The Heaton File

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (1 Timothy 4:13)

Three Things To Make Your Day

If you are looking for a three-plan formula for life this is it. The encouragement Paul gives Timothy is to devote himself to reading, exhortation and doctrine. That is a solid plan to help you find a deeper relationship with the Lord. Every day should be a time to meditate on the word of God. If we are too busy to open the Bible then we are way too busy. How much time do we spend on Facebook each day but argue we just can’t find time to read and study the mind of God? A daily reading of the word of God will help us keep a close watch on our relationship with Jesus. Read.

The second thing we should plan for this week is to do some exhorting. I like to be exhorted and I know you do to. There are plenty of folk in any congregation that could use a phone call, visit or (brace yourself for this one) a handwritten card. Let’s face it – stamps don’t really cost that much (one trip to Starbucks proves that) but the return you get from knowing the person getting that note will last a lifetime. Exhorting one another is a kind word, a thank you and letting others know you care. Taped to my lamp on my desk is a saying, “No one really cares what you know until they know how much you care.” I try to live by that rule – exhortation.

Finally the other thing we should strive to do this week has to do with doctrine. Here we find the opportunity to teach. This is connected with reading and exhorting. We take what we read and help others know how great it is to serve our Father. Teaching is about showing the plan of salvation but this also includes teaching our friends how God has made our lives better. If you find yourself in a conversation about family this week let the person know that God has helped you find happiness through His word. Worried about the way the country is going? Remind them what God says. Watching the children play on the playground with your friends and neighbors is a great time to share the plan the Lord has for children. Teaching is telling others about God in your life.

Three things: read – uplift – share. Have a great week this week.

What is happiness other than the grace of being permitted to unfold to their fullest bloom all the spiritual powers planted within us. (Franz Werfel, Between Heaven and Earth, 1944)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW’; and ‘A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THOSE OF HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)

Radical Teaching

Jesus Christ is a loving and compassionate Savior. There are many stories in His life showing His love for others by touching lepers, blessing children and weeping tears of sorrow. The angels sang at His birth of peace and good will being brought to man. Love is defined by the Lord. These images of God’s Son are very appealing because it is easier to embrace an inspiring character of love than a more critical or harsh personality. The difficulty with this singular image of Jesus is it fails to see the condition of man and the mission of the Lord.

Sin darkened the world under the grip of Satan. God’s Son came to make war with the devil and a bloody war it would be; literally and figuratively. The hearts of men were set on their own way. They were not receptive to the change needed for their salvation. The conflict between Jesus and man came to a climax when the Savior of man was nailed to a cross and died. Followers of Jesus would find persecution in the same way and all for the same reason. The teaching of the Lord was radical and drastic in its nature.

The Son of God did not come to have tea and cookies with sinful man. Like a surgeon engaged in radical surgery to save the patient the Great Physician came to heal man of sin. His peace was a message of strong change measured by a sword. Quoting from the prophet Micah Jesus appeals to the message that salvation could only come from God (see Micah 7) and the sword of truth would divide families. The family is the basic element of life but allegiance to the will of God superseded those relationships. Obedience to the will of God will put fathers and mothers against their own children.

An old saying that ‘blood is thicker than water’ is invalidated by Christ. A man’s enemy (let that word sink in) will be his father, mother, brother or sister. Why? Because God is true and all men are liars. What that means is salvation does not come from our parents or siblings but from Jesus Christ. My belief system is not based on what my parents believed but what I believe. If we hold to the faith of anyone (family especially) we will be lost. Faith comes by the word of God not the word of others.

Jesus’ teaching was radical. We are to love and honor our parents but our faith must be our own. It will be a heavy cross from some to bear who have to turn their backs on parents and siblings because they do not believe the truth as taught in scripture. Radical. Tough love. Real love. Devoted love. Life changing. Without it we have no hope. The Great Physician is able to save to the utmost those who accept His ‘surgical’ will. He died on a cross. How much more radical can the example of love be?

