The Heaton File

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:1-2)

Faithful Brethren

The church at Colosse had a long list of saints who excelled in their service to Christ. Paul addresses the people of God as faithful brethren as being individuals who could be trusted for their pattern of faith and love of truth. Not only were they obedient servants of the Lord, but their lives also reflected an allegiance to the cause of the kingdom and the work of the church. Paul includes in his letter commendations for Epaphras who he called a fellow servant and a faithful minister of Christ. This was a man the church could depend on for his commitment to the work of the church in Colosse. As a faithful brother, Epaphras was a man who showed by his love of the truth that whenever there was a need to be met in the vineyard of God, he would stand ready to help.

There were many other people Paul commended for their service to the work of the Lord. Tychicus was a faithful minister and was very useful for Paul to keep the church in Colosse informed both on their work and the efforts of Paul. Onesimus was a slave that had run away from his master, Philemon. In a providential act of kindness, the slave came in contact with Paul and obeyed the gospel. The apostle wrote a letter to Philemon exhorting him to receive his slave back as a fellow citizen of the kingdom and now commends Onesimus as a faithful and beloved brother. At one time the slave was undependable. Now he is one whose name is preserved through the ages as a man who could be depended upon in the work of God. Paul lists others who were helpful to him: Aristarchus, John Mark, Jesus who is called Justus, Luke, Demas, the brethren in Laodicea and Nymphas, and the church that was in his house. These were faithful brethren who by their diligent efforts were blessings to the church at Colosse because of their willingness to be counted ready to serve.

The local congregation is much like an orchestra. In every orchestra, many parts make up the symphony of instruments. Imagine a conductor trying to create music when many of the individuals of the orchestra cannot be relied upon to come to practice, bring their instruments, or be a part of the symphony. It would be extremely difficult for the music to be harmonious when the brass section fails to show up. If the string section does not bring their instruments it would be of little use for them to be there. Great music is made when everyone is doing their part. Successful orchestras come from individuals committed to the work of the symphony and the music. What the church needs today are faithful brethren committed to the work of the church. The church at Colosse had some great people who were dedicated to the work of the kingdom. They were men and women who could be depended upon.

Faithful brethren are saints who can be relied on to be involved in the church. Their attendance is not a sporadic event that only happens if something else does not come in the way. In the world of pleasure-seeking, so many things can take the mind away from the cause of Christ. The local church will have a difficult time growing when its members cannot be relied upon to show up. Often if they do show up they come late causing disruption. Bible class teachers cannot come to class on time. Company coming over or visits by family members keep people from coming to church. Shopping excursions go late on Sunday and services are missed. A real plague in the church is the misguided notion that a job excuses one from assembling with the saints. There are plenty of excuses given why the brethren cannot be depended upon. It comes down to a matter of allegiance. What is first in the heart of the saint is what is seen in the life of the Christian.

The church at Colosse was blessed with men and women who were committed to the cause of Christ in a world that was not accepting them. They were faithful – not only because they were saints – but they could be depended upon to be involved in the work of the church. Homes were places of hospitality, conversations led to talking about the gospel, invitations were extended from hands that were working in the kingdom, and hearts were guided by their deep love for God. What the church needs today are more faithful brethren who are willing to work – not play.

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. (Psalm 27:10)

A Father Who Will Never Fail

Some passages jump off the page. David’s psalm of faith is one of them. It is almost a startling read when he declares if his father and mother forsake him as if that could happen that draws the attention of the reader to his message. He recognizes there is no fear when the Lord is the light and salvation. No matter what the wicked try to do against him, David will not fear. Everything about the son of Jesse is to seek the Lord and dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. God’s protection overshadows His servants as the Lord places His people high upon a rock. There is reason to sing praises to the Lord for His power, might, and dominion over all those who oppose Him and that seek to harm His people.

