Jump Start # 3652

Acts 9:26 “And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing  that he was a disciple.”

After the conversion of Paul in Damascus, he goes to Arabia for three years. He returns to Damascus and begins preaching that Jesus is the Christ. A death threat leads to Paul being lowered over the wall in a basket at night. He makes his way to Jerusalem, where our verse is found. It was Barnabas that puts the church at ease about Paul.

In our verse today is found the word “associate.” Others word this as “join.” It’s the word used by our Lord in describing the marriage relationship as leave and cleave. The cleaving, associating, joining that brings the accountability, intimacy, closeness that we commonly call “fellowship.” We are family in Christ.

Preaching on this recently, I took the audience down memory lane and had them write down how many congregations that they had been a member of since their baptism. We were talking about this after services ended. Most had been part of 4 or 5 congregations. I had been a member of ten. Another said that she was a member of a dozen. But the highest was 18. Someone who had traveled often in the military and even lived several years overseas. How about you? How many congregations have you been a member of since your conversion to Christ?

This journey into the past, thinking about these congregations we have been a part of reminds us of several things:

First, there have been good people in all of these congregations. Many of us have made life long friends and leaving, often to move to another city, was hard. It is always precious going back and visiting dear friends in these places that were a part of our lives. We prayed for those people. We taught Bible classes, had people into our homes and the congregation was a vital and extremely important part of our lives.

Second, when one goes back and visit, one realizes that things have changed. Life is like that. Life is fluid and rarely do things stay the same. People have passed on and are no longer there. Preachers move. New faces in the leadership. Even the building may look different. I remember visiting the church building I grew up in decades later. I walked through the basement and was amazed how small and narrow the hallway was. It had not changed. I had. I was no longer a little kid.

Third, as one reflects back on some of the places that he has been a member of in the past, he also realizes that he has changed as well. For some, there has been some painful nightmares that took place in those congregations. Things were not right. Harsh judgmental spirits ruled and many felt their souls crushed. Some took a real hit in their faith as they tried to understand how some brethren could be so mean and demanding and lacking the compassion of our Lord. As some left, they also left the Lord. Others moved on to different places. It took a while to trust brethren again. They had to learn that not every place is the same. True shepherds with compassionate hearts do exist today. As they find that lost sheep, like Luke 15, they carry that lost one home upon their shoulders.

Each place you are a part of becomes a growing process. You learn. You share. You see the good. You learn patience. You realize that doctrinally each congregation can be the same, but there is a different feel, a different flavor to each place. Some are so inviting and warm. Others seem distant and cold. Some are an oasis of learning with so many tools and opportunities. Others not so.

But as we grow and learn and take what we can, we also leave a part of us with every congregation. People remember us. They remember how active, strong and faithful we were. They remember how we walked with the Lord.

And, as life takes us different places, we come to understand that God has an enormous family. And, how thankful and rich we are to be a part of that amazing family of God. Worldwide. Never ending. Transcending even the passage of death, God’s kingdom endures and succeeds.

Associating with the disciples. I preached that recently and ended that lesson with the thought that if one wanted to find Paul, he’d be with the disciples. With the disciples, what a great expression to put on a tombstone. Whether here or up there, we are “with the disciples.”

Roger

Jump Start # 2489

Acts 9:36 “Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.”

The holiday season is upon us. One of the many traditions that so many have is watching Christmas shows. Often, we watch the same ones year after year. I do that. Have to get in Frosty, Rudolph, Grinch, then Christmas Carol and always, It’s a wonderful life. Kids today probably couldn’t stand five minutes of that because it’s in black and white and there’s too much talking. But what a great story line. It always makes one think. It’s more than, would I be missed if I died. What difference have I made in this world. What if, in the case of George Bailey, you had never been born.

Those thoughts take us to our verse today about Tabitha. We are not told much about her. Was she a widow like the others who surrounded her? Did she have children? In my mind she seems like a senior citizen, but that’s just me.

We notice three things about Tabitha:

First, she was a disciple. She believed Jesus. She belonged to Him. There were choices that made that possible. She worshipped with those early Christians. She longed for a heavenly home as all disciples do.

Second, she cared about others. She abounded in deeds of kindness and charity. She was generous. Kindness and giving go together. It’s hard to give when one isn’t kind. And, to be kind, naturally leads to doing kind things, such as giving. Later in the text, some of the widows were showing the garments that Tabitha made. I expect they were admiring the detail and the craftsmanship and the love that she poured into each garment.

