One of the common misconceptions in the Christian faith is living as if the ultimate goal is to escape the earth for a distant place in the clouds. I call this “evacuation theology,” a mindset that centers on a future heaven while overlooking God’s presence in the here and now. When I was a kid, I heard it described as being so heavenly-minded that we’re of no earthly good. Tragically, this theological misunderstanding—more rooted in ancient Greek and Platonic thought than in Christianity—has far-reaching consequences. It shapes how we treat the earth, what we invest our lives in, and how we see and value other people. If we’re living with a mindset of evacuation, then what’s the point of taking care of the earth or considering its future inhabitants?
When we look closely at the heart of the Gospel, we don’t find a story of escape or abandonment. Instead, we find a story of God drawing near. Again and again, Scripture reveals a God who moves toward us. And if we are God’s image bearers (Genesis 1:27), then we are called to reflect that same movement in our own lives.
This theme appears more consistently in Scripture than we often realize. It begins in the first two verses of the Bible and culminates in its closing paragraphs. We see it in the Spirit hovering over creation (Genesis 1:2), God walking in the garden (Genesis 3:8), and His encounter with Moses at Sinai (Exodus 19), to name just a few early examples. We see it again when God’s presence fills the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34) and later the Temple (2 Chronicles 5:14), two sacred spaces where heaven met earth.
This movement reached its climax in the incarnation of Jesus, who did not wait for us to come to Him but came willingly to us (John 1:14). We often miss this same pattern when the Spirit arrives at Pentecost (Acts 2), once again filling His living, breathing temples, this time in human form (1 Corinthians 6:19). Fast forward to the end of the story, and we find the ultimate promise in Revelation 21:3: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” Did you catch that? It’s easy to overlook, but easier to grasp when we remember the name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), which means “God with us,” not “us with God.” That distinction is not just semantic, but deeply theological. It reveals God’s unwavering intent: not to remove us from creation, but to dwell with us in its renewal (see Revelation 21).
So, what does this mean for us? A lot of things, but let’s start with these:
What if we reoriented our lives around that truth? What if we stopped waiting for escape and instead began to respond to the God who has already arrived and is still presently at work? Would we live with greater urgency and deeper compassion? Would we see the needs around us more clearly and act more quickly to meet them? Would we recognize that we have a role in the reconciliation and renewal of all things (2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Colossians 1:20)—not by forsaking the earth, but by participating in its redemption?
If God's mission has always been to dwell with us, then perhaps our understanding of neighboring should begin there, too. At its core, neighboring isn't about completing projects or meeting needs, as important as those things are. It's about moving toward people in the same way God has always moved toward us. It's choosing presence over distance, relationship over transaction, and incarnation over isolation. Every time we draw near to our neighbors, we bear witness to something much larger than ourselves. We become small reflections of the God who has always drawn near. Perhaps that's why neighboring matters so much. It's not about getting a good deed in for the day. It's a lived expression of the Gospel itself.
As believers, we are not bystanders to a world in decline, but ambassadors of a Kingdom already breaking in. We don’t wait for heaven to come later; we live as if heaven is already touching earth.
Why?
Because in Christ, it already is.
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Robert Johnson
Director of Formation, NeighborLink Foundation Inc
Robert is the Director of Formation at NeighborLink. Before stepping into this role, he served for six years on staff with NeighborLink Fort Wayne, most recently as Director of Communications and Development. Robert enjoys telling stories about neighbors and the transformational impact of neighboring. Outside of work, he loves traveling with his family, reading, and pursuing a life shaped by the Gospel.