Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
- 1 Corinthians 12:12-14
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
- Hebrews 12:22-24
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
- Ephesians 2:19-22
Ephesians 2:20 ” Paul described the church by using the metaphor of a building. The NT apostles and prophets had a unique and indispensable part in establishing the church. Jesus Christ is himself the ‘chief cornerstone.’ This is literally the ‘capstone,’ the binding stone that holds the entire building together. This building is described as a temple (Gk. naos), the inner sanctuary in which God dwells by his Spirit.”
- Dorothy Kelley Patterson, General Editor, NIV Woman’s Study Bible (Patty Comber, Pauline Epistles contributor)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
- Apostle’s Creed
The Message
There are two aspects of the communion of the saints: Now and in Heaven.
Some people think that God stops the glory and praise of the next world to show the Saints in Heaven what is happening on Earth. Since there is no pain, suffering, sin, crying in Heaven, God must have some type of filter so that Saints in Heaven will see the good being done without seeing the bad.
Is this idea possible? Possibly. But I think I would be so lost in the majesty of God that a few thousand years could pass on earth before I might think about looking. Of course, we would probably be outside time and space, so what is time at that point?
But there are the promises that God makes on Earth that when two or three are gathered, He is with them. So, when believers gather in God’s Name, they can become a powerful force.
We believe that all will be gathered as one church in Heaven. But before that, our bodies will rise from the graves to meet Jesus when He returns. It does not matter if the body is placed in a casket, cremated, or buried at sea. God will see to it that we will have bone on bone coming together as Ezekiel prophesied.
So, we have the power of God with any group in this present world that gathers in His Name. We have the bodies rising to meet Jesus at the point of the End Times. And we have all believers communing with each other in Heaven for eternity.
And now let us sing.
Here is Song of the Saints sung by Phil Wickham. With everyone believing what Phil sings in this song, we will be united as one, and whether you could carry a tune on Earth or not, when we get together to praise God, we will all be in harmony with one another.
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord,
We believe in You. We trust You. We know that all believers will be one body of believers in Heaven. We will be reunited with loved ones. We will meet the saints who died before we were born, and we will meet the saints who have not yet been born. And all glory goes to You.
In Thy name we pray,
Amen
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
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