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Community and Mission A church is not just a truth-dispensing center but a spiritual family. As Paul explains why he’s written his first letter to Timothy, he provides this theologically concentrated definition of the church: “If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). A friend of mine was walking past a church as its service was concluding. As the people poured out of the building, he noticed that none of them were talking together. There were no conversations. Whatever this congregation had come for, they’d come for it individually, and they’d gotten it, and now they were leaving. The presence of the rest of the congregation was apparently incidental. Sadly, it appeared to be a privatized spirituality. But that’s not the spirituality of the New Testament. The church is the household of God, so we can expect relationships, interaction, and shared identity to be fundamental aspects of its life. Moreover, because this is the church of the living God, we can expect the family dynamics of this community to be energized by the life of God himself. This is relevant given the final definition of a church in these verses. Paul goes on to say that the church is the pillar and buttress of the truth. Pillars and buttresses support large buildings. On vacation last summer, I visited Palma Cathedral on the Spanish island of Mallorca. It’s one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world, and it has beautiful pillars and buttresses. They’re essential for a building of its size and dimensions, but they aren’t just functional, they’re ornate. They’re part of the beauty of the building they support. A church is to be the same for God’s truth. It is not that the truth needs a church’s stamp of approval. Nor is it simply that a church is the outlet for God’s truth in the world (though that is true). Far more, a church validates and embodies God’s truth in the world. The beauty of community in a church is meant to be a plausibility structure for the gospel, lifting its social visibility as a pillar, reinforcing its persuasive power as a buttress. A church makes the gospel known and even compelling. And it will not be a captivating voice for the truth if it is not living as a beautiful family. Jesus himself shows us this when he says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). If we didn’t already know how it ended, we might instinctively complete this sentence differently. In our heart of hearts, we sometimes believe the world will know we’re Jesus’s disciples if we’re more impressive than our surrounding culture, if we have a mic-drop answer to every skeptic’s question, if our people seem more put together than everyone else, or if our preacher is always telegenic and our music team always gives a virtuoso performance. But Jesus puts his emphasis elsewhere. What will most clearly show the presence of heaven on earth—that God is alive and well and right here—is our love for one another. Our shared love is not an afterthought, as though what really mattered were these other things and our love for one another was added as a bonus. No, the quality of our relational life in our churches is to be an apologetic for the world around us. As Francis Schaeffer once wrote, “Jesus is giving the world permission to judge whether we are true Christian disciples on the basis of whether we love one another.” Jesus expresses a similar idea in his prayer just a few hours later: The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:22–23) This is a sacred moment. We are listening in to the eternal Son as he prays to the eternal Father. He prays for us. We are the “them” to whom Jesus refers. We are those who would come to believe through his apostles’ message. And what does Jesus pray for? He prays for our unity, praying that the oneness he and the Father share will mark his people as well, that we would “become perfectly one.” What’s astonishing is the impact Jesus prays our loving unity will have. He’s not praying for our sakes alone. No, Jesus prays for our unity “so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” In our love for one another, the world around us is meant to see evidence that Jesus has been sent from heaven. They’re meant to see that something of the eternal love that the Father has for the Son now rests on us. Our love for one another is not only meant to be clearly observable by the watching world. It’s to be so strikingly Godlike that it cannot be explained except by the reality of the gospel. The gospel doctrines of the incarnation (“you sent me”) and of justification (“and loved them”) will become more visible and nonignorable through the love we show one another in Christ. The church is the household of God, so we can expect relationships, interaction, and shared identity to be fundamental aspects of its life. This article is adapted from You're Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Weary Churches by Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry.

1. Acts 2:42–47 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Read More The Christian Community Shares a Life in Common. This is the first extensive “summary” in Acts. It depicts a number of activities characteristic of the earliest church. The early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching, which would have included Jesus’ earthly teaching plus what he taught the apostles in his 40 days of resurrection appearances. Fellowship (Gk. koinōnia, “participation, sharing”) included the sharing of material goods (Acts 2:44), the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42, Acts 2:46), which likely covers both the Lord’s Supper and a larger fellowship meal, and prayers in house meetings and likely also in the temple (Acts 2:42, Acts 2:46). all things in common. Though some people have referred to this situation as “early communism,” this is clearly not the case, since (1) the giving was voluntary and not compelled by the government, and (2) people still had personal possessions, because they still met in “their homes” (v. 46) and many other Christians after this still owned homes (see 12:12; 17:5; 18:7; 20:20; 21:8, 16; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2; 2 John 10). Further, Peter told Ananias and Sapphira that they did not have any obligation to sell their property and give away the money (Acts 5:4). In contrast to communist theory, the abolition of private property is not commanded or implied here. (See 1 Tim. 6:17–19; but also 1 Tim. 6:6–10.) On the other hand, there is a voluntary generosity in sharing possessions that is seen as commendable. 2. 1 Timothy 3:14–15 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Read More In this very significant verse, Paul states his reason for writing 1 Timothy, providing one of the key NT descriptions of the church’s identity and mission. The use of household (Gk. oikos) and related words to describe the church and its ministry is common in Paul (cf. 1 Cor. 4:1; Gal. 6:10; Eph. 2:19; as well as 1 Tim. 3:4–5, 1 Tim. 3: 12, 1 Tim. 3: 15; 1 Tim. 5:4, 1 Tim. 5:8, 1 Tim. 5:14; cf. 1 Pet. 4:17). It describes the church as God’s family, especially with reference to authority and responsibility within the church and the home. The stress is on God’s authority over the church and the behavior of people in the church. Church of the living God highlights the church as the gathering (Gk. ekklēsia, “assembly”) where God most clearly manifests his presence. Thus, references to God as the “living God” in Scripture often refer to his reality and presence in the community of believers (cf. Num. 14:28; Josh. 3:10; Matt. 16:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; Heb. 3:12; Heb. 9:14; Heb. 10:31). Identifying the church as a pillar and buttress of the truth is a way of saying that God has entrusted to the church the task of promoting and protecting the gospel (i.e., “the truth”; see note on 1 Tim. 2:4). The architectural imagery presents the church’s responsibility of “holding up” the gospel before a watching world, probably with a view to repelling the attack of false teaching. This picture of the church is striking. The role of advancing the gospel is divinely given to the church, not (at least not in the same way) to any other body. Parachurch organizations have value, but they must support and not supplant the church. 3. Romans 12:4–5 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Read More The diversity and unity of the church is illustrated by comparison to the human body. Just as the human body is one with many members (lit., body parts, limbs), so the church is united though it is composed of many members. On the theme of the church as the body of Christ, see also 1 Corinthians 12 and Eph. 4:4, 12–16. 4. Colossians 1:17–20 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.Read More in him all things hold together. Christ continually sustains his creation, preventing it from falling into chaos or disintegrating (cf. Heb. 1:3) Christ Is Lord of Redemption. Christ is Head of the church and has accomplished reconciliation at the cross. he is the head of the body. Paul spoke elsewhere of the church as the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27), but he takes the image a step further here and envisions Christ as the head of the body (see also Eph. 1:22–23; 5:25). This metaphor conveys Christ’s leadership over the body and may also suggest his role in providing sustenance for it (see notes on 1 Cor. 11:3; Col. 2:10; 2:19). For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. The “fullness” language here and throughout the letter is reminiscent of its use in the OT, where it was said that God “filled” the temple with his presence. For instance, the prophet Ezekiel exclaims, “I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple” (Ezek. 44:4). Jesus not only bears God’s glory, but all that God is also dwells in him. He possesses the wisdom, power, Spirit, and glory of God. To say that all this divine fullness dwells in Jesus is to say that he is fully God (see also Col. 2:9). to reconcile to himself all things. As the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6), Jesus will ultimately quell all rebellion against God and his purposes. For believers, this means present reconciliation to God as his friends. As for nonbelievers and the demonic powers, Christ’s universal reign of peace will be enforced on them, for their rebellion will be decisively defeated by Christ as conquering king (cf. 1 Cor. 15:24–28; Rev. 19:11–21; 20:7–10) so that they can no longer do any harm in the universe. The basis for Christ’s reign of peace is the blood of his cross. The cross truly is the pivotal point in human and cosmic history. On crucifixion, see note on Matt. 27:35. 5. Ephesians 2:19–22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Read More So then. Christians have to know and be thoroughly convinced of who they are as saints and members of the household of God if they are to live accordingly. strangers. As in Eph. 2:12 (“commonwealth”), Paul employs a term that was common to political life in ancient cities like Ephesus. Strangers (also Eph. 2:12) were complete foreigners with no rights or privileges (see Acts 16:20–23); aliens were non-citizens who dwelt in the city and were accorded customary privileges as neighbors. Only citizens had full protections and rights in the city (see Acts 21:39). joined together. Christians are the temple of God corporately; belonging to the visible church is not optional for followers of Christ. holy temple. Where God meets with his people in joyful worship and fellowship. Believers do not have to worship in Jerusalem today because they themselves have become the new temple of God (see John 4:21). 