Difference between Heaven and Hell

I recently found this short story while looking for a story to drive home an area of culture that God wants to see in His Church.  

The short story validates that Heaven and Hell will be occupied by people, but there is one unique difference between these people that we often overlook when thinking about these places of eternity.

Let's let the story show us what that difference is.

"A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell.  The Lord said to the man, 'come, I will show you hell.'  They entered the room where a group of hungry people sat around a huge pot of cooking stew.  Everyone in the room was starving.  Each person held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arms that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths.  The suffering was terrible. 

'Come now, I will show you heaven' the Lord said.  They entered a room identical to the first, the big pot of stew, the group of people and the same long-handled spoons.  But here everyone was happy and well nourished. 

'I don't understand' said the man.  'Why is everyone happy here and miserable in the other room?  Everything is the same.'  'Here', said the Lord, 'they have learned to SERVE each other.''

The difference between the people of Heaven versus the people of Hell is simply Heaven is made up of people who care about one another enough to serve the other.  And God is not waiting for us to get to Heaven to start serving.  Instead He is watching us now to see if we are practicing this ever important trait that will be seen in all those in Heaven.

So what are you waiting for?  Humble yourself today and begin serving others.  This will be your Heaven on earth.

Obeying Christ's Teachings

Hoping you are enjoying the weather (the warmth of the sunshine - feels like Spring doesn't it?)  Question is:  How long will it stay this way?  We shall find out.

I wrote that last week in an update I sent out to the church.  Well, obviously it didn't last very long as temps got a lot colder and even today we have been dealing with sleet and snow.  I just find it amusing how things can change so quickly:))))))))

And that leads me into my thought for today.  

Just found out on Sunday that our church was told by a business in the warehouse complex that we were using their dumpster for our trash.  Needless to say, this surprised me as we had had difficulty with this same situation back when we were remodeling The House during the summer months.

So when confronted the first time about our misuse of the dumpsters, I determined to find out what dumpster is used for the site (you see you can only go on what someone else tells you).  And in asking, I was told that we were to use the green dumpster on the concrete pad sitting beside the orange dumpster.  And that is what we have done over the past months.

Well due to the latest confrontation , I once again had to ask some questions, not as ammunition to use against the business, but rather to find out the truth (we don't want to be doing something wrong and give this business or anyone else the impression that the Church can do whatever it wants without any consideration for others).

And what I found out is that the green dumpster is not the site dumpster; it is the orange dumpster.  We have been using the wrong dumpster for months:((((((

So what do we (I) do?  Well, first I humbly must go to this business and apologize for the church's actions - that we had gotten our lines of communication with Rental Properties mixed up regarding the site dumpster.  Second, I will willingly offer to this business restitution for our usage.  And third, we will use the ORANGE dumpster for our trash - hopefully this is right this time.

Change can occur even when the routine of what we are doing seems right and true.  There are times we are doing things wrong - sometimes knowingly, other times unknowingly.  In either case, just because we are doing something over and over again, and their seems to be no consequence to what we are doing, does not make it right and true.  You see, we have to be open to hearing what the Spirit is saying to us internally and through others.  Then we have to humble ourselves and seek the truth.  And if the truth means change, then we must seek forgiveness and do the right thing.

It would be so easy for me to simply let the misunderstanding that has occurred fade away with time - just use the correct dumpster and nothing else will be said.  But that is not what Jesus has taught and commands me to do.  He has taught, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.  First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift." (Matt 5: 23-24)

If the Church is to be the Church that Christ is calling it to be, then it has to do the tough things because Christ commands it to.  You see, our gift, if done God's way, will be a blessing to Him and will bring us His favor.  But, if we give our gift our way, God is not honored.

So, take some time today to reflect on the things you are doing in life - some may be routine - and ask if God is asking you to change.  If He is, then honor Him in making the change by doing it His way, not yours.

Time to start blogging again

Wow!  There's a part of blogging that is fun and exciting because it allows one the opportunity to express what God is doing in one's life.  Yet there is also a part of blogging that takes away from the excitement, and it is "finding the time" to blog.  And this is where I have found myself over the past months:  "How do I fit blogging into the ever increasing time constraints placed on my shoulders due to trying to develop disciples for Christ's Church?"  So to answer this question, I am hearing in the back of my mind, "Just get-r-done!"

LHH has completed some chapters in its book - the chapters of getting started, meeting in an elementary school, and meeting in homes.  All of which have developed the church to become more like the Savior we are following.  And now we find ourselves in the next chapter of our new home, which we are calling "The House," trying to find ways we can reach out to the community where God has moved us.  

God has steadily grown us in all chapters written.  Yet there always feels like, warranted or not, there is pressure to be bigger and to grow faster.  After all, we live in a world that says success is based on how much you have and we are bombarded with it everyday.  And in church circles, that means numbers of people, programs offered, monies received, and size of buildings.

But this seems so contradictory to everything we know about God and how nature clearly shows us that not all things seem fair or are fair.  In fact Jesus made it very clear that it is not the powerful who enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but those who are humble and meek.  Paul made it very clear that the Church is a Body made up of many parts, some parts more significant than others, yet all having great value to the Body.


Yet knowing this, I have still found myself thinking a lot lately on what God desires for His Church.  And questions such as:  1.  Does a church have to be large to say that they are effectively fulfilling the Great Commission?, 2.  What does a church really have to look like in order to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" from God when it is all said and done?, 3.  Is there a lifespan to a church that makes it appear to have God's favor?,  etc

Yet, the more I think, the more I hear these words, "To be effective as a Church for the cause of Christ, you must only remain faithful."  

So how big a church is does not always represent its heart.  The church could have little love for Jesus, yet do things that draws people to attend.  On the other hand, there are big churches that have great love for Jesus and are seeing great multitudes.  So size doesn't represent the heart of a church.
  Right in my neck of the woods is a Hispanic Church Plant that meets in a small business space beside the Big Lots store.  They might have 30 chairs.  Yet, if they are touching souls for the cause of Christ, especially the Hispanic culture that have migrated to our area, then praise God for His little Church.  

And the more I think on these questions, the more I realize that God would prefer a thousand little 30 seat churches meeting in store fronts who are sharing the Gospel over just 1 large church of a 1000 in a community who is also sharing the Gospel.  I say this because the math speaks for itself:  1000 churches x 30 followers = 30000 followers.

So the conclusion I am getting is that LHH is a church that will and must reproduce many small churches in rural and small town areas.  The more churches LHH can produce, the greater impact for Christ that the Church can have on this community and its surrounding areas.  

But it takes an acceptance that big is not always better.  It takes a church, despite its size, who continues to value discipleship and the mission it is called to in sharing Jesus Christ.  And in the end it takes a church of small churches to all have the same vision and understanding of what God wants for them - "To Reach Up, To Reach In, and To Reach Out.