The Heaton File

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

Go That Way First

Leadership is knowing how to blaze a trail through the uncertainty of tomorrow so that others can follow in your steps today. It takes courage to step out in front. Taking on the responsibility of guiding the hearts of someone else places a huge weight of accountability on the shoulders of those who dare take up the mantle. The first principles of leadership are born in the home. Parenting is the ultimate experience in the realm of influencing another life for eternity. Children do not choose to be born and yet upon that act of creation man begins a river of life that will never cease to exist. The only instruction manual that comes with a newborn child is the word of God. He created man and knows what will bring happiness to what is created for the glory of the Lord God. In the days of Adam, men began to call upon the name of the Lord establishing the course of the history of the world whether men followed God’s word or rejected it. Generations removed from the first families of earth, we have the complete mind of God revealed to man on how to train our children in the path of righteousness and truth. But there is a catch: children will be less likely to find God if we do not know Him first.

Faith in God is not something you catch like a cold or inherit from your parents. Trust and belief in the Lord will only come through the knowledge of His will in the heart of one who is open and honestly searching for truth. Children are like soft clay. In the early days, we can mold and bend their wills to form whatever ideals we feel important. As Harry Chapin wrote in his song, “Cats in the cradle,” children will grow up to be like just like us. What we imbed in their hearts at a young age and influence in their life as they grow older will largely determine the kind of man and woman are children will become. This is why training children is vital to not only the life that is here but more importantly, the life that is to come. Parents must realize the grave responsibility of training up their children in the way they should go so that when they grow older they will not depart from it.

The power of leadership is where parents find the courage to guide their children in the paths of righteousness. Training the child in the way he should go will come first from the path the parents are walking. Someone said, “Train up a child in the way he should go and go that way yourself.” The principle is sound. We cannot teach our children what we do not know. Our examples will often have greater influence on their lives than our teaching. Children are smart enough to know what it means when we tell them to do as we say and not as we do. They are more prone to do what we do than listen to what we say. Parents must harmonize their teaching with their actions. Training a child in the way of God can only be done when we are walking in the path of the Lord ourselves. A child that is taught to have faith in God may not keep that faith in life because they saw in the example of their parents a lack of trust in the Lord. That little fellow that follows me will be like me one day. Some things in life may not matter if he follows my example. The character of righteousness will make an eternal difference if my life is not characterized by a deep devotion to the Lord. Children need to see God in my life so they can find God in their life.

Training a child requires knowledge. This does not suggest taking children to church alone. While that is essential and vital to the spiritual growth of the family, it is the daily walk that will influence the heart of the child. Every day should be a training ground to show our children the word of God in our hearts. If parents have little or no concern for reading the scriptures, it is not likely the children will. When parents never pray they should not expect their children to pray. Children need bridges to cross and the dilapidated, broken down spiritual bridges we leave our children to walk on will not get them to where they need to be. Every generation leaves paths and bridges for others to walk. Jesus said the house built upon the sand will fall but the house on the rock will withstand anything. Training the child in the way he should go must be built upon the rock of the only truth, the only way and the only life. That bridge will not fall.

Parents spend a lifetime giving their children everything they need to succeed in life and so often fail to give them the only thing that will matter in death. The best way to train your children is to train yourself to walk in the paths of God and His word and His will and His trust. Children will find greater peace and happiness in life when they see the example of their parents who have given their life to the Lord. Parents who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and body will influence their children to have that same passion. The greatest joy a parent can experience is knowing their children walk in the faith. It is hard work. Diligence is the motto of the day. Persistence demands a continual vigil of faithful determination to train our children to walk in the way of God. It must begin with me.

My father could talk it, and, by the grace of God, he lived it. He had not only a talking but a “walking” knowledge of the scriptures. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. (Ephesians 6:24)

Immortal Love

The measure of our love to God is not a casual emotion that we can use at our convenience. Many people love Jesus and love God or at least say they do. The love that is true to the Lord is a love that is without reservation, unending and unequal. Saying we love God and having a sincere love for God are two different things. From the beginning of time true love shows itself by its devotion and steadfastness to the one loved and no higher love can a man have than love to the Lord. It is the greatest of love as the creation returns to the Creator an unmerited favor extended through the mercy of God. Paul did not admonish the brethren to love the Lord Jesus Christ but to love Him with sincerity and honesty.

