Heaven Is a Place on Earth : Why Everything You Do Matters to God

by Michael E. Wittmer

• ISBN13: 9780310253075
• ISBN10: 0310253071
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

I don't want to go to heaven. Not that I'm lobbying for the other place . . .-Michael WittmerThis planet is more than just a stopover on your way to heaven. It is your final destination. God wants you to enjoy your earthly existence, and to think otherwise is to miss the life he intends for you.Exploring the book of Genesis, Heaven Is a Place on Earth gently but firmly strips away common misconceptions of Christianity and broadens your worldview to reveal the tremendous dignity and value of everyday life. Taking you from creation, to the fall, to redemption, and to glimpses from the book of Revelation, Michael Wittmer opens your eyes to a faith that encompasses all of life-baseball games, stock reports, church activities, prayer, lovemaking, work, hobbies . . . everything that lies within the sphere of human activity. To be fully Christian is to be fully human, says Wittmer, alive and responsive to the kingdom of God in all that you are and all that you do.Discover the freedom and impact God created you for. It starts with a truly Christian worldview. And its fruit is the undiluted gospel, powerful not only to save souls, but to restore them to a life that is truly worth living.Includes discussion/reflection questions after each chapter.

Author Biography

Michael E. Wittmer, Ph.D., is associate professor of systematic theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 1996. He resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife and children

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. 10
Preface	p. 11
Acknowledgments	p. 13
What You See Is What You Get	p. 15
What Is This Place?
Where Lies the Great Divide?	p. 37
Where Are We?	p. 50
Who Are We?	p. 69
Why Are We Here?
To Love God	p. 87
To Serve Others	p. 101
To Responsibly Cultivate the Earth	p. 122
To Savor the Works of Our Hands	p. 139
What Is Wrong with Me and My World?
The Original Sin	p. 157
The Fallout from the Fall	p. 171
What Is God's Plan for This World?
The Cosmic Reach of the Gospel	p. 185
But What About...?	p. 208
Notes	p. 223
Expanding Your Worldview	p. 241
Case Studies	p. 253
Scripture Index	p. 261
Subject Index	p. 267
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Heaven Is a Place on Earth Copyright © 2004 by Michael Wittmer
Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wittmer, Michael Eugene. Heaven is a place on earth : why everything you do matters to God / Michael E. Wittmer.—1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-310-25307-1 (pbk.) 1. Christian life. 2. Life—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title. BV4501.3.W59 2004 248.4—dc22 2003027623
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Italics in quotations of Scripture are the author’s.
The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be re p roduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, re c o rding, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Interior design by Beth Shagene
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Preface
This book is about the meaning in life. A slew of Christian books already address the meaning of life. Most of these rightly observe that we exist to love God through personal devotions and minister to others by sharing the gospel and making disciples of all nations. I wholeheartedly embrace these spiritual values. It is a privilege to ponder the Word of God, to pour out our heart to him in prayer, and to persuade other people to repent and follow our Savior. But this book is not about that.
Instead, I want to examine what these “meaning of life” books typically overlook. They are right to tell us that we were created for worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship, but they are wrong to stop there. Look at that list again. While it more or less covers our responsibilities as Christians, it says little about what it means to be human. Does our purpose for life consist entirely in these spiritual activities, or is there also some value in showing up for work, waxing our car, playing with our children, or taking a trip to the beach—just a few of the many things we do, not because we are Christian, but primarily because we are human?
It is these distinctly human activities that this book seeks to address. Rather than encourage you to stretch forward to further pietistic pursuits (an important topic that has its place), I am more concerned here to renew our appreciation for the ordinary things we are already doing. In the process we will inevitably touch upon the meaning of life—that is, the purpose for our existence—but all the while our focus will be on the meaning in life—that is, the value within the normal, everyday activities that mark our human experience.
If I do my job well, you will come away from this book convinced of two important truths. First, God wants us to enjoy our earthly existence. We need not feel guilty for feeling at home in this world, for this planet is precisely where God wants us to be. As we learn from the opening pages of Genesis, it’s good to be human and it’s good to be here, on planet earth. Second, because this life matters to God, you will also be challenged to redirect every aspect of this existence to his honor and glory. No longer free to brush aside this earthly life as mere batting practice for our future, heavenly existence, we now recognize that whatever we do, regardless how seemingly small and insignificant, should be done with excellence “in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
Both truths only make sense within a full-orbed Christian worldview, which is why I spend some time in chapter 1 explaining what a worldview is, how it works, and what might comprise its foundational beliefs. Finally, I have concluded the book with discussion questions and case studies for each chapter in a section entitled “Expanding Your Worldview.” Those who use this material to facilitate smallgroup discussions will be able to contact me and download a free leader’s guide and two bonus chapters (on the foundational beliefs of the Christian worldwiew) at www.heavenisaplaceonearth.com.
Acknowledgments It is sometimes difficult to know how far back to extend one’s thankyous (witness the long and tiresome acceptance speeches at the Oscars), but I must begin with Joe Crawford and James Grier. I had attended twelve years of Christian school, four years of Christian college, one year of seminary, plus church services three times a week during that span and yet had never heard the life-changing truths of this book until I sat under their ministry at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. I would also like to thank Doug Felch, who kindly permitted me to use his informative chart on the image of God, and Neal Plantinga, whose inspiring lectures and writings have futher enlarged my understanding of the Christian worldview.
Besides these mentors, I am indebted to the editorial contributions of the gracious staff at Zondervan—Paul Engle, Jim Ruark, Tim Beals, Katya Covrett, and Greg Stielstra—and the many friends, such as Wendy Wi d d e r, Sharon Ross, Scott Morter, Jeff Lindell, Phil Wittmer, and Gary and Julie Childers, who gladly volunteered to read and comment on major portions of my manuscript. Their encouragement and insights have made this a better book.
Finally, I offer my most profound gratitude to my dear wife, Julie, who not only carefully (and critically!) read every page but, more important, daily implements its truth in our home, enabling me and our three children to enjoy firsthand the privilege of living within the liberty of the Christian worldview.
1 What You See Is What You Get
“Give me but one firm spot on which to stand, and I will move the earth”. ARCHIMEDES (3RD CENTURY B.C.)
I don’t want to go to heaven. Not that I’m lobbying for the other place—I want no part of everlasting fire and unbearable, unquenchable torment. The reason why I first repented and asked Christ to forgive my sin was to avoid going to hell. I became a Christian to get out of hell, not because I wanted to get into heaven. Before you judge me, remember why y o u said the Sinner’s Prayer.
The delights of heaven may be to die for, but isn’t that precisely the problem? Everyone who makes it into heaven has to leave this life to get there. Granted, death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person, but it’s pretty close. All things being equal, I’d rather continue the earthly existence that I currently enjoy.
I’d love to go to heaven—for a visit. It will be unspeakably exhilarating to stand in the presence of God and sing his praises—but to do nothing except this forever and ever? That’s a lot of rounds of “Shine, Jesus, Shine.” Perhaps you think I’m being unfair. Well, what else do people do in heaven but worship God? As one preacher put it, “I don’t know what we’re going to do there, but I promise you it won’t be boring.” Thanks for the help. I want to believe you, but in the absence of any hard facts, I’m siding with Huckleberry Finn.

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Excerpted from Heaven Is A Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God by Michael Eugene Wittmer
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