11

Jump Start # 4030

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Luke 6:40 “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

  One of the core principles of discipleship is becoming like your teacher. Being like Jesus is a consistent theme sounded forth through the pages of the N.T. Be conformed to His image, the Romans were taught. In Corinthians it is be imitators of me as I am of Christ. In Galatians, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. In John’s first letter, he who abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. At the washing of feet, Jesus said, “I gave you an example that you should also do as I did.”

  Many of our hymns reflect this concept: O to be like Thee blessed Redeemer, this is my constant longing and prayer; Christ liveth in me; Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

  Following Jesus. Staying with Jesus. Becoming like Jesus. Not running ahead of Jesus. Not going your own unique way. Not redefining what faith means to you. Not blazing new trails or boldly going where no man has gone before. No, the theme of the N.T. is become like Jesus. At Antioch, the disciples were first called “Christians,” or “little-Christs” because they molded themselves after the Lord.

  But all these generations later, so removed from the times and region, is it possible for you and I to be like Jesus? Is that just a pipedream? Our fast paced, social media filled days, and high tech culture seems to have outgrown the need to be like Jesus.

  What does becoming like Jesus involve? It’s more than going to church on Sunday morning. That’s the extent of how many these days define it. Yet, on a Monday, it’s in the trenches of dog eat dog world. On Friday nights, it’s partying with friends. Catch a hour of church on Sunday and most think they’re good, they’ve got it.

  The process of being like Jesus begins with an internal choice you make. You have to want to be like Jesus. There is an attraction to Jesus that you want in your life. You see something that appeals to you. Jesus was sure. Jesus was calm. Jesus was passionate. Jesus was spiritual. Jesus was focused. Jesus was compassionate. Jesus made a difference. In a selfish, “I don’t care about you,” times that we live in, what we see in Jesus is not only refreshing and missing, it’s something that we long for. Peace in an chaotic world. Confidence in a world that is doubtful and confused. Doing what is right, regardless.

  The process begins internally. You want what you see in Jesus. More than that, the N.T. shows you that you can be like that. I may want to hit a baseball like the Dodger great Ohtani, but I can’t. Just wanting doesn’t mean that you can. The Bible says you can be like Jesus. But, it’s the daily choices that will make that a reality or just a dream. Diligence is hard. It’s hard in saving money. It’s hard in eating right and exercising. It is hard in putting off the simple, superficial, feel good choices over what is spiritually best.

  Second, the process is not something that you turn on and turn off. You are like Jesus or you are not. You are like Jesus on Sunday, as well as Monday. You are like Jesus by yourself as you are in a crowd. You are like Jesus. This is who you are. This becomes your Spiritual DNA.

  How do I make these right choices? How do I become like Jesus? How do I think like Jesus?

 First, it begins with having an open heart that examines and accepts the Jesus that the Gospels present to us. Don’t recreate Jesus. Don’t restructure Jesus to fit what you think He should be. Let the Gospels introduce you to Jesus. See Him through the eyes of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Let the Holy Spirit define Jesus. That’ the starting point. That’s where you begin. Jesus in Samaria. Jesus with the hurting. Jesus leading His disciples. Jesus dealing with opposition. Jesus focused upon His Father.

  Second, develop the faith that will lead you to changing your heart. That faith will catch you from saying things that you probably shouldn’t say. It will keep you from talking so much about yourself and listening to others. It will invite the Lord into daily conversations. Your eyes will see things that you have never noticed before. Kindness and tenderness become welcome within your heart.

  Third, step by step, gradually, you’ll realize how much clutter has filled your heart. You will recognize more and more that the world is moving the wrong direction from the Lord. Like cleaning out a closet, you’ll start tossing attitudes, ideas,  and habits that you’ve held on to for a long, long time and now finding out that they are not healthy, spiritual or welcome in the heart of a disciple.

  And, just like that, you’ll begin to become more and more like Jesus.

  Is it possible? Absolutely! You’ll be so glad that you started this journey.

  Roger

10

Jump Start # 4029

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4029

 

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

 

Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. It’s not the church, but it’s things all around our church building. The area is booming with change and development. Butting up to our church property is a field. For decades that field alternated between corn and beans every year. The field was sold. On one end is a new coffee shop. Right next to our building, a grocery store is being constructed. Across the street from that was once a strip mall that was mostly empty. That has been leveled and a gas station is going in. Then there are orange cones up and down the street because of road construction. It has been messy around here.

 

Just this morning, as I was pulling into the church parking lot, a large orange sign, placed right by our entrance, read “BLASTING ZONE.” Out in the country, not far from here are quarries where blasting is common. We don’t see these signs in town and never next to our church building.

