The Heaton File

The Demise Of Sunday Night

It is with great trepidation that I step into the spiritual coliseum of tradition and practice but a mist rolls over the hills of today that threaten the roots of the Lord’s church in America. We have long held traditions that were created to facilitate a need in allowing folk to worship as a body on numerous occasions during the week. My generation is familiar with the three sessions on Sunday of Bible class, worship followed by an evening worship. A mid-week Bible study usually was engaged on Wednesday night. The practices were edifying for the local church and seemed a good fit for the day. This was not based on a particular pattern of the New Testament church as no indication is given to the form of first day activities in the First Century. Luke alludes to the church in Jerusalem continuing “steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Whether they did that all day long, three sessions or more or less on the first day is not known.

Forward to modern day America. We live in a prosperous nation that has more comforts and ease than most civilizations could imagine since time began. There are more opportunities in America with ease of transportation, comfort of environment, tools to help the declaration of God’s word and a host of conveniences afforded in every church building. In the face of all these grandiose achievements a wind blows quietly through the ranks of the Army of God to do less. Sunday evening services are being cancelled, gospel meetings are getting shorter and interest in extra studies are dwindling.

Let me be quite clear and understood with great clarity. Nothing in scripture demands we meet for Bible class on Sunday morning, have a morning worship followed by an evening worship. This is as much an American invention as anything and it has served a good purpose. The ‘Demise of Sunday Night’ is not a critical article of churches that have dismissed the Sunday night service for a more favorable work on the first day of the week.  A number of places are finding growth and a spiritual awakening in the efforts they are putting forth for Sunday night. But it should also be clear that great effort is being extended to facilitate the work of the church in these places because of leadership and willingness by brethren to make it work. God be thanked for these efforts.

However, there is a trend among congregations that are following the novel idea of having one service on Sunday for the simple reason of enjoying having one service on Sunday. It is not based on evangelism but for personal reasons. There seems to be a mixed-up cry of wanting to be like the New Testament church when in fact the New Testament church would love to be able to have the opportunities we have today. The motto is based upon doing less instead of more.

There are two issues I believe must be recognized at the heart of this new trend. First, we no longer live in a nuclear society where everyone knows everyone. With modern transportation we drive further to worship and often the only time we see our brethren is when we assemble for worship or Bible study. A friend said the one thing she missed about the church she attended dismissing Sunday night services was fellowship with her brethren. The writer of Hebrews wanted to encourage the brethren when he wrote, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25). When we decide to cancel Sunday night services how are we supposed to stir one another up and exhort one another? It is noted that some congregations are doing something to impact this need. But many churches are doing less. It would seem the idea is that we are to grow by seeing one another less. The litmus test should be whether meeting less helps the congregation grow.

The second issue with cancelling Sunday night services is the question of the building. Hundreds of thousands upon thousands of dollars are spent in building fine places to meet but now we want to meet in them less? If we are to be proper stewards of the Lord’s money, why do we build these buildings that stand idle most of the week? Would it not be best to sell the building and rent a store front so the money wasted in building an edifice and paying for its upkeep two hours or less a week could be spent for a more profitable use for the Lord? Darkened windows tell the community a message. In reality the building should be used more instead of less! Most places are very comfortable and readily available for more activities of the church to be engaged in evangelism and fellowship. But then that brings up a deeper issue that is often at the heart of the demise of services for worship and Bible study. Life is busy and I don’t have more time to invest with my brethren.

Brethren (men) in Nicaragua will gather on a second story walk-way under a single bulb to hear the gospel preached and have no chairs to sit in. The women got to go into the room with chairs. In South Africa brethren conduct lengthy services under trees, tin shacks, rambling buildings with no running water or bathrooms; and no air conditioning. And we complain about what? And we want to do less? Is it time for God to take the gospel away from us and give it back to a people who truly have found the pearl of great price? The psalmist declared, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day … Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O Lord, according to Your loving-kindness. The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalms 119:97, 159-160).

