The Heaton File

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. (Genesis 29:20)

Jacob’s Love

Love is more than just a splendid thing; it is an incredible emotion that bonds two people together that time cannot erase. Jacob had fled from his home in fear of his life. Arriving in Padan Aram, he met a young shepherdess named Rachel. She was beautiful in form and appearance and Jacob fell in love with her. Desiring to marry Rachel, Jacob agreed with her father, Laban, to work seven years. He would have gladly married her as soon as possible but the agreement was to wait seven years. It is hard to imagine being in love with someone and waiting seven years to marry. Long engagements are not unusual and are often for good purpose. Working seven years to marry the woman you love would seem like an arduous task. The Holy Spirit tells us that Jacob did not notice the time as seven years rolled by. He was so in love with Rachel that almost a decade seemed like a few days. Seven years is 84 months or 2,555 days. The love for Rachel helped Jacob fly through the time as if time itself stood still. He was in love.

After seven years, Jacob thought he was marrying his beloved Rachel but through trickery married her sister, Leah. After the deceit was discovered, Jacob had to work another seven years for Laban. Rachel and Jacob were married during this final seven years but Jacob worked 14 years because of his love for Rachel. Sadly, the one who wanted the love of Jacob was Leah but never found the love he had for her sister. God had compassion on Leah and Jesus came through the seed of Leah instead of Rachel. Love is an emotion and it is something learned. Paul tells Titus to have the older women teach the younger women how to love their husbands and their children. Jacob had a love for Rachel that was a deeply devoted love. Seven years seemed like days because his life was dedicated to one woman. There were hard days and there were good days. Love was not something to be cast aside for any reason. Jacob and Rachel kept their marriage vows ending only in death. Rachel would die in childbirth when Benjamin was born.

Jacob’s love is love that sees through the hardships and difficulties with a union of one spirit. Jesus loved His bride to die for her. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Jacob saw only one woman in his life and there would be no other. He was tricked into marrying Leah but Rachel was his true love. Jacob’s love is still possible in the hearts of men who fully give their lives to God first and then to their wives. It must begin with a heart of love for the Lord before it can build in the hearts of men to love their wives. Jacob’s love for Rachel dismissed the seven years he labored to gain her hand. His life was spent in finding ways to show Rachel how much he loved her. He would tell her often. Love for Jacob was the grace of the woman he loved. It was not how she could make him happy; it was what he could do to make her happy.

Mysterious is the fusion of two loving spirits; each takes the best from the other, but only to give it back again enriched with love. (Romain Rolland, Jean Christophe, 1912)

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. These twelve Jesus sent out …” (Matthew 10:1-5)

His Twelve Disciples

Jesus had a mission. He knew the purpose of His work leads Him to a terrible death. On a number of occasions, the Lord will tell His disciples He is going to Jerusalem to be mocked, spit upon, beaten and killed. He also tells them He will rise from the dead. The challenge of His mission would be what happens after He returns to His Father. Jesus ministry is very short but the message of the gospel needs to be spread throughout the world and throughout the ages to come. How is that going to be accomplished with Jesus spending less than three years on the earth? He cannot remain to oversee the work. His Father did not plan on angels taking over the ministry. The future generations must hear the plan of salvation so that God’s grace is given to all men. What is the plan that ensures the continual growth of the gospel message? Enter twelve men.

Before time began, God had a design for the saving of man. Jesus promised to build His church and this would not be accomplished until the day of Pentecost when twelve men stood before a crowd of Jews preaching the resurrection of the Christ. It would be left in the hands of men that were fishermen, a tax collector, Jewish zealot and a bunch of unknowns. These are not men of stature in the world of the Jews or the Romans. Among the disciples of Jesus, these were men of regular cloth but these were the men of Jesus. They were chosen from all of the disciples to be His inner circle. Twelve men would receive special instructions and insight into the work of God’s Son. Their hearts would hear teachings none other would know. A few were granted more personal access to events in the life of Jesus.

The work of Jesus was exhaustive. Filling the shoes of an apostle would have felt the weariness and toil of trying to keep up with the Lord and His vibrant work. City after city heard the message of Jesus as days dragged on with travels to different regions of Judea and Samaria. The twelve were His special envoys granted incredible powers to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. On a few occasions, the Lord sent His twelve disciples out to teach the message of truth and godliness. Twelve men going throughout the countryside bringing people to salvation. A dozen devoted disciples that had a special place in the life of Jesus. They were called “His twelve disciples.”

