07

Jump Start # 1033

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1033

Acts 2:46 “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart”

  Our passage today gives us a brief look into what the first Christians did. Here we see a daily connection and routine. Day by day—they were in the Temple. Day by day they were eating meals together. Day by day they were sharing, growing and being there for each other.

 

Other places in the N.T. reveal that they were teaching every day. They were spreading God’s word every day. Every day they were feeding their faith and walking with the Lord. Every day.

 

Our culture tends to pull us apart. The first Christians were Jews and they lived very close to each other. Grocery shopping meant a trip every day to the market place. Their lives were intertwined with each other. Today, we live apart from each other. We work, shop and do things in different places. It is literally very realistic that we do not see one another outside of the church building. The sense of belonging, community, fellowship and togetherness doesn’t impact us as much. Our daily spiritual activities are done more alone than they are with others.

 

Togetherness does something positive for us. God realized that and that is why we are brought together in a congregation. The “one another” factor is important. Alone, doubts rise. Alone, we get discouraged. Alone, we find excuses to lag behind. Alone, the feeling of quitting is greater. One of the best solutions to these things is to quit being alone. Get around other Christians. Connect throughout the week. Find each other. Share with each other. Do things with each other.

 

Our culture is creating loners. Sure we connect on twitter and facebook—but that’s at a distance. It’s not the same as being there. Nothing beats the pat on the back or the hug from another Christian. Nothing beats the way their eyes light up when you talk to them. Nothing beats the genuine smile on the face. It’s hard doing these things because we are so busy. We have places to be. We have so much to do. We do not live next to each other. We are not walking down the same road to the same market place as the first Christians did. Our lives are separate and that creates hearts that are separate. It’s not uncommon for folks to worship with each other in the same congregation for years, and yet not know much about each other. We tend to be guarded and protected. We don’t interact other than the usual superficial things. So we are alone even in a crowd. We are alone even in a congregation of many. This loneliness of heart creates a longing for friendship, sharing and connecting. Is it any wonder that many feel closer to co-workers or neighbors than they do their fellow Christians. Worship services, for many these days, is similar to going to a movie. You attend not for the crowd, but for what is on the screen. You rarely talk to anyone and you certainly hope no one sits right next to you. You enjoy the show, gather your stuff and head home. There is no interacting with the rest of the audience. Our church services can quickly move to that state if we don’t do something about it. Lonely Christians in a crowded church just doesn’t make sense. There is so much that is missing when that happens. Could it be our rate of drop outs is connected to this loneliness factor. Had someone known. Had someone connected. Had there been a greater sense of belonging. If there was more to going to services than just what is happening up in the pulpit…

 

Here are some thoughts.

 

First, we ought to recognize this in ourselves and others. How often, during the week, between services, do you have contact with other Christians? How often are others doing the same? Are we eating meals just with our family? Are we doing things just with our family? Include others. Invite others. The solution to the spiritual loneliness that may experience is to open the door to your heart and your home. Begin with little things. Ask another Christian to meet you for lunch. Invite a family over on Friday night. Include other Christians when you go to a movie, show or ballgame.

 

Some are doing these things and this is just as natural and easy as breathing. For others, this is huge. It’s scary to them and they are uncertain. Give it a try. Recognize that there are others who are not connecting. They are alone. They are not at other gatherings. They are missing out. Reach out to them.

 

Second, develop strong friendships within the congregation. That takes time. That takes spending time. That takes sharing and caring. That takes doing things together. Those strong spiritual bonds help hold us together. They help us fight Satan. They help us keep going. It is wonderful to have a Christian that you can count on. It is amazing that there is a Christian that cares and is praying for you. It is great to have a Christian that you can talk to and confide in. The words of a fellow believer, one who is serious about going to Heaven, will be so much more helpful than the words of one who doesn’t know the Lord.

 

Day by day…every day. Things were happening among the first Christians. They were growing and connecting. We need that.

