Out of all of the people in the Bible, who would you want to have lunch with? Maybe you would choose to have lunch with David, Moses, or the apostle Paul. These are all great choices! I think I would like to have lunch with Mary, the mother of Jesus. I would love to hear stories and ask her questions. We were reminded during the weekend message that one day, we will have a chance to meet and converse with these people in the Bible and be reunited with our friends and loved ones who have also placed their faith in Christ. How incredible these reunions will be!
Paul made it clear that followers of Christ will be united as he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4. In this passage of Scripture, he encouraged the church of Corinth not to give up. He wrote, "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God" (verses 8-9). Throughout trials, struggles, and persecution, Paul encouraged the church in Corinth to persevere because God was always with them. As he wrote, his conversation shifted to eternal life and what was to come. He said, "We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise Jesus and present us to Himself together with you" (verse 14). When Jesus returns, Paul looked forward to standing before Jesus along with the church of Corinth. Clearly, Paul expected that he and the believers in Corinth would be united and recognize each other as they gave an account standing before Jesus.
We often think of our faith individually, but there is undoubtedly a corporate aspect to our faith as well. Here on earth, we encourage each other and support each other. We also make Christ known together. When Jesus returns, we will be united. What a gift other believers are as we walk this Christian life, both now and in eternity!
Take some time to journal about the people in the Bible whom you want to see in Heaven one day. Write down in your journal or notebook two or three people from the Bible whom you are excited to see in Heaven. What questions do you have for them? What stories do you want to hear them tell? Then, make a list of the people in your life who have passed away whom you can't wait to reunite with. Thank God for the impact these people have had on your life and for the hope that you will see them again one day.
1Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. 2 We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.
3 If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
5 You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” 14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
