The Heaton File

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

Not Everyone Teaches God’s Truth

Paul’s defense of his apostleship is defined by his second letter to the church at Corinth as he faces those who would undermine his authority and teaching. He reminds the Corinthian saints the only authority that matters is that which is given by God. There were those within the church that taught things that were not according to the gospel of Christ. Paul calls this teaching a “different gospel.” He reminds the brethren that while his style of preaching did not impress the crowds as a great orator would, his words were the truth. They accused Paul’s preaching as weak because he was untrained in speech and his presence was unimpressive. The people were judging Paul by his physical presence rather than the content of his message. His letters were weighty but his speech was contemptible.

It is common for men to be judged more by their physical presence rather than their hearts. In the early days of Israel, the people chose the son of Kish to be king because Saul was the most handsome man in Israel, head, and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land. Sadly, his reign was marred by rebellion and the kingdom was taken away from him. The Jews of Jesus’ day did not know what to make of John the Baptist. He preached a fire and brimstone style message dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. Many followed him but many more refused to repent and seek after the coming Christ. Paul’s message to the Corinthians was a reminder that not all men preach the truth but transform themselves into apostles of Christ when in reality they are false teachers. This should not be surprising as Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

The gullibility of humanity is ripe when it comes to the deception of appearance. If a man sees an angel of light he immediately believes he is an angel of God. The Holy Spirit declares that an angel of light can just as well be Satan impersonating a messenger of truth. False apostles and false teachers will not come with shiny red suits, pitchforks and a devious laugh smelling like sulfur. They will manifest themselves as servants of God, smoothly stroking the visual senses of the gullible to accept what they say as truth regardless of what the word of God says. The servants of Satan will disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Many will fall to their damnable heresies exchanging the truth of God for the lie.

Christianity (as it is defined today) is filled with false teachers. There are many men and women who present themselves as servants of God who are in fact disciples of Satan. This means they do not teach the truth as given by the word of God. Presenting themselves as ministers of righteousness, they deceive the hearts of the people to follow a false doctrine of salvation, a perverted system of worship and empty hope of salvation. What they present as truth cannot be found in the Bible. How they teach the message of God comes from selfish desires rather than a need to establish all things by divine authority. Sadly, they lead the masses to a further condemnation in the futility of their hearts.

What must be realized is the truth about false teachers: they exist and they are real. Paul warned the Corinthians to be careful in accepting a man because he presents himself to be a minister of righteousness. Truth is established by the word of God, not man. What a man says must be from the word of God alone. If what a man teaches is not found within the pages of God’s word, it is false. The measure of truth is established by what God says. When a man teaches anything other than the gospel of Christ, he is an accursed man.

A final note must be added by this author. If you believe anything that is written in these articles for any reason other than what can be found in the Bible, you are obligated to challenge, ask, inquire and disagree with scripture to show where the conclusions are false. This charge is made is complete honesty and openness. The author of these attempts to examine scripture is a failed man who learns every day the frailty of his wisdom. No man has all the answers save what is found in the word of God. Let all men be liars and God be true. It is imperative that in the spirit of the Bereans of old, what is taught is examined by scripture whether these things are so.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)

The Word And The World

When the flood destroyed all humanity, only Noah and his family were spared. The word of God was truly spoken to Noah in promising to save him and it was also true in declaring the destruction of the ungodly. God’s word was more than just words. Those who perished in the flood did not believe the preaching of Noah that a great catastrophe was coming. The word had no meaning to them. When the ungodly realized the truth of God’s word it was too late.

When the water abated off the face of the earth, the Lord restored His covenant with the earth. God made a promise that as long as the earth remained, the seasons would never change. There would always be a change in climate with cold and heat, summer and winter. The sun would always rise in the east and set in the west. Darkness always follows day and the moon continues to reign in the night. While the earth remains these things will never cease.

At the beginning of creation, God established the laws of seasons, days and nights by His word. The separation of day and night and the creation of the sun, moon, and stars were accomplished by the spoken word of God. He spoke everything into its place in the universe. The apostle Peter would later write that everything in the universe is held together by the same word that created it. Seedtime and harvest have remained for the many thousands of years the earth has existed beyond the destruction of the flood.

