Pastor Weekly - 6/3/26
Hello ICC Family!
But in keeping with his promise
we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,
where righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:13 (NIV)
As we have been considering revival the past couple of weeks at ICC, my thoughts have gone more and more towards heaven. Because what is revival if not just a taste, or a glimpse of the beauty and wonders and delights of the eternity with God which is to come? As we pray and invite the Lord to work in and through us, we are experiencing God’s goodness as we taste and see him. That then increases our longing to taste and see him even more… which finds its ultimate fulfillment in heaven!
It breaks my heart that so many Christians don’t look forward to heaven because they think it’s going to be boring. We Christians really need to read and study our Bibles more! Instead, we get our ideas about heaven from Renaissance paintings and nursery rhymes. Or perhaps from people that were technically dead for a few minutes and come back with a story of their experience. But Scripture has a lot to say about heaven, including in the verse above. If we paid attention to it, we wouldn’t worry for one second about being bored in the life to come.
One of the key things that most people get confused about heaven is the difference between the present heaven and the future heaven. The present (or intermediary) heaven is where we go when we die. It is a wonderful place without suffering and with Jesus, but it is not the place that Christians will live forever. That place is the new heaven and new earth mentioned in the verse above. When we say as Christians that the world is not our home… that is not quite true. The world as it is now is not our home, but the new earth will be our home forever. A new earth where God’s people will serve the King, and reign and rule with him. As Randy Alcorn says in his book on heaven, Immanuel does not mean us with God. It means God with us - together with his people on the new earth. And that new heaven/earth will be perfect. It will have all of the good things that we love and enjoy without any of the negatives. And with no temptation or sin, and no pain, and no sadness, and no death… we can enjoy it all while being with the Lord as He created us in the beginning. Revival is yet another taste of the new heaven and earth to come!
We’re going to consider heaven a little more in our discipleship time this evening. It would be great to see many of you there. And please make sure you try your best to come this Sunday to hear our guest speaker, Dr. Zakayo Nzogere. What a blessing to be part of an international church! Yet another glimpse of what it will be like in heaven!
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
But in keeping with his promise
we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,
where righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:13 (NIV)
As we have been considering revival the past couple of weeks at ICC, my thoughts have gone more and more towards heaven. Because what is revival if not just a taste, or a glimpse of the beauty and wonders and delights of the eternity with God which is to come? As we pray and invite the Lord to work in and through us, we are experiencing God’s goodness as we taste and see him. That then increases our longing to taste and see him even more… which finds its ultimate fulfillment in heaven!
It breaks my heart that so many Christians don’t look forward to heaven because they think it’s going to be boring. We Christians really need to read and study our Bibles more! Instead, we get our ideas about heaven from Renaissance paintings and nursery rhymes. Or perhaps from people that were technically dead for a few minutes and come back with a story of their experience. But Scripture has a lot to say about heaven, including in the verse above. If we paid attention to it, we wouldn’t worry for one second about being bored in the life to come.
One of the key things that most people get confused about heaven is the difference between the present heaven and the future heaven. The present (or intermediary) heaven is where we go when we die. It is a wonderful place without suffering and with Jesus, but it is not the place that Christians will live forever. That place is the new heaven and new earth mentioned in the verse above. When we say as Christians that the world is not our home… that is not quite true. The world as it is now is not our home, but the new earth will be our home forever. A new earth where God’s people will serve the King, and reign and rule with him. As Randy Alcorn says in his book on heaven, Immanuel does not mean us with God. It means God with us - together with his people on the new earth. And that new heaven/earth will be perfect. It will have all of the good things that we love and enjoy without any of the negatives. And with no temptation or sin, and no pain, and no sadness, and no death… we can enjoy it all while being with the Lord as He created us in the beginning. Revival is yet another taste of the new heaven and earth to come!
We’re going to consider heaven a little more in our discipleship time this evening. It would be great to see many of you there. And please make sure you try your best to come this Sunday to hear our guest speaker, Dr. Zakayo Nzogere. What a blessing to be part of an international church! Yet another glimpse of what it will be like in heaven!
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
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