The Heaton File

For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:43-45)

Jesus The Arborist

The teaching of Jesus was simple. His illustrations were powerful because of their simplicity. Eager students of truth would not miss the clarity of the lessons Jesus presented whether He was speaking in parables or using common things of life to drive a point home. The sermon on the mount shows the simplicity of how the character of the disciple of Christ is formed. Learning to be humble and loving an enemy would take a tremendous change of heart requiring the mercy and grace of the Father. Hypocrisy could not be a part of the disciple’s life and the proof was in the character of the person. It was one thing to hear Jesus exhort His followers to be humble, love their enemies and not judge one another with a hypocritical heart. The real evidence of a change in heart was the change of action. This would be illustrated with a fruit bearing tree.

Good trees bear good fruit and diseased trees bear bad fruit. A simple law of nature convicts the listener to see the truth of Jesus’ teaching. Every person is known by their actions. Figs do not come from thorns or grapes from bramble bush (thistles). In the same way, people of good hearts will bear fruits showing their good hearts where bad attitudes come from hearts diseased by sin. This is an absolute pattern in nature and in the hearts of men. What comes out of the mouth first had residence in the heart. Often we may say, “I did not mean to say that.” In fact, we said it because it was in our heart. We may regret saying what we thought but an evil word does not come from a good heart. The tongue cannot be tamed but the heart can. Jesus implores His listeners to examine the heart and see what needs to be corrected.

An arborist is someone who cultivates, manages and studies trees, shrubs and vines. Jesus set forth a curriculum for all those who would be His disciple to look within their hearts and cultivate from good ground a tree that bears good fruit. This takes a lot of work and diligence. Arborists spend a lot of time examining, pruning and nurturing the tree to bring its full potential to bear. We must do the same thing with our hearts so that evil thoughts and words do not come out in a moment of recklessness. Controlling the heart is bearing good fruit both in words and in action. Hearts that are nurtured by the love of God will be more patient, kind, understanding and forgiving. The word of God must be carefully studied to learn how to cultivate the heart to think the right things, say the right things and act in the right way.

The most important lesson is to realize that what we are comes from our heart. If the heart does not change we will not change. Those who wish they could have a better attitude must change the heart first. When words come out of the mouth that embarrasses us and offend others we must see the problem lies within our hearts. We are what we have made ourselves to be in our hearts. Good hearts bring forth good things and bad hearts bring bad things. This is true in the natural world of fruit trees and this is true in the real world of men’s hearts. A bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Hearts that are filled with the world cannot (and will not) bring forth righteousness. The treasure of the heart defines our character. For out of the abundance of the heart our mouths speak. The only cure is to spend time with the arborist from God – Jesus Christ.

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth — praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.(Psalm 40:1-5; To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.)

Trust In The Lord

The relationship between a man of faith and the Father in Heaven is one of complete trust and confidence. David knew very well the faith a man could have in God and the blessings of serving the Lord with a spirit of praise. Trust is something that is experienced. In the beginning it is assumed but time is what creates the mortar of that conviction leading one to patiently wait upon the Lord to do His work. The son of Jesse experienced trust in the Lord facing the lion and the bear and then one day a giant named Goliath. Throughout the life of David, he relied upon the will of the Father for his guide and when he tragically went astray with Bathsheba, he still trusted in the mercy and grace of God. Trusting in the Lord is not a temporary relationship. The Lord will never forsake His people as long as trust remains. When the trials of life come upon the child of God, the Heavenly Father embraces the heart with a confidence of overcoming. How many times will the Lord deliver His children from danger? David said the wonderful works of the Lord are more than can be numbered.

Trusting the Lord is knowing He will never give up on His children. Waiting patiently to allow the perfect work of the Father to show itself in our life will assure the heart that God will be inclined to hear our pleas. He is not unaware of our needs. His work will bring us from the miry clay of despair lifting us up to the security of a broad place to stand. There is nothing He cannot do. His power is so immense and so beautiful that we will lack nothing in receiving the blessings of a protective Father. Learning to trust in the only true God will bring a song of joy to our lips because we can trust in Him.