The existence of God is affirmed by natural revelation and through His divine revelation. Nature declares the glory of God and it also confirms the written word of God as being true. The world has continued for eons of time with winter and summer, day and night because the word of God confirmed it would continue. If the word of God that empowers the spheres of nature to continue year after year is proven to be true (and no one can deny this) then by the same proof the written word of God must be accepted as true. The author of the natural law and spiritual law is the same God. Every sunrise proves the Bible to be true and every sunset establishes the word of God as true because the same word created them all.

God made a promise to Noah that is proven each day the sun rises. Seasons change with each passing year. The work of planting and harvesting has continued since the beginning of time. It was a barren world when Noah stepped out of the ark after the flood but the times of planting and harvesting were reborn and continues to this day. Every stock of corn proves the word of God as true. Each seasonal change declares the word of God. When the sun stands bright in the sky the word of God is confirmed. As night envelops the world in darkness and the moon gleams brightly in the sky, God’s word is real. One final thought about the moon you see each night. Noah peered into the face of the same heavenly body that you see each night; the same exact moon. Let your heart look into the written word of God. It is true and forever established in heaven.

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. (Psalm 118:8-9)

Who Do We Trust?

Life can be a scary experience. There are many things that humans cannot explain, control and change and this makes everyone nervous, uncomfortable and uneasy. The challenge of life is to answer the questions that escape the knowledge of man but this is limited by the frailty of human wisdom. Through the centuries many unknowns have been discovered through exploration, chance and the spirit of determination to unlock the mysteries of the world. With all the advances in modern technology, so much remains locked away in the quest for greater knowledge that may be revealed in future times or never answered. It becomes a puzzle for the human spirit.

God marvelously created the world. Everything has order, design, and purpose. Science was the tool given to man to open up the vistas of his world constructing great pyramids, channeling great canals, discovering cures for disease and sending men and machines into the darkness of space. From the beginning of time, the marvels of men rival each generation to find out more and go beyond the known limits to greater achievements. The purpose of this knowledge was to lead men to recognize the Creator and His glory. However, because of pride and the exaltation of self, the spirit of man believes he is a god who controls his own world apart from God. His discoveries define the heart of human wisdom which is lifted up in the achievement of his own work. That is – until a greater problem arises that he cannot solve.

Trust is a matter of where the heart takes refuge. As Creator of the world, the Lord has told man that he would always be taken care of if he would trust in the hand of the One who made him. Noah trusted in the word of the Lord when he obeyed all that God commanded him. His refuge was not in the wisdom of men trying to explain building a massive box to house animals because of a global flood that would kill everything with the breath of life. Noah put his faith in the hand of God and found salvation. Moses trusted in the power of God to deliver the Hebrews as they stood on the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army behind them. Through the hand of God, the unexplained happened when the sea parted and the people walked across on dry land. Jesus confounded the Jewish leaders of His day through His miracles which they never denied. Religious wisdom could not explain it. They did not trust Jesus and they killed Him.

As time marches on, there is much that man cannot explain or unravel. Times of fear, uncertainty, and doubt flood the soul. Disease spreads throughout the world and the fear of the unknown grips the souls of men. Panic follows and chaos overwhelms the hearts of the distraught. Those who have trusted in the wisdom of men cannot find answers. For those who learned to trust in the Lord, they find solace in the knowledge that God will never forsake them and He will never leave them. Life is not filled with unanswered questions without hope. Saints of God seek the wisdom of God to find peace in His word regardless of whether the answers come clear in this life or not. Adversity does not change its focus. They hope and trust in the Lord. The refuge of the faithful is safely secured in the presence of the Creator – not in the princes of this world.

Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (Revelation 2:4)

Falling Out Of Love With God

Love is a many splendored thing or at least was popularized by the movie of the same name in 1955. Andy Williams and the Four Aces continued to make the song popular. While love can be viewed as a splendid thing, it is defined by what a person does with that love. Saying one loves another is an important step to building a relationship but love is found in action, not just words. Love is a deeper emotion than just liking a person. To like another is to share in common pursuits on a casual basis but love is a bond that cements two hearts into one with devotion, care, fidelity, commitment, and allegiance. It is important in marriage to be friends but marriage is deeper when love is at the root of all feelings. This is especially true with the relationship with God.

