The Heaton File

Let all things be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40)

For The Glory Of God

The church at Corinth had a lot of problems adjusting to the pattern expected by the Lord for His church. Admittedly, they were part of a new revolution that was sweeping the Roman Empire and the world with little to go on for examples and patterns. Viewing the church two thousand years removed reminds us of the challenges the church faces in any generation to learn how to follow the design and arrangement preserved by the Holy Spirit. It can be easy to cast stones at Corinth for their chaotic multiplicity of incredible problems they experienced but we are probably not as far removed as we think. It comes down to a better understand of how to worship and what is pleasing to the Lord and what is done for the pleasure of man.

Worship in the church of Corinth was like a three-ring circus. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were not understood in their proper context, authority was being challenged by the women, partaking of the Lord’s supper was out of place and there were serious issues with vital doctrines like morality, marriage and the resurrection. All in all the church at Corinth resembled a train wreck. The public worship was one of the areas that Paul addressed to this church of God. They had created an atmosphere of confusion and this was driving people away for learning the truth. Because of the chaos being allowed in the worship, those who visited thought the members out of their minds. This is a difficult environment to teach someone the way of truth. The apostle sought to put things back in order for one simple reason: worship at Corinth did not give glory to God.

The Corinthians had failed to remember that worship must be about glorifying God. Everything created and established by the Lord has a design and purpose. Worship has never been a foot-loose, raucous vibration of uncontrolled passions that fuel the spirit of man rather than an orderly approach in respecting the Father. The admonition of Paul that worship must be done decently and in order comes from a military term of the proper manner to come before God. It is not to be done with confusion and discord. There is a pattern to worship the Lord. This form is not a strict regimen of rote sentences and disheartened spirits but worship that is directed to the glory of God. The details of that pattern are left to man to decide if he wants two songs and a prayer and a song and the supper and a song … you get the idea. When all is said and done there must be respect for what is being done.

Worship is to glorify God. Respect for the Lord is paramount. The solemnity of true worship knows the grace afforded man to enter the veil approaching the throne of God in bold humility to offer sacrifices of praise to the Almighty. There must be an order to this worship. Albert Barnes writes, “Let all be done ‘decorously,’ as becomes the worship of the great and holy God.” How that is accomplished is left to the mind of man. Having the spirit of subjection to the manner of true worship, man will find a higher plane in his pursuit of worshiping the Father in spirit and truth.

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 Are Called To His Glory And Excellence

Everything needed for man to make his calling and election sure has been provided by the grace and mercy of God. The elements of a righteous life and the path of godliness are revealed to all men to follow as faith building blocks seeking the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. All of the attributes of the virtuous characters of the saint mold an abundant life in the harmony of the Holy Spirit. There is a higher reason for these graces to be a vibrant part of the life of each Christian. When God ordained the nature of His children before time began, His desire was for them to show forth His own glory and excellence in their lives by imitating Him. The children become the Father.

God did not create man just to have something to create that could walk and talk. Forming Adam from the dust of the ground and taking a rib to form woman was a special creation designed to bring glory to the Almighty Creator. The animals bear the mark of the Maker’s hand but only in the physical appearance of His creative power. It is only in man that God shows His greatest power and purpose. Buried in man was the image of the Creator. Animals are dust and to dust they return with no life beyond. Man is an eternal being created to inhabit a mortal body. The image of God is born in the heart of man to show forth the majesty of the Creator. When man sheds his physical tent he lives eternally through the design of God. This eternal existence will be a time of joy or horror but eternal it will be. It is also during the earthly journey that man is to honor the image of the Creator and show His glory.

Peter enumerates many Christian graces that separate the child of God from the world of darkness. Each of these attributes will guide the heart, soul, mind and body into the paths of righteousness and truth. Above all of these graces the purpose of God is declared. The divine power of God has provided everything man needs to follow a life of godliness through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Following these admonitions will secure an eternal home in the kingdom of God. What is found in these graces -exemplified in the life of those who have obtained the like precious faith – is the glory and excellence of the Almighty God. A life that is filled with godliness is a life that shows the incredible love of God. It is not man that is glorified – it is the Father. The spirit of man is cloaked with the mantle of the Holy Spirit in every part of his life. We are called by the glory of God to live for the glory of God. The virtue and excellence that brought us to the cross of Jesus Christ is the same spirit we fill our lives with. Children of God look like their heavenly Father and show forth His glory.