He thinks about us. That is a remarkable thing to consider. With the heavens filled with billions of stars that He named one by one and the beauty of a world that magnifies His name from the four corners of the earth; our Father considers everything about my life. God is personal. He inclines His ear to my voice and hears my cry. His blessings are so many they cannot be counted and those blessings are just what I receive from Him. He loves each of His children as if they were the only ones in the universe. Together there is not enough parchment to write or sky to inscribe the words of praise for a Father who loves us so much. With this knowledge how can we not trust in Him? His will is perfect and His way is truth. There is no man that we can trust as confidently as the Father. His thoughts are not like the thoughts of man. They are higher than the heavens and because of His majesty we can trust Him with all confidence. He is always right. His word is always true. The way of the Father will never harm us when we follow His will. Establish your steps by the word of the Lord and you will never fail to have someone you can trust. The Lord be magnified.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:2-11)

We Need To Escape

The divine power of God has given man everything he needs to glorify his creator and worship the one true God. This knowledge comes through the life of His Son, Jesus Christ and there is no other way man can come to the Father. Contained in the words of salvation is the exceeding and precious promises motivating man to follow the will of the Lord partaking of the divine nature of God. The transition that takes place when a man empties himself to the will of the Lord is to escape those things that will destroy him. The world is a place of corruption. Anything that is corrupt is immoral, debase, depraved and wicked. There is nothing good in a corrupt world filled with the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. The joy experienced in lust is temporary. It is the aftertaste that brings sorrow, pain and heartache.

Abounding in the grace of the Lord changes the life of a person who has known only the disappointment of a corrupt world. What is sad for most of humanity is they seek for the joys of life in things that will only bring pain. A corrupt world is built upon the nature of the feelings of now and enjoyment of pleasure the only goal in life. While these temptations have strong appeal, what is repeated time and again is the knowledge that nothing in a corrupt world lasts. The few drinks that bring pleasure end in despair and the need to drink again. Sexual pleasure is brief and must be sought after again finding the same result of emptiness. Money is only paper that is lost in a moment and yet a lifetime spent hoarding what can never be kept. Knowledge is endless and the mind can never be filled. Corruption fills the world with the ideals of lusts driving men to live an empty life of despair. The gospel of Jesus Christ raises man from the dredges of wasteful living to a world of fulfillment, happiness and true worth.

Escaping the corruption that is in the world is recognizing the reality of its imprisonment. The first step to find happiness is to see the world for what it is: corrupt. It is like living in a septic tank and realizing this is not what the Lord has created us to be. All men are made in the image of God to glorify Him. We are to rise above the sewers of Satan’s pleasures to the dazzling glory of righteousness. Escaping the corruption of the world is to crawl out of the septic putridity of a corrupt world and look to the everlasting kingdom of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Cleansing ourselves of the filth of the flesh, we find the glory of God fulfilled in our life by the transformation of our character to His image. Adding the graces of the Lord to our life will help us to become fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. First, we must escape. Then we must continue to increase in the graces of godliness to remove the filth of the world from our lives. Escaping demands running away from something. To escape the corruption of the world requires running away from the entrapment’s of a corrupt world.

The exhortation of Peter to add the graces of virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love are the elements of the cleansing power of God to remove the filth of the flesh. These agents of God’s power will help the child of God escape the corruption that is in the world. Adding these virtues to the character of the child of God will bring greater happiness and peace. This pattern will help secure the life of the Christian to know that eternal life is granted making their calling and election sure. Escape the corruption of the world. Come to the cleansing power of God’s love.

