The Heaton File

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.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

We Are Fellow Citizens

There is no greater need in the church today than for everyone to learn how dependent we are upon one another. When God said it was not good for Adam to be alone and created a helpmeet in woman, He established the nature of man in a world of relationships reaching farther than the home. The family element has been the core of every society. Including the family component in worship, the Lord expressed the desire that all men share in a common bond. This binding of hearts is brought together by singing together, prayer, communion of remembrance and feasting on the manna of God’s word. Worship creates a gathering of hearts mingled with the spirits of those who seek a common cause and purpose. A brother dwelling together in unity is a lovely chord to the ear of the Lord God. There is harmony of spirits that pleases Him.

The unique character of the kingdom of God is all men are one in the body. In the New Testament church joining the Jew and Gentile together in harmony was an incredible feat. Slaves and free sat together singing praises to God and both partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Preachers came from poor people and rich alike. Outsiders must have gawked at how the early church assimilated the diversity of society in a single family of worshippers. Through the centuries, the church has enjoyed the diverse nature of nationalities, cultures, backgrounds and wealth bringing all men under the cross of Jesus for the same purpose. There is no difference in the body of Christ from one man and another. Jesus died for all men and all men share in the blood of the Son of God for redemption.

Paul’s plea for the Christian is to realize we are not to be strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens in the household of God. By the grace of God, all the saved have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. There was a time we all were separated from the love of God because of sin. All men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God – no matter who they are or what station in life they possess. In the blood of Christ, all men have been redeemed into the family of God and share in the same blessings. No longer estranged from God, all men are citizens of the same kingdom sharing in the same blessings of Christ. As saints, we share in the same grace. The joy of salvation is that we are members of the same household with the same Father.

The illustration of a building shows how dependent every Christian is upon another. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone; everything is measured by where He is. The whole building (the church) is fitted together for a purpose. As living stones, each member grows into a holy temple in the Lord being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. God designed the church to be a family of saints sharing together in their lives for the edification of itself in love – showing the world the glory of the Father. As fellow citizens, we are bonded to one another in our love for one another. We need each other. We need everyone. A family depends on brothers and sisters to bring unity in the church of the Lord.

When we gather for worship, it should be a full body of saints gathered as one. It is sad when other saints do not see the need to join with their brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Some will do as little as required because being with their brethren is not a fellowship of communion. Ironically, the goal of each Christian is to dwell together in Heaven and yet so many see no need to spend ‘earth time’ in worship. The greatest joy a child of God can have is when he or she is spending time with fellow citizens. Saints live to dwell with one another. Members of the household of God have a deep desire to know one another in the love of God. We are one. We are no longer to be strangers and foreigners. Build your life on the foundation of Jesus Christ by sharing your life with fellow Christians.

Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. (Ecclesiastes 2:18-21)

Leaving Our Inheritance

Solomon had a clear view of life. Promised by the Lord a span of seventy years and if by strength eighty, life is a vapor fading quickly. The labors of life produce a bounty of stuff that defines the material success of man. He works many years gathering a home, retirement, enjoyment with trinkets of recreation and abundance of monies to make life pleasant. And then he dies. The challenge comes when a lifetime of scrimping, saving, putting aside and accumulating is left to someone who has not lifted a finger to produce what is now his. Solomon understood the irony of leaving an inheritance to those who did not work for it.

The cruel reality of materialism is man never takes to his grave what he has spent his whole life working to have as his own. When John D. Rockefeller died, someone asked, “How much did he leave.” “Everything,” was the reply. He is considered as one of wealthiest men in American history but he left everything life had to offer in the hands of others. Since the days of Adam men have plotted, schemed, murdered and stolen inheritances. Families have been destroyed from greed-filled hearts over inheritances; not realizing that what happened to the one who left their wealth will happen to them also. Solomon left everything he had when he died. His son, Rehoboam, was not wise and squandered all the labor his father had done on the counsel of youth.

