ready for Jesus to come back and to go to heaven are well-intentioned. After listening to any news program or scrolling through social media for any length of time it is obvious heaven is far better than earth.
So why is it that after we get born again, we don’ t go directly to heaven? Why does God have us to stay here and finish out our lives? Why was it better for the Apostle Paul to stay on earth when he desired heaven?
When Jesus ascended to heaven in Acts 1:9- 11 the disciples watched Him go up. After Jesus had ascended the disciples kept staring into the sky. Their natural reaction was to stare upward and fix their eyes upon heaven to see what Jesus was going to do. But then something drastic happened. An angel appeared to them. The angel asked the disciples,“ why do you stand gazing into heaven?” The disciples were starting at heaven, and the angel came to remind them,“ you have a job to do here on earth. Quit looking up and get busy doing what Jesus told you to do!” name a few. So why does God leave us here once we are born again? I believe there are 3 strong reasons.
1. You have a major part in the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12 we as Christians are compared to parts in the human body. Some are compared to an eye, others a nose, and others a hand. We are taught that every single one of us has a part of the body that we are responsible for. Now the body of Christ is the church. The church is God’ s design to be the mission center for global evangelism and carrying out the works of Christ. And every single one of us has a part to play. We are ALL called to be part of His body. And in the human body every part has a share. Have you ever had a broken bone, a stubbed toe, or an illness? When something in your physical body is not working correctly it causes your entire body to suffer. And the same is true in the body of Christ. You have purpose and value. If you have breath in your lungs you have significance. You are not in heaven today because you have a great purpose on earth.
So yes, it would be much better for all of us to go to heaven than to stay on earth. We wouldn’ t have to deal with the negative things of earth. Flawed humanity. Bills. Traffic. Jobs. Aging. Instead, we could be walking on streets of gold and swimming in the River of Life! We could be hanging out with Jesus, Paul, David, Moses, & Peter to
2. You are called to share your faith. If there is something better than going to heaven, it is taking all your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers with you. God has called you to an earthly ministry of telling others the Good News. Less than 5 % of those that receive Christ do so based on just walking into a church one day. Most people that come to
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