGlow ‘Chick-heater-system’. One slightly younger chick is inside a small incubator along with 3 pre-hatched eggs. If all other noise can be ignored then their little squeaks can just about be heard.
   My sister and her husband accidentally booked their holiday to coincide with the hatching of their new chicks.  It fell, therefore, to us to care for the new born chicks.
   Although they are quite adorable and cannot be seen without an ‘awwww’ escaping the lips, there is also a sense of sadness surrounding their arrival into the world. No mother hen stands over them, no loving wing surrounds and protects them. Rather it falls to man-made incubators and heaters to bring them into their new homes.

O Jerusalem, Jeruslaem the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

    Jesus had a similar, but much greater, grief when he saw how his home city rejected the Lord God. They refused his love and spurned his protection. They would rather ‘make it on their own’ than trust in the true and living God of Heaven and earth. Our Heavenly Father wants to gather his chicks under his wing, but we all have fled from his love and protection. We’ve all wanted our own independence and rules, rather than his love and guidance.
    As the ‘Heavenly…..’ series draws to an end, I hope that you want to rest under God’s wing. There is no greater catastrophe on this planet than when someone rejects God’s mercy and grace. Heaven, as I love to say, is a Gospel place! It will be crammed with wicked, cruel and horrible people. But they will all have been forgiven and transformed through the grace and power of the Lord Jesus Christ!
    Perhaps it might be profitable if I recap some of what we have learnt over the past 5 posts.

• The inhabitants of Heaven have been bought there by and through the Lord Jesus Christ- it is his property and there is no back entrance.
• They will be with Jesus, who will reign, and will enjoy the presence and blessings of God. Heaven- whether paradise, city, house or throne room- is God’s own land which he has prepared for his own people. The citizens of Heaven will have literal and physical bodies, which will no longer hunger, thirst or feel pain.
• Jesus is the Messiah, the Warrior King who became the slain lamb, sacrificing himself for his people. He will one day return to claim his Kingdom. He only waits so that more people may be saved from the fruits of their rebellion.
• Heaven, either symbolically or literally, is pictured as a city. It will be the ‘New Jerusalem’. It will be permanent and no evil will exist within. God will dwell in the city with his citizens who will worship him.
• This ‘New Jerusalem’ will come after the destruction of the earth. This physical world will be replaced with a new physical world. 
• The Citizens of this city will build houses, grow gardens and crops, and will enjoy their work. They will praise and glorify their King, who has bought them to the city of Heaven.

 
    So, where does  that leave us now?
   Earthbound, I suppose.
   But don’t let your Heavenly bubble deflate! The scriptures urge us to live each day looking forward to Heaven! Not as the reward we expect, but as the gift we don't deserve. I have a handy note written and pinned up on my bookcase, it says this:

“May I view all things in the mirror of eternity,
waiting for the coming of my Lord.
May I speak each word as if my last word,
and walk each step as my final one.
If my life should end today,
may this be my best day.”

   When you start to study the bible you discover that a Heavenly outlook was vital to the heroes of the Faith who lived before us. Its an important mentality to have. But it is impossible to keep unless you have been given a new life, a new affection, a new desire and a new purpose through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; I may have mentioned this before: Heaven is a Gospel place!
   Please read Hebrews 11 and 12. Find out how important the promise of Heaven is for you! A Christian must  be living for that day, that day when he or she will finally meet Jesus face to face. As one hymn beautifully puts it:

Lord Jesus, when Thee face to face I see,
When on Thy lofty throne I sit with Thee,
Then of Thy love, in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,
    My soul shall sing.

   I will leave you with the words with which I first began this series:
‘Stop moaning about petrol prices, VAT and the income tax and start groaning for Heaven!’

Heavenly Habits (a reminder)

 

     I appear to have been thwarted by my own blog!

    Due to certain technical difficulties Heavenly Habits- The occupation of Heaven was not published correctly. It is now up and running again. Please have a browse at the ‘Heavenly-‘ series and “Habits”, which is the latest post.

     Ta.

Redeeming Love

         A Novel by Francine Rivers

   When I first started writing a blog, I vowed that I would never ever write a book review! And especially not a review about a book with the word love in the title!
    2 years down the line….. and now I am writing a book review!
    Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is a very hard book to put down!
  Which bible story, in your opinion, is the most shocking? Maybe  Joseph being dumped in a pit by his brothers? Maybe Samson pulling down a building around himself (not to mention the 3,000 Philistines also at the party!) Maybe a shepherd boy becoming a King? Well, I would suggest that God taking on flesh and being crucified for his people is, undoubtedly, the most shocking story known to man…
   …Second to that is the story of Hosea.
   Hosea? I hear you ask. That ‘minor’ prophet? The Israelite farmer? Yes, him.
      