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. (2 Chronicles 34:1-3)

Generational Influence

The young king did not know his ancestral grandfather David. It had been almost four hundred years since the death of King David and following the death of Solomon, the division of Israel. Judah had gone through turbulent times with prophets declaring the judgment of the Lord against the wickedness of the people. Idolatry filled the hearts of the people. The holy nation of God’s people had become like the nations around them. Josiah was eight years old when he became king. His rule would be a refreshing time of righteousness for 31 years. Less than 25 years after the death of Josiah, the city of Jerusalem would be burned and the temple sacked. Describing the rule of the boy king, the Holy Spirit declared that he walked in the ways of his father David. While he was young, he began to seek the God of his father David. It was impossible to bring the nation completely back to a righteous nation as they were under David but Josiah molded his character after a man who had been dead for nearly four centuries.

Influence is a powerful tool to achieve great success and when it is a good influence, the changes made are remarkable. King David was a great man of faith and described by the Spirit as a man who walked after God’s own heart. The good kings of Judah were described by a desire to be like their ancestor David. What kind of influence would a man have to achieve to have his great, great, great grandchildren (and more generations) describe their faith by his life? The impact of one man’s life upon generations to come is a powerful story of faith. No one molded their life after King Saul or King Solomon. Those who followed in the steps of Jeroboam or Ahab were brought to destruction. In seeking the good kings of Judah, the Bible reader is drawn to the phrase, “he walked in the ways of his father David.”

The kind of life I live as a father can have an impact on generations to come for good or for evil. Like David, we should leave a mark upon our families that will be passed on from generations to generations so they will know the glory of the Lord and His righteousness. Leaving an inheritance of worldly goods will only rust and fade away. Riches of this life will not last but a good name and a devotion to the Lord will change the lives of young men and women who are forming their love for God. As fathers, we must establish a role model for our family to follow that gives honor to the word of God and the will of the Lord. Firmly entrenching the ideals of righteousness in the hearts of the children can produce many generations of righteous people. It is sad to look around the church and see single generations of faithful Christians instead of three or four generations of godly homes. Truth must be passed from one generation to the next. Losing a generation or two of families will have lasting influence upon the future of the Lord’s work. Rise up and build a legacy of godliness so that four hundred years from now they will still speak of the faith of their fathers. Let that faith shine for years to come.

These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. (John 11:11-13)

Death For The Christian Is Only Sleep

There is no joy in death. It robs the world of a precious life that had vitality, vigor and a voice that brought joy and happiness to others. An unwelcome guest, death has always left behind broken hearts in its wake. When Satan deceived the woman in the garden, he brought the penalty of death upon all men. God created man as a mortal being and a consequence of sin is death. All men die and will die and while the knowledge of death is real it never takes away the deep sorrow that accompanies it. Death has no borders. It invades the lives of the rich and poor regardless of nationality. The old must die and they young can die. What hope is there for man when he faces death?

Jesus came into the world to bring man back to the paradise of Eden where death had no power. Before the fall of man, there was joy and contentment as man walked in the presence of his creator. No shame filled the heart and no tears flowed from sorrow. Death changed all that. The coming of the Son of God was to show man the incredible love of the Father who lovingly gave His Son to experience death so that man could face death with hope. Every generation passed through time by the river of death and that was final. Christ suffered at the hands of men and was killed as He experienced the sting of death. What made His death powerful was a story that happened early in His ministry that pointed to the glory to be revealed in the death of Jesus.

Lazarus was a dear friend of Jesus. Receiving news that His friend was sick, Jesus delayed a few days before making the journey. Before He could arrive at the home of Lazarus, the sad news came that he had died. There was a certain air of disparity as some thought Jesus could have prevented the death of Lazarus. As always, God had a much bigger plan. Hearing Lazarus had died, the disciples were very sad. Jesus looked at the death of Lazarus as an opportunity to show the promise of His Father and a message to all generations that death is not to be feared. Believing in God and the hope of heaven gives men a hope that transcends the sadness of death. Jesus said that death is only a sleep. There are three things characteristic of sleep: it is expressive of rest, refreshment and implies expectation of awakening. Jesus said that death is only a rest and it serves as a sense of refreshment for the soul. The most important part of death is the reality that life comes after death.

