Joel Phillips – Page 33

Heaven Is Relentless!

Old abandoned houses and buildings have always attracted my attention. I like to take pictures of them. As I walk around these abandoned places, I try to imagine who lived there, or worked there. What were their lives like? What were their hopes, plans, and dreams? Why did something so valuable as their home, farm, or business have to be abandoned?

People have things that they hope will stand the test of time, and maybe still be valued by someone after they die. A watch. An old book. A piece of furniture. A car. A house. A business.

While some things can be passed on for a few generations, nothing material will last forever. Rust, rot, and decay are relentless. But heaven is even more relentless in its destruction of things.

“Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.” (1 Corinthians 3:13)

The imagery is of our lives collapsing behind us. Everything goes up in smoke except that which is valuable to God. The rewards of heaven become a constant, relentless reminder to us of what we did with our lives on earth. This is why Jesus said,

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19–20)

There will be things we’ve done, spent much time building, and used much of our resources to accomplish that wont survive the relentless fire of God’s judgment. Only the things that are valuable in heaven will continue.

Jonathan Edwards said that he was going to use all the energy he had to gain as many rewards as possible, because more rewards means the more pleasing he was to Jesus.

You may ask, “Is Jesus going to be angry with any of us?” No, all the anger of God was taken out when Jesus Christ died on the cross. But Jesus will be disappointed in the way in which some of us have lived. This is why Paul says,

“Therefore we make it our aim to be well pleasing to Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9)

If we could live in such a way that pleases God, that means we can also live in such a way that displeases him. You see, God’s love is independent of our performance, but not His pleasure.

When you stand before Jesus, the only thing that will matter is the expression on his face. The only thing in the entire universe you’ll care about is hearing, “Well done.” That’s the only thing that will make any difference. That’s the only thing that will last. Heaven is relentless!

It’s Been Lifted!

God has way of using things in our lives that seem unrelated to each other, but collectively he brings them together in a way that shapes, heals, teaches, and strengthens us. I experienced this the other day.

It started while I was talking with someone, recalling a favorite trait an old friend of mine had. This friend had had enormous impact on my life. Unfortunately, he also hurt me deeper than anyone. God had helped me not to hold any unforgiveness towards him, however for years I have chosen to not talk about him, nor recount the various things that he did, until this conversation. As I told the person I was talking to about how I admired and learned from a particular habit my friend had, I felt the Lord lift the hurt off of me.

Two weeks later, I was attending the Hillsong church in New York City (HillsongNYC.com). We had to wait outside with hundreds of young people before piling into the Fillmore Theatre in the Gramercy area of midtown Manhattan. The worship was unbelievable! People were pressing into God’s presence. In was amazing! (see my tweet from October 3. I got a really cool picture).

Joel Abell, one of the pastors from Hillsong Sydney, was speaking about growing pains. He explained how the church and we as believers go through growing pains. He had me right in the palm of his hand until he started talking about the need for people with apostolic gifting, and prophetic gifting, along with evangelists, pastors, and teachers. I quit saying, “Amen!” because what he was saying went against my doctrine.

Then God nudged me to look up to my left. In the balcony, where there was standing room only, I saw a young man and girl shaking their heads as they held their Bibles. Then the Lord spoke so simply to me,

“Joel, quit arguing.”

A few days later I was involved in a situation that normally would have “got my goat” (and had on other occasions), but I found myself calm, un-reactive, in fact even being kind. It was huge. It even surprised me. As I stood there thinking about what was happening, this verse came to my mind:

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Co 3:18)

“…from glory to glory” it is referring to a process where God takes different experiences and seasons of our lives and merges them together to transform us. He’s working on us, lifting anything from our lives that could weigh us down and keep us from becoming more like Him. He loves us too much to let us stay the same!

Heaven Sounds Boring

Last week the ministry team was getting ready for our weekend services. I took a few moments to describe a new sermon series about heaven that I was starting. After giving them some details, one of them said,

“I hope we get to wear cool clothes in heaven!”

We all looked at this person like they had just committed heresy. I asked them to explain. The person responded,

“I’m just hoping we don’t have to wear white robes, purple sashes, and Birkenstocks.”

The room erupted in laughter.

While most people want to go to heaven when they die, the way heaven is usually described doesn’t sound too attractive. I heard a preacher the other day on TV say in a browbeating tone,

“Heaven is a place for people who want to worship and serve God! You’re gonna be disappointed up there if that ain’t what you wanna do down here.”

Standing…singing…serving…forever? Heaven in those terms sounds like it’s going to be an eternal church service. And having been in church services all my life, that doesn’t sound too inspiring or fun. In fact, it sounds boring.

But heaven is going to be anything but boring!

