That great cloud of witnesses, the saints who went before, are part of the festivities in heaven. We join them in the city of the living God, along with angels more than can be numbered.

There’s a church there, an assembly. That’s what a church is, a gathering. In heaven we will all be part of the Church of the Firstborn, which refers to Jesus, of course.

The members of this church are those made perfect in Christ’s righteousness.

Jesus is the head of the Church there. He was our mediator, bringing us by His shed blood into the new covenant that will never be broken.

Jesus did the work to bring us to Himself. We believe. We submit. We lay down our lives. We surrender. We give ourselves to His purposes. We die that He may take up our lives as His own.

We don’t refuse His generous offer of life. We don’t reject a life of righteousness freely offered us.

Christ’s righteousness is our defense. The whole world will be shaken. God will remove what is not eternal. The things of this earth will pass away. Don’t be clinging to them as God is shaking them all.

Be firm on the solid rock of Christ Jesus who will not be shaken, and you will not be moved. You will remain. That’s abiding. That’s our lifeline, abiding in Christ, so that His life flows in and through us producing fruit.

And in abiding, we again and always have reason to give thanks and rejoice. We have been brought into a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Worship in the beauty of holiness, with reverence. Treat our awesome, awe-inspiring God with respect. He is a consuming fire.

The fire of God doesn’t give power, but it comes in power to destroy, to remove what’s not pure gold. Let your fire fall, God. Make us Yours alone. Make us holy. We want to see You.