28

Jump Start # 804

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 804

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

Long ago, God saw that there were people in His nation that that abandoned Him. They were doing things their way and they were determined to influence others to go along with them. There is a series of woes strung together in Isaiah five that shows that God is aware of what these people were doing and that He was going to bring doom upon them. Whenever God declares, “Woe,” you can be certain that someone is in big trouble.

 

Our passage today, over 2500 years old, is fitting for our times. Look at the beer commercials on TV. Everyone is laughing, dancing, having a great time. Fun, fun, fun. They don’t show the guy throwing up because he was so drunk. They don’t show the guy pulled over for drunk driving. They don’t show the kids running from daddy because he’s dunk and abusive again. Good and evil have been switched. Light has been exchanged for darkness.

 

It’s not just beer commercials, it’s the thinking of society when God has been removed. There is no moral compass. Right and wrong become fuzzy. There is no standard. There is no voice calling for reason and righteousness. Wild and dumb ideas surface and take hold of people.

Look at any major college campus today. Students on the weekend act as if they have zero brains in their heads. Professors push liberal ideology that has not been proven and squash all thoughts that God exists. Young minds are twisted into thinking that dark is light, wrong is right. They leave those schools and become influencers themselves. More and more accept the idea that wrong is right and dark is light. A generation lives without any moral compass or godly reason.

 

Isaiah’s woes have become America’s problem. The substituting of wrong for right opens the door for the pleasures of sin. There is more to that. It breeds selfishness. It tramples hope, peace and joy. Depression, divorce, addictions, loneliness and emptiness fill vacant lives that are surrounded by stuff but have no purpose or meaning. And then the greatest fear of all, these lives some day come to a crashing halt. Death comes. Death always comes. What then. The fun, fun, fun is gone. The smiles that the beer brought are gone. The liberal teaching of the universities are realized, they have never believed in life after death and especially God. Now what? What a pitiful life. What an empty experience. What a defeated way. What fear takes hold of them. They want to believe but they don’t know what to believe. Empty, shallow existence is the greatest woe of all.

 

Is it any wonder that the prophet pronounced, “Woe.” It is woe. It’s not wonderful. It’s not getting better and better. It’s not a life to be envied or followed. It’s shallow. It’s superficial. It’s like the chocolate Easter bunny in stores. They look nice on the outside, but once you take a bite, you realize that they are hollow. There’s nothing on the inside. Woe is such a life. Woe is the destiny of such lives. Woe.

What’s the answer? What will change these things? What is the hope? The answer is back to God. It’s the only answer. Some have been tricked by churches who have given into this shallow and superficial way. They are convinced that people will not come unless you give them what they want. So worship has turned from being pointed toward God to pleasing a crowd that is just vaguely interested in God. Take away the rock and roll in churches. Shut down the coffee shops in churches. Do away with the plays and the concert atmosphere and do so old fashion Bible preaching and see what happens. Attendance will drop dramatically. Why? Shallow, superficial people are interested only in fun. Don’t talk about sin. Don’t mention temptation. Do away with accountability. Allow members to drink like the world does. Allow members to ignore God’s word. Change the focus from Heaven to here. Churches will do your taxes, walk your dog, wash your car, give you a cup of coffee, make you laugh, make you dance, but fail to tell you what will save you and keep you righteous. Has light and darkness been switched, even by churches? Has wrong been substituted for right?

 

The answer has always been the same, back to God. Back to God’s word. Back to God’s way.  Darkness needs to be exposed for what it is—darkness. Light needs to be shone. Light needs to be visible so all can see. Good needs to be upheld. Evil needs to be denounced. Call evil evil. Call darkness darkness. Show people what is right. Stand behind God. Stand with God. Those that mock goodness, woe to you. Those that substitute God’s ways for Satan’s way, woe to you. Those who hide behind elitism and arrogance, woe to you.

Back to God. Back to God’s ways. Back to righteousness, hope, love, joy and Heaven. Back. That is way! The way forward is back to God. Are you willing to go God’s way?

Roger

 

 

 

27

Jump Start # 803

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 803

Luke 9:54 “When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them.”

The clock was ticking. Time was nearing for Jesus to head to Jerusalem. He had an appointment with the Cross. He knew that. This is why He came. Jesus sent a messenger on ahead to make arrangements in Samaria. The journey from Galilee to Judea would take them through Samaria. The people of Samaria didn’t think much of Jews, and the feelings were mutual, except for Jesus. When the Samaritans understood that these traveling Jews were headed toward Jerusalem, not away from there, no hospitality was extended. They would have to go elsewhere. The messengers reported back to Jesus that they were not welcome in that one Samaritan village.

