The following post was written by Andy McLean, Editor of the Gospel Project for Students
(Click underlined text for link)
I’m sure you have heard the question at some point from students as to whether heaven will be boring. Not only that, but I’m pretty confident you have asked yourself that question as well, wondering what exactly an eternity in heaven will be like. It’s a common question, one that any thinking person would consider.
As people mature in their faith in Christ, however, they begin to realize that this world is not their home. Not only that, but they begin to realize, through both experience and through God’s Word, that the created things of this world are incapable of ultimately satisfying the deepest longings of our hearts—and, in fact, were never meant to. Overall, they greatly anticipate the return of Christ, longing for His return and the restoration that He alone brings.
However, as stated before, this is typical of growing and mature Christians, not necessarily those who are still young in the faith. Ever asked a student whether they are genuinely anticipating the return of Christ, hoping it to be sooner than later? For many, if they are honest, the answer is a guilty “no.” They do, and they don’t. They love Jesus and want to go to heaven when they die, but they also love the idea of being with this person, getting married, and experiencing the all-too-common road-stops of life that the generation before them has already experienced.
Before pronouncing judgment on such immature thinking, realize that students, like everyone else, are searching for lasting joy. Often times the problem is that they haven’t caught a glimpse of the light of the glory of God in Christ yet, they haven’t seen all that Jesus is for them yet, they haven’t conceived that the Giver is greater than the gifts yet, or that at His right hand are pleasures forevermore!
It’s our job, as student leaders and pastors, to help them see. And one of the ways we do this is by putting truth in all of its splendor in front of them, helping them to see why it is better. One of way of doing this is by taking a page and a few pointers from Jonathan Edwards. This is a great post about one of his sermons that summarizes why eternity with Christ will never be boring.
Why Heaven Will Never Be Boring
Most students, unless they have been taught to think critically about movies and the worldviews they represent, will passively consume them for entertainment purposes only. Because of that, I think it is a safe assumption that you will encounter students who have seen the recently released Fifty Shades. Not only that, but because of their lack of discernment, now they have passively consumed a distorted view of sex and sexuality into their worldview. In light of this, several good articles and blogs have been written to help people think critically and speak intelligently about the film without the need to see it. One of those is posted below, providing an interesting perspective on the film through some of the works of C.S. Lewis. Not only is it an interesting read in its own sake, but is it also a resourceful tool to help carry a dialogue with students who have seen the movie.
