Really?

It's actually Tuesday evening around 8:46 p.m.
I'm in my office at Rapha awaiting our 9 p.m. Bible Study.
It's a voluntary Bible Study and 9 p.m. may seem like a late time to do such an event, but trust me, the men enjoy (as I do) the interaction and shared time together as we study through the Bible.
Tonight: Genesis 5 / 6.

Found myself today in II Corinthians 5:10 ----- " For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."
Funny that as I read this verse, I was suddenly struck by the fact that there are a number of topics you don't here taught on.
Even the simple fact that I used the word "taught" and not "preach" may hold a key to this question.
For a lot of people the word "preach" has such an antiquated meaning. It's not something we want to say in our modern assembly's. We have teachers, not preachers.
Preaching gives up the image of some red-faced, screaming, sweaty man who is trying to scare the hell out of everyone. I'm not so sure that we don't need the hell scared out us today.

I don't remember the last time I went to a church and heard someone speak on the judgment seat of Christ.
Does it scare us?
Does the thought of an actual judgement seat of Christ threaten us here on this side of eternity? Some time back, I posted on this blog about how it seems that a number of people actually love life here on earth more than the thought of going to heaven and spending eternity with Jesus.
That bothers me.
I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I really don't think Jesus died for our comfort here on this side of eternity.
In the book of John, Jesus actually said, "I must go and prepare a place for you. And I go to prepare a place, surely I will come back and take you unto myself." I think perhaps should Jesus show back up, some who claim to be a part of His bride, may extend a hand toward Him and say, "Not yet...I'm not ready to go.You know, Jesus, I really have it pretty good down here on earth so could we delay this whole heaven thing?"
I pray that I never find myself so comfortable here on earth that I reject Christ and heaven.

I don't hear much about heaven these days from the pulpit. Has it fallen out of favor among evangelicals? Along with the displacement of heaven, we find the absence of hell also. Let me try and understand this. We don't teach on heaven and we're not talking about hell. What is it we do now? As John Wimber use to say every Monday morning at the staff meeting at Anaheim Vineyard..."What is our business and how are we doing?" In other words, are we carrying out the mandate of the Kingdom of God? Are we teaching the Word of God? Are we growing as a people...growing in character?

I do know that there is a remnant that still holds firm to the Word of God.
They teach it.
They live it.
They recognize that this is not their home.
They get up daily to carry out the mandate from God to "go into all the world," all the while spiritually groaning for the coming completeness of the Kingdom of God. We read about what it will look when the Kingdom is complete in Revelation. We read where God will wipe away every tear....there will be no more death...in other words...it will be good!
I pray that I remain faithful to what God has called me to do.
I pray that you remain faithful to what God has called you to do.
I don't know...the more I look around at society and our world, it really doesn't look much like heaven on earth to me.
Maranatha! Lord Jesus.

God on you....
mb