Why Do Modern Day Christians Rarely Talk About Heaven?

Christianity in the pre-1990s is miles apart from what we have today. In those days Christians were conservative, modesty was the watchword and people had the fear of God. The messages from most pulpits were righteousness and holiness focused, pastors gave little or no emphasis to material acquisitions and wealth. Neither did they turn their pulpits into deliverance theatres. They lived what they preached. They were not extravagant; neither did they own private jets. We sang songs and hymns that conveyed the message of heaven, righteousness and holy living. But all these have changed today. Pastors have refocused. The sermons have changed. It is now ‘believe it you’ll have it’; ‘my God is not a poor God’; ‘miracle extravaganza’; ‘you can be what you want to be, you are unstoppable’. All these may be alright; they could be good for the mind. However they are very superficial. What values do they add to your relationship with God? If you have all the wealth, riches, deliverances, miracles etc and you lose your soul, what does it profit you (Mark 8:36-37)?

The reasons modern day Christians rarely talk about heaven is therefore not farfetched. The modern day Christian rarely talks about heaven because:

1. Pastors no longer talk about it
Christianity nose dived with the advent of ‘faith preachers’. This group of ministers will never talk about heaven and God’s righteousness. They highlight so much on faith without godly living. It is also about sowing seed! seed!! seed!!! Righteousness and holy living is not on their agenda. They will condemn any preacher of righteousness. They will tell you that it is wrong to preach against sin from the pulpit and that you are condemning people as you do that. Their messages are usually falsehood laced with truth or vice versa to deceive the undiscerning. They preach faith without works (righteous living). My question is: how can a pastor who is antagonistic towards people who preach against sin be able to encourage his congregation to live righteously? Can this type of minister talk about heavenly rewards that await overcomers (Rev 3:5)?

2. Christians now lay their treasures on earth
Our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:19-21 advised believers to lay their treasures in heaven and not on earth. The lifestyles of most of today’s Christians unfortunately say otherwise. Their emphases have shifted from seeking first God’s kingdom to seeking fame, wealth and riches. The chorus ‘take the whole world but give me Jesus’ has changed to ‘give me the whole world as well as Jesus.’ But this can never happen. Christ says that we cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:23). Too much of wealth and cravings for it have made many to err from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10). The lust for earthly acquisitions by a Christian is an indication of where his/her heart is.

3. Most churches have lost their focus
As stated in Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 26:17-18, the church exists to:
i. Preach the gospel (this includes sending out missionaries) which is centred on ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins’ (Luke 24:47)
ii. Open the eyes of the lost and perishing to the truth of the gospel (2 Cor 4:4)
iii. Rescue men and women from the power of Satan and bring them into the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9)
iv. Teach saved souls all that Jesus Christ and the apostles taught (Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:42)
The church does not exist to open universities, build church auditoriums, construct housing estates, buy private jets etc. The church is not and will never be a business enterprise. All denominations using the church as a business venture have definitely lost focus and it is very hard for them to talk about heaven.

4. Unsaved pastors taking over the pulpit
In Matthew 24:24, our Lord Jesus Christ talks about false Christs and false prophets that will show great signs and wonders. This statement implies that there are pastors in the church that are not born again (Christians). Examples of such ministers abound in this generation. I read recently about one Nigerian pastor that died and was buried by Oro masquerades. It is clear that this fellow was a stark impostor. We still have thousands of his ilks all over the world showing ‘great’ signs and ‘wonders’ and deceiving millions of people. They usually will instil fears into their members by telling them that it is only through their church that people will make it to heaven. They also will tell their members to pray in their names or call God of their names. If you have heard your pastor saying this, that is a very dangerous signal. That pastor is not of God. He is a child of the devil. Leave before it’s too late.

Many of these false prophets were planted by Satan and had never been part of Christ. They have been commissioned by the devil to bring as many souls as they can to hell. As I look around I see multitudes upon multitudes being led to hell by these monsters. They will never talk about heaven because they know that they will never be there and will therefore not want any of their members to be there.

5. Many ministers have lost the focus of their calling
Closely linked to the above ministers are those ministers who begin their ministry in sincerity, truth, purity and genuine faith in Christ. But because of their pride, covetousness and immoral desires, the personal commitment and love they have for Christ dies. These class of ministers then become instruments of Satan while still disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness (2 Cor 11:15). Some of them outwardly appear to be humble but are neck deep in earthly acquisition of wealth. These like other false teachers or pastors will seldom talk about heaven and Godly living. It is never the crux of their messages. They usually will make it the icing of the cake. I say to you readers, be wary of sitting under such ministers.

6. Cares of this life
In describing the seed that was choked by thorns in Matthew 13:7, 22, Christ warned that the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches will always choke the Word of God in people and make such persons unfruitful in the kingdom of God. The cares of this life and the false confidence that riches usually confer on people can make believers lose their priority of pleasing God.

7. Fear of losing church members
The fear of losing members has made many pastors to deviate from the truth. Most will prefer messages that appeal to the emotions of their congregation. Sermons that will prepare Christians for heaven such as those centred on how to keep ourselves pure from the defilements in this world (Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 3:2-3); being spiritually minded (Romans 8:13-14); conforming to the image of Christ (2 Cor 3:18; Ephesians 4:24); and willing to suffer for His Name’s sake (Matthew 5:10; Acts 9:15-16; 2 Tim 3:12) are never preached. No carnally (sinful) minded person would like to hear this type of messages because the carnal (sinful) mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so (Romans 8:7).