What strikes Solomon is how careful he was in amassing all his wealth with wisdom, knowledge and skill. The inheritance is then given to a man who has done nothing through wisdom, knowledge or skill. Frankly, Solomon is dismayed at the hand of irony that allows those who did not work to receive everything he has. There is a vanity of working a whole lifetime – just so those who remain can swim in the bounty of something they had nothing to do with. And it happens to all men. The reading of a will is a proclamation that what is gained in life is left to those who did not labor for it. This puts everything we have in perspective.

Solomon’s treatise on life is unchanged. Ecclesiastes was written to remind men that life is vain or without the value that we spend every day trying to attain. We can possess all the riches of this world but when we die, it is given to someone who has not labored for it. The first lesson is to remember death removes all of our possessions. Those who have left all their possessions on the bank can cross the river of death. Second, anything left by our wisdom, knowledge and skill will be given to someone who has not labored for it. The vanity of life is a cruel master but it is real. The final lesson is that armed with this knowledge, we should be seeking something that we can leave with those we love that has an eternal weight of glory. Riches will fade. Eternal life will not. Leaving a horde of cash and possessions will not get our loved ones closer to heaven. Leaving our example of godliness, holiness and devotion to God is the greatest inheritance we can share with those we love. That is something our families can use in their experiences that will have lasting value. This will not fade away.

The vanity of life is the accumulation of things that rust, corrode and bring heartache. Solomon’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes is that life is about serving God. Everything in life will pass but a good name will not. Being found faithful to the Lord is all that will matter in the final day. Riches will be gone but eternal life will never end. Our inheritance should be measured by what we leave our loved ones that is lasting. The greatest treasure we can leave our children is our name written in heaven. That will never fade away and it will help them see the direction they should take their lives. What inheritance are you leaving your family?

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5)

Learning To Be Christ Like

The Christian life is molded by many factors. When we obeyed the gospel of Christ, we became a new person; someone who has changed everything in life because of the death of God’s Son. There was a moment when we realized we were lost and without hope. Through the message of the gospel, the heart was touched to obey the will of God rising up from baptism a new creature. There is a greater joy, fuller life and the beginning of a lifetime of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. One of vital parts of that growth process is to learn to be like Christ Jesus. Salvation comes in the waters of baptism but the continual manifestation of the Spirit within the child of God is molding the mind to think and act like the Savior.

Paul’s admonition to the saints in Philippi outlines the pattern of humility and care for others. He offers the sacrifice of Jesus as an example of how we should have love and concern for others. The key element of this growth is to have a mind like Christ Jesus. Nothing can be accomplished in life without changing the view to that of God. The image of what God desires is foremost in our minds. His will guides our thoughts in the actions we take in life. Our steps are measured by how Jesus walks. To have a mind like Christ is to think, act, speak and behave as if we were Christ Himself. Jesus left us an example that we should follow in His footsteps. Those are big shoes to fill but it can be done. Thinking like Jesus is to have a humble mind.

The wise man said that as a man thinks – so is he. We are the product of what we think. The manner of our actions are dictated by our attitude, mental discourse, feelings and desire to follow a certain path. Those who think like Christ mold every part of their life for the glory of God. Thinking like Christ will determine the manner of dress. Our clothing reflects our mental attitude. Dressing like the world in a state of undress suggests our mind is not wholly on spiritual matters. Having a Christ-like mind will protect the tongue from gossip, slander, anger, cursing, and a host of many sins that are speech based. What goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. Do not deceived. Whatsoever a man has in his heart will come out from the lips. Cleansing the heart with the mind of Christ will remove the poison of the tongue. Learning to be patient, kind, longsuffering and loving will only come from a mind that is Christ based.

Having a mind like Christ comes from spending many hours examining the life of Jesus. Following His character is how we attain a mind that is holy. He walks before us as an example and we willingly step where He has stepped. A Christian may remark, “I do this because that is who I am.” Have they considered this would not be an action of Jesus? Is it possible to see Jesus with a beer in His hand and a cigarette in the other? If we have the mind of Jesus, would we welcome Him to watch what we view on television and the movies; or what we surf on the internet? It is remarkable what Christians will post on Facebook and think this reflects the mind of Christ. Would you invite Jesus to be your ‘friend’ on Facebook knowing the kind of things seen on many posts? Developing a mind like Christ is learning to mold all parts of life to reflect the glory of God and nothing seen or said would bring shame to Jesus.