 

But, I thought, how fitting and what great advertisement for us. We are in a Blasting Zone.

 

  • With the power of the Gospel, we are blasting sin out of our hearts, minds and lives. We need to live for Jesus. The culture of the day tells us to tolerate wrong. The Bible concept is to repent and flee from sin. Blast it out.

 

  • We are blasting away excuses that keep us from being the disciples that the Lord wants. It is so easy to limp along, only putting our big toe into the pool of faith, pretending to be Christians, while never making a difference in anyone else’s life and especially not our own. Blast away those lame excuses that keep us on the sidelines of the kingdom.

 

Hebrews 13:23 says, “Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released…” Released from what? From prison. Timothy’s out. Take notice. Look out, Timothy’s out. Look out, Satan, Timothy’s out. Look out trouble, Timothy’s out. Look out deceivers and false teachers, Timothy’s out. He’s going to be back in the game. He’s back at the front lines. There’s a force coming, and it’s Timothy.

 

  • We are blasting away confusion, fear, worry and doubt. And, the way that is done is by preaching the word of God. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds that tomorrow. We know who will be on the throne tomorrow. The darkness of troubles can lead to fear. Do not be uninformed is what the apostle said many times. Blast away those questions of doubt. Blast away the troubles that fill our hearts. Set your course on what is sure and absolute.

 

  • We are blasting away the thoughts that we cannot please the Lord. Beaten down by the world, discouraged by Satan, many are convinced that we are a pitiful people who are not going to make it. The victory, the Corinthians were told, is in the Lord. We are the army of Christ. With the armor that God has given us, we can extinguish everything that Satan throws at us. We are not puny. We are not weak. We are not defeated. We are not barely getting by. We are marching to Zion. Our banners are held high in the air so all can see.

 

Well done, is what the master said to the five talent man. Well done. Pleased with you. Good job. Way to go. The world makes a lot of noise, but there is no substance. It barks, but there is no bite. I will fear no evil, because Thou art with me.

 

Things change when dynamite blasts. Rocks move. The earth opens up. It’s necessary to blast to get through some tough rocks. Things that seem impossible to move, can be moved, once they are blasted.

 

Our verse gives us the word “power,” from which the word dynamite comes from. The Gospel is God’s dynamite. It will move what seems impossible to move. It will open up what we thought could never be opened. A hard heart. A stubborn attitude. A prideful spirit. Ignorance. Error. Put God’s dynamite to it, and they all can be smashed to pieces.

 

Blasting Zone—wish I could get that sign and put it inside our building. We are in the blasting and building business. Before some building gets done, some blasting is often necessary.

 

Roger

 

09

Jump Start # 4028

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4028

 

Revelation 3:16 “So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

 

As many of our Jump Start readers know, I will be retiring from local work this summer and we will be moving to the north side of Indianapolis. We have purchased a house and my wife has begun a nursing job up there. We travel back and forth on weekends, taking loads of stuff from this house to that house. During the week, she’s up there and I’m down here. And, that leads to me having to do some cooking, which I’m not good at. My wife is an unbelievably great cook. Very comfortable in the kitchen and knows here way around things. For me, I have a hard time finding the right lids to fit on things.

 

One of the things I’ve discovered in the world of cooking is “lukewarm.” I know cold. I know hot. Lukewarm  is an interesting concept. And, to get things lukewarm, you don’t have to do anything to them. You don’t need a microwave to get things lukewarm. No fridge. No oven. Lukewarm happens naturally and without any effort. It’s kinda funny how, if you leave a can of Coke on the counter overnight and a piece of pizza, one would say that the pizza is cold and the Coke is warm, even though they are the same temperature. What happened is that they both became lukewarm. Lukewarm Coke and lukewarm pizza just doesn’t sit well with me.

 

Looking at “lukewarm” from a spiritual standpoint, how did Laodicea get that way? Just like the Coke and pizza left out on a counter, a church, a family, a Christian becomes lukewarm when he becomes the temperature around him. Doing nothing will lead to becoming lukewarm. It takes energy and effort to generate heat and passion.

 

So here are some thoughts:

 

First, the state of lukewarmness is the result of my spiritual inactivity. Get a bunch of us like that and the church becomes lukewarm. Just enough life to keep us from being dead, but not enough life to make any difference in our homes or hearts.

