The Heaton File

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16)

Bring Your Children To Jesus

The Lord was a very busy man. His schedule was exhausting; His work intense and between His teaching, healing, exhorting and traveling it is difficult to see where the Son of God had time to lay His head. In all of this hectic day to day schedule it is overwhelming to see that He had time for children. The disciples did not think He should be bothered. Parents brought their children to Jesus to be blessed by Him and the disciples considered this as frivolous for such a man as their Master. Imagine the scene of these children being led to Jesus and people rebuking their parents for wasting the Lord’s time. How disheartening that would have been to a mother and father who only sought the blessing of this kind man who blessed everyone. The disciples did not think children were important enough to bother Jesus. They had it in their minds what Jesus would do and what He needed and they took charge of the problem. “Go home and do not bother the Lord,” they may have said. Jesus would not have it. Instead He rebuked His own disciples and was greatly displeased with them. The text suggests that Jesus was moved with indignation or became angry with His disciples.

Jesus is God, creator of the world and savior of men – and He wants to spend time with children. Little children are brought to Him and He takes them in His arms (can you see that) and He blesses each and every one of them. He laid His hands on them. The hearts of the mothers and fathers must have been bursting at the seams. Jesus uses the moment to remind His misguided disciples that children represent the character of the kingdom. They are humble, kind and full of love. Such are those who will be in the kingdom of God. It was a power point moment of instruction for those who did not see the value of children being blessed by the Lord. The parents were thrilled because He took time for them. Another lesson Jesus taught that day was to remind parents how important it is to bring children to God. Casting aside the rebukes of the disciples, the children were blessed when Jesus took them in His arms.

Parents must bring their children to Christ. They will not come on their own. The families in this story knew the value of bringing their children to the Lord to receive a blessing from Him. So often in the Lord’s church today parents see no purpose in bringing their children to Bible class or worship. One of the great blessings we have is the opportunity to have classes for children throughout the week. This has not always been the case in the centuries since the church began. Because of transportation, facilities and time, there are more opportunities to teach the Bible than ever before – and we are doing less with our time. Many parents in the church today will not bring their children to Bible class. To them it is not important. Bringing them to worship service is even more sporadic. If they bring them on Sunday morning they will not bring them on Sunday night or Wednesday night. When a special series of lessons are being conducted they will not bring their children. If the church is engaged in a work to encourage the young people parents do not see the value. Why should they grieve when their children grow up and have no interest in God? They learned that from mom and dad.

We teach our children what is important. The Bible classes are a wonderful addition to help a child learn about the Bible. Gathering with the saints on the first day of the week is not an option but a command. Parents who seldom attend worship services are teaching their children God is not important and they will grow up without God and die without God. This is only systemic of what happens in the home: there is no teaching of God in the home. It must be remembered that Bible classes are an addition to a child’s spiritual growth, not the totality. Children learn to love the Lord when they see that and hear that in the home the other six days of the week. Sending a child to Bible class alone will not teach them to love God. Why would a parent refuse to bring their child to Christ? They do not teach them in the home, they do not bring them to Bible class and they attend services so little the children are bored to tears with God.

Jesus wants us to bring our children to Him! Parents need to wake up and understand the eternal consequence of not bringing their children to the Lord. If a parent is not bringing their children to the Lord they are taking them to Satan. The parents in the days of Jesus wanted Him to bless them and He did. Nothing is of more lasting value than bringing our children to Jesus. It is heartbreaking when parents wring their hands in grief over their children who leave the Lord and refuse to obey the gospel when the blame is squarely upon the shoulders of those same parents who refused to set an example of faithfulness in bringing their family to God. Parents listen to the word of God – you will reap what you sow!

