The Heaton File

Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you. (Romans 16:16)

The Churches Of Christ

Jesus came to establish His kingdom and to open up the avenue of salvation for all men. His death was the sacrifice for sin. The burial was the reality of God inhabiting the abode of the dead. It was the resurrection that became the greatest miracle as Jesus came forth from the grave to build His church upon the truth that He was the Son of the Living God. Fifty days after His resurrection, Jesus witnessed the apostles gathered in Jerusalem preaching the gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand souls were baptized for the remission of their sins and the Lord added them (and others) to the church. It was the beginning of the church of Christ. No plan has ever been as complete, no vision so fulfilling and no purpose more divine than the establishment of the church that would belong to Jesus Christ.

The first few years of the church saw an amazing amount of converts as Jews turned to the good news of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Soon the Gentiles would be added to the fold when Peter went to the household of a Roman centurion and taught them the gospel. Men like Paul, Barnabas, and Silas began traveling around the Roman Empire establishing churches in every city. There were oppositions and persecutions but this only fueled the fires of the new covenant disciples with more faith. Churches were found in cities like Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica, and even the imperial city of Rome. Spread throughout the world, the churches of Christ filled the landscape of communities far and near. It was a regal time in the development of the church. Facing the fierce oppression of the world against the disciples of Christ, the church grew stronger and bolder never accepting defeat. As a result of their faith, the church of Christ remains today a viable and influential part of the human fabric all over the world.

Paul penned a powerful letter to the saints in Rome whom he called beloved of God. His message was a bridge between the old law and the new law found in Christ. Throughout the Roman letter allegiance to Christ is set forth as the purpose of the gospel. As he concludes his letter naming many saints who inspired him and helped him in his work of preaching the gospel, the apostle sends greetings from the churches of Christ. This was not a title but a description. Paul recognized the church as belonging to Christ and none other. He gave glory to Jesus Christ by calling the church as that which belonged to the Son of God. The churches of Christ filled the world. Each congregation was a representation of Jesus. There were many names given to the early saints describing their relationship to Jesus but none so fitting as the churches of Christ. He died for the church and bought the church with His blood. As the head of the church, Jesus rules alone with no man to be a representative on earth. All authority comes from Jesus to rule over His church. The churches of Christ give honor and glory to the name of the Son of God. For two thousand years, the church of Christ has stood for He who is the way, the truth, and the life. Rooted in the rich tradition of the first century, the churches of Christ remain devoted to the cause of the first gospel sermon preached by Peter and the other apostles.

He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. (John 12:48)

Judged By The Word

Judgment must always be measured by an appropriate discipline of law. When judgments are made without cause, the conclusion is biased and corrupted. There can be no legality to unrighteous judgments as the law must bear an honest case against the accused. In the courts of men, cases are thrown out because the judgment was tainted with a corrupted or misguided conclusion based upon lack of evidence or misapplied law. This is not uncommon in the legal systems of men. The reason for the imperfection of human justice is because of the imperfection of the wisdom of men. Appeals are made in the hope that some mistake was made in the series of evidentiary discovery which may overturn a conviction. Sometimes appeals are made after a person has served a long time in prison and is released due to irregularities in the process of the case. The judgment was corrupted.

There is a great day coming when all men will stand before the Creator of the universe and give an account of their lives. This is as certain as death. Denying a judgment does not change the reality of the judgment no more than denying death will stop a man from dying. The resurrection of Jesus Christ affirms the certainty of a day of reckoning. On this day, all men will stand before the peering eyes of the Lord God who will look into every soul and judge according to one standard – the word. Jesus taught His disciples that on the final day of judgment, every man will be judged by the word of God. It will be not based upon popularity or how famous the person was in life. The greatest heroes of men will stand shoulder to shoulder with the poor beggar forgotten by the world. Judgment will not come from the pages of Wall Street or the financial markets of the world. Rich men will stand alongside the poorest people of the world. The great day of the Lord will bring kings, dictators, rulers, and presidents to stand in the multitude of servants, workers, common men and women, and all walks of life. There will be no distinction made.

