As It Is in HeavenSample

Day 4: Bringing a Dream to Life:

On day four, we’re honing in on the practical steps we can take as believers to make today’s church look more like heaven and bring the dream to life! While there are dozens of principles, strategies, and methods churches themselves can implement, I want to focus on two today: seeing things from others’ perspectives and forgiveness.

Bringing the dream to life will require intentionality. Resembling heaven isn’t a one-and-done thing. There is not a special class on the topic you go through and then check off your list. It’s more of an ongoing way of life.

The first thing that can help us bring the dream to life is to see things from the perspective of others. Misunderstandings are especially a problem when it comes to race. By taking the time to put yourself in the shoes of those around you, you can be more intentional and careful in what you are saying. After all, Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV), “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Wow. That’s powerful! Not only does it benefit us not to say and do things we know God wouldn't approve of, but it also benefits the hearts and minds of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The second thing we can do to move closer to making the church look as it is in heaven is to extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us. It is so common for people of the world today to hold onto grudges and not forgive those who have hurt them. In the church, however, we are told to do the exact opposite in verses such as Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14, and Colossians 3:13.

As long as we’re unable to put ourselves in the shoes of others and are unwilling to forgive those who have wronged us, our church will stay in the same condition it has for decades. As we move forward, we must move forward with intentionality. We must transform our hearts, not let divisive comments escape our lips, and forgive others as Christ has forgiven us.