In this week’s message, I will be using clips from the classic movie, “Field Of Dreams”, to illustrate Biblical truth. At the end of the movie, there is an exchange between Ray (Kevin Costner) and his dad who magically appears many years after his death on Ray’s baseball field. His dad asks, “Is this heaven?”. Ray says, “It’s Iowa”. Ray then asks his dad, “Is there a heaven?”. “Oh yeah”, he says, “it’s the place where dreams come true”. To which Ray replies, “Maybe this is heaven”.
If you’re wondering, there is a way to experience part of heaven on earth. In fact, we can experience quite a bit of heaven here. Jesus said that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. It’s here because it begins here! I feel sorry for those who wait a lifetime to experience the kingdom that Jesus brought to us and has deposited into our own souls. He said it’s in us and it’s meant to be enjoyed. Make no mistake, it has its price. Because Jesus’ kingdom, power, and fulfillment are eternally bound to His goodness. That means that we must practice His goodness in order to experience His Kingdom. You want to experience the love and the joy of heaven? Lavish it on someone in need, and immediately, His love and joy will be released in your heart.
It’s amazing how that works. It’s like an explosion of blessing. When the power is released, it affects everyone involved. You can’t escape it. We need God! But Jesus said, “if you’ve done it to the least among you, you’ve done it to Me”. He also said, “If they receive you, they receive me”. God works in us but also through us. He loves everyone, but how will they know that He loves them if we, His body, do not love them. And how will we be able to hang on to the truth of His love if our own brothers and sisters don’t put an arm around our should or speak words of encouragement and love to us?
Heaven comes to earth through you and me. It’s the way He wanted it. It’s the way it is and I absolutely love it!