Jesus lived a perfect life because His will was to show forth the glory of His Father. He followed the same path of the graces Peter shares with his readers to find perfection. If there is a challenge to faith it will be answered by one or more of these graces. Growing in Christ can only be accomplished by following these graces of godliness. Increasing in each grace will bring about greater security and knowledge of salvation. Molding our lives by the characters of godliness will show the glory of God and manifest His spirit of light to a world given over to darkness. I shine bright because I shine God. His glory fills my life and His glory is what others see in me.

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)

The Best Book In The Bible

During the early days of the church, a conflict arose among the first Christians as to how much of the Law of Moses would be included in the gospel of Christ. Some taught circumcision was necessary to be saved. The keeping of days and festivals was a problem. Under persecution, a number of the Hebrew saints were considering returning to the old ways. It was hard for those who grew up in Judaism to completely remove all of the trappings of things they had done and believed their whole lives. Shunned by family members, friends and acquaintances, living as a follower of Jesus Christ was a hard road to travel.

The Hebrew writer addressed the faith challenges the early Hebrew Christian’s faced. The argument put forth repeatedly in the Hebrew letter was how better things were under the covenant of Christ. There was no comparison to what the Jews served under the Law and the grace of God found in the law of Christ. The death of Jesus served a better sacrifice, a better possession, a better country, a better resurrection, a better way, a better High Priest and a better hope. Everything was superior in Christ. The blood of bulls and goats could not compare to the pure blood of the Son of God. He became the incredible gift of a loving Father who gave His only begotten Son to redeem man. All of the sacrifices during the period of the Law could not measure to one drop of the blood of Jesus on the cross. He was sinless and perfect and gave His life for all.

From the first days of the world, man has sought for the best things in life. Salvation came through men like Abraham who showed a pattern of faith in believing in the one true God. In the Law of Moses God preserved the seed promise to be fulfilled in Christ. The Gentiles and the Jews proved that man could not save himself apart from the law or having been given the law find perfection. Only in Jesus Christ can all men find the true grace and mercy of God and the redemption of their soul. The same holds true today. Man cannot save himself apart from God. There is no hope if men seek to save themselves by themselves. Following the Ten Commandments or the Law of Moses will not save a man. The Law of Moses has been abolished as the first covenant with fault. A better covenant is given through Christ and the only means that can save man today is in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews is the best book in the Bible because it is a book of best things. The better blessings of the Lord are emphasized throughout the message of Hebrews. It should be clear for all those who are Christians of the incredible blessings we have in being part of the better covenant with a better High Priest. Never take for granted the manifold mercies of God fulfilled in Jesus Christ with a better hope built upon better promises. Rejoice in the day to know we serve a better law. God’s grace and mercy are undeserving but He has granted His love toward us that while we were sinners He sent His Son to die for us.  We should be the best people because of His love. Thank you God for your love and your gift.

Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. (Titus 2:6-8)

A Pattern For Young Men

The Bible is filled with stories of young people who mastered the spirit of youth to become examples of godly living serving the Lord with faithfulness. It must never be lost the impact the young of any generation can have in the work of the Lord. Often criticism is leveled against the wasted years of youth. There are many families that do not restrain their children failing to teach them the fundamental character of godliness. Prosperity has ruined many a young heart that grows to maturity seeking everything in the world but God. Parents give their children everything their heart desires based upon the popularity of their peers, societal norms and pleasures. Knowledge of the Lord is never taught. A pattern of youthful godliness is found in Paul’s admonition to Titus that any young man can use to help him become a shining example of righteousness in a world dark with sin.

Young men that please the Lord are those who control the volatile spirit of self. The passions of youth weigh heavy upon pre-emerging adults. There are many temptations placed before the mind of young men seeking to remain pure. Controlling self is one of the most important passions of youth. Learning how to curb the desires of the flesh and mind come from a study of God’s word. Controlling the propensities to which a young man is subject demands self-government with a well-governed mind. Like Joseph of old, he knows when to flee sin. A godly young man will know what is sown today he will reap tomorrow.

