Jump Start # 3204

Luke 14:28 “For which one of you when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?”

In our verse today, Jesus is revealing that there is a cost to discipleship. Salvation may be free, but staying with Jesus comes with a cost. And, in our verse Jesus uses the illustration of building a tower. Most of us have not built towers, but we have purchased cars, built homes and did some major remodeling and updating. We’ve done that in our home. We’ve gone through four different phases of renovations. A neighbor, who happens to be a top notch custom home builder, is our go to person for all the work we want done. I don’t have the time, the tools or the know how. I can write checks and he does the work for me. And, what folks say is generally true, it takes longer than you expected and often it costs more than you planned. With our neighbor the price is always upfront before he begins. It is at that point that I hit the calculator and do some figuring. Can we afford it? Do we need to trim down some of the plans? Or, does it fit in the budget and do we give our guy a green light?

Calculating…do you have enough? Can you complete the job? In Jesus’ illustration, the failure to count the cost results in an unfinished tower which becomes a point of ridicule from those who see it. He started, but he never finished.

From this we must ask ourselves, just how hard are we trying? Paul described Epaphras as one who is always wrestling in prayer for you (Col 4:12). That’s intense. Hebrews makes the statement, “You have not resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin” (4:12). How hard are we fighting sin?

Our times doesn’t do well with effort. I saw a sign at a fast food place that was looking to hire help. The sign said, “Paid daily.” Daily. You can’t two weeks to get paid? You can’t wait one week? Work one day and get paid that day. What a nightmare in paper work that must be for the owner of that place.

How hard are you trying? Wrestling? To the point of shedding blood?  Consider:

First, how hard are you trying to attend the worship services each week? Since Covid, many find it easier and easier to skip. Do you allow little things to keep you away from worshipping the God that loves you? You have to put forth some effort and you have to want to. The lazy bones can keep one at home. Not seeing the value of worship and fellowship can keep one at home. If all one thinks about is self, what do I get out of it, what’s in it for me, they are likely to stay home. But when the attention is placed upon the Lord and one understands the great joy of seeing other Christians, then he will push himself to get down to the church building. We must ask, “How hard are you trying?”

Second, how hard are you trying to make a good marriage? Are you forgiving as God has forgiven you? Do you complain a lot? Do you allow things to irritate you? Are you doing those special little things that you did when you were dating? How hard are you trying? Satan would love for you to turn against each other. Satan would love for you to throw in the towel on your marriage. But you know better. God wants better from you. Some days it’s easy to be married. Other days it’s not so easy. Attitudes clash. Opinions differ. Stay home or go out. Buy things or save. Grace, love and forgiveness make all the difference. How hard are you trying?

Third, how hard are you trying to live like Jesus? God wants us to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). Are you letting your light shine? Are you practicing the golden rule? Are you thoughtful and thankful? Are you kind and generous? Is everything always about you? Do you take on the spirit of those around you? Do you find yourself becoming negative like those around you? How hard are you trying?

And, when we stop and really think about it, we’ve done some hard things before. Some worked all day and went to school at night so they could finish a college degree. Some picked up a second job to pay off some debt. We’ve managed babies, aging parents, less than pleasant jobs, family reunions and holiday get togethers that were stressful, and tight budgets. Some have served overseas in the military. Some have worked twelve hour shifts that were more than twelve hours. Some have worked more than sixty hours a week. Some have stayed awake all night in the hospital, watching a loved one as life was slipping away. We understand putting in the extra effort. We know hard work. We understand what it means to bust it. We’ve done those things because it was the right thing to do. We’ve done those things because there was a goal before us. We’ve done those things because we had to and we needed to.

Shouldn’t it be the same for the most important things—worshipping God, building a great marriage and walking with the Lord? Maybe it’s not that we can’t do it, maybe there is a problem with do we want to? We’ve shown that we can do hard things. Maybe we don’t see the value and the upside to what the Lord expects of us.

How hard are you trying? Do you think you could turn it up a notch or two? Would you do that for Jesus?

Roger

Jump Start # 1737

Luke 14:28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”

  I watched an interview about Don Henley recently. Henley and Glen Frey were the heart and engine of the famed rock group “The Eagles.” The Eagles were superstars. They produced many number one hits. Frey died suddenly in January this year, which ended the Eagles. Henley publically stated that the Eagles are finished. In this interview, Henley was discussing one of their greatest hits, “Hotel California.” The song was describing the dark side of fame and popularity. Fans only see the glamor. Wouldn’t it be neat, we think, to be so rich and famous. The mansions, the limos, the autograph seekers, the private jets—it all seems so glamorous. Henley admitted that there is a price to pay for all of that. That price is hard and it comes with a dark side that many do not see.

