I asked God what this trip is going to be for me this upcoming year, and what I’ll be doing. He simply said “open heaven.”
I have had many people ask what does “open heaven” mean. I know I have had it as my logo on all my gear that I have been selling as fundraisers because it’s the mantra and goal of my trip. This may seem very vague and confusing to some, so I would like to use this blog to explain what this means.
Matthew 6:10 says, “Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.“
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Matthew 10: 7-8 says, “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers,drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.“
The Kingdom of God is heaven, and heaven is his kingdom. And God wants to bring it here to earth through his people.
I want to bring heaven to earth. I know that heaven is near, and heaven is here because God’s word says so. It is not just some place in the sky that we go to when we die, but so much more. And we have the ability to have it here on earth.
I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t just want the goodness of heaven when I die. I want it here and now, and we can have it! God wants to give us a full and abundant life. A life surrounded by goodness and blessings and favor. A life full of him and his presence (because that’s where true fulfillment comes from.) He has an inheritance for us that we share with Christ in as his children. That isn’t just for us in the future, but for us now. Healing and wholeness and fulfillment aren’t just for after death, God has it for us now. Miracles aren’t just for the past or even in heaven, it’s now through the power of Holy Spirit. It is just up to us to tap in to it take it.
According to the Bible, I believe it is actually my job, as a Christian- a Christ follower, to bring heaven to earth. I have the ability, with the power of Holy Spirit, to tap into my full inheritance of the kingdom of God (which is heaven). Another version of Matthew 10:7-8 says that the kingdom of God is “at hand” which means it is literally at our fingertips, but also will come through the work of our hands if and when we do his work.
When I am walking in God’s will for my life, when I’m standing in righteousness and doing things his way, when I’m physically doing his work I’m bringing heaven to earth.
We as Christians have the beautiful gift of having the responsibility to carry God’s glory in us. We has entrusted us with something beyond understanding. Like why me? How am I even worthy to carry his glory and have the opportunity to show it off? What? I carry Jesus with me. His glory gets to shine through me, through my life, through the work of my hands. What a beautiful and crazy thing that is to be trusted with so much? Holy Spirit goes with me everywhere I go, so whenever I’m in a new place, I’m bringing his presence with me and allowing God to work in a place he may not have been invited into before. When I bring him with me to a new environment, and do his work, his glory gets to shine and reign on that place. Claiming more of his territory that the devil tries to steal.
The way of God’s kingdom is opposite of the earth. The culture of heaven is counter cultural to earth. This is why this trip seems illogical for me to go on (finishing school first is more logical). But God doesn’t ask me to be full of logic when I follow him; he asks me to be full of faith and to trust his understanding not my own. If you read the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) you can clearly see how opposite his kingdom runs compared to how the earth is run. Everything is other’s focused and not me focused. It’s about God’s glory and not our own. He tells us to love our enemies, the world says hate them. He tells us to turn the other cheek, the world says retaliate/ get revenge. He tells us to go the extra mile, the world tells us to do the least we can to get by. He tells us to give our stuff away, the world says hold on to your belongings. The world tells us to be proud, he tells us to be meek. The world tells us to show off, he tells us to be humble. The world tells us to be first, he says be last. The world tells us it’s up to our own strength, he says it’s up to his strength.
Christians are some of the most blessed and well of people on earth. We have way more than we need. And in no way is it wrong to be blessed or have extra resources from God, but it is not for us to hoard for ourselves. He gives and blesses us so that we can give and bless others. If every Christian’s goal was to open heaven, to bring heaven to earth, I know poverty would end. People would have clean water everywhere. There would be no more malnurishment. Children would all have a home. People would be serving and helping each other. We would have world peace.
I know what I’m saying sounds like a long shot. A good idea but a far out idea that doesn’t seem possible to accomplish, but that’s because our world doesn’t operate under kingdom order the way heaven does. The world says be “me” centered. What can I get? How can I succeed? How can I look out for myself? Who can serve me? Who will help me? Who will notice me?
Instead it should be: What can I give? How do I help someone else succeed? Who can I look out for? Who can I help? Who can I notice? And most importantly- How can I show off my savior?
So when I go on this trip, I want to open heaven. I want to do this by bringing God’s glory and truth to earth. I want to open heaven by serving the way Jesus did. I want to open heaven by carrying the presence of God into a room for other people to experience. I want to open heaven by using the power of Holy Spirit to do miracles that change people’s lives by encountering the one true God. I want to open heaven by living life God’s way; under his rule and power and order.
Heaven is where God lives; it’s where he dwells. God is where heaven is, and I want to bring it to earth by doing his work.
God inhabits the praise of his people (Psalm 22:3), so heaven is found in worship, because heaven is where God is and where his goodness reigns. He lives in our praises and always dwells among it. If you want a quick and easy fix to experience more of his presence in your life then all you have to do it praise and worship him, I mean after all if anyone deserves it he for sure does.
We will open heaven and bring it to earth when we live out God’s will for our lives and do things his way, and when we show off and bring his glory wherever we are. When our lives are offered as a living sacrifice in worship to him which brings his glory down.