The example of a godly young man is seen in a pattern of good works. Their life is a model of seeking spiritual things on a higher plane of holiness, righteousness and purity. They are filled with knowledge of God’s word instilling an example of integrity before others. Their speech does not betray their example as they learn to be respectful, honest, loving and kind. A pattern of good works is what separates a godly young man from the frivolous youth of the world. Adorning the doctrine of God is the cloak of purity that describes the young man pleasing the Father.

Young men who will shine as lights in the world will change the world. Joseph, David, Jonathan, Josiah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Timothy and Titus are young men preserved by the Holy Spirit as models of the modern young man who makes a difference in their world. The names will be different today but we need so desperately young men who will stand on the foundation of truth to be an example to others of the righteousness of the Lord. In the lives of godly young men a new hope arises that will build the church in every community and solidify the home built upon the word of God, the Spirit of God and the eternal hope of Heaven. Let these young men rise to the challenge.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. (John 3:36)

The Great Commission Of John The Baptist

Following the resurrection, Jesus remained with His disciples forty days teaching and preparing them for the work of spreading the gospel. The gospel writer Mark concludes his book with a commission of Jesus to the eleven to preach the gospel to every creature. This message would be a simple plan that whosoever believes and is baptized would be saved and those who did not believe would be condemned. Through the centuries man has denied the essentiality of baptism teaching the commission of Jesus did not include baptism. In the wisdom of man, salvation comes through faith alone. John the Baptist testified early in the ministry of Jesus the essential character of obedience in the same pattern Jesus would command the eleven.

Everlasting life comes from believing in the Son of God. John’s testimony comes on the heels of Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night and the Lord showing the Jewish ruler obedience comes from the new birth. The message of Jesus was birth by the water and the spirit. To deny baptism as essential for salvation denies the words of the Son of God to Nicodemus and the testimony of John the Baptist. When a man believes in the word of God he is willing to do everything commanded of him by the Lord. Nicodemus understood this and became a disciple of Christ. John the Baptist declared everlasting life came from believing in the Son and this would come from obedience to the word of God. Jesus completed this circle of teaching by telling the eleven that belief and baptism was the will of the Father.

Having an attitude of disbelief does not lend itself to following the word of God. Those who reject baptism as necessary for salvation do not believe in the Son. Believing in Jesus as the Christ demands complete obedience. John the Baptist emphasized the message Jesus would leave as a commission to the eleven that believing in the word of God required baptism. The wrath of God is waiting for those who refuse to obey His word. To disbelieve in the will of God is to ignore baptism as necessary. Disregarding the command to be buried in water is to not believe the Son. Those who are not baptized will not see life and will find the wrath of God abides in them. Not only did Jesus affirm this in His commission to the eleven but John the Baptist laid the foundation in his teaching the disciples. The unity of the message is the Holy Spirit confirmed the will of God through the words of John the Baptist in John 3 and the words of Jesus in Mark 16. One Spirit and one word from one Father.

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:14-16)

Lukewarm Devotion

“The great lack of modern religion is the spirit of devotion. We hear sermons in the same spirit with which we listen to a lecture or hear a speech. We visit the house of God just as if it were a common place, on a level with the theater, the lecture-room or the forum. We look upon the minister of God not as the divinely-called man of God, but merely as a sort of public speaker on a plane with the politician, the lawyer, or the average speech maker, or the lecturer. Oh, how the spirit of true and genuine devotion would radically change all of this for the better! We handle sacred things just as if they were the things of the world. Even […] the Lord’s Supper becomes a mere religious performance, no preparation for it before-hand, and no meditation and prayer afterward. We need the spirit of devotion, not only to salt our secularities, but to making praying real prayers. We need to put the spirit of devotion into Monday’s business as well as in Sunday’s worship. We need the spirit of devotion, to recollect always the presence of God, to be always doing the will of God, to direct all things always to the glory of God. The spirit of devotion puts God in all things. It puts God not merely in our praying and church going, but in all the concerns of life.” (Edward M. Bounds; 1835-1913)

Laodicea had a problem not uncommon in many churches of the Lord today. Jesus examined the hearts of the people concluding they were at best lukewarm. He knew their works and He was not impressed. They were not like Sardis whom the Lord defined as being dead. This would be a cold church, lifeless and with little hope of revival. Laodicea was not a church on fire either. It would have pleased the Lord to at least say the church was dead or alive but it found itself it a much worse state. Lukewarm is mediocre and going through the motions of worship with little or no life convinced they are a faithful and sound congregation. What was greatly lacking in the church of the Laodiceans was a true devotion to the Lord.