What Henley confessed is true to most public and famous people. The actor, the athlete, the author, the politician—they all have had to pay a price to reach the level that they are at. The public sees only the status and fame, but for the famous, they know that there has been a cost. Often, it’s their marriages and family that have suffered. For the world class athlete, it has been years of grueling workouts, playing with pain and for most of them, surgeries to repair broken bones and torn tendons. There is a price that they paid to reach the level that they are at.

Paying the price is a Biblical concept. One of the words for salvation, “redemption,” literally means, bought with a price. Our salvation came with a cost. Jesus upon the cross is what it took to pay what we owed. His blood for our sins. The Corinthians were told, “You are not your own, you were bought with a price.”

Our verse today, reminds us of another price to be paid. It’s paid by us. There is a cost to be a successful Christian. In a series about discipleship, Luke records Jesus using the illustration of a man in construction. This man wants to build a tower. For us, it’s a house or it’s an addition to our house. We watch shows about home improvements and we get the bug to fix up our place. Let’s redo the kitchen or let’s add on to the back of the house. Wouldn’t it be great, we think. So, a builder is contacted. An appointment is made. We tell him our dream and what we would like done. Even before a blueprint is drawn up, rough estimates are discussed. It is right here that our dream either ends, becomes a nightmare or is possible. We must sit down and calculate. Most times, it involves going to the bank and discussing a loan. How much is this going to cost and how long will it take for us to pay this off? It is right here that we find out whether or not this construction dream becomes a reality. Count the cost. Jesus’ point is that there is a cost to be paid to be a disciple of Jesus. We’ve always been told that salvation is free. That’s not technically true. It costs Jesus His life. There is a cost on our part as well. I think the “free” part came into theology to counter the idea that we earn our salvation. God doesn’t owe us salvation. God doesn’t have to forgive us. His choice.

There is a price to being a strong, healthy and growing Christian. Have you ever given that much thought? The reason some never reach that level is because they don’t want to pay that price. It’s like seeing the athlete, we see the trophies, the rings and we’d love to have that, but it’s those long, long hours of work that we don’t want to put in. In hot August, we want to be inside with the air conditioner, not wearing a helmet and running on the football field. When it’s a cold, icy rain, we want to be in safe and warm, not on the field playing a game. We want the success, but we don’t want to pay the price. We want to be superstars, but we don’t want to pay our dues. This is the very reason why some only put their big toe into Christianity. They want to be around it and enjoy the benefits of it, but they don’t want all the work, hardships nor pay the price that comes with being a success spiritually.

• There is a commitment of time involved with being a successful Christian. To be strong, you must worship with God’s people. And, it’s not now and then, or, I’ll be there if I don’t have anything else going on. Sacrifices. Just as a family has to budget if they want to add on to the house, the athlete has to go to practices, the Christian is expected to be at worship. Our causal world has not only introduced causal dress, but it has allowed a casualness in attitude about what is expected. Some come for a week or two and then they are not seen for a month. Can you imagine trying to finish college with that track record. You show up for class, then you skip two or three weeks, back now and then, and gone most times. The outcome is obvious. That person will flunk. Imagine trying to hold a job with that track record. Within a month, that person would be looking for another job. The successful Christian worships. He will make sacrifices to accomplish that. There will be days that he is tried and wants to stay home. He will get out to the church house because that’s the right thing to do. There are nights when it is so dark and the weather is not nice, but he will still get there, because he knows it is important for his soul and the spirit of others. There are times when other things are going on. There is a show, a game, a family gathering, a concert that pulls for him to skip. Part of him says, “It’s only one service, you can skip.” But then, part of him reminds himself that there is a cost. Jesus paid it. Did Jesus feel like going to the cross? His example, the need to be encouraged, seeing the big picture, helps him make the right decision.

