Salvation, or deliverance/rescue from this present evil age in which we find ourselves, is ultimately found outside ourselves, outside our own efforts. I think this is something many spiritually-minded seekers understand. Many of these seekers look to the heavens. But the problem is they’re looking, hoping, and trusting in the wrong thing.
In his song, “They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming,” Don Henley addresses this misguided star gazing. Check out his song with the lyrics here.
It’s a cold postmodern world, sings Henley. Authenticity, soul, good guys, even Rocky the Flying Squirrel, all these are missing. And so, many are looking to the heavens, hoping and praying that extraterrestrial life will be our salvation. The little green men will land their flying saucers and teach us how to live in harmony and peace.
But they’re not here, and they’re not coming, sings Henley. And you and I need to bloom where we’re planted. I especially love what Henley says about those who long to be delivered from this “world of pain and strife.” Such longing is a “sorry substitution for a spiritual life.”
And it is these words about the nature of spiritual life that resonate in me. “The Kingdom of God is at hand” was and is the gospel or good news. God’s Kingdom was ushered in by the death and resurrection of Jesus. In fact, I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about it this way, but the resurrection of Christ ultimately demonstrated the indestructible life found in God’s Kingdom.
As Christians, we live in what theologians refer to as the “already, not yet.” God’s Kingdom is here. It is a foretaste of what’s to come. But right now, you and I can be a part of extending God’s Kingdom (which is ultimately His reign and rule in our lives, families, communities, and churches) to others who so desperately need it.
To do this, we must, in the words of Jesus, lose our lives to find them. That’s the opposite of longing for deliverance from pain and strife. In fact, as Christians, we “glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3)
To follow Jesus is not to escape the heartache and pain of this world. Neither is it, as some seem to think, to isolate ourselves, circle the wagons, build the barriers, and wait for the rapture to come and carry us away.
No, to follow Jesus is to “lay down our lives” for others. (I John 3:16)
I love the opening chapter in the book of Acts. Jesus has just ascended into the heavens, and his disciples are standing on the mountain, gazing into the empty sky. Suddenly an Angel appears, saying “What are guys doing? He’s gone, but he’s coming back, and for now, there’s work to be done.” (My loose paraphrase.) I heard a sermon on this passage years ago. It was entitled, “Star Gazers or Soul Winners?”
There’s work to be done. Let’s you and I commit ourselves to it, knowing that what we do now will follow us into eternity. And remember, Jesus is here, right now. His Spirit lives in and among us. And someday, he will return, bodily, to establish a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness and justice will abound, and God himself will wipe every tear from every eye.
In Christ,
Dan
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