E. M. Bounds understood the need of devotion in our spiritual life as a people living in the world and as a people gathered for worship. Both of these arenas of life are connected. If church services are out of context with the rest of the week, the problem lies in the rest of the week. Worshiping God is not a prosthetic we take on and off when we enter the church building. Too often saints gather on the first day of the week to worship who were not saints the week before. The singing is weak on Sunday because there is no joy in the week before. Prayers are rote memorization’s of key words and thoughts with no spiritual meat resulting from lives void of prayer. Listening to the preacher drone on about concepts foreign to the interest and purpose of life result from lifeless carnal pursuits in the hearts of those squirming in the seats anxious for an ‘amen’ to be sounded. Taking the Lord’s Supper is eating some pie crust and drinking Welch’s grape juice. Praise the Lord we are devoted; let’s go home. And this is where the problem came from.

Jesus condemned the church at Laodicea because they were not wholly devoted to the purpose and design of God. Lukewarm devotion emerges from lives that are little interested in spiritual matters Monday through Saturday. The Christian is only a lifeless machine going through the motions doing the will of God because they are commanded to and mom and dad insisted. Having a devoted heart is a spirit that is full of the love of God embracing the glory and majesty of His divine power in every part of life. Worship on the first day of the week is an outgrowth of six days preparing for a wonderful feast of good things as the people of God gather together and join hearts and voices in divine praise. A heart devoted is a spirit filled with the word of God on a daily basis always praying in the spirit and serving others in the kindness of brotherly love. As Berry Kercheville said, “We need to fall in love with God again.” That would change our worship, our hearts and our outlook. Devotion comes from a heart prepared to worship and devoted worship will change the heart to live in righteousness every day of the week. Is thy heart right with God?

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)

Everything We Need

There is great power in knowing that God has made provisions for His children to be provided with everything they need to grow, prosper and find assurance in the promised blessing of eternal life. Doubt can fill the heart of a disciple as Satan seeks to dissuade with fears and inhibitions of worthiness. Hope is sometimes lost in the spirit of God’s people because they are unsure whether they are saved or not creating distrust in the promises of the Father. Guilt infiltrates the soul with anxious feelings of inadequacies dooming the spirit to apathy. Challenging these feelings of hopelessness is the knowledge that God has provided everything needed to give a blessed assurance that salvation is sure and true. The child of God should not walk with unsteady steps of uncertainty. Obtaining a like precious faith by the righteousness of God comes from a heart devoted to growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The divine power of God has made full provisions of everything needed to make salvation sure. Revealing His mind through the written word, God has declared to all men what His will is pertaining to life and godliness. This comes about through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Genesis to the Revelation is about the Son of God. The assurance of salvation comes from knowing the glory of the Father revealed through the Son in the express image of His virtue. In this knowledge comes the assurance of salvation and hope of Heaven. It is not a guess or a calculation of chance. Eternal life is something that is sure and steadfast. A spirit of humble confidence fills the heart with the knowledge that death will bring only the light of God’s face upon His child. The promises of God are exceedingly great and His promises are precious. In the knowledge of God we partake of the divine nature infusing our lives with His presence. All that is in the world with its corruption and putridity is cast aside for the grace of God’s love.

Everything we need for life is found in His word. In the grace of faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love the character of the Christian is forged through the fires of devotion. There is nothing lacking. Embedding these graces into our lives will insure victory. Our voices can shout in triumph to know that death brings the assurance of eternal life. A crown waits for the one who believes that all things that pertain to life and godliness have been provided through the grace of God. Fears are cast aside. Confidence of hope fills the spirit of man to walk more boldly as a shining light in a dark world. The war rages on against the forces of wickedness as soldiers of Christ take up the banner of truth confident the victory has been won in Jesus Christ. Putting the graces of Lord in the heart of the child of God will bring about the knowledge that Heaven is not a maybe; it is an absolute.

The key to Peter’s exhortation knows the importance of adding the graces of God to a life of faith. Everything has been provided but the child of God must take advantage of His provisions. It takes all diligence to add to faith the virtues listed in the text. Reading about them and thinking about them will be of little value if they are not added to the active life of the Christian. It takes courage to face each grace and to acknowledge any challenge in life is addressed by one or more of the seven characters needed to make our calling and election sure. Failure in life comes from a failure in one or more of these graces. Victory will spring from the practice of each one of these manifestation of God’s grace in our life. He has provided everything we need. Thank you God.

Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled. (Deuteronomy 11:8-15)

The Blessings Of Obedience

God has always wanted to care for His children and give them the storehouse of His many blessings. He has so much to give. When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, everything they needed was provided. They could eat of every tree in the garden with the exception of the one forbidden tree. One tree. All the hundreds or thousands of trees in the garden and Satan used the one tree to bring man down. On God’s part, He provided an abundance of good things for Israel. The land of Canaan was promised before the people left Egypt. Rebelling at Kadesh-Barnea was an incredibly heart wrenching experience for the Lord because all the people had to do was to trust in Him and the Lord God would fight their battles for them. They refused and He punished them.

The Law of Moses specifically laid out the promises that God would provide all they needed and more if they would only obey. Their days would be long and the land would flow with milk and honey. There was no comparison to what the Hebrews experienced in Egypt. This land would produce great crops for them. The Lord would bring the rains throughout the year to fill the earth with nourishment. Grain would be in abundance, the new wine and oil plentiful. Obedience to the Lord would bring great blessings from the hand of the Great Provider and the people would never be in want. If the people would earnestly obey the commandments of the Lord, to love Him and serve Him with all their heart and souls then God would give them all these blessings and more. Who would not want to obey the Lord with these kinds of promises? The only thing the people had to do was to follow the will of God and He would take care of the rest. Sadly this would not be the case.

Israel conquered the land and prospered under the hand of the Lord. In time, the heart of the people turned from the Lord  as they trusted in themselves and desiring to be like the nations around them followed after the gods of the world. The Law of Moses became a foreign book to them and they forgot the law of God. Israel became a corrupt and evil nation (like the nations around them) and the blessings of the Lord dried up. Instead of the land flowing with milk and honey, Israel became a byword and a hiss as the land was destroyed by other nations. There was no joy in the land and the rains seldom came. All they had to do was to obey the Lord and He would bless them beyond their imaginations. They refused and so did God.

The greatest tragedy of sin is man seeks to find his happiness in himself instead of allowing the Lord to bless him. Obedience to God always comes with blessings. His promises do not provide the physical blessings as clearly as He promised the nation of Israel but obedience will always bring a reward from the Lord. Godliness is a way of life that will keep the heart from the suffering endured by the ungodly. Purity leads to decisions that will keep one from the pain of impurity and lascivious living. Sexual immorality will reap what is sown. Abstaining from every form of evil will bless a person’s life with a greater reward here and in the world to come. Righteousness exalts the spirit of a man because he obeys the word of God. There are more blessings in obedience than pleasures in disobedience.

Keeping the commandments of the Lord is not burdensome. The promise that God will bless those who obey His commandments, to love the Lord God and serve Him with all the heart and with all the soul are found in the covenant of Christ. There will be greater contentment, joy, happiness and promise in a life devoted to serving the will of God. It will bring greater blessings in this life and especially in the life to come. His promises still hold true. If we obey God He will bless us. When we turn away from God to serve the gods of this world He will remove His blessings. The choice is yours.

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

The Greatest Question

Men have sought the answers to life in many ways. Everything man does is the pursuit of finding a place of happiness and he believes that his worth is discovered in his own wisdom. The quest for meaningful life is exhausted in the pleasures of the flesh, the accumulation of money and the prideful heart of arrogance. In a laughable exercise of futility, the boastful man will show the world how smart he is by his physical presence, mental sharpness and bounty of wealth. He rules over other men with an egotistical hand of superiority walking tall among the multitudes of less fortunate and less deserving. His stature among men is great and many marvel at the idol he has become. Life for the prideful man is what dreams are made of and the world envies his success. And then a remarkable thing happens. The man dies.

All men who possess the riches of the world share the common fate as every man. Death is not a respecter of persons. Wealthy men die just like the impoverished. Morgues are filled with the bodies of those who are no different than the other. A shell of a human body lies cold and lifeless without any trappings of wealth and power. There is no pleasure in the body. Death has sealed the fate of the rich man and the poor. The youthful body used for the pleasures of life begins to decay returning to the dust from whence it came. There is no beauty in the dying body. No wisdom and no words of pride. Death silences life. And then a remarkable thing happens. The spirit of the man that lived for the pleasures of carnal man faces an eternal awareness and the face of a God he chose not to believe.

