The Heaton File

Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” (Luke 23:1-2)

The Indictment Against Jesus

When the Jewish leaders brought Jesus to Pilate, they needed to establish a cause as the first step in a criminal proceeding. The indictment or Nominis Delatio against Jesus was that He was perverting the nation with His teaching. He taught the people to refuse to pay tribute to Caesar, placing Himself as Christ, a king. Pilate ignored the first two parts of the indictment and touched on the matter of high treason, the charge against the prisoner. Jesus answered Pilate with respect to his authority to interrogate Him judicially but explained to the Roman ruler His kingship was a spiritual kingdom. The defense of Jesus was clear; the indictment against Him was false, and Pilate immediately saw the shallow ground of the charges brought by the Sanhedrin. Hearing the answer of Jesus, Pilate declares an acquittal.

In a bold and radical move by the Jewish authorities, the crowds became more fierce in their insistence on a guilty verdict against Jesus. Seeking to appease the masses and deflect the responsibility of his office, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. This act by Pilate was illegal as an acquittal had already been established. Sending Jesus to Herod was not such much a trial as an examination. When Jesus was returned to Pilate, what proceeded bears little resemblance to a lawful proceeding. A coward sat on the seat of law, and the blind fury of the mob drove the decision to kill Jesus. The result was judicial murder.

Jesus was accused of perverting the nation. The indictment charged the teaching of Jesus excited the people to incitement to rebellion and turmoil. In the early stages of the ministry of Jesus, multitudes in the thousands followed Him. On one occasion, He provided food for five thousand men, not counting the women and children. Many people came to Jesus to be healed of disease. On a few occasions, Jesus raised people from the dead. The Pharisees, scribes, and Chief Priests tried in vain to trap the man from Nazareth in His teaching and failed every time. When Jesus finished the sermon on the mount, the people were amazed He taught with such authority. Jesus never sought to pervert the nation but to convert the nation. The Jewish leadership was envious of Jesus from Nazareth. Pilate could see the charge of perversion was empty.

The second part of the indictment was Jesus leading the people in a tax revolt and refusing to pay taxes Himself. Some Pharisees and supporters of Herod had tried to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. They knew Jesus was honest and impartial and refused to play favorites among the people. Jesus was asked directly if He thought it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not. Seeing through their hypocrisy, Jesus took a Roman coin and asked them whose image was stamped on the coin. He then told them to give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar and give to God what belonged to God. Desperate to show Pilate the evil nature of Jesus, the Jews presented a false indictment against an innocent man. Charging Jesus with forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar was a blatant lie. Pilate ignored the charge.

Jesus was charged with a third crime, calling Himself a king. It was on this part of the indictment that Pilate would focus. It was ill-advised to call oneself a king in the Roman Empire. There were many who tried to revolt against the Romans but were crushed by the iron will of the Roman Army for insurrection. Pilate examined the charge against Jesus and could see that Jesus was only a man who had visions of some spiritual identity to be a king but was no threat to the Roman government. To the more serious parts of the indictment, Pilate found Jesus innocent. The trial should have ended at that moment as the accusation was proven invalid, and no proof was offered to substantiate the charges. Only later, when Pilate ignored Roman law and bent to the will of the mob, he delivered Jesus to be crucified.

The greatest travesty of human jurisprudence took place that day, but the result was the greatest example of divine jurisprudence in the history of man. An innocent man was charged with false accusations; yet the guilt of man was judged that day. Jesus died with sinless perfection before the mob demanding His death. Mercy was given on a day when no mercy was shown. Love poured out in a world filled with hatred. The sacrifice of one man brought salvation to all men. A lamb was sacrificed on the altar of grace so that the human heart could find the joy of peace in a man from Nazareth. The indictment against Jesus was false, and the indictment against man was validated. Jesus Christ is a king – the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:5-7)

The Futility Of The Climate Agenda

Global warming is the focus of the world seeking a zero-emission climate to avert global catastrophe. It is believed and widely politicized the reckless actions of humanity destroying the world, leading to the total annihilation of man on earth. The Green Agenda pushes the doctrine of human wisdom’s capability of destroying its domain. Rooted in the pride of the arrogant heart of those who do not believe in God, the climate agenda seeks to convince the naïve world that man has the power to destroy his environment. Using data based on skewed perceptions of self-driven agendas, pundits for climate change seek to have their voices heard above the voice of reason and truth. The reality that many do not realize is what God says about climate change and the end of the world.

