15

Jump Start # 4113

Posted on July 15, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4113

 

1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

 

Well, I did it the other day. I don’t think I would have done it on my own had I not be prompted to do it. My son Jordan who preaches in Dallas asked me recently, “Dad, have you ever had Ai anaylze your sermons?” I thought, “Why would I? Do I want a punch in the stomach? What does Ai know about preaching?” Preaching is creativity. Preaching is an extension of one’s personality. Would Ai get that?

 

I caved in and asked Ai to critique my sermons—what are my strengths and weaknesses. The results were not what I would have listed. Under greatest strengths Ai said: “You preach with a shepherd’s heart; You see the big picture of Scripture; Your sermons are memorable; You preach hope; You understand pacing.”

 

Then under “Areas that could be stronger: Sometimes you move too quickly (Often you see connections instantly. Your audience doesn’t); Let the emotion linger; allow more vulnerability.” Then under “Something distinctive about your preaching” Ai said “You leave a congregation not with dependence upon you but confidence in Christ.”

 

Well, after that little exercise, I asked Ai to compare my preaching with my son Jordan. Ai made a chart comparing our styles. Mine was considered  “Pastoral, reflective.” Jordan’s was “energetic, direct.” Then Ai said our preaching was most alike: both of you preach Scripture first; both care about transformation; both genuinely love the church.”

 

Then Ai showed the differences in our preaching. Ai said my preaching was “like sitting beside a trusted grandfather. Jordan’s preaching reminds me more of a coach.” Jordan’s strengths, according to Ai was “freshness, pace, bold challenge.” Ai then said, “What I suspect people experience after hearing Jordan, ‘that challenged me.’ After hearing me, ‘that steadied me.’ Both are valuable, Ai said. One stirs the heart to action and the other anchors the soul for the journey. Ai ended this comparison by saying: “Jordan often preaches with the energy of a builder. You preach with the wisdom of a shepherd.”

 

It seemed to me that Ai was being overly kind, generous and complimentary. There were some statements that I’d probably question and even push back on, but I wonder how many sermons Ai has preached? Writing sermons and delivering sermons are not the same. Often what looks great on paper doesn’t come across that way when preached.

 

I wondered what Ai would say about me as a person? Or, what would Ai say about my walk with the Lord? It’s one thing to get the approval of others but what the Lord says matters most. Ai would likely say that Jesus moved too quickly from subject to subject in the sermon on the mount. What others say is secondary to what the Lord says.

 

Ai is a tool. Like any tool, it can be helpful and useful or it can control us and be used for wrong things. Don’t be afraid of it. Find positive ways to use it in kingdom work.

 

I wonder if we analyzed Paul’s sermons with Peter’s sermons with Apollo’s sermons what we’d find out? The Corinthians didn’t think too highly of Paul’s preaching. Apollos is described as being fervent in speech. Our competitive spirits would want to find out which one was the best. Is there such a thing in preaching? Isn’t the best sermons the ones that move me closer to the Lord?

 

Now, will the Ai examination of my sermons be on my mind the next time I’m in the pulpit? As I prepare to retire from local preaching, I am still interested in how to be better. I want to improve and be the best that I can for sake of the Lord.

 

Preaching is a funny thing. Everyone in the audience has an idea of how it should be. The best resource is God’s word.

 

Roger

 

14

Jump Start # 4112

Posted on July 14, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4112

 

Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.”

 

Our thoughts today surround the idea of leadership. Built into these contrasts of righteous and wicked and rejoicing and groaning is the impact and influence that hearts have upon others. Some may read into this passage American politics. Like the President, don’t like the President, times of rejoicing or times of groaning, good times, terrible times, I think there is a much better and spiritual direction that this passage points us to.

 

Think about the home: when a wicked parent rules, the children groan. And, such is our society these days. Selfish parents who neglect their kids or expect the school or church to raise them while they are off playing and having fun. The children grow and repeat to a worse degree what they saw growing up. There is no incentive to change or do better.

 

But when righteousness fills the home, what a wonderful experience the children witness. Growing up with prayers around the table, Bibles being read, worship as a regular part of their lives, and goodness and sharing running through their veins, hope, optimism and faith are the outcome.

 

Sometimes the quick fix to groaning is simply buying another toy. But that’s not the solution at all. With wickedness comes fear and that leads to the groaning. Toys won’t change that. What needs to be changed is the heart of the parents. It is amazing to see the contrast between poor children from India and American children. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen a group of children playing soccer with a ball that was made from duck tape and twine. The kids were laughing, running and having a blast. In contrast, American kids stare at electronic screens most of the day, isolated from each other and seem bored, lost and lonely. Closets stuffed full of clothes and toys, they need interaction with each other and with adults.

