Jump Start # 3648

Acts 17:26 “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and te boundaries of their habitation.”

Zager and Evans are not household names, even in the world of music which they were a part of. In many ways, they were one hit wonders. In the summer of 1969, they had a rhythmic song about the future of mankind. It was a dreadful look at how technology was going to reshape and change the landscape of humanity. The song journeys through 10,000 years. The song, “In the year 2525,” soared to number 1 on the charts. There are eight verses in the song. Starting with the year 2525, the song marches through the years 3535, 4545, 5555, 6565, 7510, 8510 and ends with 9595. The sixth verse, in the year 7510, the song says, “If God’s a-comin’, He ought to make it by then. Maybe He’ll look around himself and say, ‘Guess it’s time for the judgment day.’”

In the year 2525, that’s just a little over 500 years from now. That seems like forever from where we stand. But looking backward, 500 years ago, was 1524—the heart of the Reformation Movement was going strong. Luther had already been excommunicated by the Catholic church, stood strong at the Diet of Worms,  and was trying to calm down the riots during the Peasants’ War. I have stood in castles and palaces that were built then and some, even older.

And, just 500 years before that, was the year 1024— the year that Conrad II, became the king of Germany, and later was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor. Historical details about 1024 are very hard to find. Would the common villagers back then ever thought that there would be a 2024? Life for most was merely survival. Harsh conditions, frequent plagues, poor sanitary conditions and common wars kept the life expectancy in the mid-30s for most people. Communication outside the villages was rare. Life was hard for those people.

And, when we flip these numbers around, it is hard for us to imagine there will be a 3024. What will life look like? It is beyond our thinking. Someone in their 90s today, has witnessed so many changes in their life.   In communications, medical field, technology, robotics, transportation, media, the advancements have been at thoroughbred speed.

All of these thoughts flow easily into our verse today. Here are some observations:

First, it is hard for one generation, let alone, a century or two, to understand another generation. Senior citizens have a hard time understanding teens. That has always been a problem. Whether it was the length of hair in the 60s, or being glued to a cell phone in our times, one generation doesn’t get the next generation. Within the church, this can lead to battle lines being drawn. The senior saints want the timeless old hymns sung. The younger crowd leans toward the faster paced newer songs. The older crowd carries old, worn out Bibles. The younger crowd pulls the Bible up on their phone app. Rather than appreciating the treasure of experience and wisdom from the older crowd and the energy and passion from the younger crowd, it is easy for a church to splinter based upon generational factors.

To avoid this, shepherds must work well to mingle the sheep together. The senior saints need to invite some of the teens over for a bite to eat. The teens need to sit with the older crowd. Realizing that we are on the same side and that we both bring a mountain of good, tap into those resources and make the most of them.

Second, we are here because God wants us here. Why were we not born in 1524, or 1024? Or, even the year 24? That was up to God. Here we are and here we must put a stake down for the Lord. Our work is now. We must use all the tools that we have and do all that we can for the glory of God. The Lord has put us here for a reason and it is to that reason that we live and move in Him. David served the purpose of God in his generation and we must do the same. We can do more, faster and farther than people did in the 1500s or 1000s. That is a great blessing for us. We can reach more people than ever before.

Third, although the times have changed so much, we still have the same basic needs and fight the same basic battles. We must deal with sin, raise our families to be godly and walk with the Lord daily. That hasn’t changed and that will never change. We need strong congregations today. We need godly leaders. We need to find ways to keep people connected to the Lord.

“In the year 7510, if God’s a comin’ He ought to make it by then” I hope so. I’m ready for the Lord to come now. How about you?

Cool song. Cool thought. And, through all those years, ups and downs, great highlights and dark and depressing stories, the Lord has been watching and ruling and been kind and gracious and forgiving. And one day, it will be the last day for this place. Are you ready?

Roger

Jump Start # 2605

Acts 17:26 “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation”

I borrowed from the King James Version for our verse today. Most other translations change one word. Instead of “blood” most Bibles will read, “man”, “mankind,” or “nation.” They say, “one man,” “one mankind,” or, “one nation.” I like the word blood. Historically, that is accurate. There was Adam. Eve was formed from a rib taken from Adam. One blood.

There are different blood types, yet blood for all of us is red. Man bleeds red. Woman bleeds red. Children bleed red. White people bleed red. Red people bleed red. Black people bleed red. Asians bleed red. One blood.