The Bible is not just a book about the divinity of God. There are many parts of the word of God that answer questions that concern people of every generation. Before modern science and technology, human pollution filled the air and desecrated the land. The 1970s were a time of global consciousness to make the world a better place. Walt Kelly’s famous Pogo cartoon shows his character standing in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp with the caption, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Yes, man can make a mess of his world. The question is not whether humanity can defile the earth with pollution, but rather the question if it is in the power of human waste to destroy the planet. The answer is a resounding, “No!” There is nothing within man’s wisdom and power that will ever end the world. Using fear to drive people to a “green world” is nothing more than a tactic of a godless world.

Earth is man’s domain and will always be the residing place of humanity until God decides differently. Man will never live on the moon, much less on Mars. The counsel of the Creator determines the habitation of man. The earth will continue to exist and experience seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night. That will never change. Peter declared what men forget. The world was destroyed a long time ago, not by global warming but by global flooding. In the days of Noah, God looked at the hearts of men and saw nothing but wickedness. Ironically, the pollution of the heart destroyed the world when God brought a global flood that killed all life on earth except eight souls. Using the flood as a backdrop, Peter shows the world that exists is held together by the word of God. It will not change unless God says so. There will be a day of global warming, but it will not be warm – it will be so hot the universe itself will explode in one giant conflagration. Then, and only then, will the earth be destroyed.

Mankind can mess up his world, and that should not be. As the earth’s caretaker, he should take as good care of his environment as possible. To think that any generation has the power to destroy the world is a failed theology. The agenda of the climate alarmists and Green Deal doomsayers are not based on truth but the lie of human wisdom. God will not allow anyone to do what is in His power and will to do. When it comes time for the earth to end – God will speak. Then, those who did not believe in the Bible will realize another climate agenda. There will be a climate of joy and peace in heaven, and there will be a climate of darkness in a lake of fire. The best climate change a man can make is seeking salvation from God’s wrath. Spend more time changing your heart. That is where true pollution is found. Let the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse your heart.

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)

Going To Church In 1420

The 15^th Century was a time of upheaval and war. The Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War was the largest land battle in Medieval Europe, England was fighting against the Welsh uprising, and Joan of Arc was burned at the stake while fighting for the French. Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press. Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire, and the War of the Roses was fought in England. During the 15^th Century, Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas looking for a passage to the Indies. It was a busy time for the world. For the commoner, little was changed by the historical events of the 15^th Century. When it came time to go to church, he had limited opportunities.

Many religions existed in the 15^th Century, including Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism (Taoism), and Islam. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church dominated the Christian world. In Europe, the choice of where a person went to church was limited to only two places: either the apostate Roman Catholic Church or the New Testament church of devoted disciples. Many people do not realize that in 1420, the landscape was not filled with churches of different faiths. The Lutheran Church was one hundred years away from being organized, and the Baptist Church would not be established for 187 years. There were many cathedrals but no Presbyterian or Methodist. If you were religious and went to “church,” in all likelihood, you were Catholic, not a Protestant. The 16^th Century would introduce the world to the Protestant Reformation. A Catholic monk named Martin Luther was successful in beginning a period of reforms from the apostate teachings of the Catholic-dominated landscape.

The Lutheran Church was established in 1520, followed 14 years later when Henry VIII of England created the Church of England or the Episcopalian Church. Two years later, in 1536, John Calvin started the Presbyterian faith. The Baptist Church was not founded until 1607, and the Methodist came 132 years later. If a man lived in the 14^th Century, he could not go to any of the Protestant churches that are so familiar in modern times. The Bible teaches the New Testament church existed in the 1^st Century and, according to the Bible, was a kingdom that could never be shaken. In the midst of the prophesied apostasy, the New Testament disciples continued to serve the Lord as devoted saints of the true pattern. The historical reference through the centuries may not have recorded their enclaves of influence, but God knew where they were. Nothing stopped the New Testament church from its mission.