 

In our moving process, we’ve had a lot of boxes. A lot! The grandkids were over one day and they started playing with the boxes. That got me playing with them in the boxes. Best times. Laughter filled the air. Just plain ordinary boxes. Put in some imagination and those boxes become boats and they are tossed by the waves. Pretend there are sharks in the water and now they are battling in a struggle for life. Mom calls down that it’s time for dinner, and they don’t want to stop playing. It’s nothing special, just spending sometime with them on their level. But when all the parents are upstairs looking on their phones and they scream, “go play,” groaning takes place.

 

But, consider our passage through the lens of the church. One might reason that wicked people should not be leading, let alone in the church with that kind of heart, yet, many congregations are led by leaders who are indifferent to what is going on, out of touch and set in their ways. And, the people groan. Instead of being shepherds, the people view them as dictators who do not seem to care what the flock is experiencing.

 

The way through this is to encourage the leaders to connect and get to know the flock. Invite guest speakers who can help improve the situation. But, when the church has righteous leaders who care about the flock, that spirit will fill the air. There will be love and trust towards the leaders. Others will want to be leaders.

 

Ruled by righteous or ruled by wickedness. Leaders are responsible for the way and the direction that they take people. This is true in the home. This is true in the church. When God gave men the right to be the head, that does not mean dad gets to watch whatever he wants on the big TV. No. It means he is leading his family, his flock, towards God. The head is where the responsibility lies. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God addressed Adam. He was the head. He was responsible. He failed.

 

Richteousness or wickedness—it’s a choice. One can change. It doesn’t have to stay bad.

 

Groaning or rejoicing—it’s a matter of how the leaders lead.

 

Roger

 

13

Jump Start # 4111

Posted on July 13, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4111

 

Romans 14:10 “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

 

The church at Rome had a problem. A storm was gathering off the horizon and the winds were about to howl. Of all things, the issue was not about Jesus, worship or leadership roles in the church. It was about what they were eating at the dinner table. Many today would say, “Who cares,” or, “Whose business is that?” But they cared. Some were eating meats. Some couldn’t. Would eating meats be an endorsement to the idols that they were sacrificed to? How could one follow Christ and eat idol meat? Some were strong and others were considered weak.

 

As Paul navigates through these storm clouds, he has things for both sides to give deep thought to. This wasn’t a problem just for the weak. Nor did the strong get all the attention. Both needed to see the big picture in this. This is where our verse unfolds. Judging others and regarding with contempt can seem to come across as if some won’t be judged and as if some were better than others. Such is not the case. We all will stand before the judgment seat of God. The weak as well as the strong. The right as well as the wrong. The righteous as well as the wicked.

 

These are good reminders for us. We can move our chairs pretty close to the thone of God and nearly believe that we will be exempt from such things because we are so good. Wrong. We all stand before the judgment seat of God includes Paul.

 

Much can be said about the coming judgment and maybe much remains unknown to us, however, there are three absolutes that we do know.

 

First, it is certain that without Jesus, we have no hope. One cannot be good enough, do enough, pray enough to deserve Heaven. If we do not believe in Jesus, we will perish. Good neighbors aren’t good enough. Sweet grandmas are not sweet enough. Without Jesus, there is no hope. We must believe. We must do whatever the Lord says.

 

Second, it is certain that sins are only washed away by the blood of Jesus. They don’t expire in time. They don’t evaporate. They don’t become obsolete. Years and years of sins just keep piling up, higher and higher. Toss some money in the collection plate at church and those sins remain sky high. Help a neighbor out, and those sins haven’t moved an inch. The only thing that can touch them is the blood of Jesus. His blood can wash away every sin. The sin that put some in prison. The sin that ended some marriages. The sin that we cannot forget nor forgive. And, that blood of Jesus is only contacted in baptism. That’s why Jesus commanded baptism. That’s why baptism is so essential. It’s the means to Jesus.

 

Third, it is certain that we can have hope and confidence because of Jesus. Paul kept faith. Paul finished his journey. Paul walked by faith. And, when we do the same, the same awaits us. The home with God, peaceful and blissful and where we belong. It’s what we were created for. We are a people that are Heaven Bound.

