--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jesus didn’t talk about a God who wants…" description: "\"“Jesus didn’t talk about a God who wants to burn this place down and take us somewhere else; he talked about the renewing of this place, the only home ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/014/rob-bell-1025_bible_jesus-didn-t-talk-about-a-god-who-wants_1805134.png" --- # Jesus didn’t talk about a God who wants to burn this place… ![“Jesus didn’t talk about a God who wants to burn this place down and take us somewhere else; he talked about the renewing of this place, the only home we’ve ever had. Central to the story of the Bible is the affirmation of trees and seas and rocks and air and soil and blood and sweat and skin and…” quote by Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/014/rob-bell-1025_bible_jesus-didn-t-talk-about-a-god-who-wants_1805134.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/014/rob-bell-1025_bible_jesus-didn-t-talk-about-a-god-who-wants_1805134.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/014/rob-bell-1025_bible_jesus-didn-t-talk-about-a-god-who-wants_1805134.png) > ““Jesus didn’t talk about a God who wants to burn this place down and take us somewhere else; he talked about the renewing of this place, the only home we’ve ever had. Central to the story of the Bible is the affirmation of trees and seas and rocks and air and soil and blood and sweat and skin and all the materiality and diversity and creativity that we know to be central to our life in this world. Jesus talked about a coming time when God would restore and renew and reconcile and redeem and make things right, and he invites us to anticipate that day by doing our part to bring heaven to earth, here, now, today.”” [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jesus emphasizes restoring and renewing creation, not escaping it, urging believers to embody heaven on earth now. **In simple terms:** Jesus calls for renewing the world now. Key Takeaway Act to care for creation today. Themes creation redemption environment faith action Mood hopeful inspirational reflective Type spiritual motivational philosophical When to use this quote - community service - environmental activism - daily stewardship - faith practice Key Concepts theology ecology kingdom purpose Questions to Reflect On - How can you embody heaven on earth daily? - What does creation care look like in your life? A Different Perspective Renewal may conflict with systemic injustice and requires collective effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Blood and sweat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blood-and-sweat/) [Bring Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bring-heaven-1225461/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-wants/) [Heaven Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-earth/) [Jesus Talked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-talked-687960/) [Somewhere else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somewhere-else/) [World Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-jesus-635806/) ## Related quotes > [We're in this world to bring heaven down to earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-sanchez/we-re-in-this-world-to-bring-heaven-down-to-earth/) [Bo Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-sanchez/) > [Let your love flow outward through the universe, To its height, its depth, its broad extent, A limitless love, without hatred or enmity. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/let-your-love-flow-outward-through-the-universe-to-its-height-its/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [“Our commitment to next generations is to bring heaven on earth, and not nuclear annihilation. There is still hope, we must act before time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/our-commitment-to-next-generations-is-to-bring-heaven-on-earth-and/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [“For Jesus, the question wasn’t, “How do I get into heaven?” but “How do I bring heaven here?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/for-jesus-the-question-wasn-t-how-do-i-get-into-heaven-but-how-do-i/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“So, teaching him only that which she loved, not that which she had been taught, Janet read to Gibbie of Jesus, and talked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/so-teaching-him-only-that-which-she-loved-not-that-which-she-had-been/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [People who are obsessed with Jesus live lives that connect them with the poor in some way or another. Obsessed people believe that Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/people-who-are-obsessed-with-jesus-live-lives-that-connect-them-with/) [Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/) > [“Jesus brings a kingdom ruled by the crucified one and populated by the unclean and always found in the unexpected. I'd expected to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-bolz-weber/jesus-brings-a-kingdom-ruled-by-the-crucified-one-and-populated-by/) [Nadia Bolz-Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-bolz-weber/) > [Jesus himself talked about prayer and meditation. Anything that brings you closer to the Lord, what's wrong with that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-quaid/jesus-himself-talked-about-prayer-and-meditation-anything-that-brings/) [Dennis Quaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-quaid/) > [Jesus almost never talked in terms of explaining. He was always using enigmatic stories and difficult metaphors. He was always pulling people into some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/jesus-almost-never-talked-in-terms-of-explaining-he-was-always-using/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [“Daddy said that Jesus talked in parables because people have a tendency to hear but not listen. They look but don't see. I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-gregg-gilmore/daddy-said-that-jesus-talked-in-parables-because-people-have-a/) [Susan Gregg Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-gregg-gilmore/) > [“On earth, lots of wills