6. 1 Peter 2:4–5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Read More Peter alludes to texts in Hosea that refer to Israel (Hos. 1:6, 9, 10; 2:23) and sees them fulfilled in the church. As you come to him indicates a daily personal relationship with Christ, beginning at but not limited to the time of conversion. As believers continue in fellowship with Christ, they “are being built up as a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:5). Just as his followers suffer persecution, Jesus also was rejected by men. Still, he is risen from the dead and hence is the living stone—the foundation of God’s new temple. He is God’s elect (chosen) one, and as the exalted Lord he is honored above all. Believers are living stones in God’s new temple (i.e., spiritual house). Since the components that make up the house are “living,” the house itself is also growing: you yourselves . . . are being built up. Peter sees that the OT temple anticipated the new temple where God dwells (i.e., in his people). But believers are not only God’s temple but are also a holy priesthood, which offers spiritual sacrifices (cf. Rom. 12:1; Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:15–16) by the power of the Holy Spirit. 7. 1 Corinthians 14:26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.Read More When you come together. This verse gives a fascinating glimpse into the kinds of activities that took place when the early church gathered as the body of Christ to worship the Lord. The worship included a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. In order to prevent discord and confusion (cf. 1 Cor. 14: 23, 33), Paul concludes his description of early church worship by emphasizing that all of these activities must be “done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14: 40). The goal of building up is analogous to the building of the temple (see 1 Cor. 3:16; cf. Ex. 25:8). 8. Hebrews 10:24–25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Read More let us consider. The third and final exhortation in Heb. 10: 22–25 calls for serious thinking about other Christians with a purpose to stir up (or “provoke”) them in their love and service (good works). Christian perseverance is thus also a community endeavor. meet together. Community encouragement toward perseverance requires being together. That some were neglecting this duty may have been among the motives for the author’s warnings throughout this book. encouraging. Voicing exhortation with the goal of strengthening another’s faith (see Heb.3:13; cf. Heb. 13:22). the Day drawing near. The coming day of Christ’s return and judgment (Heb. 9:28; Heb. 10:37) 9. Revelation 21:2–3 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Read More The holy city, new Jerusalem (cf. Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22–24), the church redeemed by Jesus Christ, will no longer be trampled by nations (Rev. 11:2) but rather, will be adorned as a bride He will dwell with them. The greatest blessing of heaven will be unhindered fellowship with God himself. The goal of God’s covenant, “God with us” (Isa. 7:14), foreshadowed in the OT tabernacle and temple, will be achieved. his people . . . their God. See Lev. 26:11–12; Ezek. 37:27. 10. 1 Corinthians 12:12–26 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.Read More Paul assumes the Corinthians know that the church is Christ’s body (see also 1 Cor. 12: 27; 1 Cor.6:15; 1 Cor.10:16; Rom. 12:4–8; Eph. 1:22–23; Eph. 4:4, Eph. 4:12–16; Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18, Col. 1: 24). Since the Spirit is one, he unites peoples across lines of ethnicity and social class that would otherwise divide them. (See Rom. 10:12; Gal. 3:27–28; Col. 3:11.) in one Spirit we were all baptized. The same Greek construction (the verb baptizō plus en [“in”] plus the dative of pneuma, “Spirit”) is used here as in the other six “baptism in the Holy Spirit” passages in the NT (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16), and here it seems clearly to refer to the cleansing and empowering work that the Holy Spirit does in a new convert at the point of conversion. Baptism is used metaphorically here to refer to the Spirit’s work within the believer to unite him or her to the body of Christ, which is also the corporate body of believers. Water baptism is an outward symbol of this reality (cf. Rom. 6:4; Gal. 3:27). made to drink. Probably not a reference to the cup of the Lord’s Supper but to the outpouring of God’s Spirit on his people (cf. John 7:37–39; Rom. 5:5). body . . . member. See Rom. 12:4–5; Eph. 1:22–23; 4:11–16. whole body . . . an eye . . . an ear. See also 1 Cor. 12:19. One problem Paul seeks to address throughout 1 Cor. 12:1–14:40 is the elevation of one gift (probably speaking in tongues) above all others. The general principle applies to an unbalanced emphasis on any particular spiritual gift at any time or place in the church. God arranged. The Corinthians’ thinking will be corrected when they consider God’s sovereignty in assigning gifts (cf. also 1 Cor. 12: 3, 11, 28). many parts, yet one body. One of the key themes in these chapters is unity in the midst of diversity. This probably reflects Paul’s assessment of how those Corinthians with the gift of tongues (and perhaps other more spectacular or “showy” gifts) were treating those with other gifts. The purpose of the gifts is to build one another up and to care for one another, not to flaunt one’s own spirituality. This article is part of the Key Bible Verses series.

We were made for a person and a place. Jesus is the person. Heaven is the place. God promises that all his children — whoever places their faith in Jesus to rescue them from sin and eternal death — will live forever with him in heaven (Luke 24:23 – 24; John 1:12; 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:10). What Will Eternal Life with Jesus in Heaven Be Like? Heaven is God’s central dwelling place. God is everywhere-present, yet heaven is the special location from which he rules the universe; it’s where his throne is (1 Kings 22:19). When God’s children die, we immediately go to heaven to be with Christ (Luke 23:43). But when we carefully read Scripture, we find that one day God will permanently relocate the present heaven to the newly transformed earth, which then will become the “forever heaven.” We normally think death ushers us into heaven to live with God in his place. That’s in fact what happens when Christ-followers die (2 Corinthians 5:8). But the ultimate promise is that God will come down to live with us in our place. He says of the new earth, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). Three times in this one verse God says he will live “with” or “among” us! So the ultimate heaven, on the new earth, will not be “us with God” but “God with us.” While the throne of God is now in the present heaven, when God descends to live on the new earth, “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city” (Revelation 22:3). Where God’s throne is, that is heaven, his central dwelling place. So the new earth will literally be “heaven on earth.” A Whole New World! God created the entire physical universe for his glory and our good. But humanity rebelled and the universe fell under the weight of our sin. Yet Adam and Eve’s seduction by the serpent didn’t catch God off guard. He had a plan in place for humanity’s redemption — and the restoration of creation, forever rescuing it from sin, corruption and death. Just as he promises to make humankind new, he promises to renew earth itself. “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17). “ ‘As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,’ declares the Lord, ‘so will your name and descendants endure’ ” (Isaiah 66:22). “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:1). Imagine how delighted Jesus’ disciples were when he said to them, “At the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28, italics added). Christ didn’t speak of the destruction or abandonment of all things but “the renewal of all things.” God designed humans to live on earth to his glory. Christ’s incarnation, life, death and resurrection secured the new earth’s eternal future, where life will be lived in complete fulfillment and without sin, the way God always intended. So never think Satan beat God and thwarted his plans by tempting Adam and Eve in Eden. Rather, unwittingly his attempts to sabotage God’s plans were used by the sovereign Creator as a part of his redemptive story that includes the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and return of Jesus, as well as the devil’s final destruction (Genesis 3:15; Revelation 20:10). Similarly, Peter preached that Christ must remain in heaven “until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets” (Acts 3:21, italics added). This cosmic restoration will not consist of God bringing disembodied angel-like people to fellowship with him in a spirit realm. Rather, God will bring humankind to something greater than even his original design in Eden. The entire physical universe won’t go back to its pre-fall glory but forward to something still more magnificent. The Future Heaven Where We’ll Live Forever The exact location of the present heaven is unknown. It seems likely that it’s not in our physical universe, but it exists in another dimension that we can’t see. But we do know it is a wonderful place to live between the time the followers of Jesus die and our future resurrection. Life in the present heaven (which theologians call the “intermediate” heaven) “is better by far” than living here on earth under the curse (Philippians 1:23). But it’s not our final destination. Many understand Revelation 20:1 – 10 to teach that after we’re raised, we will live on the original earth for a thousand years. After that will come the final judgment and end of the old earth, followed by its resurrection in the form of the new earth, where we will live with God and each other forever. When the New Jerusalem comes down out of heaven from God, it will descend to the new earth. From that time on, God’s dwelling place will be with his redeemed people on earth. This means the new earth will literally be heaven on earth! Jesus says of those who would be his disciple, “My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). This is a picture of God’s ultimate plan. Think about this: God could have taken Adam and Eve up to heaven to visit with him — but he didn’t. Instead, he walked with them here in their own world (Genesis 3:8). And that’s what he will do with us forever! The idea of the new earth as a physical place isn’t an invention of shortsighted human imagination. It’s the invention of our infinitely resourceful Creator, who made physical human beings to live on a physical