Lazarus had died and that was reality. The hope Jesus brings to all men is that in death there is the knowledge of the resurrection. Jesus went to Lazarus and raised him from the dead. You and I will die but there is the knowledge that in death we will find rest and the promise of the resurrection. We will live again. Our loved ones who have died will live again. This is a promise given to all those who die in the Lord. Outside of Christ there is no hope. Death is only a sleep. Thank God for the joy of the resurrection.

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice. (Proverbs 23:24-25)

The Righteous Father And The Wise Child

Young people that are righteous are not born that way; they learn how to live virtuous lives from the teaching and example of their father. From early childhood they have instilled in them to love God with all their heart, souls and mind. It is not so much they know God but they learn to trust Him in every part of their lives. Serving the Lord is a passion of their lives. Putting Him first in their thinking, speech, manner of dress, attitude and demeanor is a valuable lesson given to them by a righteous father. Teaching the eternal lessons of what is right and wrong comes from the voice of the man who leads the home guiding with the word of God as the compass. Parents who are glad and rejoice in the life of their children are those who have worked diligently to fill the hearts of their family with a devotion to God. The principles of righteousness always guide the home. Children see the example of their parents living with Christ in their hearts and they grow up emulating these same principles.

The key to wise children lies in the wisdom of the fathers who follow a path of righteousness. They lay the groundwork of a stable life for the child to live in wisdom. Fathers who train their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord will have much to rejoice as their children walk in the truth. Homes filled with the love of God will see that love expressed in the homes their children as they build upon the righteous foundations of God’s word. Children have a tendency to grow up to be a lot like their parents regardless of the effort to dissuade from doing so. This is a positive thing when the father is filled with the wisdom of God. There will be great delight in the home of the righteous.

Establishing a home of righteousness is a concerted effort with laborious energies focused on one single theme: helping the family go to Heaven. It is not an easy task and not for the fainthearted. Beginning with the leadership of the home, the father sets the standards of truth and righteousness for the family to follow. His leadership is guiding the home with knowledge of the word of God and willingness to trust in the will of the Lord to be the light for the family. Worship is not a casual event that happens infrequently three times a week but the essential part of the daily activities of the home. Rejoicing fathers instill in their children heart changing messages of hope. The center of the home is a relationship with the Lord. Children are happier when they love the Lord. It goes with the territory.

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'” (Mark 4:10-12)

He Taught Them Many Things By Parables

The word of God has always been clear in its meaning and understanding. God told Adam and Eve they could eat of every tree in the garden but the tree of knowledge of good and evil they were forbidden. Satan’s first words were to challenge the word of God and convince Eve the word of God was hard and difficult to understand. She believed the devil and disobeyed God along with Adam. Man has always been challenged in suggesting the word of the Lord is difficult to know and to discern what real truth is. Jesus taught many lessons during His ministry. Some were sermons, other times He discussed matters on a one-to-one basis and often He would take His disciples in private and reveal truths to them. One of the tools Jesus used in teaching was explaining the Father’s will through parables or illustrations intended to explain an important teaching of eternal truth. The gospels tell us He taught in many parables.

Teaching in parables was not to discourage the multitudes from learning the truth but instilling a practical application of truth. Finishing the parable of the sower Jesus admonished the multitude, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” This defines the purpose of the parables. Hearts that seek the truth will find the truth but those hearts who are hardened will not see any value to the word of God. The mystery of the kingdom of God is not a mystery to those who are willing to open their hearts in faith to the word of God. The commands of the Lord are never burdensome and His word is always clear to understand. What challenges man is his refusal to accept the simple teaching of the Lord. Did Noah really grasp the meaning of a universal flood and how building an ark with animals inside was going to save his family? What sense did it make after a person was bitten by a snake to look upon a bronze serpent on a pole? Naaman said it best when the said, “Behold I thought” after Elijah told him to do something very easy to understand: dip seven times in the Jordan River.