 

Judgment is coming. Ready  or not,  it’s coming. And, there are some things that are just certain about it.

 

Roger

 

10

Jump Start # 4110

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

Jump Start # 4110

 

Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master where is My respect? Says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name.’”

 

The book of Malachi reveals some powerful spiritual lessons. A person can come back home. He can restore things externally. Everything can look good and seem fine, but the heart was never moved. Walls were repaired. Rubble was removed. Gates were put back in place. But what was not touched was the heart. The heart of the people was far from Jerusalem. The heart was not where it ought to have been.

 

What a great reminder for us. “Get to church,” we tell a family member, and out of guilt, pressure, fear they come. We are so happy. They are back we tell everyone. Yet, they are not back. Their hearts and minds are galaxies away from the Lord. They sit in a church building, but they do not follow the Lord.

 

And, in the development of these verses in Malachi, three fundamental principles are established.

 

First, God can be offended. We’ve gotten to the point in our culture where we have made God so desperate for our worship and attention, that He’ll accept anything. From rock concerts, to food courts, to dancing to comedy clubs, to dating services, the modern church has turned so far left that it cannot even see the Bible anymore. A few verses are sprinkled into pep talk sermons that are nothing more than self help talks.

 

In Malachi we find, “With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” What was the offering? Sick, crippled and diseased lambs, the stuff that no one else wanted. Don’t want to breed a diseased animal. The disease may carry on. Certainly can’t eat a diseased animal. They are worthless. So, this was the basis of their sacrifices. Give to God what nobody else wants. God will take it. He’ll take anything. God was offended. How little they thought about the Lord. How insignificant God was to them.

 

We need to open our eyes and see that what we do in worship may make us laugh, feel good on the inside and fire us up, but those very things might insult and offend the Lord. God may reject our worship.

 

Second, God is aware of what is going on. How did God know that the sacrifices were diseased and crippled? He saw. He knew. Malachi 1:7, says, “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar…” He saw. He knew. God knew when they complained that worship was so tiresome (1:13). Sleeping in worship, God sees. Playing on your phone during worship, God sees.

 

Not only does God see those things, He sees into our hearts. He knows the motives, the reasons and the attitudes that we carry. A right sacrifice can be ruined by the complaining heart of the one giving it.

 

Third, God was expectations. God was expecting honor and respect. Our verse shows that. We should never settle for substandard worship. We ought to try to bring the best to God every time. He has always given us the best.

 

In a broken system of worship, as we find in the opening sentences of Malachi, we find wonderful principles about how we ought to worship. Bring the best ought to be running through our veins and be woven into our spiritual DNA. This starts by thinking about Sunday other than on Sunday. Get to bed early on Saturday. Get things ready for the coming Sunday.

 

Don’t allow others to sour your attitudes or get you distracted by talking about weather, sports and politics. I hear this going on right up to the start of worship and as soon as worship is over, it fires back up again. So little “other time” to talk about the Lord. It seems that we are in a hurry to get thought worship so we could talk about the things we really want to talk about: sports, politics and the weather. It’s as if we have squeezed God in just as something we have to do.

 

Bring excellence. Bring the best.

 

Roger

 

09

Jump Start # 4109

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

Jump Start # 4109

Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”

 

Throwback Thursday: an article written from the past

 

The Death of a Christian

 

The Psalmist tells us, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps 116:15). We also read in the last book of the Bible, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now one!” (Rev 14:13). It is often hard on us when we are feeling the pain and sorrow at the passing of a beloved Christian to think that such events are precious and blessed. But the death of a Christian means something that we often fail to see.

 

  It means that one has become what God wanted him to be. The life of a Christian is “choice and precious in the sight of God” (1 Pet 2:4). God wants us to be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29). Living for Christ is exactly what God wants us to be.

 

  It means that one has finished what God wanted him to do. God not only has an image that He wants us to be like, He also has a work that He wants us to be busy doing. Revelation 14:13 says concerning the dead who die in the Lord, “yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” There is no reward for the one who quits. There is no praise to the one who fails. But to those who finish what God wants done, their death is blessed. Paul could say that he “fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). Paul did what God wanted Him to do.

 

It means that one will enjoy what God has awaiting for him. Jesus has gone to “prepare a place” for the Christian (Jn 14:2-3). Christ calls us to “enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:21).

 

Indeed the life of a Christian is worth it. The death of a Christian is precious. It isn’t the end, but just the beginning of something special. The best is yet to come!

 

Roger

June 1996