Irenic Thoughts

Irenic. The word means peaceful. This web log (or blog) exists to create an ongoing, and hopefully peaceful, series of comments on the life of King of Peace Episcopal Church. This is not a closed community. You are highly encouraged to comment on any post or to send your own posts.

8/22/2007

Now or Later?

I have often said that I don't believe in Jesus for the sake of fire insurance. My faith is not merely for the purpose of obtaining a Get-Out-of-Hell-Free Card. So I liked this quote I ran across from evangelist Tony Campolo:

Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?

I am more and more convinced each day that I would. Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited about the afterlife. We are going to party like there’s no tomorrow (umm, and there won’t be). And yet I am convinced that Jesus came not just to prepare us to die but to teach us how to live.

So what about you? Is faith for the hereafter or for now? "Both" is an easy answer, but which matters more to you?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Labels: discipleship

3 Comments:

At 8/22/2007 6:58 AM, Anonymous said…

I have faith in God and Jesus, and choose to follow as a Christian because that is what I know here and now. As far as Heaven and hell go, I can't think that far (or near) ahead.
At 8/23/2007 3:20 PM, Tom Sramek, Jr. said…

So where do I get the Jesus LEGOs? And yes, to the point, I think that the incarnational nature of Jesus life, ministry, death, and resurrection speaks much more powerfully to what we are to be doing as followers of Jesus now and what the immediate rewards for that might be then any sort of heavenly reward.
At 8/24/2007 9:35 AM, Anonymous said…

Tom,

Have you seen the LEGO church? Maybe Frank might post a picture of that too. It is very cool!