We have the greatest opportunities to do more with the gospel than any disciple in two thousand years. And yet we find ourselves on the brink of changing gears to take away more time with one another, less time devoted to singing together as a body of people, praying together as an army of God’s Kingdom, engaging in devoted study of the word of God; “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ–from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:14-16).

I will affirm again that having a Sunday night service is not based upon a scriptural pattern of authority as necessary. In reality the issue is not about the demise of Sunday night. It may very well be the demise of the spiritual life that seems to pervade the spirit of the church of Christ in the United States of America. We are soft. Vance Havner said, “The early church did something because it believed something. We are trying to do what they did without believing what they believed.” The early disciples gathered “daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (Acts 5:42). When persecuted they “went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). When Paul was in Troas “on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” (Acts 20:7). And we call ourselves the New Testament church?

God be thanked for shepherds of local congregations who are seeking to lead their flock into deeper spiritual pastures. Men who understand the needs of the flock of God and feeding them the manna from above endeavoring to build up the church in the most holy faith. How blessed to have hearts of brethren who love to study together, sing together, pray together and bring lost souls to Christ. We need to fall in love with Jesus Christ all over again and not be as the church at Ephesus that lost its first love (Revelation 2:4). A revival of spiritual awakening must rise up in our midst to fulfill the mission of what Jesus died for. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

(Published in Biblical Insights, May 2015)

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – Epistles of Paul

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8-11).

Rubbish For Reward

To say that Paul was an amazing person is an understatement. He gave up so much to be a disciple of Christ and he had a good attitude about what he had lost compared to what he had gained. He was among the elite of his day: powerful, influential, wealthy, bright and a future all Jewish boys dream of (Philippians 3:5-6). But it was all rubbish (refuse, dung, “what is thrown to the dogs”) to him now. He traded it all for the “excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”

THAT I MAY GAIN CHRIST – Paul had gained everything in life but now it was garbage to him compared to what he wanted to gain in Christ. He knew the things found in Christ were of far greater value than anything this world had to offer. Are we seeking to gain Christ in our lives or do we continue to seek after the accolades of this world and the buying of worldly stuff that fill our lives with worthless pursuits? His only gain in life was to possess Jesus Christ in every way.

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM – Paul wanted to know everything about Jesus Christ that was within the power of man to know. Who was this man from Nazareth, why did He live like He did, what did He teach, how could He die for man? How much do we really know about Jesus? Do we understand His life in context of what He did for us? We can know a lot about our favorite sports team, culinary arts, woodworking, political ideals, and a host of knowledge that is helpful for a little but how much more to know about the life of Jesus, the message of His resurrection and “the fellowship of his sufferings.”

I MAY ATTAIN TO THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD – Paul lived his life daily to gain Christ and to know all he could about the Son of God so that he could die in the promise of the resurrection. Salvation was not a chance with the apostle – it was a reality (2 Timothy 4:6-8). The trappings of this world meant nothing to Paul because he lived to see Jesus face to face. Live today to gain Christ.

He [Christ] bent over the corpse of the dead world, and whispered a word of faith … uttered words then unknown, – love sacrifice, a heavenly origin. And the dead arose. A new life circulated through the clay, which philosophy had tried in vain to reanimate. (Joseph Mazzini, Essays, 1887)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. (Psalm 9:17-20)

The Nation That Forgets God

Daniel Webster wrote, “I sought for the greatness of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers and it was not there. In her fertile fields and boundless prairies and it was not there. In her rich mines and her vast world commerce and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and her power. America is great because she is good and if America ever ceases to be good – America will cease to be great. [Reagan, Ronald (2011-05-10). The Notes: Ronald Reagan’s Private Collection of Stories and Wisdom (pp. 78-79). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.]

The wise man explains in Proverbs 14:34 the only way a nation will be exalted is by righteousness. Turning away from the one true God is the sure destruction for any nation. There was a time in our country when the idea of trusting in God was more than just a monogram on a seal or logo on our money. It was an ideal that fueled our leadership, our communities and our homes. Religion was a valued asset of making these United States a commonwealth of morality rooted in the Bible. Those days are gone. It is more frequent to hear ridicule for the Bible than respect. Righteousness is almost against the law.

