The Heaton File

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house has eaten me up.” So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. (John 2:13-22)

Jesus Had A Whip

The temple in Jerusalem was a place of worship to the most High God. For the Jewish nation, it was the epicenter of everything they believed and held dear before the Lord. In the days of Jesus, it was the second temple following the destruction of Solomon’s temple in 586BC. Herod the Great, king of Judea, had begun an expansion of the temple restored by Zerubbabel to placate the atrocities of his rule over the Jews. The final building of the temple would be completed six years before the Romans in 70AD destroyed it. When the Passover of the Jews was at hand, Jesus came to Jerusalem and found the temple in a state of disarray. It was probably not the first time the Lord had found the temple in such a state. To the dismay of Jesus, the temple had become a place of commerce and trade.

A contrast of pictures is given in John’s account. The magnificence of the temple of God cast as a backdrop to the busy commerce of trade and bickering by men making money from the worship of the Lord. Sacrifices were required in temple worship so men took advantage selling oxen, sheep and doves. It was like a huge farmer’s market or cattle lot. The lowing of oxen and the defecation of these large animals filled the air. Sheep bleating in the busy markets as they were sold in lots for sacrifices. Cages filled with doves to sell to the poor at exorbitant prices. This was not a place of quiet reflection to worship the Lord. The temple had become a place of merchandise. Jesus was furious.

Gathering up strands of cord laying around on the floor, Jesus the Son of God made a whip and began to drive the oxen out of the temple grounds scattering the sheep among the people. He demanded the doves be taken away as the Lord turned over tables of money spilling coins everywhere. The temple was in chaos. Jesus of Nazareth was cleaning out the temple of the putridity of man’s dishonor to His Holy Father. All of His disciples were shocked. They remembered the psalm of David as he was exasperated with the hypocrisy of man in their worship to the Lord. No one argued with Jesus. He had a whip. The temple was cleaned out.

It was probably a short time after the dust settled the oxen, sheep and doves came back to the temple. The moneychangers set up shop again. Commerce continued as it had before. There would be no one from Nazareth to clean out the house of God. He would be nailed to a cross. The Romans would destroy the temple ending all the hypocrisy of the Jewish nation. Many would talk of the day the Lord took a whip and cleaned out the temple. We are still talking about it today.

Religion has changed little from those days. The worship of God in the church has turned to be more of a place of commerce than a place of worship. It is a place to be entertained with loud music, food, frolic and satisfaction of the flesh. Worldly attractions draw men into a religion of commerce not unlike the selling of oxen and sheep in the days of Jesus. For the true worshippers it was hard to get into the temple to pray because of all the oxen, sheep and doves. Religion today is nothing but a house of merchandise where people expect to be fed, clothed, entertained and “would you please pay my bills?” If Jesus were here, He would have another whip. He would not bother with what most men call religion because they are not His house. For the church of the Lord He would do a lot of cleaning. His fury would be real. However, He will not come with a whip. He will return with angels. Then the final judgment will be given upon those who turn His house into a place of produce.

The church rings with the noise of trumpets, pipes and dulcimers; and human voices strive to bear their part with them. Men run to the church as to a theatre, to have their ears tickled. (Martin Luther)

But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? “Father, save Me from this hour”? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die. (John 12:23-33)

He Came To Glorify His Father

It is hard to understand the love Jesus had for man when He knew what was to happen to Him. The Son of God knew why He was on the earth. He talked often about the manner of His death. Crucifixion was where He was going. All of the horrors of the scourging and being nailed to a tree were vibrant in His mind. This was not going to be a chance happening or come as an unexpected rejection by His own people. God’s will brought Him to die and His Father’s will knew the Jews would reject the Son. Jesus Christ came to earth to live in human form to die in human form to be raised by the power of His Father. Jesus the man struggled with the reality of death. It was a cup He would bear for the love of His Father but it was not going to be an easy thing to do.

Jesus did not calmly walk to the cross like a robot. Long before the Passover feast and the Garden of Gethsemane, the man from Nazareth thought long and hard about His death. Redemption of man would come at the expense of His blood shed on a cross. Life would not be given to man until Jesus was given life from death. Jesus hated His life to the point of the cross. His example would be the model of devotion for all His followers. The death of Jesus was not entirely focused on saving man from his sin. It was about honoring His Father and giving glory to the name of God. Dying on a cross as God in flesh was to show the world the majesty of a loving Father who willingly offers His only begotten Son to die for the miserable, undeserving creature on earth.

