The Heaton File

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-3)

Unless You Are Converted

The disciples of Jesus frequently argued about who among them would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Their view of the work of the Lord was clouded by their pride and misunderstanding of the divine plan. Jesus used a child to draw an impact lesson to their minds. Children of God are children in their hearts. Without becoming like a child, service in the kingdom of heaven is impossible. Before a heart can become like a child, a change must take place. Jesus did not tell the disciples to become children. He told them to change their hearts and become as little children. Often lost in the admonition of a child-like heart is the need for conversion.

Arguing about who would be greatest in the kingdom highlighted a problem that men had yet changed their lives to be entirely devoted to the Lord. The disciples of Jesus did not realize their teacher and master would soon die on a Roman cross. It came as a shock and with dismay, the disciples scattered. Jesus told them He had to die but that God would raise Him from the dead. They did not hear him. Following Jesus was an intellectual journey until they saw Him die. Then everything changed and the eleven devoted their lives to the Lord. That change occurred when their hearts finally had been converted to the will of the Father.

To be a Christian for many is an intellectual journey where they go through the motions and do the “right” things in the “right” way but have never changed their lives to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Little has changed in their lives. They still think as they did before. Their immodesty continues with no change. Habits are seldom changed with an acceptance of the carnal trappings of the world (dancing, drinking, smoking, gambling, etc.). The group of friends they had before becoming a Christian continues to make up a large part of their lives. Work remains the first place in the constant pursuit of the rat race. If the boss wants them to work on Sunday, the Christian sees no harm and is willing to miss multiple times.

Conversion is a notable change with evident expressions of a change of heart, mind, and soul. Jesus said a true disciple is a changed person. If a man or woman has never changed their life for the glory of God, they have never fully become part of the kingdom of heaven. Conversion is not accepting the moral code of the church to follow a set plan in specific steps. The real convert is a heart that has converted the old ways to new ways. There is a new way of thinking. Women begin covering themselves with sobriety and modesty. Habits of the old life are put away so that all can see Christ living in the example of the Christian. Conversion may require a change of friends who are not influencing the heart to heavenly thoughts. A courageous heart will explain to the employer that Sunday is a sacred day that will not be missed on account of work. God comes first without exception.

A converted heart knows the price paid for salvation. Jesus gave up equality with the Father, offered His life for the sins of all men, and agreed to subject Himself to the Father when all things are accomplished. In a fashion, Jesus converted His existence to save men. He asks for those who want to be His disciples to change their lives. There is nothing a man will give up that will measure to the gift of God through Jesus Christ. When a man converts his life to the glory of God, he will find the unfathomable measure of God’s love. Are you converted?

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:21-23)

Mindful Of The Word

Jesus was the teacher of a band of disciples that followed Him and learned of the word of God. The teaching of Jesus was unlike what these men had heard from the religious leaders of the day. He spoke with authority. Jesus did not mince words and defeated the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders at every turn. Being a disciple of a teacher like Jesus would impress upon the mind a presence of divine authority. The disciples witnessed incredible miracles confirming their teacher was the Son of God.

Jesus asked His disciples who people were saying He was. Some thought Jesus to be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Peter responded that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus commended Peter for his answer. Shortly afterward, Jesus began to show to His disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the Jewish leaders. In fact, Jesus tells His disciples that He will be killed, but he will be raised from the dead on the third day. This upset Peter who took exception to the words of Jesus. He could not imagine the one he just identified as the Son of God would allow such a thing to happen. Peter’s idea of the kingdom of heaven was wrapped in a carnal garment of an earthly kingdom.

Peter took Jesus aside and reprimanded his teacher for suggesting His own people would kill Him. It seemed incredulous that Jesus would think the elders, chief priests, and scribes would do such a thing. In the mind of Peter, Jesus was wrong and he was going to set Jesus straight about the matter. Peter tells Jesus such a thing would never happen and he would not allow it. The other disciples would not allow it. Peter could see no reason why Jesus would think such a thing. Taking the matter into his own hand, Peter rebukes Jesus.