There was camaraderie among the twelve that set them apart from the other disciples. Their bond was a close-knit group of men that would learn greater hardships after Jesus died. The sudden death of Jesus was unexplained at first but then they came to understand the greater role they had been groomed to accomplish. Along with the death of Jesus was the betrayal of one of the twelve – Judas. He was one of the twelve. Judas had shared in the preaching, miracle working and inner conversations with the Lord. He taught people about Jesus, healed all manner of sickness and disease. One of the twelve allowed Satan to fill his heart betraying his Lord for a penance of silver. Following the betrayal, Judas committed suicide. How tragic and sad. One of the twelve had been lost.

The twelve were the apostles of Jesus Christ. They were His chosen leaders to fulfill His work while He walked among men. Eleven men would later take the gospel to the whole world choosing Matthias to take the place of Judas. Today their work still speaks to all men. The writings of Peter, John and Matthew are still studied and read today. For nearly two thousand years, the work of twelve men resounds to every corner of the world. It seems incredible that so much has been accomplished through the workings of twelve men. Every saint alive today enjoys the blessings of God’s wonderful grace because of the vigilant work of twelve men; who through the power of the Holy Spirit took the gospel of Christ to all men.

If twelve men can turn the world upside down, what is hindering me from showing the light of Jesus Christ in the world I live in? They did not have the conveniences of our modern world or the advanced technology allowing man to reach out to the four corners of the world. The Bible is available in every form known to man including the printed page in every language of the world. My friends and neighbors need to hear the message of Jesus Christ. Twelve men knew what to do. They were the disciples of Jesus Christ. The Lord sent them out to heal all manner of disease and teach the message of hope. Our work today must reflect the spirit of the twelve who went out to do the work of the Lord. Healing hearts afflicted with sin is the miracle of God’s grace. Let us rise up and build the walls of salvation as did the twelve. Let us be called “His disciples” and carry out His message of mercy to a lost and dying world.

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)

The Greatest Builder

Frank Lloyd Wright is arguably one of the greatest architects of history. He is joined with master artisans like Frank Gehry, Ieoh Ming Pei, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Michelangelo. Through the centuries, great works of art rise from the earth in architectural beauty defining a generation by the buildings that bear the names of great craftsmen. These building reflect the artists hand in structure, design and function. Those versed in the language of architecture can immediately see the hand of the master in a building. The unknown builders of ancient Egypt still marvel the modern mind as the Pyramids stand for centuries belying the logic of time. Great buildings are a testimony to the wisdom of great men.

Among all the creations of architecture in the history of man, no institution is of greater beauty and power than the church built by Jesus Christ. What is unique of this structure is that it does not consist or mortar and stone. The church of Christ is not an edifice that possesses one place on earth but spreads to the four corners of the world as a building of hope, promise, peace and salvation. Two thousand years ago, Jesus promised to build His church, the one that would bear His name, His mark, His blood and His purpose. It would not be placed among men as a second thought but purposed before time began. Jesus would build His church. What a remarkable thought. The church would bear His character. God’s Son would design a splendid creation that would never decay or fail over the centuries of time. Men build structures that decay over time. Not so with the church of Jesus Christ as it withstands the winds of change through the years retaining its power and glory unchanged.

The promise of Jesus to build His church came at a price. His death on the cross purchased the eternal body of believers that would become the living stones of the church. The church is a blood-bought spiritual edifice. Jesus Christ purchased the church with the agony, suffering and pain of a cross at Calvary. On the first day of the week, Jesus arose from the dead becoming the cornerstone of the church in the promise of the resurrection. Twelve men gathered in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost and opened the doors of the Kingdom of Christ for the first time. The church was born. It flourished in the teaching of Jesus Christ expanding its borders all over the world. After nearly two millennia, it remains as vibrant and active as the day it was formed. Known as the Kingdom of God, the church of Christ retains the character designed by Jesus.

