The Heaton File

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)

Finding Life And Peace

Man has searched for the meaning of life since time began. His quest for answers to why he exists has driven him to seek every means possible for happiness. The basic nature of sin is the allurement of finding pleasure, offering an empty hope of defining what a man is and why he lives. There are only two ways to find happiness. The first man lives according to his fleshly desires, setting his mind on fulfilling everything carnal. Sin is attractive. There is no doubt it is fun, or so many people would not enjoy it so much. He only wants to taste every fruit of the flesh to its fullest enjoyment and pleasure.

The problem with fleshly desires is that while they experience euphoria for a moment, nothing will last long. A man enjoys drinking with his buddies, becoming intoxicated to the point of being wasted. He will experience many side effects like a drunken stupor, impairment, vomiting on some occasions, and a hangover. It is remarkable that he enjoys the experience and looks forward to when he can do it again. Bars and nightclubs are filled with people trying to find life and peace, and they never find it at the bottom of a drink.

Fleshly desires lead men and women to seek every sexual experience they can. Marriages are filled with immorality and unfaithfulness because the joy has gone. Same-sex relationships argue they want to find fulfillment and never do. Life is an empty cauldron of lies and failed promises. There is never joy and happiness that is lasting. The flesh is filled, but the need to fill it again drives the desire to engage in deeper pursuits of ungodliness. There is no purpose in life.

Every carnal pursuit ends with an empty promise. Everything Satan promises in the fleshly appetites is a lie. It’s a big lie. There is no life in the flesh. Peace is never found because it does not exist in the carnal mind. God created man to be a spiritual being formed in His image. When men try to find life and peace in the flesh, they fail miserably. What men call peace in the flesh is a vapor that quickly vanishes. The testimony of the aged men and women who wasted their lives pursuing the flesh declares that life is empty and waste. They have no friends, family, or hope. Carnality has drained their lives of its goodness.

There is only one place a man will find life and peace. Those who live according to the glory of God will discover what life means, why man walks on the earth, and what life holds for him after death. The flesh cannot answer these questions. When a man allows the Spirit of God to direct his life, he will find the true meaning of happiness. He will sleep in the peace of Christ, knowing he is loved and redeemed by the blood of God’s Son. The child of God understands the nature of life. Death does not have to be feared. The challenges of life make his spirit stronger. Life is meaningful. When one surrounds their heart with God’s love, they will find a peace that passes understanding.

There is only one place to find life and peace. God sent His Son to earth to show men where they can find life and peace. In Christ, there is hope eternal. God never suggested that the life of a Christian would be easy, but when the early saints faced persecution, they did so with peace. The spirit of the martyred saints changed the minds of many in the world because of their determined faith in believing in what they could not see. While the world lived for the flesh and carnality, the Christians lived for Jesus Christ and found life and peace. The only answer is found in Jesus Christ. Do you want life? Is it your desire to seek peace? There is only one place to find it.

Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:21-23)

The Art Of Listening

The twelve apostles of Jesus were courageous men who dedicated their lives to the gospel of Jesus Christ, with eleven suffering a martyr’s death. Tradition describes how each of the eleven perished, with John, the only apostle who died of natural causes. There was a rumor going around in the early church that John would live a very long life. In fact, John would live so long that he would be alive when the Lord returned a second time. Considering Jesus has not returned in two thousand years, that would make John the oldest person who has ever lived. The only question is, where is John today?

After the resurrection of Jesus, the Lord spent forty days with His disciples, preparing them for the coming kingdom. On the night of His arrest, Jesus told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. That night, Peter denied Jesus three times. When Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, He asked Peter three times if he loved Him. Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep and told Peter how he would die. His death would glorify God. As Jesus talked about how Peter would die, Peter looked around and saw John sitting nearby and asked the Lord how the beloved apostle would die.

Jesus could have told all the apostles how they would die. His answer to Peter was for Peter to mind his own business. Jesus replied that it was no concern for anyone and that if it was the Lord’s will for John to live until the second coming, that was God’s business. It was a simple answer. If it was the will of God that John lived until His return, it was of no concern to Peter. What Jesus wanted the disciples to focus on was following Him. From this answer by Jesus on the death of John, the early church spread rumors that John would not die. The saying of Jesus was turned around by the brethren, who believed that John had been given a passage of life much like Enoch and Elijah. Nothing was further from the truth.