Devotion, which is a derivative of the Latin word for TO VOW, means to yield oneself, to commit oneself, to consecrate oneself to the object of devotion, without regard to the sacrifice or suffering involved. (Douglas V. Steere, Door into Life, 1948)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)

Those Clothes

Sunday’s were always special in the Heaton household. Unlike other days of the week this was the day we got to wear our ‘Sunday Going To Meeting Clothes.’ Shoes had to be polished and behind the ears clean and hair combed (what little there was to comb). Five boys and a girl loaded up in the green Ford Econoline van with dad driving and mom dressed to perfect beauty and off we went to 803 W. Mahoney Street. Bible classes were intense but fun. The worship was wonderful as voices blended together and good strong preaching poured forth from the pulpit. And we were wearing our best clothes. It was truly a day of joy.

I still like to wear my Sunday/Go/To/Meeting clothes. It gives me a sense of security from something I learned a long time ago. Worship was a time of happiness. Respect was the word for what we did. Mom and dad never missed a service unless something close to death happened. My dad worked shift work at the mines but it seemed like he was always at church (30 minutes early). The smell of those clothes sure was nice. Mom would rustle us up in the van to return home to a quiet day of rest and relaxation (or the version five boys could make of resting).

Today is Mother’s Day. Happy day to all the mothers that take their children to worship to show them God. Happy day to all the mothers who show their children God when they are at home. Blessed are the mothers who dress their children in Sunday/Go/To/Meeting clothes of truth and honor for God. It is not so much about the kind of clothes we wear but the kind of heart we have for what we are doing. I am less than 100 years old (about 42 less) but that still resonates in my mind about mom wanting me to look my best. I am still trying to look my best for her on the outside but I am trying hard to dress good in the inside too. She loved Jesus Christ and I want to wear her mantle. Thanks mom for helping be get dressed for worship.

“All that I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother” (Abraham Lincoln)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come–and the books, especially the parchments. (2 Timothy 4:11-13)

Last Minute Concerns

Paul’s final letter to Timothy is charged with a lot of emotion. He knows his life is very short yet he looks to the release of body and spirit as one of joy. The Roman shackles will not keep him from the reward he so anxiously longs for. Buried deep in a prison the apostle clearly sees the light of hope as he prepares for his death.

What I find so interesting about this letter is the spirit of Paul’s mind. Facing death he still has a lot of work to do. He tells Timothy he is being poured out and his death is at hand. But then he turns and exhorts the young man to be diligent to come quickly and to bring certain things. He wants Mark to come because he is useful to Paul’s work and ‘by the way could you bring that cloak I left with Carpus at Troas’ Paul says. It seems that Paul has a lot of work to do. He needs Timothy to bring the books and especially the parchments to prison when he comes. The apostle also reminds Timothy to come before winter. All of this from a man who is about to die.

I am not sure how long it was after Paul penned this letter that he died but it was probably not long. He had such a visionary spirit in the service of the Lord. It would seem natural the final days of one’s life to be spent in reflection of life. A somber time maybe. Not Paul. He still wants Timothy to come quickly and bring a fellow worker because there is still work to do. Asking for the cloak suggests Paul is thinking about the winter that is approaching. There is still some reading to do from the books and study from the parchments. Remember Paul knows his life is short. Death is near. He is spending his final days on earth working harder than I do on a normal day.

This is a great story to me because I learn how to face life and death. Paul had friends that he wanted to continue the work of the Lord. Chained and in prison we see a spirit of a man who kept serving the Lord in the face of death. He loved the Lord so much. He loved God’s people. Paul thrived on the spirit of service to Jesus Christ. Can I do less?

The last thing he writes in this letter is an exhortation to Timothy. “The Lord Jesus Christ be with YOUR spirit. Grace be with YOU. Amen.” Paul was thinking of others. Whether I know when death will come or not may I have the spirit of Paul that even in the last minutes of life I will look steadfastly in the face of my Lord and say, “I AM READY.” Lord come quickly.