God desires men to seek Him and David did everything in his power to seek the face of the Lord. Throughout his life, David trusted in the providential provisions of the heavenly Father to care for him and protect him. His level of trust was so great that he proclaims that even if the worst thing that could happen would come into his life – his parents forsake him – the Lord would take care of him. Human fathers are not perfect. Little is known about Jesse and nothing is known about David’s mother. The depth of faith abiding in David would have come from parents who devoted their lives to training their children in the paths of righteousness. David was a man after God’s own heart not by sheer chance but the diligent work of his father and mother instilled a deep faith in the Lord God of Israel. Without knowing much about his parents it seems clear the parents of David were righteous people.

David honored his parents by his life but the purpose of his life was not to please his parents but to please God. There is no doubt he owed much of his faith to the training of his father and the hymns of his mother. David made his faith his own. He understood that as vital as the faith of his parents, his life would be judged on the merits of his faith. He does not suggest in the psalm his parents had forsaken him. His faith is so established in the Lord that he honors his parents but obedient faith would be found in the Lord alone. Jesse was a good father but he made mistakes. God was a loving father who never made mistakes. David’s trust was in God alone.

Faith is a personal possession. Parents should be honored for their faith and the training they give their children. The scriptures are filled with instructions of fathers not to provoke their children to wrath but to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Mothers are the law of the Lord bound continually upon the heart. No child should be without these qualities of righteous parents. David knew that if his parents failed him, his heavenly Father would never forsake him. He believed that God would always take care of him regardless of how life changed. Examining the life of David, it is easy to see how deep his trust in the Lord becomes. When challenged by Nathan for the sins committed with Bathsheba, David knew he could trust in God. He learned this defeating the bear and the lion and standing before Goliath. God never failed David and this man of God tried very hard never to fail God. If all the world forsakes you, God will take care of you.

But he answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you” … And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth … Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” … And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:12,30,41,46)

What Jesus Said About Hell

Before Jesus was born the angel of the Lord announced to Joseph the son to be born of Mary would save His people from their sins. An angel of the Lord named Gabriel came to the virgin Mary telling her the son to be born through the Holy Spirit would be great and called the Son of the Highest. At the birth of Jesus, the angels sang before the shepherds the news of glory to God in the highest and on earth peace with goodwill toward men. There would be great joy when the Savior of the world was born and the message of God’s saving grace would bathe the world with joy. Three decades after His birth, the Son of God began to teach the people the will of the Father.

When Jesus finished His mountain sermon, the people were astonished and amazed at his message for He taught them as one with authority, unlike their teachers of religious law. The multitudes and religious leaders who came to hear the man from Nazareth teach soon learned His message was clear, concise, and forthright and emboldened with the power of God. Jesus taught about love and forgiveness and the mercy of God. But He also did not accept the hypocrisy of the Pharisees or the veiled threats of His accusers lightly and His preaching had an edge of strictness. His preaching became more targeted as He drew closer to the cross. Three days before His death, Jesus told His disciples about the coming judgment of His Father upon the world. There was no mincing of words in His message.

Jesus used parables to impress upon the hearts of the people His message. The parables of the fig tree, the days of Noah, the faithful, and evil servant warn the disciples of the uncertainty but the suddenness of the coming of judgment. Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins to warn of being unprepared for the final day followed by the parable of the Lord who gave three servants responsibilities and the judgment when he returned. In his final parable of sheep and goats, Jesus brings home the reality of divine judgment upon all nations gathered before the throne of the King. A constant theme throughout was the Son of God warning the people there will be consequences to those who refuse to obey the will of the Father.

When the Son of God comes all the tribes of the earth will mourn. In the days of Noah, many were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day came and took them all away. They died in the flood. If the wicked servant says in his heart the master is delayed and begins beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come and cut him in two where there will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. The five foolish virgins will come late to the bridegroom’s door because they were unprepared and hear the words, “I do not know you.” When the one talent man returned his talent to the Lord, he was called a wicked and lazy servant. His talent was taken from him and the unprofitable servant was cast into the outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Finally, in the judgment scene of the shepherd dividing the sheep on the right and the goats on the left, Jesus tells the multitudes those who are lost will hear the words, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” These will go away into everlasting punishment.