When James and John  heard about the refusal of hospitality, they wanted permission to send fire from Heaven and burn up those people. It was a “we’ll show you” spirit. Jesus immediately shut that idea down. He told James and John that they did not know what spirit that they had and that Jesus came to save and not destroy.

Fire coming down from Heaven sounds like the destruction that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah, but that was a long, long time ago. James and John had never seen fire coming down from Heaven. They had never sent fire from Heaven before. They had never seen Jesus do this. Where this revengeful and hateful spirit came from is not known. This would not be the only rejection that Jesus would receive. Was Jesus to burn up everyone who disagreed or rejected Him?

What is most remarkable about James and John is that they were not new on the scene. They had been traveling with Jesus for three years. They had witnessed the Lord’s compassion. They saw Him casting demons out of children. They saw Him making the blind see. They saw Him defending God’s truth. They never saw Jesus cussing. They never saw Jesus losing His cool. They never saw Jesus sending fire. They never saw Jesus kill anyone.

It is amazing that those who were with Jesus didn’t catch His spirit. Not at first. Later they would. This then shouldn’t surprise us that the followers of Jesus today often have a different spirit than Jesus. Some can be very negative. Some can be very selfish. Some do not seem very spiritual. Some, like James and John, would rather burn someone up than save them. There can be a huge disconnect between the wonderful spirit of the Gospels and the attitude of followers.

 

We see the same things in families. Parents can be kind and sweet and the children grow to be real pills. They didn’t catch the spirit of the parents.

This brings us to take a serious look within ourselves. Sitting in a church building listening to lessons about Jesus, does it change me? Does it move me to be more like Him? Is anything happening on the inside? Faith in Christ changes a person. It’s more than a check list of things that are right. It is about values, ideals, principles, character and becoming.

 

A James and John in a church today, can run folks off. The firm hand, demanding tone, harsh and critical attitudes cripples a congregation. I have seen it before. I have experienced it before. Little compassion. No room for grace. No second chances. No love. Those that walk to that drumbeat do not get that from Jesus. He was not that way. They do not come to that conclusion after a thorough study of the Gospels. No. It’s a part of them that they never let go of. There is an aspect of their heart that never became converted. And as a result, they walk through life with a twisted image of the way God wants things. They always hold out the chance to bring down fire upon someone who doesn’t line up the way that they should.

The carnage is terrible. Ruined young preachers…families feeling condemned…people told that they were Hell bound…young people never trusted. Firm grip on the flock. Fear and guilt forcing obedience. The atmosphere is more like a prison than Christ. What is missing is the abundant life that Jesus offers. What is missing is joy and peace. What is missing is Christ.

James and John didn’t get it. Sometimes I don’t get it. We have to fight the need to bring down fire. We have to fight sitting in the Judgment Seat. Our role is to help. Our call is the Gospel. Our model is Jesus. All the good we believe in is lost when we carry the spirit of calling down fire.

James and John finally got it. John wrote more about love than any one else. Love each other he would say. If you don’t love, you don’t have God. The call for fire had changed. He was calling for love. He understood what Jesus was about. Saving, not destroying, is the message of the Gospel.

 

Instead of praying that God sends fire and burns up others, maybe I ought to pray that God helps me be more like Jesus. Maybe I ought to be thankful that God doesn’t send fire. He might send it upon me for thinking such terrible thoughts about others! We all have Samaritans in our lives. Those are the people who don’t want to help. They are interested in the opposite direction than what we are going. They oppose. They deny. They get in the way. They can be a real pain. Fire? No. Love, yes! You don’t show them Jesus by sending fire.

 

Have you noticed that when God won’t send fire down from Heaven, we manufacture our own version of fire. We ignore. We talk about them. We do little things that irritate. We push their buttons. We avoid. We shun. We do not invite. Our tone changes, our expression changes when they are around. We don’t like them and we let them know that. What is all of that stuff? It’s nothing more than our version of “fire from Heaven.” We’ll show them. We’ll put them in their place. We’ll keep them from having a good day. We can be pretty good at making fire.

 

Maybe more would take us seriously if we stopped the fire business and started acting like Jesus. He went to Samaria. He told the messengers to find another village that they could stay at. He came to save Samaritans as well as Jews.

Fire or love? Destroy or save? How are you treating those around you? Sometimes the people of Jesus do not act very much like Jesus. Maybe it’s time we started!

Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 802

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 802

Matthew 5:45 “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”

I awoke this morning to the sound of a gentle rain hitting my window. It would be nice to think of this as a soft Spring shower, but it’s still February and a huge section of the country is getting buried in a massive snow storm today. The sound of the rain made me think of our verse today.