Jesus promised to build His church and through that promise allowed men to follow a simple pattern recreating His church in every country of the world. The simplicity of the New Testament pattern attunes to the perfect design established by His Father. While there are differences in cultural aspects of worship, the church has the same pattern in Nicaragua as it does in South Korea or China and cities of America. A person can travel the globe and find the pattern of the New Testament church followed in the plan prescribed by its builder. Jesus built a remarkable body of people that share together in the grace of the Father. Thank God for the church, the body of believers, a spiritual house and the bride of Christ.

And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. (Acts 11:26)

They Were Called Something Special

After two-thousand years, the name Christian has lost some of its luster. There are so many ways to use the name describing a nation, people or cause. If a person is a good person, they can be described as a Christian. Many non-religious people are called Christians because they pay their taxes, work hard and seldom get a speeding ticket. America is considered by some to be a Christian nation because of certain values that founded the nation and “made this nation great.” Schools can be Christians, families, groups, organizations are labeled as Christian. There are more Christians walking about who have little idea who God is, Jesus Christ and the value of authority in scripture. A Christian is just an adjective for nobility and being kind.

During the New Testament first century, many were good and noble. The common man embraced a simple lifestyle of doing the best he could do in a harsh environment of Roman dominion. They faithfully paid their taxes, worked hard, enjoyed a moral life of peace within their family and seldom found themselves at odds with the authorities. The Jews were not the only ones who feared God. There were Gentiles who honored the one true God as Lord along with all their household. They were generous and prayed fervently to the Lord. From time beginning there have always been good people believing in God who exemplified a noble life of honesty. What separated these honest people in the New Testament was that being good and noble did not make them a Christian. What happened in Antioch of Syria was a line was drawn of demarcation.

The disciples in Antioch were called Christians because they clearly defined their lives in a different way. Being called a Christian was a name of distinction, clarity, derision, identity signifying something very different from anyone else in the world. It was not because they were good people; although they were good people. The name was not given because of a general perception of how nice these people were. These people were followers of Jesus Christ and everyone knew it. They were not ashamed to be known as a disciple of the Son of God. The disciples at Antioch were first called Christians because they stood out like a beacon of light in a world filled with darkness. Kings would recognize the value of the name Christian as the apostle Paul pressed hard the message of truth in their hearts. Peter would proclaim that to suffer as a Christian was a blessing from God. In the early church, the term Christian was a name bathed in the blood of Jesus Christ and evidenced by a life devoted to righteousness and truth.

It seems that among the people of God, the name Christian has lost its luster. If they come to worship once in a while and have their name on a roll somewhere, they are a Christian. They pay their taxes, obey the laws, and work hard. No one sees them as different from the world because they dress like the world, talk like the world and play like the world – but they have their name on a roll they are a Christian. The saints in Antioch were not like the modern day actors who ply their trade of mediocrity. They were called Christians for the first time because something dramatic stood out in their lives. These people were sanctified, holy, righteous, marching soldiers of the King of Kings who let everyone know they were not going to live like the world. The Christian was a person who declared to all there was one truth, one God, one faith and one Way. They did not drink, smoke, curse and imbibe in worldly pleasures. Their lives were purified from the trappings of the flesh. A Christian in the city of Antioch was a person who identified his family with Jesus Christ and nothing less.

It would do well for many in the church today to look again at what it means to be a Christian: in terms of the Biblical meaning. The Lord demands that all who wear the name of HIS SON are separate from the world. Do not forget that when you call yourself a Christian – you wear the name of Christ. Live each day with the name of Jesus Christ as your banner so that others can see God living in you.

Most church members live so far below the standard; you’d have to backslide to be in fellowship. We are so subnormal that if we were to become normal, people would think we were abnormal. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said: ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’ (Deuteronomy 5:1-7)

The Law Of Moses Was Not A Universal Law

As Moses stood with the children of Israel on the threshold of Canaan, the great man of God rehearsed the law and history of Israel to a new generation of Hebrews. The preceding generation had rebelled at Kadesh-Barnea and died in the wilderness during a forty-year pilgrimage. Canaan stood ready to conquer as ripe fruit on a vine. Moses would not be allowed into the land of promise but he impressed upon the people the Law given at Mt. Sinai they had witnessed at a young age. When they crossed the Jordan River, the Law would be their guide to establish the nation in the land promised to their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The nation of Israel would rise from the fertile soil of Canaan building a nation formed and possessed by the Law of Moses. At Mt. Sinai, God has shown His power and might when He delivered the Ten Words to the people. The commandments of the Lord were preparatory to whole Law. The Law would govern every part of the Jewish life including worship, family life, daily work and devotion to God. If they were obedient to the Law blessings would flow bountifully upon them. Choosing to disobey the Law would bring the wrath of God.

