All Things New Study Guide (Student/Study Guide)

All Things New is a revolutionary four-session video Bible study built on a simple idea: heaven is not the eternal church service in the sky. It is, in fact, not religious at all. Jesus referred to the next chapter of our story as “the renewal of all things” (Matthew 19:28). This means, literally, the renewal of the earth we love in all its beauty, the renewal of our own being, and the renewal of all those things that make for a rich life-music, art, food, laughter. All that we hold dear shall be renewed.

Most Christians (and most people, for that matter) do not really look forward to their future because their views of heaven are vague, religious, and appallingly boring. Our hope begins to surge when we understand that for the believer nothing is lost. Heaven is not a life in the clouds; it is not unending worship services with singing. Rather, the life we long for-the paradise Adam and Eve knew-is precisely the life that is coming to us. And coming soon.
This study begins with a reframing of what “heaven” actually looks like. God does not say, “I am making all new things,” He says, “Behold-I am making all things new!” (Revelation 21:5). Familiar religious conceptions of heaven are gently dismantled, and the participant is invited into a new way of conceiving of their after-life. Imagery from fairy tales, books, and famous movies such as The Lord of the Rings is used to illustrate what “happily ever after” means in tangible, accessible, and-most important-desirable terms.

As C.S. Lewis said, “We can only hope for what we desire.” The life we have been longing for is actually the very life that is about to be ours. The imminence of the coming kingdom of God is also clarified; living with an eager expectation of Christ’s return is the practical power of the Christian life.