Believing Jesus is the Son of God demands accepting all the teachings of Christ. There is much to learn from the life of Jesus about forgiveness, love, kindness, compassion, and abundant mercy. Jesus loved to spend time with children. He disavowed the hatred of the downtrodden and dispossessed people of His day. The Samaritan woman learned the man at the well was a man of eternal compassion and wisdom. But the message of Jesus also taught there are consequences to sin and the heavenly Father will punish those who do not do His will. From the mountain sermon to His final lessons before the cross, Jesus taught everlasting punishment as the consequence of sin. There will be no mercy for the disobedient. Jesus taught and affirmed the word of His Father that a place of eternal torment is real and most people will find their eternal destiny in the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Hell is real. God is not willing that anyone should perish but they will lose their soul if they do not obey the word of God. Jesus affirmed and taught this message. Repent. Believe. Obey. Prepare. A great day is coming.

And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” (1 Samuel 1:12-16)

Misjudgments And Misrepresentations

In the final days of the judges in Israel, Eli was high priest in the sanctuary at Shiloh and also served as a judge to the people for forty years. The story of Eli is always secondary to other stories revolving around him. When the scriptures introduce Eli it is to frame the story around the birth of Samuel and the beginning of the final days of a judge ruling the people of God. A certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, named Elkanah had two wives. The first was Hannah and the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was barren as the Lord had closed her womb. Elkanah would always give Hannah a double portion when it came time to make an offering. The rivalry between Peninnah and Hannah was severe as Peninnah taunted and made fun of Hannah as they went to the tabernacle year after year. Hannah would be reduced to tears refusing to eat.

On one occasion as Hannah came to the tabernacle to pray, she was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. Eli, sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle, watched Hannah as she prayed. The priest was struck by the mood of Hannah as he watched her lips move but hearing no sound. Eli assumed that Hannah was drunk because of the manner of her disposition. Had the high priest seen others come to pray before the Lord in an inebriated condition? Did he think such a righteous woman would come before the Lord in a drunken state? Eli assumed by what he saw that Hannah had too much to drink and rebuked her to throw away her wine and be sober. He misjudged her actions by what he thought he saw.

Hannah was shocked by the affront of Eli proclaiming her innocence that she was a woman of sorrowful spirit. She had come to the place of God to plead for a son to dedicate to the Lord his entire lifetime. The childless years had left her destitute and discouraged. Her only hope was in the grace of God to grant her a son so that he could serve the glory of the Father. She tells Eli she is not drunk but rather a woman pouring out her heart to the Lord. Hannah would never present herself before others as a wicked or worthless woman who got drunk. Her soul was lamenting her childless condition and her actions were pure and holy as she prayed before the Lord. Eli blessed Hannah and the Lord granted her prayer for a son when she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel.

It is easy to make misjudgments when all the facts are not known. Eli assumed he knew what Hannah was doing when he looked upon her face but he wrongly judged her without first inquiring of her. The Lord warns against unrighteous judgments that defame the character of others before taking the beam out of one’s own eye. False charges given by evil hearts have ruined many a righteous soul. The Jewish leaders accused Jesus of being a glutton and a winebibber and a friend of the tax collectors and sinners. They were only partially right because Jesus was a friend to the downcast but how they could accuse the Son of Man to excessive eating and drinking was an incredible stretch even for them. Eli erred when he assumed a truth that was a lie. The child of God should always be ready to see the good in people and to assume the best before making final judgments of character assassination. There are many misjudgments made when men hastily assume what they do not know.