Prayer was one of the pivotal parts of the life of Christ. To have a mind like Christ demands worn knees. He talked to His Father a lot because there was a lot to talk about. Jesus developed His mind to be like His Father with constant communication. How can we do any less? The mind of Jesus was fully obedient to the will of the Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord desired to have a mind like His Father when He said, “Thy will be done.” Developing a mind like Christ requires that we say to the Father, “Thy will be done.” The mind of Christ is a beautiful mind. Free of worry, stress, anxiety and doubt. His life was fully devoted to the will of His Father. We will find peace and hope when we change our minds to be like Christ. Have this mind which was also in Christ Jesus.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:19-20)

The Glory Of The Father

Stop and think for a moment how many things we have from our Heavenly Father. John closed out his gospel saying if everything Jesus did were written one by one the world itself would not contain the books that would be written. Imagine how many books would be written if the glory of God was inscribed on paper – the known universe would not contain enough space to complete the picture. Consider the many ways God has supplied all our needs. The air we breathe comes by His hand. Our hearts beat continually because He set in motion our life. Did you worry the sun would not rise this morning? The abundance of this world declares the glory of the Father in every particle of its beauty. His hand is seen in the incredible portraits of nature from the flowers that grace the meadows to the mountains filled with snow. Oceans teem with innumerable fish and creatures fill the vast lands of the world. Every stroke of the Master’s brush in the canvas of nature declares the glory of God.

The glory of the Father is immense when viewed from the natural side of creation. This pales in comparison to His glory in the eternal man and how a loving Father gave man His only begotten Son – and for what reason? When the Lord created man, there was perfection in the harmony of God and man. Satan destroyed that paradise and the creation of God hated Him rebelling at His word. With great sadness, the Lord destroyed all men on the face of the earth save eight. Centuries later, fulfilling a promise made in the Garden of Eden, God sent His Son to show men the way of truth. They hated Jesus and murdered Him on the cross. Suspended between heaven and earth, God watched His only begotten Son writhe in horrific suffering as men jeered, mocked and spat on Him. The Father did nothing. Jesus died. The Father did something incredible. He raised His Son from the dead and glory came to the earth.

Everything man needs is found in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. All of the desires of eternal man are glorified in the gift of God. The world is made up of corruptible things that will fade in time and be destroyed in the last day. Death haunts man with terrible consequence. Yet, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God brought His glory to man in saving him from the sting of death and gave him a hope that will live beyond the grave. God’s glory is what measures the life of His children because they know life is not about the here and now but the joy of eternal promise. He supplies all our needs in Jesus Christ. Satan continues to destroy lives but God’s forgiveness washes away the stain of sin. God be glorified for the cleansing power of His mercy and grace.

Thank God today for His grace. He is to be glorified because of who He is, what He is and how much He has given us. There will never be a day when we can repay the debt we owe the Father. He gave us a gift that is without measure. What He gave us was His glory. The riches of His love covers us with a peace that passes all understanding. Jesus died for me. Yes, Jesus died for me. Thank you God for your glory. It is amazing.

The grace of God transcends all our feeble efforts to describe it. It cannot be poured into any of our mental receptacles without running over. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

Nevertheless the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath, with which His anger was aroused against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’ ” (2 Kings 23:26-27)

Will God Punish Those Who Disobey Him?

The love of God is an incredible gift of mercy, grace, pardon and joy. There is nothing man can imagine that equals the depth of forgiveness granted by the Lord. His longsuffering describes the immense patience of His character. From the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the Lord God repeatedly illustrated His willingness to set aside the sin of man if he would repent. Sadly and more often than not, man refused to change. The terrible flood that came upon the whole world in Noah’s day confirms that God will save those who are righteous but destroy those who are not. Israel is a powerful example of the blessings of God and the curse for those who rebel. The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and exalted them among all the nations. He established a house with His name in the city of Jerusalem calling upon the people to worship Him in truth. There were many good years of the nation following the will of the Lord but ultimately the complete destruction of Israel came because of sin. First, the Assyrian Empire took the ten tribes of the north away. As a warning to the remaining two tribes, God reminded the children of Israel His wrath was sure and true. It was not long before they also fell under the hand of a foreign army and taken captive. Israel would never regain its glory.