 

Day by day, begins with THIS DAY.

 

Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 1032

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1032

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

  Our passage today comes from the English Standard Version. The way that leads to destruction, Jesus tells us, is wide, easy and crowded. Many are going that way. Most of us have given thought to this verse and have heard powerful lessons upon this. Our thoughts today center around the expression, “the way is easy.”

We like easy. The Eagles sang, “Take it easy,” and most would agree. If there are two ways to doing things, most will take the easy way. Easy—little effort. Easy—fast and quick. Easy-painless. We like dentists who tell us that the procedure will be “easy.” We like home repairs that are “easy.” “Easy” is a key ingredient in most dinners. When we buy something that has to be put together, we like instructions that are short, simple and above all, EASY. I’m into easy things. I don’t like complicated remotes for the TV. I don’t like computer programs that take half a day to figure out. I like questions that are EASY to answer. I suppose it’s our nature to like easy things. Years ago, I saw a display of the Lincoln funeral train that someone had carved out of wood. It was amazing, beautiful, detailed and very realistic looking. There was nothing easy about that. The carver poured hours and hours into that project.

 

Our passage reminds us that the easy way is not always the best way. Some things take effort. Some things are hard. Some things take time. I want a doctor who cracked the books in medical school. I want to know that he poured hours and hours into his education. Don’t send me to the guy who gave a quick glance over the cliff note version of things. No, sir. I want a detail man. The mechanic I go to is like that. He’s smart as they come about engines. He knows his stuff. That didn’t come from watching TV shows. I want the same when it comes to the person teaching Bible class. I want a person that knows the Bible. When someone says, and they always do this, “somewhere in the Bible, it says something like…”  he knows where. When someone brings up a thought that doesn’t fit in with the rest of the Bible, he recognizes that and knows how to answer it. That knowledge comes from spending time with God’s word. While the rest of us are watching TV and taking naps, that guy has the books open and is pouring over them. It isn’t easy, and it shows where he has spent his time.

 

Our passage isn’t talking about medical school, technical colleges or even teaching Bible classes. What Jesus has in mind is the journey that takes us to Heaven. The path of life. His way. His way is so different than the other way. The other way is wide, easy and crowded. His way is narrow, hard and only a few are there. Narrow—implying not a lot of options. Not a lot of ideas. Not room for opinions or alternative ways of looking at things. Narrow meaning His way. Narrow meaning not my way. Few meaning not popular. Few meaning not a lot of associations and companions and friends doing the same thing. Few meaning lonely and up to me. And then, hard. Not easy. Effort required. Must put some sweat into it. Must work at it. Not a free ride. Not a pleasure trip. Not a vacation.

 

The determining factor in all of this is our choices. We choose the easy way or the hard way. We choose to be with others or to be with the few. We choose the way with plenty of options, opinions and ideas or we choose the way that is narrow and room only for Jesus’ way.

 

Consider a few thoughts about why the way of Jesus is not easy:

 

1. It’s not easy to be different. Different stands out. Different is noticed. People want to know why you are different. They judge you for being different. The different we are talking about here is not in style of clothing, other than modest. It’s not in hair style or color. Some want to be different that way. They will tattoo themselves, put wild color in their hair and stand out as different. But they are not different. They are like everyone else on the inside. The inside is what Jesus has in mind. Different in attitude. Different in outlook. Different in priorities. Different in the direction you are going. Different in words used. Different in grace, forgiveness and compassion. Different comes across as being better, and in this case it is. Folks will judge you for being different. They will not like you for being intolerant. They like to call you a Pharisee, which today is a religious slur for being narrow. Jesus tells us to be narrow. Narrow in His way. Narrow in the right way. It’s not easy being different.