Jesus taught in parables not to hide the truth but to show the power of God’s word on the hearts of true seekers who will readily accept the word of God. Obedience to the Lord has always been a thinking man’s religion. Mindless worship is of no value. To those who have no interest in knowing the truth the parable is a story without purpose. They see the story but do not see the truth. Hearing about a man sowing seed on the ground does not sink into their hardened hearts. Obedience to the will of God demands a heart open to the teaching of Jesus and an acceptance of His word that is unchallenged. All of God’s word is a parable in form asking man to seek and find the truth that can be found with an open heart. Those who cannot see the plain teaching of scripture have closed hearts unwilling to accept in faith the word of God.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth … Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. (Genesis 1:1,14-19)

The Creator Of The Solar Eclipse Is God

Monday is the first solar eclipse visible from the contiguous U. S. since 1979 when only the Northwest was able to witness the event. August 21 will be a total solar eclipse blocking out the sun in 14 states. The eclipse will start in Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 9:05am (PST) and end in Charleston, S.C. at 4:09pm (EST). For those in the path of the total solar eclipse, it will last two minutes and 40 seconds at most. The next total solar eclipse on earth will be in 2019 and the United States will experience its next total solar eclipse April 8, 2024. All of this is possible because of exacting details that allow the sun, moon and earth to align in a precise manner where the moon comes into orbit directly blocking the rays of the sun. The sun is 94.06 million miles from earth and has a mass 330,000 times larger than earth. Circling the earth, the moon is a short distance of 238,855 miles. The mass of the Moon is only 1.2% the mass of the Earth. August 21, 2017 the three heavenly bodies of earth, moon and sun will align in a perfect alignment allowing a shadow to cast itself across the face of the earth. NASA and the scientific world can predict this event in exact detail for one reason: God created the world in an exact design.

It may seem like a natural event and although it happens irregularly, the odds of all three of the earth, sun and moon aligning in perfect order is astronomical. This is especially true considering most people believe the world was created from chaos and disorder. Total solar eclipses occur about every 18 months with lunar eclipses about every 6 months when the moon passes through the shadow of the earth. The Earth orbits around the Sun at an astonishing 67,000 miles per hour. It takes the Earth 365 days to make a complete circle around the Sun. The moon travels at a much slower rate of 2,288 miles an hour completing its rotation around the earth in about 27 days. This does not happen by chance. These solar and lunar eclipses have been occurring since God created the world. To believe what those who deny God teach is to accept these events as random and chaotic yet they are in precise order and design.

If the world was created by a force of unknown variables with a random cause without design, how can these events of total solar and lunar eclipse happen on a regular basis? The “Great American Eclipse” will begin at 9:05am PST on the west coast and end at 4:09pm EST on the east coast because God designed a perfect world that is constant in its measure and created to declare His glory and power. While we marvel at the wonder of the creation and the heavenly bodies we should remember this great event was all made possible by the creative hand of a powerful Lord.

Abraham Lincoln said, “I never behold them (the heavens filled with the stars) that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God. I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist – but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.” His point is that man has created a world that mocks the power of God denying who created the world. The heavens remain untouched. Both the earth and the heavens declare the glory of God in their creation and man has only to see God as the Master Creator who formed a universe declaring His name. The eclipse of August 21 will awe the minds of millions of people. Our prayer is they will come to know the God that made it all possible.

America is a shattered nation. We have experienced a reprisal of the deep seated prejudices against symbols that decry our personal beliefs. In a recent event where two opposing parties met to protest either the existence of an offending memorial or the plans to remove said memorial, a 32-year-old woman was killed by a car plowing through a crowd. In a land where free speech is a valued trade mark, it is becoming clear that sometimes free speech is only afforded a certain group of individuals.