In the final days of the once great nation of Israel, a stern warning is given that will reflect the goodness and severity of God. Judah will be removed from the sight of the Lord and the house of the Lord will be abandoned. The Babylonians burn Jerusalem and destroy the temple built by Solomon. All of the instruments, furniture and utensils of the temple are taken away by the Babylonians. How could this happen? No one could enter the temple without the blessing of God; especially Gentiles. The Holy of Holies contained the dwelling place of God where He communed with His people but that is now destroyed. In 586 B.C., Jerusalem falls and the Temple destroyed. God’s wrath was complete and His word true.

There is a great lesson in this story that should resonate with the hearts of all men. God is a loving and compassionate God. He is also a demanding and fierce God who will bring His judgment of wrath on those who disobey Him. Everyone believes in Heaven but few accept that there is a place of eternal torment. The thought of Hell is rejected because of a misunderstanding of who God is and what He has shown through the history of Israel. The hand of God, because of the incessant evil of Israel, annihilated the ten northern tribes. He warned Judah repeatedly to look what happen to Israel and repent. They refused and now the most incredibly words of God are spoken to a rebellious people. The Lord God will abandon His house that is called by His name. He withdrew His glory from that place. There will come a day when the patience and love of God will end and He will take away His glory from men. Standing before the judgment bar of a righteous God, most men will be cast into the darkness of eternal fire. God is not willing that any should perish. He desires for all of His creation to worship Him and glorify His name. Jesus said that most men would refuse. The broad way of destruction is where those who live for themselves will find the wrath of a loving God who did everything He could do to save them. If God will take away His glory from Israel and Judah and from the house that is called by His name; He will punish evil men with eternal torment.

Jesus came to offer hope. Through the blood shed on a cross two thousand years ago, eternal life can be found in the obedience of those who seek Him. God’s grace is found in the horrible picture of the cross as the penalty for sin. His wrath will be taken away when men do His will. Calling on the name of the Lord will not save alone; keeping His commandments is how we show our love for Him. God’s grace is offered. He is a wrathful God but He wants you to be saved. Now that is a great story.

You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.

You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all–you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold–the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. (Daniel 2:31-45)

The Greatest Kingdom

Nebuchadnezzar was one of the great Babylonian kings. His construction of the hanging gardens of Babylon is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The will of the Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the remaining tribes of Judah carrying away the people to seventy-year bondage of heartache and despair. His army punished the people of God for their rebellion against the word of the prophets pleading with them to repent and turn to the Lord. With the exception of the Pharaoh in the days of Moses, no king had a greater influence on the history of the children of Israel than Nebuchadnezzar. The history of the world would be defined by events that happened when he brought four Jewish boys into his court.

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were young men who were gifted in many ways. They were among the young nobles king Nebuchadnezzar had placed in his palace to serve him. Little did he know the impact these four young men would have on his life and the unfolding of God’s plan to redeem man. One night the king had a terrible dream. It was most unusual and very disturbing. Finding no one to tell him the dream and its interpretation, the king began to kill his wise men. Daniel intervened assuring the king he would grant his wish. The Lord revealed to Daniel the dream and its meaning after his three friends spent time in prayer. Coming before Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel gave glory to God for what he was about to do. It was a remarkable dream.

The image Nebuchadnezzar saw was a figure of four nations: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold. After him an inferior kingdom would come and then a third. The fourth kingdom was a powerful and terrible image. The Roman Empire became one of the greatest nations in the history of man. It was during this kingdom that something more powerful would take place. Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar in the days of the Roman Empire God would set up a kingdom that would never be destroyed and rule over all nations. That kingdom was the church, the kingdom of God.

History unfolded exactly as the dream foretold. The Medo-Persian Empire destroyed the Babylonian’s. Persia was defeated by Alexander the Great and his Greek juggernaut. Rome conquered the Greeks and firmly established its rule for nearly two hundred years. It was during the time of the Roman kingdom that Jesus was born. Luke refers to the rulers of Rome in his historical treatise about Jesus. The Lord told of the coming kingdom and declared there were those alive at the time that would live to see it coming. Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus the kingdom of God was established in the city of Jerusalem. The church of the New Testament is the kingdom Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. Daniel foretold of the fulfillment of God’s promise to bless all men through the seed of Jesus Christ.

