Table of Contents
Foreword Scot McKnight vii
Introduction: Good News for a Change 1
Part 1 A Reintroduction to Heaven
1 When Heaven Comes Home 7
Jesus Taught Us to Pray for Heaven-Earth Collisions
2 When the Saints Go Marching In Out 19
Are We Called to Retreat or to Engage Life in the Here and Now?
3 The Groans of Creation 29
Heaven Is a Reality Defined by God's Will Being Done
A Heaven Is Not the End of the World 43
Why Does Talk About Heaven Make it Seem Less Real Than Earth?
5 The Flames of Heaven 57
The Gospel Is More About This World Than the Next
6 A Marriage Made in Heaven 71
God Gives Himself to Us Like an Eager Groom
Part 2 When Heaven Celebrates
7 Guilty Parties 89
God Uses Restored People to Restore People
8 A Symphony of Grace 101
What Song Do We Overhear from Heaven?
9 Jesus Throws the Best Parties 113
The Church Is at Its Best When It Gives Up Home-Field Advantage
10 A Party Waiting to Happen 123
Jesus Insists on Including the Most Unlikely People
11 Your Blessed Life Now 137
At a Jesus Party, the Tables Are Turned
Part 3 Life in the Light of Heaven
12 It's About Time 153
The Difficulty of Waiting and the Power of Hope
13 How to Lose the Fear of Failure 169
Fears and Perfectionism Keep Us from Joining Jesus's Celebration
14 What Comes Next? 179
Your View of Tomorrow Determines How You Live Today
Acknowledgments 195
Discussion Questions: The Effect of Heaven on Earth Today 197
Notes 207