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:35-38)

The Compassion Of Jesus

Jesus was doing everything He could to help the multitudes that came to Him. He taught them the words of His Father and proclaimed the good news of the kingdom. The people needed to hear a message of hope in a world given over to religious bureaucracy, hypocrisy and tradition. His teaching astonished the people. Multitudes flocked to His healing power finding the man from Nazareth could heal every disease and sickness. Each person received personal attention from Jesus. The lame were made to walk again and the eyes of the blind were opened. Maladies of the body were taken away by the healing power of Jesus. Lepers had the curse of death removed. No one left without a miracle. At the center of the crowd was a single man teaching, preaching, healing, touching, exhorting and seeing into the desperate eyes of the people as He shared the Father’s grace. And they kept coming. He saw their anxious spirits of pain and agony and the joys they shared when He took their burdens away. It was a time of sadness as the Son of God looked upon His creation and saw how the people struggled to find themselves and wearied in their souls seeking peace. He could take away their physical pain but it was the deeper spiritual void that overwhelmed the Lord. The greatest need of the people was finding a cure for the disease of sin.

The multitudes came to Jesus and found temporary relief from their ailments. Jesus knew His mission was to bring eternal relief to the weary souls of men and this remedy would cost Him His life. As the multitudes circled around Him with the noise of their excitement of healing, He so wanted to impress upon them the most important need of the hour. A blind man could receive his sight but what about a heart darkened with sin? The lame would experience the joy of walking and rejoice but the greatest need was for men to walk in the ways of the Lord. Jesus could see in the faces of the people their desperate need for spiritual healing. Many would not recognize the disease of sin seek only the temporary healing of the body. What the Son of God saw was the bigger picture, the mission of His life, the purpose of His coming; the shadow of the cross. Sin was the need of the hour. Jesus would die to take way the disease.

Having compassion on the people is a striking image of the Son of God. His life was an incredible whirlwind of nonstop activity as He taught the people, healed their diseases and made His way to a place called Golgotha. It would take about three years for Jesus to complete the work of His Father and His goal was to take away the sting of death and the penalty of sin. The multitudes He healed today would call for His death tomorrow. Jesus looked into the eyes of the pitiful people that begged for His touch of healing and saw the darkness of sin that entrapped the souls of men to an eternal darkness. His heart burst with love for these weary and scattered sheep that had no shepherd. There was so much work to do. So many souls. So little time.

There is a great need to see men through the eyes of Jesus. Those weary and scattered sheep of Jesus day still walk among us. Men seek for answers to life in the fractured healing message of pride, pleasure and self-seeking indulgences.  They find no joy, peace or comfort. Only in the words of salvation given by Jesus Christ will the eternal promise of healing be given to men. A heart of compassion is needed to see men for what they really are. Apart from God people are like sheep without a shepherd. The sheep have no defense mechanism to save them, they have no knowledge of how to care for themselves and without guidance will wander away to be lost or destroyed. All men are sheep who cannot save themselves. Only from the tender hand of the great Shepherd Jesus Christ will salvation be found. His compassion is found at the cross. There is much work to be done to let men see the healing power of the cross. It begins with a heart of compassion for your friend, neighbor, coworker and family member to let them see how the Lord can give them life. Compassion. A heart of compassion. Look through the eyes of Jesus and have compassion on the multitudes.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, “Lord, Lord, open to us!” But he answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.” Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. (Matthew 25:10-13)

When The Door Is Shut

Jesus spoke in many parables teaching the multitudes the spiritual lessons of His Father. His teaching was clear and demonstrative.  There would not be any doubt to the clarity of His message. Some thought His teachings were hard. Many today react the same way. In the parable of the ten virgins, five were foolish in believing they had time to secure more oil and be ushered into the bridegroom’s feast. The startling part of the story comes when the five foolish secure more oil and knock on the door of the bridegroom. They wanted to go in. Their hearts were longing to be part of the feast. They had waited with the other five for the bridegroom to come and were late because they did not prepare for his unexpected arrival. But they were here now. There was no reason they could not come in. Begging him they five implored the Lord to open the door. He refused. They were left out of the feast. There was no joy, there was no happiness and they remained in the darkness.

