“The one thing you can do on earth that you can’t do in heaven is get people saved.” That maxim pops up every once in a while, and it sounds reasonable to someone with an evangelistic bent. But it comes from an escapist mentality, for one thing—as though the sole purpose of humanity is to step into the afterlife. And even if it were our God-given purpose to escape this world, the saying still isn’t close to being true.
Why not? Because we were created not to escape but to become an eternal display of redemption and restoration. That display begins now, in the midst of the mess, and it’s observable in material and spiritual realms. So what can we do in this lifetime to demonstrate God’s goodness? We can worship him in dark and painful places, proving that our love is not contingent on our comfort and ease. We can demonstrate his healing, comfort, and unconditional love, none of which is possible in a perfect environment. We can become trophies of his mercy in an unmerciful world. We can be part of the revelation of who he is in an environment that obscures him. That’s huge.
Yes, it’s important to lead people into a relationship with God. But a relationship with God is so much bigger than the gospel of altar decisions. It includes them, to be sure, but it’s really about revealing who he is on earth. And there’s no way to do that unless we’re actually on earth.
Take full advantage of this moment in time. It’s not only a significant piece of eternity; it’s your moment to shine.