Our verse today comes from the sermon on the Mount. Jesus told the audience to love their enemies. Our verse follows that principle. Why should we love our enemies? That is uncomfortable. There is a reason they are considered our “enemy.” If they were nice, if the situation was different, they wouldn’t be an enemy and we could get along with them. But, as it is, they are enemies. Love them is what Jesus said. Love them so you will be like your Father, God. Sons carry the characteristics of their fathers. Our Father makes the sun rise and sends the rain upon the evil and unjust as well as the good and the just. Love your enemies because your Father does. Love your enemies because your Father treats them well.

 

Now a few thoughts:

 

1. God is aware and knows who is just and who is unjust. Jesus is not implying that God can’t tell, so He just sends the sun and rain upon everyone, because it is too hard to figure which side everyone is on. No. God knows. God knows and I often do not. The Gospels show us that not everyone in the synagogues and the Temple were just and good. There were many who had false motives and evil suspicion in their hearts. God knows. Not everyone sitting in a church building on Sunday morning is necessary good and just. God knows.

2. God is generous to all. Imagine a world in which only the righteous were blessed by God. You could drive down a neighborhood street and tell by how green or burned up someone’s yard was. You could tell by the farmer’s fields who was righteous and who wasn’t. This could lead to some following God for the wrong reason. Instead of loving God and having a heart of faith, some might just green yards and growing crops. Sending the rain and sun upon all shows that God cares for all and loves all.

 

3. There are many who receive God’s blessings and do not understand nor acknowledge that it came from Him. It’s rainy at my house today. I believe that God sent that rain. The guy down the street may recognize that it’s raining but fails to make the connection to God. The words of Jesus involve more than just the weather. They symbolize the blessings coming down from God. Jobs, family, good health, the Bible are blessings that are God given. The unjust benefits without thanking God or making the connection to God. He receives but doesn’t realize where they came from. He may even complain that it’s raining. God is good to him even when he doesn’t return the goodness to God.

 

4. God does not treat us the way we treat Him. He sends rain and sun, the blessings necessary for growth to those who violate His word and will. They are guilty. They are unjust. He sends His blessings upon those who are evil. They may use God’s blessing to continue evil and even to go deeper into evil. If God treated us the way we treat Him, then only certain people would have rain and sun. The rest of us would be sitting in darkness and in a constant drought and maybe after a while, we’d understand that we are getting what we deserve. But God is not like that. He treats us better than we deserve. God is good.

 

5. God wants His people to model Him. The thoughts here are not the origin of rain and sun, nor why some days are rainy and some days are sunny. The point is goodness, blessings and kindness. God treats His enemies well. God is good to His enemies. God wants us to do the same. Be kind to the guy at work who is trouble. Be generous to the person you do not like. Invite the one that you wished moved away. In your own way, send rain and sunshine upon the evil and unjust as well as the good and the just. Our first reaction to that is that, ‘they don’t deserve any kindness.’ That’s the point. This isn’t based upon how they were to us. This isn’t a system of works, where if you do well, you receive well. If you are bad, you are cut off. Sending rain and sunshine to friends is easy. Anyone can do that. Sending it to those that I am uncomfortable with, that’s different. That’s the challenge. Many refuse. When you do, you are not acting like your Father. Many declare that they can’t. It’s too much for them. It’s too hard for them. Jesus says that you can. This is what God wants you to do.

 

These words are intended for the disciples of Jesus. They are illustrated in how God’s people view those who are different. The Pharisees had trouble with Jesus going to the home of Zaccheus. They were uncomfortable with Jesus being in Samaria. Today, someone who looks different is often treated differently. In church, we hug those we see each week and love. The guy who shows up with tattoos is often avoided and we hope that he will not return. The single mom with three or four rowdy kids shows up. Some roll their eyes. Not her. Not again. Why does she come here, some think. The person who smells. The guy who never shuts up. The person who brags and brags about himself. The girl who is living with her boyfriend. The guy who spent time in prison last year. Annoying. Challenging. Maybe unjust. Uncomfortable. Love them. Invite them. Help them. Bless them. Send rain and sunshine, even upon those folks. Remembering, in God’s eyes, I might be one of “those folks.” Remembering, there was a time that I was that way to the righteous. Remembering that God never gave up on me.

 

God’s children are to act like God. That’s a powerful and wonderful statement. However, it causes us to do things that we may not like. Hating your enemy is easy. Everyone does that. Loving them is hard. Loving them is more than a thought or feeling, it is action, as our passage demonstrates. It is sending rain and sunshine. It is doing, even for those who don’t like me. It is blessing them.