Bible-believing people need to recognize the apostasy of the church when men build something that is not found in the Bible. The Lutheran church is only 502 years old. If you lived 600 years ago, where would you go to church? No Lutherans, Methodists, Baptist, Mormon, Adventists, or Jehovah’s Witnesses existed in 1492. If these churches did not exist for nearly fifteen hundred years, why is it so easy for anyone to embrace those churches as Biblical? None of the names of the churches are found in the Bible – does that not make an impact on the hearts of truth-seeking people? If the Bible is the word of God, should we not declare our faith in what is found in the word of God and no other allegiance? Demand truth from where you go to church. Let the Bible be true and every man a liar. Find the New Testament church and follow its pattern. That is the church that Jesus built.

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

The Halo

There is nothing new under the sun, and the empty traditions of men have been around since the beginning of time. What makes an error sometimes difficult to clarify is the long assumed acceptance of a truth that is, in fact, false. Truth does not change but creating a false narrative can be believed to be truth if enough time passes and the falsehood is not examined closely. Such is the case with the question of the halo. A halo is an image found in religious art depicting a globe of light surrounding the head of a holy or sacred figure. Using a light around the head predates Christ, as Greek artists would embolden the figures of their heroes with a ring or crown of light. This distinction is also found in Asian art. The halo began to be used by artists in the Christian age around the fourth century.

The Bible never mentions a halo or suggests the heads of saints glowed. Jesus was transfigured on the mountain where His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light, but this was not a halo. Artists old and new suggest the face of Jesus glowed or shone as He walked among men. Isaiah, the prophet, described the image of Jesus as less than attractive. The truth about the image of Jesus is that in a crowd of twenty people, no one could pick out the Son of God from others as He looked as average as the common man of His day. God never allowed images of His Son to be produced by the whims of men. There is no evidence of what Jesus looked like (how tall he was, the length of His hair, His body size, etc.). Jesus did not come to leave a totem that men would worship.

A halo is a popular icon to describe “saintly people.” Angels are shown in art with haloes. The halo is a misrepresentation of a principle found in scripture that never suggests an image of light shining around the head of God’s people. This would also indicate that the person is not good or saved without a halo. Regardless, a halo is an invention of men that is accepted as a part of the religious world. It may come as a surprise to some that the halo is non-Biblical. The acceptance of a man before God is based on the heart, not a glowing head with a halo. Instead of trying to live to attain a halo, seek to follow the will of God where truth resides. Always be careful to measure the teachings of men with the word of God and reject what is clearly an imagination of human fantasy.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)

Jesus Returns With A Lot Of Noise

The first time Jesus came to earth, He was conceived in the womb of a woman. There was no fanfare, no trumpets blowing, and only one person who knew He had come. It would not be until later that Joseph found his wife pregnant. The angel Gabriel had told Mary she would be with child of the Holy Spirit, and Joseph was told by an angel the pregnancy of his wife was according to the divine will of God. During the first thirty years of His life, Jesus lived in obscurity, with few people taking notice of Him. He was the son of a carpenter with brothers and sisters. When He began His ministry, the religious leaders began to take note of Him as multitudes flocked to Him for teaching and healing. At Golgotha, the only noise came from the mockers who hurled insults at Jesus hanging on a cross. As far as the world was concerned, the man in the middle of the two thieves was a criminal and deserved to die. The soldiers bartered for His garments with no knowledge that He was God’s Son. Few people cared that Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross. No mournful trumpets blew at the death of Jesus, and the world continued as it always had.

When Jesus died, the veil of the Temple rent from top to bottom. It was during the offerings of midday Jesus died, and the priests would have heard the incredible sound of the huge veil ripping. An earthquake shook the earth, and the rocks were split with graves opening of the saints who had fallen asleep. Then the world went silent. Life continued as usual. There have been loud noises piercing the world, but only in a local sense. What may happen in one part of the world will not be heard by someone in another. Life goes on. And one day, all of that will change.