earth, and who chose to become a man himself on that same earth. He wanted to redeem mankind and earth. Why? In order to glorify himself and enjoy forever the company of men and women in a world he’s made for us. Jesus: The Prime Example of Our Resurrected Lives When Jesus Christ came to earth, one of his names was Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus’ ascension to heaven in his resurrected body demonstrated the permanence of the incarnation. This has great bearing on where God chooses for us to dwell together. The new earth will be heaven incarnate, just as Jesus Christ is God incarnate. It will not be strange for Jesus to live on the new earth since like all of us, he first lived on the original earth! In the forty days between Christ’s resurrection and ascension, he walked, talked, ate and drank with his disciples. They saw a preview of the resurrected life reminding us that we will be both spiritual and physical beings forever. It’s fascinating to compare the first three and last three chapters of the Bible. In both we see the “tree of life,” a great river or rivers, a bride and a bridegroom. In Genesis, paradise is lost; in Revelation, paradise is regained. In Genesis, Satan wins his first victory; in Revelation, he experiences his final defeat. In Genesis, God hides his face from sinful man; in Revelation, it’s said of God’s children “they will see his face” (Revelation 22:4). In Genesis, the curse is pronounced; in Revelation, it’s removed. In Genesis, the gates of paradise are shut; in Revelation, the heavenly city’s gates are open. In Genesis, death appears; in Revelation, death is finally destroyed. It’s the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, the second Adam, who is given full credit for his sweeping victory over sin and death and his dramatic rescue of his people. By his incredible grace, those who believe in him will live forever in heaven rather than in hell. Uniting Heaven and Earth “The holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever” (Daniel 7:18). What is “the kingdom”? Earth. God’s people will reign over it not just for a thousand years but forever. God never abandoned his original plan for righteous humans to rule the earth — and through Jesus he will yet fulfill that plan in glorious ways. Earth is unique. It’s the one planet — perhaps among billions — where God chose to act out the unfolding drama of redemption and reveal the wonders of his grace. If the new Jerusalem will be capital city of the new earth, the new earth will be capital planet of the new universe. There God will establish an eternal kingdom where he will “bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). “All things” is inclusive — neither animals nor trees nor flowers nor mountains nor valleys will be left out. This verse corresponds precisely to the culmination of history we see enacted in Revelation 21, the merging together of previously separate realms of heaven and earth, fully under Christ’s lordship. As God and humankind are reconciled and united in Jesus, so too the dwellings of God and humankind — heaven and earth — will be reconciled and united in Jesus. The prayer of the ages, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) will at last be fully answered! Heaven is God’s home. Earth is our home. Jesus Christ, as the God-man, forever links God and humankind, and thereby forever links heaven and earth. As Ephesians 1:10 demonstrates, this idea of earth and heaven becoming one is explicitly biblical. Just as the veil that separated God from humankind was torn in two at Christ’s death (Matthew 27:51), so the veil that separates heaven and earth will be forever split. The gulf between the spiritual and physical worlds will be removed. No divided realms or divided loyalties to different homelands. Just one cosmos, one universe united under one Lord — forever. This is the unstoppable plan of God. This is history’s destination, the culmination of the greatest story ever told, a Jesus-centered story with a happy ending that will never end. When God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, earth was heaven’s backyard. The new earth will be heaven itself. And those who know Jesus will have the privilege of living there. Heaven: Our Forever Home God paints a compelling picture of the coming world: “ ‘See, I will create new heavens and a new earth . . . But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more . . . They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit . . . The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 65:17 – 19,21,25). Although Isaiah 60 doesn’t contain the term new earth (as do nearby chapters 65 and 66), we know much of the chapter describes that place, since John applied the prophet’s words directly to the new earth in Revelation 21 – 22. This will be a time of unprecedented rejoicing: “Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy.” On the renewed earth, the nations will bring their greatest treasures into this glorified city: “The wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come” (Isaiah 60:5). There will be animals from various nations on the new earth: “Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah” (Isaiah 60:6). Redeemed people will travel from far places to the glorified Jerusalem: “All from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord” (v. 6). People who dwell on islands will worship God, and ships will come from “Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor” (v. 9). Most of us are unaccustomed to thinking of nations, rulers, civilizations and culture (as well as animals) in heaven, but Isaiah 60 is one of many passages demonstrating the new earth’s true earthiness. The Wonders of the Holy City John applied Isaiah 60:11 directly to the New Jerusalem: “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it” (Revelation 21:24 – 26). The references to splendor of kings and glory of nations give us biblical basis to suppose that the best history, culture, art, music, and the languages of the old earth will be redeemed, purified, and restored to the new earth. Even now in heaven there are people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). It appears God’s people will forever be multi-cultural! God promises something that has never yet been true of the present Jerusalem: “I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler. No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:17 – 18). Isaiah then describes another scene that John connects directly to the new earth in Revelation 21:23; 22:5: “The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your ever-lasting light, and your days of sorrow will end” (Isaiah 60:19 – 20). Of the new Jerusalem, we’re told, “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Likewise, Isaiah uses inclusive language that could not apply to the old earth under the curse: “Then all your people will be righteous” (Isaiah 60:21). Verse 21 continues, “They will possess the land [in the Hebrew, literally earth] forever.” The earth will be theirs — not for a glorious decade or century or millennium, but forever. Anything but Boring! A pastor once told me he dreaded heaven. Why? “I can’t stand the thought of endless tedium. To float around in the clouds with nothing to do but strum a harp . . . it’s all so terribly boring. Heaven doesn’t sound much better than hell. I’d rather be annihilated than spend eternity in a place like that.” Jesus said of the devil, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Our enemy slanders three things: God’s person, God’s people and God’s place — namely, heaven. Satan need not convince us that heaven doesn’t exist, only that heaven is a place of boring, unearthly existence. What an insult to the infinitely fascinating Maker of the universe, whose creative wonders will never cease! Believing Satan’s lies robs us of our joy and anticipation. We set our minds on this life — not the next — and lose motivation to share our faith. Why should we share the “good news” that people can spend eternity in a boring, ghostly place that even we don’t look forward to? The new Jerusalem will be a new Eden, a huge garden city of startling beauty. Heaven won’t be filled with hammocks — with nothing to do but rest (though some rest will be great for a while). We’ll honor God by enjoying him through enjoying his creation. We’ll always get to do what we want to do, and we’ll always want to do what brings joy to God and to us. On the new earth, we’re told “his servants will serve him” (Revelation 22:3). Servants of a King — especially his children who are royalty themselves — have important things to do, places to go, people to see. It’s said of God’s children “they will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). Servants work and rulers work. But on the new earth, with a totally righteous and loving Father, our work will be a privilege — refreshing work without the curse — similar to work done by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Anticipating Life on the New Earth The Westminster Shorter Catechism, completed in 1647, begins, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” What will we do forever? Enjoy God! Will we use the arts to praise God? Since the new earth will supersede and surpass the present earth, then surely the greatest books, dramas and poems have yet to be written. Just as we can use our voices and musical instruments to worship God, we can also dance to honor him. What about sports? Picture yourself enjoying your favorite sport (which may be a new one you haven’t yet played) when you live on the new earth with a perfectly healthy body. Olympic champion Eric Liddell said, “God made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure.” After our resurrection, Matthew 8:11 and several other Scriptures say we’ll enjoy feasts with Jesus “in the kingdom of heaven.” But that heavenly kingdom is depicted in a very tangible earthly way. What do people do at a feast? Eat and drink, tell stories, celebrate and laugh. God will be the host and Christ the guest of honor, and all stories and laughter will honor him. We’ll never know everything — we’re not God. But as resurrected beings, we’ll certainly be capable of learning and growing, discovering and exploring. God tells us “in the coming ages” he’ll “show the immeasurable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6 – 7). We may learn exactly how God fulfilled his promise to work all things, even the hardest things in our lives, together for our good (Romans 8:28). The Old Earth Made New and Far Better The whole creation groans and, implicitly, awaits with us the redemption of our bodies in the resurrection (Romans 8:22 – 23). This suggests that animals, which experience suffering due to our sin will likewise experience new life on the new earth. The creation that fell on our coattails will rise on our coattails. Perhaps God will bring even extinct animals back to life. Since he’s a kind Father and the giver of all good gifts, if having your pets on the new earth would please you, God might well bring them back. Though the splendor of creation that remains testifies to God’s greatness (Romans 1:20), the curse removed much of the world’s beauty. But Revelation 22:3 says “no longer will there be