The Greek word in this text defines sincerity as being incorruptible. There is no mixture of untruth in the love for the Lord. It is amazing that Paul had to suggest that love be with sincerity because it would be assumed in the beginning. The danger has always been that love can be slight or insincere, with little affection and interest. Jesus told His disciples that love demanded every part of man and the Father expects nothing less. The soul, body, heart and mind must be given to the Lord in complete obedience. Sincerity of heart demands a complete surrender to the will of the Father. Love is defined by the yielding of all that man is to the love of the One who gave His only begotten Son to die on a cross for men. The measure of love is the measure of the gift. God gave His Son because He loved us. We can do no less than to give our whole life to serve and adore Him.

Loving the Lord in sincerity is a dedicated love. We cannot love the Lord if we do not obey His commandments. Trust is the key element of love and trusting in the will of God is showing our love for who He is and what He has done for us. Saying we love God does not prove that we love Him. Embracing our lives to His will is showing our confidence that all He has done for us is real and we know He is right in all things. Children have a love that is fully trusting and forgiving knowing that everything they need will be taken care of by the one who loves them. How much greater love can we share than the blessings God has given us and bestowed upon our lives when we do not deserve them? Unmerited favor is the flavor of His love for us. Loving the Lord in sincerity fills our lives with the peace that passes understanding guided by the power of His word and hope of eternal life. Love is sincere because it is eternal leading us to the throne of the Lord.

When we learn to love the Lord with sincerity we will never feel threatened or filled with despair because we know He loves us. Our hearts will be guarded from fear because perfect love cast out fear reassuring our spirits there is nothing man can do to us as long as the love of God is poured out in our hearts. It is real and active. Love with sincerity will guide our hearts today as we gather on the first day of the week to remember that long ago the Son of God rose from the dead conquering death and vanquishing the sting of sin. His victory is our triumph as we look to the day we shall join Him in the resurrection day of glory sharing love for eternity. Sincere love is immortal love. Unending.

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:1-2)

The Folks Who Make Up The Church

God’s plan for the church has such a beautiful simplicity to its design. Like creation, a perfection overshadows the pattern for how God’s people will come together to worship Him lasting through every generation and all time. It is difficult to imagine creating an organization that will apply across cultural boundaries, languages, geography, and ions of time that will find its root in the heart of the people in the same way it was in the beginning. The New Testament church was simple and recreating it in our modern world is just as simple. There is no complexity to how it can be established in a community, the leadership and makeup of its members. Following the scriptures from the first century, the church can be found throughout the world with a similar design, worship and mission.

The city of Philippi had a church of Christ. It was a group of people gathered together in the community of Philippi that loved the Lord and seeking to obey His word. It was not ostentatious or pretentious in its character. The church was a group of disciples who met on the first day of every week worshiping the Lord in the pattern set forth from the word of God. Paul had established the church on his second missionary journey along with Silas. Their first converts were Lydia her household who had been worshipping along the riverside. One of the amazing stories of his work in Philippi was when Paul baptized the city jailer and his household. What a wonderful beginning for the church that was found in the city of Philippi.

Lydia, the jailer and all of their households were the first members of the church in Philippi and they were saints of the Lord. The Roman Catholic Church has destroyed the New Testament teaching of what makes a person a saint. For the people of Philippi who were Christians, Paul declares them saints. When Lydia, the jailer and all of the other disciples obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ in baptism they all became saints. A saint is anyone who has put on Christ in baptism becoming a child of God. There is no miracle or confirmation by man that makes a person a saint. The Lord God adds that person to the church and they become a saint of the Lord sanctified and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. The church of Christ is made up of saints.

