Man has been on the quest for paradise on earth, much more in the afterlife ever since the dawn of time. God implanted this idea, it is not of our creation or imagination. But this has meant different strokes for different folks! Man is not invariably pure spirit, nor is he spiritually pure or meant to be a spirit--we will have spiritual bodies in heaven, but they will be bodies like Christ's, nonetheless, that can live in other dimensions so as to walk through walls, and probably eat without gaining weight! No man is so spiritual he can worship God forever, unceasingly ad nauseam; however, there are angels assigned to this task and they are privileged to be so close to God, not cursed to praise God in worship songs forever! Watching reruns of Green Acres would be hell on earth to me! We all have our dreams and nightmares of eternity. But one thing for sure, we will be fulfilled and filled with joy everlasting knowing and praising God, even in our work and labors.
There is a multitude of ways to worship God and we will find ways to bring Him glory in all we do in our heavenly estate and an eternal home in the heavenly city of the New Jerusalem. People who are extremely musical wish they could enjoy music all day, and there are Christians who listen to Christian radio and think they are worshiping God all-day-long--this is passive, and worship is active or something that takes effort. Both work and play can become worship! God is the receiver and recipient of worship in the Spirit and not ourselves--we find our fulfillment in worshiping God in the way we are hard-wired, but certainly to worship in spirit and in truth.
Personally, I wish I was so spiritual I could sing praises to Him night and day, but I don't think that level of spirituality is possible in the flesh. People say that heaven is not a perpetual church service, and I hope not, because God can be worshiped in so many ways besides that. But we should never put down some one's idea of what heaven would be to them because no one will be disappointed. The Christian life is not about walking in the glow of a transforming experience the rest of your life nor about living in a perpetual high on Cloud Nine to be no earthly good.
The important point is that we will all be fulfilled and spiritually joyful and content in our realization of heaven--God will let no one down. The important thing about thinking of heaven is that it helps us to live in light of eternity, to get proper focus, and put things in perspective. We are but pilgrims just passing through and have spiritual green cards that we will one day exchange for a heavenly occupation and residence. This life is but a dress rehearsal or prelude to heaven and every note we strike sounds a chord that will vibrate into eternity.
Many Christians think we are here to get the American dream realized: education, culture, standard of living, and freedom, but these will find us fleeting fulfillment, and they only get our focus off Christ the center of our attention and what it's all about--bringing Him glory and living for Him, enjoying Him in the process. Christ came to give us eternal life and a more abundant one, even in the here and now, and this life, which is not probationary, beginning at salvation and cannot be forfeited by sin, for Christ is our intercessor when we do and holds onto us and won't let go nor give up on us (cf. Phil. 1:5).
The joy we share in Christ now is but a preview of our heavenly, beatific vision. Many believers get a misconception of the real life in Christ by focusing on musical megastars, who perform before large crowds, and consequently believe they should imitate them or emulate them as living the ideal Christian life by virtue of their gifting in the Spirit--we all need to be ourselves and look to Jesus as our Supreme Exemplar and not to any man as personifying the Spirit--as an ideal of spirituality, or as being spiritual giants.
One thing heaven is not is monotony or routine: Is there anything you could do without ceasing, ad infinitum without getting bored or out of your comfort zone? If you love reading, would you love to read forever? Nothing is mundane or perfunctory in heaven! There may be routines but no monotony. Even if you enjoy preaching, eating, or even singing, you wouldn't want to engage it forever; for we are hard-wired for work (though some think work is a curse--not in heaven!) and productivity; diversity is the stuff of life and we ought not to strive with our Maker (cf. Isaiah 45:9)!
We are not self-deceived like Muslims believing in a Paradise is of man's own imagination and "wine, women, and song" or having "seventy virgins," but we believe heaven is far more surreal than we can envision with our limited senses and intellects--the finite cannot contain the infinite. Soli Deo Gloria!
There is a multitude of ways to worship God and we will find ways to bring Him glory in all we do in our heavenly estate and an eternal home in the heavenly city of the New Jerusalem. People who are extremely musical wish they could enjoy music all day, and there are Christians who listen to Christian radio and think they are worshiping God all-day-long--this is passive, and worship is active or something that takes effort. Both work and play can become worship! God is the receiver and recipient of worship in the Spirit and not ourselves--we find our fulfillment in worshiping God in the way we are hard-wired, but certainly to worship in spirit and in truth.
Personally, I wish I was so spiritual I could sing praises to Him night and day, but I don't think that level of spirituality is possible in the flesh. People say that heaven is not a perpetual church service, and I hope not, because God can be worshiped in so many ways besides that. But we should never put down some one's idea of what heaven would be to them because no one will be disappointed. The Christian life is not about walking in the glow of a transforming experience the rest of your life nor about living in a perpetual high on Cloud Nine to be no earthly good.
The important point is that we will all be fulfilled and spiritually joyful and content in our realization of heaven--God will let no one down. The important thing about thinking of heaven is that it helps us to live in light of eternity, to get proper focus, and put things in perspective. We are but pilgrims just passing through and have spiritual green cards that we will one day exchange for a heavenly occupation and residence. This life is but a dress rehearsal or prelude to heaven and every note we strike sounds a chord that will vibrate into eternity.
Many Christians think we are here to get the American dream realized: education, culture, standard of living, and freedom, but these will find us fleeting fulfillment, and they only get our focus off Christ the center of our attention and what it's all about--bringing Him glory and living for Him, enjoying Him in the process. Christ came to give us eternal life and a more abundant one, even in the here and now, and this life, which is not probationary, beginning at salvation and cannot be forfeited by sin, for Christ is our intercessor when we do and holds onto us and won't let go nor give up on us (cf. Phil. 1:5).
The joy we share in Christ now is but a preview of our heavenly, beatific vision. Many believers get a misconception of the real life in Christ by focusing on musical megastars, who perform before large crowds, and consequently believe they should imitate them or emulate them as living the ideal Christian life by virtue of their gifting in the Spirit--we all need to be ourselves and look to Jesus as our Supreme Exemplar and not to any man as personifying the Spirit--as an ideal of spirituality, or as being spiritual giants.
One thing heaven is not is monotony or routine: Is there anything you could do without ceasing, ad infinitum without getting bored or out of your comfort zone? If you love reading, would you love to read forever? Nothing is mundane or perfunctory in heaven! There may be routines but no monotony. Even if you enjoy preaching, eating, or even singing, you wouldn't want to engage it forever; for we are hard-wired for work (though some think work is a curse--not in heaven!) and productivity; diversity is the stuff of life and we ought not to strive with our Maker (cf. Isaiah 45:9)!
We are not self-deceived like Muslims believing in a Paradise is of man's own imagination and "wine, women, and song" or having "seventy virgins," but we believe heaven is far more surreal than we can envision with our limited senses and intellects--the finite cannot contain the infinite. Soli Deo Gloria!