09

Jump Start # 1076

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1076

2 Peter 3:1-2 “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.”

    In writing this letter, Peter focuses upon the things that the brethren already knew. Notice the words here: reminder, remember, beforehand. God is in the remembering business. The ark of the covenant contained three historical items that would remind Israel of God’s care and guidance. The Passover feast was a reminder of what happened long ago in Egypt. When Israel crossed the Jordan River to go into the promise land, they were to pick up stones from the River bottom. Those stones served as a reminder. Each Sunday we take the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus established with these words, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Remember.

 

Remembering is important to life. The husband that forgets his wedding anniversary is in trouble. I once scheduled out of town preaching events that happened to fall on Mother’s Day and my wife’s birthday the same year. She told me that I best not be out of town for our anniversary as well. We remember birthdays. We remember special events. “Remember the Alamo” is a famous expression that rallied the troops during a war. 9/11 now has a special remembrance to most of us.

 

Peter was telling the brethren that he was going to remind them. There are some things that we know but we forget. We need to be reminded. This tells us that not every class, not every sermon, not every article, will be something I didn’t know. Some will be reminders. We need to be reminded.

 

Every generation needs to learn the things that many of us already know. We must be patient. Every generation needs to understand why things matter. They need to learn Bible authority. They need to have lessons about how the church operates and  is governed. They need to learn about giving and worship. They need to learn about marriage and the home.

 

I have found most often, that when someone preaches on these subjects that I have heard many times, I still learn something. Each time I have found them to be very helpful to me. I have also found that sometimes we assume everyone knows things when they don’t. I’m teaching a class entitled, “Hello, I am your Bible.” It starts with the word “Bible.” Our first class was spent looking at the table of contents and talking about why the books are in the order that they are and things like that. Simple stuff. Things everyone knows. Wrong. Many said that they had never had a class like that. Many were taking notes and asking questions. Reminders for some of us, will be new things to others.

 

Those of us that teach, it helps to realize that not everyone knows the books of the Bible. Not everyone knows much about the Bible. The stories that we think everyone knows, some don’t. So, teachers, don’t skip the details. Don’t go so fast that it isn’t understood. On any given Sunday, in a growing congregation, there may be people who are there for the very first time. They may never have been in a church building before. They may have heard of the Bible but are afraid of it or have preconceived ideas that no one can understand it. Your job teacher, is to teach God’s word. Make it plain. Make it simple. Take the time, make the effort to help everyone see and understand. Explain words. Make it interesting, make it relevant, make it practical.

 

Remember. There are times that we especially need this. When a loved one has passed away, we need to remember what the Bible teaches about death and what happens after death. Those are those powerful lessons. While the sun is shinning, we don’t take those lessons to heart. It’s in the darkness of the night that we wonder and we want to know.

 

When a marriage is falling apart is a time to remember what God says about such things. We forget.

 

When a friend asks us a question, it is a time to remember how to answer and what the answer ought to be.

 

When the bottom seems to drop out, it is a time to remember that God still cares and God is still upon the throne. We forget. We need to remember.

So, be patient with the teachers that return to familiar topics. Don’t sigh and make them feel bad. Rejoice that they are doing that. Encourage them. Help them but adding constructive comments that build upon what they are teaching. It’s not the time to be cute and silly. It’s not the time to play the devil’s advocate. The devil has too many advocates. It’s time to be the Lord’s advocate.

Encourage teacher to return to the basics. We need them. Let the teachers know that you’d like to hear a lesson again about the fundamentals. Help the teacher be a reminder. This is part of his work.

Roger

 

08

Jump Start # 1075

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1075

Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, ‘Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when on has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.’”

  Our verse today involves two things. First, it was Jesus’ response to someone who asked Him to divide the family inheritance. This was a legal matter and more so, a family issue. Someone was unhappy with the deal he got and he wanted Jesus to sway things his way. Like many folks, this person only wanted Jesus to make his life happier. He wasn’t interested in what Jesus had to say or following Jesus. He was counting money in his mind. He had plans. Jesus was the ticket to get what he wanted. Our verse is Jesus’ reply. He didn’t get involved. He didn’t settle things. He didn’t take sides. The man left as he came, bummed out about money and his family.