The Father speaks directly to His Son a third time. At His baptism and transfiguration, God’s voice is heard clearly. Now a time of reassurance is given to a troubled soul when the Father tells His Son that He will be glorified by the sacrifice He will offer of Himself. Sometimes we need to hear the Father’s voice to have that reassurance. Jesus needed this from His Father. Everything He was doing was for the glory of the Father.

While the Father will not speak to us in the manner He did with Jesus that day He still speaks to us through His word. We must die daily to serve the Lord for the glory of the Father. Like Jesus, we must hate our lives to the service of the Father and glorify Him daily in our love for Him. There are many times we are troubled and tired in the continual battle against Satan. Prayers to the Father will lift us up and He will speak words of hope and glory as we struggle to face the many crosses born in mortal flesh. Jesus knew how He would die but He still lived for the glory of God. We may not know the manner of our death but no matter what life brings we live for the glory of God. As we begin a new week let us all listen to the word of God in our hearts praying in the Holy Spirit that we will sacrifice our lives for the glory of the Father. Let Him be glorified.

The highest knowledge we can have of God in this life is to know that He is above all we can think concerning Him. (Thomas Aquinas, De Veritate, 1259)

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” (Revelation 14:12-13)

A Life Story

This morning has been busy preparing for a funeral of a dear saint who passed into glory last week. She was a kind example of a Christian woman who lived a full life of 85 years. There is much that I do not know about her life as I have only known her for a year but in the body of Christ, it seems like we have known one another for many years. This has always been remarkable to me. The depth of fellowship with fellow disciples is not measured by years but the joy of sharing in Christ a common faith. Our communion in the bond of Christ is so dear and endearing because we share the Father of glory that calls us all His children. She was my sister in Christ. We were also neighbors.

Reflecting on the activities of the day I could not help but think the greatest stories told are the lives of the unknown faithful children of God who leave a lasting impression on the hearts of God’s family. She will never have her named inscribed on a monument of significance in the eyes of men but her name is indelibly marked upon our hearts. She lived in a modest home in a modest neighborhood in a quiet town in central Florida. No reporters, no fan mail, no news flash about her life; nothing spectacular will flash across the newsreel or internet about her life or death. A simple gathering this morning will mark her memorial followed by the interment of her mortal body to the earth. The family will gather for a meal and everyone will begin to go their own ways back to the lives they live. But the story remains. We will remark tomorrow how we miss our dear sister. What that says is a great story.

What makes this a great story is the epitaph of her life. Her epitaph will be her legacy of faithfulness to Christ. The marble headstone will bear her name and life beginning to end. It is her story that will live on. She will not be forgotten. She will not be looked upon with sadness because of her eternal state. It will be the hope of Heaven that helps us all strive to live each day in the knowledge that a crown of life awaits all those who eagerly await the coming of the Lord. Life is not about here. Life is about the joy we share in the oldest story of man’s history: redemption.

Thank you sister Nellie for your life and for your sweet example. Now that is a great story.

Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you! But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble. But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” The women also said, “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?” (Jeremiah 44:15-19)

The Queen Of Heaven

Prosperity is a fickle thing. Times of abundance often fool people to believe that life is good because there is plenty of food, possessions and peace in the land. The heart of man is set on his accomplishments. He looks around and sees a land flowing with all the desires of the flesh feeling secure in what he has accomplished to make the world such a prosperous place. Cities burst at the edges with tall buildings as commerce grows daily. Highways stretch for miles filled with cars and trucks carrying thousands of people and goods in a constant flow of activity. Technology takes man beyond his greatest imagination as the world connects in a global web of information. New discoveries fuel the desire for man to go further into the unknown darkness of space or probe deeper into the watery depths of the oceans. The generation of modern man is so unbelievably smart it boggles the mind to think how far he has come. And he owes it all to the queen of heaven.