All the kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome have long disappeared in the dust of history. Many nations have risen and fallen in the last two thousand years but the kingdom of God has never failed to exist somewhere in the world. History may not reflect the disciples of Christ peppered throughout the world but the Lord knows those who remain faithful to Him. The Roman Catholic Church influenced the ideals of western civilization for many centuries but they could never destroy the one true church. It remained constant and today we realize the blessings of the kingdom that has destroyed all other kingdoms. Satan has turned the hearts of the people away from the knowledge of the one kingdom allowing men to “attend the church of their choice” and yet the one true church remains. The church will remain as the kingdom of God until the end of time. Thank God for His infinite wisdom and power to fulfill the words given by Daniel in the long ago and to show His glory in the New Testament church – the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Christmas Explains Religious Division

December 25th is a day of division. Heralded by the world as the birth of Christ, Christmas has taken its place in the historical record as being true. Few if any would deny the veracity of the  clear teaching of the Bible that Jesus was born on December 25th and that while He lay in a manger, shepherds and wise men (three to be exact) visited while a star shone brightly above.

Everyone knows the story in exact detail. Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem but find no room to lodge. With the birth of Jesus upon them, the young couple find a stable to bring the baby Jesus into the world. Wrapped in swaddling clothes, Jesus is laid in a manger. Presently, shepherds visit the baby glorifying what they see. Moments later three wise men arrive leaving precious gifts for the family. During the confusion a little drummer boy shows up to play a tune. The star shines brightly upon the manger as the angels sing above.

During the month of December carolers sing Christmas hymns about the birth of Jesus, churches fill with seasonal guests unfamiliar with the surroundings and the Christian world celebrates the birth of God’s Son. Everything about the Christmas story is true as long as an appeal for the authority of the Bible is not demanded. Ironically, the one book in the whole world that tells the complete story of the birth of Jesus is never consulted for the truth of the story. That might cause too much confusion on the parts of those who know the real story of Christmas.

Imagine the shock of the person who reads the gospels of Matthew and Luke finding what really happened when Jesus was born. Yes, Joseph and Mary could not find lodging in Bethlehem. It is also true Jesus was born in a place where animals are kept and wrapped in swaddling clothes was laid in a manger. The Bible does tell of the visit by the shepherds. This is where the story takes a very different view compared to modern theological wisdom. In fact, the ‘star’ never appeared over the manger scene. The wise men did not come to Bethlehem until Jesus was nearly two years old and they found Him living in a house with His parents. The star did guide the wise men and the star did shine over the house – notice the word house – where Joseph and Mary were living at the time. Whether there were three wise men, twelve, twenty or fifty the Bible does not tell. No one knows how many wise men there were but we know of the gifts brought for Jesus.

The likelihood of Jesus being born in December is doubtful. No one knows when Jesus was born. All that can be ascertained is that He was born on one of seven days in a week and what month and day no one knows. Luke tells us that Mary was among the early disciples when the church began (Acts 1). She knew when Jesus was born but the record never reveals it. The early church had the mother of Jesus in their midst and never celebrated His birth.

Paul warned, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Christmas is a fabricated festival celebrating the birth of Jesus without the blessing of God. The birth of Jesus is very important to the scheme of redemption but the early disciples went everywhere preaching His resurrection – not His birth. Salvation came ultimately in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

What is peculiar about Christmas is how easy people are dissuaded to believe something that is not in the Bible. The story of Jesus birth is in Matthew and Luke but the celebration of Christmas never tells the story as it is written. If religious people are willing to ignore the true story of His birth in plain truth, what other areas are they willing to turn a blind eye and ignore? The reason there are so many churches is that people refuse to follow what they can find in scripture. If a survey would be taken of the doctrines of the religious world, few if any would be found in the Bible. Does that matter?

