Barbara Walters hosted a two hour television show on heaven last night, presumably because so many people are interested in their spiritual life.  The showed displayed the great diversity of views in the world.

So, do you believe in heaven?  Apparently the vast majority of Americans do.  At least, so says Barbara Walters in a two hour television special aired last night.  Consistenting of a large number of interviews covering the entire gambit of society, the show demonstrates that heaven has the same concepts as God.  Everyone wants a heaven, but they want one that matches their own personal views and outlooks.

To my pleasant surprise, one of the persons interviewed was a born again evangelical.  He was the only one who seemed at all excited about the prospect of going to heaven.  Everyone else views it as a means of continuing their life after death.  On the other hand, for Christians, heaven is their true home.  Heaven is the home of God and Jesus Christ.  Heaven is the place where all believers will live for eternity.  That should be enough for everyone.

However, too many people want heaven to be a special place where they can enjoy free sex, as much food as they want, as well as all the other pleasures they desire.  The common view of heaven has nothing to do with God.  All the show demonstrated was that God does not exist for the majority of Americans.  If God existed, then heaven would truly be the special place described in the Bible.

In the meanwhile, Christians, like the born-again representative on the show, must continue to lovingly tell the world about Jesus.  If God exists and if Jesus is God, then Jesus is the only path to salvation.  This point becomes important for every person in the world.  We must be better witnesses to the world.  To simply say one believes in God or heaven is not enough.  People must come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, Lord, and Savior. 

We must all exercise more boldness in sharing our faith.  This does not mean we must beat people over the head with the Gospel, but we must live the life of Christ and love on our neighbors so as to win the right to tell them about Jesus.  All we can do is persuade people about the truth of God's Word.  We do not change hearts, only the Holy Spirit changes hearts.  Our task is to tell others.

Are you telling others?  At this Christmas season, this lesson should be on the hearts of all Christians everywhere.

Merry Christmas!

Jim A.