In the days of Jeremiah, the nation of Israel was crumbling under the weight of sin. The Lord brought judgment upon His people in response to their rejection of the word of God. One of the complaints brought by the people to the prophet of God was how good things were under the queen of heaven. Fleeing to Egypt for a hopeless effort to save themselves the people are adamant they will not listen to the word of God anymore. Their stubborn hearts were set on doing what they wanted to do because the Lord had brought about this anguish and misery. Recalling the glory days of the nation they remembered how they had plenty to eat, the land flowed with prosperity and there was no trouble. Burning incense to the queen of heaven was the reason for their happiness. Trouble came when they stopped worshiping the queen. Why listen to God? He only brings unhappiness and woe.

The queen of heaven still lives today. Look around and see how many people are following God and how many people are following their own god. The land is prosperous. There is a relative peace in the land. Food is plentiful, most people are well off and there is little trouble. The curse of the blessings of the land is how the goodness of the world takes the heart away from the goodness of God. Who has time to worship the one true God when there is so much fun to have? The Bible is being ridiculed more and more because oppression under the laws of God only brings a lack of prosperity and happiness. God’s laws are restrictive prohibiting the freedoms man wants to experience. Religion is being slowly hammered out of the conscience of society which now views religious truth as un-American. The queen of heaven must be worshiped and we are doing a good job at her feet.

Reading the conclusion of Jeremiah’s book tells the story of how it all ends in destruction. Man seldom learns that worship to the queen of heaven will begin with happiness and end in death. The world may reject the Bible as truth but when all things are said and done – the truth of the Bible will be the only thing standing. The queen of heaven? She will be cast into the lake of fire with her husband.

If adversity hath killed his thousand, prosperity hath killed his ten thousand. (Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II, 1621)

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ”These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens:’ I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie–indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:7-13)

The Church In Philadelphia

John saw some amazing things in the revelation given to him by God. Writing of things he saw and heard the apostle paints a glorious picture of the victory of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords over all that oppose the righteousness of the Holy God. In the end Satan will be cast into the lake of fire; along with everything connected with death and unrighteousness. The address of the revelation opens with declarations to seven churches of Christ in the Asian realm. Each church has a specific message of either commendation or condemnation with Philadelphia receiving no specific censure. It was in this city so many temples were built that it was sometimes referred to as the “Little Athens.” Jews would been a cause of persecution against the Christians also. The church in Philadelphia had many challenges against it.

Jesus knows their works commending them for their impoverished spirit in the face of difficult times. The Lord will bless the church with many opportunities as an open door because of their faith. In the face of all that came against them, they stood firm. They kept the word as truth and refused to deny the name of Jesus. Their endurance in hard times will be a blessing as others fail. The Lord warns of a great trial coming upon the whole world but the saints in Philadelphia will be protected from these trials. Exhorting them to hold fast to the word He reminds them He will return soon and their reward in heaven will be great. There is a possible allusion of the many pagan temples in Philadelphia used in a paradoxical proverb to show how the saints in the church at Philadelphia will be a pillar in the temple of the one true God bearing the name of God. There will be a glorious reward for the faithful saints in Philadelphia because of the work the local church is doing for the glory of God.

The candlestick of the church at Philadelphia was established in the love of Jesus Christ. They were a group of Christians in a pagan city serving the one true God with all their fervor and vitality. It was a church of little strength but what great things they were doing. Lessons from the seven churches show the character of what each local congregation of God’s people can do – or not do. Some of the churches were challenged because of their lack of love, apathy and immorality that was allowed to continue. Philadelphia was not a church of great strength yet they were able to do so much for the Lord. Each congregation of God’s people will have their strength and weakness but all should be like the church in Philadelphia. Facing opposition the church held to the pattern of truth and became an example to all of Asia.

We should have the same spirit as the brethren in Philadelphia. Following the pattern of New Testament authority, we must engage ourselves in the work of teaching the gospel to a world filled with the pagan temples of man’s wisdom and pleasure. Little strength or great strength – we must stand firm in the love of God and affirm the teachings of Jesus Christ to a world dying in the deceitfulness of sin. Let us be a pillar in the temple of God.

The church can stand anything else better than prosperity and popularity. She is poor when she is rich, secure in danger but endangered by security. She usually has most treasure in heaven when she has least on earth. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. (Ecclesiastes 7:1)

The Name We Wear

We did not choose the name we wear. Our parents made the decision to name us according to many reasons: family ties, popularity, novelty, friendship and creativity. Our name is the one constant that identifies everything about us. A few words put together in a sentence describe our personality, our reputation and our life. We carry it with us throughout life and at the end of life all that remains is a name on a marble stone. A name with two dates with a small dash in the middle is all that is left. Loved ones will recall us by our name; friends will miss us by our name.

