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Reward in Heaven

Reward in Heaven

Jesus, in the beatitudes, lists many descriptors of those who are considered blessed of heaven—the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those hungering for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Then Jesus says about these people:

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven (Matthew 5:12 NIV84)

Oh, what a happy day it will be when all sin is washed away, when there will be no more pain, suffering, distress, heartache, and persecution, and when we receive the promised rewards!

But are the rewards of salvation, of surrendering to Jesus, of living as God would have us only experienced after the Second Coming? Or, while the ultimate rewards of new immortal bodies, face-to-face communion with God, restoration of our departed loved ones, and a universe free from all sin, decay, and death are not experienced until after the Second Coming, are there other rewards that the saved experience here and now?

Can you think of any rewards that come from being reborn into the family of God that we experience here and now—rewards that even those who are persecuted, like the apostle Paul was, experience? 

Do you consider the peace we have with God when we surrender our hearts to Him a reward? Is it a reward to experience the removal of guilt and shame and the gain of peace of heart, new motives that lead us to love God and others, joy, patience, self-control, wisdom, discernment, being able to talk with God as one does to a friend, and sometimes specific divine interventions in our daily struggles? Isn’t life better in a love/trust relationship with God here and now than living in the world without God?

Over the years, I have heard various Christians, when they talk about the rewards in heaven, mention things like mansions, streets of gold, and crowns of glory. I have heard the idea put forth that those who have done the most for Jesus here on Earth will be given, as a reward, more “stars in their crowns.” I remember that as a child, each week at church if we could correctly recite our weekly memory verse, we would receive a gold star next to our name on the class roster posted on the wall. As the year unfolded, some of us had many more stars next to our names than others. As a child, I wondered if that is how it would be for the saved in heaven—those who did more good works for Jesus would have crowns with more stars.

As I have grown up though, I have realized that the imagery of stars in heavenly crowns is very much like the gold stickers placed by our names as children—symbols of the real reward we receive, but they are not the reality itself.

In the Greek New Testament, two words are translated as “crown”: diadem, which is a crown of authority, power over others, worldly imperial rule; and stephanos, which is the crown of victory over sin. Peter describes our victory crown (stephanos) as a crown of glory, and Paul describes it as a crown of righteousness:

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:4 NIV84).

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:8 NIV84).

This stephanos crown is real, but it is not a piece of metal laden with jewels; such depictions are merely symbolic—the true crown is the crown of a glorious, righteous Christlike character permanently and fully restored and sealed into the hearts and minds of the saved. This is our reward!

But why will some receive greater reward than others if all receive the reward of being crowned with a righteous Christlike character?

What is it that heaven values most? People! So if we become like Christ, what will we value most? Other people! And, therefore, what will be our greatest joy, reward, happiness, and cause for celebration in heaven? Won’t it be the number of people we know and love who are there to celebrate with us? Won’t our reward, what brings us the most joy, be multiplied by the number of people whom we love and are loved by and whom we can share the joys of heaven with?

This is an outworking of the design law of love—the more you give, the more you receive. As we experience God’s love, are transformed by that love, and allow that love to flow through us to others, we are sowing the good seed of the gospel. And as the good seed of God’s truth and love, flowing through us, reaches other human hearts, God’s saving grace, healing presence, and transforming love will cause those seeds to grow in the tender hearts, the receptive hearts, and those people will respond positively and give their hearts to Jesus.

In heaven, all of this will be made known to us. God will reward us by revealing all these gospel links between people. The connections of love and truth of which we have been a part will be magnified. God will introduce us to those who had a hand in sharing the gospel with us and those to whom our loving service brought the gospel. We will see where our donation to this ministry or that church resulted in reaching a soul for God’s kingdom, or a tract we left in a home, or a pamphlet we edited, or a song we sang, or a conversation we had on an airplane that was overheard and bore witness to the kingdom of God. We will see how the Holy Spirit watered these actions to lead souls to Christ. And we will understand the sacrifice, grace, forgiveness, and service that others did for us, but so, too, we will experience the gratitude, love, and appreciation of those who found Christ because of God’s working through us.  

And consider the impact upon the saved when God makes all of these connections known; what will happen in the hearts and minds of these saved people in heaven? Love and appreciation and rejoicing and reward, and that love is described in Scripture as a burning fire (Song 8:6). The more of these love-connections we have been involved in making here on this earth, the more of God’s love flows back through these people to us and the brighter we will shine, the more stars will be seen burning in the crowns of our characters, and the greater will our reward in heaven be!

Truly, it is just as Jesus said: The humble—those who know their spiritual need, those who mourn over the sin-sickness of this world, those who hunger for the righteousness of heaven, who are merciful, compassionate, whose hearts are purified by God’s love, who share that love with others, even blessing those who persecute them—will experience great reward in heaven!

 

 

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Testimony 36

Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

Joleen H. GA, USA

 

Testimony 32

The message [of Come And Reason Ministries is] for all Christians (and those who may become Christians) and not just Adventists or any other group. It is difficult to imagine why any [anyone] with intellectual and spiritual honesty could find fault with the way you explained the healing substitution concepts and the truth about God’s character, though I know some will reject and criticize. On behalf of those in our group near Tacoma, WA, thank you and your staff for all of the hard work and for sharing the Gospel in this manner. God’s message of healing love will be carried to the whole world and then Jesus will come – He promised it.

Terry U., Tacoma, WA, USA

 

Testimony 52

Your unique way in spreading the truth is what we all need today. Most of us don’t recognize the contamination coming from all the lies and selfishness in the world. Because of our fear of death, we forgot how to live. Lies left and right. I was losing hope and faith, because of so many ideas that are always contradicting each other – so many questions answered by other, more complicated, questions – until I found your channel on YouTube.