 

Most don’t set out to be lukewarm. I’ve never heard someone coming out of the baptistery hoping that he could be lukewarm one day. What happens is that life happens. We get busy with the here and the now, that we forget about the above. So busy today, that I’ll double up on my Bible reading tomorrow. Then something happens tomorrow. Too many things to do to go help someone. Just don’t have the time to sit down and hear someone’s story. Full schedules. Squeezing as much as I can into the day. Failure to feed my faith, and just like that, my heart starts to cool down. Skip a service or two, nothing much, but my heart cools a little more. Now, I have not fully given up on Jesus. I haven’t thrown out my faith. But, without realizing it, I have just become lukewarm.

 

The counter to this is obvious. Put that Coke in the fridge and the pizza in the oven. Change the temps on those things. And, the same works for us spiritually. Get to all the services. Go out to eat with some brethren. Invite some over for a Bible study. Get teaching Bible classes.

 

Second, lukewarmness will lead to spiritual death if nothing changes. Most don’t stay lukewarm. Either they fire things up or what little they had left becomes deathly cold. Leave the Coke sitting out at my house over night and I’ll probably pour it down the sink. Chapter three of Revelation begins with Sardis, the dead church. A church doesn’t die instantly. It’s a slow, gradual process that passes through the state of lukewarmness. And, what often happens is that no one notices, no one cares and things get worse and worse.

 

The way out of that condition is to care. I care about my soul. I care about my family. I care about my congregation. These are my people. I want them all to spend forever with our Heavenly Father. I can’t wait for the preacher to turn on the heat. He may be lukewarm as well. I can’t wait for someone else to do this.

 

The hired hand in John 10 ran when the wolf came. He didn’t care about the sheep. He didn’t care. The key to breaking the lukewarm cycle is to have a heart that cares.

 

Third, lukewarm doesn’t have to be a permanent condition. Even to the Laodiceans, the Lord begged them to repent. There was time. There was hope still . You can change the situation. The Lord won’t do it without you. Not happy with the way things are, try to change them. Strike the match and generate some warmth.

 

Lukewarm…not a good place to be in food or in our hearts.

 

Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 4027

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4027

 

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

 

I’ve been preaching about preaching lately. We are moving to a transition period where I will be moving on and the church here will be finding a preacher to continue on the wonderful work that is being done. We preachers don’t talk much about preaching, and I think one of the reasons is because of the limited application and the feeling that we are bragging, begging or looking for sympathy. And, because of that, many simply do not understand the work, the role or the relationship with a preacher. At work, we can negotiate terms, hammer out an agreement, offer counter proposals to income and benefits. Preachers don’t do that. It comes across as if they are preaching for money. So, whatever the church offers, is what the preacher gets. No discussion. No questions.

 

My generation of preachers are in their sixties and seventies. We are running out of time. It won’t be long and it will be time for our work to end. Younger men will fill our shoes. And, this brings us to our verse today about Timothy. Paul’s words are: “Let no one look down on your youthfulness.” And, those words need to be considered today and taken to heart.

 

Looking down, despising amounts to thinking what can that kid teach me? I was married and had kids before he was even born. He thinks he can teach me? Really? I’ve been a Christian longer than he has been alive. And, those thoughts are very much alive and well today. Young, powerful preachers are pouring out their hearts to some who will not change, will not move, and will not give up their prideful, stubborn attitudes. It’s not much different than what young John the baptist or our Lord, who were in their 30’s experienced.

 

Here are some thoughts for us:

 

First, Timothy was not to get into an argument or shouting match with those who were discounting him because of his age. Rather, he was to show them. Show them what faithfulness looks like. Show them what purity is. Show them knowledge, strength, passion and commitment to the Lord. Young preachers miss this when they act immature and demand respect. Respect and trust is earned. It’s earned by doing your job and doing it very well. Work hard. Go out of your way. Be the best that you can be. Don’t settle for shortcuts.

 

I started preaching before I was married. When I preached about marriage, someone would say, “That’ll change once your married.” I preached about parenting before I had kids. “What until you have children,” I was told. One day, feeling a bit tired of that, I said, “I’ve never been to Hell, but I can preach about it.” The power is in the word of God not the age of the preacher or even his experiences. It’s God that is teaching us. The preacher is the voice.

 

Second, we who are older must get over this age thing. I’ve been to doctors who look like they ought to be in high school. Do I listen to them? I do if I want to be healthy. Thinking you know it all, have heard it all, will take to you some very wrong places. It will convince you that you don’t have to come and listen to a young man like Timothy. What can he possibly teach me? If you know so much, why are you not preaching? The aged Paul, sitting in a Roman prison, asked Timothy to bring his books. He wasn’t done studying. If you can’t learn from a young person, it’s likely that you can’t learn from a middle aged person, and it’s very likely that you can’t learn from God Himself. Such pride will ruin your soul.