A day will come when there will be a noise that will fill the vacuum of space and time. It will echo in the heart of every human being living on the face of the earth. Those in the northern hemisphere will hear what those in the southern hemisphere will hear. Every person in every country will hear the sound. The cities filled with millions will hear as well as those villages tucked away in the Amazon jungle. Those on the top of mountains will recognize the same sound as those in the lowest valleys. It will be instantaneous. The earth will seem to shrink to an atomic level when every man, woman, and child hears the same sound at the exact moment. This is the day Jesus returns a second time; and His final time.

Jesus Christ will ascend from heaven with a shout. No definitive human reasoning can describe what the shout of deity will be like. Every inch of the earth’s circumference (24,901 miles) will reverberate with the sound of God. It is unclear what the voice of an archangel sounds like, but it will be something everyone will know. On one occasion during the ministry of Jesus, God spoke to His Son to glorify Him, and those who heard said it was like thunder. The voice of an archangel is going to be louder than thunder. As if the shout of Jesus coming and the voice of an archangel would not fill the earth with a sound beyond imagination, the trumpet of God will also be heard. A trumpet is a shrill and loud sound piercing into the souls of men. Every human being on earth will hear God’s trumpet.

The coming of the Lord will not be a quiet affair. For those who follow the false teaching of the rapture, they will hear the same sound. Jesus is not coming back to establish a kingdom on earth but to bring a noise all humanity will hear. And then, as quickly as the noise blasts across the depths of the universe, it will all go quiet. Judgment begins, and another sound is heard in eternity. For the saved, the sound is rejoicing, praise, and honor to the Lamb that was slain. To most souls, it will be the crying, gnashing of teeth, and horrific cries of torment as they languish in an eternal flame. The sound of the lost will fill the emptiness of eternal darkness. Heaven will burst forth as saints sing the praise of the day Jesus returned and took them home. You will hear that sound. Are you ready?

These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

The Lord Hates

It is inconceivable to view God as hating anything. The picture of the Lord is one of beauty, glory, and full of love. These attributes are true of the character of the Heavenly Father but to accept these as the only traits of the Holy God is to misplace loyalty to His true nature. The proverb writer ascribes seven things the Lord hates but does not suggest the list is complete. Using poetic prose to draw attention, the writer shows there are things the Lord detests. Pride, liars, murderers, evil hearts, mischief, and discord are highlighted as things God hates and sets apart from righteousness. The seven things listed summarize the nature of the Lord to despise those things that defile His holiness. Men must realize that God is a wrathful God full of vengeance and recompense against those who disobey Him.

The hatred of God is based on His own righteousness. Hatred in the heart of man comes from an evil heart. God hates because it impugns the holy character of what is right and wrong. A lawgiver establishes law, and as the Creator of the universe, the Lord God has the divine right to determine what is right and wrong. Pride is a sin because God hates a proud look. The righteousness of God is what makes sin detestable. Adam and Eve were given a law forbidding them from taking the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and they ignored the righteousness of God when they took its fruit. What is immoral about eating fruit? Nothing. The reason they were punished was that they challenged the authority of God and followed their own path. Sin brought consequences because God hates rebellion.

Disobedience to the will of the Lord puts man in disfavor with God through the righteousness of the law. Everything contained in the word of the Lord is for the benefit of man’s well-being. When the will of man rejects the word of God, he conflicts with the purpose of law. Idolatry is detestable to the Lord because man worships a worthless object. Man falls down to a god he created. God hates idolatry and views it as an abomination. The wicked do not accept the grace of God. Living for the lust of the flesh and the desires of the eyes, rebellious men reject the word of the Lord to consume themselves in their passions.

