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

 

04

Jump Start # 4025

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4025

 

Hebrews 12:4 “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood, in your striving against sin”

 

There was a time in my life when I golfed often. These days, my golf clubs and I haven’t been on speaking terms. Outside, beautifully mowed fairways, golf sure has an appeal. It looks simple. Just hit that little white ball to the green. But, when one lines up to hit that little white ball, there are so many thoughts racing through your mind. Make sure your feet are set. Bend your knees, but not too much. Keep your arms straight. Head down. Grip the club, but not too tightly. Turn with your hips. Keep your eyes on the ball. For those who golf all the time, this is natural and easy. For the occasional golfer, the check list of what runs through your mind can be overwhelming. After a while, the thought is, “just hit the ball!” Now, throw in a sand trap, some water hazards, a few trees here and there and the mental process just explodes.

 

One of the great challenges in our walk with the Lord is not facing the giants that want to defeat us. It’s not dealing with the big storms in life. Even with our verse today, often it’s not the resisting of sin that is so hard. More than anything else, it’s the day to day, every day living for the Lord. Just another plain day, which ought to be so simple, but it is those days that can be the most difficult.

 

When there is a crisis, a battle, a storm, a challenge before us, we find ways to lean courageously upon our faith in the Lord. We pray hard during the storms of life. We find ourselves seeking the Scriptures diligently when we are unsure, unsteady and scared.

 

But, what about the days that are sunny and fine? No trouble at home. No problems at work. Everyone getting along fine at the church house. Things good in the neighborhood. No drama in the family. Just another regular day in our journey with the Lord. We long for days like that. Calm. Peaceful. Normal. Average. Nothing exciting and nothing out of the ordinary. Few worries. No stress. Just another plain day.

 

And, this is why such days can be a great challenge in our walk with the Lord. There doesn’t seem to be a great need for the Lord. No prayers in a crisis. No tears running down my cheeks. It’s very, very easy to put the Lord on the back burner. So many of the Psalms were written in an atmosphere of trials and troubles. But, when we don’t have those troubles, we may not feel the urgency to cling closely to the Lord. And, just like that, without intending to, nor aware of it, we use the Lord only when there is an emergency. It’s that day in and day out relationship that we need to construct within our hearts. A daily walk. A daily seeking. A daily living on God’s word.

 

So, how do we do that? How do I keep close to the Lord when things are going well? How do I keep from only turning to the Lord when there is an emergency in my life?

 

First, develop regular spiritual habits. Starting habits is hard. But, once started, you get in a groove and they become a part of your routine that you do without having to remind yourself of. Staring the day with prayer. Reading a chapter of God’s word every day. You do this when the sun is shinning in your heart and when the dark storm clouds are building.

 

On those regular, nothing special days, be thankful. Think of others who are not having that kind of day. Ask the Lord to help you remember those days. They will help you when days are crazy  and upside down.

 

Second, embrace the concept that you always need the Lord. Always. There is never a time, never a day, never a place when you do not need the Lord. I need Thee every hour, helps you remember this. Pray without ceasing, is built upon this. Knowing that you always need the Lord, will keep you close to the Lord. It will help you make the right spiritual choices. It will keep you thinking of those wonderful heavenly thoughts.

 

Third, understand that the Lord longs for you to want Him and be close to Him all the time. If the only time you heard from your grown kids was when they needed something, you’d begin to wonder about what kind of relationship you have with them. So much to be thankful for. Praying for open eyes, thinking about God’s word and His way on a regular, daily basis will only improve your character. You’ll see ways to become more useful to others.

 

It’s not the striving to the point of blood that is so difficult. It’s getting up and going to school again. It’s heading to the office for just another day. It’s doing housework. It’s just another day on this planet. Don’t waste these golden opportunities to honor the God who loves you so much.

 

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 4024

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 4024

 

John 10:4 “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

 

Here in this wonderful picture of the good shepherd we find powerful layers of leadership that is essential to a healthy church. Built within these verses are contrasts. The sheep do not listen to the thieves and robbers because they do not recognize their voices. The hired hand views his work as only a job. He does not care about the sheep.  When wolves appear, the hireling flees. He won’t risk his neck for a bunch of sheep that he doesn’t care about. What great lessons we can learn from these contrasts.

 

Within our verse today is a relationship between the sheep and the good shepherd. They know the voice of the shepherd. How would they recognize that voice? Obviously, they have heard it before. There has been communication between the shepherd and the sheep.

 

Communication is vital to all healthy relationships. This is true in a marriage, the home, the church and our relationship with the Lord. He speaks through His word. We speak through prayer. The stronger and more frequent the communication lines are the better.

 

Now, let’s look at this in the standpoint of a congregation. Communication is vital.

 

  • Sometimes members will say, “We don’t know what’s going on here.” That could be a communication problem. Or, “We didn’t know that we were having a gospel meeting next week.” Makes me wonder, why didn’t you know?

 

Here at my home congregation, we give everyone a theme booklet at the beginning of the year. Within that booklet are all the scheduled events for the year, the adult classes and a breakdown description of the many things we do. Members also get a fridge magnet that has all the dates of meetings and events here. That way they can plan their year around those things. A month before an event, like our summer series or VBS, we blast out the dates and times in our bulletin, opening and closing slides at every service and on social media. People know. Communication is vital.

 

  • When a guest preacher is invited to come and speak, open and great communication is vital. When does he need to be there? Where is he staying? What is expected of him? What are the arrangements for meals? What’s the powerpoint set up? Does he need to bring his own laptop?

 

There are so many horror stories that just about every preacher can tell that comes from a lack of communication from the inviting church. Here are just a sampling:

 

Days, not weeks, days before the preacher is expected to come and preach, he hears from the church for the first time. He is told that they want him to do a special series on some detailed topic which would require weeks of prep time. He just finds this out a few days in advance.

 

I have stood at the desk of a hotel where I was told there was a reservation for me during my stay only to find out that someone forgot to make that reservation. I have been told, after I have flown to another city to preach that I was expected to teach the teens that Sunday night, do morning classes and have a lesson for a group of preachers at a luncheon that week. I found that out after I was on the ground in that city. I have been at the airport waiting for someone to pick me up and give me a ride, only to find out after I called someone that things had changed and I needed to get a rental car. I have been to places where one of the members knew I golfed, so a tee time was made for several in the church to go golfing. The only thing is no one told me. I didn’t bring my clubs. Communication.

 

Communication. If a church is inviting a guest preacher, reach out to him multiple times at least with a month to go to let him know all the arrangements, details of what he is to do and what is expected. Assign a deacon with this task to take care of reaching out and keeping the preacher informed.

 

  • Little problems can remain little when there is good communication. When a person is upset, quick care can keep that from becoming a major storm when there is communication. When the members keep things secret from the shepherds, expecting them to know all things, a distance is created between them that doesn’t have to be there. Good communication.

 

The sheep knew the voice of the shepherd. There is something for us to learn there.

 

Roger