It is easy to like God and to view Him as a friend. This does not require any commitment or allegiance. Having a friendship with God likes various aspects of His character but never obligates the individual to a mutual commitment of devotion. Many people are friends of God but never grow to love Him. Sometimes, relationships blossom with passionate love but wane in time to be two people living in the same house. Friendship takes over and while the relationship is civil, there is little or no true love. The trouble with many in the church is they are more comfortable being friends of God rather than having a deeply devoted love for Him.

What little is known about the church in Ephesus comes from the writings of Luke, Paul, and John. Luke describes the history of the church in the Acts of the apostles, Paul writes a wonderful letter to the saints at Ephesus and John’s revelation reveals the church had gone through many changes over the years. The beginning of the Ephesian church was filled with great promise and hope. Paul spent three years working with the people of God in this great city and there were many saved through the preaching of the gospel. The letter of Ephesians is a treatise on the majesty of the church and character of kingdom citizens. In the final book of the Bible, Jesus commends the saints in Ephesus for their work, their labor, and patience in defending the cause of Christ. They had preserved through difficult times and were to be commended. However, the church had lost something over the years that threatened its existence. The church at Ephesus had fallen out of love with the Lord.

There is no doubt the church was doing all the right things in the right way. It was evident they were a working group, laboring mightily in the work of the kingdom and withstanding all those who would oppose the teachings of Christ. While these were commendable traits, what they lacked was the love they once had. The Lord challenged them because of their lack of love.  Sometimes in marriage, love will decline and grow tired. Two people live together in the same place but have little or no interest in the other. This can happen to the people of God. They can like God and obey His commandments but have no real love for Him. Their hearts are filled with the world and they have a greater interest in worldly matters than spiritual.

Love must be cultivated daily. Devotion for the Lord does not come by osmosis but constant effort to learn more, grow more and love more. It must be continually built upon through a heart of seeking the love of God. It is easy to fall out of love with the Lord when the spiritual becomes routine. Leaving the first love is forgetting the grace of God and His mercy. Regaining love comes from committing the spirit once again to knowing, understanding and longing to draw closer to God. The more deposits made into the divine love bank, the greater the dividends received from the Lord. Never let love diminish and never allow love to grow stale. It is unacceptable to leave the first love experienced in the family of God. Let love grow more and more and draw closer to God every day.

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ‘ ”

 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

 Also, He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ‘ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ” (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Life To Dry Bones

The hope of Israel had been destroyed when they learned of the destruction of the house of God in 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem. It was a blow to their hopes of regaining favor in the sight of the Lord. The king of the Chaldeans had killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary with no compassion for the young man or virgin. Aged and weak were killed. All the articles from the Temple were taken to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar burned the house of God, broke down the walls of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious possessions. The land lay in waste. Those who survived the carnage were taken to Babylon as slaves never to return.

Israel was a dead nation. There was no life, no hope and no joy among the Jews. Jeremiah had prophesied the doom of the nation would last seventy years. Nine years before the Temple was destroyed, the first group of captives was taken to Babylon. With the news of the fall of Jerusalem, all hope was lost. The plight of the people of Judah and Benjamin came as a result of the sinful character of the once-prized nation of Israel. Following the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel fell into rebellion and civil war. Ten tribes gave their allegiance to Jeroboam and the remaining two tribes to Rehoboam. It would only take two hundred years for the northern tribes to be destroyed when the Assyrians captured Samaria and just over one hundred years later when Babylon marched into Jerusalem.

Ezekiel’s vision was a powerful testimony to the lost hope of Israel and the power of God to give life to that which was dead. The bones the prophet saw in the valley were not just bones; they were very dry bones. God asked the prophet if the bones could live and the prophet answered correctly that only the Lord would have the power to resurrect the bones. When Ezekiel prophesied according to the will of the Lord, the valley of very dry bones became an exceedingly great army as the bodies were recreated with flesh and blood and the breath of life. Israel had given up hope lamenting their sins as dry bones without life and the nation cut off from the glory of God. Salvation would only come through the power of God and the valley of dry bones instilled hope in the hearts of the faithful that God would save them and give them life. Many years later, a remnant returns to Israel according to the word of the Lord.