Our name is very fragile. It will remain in the chronicles of man throughout the ages but while we are living, it is most brittle. As we grow from childhood, our name is precious reflecting the innocent spirit of youth. When we enter adulthood, our name takes on a more impactful meaning as we become identified with the character we have molded. The name given by our parents was given in a time of innocence but now we must be careful to maintain the goodness of our name as intended from the beginning. This is very difficult. A lifetime of nobility ascribed to our name can be wiped out by a moment’s reckless folly. Now our name takes on a remembrance of a foolish decision or reckless choices that besmear a once good name. A good name is given in faith and we are entrusted to keep that good name.

When death calls what remains is our name. A good name is to be valued more than anything in this world because it becomes the novel of our lives. When our name is spoken there will be good things said or evil. How that name is spoken will be in the manner we left our name in death. Stains upon our name may never fully recover. The exhortation of the wisdom literature is to implore all of us to live in such a way to leave a good name after our death. The house of mourning is about our name being lifted up or cast down.

Eternity will be established by our name. Beyond the vale of life there is a book called the Book of Life. It is held in the hand of God and inscribed in this book are names. These names are the only names that allowed through the gates of eternal life. Many names will never be inscribed there because those names have never named the Son of God as Redeemer. There are some names written upon its pages that have been blotted out. Knowing the saving grace of the Father the names have turned back into the world. Those names that remain are the redeemed. They will hear their names called and told to enter into life eternal. The final judgment is about our name. In the infinite mercy of God, there is forgiveness for names stained with sin. Some names may be held in derision by the world but are held precious by the blood of Jesus because they have been forgiven. No greater joy is there to know that God will take my name and forgive me of my sins. Thank you God for Your love. A good name is more precious than anything we can ever own.

And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)

The Everlasting And Eternal Question

Trying to understand eternity from a finite mind can be a formidable task. A beginning and an end dictate everything in the world of man. Birth is where life begins and death is when life ends. Anything that has a beginning will have an end. What is new today will deteriorate into something that corrodes over time and eventually stop working. Insurance is the philosophy there is an end in sight and protection is needed against the results of certain loss. Each day has a beginning with the sun rising and an end with the sun setting. The universe and the worlds contained in its sphere will come to an end one day. So how do we understand this ‘everlasting’ and ‘eternal’ language Jesus uses to describe what happens after death? Immediately the mind is drawn to the knowledge that death is not an end. Life after death suggests there is no final disposition of man and that he continues to exist after the body dies. This is an everlasting and eternal question.

Believers in the word of God learn from the beginning that man was created in the image of God. This creation is the eternal spirit of man. Accepting the Bible as truth one realizes that we are all eternal creatures that will have an existence beyond the grave. The body will return to dust but there is another body. Those who do not believe in God deny the existence of life after death. Sadly they will find themselves believing it too late. Another body exists that will never die, never decay and never cease to exist. Life for all men will be an everlasting existence that will never have an end – and that is hard to wrap the mind around to understand its meaning. Adam lived to be nearly one thousand years old but he died. If eternity was three thousand years, we could understand or even ten thousand years. There would be a beginning to eternity and then an end of eternity. The truth is that eternity existed before the world was created; exists now and will exist when we die. Each one of us inhabit eternity the moment we are created in the image of God.

What is hard to grasp in the feeble mind of man is how a person can suffer in an everlasting torment. Jesus said there was a place of everlasting punishment. He calls it everlasting fire, everlasting destruction and everlasting chains. On this side of death, there is an end of pain but on the other side of death there is no end. Thinking about the nature of everlasting fire should cause every person to flee to God for salvation. Denying it will not change its reality. Sin will take a person further than they want to go and keep them longer than they want to stay – eternal punishment.

The joy for the child of God is that eternal life has no end. The mind can hardly understand this but what a joy to know that all the peace of God’s blessings are enjoyed in a place where eternal time is without end. John will write in the Revelation that all pain will be taking away – forever. Sorrow will never be a part of eternal life. No more tears – forever. The former things will never be a part of the life of those who die in the Lord. Whether I can understand this on this side of Heaven matters little to the realization of what it will be like to experience eternal life.