I was thinking about one blood with the recent events surrounding the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Let’s be clear about a few fundamentals up front. Prejudice is wrong. It doesn’t matter which direction it is pointed at or comes from, it is wrong. Prejudice is not about skin color, it’s an attitude that I don’t like certain people because they are different. It is built upon arrogance and ignorance. Prejudice can be manifested toward race, religion, nationalities or gender. Prejudice is wrong. Second, violence is wrong. Protesting and having serious conversations are the groundwork for change. Debate things. Argue things. Put the evidence on the table. But hurting others or destroying property is lawlessness. Two wrongs do not make a right. Violence is wrong. Third, professionals need to act professional. This is true of cops, preachers, school teachers, lawyers, judges, docs, and those in administration and politics. If one can’t be professional then don’t be in that profession.

Now, consider a few thoughts from the troublesome times connected with the George Floyd death.

First, it’s easy to jump on bandwagons without knowing all the facts. The truth will come out. It is a time for patience and prayers.

Second, and this is difficult to write and even harder to admit, but we will always have prejudice in the world. It will not go away. It can’t, until people understand that God created all of us and that we are from that one blood. We look different, but we are not different. Without the platform of God, there is no reason and no motive for people to treat others as equals. Why should they? If I answer only to myself, then I become my own law and even my own god. Why should someone be nice to a person of a different color? Why? Who decides what is the right thing or even the nice thing to do? Why should someone listen to you? Why should they listen to me? Removing God from this discussion, prejudice will always thrive. Without God, the Pharaohs in the world will kill Hebrew babies. Without God, the wicked Hitlers in the world will exterminate Jews.

We can sit around tables and have talks. We can play videos of Mr. Roger’s neighborhood. But until one realizes that he is no different and no better than anyone else and that God made all of us just the way we are, then prejudice will continue to spread. This is not a social issue, it is a spiritual issue. And, when communities become more and more secular, they will experience more and more prejudice. The eunuch was from Ethiopia. The woman at the well was from Samaria. Matthew and Zacchaeus were tax collectors. Jairus, a Jewish synagogue official. Cornelius was a Roman soldier. Among the early believers were some from Caesar’s house. All different, yet all the same. One blood. All needing Jesus. All needing salvation.

Third, spiritual principles shape our attitudes and touch all areas of our lives. Troubles in marriage sooner or later come down to spiritual issues. Forgiveness. Grace. Love. Responsibilities. Those are all profound spiritual lessons. The way we conduct ourselves as employees comes down to spiritual lessons. The way we behave in our communities is a spiritual issue. We cannot and must not leave what we learn on Sunday morning in the church house. If we truly believe, what we hold dear will totally change the way we are towards others. It will reshape the way we see each other. Sadly, there will be politicians who want to make more laws and force people to be nice, but it will never work. We are dealing with serious, serious spiritual problems. Compassion has been replaced with hatred. Gentleness with violence. Patience with anger. And, one blood, with prejudice.

Fourth, prejudice is learned in the home. A person isn’t born with hatred in his heart. He chooses that. He grows up in that environment. So the little ones pick up on what the big ones say. And, even in this sad and tragic story from Minnesota, little ones right now are hearing what is being said in the home. The hatred and prejudice can end or it will simply be passed on to a new generation and nothing will change.

Finally, eternity has only two place, Heaven and Hell. That’s it. Black and white in Heaven and black and white in Hell. What is important is not the color of skin, but what’s in our hearts. Faith in Jesus Christ changes a person. The word of God richly dwelling within us changes a person. Here, we can be separate. We can build fences. We can keep certain people we don’t like or agree with out. Out of our property. Out of our sight. And, out of our hearts. But, that won’t happen in eternity. You won’t get a say there. The color of our soul is like one blood. Souls are not black, white, Asian, African, American. Souls are either redeemed in the blood of Jesus or they are marred with sin. The problems that face our times is not a “them” or an “us,” but rather a “we.” We share this planet. We all live under the same sun and sky. We all face the same God. We are all in the same boat, like it or not. The historical record of racism and churches is not something to be proud about, even among our fellowship.

I can’t change the world, but what I can do is change my heart. What I can do, by my actions, is show that I love my neighbor. What I can show is that my heart is as big as the Lord’s. Don’t get caught up saying things that shouldn’t be said on social media or anywhere. More than black, white or any other color, we are Christians. That’s the banner we stand under. That’s our true color. We belong to Jesus. And, now more than ever, we must act that way.

Roger