The Law of Moses and the giving of the Ten Commandments was a law given to a specific people. Repeating the Law of God to the people, Moses reminds them the statues and judgments they were to hear came from the mouth of God when He made a covenant with the Hebrews in Horeb. Abraham was not accountable to this law or any of the fathers before them. The Law of Moses was only given to the Jewish nation. This covenant bonded the people of Israel with the Lord God because they were the ones He delivered from Egypt. No other people came from Egypt. Only the Jews. The Law of Moses was the covenant made at Sinai between God and the nation of Israel. It did not apply to the Chinese, Amorites, Egyptians or other nations of the world. God’s law for Israel was for their benefit as they shared in a special covenant with the Lord.

Many in the religious world are confused to the place of the Law of Moses; specifically the Ten Commandments. There is a belief that everyone is accountable to the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses. What they fail to understand is what Moses clearly declared: the Jews were the only recipients of the Law (including the Ten Commandments). God gave the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel at Sinai as part of the covenant established that day. Moses emphasizes the Law was given only to the Jews. The Gentiles were not accountable to the Law of Moses. Paul would later show that Abraham was justified without keeping the Law of Moses. Noah found grace in the eyes without the Law of Moses. The Gentile city of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah without the Law of Moses. Justification for the Jew came through the Law and justification for the Gentile came through faith. It is paramount to learn the Law of Moses (including the Ten Commandments) was not a universal law for all men.

The scheme of redemption shows that man could not live apart from the law (Gentile) and man would fail to keep the written law (Jew). Israel exemplified the futile attempt of man to keep the Law of Moses and the Gentiles proved man could not live as a law to himself. Salvation will only come through Jesus Christ who lived under the Law of Moses without sin. He removed the curse of the Law. Man cannot be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments. Jesus took that law away. Following any part of the Law of Moses will be rebellion against the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Trying to justify salvation by keeping a law to himself will only bring destruction for man. Grace, mercy and truth are in Jesus Christ. It matters not if a person is a Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free – all are one in Jesus Christ.

Reading the New Testament account of the early church, it is clear that salvation cannot come from the Law of Moses. The early church never taught obedience by keeping the Ten Commandments or portions of the Law. Disciples were made when they obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ. The great commission did not include the Ten Commandments. It demanded obedience by believing Jesus was the Son of God, repenting and being baptized for the remission of sins. Moses gave the Law to the people of Israel alone. Christ came bringing the full measure of salvation to all men. The gospel is the power of God to salvation. Thank God for His incredible gift of His Son.

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib He which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:18-25)

The First Family

When God finished creation on the sixth day, He looked on all that He had made and said it was very good. A pristine world, perfect in design and harmony, glistened from the hand of the amazing power of the Lord’s creation. The centerpiece of His work was the man and woman He had placed in a garden called Eden. Creation exalted the name of the Lord as the sun, moon and stars sang forth His glory and the mountains, plains and seas burst forth with vistas of beautiful tapestries of His handiwork. Fish and sea creatures filled the waters as birds glided among the firmament of the heavens. The beasts of the earth, cattle and every creeping thing walked among the forests, glades and meadows of a brand new world. Central to all of creation was Adam and Eve who were created in the image of the Creator. Unlike the animals that filled the land, sea and sky, man was an eternal creature that would never cease to exist.

Six billion souls walk the earth today. Through the centuries, billions of people have lived and died in the history of man. Every man and women who has walked upon the face of this earth owes their existence to the first family of earth; created by the hand of God according to His image. Adam and Eve are the first creation of all humanity. The man was formed from dust. There was no creature in the world that would bring happiness to man. The Lord proclaimed it was not good for man to be alone. There was a need in Adam that could not be found in anything of the world. The man needed a companion that was like him. God showed His wisdom when He took a part of man to make the woman. She was not created from the dust like Adam. The Lord did not create woman out of thin air. He took a part of man and formed a woman showing the union of the family. His design in creation was perfection and this is seen clearly in the first family.