What Peter had forgotten was the word of Jesus was the authority of God. Peter’s bravery was a veneer of courage. Later, Peter would deny Jesus three times when faced with being a follower of the man just arrested and taken before Pilate. Jesus reminded Peter that he could not change the will of God. It was in the divine plan for Jesus to die and Peter’s denial would not change that. All the miracles proved Jesus was the Son of God which confirmed the words of Jesus were divine. Peter should have accepted what Jesus said with faith and followed the words of Jesus. Taking Jesus aside to rebuke him was an affront to the character of Jesus and His word.

The problem with men is when they are not mindful of the word of God, they go beyond the word or deny the word. Peter was not mindful of what God’s plan was. He could only see things from a human viewpoint. There was no reason in the mind of Peter the Jewish leaders would do such a thing. The problem with Peter was he did not understand the whole picture. He tried to change the word of God to something he could understand. When Jesus told him something he disagreed with, he rebuked Jesus. Many read the Bible and disagree with God’s words and criticize the Lord by adding to His word or taking away from His word. These men are not mindful of the word of God. Like Peter, they have their own ideas and doctrines.

God sent His Son to tell all men His will. Jesus taught the word of God and showed by His power the word was divine. The responsibility of everyone is to accept the word of God. Too many people take God to task for His word because they do not understand and do not agree. This does not change the word of God but that is why there are so many different churches and faiths today. Men think they know better than God. They go beyond His word or they deny His word. Sadly, the rebuke of Jesus comes from the word and if a man fails to receive this rebuke, he will lose his soul. Men dare not challenge the word of God lest He takes them aside and says, “Get behind Me, Satan.”

Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. (Matthew 18:27)

God Is Moved With Compassion

Forgiveness is a necessary part of the will of God but it is one of the most challenging emotions that men are tasked to do. To forgive is to put aside, cease to feel resentment against another, and pardon the offense caused by another. It is easy to forgive friends and companions but hard to forgive enemies. Peter asked Jesus if there was a limit to how many times a man must forgive another. This shows men’s perception that while forgiveness is commanded, there has to be a limit on the number of times a man must forgive another.

Peter was mistaken to believe forgiveness came with a qualifier. Men forgive one another based upon the worth of their willingness to accept wrong. When a man sins against another repeatedly, a line is drawn in the sand because the carnal heart demands justice for the wrong done. Jesus answers Peter with an illustrative number that shows forgiveness must be endless. The Lord follows up with a parable of a man who owed his master ten thousand talents. The sum owed was millions of dollars. There was no way the servant could repay his master. When the man begged for the master to have patience allowing him time to repay the debt, the heart of the master was moved to compassion. In a gesture of eternal mercy, the debt was forgiven. The master gave up millions of dollars because of his love for the servant.

The servant did not deserve mercy from the master. There was a reason the man owed millions of dollars. He had been unworthy, dishonest, and untruthful in his dealings with the master. The debt owed was not by accident. His careless attitude toward his debt increased daily to a point it was impossible to repay what was owed. The master was entirely within his rights to demand payment and to administer punishment against the debtor. He threatened the most severe payment to have the man and his family sold to regain a small portion of the debt owed. This was the worst thing to happen for a family and they stood in jeopardy of the harshest punishments.

When the man begged for mercy, the heart of the master was moved with compassion. The millions of dollars owed was no longer of any value. What the master saw in the face of the servant was a penitent heart for his failure. Mercy was given to the debtor out of pity for him. In a sweeping moment of grace, the master forgave the debt and brought the debtor a surprising peace and calm. It had to shock the man as he heard the words and saw the love in the eyes of the master. His life was changed forever. The story turns dark when the forgiven man does not show mercy to another who owed only a pauper’s due. He was punished severely by the master. Jesus was teaching how men must forgive others in the same manner the Father has forgiven them.

The key ingredient of the story is the compassion God has upon sinful man. Sin is the debt that humanity heaps up every day, becoming an impossible debt to pay. There is nothing men can do to live righteously before God apart from His grace. All men have sinned and everyone falls short of the glory of God – without exception. Sin is the damning penalty inflicted upon humankind. God demands justice. He requires payment but there is nothing to pay the debt. Only when a man of contrite heart comes before the Father begging for mercy is the heart of God moved to compassion. They are about to be cast off but God has mercy on them. Mercy is a most wonderful feeling to enjoy in the forgiveness of the Lord God. No man deserves it, nothing can be done to change it, and the wrath of God is justified against sin. Then the Lord is moved with compassion, releases the guilt of sin, and forgives. Glory to God.

