10

Jump Start # 514

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 514

Galatians 1:6-7 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” 

  The apostle Paul had established the Galatian church. Things started well. Paul moved on to other places. Jewish teachers who were insistent upon keeping part of the O.T. law moved in. They confused and misled the brethren. Some had accepted what these teachers were saying.  Paul writes Galatians to iron out these things and to set forth exactly where the Law of Moses fits in with the gospel of Christ. The language is often strong in this letter. Chapter three begins, “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you…” In the next chapter Paul wonders aloud, “I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

  These thoughts remind us how easily it is to be persuaded by someone. It happens to our kids all the time. Older kids will tell younger ones some whopper and they will believe it. College kids sit in a classroom and a professor rants for thirty minutes about how offensive religion is. The minds of the students are persuaded. It happens to believers.

  Crooked teaching is as old as the garden of Eden when the serpent misquoted God. Ever since then, there has been folks, some misguided and innocent and others with an agenda, who have set forth to tell others “the truth” about God, religion, Scriptures and the church.

  Our passage today shows that Paul was shocked that it happened to the brethren there so quickly and so easily. It can happen. It can come through the pulpit, blogs or facebook. Twisting the words, changing the meanings, revealing an insight that no one else has known or seen, and the purpose is to rally others to a cause that is false. This continues today. Books are printed spewing false ideas but laced with just enough passages that they seem right. Often it’s the young in faith or those upset or disgusted with things that feed on these fringe and false concepts. They get worked up and excited about these things. They lose trust in the leaders who kept them from these new ideas. They become obsessed with these new things, forgetting everything else, they dig deeper and deeper into them, finding a network of others who feel as they do. Before long a movement has started. These ideas are then presented in Bible classes and sermons. Brethren divide. Churches split. And Satan smiles.

  I’ve seen it happen. I know places where it is happening right now. I, started down some of those roads myself, more than once. Been there. Know what it’s like. I can tell you stories.

  What can be done? What are we supposed to do? First, I, you, we, must know God’s word. To know it, we must first read it, study it and consume it. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you is what the Colossians were told. Don’t just read articles about the Bible, read the Bible. Jump Starts are not a substitute for Bible reading. We can read what others say about the Bible, but we must be first hand investigators. We must be able to recognize truth. I don’t have to know everything that is false, if I understand what is right. This is where it begins. This is Paul’s point within our passage. The Galatians should have known better. False things, crooked ideas, concepts that are not true to the book don’t stand a chance when they come face to face with truth. What happens is that folks that don’t know the truth as they should, those who have not grown as they should—they are gullible and they don’t realize it. A few Greek words here, a little history there, a passage out of context and before long they are following the Pied Piper to the land of happy clappy. Get the Bible out. Look for yourself. Think. Consider. Ask questions. Quit reading what disgusted people have to say. The internet gives a voice to the disgruntled who do not get their way and whose heart was never converted to Christ. They remind me of the occupy movement. Change, change, change is what they demand and shout and what they ought to do is start by changing their smelly clothes. That’s one change everyone would be happy with. I don’t read negative blogs about the church, Christ or the Bible. I don’t watch TV shows about Bible mysteries. They tend to discredit miracles and look for natural explanations for the miraculous powers of God. I won’t go there. I spend my time reading the Gospel. If you don’t want the Lord, then step aside. I do. If Heaven’s not your thing, then go your way. But don’t be telling lies. Don’t be trying to steal people to your side. Don’t be misquoting God. Don’t be saying things that are not true. A dog fight might happen if you do.

  Know the word of God. Know what is truth. That is the best weapon. Truth never suffers from investigation, error always does.

  Become a purest with God’s word. Take it simply as it is given. Speak the way God  speaks. Use Bible words. Stick with the way God uses those words. That’s a purest, just the pure word. 100% God—nothing else. That’s what I’m after.

  Satan won’t leave us alone until we are out of this world. So we must be on guard. We must listen carefully. Read carefully. Satan is after you. He knows what the word of God will do. He doesn’t want that. If you won’t give it up completely, then he will twist it and try to change it. A distorted Gospel won’t do the trick. A crooked message won’t take you where you want to go.

  One other thought…if folks would quit giving attention to the crooked things, many of them would go away. If the books didn’t sell…if no one commented on the blogs…if no one watched the programs…if they no longer had a voice…they’d go away until the next one arose. Error is popular because people give it a platform. If that stopped, then the spread of that error would stop.

  Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word. That’s old hymn has it right. Don’t be afraid to ask someone for proof for what they are saying. Check it out. See for yourself. As one old Christian told me a long, long time ago, “If it ain’t so, then you know it ain’t so.”