One final note: everyone will experience the same thing in death. Everlasting! Eternal! The majority of men will be cast into everlasting fire. How everlasting sad that is. Eternal life will be for those who love the Lord and do the will of the Father. What is your answer?

Eternity is the lifetime of the Almighty. (Anonymous)

And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. (Matthew 26:47-50)

Jesus Is My Facebook Friend

Facebook has changed the face of the world. History will declare Facebook as one of the major influences of the modern culture as radio and television did a century ago. According to recent numbers, there are 1.6 billion users. The name has become synonymous as a means of communication and information becoming the electronic newspaper of the day. The basis of Facebook is the use of ‘friends.’ Each individual is a ‘friend’ and to connect with other people on Facebook there is a processing of ‘befriending’ them. Afterwards, the two individuals will be able to share information about their lives on the electronic pages of each person’s site including all other ‘friends’ who are part of the Facebook community.

Presently I have 564 ‘friends’ on my Facebook account. That is an embarrassing low number according to many folk on Facebook. It is also something of a misnomer. Of the 564 ‘friends’ I am not sure I know most of them. A request comes in to ‘friend’ someone and I accept (sometimes reject) and now we are … ‘friends’? In the long ago, the word “friend” meant someone of a close personal relationship that shared deeper knowledge with than others. I know many people but I would not consider them “friends” in the meaning of knowing a lot about them. There are many people that I know who they are and we may speak on occasion but to tell someone anything about this person would be impossible because our paths do not cross with any regularity that would benefit such knowledge. Attending school with a lot of people my age did not make them all my ‘friends’ because that was reserved for a close circle of people where we shared deeper relationships with. That is the natural order of our relationships. Facebook has changed the word “friend” to be anyone who clicks a button no matter whether there is a personal relationship or not.

Jesus has more ‘friends’ than anyone on the planet. There are many people who have Jesus as their Facebook friend who have no idea who He is, what He is or anything about His life. To them, Jesus Christ is just a click of a button to say He is their friend and that is all. There are many other people in the circle of Facebook life that are more important than Jesus is. They say they are ‘religious’ but never strive to learn who the Son of God is. The Lord becomes just a pacifier in time of need. He is not the top of the list but He is on the list. To most people He is someone who is a friend but nothing personal.

It is remarkable that Jesus called Judas a friend. For the past few years, the apostle of Christ had shared many things with the Lord. Judas preached the good news, performed miracles, encouraged and exhorted other disciples, witnessed the miracles of Jesus and listened to the teachings of the master Teacher. However, in the garden Judas was not a companion any longer because he was betraying His Lord. There are a lot of folks who treat Jesus the same way today. Feigning a relationship with the Lord, they are nothing more than a Facebook friend that is part of a number – instead of a personal Lord who has changed their life.

A friend is someone who changes another’s life. I may have to sit down one day and see how many of the 564 friends I have that I really know and then out of that number see how many people I know anything about. Friends are important but only when they are true friends that help change my life. Jesus needs to be my friend only in the sense that He becomes my Lord, my Savior and my King. I need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to know everything about Him. He needs to change my life on every level. His character should be embedded in every part of my heart. If Jesus is just a Facebook friend – you need to get off Facebook and get into the Book. Amen?

The influence of His life, His words, and His death, have, from the first, been like leaven cast into the mass of humanity. (Cunningham Geikie, The Life and Words of Christ, 1877)

No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

They All Shall Know Me

To be a child of God in the nation of Israel you had but to be born and consecrated according to the Law of Moses. All male children were circumcised on the eighth day in keeping with the covenant made with Abraham. At eight days old, the child knows nothing about the Lord. He will grow to maturity learning about the law and the stories of old solidifying his faith in Jehovah. This went on with the Jewish nation for generations until the coming of Christ. The death of Jesus on the cross changed everything; including the Law of Moses. While the Gentiles were justified by faith, the people of Israel were redeemed by loving God and keeping the commandments. When the gospel of Jesus Christ entered the hearts of men, they became children of God by a different birth. No longer a physical birth, salvation came from a spiritual birth. This also changed the manner men came to know the Lord.

