Three Steps to Heaven

People often describe the Christian life as a journey or a pilgrimage. I have recently been thinking about this description and how accurately it describes the Christian life.

Nobody can turn back time and we must be continually moving on. For some people, who have no faith, this must be a daunting and depressing thought as they get older and have nothing to look forward to except pain, sorrow and maybe loneliness. However, for Christians the best is yet to come and we must continue journeying until we reach our destination and as the 23rd Psalm has it when ‘God’s house is our home’.

Even for Christians this journey is not going to be easy, there will be times when the going will be tough. Jesus never promised an easy life. The journey is going to be made of steps, many steps, and I just want to mention three in this article. Like the old song goes ‘Three Steps to Heaven’.

Step one: The first step anyone has to make is to start on the journey. We have to first realise there is more to life that this world and the daily tasks involved with living. We must seek something better and we must have a realisation of a Creator God. Jesus says “anyone who seeks will find”; this is a promise to all.

Step two: When we find God (Jesus) we have to recognise our need of Him and our inadequacy (sin). Sin is the barrier between the Holy God and our imperfect selves. This barrier has been broken down by Jesus’ death on the cross. He has paid the price of our sins. All we have to do is to ask for forgiveness for all the wrongs in our lives and turn away from them; this is repentance. Jesus says that “everyone who asks will receive”. Another promise to all, if we ask for forgiveness and repent then God will forgive us.

Step three: This step is to accept Jesus and His promises. All we have to now do is to believe the promises of Jesus accepting his forgiveness and grace. – Jesus then says, He will go ahead of us to prepare a room in His Father’s house (Heaven) for us. This is the wonderful promise of Jesus, the third step to Heaven.

Jesus came to earth to show us that God is our loving Father who cares for each one of us. He died on the cross to rid us of our sin (the barrier between us and God) and then He rose to life that we may all live in Him in God in Heaven.

The Baton Carriers

At the first Circuit Bible Study held recently at Butt Lane led by our Minister David Speed he asked us to consider various aspects of Faith.

To help us focus he distributed a sheet with various questions, one of which asked us to think about instances of Faith that we could call to mind and to discuss them with the group.

Someone mentioned Gladys Aylward (1902-1970) whose story became immortalised in the film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, starring Ingrid Bergman.

God spoke to this woman, Gladys, about China, and then He simply transplanted her whole life! A shining example of personal Faith translated into action and service.

However my thoughts stayed here with our fellowship at Butt Lane and with the people I have known over the years both men and women. Men and women who I am sure we could all call to mind who have lived out their lives and shown their Faith in a myriad of ways such as by visiting and taking out flowers; looking after the fabric of the building, often taking their life into their hands by climbing onto our roof; looking after the children who have come into our church both past and present; providing a welcome at the door and by taking on the duties of a steward; helping with communion and by giving of their talents such as woodworking, which is displayed in our pulpit and cross and by providing the music week in week out. Many years of service which to me is a living testament and example of living out our Faith.

An analogy which is popular is to think of our Christian lives as a race which we have to run. We need the trail blazers of Faith those that formulate and visualise the race which I like to think of as a relay.

However we need the people who step forward to accept the baton which God hands to us and who will agree by free choice to run the race. We not only have to run the race once but keep on getting up and running again often over great personal difficulties and trials. God always provides what we need through His constant love and by providing us with the tools of prayer and His word translated by the Bible, His living word.

We need also to have support from our fellow Christians both physical and spiritual and what makes Butt Lane so special is that we receive this support from one another. We also see this within our Circuit and with the support given to Taste and See which provides a visible fresh expression of faith within the community at large.

We have to share with others and lend our support and encouragement which is why going out to others churches and within the community is so important. Having received the baton we have to learn to pass it on to others freely and graciously so that the next generation will have the same support and witness we have come to rely on.

We may not see the end of the race or indeed understand or recognise the part we play. We only need to have Faith and trust in the one God who directs all and knows all.

The race may change but the one who directs us remains constant and true, He does not change nor does His love for us. Alleluia! Maria Carter

Christian Basics:

What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

Like a powerful searchlight, the aim of the Holy Spirit is to highlight Christ and enable us to live the Christian life. Therefore, it is important to ask the crucial question: what does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?

The Spirit brings us new birth into the family of God, for without him we cannot develop our relationship with God. Every person who has committed their life to Christ possesses the Holy Spirit, as Paul says, 'if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.' (Romans 8:9).

Primarily the Spirit assures us of God's love and acceptance in our lives, despite our fears, doubts or failures: 'God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us' (Romans 5:5). Paul expresses this in terms of our adoption as sons and our new status, family and future: 'Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

So you are no longer slaves, but God's children; and since you are his children, he has made you also heirs' (Galatians 4: 6,7). This means that we can now address God as father i.e. abba, which is Aramaic for 'daddy', the very word used by Jesus himself. We can struggle with this truth in our experience, perhaps as a result of authority figures (eg parents, teachers etc), who have been domineering, withdrawn or abusive. However, the Spirit will work within us to bring healing and release in our lives.

As the Helper (or Counsellor) the Holy Spirit is also alongside to enable us to pray: 'In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans'. (Romans 8:26). For our prayers he gives us both words understood, unknown words (i.e. gift of tongues) or no words at all (i.e. tears or sighs). He will also help us to understand God's word and hear what God is saying to us. 'But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth'. (John 16:13).

'The presence of the Spirit, as an experience and living reality, is the crucial matter for the Christian life from beginning to end' (Gordon Fee).

Monthly Article (May 2008)

Three Steps to Heaven