Before sin destroyed the relationship of God and man, there was harmonious beauty and happiness between the family and God. Walking among the trees of the garden, Adam and Eve were in a paradise of joy because of their relationship with God. Adam looked upon the woman as a creation that was taken from his bones and his flesh. They were naked but had no shame. The purity of the marriage of Adam and Eve came from the relationship with God. When Satan tempted Eve and she ate of the forbidden fruit, the family changed. Adam took of the fruit also and immediately there was fear and shame. They both hid from the presence of God. This had never happened before. Their nakedness now brought shame. The voice of the Lord brought fear. God’s creation had changed. Punishment followed. Adam and Eve were expelled from their paradise home.

What was lost in the garden can be found again. It will never be the same as Adam and Eve experienced but the Lord God created man and woman to be happy and to find contentment with each other. The first family was created to show the power of God and His love in marriage. Ridiculed and denigrated by the evil desires of man, marriage remains the highest of creation as a place of truth and happiness. Sin marred the first family and will continue to battle against the family today. Husbands and wives should find the happiness of Adam and Eve when they mold their characters into the image of the One who created them. God formed the first family to share happiness. The home is the bastion of gladness when the Lord God is the centerpiece. Marriage was created to fulfill the needs of the man and the woman. This has remained unchanged. Like the Garden of Eden, when sin is allowed to reign in the family, destruction follows. Troubled families are troubled because the word of God does not guide the home.

The first family is an example of what God created and what He expects. There will be battles of sin as Satan continues to attack the home. Husbands and wives can be happily married because that is what God created. Fathers and mothers should teach their children to love God more than anything else. The home should be a place of safety, security and peace within the bounds of God’s love. Let the glory of God fill the heart of the man and woman as they form a home joined in one flesh. Remember the words of Adam when he proclaimed that woman was bone of his bones and part of his flesh. He understood in the beginning the beauty of the woman in his life. The first family loved God and served Him. We can do no less.

Adam could not be happy even in Paradise without Eve. (John Lubbock, Peace and Happiness, 1909)

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23)

The Churches Of Men Have Failed Jesus

When Martin Luther nailed his statements of denial on the church door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany, a great period of reform began that set in place generations of spiritual failures. The work of Luther began a process of fighting against the oppressive dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church and served well the legacy of church history. However, what began as a movement of reform also created the bastion of religious error that is prevalent today as the Protestant movement. In the past five hundred years, new churches have sprung up from reformers seeking to carve a new path of religion for man. Today, there are myriads of churches with different names, practices, creeds, patterns and beliefs that decry the prayer of Jesus to His Father. All believe to be part of a greater picture of unity with the appeal of Jesus Christ and the Bible as their guide. Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodist and a host of others owe their beginnings to a legacy of five centuries of existence. Before Jesus went to the cross, He spent time in prayer pleading with His Father that His followers be one and especially mentioned those who would live generations after His death. Looking at the religious world today, men are denying that prayer.

Jesus prayed for the eleven that gathered around Him but He also prayed for those who would believe on their words. As the church grew, disciples would come to know the power of the gospel message spread through the world by the apostles and teachers of the First Century. For two thousand years the church of the Lord has remained in place with humble disciples worshiping in the pattern of truth laid down by the Holy Spirit. Jesus prayed for all these followers to be united as one under the single banner of one truth. The Lord’s desire for every Christian was to be one as He and the Father were one. Everything Jesus did in His life was in harmony with His Father. They spoke the same thing because they had the same purpose. Is it possible to look at the religious diversity today and suggest there is unity of speech and purpose? Religious leaders have fooled people into believing that while they all carry different names, beliefs and practice that harmony exist. This is a lie. A Baptist is a Baptist because they believe the Baptist doctrine. Lutherans are not Baptists because they follow a different creed. Becoming a Methodist requires following the Methodist faith, not the Presbyterian dogmas or teachings or the Episcopalian doctrines. And yet religious leaders want us to believe the religious world is one?