As the mass of humanity from Adam to the coming of Christ stand before the Lord, every man and woman will be judged by the same measure in the same rule under the same authority. The word of God will be the judgment. Abraham and Lot will be judged by the word as will the person reading this article. You and I will be judged with the same word as will Charlemagne, Shakespeare, George Washington, Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, and David Valdes. Catherine Scruggs will be measured by the word of God. The rule of God’s word will determine the eternal destiny of all the Presidents of the United States. It is the same word without deviation. While men have lived in different dispensations of God’s revelation (Abraham, Moses, and the first-century saints), the word will judge them all. Everyone born this year and the year to come will be judged by the word.

What makes the judgment powerful is there will be no mistakes and there will be no appeals. The word of God is perfect. Judging the hearts of men will be accomplished through a perfect law because the Lord is perfect. He is omniscient in the dealings of men. His word perfectly attributes guilt or innocent to all men. Every judgment made will be the right decision and no soul judged will think the judgment unfair. The word of God determines only two decisions to be rendered in judgment. There will either be words of blessing or words of condemnation. All those who are judged by the word and found faithful will know why they are saved. Sadly, every soul that hears the words of doom to everlasting torment will agree the sentence is just and right. There will be no souls in hell who do not believe they deserve the judgment of the Lord. And finally, they will know there will be no appeals. The word of God is perfect and there is nothing to appeal to. Salvation is just and right. Condemnation is just and right. The word of God affirms the doctrine of salvation and condemnation to those who live to help them decide what the word of God says when they die. Judgment is coming. Those who reject Jesus Christ and refuse to receive His words has that which judges them – the word that He has spoken will judge all men in the last day.

Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. (1 Corinthians 4:1-5)

Seeking The Praise Of God

The apostle Paul had his critics. There were those in the church who did not accept him as an apostle and some judged the former persecutor with a suspicious eye. Paul was not an orator as Apollos. His presence was weak and his speech some considered contemptible. He ruffled a few feathers along the way because his preaching did not tickle the ears of human reasoning. The message of Paul was directed to the cross of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Nothing else mattered. He describes to the saints in Corinth the work of preaching is like a man who plants the seed while another man waters the efforts of the seed planter with God giving the increase for the glory of the kingdom. Each man has a role that he fits into the scheme of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like building a structure, every man has a role in establishing a foundation and building upon those efforts. The conclusion is that whether the man is Paul, Apollos, and Peter, everything works together for the cause of Christ with no man receiving the glory.

Paul had a single purpose in mind in his work of preaching. He sought to live in such a manner that would bring glory to God. Apollos and Paul were servants of the same Lord serving the same purpose as faithful stewards of the mystery of Christ. The judgment of men was not the criteria of Paul’s preaching but if he pleased God. Whether any man on earth would commend the apostle for his work, his many trips in difficult places, and all the sufferings he endured for the cause of Christ was not a concern from him. He wanted to receive praise from God and that is all that mattered. Each man will receive praise from God as the discerner of the hidden things of darkness and the revelation of the hearts’ counsel. Praise of men was of no value. Receiving praise from God was eternal.

During the ministry of Jesus, many people believed in Him including some of the Jewish leaders. But they would not admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. The reason was as old as mankind: they loved human praise more than the praise of God. They found the worth of human honor more appealing than the eternal praise of God. Sadly, this caused them to reject Jesus refusing to confess Him before men. Praise comes from either men or God; one is temporary while the other is eternal. Men can accomplish great things in life and make a name for themselves but to what end? Preachers can be adored by thousands of people and yet to confess the doctrine of Christ. They will soon be forgotten as they pass into eternity but the Lord will not forget. Paul is remembered today not because he gained the attention of men but that he pleased the Lord and gained praise from God.