God hates the wicked and those who love violence. His holiness is the reason for His hatred. God hates divorce because of its consequence. The holiness of God establishes what is right, and only by keeping the will of the Lord can men find true peace and happiness. The Lord God is full of love and has shown His love through Jesus Christ, His Son. The other side of the Lord God is his wrath and hatred for wickedness. No man should deny the hatred of the Lord. There is a place prepared by God for those who rebel against the word of the Lord. God prepared this place. It was not His desire, but His holiness demanded it. Hell is real. It becomes the fulness of the hatred of God.

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

Celebrity Or Servant?

One of the oldest ailments in human history is the need to be famous. This generation is called the “me-generation” as if it is a new moniker; labeling the spirit of the modern age focused on self to the exclusion of others. Sin, at its root, is bedded in need for self-exaltation. Lamech was one of the most narcissistic, self-centered, and egotistical men of his time and was only six generations removed from Adam and Eve. Throughout Biblical history, men like Pharaoh, Saul, Ahab, Nebuchadnezzar, and the Herods of the first century sought to find their place in history as celebrities of note. The gospel of Jesus Christ attacks the need for self-exaltation with fervor and piety to show that greatness is found in slavery, power in humility, and glory in bowing down.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, yet the divine nature of Jesus did not keep Him from becoming the greatest servant of all time when He emptied Himself and became His creation. Throughout His ministry, Jesus told the people He came to serve, not to be served. The day would come when Jesus would be served as King of Kings and Lord of Lords but not before sacrificing himself as the eternal servant as a lamb led to the slaughter. Through the example of servitude dying on the cross, the principles of servanthood are demanded of those who follow Jesus. No one can be a disciple of Jesus without bearing a cross. Crucifixion was not only a most painful experience but the humility of the process was experienced by Jesus as an example of being a servant.

Slavery is never a popular subject in the woke world of failed human wisdom, and yet the nature of service is at the core of the Christian life. Paul reminds the brethren of Galatia that to be a child of God was to be a servant or slave to others. Liberty brings freedom, and freedom in Christ brings servitude. Every child of God has been called to be free in Christ so that one can serve others through love. The admonition of Paul describes the work of Jesus. God asked His Son to bring freedom to mankind. Jesus, as the lamb, took the scroll from the hand of His Father and became the lamb of sacrifice. He did not use His glory for His own glory but for the glory of the Father. Through love, Jesus served humanity by dying on the cross without sin. He could have called twelve legions of angels to deliver Him, but He died to save the world.

The focus of the Christian’s life is not on himself but on others. Like Jesus, the child of God is concerned for others more than themself. Servitude is fulfilling the law of God. Becoming a slave of Jesus Christ is being exalted to the glory of the Father. Freedom in Christ removes fear, doubt, despair, and hopelessness because the focus is turned from self to serving others. The Christian life is not about being a celebrity but a servant. Servitude is found in helping, teaching, supporting, and finding ways to serve others in their daily walk.

It takes courage to be a servant. When a man humbles himself before the throne of God, he will find the glory of servitude as an eternal blessing of God’s love. It is not about me and my needs and my wants. Being a Christian is about the will of God and serving others. Life is short, but there is so much service to provide during this short life. Servanthood will change the heart and make more willing the hands to serve. To be like Jesus, we must be servants.

And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)

Growth In The Kingdom

Creation has its own powerful testimony to the creative hand of God. Science has unlocked many of the world’s mysteries, but the answer behind creation escapes those who deny God created the world. Jesus uses many illustrations in His teaching to point out the character of the kingdom. The sowing of seed, wheat and tares growing together, shepherds and sheep, and workers in a vineyard are the subjects of the parables of Jesus. In a parable only found in the gospel of Mark, Jesus describes the kingdom as a seed growing in the ground that comes to perfection and is harvested by the farmer. The nature of a seed buried in the ground and then one day a man harvesting a crop of grain defies the knowledge of man. He knows it happens but cannot fully explain how it happens. Science can describe the process, but the life in the seed remains outside the realm of scientific discovery. This belongs to the mind of God.