  Roger

09

Jump Start # 513

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 513 

Proverbs 13:24 He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

  One of the themes within the book of Proverbs is disciplining children. The book shows the reasons why to discipline, what happens if one fails to discipline and the intention of discipline. Moderns today scoff at such passages like this. They see the word “rod” as being abusive, damaging and harming a child. They think God is encouraging child abuse. They quote studies that favor “rod-less” forms of discipline, such as time outs and talking things through. These moderns study the psychological effects that spanking has on children and they proudly give statistics that those spanked tend to become violent and abusive. One study even revealed that most bank robbers had been spanked as a child, implying that if you spank your child, he’s heading to prison someday and the parent is to blame.

  Now two things need to be explained here. First, God is never indicating physical or even emotional abuse. The expression “rod” does not justify harming a child. Bruising, breaking bones, or physically injuring of any age is not what God is stating. Those who claim that, do not know God, nor the purpose of what is being stated. Some of us remember what we were like as kids. We gave our parents lip when we should have been silent. We were rebellious and challenged their authority. We were a real pain to our parents. Discipline comes from the word instruction. It is a teaching moment. Using the rod grabs the attention of a smart mouthed kid. Don’t use the rod on the head or the face, but the area that has the most padding, the behind.  Spanking grabs one’s attention. It lets them know right now and real fast that they are not in charge and their behavior is inappropriate and must change immediately. My mom often used a fly swatter on me. It didn’t take much to make that thing sting and she’d get my attention very fast. Discipline is about letting the child know that the home is not a democracy. There is a chain of command, and God gave the parents the right to make the rules and to set order in the house. Kids challenge that. They will claim, “that’s not fair.” But unless that lesson is learned that child becomes forty years old someday, and he ignores the laws of the land and is flippant toward God. He will challenge God, question God and fight with God. There is a chain of command and we need to respect authority. These lessons begin in the home. The child’s first concept of God, church and the Bible comes from the home. Parents set the tone for those eternal lessons. Do the parents respect God? Do they set the example of prayerful reverence for the Lord? Monkey see, monkey do is what often happens in the home.

  Second, moderns who scoff at passages about discipline, will scoff about passages about holiness, purity, reverence and anything else. They have out grown the Bible. Their very attitude shows that they think their studies, statistics, and their evidence is smarter than the Bible. Can that be true? Can we out grow the Bible? Or can the Bible become outdated for modern thinkers? This is what is at the heart of these things. It isn’t so much about spanking, rods, or discipline, as it is that we as a people, who carry phones in our pockets, ipads in our hands are smarter and know more about people than God does. That is a scary thought. That is where many are today. It begins by doubting what God says about using a rod on children. But it doesn’t stop there. What about abortion? Smarter than God. What about divorce? Smarter than God. What about growing a church? Smarter than God. What about worship? Smarter than God. What about anything He says?

  The truth is moderns aren’t so modern. They just don’t want to listen to God. They want to do what they want to do and God happens to be in the way. The reality is, they only want God  for one thing and that is Heaven. That is the only thing they can not produce. If they could, they wouldn’t need God at all.

  I for one, tend to just take God at what He says. I think He knows what He is talking about. His words are ageless, priceless and nothing else compares. No study, no statistics, no poll of the people will change what God says. He has proven Himself. History is on His side, not ours. Our history is a broken, ugly mess.

   Discipline changes as a child ages. Spanking a teenager doesn’t get the message across as it did when the child was five. However, making that teenager ride the bright yellow school bus to school when he is a junior because his car keys were taken away from him will grab his attention.

  Don’t fall into Satan’s trap that we’ve gotten smarter than God. That is a dead end road. God knows…do you believe Him and trust Him?

  One final thought, not all spanked kids grow up to become bank robbers. This one happened to become a preacher and a believer in God’s divine word.

Roger

06

Jump Start # 512

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 512 

1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.”

  Preachers cut their teeth on Paul’s writings to Timothy and Titus. These books are often called “pastoral epistles” even though Timothy and Titus were not pastors and most who use that expression wrongly associate it with preachers. There is good stuff in those books for all of us.

  Paul’s final sentence in this first letter to Timothy reminds each of us of two powerful truths. First, we are responsible for our faith. We are. Not the preacher, not the church, not the leadership at the church. Our faith is real, personal, active and belongs to us. The things “entrusted to you” involve more than Timothy’s faith. They would include is role as a preacher and the gifts given to him. However, the failure to guard any of these things, including faith, leads to the conclusion of this verse and that is a departure of faith.

  Guard your faith. Protect your faith. Watch over your faith. Feed your faith. Grow your faith. These are actions that imply my care and nurturing of my faith. Why do some have a strong faith and others a so-so faith? Why are some so sure and others can’t make up their mind if they are with Jesus or not? Could the answer lie here? It’s not the size of the congregations they attend. It’s not who the preacher happens to be. It’s not family background. It’s not being in a urban or rural setting. None of those things matter. What it’s all about is guarding that faith. Taking the interest in spiritual things to see that your faith is there.