 

So, shepherds in the church, who are called “elders,” can and ought to learn from a preacher who is one or two generations younger than they are. They can learn. They can learn if they will. They can learn if they want to.

 

Third, it is amazing all the places Paul sent young Timothy. Thessalonica. Philippi. Corinth. Ephesus. And, he was calling him to come to Rome. Paul said of Timothy, “I have no one of kindred spirit” like Timothy. Young but dependable. Young but trustworthy. Young but knowledgeable.

 

Give the young preacher a chance. He’ll fumble here and there, because he’s still learning. Help him. Encourage him. Be his greatest fan and in turn, he can become one of your greatest friends. Together you work in the kingdom. Together you’ll grow stronger in the Lord.

 

It will be that young preacher that will likely preach your funeral one day. Get to know him. Paul sure liked Timothy.

 

Do not look down upon his youthfulness. And, the opposite also is true. Don’t discount someone because they are old. We need each other and together we can build strong congregations in the Lord.

 

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 4026

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4026

 

Psalms 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

 

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

 

Blessed

  Craig Wilson is a columnist for USA Today newspaper. As an act of kindness, he often takes his neighbor’s cars to be inspected. In Washington, D.C. the inspection station is across town and in a bad area. Wilson recently wrote about getting his neighbor’s car inspected.

 

“So there I was the other morning, waiting in line—Lane 4, to be exact—reading the paper when I was finally told to pull up to the garage entrance. A man about my age waved me closer, then opened my door. It was 6:55 A.M.”

 

“’How are you doing this morning?’ he asked. ‘Fine,” I said, a bit startled at his perkiness. ‘And you?’

 

“’Blessed,’ he said. ‘Blessed.’”

 

“I walked into the inspection station and down the long glass hallway where residents can view their cars going through the paces. He said ‘blessed,’  I thought to myself. ‘Blessed.’”

 

“There he was dealing with more than likely unhappy people, standing outside on a steamy July morning and he felt blessed. I can’t get the man out of my mind.”

 

Wilson added, “Why does it seem the people who appear to have the worst jobs often seem to be the happiest? I’m talking about the woman here at the newspaper office whose job it is to clean the bathrooms. She’s the happiest woman in the building. Always smiling. Always says hello. She just had an operation and is now back. Happy as ever.”

 

“The men who painted my house this summer were happy. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but they were in the hot sun, singing away. Lunch under a tree out front was even a festive affair; constant laughter floating up to my window.”

 

“And why is it the people with the most seem the most unhappy? Earlier this summer, a senator’s wife got into a altercation with another shopper at a local garden center. If I remember correctly, it was over mulch and the loading of the said mulch into the trunk of the car. Someone was being blocked, and I think the senator’s wife was doing the blocking.  In the end, chargers were filed, lawyers were called, people went to court, ‘no comments’ were issued. The judge should have just ordered them to get their cars inspected. Lane 4.”

 

We need to stop and remind ourselves that we are blessed people.

 

We are blessed to live in this nation. Even with all the problems we have, this country is far ahead of all other nations. The possibilities for education, health care, and advancement are superb in our nation. People still travel in small and unsafe boats just to get into our country. They leave homes and families and hopelessness and depression to simply have a chance in this nation. In this country young men and women can still dream big dreams. We are blessed.

 

We are blessed to live in these times. It is remarkable what takes place every day in this country. Surgeons remove veins from a person’s leg and graft them into the heart. It wasn’t too many years ago that the dreaded word ‘cancer’ meant a death sentence. It is not that way for many people today. The world has become more accessible because of mass communication. It is amazing what can be done with computers. Volumes of books that were not only very expensive to purchase but also difficult to find shelf space to hold them can now be put on a thumb drive that fits in a pocket. There are so many good reference tools available today. The information highway is crowded with useful items that were not available a few years ago. We live in comfort. We have so many choices from the food we eat, to the automobiles we ride in, to the neighborhoods we live in. These are good times. We are blessed.

 

  We are blessed to be Christians. God treats us better than we deserve. We have Christ as our Savior, Heaven as our home, and wonderful brethren spread throughout this world. God’s word is reliable which makes the way certain and clear. Because of christ, we know what the future will be. We understand our purpose. It’s great being a Christian. We are blessed.

 

Shouldn’t we all walk though life feeling ‘blessed?’ It is easy to be negative and complain. Everyone gripes about the weather, their jobs and the price of things. How refreshing it is to be someone who recognizes that he is ‘blessed.’ Count your many blessings, we sing and name them one by one.

 

It is the blessed heart that becomes a thankful heart.

 

Roger

Biblical Insights, September, 2004