Notwithstanding the fact that we will be worshipping God with abandon, heaven should never be put in the context of things we do now. Everything in heaven will be completely different. Everything in heaven will be new. Everything in heaven will be beyond our wildest dreams!

Unfortunately, we have made heaven sound dull. We have made it uninspiring, especially for younger people. But heaven is not the retirement/pension plan for geriatric Christians.

David said,

“He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

If that promise were only for this life, then heaven would be anticlimactic. But that’s not the case. Heaven is the fulfillment of everything God intended for us when He created us. Our dreams, hopes, and destiny will be lived-out in heaven forever.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

In heaven, we will make discoveries about God that will never end. We will find out how much He loves us and how perfect His plans were for us. We will also discovery infinite levels of people we are connected to in heaven. We’ll meet people who prayed for us, and those who were in our spiritual DNA throughout all generations.

And if those things weren’t enough, Jesus takes up another notch,

“To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, to them I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.” (Revelation 2:26–27, NLT)

Doesn’t sound like a job for someone wearing Birkenstocks.

Places To Go When You Die

Death, and what happens after we die, is something that most people fear. To ease fears, people often define the afterlife in their own terms.

Some believe this life is all there is, and that we shouldn’t waste time even thinking about what comes after it. They believe when we die it’s over, therefore a person should, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”

Others believe in the idea of heaven. They see heaven as the place where people will go who have lived their lives with good intentions. Heaven, therefore, is filled with those who have tried their best to be good people.

Cynics view heaven as a place for boring people to go, and hell as a place where people will go who like to party and have fun. Hell is a non-stop party with the best music and drugs in the universe.

The afterlife seems so shrouded in mystery that people, included many Christians, aren’t sure what to think. And as a result, people resort to nice clichés, hoping for the best. However, the Bible speaks with candid clarity and detail about what happens when a person dies.

The Bible tells us where heaven and hell are, what they’re like, and who will go to them. It lets us see what are people doing in heaven, and the hope of seeing people we know again who are there. The Bible makes clear what the final destinations waiting for us are, and gives us the possibility to not have any fears about death.

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:1–8)

It’s happening right here @thecenterchurch Men’s Camp 2013 @PalomarChristianConfrenceCenter

Landfill Harmonic

The Cateura Dump, in the Bañado Sur area along the Paraguay River, is the final dumping site for more than 1,500 tons of solid waste each day.

Cateura is also a village of seven neighborhoods housing some 2,500 families essentially living on top of the dump. Most of these families earn a living by separating garbage for the recycling industry. Children are often the ones with the onerous and unsanitary chore of collecting and peddling the waste.

In 2006 a man named Favio Chavez, an environmental technologist, started working at the Cateura dump. Favio was also very musical. He learned to play the guitar at an early age, and was a choir director at his church. Observing the needs of the kids in that area, he decided to open a music school. That was the beginning of his Recycled Orchestra project.

In the last several years the Recycled Orchestra has received worldwide recognition and have performed throughout the world, from Argentina to Brazil to Germany. They have even donated some their instruments to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

Their story is so special that a U.S.-based filmmaker is currently making a documentary about them called, Landfill Harmonic. While being interviewed for this documentary, Favio replied,

“The world sends us garbage, we send back music”

The story of people who can make music in and from the most horrible situation is a powerful illustration of what God intended praise and worship to accomplish through His people. C.S. Lewis captures the importance of this,

“It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men.” C.S. Lewis

When we lift our voices to God––thanking Him, blessing Him, declaring our love for Him––something happens! God makes His presence known! David wrote this,

“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3)

It’s through our praise that we welcome the King of Kings Himself.
And where the King goes, His throne goes…
And where His throne goes, His kingdom goes…

No matter what we face, or what’s been handed us, or what’s being dumped on us, praising God offers the greatest hope because it establishes His kingdom, His authority, His rule, His power, anywhere! Even in a garbage dump, He’ll teach you how to make music

Kathie and I with Ian and Linda Watson! Love these people much!

The Power of Water

The Grand Canyon, the Bonneville Dam, the Fukushima Power Plant, and a smooth river rock all have something in common: they’ve all experienced the power of water.

There’s a traditional Japanese belief that water is the most powerful material on earth. Given enough force, and/or enough time, nothing can stand up against it. But water is also powerful because it is one of the most essential materials on the earth.

Water sustains life. Water cleanses. Water heals. Water refreshes.

The Holy Spirit is likened unto different things. Wind. Fire. Oil. These all have significance, but the Holy Spirit being likened unto water is the most insightful description of His work.