Hannah defended her character by saying that she would never leave the impression that she was a worthless woman. Her definition of a wicked woman was a person who got drunk. It may be a cultural reaction to have more disdain for a drunken woman than a drunken man but Hannah made the distinction about a holy person engaging in unholy things. It was an affront to her desire to live a holy life to have Eli accusing her of being worthless. The apostle Paul would exhort the saints at Corinth to abstain from every form of evil. Hannah knew the power of example. She did not want Eli or anyone to think of her as being wicked. Everything in her life was given to God’s glory and His praise. It would seem a good lesson for men and women today to follow the example of Hannah to refrain from those things that show their hearts as worldly and carnal. Social drinking never convinces a non-believer that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. So much of the life of a Christian reflects either a godly attitude or a character compromised on the altar of worldliness. Hannah did not want to present anything that would damage her example of godliness.

A final lesson is to know that even when the heart is doing all that can be done for the glory of God; a wicked and sinful world will accuse and charge impropriety of character. This is exemplified in the life of Jesus. He lived a sinless life and the Jews hated Him, despised Him and had Him murdered on a Roman cross. He taught His disciples if the world hated Him the world would hate them also. Everyone who desires to live a righteous life will enjoy the blessings of the heavenly Father and may have to endure the suffering of persecution from others. Like Hannah, the only person that mattered was God. Live a pure example. Answer the critics. Ignore the false charges. Serve the Lord. Keep praying. Someone will realize you are praying and want to know more.

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. (1 Peter 5:1)

Was The Apostle Peter A Family Man?

One of the first disciples called by Jesus was Simon, son of Jonah. His brother Andrew was a fisherman and the two brothers worked the Sea of Galilee with James and John, sons of Zebedee. Peter and Andrew belonged to Bethsaida as did Philip. A few miles from Bethsaida was the city of Capernaum where Jesus would spend much of His time. It was early in the ministry of Jesus when the Lord came to Capernaum and after teaching in the synagogue, came to the home of Peter. When Jesus arrived He found Peter’s mother-in-law sick with a high fever. After being asked to care for her, Jesus rebuked the fever and she was healed. This is the first indication that Peter was a married man. Nothing is said of the other apostles in scripture whether they were married or not but it does show that being married did not prohibit a man from serving as an apostle of Jesus Christ.

When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he defended his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ with the same qualities as the original apostles. In his defense, Paul argues the apostles had the right to bring believing wives along with them in their work as do the brothers of Jesus and Peter. He singles out Peter to show that during the early church Peter and Mrs. Peter were very active in the work of the kingdom. The scriptures are silent to the name of Peter’s wife and where she was from. However, the scriptures are not silent to the existence of Peter’s marital status. He had a wife and she was a very important part of his life.

Two of the letters written by Peter are preserved by the Holy Spirit and it is in the first epistle that Peter affirms his family status. He exhorted men who served as elders or bishops of the Lord’s church to shepherd the flock of God to oversee the work of the kingdom. Peter calls them his “fellow elders” showing that Peter not only was a preacher of the gospel and apostle, but the son of Jonah also served as an elder of the church. The scriptures do not suggest he was the elder or bishop of the church but a fellow elder along with other men. From the writings of the apostle Paul we learn what it takes to become an elder or bishop of the church.

Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus describe the character of an elder. To Timothy, Paul says an elder must be the husband of one wife, one who rules his own house well and have his children in submission with all reverence. Writing to Titus Paul exhorts the preacher to ordain elders in every city and these men were to be the husbands of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. According to Paul, an elder and bishop are the same office as well as being an overseer. To obey the will of God, an elder must be married and have faithful children. If Peter was a fellow elder, he would be required to be married and have faithful children. There is no doubt Peter was a family man.

There are many false teachings about Peter that are contradicted from the scriptures. Peter was never a Pope or leader of the church. He served as preacher, apostle, and elder along with his wife and children. One would want to know more about the woman married to Peter and how full her constitution must have been. Did Peter have sons that followed in their father’s footsteps as preachers and elders? Were there daughters in the life of Peter (he would have been tempered by having more girls than boys)? The scriptures are silent but only to the names and details of the family. It is easy to see a progression of maturity from the Peter of the gospels to the Peter of the epistles. This would have come from the impact of having a wife and children that would make the impetuous man of the early days become a mature and serious man of older years. A wife can do that. So can children. Peter was a family man. What a great thought.

