To wait, or not to wait...
This past week I had the opportunity to attend a symposium on Asian American Theology at Fuller Seminary. It was a great time, but at the same time I realized how differently I thought than some (or possibly most?) of my colleagues.
During one of the small group breakout sessions, one of my peers mentioned how he couldn't wait for Jesus to come back so he could go to Heaven... and as everyone else was either affirming that comment or nodding their head in agreement... that statement bothered me. And then the fact that it bothered me bothered me.
You see, I'm sorta enjoying being here right now. We're just getting the church plant going (www.2ndcommunity.ning.com), and it's been exciting dreaming about how we can be a positive presence in the downtown Little Tokyo/ Skid Row areas of Los Angeles. And it's fun dreaming.
During our weekly services, we've been going through a series on "God's Kingdom in the City," and each week we've been going through Bible passages that speak of ministering in the community that God has placed you (Jer. 29), what the kingdom of God looks like, and being an intercessor for people. And I think its that last point that explains why I was bothered with the stereotypical Christianese comment of not being able to wait to go to Heaven.
In Genesis 18, Abraham intercedes on behalf of the people of Sodom. Though he was not from Sodom, he pleaded with God to save the people from His judgment, convincing God to spare the city for the sake of fifty... then forty-five, then forty... all the way down to five.
You see, even though the story does not end with the city of Sodom being saved, we as the church plant want to intercede on behalf of the people will have met/ will be meeting as we seek God's kingdom in our city. And as much as I do intend on enjoying Heaven... I'm excited about the opportunity of introducing our God to the people that live in our communities, and interceding on behalf of the ones we hadn't met yet.
To wrap up this post, I recently listened to a sermon from Shane Hipps, and he mentioned something that fits in with what I've been thiking about.... speaking hypothetically to Christians who have decided to just sit and wait for Jesus to come back, he asked, "What will make Heaven so different? God has given us the privilege to be in His presence, in His kingdom here on earth... so why do you want to just wait to revel in God's presence when you can active participants in His kingdom here, now?" And that just makes a lot of sense to me... AMEN!
During one of the small group breakout sessions, one of my peers mentioned how he couldn't wait for Jesus to come back so he could go to Heaven... and as everyone else was either affirming that comment or nodding their head in agreement... that statement bothered me. And then the fact that it bothered me bothered me.
You see, I'm sorta enjoying being here right now. We're just getting the church plant going (www.2ndcommunity.ning.com), and it's been exciting dreaming about how we can be a positive presence in the downtown Little Tokyo/ Skid Row areas of Los Angeles. And it's fun dreaming.
During our weekly services, we've been going through a series on "God's Kingdom in the City," and each week we've been going through Bible passages that speak of ministering in the community that God has placed you (Jer. 29), what the kingdom of God looks like, and being an intercessor for people. And I think its that last point that explains why I was bothered with the stereotypical Christianese comment of not being able to wait to go to Heaven.
In Genesis 18, Abraham intercedes on behalf of the people of Sodom. Though he was not from Sodom, he pleaded with God to save the people from His judgment, convincing God to spare the city for the sake of fifty... then forty-five, then forty... all the way down to five.
You see, even though the story does not end with the city of Sodom being saved, we as the church plant want to intercede on behalf of the people will have met/ will be meeting as we seek God's kingdom in our city. And as much as I do intend on enjoying Heaven... I'm excited about the opportunity of introducing our God to the people that live in our communities, and interceding on behalf of the ones we hadn't met yet.
To wrap up this post, I recently listened to a sermon from Shane Hipps, and he mentioned something that fits in with what I've been thiking about.... speaking hypothetically to Christians who have decided to just sit and wait for Jesus to come back, he asked, "What will make Heaven so different? God has given us the privilege to be in His presence, in His kingdom here on earth... so why do you want to just wait to revel in God's presence when you can active participants in His kingdom here, now?" And that just makes a lot of sense to me... AMEN!
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