At Southview recently we lost a dear friend and a terrific Christian. His name was Don Collins and he truly was a living testimony of his faith in Christ. It showed in every aspect of his life and the kingdom work he threw himself into with all that God had given him. At his passing I remembered thinking about him as I did the day mom was called to be with the Lord. That was, I wonder what heaven’s like on your first day there, what’s it like when the angels carry you to heaven, what’s it like when you see the face of Jesus for the first time, just how wonderful is heaven? I believe heaven becomes an even more real place for us each time we lose a loved one and we know that now they are also apart of it.
None of us, of course, have any real idea what its like in heaven as we’ve never actually been there, but there is one man who did get to visit heaven and that man was the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). Having seen heaven and heard things he was not allowed to repeat, having experienced heaven and been in Christ’s presence, what was it that Paul said about heaven? He declared that while he desired to be in heaven he realized it was better for the kingdom and the work God had given him that he remain on the earth. He saw that reaching the lost, spreading the gospel message, saving more and more souls for heaven, was by far a greater goal than desiring that the Lord take him back to heaven, (Philippians 1:21-24). Now that’s a servant’s heart.
At the end of Paul’s life when he knew the moment was drawing close that he would again be in heaven with his Savior he proclaimed, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”2 Timothy 4:7. Our beloved brother and friend Don Collins would say that very thing as well.
Today I have one question for you – can you? At Southview God is working in mighty ways preparing us for a new work, a new approach to reaching the lost beyond our walls, beyond our borders and beyond ourselves. We’ve all seen the early stages of the transformation God is bringing to pass at Southview. A new music ministry is beginning to emerge, a new youth ministry, our registration for VBS this year is breaking all kinds of records, including the fact that a large percentage of the children are from families not a part of the Southview congregation. In the fall we’re reaching out to the community with needed training in life skills, like managing finances, and already members of the community have pre-registered, and upcoming events the rest of the year will be used by God to draw more people to Him than we’ve ever seen at Southview.
Inside the physical space at Southview we see it being transformed as well, a new website, new media equipment, new worship lighting and sound gear and it’s only the beginning as God is in the process of literally transforming us from the inside out. It’s an exciting time to be working in the kingdom.
Am I excited and looking forward to being in heaven? You bet! But just like the Apostle Paul, our friend Don Collins, and thousands of others, right now I’d rather be here doing the work, helping with the saving of so many lost souls. Someday there’s going to be a great banquet in heaven, what a day that will be – but it will only be the beginning of an eternity in Christ’s presence – I’ll have an eternity to get to know and love my Savior, but today I only have now to further His kingdom.
How about you – are you excited about the work Christ is giving you to do? If you’re not involved have you asked Him to get you involved? The fields are ripe with harvest but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37-38) – let’s put the cares and sins of this world behind us, just as Paul did, (Philippians 3:13-14) and press on toward the prize – so that when our day comes to join our loved ones and in Christ in heaven we can also say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
In Christ,
Wes
None of us, of course, have any real idea what its like in heaven as we’ve never actually been there, but there is one man who did get to visit heaven and that man was the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). Having seen heaven and heard things he was not allowed to repeat, having experienced heaven and been in Christ’s presence, what was it that Paul said about heaven? He declared that while he desired to be in heaven he realized it was better for the kingdom and the work God had given him that he remain on the earth. He saw that reaching the lost, spreading the gospel message, saving more and more souls for heaven, was by far a greater goal than desiring that the Lord take him back to heaven, (Philippians 1:21-24). Now that’s a servant’s heart.
At the end of Paul’s life when he knew the moment was drawing close that he would again be in heaven with his Savior he proclaimed, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”2 Timothy 4:7. Our beloved brother and friend Don Collins would say that very thing as well.
Today I have one question for you – can you? At Southview God is working in mighty ways preparing us for a new work, a new approach to reaching the lost beyond our walls, beyond our borders and beyond ourselves. We’ve all seen the early stages of the transformation God is bringing to pass at Southview. A new music ministry is beginning to emerge, a new youth ministry, our registration for VBS this year is breaking all kinds of records, including the fact that a large percentage of the children are from families not a part of the Southview congregation. In the fall we’re reaching out to the community with needed training in life skills, like managing finances, and already members of the community have pre-registered, and upcoming events the rest of the year will be used by God to draw more people to Him than we’ve ever seen at Southview.
Inside the physical space at Southview we see it being transformed as well, a new website, new media equipment, new worship lighting and sound gear and it’s only the beginning as God is in the process of literally transforming us from the inside out. It’s an exciting time to be working in the kingdom.
Am I excited and looking forward to being in heaven? You bet! But just like the Apostle Paul, our friend Don Collins, and thousands of others, right now I’d rather be here doing the work, helping with the saving of so many lost souls. Someday there’s going to be a great banquet in heaven, what a day that will be – but it will only be the beginning of an eternity in Christ’s presence – I’ll have an eternity to get to know and love my Savior, but today I only have now to further His kingdom.
How about you – are you excited about the work Christ is giving you to do? If you’re not involved have you asked Him to get you involved? The fields are ripe with harvest but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37-38) – let’s put the cares and sins of this world behind us, just as Paul did, (Philippians 3:13-14) and press on toward the prize – so that when our day comes to join our loved ones and in Christ in heaven we can also say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
In Christ,
Wes
