The Heaton File

“The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him” (Proverbs 20:7). There are many things we leave our children when we die. It may be wealth or possessions yet all of these things fade into dust. So often we work all our lives to leave our children something that is of little value and fail to leave them the greatest legacy given by God – righteousness. The wise man exhorts fathers to leave their children an inheritance of a righteous example. Let me walk in such a way that when I am gone my children will know to walk where I have walked in the blessing of God.

Paul gives many admonitions about the family relationship and none is as profound as what he writes in Colossians 3:21. “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.” Proverbs 20:7 seeks to set forth the proper guidance of fathers who set an example of righteousness for their children while Paul deals with the realities of fathers who fail to lead their children in the path of godliness. Two ideas are at play in Colossians 3:21 – FIRST the warning of fathers to take heed in the manner of guiding the hearts of their children. SECOND the knowledge of what a father can do to his children that will have eternal consequence.

A father can discourage his children by creating an atmosphere of commandment-keeping in prohibiting nearly everything the child desires. No matter what the child may ask for or desire the answer will be a harsh “no.” This verbal abuse will wear heavily upon the child afraid to ask for a morsel of bread. Within the limits of parenting there must be boundaries and necessary guidelines prohibiting certain actions for the child’s safety and security. But a father can discourage the child by ruling the home with an iron fist of laws that must be obeyed at a moment’s notice seldom allowing the child any happiness. Life for some children is one perpetual “don’t.”

The character of the child of God is bound by the laws of God but not in a manner that discourages. John writes, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). We are not grieved to be obedient to our heavenly Father. Why should our fleshly children live a life of grief because of our oppression upon them? The child will grow to hate rules because he could never do anything right and always had to live in a home filled with the commandments of a father who ruled with a heavy hand.

Teaching righteousness is to show the manner God instructs His people with goodness and severity (Romans 11:22) as needed. When the Lord dealt with Israel He would bless them with so many good and wonderful things. At times He would have to discipline them as they tested Him. But the end result was still the cry of the people of the righteous judgment of a loving Father. “Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them” (Hosea 14:9).

Another reason children will be discouraged is because the father will be an unfeeling tyrant. “If a Christian father is felt to be a tyrant, he will seem to his child to be a tyrant in God’s name, and that will be enough to create a sullen prejudice against all sacred things. Nor is the case improved when the child is cowed into fear of such a parent, and thus reduced to submission. There is a beautiful courage in a child’s approach to God; but if his courage even toward his father is broken down, he will only shrink from God with a greater fear” (H. Bushnell).

Paul outlined characteristics of the Christian in Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.” Fathers who are not filled with tender mercy toward their children will cause them to be discouraged. Fathers who do not act with kindness toward their children will discourage them. When a father fails to show humility before his son he has failed as a father. Parenting can only be done with meekness and longsuffering and fathers who do not exercise these traits toward their children will discourage them.

Children will become discouraged when their fathers do exactly what the Lord prohibits them to do: “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8). Verbal abuse by fathers is a sin. When a man stands in front of his son or daughter berating them with words of insult and anger he stands in judgment of the Father in heaven who will render His own justice to such a man. Provoking children causes discouragement. Discouragement can bring about eternal damnation to the soul of the child.

Abraham commanded his family in the way of the Lord (Genesis 18:19). His leadership was guiding the family in the paths of righteousness by example. The legacy he leaves is one of noble character as a man who trains his children in the way of God. The formula for fatherhood is Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Someone said it this way: “Train up a child in the way he should go AND GO THAT WAY YOURSELF.” You cannot show your children a way you are not going yourself.

Children can be discouraged because of the manner of life they see in their father day to day and the way he acts at church services or around other Christians. “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Training children in the Lord is done by word and deed. A father who prays at worship as he prays at home is leading his child in godliness. When a man rules his home with oppression he has no hands for prayer. The word of God should be the word of the day in the home guided by the voice of a father who humbly shows the path of truth to his family. He shows his children love by loving his wife. He shows his children wisdom by seeking God’s word for answers. He shows his children the life of Jesus in living for Jesus each day.