Jesus tells the parable of the growing seed to demonstrate the power of the kingdom of God. By its nature, it is a process that begins slowly but then comes to full fruition. The design of the kingdom of God is not as human wisdom would assume. When a man plants a seed in the ground, he goes to sleep, and during the night, the seed sprouts. An orderly pattern of growth begins when the seed turns into a blade, then a head, and finally the full grain in the head. There is nothing the man can do about the growth. He can water, fertilize, and weed, but ultimately, the seed grows on its own. Such is the kingdom of God. There is an eternal seed of growth in the kingdom of God that is not accomplished by the will of men. A spiritual kingdom comes from the spiritual power of God.

Paul writes about the work of the church as accomplished by different kinds of men. He and Apollos worked in the kingdom, but each had a different part. One would plant and the other water. Ultimately, the kingdom grows because God gives the increase. Like the man who plants a field of wheat, he buys the seed and plants it in the ground. Others may water the seed, and it grows to harvest. While the men accomplish much in helping the field be ready for harvest, the power of growth comes from the hand of its Creator. No man can take credit for the harvest of souls as God gives the increase. The farmer cannot claim to have grown anything by his own power. He plants the seed and works the soil, but the power of the harvest is contained in the seed by God.

People are like the parable of the growing seed. An amazing thing happens when the kingdom of God reaches good soil. Like the parable of the sower, the good ground will yield a crop that sprang up and increased and produced. Good hearts readily accept the will of God as truth and grow thereby. Three thousand devout Jews had good hearts on Pentecost and obeyed the word of God. The city of Samaria found joy in the message of the gospel, and many souls were added to the church when they obeyed the gospel. Philip preached to a man from Ethiopia, and it was the man from a foreign land that asked Philip if he could be baptized. Saul of Tarsus changed his heart and served Jesus Christ to his death. Myriad of stories are told of those who served the wiles of the devil until that day the gospel changed their hearts. How does that happen? Paul said the feet of those who preach the gospel are beautiful, but no man ever converted another – the gospel changed the heart. The gospel is the power to salvation as the creative power of the seed is given by God. Growth comes individually when men see the need to change their lives. It is a marvelous and wonderful experience to behold. Seeds become wheat. Lost souls become saints of the Lord God.

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:1-2)

Spiritual Leadership In The Church

Over the centuries, the wisdom of human pride has attempted to change the organizational structure of the Lord’s church. The apostles would be shocked at how churches of men have established spiritual leadership far from the pattern of the New Testament. Roman Catholicism began the march of apostasy by creating an incredible hierarchy of man-made organizations corrupted by the whims of carnality. The Protestant response has followed the same pattern of apostasy as men changed the leadership of the church to represent a false narrative of authority. There is a pattern given by the Holy Spirit showing the world the spiritual leadership of the local church that is divine in nature, simple in construction, and complete in the organization.

Jesus is the head of the church, and no man can take that role from Him or usurp a role of authority through Him. The church’s spiritual leadership is found in men called pastors, bishops, elders, overseers, and shepherds. They have the authority of Christ to exercise oversight of the local church alone. Each man (plural) chosen to serve as a pastor must be of a certain character, as Paul outlined to Timothy and Titus. These are spiritual men shepherding the flock and overseeing the local church. In the New Testament, there was always a plurality of men who led the church in the work of the Lord. As spiritual leaders, elders guide the affairs of the church by the authority of the word of God.

Deacons are spiritual leaders in the church as men who must have certain qualities (similar to those of an elder) that separate them as spiritual leaders. The work of deacons is found in the meaning of the word describing a servant’s heart. Elders have targeted characteristics that must be met before they serve as elders. Deacons have spiritual qualities that set them apart to serve in the spiritual leadership of the church. The local congregation comprises men who live spiritual lives doing spiritual work to further the kingdom of Christ.

Preachers must be spiritual leaders. Paul instructed Timothy and Titus to bear the characteristics of spiritual leadership in the quality of their life to lead by example in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith, and purity. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be kind to others, able to teach and learn patience with difficult people. There is much work for the evangelist to do in the work of the church and his spiritual leadership is key to church growth. The shepherds of the church working in tandem with the work of the deacons and the preacher will bring about growth to the flock of God.