God is moved with compassion when the humble heart seeks His love. Jesus Christ was the essence of grace when He died for the sins of all men so that the Father can express His compassion and forgive sins. There is no greater gift offered to mankind than the grace and mercy of God. The forgiveness of sins is taking away a debt impossible to pay. Jesus paid the debt in His blood. Through the blood of Jesus, all men are given the opportunity to find grace before the Father and hear those incredible and eternal words: I forgive. Come to Jesus. He will save you. Why? Because God is moved with compassion.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)

God Cares

Adam stood alone in the garden surrounded by the animals created by the Lord. Each animal was brought to the man and he named them but something was missing. Inborn in the inner being of the soul of Adam was a longing and care for companionship. God knew that He had created a being that possessed the need for love and protection and He took a rib from Adam and created the woman. Adam’s response was to see the woman as bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. In the paradise of Eden, Adam and Eve felt complete and whole as they shared those intimate moments of companionship with one another.

Sin destroyed the beauty of Eden. Satan divided the relationship of God and man in a cruel manner of deceit. The companionship of God and man was complete as the Lord walked in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve in perfect union with one another. When the forbidden fruit was taken, God had to remove Adam and Eve from the home He had provided for them. The first man and woman stood alone outside the garden not knowing what to do next. God provided for them and cared for them. In time a son was born and then many, many more children were born and the world grew in number.

God never abandoned Adam and Eve. When they disobeyed the command of the Lord, He could have left them to their own destruction or destroyed them to start again. The consequence of sin was God taking the Tree of Life away from mortal man and death would rule the world. When the Lord pronounced sentence upon the man and woman, He punished them but He showed them He cared for them and loved them. The first promise of God was not to leaven them without hope. Adam and Eve walked into a world populated only by two people and God cared for them. Adam would live to be 930 years old and he and Eve would bear many children. God took care of early man because He cared for them.

The nation of Israel learned throughout their history that God cared for them. He delivered them from bondage, protected them from enemies, fed them with sufficient food to sustain them, and never caused them to go without water. Their clothes did not wear out in the forty years of God’s wrath. The land of promise was a gift from a benevolent Father who provided all things for His people. In the face of their wickedness, rebellion, and rejection of the love of God, He remained steadfast in His love for them and promised hope if they would repent. God cared and saved a remnant.

God’s care for humanity began in the garden of Eden when the Lord promised a Seed. Sin separated man from God and there was nothing man could do to save himself. Only by the grace, mercy, and love of a benevolent Father would mankind find hope. In the days of Noah, God destroyed everything that had the breath of life except for eight souls. By the narrowest of margins, God preserved the Seed promise through Noah. Abraham became the father of the faithful as the Seed promised flourished through his lineage. There were perilous times in the history of the children of Abraham the promise of God was challenged. Finally, in a little town called Bethlehem, the Son of God was born to a virgin and eternal hope was realized.

Sin destroyed the companionship of God and man but through the blood of Jesus Christ, hope sprang anew with the promise of a God who cares for His creation. The Lord never abandoned man. He always showed His love and care for humanity. Every day the sun rises, the word of God declares how much God cares. First, because of creation the world can know the Creator still is in control and cares for His creation. Second, with each new day God shows His love by offering His Son as a gift of salvation. God cares for every human being and desires nothing but peace and contentment for them. He has proven that from the beginning of time.

When a man humbles himself before God, he will be exalted to a place of glory. The central message of the gospel of Christ is that God cares for all those who will come to Him and humble themselves before His blessings. God cares for each person and shows every day the sun rises that the word of the Lord is faithful. Men fear death but the care of God takes away fear. God cared enough to sacrifice His only begotten Son to save sinful man. Give all your worries and care to God, for he cares about you. The sun proves He cares and the Son demonstrates His love. God cares for me. What an amazing thought.

