Heaven on Earth - NOW?

I won't ask for a show of hands, but how many of you remember the movie, "Strange Brew"? The main characters were two brothers, Bob & Doug McKenzie who have this overwhelming obsession with beer. The only thing I even remember about this mindless movie is where Bob and a friend get trapped in a huge brewery tank which begins to fill with beer. Instead of panicking that he might die, Bob thinks this is a dream come true. His classic line is, "This is like heaven on earth, aye?".

Heaven on earth. Why is it that so many Christians think the goal of life is all about going to heaven? Or getting a ticket to heaven? There seems to be a mindset that once you are saved (have accepted what Jesus did on the cross and by his resurrection), then you just kick back and wait to go to heaven. You're in. Nothing left to do.

The church I grew up in was kind of like that. There was no real need to try and make a difference in this world because God would destroy it all someday anyway. There was no encouragement to witness or evangelize because God would call whoever He wanted. Once you accepted that call, you were in and to hell with everyone else. (They never said that, but they thought like that).

Well known Christian author, Brian McLaren says that, "Christians tend to put themselves and their entry to Heaven at the center of their faith, while neglecting to consider the significance of their faith for the world around them". He says that although Christians are not of the world, they are still in the world and called to be agents of transformation by bringing God’s Kingdom to Earth. I couldn't agree more.

What if instead of just sitting back and waiting to enter the pearly gates, God has actually commissioned us to be co-workers with Him in bringing the Kingdom to the whole world? What if we are to be representatives and ambassadors of the heavenly kingdom in our day-to-day interactions with all people?

McLaren continues, "The Kingdom of God is about God’s Kingdom being done on Earth. It’s not a plan of upward mobility and how we get to Heaven but about how God’s Kingdom comes down to Earth." This is what John writes about in Revelation 21.

A new heaven comes down to earth when Jesus returns but what about from now until that day? In Jesus' model prayer, He says "Thy kingdom come". This implies that God's kingdom is on the move. It's not just a heavenly destination. Jesus also said in Matthew 4 to "repent for the kingdom is near". Jesus was the embodiment of God's Kingdom. The light of His kingdom broke in on the darkness of Satan's kingdom.

If Christians are simply waiting for a future place in the sky, we've missed alot of what Jesus was trying to say about our mission. By Christ living in us, what if our actions of love and sacrifice would permeate the way we live NOW? What if we embodied the Kingdom and advanced it in our part of the world? What if instead of waiting to "go to heaven", we lived as though heaven were here on earth NOW? What if we lived out the Sermon on the Mount TODAY? If we can see the connection between heaven coming down and our responsibility to help usher in the kingdom, then Bob McKenzie got it right. It's like "heaven on earth, aye?".