 

2. It’s not easy fighting Satan and temptation. Satan is strong and powerful. He never seems to quit. There are moments when it seems that he leaves you alone, but he always returns. Go to work and Satan is there (I don’t mean your co-workers). Go out of town and Satan beats the traffic and is there waiting for you. He’s everywhere it seems. He knocks on your door through music, movies, commercials, billboards, and even people. The easy thing to do is find an excuse and jump right into the temptation. That’s what most do. But you are not like most. You are one of the few. You are not doing what is easy. You are doing what is hard. You are resisting. You are fleeing. You are using prayer and Scripture and all that you can muster to knock Satan out of your life. This isn’t easy. I remember when I was a puppy preacher, in my early 20’s, talking to a man who was in his late 60’s. He told me that fighting temptation was just as hard on the downside of the hill as it was on the upside of the hill. That didn’t help me. I didn’t like hearing that. The fight isn’t easy.

 

3. It’s not easy hanging in and keeping on with Jesus. The easy thing is to quit. It’s easy to quit when we are tired, don’t feel like it, don’t feel good, discouraged, or have the blues. It’s easy to be lukewarm. It’s easy to be a dead Christian. Anyone can do that. It’s hard to remain faithful, year after year. It’s hard to be loyal to Jesus when you walk home from the cemetery. It’s hard to be faithful to the Lord when others in the church are not serious and you get discouraged. It’s hard to hang in there when it seems no one else cares. It’s hard to keep walking with the Lord when everything about you tells you to stop and sit down. Anyone can be a Christian for a day. How about for a month? A quarter? A lifetime? It’s easy to attend services once in a while. How about not missing any service for a month? A year? It’s easy to read a verse or two today. How about staying with that through the entire Bible? It’s easy to critique the elders, a sermon or a Bible class teacher. How about you step up in their roles? It’s easy to point fingers. Try being part of the solution. Hanging in with Jesus when others quit. Hanging in with Jesus when you are hurting on the inside. Hanging in with Jesus when your feelings have been bruised. Hanging in with Jesus when easier ways come to your mind.

The way is hard. That’s Jesus’ words. Don’t change it. Don’t try to soften it. Don’t try to fool others into thinking it’s not. Yes, it is hard, but it is not impossible. It’s hard, but you can do it. It’s hard but it’s worth it.

 

Don’t settle for the easy way. Worthwhile things take effort. It’s easy to flunk out. It’s hard to get on the honor roll. It’s easy to get cut from the team. It’s hard to make varsity. It’s easy to get fired. It’s hard to get a promotion. It’s easy to do what everyone else is doing. It’s hard to do what Jesus wants. Do the right things. Follow Jesus.

 

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 1031

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1031

1 Kings 3:1 “Then Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.”

Solomon was smart. God granted him a wisdom like no one else. However, Solomon does some dumb things, especially when he doesn’t put his trust in the Lord. On paper, and by logic, what Solomon does makes sense. Logic doesn’t trump God’s word. The city of Jerusalem was vulnerable. Walls to protect the city were not completed. Egypt was becoming a major threat. To avoid a conflict, Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to Jerusalem. That move would keep Egypt away.

It seems that Solomon continued to do things like this. His father, David, held peace by having a mighty army. Solomon kept peace by these marriage alliances. In Nehemiah we find, “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin” (Neh 13:26). Even him.

 

Great ideas are not so great if they go against what God says. The Law was specific about marriage outside the nation. Solomon didn’t obey the Law. He may have felt that the safety of the nation was at stake and this gave him the right and excuse to ignore the Law. These foreign wives eventually took Solomon’s heart away from God. Idols littered the land. The nation was polluted with paganism, influenced through the throne. What seemed like a good idea, wasn’t.

 

We face smaller decisions like Solomon all the time. Psychology experts tell us what is best in raising our children. Often that advice is not a mirror of what God says. Sometimes it is just the opposite of what God says. What sounds good isn’t if it ignores God.

