Patricia (Patti) Fox went onto Facebook and announced that she had just gotten baptized. She announced that she looked forward to God using her to make Heaven a packed place.
I jumped on the thread and asked her what she planned to do to help make Heaven a packed place. I posted an image of David versus Goliath, with labels describing Scriptural context of the scene.
Her response:
"Not my plans, but His. Hence "used by God". What a weird question and image."- Patti Fox
In the Gospels, Jesus clearly spells out how God could use us to "make Heaven a packed place." Both the Old Testament and the New Testament detail how people could "enter the Kingdom."
One theme that keeps repeating throughout the Bible is the need to learn and do the commandments, and to teach others to learn and do the commandments. The latter being encouraged to also teach others to learn and do the commandments.
My response:
In Genesis 2, God is described as breathing the breath of life into Man. This is not exhale, as we exhale, as God is spirit. One of the ancient words describing breath is "spiritus." God infused his spirit into humanity.
Why?
In the previous chapter, Genesis 1, God is described as doing work. He first creates light, then separates it from darkness. Light, in the beginning, is symbolic of God's definition of what is right, which he separated from darkness (sin, death, doing what is right in our eyes at the expense of what is right in God's). God subsequently works during the day and rests at night... Guided by what is right.
Towards the end, humanity is created, and then the great commission... Genesis 1:28-30. The command to be fertile, to multiply, and to subdue the earth is not a command to have children and to increase our population. To be fertile is to be productive. To multiply is to be productive to create abundance. To subdue the earth is to render service to humanity via productivity and the abundance it creates.
God ordered humanity to use our God given talents to be of service to humanity. This is God's intent and use for us. The following two verses describe two common professions at the time Scripture was written... Plant and animal husbandry.
Since God is in us (his spirit), service to humanity is service to God. This is how God wants to be worshiped.
In Genesis 2, Adam (humanity) is told which fruits he is to consume (God's law) and which one he is not to consume, the fruit of knowledge, the forbidden fruit (our interpretation of what is right at the expense of God's interpretation of what is right.
Both these scenes form God's having us take over from what God started, it also establishes God's relationship with humanity, including God's intent for us.
Now, Adam and Eve (humanity) decided to reinterpret what was right into something that contradicted what God defined as right (consumption of the forbidden fruit). This begins the interaction between God and humanity, where God consistently works to save humanity from sin.
Herein comes one of the meanings of baptism. One of the meanings of water in Scripture is "God's wisdom." One of the meanings of its use in baptism is cleaning of sin. This is also done, via action, by abiding by God's commandments (wisdom through action).
This brings us to the image that I brought up. God told Adam (humanity) that from dust he came to dust he shall return. One of the meanings of dust, in scripture, is humbleness, humility. For God to effectively use us, we must return to dust, or, as Jesus puts it, be as a child, also a symbol of humbleness.
The story of David and Goliath repeats themes that run from the Old Testament and through the New Testament... God bringing us back to walking the path he laid out. By being baptized, you've taken action to "return to dust."
As for "how to make heaven more crowded."
Jesus told the apostles/disciples, that they are to be a light for the world. He was telling them to abide by God's commandments, to embed those commandments in their actions, for all to see and emulate. It is not just good to know these commandments but not do them (hiding candles in the basket) but to walk the walk as an example to others, as Jesus was doing.
Christians are being called to evangelize not just through educating others, but also through their actions. It is by getting others to turn from the path laid out through their interpretation of what is right back to what God interprets as being right that "heaven could be more crowded."
The last paragraph was the end of my response, to which I attached another biblical themed image.
Patricia (Patti) Fox essentially made a statement, that God would "use her to help make heaven a crowded place," without understanding how this can happen. Simply leaving it to chance, without understanding Scripture, is like trying to navigate without navigational aids or directions. This mindset also opens the person up to being misled regarding putting Scripture into action.
Her action, to block me, revealed lack of sincerity behind her getting baptized, and her lack of commitment to "being used by God to make Heaven a packed place."
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