All things will be laid bare before the judgment bar of the Lord God. In that final day of reckoning, nothing will matter in the minds of men and women who made a name for themselves on this side of eternity. God will not be impressed by how many books they wrote and how large their television or internet audience was and how big a house they lived in. In the heart of every human being standing for the great I AM, the question will be: will I receive praise from the Father? At that moment and at that time that is all that matters. The truth is – this is all that matters now. Don’t wait to find out too late how important the praise of God is. Do not please men. Seek the praise of God.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

His Life

Jesus is the Son of God. He is God. His divinity is proclaimed by the manifestations of His power over everything in this world and the spiritual world. The sacrifice of Jesus is the foundation of faith for every believer. His death, burial and resurrection affirm the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and in like manner as He was raised from the dead, all saints will rise in the last day. When Jesus bowed His head on the cross and said, “It is finished,” the will of God was completed. From the dawn of time until that moment cloaked in darkness the Lord unfolded the plan to redeem from sin all those who would come to Him. Jesus became the lamb that was slain. His blood cleanses and purifies the soul. Everything from Genesis to the Revelation is a proclamation of the story of Jesus.

It is easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. Examining the story of Jesus, the Bible reveals Him to be the Son of Man. He came to serve others. He would die for the sins of all mankind. What can easily be lost in the knowledge of the deity of Jesus is the matter of HIS LIFE. God became flesh and dwelt among men as a man. Jesus entered the world in the same fashion as all men. His conception was a great miracle but the Son of God grew in the womb of Mary as all babies grow. She delivered her child in the fashion as all women. The little baby Jesus had to learn to walk and talk and care for Himself. He was educated like other Jewish boys and learned many things about carpentry from his carpenter father, Joseph. Jesus enjoyed certain foods and probably disliked other foods (like brussels sprouts). He enjoyed long walks, quiet evenings and talking to His brothers and sisters. Jesus admired His loving parents and their diligent care for Him. It seems very probable sometime before the ministry of Jesus, Joseph died and the eldest Son would take a role of caring for the family. Jesus cried. He hungered, knew thirst and enjoyed a good night’s sleep.

The life of Jesus was a life most common to all men. If He were in a crowd of people, no one would know that He was divine. His face did not glow and there was not a light above His head. There was nothing on the outside that made the people think He was different. His speech was like the people of Galilee as was the manner of His dress. He had a deep sense of understanding that made Him stand out in a crowd. At the age of twelve, He astonished the religious teachers at the temple with His knowledge of scripture. There can be little doubt He continued to amaze those who talked with Him about the world and spiritual matters. In every way, Jesus lived a life as common as any other man from Nazareth.

To understand fully the sacrifice of Jesus is to know His life. When the Romans nailed Him to a cross, they looked upon Him as a criminal like the other two crucified with Him. Jesus felt the searing pain of His persecutors because He was in the flesh. God suffering at the hands of what He created. When He hung on the cross and saw His mother, Mary, He was moved with compassion. He asked John to care for His mother. What memories flooded His mind as He remembered the soothing sound of Mary’s voice singing songs to Him, teaching Him to pray, and telling Him the stories of the Hebrews. Jesus gave His life – and what a gift He gave. God became flesh and offered His flesh to redeem all men. To know the love of God is to know the life of Jesus and what He experienced as a man. He was willing to leave the ivory palaces of the divine presence of His Father and give His life a ransom for many. Thank God for the LIFE of Jesus.

And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ (Acts 26:14)

Kicking Against The Goads

Beasts of burden have been a common picture of rural life since the beginning of time. Man was given dominion over the animals and utilizing their great strength and endurance, he was able to subdue the land and carve out for himself means of survival. The oxen were an especially durable animal used often in plowing the land but it was also a very stubborn and rebellious creature. Jabal, son of Lamech (early descendant of Adam) is noted as the father of those who dwelt in tents and had livestock. He would have learned early how stubborn the oxen would be. It is uncertain who invented the first goad, but it seems like a practical solution to a persistent problem.

A goad is a length of wood about eight feet long. In time goads had iron spikes attached to the end or would sharpen the end of the wood to prod the animal to move. It is the nature of oxen to be stubbornly refusing to walk but a well-placed goad encouraged the beasts to continue moving. However, instinctively, feeling the sharp jab of the goad, an ox would kick against the goad resisting the prodding. The animal continued to move but it was unhappy at the pain inflicted by the goad and fought the plowman’s efforts. Fighting the goad did not solve the problem as the plowman would continue to enforce the goad. The only thing the ox accomplished was to hurt himself. It did not change its station in life.