The art of listening is the ability to listen. There was nothing ambiguous about what Jesus said. Peter learned how he would die and asked the Lord how John would die. The news of how Peter would die should have been the object of the discussion, but in the impulsive fashion of Peter’s scattered-brained approach to listening, a story went out among the brethren that John would not die. This false rumor had been spread in the church for almost fifty years when John wrote his gospel.

Listening is what is heard in the ear and what is accepted in the mind. Many religious people today read the Bible and deny what it says. Peter told the people at Pentecost to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. The apostle would later write that baptism saves. Many people deny baptism has any merit to salvation and that it does not save. The Bible clearly teaches that it does. Many in the world deny there is eternal punishment for the ungodly, and yet Jesus taught frequently on the subject. It is sad when the Bible clearly states a matter, and the heart denies what it hears.

A lie can be told long enough that it is accepted as truth. It will never be truth because lies will always lie. For many years, the brethren circulated the story that John would never die. John died after a long life of service to Jesus Christ. What was accepted as truth was false. Many teachings are accepted as truths not found in the Bible but believed to be true. The art of listening to the word of God is the responsibility to accept without question the word of the Lord as truth. Men will lie, but God cannot. Listen. Listen. And then listen again.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Faith Leads Us To Jesus

Faith is the evidence of things that cannot be seen and has always been the core principle of man’s relationship with God. No man has seen God at any time, and yet the invisible attributes of God are clearly seen. Faith gives an assurance of something that is not tangible but becomes a belief that brings hope and peace. The faithful people of God have always believed in the promises of God without visible proof because they look far beyond the moment to a time yet to come with greater blessings.

Man was not created until the sixth day and could not witness the creation of the world. Faith drives the human spirit to believe how the worlds were framed by the word of God. Abel did not have to understand the will of God to offer sacrifices, but unlike his brother Cain, Abel obeyed from the heart. Enoch lived with the hope of eternity to please God in everything. Noah could not imagine a flood that would destroy the world. What is an ark with animals going to do to save humanity? Noah obeyed because he believed in the promises of God. Abraham is the father of faith to leave his homeland for a place he did not know. When God told him he would have a son, could he have imagined it would be twenty-five years later when he was one hundred? He saw afar off the promises of God and embraced them. Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses all exemplified those who called to mind a greater country in the divine with greater promises.

Faith is measured by looking beyond the world to a better place in God’s abode. The knowledge that is not about the here and now but the life that is to come. Everything dies here and remains. The eternal spirit never dies. Faith creates a desire to receive a heavenly place where God is. The Lord has made ready a place, a city, a habitation, and a promise that all who are faithful will receive. There is a blessed assurance that while life is a pilgrimage, a greater day comes when the eternal homeland is found. Faith is a desire. It is a longing to be apart from the trappings of the world. Dying in faith is living in hope.

The Bible is filled with the stories of those who are the faithful, who trusted in God, and who lived with the full expectation of eternal glory. As a great cloud of witnesses, their lives lead all men to Jesus Christ. From time eternal, Jesus is the author and finisher of faith. Abraham shows the way to Jesus. Moses leads the people of God to understand the eternal promise land made possible through the blood of Jesus Christ. Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets all testify to the story of God’s only begotten Son.

Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who sits at the right hand of the throne of God. Faith is assured because Jesus is conqueror. There is no fear in love. Faith is confirmed by the sacrificial love of Jesus to die for all men, taking away the dread of death and the sting of sin. The victory in faith is found in looking for an eternal home. By faith men understand the will of God, embrace the heavenly hope, and live with a view toward a city prepared for them. Live for Jesus.

For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good and simple concerning evil. (Romans 16:19)

Wise In Good And Innocent Concerning Evil

There is a simple plan to deal with evil that has always been true. The man Job was a righteous man who was blameless and upright, feared God and shunned evil. He planned to stay as far away from evil as he could. He refused to be part of anything that was evil. The appearance of those things unrighteous would bring an immediate reaction from Job. He ran away from it. The simple plan to deal with evil was to stay away from it. Job was not a sinless man, but he had learned the art of sinning less. Evil was not in his language or behavior.

The wisdom found in righteousness not only has benefits in the life to come but also serves as a model by which to live in this life. Godliness is a better way to live with greater benefits than following the way of ungodliness. Paul wanted the Roman Christians to be wise in all things good and to have an innocence of evil because of their unfamiliarity with such things. To be wise in the world is not always a good thing. The spirit of temptation can become stronger with greater knowledge of evil. Paul’s commendation was to stay far away from evil and embrace goodness and righteousness.