  Faith is the oxygen of our souls. It is the most important spiritual dimension we have. Without faith we cannot please God. The lack of faith bothered Jesus more than anything else. Guard your faith.

 The second truth here is that not all fights are worth engaging in. Not all fights are my fights. Paul tells the preacher to avoid worldly and empty chapter and opposing arguments involving “knowledge.” Stay away from those things. They are not worth it. Many times Paul reminds Timothy of these things. Paul states nearly the exact words in the second letter to Timothy. He tells him to avoid people that hold a form of godliness but deny it’s power. Titus was told to avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the law.

  Stay out of those dog fights. Avoid them. They are messy, dangerous and they tend to get you off focus. Good words back then and good words for today. Some folks, some preachers, love to fuss and argue. Some how following the Prince of Peace makes them argue.

  Now don’t go to the extreme on this. Paul himself debated the Jews. Teaching often will cover unpleasant ground and those who don’t want to give it up will hold on for dear life. Pressing the Scriptures is not the subject here. The people involve are not seeking truth. They are not learning about Jesus. They are resisting. They are digging their heels in. They enjoy poking fun and things they do not even understand. Jesus said not to cast pearls before the swine—this is one example of that.

  Guard and avoid. Somehow folks get those two backwards. What they ought to guard they don’t and what they ought to avoid, they go after. Very strange. Some think a good Bible class is  nothing more than a heated discussion. Where that idea comes from is beyond me.

  Guarding the faith is often done by avoiding dumb and silly arguments. You may get those kind of things at work. Maybe some in the family are this way. Always taking a stab, always trying to trip you up, always challenging, always arguing. There comes a time when you just have to avoid all that. You do it for your own wellbeing. It is part of guarding your faith.

  Paul recognizes that there are things that hurt faith. Even though they are false, they have a way of chipping away and doing damage. Those who are interested in “guarding” their health, realize that bags of potato chips isn’t the direction to go. They avoid those things. It’s the same with your faith. Some books, some TV shows, some relationships, some arguments are simply not the direction to go.

  This isn’t a sign of a coward, it is a step of strength. Knowing which battles to engage in and which to stay clear of, is a sign of strength. You’ll remember that Jesus often kept quiet and refused to jump in the middle of a fight with those who have no interest in following God.

  Not every dumb statement is worth answering. This goes for facebook, emails, twitter and all other forms of communication. Some are looking for a fight. Some are aggressive and see all this as fun. Some just don’t get it and someday they will get it if they don’t straighten up. God will see to that!

  Guard and avoid…they go together. They help you survive. They help you stay on course. They help you stay with Jesus.

Roger

05

Jump Start # 511

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 511 

Psalms 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

  This is one of the oldest Psalms. It was written by Moses. It reminds us that there are things we need to learn and be reminded of throughout our life. One of them is to learn to number our days.

  Long ago people did just that. Old tombstones would tell how old a person was in years, months and days. Every day counted. We don’t do that any more. Most of us just count the years. The years are made up of days. Each day is a gift of God. Each day is special.

  I’ve found that most of our days fall into one of three categories.

First, there are those special days that we remember. Weddings and vacations and even holiday times with family are like that. We love those times and take pictures to remember them.

Second, there are those terrible days such as surgeries, funerals and car accidents. They are stuck in our memories and we often use them as bookmarks of our lives. We say things like, “that happened the year of my big car wreck.”

Thirdly, there are the common, not so special days. The first two categories do not happen very often, maybe once or twice a year. All the other days fall into the regular, everyday kind of days. Getting up and going to work or school. Making dinner. Paying bills. Routine.

  It is the common everyday type of day that we need to live for Jesus. We have more of those than the other kinds. It is easy to just float through those days and not do much. I had a day like that recently. Did some reading, did some work, but spent too much of the day watching TV and really not doing much of anything. I guess that’s ok—we all need time to let the mind settle and rest the body some. For some reason that day is stuck in my mind. There are things I could have done that day, I just didn’t feel like it. The day was rather wasted doing nothing. I found that it was easy to do that. Sit on the couch and vegetate or play another computer game after another computer game. I found that it was so easy to do nothing, I think that’s what bothered me the most. I realized I could get in the habit of doing nothing everyday.  Days then become months and before you know it a person has spent a lifetime doing nothing.

  It is those plain, everyday days that we must not waste. We have more of those than the other kind of days. They tend to shape our habits and form our character. Here’s a few things I came up with for those many common everyday days:

  • Start the day in prayer. A person never knows when what begins as a common day turns into a nightmare. One day will be your last day. Few, if any, really know when that day will be. Pray that you will honor God and glorify His name this day.