It’s amazing what a simple rain shower will bring to your mind and heart.

Roger

 

25

Jump Start # 801

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 801

Colossians 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, send you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.”

Epaphras is what I consider one of the third tier names in the N.T. Many do not know him. He’s not an apostle. He didn’t write any books of the N.T. He’s not as prominent as even a Timothy, Titus or Mark. Yet, he plays a role and this verse reveals much about his character, heart and love for the Lord and the disciples.

The apostle Paul had several worthy Christians around him that he used to carry his letters to churches or on occasion even stay and work with churches when he traveled on. These people were vital to the work. Paul couldn’t be everywhere. Others were necessary to teach and encourage. Epaphras was one such person.

What we find refreshing and unique is that Epaphras was laboring earnestly in his prayers. Generally, that expression, ‘laboring earnestly,’ is connected to preaching and teaching. That we understand. We don’t think of laboring in prayer. One modern version uses the expression, “Wrestling for you in his prayers.” That thought brings the idea of effort, struggle and intensity. Epaphras was really working hard in his prayers for the Colossian church.

That thought is very interesting. It tells us that praying for someone is more than simply mentioning their name. I think that is an easy habit to get into. We are often encouraged to pray for the sick and to pray for the shepherds of the church. We do. But what we do is simply  make the statement, “be with the shepherds and help the sick.” It can be almost reading a check list or a to-do list. Does the mere mention of someone cover “praying for them?”

Epaphras was laboring earnestly in his prayers for the Colossians. That seems much more than “Lord, be with the Colossian church,” or, “Lord, help the brethren at the Colossian church.” Laboring earnestly carries the thought that he stayed on that subject. He prayed. He prayed specifically. He prayed many words. He put effort into that. He stayed with that thought.

That thought is one that I need. There are so many people and so many situations that need prayers. It’s hard to think of all of them. Sick people. Hurting people. Young families. There are those who are dating. There are those who are lonely. There are those who are struggling spiritually. There are those who are looking for the Lord. There are those who are in leadership roles. There are neighbors and family members. There are co-workers. There are mayors, governors, congressmen and the president to pray for. There are our soldiers to pray for. Then there is the church itself. So many to pray for. A name here, a few seconds on this one, five seconds on that one, and we pray through a host of things. But in the end we have basically mentioned their names. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, it strikes me that Epaphras labored earnestly in prayer for the Colossian church. Situations do that for us. Someone really struggling. Someone very sick. Someone causing us much grief. Those times, we spend longer and deeper and more earnestly in prayer.

Try the Epaphras model today. Think of something or someone that means much to you and labor earnestly in prayer on that. Spend some time. Go into detail. Exhaust yourself on one item. Prayer doesn’t have to include the whole creation in every prayer. Pray for one thing. Pray hard about one thing.

Epaphras was praying for the Colossian church to stand firm and be fully assured in the will of the Lord. That thought would entail teachers teaching the pure word of God. It would include the members uniting together on the common Gospel of Jesus. It would involve the members believing the message preached. It would include a growing faith and confidence in the Lord. Those things would result in changing lives and attitudes. It would affect their worship and their sharing the word with others. Those things would lead to a stronger church. Great things to prayer about. Epaphras may have visualized each member of that church and thought about their situation and prayed about them. A strong church comes from strong members. So as Epaphras prayed about each person, growing more in faith with the Lord, the church would become stronger.

That is a great model for shepherds to do today. We all want the church to prosper, grow stronger and be faithful to the Lord. How about praying for each person to that goal? That’s earnestness. There is laboring.

These prayers would also affect the preaching that Epaphras would do. As he longed for their growth, prayed for their growth, he would then teach them that in his preaching. This is a great model for preachers to follow. Praying for the strength of the church and then following that with the type of lessons that would bring that about.

 

I heard last night, in another congregation a couple of hours from where I live, that a man was teaching about prayer. He revealed to the congregation some of the people that he prayed for. He had pictures of these people on the powerpoint. The last picture he talked about was ME. I was taken about that. First, I thought why me? It seemed a bit embarrassing to me. He had benefited from our Jump Starts and that was something he prayed about. The more I thought about that, the more touched I felt. I hadn’t thought much about that. He had. He had prayed about it. He even shared that with others. He was doing what Epaphras was doing. He never said anything about that, in fact, someone else told me. They presented it with, “Your picture was on the screen at church last night.” That startled me. Why? What did I do? Then I heard the reason. I expect there is someone out there that prays for you. You may not even know it. You are special to them. You have touched their lives somehow. They are thankful for you. They are wanting God to help you, bless you, lead you and encourage you.