History is a foretelling of the future. What man has never learned is that if he wants to know what tomorrow will bring – he has but to view the pages of yesterday. The insipid wisdom of man will not learn from nations who have tried to live by their own moral code. Every (emphasis here) nation that turns away from God will fall because every nation that turned away from God does not exist today. And we think we are so special. We are not. When it is all said and done and the glorious American way has gone to depths of depravity it will fulfill the promise of the Lord that we are but men. God reigns; man dies.

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. (Jeremiah 18:1-10)

Because we [Americans] are out of the will of God we have lost the will to do right. (Billy Graham, Sermon, New York, May, 1957)

Test Everything

The separating and purifying of precious metals from other metals is called refining. Smelting is the separation of precious metal from non-metallic impurities. For centuries man has known how to use fire to test and refine metals to become as strong as possible. In this context Paul urges the people of God to prove all things making certain what is being taught is the true word of God. “Test all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

One of the greatest tools in the pursuit of knowledge is asking questions. Inquiring minds thirst for more understanding of the why to a thing. Great discoveries are fueled by challenging what is being said and this is no less important to the word of God. Man has always needed to examine the word of God in light of his own life as testing metal by fire. Proving everything is measured by the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25). As with some metals impurities can be present and must be removed. Only by careful testing can we know the word spoken or taught is from the true word of God.

Would you feel safe flying in an airplane with untested metals? The automobile would be a very dangerous machine if the parts were untested. Houses would be death traps if the structure was untested. There can be no less concern for the word spoken to be tested by the word of God. The Bereans had a greater sense of this idea than the people of Thessalonica because they examined the words of the apostles daily to find out if what they were teaching was true (Acts 17:11).

Testing or proving everything helps us grow in the knowledge of truth ourselves. If you wanted to know how a computer works you could disassemble each part examining how it fits in the schematic of the machine. The more we examine the scriptures the more we begin to see the diagram of truth embedded throughout the Bible. A theme beings take shape and we have a clearer view of what the word teaches.

A growing concern in the church of the Lord today is how often people are unable to find things in scripture. Growing up in Bible class knowing the books of the Bible was imperative. As adults we should never have a problem finding the book of Micah or Habakkuk or the easy ones like Genesis or Matthew. Testing everything cannot be done if we do not know how to perform the test. Having a familiarity of the Bible is necessary to perform the test.

The reason that apostasy creeps in to the church is because of the lack of testing the truth. This comes about by those who are unable to find the scriptures that establish authority. Why is instrumental music becoming more common in the churches of Christ today? Lack of testers! Inability of those who are told by the leadership it would be a “good” thing  to prove it wrong; although no scripture in the last two thousand years has ever authorized it. Testing everything keeps the church pure.

Here is a test: can you find every book of the Bible with tabs or electronic assistance? Are you able to show someone what to do to be saved by a few simple passages? Have we come to the point in the history of the church that we believe the Bible has become so scholarly we are unable to discern its truths? The Ephesians were no more smarter than you and I yet Paul writes to them, “How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)” (Ephesians 3:3-4). Testing requires time and effort. The more time you spend and the more effort you put forth the easier it will be to test everything.

Here is a real test: how often during a sermon do you have your Bible open to read passages being taught? What truth can you find in passages like Hezekiah 4:3-6 that will help you in your life as a person of God? The more you test yourselves with the word of God the stronger you will be in every part of life. The sermons will mean more, your prayers will gain a deeper appreciation in your life and your hope will be brighter because you understand the will of God.

Test everything. Don’t let anything go by without a test. Strength comes from the testing by fire. Knowledge is power. It will change your life in so many ways. Fill your heart with the word of God and He will guide you in every way. Finally, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:16-17).

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? (Luke 9:25)

The Doctrine Of Lost

Vance Havner commented, “I remember when the Titanic sank in 1912, it was the ship that was supposed to be unsinkable. The only thing it ever did was sink. When it took off from England, all kinds of passengers were aboard – millionaires, celebrities, people of moderate means, and poor folks down in the steerage. But a few hours later when they put the list in the Cunard office in New York, it carried only two categories – lost and saved. Grim tragedy had leveled all distinctions.”