 

The second thing this verse shows is a warning from Jesus. He said, “Beware…” Jesus was often warning His disciples. The happy-go-lucky, anything goes, I don’t care, free spirit that many try to paint of Jesus is not supported by Scriptures. Jesus warned often. Sometimes He’d say, “Do not…”

 

Most of us understand the importance of warnings, but find them to be a nuisance. When the warning light comes on the dashboard of our cars, it usually means that we have to make an appointment and take the car in to be serviced. It bothers us. Sometimes, during a TV show we are watching, weather warnings come on. We want to finish our show. The weather warnings are deemed more important by the station.

 

In our verse, Jesus, not only did not answer this man the way he was expecting, he left with a warning. A warning that is designed for all of us. This is the reason that some walk away from Jesus. They come hoping to get a pat on the back and a thumbs up to their life. Instead, they get a warning. They need to change. They need to straighten up. It’s not what they wanted, so they walk away.

 

We need spiritual warnings. A good study sometime is to look at the warnings of Jesus. There are several. He warned about the leaven of Pharisees. He warned about closed hearts. He warned about Hell. The verse today contains a warning about greed. Here Jesus warns, “Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed.”

 

That tells us that greed comes in many forms. There is not just one size fits all. Those different forms may throw us and deceive us. We may not recognize some forms as being greed. This is why Jesus is warning. He’s not killing fun. He doesn’t take pleasure in our misery. He isn’t happy when we are sad. Not at all. Some, especially young people, get the idea that I have to make a choice between fun and right. They assume being right and doing right is not fun. Poor thinking there. The choice is between right and wrong. A person can have fun and be right.

 

Greed is not about how much stuff you have but how the stuff has you. Greed is an attitude. It’s a way of thinking. It wants to collect and not give. It has a thirst for things. Greed believes that a person is defined by what they own. The nicer the car, the better you are. The more stuff, the more square footage, the larger the TV screen, the better off you are. America has caved in to that idea. We believe it. I was looking at ties the other day. Ties are my thing. I love ties. The salesman was really wanting me to buy. I looked at the price tag and there was no way. One tie cost more than some of my suit jackets. He started dropping designer names of the ties. They were all Italian. I never heard of any of them. He was trying to impress. I remembered the price tag and was depressed.

 

I don’t know if I know all the forms of greed. It would be interesting to list some and think about them. Affluence can be driven by greed. Affluence isn’t wrong. It can be wrong if it distorts us and defines us. Christians with money will do great things. The world with money does selfish and wrong things. Let the Christians have the money. Beware Jesus said of greed.

 

Greed is never satisfied. Greed needs just a little bit more. Greed is a thirst that is never quenched. Jesus did not want his disciples controlled by greed. He wanted them free from those things. Free to focus upon God. Free to not be burdened down with worries about stuff that doesn’t matter. Free to talk to all people. The first Christians were mostly poor. However, there were some of Caesar’s household. There was the eunuch from Ethiopia was in charge of the queen’s treasury. Important folks. Influential people. Most likely, wealthy people. The disciples had to be comfortable and make others feel comfortable so they could share the gospel to them. God isn’t impressed with stuff. God’s impressed with faith. The largeness of your heart is what moves God’s needle. Love Him, Jesus said, with ALL your heart.

Beware. We need to see the warning lights coming on. We need to do something about it.

Warnings keep us safe. Warnings help us. We ought to be thankful for warnings. Without them, we’d be in a bunch of trouble most times.

 

Roger

 

07

Jump Start # 1074

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

Jump Start # 1074

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

  In our verse today, Paul begins this sentence and the following sentence with the word “Let.” Here he says, ‘Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.’ The next verse begins, ‘Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” Let peace rule…let the word dwell.

The word “let” moves things into our category. Let means allow. Let is something that we do. There are other ‘let’ verses in the New Testament, such as in Hebrews, where we find, “let us draw near with a sincere faith,” and,  “let us hold fast the confession of our faith,” and “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” Let. Do this. Allow this.