In addition to the saints in Philippi, Paul addresses his letter to the bishops and deacons. The apostle shows the framework of God’s design for the New Testament church. He begins his letter describing himself (along with Timothy) as bondservants of Jesus Christ. The leadership of the church is found in men called bishops; not preachers who take charge of the church. The bishops have other names like elder, overseer, shepherd and pastor. These are men of special quality that Paul will later describe to Timothy as set apart for the work of overseeing the local congregation of God’s people. The saints in Philippi were under the leadership of the men called bishops who fell under the pattern of divine instruction to feed the flock of God among them and watch out for the souls of all the saints. Helping the bishops in their work were men who served as deacons or servants of the church. Like the elders, deacons were specifically qualified to carry out their work (see 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 for more information about the elders and deacons). The only organizational leadership of the first century church was bishops and deacons. Paul addressed his letter to the church, the saints and the bishops and deacons. There were no Popes, cardinals, committees, boards or anything such as most churches have today. The church in Philippi had a simple design.

One final note about Paul’s address to the church in Philippi is his description of himself. Along with Timothy, Paul was a bondservant of Jesus Christ. He was a preacher of the gospel, proclaimer of truth, teacher of God’s will and servant to show others the good news of the Christ. He was an apostle and this set him apart from others. The work of apostles ceased following the first century because all truth had come to man in the written word. When the last of the apostles died, the authority vested in them died also. Today the church is in communities across the landscape, made up of people called saints who are led by the grace of God under the leadership of bishops who work closely with deacons to carry out the mission of the church. Working together as one, the mission of the church is carried to the lost and dying of the world. And all of that is done with a simple plan of perfection the Lord calls: the church.

Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. (Acts 17:10-12)

The Berean Spirit

Thessalonica turned out to be a difficult town to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul had only been there only three weeks before envious Jews raised a mob against them attacking the house of a disciple named Jason. The brethren quickly sent Paul and Silas out of the city lest some harm come to them. Arriving in the nearby city of Berea, Paul went into the synagogue where he preached Jesus as the Christ. The difference in his reception in Berea was the attitude of the Jews who wanted to learn more about the scriptures. Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures the testimony of Jesus of Nazareth and how the Law, Prophets and Psalms showed this Jesus to be the Messiah. Instead of raising a mob to attack them, the Jews in Berea searched the scriptures daily to examine the truth of what Paul and Silas taught. They incited their minds to find the truth.

There is a refreshing spirit in the city of Berea that is the foundation of truth. Raising a mob from envy like the Jews of Thessalonica comes from fear. The teaching of Jesus Christ came from the word of God but the Thessalonian Jews were not interested in what the Scriptures said. They felt threatened by the very teachings they defended in their mob mentality. The Bereans were the opposite. They did not accept what Paul said based on who Paul was or how he said what he said. The Berean spirit was to examine the revealed scriptures comparing what Paul said with what God said. If the words of Paul were found in the word of God then it was truth. Examining the scriptures was the foundation of their belief. If Paul said something that was not from the word of God, they would have challenged him. However, the apostle allowed the scriptures to show the truth as a “thus sayeth the Lord.” What a simple plan.

Truth is found in the word of God. The Lord has always revealed His will to men in various means and ways. Today, we have the completely revealed word of truth contained in the books from Genesis to the Revelation. No other book is needed. All truth is found in the Bible and the Bible alone. So much of what is in the religious world today cannot be found in the Bible. Sadly, many religious people are deluded into believing things they cannot read from the word of God. The Berean spirit is the challenge men put to others for preaching what comes from the Bible. It must be noted the Bereans who were searching the scriptures were not Christians. These devout Jews did not accept what Paul said simply because he said it. Their hearts would only receive the truth as found in the word of God. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand devout Jews obeyed the gospel because they had the Berean spirit. We can do no less.

