City Life Starter

Revelation 21:3-4, 26-27 (NIV)

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

John 16:33 (NIV)

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Philippians 3:18-21 New International Version (NIV)

18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.

20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

By Stefan Johnsson

Oh, how we want comfort in this life on Earth and we continuously seek it. Though, what we seek we do not find because comfort never brings peace to our lives and it never fulfills. We were meant for something greater and we were meant for something more.

Jesus spoke to his disciples that there will be troubles and sorrow in this world. But that they should take heart for he has overcome the world! Jesus, who went through suffering, shame, heartache, and death, understood what this world has become and understands the pain within it. He knew it would be tough for us to live here and be a part of it. We live in a world where free will reigns and selfishness is praised.

In the midst of suffering, Paul reiterates that we are not meant for this world and our lowly bodies. We are meant for something greater! What is that greater thing?  Well, you have to get to the end of the Bible to see this. John speaks in Revelation about a new world, a new Earth where there will be no tears, no pain, and no sorrow. This is what Christians under persecution looked forward too. They knew that what awaited them was something even greater than what this Earth could bring. This is why Christianity thrives under persecution because it is in the midst of trials and sorrows that true faith is put to the test and true understanding of Scripture comes to light. We, at that critical juncture, have to believe that either God is real or He is not. There will be no middle ground to stand.

God wants us to come to know Him and who He is. He has a plan to destroy sin and that was Jesus’ death on the cross. As John says in Revelation, nothing impure will ever enter the new Earth and only those whose name is written in the Lamb’s book of life will be there, that is, those who believe in Jesus and what He did on the cross for us. And why is it taking so long for God to act on his final judgment of evil? Well, as it is written in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God is waiting to destroy the evil of this world and bring about true justice. Though, in his great mercy and compassion, he is wanting all people to come to know Him. But, God cannot force us as He gave us the free will to love or hate. So we must, as each individual beings, seek the truth and live by it, no matter how hard or how bad the persecution may be. It is through us that others may also see and believe that God is real. We are the salt and light of the world.

It is different to live in the U.S. and to not have experienced the kind of suffering and death that people in many parts of the world do. Though, I challenge you to look at why the areas that have the most suffering and pain is where Christianity tends to thrive. Why is this? Is it because when you see what evil truly is, you will want good and you will look for an explanation of why the world is how it is? This is what the Bible helps to explain. Christianity changed a Roman Empire from within and destroyed the pagan temples that held power. There are great things in this world that have come about by Christians that seek to do good. Let us not forget this.

“When you say there’s too much evil in this world you assume there’s good. When you assume there’s good, you assume there’s such a thing as a moral law on the basis of which to differentiate between good and evil. But if you assume a moral law, you must posit a moral Law Giver, but that’s Who you’re trying to disprove and not prove. Because if there’s no moral Law Giver, there’s no moral law. If there’s no moral law, there’s no good. If there’s no good, there’s no evil. What is your question?”

—Ravi Zacharias