The issue at stake in our modern day America is not about the Confederate memorials. To some it is a remembrance of history that cannot be changed as tragic as it was. Others are repelled by the suggestion of what the memorials may represent. Still some use the symbols of a grizzly war costing over 750,000 American lives to further their agendas of hate. What is happening that has larger implications is the pattern of intolerance that is being used to remove offensive symbols by those who are impacted by what those symbols mean to them. Many cities are quietly removing any references to Confederate memorials during the night with workman dressed in bullet proof vests. Fear seems to press against the hearts of Americans who are afraid to take a stand for anything that might offend another person.

There is a troubling truth that is quietly coursing through the back roads of this new movement in America. It is the sense of intolerance for those things that offend. This is not a matter of whether monuments to a war that ended 152 years ago are pertinent to the conscience of our nation. What is slowly being established in the philosophy of the moral compass in America is the refusal to accept those forms or representations of symbols that strike against the ideas of what is acceptable.

In our lifetime prayer in school has been banned, references to religious beliefs are challenged, monuments inscribed with the Ten Commandments have been removed, crosses on public land have been torn down and the non-acceptance of the homosexual agenda from transgender and bisexual perversion is ridiculed from government and religious institutions alike. This age has become the marshmallow, mindless, spoiled and enabled generation of self-rights that will not tolerate any agenda that is not their own. Now we see a purge in the offending representations of a war that nearly destroyed our country. History is repeating itself.

The New Testament writer Luke furnishes a clear history of the early church from its beginnings to the prophetic utterances of coming persecution. When the church began in Acts 2 there was little fanfare and the world did not take notice. Shortly after Pentecost, Peter and John were arrested and brought before the rulers, elders, scribes and high priest because they taught that Jesus was raised from the dead (Acts 4). This offended the Jewish leaders and they commanded Peter and John not to teach in the name of Jesus. The only thing the apostles were doing was teaching – and they were told to stop.

When the apostles were released they glorified the Lord for delivering them and giving them boldness to continue preaching the saving message of Christ. As the church grew so did the anger of the Jewish leaders. They “were filled with indignation and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison” (Acts 5:17-18) because the High Priest and Sadducees were offended at the teaching about Jesus. The apostles had been warned not to teach in the name of Jesus and to spread the doctrine of the risen Christ and yet they continued. This time before releasing the apostles they were beaten and warned not to teach in the name of Jesus. First they were just warned; now they are beaten and warned.

A disciple named Stephen is brought before the Jewish council accused of speaking blasphemous words against the Temple and the Jewish nation (Acts 6). Stephen’s defense in Acts 7 is a clear demonstration of the powerful word of God and condemnation of the hypocrisy of the Jewish leadership. The leaders were so offended “they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:57-58). First they just warned the men; then they beat them and warned them; now they are killing the disciples.

Saul of Tarsus took the movement to a higher level. He persecuted the church and “made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8:3). Later, Paul would say he “persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished … Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities” (Acts 22:4-5; 26:9-11). After Saul’s conversion the persecution lessened but would be picked in a furious manner by the Romans.

The persecution against the people of God was never a sudden event. It was a process of small things leading up to greater things. So innocuous were the signs of what was coming few knew it was happening until it was too late. Here is the point of the events of our day: today we remove memorials that offend people and by the year 2035 there will be a lot more things taken down that offend people. The sign outside the building on West Fort Dade Avenue says, “Brooksville Church of Christ.” In the year 2035 that will no longer be tolerated. The name of Christ will offend a certain group of people and they will have demanded removal of all references to Jesus Christ for public consumption. Preachers will be pressured against preaching the hate crime of condemnation of homosexuality. Sermons will be monitored more closely for offending doctrines that do not suit the norm of society. Religion will be viewed as an archaic remnant of a world long forgotten and considered useless. A godless world will dictate what is acceptable and what must be torn down.