any curse.” God will make all his children beautiful and whole and happy. When God brings heaven down to the new earth, “he will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). What an intimate picture — God’s hands will touch the face of each individual child, removing every tear. The same verse says, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” As Thomas Moore put it, “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.” There’ll be no diseases, no disabilities, no tragic accidents. No hospitals. No cemeteries. No sin. No evil. No fear. No abuse, rape, murder, drugs, drunkenness, bombs, shootings or terrorism. The disabled, liberated from ravaged bodies and minds, and the sick and elderly, free from pains and restrictions, will deeply appreciate heaven. They’ll walk and run and see and hear, some for the first time. Hymn writer Fanny Crosby said, “Don’t pity me for my blindness, for the first face I ever see will be the face of my Lord Jesus.” The promise of the resurrection means that none of God’s children will pass our peak in this life. We won’t have to look back with regret, pining away for an earlier time when we were at our best. The resurrection means not simply taking us back to the best we once were but moving us forward to a new best, beyond our wildest dreams! Our peaks are yet to come, and we will never pass them! Our Best Relationships are Ahead of Us Crowds followed Jesus because they loved him and wanted to be near him. The best part of heaven will be spending time with Jesus. While Jesus will be our best friend, God understands our need and desire for friendships to continue in heaven. He made us that way. In heaven we’ll have our old friends who know Jesus and many new friends as well. Every time we sit together at feasts we will meet new people and hear new stories! Married couples needn’t fear the words of Jesus concerning human marriage discontinuing in heaven (Matthew 22:30). Scripture does not teach there will be no marriage in heaven. Instead, there’ll be one marriage, between Christ and his bride — and we’ll all be part of it. Our marriage to Christ will be so completely satisfying that even the most wonderful earthly marriage couldn’t compete. But Christ never suggested an end to deep relationships between couples. I fully expect my wife, Nanci, and I will be closer friends than ever. We’ll remember fondly the lives we forged together on the old earth, our children and grandchildren and friends. All of us together will be part of the same unbreakable marriage to Jesus. The most ordinary moment in heaven will far surpass the best moments of this life. In that day we’ll all agree with the apostle Paul: “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Get a Head Start on Kingdom Living “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1 – 2). If we understand what “a new heaven and a new earth” means, we’ll look forward to and focus on our forever home. Knowing where we’re going and what rewards we’ll receive for serving Christ directly affects how we live today. Our choices make an indelible mark on eternity — including our choices of personal holiness and how we act toward others. After saying “we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells,” Peter immediately adds, “So then, dear friends . . . make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:13 – 14). When this is true of us, we can face death with an eternal perspective. Calvin Miller, in the Divine Symphony prayed, I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death, When it was but the end of pulse and breath, But now my eyes have seen that past the pain There is a world that’s waiting to be claimed. Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart, For living’s such a temporary art. And dying is but getting dressed for God, Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod. S. Lewis said, “I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.” If you know Jesus, we’ll live together on that resurrected world. With the Lord we love and with friends we cherish, we’ll embark together on the ultimate adventure, in a spectacular new universe. Jesus will be the center of all things, and joy will be the air we breathe. And we really will live “happily ever after.” And right when we think, “It can’t get any better than this” . . . it will! By Randy Alcorn from an article in The Jesus Bible, NIV.

Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. — Genesis 11:4 Louis Sullivan, the inventor of the modern skyscraper, said, “The tall building … should be a proud and soaring thing that makes a powerful appeal to the architectural imagination.” Today, many people embody the same spirit of pride and self-sufficiency that is represented in the lofty towers that make up our cities. We focus on personal perfection. Many seek the pinnacle of age-defying beauty through creams, procedures or surgeries. Some become obsessed with fashion or feel that they must conform to some media-driven image. Over time, it becomes easier and easier to build monuments to ourselves. After all, as the famous ad says, “I’m worth it.” The builders of the tower of Babel shared a key aspect of Sullivan’s vision of the tall building: pride. And they had one purpose: to build a name for themselves. They wanted to claim glory that rightly belonged to God—after all, they were worth it. The longing to climb higher than God didn’t begin in Babel. Before time began, Lucifer said, “I will raise my throne above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13). It didn’t end with Babel, either. The pyramids of Egypt proclaim the power of the rulers buried beneath them. Many lives were lost in the building of the pyramids, “collateral damage” to the princes who built them. Often Egyptian slaves were killed when their masters died and were buried alongside them. But just as the Egyptian kings sacrificed everything to their own legacy, many today often sacrifice the good of those around them for fleeting recognition, not to mention the humble spirit God desires. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not all-powerful—they died the deaths of mere men. Don’t be deceived; your soul will not be saved by flawless skin or the perfect career any more than the towering mountains of stone raised over the mummies of kings saved them. What do you take pride in? What keeps you from glorifying God? Has your focus become self-absorbed? Have you become self-glorifying? The solution is simple: Whatever is keeping you from God, give it to him for his glory. Let your relationship with Jesus be the source of your significance. When you humble yourself before God, you’ll be lifted up. This article drawn from a devotional in the NIV Women’s Devotional Bible.

The opening book of the Bible reveals many of God’s attributes. Gain a better understanding of His character and implications for your own walk with Him as we consider these seven attributes found in Genesis: 1. He Is Enough In Genesis 15:1, Abram rescued Lot from four marauding kings but refused to accept a reward from the king of Sodom. Rather than settling for temporal treasures, he looked to God for his reward. And God offered the gift of himself. “I am your shield, your very great reward.” To Abram, God was enough. God is a shield from the enemies of your soul: the pressures of the world, your own selfish desires and the schemes of the devil. He himself is your great reward. Don’t get so busy fighting your personal battles and seeking the world’s goods that you forget that all you need is God. He is enough. 2. He Is Always on Time In Genesis 18:14 we learn about Abraham and Sarah. They’re old—really old. Yet God still planned to keep his promise to give them a child, right on time. The Lord would come “at the appointed time” and supernaturally enable Sarah to conceive. Too hard? Not for the God who created the universe! Too late? Not God. Sometimes,, to us a few months seem like a lifetime; years feel like an eternity. But God has a divine planner that’s tailor-made for you. At just the right time, he’ll bring his perfect plan to pass. Nothing is too hard for him. You can trust him. He is always on time. 3. He Is the Bringer of Laughter In Genesis 21:6 we see that God is not a serious, stone-faced, unsmiling deity. Actually, God invented laughter, and he gives us reason to laugh. Sarah laughed in disbelief when God said she’d have a child—then she laughed with joy after giving birth to her newborn son. And she gave all the credit to God: “[He] has brought me laughter.” Perhaps you are in a season of tears. For so long you’ve been waiting for a husband, dealing with a disease or mourning a broken relationship. Take heart—he is the bringer of laughter. He can provide a way so that you can laugh—and invite others to laugh along with you. 4. He Is Watching In Genesis 28:15 Jacob left his home and family and found himself in unfamiliar territory. In those days, people believed that leaving their homeland meant leaving behind their gods. But God inhabited Jacob’s dream to remind him that he couldn’t venture anywhere without God watching over him. Are you moving into uncharted waters: a new job, city or relationship? Know that God is with you and will keep you. He is watching no matter what may happen. You may have left your comfort zone, but the Comforter goes with you night and day. 5. He Is God Almighty In Genesis 35:11 God Almighty redirected Jacob to a new home, the promised land. Jacob reacted by encouraging all in his household to purify themselves and destroy their pagan gods (see verse 2). Jacob had to change some things, but consider what he received in return—a royal heritage for his children and a place in the line of Christ. God Almighty wants you to enter the “promised land,” but that may feel like a risk to you. Step out in faith when he asks you to bury your other gods—those things that rival his rightful place in your heart. He has the power to give you better things in exchange. 6. He Is the Interpreter Genesis 41:15–16 relates the story of the ancient Egyptians who believed astrology, magic and interpretation of dreams provided the answers for their lives. But Pharaoh’s forecasters had no idea what his dream meant. Only Joseph knew the truth: God would give Pharaoh the answer. Only with God’s help could Joseph interpret the dream. Have you been looking for truth in all the wrong places? Whether it’s astrology, psychics, talk show hosts or even your friends—they can’t tell you what’s ahead. God is the interpreter, the one with all the answers. If you want life’s mysteries solved, there’s only one place to go. 7. He Is the Blesser “Blessing” is such an old-fashioned word, but it’s such a right-now need. To bless means to wish God’s care for another person. In Genesis 48:3–4, God blessed Jacob by giving him life, love and land. God is still the blesser today. God gives everyone unconditional love and offers everyone eternal life and a spiritual inheritance. May God bless you with everything you need to live a rich and full life! May the blesser give you every good thing, starting with eternal life in Jesus Christ. And because you know the blesser, may you in turn declare God’s favor on someone else. Content drawn from Flourish: The NIV Bible for Women.

