The Bible speaks of death as our enemy. In Christ, death is a defeated enemy, but it remains our enemy nonetheless. Therefore we rightly grieve and mourn the deaths of those we love.

#150 The Valley of the Shadow of Death

For 2000 years, the followers of Jesus have been on a mission, even as Jesus himself was on a mission.  Often wrongly understood as “saving souls,” this mission of Jesus actually is about bringing people into a new kingdom, a new reality.  Life in this new kingdom requires not only a change of heart and mind, but a change in life-purpose and worldview.  As Jesus himself observes, there are not many people who will want this change.  But for those who are changed by God inwardly, life in this new kingdom, brings new meaning and purpose in life.  Everyone who becomes part of this new kingdom finds that almost all their prior beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and perspectives become turned “upside down.”