To think of death and to prepare for death is not a surrender; it is a victory over fear. (Paul William von Keppler, More Joy, 1911)

And one more: “Feared of dying? Were you ‘feared of being born?’” (Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1943)

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

BFF

We need each other and I need you. The basic relationship of life is found in companionship. This first began in the home when God said that it was not good for man to be alone and created the woman. Cain and Abel were the first children born showing the bond of family as a community of persons melded together in a common need. Since that time the union of peoples established communities, cities, regions and nations. Following the tower of Babel people were united by language. The common thread through all of these was the need of companionship.

Friends are almost as dear as any relationship we share with one another. We find trust in friendship with a fondness to think well of as an ally or defender. Love begins with friendship. John Donne (1573-1631) wrote, “No man is an island, entire of it self; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” We need each other because the Lord made us to need each other.

Two of us will be better than one of us because we can get a lot of things done when we unite under the same cause. Jesus sent out his disciples two by two because they needed each other. Paul went with Barnabas and Silas preaching the gospel and see what great things they did together. One of the greatest joys of life is when I am not feeling so good I have BFF’s that I can call and help me get back up. How sad to live in a world without friends to help in time of need.

Friendship is important to keeping our spirits ‘warm’ as we share in the work of God. The joy of worship is found in the union of hearts filled with the same purpose and devotion to the Lord. Studying the word of God together excites the heart with a fullness of brotherhood. Praying together glues our lives together as one. We do not just need BFF’s but we need SBFF’s (“Spiritual Best Friends Forever”). And here is the best part. If there is ONE thing Satan is terrified of (drum roll) is when two children of God unite against him; nay, three children … a pack of Christians, a whole community of saints – when we lock arms together under the banner of Jesus Christ nothing will stand in our way because a threefold cord is not quickly broken folks. Power. Might. Conquer. Victory.

Increase, O God, the spirit of neighborliness among us, that in peril we may uphold one another, in calamity serve one another, in suffering tend one another and in homeliness and loneliness in exile befriend one another. Grant us brave and enduring hearts that we may strengthen one another, till the disciplines and testing of these days be ended. (Prayer used in Air Raid Shelters, England, World War II)

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:4-8)

It Is Great To Be A Christian

Rejoice in the Lord always. I like happy things. Babies make me smile and laughter with friends warms the heart. Singing praises together about our wonderful God is something that is indescribable. Young people make me feel young again (I only wish my body knew that). There is one thing that is the most wonderful thing in the world and it brings the greatest peace I have ever known: my Father which is in heaven.

Rejoice in the Lord always. My father in the flesh was a wonderful man who worked hard for his family to care for our needs. I knew as a child he cared for me and protected me. As I grew up learning about my heavenly Father the feeling of comfort and peace transcended anything of this world. He gave me (it is personal) His only Son to die for me because I was bound by shackles of sin. I have a lot of baggage the devil likes to remind me of but the Lord refreshes my spirit with His love through forgiveness.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Children of God are people filled with joy. That delight comes from my understanding that Jesus could come any time and any day. Wow. That is going to be something awesome to see. I don’t have any reason to worry about life because my joy is found in the life that is to come. As a child of God I can talk to Him anytime, anyplace, anywhere about anything, everything and all things (and that is a lot of stuff). Here is the best part: God hears me and does something marvelous that is very hard to understand. My God blesses me with a peace beyond my imagination guarding me from Satan. He gave me His son two thousand years ago so that I can have His Son today. Christ Jesus stands at the portal of my heart to protect me from temptation.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I am happy today because I think about things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good report, i.e. MY FATHER! Our joy comes from having minds that are filled with presence of our Father so that my life can be filled with the joy of my Father. Happy, happy, happy. It is a wonderful feeling. Thank you God.

p.s. Paul wrote the epistle of joy (Philippians) while locked away in a Roman prison. So what do you and I have to complain about today? Rejoice in the Lord always.