The greatest question that man will answer is what will he exchange for his eternal soul. All men are eternal creatures. When conception occurs in the womb of a woman an eternal being is created that will never cease to exist. The body will grow and mature but in reality the soul of man possesses the physical body waiting to be released in death. Death does not allow the transfer of wealth, fame and pleasure. What is common to all men is no matter how they lived life they all die the same way. Jesus poses the rhetorical question of what is there in the entire world that is worth losing eternity for? How will men face the judgment of the Lord God Almighty with a life spent in the folly of carnal pleasure? Hell is a place of eternal torment. It is unceasing. There is no escape. Jesus described it as a place of fire without end. And men will live in the pleasures of their folly and face God unprepared.

Life is very short and yet upon this vapor of time an eternity depends. A man will gain the whole world and enjoy every particle of life that is given in the flesh – and then he will die. Sadly, eternity is without end for those who deny God. Disbelieving in judgment does not negate the reality of suffering the consequences of selling the soul for a parcel of carnal pleasure. All men will dwell in eternity. Jesus declared that most will find themselves apart from God in darkness weeping and crying out for a relief that will never come. Pleasures on earth will quickly be forgotten and despised. The soul was exchanged for the lie of pleasure, wisdom and fame. You are reading these words. You will die. What will you exchange for your soul?

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts— but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.(Mark 6:7-13)

Jesus Cannot Do It All

The ministry of Jesus was an exhausting and grueling three years of teaching, healing, walking, teaching, healing, teaching and once in a while time alone for Himself and the Father. He was constantly going from city to city with multitudes in the thousands following Him. Many came seeking Jesus to hear His teachings or to receive the miracle of healing from His hand. There was so much work to be done in such a short time. Jesus knew His time was limited. He began early to develop the men who would take the work of the gospel to the whole world. Imagine trying to find qualified men to take the leadership role of spreading a message that would encircle the world (literally) and last for thousands of years without fail. Twelve men were selected among so many other qualified disciples. These were not the leaders of the day or educated elite of the people. Common men who knew the value of hard work (fishermen), a man of education (tax collector) and a spirited individual who brought the power of a zealous heart to the group (a Zealot). Little is known of the others but Thomas would prove to be one of the strongest of the twelve with a deep faith and love for the Lord. The background of Judas is not known but he turned against His Lord and suffered greatly because of it.

Jesus also sent out seventy men to preach the gospel. John the Baptist prepared the way. The Twelve were sent out to preach and heal the sick. Jesus was one man and could not do all the work that needed to be done. He also knew the plan of the Father was for Him to die on a cross and to rise from the dead. After the resurrection His time was more limited as He only spent forty days with the eleven grooming them for the work that was before Him. The day came when Jesus returned to the Father and would remain until the end of time. It was that time after the ascension of Jesus that is critical to the completion of the work of God. The eleven fulfilled the work of God by going to Jerusalem, choosing the twelfth apostle and opening the doors of a new covenant on the Day of Pentecost. These twelve men began to preach the gospel in Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. Others were drawn to the work of teaching and preaching. When persecution came, more men and women took a stand of preaching scattering throughout the land to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul, Barnabas, John Mark, Timothy, Luke and Silas all became instruments of preaching the word of God to Jews and Gentiles alike.

Jesus is the Son of God but He cannot do all that needs to be done. He could have remained on the earth and through the power of the Holy Spirit spread the gospel to all lands throughout every century. But that was not the plan of the Father. It was left to men to spread the news of salvation. Jesus sent out the twelve so that men could teach men. This accomplished two things: men would learn from men and those who taught would have a deeper knowledge of God’s word. The same is true today. Like the song that says, “Christ has no hands but our hands; to do His work today” we are the agents of the gospel to take the message of hope to a lost and dying world. If we are not doing it – who will? Jesus will not come to earth and preach for us. He has left that responsibility to us. We are the ones selected by Christ to tell our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family. So often the reason many are lost is because those entrusted with teaching the gospel fail to fulfill their role. Our hearts must be like the seventy that returned and rejoiced because of the power of God over Satan. Let us all be busy about sharing the good news.