Jesus used the proverbial saying of goading oxen to ask Saul of Tarsus why he continued to fight against the church dragging off men and women to prison. Saul was intent on destroying those who followed Jesus Christ and was quite effective in his passion. When Jesus came to Saul on the road to Damascus, He enforced a clear lesson for the zealous Jew to know that all he was doing was hurting himself. In the first place, his efforts to destroy the church were powerless. There was nothing Saul could do that would change the divine plan of God. Any resistance to the cause and will of God would be fruitless. Like an ox kicking against the goad, Saul was only hurting himself. He would later recall how vehemently he persecuted the church and how great a sinner he was for what he did.

Albert Barnes said of the expression to kick against the goads is to rebel “against lawful authority, and thus getting into greater difficulty by attempting to oppose the commands to duty.” Saul’s persecution of the church is the same malady experienced by those who reject the clear teaching of the gospel and the word of God. Refusing to obey the commands of God does not change the law of God. Attempting to resist the will of the Father will never change the mind of the Father. Trying to save oneself by good deeds is commendable but will never save a man. Believing that a person can live with the carnal pleasures of the world and be acceptable to the righteousness of the Lord will never bring one into a holy covenant with God. Changing the church to fit the ideals of human wisdom does not mean the church of Christ is diminished. There is only one body and one church and that has not changed in two thousand years. Opposing God and refusing to submit to the authority and will of the Father will only bring the disapproval and wrath of God.

Kicking against the goads is a common malady. The nature of man is to resist. He wants to rule his own life. His wisdom seems greater than the wisdom of God. Most refuse to accept the authority of God in their lives and like the ox, kick against the goading of God’s word – but to no avail. The ox resists the goad but they are still shackled to the plow and they still serve the will of the plowman. This will not change because all that man can hope to be is an obedient servant of the divine master who is the Lord God. The goad can be painful but the blessings of those who lovingly guide the lives of the faithful are immeasurable. Submit to the goad of God and you will be blessed.

Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; And before all the people I must be glorified.’ ” So Aaron held his peace. (Leviticus 10:1-3)

The Little Things Matter

Growing up with a famous uncle should have had a great impact on the lives of two young boys. Born into a land of harsh bondage in the land of Egypt, Nadab and Abihu experienced the deprivations and severity of the Egyptian taskmasters as they forced the Hebrews to make bricks and toil in the fields. They had heard of their uncle who had been raised in the house of Pharaoh but fled when the king learned his adopted son killed an Egyptian. After forty years, Moses returned and challenged Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. After a series of incredible plagues that crippled the Egyptian nation and the final blow of a night of widespread death, Nadab and Abihu left Egypt along with nearly two million souls bound for a land of promise. The sons of Aaron saw their father ascend with Moses into that terrible mountain filled with fire, blackness and darkness and tempest and the sound as if it were a trumpet. It was so frightening the people begged for it to end.

During the long stay of Moses on the mountain, Nadab and Abihu saw their father yield to the cravings of the people who demanded gods to worship. Aaron told the people to bring gold to him and he fashioned a molded calf and an altar with a great feast of celebration. The people rose early in the morning offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to the golden calf and worshipped the idol as the god who delivered them from the land of Egypt. Their father Aaron did not restrain the people from all of their carnal desires. Suddenly, Moses appeared filled with wrath and anger. He took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder. Scattering the dust on the water, Moses demanded the people to drink. Moses publicly rebuked Aaron for his failed leadership. He then commanded the sons of Levi to kill those who refused to refrain from idolatry. At the end of the day, three thousand Hebrews were dead. Nadab and Abihu saw the penalty for disobeying the word of the Lord.

As priests, Nadab and Abihu learned the law concerning the regulations of worship. They were trained in the requirements of offerings, sacrifices, and rituals in the law of Moses. The garments worn by Nadab and Abihu were exquisite in detail artistically woven of fine linen. Attention to detail was in everything the sons of Aaron were commanded to do.

The Law of Moses was written with expectations of obedience on every page. Aaron and his sons were consecrated before the people as priests. Eight days following their consecration, the Lord demanded a sin offering and a burnt offering. After making the sacrifice, Moses and Aaron went into Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground. Then Nadab and Abihu offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded. Fire went out from the Lord and consumed Nadab and Abihu and they died before the Lord. They failed to respect the holiness of the Lord God as those allowed to come near Him and to glorify God.