History has a tendency to repeat itself. The wise man will look at yesterday to see how tomorrow will be – for the failures of our fathers will the failures of our children’s children who do not learn the lessons of their fathers. The church has enjoyed a peace that has given it opportunity to grow and prosper. These days will end. Intolerance for the doctrine of Christ will grow and many saints will find the world changing against the worship of the one true God. It is not a possibility – it is a reality.

What is truly sad about the furor over the Confederate memorials is why these same energies are not used to stop abortion, starvation, child abuse and neglect. Millions of children are murdered every year in the name of pride, lust and self-worth and it is legal. Many families have nothing to eat and are abused physically, mentally and spiritually in a world of plenty. Where are the protests against abortion, poverty, and care for the elderly and issues that really matter? The priorities of man are strangely misaligned.

A final word. Children of God must shine as lights in a crooked and perverse world. Christians should show their faith in not becoming embroiled in the anger, hatred and poison of a world gone mad with self-righteous piety and rights. We serve the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21).

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

The People Of The New Testament Church

There is a difference between those who walk in the darkness of the world and those who walk in the light of the kingdom of God. These are not subtle variants but demonstrative characteristics that consecrate the life of a Christian to the image of the Heavenly Father. Walking in the world is necessary because we live in the world. That way of life is vastly changed from what the norm of society dictates because our walk is to the message of a risen Lord who guides our thoughts, motives and desires. Just because the people of the world act rashly does not mean the Christian should follow their example. When the community is inflamed about a national issue the child of God must remember whom their first allegiance and loyalty resides: Jesus Christ. The actions of the lights of the world will reflect upon the sovereignty of the King we serve and His people. We should never allow ourselves to become embroiled in the affairs of a carnal world that does not show forth Christ in our lives.

It is easy to be overcome by evil. Temptations can ensnare our hearts and we can fall prey to the powerful lust of the flesh. Sin can also knock at the door of our hearts when we allow our example as people of God to be destroyed because we want to take up a cause that is sweeping the nation. This was seen last year during the presidential election when children of the Most High God acted like children of the devil in their speech, actions and disrespect to authority. New issues arise and voices are raised and feelings are raw and in the midst of the wicked confusion of a world gone mad, the disciple of Christ removes his cloak of humility and brandishes a sword of contempt. Overcome by evil the example of the saint of the Lord is tarnished with disgrace.

Evil is overcome by the goodness and righteousness of God. There is no other way. To stamp out evil, the heart of the child of God must remember the admonitions of kindness, forgiveness and humility. The example of a Christian must always be at the forefront of their motives. There are many things we should be concerned about which are good and wholesome. It must be remembered as a child of the living God that we do not have our rights to do as we please. Often we confuse the inalienable rights of being an American with the reality we have no rights under King Jesus Christ. Our lives are not governed by the Constitution of the United States but the constitution of the one Lord. Jesus Christ dictates what we can do and say – not the American nation. We have no rights except what God allows us through His Son. He commands that we not be overcome by evil and to overcome evil by the power of God. Christians are subject to the law of the land in every way because that is the will of God. Only – and only when there is a conflict with the law of God – is the Christian allowed disobeying government. It may be painful to pay taxes but it is not a sin to obey the government.

Brethren must be warned and reminded that we are children of the Most High God. We must not allow our emotions to place us in the midst of the emotional chaos of a world that is filled with wicked intents and thoughts. Let our voices be raised in prayer for our fellow man. Examples of a humble heart will show the truth of the only cause we should be fighting for. The life of a disciple of Jesus Christ will impact more souls for good by showing a spirit of kindness in troubled times than holding a sign screaming unkind words to someone made in the image of God. Ultimately the truth lies in the knowledge that no matter the color of skin, nationality, gender or age – we ALL are children of God in creation and our Creator despises the hatred spilled upon the ground of discontent and malice. Christians live a different life. Now is the time to show the world the power of the soldiers who serve in the army of the Lord. Let the people of God be the beacons of hope and love. Stand for Jesus Christ. Show the world how much you love God.