HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN SMARTLY
Do you believe in heaven? Do you want to get there? Will going to church, tithing, praying, fasting and calling upon the Lord’s name get you to heaven?
Of course it depends on what you call heaven. Is it a place where God dwells or do you see it as a place or state of peace and harmony in body or mind, right here on earth?
The fact is that many people, captors and captives alike, see heaven as a place to be but how to get there has been a big debate resulting in many isms and schisms, religions, politics, commercial pursuits and even genocide. Many a books have been written about it but this weekend I found out how we can all get to heaven smartly. No joke.
I can assure you it doesn’t require yoga, nor therapy, or religious creeds or any obsessions. It doesn’t matter your creed, religion, political views and or no views. No science nor chemical formulas and equations are needed. It does however require an element of selflessness and a love for self and others.
WHO CAN BE IN HEAVEN
Anyone, race, class or creed, can experience heaven but the requirements to get in make it difficult and restrict heaven to a selected few. Indeed, many will be called but few chosen. To make this worse, the normalcy of our abnormal lives make us fit somewhere among the inadmissible to heaven.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 states: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Do the maths and you will noticed that only a few people will be qualified for heaven, on earth or in the sky.
To make it more intriguing, it is possible that even if we are none of the above we are still not guaranteed a space in heaven.Seriously now? Yeah, serious as a sun without heat.
As Proverbs 16:25 reads, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” and “No one is good – except God alone” (Mark 10:18. So it is possible our understanding could send us to doom.
Also, check out this verse in the bible about heaven and who will be let into the kingdom, according to Jesus Christ.
Mat. 25:34 – 46 “Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me water; I was a stranger and you invited me into your homes; naked and you clothed me; sick and in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Sir, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink? Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ “And I, the King, will tell them, ‘When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to me!’
Then I will turn to those on my left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry and you wouldn’t feed me; thirsty, and you wouldn’t give me anything to drink; a stranger, and you refused me hospitality; naked, and you wouldn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me. “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And I will answer, ‘When you refused to help the least of these my brothers, you were refusing help to me.’ “And they shall go away into eternal punishment; but the righteous into everlasting life.”
Read that again. This is a very important thing to note: it does appear that if we go to church regularly, give our tithes and offerings and pray every day, we are not guaranteed a space into Jesus’ heaven, UNLESS we help the poor.
SO GOING TO CHURCH WON’T GET YOU TO HEAVEN? NO GUARANTEES.
The temple and the priest have played their important role as the link between god and man. However this arrangement was only necessary until Shiloh (Jesus) comes. We should also add that not only is the priest (church or law giver) redundant and unnecessary but also the king/president and prime minister (scepter). Indeed, if Christ has come, then the church and the priest have become redundant because Jesus is now both King and High Priest..
Genesis 49:10: The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
In short, there is no middle man between god and man since Christ is now the redeemer and forgiver of sins. No church can forgive sins anymore.
Another take on the now personal, no middle man ‘relationship” can be seen in
John 14 : 5 – 7- “Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am
This is reinforced in Matthew6: 5 – 7: Jesus said, And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
CAN TITHES AND OFFERINGS GET YOU INTO HEAVENS? NO GUARANTEE.
So what about if tithes and offerings are paid regularly. Doesn’t that help? And didn’t Malachi say that when we don’t pay our tithes and offerings we rob the Lord. True, it should help back then but as seen above, I am not sure if it is applicable today. Jesus paid our debts.
You see, back then, a tithe (1/10th of earnings) was given to the church because the high priest had to be “paid” as he could own no property and or do mundane work otherwise. A reasonable gesture since the priest was god’s representative on earth at the time. However with the advent of Christ, this job become redundant as Christ is now God’s representative on earth. (Ooops, there goes the pastor’s job)
Offerings are different from tithes and were done based on the situation. The popular ones were Burnt, Sin, Peace, Meal and Trespass Offerings. All had to do with the sacrifice of animals and birds. A bloody endeavor that makes one wonder why the Lord wants to smell burnt blood and flesh. However let us see what Isaiah had to say in regards to offering, (Isaiah 66:1-4): Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, Even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an Oblation, as if he offereth swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes and chose that in which I delighteth not .
The question to ask is, if Christ’s death and resurrection washed away our sins and paid for our iniquities, are we free and no longer need to pay tithe and offerings? If we are free, and tithes and offering are no guarantee, does that make it wrong to give tithe and offerings at church?
HOW NOT TO GET TO HEAVEN
The Bible seems to have contempt for those who can help the poor and do not help.
Prov. 21:13 He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need.
1 John 3:17- 19. But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help him–how can God’s love be within him ? Little children, let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions. Then we will know for sure, by our actions, that we are on God’s side, and our consciences will be clear, even when we stand before the Lord. (Action speaks LOUD).
1 John 4:20 – If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (For God is LOVE).
James 2:14 Dear brothers, what’s the use of saying that you have faith and are Christians if you aren’t proving it by helping others? Will that kind of faith save anyone? If you have a friend who is in need of food and clothing, and you say to him, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat hearty,” and then don’t give him clothes or food, what good does that do? So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good works is no faith at all–it is dead and useless. But someone may well argue, “You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can’t prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act.” Are there still some among you who hold that “only believing” is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too--so strongly that they tremble in terror! Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith.
Prov. 28:27 If you give to the poor, your needs will be supplied! But a curse upon those who close their eyes to poverty.
Prov. 14:31 Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God.
HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN: A GUARANTEE
Although common sense is uncommon, it should be clear that both the captive and the captors are in captivity and need to be set free. The captors spend their lives in captivity keeping the captives in check, while the captives spend their lives in captivity trying to overcome the captors. Neither will experience heaven without love. since without love heaven, peace and freedom are afar and apart.
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Prov. 19:17 When you help the poor you are lending to the Lord–and he pays wonderful interest on your loan!
James 1:27 The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord–not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world.
Psalm. 82:3-4 Give fair judgment to the poor man, the afflicted, the fatherless, the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless from the grasp of evil men.
Prov. 22:9 Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor.
Even Saul (Paul) who was killing Christians thinking he is doing God a favour, had this to say after being converted:
1 Tim. 6:17 – 19 Tell those who are rich not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone, but their pride and trust should be in the living God who always richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give happily to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven–it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.
Luke 6:38 For if you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give–large or small–will be used to measure what is given back to you.”
Isa. 58:4 – 11 “Behold, ye fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will thou call this a fast? And an acceptable day to the lord?
No, the kind of fast I want is that you stop oppressing those who work for you and treat them fairly and give them what they earn. I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold, and don’t hide from relatives who need your help. “If you do these things, God will shed his own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, goodness will be a shield before you, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. Then, when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. All you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! “Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too; and you will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.
Love one another.
That is how you get to heaven, whether you think heaven is right here, right now while living on earth or up in the sky after judgment day.Love one another.
notclif 