 

Church growth experts try to redefine and reshape worship. It’s necessary we are told to attract today’s people. Many of these suggestions fly in the face of what the Bible teaches. Their stats, experience and insights sounds good on paper. Like Solomon found, they often lead to a real mess.

 

The evolutionary community will give what sounds like solid reasons to accept the theory of naturalism, apart from God. Fossils, age of the earth, layers of rock, expanding universe—all of this on paper seems like the right stuff. It looks like the evidence is in their corner. It’s enough to convince many people, even believers. Then they face the intersection of faith in what the Bible says, and what they have been told by the experts. Too often, the voice of the experts win. Where did matter come from? What got everything started? How did life come from non-life? Where did laws of nature and forces of energy that keeps everything going come from? What’s the purpose? Why is there evidence of design? Solomon faced what we face. We face what Solomon faced. What sounds good verses what God says.

 

Walking by faith, means simply that. We want to figure everything out and have an answer for all things. Sometimes we must just trust God. Some things are hard to understand. Some things are beyond us. Some things baffle us. Why does a young mother get cancer and die? Why does someone with amazing talent not get the job? Why does it keep snowing in Indiana this year? Why does Satan keep knocking on our door? There are some things that you just can’t put on paper. There are some things that beats our thinking and logic. We must trust God. Solomon learned the hard way. We don’t have to because we have the Bible.

 

Walking by faith is hard. It’s believing God knows and will do what is best. It means going through dark nights and shadows of death. It means holding on to God’s hand when you don’t have answers and you’re not sure what is the next step. A heart that is saturated with the word of God does best. A heart that has learned to trust God will come out on the other side. A heart that understands that it may not understand, will survive.

 

Trust God. That is the key. He has never been wrong. He has never broken a promise. He has never abandoned you. He has your best interest. He knows what is best for you.

 

Solomon turned his thinking away from God’s word to his own plans, logic and ideas. He failed. Don’t follow his way, instead, follow God’s way.

 

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 1030

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1030

Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and they years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them.’”

  Let me share a few things I read yesterday.

  • Teenagers are some of the most religiously active Americans.
  • American twentysomethings are the least religiously active.

The report went on to say, “Eighteen to twenty-nine year-olds are the black hole of church attendance; this age segment is ‘missing in action’ from most congregations…Overall there is a 43% drop-off between the teen and early adult years in terms of church attendance.” Then further, “A majority (57%) say they are less active in church today compared to when they were age fifteen.” One other conclusion, “Most young Christians are struggling less with their faith in Christ than with their experience of church.” They are not rejecting Christianity, only the church.

 

These studies were conducted by the Bara Institute and are reflective of Catholic and Protestant faiths in America. Some specific groups were doing better than others.

 

One does not have to be a church growth researcher to see what is happening. There is a segment, mostly, young singles and young couples with little children, that are disconnecting from organized church. They are dissatisfied enough to stop attending. They don’t feel that the church helps them nor is it necessary. These stats are alarming. If the trend continues, and those that drop out do not return, we witnesses the modern church being filled with senior citizens and crippled to what can be done.

 

Now, I cannot speak for all of Christendom, nor for all faiths and fellowships. But there are some things that this report and our passage today reminds us.

 

First, Preachers and shepherds ought to be aware of this. It is easy not to know what is happening in other places, but to ignore what is happening at home is without excuse. There ought to be some reasons this segment is dropping out. Those answers ought to be found. Just why is it some no longer feel the need nor the desire to come? Are the lessons, classes not practical for living today? Is there a failure to take what is on  the pages of the Bible and put them in our lives? This is something that needs to be looked into and given thought.

 

Second, the solution some churches have sought is to turn worship toward an entertainment style with lights, laughter, and fun. There are some serious Biblical problems with this, among them is ignoring how God wants to be worshipped. But stats are now showing that those that modified things to hold a crowd, are still losing people. Even this gets old. There is no competing with Disney or Hollywood. Churches do not have the budgets, talent or time to keep up with what the movie industry is doing. If that is the answer, it’s the wrong answer.

