Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
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If you listen to
the message on the prayer line shared by Presbyterian Elders in Prayer and
Belvidere, Illinois' First Presbyterian Church (815-544-3535), you'll catch a
Pauline drift that's always been integral to Biblically Christocentric and
pneumatically enlightened Christianity in a Philippians 1:21-24 kinda way.
Authentics as
opposed to posers understand/radiate that drift/confidence.
Really, if we really believe that
believing in Jesus ends up in heaven in a Revelation 21 kinda way, we're not
obsessed with the 70 or 80 or maybe even up to 120 limited years in time
in a Psalm 90 kinda way.
I've always felt
sorry for people who live like emotional, intellectual, and spiritual
hypochondriacs with a pre-converted-Pulitzer-prize-winning Beckerian
denial/fear of death.
Christians ain't
afraid of death to time because we're convinced of something much,
much, much infinitely/indescribably better with Someone after
time...forever...that commences after the last breath in time.
That's the
Gospel!
Ultimately, the
Gospel is not about good stuff fixed temporarily.
Ultimately, the Gospel
is about living forever with our Lord and the Lord's in the pure and perfect
place of personal peace that He and His have always talked about as fidelity's
ultimate destination.
Or as Jesus
promised anyone who turns to Him, "You will be with me in paradise."
Christians are
convinced that sounds a lot better than...
That's why, all
things being unequal in time but equal eternally through Jesus, I have a
really, really, really hard time feeling/being/acting
defeated when saying good-bye to anyone in time when I know there's
heaven for all of the saints who from their existential labors rest.
Again, the
Pauline in me operates in a Romans 8 kinda way.
Or something like
that.
Kinda.
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Kansas City's
IHOPer Mike Bickle says he limits his staff to only one or two "God told
me(s)" a year.
With ya, brother!
Luther's call to
and from monasticism comes to mind.
Anyway, I've only
had three occasions in four decades of ordained undershepherding ministry when I believe God
told me to pray for three men to live longer when they were considered to be
dead as door nails by attending physicians.
In other words,
I've only had three occasions when I believe God has told me to pray for
miracles to let people live longer in time no matter what I believe about
heaven as aforementioned.
Annnnnnnd in all three
situations, it's been a Philippians 1:24 deal.
God told me that
they had more work to do in time with His for Him.
Sooooooo when they did
regenerate miraculously, I shared my "God told me" with them.
I explained I discerned
God had a purpose for letting them live longer.
I warned them
that they had to seize the opportunity/privilege/grace or...
One man in Kansas
City did and lived another decade with exceeding generosity, reconcilability, and
overall fidelity.
One man in
Rockford did not and his family has suffered incredible sadnesses/calamity ever
since.
A third...
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Here's the point
as articulated in prayer by Father Abbe Michel Quoist: "You who are beyond
time, Lord, You smile to see us fighting it. And You know what You are
doing. You make no mistakes in Your distribution of time to men.
You give each one time to do what You want him to do. But we must not
waste time, kill time,...For time is a gift that You give us,...But a
perishable gift,...A gift that does not keep."
He concluded,
"I am not asking You, Lord, for time to do this and then that,...But Your
grace to do conscientiously, in the time that You give me, what You want me to
do."
Do I want to live
longer?
Do you want to
live longer?
Why?
Do I/you really
believe that believing in Jesus means heaven after I/you die to time?
Am/Are I/you
prepared to take the time that He graces to me/you with rededication: "Not
as I will but as
You..."?
Now go back to
Philippians 1:21-24.
Selah.
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Blessings and Love!
2 comments:
Melanie has said often that she does not want to live as long as the person then described as having just died but having been the oldest person. I differ with her because it would be a truly wonderful opportunity to tell all those who would ask me what is the secret to my longevity. (My uncle lived to be 91 and told me the secret was to "Keep breathing"!) I would answer that I believe I take the Fifth (Commandment) seriously that my days would be long upon the earth. I would then tell them of His marvelous provision through Jesus Christ's beating death that I will also beat it by getting an incorruptibly new body that will allow me to stand in the full glory of His Son for zillions of years despite being unable to stand in His partial glory of the sun on Florida beaches for fifteen minutes. While the questionners would want to know how to make our bodies last finitely longer, being the oldest person in the world would let me tell them how to live infinitely longer in a glorious body.
Well said, brother!
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