The parable of the ten virgins is part of the ‘hard sayings’ of Jesus. It is difficult to miss the lesson. Finding oneself unprepared for the coming of the Lord will bring peril and heartache. The bridegroom came when he chose to come. Those who were ready enjoyed the feast. Those who were unconcerned were left in the darkness. The key to the story is the door: the bridegroom had the power to shut the door and he had the power to open the door. He refused those who were unprepared and the door remained locked. During the days of Noah when the flood came upon the whole world, the Holy Spirit says that God shut the door of the ark. His power is what brought salvation and His will destroyed those who disobeyed.

The parable of the ten virgins is really the parable of the door. When the door is shut there is no opening. Judgement is coming to all men. Like the ten virgins, there will be those who have made ready for His coming and there will be those who are unconcerned. Sadly, most are making no provisions for the final day. Death comes to most men and they are not ready to die. One day the Lord will come Himself and the world will come to an end. Most are unconcerned. What will make a difference is the door of eternal life. Few will be ushered into the feast of the King and when God shuts to door of eternal life all those who were unprepared will find themselves in darkness. There will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth but the door will remain closed. All the begging and pleading will not change the door. The Lord will say to those who did not prepare, “I do not know you.”

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. (Romans 15:1-7)

Edify The Other Person

The church is made up of a lot of different people. They come with their peculiar personalities, traits and views of life. No one is the same. Economic backgrounds, education, spiritual growth, age and gender all work to create a beautiful recipe of unique and special characteristics that make up a local body of saints. It is hard to believe that everyone is not like me. I seem to have all the answers and understand things better than others so how can others not see my viewpoint? It can be frustrating when we see what people do and how they act when they should be as mature as I am. It is clear that I have all the answers. If only the church would mold its character to my wishes how much better it would be.

The melting pot of brethren is a clear reminder the church is not about me. It is easy to assume that I have all the answers and everyone should follow my lead. What is lost in so many of the discussions of brotherhood unity is the church belongs to Jesus Christ, our work is to edify the other person and all we do is for the glory of God. Quite frankly it is not about me. Shocking but true. There are strong Christians and there are weak Christians. It comes as another shocking truth but weak Christians are going to heaven also. The Lord never suggests we cast aside those who struggle in their spiritual fight or find themselves falling on a regular basis. In the army of the Lord we leave no one behind. Those who have matured in their faith bear with the failings of the weak because it is not about me. We are to please the other person so that he can see the glory of God and help them to be edified or built up in their faith. If we bear the name of Christ we are to follow His example of bearing with the spiritually lacking among us. Jesus did not die for a special group of spiritually elite commandos who have all the answers about everything. Take some time and read of how God dealt with His people and it is evident the scriptures teach everyone was important.

Being of one mind toward one another will bring the unity of peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Unification of spirits is based upon the differences we share in the spiritual quest of eternal life. We are in the same family and share in the same Father. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is the same for all those who bear the name of Christ. Spiritually speaking there are privates, sergeants and officers in the army of the Lord but unlike the carnal warfare we are all the same. Our spiritual understanding will be different but our spiritual standing is not. We receive one another for the glory of God. Our purpose is to defeat the forces of Satan and raise the banner of truth in a world filled with darkness. Unified together as the army of the Lord we are there for the other person. The key element of our service is the other person. My goal should be to edify the other person. Casting stones does not encourage. Putting out a helping hand will lift someone up. Clasping hands together in prayer will exhort a saint to greater service. Let Satan tremble when he hears the roar of unified feet marching toward his camp as he witnesses the army of the Lord marching in rank and in step with one another. We are the army of God. Let us seek the good of one another for the glory of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

The Fruit Of The Spirit Is Faithfulness

In a world filled with the persuasion of immorality, having a moral conviction for truth and righteousness is a difficult commodity. Paul writing to the churches in Asia Minor faced no more an uphill climb to convince the brethren to remain unspotted from the world. The Roman world was infused in every corner the dogmas of idolatry, worldliness and the works of the flesh enumerated earlier in the apostle’s letter. Remaining faithful in an unfaithful world would take more than self-conviction. Faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit should be a warning the will of man will no long endure without the guidance and assistance of the Holy Spirit. Faith is not something that comes naturally because one is a Christian or they are part of an organization that espouses truth. Fruits come from a source and faithfulness is a byproduct of the Holy Spirit. Many of the virtues of the fruits of the Spirit are subjective but faithfulness is an objective quality.