Trying to live a holy life requires training the mind not to be disposed to do wrong. Filling the heart with the goodness of God’s grace will incline the heart to be more holy and pure. If someone lives so close to the line of evil to prove their courage, they show their weakness in not understanding the power of sin. The wise man suggested no one can take fire into his bosom and his clothes not be burned. Playing with fire will lead to injuries by fire. Learning to be wise in the word of God will help the heart find fewer consequences to the ravages of sin.

Being disposed to righteousness is planned. Refusing to yield to wickedness is also planned. The heart must be determined to seek every good and reject every evil. There must be a concerted effort of the heart and mind to hate those things that are evil, despise the wicked way, and repudiate the nature of the devil’s wiles. The children of God must always seek to place themselves apart from the influence of the world. Being a friend of the world makes one an enemy of God. Jesus taught that it is impossible to serve God and mammon because one will be loved and one will be hated.

To be wise in goodness is to learn everything there is to know about what defines goodness. The Bible is the only message from God that describes the true nature of goodness. Faith comes from hearing the word of God because the wisdom of holiness is established in the divine book. Reading the Bible will help the heart find the goodness of God. Growing in faith from the message of the gospel elevates the heart to serve God and deny the trials of temptation. Being wise in that which is good and innocent of those things evil is the pure heart desired by the Lord.

Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. (Romans 15:14)

Full, Filled, And Able

Character is defined by a person’s decisions that identify them as an individual. Reputation is what others perceive of the character of another. The reputation of a person is often a reflection of the perceived character of the individual. Paul’s message of encouragement to the saints in Rome was based upon what he had heard of them because he had never met them or visited the church in Rome. As he finishes his letter to Rome, he confides in them the confidence he shared with them at the beginning of the letter.

Paul’s great desire was to visit the church in Rome to impart some spiritual gift to them. He wanted to establish their faith further as he had heard of their work in the kingdom. Having never met them, he knew their struggles, commending them for being examples of faith. In the letter, Paul admonished the brethren to seek peace and hold fast to the promises of God. Showing that both Jews and Gentiles needed the saving blood of Jesus Christ. Only the righteous act of God in giving His only begotten Son was salvation made possible. Living for Jesus required a life of living sacrifice.

Though he had never seen them, Paul had complete confidence in them for three reasons. First, they were full of goodness. The saints in Rome had a spirit of devotion to the work of the Lord. Paul’s letter to Rome was a difficult treatise to read and practice. He knew they would accept the letter with a spirit of love for God and willingness to obey. Abraham is an example of someone who never questioned the word of the Lord. He obeyed immediately because he trusted in God. The Romans understood that character because they believed in the word of God as divine truth. There would be no hesitancy to follow the commands of the Lord.

To be full of goodness is to accept the word of the Lord with an unquestioning heart, soul, and mind. Too often, people want to argue about what God says, but how often will arguing with God change His word? The Roman saints accepted the letter of Paul as the divine truth that would answer the question of salvation for Jews and Gentiles. They would see the power of God’s glory in the gospel as it united Jews and Gentiles together.

Second, they were filled with all knowledge. Paul reminded the saints that faith is born from hearing the word of God. Centuries before, Hosea the prophet brought the charge of the Lord against Israel because they had rejected knowledge and forgotten the law of the Lord. Israel was destroyed for lack of knowledge. Faith comes from the word, and the Roman saints were filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The work of the kingdom would grow with saints filled with knowledge. Jesus defeated Satan with the word of God. The Romans would defeat Satan with the same word.

Finally, Paul says they were able also to admonish one another. Knowledge is a vital part of the Christian’s life and the work of the church. What is also important is the relationship between brethren. What made the work of admonishing one another more challenging was the mixture of Jew and Gentile. Paul’s letter shows the unity of the body of Christ regardless of Jew and Gentile. He had full confidence in their desire to accept all those who came to Christ and were cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. There are no distinctions in the kingdom of Christ. In a divided world of Jew and Gentile, slave and free, and male and female, the church of the Lord was a unit of cohesion for the glory of God. Admonish one another. Build one another up in the most holy faith. Instruct others in the way of the Lord.

A church family would do well to be known as a full, filled, and able church. These traits do not come easily, but they can be learned. What made the church in Rome an example for the other churches was its reputation, which came from its character. Paul had never met these brethren, but he knew them. If Paul were living today, what would he say about my church family? The work of the church is many things. Paul offers a three-pronged approach to church work. Learn how to be full of goodness, fill the family with knowledge, and be able to admonish everyone.