What is happiness other than the grace of being permitted to unfold to their fullest bloom all the spiritual powers planted within us. (Franz Werfel, Between Heaven and Earth, 1944)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?” But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have, but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have, but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them. O Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great. May the Lord give you increase more and more, You and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men. The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 115)

Those Who Make Them Are Like Them

A carved piece of wood can be a beautiful thing. Some artists take chainsaws and carve trees into incredible works of art. Museums are filled with marble and stone figurines masters have crafted from intricate portraits into masterpieces. For all the beauty of man’s hand there is one thing he cannot do: give life to his creation. Silver and gold do not give it life. Their mouths can be almost life-like but will never speak. Eyes will not see or ears hear. This has always been the futility of idol worship. Pretty things with no life. Stuff we worship and to what end? Nothing.

I don’t personally know an ‘idol worshiper’ (please leave the TV pun out of this) but the same problem with the worship of “the work of men’s hands” is prevalent today because there are lots of things we make and bow down to. The object of an idol is adoration to something of no value and no life. It will eventually decay and be destroyed. Such are things we have in life – our stuff. Would you believe we can be idol worshipers when we surround our lives with the things we create by our own hands to the neglect of the one true God? Yep. We live in a technological world unlike any time in history and we care more about our electronic devices than eternal devices and having the best of stuff than the stuff that is best like happiness in Christ. From cars, homes, clothing, jewelry, gadgets, WiFi, internet, IPads, IPhones, Galaxies and Androids to …. the list goes on and on.

The psalmist says that “those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.” Busted! We have met the enemy and he is us. We are attached to our things aren’t we? We can’t go through the day without Facebook or cell phones. Our lives are consumed with playing endless (and mindless) games and chatting and tweeting and texting and we have become them. Children are neglected, families ignore one another, marriages are in trouble and all because of silly idols we can’t live without.

O Saint, trust in the Lord; He is our help and our shield. Keep things in their proper domain but never lose sight of who we really are. The Lord has been mindful of us and will bless us when we acknowledge Him in our lives daily and more so than our gadgets. Faith still comes from hearing and this hearing still needs to come from the WORD OF GOD – Amen? Simple. True. Unchanging.

Oh senseless man, who cannot possibly make a worm, and yet will make gods by dozens. (Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Bk. 2. Ch. 12. 1580)

• Kent Heaton

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority? But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John–where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. (Matthew 21:23-27)

The Need For Authority

Religion is a very confusing thing these days. Have you noticed how many different flavors of ‘this’ religion and ‘that’ religion there are? Church buildings dot the landscape with different names, practices, faiths, teachings, programs, etc. We are a diverse group of people that enjoy freedom on a level unprecedented and sadly to our destruction when it comes to belief systems. What is the cause for religious division? Failure to appreciate AUTHORITY. I know. How exciting can that subject be? But it is fundamental to our basic system of faith.

The chief priests and the elders had the wrong motive in coming after Jesus but they had the right information. All that Jesus taught had to be established by authority and someone must give Him that authority. Think of it this way: if a policeman stops you for driving too fast what authority does he have and who gave him that authority to hinder you and even issue a ticket? He has the authority because he is a sworn officer of the law and the district he serves gave him that authority. Without the proper authority or being authorized to exercise that authority it would be illegal. All that Jesus did came from the authority of His Father who gave Him the authority to teach and show power through miracles by the Holy Spirit.

Let’s bring that to the religious world today. If the Bible is our authority then why are there so many different faiths? God’s word has not changed. The reason for such diversity is because few religions base what they do on authority of scripture and follow the will of God. It remains a simple question: can I find what I believe and practice in the word of God? This would eliminate 90% of most religion today because so little of it has the authority of scripture.

We study DOCTRINE on Tuesday. It is important to remind ourselves that we must build our faith on the word of God because faith comes from hearing the word of God. Nothing else can be the reason we believe something. Our challenge this week is to reaffirm our belief and practice – not because of our good looking preacher or this is the way we have done it for the past fifty years or my parents believed this or so forth. I believe what I believe because the Bible says so – authority. What I believe comes from God and Him alone. Find it in THE BOOK!