There is a figure found in the valley of dry bones that appeals to the nature of all men. Sin has ravished the spirit of men to destroy them and take away their life. Because of sin, the heart of a man has become like dry bones in a valley. There is nothing dry bones can do to gain life. Without the life-giving stream of God’s grace, the dry bones decay and are destroyed. Only through the power of God can life come to dry bones – especially very dry bones.

What the prophet Ezekiel saw in the vision is what is found when a soul comes to know the power of Christ’s blood and the redeeming love of the Father. All men are nothing more than very dry bones. Sin has destroyed the life of man both physically and spiritually. Jesus Christ came to give life and to offer the fountain of living water. Dry bones cannot give life to themselves. God can. Man cannot change his sinful state apart from the power of God. In the sacrifice of Jesus, the Father offers man the hope of life and everlasting joy.

The world is full of dry bones. Sadly, most of those dry bones refuse the grace of God and perish eternally. Jesus offers the gift of life through His blood for those who would accept His authority and His word. There is only one way to the Father because there is only one breath of life that can give life to dry bones: Jesus Christ. Life without the Son of God is death. There is no hope, there is no joy and there is no promise of resurrection. The breath of God will give life to your soul. Let the grace of God fill your dry existence of this worldly life with His love and find life in Jesus Christ. Can dry bones live? You decide.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word, I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. (Luke 5:4-6)

At Your Word

Peter, Andrew, James, and John were seasoned fishermen. They had grown up working with their fathers on the Sea of Galilee working in a hard and difficult life. Jesus had grown up in Nazareth and probably worked with Joseph as a carpenter’s apprentice. Nazareth was twenty miles from the Sea of Galilee and would have given few opportunities for Jesus to familiarize himself with the life of fishing. Almost all of the fishing in Israel came from the Sea of Galilee as the Jews never became a sea-faring people like the Phoenicians. Fish sold in Jerusalem would have been supplied through foreign trade with cities like Tyre.

Jesus was by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee or Sea of Tiberias) when a multitude of people came to hear Him teach. When the crowds began to gather around Jesus, the Lord got into one of the boats and taught the people. Finishing His teaching, Jesus told Peter to launch out into the deep and let down their nets. At first, Peter objected, telling the Lord they had toiled all night and caught nothing. Jesus was not as familiar with the wisdom of fishing as Peter. It may have seemed odd for Simon to follow the instructions of Jesus to go into the deep and let nets down. Frustrated by a night’s effortless attempt to catch any fish, Peter would have doubted any success. However, he told the Lord he would obey His word and do what was no doubt a futile exercise.

Faith comes in many forms and the fruit of obedient faith is manifest in trusting the word of God. Peter could have had a lot of reasons to tell the Lord He was mistaken in letting down nets in that part of the sea and to argue the time of day was wrong. There were many reasons Peter could have given but he obeyed the word of the Lord. His faith in the word of the Lord brought about a harvest of fish that was breaking the nets requiring others to come with boats to bring in the catch. Peter knew immediately a miracle had been performed by the hand of the Lord to know where this mass of fish would be found. Trusting in the word of God brought a great blessing to those who obeyed His word.

Obedience has always been a challenge to the heart of men. The reason that Satan was able to deceive the woman in Eden was to first challenge the word of God. Peter hesitated at the word of the Lord with a response from common knowledge but what Jesus was asking the men to do was beyond the realm of human wisdom. He obeyed and received the reward of his obedient faith. The Bible is the word of God and contained within its pages is the full mind of God to all the world. What the Lord demands man to do is to launch out into the deep and let down nets of faith. This requires complete trust in the word of the Lord. When men argue from the human standpoint they fail to obey the word of the Lord. Human wisdom can never compare with divine wisdom. What Jesus asked Peter to do was against all human reason. Peter obeyed because Jesus said so and that is obedient faith.

