​44. That Peripheral Glimpse of Heaven

You can go to church your whole life and still go to hell.

There. I said it.

It perplexes me. This notion of the evangelical industrial machine replacing what it truly means to have a heart for Jesus. We say the right things. We have a big smile on our faces. We abstain from alcohol because heaven forbid anyone catch us with a glass of wine.

We check off the list, but we miss the only thing that matters: constant abiding in Christ.

A lot of people are deconstructing their faith, and I know that scares a lot of Christians. It doesn’t scare me. What scares me is knowing so many people have been raised in a squeaky clean environment devoid of real truth and honesty, and then one day they have to look around and go, “Oh wait a second.” Your whole life and existence is turned upside down when you realize that church has become an idol.

Christ is real. Heaven is real. Hell is real. What Christ did on the cross is the only real thing in this world that matters. And I don’t care if you think I’m a lunatic for saying it. I only care about what God would think if I didn’t.

Do I think being in fellowship with other believers is important? Most definitely. But this is a natural process of deep commitment and friendship in the act of worshiping God, not an automatic social club that puts progression above Biblical truth.

Walking with God is not a prescribed set of accepted acts. It’s having a heart for Jesus, and in turn, His children. It’s running to Him in the fear and heartache and confusion of everyday life. It’s knowing He’s that peripheral glimpse of heaven on even the darkest of days.

It’s so much more than sitting in a pew