Lost. You don’t hear that word much anymore. Jesus told His followers in the sermon on the mountain the majority of people will be lost but it seems the world believes that almost everyone will be saved. It doesn’t matter what you believe, how you live, what you do or not do or anything; everyone goes to Heaven (even dogs as some believe). I guess it is hard to accept anyone could be …. that word …. lost. Is it possible God will really not let everyone in?

One of the most famous passages in the Bible is John 3:16. Jesus said that God’s love was so great that He sent His only Son and those who believed in Him would not …. that word again (different form) …. perish. People who perish are lost. They will not receive everlasting life. No. Not going to Heaven. As a matter of fact the Lord described this LOST thing as everlasting fire or punishment. Lost. Not saved!

There are six billion people on this planet and among these six billion mortals are two kinds of folk: lost and saved. Lots of languages, nations, cultures, histories, etc. but only lost and saved people. Which are you? Don’t answer that question unless you can prove it from the word of God. Lost? Saved?

“The reason you don’t like the Bible, you old sinner, is because it knows all about you.”

(Billy Sunday)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

“Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30)

Oh You Of Little Faith

Four times in the gospel of Matthew Jesus says, “Oh you of little faith.” The occasions of these four times teach valuable lessons of trust, power, faith and spiritual understanding.

One: Matthew 6:30. In the sermon on the mount Jesus outlines the preamble to being a disciple of Christ. He exhorts His followers to know that God will take care of them. “Take no thought for your life” is the theme of His message in Matthew 6:25-34 that as God takes care of the fowls of the air or the lilies of the field, so He will take care of us. If God will take such good care of fowls and flowers, will He not take better care of us? Do not allow the worries of this life to overwhelm you. Trust in God that He will provide.

Two: The disciples are with Jesus in a boat when a great storm arose on the sea. The twelve thought they were going to die and pleaded with Jesus to save them. Seeing the power of Jesus in miracles, why would these men fear the perils of nature when the Son of God is with them? “But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (Matthew 8:26). There are storms that come in our lives that cause us to fear. If Jesus Christ is our Savior why should we fear? Through the power of His Father and the Holy Spirit we can overcome all storms. God will take care of us.

Three: After feeding the 5,000 the disciples again enter a ship to cross over to the other side. Jesus comes walking to them on the water and Peter implores the Lord to let him walk to Him on the water. Simon shows great courage to step out of the boat but when he sees the waves and winds he becomes afraid. Beginning to sink he cries out to the Lord to save him. “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:31). Peter began with great courage but lacked the faith to keep his eyes on Jesus. We have great faith but sometimes the trials of life take our eyes off of Jesus and we begin to sink. Turn your eyes of faith back to Jesus and trust that with His help you can walk on water.

Four: Matthew 15:32-39 records the feeding of the 4,000 and Jesus coming to the coast of Magdala. His disciples follow but forget to bring bread. Jesus warns his disciples to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (who had previously tempted Jesus to show them a sign) and the disciples thought He was mad at them for not bringing any bread. “But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, ‘O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?’” (Matthew 16:8). He wanted the disciples to beware of the “doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:12). Sometimes we do not see passages clearly because we are thinking of carnal things instead of spiritual lessons. Pray to the Father to grant spiritual understanding to desire the true manna and see the deeper meaning of scripture.

Faith is a process that should grow every day. May we pray, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5).

Faith means being grasped by a power that is greater than we are, a power that shakes us and turns us, and transforms and heals us. Surrender to this power is faith. (Paul Tillich, The New Being, 1955)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. (Genesis 37:28)

Joseph’s Twenty-Two Year Journey Of Faith

The coat of many colors is one of the great stories in scripture. Every child’s imagination thrills to the story of the lad with an ornate coat of color. Showing his preference to the son of his old age, Jacob set the scene for an event more horrible than he could have ever imagined by giving Joseph this tunic. The hatred of the brothers reached a boiling point when the young lad revealed certain dreams suggesting his position of authority over the brothers. One day when Joseph was searching for his brothers they decided to kill him but was saved by Reuben who planned on returning Joseph back to his father. It was while Reuben was away the brothers of Joseph decided to sell their brother to the Ishmaelites who were traveling to Egypt hundreds of miles away.