A Loaded Term Mental illness. For many, that is a scary term. “You have a mental illness.” This statement borders on terrifying! It brings up many unsettling thoughts and complicated fears in our hearts and minds. This subject is further confused by the many differing opinions swirling around the internet. Moreover, in the post-Christian era in which we live, Christians may wonder if the advice they find is true, scientific, or Biblical? These are the common myths I have encountered. Myth #1: If I am diagnosed with a mental illness, I am doomed to live out the rest of my days here on earth in a miserable existence. Feeling hopeless and helpless is a feeling that we all have encountered at various times in our lives. This feeling or thought is the most painful part of all mental illness. The diagnosis seems like being stuck at the end of a dead-end street. The truth, however, is that mental illness attacks our ability to think clearly and to experience feelings accurately. When in the midst of hardship, a normal reaction is impatience and even a lack of being able to see past the pain. Mental illness, like many other afflictions, can endure longer than anticipated and inflict a great deal of pain. However, the reality is that, with proper care, recovery is possible and sustainable. Myth #2: Having a mental illness is a sign of a moral failure. Many Christians that have come to me for counseling live with the misperception that it must be sin that has caused a mental illness to occur, that it has arisen from unconfessed, undealt with sin in their (or another’s) life. In some cases, it is true that confession of sin is necessary in order to know true peace of mind and heart. In Psalm 32, David reflected on his experience of unconfessed sin with Bathsheba: For when I kept silent, bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. During a time of unconfessed sin, David was emotionally, physically, and spiritually miserable. He was a wreck! All the while he knew (by his own knowledge of the Scriptures, by the pricking of his conscience, by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit) that the root of his distress was unconfessed sin. In situations where a person is living in known sin, we do right to pray for and plead with them to forsake their sin and turn to God in faith and repentance. However, we do a vast disservice to a person suffering from mental illness by suggesting that sinful rebellion against God is the only possible reason for depression or anxiety. Many of the hardships we experience are a result of being fallen human beings living in a fallen world. The fall of man not only produced sin but also brokenness in all of creation: illness and death. We understand that we have a sinful nature and therefore even our best works are tainted by sin (Isa. 64:6). We know that we have actual sin: sins of omission and commission. As sinful human beings, we are sinful, but not everything that occurs in life is a direct result of actual sin. In every life situation, whether pleasant or painful, we have the opportunity for sinful rebellion against God (Isa. 45:9) or for childlike trust, humble obedience, and rejoicing in the God of our salvation (Hab. 3:17–18, Rom. 5: 3–4, 12:12). Myth #3: Mental illness is a sign of weakness. The prophet Elijah was powerfully used by God. In the face of fierce opposition and even threat of death, he delivered God’s message with clarity and authority. I suspect there would be no one stepping forward to accuse Elijah of being weak! Yet, after a tremendous victory at Mount Camel, he found himself discouraged and despairing of life and of future ministry. He was in the depths of a depressive episode (1 Kings 19). We live in bodies that are susceptible to many maladies. Given the wrong circumstances, broken bones and mental illnesses can happen and are both included in the list of afflictions that we may suffer in this life. In the case of a broken leg, we do not debate whether the femur should have been stronger; rather we provide care for the hurting part. Myth #4: If I encounter someone with a mental illness, I should keep my distance. All of us, having gone through cold and flu season (or through the COVID pandemic) are well conditioned to “keep your distance” from someone who could potentially pass on a life-threatening illness to ourselves or our family members. If you have worked in a healthcare setting, you well understand the need for “universal precautions” to protect from contagious diseases being passed on. Sadly, I have treated many people over the years who have felt like societal outcasts. Like the unclean lepers in the Bible, people seem to keep their distance from those with depression, anxiety, or any other mental health disorder. Perhaps the fear is contamination: If I get too close, I, too, might get ill. Perhaps the fear is awkwardness: I will not know what to say. Perhaps the fear is making a mistake: If I say the wrong thing, I might make the situation worse. In most cases, the worst mistake is to avoid the individual struggling with the mental illness; this communicates that they don’t matter, that they are not valued, and that they have no place in our lives or the life of our congregation. Another closely related mistake is to ignore the elephant in the room, to pretend to be completely oblivious to the illness. This communicates a lack of attunement to those hurting. To approach and to care for those in affliction is to act as the body of Christ was designed to function: one member valuing and caring for the other member (1 Cor. 12:18–27). As a psychologist, I do not have the knowledge or training to do heart surgery or to provide care for a broken leg. When someone is struggling with an illness, I am able to visit and to talk with them, to pray over and for them, to ask how I may be able to help them in time of need. In the same way, we are able to minister to those afflicted with a mental illness: visit, talk, pray, comfort, help. Myth #5: Ignoring a mental illness is the best way to make it go away. Those of us who have seen the comedy movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail will well remember the battle scene between King Arthur and the Black Knight. During the sword fight, King Arthur chops off the Black Knight’s left arm. The knight refuses defeat and tries to dismiss the wound as merely a scratch. After his right arm is severed, he attempts to convince King Arthur that this was only a “flesh wound.” While the ridiculousness of this scene may appear humorous, trying this strategy in real life will only produce tragic results! If you were experiencing chest pain and numbness in the left arm, ignoring the symptoms of a heart attack and hoping that the pain would go away could prove fatal! Waiting to treat the symptoms of an ailment, no matter how serious or seemingly insignificant, allows the distress to increase in magnitude. In the same way, attempting to ignore or to minimize the seriousness of a mental illness is usually a recipe for disaster. When symptoms of a mental illness surface, we do want to treat them seriously. Most often when people struggling with mental illness finally decide to reach out for help, they admit, I wish I had taken this step years ago rather than struggling with this pain for so long. Reaching out for help (whether you are a sufferer or a helper to someone suffering) is a difficult step to take. It is usually fraught with doubts: Am I making too much of this? What will others think of me? However, as my primary care physician’s office advised me when I called the doctor with a question about my health, It’s always better to have it checked out than to ignore it. What seems like a small issue now can turn into a big issue tomorrow. If you are concerned about your own mental health or the mental health of a loved one, talk about it! Reach out to family members, to your pastor or church elders/deacons, to your primary care physician, to a Christian mental health provider. Choose to surround yourself with other Christians who are willing to act compassionately, to guide biblically, and to support you through those dark times of life. Help and healing is possible! To approach and to care for those in affliction is to act as the body of Christ was designed to function: one member valuing and caring for the other member. Tom Karel is the coauthor with David Murray of A Christian's Guide to Mental Illness: Answers to 30 Common Questions.