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3)

Entrusted Once For All Time

In the last two thousand years, the church has undergone significant changes in the worship, organization, purpose, and design of the original New Testament pattern. Clear divisions exist among believers in Christ as each group carves out their specific brand of teaching. Names vary from the Roman Catholic Church to groups calling themselves Baptists, Evangelical, Holiness, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Lutheran, Methodist, Mormon, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Unitarians. None of the Protestant churches are older than five-hundred years with the first break away from Roman Catholicism of Martin Luther and the beginning of the Lutheran Church in the year 1530. If a person lived in 1492 they could not be a Baptist or Methodist because those churches (among all the rest of Protestantism) did not exist.

The Holy Spirit warned of a great apostasy that would come soon after the first century. In a slow progression of departing from the faith, doctrines like forbidding marrying and commanding to abstain from foods began to form the mother of spiritual harlots called the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. For fifteen-hundred years the Roman Catholic Church held the western world in an iron grip of oppression, immorality, corruption, and murder of millions of innocence – all in the name of God. Martin Luther was not the first to oppose the Catholics but his work galvanized the movement that would be called a period of reformation. Every denomination owes its origins to the period of reformation.

There is one thing that makes each religious group distinctive with their own brand of faith: their creeds of faith. The Roman Catholic Church has its Catechisms and Councils (21 of those) along with the decrees of the Pope that form its body of teachings. It is impossible (unequivocally) that a man can become a Catholic if he uses the Bible and the Bible alone. As the Protestant churches began to develop, men began writing their own doctrines to formulate the orchestration of faith that made them distinctive. Each group developed their Confessions, Creeds, Disciplines, and dogmas that make them unique from other religious groups.  If a man follows the teachings of the Pope, he cannot become a Methodist. Guided by the doctrines of the Lutheran Church a man could never be a Baptist. Accepting the teachings of Joseph Smith will only make a man a Mormon and nothing else. Jehovah’s Witnesses use their own brand of scripture (Watchtower) that teaches what they believe. Each religious group has its own method of using the Bible to create what they call themselves and how they worship the Lord in tandem with man-made dogmas defining their particular doctrines. It is impossible to cross-pollinate one faith to another. Baptists teach Baptists doctrine that makes a man or woman a Baptist; not a Methodist or Lutheran.

It is easy to see why many in the world are confused with the modern view of religion. While tones of unity are played before the world that all Protestant churches are united under the flag of Jesus Christ the reality of truth is that unity demands a common faith. There is no common faith among churches that divide over doctrines, practices, names, and leadership. If Catholics and Methodists are united as one (for example) will the Methodist be willing to obey the edicts of the Pope? Will the Methodist churches begin to practice the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church? This is impossible because there is no common faith among the churches of men. What makes a man a Baptist will not make him a Lutheran or Mormon. And the list goes on.

There is an answer to the division of religious groups found in the one book that can unify all men. The New Testament writer Jude wrote to those who were called, sanctified by God, and preserved in Jesus Christ of the common salvation found in the faith of Jesus Christ. He exhorted the brethren to contend not with one another but to contend earnestly for the faith that God had entrusted once for all time to his holy people. Jude seemed to think that God had given the early Christian’s everything they needed to know about salvation. The creeds of men were not necessary. If a person can read the Bible and become a follower of Jesus Christ, why is there a need for the Pope, catechisms, disciplines, manuals, another testament of Jesus Christ, or any other thing to save a man? Can the Bible alone make a man a Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Mormon, Baptist, or any other man-made religion? Let the Bible stand on its own foundation. The common salvation was once delivered to all the saints two thousand years ago and man needs nothing else to be saved.