Under the Law of Moses, children began with no knowledge of the Lord and grew in knowledge. When a man wants to become a child of God under the law of Christ, he must know God first. Having Christian parents does not make a child a Christian. Circumcision means nothing. Lineage is of no value. The heart that turns to the Lord is the avenue of salvation by those who come to know the Lord and humble their hearts to His will. Faith will come by hearing the word of God and in turn, the heart will obey the will of the Father. Faith comes first, then knowledge and finally obedience.

The plan of salvation today is a wonderful testimony to the wisdom of God. All of God’s people are to know the Father because this is where they began. This knowledge can never be filled up. Living to be a centennial Christian will leave a void of things to know and understand about God because there is so much to know. One of the most important parts of living the Christian life is always learning more and more about the Father. He wants His children to know Him and to understand His character, His love, His reasons for doing what He does and why He made us. The more we know about God the fewer questions we have. Get to know the Father. You will be glad you did.

Knowledge is the key that first opens the hard hearts, enlarges the affections, and opens the way for men into the kingdom of heaven. (Jonathan Edwards; 1703-1758; Works, V, 151)

After three months, we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days. From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli, where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome. And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him. (Acts 28:11-16)

The Kindness Of Brethren

Travel in the first century was often a harrowing experience. Taking a ship throughout the Mediterranean was a risky adventure with sudden storms and unpredictable weather. Paul’s journey to Rome was very difficult and sometimes uncertain of the outcome. Earlier he and the crew experienced a tempestuous head wind called Euroclydon that drove the ship violently for many days. There seemed to be no hope but Paul assured the crew God would protect them. The ship, along with its 276 souls aboard, shipwrecked on the island of Malta. No one died and they spent three months there until they found another ship to continue the voyage to Rome.

A few days after leaving Malta, the ship arrived at Puteoli, located on the northern bay of Naples (about eight miles northwest). It was here Luke records they found some brethren and were invited to stay with them seven days. Continuing the journey to Rome the brethren came and met Paul, Luke and company at Appii Forum and Three Inns. Appii Forum was over fifty miles from Rome as well as Three Inns. When Paul saw the brethren who had travelled all the way from Rome, he was very thankful and greatly encouraged. These brethren were a blessing to Paul and he acknowledged them.

When the group arrived in Puteoli, Paul sought out brethren. He needed to spend time with the people of God. Because he was allowed great freedom in his activities, the apostles was refreshed by spending seven days with fellow saints. Luke does not tell us all they did but most certain they talked of the gospel, communed in worship on the first day of the week and reveled in the glorious fellowship of Christians. This was vital to the encouragement of the apostle Paul and those who travelled with him. The brethren at Puteoli were not ashamed of the chains of Paul. Their love for God was such a powerful testimony for Paul.

Turning the camera back a few days, we see the brethren at Rome hearing of Paul’s coming. Uncertain when he will arrive because of the troubles of ancient world travel, they waited anxiously to hear news. Learning he had landed safely and was on his way, the brethren talked of what they could do. Someone suggested they should travel to meet the apostle. Appii Forum was 56 miles away. Without the means of modern transportation this would be quite a sacrifice to make such a trip. Without hesitation, the brethren gathered the necessary supplies and began the long trek to Appii Forum. What joy they had when they saw Paul. The final part of the apostle’s journey to Rome (56 miles) was filled with the encouragement, joy, happiness and kindness of the Roman brethren.

It is the little things that matter so much so often. Whether the brethren had ever met Paul or not mattered little. It is doubtful many of the brethren from Puteoli and Rome knew Paul face to face. But their brother in Christ was on his way to Rome as a prisoner. Their hearts were full of a benevolent spirit to do what they could to encourage this fellow saint. The seven days in Puteoli must have remained in the mind of Paul all his life. Those good brethren who took the time to travel more than fifty miles to see the apostle would never be forgotten by him.

The kindness of brethren – it reaches far beyond the borders of nations and lands. Reaching back two thousand years, we see the simple efforts of the people of God looking out for others. The church is filled with those who take the time to share a smile, hold a hand, speak a word, prepare a meal, open a house, be a friend to young people, show love to others; a myriad of examples of people like the Puteolians and Romans who showed the apostle Paul what brotherly love is all about. Now that is a great story.

When you see your brother, you see God. (Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis, 150)