Summaries of Our Study Thus Far
1. I believe there is one true, living, loving God. God's name is I Am. That in an of itself says a lot about God. 2. I believe that God created all things, assisted by the presence of the Heavenly Realm of which Jesus was a part, and as was the Holy Spirit. 3. I believe God's crowning creation was humans. The first two were placed in a garden where all was provided for them, including a special blessed and holy relationship with God. 4. I believe this relationship was broken because of the disobedience of the humans after being tempted by he who seeks only to kill, steal and destroy all that God has brought about. 5. I believe that God expelled the humans from the garden, but sought to maintain a relationship with them. It was a long story of obedience, faithfulness, and love on the part of the humans, followed by disobedience and alienation from God. 6. They cried to God and God sent those who could bring about restoration and relationship For a time, obedience, faithfulness, and love was found, until they once again disobeyed and strayed from God. 7. In the fullness of time, God intervened in human history in a matter that has impacted the world; God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as He who could remove sin and death from the face of the earth. 8. Jesus taught, preached, healed, and demonstrated the power and love of God, only to be arrested, held on trial, and sentenced to death. 9. Jesus was crucified, died, and buried. 10. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, presented Himself to many witnesses, and arose to Heaven where He sits at the right hand of God. 11. Jesus said He was preparing a place for us, and would come for us, so that where He was, we could be also. 12. That place is Heaven, and it in under construction and it will be revealed to us as a new Heaven and a new Earth.
As we started the class, several things were shared by the class, which I believe represent the state and status of many when it comes to Heaven.
1. We are not afraid necessarily of dying. No one in the class expressed a fear of death. 2. We are afraid of the way we might die; some did not want to experience a lingering, painful death. 3. We are afraid, some of us, of the separation that death brings from our loved ones here. 4. We believe and look forward to our reunion with Christ, and with the loved ones who have died and we believe have been received into Heaven. 5. We believe the best witness to the realities of Heaven is the Holy Bible with all of its references, and truths shared about it. 6. Key to Heaven is the belief that death is not the end. John 11 shares with us the powerful story of Jesus raising from the dead, one named Lazarus, who died from an illness and who stayed dead for about four days. He was bound in cloths as was the custom, but heard the voice of Jesus and came out of the tomb when called by name. 7. During that experience, Jesus shared with the family of Lazarus some truths: Verse 23, Jesus says to Martha, "Your brother will rise again." She believed what she had been taught about the resurrection at the last day, but Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die." This statement was followed by a question, "Do you believe this?" Faith is key for us. To her credit, Martha said, "Yes, Lord, I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, the One coming into the world." 8. In John 12, Jesus shares with His disciples about His own death. Verse 27, "My soul is troubled." Even Jesus knew the coming agony of death, but He says in the following verse, "Father, glorify Your Name." 9. In John 14, Jesus addresses the trouble we feel when facing death by this powerful declaration: "Do not let your hearts be troubled, Believe in God, believe also in me." Again, faith is key. Jesus adds, verse two, "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?" Heaven is under construction, Jesus, the Cornerstone is the chief architect and is in charge of what is being built. This implies to me a physical realm where construction takes place with materials we would call physical, though in another realm. Jesus continues, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again (Christians say this before receiving Holy Communion) and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas, known forever as the Doubter says, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus replies, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know the Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him."
All this after only two 50-minute sessions on Wednesday at our church, First UMC of Gonzales, Texas. We will resume class again on January 10, 2018 at 12:10 p.m. It promises to be awesome in what we will come to know and learn about God, God's love for us, and that awesome place that is being built for us that we call Heaven.
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