Having Moses as their uncle did not save them. Being the sons of Aaron the High Priest did not protect them. Nadab and Abihu received the wrath of the Lord because they failed to consider the little things. They took their censers and put fire and incense which the Lord had not commanded and paid the price of rebellion with their lives. Everything matters to God and many times the little things are ignored by those who fail to honor the Lord with respect. Many in the religious world practice the doctrine of Nadab and Abihu when they fail to teach the little things of God’s word. The word of God is not respected as the authority. Worship is not designed according to the New Testament pattern. The organization of the body of Christ is filled with human wisdom. The little things matter to God. One of the greatest lies taught by the religious world today is salvation by faith only with a refusal to accept baptism as necessary for salvation. Faith is necessary and so is the washing away of sins in the waters of baptism. A little thing? You decide.

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)

God Still Provides In 2020

The year 2020 will be remembered as one of the most challenging years since the Great Depression. With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) raging around the world and 1.5 million deaths worldwide, the economic, political, and scientific repercussions have yet to be fully realized. The next few years will tell the measure of how great the impact of COVID-19 will be upon the world. Economies around the globe have been hard hit. Families have torn apart with the loss of industries, jobs, closures, and financial ruin. In the United States, seemingly secure business is struggling to find ways to continue amidst the social distancing and masking regulations imposed by various institutions. In many places, churches are not meeting as a result of legal impositions or decisions by leaders of the congregation to mitigate the spread of the virus. The disruption of the assembly has been a heavy burden on the church. What was taken for granted before is now a challenge to find ways to fulfill the will of the Father.

As the year draws to a close there is one truth that has remained constant. In the face of the viral turmoil of COVID-19, God has remained constant. Many parts of society have been altered permanently but the word of God remains as true as it has been from the beginning. God’s grace and providence continue to fill the world. The people of God have suffered much loss in the year 2020 but for the spiritually acute souls, it has been a year of deep reflection. God has not abandoned His people. He remains constant in the face of turmoil. Like the persecuted saints of the first century, God’s message to the beleaguered hearts of the downtrodden is that He still rules and reigns in the affairs of men. His purpose remains the same. The work of the church continues. Souls must be saved through the power of the gospel. That is God’s way of showing the world the power of His love and the purpose of His Son.

Looking at how God has continued to bless His people with courage and faith, there is a need for the family of God to remember its commitment to the will of the Father. God has remained constant in His love and He expects His children to continue their commitment to His kingdom. One such example is the reciprocation of gifts received from the Father in the manner of laying aside the bounty of giving. The churches of Macedonia were a great example to the early Christians in their example of sacrifice. In the face of a great trial of affliction, the brethren abounded in the liberality of their giving. They did not allow the present distress to dissuade them from showing God their joy in the face of deep poverty. First, they gave of themselves and then to the Lord in actions of gratitude. Paul is admonishing the church at Corinth to follow the pattern of the Macedonian churches to give as they purpose in their hearts, not grudgingly or of necessity but cheerfully pleasing God.

Laying aside the contribution to the Lord is a way to show faith and courage in the dark days of COVID-19. The work of the church will continue and His people remain obligated to fulfill their role in laying aside a gift required by the Lord. It comes from a purposed heart that trusts in the providence of the Lord. Giving during the days of peace was easy; having a trusting heart to do so in these troubled times shows a greater faith. God will generously provide all the needs of His children. They will always have everything they need and plenty left over to share with others. Christians will be enriched in every way so that they can always be generous. And when a faithful child of God ministers their gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. Don’t forget to show loyalty to the Father.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:8-11)

I Am The Alpha And The Omega

Everything about man is finite. He has a beginning and he has an end. Life begins in conception and concludes in death. Time is measured by days, weeks, months, and years. When a man dies the inscription on his tombstone reflects a beginning point and an ending time. This is the nature of man’s mortality. The habitation of man is limited by space and time. There are depths the human body is unable to bear. While technology has allowed men to explore the vast oceans of the world and walk on the moon they cannot live there. Life on the International Space Station is limited by time. The longest single stay in space is 14 months. Travel to Mars is a one-way ticket (if even possible by humanity). The nearest star to the solar system is Proxima Centauri at a distance of about 4.22 light-years (40 trillion kilometers or 2.48548477 x 10 to the 13^th power miles). And there are billions of stars in the universe. A French woman lived to be 122 years of age dying in 1997. She lived a very, very long life but she died. Everything about man is finite.