Christmas is the reason for the season of division. Churches are divided by name, doctrine, organization and purpose because people are willing to accept whatever is taught in their religious group. A paradox is found when those who refuse to follow its teachings hold up the Bible in reverence. Bible based doctrine suggests that what is being taught is found on the pages of holy writ.

When John wrote the Revelation he concluded his book, “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19). Paul declared to the church at Corinth, “That you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other” (1 Corinthians 4:6). What is in the Bible should remain in the Bible and what is left out should be left out. Celebrating December 25 as the birthday of Jesus is adding to the word of God and taking away the word of God that declares the glory of His resurrection. The religious world has been doing that for nearly two thousand years and especially in the last five hundred years.

Unity will come when we “speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). December 25th is not the birth of Jesus and should not be celebrated as such. Religious division is an abomination to the eyes of the Lord. Let’s get back to what the Bible says and let the Bible be our only guide.

Are they ministers of Christ?–I speak as a fool–I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness–besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)

I Have No Complaints

The apostle Paul was an amazing man. Few men in history have made such an impact on the world as the man from Tarsus. He was a celebrity of his time enjoying the wealth and power of a nobleman wielding incredible influence for his day. As a Jew, he was the epitome of what every Jewish boy wanted to be. Paul was a Benjamite and a member of the sect of Pharisees. His power was unlimited as he sought out the followers of Christ persecuting them to foreign cities. He learned from one of the great teachers of law named Gamaliel and was taught to strictly keep the law in zealousness. He persecuted the church binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. This all changed when he came to Damascus.

The Lord had set Paul apart for His own special purpose. When Ananias baptized Saul of Tarsus into Christ, a new man arose that would change the shape of the world. His passion and desire to serve Jesus Christ was incredibly intense. He immersed himself in the work of teaching the gospel in Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world. The journeys of Paul throughout the Roman Empire began a movement that still thrives today. We are all recipients of the passionate work Paul laid down in city after city recounting his labors in numerous letters. The bulk of the New Testament canon is devoted to the ministry of Paul. He was unmarried and unfettered by family responsibilities allowing him to preach in foreign cities, stand before governors and kings and eventually preach in the imperial city of Rome the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Viewing the life of Paul, one has to sympathize with the hardships he endured almost on a daily basis. Few men can measure to his stature but he came in a fullness of time that allowed him to serve the Lord in a way few of us can ever realize. His letter to Corinth outlines the strength of his work and challenges he faced daily. He was beaten numerous times and once left for dead after a stoning. Prison was a common place to find the apostle. He lived with death threats from his fellow Jews. Misfortune fell upon him on many occasions including surviving a shipwreck and being left in the sea for a night and day. His middle name was “peril” as he suffered from the elements, his countryman and others who wanted him dead. False brethren attacked him. Fellow Christians persecuted Paul with great anger. Life with Paul was vigorous and weary filled with sleepless nights and lack of food. If this was not enough, he lived with the concern of all the churches he had been a part of.

As I write these words, I sit in a comfortable chair in a home filled with many conveniences of life. The cupboards have food, closets are filled with clothes and I have not known hunger in my life. I go from place to place in the comfort of a twelve-year-old truck. I worship with a loving group of fellow saints who live in various stages of similar comfort in a building that provides padded pews, illustrative PowerPoints, indoor plumbing and temperature-controlled environments. I have never spent a night in prison, beaten for what I believe, or hunted down by adversaries who want to kill me. Sunday morning I spend two hours in Bible study, worship, and return Sunday evening for another hour of worship. Wednesday nights an hour of Bible study concludes the day. I have a good library of books; the Bible is in printed form and on my cell phone, IPad and computer. My wife completes my life with the joy of my children and grandchildren. Where in all of this can I complain and feel as if my service to Jesus Christ is burdensome?