• There is a price to be paid to live the moral standards that God expects. Be holy is what Peter told the disciples. It’s that “Be” that means become. One can do holy things, but it’s the becoming that changes us. This price means that the disciple of Jesus will not wear things that are immodest, even if it’s a wedding. It means he may not go to the movies that everyone is talking about, because it doesn’t fit with being holy. It means some Christmas parties will not be attended, because the atmosphere is not good for a Christian. There is a price. Some want to be that person who lives like a sinner and dies like a saint. They are so confused. They are most miserable, because they haven’t made up their minds who they serve nor are they willing to pay the price to be successful spiritually.

• There is a price to be paid to know God’s will. Your preacher seems to know the Bible so well. He seems like a machine. Ask him where a certain verse is, and he’ll tell you. He whips off information and facts that amazes you. How does he know all this stuff? He seems so confident. He seems to have all the answers. How does he do it? He has paid a price. He has stuck his nose in books, especially the Bible for years and years. He studies. He thinks. He learns. He’s put in hours and hours. You can be the same, but you have to turn the TV off now and then. You have to read. There is no short cut. There is no easy way. There is a price to having great knowledge, faith and confidence in the Lord. Some will pay it, others won’t.

I have two offices. One at home, and one at the church building. My home office is decorated with an antique typewriter and phone and a lot of sports memorabilia. I have one photo in both offices. It inspires me. It’s a black and white photo of Babe Ruth hugging Lou Gehrig. Both men are smiling big. The photo was taken after Gehrig’s famous farewell speech in which he said, “I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Ruth and Gehrig had a falling out, but here, the old teammates were united in a joyous hug. Babe reminds me to hit it out of the park. Give it your all.  Gehrig reminds me of playing consistently, even when hurt. Both men paid a cost to be who they were. So must I and so must you.

You can become a person of enormous influence and great help in your congregation. You can’t do that overnight. There is a price to pay to be that person. But what good you will do if you are willing. There is a price that preachers must pay. There is a price that shepherds must pay. If you are going to be good and make a difference, you must pay that price.

It’s time for many of us to get off the sidelines of life and get into the game that God wants us to play. It’s time we started making a difference in our homes, marriages, and congregations. The world needs to see your light shinning. There are people that need you. There are classes to be taught, articles to be written, people to be visited—but all of this comes with a cost. Who will pay it? Will you?

Roger

Jump Start # 1559

Luke 14:28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?”

This week we are looking at the subject of planning, particularly, spiritual planning. Our verse today, comes from the theme of discipleship. Counting the cost, is what Jesus is driving at. Calculate the cost. Figure out how much you can afford. Financial terms and words that express the idea of planning are used here. We understand this concept in other areas.

Car shopping involves looking at different kinds of cars, colors, options, sitting in the driver’s seat, taking in the smell, touching buttons and being amazed. Before long a person looks at the sticker on the side of the car window. That ends it for many people right there. It’s too expensive. I can’t afford that. Calculate the cost before you sit down and sign papers.

In the story Jesus tells, a builder is constructing a tower. Without careful planning, he’ll run out of money and the tower will stand unfinished. Unable to finish, he becomes the source of jokes, ridicule and embarrassment. A foundation was laid, but no tower was ever built. He ran out of money. He failed to calculate. He did not finish what was started. Before he ever turned over dirt, he should have planned. His failure to plan lead to a failure to build. Planning. Thinking things out. Looking at the current situation and then looking to the future to improve things is what he should have done.

