For the majority of my life following Jesus, I think I viewed the gospel solely as a blueprint to get into heaven. I unintentionally made the gospel about me and limited its power to just my security in heaven. I operated as if the whole reason we try to live good lives and obey Jesus was only as a response to the free gift we have been given. And that our resurrection stories stopped there.
While Jesus absolutely saved us for life beyond this world, I’ve only recently begun to see that there’s more to the story: Jesus also came to redeem the world we live in, here and now.
Jesus came proclaiming the good news that the Kingdom is at hand and invited regular people to follow him and become a part of that Kingdom. This means that we are both saved from the eternal effects and present chains of sin and to the fullness of life here and now.
As we live, work and go about our days, we get to be representatives of God on this earth and partner with Him in bringing about His kingdom on earth.
Realizing this has refreshed me in my relationship with Jesus and given renewed purpose to my days. We aren’t just waiting to be taken home—we are bringing glimpses of the home that is to come into this current world, into the here and now.
The resurrection means that Jesus has ultimately defeated the Kingdom of darkness, and one day, God will establish His kingdom on earth fully and finally.
In the meantime, regular people like you and me get to be a part of bringing that Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. What a joy!