 

  • Open the Bible and read a chapter. Just a chapter a day will make a difference. It puts the mind into the spiritual and connects you with God.

 

  • Find something meaningful to do. Make some contribution to life. If it’s helping around the house, do it. If it’s sending a note to a fellow Christian do that. If it’s helping a co-worker do that. Be able to end the day thanking God for using you to make one small difference in a person’s life.

  Don’t beat yourself up for spending time doing something relaxing and something for yourself once in a while. Life is to be enjoyed, experienced and loved. All work makes a person weary and grouchy. But balance these things. Don’t justify staying in bed all the time nor watching TV all the time as “I need some time for myself.” Moderation is the key. Don’t overdo it.

  Number our days…you’ll find more common days than anything else. Days of work, housekeeping, car fixing, yard working, bill paying, grocery shopping than any other. Even in those days, we can make them meaningful, useful, productive and even fun. Each of these can be avenues to share God’s word. All of them can be used to glorify our king.

  Today, may be just one of those days.

Roger

04

Jump Start # 510

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 510 

1 Corinthians 1:20 “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” 

  Paul begins this section of Corinthians by proclaiming, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (v. 18). The message of God is on one hand unbelievable to many folks. First of all, that God would care so much for us that He would send His son. Then, that Son lived among us like a man, died on the cross and was resurrected from the grave. That story seems unreal in a secular and pagan culture like Corinth. Then when we see what God asks of us, it seems all too simple. Trust Him. Believe Him. Obey Him. Follow Him. Anyone can do that—and that’s the point. Not everyone makes varsity. Not everyone is the top of the list, any list. Yet the message of the gospel is such that any can come to Christ.

  Paul recognized that the intellectual community of Corinth wasn’t moved by the message of the cross. The pagans had their own gods, like Zeus and Apollo, who fought and lived in their own world and really had little to do with “earth people.” The Corinthians like to discuss intellectual ideas but those ideals did little for everyday life. The wise man prides himself in his wisdom and his intellectual abilities. His pride will keep him from Christ. It is the man who is willing to deny himself and follow Christ that becomes a disciple.

  We shouldn’t think nor allow others to accuse Christians as being a bunch of dummies or intellectual fools. That’s not the point here. There are many, many bright, impressive and successful Christians today, and in years gone by. College presidents and professors, inventors, doctors, scientists, some famous, some not so. Even the N.T. tells of army officers, secretary of Treasury, influential women, synagogue officials becoming followers of Christ.

  Sometimes we get excited about the “who’s who” list of Christians. There has been and are professional athletes who are Christians. There has been connections to politicians and famous singers. Does this impress us? Should it? It doesn’t make the message more believable nor more visible. Some of these professional people walked away from the message to further their professional careers.

  For the most part, the message was accepted by common people like you and I. Everyday people whose names are lost to history in time, but folks with good hearts, who are trying to raise their families and trust in their Lord. That’s the make up of most congregations. That’s how it has always been.

  Why are there not more “wise men” among us? It’s not that God doesn’t want them. He wants all to be saved. It’s not that the message doesn’t work for them, it works the same for all. It has to be their hearts. The simple message of Jesus doesn’t seem intellectual enough to move them. One must begin with an understanding that the Bible is from God. Without that, the message fails. Many just can’t get that. Evolution, secularism, humanism and a bunch of other “isms” fill their minds until there just isn’t any room for that simple message of Jesus. For some, their expectations are crooked. They assume that if there is a God, then this ought to be a “Heaven-like” paradise, and it’s not. Babies should never die, in their thinking. Yet, even in the Bible they did. Some were murdered by the likes of Pharaoh and Herod. They think the innocent should never suffer, but they do. They even did in the Bible. God’s apostles were slaughtered and many of the early Christians died. This isn’t Heaven. This world is broken, busted and bent on doing wrong. Starting with the wrong expectations, will destroy a marriage, ruin a friendship and distort what you expect God ought to do.

  The intellectuals who do not believe will continue to scoff. They will continue to poke fingers at the Bible. They will continue to ridicule until they stand before the throne of God and realize that they were terribly wrong.

  So what about you? How do you feel about the saving message of Jesus Christ? Neat story? Cool idea? Does it move you? Does it change you? Does it make a difference to you? No time for it? Too busy for it? Not ready to make a commitment? How then are you any different than the intellectuals at Corinth? Don’t be too smart for your britches, as my grandma used to say. I never did know what that meant other than when she said it, she meant business.

  The Gospel is for all…and that starts with you. Take some time and read God’s message. Think about it. Let yourself ask questions. See what God is saying. See what God is wanting. See what God is giving. There is no other message like God’s word.

Roger