My mother-in-law remembers walking down rough forest paths in the early morning light while carrying a water jar on her head to fill from the community well. Sometimes the mean girls would chase her away, and she would have to return later. Her stories about that time in her life help me relate to the Bible stories of women who went to draw water from wells: Hagar, Rebecca, Rachel, Zipporah, and the woman from Sychar in Samaria. Hagar Hagar was a foreigner and a slave. Pregnant with Ishmael as a surrogate and mistreated by Sarai, Abram’s wife, she fled into the desert (Genesis 16:1-6). There she was met by “the angel of the Lord,” who gave her a prophecy about Ishmael and a promise that God saw her misery (Genesis 16:7-12). Strengthened by this promise, she went back into servitude to Sarai and Abram. The account in Genesis does not indicate that anything about her circumstances changed, but through this experience her inner resolve was transformed. She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi (“well of the Living One who sees me”). – Genesis 16:13-14a Rebecca, Rachel, and Zipporah Rebecca, Rachel, and Zipporah each found their future husbands near wells. When Abraham’s servant was sent on a mission to find Isaac a wife, he met Rebekah as she came out to draw water from the well (Genesis 24). Her son Jacob met his future wife Rachel a generation later by that same well (Genesis 29). Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace in Egypt but fled after murdering an Egyptian. As a fugitive from justice, Moses met Zipporah at a well near Mount Sinai (Exodus 2:16-21). For these three women, the arduous daily chore of retrieving water from the well turned into something much more significant. God chose this mundane location as the place where these women’s lives would be forever changed. The Woman from Sychar in Samaria Centuries later, Jesus met a woman coming to fetch water in the heat of the day. She was avoiding her fellow citizens, possibly trying to limit the gossiping and taunts that typically came her way. She probably felt like a failure after five marriage covenants had collapsed, and she was living with a man to whom she was not married, something that would have been unthinkable in her culture. This woman was rejected by her own community – the Samaritans – who were, in turn, rejected by their Jewish neighbors. Jesus asked her, “Will you give me a drink?” With these simple words, Jesus broke through her defenses. He noticed her. He chose her to engage in conversation and to reveal to her his identity and mission. In speaking to her and asking for water, Jesus broke through cultural, religious, and racial barriers. “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” — John 4:10b In Jewish culture, “living water” meant pure flowing water from rainwater or from a natural stream. The ritual water that was used in Jewish religious rites for purification and cleansing had to be flowing; it could not be stagnant. This was the water that, through these God-directed rituals, restored relationships. As with the women in the Old Testament stories above, this woman was also offered profound life change. Jesus offered this rejected woman access to living water that could well up inside of her, cleansing, purifying, and healing her relationships. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” — John 4:13-14 Jesus chose her as His first herald to announce that He was the long-awaited Messiah. Through the interaction at the well, the woman who had been hiding from others in fear and rejection became the bearer of good tidings as the first in her community to meet the Messiah. Like Hagar, she met “the God who sees.” He sees those who are rejected; the strangers, the refugees, the hurting. He sees you. And he offers you new life. With His streams of living water flowing through us, we can also reach out to heal the broken relationships around us. Written by Wendy Halloun, Creative Communications Officer MENA, Biblica.

1. Eden was good, but not yet fully glorious. Eden was bright and beautiful, and we tend to think of it in terms of perfection. But rather than thinking of Eden in terms of perfection, we should think of it in terms of potential. Certainly, Eden was pure and pristine, ordered and filled, but the Eden we read about in Genesis 1 and 2 wasn’t yet everything God intended for his creation. It was unsullied but incomplete. From the very beginning, Eden was not meant to be static; it was headed somewhere. We could say there was an eschatology of Eden. God’s intentions for his creation have always been headed toward consummation, toward glory. 2. Eden was abundant, but it wasn’t yet expansive. Genesis 2:8 tells us that on the earth God created, “the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east.” He instructed Adam and Eve to, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen 1:28). Clearly there was an expansion project in the works. As Adam and Eve worked and kept the garden, and as they were fruitful and multiplied, Eden would grow beyond its current boundaries, and the glory of Adam and Eve’s royal rule would increase. 3. Eden was completely good, but it wasn’t completely secure. As good as the original Eden was, it was vulnerable to evil, deception, and even death. This becomes obvious when we consider that Satan inhabited the body of an ordinary serpent and brought death into the pristine garden. In Revelation 21, John takes care to assure us that this will not happen in the greater garden to come. It will be utterly secure. “Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life,” (Rev. 21:27). 4. Eden had a rhythm of work and then rest, but not yet unending rest. God did his work of creation, and then he rested. In his rest, God was setting before Adam something to look forward to when he accomplished his work of subduing the earth, exercising dominion over it, and filling it with image bearers. Had Adam faithfully finished the work, he and Eve and their offspring would have entered into a permanent Sabbath rest. 5. Adam and Eve were made in the image of God, but not yet as glorious as God intended. David wrote about the first man, “You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:5). Clearly Adam and Eve, having been made in God’s image had a measure of his glory. Had they obeyed, they would have been transformed from one degree of glory to another. “Transformed from one degree of glory to another” has always been and still remains God’s plan for those made in his image. Even now, as the Holy Spirit works in us, we are being changed from one degree of glory to another. But it is the fullest resurrection glory we anticipate the most. “We await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Phil 3:20–21). 6. Adam and Eve were naked, not yet robed in royal splendor. When we read in Genesis 2 that Adam and Eve were naked in Eden, it may initially seem to us to be a good or neutral thing. But Moses’ original readers would have recognized that something was lacking. These were royal representatives of the great king. And royal representatives in Scripture are always dressed in royal robes (think of Joseph’s coat of many colors, Jonathan’s robe given to David, the robe and ring given to the prodigal son). The report of their nakedness indicated a need for royal clothing which would have been given to them had they faithfully exercised dominion. But instead of being further clothed, Adam and Eve lost the original glory that covered them. This is what made their nakedness before God so unbearable that they sought to cover themselves up with fig leaves. 7. Adam and Eve enjoyed one-flesh intimacy, but their bond was vulnerable to brokenness. The love story in Eden began with Adam and Eve enjoying bone-of-my-bones, flesh-of-my-flesh intimacy. But the same two people who were naked and unashamed are, only a few verses later, trying to cover up their shame. The same husband who held out his hand to his wife to welcome her, exclaiming, “At last!” only a few verses later points the finger of blame in her direction, saying, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate” (Gen. 3:12). This partnership that was intended to bless the world brought a curse upon the world. Ever since this first marriage went so terribly wrong, God has been working out his plan to present a perfected bride to the perfect groom. The day will come when the shadow of temporary human marriage will give way to the substance—the eternal, unbreakable, most intimate marriage between Christ and his bride. This will be the happiest marriage of all time. 8. Adam and Eve enjoyed God’s presence, but they were vulnerable to his presence in judgment. Adam and Eve experienced the joy of God’s presence with them in the garden before they sinned. But one aspect of his presence with them was the warning he gave them regarding the forbidden tree, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’” (Gen. 2:17). When we read in Genesis 3:8 that Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day,” it was not as though God was taking his regular leisurely afternoon stroll in the garden. This was judgment day, which for Adam and Eve meant that it was also eviction day. No longer could they live in the holy sanctuary of Eden in the presence of a holy God, because they had become unholy people. But God’s intention to dwell with a holy people in a holy land could not be thwarted by human sin. Instead, God began working out his plan to make it possible for sinners to be made clean and holy in order to live in his presence. The day is coming when, “He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3). 9. Adam and Eve could have gained the knowledge of good and evil without eating from the forbidden tree. When we read about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9), we might think that there must have been something essentially evil, even foreboding, about this tree. But it wasn’t forbidden because it was evil. Rather, it was evil because it was forbidden. God had put this tree in the garden to give Adam and Eve the opportunity to live out genuine faith and obedience. Adam and Eve could have used the wisdom God gave them through his word to judge the Serpent’s lies and rebellion against God as evil, while clinging to God’s goodness. Adam should have crushed the head of the evil serpent then and there. He should have squashed this rebellion rather than taking part in it. Had he done so, Adam and Eve would have been able to eat their fill of the tree of life, and enter into a heavenly life, without ever having to experience death. 10. Eden had the tree of life, but Adam and Eve were prohibited from eating from it. We’re not told specifically that Adam and Eve could not or did not eat of the tree of Life that was in the midst of the garden. But it would seem that the fruit of this tree was a feast for Adam and Eve would enjoy once they passed the test of obedience represented in the forbidden tree. Revelation 2:7 speaks of eating of the tree of life being granted to those who “overcome” or “conquer.” Clearly, Adam and Eve did not overcome temptation. They were meant to rule over creation but they couldn’t rule over their own appetites. Because of their disobedience they were barred from eating of the tree. Revelation 22 reveals that the opportunity for God’s people to eat of the tree of life is not gone forever. Instead, the tree of life is gloriously planted in the center of the greater garden to come. In Eden, the trees bore fruit in their season, which means once a year. But in the new and better Eden, the tree of life yields a new crop of fruit every month. In Eden, the tree of life grew in the midst of the garden. But in the new Eden, the tree of life grows on either side of the river. It seems to have multiplied and expanded, implying that everyone will have access to it; all will be welcome to eat their fill. And it’s not just the fruit that will feed us; the leaves of this tree will heal us. In fact, they will heal everything. Sometimes we hear the story of the Bible told as Creation-Fall-Redemption-Restoration. But as good as Eden was, we’re not merely headed back to Eden as it once was. The story of the Bible is Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation. We’re looking forward to a home that will be even better than Eden. God’s intention to dwell with a holy people in a holy land could not be thwarted by human sin. by: Nancy Guthrie this article is part of the 10 Things You Should Know series.