 

Epaphras wasn’t praying for himself, he was laboring in prayer for others. So, put some time in your prayers. Focus a bit more on some. Ask God to help them. It doesn’t hurt even to let someone know that “I’m praying to God about you.” When you think about it, it is more special that someone mentions your name to the God of Heaven than someone putting your picture up on a screen in church.

Thanks, Jay. That made my day when I heard about that!

Now, let’s roll up our sleeves and get busy praying!

Roger

 

22

Jump Start # 800

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

 

Jump Start # 800

Mark 5:19 “And He did not let him, but He said to him, ‘Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.’”

We have reached another milestone with our Jump Start today, number 800! That’s amazing! That’s a lot of articles. Our list of subscribers is at an all time high. I am seeing these Jump Starts reprinted in church bulletins and I’m told that several congregations are using them. Nearly every day I receive an email from one of our readers with a comment, question or a thank you. To all of this all I can say is that I am amazed and God is good. Several of you have been reading these from the very first. We transitioned through two different ways of emailing these out and basically the format has remained the same. The question I am asked the most regarding these Jump Starts is, “How do you do this every day?” I guess the answer is similar to how do you find a new sermon every week after preacher more than 30 years. It’s  not me, it’s that awesome Bible. Indeed “All Scripture is inspired of God and is profitable…”

I have done this before, but it is only proper to do this again and that is to thank first, my congregation that puts up with me and allows me to do this. They have embraced these little daily reminders and are the heroes of why this has grown and spread worldwide. They are the ones who first shared it with family and co-workers. We never had much of a marketing campaign. Following the thoughts in our verse today, people just told others. That’s how the gospel was first spread. It still works that way. To the folks at Charlestown Road, thank you. You are my family, friends, and joy.

Second, I thank the tons of readers outside of my congregation. Many of you I know but many more of you I don’t. I thank you for reading these. You have shared these with others. Our base of readers has swelled because of you. That’s awesome. I wish I could hug all of you and tell you thank you personally. Often, early in the morning when I am typing, my brain and fingers aren’t on the same wave length. I’ll go back later in the day and look up something in one of the Jump Starts and see typos, wrong words, poor grammar and think this is pitiful. Yet you continue to read. You continue to share these. Thank you!

Finally, I thank our Lord. He is the reason all of this started. It is His word that I begin with each day. It is His word that has touched my heart and it is His gift that has allowed me to write. The reason I do all of this is because our world is getting darker by the minute. Too many are living day to day with no thought of the eternal. Lives are shaped and ruined by selfishness and indifference to others. The way of the Cross just seems brighter and brighter to me. I long for Heaven. I want everyone to know about Jesus. That’s all.

 

Many of you have come to know me because of some personal things I share in these writings. My intentions from day one was to write something worthwhile but not too heavy. Insight and reflection is what I was after. I was asked recently how much longer was I going to do this? I really don’t know. So far, the well has not dried up. I think even when we put an end to Jump Starts, I will continue to do this personally. This avenue has helped me in so many ways.

We know someday this will end. We know someday our journey here will end. We work with that in mind. We must be aware of those things. This morning a dear old preacher from Nigeria who I grew to love enormously died. When I was just a young green preacher I heard a man give a report who had gone to Nigeria. He had slides. I was amazed. I asked him for a list of preachers who could speak English. I wanted to write to them. One name on the list was Sunday. Sunday Ahiwe. I fell in love with that name. What a cool name. I chose him. I wrote. He wrote back. We corresponded for more than 30 years. I have sent him a many books and money through the years. We never met. We exchanged pictures, family stories, and love. He had a genuine love for the kingdom. Twice I tried to go to Nigeria but political unrest in his country kept me from getting a visa. This morning his journey ended. I am writing this with tears streaming down my face. I shall miss him. There are now other Nigerians. I have a whole network of those that I still write to, all because of Sunday. My friend never had much. He wouldn’t understand the concepts of modern technology. But he did understand the Lord. Folks here will never know what good he has done, but the Lord does.

Someday our journey will come to an end.  The choices we make today, the paths that we journey on will make all the difference at that time. I’m hearing about churches fussing, brethren complaining, people dropping out, finger pointing and families not getting along. Life is too short for these things. So, we have been hurt. So, we didn’t get our way. So, we don’t like a certain person. Get over it. Forgive. Extend grace. Apologize. Mend the fences and build the bridges! Our journey is coming to an end someday. Some of this stuff isn’t worth it.

Our verse reminds us, the Lord has done great things for us. He has to me. He has to you. Think about those things! Count your blessings. Be thankful. God is good!

Again, thank you. Again, thank you, my friend Sunday. Again, thank you, Lord.

Roger