Third, others reached out for her. She got sick. She died. Peter was called. Peter came. Peter brought her back to life. I’m sure the widows around her were so happy to have her back. I’m not certain that Tabitha was happy. The Bible doesn’t say. But once a person has made it safely to the other side, I don’t think that they would want to come back here. This place is a mess. Temptation, worries, stress, troubles, bad news, wickedness, problems—that’s every day on this side of life. But where she was, she didn’t have any of those things. Leave her be seems to be the best thing that Peter could have done. But the power of the Gospel and showing that God has all authority, even over death, it necessitated a few resurrections. Poor Tabitha had to come back and eventually, die again.

But what I find remarkable about this story is how she made a difference. George Bailey wondered that in “It’s a wonderful life.” Disciples shouldn’t have to wonder about that. Now, what Tabitha did wasn’t something uniquely Christian. Lots of people have made clothes through the years. It didn’t take being a disciple to do that. And, I expect she wasn’t the first one to ever give things away. Others have done things like that.

She wrote no books of the Bible. She never preformed a miracle. She never, as far as we know, met Jesus while He was on the earth. Nothing is said about her cooking for the apostles or letting them crash at her place. No spiritual gifts are mentioned. No prophecy. No starting a church in her house. No supporting the apostles financially. Nope. None of those things can be found in the text surrounding her.

What did she do? She made some clothes and with kindness, gave them to others. That doesn’t seem like a big deal. That hardly seems worth even mentioning in the Bible. A few widows were touched by her generosity. But what she did was make a difference to those few people around her. She had a talent and she found a way to use that talent to encourage others. She put the kingdom before others. I suppose she may have been able to sell those garments. She may have started a little side job of having her own dress shop. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

So, as a disciple are you making a difference where you are? Maybe you can’t preach. Maybe you can’t serve publically. Maybe you can’t go to foreign lands. Tabitha couldn’t do those things either. But to those widows she was special. They sent for Peter because of her. Don’t overlook little things, simple things or the things that anyone could do. So often, we think because anyone could do them, someone is. And, many times they are not. Sending a card, nothing spectacular about that except that it shows you care. Giving a gift card to a college student. Nothing hard about that. It shows that you care. Taking a family out to eat with you and paying for their meal. That won’t make the news, but it shows you care.

How about making some tunics? That’s what Tabitha did. The Bible doesn’t even say if they were made of purple, which was the color of wealth back then. Doubt it. She made and she shared. She touched the lives of others.

Maybe you can’t write a Jump Start. You can send it on to someone else. Maybe you can teach your friend, but you can find someone who can. Tabitha sewed. Maybe for you, it’s cooking. Maybe for you, it’s spending a Saturday helping someone move. Maybe it’s trying to fix someone’s car that won’t start. Maybe it’s babysitting for a few hours. Maybe it’s sitting with someone in a surgery waiting room. Maybe it’s dropping by and bringing the preacher some donuts as someone did for me today. Simple gifts. Acts of kindness. Showing that you care.

Now, when you put some years behind this and push this a bit, you’ll leave a long trail of doing good. And, the thing is, you often do not remember what you did. That’s the real secret of making this work. You do something nice and never say anything about it. I had gotten someone a few books years ago. Didn’t even remember it. When I saw him years later, he remembered. He was still thanking me. I had completely forgotten. I expect all over that little village and throughout that congregation, Tabitha had made all kinds of clothing for others. That’s what kind people do. They find something they can do and they just spend a lifetime doing it.

All of this is nothing more than letting our light shine. Using our talents to encourage and help others. Tabitha did it. You can do it. Don’t have a George Bailey moment where you wonder if you are making any difference. It ought to be apparent that you are. Lift up your eyes. Look around. There’s all kinds of folks that you can put a little sunshine into their day.

Way to go, Tabitha. You made a difference and Heaven saw that!

Roger

Jump Start # 1865

Acts 9:36 “Now in Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did.”

Our verse today comes from the powerful story of Peter raising someone from the dead. The person he raised was Tabitha or Dorcas. She became ill and died. The disciples sent for Peter. He came. He knelt down, prayed and said, “Tabitha, arise.” Her eyes opened and she sat up. Many believed as a result of this.

There are lessons here for us.

First, resurrections are rare in our Bible. We may get the idea that hundreds and hundreds were raised. We may think that resurrections happened just about every day. They didn’t. There are less than a dozen specific people that were raised.

Second, the people that were raised were believers. Tabitha was. Lazarus was. The synagogue official believed. Jesus raised his daughter. At the death of Jesus, several righteous in Jerusalem were raised. We don’t find the Lord or His apostles randomly empting cemeteries of everyone who was buried. You’d think, raising some heathen out of the torments of Hades would be a powerful witness to a community, but that didn’t happen.