The early Christians were under the heavy hand of persecution and the Lord comes to the apostle John with a revelation to give hope and peace to the tormented saints. In the book of the Revelation, God reassures His children that life will be hard, filled with great trials and adversity and many will suffer great hardships for the cause of Christ. The reality of persecution is the inability to see a larger picture of what these trials will mean in the greater scheme of God’s plan. Faced with torture and cruelty, the early disciples needed the courage to endure to the end and to see hope in the victory of Jesus Christ. The Revelation will unfold the “behind-the-scenes” divine will of God for His church which the suffering saints could not see. To bolster the faith of His people, Jesus declares at the beginning of His message that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end; and He has a message for them. The Greek alphabet has 24 letters including seven vowels. Alpha is the first letter and Omega the last. Jesus declares that He is the Alpha and the Omega because He is not finite, He has no beginning and He has no end. He is everything.

The reassurance needed by the early Christians was to remember that the Divine was from eternity to eternity. Man was created on the sixth day but God existed before the first day. The history of mankind began when God formed man from the dust of the ground. This is the emphasis of the Alpha and the Omega to see that God existed before the creation of man. All men die and even though Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, he died. God does not die. The Divine has power and presence beyond death. The span of man’s life is limited in every way but God is unlimited in everything. There is no comparison to how great God is and how small man is. As someone said, “Oh God how large your ocean and how small my boat.” The infinite wisdom of God is beyond the scope of human knowledge. His power is so great the same sun, moon, and stars beheld by Adam and Eve on the first day of their creation is the same sun, moon, and stars filling the sky today.

Jesus is telling the Christians that He is the beginning and the end as the totality of all things measured by the will of God in the affairs of men. There is nothing men should fear when they serve the One who fills the time with His presence. No ocean is so deep the Lord cannot dwell. No particle of the universe is not touched by the finger of God. Life can be filled with sorrow, pain, and tears but the Alpha and the Omega will wipe away those tears. It was encouraging for the saints to be reassured that God cared for them and knew their trials. The Alpha and the Omega is larger than man. He is the entirety of all things. What is there to fear? Courage comes from knowing that the One who made the world still rules in the affairs of men. It matters not what happens in this life when the King of King and Lord of Lords rules with all power, dominion, and authority. He is the Alpha. He is the Omega. Praise God.

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:25)

There Is No Comparison

Wisdom is the quality of possessing the knowledge to discern and apply various disciplines to life. Admittedly, many people possess a higher level of knowledge than most men. Some surveys suggest the top four individuals in history who excelled in knowledge were Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and Johann Goethe. These men had an intellectual prowess far beyond the common man. Albert Einstein is famous for the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). His name is synonymous with being smart and having an incredible mind. History has been molded by the theories of Newton, the beauty and designs of da Vinci, and the conclusions of Einstein. Much of the modern world still revolves around the conclusions of great men who shaped the course of humanity. While the lives of great men and women who lived genius lives are admired and sought after, there is a rudimentary knowledge that young children possess and common men and women have that far exceed the greatest minds in history. The foolishness of God is greater than the heights of man’s wisdom.

In 1969, an incredible human accomplishment took place when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. Few things come close to how human wisdom was able to transport three men to the moon and back especially considering the technology available at the time. What is forgotten is who put the moon there in the first place. Science has launched spacecraft to deep recesses of the universe and put machines on Mars sending back incredible pictures. By comparison, the wisdom of man has put a few men on the moon, perused the Martian terrain and opened the depths of the seas, and unraveled many mysteries of disease but cannot explain the order of the universe, its creation, and the love of God. The story of a carpenter from a small Galilean village of Nazareth who lived two thousand years ago does not cause a ripple in the curious wisdom of humanity. If the story is to be believed, this itinerant early century teacher was convicted as a criminal and executed by the Roman government. Where is the wisdom in that story?