     Redeeming Love is a dramatised retelling of Hosea (vaguely) set in California in the 1800s- gold rush time! One of the main characters, Michael Hosea, is based (not surprisingly) on Hosea! The other, Sarah/Angel, is based on Gomar (Hosea’s wife).  All sounds fairly simple so far?
   Thats all about to change.
  

     Why is the biblical (and historical) story of Hosea so shocking?
     Because Gomar, his wife, was a prostitute.
      Hosea was instructed to take a wife of whoredom. He married Gomar and loved her; and even when she ran back to her prostitution, he found her and bought her back for a large sum. Hosea’s marriage is used by God as a picture of Israel (and therefore the Church as well). Israel were the chosen people of God, blessed greatly by him, however they chased after other Gods and sold themselves to the Baals and Asherahs; the Lord sent his own son to bring them back- at the cost of his own blood.
   Redeeming Love tells the stories of a man who really understands and lives his wedding vows and a woman who has lost the power to trust. It is a hard book to put down! Its not a small book, but the story and the message upon which it was based kept me reading and reading and reading.  As the publisher explains, Rivers had to make some tough decisions regarding exactly how much detail to use. At times, especially near the start, the book can seem graphic (not so much in what it says, but in what it leaves unsaid) however as you read on, the reasons for the detail becomes apparent.
   Read the book of Hosea, be astounded by God’s redeeming love for his People and Church, and then, if you feel so inclined, read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It isn’t infallible, it isn’t perfect, but it is an honest, brilliantly-written story which can teach us something about the love of God.

Heavenly Habits-

               The Occupation of Heaven

       Jesus, unlike the founder of any other major faith, holds out hope for ordinary human life. Our future is not an ethereal, impersonal form of consciousness. We will not float through the air, but rather will eat, embrace, sing, laugh, and dance in the kingdom of God, in degrees of power, glory, and joy that we can’t at present imagine.
        Tim Keller, Prodigal God

   One rather outspoken American Pastor makes the point that if in Heaven we spend our time with chubby cherubs flying around and plucking harps then Heaven is not to be particularly desired at all! Thankfully Heaven isn’t quite like that.

  What do we know about the activities (or Habits- if you like alliteration) of Heaven? Well, as we discussed in an earlier post, we will no longer hunger or thirst. Does that mean that food is off the menu (excuse the pun) in Heaven? Surprisingly, no.

   Isaiah has this to say about day-to-day life in Heaven:

    They shall build houses and inhabit them;
        they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
    They shall not build and another inhabit;
        they shall not plant and another eat;
    for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
        and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.(Isaiah 65:21-22 ESV)

    I remember in my early school days learning that verbs are ‘doing words’. To help us understand exactly what we shall be ‘doing’ in heaven I have highlighted the verbs above. 

    We won’t hunger but we will eat! That’s good news. Food purely for pleasure. Heaven will be a community of farmers growing delicious delicacies!

   As the passage mentions, construction work will be needed in Heaven! We will build homes to inhabit. How then does that fit in with Jesus’ own words, “In my Father's house are many mansions” . Why do we need to build homes if God has many mansions already prepared for us?! (The ESV and NIV translations talk of rooms instead of mansions. ) Speaking frankly, I don’t know the answer- something for you to ponder in your own time!

    Many contemporary preachers and writers talk about The Cultural Mandate. You will remember that after God created Adam and Eve he commanded them to ‘subdue’ and to ‘fill’ and to ‘have dominion’ over the earth. He also commanded them to ‘work’ and to ‘keep’ the garden of Eden. Many people take these commands and apply them to us today. Julian Hardyman (author of ‘Glory Days’) says this:

God didn’t just want everything to stay the same. He wanted humanity to apply itself to a massive development project. Life wasn’t to be static….. At first sight it sounds as though we should all become horticulturalists or foresters. Now its great to be a gardener, but God is interested in more than gardens.

    He goes on to describe ‘The Human Cultural Project’ and how art, poetry, science, cities, technology, sport and agriculture can be used to glorify God by growing and developing the potential of planet earth.

     How is this relevant to life in Heaven?- I hear you ask.

    Well, if this was God’s initial desire for humanity in Eden, then would he not wish a similar thing for redeemed humanity in Heaven?  We have already learnt that Heaven will involve work. Perhaps now we can see, somewhat more clearly, the form this work will take. Music, dance, building, writing, growing: all of it will be harnessed to the glory of God.

    The acute reader will have realised that I haven’t yet mentioned the main activity of the Heavenly citizens: worship. I will leave you with this passage from scripture to read through. Rejoice in the future you have in store if you are redeemed through the Lord Jesus Christ! Remember: The Church is the bride and our bridegroom is Jesus himself.

    Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,


    “Hallelujah!
    For the Lord our God
        the Almighty reigns.
    Let us rejoice and exult
        and give him the glory,
    for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
        and his Bride has made herself ready;
    it was granted her to clothe herself
        with fine linen, bright and pure”—

    for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.


    And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”   
(Revelation 19:6-9 ESV)

     

Previously in the ‘Heavenly-’ series…..

• Living in a Wigwam- waiting for the wonders of Heaven
• Heavenly Citizenship- The Inhabits of Heaven
• Heavenly Throne- The King of Heaven
• Heavenly Home- Citizens of where exactly?

Heavenly Home-

        Citizens of where exactly?

It was a good saying of one to a great lord, upon his showing his stately house, and pleasant gardens,: ‘Sir, you had need  make sure of heaven, or else, when you die, you will be a very great loser.’
       Thomas Brooks, English Puritan

     Perhaps you are wondering why, in a series about heaven, I haven’t yet broached the subject of where- or even what- heaven actually is. It is a tad strange, I agree. However when I sat down with my bible, a concordance, a notebook and my favourite ink pen, and delved into the scriptures, I found that the biblical emphasis on heaven is not so much the where as the who. The ‘who’, of course, is our Heavenly King- Jesus Christ.
    To a Christian, Heaven is all about Jesus. That’s why my two earlier posts- Heavenly Citizenship and Heavenly Throne-   focused on the who.  But who can but be a tad inquisitive as to the where factor?!
    The Bible talks about Heaven in a few ways. The overwhelmingly most used way can be seen in Hebrews, where we learn that Abraham was ‘looking forward’ to a city that has foundations, with a designer and a builder (God).  In another passage in Hebrews, Heaven is also described as a city, but also as a country in its own right:‘ …they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.’
    Hebrews (a treasure trove of Heaven related information!) doesn’t just stop there! The author actually lets us know which city Heaven is!

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable ages in festal gathering…

    Heaven is pictured as Jerusalem (or ‘the City of David’). Jerusalem was conquered by the Shepherd King David and claimed as the Capital City of his Kingdom and, more importantly, as his home.

• Jerusalem had a naturally defensible position- high upon a hill, and with access to a nearby spring.
• It was situated between the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin- a politically strong location.
• The Holy of Holies, inside the Temple walls- the hub of Zion- was where the Shekinah glory of God dwelt.
• Sacrifices and offerings to the Lord were made in Jerusalem by the Priesthood of Aaron.  

   The ‘Heavenly Jerusalem’, like the earthly city, will unite all nations and peoples. It is there that man will dwell in the presence of God, filled with love and praise for his majesty and grace. Twice in scriptures believers are described as a ‘Holy Priesthood’ offering sacrifices of worship to their God.
   Heaven will not be an exact resemblance of the earthly city, however. For one thing….

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

   There is not longer need for a Temple- God will live with us in Heaven, without need for sacrifices or veils and curtains!  And whereas the Capital of Israel could be (and indeed was) captured and destroyed, Heaven and the safety of it’s inhabitants is certain. The Lord promises that in Heaven no death, pain, mourning or crying will exist.
     Quite wonderfully the scriptures refer to the New Jerusalem as the home of Christ’s bride: the Church. Heaven has been prepared for us! That is quite an amazing thought! Heaven is where the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, will spend eternity with his bride, the Church. 
   Having designed and built Heaven for his bride, it is no surprise therefore to see that Christ is at the centre of the New Jerusalem. John the Divine describes the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of the lamb, watering the tree of life (remember Eden!) and thus bearing delightful fruits. It is unmistakable that the grace and blessings flowing from the throne of Jesus are bought to us through the Holy Spirit today on earth, but in Heaven we will drink them in their fullness!
   Perhaps I had better pause and recap what we have learnt about the where (I do tend to ramble away unless stopped!). Either symbolically or literally, Heaven is a city- the ‘New Jerusalem’ or ‘Mount Zion’. This city is better than any city now because no evil will be in it, it is permanent, and because, most importantly, the Lord God dwells in it (therefore no temple is needed). Both Ezekial and Revelation talk about a river of water flowing through Heaven to heal the nations. This city will be inhabited by many people- God’s people- and they shall worship him.
 
    Heaven- the New Jerusalem- will be a glorious place, filled with ‘unending stream of abundant blessings and joy’. God’s people will rejoice in the company of their Lord and Saviour: King Jesus.
   Heaven- as I never bore of saying- is a Gospel place; God will not allow sinful men to live there, only those who have been washed clean by his perfect son.
   I ask you, has the Lord written his name, and the name of Zion upon your heart?