It is sad to read a passage from the Bible and have men refuse to believe. The Bible begins with the proclamation that God created everything and yet most reject the word of God. There is nothing man can explain in human wisdom how a world was created by the breath of God. Until they let down their nets of faith in the depths of God’s word, they will never find the truth. In the New Testament, the early church began when devout men asked what they had to do to be saved. Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins. They did not argue or debate the elements of immersion but three thousand souls were added to the church that day because they believed the word of the Lord. Like Peter, they trusted in the word of the Lord and obeyed. At the word of Christ, men obeyed and found salvation.

When the Bible is taken for what it is (the word of God) and men believe and obey the word of the Lord, joy is found in the gathering of the blessings of God. It would do well for people to argue less with God and His word and do what Peter did: go into the deep and let their nets down. Trust in the word of God and follow His will. You will not believe the blessings that await you. And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!

This is a faithful saying and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. (Titus 3:8)

Good Doctrine By Example

One of the most important elements of the church is the area of doctrine. When the doctrines of the church are taught, rules are explained, guidelines set forth and the pattern of New Testament authority is established within the law of God, the church will become firmly entrenched in the manner designed by the Lord for His church. This type of teaching is necessary for the fundamental purpose of the church to carry out its mission. Beyond the classroom of codified commandments is the conduct of the believers in Christ to show their faith in their lives. Good doctrine comes from teaching the word of God but it is also found in the manner of life exhibited by those who proclaim their allegiance to Christ.

The necessity of keeping commandments is clear. But this will have little impact on others who see Christians living in a manner conflicting with their faith. Paul is admonishing Titus to remind the brethren to show their faith in the Lord. All who trust in God must devote themselves to showing others a pattern of good works. When children of God murmur and complain against the government, they are not showing a pattern of good works. Christians must submit to the government and be obedient, always ready to do what is good. How can the light of Christ be seen in saints who defame, and abuse and ridicule leaders of the nation?

Showing a pattern of good works is to not speak evil of any person. Children of God show a pattern of goodness when they seek to live peaceable, and gentle and humble lives before all men. There was a time in the life of a Christian when they lived without self-control. Those days are gone. As people of God, the life of a Christian is a pattern of good works because the kindness of God was poured out in their hearts with the mercy and grace of the Lord. Those who are heirs of eternal life show the world they believe in God by the way they live. Jesus told the eleven as they walked toward Gethsemane the world would know the people of God by the way they love one another. The love of God is manifested in the example of His children.

Sound doctrine is not just teaching the right things in the right way. Showing a pattern of good works exemplifies the message of the doctrine of Christ. Jesus taught the will of the Father and he lived the will of the Father. The child of God must live by the will of the Father and pattern their life after the will of the Father. Be careful to maintain good works. This will show the world what you believe.

Jesus wept. (John 11:35)

When God Cried

The gospel of John is the clearest treatise on the divine nature of Jesus but it is the most profound book with the human side of Jesus openly revealed in His earthly nature. Death made God cry. Lazarus had died and Mary and Martha had grieved his death as they entombed their brother behind the solid rock. They had not understood why Jesus delayed when told of the impending death of Lazarus. Jesus had healed so many and they hoped through His divine hand Lazarus would be spared. They watched in grief as Lazarus died and then prepared his burial garments binding him head and foot. Jesus arrived on the fourth day to a home filled with tears, sorrow, and great loss. The heart of Jesus was crushed under the weight of the human frailty of life.

Jesus groaned as He approached the tomb of Lazarus. Death has so many tentacles that reach the heart with its darkness of grief and sorrow. The finger of Hades had reached into the soul of Jesus and torn it asunder. There was nothing more John could write but the profound words that when Jesus approached the tomb of Lazarus, He cried. It is hard to envision the image of the Divine weeping tears. The sting of death reached the throne of God and made tears flow upon the face of God’s Son. He understands. He knows. He weeps.