Being faithful is the inward conviction that God is real and His Son is the only way, truth and life. This can only come from a continual meditation on the word of God which is the express image of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit comes from abiding in the fruit of the Spirit with a daily diet of the word of God. Without the manna of the Word in our hearts faithfulness will not grow. Bearing fruit is filling our minds and hearts with the knowledge of the Lord in a continual feeding of His will, commands, promises, precepts and grace. Faithfulness blossoms with our conviction of the one truth. Standing on the promises of God we defy the errors of the wicked one. Abiding in the fruit of faithfulness gives stability to our lives with the reassurance of final victory.

The fruit of the Spirit in faithfulness is the salt of our lives influencing others for good. Faithfulness is the character of a child of God by the example of their lives. It is evident in their daily life they are faithful to the Lord. They are faithful in their speech, attitudes, demeanor and spirit of life and others see Christ living in them. The manifestation of faithfulness is seen in their obedience to worship with other saints on the first day of the week. There is never a question about their faithfulness because they are engaged in the work of the local church on every level. This is one of the manifestation of faithfulness among many but so vital to show an expression of love for God. Those who seldom assemble with saints do not show a spirit of faithfulness. The fruit of the Spirit is seen in the way they dress. Immodesty is a work of the flesh. Showing a character of modesty is an expression of a faithful heart seeking to exalt the inner man for the glory of God. Faithfulness is heard in the speech of the Christian who shows the other fruits of the Spirit like love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness and goodness. It takes a meek heart to show faithfulness and without self-control, there can be no faithfulness. The fruit of the Spirit is a full tree.

Faithfulness is thinking about the end of all things. The Lord desires His people to be faithful unto death and He will give the eternal reward of redemption through His Son. A life lived for faithfulness will find the joy of hope in the words of the Lord saying, “Enter in. Well done good and faithful servant.” Through the power of the Holy Spirit faithfulness becomes an integral part of the life of God’s people and others will see the glory of God in their lives. Come to the fruit of the Spirit and partake of the power of His grace in producing faithfulness in your life.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. (Proverbs 12:4)

The Story Of Two Wives

In the neighborhood of Old Testament proverbs live two women who cannot be as different as night and day. On one side of the street is the home of an excellent wife whose husband is praised in the gates for her righteousness. Across the narrow lane is a husband who hangs his head in shame for the frivolity of his wife. Two men live across the street from one another and one is filled with thankfulness and gratitude while the pitied neighbor is filled with remorse and hopelessness. The wisdom literature is unflinching in the deep truths of righteousness reflected in the home. A husband wears a crown of honor because of his wife. Another husband is filled with rottenness or decay in his spirit as he watches his wife flitter her life away with slothful, wasteful and indolent living, ill-tongued and boisterous. Her character is not of submission but ruling the home with her hand of superiority.

Two women bring glory and shame to the home. The first woman is one whose heart dwells in the temple of God. Her character is for the good of the family, the honor of her husband and the glory of God. The mantle of her character is righteousness. She fills her heart with the word of God learning the traits of humility, charity, industry and kindness to others. Her dress is modest reflecting a spirit of purity and holiness. The tongue of a righteous woman praises her husband. There is joy in her heart as she submits to the leadership of her husband according to the will of the Lord. In her home are the pillars of truth, worship and godliness. The second woman is one whose heart dwells in the temples of men. She is wanton in her desire to be like the world. Her character is bold and asserting in the likeness of the world. The mantle of her character is the embolden woman of the world who cast off the cloak of submission commanded by God. They rule the home, degrade the husband and bring shame to the glory of the Lord. Her dress is the immodesty of the standards of society exalting the flesh above the spirit. She brings unhappiness to the marriage gnawing at the marrow of life and bringing shame to her husband.