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:14-15)

God Knows

A cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in the study or treatment of heart diseases and heart abnormalities. A cardiologist’s work is life-saving as they can detect problems that may arise in the heart and treat disorders that afflict the heart. An echocardiogram, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are tools medical professionals can use to see the condition of the heart. With all the technologies that allow doctors to understand the heart, they fight a losing battle because all men die and the heart stops beating. Life ends and the heart returns to dust.

There is a spiritual heart spoken of by Jesus that will never die. This heart is the eternal spirit of a man that can never be found on any medical tests or examinations. The fruit of the spiritual heart is evident and it is something defined by the eyes of the Lord. When God created humanity, He did not give them the ability to peer into the eternal spirits of another. He could have but chose to reserve that view to Himself. The amazing power of God by His omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence; is the Lord God knows the heart of every man at any given moment simultaneously. Everything a young man may be doing, saying, or thinking in Lawrence, Kansas, is known by God who hears every word of a young man in the Ural Mountains of Siberia.

God knows everything that is done on the earth: north, south, east, and west. Nothing escapes His knowledge. He sees all that men do, good or bad. It matters not whether it is day or night, cold or hot, and high or low; God knows everything. This is almost more than a person can comprehend. To magnify the knowledge of the Lord God, He also has knowledge of everything since Adam and Eve spoke their first words. Jesus chided the religious leaders of His day to remind them their hypocrisy was well-known by a God who knows the hearts of all man. A man can lie to another and never be found out. The moment a lie is told, God knows. It is impossible to commit a crime and never suffer the consequences because God knows. Secret affairs may never be discovered but they are open to the eyes of the Lord.

The wise man declares the Lord is watching everywhere and there is no place on earth man can God that God is not already there. There is nothing done in the affairs of men that God is now aware of. David wrote in his psalm of the perfect knowledge of God, declaring there is no place man can escape the all-seeing-eye of the Creator. If a man goes to heaven, God is there and when a man goes down to the grave, God is there. When a man is in the womb of his mother, God sees and knows. It is too wonderful to consider the depth of God’s knowledge.

God knows the heart. It should give eternal pause to realize that all things pertaining to life are open and naked before the Lord. There are no secrets with the Lord. Hiding from God is hiding in plain sight with a spotlight focused on the soul. God judges the hearts of men. The eternal spirit of man belongs to God and he examines it and hears it and knows all things of the heart, good or bad. Jesus said the Father knows the hairs on the head and when a sparrow falls. If God is so great and merciful, does He not know of the trials of His children? The joy of God’s knowledge is He knows me, understands my needs and desires to help me in my failings. There are seven billion souls on the earth and while God knows every one of those souls – He knows me. God knows. Thank you Father.

Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. (Deuteronomy 7:9-10)

God Is Faithful

Keeping a promise is often a difficult thing to do. Many factors can delay a promise made or make it impossible to fulfill. Good and honest men make promises intending to keep their word. Because of circumstances beyond their control, a promise can be broken. A man can have a faithful spirit but even the best of men will fall short of perfection. Faithfulness in the character of God is absolute, never failing, always true, and without measure. He is not like men. It is difficult for the human mind to understand how complete the faithfulness of God is. He is not faithful in a few things; His faithfulness has been perfect before time began.

God is God. That is the reason He is faithful. Every promise made by the Lord has been kept. In the garden of Eden, God promised to nurture and care for Adam and Eve. He fulfilled His promise but they broke His command. God was faithful to punish them because He said He would – and He did. The history of Israel is a textbook examination of the faithfulness of God. He delivered them from Egypt, fought their battles to victory, fed them and gave them water and during the forty years wandering did not allow their clothes to wear out, gave them the promised land, and blessed them above all nations on the earth. There was nothing God did not promise that He failed to keep.

Israel was the unfaithful nation that turned its back on the faithfulness of God. Hosea the prophet would vividly illustrate the faithfulness of God when he married a prostitute who bore him one son before having two illegitimate children by other men. Gomer would go away to whoredom before Hosea would once again love a woman loved by lovers and take her back. The faithfulness of God is everlasting – even against the rebellion of His people. Israel became corrupted through idolatry and yet the Lord would continue to appeal for the nation to repent and He would forgive. After the punishment of the bondage, the remnant returned as a symbol of God’s eternal faithfulness to forgive His people.