What is important about the Berean spirit for the Christian is the continual need to examine the scriptures. There was an emphasis on daily searching for truth. They had a thirst for the water of eternal life. New Testament disciples must be learning daily the words of truth or they fail to be a disciple. A disciple is a learner, truth seeker and follower. Truth brings us to Christ the first time and continues to show us the paths of truth and righteousness as a Christian. Knowledge changed our lives to obey the gospel. A continual need of examining the scriptures is needed so that we can grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Berean spirit must reside in the heart of every Christian who examines the scriptures daily. Believing a preacher because he is a preacher fails the Berean test. Allowing elders to lead without examining the scriptures for the pattern of authority will lead to apostasy. Children of God who do not daily feed on the word of God will die. The Jews of Berea set a pattern we can dare not follow. Life is in the word of God and with the Berean spirit the devil will not have a chance. Search the scriptures daily. Begin today.

We advise all who feel hemmed in by a closed and stifling world to open the Old and New Testaments. They will there find vistas, which will liberate them, and the excellent food of the only true God. (Emmanuel Suhard, The Church Today, 1953)

When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, “I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,” you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, “You shall not return that way again.” Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20)

Good Advice For The New Leader

When Israel demanded a king during the days of Samuel, it came as no surprise to the Lord. He had already determined in the Law of Moses guidelines for the establishment of a king to rule over Israel. Knowing the tendency of man to seek wisdom in himself, God ordained laws in choosing a king and how the king would rule the nation of the Lord. These were not suggestions but a law of covenants the people would use in placing a man as king of God’s nation. Primarily, the man who would wear the crown was a man chosen by the will of the Lord. He must be a Hebrew and not a foreigner. The people wanted to be like the nations around them. They failed to acknowledge the presence of God as their only hope desiring a physical king to lead them to battle and guide the nation. Saul, son of Kish, would be the first king of Israel but it would end in failure. The Lord chose him but pride destroyed the rule of Saul. David was chosen from the tribe of Judah and his son Solomon reigned after him. The eighty years of David and Solomon were prosperous both in material wealth and spiritual. During the reign of Saul, David and Solomon, Israel was a united nation of twelve tribes. After the death of Solomon, Israel fell into civil war with ten tribes falling under the leadership of wicked kings and the remaining two tribes ruled by good and bad kings. The people’s desire to have a king announced their doom.

The failure of Israel as a nation was in large part the disobedience of the leaders to follow the Law of Moses. God had warned the people their king should not believe in his own power and fill his life with the passions of the world. The law forbade the king to multiply horses to himself to fight battles and wage war. God allowed the people to have a king to go before them but the Lord God was still the only hope they had for victory. Trusting in horses and chariots and the mechanics of war would bring destruction to the people because they would trust in themselves more than God. Aligning themselves with foreign nations like Egypt corrupted the purity of the nation to let the Lord fight their battles. Israel failed to remember the history of their deliverance from Egypt was by the hand of God alone. The people did not amass a large army to deliver them. Only the hand of the Lord brought them forth. Conquering Canaan came through the power of God as the people marched against the giants of the land. The king must trust in the Lord for his leadership.

There were warnings about having too much prosperity in wives, silver and gold. The king of Israel was the anointed of God and his life should be an example to the children of Israel. God forbade the king to have many wives and fill his life with the coffers of material gain. These things would take his mind off the purpose he sat on the throne. The king of Israel was a spiritual leader as much as he was a ruler. The passions of life would take the heart of the king away from the Lord. A king who ruled in Israel was a man who followed the Lord wholly with all his heart. The Law of Moses commanded each king to write for himself a copy of the law in a book and to read it all the days of his life. God’s word must always be at the forefront of the king’s mind. Just the act of writing the book for himself was a timely and exhaustive work. The king was commanded to read the word of God each day reminding him who was the ruler of the universe.

The value of the king writing a copy of the Law for himself and reading it was to remind him that while he was king of Israel – there was one greater to fear. Pride destroyed many kings. They lifted themselves up against the Lord. Why were there so many wicked kings in the history of Israel? They failed to write a copy of the Law and to heed the words of God. Throughout the troubled generations of Israel’s fall into idolatry and destruction were the fragments of God’s words strewn across the floor unread and ignored. The nation plunged into chaos as the king multiplied horses, women and riches. His heart was lifted up in pride against his brethren. He rejected the word of God. This was true of every failed king in the history of Israel.