Religious diversity denies the prayer of Jesus. The Son of God prayed that His followers be one so the world can see the glory of the Father. Driving down the street seeing fifty different churches all claiming to be the church of the Lord does not show the glory of God but the foolishness of man. The world does not believe in Jesus because those who are so-called followers of Jesus Christ cannot find themselves on the right page of anything. Five hundred years have passed and man is more divided than ever before. Everyone seems to want to get their niche in the scheme of religious diversity with so many different kinds of churches appearing in communities across the land. When a man wants to be a follower of Jesus Christ, unity must prevail. There is one pattern for one church given by one Lord from one Father. That pattern is found in the only book that will show a man truth: the Bible. The Roman Catholic Church epitomizes the apostasy foretold by the Holy Spirit and has spawned the illegitimate children of error dividing the religious world into fragments of self-made, self-serving churches who deny the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus prayed that His followers be one. If all the believers in the Son of God would go back to the Bible for absolute authority, the churches of men would crumble under the weight of truth. Authority is established by the word of God. His pattern is the only pattern for worship, faith, doctrine and what man must do to be saved. The church of Jesus Christ is a body of believers who are united in what they say, how they worship and what they believe. Speaking the oracles of God is speaking words that come from the pages of God’s word. If it does not come from the Bible, it is a lie. When you examine the churches of men and do not find what they teach and practice in the Bible, they are a lie. If the name of your church is not in the word of God, it is a lie. Jesus did not die so that men could choose the church of their choice and worship as they saw fit. He died for all men to be one thing: ONE. He prayed for unity. Let us all seek that unity in the word of God and the word of God alone.

Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar: the Lord of hosts is His name. (Jeremiah 31:35)

He Is The Lord Of Hosts

We begin a new page in the history of man as another year fades to the memory of yesterday and a bright new dawn stretches before us. There is something inspiring to begin a new year with a view of God’s benevolent hand as He works in our lives to soothe, console, exhort and bless our needs with His love. Having the Lord as the focus of our lives will give us hope for whatever tomorrow brings. Time teaches the soul what is important in life because all men march to the grave awaiting an everlasting resurrection. No one is exempt. The old must die and the young can die. Life is filled with the busy pursuits of worldly gain and then found wanting for the lack of fulfillment found in earthly treasures. Every new year reminds us of the fleeting nature of life and how brief the years of our toil become. As a vapor, life speeds along a path that leads to one door all men must pass. What lies on the other side of that door is all that will matter in life. A new year is an opportunity to realize what is beyond that door.

By the blessing of God, the sun rises on the first day of a new year. Unnoticed by a world filled with their own pursuits, the revolution of the universe continues to whirl about as God planned from the beginning of time. The moon and stars herald the majesty of their Creator each night. Creation cries forth the thumbprint of the One who established the heavens and ordained the seasons. All things continue as they were from the beginning of time. The sun that dawns on this new day is the same sun Adam looked upon in amazement. Abraham followed the same stars that beckon each traveler through the centuries of time and that we witness today. The world remains the same because the Lord God ordained the universe to show His power and majesty. His name is magnified every day and every night. God’s glory is declared in creation.

A new year brings challenges and blessings. Plans are made for the year with great anticipation. If there are any lessons to learn from the previous year, it is that life is short and life is not about the here and now. The world has gone through tremendous changes in the past year. What matters most is not the stuff we hoard around us or the pleasures we seek for a moment’s gratification. If the Lord God is not the center of our life, we will find little joy in the coming year. His name is exalted every time the sun rises and the night falls with the blanket of stars. It matters not whether men acknowledge Him or not because His glory is revealed every day because He is God. The Lord of Hosts is His name.

Make this year to be a year of serving the Lord of Hosts. Spend time each day reading the revelation of God. The Bible is the only guide you will find that brings happiness, meaning and contentment. Pray to the Lord of Hosts each day trusting in His power and might to fill your life. Guide your family in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake. Teach your children to love God. Show them that love. Make this new year a time of service to others. When you make your resolutions, begin with God and His word; then others; then yourself. You will find at the end of this year a greater fulfillment and peace than you have ever known. Now is the day of salvation. The Lord of Hosts is His name.