The faithfulness of God climaxed when Jesus Christ died on the cross. There was no hope or promise of glory without the Son of God dying for the sins of the world. God is faithful to allow His only beloved Son to suffer at the hands of cruel men and to do nothing. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, sin can be destroyed. That is a promise of God. There is no sin a man can commit that God will not forgive because He is faithful. When a heart turns from sin and obeys the commandments of the Lord, he will be saved. Grace is not measured by the goodness of men but by the faithfulness of God.

There is another side to the faithfulness of God. He does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. Often, faithfulness is viewed in the positive response of eternal glory. The other side of the faithfulness of the Lord is He will punish all who refuse to obey His word. He will not be slack with those who hate Him. Many deny there is a place of eternal punishment but if God is a faithful God, His righteousness demands it. Jesus preached the message of eternal fire for those who disobey. God is faithful to bless those who love Him and keep His commandments and God is faithful to repay those who hate Him and refuse to keep His commandments.

God is faithful. What a man does with that promise will determine his eternal destiny. Accepting the grace, mercy, and love of God will find eternal joy in the faithfulness of the Lord. Refusing to obey the will of the Father will bring the faithful judgment of a righteous God on the heart of the disobedient. Everyone in Hell will know that God is faithful. Sadly, it will be too late. Are you faithful? God is. He is faithful.

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (Matthew 3:8-9)

God Is Able

John the Baptist was a fiery preacher who challenged the religious norms of his day with the boldness of Amos, the power of Isaiah, and the convictions of the prophet Jeremiah. The Pharisees and Sadducees marveled at the preaching of John as he proclaimed a message of repentance and baptism. When the religious leaders came to see John for themselves, they found the son of Zacharias the priest, demanding their repentance for the hypocrisy of their office and corruption of the people through their deceit and oppression. John called them a brood of deadly snakes. God would only receive them if they changed their lives and turned to God. The Pharisees and Sadducees prided themselves in being the children of Abraham but this was only by heritage. Their lives were far from the faith of Abraham. So corrupt were the religious leaders, they were in peril of the wrath of God.

The pride of ancestry ran deep in the heart of the Pharisees and Sadducees. John does not make an idle boast when he tells the leaders that God is able to raise up children from the stones their feet trod upon. It was not a threat that the power of God could not bring about. John wanted the Pharisees and Sadducees to remember that the same power of God that spoke the universe into existence could take Judean stones and form a nation of His own people. The proud heart boasting of inheritance in Abraham could be taken away in an instant. God is able to take stones and create a nation.

John’s threat was a message to all men of the power of God. Jeremiah declared there was nothing too hard for God. The Lord destroyed the world in the days of Noah by His power. He delivered the Hebrews from Egypt by His mighty hand. The first commandment of the Law began with the acknowledgment that God was the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt. Throughout Biblical history, God was able to carry out His will as He saw fit, regardless of what men did. If it was the will of the Lord, He could create a nation of two million people from stones.

God is able to do the impossible and nothing is lacking that He is able to do. The miracles of scripture attest to the incredible power of God. Jesus showed the power of God when He healed every disease including leprosy, blindness, blood issues and the lame, mute, and deaf. The forces of nature were at His command in an instant. Jesus could heal without being present. All the miracles Jesus performed were amazing but raising the dead was most demonstrative of what God is able to do. Lazarus had been dead four days when Jesus raised him from the dead.

If God is able to do all the things described in the Bible (and He is), what is there in the life of a child of God the Lord cannot accomplish? The people of God face nothing that He cannot subdue, conquer, dismiss, and remove. Unhappy marriages can be resurrected from certain death because God is able. Conflicts in families will only find resolution when God is permitted to exercise His power in the heart. Life can be a burden, but God can bring peace, comfort, assurance, and hope. If God can raise dead Lazarus, He can raise me from the dead. The greatest joy and hope a child of God can have in life is to know their God is able – to bring life in the face of death. What is death? Nothing more than a sleep when the Father awakens His children into the eternal home of glory. God is ABLE. Thank God!