are done. Yours, mine, and many others. And so, at present, heaven and earth are not one. What Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/on-earth-lots-of-wills-are-done-yours-mine-and-many-others-and-so-at/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [It often appears that those who talk the most about going to heaven when you die talk the least about bringing heaven to earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/it-often-appears-that-those-who-talk-the-most-about-going-to-heaven/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Though some may have more than others, yet every one hath his load, as much as he can carry. Every vessel cannot bear up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezekiel-hopkins/though-some-may-have-more-than-others-yet-every-one-hath-his-load-as/) [Ezekiel Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezekiel-hopkins/) > [God sent his Singers upon earth With songs of sadness and of mirth, That they might touch the hearts of men, And bring them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/god-sent-his-singers-upon-earth-with-songs-of-sadness-and-of-mirth/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [We need a right view of the cross. It is both a historical event that can take us to Heaven and a current event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/we-need-a-right-view-of-the-cross-it-is-both-a-historical-event-that/) [Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/) ## More by Rob Bell > [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/why-blame-the-dark-for-being-dark-it-is-far-more-helpful-to-ask-why/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“This story... blasts to pieces our biases and labels with a declaration that God is on everyone's side, extending grace and compassion to everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/this-story-blasts-to-pieces-our-biases-and-labels-with-a-declaration/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [One truth is that suffering raises profound questions with the universe. The other truth is that grace, gift and generosity also raise profound questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/one-truth-is-that-suffering-raises-profound-questions-with-the/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/for-jesus-heaven-and-hell-were-present-realities-ways-of-living-we/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [Love is what God is, love is why Jesus came, and love is why he continues to come, year after year to person after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/love-is-what-god-is-love-is-why-jesus-came-and-love-is-why-he/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [I believe that God is love. I believe that Jesus came to show us this love, to give us this love, to teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-believe-that-god-is-love-i-believe-that-jesus-came-to-show-us-this/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [If the gospel isn't good news for everybody, then it isn't good news for anybody. And this is because the most powerful things happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/if-the-gospel-isn-t-good-news-for-everybody-then-it-isn-t-good-news-2/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [“I don’t read the Bible like a flat line. I don’t see all of the passages in the Bible sitting equally side by side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/i-don-t-read-the-bible-like-a-flat-line-i-don-t-see-all-of-the/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [To elevate abstract doctrines and dogmas over living, breathing, embodied experiences of God's love and grace, then, is going the wrong direction. It's taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/to-elevate-abstract-doctrines-and-dogmas-over-living-breathing/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The modern world has created airports and hospitals and put 10,000 songs in our pocket. It has built gleaming buildings and computers and advances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-modern-world-has-created-airports-and-hospitals-and-put-10-000/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [God is bigger than the Christian faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/god-is-bigger-than-the-christian-faith/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [What you believe about the future shapes, informs, and determines how you live now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/what-you-believe-about-the-future-shapes-informs-and-determines-how/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [The life you want begins by embracing the life you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/the-life-you-want-begins-by-embracing-the-life-you-have/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [It takes quite a spine to turn the other cheek. It takes phenomenal fortitude to love your enemy. It takes firm resolve to pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/it-takes-quite-a-spine-to-turn-the-other-cheek-it-takes-phenomenal/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) [Explore all 305 Rob Bell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) ## More Bible quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/) [Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/) > [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/) [Michael Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arnold/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/) [Robert A. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-peterson/) > [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/) [Stephen Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-taylor/) > [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/) [Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/) > [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/) [Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/) > [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/) [Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/) > [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. 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