It is amazing how people complain about how long a sermon is, the need to assemble ‘again’ and ‘again’ and how difficult it is finding time to read God’s word (in printed form or electronic – the whole word revealed from Genesis to the Revelation). We feel as if life is so hard because we are expected to serve the Lord with some sort of diligence. Asking more than an hour a week for this God stuff can be overwhelming. The elders expect too much, the preacher demands unrealistic goals, the life of a Christian is just so very, very hard. Paul was a unique individual and that is accepted. His place in the scheme of redemption was powerful. It is a good thing he is not alive today and preaching because few congregations would allow him in the pulpit after he witnesses how the church has become softened by the luxuries of the world. I doubt very many of us have suffered much for being a Christian. There are some among us that have been abandoned by their families, suffered loss for choosing Christ and live difficult lives because they confess Christ. For the most of us, Paul is an imaginary figure that lived a long time ago and we will never understand the level of commitment he had in being crucified with his Lord.

Vance Havner said that religious movements begin in caves and die in cathedrals. Have we come to the cathedral age of Christianity forgetting our roots and the inspiration of men like Paul who gave his life for his Lord? Do we complain about what we have to do for the church? The church of today is not turning the world upside down because it is parallel to the world. How many souls have been brought to Christ this year? That takes a lot of work. Church growth comes from hard labor. If we would work in the spirit of the apostle Paul in a day void of persecution, churches would overflow with new disciples. The reality is we enjoy the comfort of modern Christianity that has turned a lifesaving station into a social club. I have no complaints. That could be the problem.

In the church we have a Christless churchianity and a churchless Christianity, a form of godliness without power, form without force, ritual without righteousness. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors, they are established. (Proverbs 15:22)

It Is Good To Ask For Advice

The book of Proverbs is a wonderful book of simple truths that if followed, will bring greater happiness in life. The proverbs are not deep religious discussions but bullets of common sense. The lost commodity of practical wisdom is found in the short, pithy sayings that speak volumes of interpersonal relationships, advice for the challenges of life and a complete relationship with God and man. We would do well to spend time combing the book of Proverbs for helping hints to improve our outlook in life. Seeking the counsel of others will give us greater understanding. Life is filled with making decisions. Trying to navigate the turbulent waters without the proper plans will not go well. The wise man suggests that to keep plans from failing, we should seek the counsel of those who can be trusted with practical wisdom. No man has all the answers to life. It is easy to believe we are right about everything but that is a failed assumption. Failure will always come to those who do not seek advice from others.

This proverb also suggests that we should make plans for life. We know the human experience is but a vapor but there should be a motivation to accomplish certain things in life. Making plans does not remove the reality there is no tomorrow. It determines a plan of wisdom in helping direct our lives to realize growth. We should never be satisfied with what we have done today as if there is nothing more to do. Spiritual growth continues to need planning and choosing the right path. Seeking the counsel of others helps to mold our decisions to make goals that can be accomplished. Asking advice will help further those goals to reality. The multitude of counselors will give a broader plane of wisdom to work from – guiding our decisions to a better end.

Seeking the counsel of others wards off the temptation of being rash. One of the problems of life is when we make hasty decisions without thinking the situation through. It is ‘in the moment’ we believe we know what is best and refuse to stop and seek a wiser head for guidance. Calamity follows. We say something that is regretted, act in a manner that is difficult to repair and all because we did not stop, think and listen to someone else. The ‘multitude of counselors’ would have warned us not to go down that path but we did not ask. We are all guilty. Sometimes we make unwise decisions that will last a lifetime. Regrets are made because we did not listen to the advice of others. Lessons learned the hard way are difficult to accept.

Rehoboam, son of Solomon, became king following his father’s death. He did not read the proverbs and heed their warnings. He sought after counsel but he chose the wrong kind of counsel beginning a long, spiraling death of the kingdom of Israel. In contrast, James writes in his epistle that older men and women should be teaching younger men and women. The implication also says that younger men and women should be seeking the counsel of older men and women. Listening to their advice will bring greater satisfaction in life than refusing counsel. Communication is a practical tool for wisdom. Without the counsel of others, plans will not work out for the best. Asking the advice of others will create a smoother path to journey in the uneven walks of life.

Do not be afraid to seek advice, asking guidance for the plans of life. Let the multitude of counselors be your best friends. Rash decisions will lead to trouble. Be patient in spirit. The word of God will be your foundation in seeking the counsel of the righteous. Surround your life with those who care for you and your journey to heaven. Listen, heed and guide the steps of your journey along the path of righteousness with those who walk before you. Imitate them as they imitate Christ.