Heaven part 5
I've preached and Ranted about the idea of binding and loosing before. And, let's be real, I probably will again. So I don't want to get into that too far today, to end this Rant series, but I want to use Matthew 18:18 as my memory verse for today. "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Oddly enough, I've heard people use this verse in regard to us declaring things on earh in order to get God to move. As if it is HIS job to line up with OUR wants. That's backwards. Completely twisted around. What you bind on earth must already be bound in heaven. Because that's where the power to bind comes from. What you loose on earth must already be loosed in heaven. Because that's where the power to loose comes from. What's that old song say? "Touching heaven... changing earth." Remember how we started this Rant series? With the idea of not just making heaven our home... but making our home like heaven. The days of heaven on earth. Heaven is what it's supposed to be. The trick is to experience it here on the earth. Or, if you can continue my picture of heaven as the mind of Christ... we can experience heaven right here in this body. Heaven is the mind, earth is the body. Heaven on earth. Heaven IN earth. God's mind, His Spirit, His love... in our bodies. That's who Jesus is: God in the flesh, love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So instead of trying to get God to move heaven and earth by going around "binding and loosing" everything in sight, we need to simply shine the light of the world so that we can see what is already bound and already loosed. And then we can proceed from there. We can operate in the power that we have instead of trying to use what power we don't to try to get things that we think we don't have, but really do. It's the same idea as trying to be someone you're not in order to get something you (think you) haven't got. Trying to affect heaven by changing earth. That's not how it works. Look at Matthew 6:10, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." That's the Divine Order of things. In earth... as it is in heaven. Heaven comes to earth. Earth doesn't go to heaven. Remember when the people of the earth tried to build a tower up to heaven and make a name for themselves? God didn't like that. He didn't want that. It has always been His heart to come down to us. To meet us where we're at and lift us up to Him. When Jesus was lifted up from the earth--into the heavens--He drew all men into Himself. When heaven and earth meet each other... that's when we experience heaven ON earth. That's when we experience the Kingdom of Heaven... on earth. Ruling and reigning as kings and priests on this earth. Ruling and reigning... in love. For love. By love. Because of love. It's all about love. That's what heaven is--the realm of love. And that's not just WHERE we are... that's who we are! So don't wait for some pie in the sky, over the rainbow, some day in some way "blessed hope" of ending up in heaven. Experience it here and now. Let the mind of Christ that's already in you... BE in you! That, friends, is how we experience God's love. That's how we live in heaven.