All teaching and all truth and all doctrine must be tested in the light of the Scriptures. (D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Authority, 1958)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:2-3)

Jesus’ Hands

Hands say a lot about a person. A man who works the fields farming has rough hands worn from years of hard labor and toil. Surgeons have strong delicate hands (and very clean) allowing them to perform intricate surgeries. Pianist amaze with the dexterity of fingers producing masterful pieces of symphony.  I find a wealth of stories in looking at hands because of all parts of the body this is one area where so much of life goes on. Jesus had beautiful strong hands. As we begin a new day today and look to the rest of the week let’s think about the hands of our Lord.

Lepers were outcast. The most horrible part of the disease was the isolation caused by physical rejection by everyone including family. God created man to be in companionship with others. We need one another. Touch is one of the first sensations we discover in life that brings soothing comfort and security. Leprosy takes all that away. When Jesus reached out his hand and touched the leper it was a need this poor beggar had longed for almost more than anything. Jesus touched him.

Children were brought to Jesus but the disciples forbade the parents. The Lord rebuked His overzealous disciples telling them He loved the little ones and they were important to the Son of God. He put his hands on children and blessed them.

The apostle Peter astonished everyone when he stepped out of the boat and walked on water. His faith was letting him do the impossible. But then he began to be fearful and saw how boisterous the storm was. Sinking he cried out to Jesus and the Lord reached out His hand and saved Peter.

One of the images I have of Heaven is what it will be like to see the hands of Jesus. I understand this is only meant in a metaphorical sense but the image is what helps me in my day. We all shared the spiritual leprosy of sin but Jesus reached out His hands and touched us to be clean. His hands were nailed to a cross so that He could take my sins away. He touched me to heal me. Life is filled with times I need Jesus to touch me like He did the children. He might rustle my hair, pinch my nose or do whatever we adults do to children but I love the comfort of my older brother’s hand in my life. And finally when my faith fills with fear from the storms of life I know His hand will reach out and save me.

As you go through this new week take hold of the hand of Jesus and let Him take care of you. While He is holding you take a good look at that nail scarred hand and see what the Son of God did for you. The scar is still there because His love is still there. Thank you God for sending Your Son to die for me and to give me His hand.

By the wood of the cross the work of the word of God was made manifest to all; His hands are stretched out to gather all men together. (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, c. 175)

Sunday Morning Starters – Worship

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

New Things

I like new things. The new car smell has a thrilling appeal (before you make all those payments). A new computer, bicycle, home, clothes all have that feel of excitement. The newness of the new is not a new feeling but a feeling of how wonderful it is to have something that is new. Unmarked. Free from defect. Shiny. New.

Today is a new day. Today is a new week. We begin this week with a new month. This is a time of new things. Worship today is a day of new beginnings. What I enjoy most of Sunday mornings is the new smell of a new week and what better way to begin than to share worship with my brethren. We put our ‘Sunday Go To Meeting Clothes’ on and enjoy a time of Bible study, singing, praying, remembering and learning. There is also the fellowship that is a great way to start a new day and a new week. I like new days and Sunday is my favorite.

The most important thing about today is that it was a NEW NEW DAY about two thousand years ago. Something happened that had never happened before and has never happened since but will happen again in the future. It was on the first day of the week that Jesus came forth from the grave. It was a new day like no other. When He came forth He was never to die again – newness. A new way of salvation was given. A new sacrifice, a new pattern of love and mercy, a new hope and a new beginning for you and I. Because of what happened on the first day of the week we have a new focus.

Obedience to the will of God begins with a new creation. The blood of Jesus washes our sins away and we begin NEW. Our sins have been removed as far as the east is from the west and we are NEW creation. Today we celebrate our new creation in worship to our God. Each day is a new day for us because of His grace. We will fail at times because of sin but we have the victory through Him and we can begin NEW again. Praise God for His power of forgiveness.

The greatest joy is to know that when life ends a new life begins. What joy in the new creation we find in death. Because Christ arose on the first day of the week we have the hope of the new day in our life with Him. Isn’t that fantastic? What a joy to know we have a new day, a new promise and a new way of living. I like new things. I love this newness best of all.

A positive thing: in Joy one does not only feel secure, but something goes out from one’s self to the universe, a warm, possessive effluence of love. (John Buchan, Pilgrim’s Way, 1940)