5/7/11
Greetings, God is good and His mercy endures forever! This week we are going to discuss some shocking material. I say shocking because this is the kind of material that simply is not taught. I believe that if we are called to be a heavenly people (which we are) we must be heavenly minded. What does it meant to be heavenly minded? Does it mean thinking about streets of gold and marvelous worship all day? Is there more to it?
It is actually like the old real estate saying goes: Location, location, location! What does real estate have to do with being heavenly minded? Does a big house actually solve problems? Of course not! The point is that having a heavenly mindset begins with properly identifying your location. I have a question for you, and although it may seem ridiculous, answer this question in your head: Where are you?
If you answered with your physical location you unfortunately failed the test. Sure, you may be sitting at your desk, standing in line at the grocery store, or lying on your bed, but that is a much less important fact. It is less important because it has no authority. The grocery store could be there today and gone tomorrow. Your true location is in heaven, and this location has authority over every dimension.
“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 2:6)
When we receive Jesus we are raised up spiritually. Our spirit which was born dead is now born again. This spirit becomes one with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17) and begins to operate on two planes of existence at the same time. We are in heaven and we are on earth. Although we experience earth, our heavenly existence is actually more important. It holds authority over our earthly existence.
Before we go on I want to bring this home. If your body is broken would it be broken in heaven? If your marriage is broken would it be broken in heaven? If you’re broke and in debt beyond reason, would you be broke in heaven? The answer is succinctly no. Heaven is a place of perfection. It is a place where every wrong is made right, where every tear is wiped away, and where every injustice is addressed in righteousness. If you could put all your problems in a bag and ship them to heaven… they would be replaced with new realities. It is no mystery that when we get saved we become a new creation. It is mandatory because of our new location.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Heaven is a location, but unfortunately it is usually thought of as a destination. It is usually said that heaven is where we go. I am here to tell you that if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior heaven is where you are. This must be understood. Have you ever seen someone trying to bake cookies on a roller coaster? Of course not! The reason is because they understand where they are. Satan is a professional liar. He tells Christians that they are in the kitchen when they are on a roller coaster—and many believe him. This is one reason why Christians will get out of church and go home to a pornographic video. They think that they have left a holy atmosphere.
Now that we have established your location we are going to establish how you function there. This is going to require your ability to use your imagination and think outside of time. The fact of the matter is that everything that Jesus purchased for us was done at the cross. This is why the death of Jesus was a finished work. My sins today were paid for two-thousand years ago. This means that the work of Jesus was done on a plane that was outside of time. We have discussed the following verse in past letters, but we are going to look at it from another angle.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18 AMP)
The word translated “you” in this passage is plural. It actually means “you all” or the church acting in unity. I used the Amplified version of this text because it brings out the proper implications of the verse. We are not binding and loosing things from earth to heaven. We are binding and loosing things from heaven to earth. These things are already bound or loosed in heaven. Why? Heaven operates outside of the confines of time and so do you! Jesus executed His work on a plane outside of time in order for His sacrifice to pay for sins not yet committed in the earth. Now when we believe in Him, we are taken into the eternal plane and operate from a new location: heaven.
The injustice that God has called you to bind is already bound in heaven: agree and it will manifest in the earth. Your financial debt has already been paid: agree and it will manifest in the earth. The peace between you and your ex-best friend has already been loosed: agree and watch things change. You are outside of time doing these things and when you do them they manifest in our time-space. Authority outside of time is the highest authority. Nothing broken is beyond fixing. Nothing ruined is beyond restoration. When we unite we tap into eternal power, eternal authority, and eternal influence. Now you know why Jesus didn’t send the apostles to create the church until He could rightly say:
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore [for this reason]…” (Matthew 28:18-19)
From now on, when you are asked where you are, keep in mind your true location. We are there corporately. We need to act like it. We need to love each other here the way we already love each other there. Think about it.
Discussion
1. Where are you?
2. What are the two dimensional planes we primarily operate on?
3. What are some of the implications from operating in a heavenly location?
4. How would you treat your brothers and sister in Christ if you were experiencing the reality of being present in heaven?
5. Is unity an important agenda for the church?