The language of the Proverbs does not settle well in the world of the liberated woman and the cowardly husband. Many men have abdicated their roles of leadership for the submission to the woman. In a world gone mad with the destruction of the home, wives have taken control of the home demanding husbands bow to their wishes and desires. An excellent wife is still a crown of her husband and the woman who brings shame to the home is rottenness to the bones. From the Garden of Eden, the role of man and woman was ordained by the Creator. Like all things in His creation, the family is designed with perfection. When God looked at the first home He declared that is was very good. Through the influence of Satan, the home has become a place of unhappiness, immorality and rebellion. Women who have liberated themselves from the pattern of God are in sin. Husbands who refuse to lead the family as prescribed by the Lord rebel against the word of God.

When men go against the created pattern of God’s design there will be consequences. In a world given over to same-sex marriages and the meaning of marriage being redefined by the immoral fleshly cravings of perversion, the wisdom of the proverbs remains true. The home is a strong as the will of God that dwells there. The head of man is Christ and the head of woman is man. Wives are to be in subjection to their husbands and the man is to be the leader of the home. That is not a social statement; that is the law of God. Women who refuse to submit – sin. Husbands who fail to take the role of leadership in the home – sin. There will either be excellency in the home or there will be rottenness.

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” (Mark 9:33-37)

Who Is The Greatest In The Church?

The pride of man has always been a stumbling block leading to an arrogance of self-will and assumption of greatness. Among the apostles of Christ the plague of prideful desire was fueling a desire to find a place of prominence in a mistaken idea of a coming kingdom. Listening more to their carnal desires instead of the truth of the teachings of Jesus, the twelve disputed among themselves who would play a prominent role when the Lord established His kingdom. Jesus never suggested an earthly kingdom. This came from a heart of pride in His apostles. The Lord had told the twelve He was going to be betrayed into the hands of men and killed. After His death He said He would be raised. What they got out of the whole discussion was an argument about greatness. The truth was they did not understand what Jesus was saying when He spoke about His death and resurrection and were afraid to ask Him.

Jesus knew they argued about greatness among themselves. He brings the twelve together and explains to them the measure of greatness is not who is first in prideful superiority but who is willing to be last and to be a servant to others. That is counter-intuitive to the ideas of man to think that first place is last place. Everyone wants to be first. That is the place of glory. Finding oneself in last place is demeaning and lowly. Worse than being last is to consider oneself a servant to others as a slave is the lowest form of man. Servants do not have a lot to be prideful about. How could one be great when he is last and a servant to others?

To fortify the lesson, Jesus brings a little boy and sets him in the midst of twelve grown men who had been disputing about which one of them was the greatest and drives home the point. Jesus takes the young boy in His arms and shows the character of greatness. Children are not born with pride; they learn that from adults. Little children do not argue about greatness because their hearts are humble. Children of God possess a character of humility that does not seek first place but expresses a spirit of servitude. The kingdom of heaven is filled with the heart of children who let God be first place. It is important to know the church is the kingdom of God and pride has no place in the church. Men argue about who is the greatest when they squabble and fuss about who is in charge and whose word must be obeyed. Church divisions are brought about by prideful men who seek their own will rather than the word of God. What is lost in the disputes of men in business meetings and elderships is the church belongs to Jesus Christ – not men. He is the head of the church – not men. The Lord died on the cross – not men.

Who is greatest in the local church? Jesus Christ is the head of the church universal and local. Men and women should always remember the work of the church is about the work of the Lord. An exalted spirit of self-worth destroys the harmony of God’s pattern of the church when men seek to be great in the church because they believe they are the greatest. It would be a good thing to bring small children into the business meetings and elders meetings to remind everyone who is the greatest. The local church should look to the spirit of their children to learn how to love one another. Receiving one of those little children in the name of Christ receives the Lord Himself. When we receive the spirit of Jesus Christ like a little child, we receive the blessing of the heavenly Father.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:19-24)

God And Mammon

Man has always been a servant. He serves either those things that are true and righteous or those things that are false and ungodly. There has never been a third choice. Created in the image of God, man was formed to glorify the Creator and to worship the One who gives him life. He was given the ability to choose and allowed to make a choice whether he wanted to obey the Lord or not. It was in the Garden of Eden that man made a choice to satisfy his fleshly desires and ignore the clear instructions of God. Mammon was a strong aroma that man fell prey to and as a consequence was separated from God and cast out of the garden. It was that morsel of mammon that brought the punishment of a righteous God upon the whole world and then saved through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son.