The common sin for fathers is the provoking of their children. We must be careful to mold our character as spiritual leaders in the home. As fathers we must teach our sons the leadership of Christ. As fathers we must teach our daughters the love of Christ. Some men will need to change their lives to become as God desires; repent if necessary asking forgiveness of family and God. What power is held in the hands of he who garners the head waters of a mighty stream. Contained within the role of a father is the eternal guiding of young hearts to the throne of God. May God bless every father who strives to be a man of God to his family.

The Roman Catholic Church has made news again with its difficulty in deciding how to best address the question of homosexuality. A recent Vatican report suggest the RCC should “welcome and appreciate gays” and quoting John Thavis, a former Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service, “Regarding homosexuals, it went so far as to pose the question whether the church could accept and value their sexual orientation without compromising Catholic doctrine” (Delia Gallagher, CNN; October 13, 2014). The CNN article goes on to say, “The Catholic Catechism calls homosexual acts ‘intrinsically disordered’ and calls on gays and lesbians to live in chastity. Under Pope Benedict XVI, the church had tried to purge men with ‘deep-seated homosexual tendencies’ from the priesthood. But Pope Francis, while hewing to Catholic teaching, has signaled a gentler tone, famously saying in 2013 ‘Who am I to judge?’ gays and lesbians.”

It is clear by these overtones toward homosexuals the Roman Catholic Church is moving towards its own fundamental beliefs that whatever is determined by the Pope is the belief and practice of the Roman Catholic Church. Left out of this process is what God has to say about the subject. With this new appeal to accept the homosexual and same-sex marriage dogma of the humanist man the Roman Catholic Church is shedding its veneer of faith. As water seeks its own level the teachings of men cascade toward the abyss of the lies of Satan.

Pope Francis will eventually bend to the persuasions of societal mantras to embrace the rights of same-sex marriage and acceptance of homosexuality. By his own words he shows the fallibility of his own office and mockery of the truth of the word of God. It is not his place to judge and for this point he is absolutely correct. “For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22). James writes, “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another” (James 4:12). He answers that question in verse 15 when he says it is the “Lord’s will.”

The Bible (not the Roman Catholic Church nor the Pope) condemns homosexuality in very clear terms. “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:24-32).

Homosexuality is not love, it is lust. The act dishonors what God has created. Accepting homosexuality is against the “truth of God” and is nothing more than a “lie.” It is based upon the carnal desires of men for men and women for women; i.e. serving the lustful passion of the creation (flesh). Homosexuality is a “vile passion” or “degrading passions” and is against nature. This sin is shameful and often will find penalty as a result. The philosophy of this lie is a failure to retain God in their knowledge and His will and design is rejected. A debased mind or a mind rejecting the natural purpose of man and woman is the root of this evil. It is unrighteous, immoral, wicked, coveting of self-desires, malicious, envious, deceitful and hating of God. All of this is what the Lord said in Romans 1.

Paul further writes in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” In very plain language the apostle writes to a church located in a city given over to the paganism of Aphrodite. Corinth was well known as a city of drunken and immoral debauchery. He exhorts the Christians to recognize the wickedness of homosexuality and sodomites as repugnant to the will of God.

When men go away from the word of God they will embrace all the tenets of the word of Satan. The Episcopal Church has already declared its acceptance of the homosexual as well as many other religions. The end result of apostasy is the creation of a man-made religion satisfying the desires of a man-made faith centered upon a man-size desire for pleasure. The Pope has fully declared that it will be possible to accept what the Lord God has clearly defined as wickedness. But that is why this action affirms the Roman Catholic Church as nothing more than a machine invented by man to supplant the true church of the Lord as found in the scriptures.

The Roman Catholic Church does not believe in the Bible because nothing in scripture accepts anything more than what Jesus Christ Himself declared in Matthew 19:4-6, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE,’ and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’ ? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” The changing whims of modern day man will not change this.