Tears are the cleansing of the soul when touched with grief. The power of God’s creation is to put into the heart of man compassion and love expressed through the pouring of water from the eyes with trembling lips, crushed hearts and weakened hands. There is no greater emotion that binds the soul of man to his eternal nature than to know the feeling of death. Man was created in the image of God because He knows how to weep. Sorrow is the emotion that floods the soul with incredible power that feels as if there is no air left in the world. Darkness overshadows the mind with storms of grief in seeking answers to the questions of why. There is anger. Despair fills the hands with empty answers. Tears continue to flow.

Vance Havner said, “Death can hide but not divide.” The loss of loved ones removes a life force that was vibrant, joyful, and happy and with all the hopes of life set before them. Tragedy removes in an instant the joy and happiness. The burdens of Job who lost so much at one time become more readily clear in the opening dawn of the day after. Jesus wept because He loved. The Son of God cried because Lazarus had died and Mary and Martha were grieved. He wanted all the world to know that He understands in every way the grief of a broken heart. Jesus did not take away death. He allowed it to remain so that death could be overcome with hope. Death is a powerful sting that nearly breaks all the spirit of the soul but eternal life in Jesus Christ opens the tear-filled eyes to the hope of a better day in eternity. Loved ones who have died are hidden from sight but they are not lost if it is known they reside in the bosom of God’s love. Jesus wept because He was a man but He knew the power of resurrection and the hope of life after death because He was God.

The darkness of death’s cold hand descended upon the hearts of God’s people Tuesday. A family was lost. A son. A daughter. A grandchild. These were among many that perished. There are no words to take away the pain. It comes raw and unyielding. Hope is diminished and then taken away with the news of their death. Hearts are destroyed. Hands tremble. Tears flow like great fountains. As the day dawns and the world awakens to another sunrise the Son of God stands at the tomb and weeps. He cries. God sheds tears for the broken-hearted. The darkness of loss envelops the souls of the near and those who are drawn near. A church grieves again in the face of tragedy revisited in so many years.

Through the grace of God, the days will become brighter and the hearts tender. The tears of Jesus will give way to the joy of hope. Frailty will grow to strength. People of God unite more strongly in death and blessed by the presence of those who share a like precious faith, the hearts of the bereaved will find comfort and solace in the embrace of their brethren. Hymns will resound once again and the word of God will encase the broken hearts with fortitude. God’s people will draw closer together and a bond of eternal love will bind the broken spirits. Death will do its best to destroy but there will be no victory for the pangs of death when those who perish are those who die in the Lord.

Three special people. One family. A loss without measure. Grief beyond understanding. Hope in the tears of Jesus. Comfort in the arms of God. Strength in the love of brethren. Joy when Jesus returns. Please, Lord. Come quickly.

Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. (2 John 1:9-11)

Joining False Doctrine

The challenge of truth was first evidenced when Satan said to Eve, “Has God indeed said?” What the tempter wanted the woman to see was how unfair the Lord was in prohibiting the tree of knowledge from them and that she should do what she wanted to do. Throughout the ages of history, man has continually rejected the clear teaching of God for his own doctrines so that he could worship himself as a god and only ruler. Apostasy is as old as the earth.

The lure of false doctrine has been the nectar of the deceiver to draw the hearts of men away from God. This is especially true among the people of God who at one time devoted their wills to the commandments of the Lord but continued to fraternize with the tenets of evil. The result has always been the soul lost on the battlefields of compromise. When the sons of God began to marry the daughters of men, evil reigned and the world was destroyed save the eight in the ark. The nation of Israel failed to remove the evil influences of the Canaanites which led to the final downfall of the once glorious nation of God’s people. When the early church began to grow a spirit of compromise began to creep into the hearts of the people and the great apostasy developed.

John warned of the impact allowing evil influences to become part of the fabric of New Testament doctrine. Many deceivers had gone out into the world who did not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh and the church lost many souls to apostasy. The apostle warns against those who would move away from the commandments of the Father that they have no relationship with God. This was a clear declaration for separation from those who did not teach the faith once delivered to the saints. Doctrine had to be upheld as the only truth that man could be saved. Anyone who did not abide by the teachings of Jesus Christ was to be rejected. False doctrine is called by God as evil deeds or evil work.

