THE PRESENT HEAVEN, Sunday May 4

May 2, 2014 by Pastor David Rathel

THE PRESENT HEAVEN

Jesus said to the repentant thief on the cross: “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43

What Does The Word Paradise Mean?

A grand enclosure or park, shady and well watered and it was enclosed by walls. [from pairi- around + daeza wall]

Let us greet the day which assigns each of us to his own home, which snatches us free from the snares of the world, and restores us to paradise and the kingdom. Anyone who has been in foreign lands longs to return to his own native land… We regard paradise as our native land. – Cyprian

But What Will It Really be Like In The Paradise Of Present Heaven?

Revelation 6:9 – 11 (NASB) “9And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;”

We Are Able To Express Ourselves And Be Heard By Others – “and they cried out with a loud voice” Verse 10

We Are Aware Of Time – “Saying, ‘How long…?’” Verse 10

We Have An Audience With God – “…O Lord, holy and true…” Verse 10

We Have A Deep Concern For Justice – “…wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Verse 10

We Have Memories Healed Of Our Lives On Earth – “…and avenge our blood..” Verse 10

We Have Our Individuality – “And there was given to each of them a white robe;” Verse 11

We Have Some Sort Of Physical Form – “…a white robe;” Verse 11

We Rest In God’s Sovereign Plan – “and they were told that they should rest for a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also.” Verse 11

What Does This Mean For Us Now?

“Soon you will read in the paper that I am dead. Don’t believe it for a moment. I will be more alive than ever before…. Earth recedes…. Heaven opens before me!” – D.L. Moody, On His Deathbed

“Oh, God, this is the end; but for me it is the beginning.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, just before his death at the hands of the Nazi’s

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” – Missionary, Jim Elliott, killed for the Gospel by south American Indians.

Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. 2 Corinthians 5:11 (NLT)

YOUTUBE from Last Sunday:

About Pastor David Rathel

My wife, Melanie, and I moved back to Columbus with our two week old little girl, Hannah, after finishing Graduate School in Fort Worth, Texas in 2001. RiverTown Church was born in a movie theater on September 9th that same year with a vision to be “a church for people who don’t go to church” here in our hometown. God has blessed us since then with a great location on Schomburg Rd. near my old neighborhood and High School. New people are coming to RiverTown all the time and discovering that God can “transform their lives into the likeness of Jesus Christ” through a church family where you can Believe, Belong, and Become!

From our first prayer meetings in a living room in nearby Phenix City, to our preview services and grand opening the Hollywood Connection movie theater, and finally to our current property and buildings on Schomburg Rd. God has led us all the way.

My wife and I both grew up here, so we know the people and love it here. Melanie keeps me going! We’ve been through all the good, the bad, and the ugly of life and have found that everything is sweeter together. You’ll never find us at a church event on a Friday night. We’ve had date night on Fridays since my first day as a Pastor. We met while working together in a Franklin Graham evangelistic crusade here in Columbus in 1996. Our second child is named Graham for that very reason! Our first child, Hannah, was born in Forth Worth just before we finished Seminary in 2001. Two weeks after she was born in Fort Worth, we were on the road back to Columbus to knock on doors and start RiverTown. She and the church will always be the same age!

On this blog, you'll be the first to know what God is teaching me and teaching through me to our church family. We'll laugh together and sometimes cry together. Most of all, you'll be challenged to take your next step in following Jesus Christ.