Joseph was seventeen years old when he was pulled from the pit and sold as a slave. It would be twenty-two years before he would see his family again. During this time he would endure the torturous journey as a slave of the Midianite traders.  The Psalmist described how they hurt his feet with fetters, and he was laid in irons. How can one define the humiliation of being sold as a piece of meat in an Egyptian slave market? The pleasured son of a wealthy father is now scrubbing floors as a slave in the home of an officer of Pharaoh.

You know the story. Joseph keeps his faith in God and the Lord watches over him. Things get better until the young man is running the affairs of the house of Potiphar until things go horribly wrong with the woman of the house. Falsely accused by an evil seductress the young man is thrown into an Egyptian prison as a rebellious slave who tried to seduce the wife of the captain of the guard. You can only imagine what kind of treatment he received in the beginning of his prison stay. He was probably beaten and treated rough. But Joseph kept his faith.

Years go by and again Joseph is blessed by God. He finally is the overseer of the prison but still a prisoner himself. Two noble guests arrive as prisoners – the baker and butler of the Pharaoh. The faith of Joseph extends kindness to both men. He learns of some dreams the men had and informs them that one will die but the other will live. Pleading with the butler to remember him to the Pharaoh he is left destitute in prison for two more years. Finally, Pharaoh has some dreams that no one can explain. The butler remembers Joseph and brings him to the ruler. After explaining the dreams to the Egyptian leader Joseph is placed over all Egypt save the throne of Pharaoh.

Seven years of prosperity fill the storehouses of Egypt before the seven years of famine strike the world. It is during this time the brothers of Joseph come to Egypt to buy grain. In time Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and is reunited with his father. Twenty-two years. The plan of God did not happen overnight. It was a grueling experience for a young man of seventeen but Joseph kept his faith. One can only imagine the grief felt by Jacob those years and they joy when he found his son alive.

This is a great story because it shows the need for perseverance. In a world of fast everything and wanting everything now we find in the life of Joseph a picture of calm trust in the will of God. Noah waited for the rain to come. Abraham waited twenty-five years for a promised son. David had to wait for his kingship to be established. Deliverance did not always come immediately to the people of God. Joseph had to wait more than two decades before he would clearly see the will of God.

Trust in the Lord. Wait for Him. Let Him have His perfect work in you – even if it takes twenty-two years.

Friday Morning Reflections – Wisdom Literature

Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

The Good Old Days

It is interesting how that history looks so much brighter when today becomes a distant memory shrouded with naive remembrance of how good the day was. There is a fondness to look back with great delight at days gone by when in fact there were as many challenges then as now. Yesterday is but a today turned into a tomorrow. The wise man reminds us what we see in the former days is not as good as we think. So why do we do that?

Yesterday has an appeal. Living the reality of the day is fresh in our memory. We see the difficulties face to face and they are harsh. As time passes the pain subsides and we soften our view of things. Pleasant memories are stored in our minds. Talk turns to the fun memories and the laughter. They were good days. They were happy days. But they were not any different than the history we make today.

People are not more sinful today than fifty years ago. The power of Satan has clutched the hearts of man since being expelled from the garden. It may come in a different form and color but sin is still sin and fighting the battle of righteousness is still the same. The gospel is still as powerful today as it was fifty years ago. Sin can only be conquered by the gospel. That is why the former days are not better.

The mistake of looking back with fondness for yesterday is forgetting that life takes place in the present. We are victims of our past whether good or bad. Imprisoned in the present day we decide how the future will be judged. The former days should not be our best days – today should be our best day. Growing demands leaving the former days behind us.

The week is almost gone. Enjoy the memories of the former days. Talk and laugh at the good times of yesterday. But let us all live in the spirit of Jesus today so that we will have so much more to look back on with fondness. When the Lord returns we will not be so much concerned about the former days as the days that are coming. I can’t wait to be part of eternity – not yesterday!