Throughout our lives there are all kinds of planning stages. Before the baby is born, a young couple will pick out names, fix a room up and make plans for the new baby. Before we purchase a car, a house or even take a vacation, the wise person will plan things out. These plans include counting costs and finding the best deals. These plans involve looking at calendars and schedules. These plans are put on paper. They are thought about and thought about. Often the plans are scratched out and new plans are drawn up. It is amazing that we can put so much planning in picking out a college for our kids, buying a house for ourselves or even purchasing a car, but give so little thought to things spiritually. How rare is it that anyone asks, “Where does this congregation plan to be in five years?” Like an old river, too many just keep rolling along like they always have. A funeral here and a funeral there and the numbers dip down. No one speaks about what everyone sees, “We are decreasing, not increasing.” No one thinks about what needs to be done to turn the tide. No one seems concerned about the future. And so, the church continues doing what it has in past decades. Dusty tracts line the wall and no one thinks that these haven’t been touched in years. The same class format is used over and over and no one tries a new method. Every spring and every fall a series of lessons are presented by a visiting preacher. That brings a bit of hope and excitement, but it quickly goes away about as fast as it came. No one follows up with further teaching. No one suggests a different format for those lessons. No one is even sure what the purpose of those special meetings are. No thought is given to who will replace the current shepherds. Everything moves along slowly until one of the men dies. Then there is a swarm of activity to find his replacement. No thought was ever given to this before. Someone reluctantly agrees to serve and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Things return to the lifeless normal. Nothing more is ever said about leaders again until the next one dies.  Without realizing it the church slowly dies right before their eyes. Folks wonder what happened. It used to be big but now it’s not. Some claim that all the young people moved away. Others say, “it’s just the times. No one is interested these days.” Still, nothing changes. No plans. No direction. No future. Smaller and smaller the church becomes. More and more discouraged are the members. This is the scene in many, many congregations today. I know. I’ve been with them. I’ve asked them questions of which they have never thought about before and which they don’t know how to answer. Questions such as, “How are you going to turn this around?” “What are your plans in ten years?” Sometimes, a few will give safe, guarded answers, such as, “We want to be as big as we can be.” Really? How are you going to do that? What you are doing now doesn’t seem to be working. Is it time to get back to the drawing board and think of other things? How about a class during the week?  How about a class in the homes? How about a specific meeting to address the specific things that they are facing? Are you kidding? Think these thoughts? That would involve plans, changes and a roadmap to get from point A to point B. No. Instead, they will just keep doing what they are doing!

Sit down and calculate. If Jesus wants us to do this in discipleship, don’t you think that He’d expect us to do the same in leading His people. Calculate what it’s going to take to get these folks stronger. Calculate what it takes to spread the word in the community. Calculate how to get more elders. Calculate. Count. Figure out. Get together and do some talking, thinking and praying.

Maybe it’s time to have a planning meeting. Maybe it’s time to think about what teaching we are putting folks through. Maybe it’s time to think about developing leaders. Planning. Thinking things out. Making adjustments to meet goals. This is what shepherds need to be doing. In the great Psalms, the shepherd led him to green pastures. How did he know where the green pastures were? Why was he leading him through the dark valleys of the shadow of death? He was going some where. Often, in the spring the grass is eaten in the lowlands and the shepherds would move flocks to the higher, cooler pastures in the summer. To get there they had to travel through those dark canyons. He was on a destination. He was going somewhere. He had a plan. Do you see that? Shepherds need a plan to get their people to Heaven. What is it?

Calculate the cost. Figure out how much that tower is going to cost before it is built. Leadership involves not just those things in the present but also looking into the future. Where are we going and how are we getting there. Too many places are stuck on auto-pilot. It’s time to turn it off, put your hands on the wheel and map out a course that will accomplish what needs to be done.

What’s it going to cost? The wise builder knows that before he starts building.

Roger

Jump Start # 1558

Luke 14:28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”

This week we begin a series looking at making plans. All through life we map out and plan certain paths to take. The high school student who wants to go to college will take certain classes that will make that possible. We have a plan for retirement. We sit with the HR people at work or a financial planner and they show us a roadmap that we need to follow to be able to retire. The guy who lives pay check to pay check and never gives that any thought will wake up one day, too old to work and in a world of mess financially. He didn’t plan. The current vogue today is to map out a health plan. Certain insurance companies will have you filling out questions, seeing the doctor and doing things to keep you healthy. Following those plans ought to help one to better health.

However, isn’t it amazing that so few have a spiritual plan. The most important aspect of our lives and we don’t have much of a plan. They just haven’t given that much thought. They attend worship services, study whatever the church is offering in Bible classes and just move along that direction. Not much thought is put into a spiritual road map.

Even more amazing is it to find out how few congregations have plans beyond the current year. They schedule a couple of Gospel meetings, decide what classes will be taught and that’s about it. Some will go so far as scheduling Gospel meetings three or four years out and that makes them believe that they have really planned things out. But have they? Why is it, for instance, that they are currently teaching the book of Mark? Is it because last quarter they taught Matthew? Is that the only thought that was put into that? Is that what the congregation really needs? Who will be the next deacons? Who will replace the current elders when they no longer serve? Who will fill the pulpit in ten years? What will the congregation look like in ten years? How will that look affect things financially? How will it affect what the church wants to do?

If we ran our personal lives like many plan things in the church, we’d be a mess. Forward thinking…looking out ten, twenty years tells a congregation what adjustments need to be made today. Just doing the same things over and over often doesn’t meet excellence nor does it meet the demands and the needs of the congregation. What worked in the 1970’s may not be the best model today. Even having a discussion like this is extremely rare in most places.