And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. (Revelation 22:4)

What Does God Look Like?

There are many things about eternal life that are beyond the ability of man to understand. The expanse of eternity – how can that be explained within the realm of human knowledge? Possessing an incorruptible body? Existing without dying is beyond the scope of wrapping the mind around. Everything about eternal life is so far above the imagination of man that it seems incapable of grasping. On top of the list of experiences enjoyed by every saved person is the knowledge that everyone will get to see the face of God. For the first time, the soul of a man will peer into the depths of the visage of the Creator, the Lord God Almighty, the Jealous God who spewed His wrath upon the disobedient and saved the righteous. When the Hebrews camped at Mt. Sinai they saw a glimpse of the awesome power of God. Moses was granted a cursory glimpse of the passing glory of the Lord but was unable to see God face to face. The imagery of God is so powerful that if a man gazed at the face of the Lord they would die instantly. There is no comparison of humanity looking at the face of God outside the eternal realm.

Heaven is a place of wonder. It is filled with the majesty of the eternal God who was, who is, and who will always be. God existed before the worlds were formed. He watched over the human story from the beginning of time in an ageless existence of grace, mercy, love, justice, and wrath. Throughout the lineage of men, those who obeyed God found peace, and those who turned away from the Maker were destroyed. The scriptures talk about the eyes of the Lord, His ears that hear the plaintive cry of His people, and when God spoke the world was created. He smelled the soothing aroma of the sacrifice of Noah and was pleased. Daniel references the Ancient of Days as possessing hair like pure wool. That is all we know about the face of God and until the final day, nothing more will be said.

The joy of eternal life will include the ability to see the face of God. It will no longer be a mystical image of whatever the imagination can see the face of God looks like but the perfect image of the eternal God clearly outlined before all the righteous. All of the limitations of the mortal will be taken away and the immortal will gaze into the face of the eternal Father. There will be praise at the beauty of His face. Peace will fill the heart peering into the kindness of God’s face. All tears will be wiped away at the face of an eternal God who is joy and love because there will be no fear looking at the face of God. His form will be so incredible no one will be able to take their eyes away from Him. All the joys of life will be found in the blessing of seeing God face to face.

I don’t know what God looks like but I will know what He looks like when I stand before His radiance and hear His words of grace and salvation. He will call me by name and give me a crown that I may embrace a cloak of eternity as my garment. His face will be my everlasting joy as His presence will light the eternal city. I shall see His face. Lord come quickly.

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him. (Luke 22:63-65)

Jesus Did Not React

The deeper a person goes into the character and life of Jesus of Nazareth, the more incredible the stamina, reserve, and divine purpose that is found in how the Son of God obeyed the Father’s will. It is clear no man can understand the magnitude of what it would be like to command all nature and refuse to use it for reprisal. Nothing within the wisdom of man can describe the power available at the command of Jesus to call twelve legions of angels with only a word and yet He never seeks divine relief. The abuse meted out to the human frame of Jesus would destroy the temperament of the strongest of men but Jesus held His peace to carry out the eternal purpose of His Father. And all of what Jesus did and did not do centered upon the salvation of those who were inflicting the pain upon Him.

Enduring crucifixion was incredible and unimaginable torture invented by wicked hearts desiring to make a man suffer at the limits of tolerance. There are few things men have done to their fellow man that rivals the intensity of being nailed to a cross. Forgotten in the story of the crucifixion of Jesus is what happened before He was taken to Golgotha. The events leading up to His crucifixion were almost more horrendous than the final act.  What the soldiers did to Jesus before the scourging and final execution is heightened by the knowledge of whom they were performing their sadistic rituals.

