Is there a conscious existence beyond the grave? Pastor Harold Long

The late Harold Long was a long serving Churches of Christ Pastor.
He was our Pastor at the Church of Christ Grote Street Adelaide  where this was recorded.
He was a very gifted Evangelical Preacher and loved teaching the prophetic message.
 It was through his preaching I was persuaded to become a Christian.
Everyone needs to make sure of their salvation.
Salvation that we cannot possibly ever be good enough to earn but is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ.

Harold and Joyce Long

On Nearing 70 by Geoff Thompson

I have now started this year, my 70th year.

You look back and think where did that time go?

I can still remember, mostly,vividly, the things of my childhood, teenage years, young adult and married years, years as a new parent, the struggles and joys of family and working lives and the list goes on.
In retirement I regularly meet with friends who are about the same age as me for coffee.
We are mostly all retired from the workforce.
We have a great time once a month reminiscing over coffee.
We sort out the problems of particular sporting teams, crack terrible dad jokes,(well I am probably the most guilty) and occasionally touch on serious world issues.
A great time not to be missed if we can help it.
Ocasionally we mention people who we have been close to who have died or have serious illness.
One of our close friends never made it to our coffee group. He died about 4 years ago.
Just this week I received a phone call from a friend who will be 70 this year and he informed me a couple of months ago that he had 2 heart attacks.
Thankfully he is on the mend after operations.
We are at an age where we enjoy life very much albeit the aches and pains.
Some of us have had, and still have serious health issues.
I have lately much thought about my Dad who died when he was 70.
He retired ,had an operation,heart bypasses, was just recovering from that when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
As I approach his age I have many thoughts about his life and mine and the realisation that life is very short.
On this earth anyway.
What might come after prompts this post.
Most of us try to ignore the fact that we will die.
Some of us are just resigned to our "fate" and think "whatever will be will be."
As  a Christian I believe at this age if we have never thought much about it before we should be now.
If Heaven and eternity exist we need to think about it now if we haven't done so before.
Below is a few sentences from one of my great  mentors, Frank Hunting.
He has passed on several years ago now but left a great legacy of Christian teaching.
It is an extract fro His booklet "Random Thoughts about Heaven"

-->

"RANDOM THOUGHTS FOR THOSE NEAR SEVENTY AND OVER

            I chose to write these random thoughts on Heaven for those over sixty because the biggest proportion of their living is behind them and the next really big event for them will be their passing from this life to the next.
            If one happens to be 5 or 10 years older than 70, then that event is so much the closer. As we move into the middle seventies we shall have to come to terms with the fact that we have had our “go” at life. We control less and less, we may influence less and less, and we may find ourselves living in a world strange and different from the world we grew up in and in which we had our “hey day". Much of the current world may seem incomprehensible to us, we have little or no interest in computers, fax machines, and a whole stack of modern technology.
            To tell those of us who are 75 we ought to set goals for our lives may be said with persuasive enthusiasm, but will be received with cold indifference. We prefer to live going over wonderful times in our lives, thinking of those who were very important to us, and who maybe, we loved very dearly in days now long gone. All of this with a secret hope we will not yield to the temptation to bore our loved ones and remaining friends or newer acquaintances by endlessly talking about wonderful days, which for us now are in a dead past, and which mean little or nothing to our listeners.
            Like it or not we have had our "one go" at life (not always easy to come to terms with) and the next big event for us is to pass from this life into the next."

Frank goes on to discuss the Gospel and how important it is to make sure we know about the afterlife and that we will be able to enter it and enjoy it and much more.

We do need to settle this question about Heaven.

Not just dismiss it as irrelevant. 

We can pass on when our time comes with a positive and strong faith to help us prepare and also comfort those who are left behind.


You will find much on this blog and on my blog of Christian sermons and podcasts to help you prepare if you ahve never done so or just revise or reprise  what you believe.

Foot note as at january 2017.

During the latter half of 2016 I was diagnosed with diabetes and also discovered I had very badly blocked arteries in my heart.
I have had surgery to remedy that and now going ok.
The point being we just don't know what is around the corner.
We do need to be ready to meet with our God.

Footnote as at 8/4/18. Sadly we also lost one of our coffee group about a year ago.

It's my Funeral (your Funeral)

Before I say anything else let me say at the time of writing this I am not aware of my suffering from any terminal illness apart from the ageing process.

At a recent party in conversation with two of my friends they both launched into the topic of what thay wanted their funeral to be or not to be.
We three  are  in our 60,s and have had various health problems that make you realise that time is getting short.
I didn't offer much to the discussion as I was a bit surprised by their forthrightness on the topic.
I just listened.
I do however confess to thinking about my own funeral reasonably often.
Who will be there?
Who will speak?
Who will be the Minister?
How will the message of the Gospel be delivered to challenge those who are not yet Christians?
What music would I want?
What Bible readings?
Apart from weddings I have photographed I reckon I have been to more funerals than weddings.
My wife and I, a couple of years ago, arranged and virtually conducted a small private funeral for a friend.
We have known many who really put a lot of work into their funeral before they died as they had all the above questions on their hearts.
I have spoken at funerals and helped with eulogies.
Some funerals have been a great celebration and some very sad with no joy for anyone.
I have attended a pauper's funeral with only three of us present on a bleak rainy day.
I once worked with a young woman,Amanda, who was a mum and a wife who died relatively young of cancer.
She was a very convinced Christian but not one to make a big deal of that in the workplace.
She was truly amazing as she battled with cancer and deteriorated to her eventual death.
She cheered up those who came to visit her rather than the other way round.
There were many of her friends and relatives and a large contigent of workmates at her  funeral.
Her cousin. a minister, conducted the funeral.
Towards the end of the ceremony he offered that  Amanda wanted everyone present to have the opportunity on the way out to receive a free booklet that really explained her Faith.
Many took advantage of this and I thought it was an excellent idea.
At another recent funeral  of our beloved former Pastor ,Morrie Munyard, he had said he wanted his funeral to be one of celebration of life and faith and humour and laughter.
It was just that, but his wife Florence left everyone there with no wondering  about the importance of making a decision for Jesus Christ before they died.

Morrie and Florence at his 80th birthday

At funerals mostly people say nice things about people and mostly make light of whatever faults the deceased had.
No doubt something like that would happen at my own funeral but I would certainly want people to be aware of some of the following truths about me and the Gospel and life after death.

1. I have no doubts of going to Heaven and avoiding Hell?
    I have no doubts that those places exist.

2. There is nothing meritorious in me that would warrant the above happening.I might be  seen as good bloke or whatever but my salvation rests entirely on what Jesus did on the cross and my response to Him and not anything I might have achieved in life.
I am a sinner saved by the grace of God.

3.I would hope that people present may be touched by God's Holy Spirit in the service and come away determined to get right with God,
get right in relationships,
be ready to forgive others,
 and to continue or start a lifelong journey of growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ.
4.I would want them to know or discover that there is no one that Jesus does not love and can enable to become a new person altogether.

To be healed of damaged emotions.

To be forgiven for past, present and future sin.

To be set free from addictions.

To experience release from any spiritual bondage.

To be assured of heaven now and when they die.

And much more........
Most of the answers to the how of all of this are on these posts on this blog in the form of audio tapes,bible studies and short booklets etc.
They are all contained in the Bible.
These resources just help to bring out the truth of The Gospel.

So what have you got planned for your funeral?

If you were to arrive at the gates of Heaven and Jesus was to ask you why should I let you in?

What would you say?