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29)

God Is A Consuming Fire

There is much to be said about the nature of God. His love is everlasting, His mercy abounding, and His grace unmatched. The image of the Father as a loving, kind, and benevolent shepherd is found throughout scripture. Isaiah compares God’s love for Israel to a mother who bears a child and will not desert him. Can a mother forget her nursing child? John the apostle writes extensively about the love of God. Because of the compassion of the Almighty, salvation is found in Jesus Christ. People cling to these ideals of God with great hope and peace and tragically forget there is another side to the nature of God.

The first-century Jewish Christians were in peril of giving up their faith. Throughout the book of Hebrews, the writer appeals to the courage of the Jewish saints to face persecution with the assured promise of a heavenly country. Examples of men and women who faced great trials in life and overcame by their faith fill the pages of Hebrews. The exhortation to faithfulness is measured by the reality that failing to remain constant in obedience to the commands of God will bring terrible consequences. Like a loving Father, the Lord will chasten His children. Everyone should examine themselves closely lest they fall short of the grace of God. A great company of saints awaits the faithful on the mountain of God who will not give up their faith. Refusing to listen to the word of God will bring eternal judgment upon the disobedient. The kingdom of God will not suffer from the hands of the evil one. This should reassure the saint’s God’s word is eternal. Serving God acceptably with reverence and godly fear is demanded. To refuse brings a severe penalty.

Fire is a very destructive element. It can be used to cook food, warm a body, and do many good things. The terrible nature of fire is when used for destruction; it becomes a devouring presence. God is a consuming fire, and there should be no mistake about it. The love of God is eternal, but many will not enjoy the love of God because of their own disobedience. Judgment has always been a part of God’s will. Cain was punished for his sin, the world of Noah was destroyed with a flood because of wickedness, Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated from the earth as judgment, and the nation of Israel was destroyed for refusing to repent. Jesus often spoke of the Father’s goodness and the Father’s severity. Hell is real because Jesus said it was.

God is a consuming fire because He is a righteous God. If the Lord God were not willing to punish disobedience, He would not be righteous. The nature of God demands justice for those who refuse to obey His will. God is a jealous God prompting His wrath upon disobedience. He is no more a friend to evil than when He first removed Adam and Eve from the garden. Faithfulness comes from a healthy understanding of the dreadful wrath of God against the unfaithful. God is not just a fire – He is a devouring fire. Serve God because you love Him and obey His word because of His wrath. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24)

God Is Spirit

The act of worship was instilled in man when God created him in the Divine image. Adam and Eve were created by the hand of God as eternal creatures possessing a physical body. Death is a consequence of sin when the Tree of Life is taken from away from men. When Cain killed Abel, the body died, but the eternal spirit of Abel cried out to the ears of God. The reason Cain was angry with Abel was that the Lord did not respect the offering of Cain. While the Bible does not reveal how God instructed early man to worship, Cain and Abel are said to have brought an offering to the Lord. Abel’s worship was accepted and Cain’s was rejected. Worship has been in the fabric of humanity’s relationship with God from the beginning of time.

In the story of Cain and Abel, there is acceptable worship and worship that is not accepted. The days of Noah found everyone worshiping themselves. Abram became a great man of faith as he built altars across the landscape to worship the one true God. Moses led the Hebrews to Sinai to worship the Lord God Deliverer. Through the Law of Moses, worship was an integral part of the nation of Israel, culminating in the building of the House of God in Jerusalem by Solomon. When Israel turned away from true worship to serve idols, the Lord withdrew His presence from a wicked people. Their worship was vain and useless. When Jesus came into the world, the Jews and Samaritans represented the remnant of a once mighty nation of God’s people.

Jesus sat by the well of Jacob as the disciples went into the city to bring food. When a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water, Jesus asked her for a drink. She was shocked a Jew would speak to a Samaritan woman. The Lord told the woman things few people would know. She realized Jesus must be a prophet when He told her she had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband. The immoral woman was taken back by His perception appealing to a difference in worship between the Samaritans and the Jews. She said the Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim but the Jews said worship must be in Jerusalem.