Roman soldiers were the elite warriors of their day and they knew well how to destroy the spirit of a man. They took great delight in watching a man dissolve into a trembling and cowardly shell of a man as they beat him, mocked him, and treated him with great pleasure of ridicule. Many of their victims had fallen early to the brutal carnage of their abuse. They were experts at their trade. But everything changed the day Jesus of Nazareth appeared. As the man of Galilee was brought before them, they placed a cloth around His head to blindfold him. Screaming abuse and cursing at the man, they hurled insults and threats toward him. Foul language spewed from the lips as they mocked Jesus, laughing at their sport to this weakened man standing before them. They began to physically assault the man prodding him with their weapons, slapping Jesus in the face with their hands and punching their victim all over the body. Mocking Him they demanded He tell them who struck Him. Laughter filled the hall as their victim stood silently taking all of the abuse and doing nothing. Drunken soldiers screamed at Jesus, spitting on Him, beating Him and mocking Him. And Jesus did nothing.

Jesus did not react and thank God for that. The man who could calm a Galilean storm with only a word said nothing. He had the power to raise the dead and yet He stood silent to accept His own death. Thousands of tortured souls felt the healing power of His hand to take away their pain but Jesus felt every blow of the soldiers. All of heaven watched as the Son of God was mocked, beaten, blindfolded, and blasphemously spoken against, and to their wonder did absolutely nothing. Thank God.

There is no comparison to what we endure in life to how Jesus faced His greatest hour. Within His grasp was the power of all heaven and He did nothing. He knew His death was the purpose of the Father and He learned obedience by the things that He suffered – and how Jesus suffered! Jesus left an example of how to face trials and difficulties of life. He did not react when He could have because it was not the Father’s will. Jesus placed His life in the care of the will of God and never swerved from that course. There is nothing in the life of any man that will compare with where Jesus found Himself the day He sacrificed His life for the redemption of humanity. His life modeled the will of God. Can I do any less? How a man reacts says a lot about the kind of man he is. Thank God Jesus was a man who trusted in the love of His Father and did not call even one angel to destroy the world. We have eternal life because Jesus did not react to the temptation of revenge. It goes without saying again – thank God.

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” (Acts 8:35-37)

The Old And The New Are Necessary

For nearly two thousand years, the Bible has been the collection of God’s word to all humanity. No book has been written or any book that can be inscribed that will match the glory and grandeur of the book of books. Sixty-six books complete the picture of the Bible for modern man beginning with the books of Moses describing the beginning of all things to the revelation of John describing the beginning of all things eternal. Thirty-nine books fall under the heading of the Old Testament summarizing the history of the children of Abraham until four hundred years before Christ. Following the famine of words from the Lord, Jesus Christ is revealed through the gospels and His kingdom exalted in the remaining books of the New Testament. Not all the books written or inspired by the Holy Spirit are contained in the Bible but those included in the final canon of God’s will are written so that every soul can believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

It is easy to discount the importance of the Old Testament as a mere book of history. Much of what people understand about the Bible comes from a study of the New Testament. To learn about Jesus the student would begin with the four gospels. Through the epistles, the nature of Christ and His church are unfolded for the world to see God’s eternal purpose. Doctrines are established from the New Testament and guidelines are given on how to worship. Quoted most often the New Testament is the canon of faith for the Christian. However, something is missing in the story of Jesus if the Old Testament is ignored. If the Old Testament was not an invaluable source of wisdom for all men to know, God would not have included it in His final message of the gospel. The reason the Old Testament is included is that the New Testament cannot be understood without the Old and the Old Testament cannot be understood without the New.

Philip had a challenging task assigned to him by an angel of the Lord. He had been instructed to find a man toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. Obeying the instructions of the divine messenger, Philip found an official of the Ethiopian court sitting in his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. Inquiring if he may assist the man in his understanding, Philip began from the passage the Ethiopian was reading and for the modern man did a remarkable thing. He preached Jesus. The passage was what is commonly referred to today as the fifty-third division of Isaiah at the seventh verse (scriptures were not divided into chapters and verses at the time of Philip and the Ethiopian).

