Why I said Heaven is not the focus of Christianity.

 In my recent video I mentioned that heaven is not the goal of Christianity. This statement generated much interests, controversy and debates. I would therefore give further clarification.

1. Christianity is a life in Christ, not a life in heaven. 

For years the eternal life Jesus has freely given to us has been pushed into the future when we either die and 'go to heaven' or be raptured in the last days and go to heaven. In view of this when we speak of eternal life the traditional Christian mindset is that someday we will go to heaven and enjoy eternal life. But eternal life is not in heaven but in Jesus Christ. The Bible says,

"And  this is the testimony: that God has given us  eternal life, and this life is in His Son." (1st John 5:11).

2. Eternal Life is Now, not Later when we go to heaven.

The postponing of eternal life to someday in heaven has caused many Christians not be believe that they are saved. Many are not even sure of whether they are saved or not. And so in seeking eternal life they look forward towards the day when they die or are raptured. They are even afraid of death and rapture because they think they won't make it to heaven. But this is what the Bible says,

"These things I  have written to you who believe in the name of  the Son of God, THAT YOU MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE  ETERNAL LIFE, and that you may  continue to  believe in the name of the Son of God." (1st John 5:13).

If you believe in Jesus Christ you have eternal life now, not in the future when we meet in heaven. So stop thinking of heaven when we talk of eternal life.  Think of Jesus Christ, the saviour. If you don't know you have eternal life your faith cannot be solid, no matter how religious you become. 

3. The Believer is Called to Look Up to Jesus, not Heaven. 

The Christian race has only one finished line,  Jesus Christ, not heaven.  The Bible says,

"LOOKING UNTO JESUS,  the author and finisher of our faith, who for the  joy that was set before Him endured the cross,  despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2).

As a Christian you should always have your gaze on Jesus Christ, not heaven.  That is how to fight the good fight of faith and finish the race. 

4. The Goal is to Know Christ, not heaven.  

Paul said he lost everything and counted them all dung for the single purpose of knowing Christ, not for the purpose of going to heaven. You don't present your body as a living sacrifice because you want to God to heaven but because you want to know more of Christ and grow more and more in Him.  

"THAT I MAY KNOW HIM and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of  His sufferings, being conformed to His death." (Philippians 3:10).

5. Our citizenship is in heaven but we wait for the Saviour. 

You see, we are not citizens of the earth but of heaven. That is why in the video I said heaven is our home, not our goal. We will not be citizens of heaven later but even now we are. However, it is the King of Heaven,  the LORD Jesus Christ, our Big Brother and President, whom we look up to and wait for so that this body would be changed and we would live and rule with Him both here on earth and in heaven above. 

"For our  citizenship is in heaven, from which we also  eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phil. 3:20).  

7. Before God created heaven and earth we were already chosen in Him.

I would want us all to note clearly that we came before heaven.  Before God created heaven and earth we were already chosen in Christ Jesus. And so our origin and our eternity is Jesus Christ. The Bible says, 

"Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

8. Our final destination is Jesus Christ, not heaven.  

Over the years we have used Jesus Christ as means to an end but Jesus is not. He is not only our eternal life but also our final destination. And the good news is that even everything in heaven also has its destination in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, 

"Having made  known to us the mystery of His will, according to  His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the  times He might *gather together in one all things  in Christ, both a which are in heaven and which  are on earth—in Him.* (Eph. 1:9-10)

Don't get me wrong. I am neither denying heaven nor asking you to throw the thought of heaven out of your way. What I am teaching is that Christ is our first love and the preeminence of all things, not heaven.

Thank you.