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ACTS 16:9-15

REVELATION 21:1-10

JOHN 14:23-29

SUNDAY REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is ‘prepare for the heavenly city. Prepare for the heavenly city is a call to be ready for the Kingdom of God. We shall focus on three ways to be ready or to prepared for the Heavenly City:

1. We must prepare for the Heavenly city by being faithful to our calling as soul winners.
2. We must prepare for the Heavenly city by conquering sin and tribulations of this world.
3. We must prepare for the Heavenly city by obeying the teachings of Jesus and relying on the Holy Spirit as our helper.

Firstly, we must understand that there are many souls to be won for the Heavenly city, in order to prepare for the Heavenly city and please God, we must be faithful to our calling as soul winners. In our first Scripture reading (Act 16:9-15), Paul recounts his calling and passion together with others to win souls for Christ at Macedonia. They therefore set sail and traveled to Phillipi a leading city in the District of Macedonia. He preached the Good News there and a lady called Lydia was saved and baptised together with her household. Paul was faithful to the evangelistic ministry of the Lord to the extent that he seized every opportunity available to him to win souls for the Lord. On the other hand, we also see Lydia in total preparation for the Good News of Christ therefore “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:14-15). Both the messenger and the message recipient were all prepared faithfully for the Lord. The account of Lydia teaches us that worshipping God or church attendance alone does not suffice to prepare a person for the Heavenly City. For a person to be prepared for the Heavenly City or salvation, the person must accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour and become faithful to Him through baptism and listening of the Word. Many of us have already been baptised but the most significant and soul-searching question is that, are we faithful to Jesus and committed to our calling as soul-winners? Let us remember that, Jesus tasked the disciples to prepare for His second coming by preaching and baptising people “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) Dear friend, how many souls have you introduced to Jesus as a way of preparing for the Heavenly City since you became a regenerated Christian?

Secondly, apart from being faithful to our calling as soul-winners, we must conquer sin and tribulations as one of the important means or ways of preparing for the Heavenly City. The Second Scripture reading from Revelations 21:1-10 assures us this present world will end and God will usher in a New Heaven and new Earth also known as the Holy City or the New Jerusalem which shall be the inheritance and permanent place for those who conquer sin and tribulations of this world on account of Jesus Christ. “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:7-8) Beloved in the Lord, we have only two destinations to prepare for, either we are prepared for the Heavenly City which is the second and eternal life or we are prepared for hell which is the second and eternal death. The choice is yours to make today, may the Holy Spirit our helper strengthen us to make the right choice by preparing for the Heavenly City.

Thirdly, loving Jesus by obeying His teaching and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us is a sure way to prepare for the Heavenly City. In the third Scripture reading (John 14:23-29) Jesus admonishes us that “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my word. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. ” (John 14:23-24). Jesus understands that we are going to face challenges in our preparations for the Heavenly City therefore He assures us that “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:25-27) Beloved in the Lord, Jesus’s teachings and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit are indispensable in our preparation for the Heavenly City. Let us hold onto the teachings of Christ, live by them and be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to please God in all things.

In Summary, to prepare for the Heavenly City as believers, we must remain faithful to our Calling as soul-winners to render an account of our stewardship, We must conquer sin and endure tribulations on account of our Lord Jesus Christ and, last but not the least, obey the teachings of Christ and rely on the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. May Our Lord Jesus Christ find us worthy stewards who will be rewarded with eternal life and a place in the Heavenly City. Amen.