You did not just give me answers, you also taught me how to answer new questions that arise in my mind. Now I see things differently. I see God’s mercy, grace, and Love everywhere, in spite of all the chaos that we all have done as humans. I don’t fear death anymore. Accepting the Truth and Love about God is truly a genuine Freedom from all the confusions, sufferings, selfishness, pain, and death.

I just wanted to say, thank you, sooooo much for revealing the real Remedy for our infected life. I have a new hope and now see the world in a different perspective!

Wheinny P., University Place, WA, USA

 

Testimony 18

The Healing the Mind DVD set tarted me on a journey that has changed my relationship with our loving God more significantly than any other study, and brought me to your book and Bible study podcasts, which I now listen to daily, thanks to the availability of archived content on your site and on iTunes.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 69

After reading your book, ‘Could It Be This Simple,’ someone was explaining Christianity in a way that made sense to me for the first time in my life. One morning, I simply prayed “I’m sorry and I love you.” As soon as I silently said that, I could literally feel God’s presence and light flood down on me from above and fill me up with love and joy. I sat there crying my eyes out, because I was so overpowered with this feeling of love and joy. It was just so incredible. I hope that more people can read this book and get a blessing from it. It’s really amazing.

Rachael H.

Testimony 72

I am blown away by the truth that you present. God’s Design Law makes so much sense! You have validated my impression that, if God is love, He would not kill those who don’t want to know him. If God gives us choice, then how can He destroy us if our choice is not to follow him. Thank you for opening my eyes and heart to the pure love of God seen through Jesus. The love I now have for Jesus is deeper and free from condemnation. My heart has been opened to love others as Jesus loves me. May God continue to bless your God-given insight into His word and your ministry. The truth has set me free!

H. Miller, Centereach, NY

Testimony 13

I borrowed “Healing The Mind” DVDs from a friend and showed them at my home for a small gathering of women friends. Neither of my friends are Adventist, but they both enjoyed and embraced the messages you taught. In fact, one of the ladies prayed out loud in our group and that was the first time she had ever had public prayer.

J.B. ,Dalles, OR, USA

 

Testimony 70

I have been watching you for many years and have learned to love God with all my heart. I was raised by a loving Christian mother that had been lied to about who God really was, so our religious upbringing was hell fire and damnation. As soon as I was old enough and moved out, I not only left the church, I ran as fast as I could to get away from it. Sad to say, it wasn’t until the past couple of years that I learned and understand who my Father really is and how much He loves me. I understand God’s Design Laws (which make sense) and when I’m teaching my church Bible study class, I’m able to really put to use the things I’ve been learning and Holy Spirit is leading. Thank you for introducing me to my Father of true, pure love. Everyday with Him is new and exciting. One thing that breaks my heart is that I didn’t know Him sooner. God Bless you and your ministry!

Judy Phelps, Reno, NV, USA

Testimony 12

I have been really blessed reading your response to the various questions on your site.

K.C., OH, USA

 

Testimony 37

Hearing Dr. Jennings’ presentations in person came at a pivotal moment in my spiritual journey that began about nine months ago, when the fault lines inherent in my belief system began to crack under questions that most reasonable people end up asking about God and His nature. These were questions I couldn’t find answers to, and they shook my faith. I was unable let it go any longer and be satisfied. My Christian experience became distant. I was afraid; the fear in me rose like thorns, pushing me away from Jesus. And then someone heard my questions and introduced me to this ministry, and my life has totally changed.

I can tell you that this new, “present truth” message is far grander and life-changing than when I shifted from being an agnostic and then a nominal Christian. It has radically altered my worldview, because it reveals a God that makes sense. It is a revolution. I believe that Dr. Jennings’ message is the final message that must go to the world. If any message could be called “righteousness by faith,” as abused as that term is by the right and the left, this is that message, because Jennings’ biblical message identifies a God who is different, whose character isn’t an impossible contradiction.

I walk this path now without fear. I see people differently, and the Holy Spirit burns in my heart. Many call Dr. Jennings’ message false and compromising, but it isn’t false, because I’ve seen the fruits within my mind and body. It is not compromising, because in this message is the only road to holiness that makes any sense. No longer do I behold a pagan god who is always angry and suspicious. Instead, I behold a God who is freeing and loving, always working for our good, and giving me every reason to love my enemy even to my own death, just as Jesus pleads with us. God is good.

Anthony L., CA, USA

 

Testimony 9

I really enjoy with you the view of a gracious God. Thank you for sharing the work you are allowing the Lord to do in you.

L., Queensland, Australia

 

Testimony 11

I would love to have a copy of “Healing the Mind” DVDs to have in my therapy office. I enjoy having clients check out materials to enhance their therapy experience. I have sat under Dr. Jennings’ teaching at an American Association of Christian Counselors convention and respect his work greatly.

K.B., LA, USA

 

Testimony 60

Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

God bless the Come and Reason Team from our church here in Great Britain.

Andrew H., Great Britain

 

Testimony 14

We really appreciate your views on the judgment and they make good sense considering our free choice.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 34

I was introduced to Come and Reason Ministries by accident, via a passing comment made in a bible study class we were visiting. I checked this website out and my life was changed. The understanding of the truth of God’s character, and how we apply it, is so right. The tricky part is consistently applying which “lens” to look through. As I began to understand, I started sharing the basics of this understanding with a discussion group I was leading and, suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense that never used to. At the same time, I enjoyed an amazing opportunity. I was able to conduct a full bible study at WORK! What an amazing experience! It is such a joy to share the truth about God and to share how it all fits in the war between God and Satan. So many people benefit when we have a correct understanding about how God works and who He really is! Thank you for this transformational understanding. Keep up the good work! God Bless you!

Tony P., CA, USA