8. The Abundance of Iniquity
Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:12 that the level of iniquity which shall abound in the last days will make the love of many to wax cold. We are at a time when there is an unbelievable increase in immorality, shamelessness, rebellion against God and a throwing off of moral restraint. The level of sexual perversion, adultery, pornography, drugs, ungodly music and lustful entertainment have made the thoughts of many human hearts to think of evil continually. True love is now in short supply. Hence the love for God has fallen considerably.

Conclusion
Whether you belong to the ‘old school’ or the ‘new school’ of Christianity like I recently heard a pastor separate, one fact that remains incontrovertible is that God does not change (Hebrews 13:. We are called by God to live for Him and the church is ordained by God to teach people on how to live for God (Rom 6:4; Col 3:10). Any church that fails in this important task has become a social club. We lay treasures in heaven through first and foremost our lifestyles, after this comes the services we render to Him. Our spiritual act of worship or reasonable service according to Romans 12:1 is achieved through a life of holiness and being accepted by God. It is on this foundation that services rendered to God are built upon. No service rendered to God from a sinful soul is accepted by Him (Amos 5:21-24; 1 John 3:22, 24).

God’s ultimate will for us is that we His children be with Him where He is (John 14:1-3; John 12:26). Miracles, riches, fame, earthly acquisitions have never been and will never be His final desire for those who love Him. Satan is never perturbed by miracles, riches and fame received by people as long as such people still disobey God. He knows that every disobedient person will eventually end up in hell with him. What angers Satan is the holy and righteous lives of believers and refusal of such believers to yield to him through sinful lifestyles. He battles such believers in order to frustrate them (Genesis 3:15; Rev 12:17).

We cannot wish God’s heaven away if we want to be there. Our Lord Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 warned us to enter through the straight and narrow way which leads to life. He foretold us that there are few who find that way. Think about this! We have to work for it (Phi 2:12). It involves a lot of personal sacrifice. Nobody will be in heaven without striving to be there. There will be no ‘gate crashing’ or ‘accidental discharge’. Remember the guest without the wedding garment in parable of the marriage feast (Matthew 22:11-14). Nevertheless, the grace of God is available for us as we approach Him on the throne of grace (Heb 4:14-16).

I pray God to open our eyes to the knowledge of His will: that we will know the hope of His calling and what are the riches of His glory toward those who believe and love Him (Eph 1:18).

Please join me in singing this song as we close this message.

This is my desire, to honour You
Lord with all my heart, I worship You
With all I have within me, I give You praise
All that I adore is in You

Chorus:
Lord, I give You my heart
I give You my soul
I live for You alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I'm awake
Lord, have Your way in me

Altar Call
Have your totally surrendered your life unto the Lord Jesus Christ and made Him your Lord and personal Saviour? If not, then take the following steps of faith in order to be saved and receive strength to serve Him.
A – Admit that you are a sinner (Rom 3:23)
B – Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is able to save you from your sins and sins’ problems (Mathew 1:21)
C – Confess your sins and invite the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour (Romans 10:9-10)
D – Depart from doing evil and live a righteous life in Christ Jesus (Titus 2:11-14)
I would like to specially invite you to the weekly Sunday Worship Service of the Moment of Truth Ministries at the PARLIAMENT HILL SCHOOL (Main Hall), High Gate Road, Camden, London NW5 1RL. The time is 3.30 p.m.
Also you can watch the messages of Pastor Samson Jebutu of the Moment of Truth Ministries on either www.momentoftruthministry.com or YouTube and those of other ministers like Leonard Ravenhill; David Wilkerson; Zac Poonen; Gbile Akanni and Keith Daniel, also on YouTube.

Till we meet again on this platform, I remain yours in Christ Jesus, Bro Mike Dike.

God bless you.

Tins time end.
Rearrange if you like.

What is wrong with the earth?
Is it not the bad people that makes it bad?

1. As for me, I like this earth o, I am waiting for the bad ppu to be taken away from the earth.
Psalm 37: 10,11,29

2. Going to haeven is good but I love to stay in the paradise that will be on earth
Mathew 5: 3,5

You know what? I enjoy efo riro, ponmo, eja osan, assorted meat and Iyan

Pls it is my own wish o. If you want to go to heaven, byebye.

mrakin: What is wrong with the earth?
Is it not the bad people that makes it bad?

1. As for me, I like this earth o, I am waiting for the bad ppu to be taken away from the earth.
Psalm 37: 10,11,29

2. Going to haeven is good but I love to stay in the paradise that will be on earth
Mathew 5: 3,5

You know what? I enjoy efo riro, ponmo, eja osan, assorted meat and Iyan

Pls it is my own wish o. If you want to go to heaven, byebye.

Guy, just in case you have not read your bible to that part of Revelations, lemme be the one to break it to you.

This earth is going to pass away.

Let me further break it down: this earth, and all you see in it, will be destroyed

2 Peter 3:1 - "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up "

mollie12:

Guy, just in case you have not read your bible to that part of Revelations, lemme be the one to break it to you.

This earth is going to pass away.

Let me further break it down: this earth, and all you see in it, will be destroyed

2 Peter 3:1 - "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up "

Thanks for your interest in me.
If you notice that verse you read, it talked about Heaven and Earth will melt and pass away. It not the physical literal heaven nor the literal earth that will pass away and melt. It is the ungodly people that will be destroyed. Pls read 2Peter 3:7

Secondly pls read Revelation 21: 3,4 which talks about the new heaven and the new earth.

Finally, if you do not accept the bible's hope of paradise on earth, no problems. Go to heaven to enjoy yourself. Leave me to enjoy my paradise on earth.

All what we need to do is keep doing our best to remain in God's love.