The comparison between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of man is separated by such a wide chasm there is no tool to measure the infinite disparity of the two. At best, the foolishness of the Divine is greater than all the minds of humanity since the beginning of time – combined. It’s like comparing an atomic particle of dust (human wisdom) to the expanse of the known universe (God’s wisdom) and that pales in comparison. Jesus Christ dying on a cross does not compute to the wisdom of men. It makes no sense. There is no purpose. To most of humanity in the last two thousand years, the death of Jesus was of little or no consequence. Human wisdom could not and would not accept a story so outlandish. And yet in the story of the gospel of Jesus, the incredible wisdom of God is found.

To those who are drawn to the cross of Jesus, there is power. The wisdom of God unfolds every day through creation. When the heart spends time in the word of God, the value of God’s wisdom fortifies and solidifies the soul with peace, knowledge, understanding, joy, and hope. Human wisdom cannot give this. Only through the word of God will man find his role in life and the answers to what is beyond the vale of death. Great men can change the world and leave their mark on the pages of history. But the real question is what happened when Albert Einstein died and discovered the world beyond the grave. How important was the theory of relativity? The only thing relative to Einstein at the moment of his death was his relationship with God. That is the wisdom of God compared to the wisdom of man. The wisdom of man ceases at death. Knowing the wisdom of God will take one safely through the valley of the shadow of death. I love the foolishness and weakness of God because it makes me wiser and stronger.

A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

Who We Are Is What We Are

There is one thing in life that we had no choice in yet defines everything about us. The choice of being born was made by our parents and the name given in birth was not by our design but the will of others. We learn early to recognize the name when it is used. From a young age, children respond to a name. Like blank pages of a book, a child’s mind is receptive to the language that identifies them without regard to the meaning. All children are born with an open and receptive mind to accept whatever culture they are born into. A child born in a German family will respond to the German language much like a child born to an Italian family will grow up speaking Italian. No one tells them why they speak the language. They accept it as natural. The name given is the same identifying marker that separates them from all the billions of people on earth. A name is who we are in the world we grow up and identify with.

The influence of a name is determined by what a person does with that name. A name begins as a neutral identity with no significance or importance. If the character or reputation of the person becomes evil, the name becomes evil. In April of 1889, a little boy was born to Alois and Klara Hitler that was as unassuming as any boy in Austria. However, the name Adolf Hitler is synonymous with evil and hatred. In the late 1700s, a family migrated from a German village near the French border to America where the family would settle in Kansas. The family moved to Texas for a short time where they had a son born whom they called Dwight David Eisenhower. This name would be recognized as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe that would help bring World War 2 to a conclusion. Dwight Eisenhower would become the 34th President of the United States. His name is respected in the annals of history as a soldier and leader of the free world.

There are many things to seek in life, but the only thing left on a marble headstone is a name and a date. The name inscribed speaks to the volume of life. It speaks to the character, reputation, and influence of the person. When all is said and done, all that a person leaves behind is their name. Solomon writes that a good name is better than anything a man may attain in life. A costly perfume will pass away but a good name will endure. The day of death is what seals a name in the eternal vault of knowledge. It takes a lifetime to create a good name but only a moment to destroy it. King David is remembered as a man after God’s own heart but his name will always be soiled with the story of Bathsheba. A good name is hard to come by and even harder to keep.

The Bible begins with a name. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The Lord identifies Himself immediately by telling a man what His name is. This name must be revered and honored and respected. The end of the Bible also includes a name: the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything between Genesis and the Revelation is about the name of divinity. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit give their names to identify who they are and what they have done for mankind. Every child is given a name by their parents and God will use that name to either inscribe it on the pages of the Book of Life or to cast it away from Him. God knows the names of every person that lives on the earth and He will recall that name on the final day of judgment. The day of death seals our names in eternity. What we did with that name will determine our destiny whether it is a good name or an evil name. That decision is yours. What you do with your name is who you are and who you will become. A good name is to be treasured above all things.