Mammon is not a word familiar to most people. It is only found four times in scripture but the message of the Bible from beginning to end is the struggle with mammon. Jesus refers to it in His sermon on the mountain and the parable of the unjust steward. The Old Testament is a testimony to the eternal struggle of man and mammon. Jesus came to earth to show men they cannot live by mammon alone. Everyone today struggles with the powerful influence of mammon in their lives. Jesus died because of mammon. Our life beyond the grave will be determined by how we deal with mammon. It is impossible to serve the Lord God and to serve mammon.

Defining the word mammon is to understand the lust of the flesh, the pride of life and the lust of the eye. Like the forbidden fruit of Eden, mammon is the aroma of temptation that draws the heart away from God. The treasures of earth have a great attraction because they are fun, exciting and glitter brightly to the desires of man. Mammon is the fulfillment that brings satisfaction to the flesh exalting the pride of man to make him believe he is a god. Satan is after the heart of man and when he fills the soul of man with riches of this world he is succeeding in turning man into a worshipper of mammon. The lamp of the eye of man is the soul of man and what it becomes is what man becomes. Mammon brings darkness and how great is that darkness. The reality of mammon is that it is transitory.

God and mammon cannot be in the same heart. Man’s heart was created to only have room for one thing. Loving and serving mammon will exclude God. They cannot abide together. Devoting the heart to God will drive the desire of mammon from the mind of man and give him greater hope and greater promise. Jesus stated a simple fact: no man can serve two masters. Either the Lord God will reign in the heart or the lie of mammon will give a temporary pleasure before death destroys the soul. Every one of us serves one of two masters. Do you serve God or do you serve mammon?

My Grandson Can’t Play In The Championship Game

They are the Gilchrist League Rookie Baseball All-Stars and they have an undefeated season. The past few years this group of young men have put up an impressive score in basketball and little league baseball of very few losses. This season they have won the first championship and are entering the second championship with no losses. The games have been hard with close scores. Each player has stepped up and delivered a stellar performance to move their team to winning. They have embodied the spirit of team play. More games are ahead that will test their metal but they are a winning team on the field and off the field. Today, they won a hard fought game with a good team defeating them 6-4. With this win, they move to the championship game. Sadly, my grandson will not be able to play in the championship game.

He was not injured or disqualified. The reason for his not playing in the championship game was not because of sickness or weather or the like. When they won the game today there was great jubilation as the team together succeeded to secure another spot in a championship game. In a world gone carnal to its core, he will not be able to play in the championship game because it is scheduled for Sunday morning 9:00am. I know this is not news to many people as this has been happening in many places for many years. It is not the norm.

There was a time when society respected the first day of the week. Many stores were closed on Sunday called the “Blue Laws.” Publix, a major grocery store, was closed on Sunday. Many business do not open on the first day of the week but this is changing more and more. Ball games are now played all day on Sunday and no one seems to care. There was no doubt Kendon would not be able to play the championship game because his first cause is the Lord. His parents have affirmed that in him but how heartbreaking for a young man to learn the cruel twist of a carnal world. It is not so much about him being in a place of worship on Sunday morning instead of being on the ball field. The sad truth is the world our children and grandchildren are growing up in is a world that has no respect for the first day of the week.

What is more startling than the scheduling of games on Sunday is the silence of parents and teams who participate. Most in the world could care less because God is not in their lives anyway. There was a time that good religious people honored the first day of the week. Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby have both shown through the corporate world that success can be had without being open on the first day of the week. Now our good religious neighbors gladly go off to parlay with the world in a championship game on the first day of the week with no sense of regret or conscience. What is more tragic are brethren who justify taking their children to ball games on the first day of the week. At a congregation I preached a woman and son came to the early service to take of the communion so they could rush out to play in a ball game (they were from out of town). Sadly for her, the communion was not served until later and she left to take her son to play ball. She turned her back on Jesus Christ for a ball game. What good is that game going to do a person who stands before the Almighty God and explain why they chose to play in a silly ball game instead of communing over the body and blood of His Son?