So, we hope the next few Jump Starts will open the door and begin conversations about the future. We hope that adjustments will be made and careful thought will begin taking place as to why we are doing what we are doing.

Our verse today is about planning. This is found in a series of examples about discipleship. Jesus was teaching hard about being His disciple. The core definition of a disciple is a follower or a pupil or student. But it’s more than that. The concept is mentoring. There was a time, long ago, when parents would send their sons off to learn a trade. They didn’t send them to a school, but to a craftsman. The young man would live and watch and work with that craftsman for a while, often more than a year. When he was finished, he had learned a trade in which he could make a living and support a family. In time, a person could know who the mentor was because of a specific style that he had learned. Artists, musicians, craftsmen all had a unique style or signature to their craft. That was learned and passed on to their disciples.

We are disciples of Jesus. We learn from Jesus. After a while, there is a certain mark or style that people can notice. We are the light of the world, as Jesus was. This was discipleship.

The concept of discipleship was dedication. This is the thought that Jesus was driving at in Luke’s gospel. Here Jesus outlines the principles of discipleship:

• Jesus must come first (Lk 14:26). Even before family, Jesus must come first.
• There is a sacrifice each must pay (Lk 14:27). You must carry your own cross.
• There is a calculation that must be thought out first. (Lk 14:28-32). Plans are made in advance of building or going to war.
• Surrendering self must take place (Lk 14:33). You must be willing to give up your possessions.

Multiple times in this passage Jesus says, “You cannot be My disciple.” If you do not hate father and mother, you cannot be my disciple. If you do not carry your own cross, you cannot be my disciple. If you do not give up your possessions, you cannot be my disciple. Three times Jesus says this.

Most find this very strange. You’d think that Jesus would open wide the doors of His kingdom and call for anyone and everyone to come in. You’d think Jesus was “pre-qualifying” people. You almost get the impression that Jesus didn’t want certain ones. The truth be told, that’s it exactly. For Jesus to be Lord, He must be the Lord of our hearts. Jesus will not be the co-pilot. He must be the pilot. Any of these things would be enough for some to simply stop walking with Jesus. Family pressures…too many sacrifices…too much involved…putting self and stuff before the kingdom—we see that today. It makes folks weak and not committed. Family demands and you’ll find some putting Jesus on the back burner. Worship is trumped by family. Inability to make sacrifices leads one to sacrificing our commitment to Christ. Jesus is the one that is sacrificed, certainly not our ballgames, our days off or our time. This second rate commitment would make these less than harder believers fold up their tents and go home when things go tough. What would they do when family turned against them because of their faith? What would they do when people would hunt them down because of their faith? What would they do when they were unable to buy food at the market place because of their faith? What would they do if they lost their jobs because of their faith? These not so committed folks, would cave it. They would sell out. They would easily trade in what they believed to get along with the world. They’d be AWOL. They’d quit. Jesus was doing them all a favor by saying, “I don’t want you, if that’s the way you are going to be.” All in or not at all. 100% and nothing less. Serious and not playing around. Discipleship. This is what Jesus is driving at.

Next time, we’ll look into the example of building towers.

Committed to Jesus. Are you? How serious are you? Do you let the easiest thing get you off your path? In the great commission Jesus told the apostles to go into all the world and make disciples. I wonder if our hast to baptize folks, we’ve forgotten discipleship. The result is congregations filled with lukewarm, half committed, not very serious Christians who sit on the sidelines of life and must be begged to come and worship the God that saved them. Really? If this was a marriage, we’d kick the guy in the pants and say, “You said, ‘I do.’ So, start I doing.” Maybe it’s time we told folks to get on board, or to just stay at the dock and wave goodbye. Maybe we are so interested in full church buildings that discipleship doesn’t seem that important to us. To illustrate this, the number one question I am always asked when I travel to new places, always, without failure, is: “How large is your congregation back home?” Why do we ask that? If I said, “Five,” folks would say, “Oh, my,” as if they were sorry. If I say, “About 400,” the response is “WOW.” No one asks, “How strong are you?” “How faithful are you?” “How many disciples do you have?” No, it’s all about size. The big church mentality has reached even us. Bigger is better. Really? Maybe stronger is better. Maybe stronger and more faithful ought to be the direction of our questions.

Disciples of Jesus. It’s not the same as just going to church.

Roger