The answer Jesus gives the Samaritan woman is not a new doctrine but the reaffirmation of the age-old relationship of God and man. Worship has never been about a place on a map but the place in the heart. There is true worship and vain worship. Jesus tells the woman a day was coming when worship would not be confined to a single place but true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth because God is Spirit. Cain’s worship was refused because his heart was evil. The worship of the Jews turned away from the true commandments and they were rejected. Worship is not about a place because God is not a place. True worship must come from the eternal nature of man as God created him in His image. God is Spirit and demands worship in spirit.

The nature of man is confined to the physical world but only temporarily. Man does not possess a soul. He is an eternal being possessing a physical body. This is the bridge to understanding the nature of God as Spirit. Jesus declares worship can be false and vain. Calling on the name of the Lord does not suggest the approval of God. Worship must be according to the will of the Father. God is not impressed or moved by how long the prayer is or the contriteness of the face. What men view as pious can be revolting to God. The heart is what God sees because He is Spirit.

Jesus impressed the woman with the true nature of worship when He explained the true nature of God. If God is Spirit, worship must be in spirit and truth. Men can attend a worship service and go away impressed with the fervency and devotion of the service, while God looks upon the worship as vain and useless. Gauging worship by the whims of human wisdom denies the nature of God. The only true worship is when men remember that God is Spirit. Nothing in this world can contain the Lord God except the open and honest heart. When the spirit of man comes to worship, remember God is Spirit.

Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me. (Philippians 2:25-30)

Epaphroditus

Paul was imprisoned when he wrote the letter to the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi. The letter is filled with an upbeat and positive message of rejoicing in Christ with the blessings of God being enjoyed by the apostle and those accompanying him. Philippi had been the first city of Paul’s European ministry. He found a group of women by the riverside where prayer was to be made and Lydia was born into Christ along with her household. Shortly afterward, Paul and Silas were imprisoned by citizens stirred up by disgruntled men who lost their cruel livelihood in a demon-possessed girl. The Lord sent an earthquake that opened the doors of the jail, loosing all the chains. Before the jailor could kill himself, Paul assured him no one had escaped, and all was well. The jailor and his household were baptized into Christ that very same night. After being released from prison, Paul and Silas spent some time at the home of Lydia and then made their way to Thessalonica.

Early on his second missionary journey, Paul found a young man named Timothy that became his constant companion. Many individuals traveled with Paul and among the workers in the camp of Paul was a man named Epaphroditus. Nothing is known of Epaphroditus except what is found in the letter to Philippi. Along with Timothy, Epaphroditus became a trusted and valuable worker for the apostle Paul as he preached the gospel. Epaphroditus was a servant’s servant. To be a fellow worker of Paul was to take on a great responsibility. Paul was in prison and Epaphroditus did not forsake him. Many would not be able to endure the rigors of Paul’s ministry but Epaphroditus was a faithful soldier who served the Lord in the face of great trial.

Nothing is known of what happened to Epaphroditus but Paul mentions that he was sick almost unto death. Epaphroditus was a tireless worker. He had a passion for helping Paul in every possible way and became a faithful messenger in the work of spreading the gospel. The letters Paul wrote had to be hand-carried to the cities throughout the province. Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, Thessalonica, and Colosse were spread apart from one another and someone had to carry the correspondence from Paul to the churches. Men like Epaphroditus rose to the occasion doing their small part in the grand scheme of spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

Epaphroditus was a worker that could be counted on. He did not waver or complain about the work. Paul depended on men and women like Epaphroditus to help him carry the gospel to other places. It was difficult for the apostle Paul to be confined to the walls of a Roman prison but his fellow workers were lifting his spirits and letting his words have power throughout the empire. It takes special people who are willing to go the extra mile and do a little bit more than needed to further the work of the Lord. Epaphroditus was a vital part of the encouragement of the apostle Paul.

The church has always needed people like Epaphroditus. These are the saints who have a servant’s heart who quietly go about the work of the Lord with no fanfare and little or no recognition. Elders and preachers love these kinds of people. So much of the church’s work is done by the Epaphroditus workers and soldiers in the local congregation. They are commended before God for their love of the kingdom and the gospel of Christ. Thank you Epaphroditus people. We love and appreciate you.