There are great lessons from the Law of Moses for presidents, kings and despots today. While the Law has been removed, the principles remain the same. Any nation ruled by those who disregard the word of God will find only failure in the end. A nation without God is a godless nation. History has shown when men turn away from God the nation will slide into turmoil, unrest, immorality and ruin. As the leadership of the country goes, so goes the nation. Leadership must come from the word of God. It would do well for the leaders of our country to write a copy of the words of God for themselves and to read it every day reminding them who really is in charge of the world. Leaders who do not fear the Lord have much to fear. They may make a mark for themselves in the annals of man’s history but what they willfully forget is that man’s history will be burned up when the Lord comes. The legacies of men will crumble into dust when the world is destroyed. All presidents, kings and rulers will face the Lord God.

Every philosopher and statesman who has discussed the subject of human governments, has acknowledged that there can be no stable society without justice, no justice without morality, no morality without religion, no religion without God. (James Gibbons, Our Christian Heritage, 1889)

That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children. (Titus 2:4)

Training To Love

The prevalent view of love is that it is an intense feeling that creates itself and sustains itself each day with a euphoric happiness of mystical proportions. In other words, love is always a strong feeling of attachment that will keep the relationship somewhere between heaven and earth every moment of every day for a lifetime. The evidence of this view of love comes from so many who decide when the charm fails, the romance ends and life begins to crowd in that divorce is necessary to rekindle the exhilarated moments of true love. Love and marriage is supposed to be an endless field of daffodils, sunshine and music but sometimes life becomes difficult and challenging and there is no music. The job becomes a hassle and the kids have the flu and money is hard to come by and the last thing you want is music; and love takes on a completely new perspective. Arguments arise because the romantic days of the honeymoon have faded into the reality of life. Differences in how to spend money, what decisions need to be made, and the crush of life take their toll. Age begins to change the marriage with physical changes. Pressures mount as couples struggle to keep their heads above water. Love takes on a persona that is unexpected.

Paul admonished Titus to teach sound doctrine. The context of this doctrine focuses on the relationship of the family as husbands and wives learn how to love one another. It is interesting the terminology the Holy Spirit uses when He exhorts older men and women to teach younger women how to love their husbands and children. God has instilled in man a deeply emotional power called love. In the Old Testament, Jacob saw Rachel and fell in love with her. The immense feelings of love for others is one of the greatest gifts man has been given. This kind of love creates relationships holding them in union for a lifetime. But there is another kind of love that is a learned love that is just as vital as the “puppy love” of first sight.

Older women are instructed to teach younger women to love their husbands. There will be times in a marriage when puppy love will not solve the problem. It should never be lost and should always be part of the foundation of the relationship. The challenge is that when life creeps in the marriage and things become difficult, it will take a deeper kind of love to carry through. Older women know the years of experience that love needs learning forgiveness, patience, understanding and the meaning of lasting love. Husbands and wives will face challenges. As sure as the devil is real, there will be marital problems. Learning how to deal with those problems takes a higher level of love. Younger women must learn how to find a different kind of love that will see them through the hard times. Younger men must learn how to be leaders in the home showing lasting love for their wives. This does not come naturally. A successful marriage is not a caught religion but a taught religion.

The Bible is the marriage guide on how to love one another. Everything a man and women need to learn about love is from the mind of God. Love is found in sacrifice, patience, kindness, forgiveness, and the hosts of things that define the child of God. Learning how to control the tongue is love. Having a longsuffering spirit, being kindly affectionate to one another, continuing steadfastly in prayer, being of the same mind, abhorring evil and clinging to goodness are all foundations of a lasting love. These must be learned from the word of God. Those who follow the will of God are those who know the greatest heights of love in a marriage. Love is a deeply emotional bond that brings two people together but the love found in God’s word is the unbreakable cement of a marriage that will never fail. Older men and women must teach the younger how to love their families. Younger men and women must listen to the voice of the older men and women who have founded their lives on the word of God.

