Tim Liston

Great CoMission Update #1: Amazing!

Street view in Jacmel, Haiti where New Hope is planting a Campus.

 

We are now at $2.1 million for the 1½ year giving period with commitments still coming in! Thank you, Lord!! And thank you crazy people of New Hope Church!

 

Here’s what we should be able to do with your generous giving *if the Lord wills it…

• Add square footage to our New Hope Church 288 Campus building for the kids.
• Build out square footage at our New Hope Church East Campus so that the kids can have more room and create some additional parking.
• Put the down payment on a building in Alvin and renovate it for our brand new New Hope Church Alvin Campus! (Launch Date: TBD.)
• Start our first international campus: New Hope Church Haiti Campus.

 

BTW – Caleb from Haiti texted to tell us they were holding their first worship service TODAY! (I’ll post pictures when/if I get some.)

* “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” -James 4:13-15 (NIV)

 

End of the Word Question: Does Jesus have a tattoo?

Question: Is Jesus’ tattoo a tattoo on his skin, or on his clothing?

 

Great question! This question comes from Revelation 19 where it says,

“On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” -Revelation 19:16 (NIV)

 

Seems like it was a tattoo on his thigh when reading most translations. But the question won't go away. Why? And why are there a couple of translations that say “banner” instead of thigh?

 

The difference is barely a stroke of a Hebrew letter. If Revelation was originally written in Hebrew (as many believe) the word in question is RAGEL or... maybe it was DAGEL. What’s the difference? Ragel means thigh. Dagel means banner. In English, the difference is the two legs of the R. (I'm saying that, because if you removed the two legs of the R, it would almost pass for a D.) In Hebrew, there’s even less of a difference...

 

If the extension on the ד (dalet) was written like this: ר (resh) then the word means thigh not banner. You can see why it's not a closed case and why many translations say "thigh" while a few say "banner."

 

How are we going to know if Jesus has a tattoo or there's just something written on his clothing? Easy: Just look when you see Him! (Ahhh... So many questions will be answered on that day!)

 

 

 

End of the World Question: Will there be color in heaven or is it going to be black and white?

Question: Will there be color in heaven or is it going to be black and white?

 

Answer: Color! (Like High-Def-on-steroids color!!)

 

Check out the description of the walls and gates of heaven, found in Revelation 21. (Note: Numbers on pictures above correspond with layers in these verses...)

¹⁹ "The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.^{[f] 21} The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.  ²² I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵ On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there." -Revelation 21:19-25

 

What an amazing, colorful place it will be!

 

 

End of the World Question: What age are we in Heaven?

Question: What age will we be in heaven? (Like, if a child passed away – and someone else passed away when they were 90 years old, will they be that old in heaven?)

 

Answer: That's a great question. The Bible doesn't tell us what "age" we will be (or will appear to be) in heaven. When talking about the people there it stays pretty general. Look at this verse from Revelation 7:9...

 

"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands." -Revelation 7:9 (NIV)

 

Although a baby could wear a robe and hold a palm branch, I feel pretty safe in saying that the people he was referring to were of an age where such a task would not have been difficult. Some have speculated that we will all appear to be the "perfect" age. What age is that? Ask Arnold (pic above) and I'm sure he won't tell you his present age. :)

 

So, what if you lost a child when they were just a baby? When you get to heaven, will you know that the perfect young adult standing in front of you with a big smile on their face reaching out for a hug is your child? I would have to say, YES! You will know... no matter what age they "appear."

 

Bottom line: Heaven will be a good place - beyond your imagination!!!

 

 

End of the World Question: Will we recognize each other in heaven?

Question: Will we recognize each other in heaven?

 

Answer: YES!

 

Here on the earth, with human bodies and fading memory, we do pretty well. But someday, when we step into our glorified bodies, recognizing people will not be an issue!

 

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." -1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

 

 

 

 

End of the World Question: Will our pets be in heaven?

Okay. I just use the Bible. So pet lovers, "Brace yourself!" There is no verse in the Bible that conclusively says, “Pets will be in heaven.” People point to the “lion and the lamb” (Isaiah 64:25) or the “chariot with horses” (2 Kings 2:11) as indicators that animals will be there. But other than those more "figurative" mentions, we are left to speculate.

 

However (and now is where you might get upset with me...) I don’t want ALL my pets in heaven with me! If they were, then that would mean: 4 dogs, 15 cats (our cat had kittens once when I was young), umpteen hamsters, a few snakes, several birds, a thousand+ fish!! and a Praying Mantis. Heaven would be more like an overcrowded animal shelter!

 

Maybe God will let us reunite with our favorite one? Or the one who was most spiritual?? For me that would be the Praying Mantis. :)

 

 

Comments show opposing and personal views of this subject, but that's ok. I may be wrong! Someday we'll know for sure. Thanks for reading and for your comments. Blessings.

 

It's the End of the End of the World Series...

This weekend is the final installment of the End of the World series at New Hope. I'm going to be answering as many of the questions that were sent to me as I possibly can. I'm also going to be using this blog, beginning Sunday evening, to answer the questions I can't get to in the service.

 

Thanks for all your great input and the many questions. I hope that, in the end, you are: a.) Ready for Jesus to come back, and b.) Not Afraid!

 

Blessings!

 

Matthew 24, Left Behind, and an old song...

 

I've had several people mention this song during our End of the World series, plus I heard my wife listening to it the other night, so I thought I'd share. I'm not sure how compelling it will be for those who've never heard it. When I hear it, it takes me back to my youth. Larry Norman, who originally wrote and performed this song, was one of the first contemporary Christian singers who looked the part back in the 70's. (He's the one with the long blonde hair in the video.) The guys doing the singing in the video are from DC Talk. It's taken from the Matthew 24 where Jesus says, "One will be taken, the other will be left behind."

 

Enjoy.