Beginning in Isaiah, Philip opened the mind of the Ethiopian to see that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Luke does not record the words of the teaching of Philip but the reaction of the Ethiopian tells a great story. The man from Ethiopia responded to the teaching of Philip by asking to be baptized in water. There is a distinctive bridge between the message of the Old Testament and the message of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. It is possible to begin at Isaiah 53:7 and preach Jesus to a man who understands only the writings of the Old Testament and this same man will conclude that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that salvation is found in water baptism. Incredible. That is the power of the Old Testament. It leads the way for honest men to find Christ and obey His word.

All men are blessed today to have a completed revelation of God’s word. Everything a man needs to know for salvation is contained within the pages of Genesis to the Revelation. All truth has been once delivered. There will be no more revelations and no more books written. The Bible is a book of books contained in one book to reveal the one Christ who is the one way, the one truth, and the one life. Jesus fills the Old Testament as much as He fills the New Testament. It takes more digging to find the divine gems in the Old Testament but Jesus is there. Take the time to learn the message of salvation found in Christ written across the span of the Old Testament history and the New Testament will gleam even brighter. The Old Testament and the New Testament are necessary. They teach Jesus Christ.

If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:11)

It’s Not In There

In 1984, the fast-food chain Wendy’s introduced one of the cleverest slogans in the history of marketing. The phrase “where’s the beef” became a national sensation as Wendy’s challenged other hamburger institutions in the tough market of fast-food franchises. Clara Peller became the face of the ad and the phrase became a catchphrase questioning the substance of products, ideals, and even politics. The idea was simple: prove what is claimed. This slogan sold a lot of hamburgers but the application of its principle will determine the eternal destiny of followers of God.

The Bible is the mind of God revealed to man so that he can know the will of the Father. Through the revelation of the written word, everyone can read and understand the will of God. There are no exceptions as the Bible was written in a language that any man can know what the Lord expects and demands for salvation. The commandments of the Lord are not burdensome. There is nothing required of a man that he cannot do. God is a merciful, just, and benevolent Creator who affords His creation every opportunity to come to the knowledge of the truth. When a person fails to follow the word of God and declares he does not understand, the prejudice lies in his own heart and not the word of God. The idea is simple: prove what is claimed.

There are many things people believe and practice that is not found in the Bible. This does not suggest a misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the text. The fact remains that many of the teachings that men hold as truth are not found written on the pages of God’s word. When the church first began, Satan knew he had to find a way to destroy what God had created. He brought persecution against the disciples but that made them stronger. The Holy Spirit said that in latter times some would depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Spanning two thousand years it can be seen how much the religious world has gone off track in teaching what God said and what men say. There are more things accepted today that are not found in the Bible that many people accept as true than ever before.

The following religious teachings are not found in the Bible and honest hearts must admit they are not found in the Bible. Peter says that disciples must speak where the Bible speaks. The oracles of God are easy to understand. Where in the Bible does it mention Extreme Unction, the Pope, Penance, Rosary beads, Indulgences, Transubstantiation, sprinkling or pouring for baptism, or worship of Mary, mother of Jesus? Christmas is never found in scripture. Luke never celebrated Easter. No example of New Testament disciples using instruments of music in worship can be found. The following religious bodies are never named by the New Testament writers: The Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Episcopal Church, Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church, or Mormons. Faith only is found once in the book of James but only in the context that salvation is not by faith only. Purgatory is not found in the Bible. In the words of Clara Peller: Where’s the beef?

Numerous times throughout scripture God warns of those who would add or take away from His book. If most religious people would take the time to find what they believe in the Bible they would realize that many things held as truth today never resided within the pages of God’s book. False teachings can be found abundantly in the writings of men. This is only the first level of examining truth but it is a beginning point. There are many doctrines taught in churches today that are perversions of God’s truth. Satan has done a splendid job in deceiving the hearts of men to believe in God but to accept the truth of God in light of man’s wisdom. Salvation does come to a man because he calls on the Lord. Truth is narrow and eternal life is found by those who do the will of the Father.