Homosexuality is as much wickedness as lying, stealing, adultery, extortion, cursing and murder. Jesus died on the cross to save the homosexual from sin and until that person comes to Christ for the cleansing blood that washes away sin there remains no hope of eternal life. Paul noted in 1 Corinthians 6 that among those who were homosexuals “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). There is hope for those in sin. No one should every view the scriptures as a final condemnation on a person who struggles with sin. A homosexual can repent and become as God would have him be in obedience to the will of God. We should encourage and embrace those who desire to follow God’s will. Repentance demands a cessation of sin and this is true of homosexuality. Compassion – not hatred – must be given to those in sin.

The reason the Roman Catholic Church must embrace same-sex marriage and the acceptance of homosexuality is because it is nothing more than a machine built by man to satisfy the curiosity of man’s wisdom. This church is not founded on God’s word so what difference does it make? The Son of God said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:13-14).

Which Ones?

When the young man of Matthew 19 came to Jesus asking about eternal life, he had an opaque view of what was really needed to be a faithful child of God. He came to the right source and it is clear he realized that Jesus was not just a carpenter’s son but the Son of God. “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life” (Matthew 19:16). No other question is so important than what happens in the eternal realm of man’s existence. The answer from Jesus was rather simple and direct. “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). The Law of Moses was sterling clear of God’s requirement to keep the statutes and laws of the Lord. “You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord (Leviticus 18:4-5).

Matthew is the only writer that records the response of the ruler: “Which ones?” (Matthew 19:18). The heart of the young man was not truly seeking an honest answer to the question of eternal life but rather as so many people do when they come before God seeking salvation he wanted to know the minimal amount of service given to receive eternal life. Consider the reason he would ask this question. Which laws did he think he did not have to keep? What reason would there be to exclude any law as applicable to his life? Did he view the law as a buffet to be chosen on the whim of the moment?

Jesus summed up the fullness of law keeping in Matthew 19:18-19 and feeling gratified he had successfully passed the litmus test the young man boasted he had kept all these laws from youth and “what do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:20). An arrogant spirit drove the heart of this young man. He first wanted to limit the commands of God to a select bullet-list of do’s and don’ts; he then proclaimed his commandment keeping virtue of suggesting he had been a noble servant of the Lord since birth; and confidently felt eternal life was his. It was then the Lord spoke directly to the root of the problem. “’If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:21-22).

His first question was the right question: “What shall I do to have eternal life?” The next two question’s he tried to corral the commandments of God into a neat package of limited responsibility by asking which commandments must he keep (as if there was a limitation) and since he had kept all six of the specific laws illustrated by Jesus then what would he lack. Self-confident to a fault. Limiting requirements of law to only a few chosen commands. His heart was not prepared to give up his riches. He served God faithfully but only so far as he had to do what was required of him and nothing else. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:23-24).

The story of the rich young ruler is a story for the religious man today. Many are seeking the answer to eternal life. Most would believe that when they die they want to go to Heaven. Everyone wants to go to Heaven but few are willing to pay the price. When the ruler asked Jesus, “which ones” he had to look at the Law as a minimal code book. “What little can I do to be saved” is not what the people asked on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37). Noah did not want a smaller boat; David did not let someone else step into the valley of Elah; Paul did not bear a cross with wheels; and Jesus did not seek another way but only the way of His Father!

Cross bearing is hard business. “He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me … If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple … whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple’ (Matthew 10:38; Luke 14:26-33). What do you mean “which ones”? What commandments of God are not needed in my life? Can I pick and choose which commandments I want to follow and expect the Lord to be pleased? Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I want to ask “which ones?”

Too often people complain about what the Lord requires of them. This comes from a spirit not unlike the rich young ruler who agreed to serve God on his terms and not God’s terms. I will obey you but only so far as it does not make me uncomfortable. Don’t expect too much from me, Lord. Expecting me to assemble with the people of God on a regular basis is asking too much. Having to give of my wealth is pushing the envelope far beyond reason. Making me sit for more than 20 minutes to a sermon is not fair. Letting people see God living in my life is too awkward and don’t expect that. I WANT TO DO AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE PLEASE!

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). When did Jesus say to His Father, “which ones”? He gave His all that we may be all with Him. The Lord paid our salvation with His blood. HIS body was nailed to a cross. Glory was given up with the Father to humble Himself as a man and became obedient to the point of death. And I worry that the Lord is asking too much for me. Shame on me. Shame on my arrogance. What right do I have to complain about anything? What will I ever do to repay the Father and the Son for the sacrifice at the “Place of the Skull?”

