12 Reasons For Being A Member Of The Church Of Christ
"The Hope Of Heaven"
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith, in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." 2 Tim 4:7,8
Any justified hope of living with God throughout eternity is reserved for the faithful child of God. What a blessing it would be if all of mankind could only realize that the promoting of a manmade system of faith does not carry with it any hope of eternity. No matter how right or just the doctrines of men may appear or how sincere their believers are, the benefits of such organized efforts are only temporary. The pleasant associations, the sharing of common ideals, even the satisfaction of denying themselves and sacrificing for others, is all for nought unless they follow the divine pattern laid down in God's Word for becoming a Christian, a member of the Lord's church, Acts 2:38, 47.
In the Brotherhood, it appears that some have forgotten that walking by faith and being obedient to their Lord in baptism is only the beginning. Once becoming a child of God, the new Christian is expected to grow to maturity, 1 Peter 2:1,2; 2 Peter 3:17,18. Only those members of Christ's body (His church) that "continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel" (Colossians 1:21-23), have any promise of inheriting heaven. Only those led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, and only the sons are heirs, "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ" if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. If we continue to be led by this same spirit of divine truth, then nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 8:14-39)
Truly, as someone once said, "Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people." Members of the Lord's church know that there is a heavenly home being prepared for the righteous, a "city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10). This is the eternal home of all faithful Christians and the city for which they long for. Heaven with all it's beauty and solace will not be a temporary dwelling place. It is a place where Paul said, "Thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess 4:17). Is this not the true beauty of heaven? The glory of it all is that, in heaven, we will be in the presence of God the Father and Jesus throughout eternity. This is the hope of all faithful members of the Lord's church. This hope strengthens God's people and enables them to keep on keeping on regardless of what may confront them during life's little while. Yes, the storms of life will come. There will be at times physical and emotional pain and suffering; temptation will be ever present; tears will be shed over the fallen; ostracism will result from standing firm on Bible truth; loneliness, uncertainty and numerous other things will trouble our hearts. However, the hope of heaven is that which lifts our spirits and enables us to be steadfast, never wavering in our service to Christ.
We will close with the comforting words of our Lord found in John 14:1-3: "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me, in My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." - Ray Wilson