Third, the people that were resurrected were raised by a man of God. It was the Lord, the apostles, the prophets that did the raising. These people were committed to the Word of God as it was delivered. Around these resurrections were opportunities for people to believe the Gospel message. Many became believers because of what they witnessed.

Fourth, when people were raised, the Bible never records anything that they saw or heard on the other side. We don’t read about any of them writing a book about “Heaven,” as seems the popular trend today. Many of these modern accounts take place in hospital operating tables, without a man of God, prayers or calling upon the Lord. Many of these who claimed to have been raised were not followers of God’s word. There are many problems with these modern stories. They don’t match the Biblical records.

Fifth, many times prior to the dead coming back to life, the man of God actually spoke to the person. This is especially true of the Lord. This shows that He has all authority. Even the dead could hear and obey Him. This authority was passed on to the apostles. Our verse shows Peter telling Tabitha to arise and she sat up. She heard him. She obeyed him.

Sixth, the people who were raised, all died again. Jesus was the first to be raised to never die again.

In our verse today, Tabitha is described as a disciple who abounded with deeds of kindness and charity, which she did often. She made tunics and garments for others. What she did touched the lives and the hearts of the other disciples. She made a difference. There is no indication that she taught others. There is no books of the Bible that are attributed to her. She was not an apostle. She didn’t preach. She didn’t heal anyone. She didn’t do any miracles. But, she continually abounded with deeds of kindness and charity.

She was kind and she was generous. Her spirit touched the lives of others. She made a difference. Imagine if we all could walk in her shadow. Imagine a church full of people who abounded in kindness and charity. Imagine people going out of their way to welcome a new family. Imagine the food that would be taken to someone who was sick. Imagine the kind words of encouragement to a young preacher. Imagine the pats on the backs given to busy shepherds. Imagine the smiles and the hugs from someone who was kind.

It is easy to look at this and think, so she made some clothes for others. Big deal! It was a big deal. It wasn’t just the clothes that she made, it was her generous heart and her kind ways that were behind all of this. Every marriage, every home and every congregation has it’s own tone or atmosphere. The people set that tone. Some places are cold and tense. You can feel it. You see it in the way that people talk to each other. You see it in a couple who are always picking on each other. Little jabs here and there. One wonders if they are like this around others, what is it like when they are alone? You see this in the members of a congregation. The judgmental stares. The cold eyes. The indifference and ignoring of new people. It’s not healthy nor good. But with a Tabitha around, kindness abounds. She would be one that turns the tone and the temperature of a congregation to a much more pleasant setting. She would be one that you would want to be around. Can you imagine what it would be like to go out to lunch with a Tabitha? Forget what you ate, you would leave with a heart bursting with goodness, encouragement and love. You’d think to yourself, “I want to be just like her.”

We all can learn much from Tabitha. Too many congregations are operated like a business. So formal and lack of feeling that you’d think you were in a rental car office rather than a church building. Kindness begins in the heart. It comes from one who has walked with the Lord. Jesus abounded in doing good deeds. He was the master of kindness. Far too many want to run to Jesus calling the Pharisees “hypocrites,” forgetting the context, the time spent and the purpose of Him saying that. The Lord was kind to Zacchaeus. The Lord was kind to the children who were brought to Him. The Lord was kind to the embarrassed woman who touched Him from behind. He was kind to the bent over woman when the synagogue official blasted her.

Spend time with Jesus. It will smooth your rough edges. Kindness changes how we speak to one another. Calm down. Cool down. Put the daggers away. Be kind, even when correcting. Multiple times the N.T. tells us to be gentle, even when correcting. Kind. Gentle. Thoughtful. Encouraging. Helpful. Building up. Wanting the best from others. Don’t drive people away. Not being mean, ugly or rude. Kind in our preaching. That doesn’t mean being soft, but it does mean not to destroy someone. Kind in our announcements. Kind in our prayers. Kind in our talking to one another.

We do well to take two spoonfuls of kindness every morning before we left the house. Some might need three. The kind person thinks before he talks. He finds ways to build bridges and not burn them. He looks to himself as much as he does others.

The disciples sent for Peter, not just because of their own died, but a kind one had passed. Had she been an old grump, one wonders if Peter would have been called. They might have thought, let the Lord have her and give us some peace. But she wasn’t that way. She was kind and they were better because of that.