It is sad Kendon will miss out in the championship game. He is okay and I am proud of him. It is more sad than he will grow up in a world that will try everything it can to destroy his faith. Something as simple as a ball game on Sunday morning at 9:00 will be how Satan hurts the body of Christ. The church is going to be filled with parents who think nothing of taking the children to these ball games because they are so important to the development of the child. All the while, teaching them to hate God. What other things hinder our service to the Lord on the first day of the week. When on vacation do we vacate God? If our child has a school function or a party do we hate God and let them go? Please know this – if God is not first He is last and if He is last there is no love for Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Let’s be clear. If we do not obey God we hate Him. Stop pretending that disobeying the Lord is love. Jesus Christ did not die so we could play ball instead of remember His sacrifice. If the communion of the Lord is not first – God help you.

Let us be prepared for the continual onslaught of an evil and adulterous generation. This is not new news because the early church faced the same problem. We must stand for truth no matter how many games we miss and friends we lose. God is first. Jesus is first. The Holy Spirit is first. His word is first. Nothing is first in our lives but the Lord. May God richly bless parents who train their children in the way of righteousness and truth and reject the overtones of a world that rejects God.

For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN. HIM YOU SHALL HEAR IN ALL THINGS, WHATEVER HE SAYS TO YOU. AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERY SOUL WHO WILL NOT HEAR THAT PROPHET SHALL BE UTTERLY DESTROYED FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.’ Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” (Acts 3:22-26)

The New Testament Church In The Old Testament

Following the healing of the lame man at the Temple, Peter and John are surrounded by a multitude of people curious about the miracle that transformed the cripple. The apostle explained the healing wonder of the lame man was by the power of the One they had killed called Jesus. He was the Holy One and the Just, Prince of life whom God raised from the dead. While the rabble crowd cried out for the death of Jesus, they were fulfilling what had been prophesied in the days of Moses and the succeeding prophets. Moses had spoken of a Prophet coming that would bring the words of salvation. Believing on this Prophet would bring life and disbelieving would bring destruction. All of the prophets beginning with Samuel spoke of the coming Prophet that would be unlike any man. Peter reminds the people that even Abraham spoke of this Jesus when the Lord promised the blessings of the seed would bless all families on earth.

Genesis through the final book of Malachi is filled with the evidence of the promised new covenant that God would make with all men. The New Testament church is revealed throughout the Old Testament as fulfilling the promise of the seed. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and His work of redemption was spoken by Abraham, Moses and all the prophets. Moses said the Lord would raise up a Prophet like himself. There is a shadow and type found in Moses as he led the people out of bondage to the promised land. Jesus has opened the path of salvation through the church – redemption for all men. When the Lord commissioned His disciples to preach the gospel, He commanded those who believed and were baptized would be saved and those who did not believe would be condemned. This is the same message spoken of by Moses concerning the Prophet that was coming.

Salvation would come to those who heard the word of the Prophet and obeyed. Destruction would come to those who did not heed the word of the Prophet. The promise to Abraham was that in the fulfillment of the seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. Jesus said during His ministry that He was the only way, the only truth and the only life. No man can bless all families on the earth like Jesus and He is the only Savior of man. There is no other way. Truth can only be found in Jesus Christ. Eternal life comes from the Son of God alone. These are the basic doctrines of the New Testament church.

Many believed the words of Peter and John and the number of the disciples grew to be about five thousand. The first converts to Christ learned of salvation from reading the Old Testament. Philip taught the eunuch from Ethiopia beginning at Isaiah 53. The conclusion of the eunuch was the necessity of baptism. Early disciples learned much about the church from the writings of the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit continued to reveal His word as the church grew and the canon of the New Testament was formed. Never forget the Old Testament is about Jesus Christ and the eternal purpose God had in establishing the church of the New Covenant. The church of the New Testament is the Prego of the Old Testament: it’s in there.