It would have amazed the heart of John to see the religious division so prominent today. John knew of one church with one doctrine. False teaching began early among the saints with circumcision being required, roles of leadership confused, abuse of miraculous powers, despots ruling over churches, and a host of false teaching permeating the early church. For many in the Lord’s church today they see no difference between the Lord’s church and denominations of the world. They send their children to denominational schools, engage in holiday events put on by churches of men, use their buildings for great occasions and in the case of the Salvation Army, contribute to the false doctrine by giving them money either in red pots or buying from the Salvation Army stores.

The Holy Spirit expressly said through the writing of John to not have fellowship with those who deny the teaching of Jesus Christ and still many of God’s people openly accept and participate in the tenets of false doctrine.  Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work. Jesus said there was only one way to the Father. He also said there was one church. The Lord taught one doctrine and commanded one avenue of salvation. Anything that is contrary to the doctrine of Christ is to be rejected – disallowed – excluded – and refused. There can be no other choice.

That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments; and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. (Psalm 78:6-8)

They Ate The Food Of Angels

The nation of Israel is the divine proof of the character of man contending against the nature of God. History serves the purpose of reminding the heart of a man that to understand where he finds himself today he must look back at times past to see how others reacted and through the vision of time see how he will respond to a similar plight. In other words, the greatest failure of humanity is when the lessons of yesterday do not instruct the pupils of today.

One of the reasons the Holy Spirit preserved such a full history of Israel is to teach the disciple of Christ that God has not changed in His personality and the basic tenets of His law remain the same. Asaph was a poet who wrote many psalms as one of three leaders of music during the life of King David. He tells of the tragic history of Israel from the bondage of Egypt to their miraculous exodus by the power of God. The purpose of his psalm is to encourage parents to teach their children the old stories so that the same mistakes will not be made again.

Asaph tells the story of how God did great wonders and miracles for their ancestors by delivering them from Egypt passing through the Red Sea on dry land. The waters were stacked upon each side like walls. God leads the nation by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night. When they complained of being thirsty He provided an abundance of water from the rock. The people murmured against God wanting bread and meat and the Lord rained manna from above and men ate the food of angels. They had so much food they could not eat it all. The Lord brought them quail to eat to their full as thick as dust and as plentiful as the sand on the seashore. No one was thirsty or hungry as the Lord provided everything they needed and they were more than full as the Lord provided them what they craved.

The great tragedy of Israel was that God gave them everything they craved for and desired and they were never satisfied. In their abundance, they forgot the blessings of the Lord and where their provisions came. They did not keep His laws and refused to live by His instructions. The heart of the people continued to sin and rebel against the hand of God. Time and again they tested the Lord for they did not believe in Him or trust Him. After the Lord began to kill them as His wrath was measured out against their rebellion they repented but this did not last. All they gave him was lip service and they worshiped God through the language of lies. The lust of their carnal desires overwhelmed their hearts with the food of angels still in their mouths.

Asaph could write the same psalm today in the heart of men who have seen greater things than the people of Israel. Benefited by two thousand plus years of the full revelation of God, most men reject and deny the power of God. No longer does God provide the physical manifestation of His power to instruct men as He did with Israel when they ate the food of angels. The Lord has given man a book that opens up the portals of Heaven with the divine grace of His love through Jesus Christ and men still rebel and rejects the teachings of God.

Religion is fractured by division as men try to worship God as they desire. When men were not satisfied with the plan of God they devised their own systems of faith and Christianity in a perverted form was created. The world has returned to a time when men reject all the blessings of God for the pursuit of hedonism and the carnality of physical pleasure. Within the body of Christ, there are those who have tasted the heavenly gift and partaken of the Holy Spirit yet despising the manna of God’s word.

The Bible is the manna from heaven as Jesus is the bread of life and the living water of eternal salvation. Eternal life can only come from believing in the power of God and accepting His will as the divine pattern for truth. Most of Israel perished in the wilderness because they did not obey the will of God and did not enter the land of promise. Eternal life will only be given to those who through faith keep the will of the Lord and trust in His word. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Jesus is the bread of life. Whoever comes to Him will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Him will never be thirsty.