Letters to the Family of God

by Joe Franzone | November 3, 2021 | Pastor's Blog

Family of God - Website

November 3, 2021

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

                                                                    Hebrews 13:8

 

The end and use of (God’s) promises are to excite us to pray.

                                                                             John Calvin

 

All these toys were never intended to possess my heart. My true good is in another world, and my only real treasure is Christ. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.

 

                                                                                                                  C.S. Lewis

Road leading into sunset

Dear friends,

 

When you think about the future, what comes to mind the most?

 

In his book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari makes a splendid case that humankind was trapped in a scarcity predicament for thousands of years. The scarcity did not come from a lack of resources but our understanding of them. As a result, economies remained frozen. The way out of the trap, wrote Harari, was discovered only in the modern era, with the appearance of a new system based on trust in the future. It was founded on the assumption that our future resources are sure to be far more abundant than our present resources.

 

In other words, once people began to look to the future with hope and trust, their well-being and economic prospects skyrocketed. However, as helpful as this was, and it was, it was limited in scope. It spoke to nothing past this life.

What Next?

B.H. Carroll, founding president of Southwestern Theological Seminary was traveling on a train. A young man was sitting next to him, and Dr. Carroll asked him where he was going. He said, “I am going to college.” “What are you going to do then?” Doctor Carroll asked him. “After graduation from college, I'm going to law school.” “What are you going to do then?” “After law school, I plan on getting married.” “What are you going to do then?” “I plan to have children and raise a family.” “What are you going to do then?” At this point, the young man was a little irritated and said, “Well, I guess I will grow old and die.” “What are you going to do then?” And the young man said, “Well, I guess I haven't thought of much about that.” He had made plans for time but not for eternity.

When you think about your future, how far do you go? When you think about the future of Christ’s church, how far do you go? Perhaps C.S. Lewis’ quote is worth re-reading.  All these toys were never intended to possess my heart. My true good is in another world, and my only real treasure is Christ. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.

 

It is the unending nature of Christ (the same yesterday, today, and forever) that gives us hope and excites us to pray big. If our present joy on earth is to be linked to our future prospects in heaven, then we ought to be the most optimistic people on the planet.

 

Think of the billions and billions of years we're going to spend in eternity and compare that with the 80 or 90 years we may have here on earth—and then remember we never know when we may die. Isn't it silly to make our best plans and expand our best energies on this life instead of the life to come?

 

Respectable religion is tied too tightly to this world. Its major concerns all have an expiration day. It is for their sake they do what they do. However, Christianity begins with His sake—Jesus Christ, and their sake—the unbeliever.

 

This week, as we conclude the 40 Days of Prayer, here are a few prayers for you to consider as we think about our future as a church.

  • All our confidence about the future would be in God, who is Father.

 

  • We would look to the future with winsomeness, great expectancy, and joy.

 

  • Our concern about the future would be about God’s glory rather than our own security, as that has already been taken care of.

 

  • Since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted as it would be if there were no resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

 

  • We would praise God often for the future grace we have waiting for us in Christ, letting it continually change the framing of our lives.

Praying is hard work. Thank you for praying.

 

Pastor Joe