There would be more marriages made in heaven if there were more young people who with the thought of their future children, were prayerfully willing to give God a voice in their final decision. (Leo Trese, Parent and Child, 1962)

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

God Is Not Willing

There is a lot to say about the severity of the Lord. When Adam and Eve disobeyed Him by eating the forbidden fruit, He cast them out of paradise. During the days of Noah, He sent a worldwide flood that killed untold thousands if not millions of people. In the final days of the Hebrews bondage, the nation of Egypt suffered greatly by the hand of the Lord as he brought pestilence and death upon the nation. During the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites, thousands of people died by the judgement of God. The conquest of Canaan was marked by the annihilation of the many groups of people that possessed the land. Through the history of the Jews from the kingdom united to the dark days of rebellion, God’s wrath was poured out like a hot iron. The early church witnessed the severity of the Lord when Ananias and Sapphira were struck down and then later Herod the king. There is a powerful case to be made for the wrathful hand of the Lord upon man.

The Bible establishes the jealous character of the Lord God. There is no question about this. Many people reject the nature of God’s wrath accepting only that He is a God of love and goodness. They deny there is an eternal punishment believing a loving Creator could not bring such harsh punishment upon them. The failure of man has been to rationalize the nature of God by human terms instead of divine justice. For every story cited in scripture of the wrath of God is the knowledge that He was not willing to carry out the judgment of His wrath. It was not His purpose to create man just so that He could destroy him. Everything God does is right – everything. There is nothing that He has done that is not according to truth, righteousness and holiness. Destroying the world in the days of Noah saving only eight was the pure righteous character of God. The critics of God fail miserably to see the longsuffering of His judgment allowed man more than enough time to change his mind and repent. Man refused – God punished.

God’s eternal nature is He will keep His promises. His word is truth and when men reject His word, the Lord allows time for man to see the error of his way and change his heart. Eve knew the penalty for disobedience. She had been amply warned of the consequence of disobedience. She ignored it and ate of the forbidden fruit. It did not come as a surprise when the punishment came. Unlike the nature of man, God will keep His promises to punish those who do not obey Him. What is amazing about the Lord is His longsuffering. It is incredible the length He allows man to continue before bringing judgment. There has never been a time when the punishment of God did not fit the crime and the final judgment was not measured by grace and mercy. Why were only eight souls saved in the days of Noah? Everyone save eight turned away from God’s grace and mercy contained in His longsuffering.

The beauty of the God we serve is He has no desire to punish man. It was not His will to destroy the creation He formed from dust. There is a place prepared for eternal destruction but it was not prepared for man – it was created for Satan. Because of the rebellion of man, hell will be filled with all those who disobey the Lord God. He will keep His promise; His longsuffering will end; it will not be His desire to punish man; but the Lord God will cast those who disobey Him into eternal fire. The greatest sadness of this story is that God is not willing that any should perish and gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him would not perish. And man marches boldly to perdition because he has refused the grace, mercy and longsuffering of a loving God. How sad. How tragic. God loves us so much.

The work of divine justice always presupposes the work of mercy; and is founded thereon. (Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I, 214, 1272)

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47)

Where The Saved Are

Location. Location. Location. It has a lot to do with where a person is in life. In the business model, location can mean success or failure. When it comes to salvation, it means everything that has to do with eternity. Location in the spiritual sense is not a geographical point on a map but a relationship with the Father. For the Jews under the Law of Moses, circumcision was a sign of where they were with God. The most severe punishment inflicted upon a Jew was to be cut off from the people. To be excluded from the fellowship of the law was the worst thing that could happen to a child of God. This same principle is found in the church of the Lord regarding a matter of fellowship. Where one finds himself in relation with the Father determines whether they can enjoy the spiritual blessings of God.