              To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God…. [he] will be clothed in white garments.

Heavenly Throne-

                    

                      The King of Heaven

“Because God created peoples, places and things, and because sin has corrupted peoples, places and things, God intends to redeem peoples, places and things.”
                      Tullian Tchividjian

    In Heavenly Citizenship, we thought about who the inhabitants of Heaven will actually be; we saw that Heaven is God’s own property which he is preparing for his people. Most importantly, we saw that all the people of Heaven have been bought there by and through the Lord Jesus Christ (there is no back entrance, hidden passageway or parachute drop into Heaven),
   But can we learn more about our Heavenly ruler? In fact, do we even know what type of government we can expect? Many people regard anarchy as the most natural and gratifying form of leadership- is that the way to go? Or can we expect elections in Heaven? Who will be the candidates? Will they be paid expenses?!
   Well, of course we all know that no form of human government can really suffice for Heaven! Neither anarchy nor democracy holds the key. 
   In the Bible we can see, prophetically, what Heaven’s governance is like:

The Kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.

   Countless other biblical references refer to Jesus as being our Heavenly Monarch.
   Here in the United Kingdom, we tend to view our Royal Family with a sense of wariness- what will they do or say to embarrass us next?! However, as I understand it, in the USA-  a former colony of Britain which revolted against the rule of a dictatorial and mad King- a fresh surge of appreciation for the British Royals has begun! This, of course, is mainly thanks to the marriage of our favourite prince to the glamorous Kate Middleton (who’s humble background is a big inspiration to common people everywhere!)
    The Kingship of Christ, however, is extremely different to the British Royals. Firstly, while the Windsor family’s claim to rule could be subjected to scrutiny (especially if they started to demand the use of their powers), the Kingly claim of the Lord Jesus is faultless. He created us in his image, he won us in  battle, he bought us at the cost of his own blood and he has conquered our hearts. His claim is fourfold. Not only this, but the Duchies, the Earldoms, the counties and the towns of his Kingdom were all designed and built by his very own hand, for his own pleasure and are brilliant in every way. As for his laws and decrees, the Psalmist tells us of them:

    The law of the LORD is perfect,
        reviving the soul;
    the testimony of the LORD is sure,
        making wise the simple;
    the precepts of the LORD are right,
        rejoicing the heart;
    the commandment of the LORD is pure,
        enlightening the eyes…(Psalm 19:7-8 ESV)

    Obviously this King must be mighty and glorious; however, when we turn to the book of Revelation, the images of Jesus reigning in Heaven are, frankly, strange.
    Picture the scene: John is standing in Heaven (in his divine vision- described to us in Revelation). He has in front of him a scroll- sealed and secure. The cry goes forth “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” But “no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.” But then John is told of one- a conqueror- who is worthy to open the scroll. He is “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David”, this man is pictured as a lion, Messianic son of the warrior King. Then John sees the person…

  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…
(Revelation 5:6 ESV)

   Our Saviour is pictured as a Lion, a Warrior King and…. a slain lamb. That is quite a contradiction in our terms. The powerful Lord of all creation became as a slain lamb.
    I have heard it said that “the only man-made thing in Heaven will be the nail prints in the hands and feet of Jesus.” It is true. In Heaven we will look on our King- the Lion, the Rock, the Fortress- and will be reminded that he died on a cross, crucified by his own subjects, because he loved us so very, very much.
  One writer, who’s work I particularly enjoy, puts it like this:

“Since the dawn of time, there has never been a moment when the Lord hasn’t reigned over all he has made. But God’s reign was demonstrated in new and dramatic ways when Jesus bought it from heaven to earth in a paradigm-shattering manner.” 

     Although we live in enemy-occupied land, we can be sure that our King has already won the ultimate victory. Peter tells us that Jesus is patient and is waiting to reclaim his Kingdom. Why does he wait? Because “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 
   In the final instalment of the ‘Heavenly…’ series I want to try and learn what it means to be a Citizen of Heaven here and now, to discover what Jesus’ Kingship is like in our lives and churches today. But, without wanting to steal my own thunder, can I leave you with the thought that, until Jesus returns, we must not be living with what has been described as ‘eternal amnesia’. Instead we should live each day eager and excited for Jesus’ return, acting under his loving grace and wise government, sharing his desire to welcome new citizens into Heaven!

• Heavenly Citizenship-     The inhabitants of Heaven

Psalm 55:22

     Ever tried to learn a scripture passage and failed dismally?   I have.
    Memory songs are a great tool to solve that problem! Seeds Family Worship have produced some great ones. Here is one for you to enjoy and learn over the weekend!

   Normal service to be resumed shortly! Look out for the next instalment in the Heavenly series- ‘The Heavenly King’