life more fully
We had a great first "Mid-Week Sessions" as we dicussed the implications of the Gospel. Derasha: Our Journey, God's Story (the first in a series of short books) has been printed, and is available now in The Source at Ridge Point. What follows is from Chapter 02, titled Heaven and is a preview of what we will discuss on Ocotober 11 at 7:00PM in The Commons:
My friend, Matt, and I were recently involved in a conversation with some friends about “full life.” In the conversation Matt made the observation that the dialogue kept circling around the idea of “destination” or “arrival.” There seemed to be a sense that there just has to be a point in time when we find this “full life”.
One guy named Dan remarked that the full life of which Jesus spoke only happened when we were in heaven. It seemed as though this earth was just a colossal waiting room before our name was called to see the Great Physician in the sky who would in our death give us “full life”.
I looked in my Bible at John 10:10 and saw these words, “life more fully.”
I asked, “How do we know when we have accomplished this ‘full life’ thing?” I continued, “The Text says ‘life more fully’ so if this is the case then could it be said that a pagan could experience what we are talking about?” As I began processing this, I started speaking faster, “I mean what if you took the worst kind of person you could imagine. What if that person started hanging out with a group of people who followed Jesus, and as a result started to love other people? What if he was involved in less evil, and was doing more good? Can we then say that he is experiencing life more fully?”
We sat silent for a time. Our friend Brie reflected on her friend Dan. She said, “So Dan is experiencing life more fully?” Dan has just recently begun hanging out with Brie and her husband. Dan had lived for many years far from God, and had absolutely no interest in Jesus or the Church. Dan has recently begun to serve others, and is discovering the joy in it. He is intensely interested in Jesus, and the study of the Bible.
Brie told us that there are some who question whether or not Dan is “saved” because Dan still struggles with some addictions.
Matt said, “Yeah, but everyday, he is choosing to do more things right. He is helping others in their life, he is starting to allow the Bible to transform him, he is serving the needy in his midst, and he is even drinking less. Is this a more full life than he was living?”
I smiled and said, “Dan has life ‘more fully.’” We sat quietly for a time and smiled to ourselves. I think we began to not only think about Dan, but about ourselves and others who have for so long wondered whether we would ever get “there”; wherever “there” may be.