In the early church, the apostles chose seven men to care for the widows of the Jerusalem church. These were spiritual leaders with a vital task of church growth. The seven needed to be men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and men willing to take on the work given to them by the apostles. The word of God spread, and many people were converted to Christ through the work of the First Century spiritual leaders working together to teach the lost, care for the needy, and build up the saints’ faith. This pattern must be followed today for the growth of the church.

Many others are spiritual leaders in the church when men take on the role of leading singing, offering public prayers, serving on the Lord’s table, and teaching Bible class. These roles cannot be filled with those who are not spiritual or devoted to the Lord. Women are spiritual leaders when they teach the young people in Bible classes and support their husbands, who serve as shepherds, deacons, preachers, and teachers. Paul illustrated the work of the church by what every part does its share. Spiritual leaders in the church have different roles and – for some – specific requirements that must be met. Everyone must strive to be a spiritual leader in their home and use their talents to be spiritual examples within the church’s work. The church will grow when everyone sees their potential for leadership in the spiritual work of the kingdom of Christ.

Those who make an image, all of them are useless, and their precious things shall not profit; they are their own witnesses; they neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. Who would form a god or mold an image that profits him nothing? Surely all his companions would be ashamed; and the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, they shall be ashamed together. (Isaiah 44:9-11)

Our Precious Things Are Useless

Idolatry is as old as the world. Worship is innate in men, but the object of worship is a choice. Whom men choose to revere determines the character of the man. There are only two choices when it comes to worship: man will worship himself or acknowledge a higher being and worship Him. Pride does not allow a man’s heart to accept the will of his Creator to direct his steps and his ways because there are restrictions prohibiting desired lusts. If a man subjects himself to the will of God, he is not free to live as he chooses. To placate the guilt of denying the eternal God, the wisdom of man creates his own totem to form in his own desire. The result of idolatry is rooted in the greatest of follies when men create their own gods to fall down and worship, and man must deliver their gods.

Israel was destroyed because of idolatry. Isaiah warns the people of God to reject the gods of men returning to the one true God. A logical approach to idolatry shows how useless idol worship can be. A man cuts down a tree to build a fire and warm himself and uses the same tree to carve an image that becomes his god. The idol does not speak and has no understanding, and yet man worships their precious creation. Idolatry is the greatest of follies for the vanity it creates in the void of human wisdom. Man’s pride will not allow him to admit what he holds in his hand is a lie. What is precious to him is what he has created with his own hand. Man creates his god instead of accepting that God created mankind for worship.

There are many places throughout the world that still worship idols. Great carvings stand in temples worshipped by people who carry home small idols to treasure in their homes with daily worship. To the Christian mind, this is folly. What is remarkable is that while it is easy to see the foolishness of falling down to an idol, one of the greatest problems in the church is found in those who allow the trappings of the world to become their idols of choice. No child of God would believe that falling down to an idol of Buddha would be acceptable before God and yet fill their hearts with the pride of materialism in the kinds of homes, cars, boats, and recreational equipment they possess. An idol is anything considered precious that takes the heart away from God.

It does not have to be a carved image of a creature to be an idol. A job can be an idol that takes precedence over service to God. Living in lovely homes and driving certain vehicles can become the heart’s idolatry. Pride exalts the spirit to trust in the riches of life. Idolatry is alive and well in modern-day America. Those who make treasures of earth their gods worship things that are useless and vain. A man and woman will spend all their life gaining stuff and leave all their stuff when they die. What is sad is they never laid up treasure in heaven. Jesus calls them fools. All the things of life profit nothing. What is precious is lost. Souls are destroyed. Eternity is filled with idol worshippers who sit in torment and darkness and have given up everything for something worthless.

God created man for His glory. All men are formed by the hand of the Lord. The Creator demands His creation honor Him through worship, acknowledging the one true God. Do not be fooled into believing idol worship is only bowing before a carved image. Look around you. There may be more idols than you know. What is more precious – your eternal soul or the useless trinkets of a wasted life? They shall be ashamed together.