When the apostles preached on Pentecost the message of salvation, three thousand souls responded to the obedience of God’s will. Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and they would enjoy the blessings of a loving Father. Luke concludes the story showing how that God added all those new converts to the church. The church was not a byword of convenience where people gathered for social and recreational enjoyments. Salvation was described as a relationship with where one found themselves in the church. The Lord was adding daily those who were saved to the church. If they were not in the church, they were not saved. Early Christians did not view the church as a matter of choice but knew the necessity of being in the church to be saved. It is impossible to be saved and not be a part of the church. The addition of a soul to the church was in the mind of God alone but the church is where the saved are found.

There were many local congregations of God’s people throughout the New Testament world. Joining oneself to a local congregation is a part of the obedience to the word of God. The scriptures show the necessity of assembling as a body of saints to worship as one and enjoy the fellowship of the saved. The Lord adds one to the church and removes one from the church in a universal sense but men complete obedience by forming local congregations. Salvation and the church are necessary for one another. The saved are added to the church by the will of God. Paul would later use the term “in Christ” describing the same relationship. The unsaved are not in the church and are not in Jesus Christ. Hope, joy and eternal salvation are found only in the church. The blood of Jesus Christ brings one into the church and this blood is in the waters of baptism. If the church is not important – the blood of Jesus Christ is of no value. The reason God added to the church daily those who were saved is because they were washed in the blood of Jesus Christ: baptism.

The New Testament teaches there is one church. Jesus promised to build His church (singular) and the early disciples taught the necessity of obedience through the blood of Jesus Christ in baptism. Every time a person obeyed the gospel of Christ, God added them to the church. He did not add them to a denomination formed by man. Being a part of the church of the Lord was salvation. All the blessings of God were poured out on the one who had been added to the church. If a person was not in the church, they were not saved. There are many so-called churches today that lead men in different paths but the Bible shows only one true church. It is the body of believers that looks exactly like it did when God first formed the church on the day of Pentecost. The saved are in the church.

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. (Psalm 9:9-10)

Trust In The Lord

One of my favorite stories about trust is found in the man who bought a brand new sports car and took it to the mountains for a test drive. He flew around corners and plunged down long embankments speeding up quick hills to the exhilaration of the thrill of his brand new machine. Everything was going fine until he swerved to miss a boulder in the middle of the road and he crashed through the guardrail plunging down a deep crevasse. The car flipped over and over exploding in a huge fireball at the bottom. Luckily for the man he had been thrown free of the car tumbling down the side of the mountain before a limb stopped his fall. He hung clinging to the limb with no way to climb back to the top and fearing to let go for the height of his fall would mean certain death. There he was between heaven and earth and little hope. He cried out to passing motorist but no one could hear him. His arms began to ache as he struggled to maintain his hold on the only thing saving him from death. As he hung suspended in the air his thoughts turned to what the preacher in the village had said every Sunday. “Trust in the Lord and He will take care of you.” At the time, the man was too busy to think of such things. Now that is all he could think of. Crying out, the man shouted with a loud voice, “God if you are there, can you help me?” Clouds rumbled together and a voice came from the cloud, “Yes, I am here.” “Lord,” the man replied, “I am in a real fix here. I lost control of my car, plunged over the side and I only have this limb to save me. Would you please help me Lord?” There was a silence and then a voice said, “If you trust in Me and do as I say, I can help you.” “Oh yes, Lord,” the excited man exclaimed. “You tell me what to do and I will do it for sure. Thank you, Lord.” The voice replied, “Let go of the branch and I will catch you. Then I will put you back on the road and you can return home.” A long silence followed. “Hey, can anyone else hear me?” the man shouted.

Trusting God is learning how to let go of the branch. The challenge for man is to remember that he cannot be the master of his life without first putting God in charge. We want to do things our way and often delegate God to a “when needed basis” to be called on in an emergency. The Lord is great, powerful, and majestic but I do not need His help until I fall over a cliff and some calamity happens. Trusting in God is allowing Him to take charge of our lives letting His will be my guide and the light for my path. Letting go of the branch is releasing our desires and accepting the providential mercy of the Lord to direct my heart, my speech, my thoughts and plans. He will be our refuge and protection only when we let Him. We have to trust Him. This conviction is not a prosthetic that I take on and off when needed. Faith in God is a daily recognition that everything I have is from Him and anything my life will be is because of His grace.