 

Third, while I do believe the church has a responsibility to be helpful and practical, much of this issue falls within the heart and faith of each person. I cannot, nor should I expect, the church to maintain and keep my faith going. That’s not the role of the church. My faith must be personal and real. It must be fed daily. There are struggles and temptations that only faith can battle victoriously. If I can’t keep myself interested in Jesus, I have a problem, not the church. For far too long, we’ve blamed the church for not keeping teens interested. Maybe the finger pointing belonged at home and more so, to the teens themselves. They are smart, talented and capable of having an amazing faith. I wonder who told young David, alone with the sheep, to praise God? His parents weren’t there. That was his decision. Folks will walk away from the services complaining that it’s boring or I get nothing out of it, and at home, at work, on their own, there is nothing that is moving the needle spiritually. They are dead and uninterested when they walk into the building and they are dead and uninterested when they leave the building. Church’s fault? I don’t think so. It’s time some folks took ownership of their faith. The other day I parked my car beside another guy’s car. My car was filthy from all the salt, sand, snow and stuff on our roads. It was hard to tell what color my car was. The car beside mine, was spotless. You could see your reflection in the hubcaps. That guy drove on the same roads I did. Why was mine such a mess and his so pristine? He took care of it. He put that as a priority. It’s the same with our faith. It wasn’t the fault of the weather or the highway that my car looked the way it did. I simply didn’t wash it. Your interest in Christ and His kingdom is personal. Your faith should not be a reflection of what happens down at the church building. The church can have trouble but your faith doesn’t have to. The church could be lukewarm, but you do not have to be. The church could be dead, but you do not have to be. You make your faith, as you do you your marriage, your finances, your happiness, what you want it to be. Dropping out isn’t the solution.

 

Fourth, we must realize that the church is connected to Christ. I cannot fly solo with the Lord. God wants me to be a part of a congregation and I need that. There are valuable things such as encouragement, accountability, responsibility and if nothing else, thinking and being involved with others that you miss when you are alone. There is comfort in numbers. The Lord’s Supper was to be taken when you come together. For this study to reveal that this group is not struggling with Christ, is not true. To struggle with the church is to struggle with Christ. The two are connected. You cannot disconnect Christ from the Bible, nor Christ from His body, the church. They both, go together. Strong in Christ means strong in all that Christ is.

 

There comes a time when a person may have to switch congregations. I’ve done that. Sometimes things just aren’t working. You’ve tried. You see it affecting your faith. At that moment a person has to make a decision. It is not worth staying if your faith dies. It’s not worth quitting altogether. Finding a congregation that is serious about Christ and the Bible can be hard. Sometimes, faith means doing the hard thing.

 

What are you doing to keep your faith growing? Are you putting all your hopes in what others do? Don’t wait for them, you take charge and fed your faith, exercise your faith, and walk  by faith. Are you stronger today than you were five years ago? Why not?

 

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 1029

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1029

2 Kings 5:11 “But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, “He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.”

  The Bible tells us that Naaman was a great man. He was the captain of the Syrian army. He had been victorious and was highly respected. He was also very sick. He was a leper. A girl taken captive from Israel was serving as a maid to Naaman’s wife. She revealed that a prophet back in Israel could cure him. The word reached Naaman, permission was granted and Naaman travels to meet Elisha the prophet. Instead of a face to face meeting, Elisha, sent a message. Naaman was to dip seven times into the Jordan River. This was not what Naaman expected. He at least thought the prophet would come. He didn’t. Once he settled down and his servants convinced him to try, Naaman went to the Jordan, dipped seven times, and was cured.

This passage is a favorite of preachers. It’s easy to preach. It’s full of powerful lessons.

1. The hero of this story is God. He always is. Here we find God granting the wishes to a foreigner who had captured His own people. Without God, Elisha had no powers. It was God’s will that cured Naaman. The praise goes to God.