Many say, “This is a corrupt age.” This mode of speaking is not just; it is not the age that is corrupt, but the men of the age. (Oriental Proverb quoted by Adam Clarke)

Wednesday Morning Meditation – Psalms

An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes, when he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. Oh, continue Your loving-kindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There the workers of iniquity have fallen; they have been cast down and are not able to rise. (To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the Servant of the Lord – Psalm 36)

The Rebellious, The Righteous, The Reassurance

The Rebellious. I find in the psalms that not much has changed with man. David writes about the rascals that lived in his time. He could have written the psalm in our generation describing how men live. People are no more wicked today than they have been in years past. It may be a horse of a different color but it remains unchanged. Mankind just wants to do what it wants to do. Society today no longer has a respect nor fear of God. He is a myth. Like those in the days of Noah they will myth the boat. The wickedness of man is seated in his own pride of passion. Evil is what he longs for.

The Righteous. On the other hand there are the people of God who still believe in the reality of their Maker. We learn about His mercy, faithfulness, righteousness and judgments finding a God full of love. Living in a mixed up world is tough but we still trust in the Lord. Did you see how David described that? “Under the shadow or Your wings.” Comfort. Protection. Peace.

The Reassurance. Living in a perverted world needs a little reassurance. We will never be forsaken by the Lord. As an eternal fountain our God will always satisfy our needs. Trusting in Him will give us the strength to bear trials and sorrows of this life. He will never let us down.

Today is midweek. Plan to be with saints this evening to be encouraged and built up. The wicked abound in the world but the righteous flourish in the presence of the Lord. We need each other. Be a hero to someone today!

The Christian has a deep, silent, hidden peace, which the world sees not, like some well in a retired and shady place … What he is when left to himself and to his God, that is his true life. (John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. 5, 1843)

Jesus’ Hands

By Paul R. Blake

“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” (Matt. 8:2-3).

Hands say a lot about a person. A man who farms or works in construction has rough hands worn from years of hard labor. Surgeons have strong delicate hands allowing them to perform intricate surgeries. Pianists amaze us with the dexterity of long slender fingers producing masterful pieces of music.

What did the hands of our Lord look like? He was raised a carpenter’s son, so his hands would be strong and rough textured. He spent a great deal of time outdoors, so they would be dry and browned by the sun. He was not fastidious about his appearance, so his nails would not be manicured. Not what you expected?

Beauty is what beauty does, not what beauty looks like. Lepers were outcasts; non-lepers refused to come near them, let alone touch them, even though leprosy is not communicable in the typical sense. The worst part of the disease was the isolation and rejection by everyone including family. God created man to long for companionship with others. Touch is one of the first sensations we experience in life; it brings comfort and security. Leprosy takes all of that away, because no one will touch you. When Jesus reached out his hand and touched the leper, He gave that poor beggar more than a healing for his body; He showed him the true meaning of godly compassion. His hands touched lepers!

His hands touched 12 pair of dirty feet when He washed the disciples’ feet at the Passover. His hands touched street urchin children when He blessed them; who knows where they had been playing! His hands reached out to save Peter in his weak, sinful doubt as he was sinking into the sea. Hands that were rough, strong, dry, sun baked, dirty from handling lepers, feet, and children playing in the street… it’s not about what they look like in medieval paintings or our misguided imaginations; it’s about what they did. The hands of Jesus preached compassion, humility, kindness, and forgiveness. “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).

We are all of the above: leprous with sin, unclean as dirty feet, unkempt street children, doubting disciples; we all need the hands of Jesus to offer love and forgiveness to us. “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5).

Should I be found faithful and enter heaven, I want to be able to be able to walk up to Jesus, reach out to clasp His hands, and feel His hands grip mine in return. I want to hold the hands that touched a leper, that washed Judas’ feet, that tried to carry the rough wood of His cross, hands that left heaven and worked 33 years on earth to save me from the sins I committed with my own hands. I will know then that I am at home. It’s not about what His hands will look like, but what His hands did that brought me there.

Look at your hands and consider, not what they look like, but rather: What have they done? What are they doing? What will you do with them in the name of the Lord?