Fear takes a heavy toll on our trust factor. Suspended high in the air of life and the Lord asking us to let go is faith multiplied by the grain of a mustard seed. It can be done but we have to believe that God will catch us. That is where we struggle. How far will He let me fall before He catches me? Those first moments of free-fall are unsettling. Trusting in God is knowing He is always right and His way will bring peace and safety. Abraham let go of the branch when he rose early in the morning to begin his journey to Moriah. It was there he was to offer his only son as a burnt offering. Peter had faith to walk on water. Paul trusted in the providence of God to guide his life; even when facing death. Whatever we face in life must begin with letting go of the branch.

Jesus does not say, “There is no storm.” He says, “I am here, do not toss but trust.” (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died. (Numbers 15:32-36)

The Death Penalty

God gave the Law of Moses to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai. Moses instructed the people concerning the laws that were established by the will of the Lord demanding complete obedience in keeping the statues, commandments and judgments. The Ten Commandments were the preamble to the whole law but the law itself was quite extensive. It covered every part of the Jewish life from government, war, education, health, family life and worship. The Law of Moses governed the kind of clothes worn, relationships within families and neighbors, how to determine various diseases and bodily functions, festivals, marriage laws, music, sacrifices, financial laws, foreign policy and crimes against one another. God authored the Law by His own will and the foundation of the Law of Moses was answerable to the Lord. It was a strict law. Man’s wisdom did not craft the tenets of right and wrong; this came from the mind of God.

Picking up sticks is not considered immoral. What made the act so horrible was the man who gathered sticks on the day of Sabbath disobeyed a clear command of the Lord that no man was to work on the Sabbath. There was probably a good reason he was gathering wood. It did not matter. What the people learned the day a man was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath day was that God’s law was a demonstration of the goodness and severity of the Lord. Disobedience is not tolerated by God. Keeping the law will bring joy but disregarding the law will bring judgment. When the people found the man on the Sabbath gathering sticks, they were uncertain what to do. It is possible they knew what the penalty would be but it had not been explained how serious the charge of profaning the Sabbath was. How could a man be put to death for picking up sticks? It seemed implausible. When Moses inquired to the Lord what should be done with the man, he was told to stone him with stones outside the camp. The people led him outside the camp and began to throw stones at him until he was dead.

It is not hard to imagine what the accused thought when he was first arrested and then told the punishment. He may have thought in his mind why this would happen to someone who was just gathering sticks together. Was he needing firewood to warm his family or cook his food? The act itself was not wicked. As the crowd led him outside the camp, he must have begged with them to not do what they were planning. He was terrified he was going to die for picking up sticks. The lesson learned that day for the man and the people was the seriousness of God’s law and His righteousness. Man cannot trifle with God. When the Lord struck down Nadab and Abihu for offering profane fire, Moses told their father Aaron God must be regarded as holy and the Lord must be glorified. Gathering sticks on the Sabbath disregarded the holiness of God.

The death penalty under the Law of Moses was a tool exhibiting the righteousness of a jealous God. Many laws carried the death penalty: murder, striking mother or father, cursing mother or father, bestiality, adultery, rape, homosexuality, profaning the Sabbath, human sacrifice, mediums or familiar spirits, blaspheming the name of God, and the outsider who comes near the tabernacle; to name a few. The Law of Moses came from God and its perfection was found in its design to show man the need to glorify a jealous and wrathful God. When Christ came to earth, He abolished the Law of Moses. While the Law of Moses is no longer binding as authority, the penalty of sin remains the same. Judgment will not be meted out in this life for the wicked practices of men but eternal death will await those who disregard the holy character of the Lord God. The last and final death penalty is eternal fire. It is real. It is sure. It is certain. The man who gathered sticks on the seventh day learned a very hard lesson. His story should bring pause to our lives to know the jealous nature of our God.

The discipline of the Old Testament may be summed up as a discipline teaching us to abhor and flee from sin. (Matthew Arnold, Culture and Anarchy, 1869)