And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. - Revelation 21:3-6
These verses are hard to believe because we have only known a world with death, grief, crying and pain. God gives a glimpse of the joy to come when we will finally be with him in the deepest and most intimate way possible. This is what we are inviting people into. As we invite people to come and see, and we share with our one the good news about the One who shed his blood for them, we are inviting them into a kingdom they were created for and a person they were created to know. He promises He is making all things new, and one day His work will be complete. May this picture of his coming reign propel us into our neighborhoods, work places and homes to faithfully share the best news: there is a God who loved them at the highest cost. He gave His life for them, so that they would turn from the evil inclinations of their hearts and find eternal rest in the arms of their Savior. In Him, it is finished. In Him, we find the eternal rests our hearts have longed for.
Pray for the reality of Revelation 21 that is coming. May this moment of being with Jesus propel you to share the gospel with endurance, love and patience. By God’s grace, may we see many more salvations and baptisms in North America in the months and years to come!