It’s by the Holy Spirit being likened to water that illustrates how we are baptized into the Body of Christ,

“Jesus answered, ‘Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:5)

It’s by the water of the Holy Spirit that we are transformed,

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5)

It’s by the Holy Spirit being likened to water that we are given power,

“John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:5, 8)

And the Holy Spirit’s life-giving water not only flows to, and within us, it also flows from us,

“He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

After Peter and John had been arrested, interrogated, and threatened by the Jewish rulers, they returned to their brothers and sisters in Christ. They cried out to God in prayer. Then we are told,

“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

These are the same people who were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and saw thousands of people come to Christ, and many miracles to follow. Now we are told that they were “all filled with the Holy Spirit” again. What happened? Did the Holy Spirit leave them?

The powerful water of the Holy Spirit is not a static body of water. It’s not like a lake or a pond, but like a river or an ocean. Flowing. Moving. Changing. We do not possess the Holy Spirit, He possesses us. The Holy Spirit immerses us in the love and life of God’s kingdom. Not just once, but ongoingly.

As we live, minister, serve, give, etc., the Holy Spirit’s strength and power within us dissipates. Like the people we read about earlier, we also need to press in again to God for a new filling of the Holy Spirit. We need to submerge ourselves again and again in the Holy Spirit’s deep oceans, and experience the refreshing power of His water.

Love Strong as Death

There are certain things all of us hate to even think about facing. Have you ever thought about losing someone who is close to you? A parent, a husband, a wife, a child. You say to yourself, “I’d lose my mind if they were to die.”

You might do better than you think.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.” (Psalm 46:1–3

Nothing is large enough or strong enough to outdo God’s ever-present help and strength in your life. No matter how bad things look, you don’t need to fear because God is with you!

While it’s incredible to be reminded that God is always there and that He’ll always help you, it’s even more incredible to know why it is that He wants to do this; to understand why He wants to help you and give you strength to make it through any kind of situation.

In the book, The Song of Solomon, there is a vivid depiction of the romance between a groom and his bride-to-be. Listen to how he refers to her,

“Most beautiful of women” (1:8)

“Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves” (1:15)

“Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens” (2:2)

“All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you” (4:7)

“You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride” (4:9)

These are not only insights to a man’s love for his fiancé; they are also descriptions of how God feels about you. You are dear to Him, beautiful to Him, cherished and loved by Him. This is why He is an ever-present help to you. He wants to be with you because He loves you immensely!

Now listen to how the bride-to-be responds to the One who loves her so much,

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death” (Song of Solomon 8:6)

Would you allow yourself to be sealed in God’s love today? This simple, but powerful act will bring a confidence and grace to your life enabling you to face anything, even death. His love for you is stronger than death, even the death of someone very near and dear to you. He will bring you through!

And remember, on that day and in that moment when you need His help, not only will help be there, but He’ll be there too.

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Many people, who drown, do so while within an eyeshot of someone else. And often those who could see the person in the water didn’t even know what to look for—because drowning doesn’t look like drowning.

A drowning person can’t call for help—they have to be able to breathe before they can speak. When a person is drowning, their mouth sinks below and reappears above the surface of the water. There isn’t time to exhale, inhale, and call out.

A drowning person can’t wave for help. They instinctively extend their arms to the side and press down to lift their mouth out of the water, unable to raise their arms.

There are people within eyeshot of you who are drowning. Not in water, but in life. They’re going down and they don’t know it. They aren’t going to ask for help. And if you did offer to help, they’d probably resist.

A person you know might be drowning in the waters of a family crisis. The family and the lives of the people closest to them are coming apart. And instead of reaching out to you or anyone else, their hurt, confusion, and bitterness causes them to withdraw and isolate themselves.

Maybe someone you know is self-confidant, thinking they have all the skills to make it in life. They work hard, and consider themselves good, law-abiding people. But they aren’t happy. Relationships are strained because no one measures up to their standards. It seems the harder they try, the worse things get. They’re drowning, but they’d be the last to admit it.

Or, you might know a person who would admit they are drowning in some insurmountable circumstance, but they doubt you or anyone could help them. Too many disappointments and shortfalls of others have left them skeptical.

Then there’s the person who has failed miserably. They’ve messed up their lives. They’ve broken promises. They destroyed trust. They’re barely treading on the water of life. They are about to give up entirely, and they are convinced they deserve to go under.

Crisis. Self-confidence. Skepticism. Failure. They’re like weights below they surface tied to the ankles of people. Unseen, unheard, and many times unknown. But God sees, hears, and knows; and is reaching out to save them.

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Right this moment, God is sensitizing you and making you aware of someone who is being overwhelmed. They’re going down and you may feel helpless, but there is no situation, person, mindset, or mistake that is beyond His life saving reach. God knows what a drowning person looks like and how to save them, and forever He lives to intercede on their behalf! Yours too!

All posts by : Joel Phillips