The Philippian Jailor did not ask for the minimal. He came “trembling before Paul and Silas … and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:29-30). He did not ask ‘which ones” but with fear in his heart and a desire for salvation willing to do whatever was commanded of him. “Thy will be done” excludes the idea of small minded salvation. “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:9).

A Greater Challenge Than Ice

There is a phenomenon sweeping the nation where people are pledging their money to help raise funds for patients and organizations with ALS, a neurodegenerative disorder. It is commonly called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the baseball player who had it. Originally started in the professional golfing world to raise money for various charities, it has become an internet sensation with people challenging others to douse themselves with ice water sending millions of dollars in donations to the ALS Association. Many have done this (including this author) showing solidarity and support for a worthy cause. There can be no doubt to the impact in years to come as this most ingenious way to bring awareness to the challenges many people face in life and a simple means to raise money. The key element in the success of this program is the amount of people who are not contributing millions or thousands of dollars for the cause but rather the small donations that add up to millions of dollars.

Everyone knows the fury of an avalanche is not because one snowflake but millions of snowflakes joined together as one that creates a force that is able to move anything in its path. A rainstorm has its greatest power when all the drops of rain become a torrent of rushing water. The principle is simple: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9). The power of what a single element of leaven can do to the whole lump is the impact such a small thing can have. Who would have dreamed that a simple act of pouring ice water over the head would raise millions of dollars? What a worthy and noble cause. How important these acts of kindness are goes without saying. But let’s take this story a little further.

Consider the power of salt and light. Small grains of salt can change the taste of food and a candle light can be seen for miles. Combining the impact of single grains of salt and a single candle can bring great seasoning to foods and light up the world. Jesus taught, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16). Salt is used for seasoning and as people of God we bring a spiritual flavor to our community. As people of light we shine forth our lights to show the glory of God living in us. The challenge before us is to take the salt out of the shaker and let its influence spread to those we come in contact with. Our lights are not to be hidden but shining brightly to let others see Christ.

If we could instill in our hearts the same devotion and interest in bringing someone to Christ as pouring ice water over our heads what a difference the world would be. Please understand the difference of the two: the cause for ALS is a most honorable and worthy pursuit and we should encourage everyone to be a part of the community of those who can help – but think of what we can accomplish in the body of Christ if we were committed to help bring one person to Christ this year. The leaders of the ALS organization were stunned at the amount of money raised by such a simple act of pouring ice water on the heads of thousands of people. Think what the church would be if everyone would make it their desire to help bring one person to Christ each year. You can do the math and you will be stunned.

There is a question that begs to be asked: how many souls have been influenced to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ by our lives? It is easy to look at the world and think that saving the world is impossible. Jesus did say that only the few were going to be saved (Matthew 7:13-14) and often we may decide that the few are going to be saved by others. The sad reality is that if half of us would help bring one person to Christ what a difference the world would be. Sometimes the greater challenge to evangelizing the world is the silence of the few who could speak to the many and fails to do so. Many are lost not because of the roar of the world but the silence of the saints.

Can everyone sit down and unfold the pages of God’s word with a full explanation of what a person must do to be saved? Sadly, no. But the admonition is to be a ‘helper’ of winning souls. Homes can be opened to Bible studies where individuals are brought together to share the saving news of Jesus Christ. Contacts are made to connect people with others helping them come to a full knowledge of truth. Invitations are given to visit with the local congregation and offering transportation making it possible. Encouraging young people into the home and letting them be involved with inviting others to Christ. And then learning how to talk with others about the salvation found in Jesus Christ. Sometimes people say they don’t know what to tell someone about how to become a Christian. It is simple – tell them why you became a child of God and how it has changed your life. Everyone can tell that story!

There are millions of dollars being raised by random acts of people pouring water on their heads. There can be many people in our community who can come to know the saving power of God by the selfless act of one person inviting one person to sit down at the dining room table and studying the word of God. Raising money for ALS is a noble cause. Saving souls for Christ has an eternal reward.