Those of us who love and have chosen to follow Jesus are called to continue the ministry that Jesus began when he was on the earth. The only way it is possible for fallible humans to do so is by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit working through us. Our steps need to be in cadence with His to see His Kingdom come, and to see Heaven invade Earth. Our heart needs to be full of His love. When we experience His love and reach out to serve others in that same power, we can continue the work that He began—and that so many believers have moved forward in centuries past. Our belief is critical, as is following after him. We can’t do so perfectly; neither could the disciples. When the disciples who literally followed Him every day for three years did not fully understand His mission and ministry, this is how He responded: John 14:11-12 (NIV) “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” “Works” in the Greek language means business, and “greater” means increase. God wants to have you be about His business and bring increase through your obedience. Jesus then goes on to say that when He leaves, He will send the Holy Spirit to be within and upon us, never to leave, so that we can continue His ministry. So what does it mean to continue the work that Jesus did among us? Jesus changed lives. He brought the good news of the gospel and the kingdom of God to all who would listen. He comforted the broken-hearted. He proclaimed freedom and liberty to spiritual prisoners. He brought restoration and increase to those who had been wronged and robbed, especially by the enemy. He brought joy for those who were mourning. He brought strength to the weak. He brought sight to the blind. He brought health to the sick. He brought the dead back to life. He crushed death, disease, and all the works of the devil under His heel. The most amazing thing about this is that He has called you to do these works, and even greater works! Jesus’ love for those around him was motivated by the love of the Father. Everything He did and said was saturated and soaked with God’s love. John 3:16-17 (NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” These verses are the beginning and the end of the gospel message, but they also point to one very important reminder: We work from God’s love, not for God’s love. We cannot add or subtract from His love, because his love for us has already been made perfect in the death and resurrection of his beloved Son. John 13:34-35 (NIV) “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Understand that when we move forward in love in the service of God’s Kingdom, the love of God within us destroys the works of the devil—both within our hearts and within the world around us. Read 1 Corinthians 13 to see what biblical love looks like. So how do we continue this work? How do we move forward in love? First, we need to receive His love. (We can’t give what we don’t have.) God has an upgrade for us today so that we can be a better receiver for His love. This upgrade not only allows us to see the never-ending heights, widths, lengths, and depths of His love (Ephesians 3:18); but it also allows us to let that love flow through us toward others. Pray that God will allow you to be a conduit for his love. Pray that the overflow of that love will move you to the point where there’s too much for you to contain – it will need to be released! Finally, pray for the eyes to see the opportunities for service that God is sending your way. May you be blessed as you bless others through the work you do as you continue the work that Jesus began. By Chase McCartney, Social Media Marketing Coordinator for Biblica.

Wisdom is a capacity of the mind that allows us to understand life from God’s perspective. Throughout the book of Proverbs, Solomon encourages us to “get wisdom” (Proverbs 4:5). He says those who get wisdom love life (see 19:8) that it’s better to get wisdom than gold (see 16:16), and hat those who get wisdom find life and receive favor from the Lord (see 8:32 – 35). Yet in Ecclesiastes 7:23–24 Solomon also makes clear that getting wisdom is a challenging process: “‘I am determined to be wise’ — but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound — who can discover it?” Fortunately, Scripture provides us instruction in this area. Here are four Biblical instructions for how to get wisdom: 1. Fear God Solomon says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10). But how should we fear God? Philipp Melanchthon, a collaborator of Martin Luther, discussed what it means to fear God by contrasting filial fear with servile fear. Filial fear is the type of respect and love a child has for a parent, a fear of offending the one they most adore and trust. In contrast, servile fear is the kind of fear that a prisoner has for his jailer or executioner. 2. Desire Wisdom The second step to getting wisdom is to desire it with all our heart. As Solomon says, we must “look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure” (Proverbs 2:4). 3. Pray for Wisdom As James tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). 4. Study God’s Word The fourth step in getting wisdom is studying and meditating on God’s Word (see Psalm 19:7). We shouldn’t rely merely on our own understanding, though, but lean on the wisdom and insight produced by Christians throughout the church’s history. PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY: To get wisdom we must fear God, study his Word, and prayerfully desire to understand life from God’s perspective. Devotional drawn from the NIV Lifehacks Bible ebook.

Pray with Hope, Patience, and Love When a friend or family member experiences mental illness, it can often be a time of great confusion. What’s happening? What should I do or say? What should I pray for? I want to give you some specific petitions to bring to God in prayer, but our attitude in prayer is as important as our words, so I want to encourage you to pray with hope, patience, and love. Pray with hope because we are praying to the God of hope (Rom. 15:13), the God who encourages us to believe in his power when we and the sufferer feel powerless. God can fully heal mental illness, or he can give varying degrees of improvement, or he can give help in managing the condition better. As Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Pray with patience because changes for the better can take a long time, and we can easily give up praying when so little change is evident. Praying for someone with mental illness is more like a marathon than a sprint. It will develop your patience muscles more than most other spiritual exercises. Pray with love for the sufferer rather than with anger and frustration. Praying with love and for love will be reflected in your relationship with the person, which will not only be good for you but good for your loved one also. When God gives us the right spirit in prayer—the spirit of hope, patience, and love—that will usually result in the right petitions. Some examples include: “Give them acceptance of their need, especially their need for help.” Few people like to accept or admit they have mental illness. Whether it’s the imagined stigma, personal pride, misunderstanding of what mental illness is, or fear of the consequences of admitting it, most people, and most men especially, are reluctant to even consider they have a mental illness. Even when they get over this barrier, agreeing to seek outside help is an additional obstacle. We therefore want to pray that a suffering friend or family member would see their need, and especially accept that their need is so great they should seek help. “Give them a willingness to talk openly and honestly.” Another difficulty on the road to healing for our loved one is their unwillingness or inability to talk about what they are thinking and feeling. Again, in general, this is harder for men than women, but almost all of us struggle with this to some degree. We may be so confused, stressed, or down that we can’t even think straight, never mind talk straight. Or we may be afraid of sharing so openly and honestly. Or it just may never have been a practice in our culture or upbringing to talk about our inner life, our feelings, etc. However, being willing and able to talk about what we are going through is essential and a massive step on the road to healing. “Give them a holistic team of helpers.” Once a person admits their need and especially that they need help, who should they turn to? The doctor? The pastor? A counselor who is a Christian? A psychologist or a psychiatrist? A life coach? Depending on the severity of the condition, the answer may be “all of the above.” None of this will come together quickly, but over time we should pray for a team of helpers who will address the sufferer’s needs in a holistic way. Ideally our pastor will already have a team of Christian contacts with different professional skills that they can recommend to the person. Some of this may involve a bit of trial and error until the right people with the right skills are in place. But I would strongly encourage a team comprising a pastor, a doctor, and a counselor with Christian faith. This will result in a holistic package of care that will address the spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and relational aspects of the person’s suffering. “Give them an increasing sense of personal responsibility.” Whether the sufferer brought his mental illness upon himself through bad decisions, or whether it was more genetic or circumstantial, recovery will always involve the person taking increasing responsibility for decisions and actions that will enable his recovery. This is often extremely difficult for a person with mental illness because they feel helpless, passive, weak, and may even have a degree of incapacity. That’s why we want to pray for an increasing sense of personal responsibility. This involves making good daily decisions about lifestyle such as sleep, exercise, diet, media intake, daily devotions, church attendance, fellowship, etc. “Give them patience.” Although sometimes mild to moderate mental illness can be significantly reduced in a few weeks with the right help, most times it takes many weeks—and even months—for “normal” to come into view. We live in a time and culture which expects instant results, and therefore the idea of waiting days, weeks, or months for major improvement is painfully difficult for most of us. So we want to pray that the person would be given patience while he waits for God to bless the various measures that are taken. One way to do this is to help the sufferer, and others like him, to look for and identify small improvements in various areas of life such as better sleep, more laughter, fewer panic attacks, shallower dips in mood, coping better with disappointments, etc. “Give