Starting the New Year with bold determination for change can be like grabbing the horns of a 1700-pound bull. It seems like a good idea at first until the gate opens. All the plans and resolutions to make the New Year a better year fade in short memory as reality sets in. Nearly half of the population will make resolutions this year with only 8% successful in achieving their resolutions. People in their twenties are more likely to succeed in keeping their resolutions than those over fifty. This could be because the older you get the wiser you become.

There are many reasons to make a list of resolutions and as many reasons why these resolutions are broken. Less than half keep the promises after six months. Most resolutions go in one year and out the other. The top ten New Year’s resolutions are:

1. Lose weight.
2. Getting organized.
3. Spend less, save more.
4. Enjoy life to the fullest.
5. Staying fit and healthy.
6. Learn something exciting.
7. Quit smoking.
8. Help others in their dreams.
9. Fall in love.
10. Spend more time with family.

These are noble aspirations to change in life and are key to having a productive life. If a person is able to keep most of these resolutions, they will enjoy greater success in life. Finding a way to accomplish all is a major life change. So why is it so difficult to do? With so many self-help books and programs to encourage the values of life changes, resolutions are more common to fail than succeed. The reason is obvious but seldom recognized. New Year’s resolutions are more about self than others.

Notice the list of top ten resolutions. The first seven reasons are about the ‘me bubble’ that draws all the attention to self. Seventy-percent of improvement is trying to change the ‘me-factor’ first before trying to think about others. What is sad is one of the most important items on the list is last: spending more time with family. The belief is that if I can change everything about me first then I will eventually think about helping others and putting family on a list of priorities. Resolutions fail because they are built on foundations of sand.

Jesus illustrated the principle of making resolutions in Matthew 7:24-27: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” The sermon Jesus gave on the mountain was about serving God first before everything else. The necessities of life are secondary to the relationship with the Father. Putting His word first in my life is where the foundation of my life is found.

Resolutions are important in life. They help us grow and change to be better people. Without God, there is nothing to live for and to accomplish in life. When we focus 70% of our life on selfish desires, we become selfish people. The reason society has become a dysfunctional order of hatred, chaos and immorality is because family is last on the list that does not include a relationship with God.

The Ten Commandments show the priority of life that is necessary to bring happiness. When God gave His Law to the children of Abraham, He began with commanding them to give Him glory first. There can be no other gods; no graven images; honor His name and His day of worship. The first four commandments are about God and nothing else. If these are not in place, the remaining six laws have no meaning. The second part of the law focuses on family. God comes first – then family. After family comes the relationship with others: do not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness or covet your neighbor’s stuff. This order was not by chance. Happiness in life will only come when God comes first, then family and other relationships follow.

Making a New Year’s resolution list is a great tool for self-improvement. Success will only come when God is at the top. Family should come before self. When God is first and family follows, self finds its own resolutions to improve for the glory of God and the happiness of family. Priorities must be set in the right order. Building priorities on the right foundation will make the New Year a bountiful time of showing the world the glory of the Father.

There are key elements for the Christian to make in this New Year. God must be first. Two necessary fundamentals is listening to God and talking to God: reading the Bible and praying every day. These must be FIRST. Nothing should come before them. Reading and praying should be a family affair. Developing a close personal relationship with the Father is paramount to a year of success. Putting spiritual resolutions in place in the coming year lays the foundation of a life built on the rock of Jesus Christ. No matter what comes, faith will bring victory and hope will last the year long.

In this New Year – live and serve the Almighty God who holds our breath in His hand and watches over the universe by His great and mighty power. Each New Year is a time closer to our eternal home. Jeremy Taylor wrote, “Life is short and yet upon this short life eternity depends.” Live each day as if it will be your last and one day you will be right. Resolve to live for God’s glory.

The trouble with turning over a new leaf is that once you’ve done it twice, you’re right back where you started.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. (Jonah 3:1-10)

Unlikely Conversions

The story of Jonah is one of the more familiar parts of scripture. Children are fascinated by the incredible imagery of a man being swallowed by a whale (the scriptures only indicate it was a great fish). As a prophet, Jonah had been called by the Lord to go to the city of Nineveh and cry out against the great wickedness seen by God. He refused fleeing in the opposite direction of Tarshish. While on his voyage, a great storm arose that nearly destroyed the ship and its crew. Jonah knew it was the Lord who had brought the maelstrom and told the sailors to throw him into the sea. God still had a work for Jonah and by His providential hand saved Jonah; but not after the prophet spent three days in the dark belly of the fish. The fish vomited Jonah onto dry land and then a second time the Lord calls Jonah to go preach to the city of Nineveh.

Assyria was a formidable empire and Nineveh was its capital. The city was one of the most ancient places in history mentioned first in Genesis 10. Unlike most cities of the ancient world, Nineveh was a vast metropolis requiring three days journey to cover. It contained at least 120,000 citizens; if not more. This was a vast city. Particularly characteristic of the city was the fact it was a Gentile city. There are many reasons why Jonah refused to go to Nineveh but the Holy Spirit does not divulge those answers. Could it have been the Lord told Jonah to preach to a vast Gentile city and the Jewish prophet could not bring himself to preach to a city given over to wickedness? It lies within the realm of possibilities but the scriptures are silent. Jonah was the right man for the job because after preaching to the heathen city of its impending destruction by the hand of the true Lord God, the whole city repented including the king. The people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth and ashes. Nineveh’s king followed suit commanding all citizens cry to the Lord for salvation. When God saw their works, He relented from the destruction He had planned for the city and did not do it. Incredibly, Jonah became angry with God and the book closes with the Lord showing mercy to the prophet.

Jonah is not far from the problem with evangelism in the church today. Most Christians are familiar with the need to teach others the gospel of Christ. A problem that plagues the church in America is how this evangelism is accomplished. There are many Jonah’s in the ranks of God’s people. Sermons exhort the saints of the Lord to help bring others to Christ, scriptures are filled with the need to teach others the plan of salvation and plans are made from hill and dale to convert the lost. With all the noise of evangelistic trumpets, sounded few are being saved. Among the reasons for non-growth is the spirit of Jonah that looks upon a city like Nineveh and runs away from those dirty Gentiles. Imagine the surprise of the Jewish prophet called to preach to a huge city of uncircumcised heathens. Did Jonah run away from God because he could not stomach the thought of a city of Gentiles believing truth? If it was not the main reason, it could have been a feeling of the prophet. The Lord chose the right man because the city did repent. He failed to appreciate the power of salvation on the hearts of wicked people – much like the church today failing to share the gospel with those of lesser quality.

The church in America has experienced the struggles of trying to restore New Testament kingdom through the years. It now finds itself only reforming the principles of the restoration accomplishing little in the area of evangelism. There was a time when churches were brimming with new converts and the hearts of its members were filled with zeal to teach their neighbors. The church has laid aside the plan of restoration and settled for the comfort of compromise. Evangelism is viewed through the eyes of Jonah. Many churches do not want to grow. A great number are satisfied to meet at each service expecting any who want to learn the truth to walk in the front door. If an “undesirable” approaches, they are rebuffed. Like Jonah, preaching to the uncircumcised is a mistake. Prayers are lifted that the community will hear the gospel but it will not come from the lips of the saved. For many congregations, the church of Christ in America has become nothing more than a social club for the disciples of Jonah.

Jesus used the story of Jonah as a sign of His own death, burial and resurrection. The story of Jonah also tells us why Jesus died and rose from the dead. Like Jonah, the Son of God brings a message of repentance to all men. Unlike Jonah, Christ rejoiced in the salvation of the Jew and the Gentile. Jesus died for all men – all walks of life – all types of sins – all the problems that plague man. The Lord did not die for a middle class, comfortable, educated, ‘almost a Christian’ world. He died for the prostitute, drug user, drunkard, religiously devout neighbor and atheist co-worker. Evangelism does not segregate prospects by the color of skin, nationality or ethnic history. Moslems need the gospel of Christ instead of hatred. Protestants must learn the truth to save them from the religious dogmas of man. Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Seventh-Day-Adventist must learn the truth of God. The neighbor who sings the mantra of worldliness needs to see the path of righteousness. Jonah brought a city to its knees by preaching the message of repentance. Jesus died so that we can turn the world upside down. Stop running away from God and turn to the work of teaching the lost. Let the power of the gospel have its way because that is the power of conversion.