It’s hard to read this and not think, what if it had been you or me that had passed away in Joppa. Would the brethren had sent for Peter, or would they have hardly missed us? Are we making a difference? Do others see us as kind? Does the Lord see us as kind?

Things to think about, especially today.

Roger

Jump Start # 518 

Acts 9:36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.

  Dorcas finds her place in our Bibles for one main reason—she died and Peter resurrected her.  She made an impression upon the Christians where she lived. Her death caused them to send for Peter. When Peter arrived, they showed the apostle the tunics that Dorcas had made.

  I used this passage recently in a class I was teaching on love. One of the definitions of love, as given in 1 Corinthians 13, is that ‘love is kind.’ Kind hearts are the fountain of kind words, kind thoughts and kind deeds. Such was Dorcas. I don’t know of any Bible classes that she taught. She may have, the Bible doesn’t say. I don’t know that she fed any of the apostles. Might have, but the Bible doesn’t say. I don’t know if she ever met the Lord—I rather doubt it. What she could do was sew. She made tunics and garments and she gave them to others. Now that’s nice, but in the big picture of things we often put little value in such things. God didn’t. He allowed Peter to go and raise her from the dead. The disciples didn’t. They sent for Peter to come.

  Dorcas is a classic example that kind deeds do not have to be big, involve many people or even be known by many. She made tunics and shared them with others. Inspiration tells us that she “abounded in deeds of kinds.”

  There are two great lessons here. First, what she did made a difference to the lives of others.  She helped. Her gifts encouraged. She was thinking of others as she made those tunics. Abound in kindness by making a difference to others. I know some modern Dorcas’ today. They don’t make tunics, they make other things. They are always eager to share. Sometimes it’s a gift, sometimes it’s food. It may be inviting someone to a college basketball game. It may be giving books to a young preacher. It may be a check to help with a preacher’s trip overseas. It may be groceries brought over to someone who is new to the neighborhood. It may be loaning someone a car when their car is in the shop. Kindness. Thinking of others. Generous. Helpful. Encouraging. That’s this Dorcas.

  The other thought here is that Dorcas had died. The disciples still had her tunics. Her work outlasted her. After she was gone, people were remembering what she had done. In Revelation we read, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…for their works follow them (14:13). What they did outlasted them.

  Someday you and I will be gone. Some will remember us. Our families will. Our dear friends will. Others might. What will they remember? What outlasts us? What will follow us? Will it be deeds of kindness? Will it be a generous and thoughtful heart that we are remembered for? Will it be compassion and love or will it be a cranky, mean spirit that always fussed and had to have his way?

  Dorcas was loved because she touched the lives of others. What a different story this would be had Dorcas made tunics but kept them all. Trunks and trunks full of tunics all over her house. Dozens and dozens of them. Many never worn. All folded and put away but never used, never shared, never benefiting anyone. Some are like that. Dorcas wasn’t. She gave away her tunics. She shared. Others benefited by her labor. They had her tunics to show Peter.

  Do you see a lesson for us in all of this? We can be busy with making our tunics, but what do we do with them? Sell them to make a profit? Store them away? Keep them to ourselves or share them with others. I expect all of us have our own form of tunics, something we are good at. It may be cooking. It may be in wood working. It may be playing an instrument. It may be sewing like Dorcas. It may be in lifting spirits. What do we do with those tunics?

  Dorcas abounded in deeds of kindness. People remembered. We, having never met Dorcas, are told her story all these years later. I have no idea what Dorcas looked like. I tend to think of her as a sweet grandmother type, but couldn’t prove that. I do know one thing, I expect if I lived near her, she would have made me a tunic. That’s just the way Dorcas is. Sweet, kind and generous. She may have always been that way, but much of it came from being a disciple of Jesus. Jesus was just that—kind, generous and thoughtful. It’s hard not becoming that way when you spend time reading the Gospels. The goodness of Jesus tends to rub off the pages and into our lives. Folks that are bitter and sour in spirit simply do not know Jesus. Some are so engaged in fighting that they run out of real battles and start fighting imaginary ones—with anyone.  Often it’s family members, or church members, but after awhile it’s with just about anyone that will give them an ear. How sad. When they are gone, what will they be remembered for? Causing heartache and pain in the lives of other?

  I like Dorcas. I want to be like her. I want to share with others and try to make a difference in their lives. I want to abound in kindness. Maybe these Jump Starts are my tunics, I don’t know. I expect you have some tunics that you could share with others.

  Abound in kindness…that has a neat expression. The world would be a better place if everyone abounded in kindness—it starts with us. It starts with me. It starts with my tunics.  It starts today.

  Roger