I’ve been quiet here for the last week for two main reasons. First, I finished the books that I needed to review and posted those reviews the previous week. Secondly, I was focused on spending time together with the family and finishing my first work project.
But there was a lot of news made this past week in the deaths of four well-known celebrities – Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Billy Mays. Also last week, I re-tweeted a question by a pastor that I follow. @fuelshane asked,
If heaven wasn’t part of the plan, and you were saved for God’s glory alone – would you still want salvation?
My re-tweet posted to my Facebook status, and a few people made some great comments about God’s love and glory.
But I want to go a little further.
Too often what we call “evangelism” is focused more on Heaven than anything else. Think about it:
- “If you died right now, do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven?”
- “When you stand at the Pearly Gates, and God asks, ‘Why should I let you in?’, what would you say?”
- “If you ask Jesus into your heart, you will go to Heaven when you die.”
My question is: since when is salvation all about Heaven?
Frankly, the three people mentioned above pretty much had Heaven on earth. Other than the sicknesses that killed them (and debt caused by some of their foolish decisions), McMahon, Fawcett, and Jackson lived above the rest of us for the majority of their lives. They had money, friends, and fame. Michael Jackson was even called “the King of Pop” and lived like royalty.
If someone had tried to “witness” to them using the Heaven approach, would it have accomplished anything? I sincerely doubt it. They had heaven. They needed salvation.
I’ll finish this in another post, but for now, let’s talk about this.
Heaven is good incentive, but it’s not salvation. Without using Heaven as a hook, if I were not a believer, how would you approach me with your faith?
Don’t promise me something in the future. Give me something now. What does your faith have to offer me?
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