Heaven on Earth

Posted on August 30, 2013 9:01 am by janjoybell@yahoo.com

Last weekend I was asked to give the blessing at a wedding. I was honored because speaking a blessing is simply declaring good things over people you care about. When Paul was writing to the believers in the city of Ephesus he began by declaring a blessing to God and to his readers (Eph. 1:3). It seems to me that this powerful paragraph (vss. 3-14) is a result of Paul’s overwhelming revelation of all that God has promised to His followers. He was undoubtedly writing or dictating so fast that the words came pouring out like a rainstorm.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 1:3 ESV)

Last Friday I described what it means to be in Christ, so let’s unpack verse 3 a little more. There are matters or concerns that we have to deal with in our earthly lives on a daily basis. We need to remember, as Paul was reminding himself, that there are benefits to being a believer (Ps. 103:3) that help us with those matters. Those benefits or blessings are delivered from heaven by the Spirit of God when we need them. Everything you require, to live a Christian life, resides in the heavenlies. As citizens of heaven where God resides we have legal standing to draw from our inheritance. What does that mean? It means that when we need justice or mercy in an earthly matter we can pull down that blessing from the heavenly realm and bring it to the earthly realm. This isn’t the prosperity gospel, this is the truth of God’s Word. The eternal blessings that reside in the sphere of heaven can be realized in the sphere of our temporary, earthly lives when we remain in Christ.

As a believer in Christ Jesus we have a position of authority on this earth. Paul talks about it in Eph. 6:12 when he tells us to be strong and stand in the Lord’s might against the spiritual forces of evil ‘in the heavenly places’. He uses that same phrase 5 times in Ephesians. It’s almost as if we travel back and forth experiencing that overlapping of heaven and earth. Jesus talked about it in the Lord’s Prayer. Remember that phrase: thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. This may seem heavy to you but when you get it, you’ll stand a little taller and walk a little stronger knowing what rightfully belongs to you who are in Christ.

This week I encourage you to walk in a manner worthy of who you are and begin to take full advantage of what is available to you. If you are bitter against someone, pull down forgiveness. If you are frustrated, pull down encouragement. If you need God’s mercy or grace, it’s there for you. Christ has already provided all that you need to live in righteousness and holiness. I bless you, dear reader, and hope that you are encouraged this week.