them submission to your will, Lord.” Like all illnesses and disorders, mental illness, to some degree, may be part of our lives for a long time and even for the rest of our days. Perhaps it may be God’s will for us to suffer periodically with bouts of anxiety or depression. It may be our thorn in the flesh, an area of personal weakness through which God shows his strength (2 Cor. 12:7–10). If so, your loved one and others like him need help to bow to God’s sovereignty and accept his right to do what he wills with his own (Matt. 29:15). We want to fight for health and strength, but we also want to fight for humility and submission to God’s will. “Give them someone to serve.” When mental illness strikes, we can often become self-centered, thinking and talking only about ourselves. We get stuck inside our own heads and cannot see the needs of others around us. This is a vicious circle which only brings us further down. We will therefore want to pray that God would open the sufferer’s eyes to serve another person, which will not only help that person but will also help our loved one by getting him outside his own head and thinking about another, at least for a time. It will also give him a sense of worth and usefulness again . “Give them new skills.” As Paul outlines in 2 Corinthians 1:3–7, one of the reasons God brings pain and suffering into our lives is to train us to help others with similar afflictions. We learn more in the school of suffering than in any other school, and these lessons are not to be kept to ourselves but passed on to others. We therefore want to ask God to teach our loved one how to be a counselor and encourager of others who suffer with mental illness so that he can comfort others with the comfort with which he has been comforted by God. “Give them insight into their sin and their Savior.” There would be no mental illness if there was no sin. That’s not the same as saying that a person’s mental illness is a result of their own sin. It’s saying that our first parents’ sin is the ultimate cause of all mental illness in the world. Like physical illness, mental illness is part of God’s curse on humanity, a curse that God intended not just as a punishment for that first sin but as an ongoing education in the seriousness and awfulness of sin. Mental illness can therefore be a time of learning about how sin has wrought such havoc on us, disordering our bodies, minds, emotions, and souls. But just as mental illness also teaches us about sin, it also teaches us about our Savior who took on a frail and broken humanity like ours (although without sin) and experienced sufferings, such as the darkness of depression and the fear of anxiety (Matt. 27:46; Heb. 5:7), so that ultimately he could remove both the penalty and the consequences of sin. We would never choose mental or emotional darkness and terror, but he did so that he could both sympathize with us and save us. So we want to pray that God would use mental illness in the lives of his people to show them their wonderful Savior. “Give them a hope of heaven.” For the believer, mental illness can be like a little taste of hell on earth. As such, it can help us to see the horrors of the hell we have been saved from, as well as to long for the health and holiness of heaven, the place where all our diseases and disorders of mind, emotions, and soul will be immediately and fully healed upon entry—a healing our bodies will also fully participate in after the resurrection. Pray with hope because we are praying to the God of hope (Rom. 15:13), the God who encourages us to believe in his power when we, and the sufferer, feel powerless. David Murray is the coauthor together with Tom Karel Jr., of A Christian's Guide to Mental Illness: Answers to 30 Common Questions.

1. God is immanent because he is transcendent. The Lord is “God in the heavens above (transcendent) and on the earth beneath (immanent)” (Josh 2:11). But to understand God in full we must recognize that his drawing near to creation stems from his being distinct from creation. In other words, there is no deficiency in God that creation satisfies. The Lord doesn’t relate to this world because he lacks something within himself. No, God draws near out of the abundance of who he is. God’s transcendence distinguishes him from the created order and puts things in their right perspective. God does not come to us needy and wanting, but rather he comes to “revive the spirit of the lowly and the heart of the contrite” (Isa 57:15). It is the holy and righteous One above who restores the broken and needy below. 2. The Bible emphasizes God’s manifest presence, not only his omnipresence. There is a difference between saying “God is everywhere,” and saying “God is here.” The former is the default category for most Christians. We talk about God’s presence being inescapable and that he is “everywhere present” (Ps 139:5-12; 1 Kings 8:27). But it seems Scripture is more concerned with his presence manifest in relationship and redemption. And though these divine realities are certainly not at odds, the biblical story does turn on God’s being manifest with his people in Eden, the tabernacle/temple, the incarnation of Christ, and the new heaven and new earth. 3. The story of Scripture begins and ends with the presence of God. In the book of Genesis, Eden is the first couple’s home but, more importantly, it is God’s sanctuary—the garden temple where the Creator and his image-bearers relate (Gen 3:8). Fast forward to the end of our Bibles and we see a very similar picture but on a much larger scale. All of heaven has collided with the whole earth to make a perfect sanctuary for God to dwell with man (Rev 21:1-4). In the book of Revelation, Eden has returned and expanded into new heaven and new earth where all of God’s people enjoy his presence eternally. 4. Humanity’s mission and the presence of God are inseparable. God gave man and woman purpose. They are to “be fruitful and multiply” in order to “fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion” (Gen 1:28). Adam and Eve are to do this in Eden, the epicenter of God’s relational presence in creation. As the first couple’s family expands, so too will the garden’s borders and, with it, God’s presence. Likewise, God’s presence was to spread to the rest of the earth through Adam and Eve’s exercising dominion (Num 14:21; cf. Ps 72:19; Isa 11:9). 5. Sin undermines humanity’s mission and the experience of God’s presence. But there is a problem, isn’t there? Adam and Eve replace blessings for curses when they eat the forbidden fruit. These curses cut right to the heart of who they are and what they were made to do. For Eve, pain overwhelms the promise of a people. For Adam, perspiration and thorns will impede the promise of place. Sin hinders everything now, especially man’s experience of God’s presence. Because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve are now exiles; their mission is in shambles as they stand outside of Eden. The presence of God they once knew freely is no longer free. 6. God covenants to bring his presence back to his people. But in grace, God steps in to pay the price. To overcome man’s sin and ensure his purposes, the Creator becomes covenant Redeemer. Through his covenant promises, the Lord restores what Adam failed to do. God makes a people and a place through the covenant all the while keeping his promises to humanity. God does all of this so that he can be our God and we can be his people (Gen 17:7; Ex 6:7; 29:45, Rev 21:3, etc.). At the heart of the covenant, then, is a relationship—one that is decidedly on his terms. God enters into his creation to create a people and a place for his presence. And so the covenant is as the Lord declares at Sinai: “I will dwell among the people of Israel and be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them” (Ex 29:45-46). 7. The presence of God is the means and end of redemption. As evangelicals, we talk a lot about the presence of God but seldom look to the Bible to see what it is. When we do, we find that it is first and foremost a theme on which the story of Scripture hinges. If we read our Bibles though we begin to see a two-fold pattern. First, the Bible makes clear that the presence of God is a central goal in God’s redemptive mission. All of God’s work ends with the Lord dwelling with man. And second, the presence of God is, not only an objective, it is also the means by which the redemptive mission is fulfilled. God writes himself into his own story to bring salvation. To understand our Bibles and how it changes us, we need to know God’s presence. 8. The presence of God finds its greatest expression in Immanuel, God with us. God himself comes to save. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, entered human history to give his life as a ransom for many (Matt 20:28; Mark 10:45). In his grace, God buys us back in the most unimaginable way possible: God in Christ became a man, walked among humanity, and died for his people. In this merciful act, Christ reconciles us to himself and re-opens access to the Father so that those who were once exiled from his presence might again draw near to God (Heb 4:16; 7:19). 9. The purposes of the church are tied to the presence of God. The presence of God has massive implications for the way we understand the church (1 Cor 3:16-17; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; Eph 2:13-22). The New Testament calls the church a temple for a reason. Through this image, we see that the community of Christ is—in this time of waiting on Christ’s return—the instrument the Lord uses to disseminate his presence to a lost and sinful world. Accordingly, the church has two clear purposes: 1) the church works within itself for the sanctification of its members to prepare God’s people for God’s present and future presence; and 2) the church works externally to share the gospel so that the lost may enjoy God’s presence now and forever as well. 10. To be a joyful Christian is to know God’s presence. If we are honest, many of us can think of God as our “magic genie” from time to time. We keep him on the shelf until troubles arise or there is something our neighbor has that we really want. The problem is, real relationships don’t work this way—especially with the triune God. The Lord over all will not be left on the shelf of anyone’s life. Instead, Scripture is clear that all of life—and, principally, the gospel life—is about being in God’s relational presence. This is why David proclaims, “In your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps 16:11). When we push all our peripheral issues to the periphery, this is all that is left, and all that really matters. Sin hinders everything now, especially man’s experience of God’s presence. by: J. Ryan Lister PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary