During a time of loss or tragedy you hear people offer a lot of sympathy. When I was much younger I would try and say something profound to people who were grieving with the hopes that I could bring some peace or resolution to their suffering. Many times I ended up making things worse so over the years I have tried to let people know how much I love them and also let them know that despite how things may appear, God is always good.
Sometimes people say things out of habit though, that are just not true. One of the things I have heard lately is that Dave was an angel and God needed him now. I want to address that.
First of all, I had the privilege of putting my hand on Dave’s shoulder the first time he ever felt the presence of the Lord when was 13 at our youth conference. I watched hip weep as this quiet introverted boy became a man of rock-solid faith. From that moment forward I was able to experience nearly every facet of his life. For that I am grateful. When someone passes away we tend to make them much larger than life. One of the things that made Dave so impactful in this world is that he was extraordinarily faithful.
When Dave was 16 he worked for his dad at Ranger aviation. The church had just bought a $40,000 video editing system and the only person that knew how to use it was me. I wanted to hire Dave to learn editing. I called Ranger and asked for Dave. (I used a fake New York accent and told him I worked for the IRS and I needed him to fax me 2 years worth of unreported income or I would have to schedule a meeting.) After that tomfoolery I asked him to work for the church. He knew nothing about editing. He learned. I asked him to make a graphic for me. He knew nothing about graphics. He learned. I could go on and on about things that Dave simply worked at faithfully that ended up becoming something he was known for. One day he asked me if he could play in the youth band with me. I didn’t know he could play an instrument. It seems he had been teaching himself to play guitar. Get it? He was a regular guy that knew the importance of hard work.
I also had the honor of mentoring Dave and being in an accountable relationship with him. Our men’s Richer Life group has talked about so many issues in our lives in an open way throughout the years. I want to make this clear.
Dave was no angel.
In contrast to me he was, but he absolutely would not want to be perceived as one. He had incredible character but he was a man that through his flaws understood the value of God’s love and grace and the significance of holiness as a result of a life lived openly before God. Dave’s passion was igniting a generation for God’s glory. We talked openly about seeing that generation materializing right before our eyes. We talked about how committed a generation like that would have to be to live lives of integrity, open before God. Dave was smart, practical, and fiercely passionate about his faith.
Ok, I’ve established that Dave was no angel. I say that respectfully I thought the world of him. The last text I sent him said, “There are only a handful of men that have ever lived that have made the impact on this world that you have for Gods kingdom. Your destiny transcends any event. It cannot be tainted, stolen, killed, or altered.” Now let me move to a theological idea for a moment. Revelation 22:3 paints a picture for us about an interesting aspect of heavenly life.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:”
verse 5 says:
5 …and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Reigning and serving are both work. Yes, that’s right, heaven is not sitting on the clouds, playing harps, and wearing white choir robes. It will be about work. What work? God’s work. However mysterious it may seem to us now, it is going to make perfect sense someday. But work gets a bad rap down here on earth. We can blame Adam and Eve (AKA ourselves). Part of the curse was unfruitful work. Originally work was supposed to be peaceful and enjoyable. But the curse of Genesis 3 jacked that up…
17 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.
Work in heaven will be the greatest honor imaginable. No toil, no wasted energy, we will enjoy an eternity of purpose loving every moment of our serving and reigning with Jesus.
We do not become angels when we go to heaven. Angels are God’s heavenly helpers but they have not been redeemed by the blood of Jesus like we have. There will be angels in heaven but we will rule over them as we have been made co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).
I am mourning my friend. I love him so much but I want people to remember him accurately. We are writing a book together. We have been since this sickness started. He wanted people to know what his life was about. I want to help him accomplish that.
Dave was not an angel. He is in heaven now and he is still not an angel. He is a redeemed servant of the Holy Throne of God. He is a man that became great because he understood the power of faithfulness. We said we wanted to always work together.
We will.
