As Christians … We Help People ... Go To HeavenSample

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As Christians … We Help People ... Go to Heaven

What are you and I to do after we establish a relationship with God through Christ, begin to grow in Him, and anchored in Christ, seek to live lives of impact? What’s the goal or purpose for these three aspects of God’s will? Is it just to bring those less fortunate “up a notch” by acts of service? Surely Christ didn’t give His life so that we might “buy the world a Coke and keep it company” as the jingle goes. There has to be more than that. Many well-meaning organizations do wonderful things in the name of kindness or social justice. But Christians do it in Jesus’ name.

I once heard Pastor Ken Whitten say a sentence that reshaped my thoughts. He said, “The goal of the Bible is not to make the earth a better place to go to hell from.” Whoa. Rewind. Let me hear that again. “The goal of the Bible is not to make the earth a better place to go to hell from.” This statement doesn’t belittle good works or discourage those who would seek to better society through kindness or acts of service. It simply implies that eternity is paramount, and our primary aim should be to make sure we keep eternity front and center. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”.

In other words, all the earthly good that we might do should have a heavenly motivation and perspective; it should be more than just meeting a social or physical need. Christians should most definitely strive to meet the physical needs of the poor, but it doesn’t end there. We give a cup of cold water, but we give it in Jesus’ name—meaning, for His sake and purpose. The cold water is a temporary tool to open the heart to an eternal truth. Our lives should be about sharing the good news of relationship with Jesus Christ, because eternity without Him is a terrible, permanent sentence. Here’s our statement of impact: As Christians ... we help people ... go to heaven.

 You can get Gregg Matte’s book by clicking on Finding God's Will.