 

2. If there is such a thing as “second place,” it goes to the unnamed servant girl from Israel. Upon her confidence in Elisha and her faith, the wheels got turning that led to Naaman’s healing. This servant girl had every reason not to say anything. She was taken captive. She was in a foreign land. She was serving the wife of the captain that probably captured her. Her thoughts could have been on escaping. Her prayers could have been toward her deliverance. The text calls her a “little girl.” She was not too little to know. She was not too little to believe. This little girl spoke the words of faith that got things going.

 

She is impressive. Her heart is compassionate, even toward foreigners. Her prayers are not just for herself. You may be in a place like this little girl. Health issues may hold you captive. Your work takes you away from home. You may be young. You might be old. You may not be able to answer all the questions someone asks you, but you know someone who can. You tell them. You make the connection. You believe. You act. I’ve known students who invited their high school teachers to services and they came. I’ve known young people that invited teammates to come to church and they came. I’ve known young people who arranged a Bible study with someone much older than they were. This little girl got the wheels turning. That’s impressive. She believed, even though a captive in a foreign land. That’s impressive. She didn’t need sunny days and good times to maintain her faith.

 

3. Then there is the Naaman complex. “Behold, I thought,” he said. He had it all figured out in his mind. He had played this scene out. Elisha would show up with great fan fair. He would pray to God with grand and elaborate words. His arms would wave around. Probably thunder would boom from the heavens. Maybe angels would swoop down. Then in the midst of this grand scene, the leper would be cured. The crowds would erupt with applause. It would be incredible. Naaman could hardly wait. He may even been happy that he had leprosy because of this marvelous way he was going to be cured. He just knew this was going to be something. He was going to be the center of all of this.

 

The news brought great disappointment. The text tells us that Naaman was furious. Elisha wasn’t coming. There were no grand prayers offered. There was no thunder from the heavens. No waving of the arms. No wonder and amazement. He was told to go to a dirty river and dip seven times. That didn’t make any sense. That’s not the way it was supposed to be. There’s nothing special about that. Did Elisha not know who Naaman was? Did he not know of his victories? Did he not know of the position he held? Dipping in a river? Dipping in that river?

 

The Naaman complex is alive and thriving today. God’s message is simple. God’s message is internal. It works on the heart. God’s message is not with fireworks and smoke. The solution to addictions…the way out of trouble…the answer to broken marriages…the return for prodigals…the escape of worry…the answers to doubt…is not wild waving of arms, it’s not fanciful words of the preacher, it’s not smoke and thunder from Heaven, it’s you and I, sitting down with an open Bible in our laps and reading and trusting God. So many of the solutions are not God doing, but us doing by faith. Leaving friends that are destroying us…controlling our environment to keep Satan at a distance…staying away from filthy movies…praying longer, reading the Bible deeper, engaging in worship, walking by faith. These are all actions that we take. We want God to do it all. That’s what Naaman wanted. He didn’t want to go to a river. He didn’t want to dip seven times. He was ready to walk away. Had he done that, he would have died a leper. Many walk away today. It’s not the message that they want to hear. They want the church or God to fix the messes that they have created. They want the church to bail them out financially, with no strings attached. They expect the church to raise their troublesome teenagers. They expect the church to come running when they have a problem. When the church offers to show them how to get to Heaven, that’s not the message they want. Away they storm, mad. Away they go, complaining about Christianity. They need to stop and listen to what God says. We all do.

 

So often we want God to remove the problem. Instead, God wants us to weather the storm and learn valuable lessons during the storm. Get us out of the problem is our prayer. When God doesn’t do that, we get angry, discouraged and like Naaman, ready to walk away. Those that do, die lepers. Those that listen, are cured. God’s way is not our way. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.

 

The problem of Naaman, “Behold I thought…” The heart of a disciples says, “Behold, I listen…”

 

Which are you?

 

Roger