Let is something that we do. We let the dog out. We let our hair grow. We let things bother us. We let things go that we ought to do. Letting is our part of things. Paul wanted the brethren to LET the peace of Christ rule in their hearts.

 

Peace. Jesus is called the prince of peace. The angels announced at His birth that He came to bring peace on earth. The standard answer that people give for what they wish for is world peace. The peace of Christ has to do with our relationship with God. It isn’t about treaties, war, alliances or one nation and another nation. There’s always going to be wars, because there’s always going to be sin. Paul’s peace is about us and God. The peace of Christ means that we have been reconciled with God. We are no longer enemies with God. For that to happen, forgiveness of sins must take place. Our sins is what  makes us enemies with God. God is holy and we are not. God is righteous and we are not. Christ is the bridge. Faith in Christ brings salvation. That brings peace with God.

 

Long ago, the expression “Rest In Peace,” or, RIP, was found on many tombstones. That was a hopeful thought that the loved ones put on the grave of the departed. They wanted them to be resting in peace. That comes about when a person has lived in peace. That happens when the peace of Christ rules our hearts.

 

When the peace of Christ rules our hearts, it means that it controls our hearts. Our thinking, our decisions, our choices, our words are governed by the peace of Christ. Jesus rules our heart. He commands our hearts. He shapes and molds our hearts.

 

The opposite of peace of Christ ruling your heart is having worry, or fear, or anger, or doubt, or sin rule your heart. Those things will really affect us. They keep us up at night. They steal our appetites. They make us nervous and we become obsessed with those things. They surface in nearly every conversation. It shows on our face. They change us, and it’s not a change for the better. The expression ’worried to death,’ is often true. Those that do not have a foundation and an anchor in a storm will get this way. It’s natural. Your world is falling apart and you have nothing to hold on to. It is scary and you wonder if you are going to make it through to the other side safely. Many don’t. That bothers you as well. Who does the atheist turn to when he needs help? Where does the unbeliever go when the bottom drops out? For some, the answer lies in a fanciful ’it will get better’ dream. Others live in denial. Some just want to be numb so they don’t face the problems. Their choice is drugs and alcohol.

 

The believer has something to hold on to. The believer has something within him. He has the peace of Christ that is ruling his heart. That peace will keep him from giving up. That peace will allow him to carry on. That peace will keep him steady and calm with everyone else is in panic mode. The peace of Christ. Jesus is upon the throne and always will be. Jesus is who our trust is in. The Old Testament warned about putting trust in horses and bows and the strength of men. Our trust is not in this nation. Our trust lies in Christ.

 

The peace of Christ—not just in you. Not just existing, but ruling your heart. Christ is at the wheel. Christ keeps you out of the ditches of life. You must LET that happen. There are some things that we must give to God in prayer and then trust Him. He knows. He’ll see us safely through to the other side.

 

Let the peace of Christ rule your heart. Are you letting that happen?

 

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 1073

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

Jump Start # 1073

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

  This week we have been looking at some serious thoughts about congregational life. We have examined some of the internal reasons why small churches remain small. We’ve looked at the “Small church mentality.” We’ve looked at leadership problems. We’ve given thought to staleness and a lack of vision in a congregation. One final lesson. One more thing needs to be said. Of all the things we mentioned, one of the greatest things that keeps a church from being what they could be is when the spirit of Christ is missing. Christ is what it is all about. You can have the coolest looking church building, the greatest programs, tons of money, the busiest place, but if Jesus is missing, you will fail. Ephesus was there. They were busy as a church. They were dealing with false apostles. They were working, enduring and toiling. They definitely weren’t standing still. They were not hopelessly stuck in idle. Yet, with all that was going on, they had left their first love. Something was missing. It was Jesus. A church that has left it’s first love will not please the Lord. It doesn’t matter what they are doing, that must come first. A person can tell when Jesus is not the center of things. It is noticeable.

 

This is an issue that all churches must deal with—small and large. This is something that can happen so gradually that it’s not noticed until it’s too late. Christ was not the center any more. Attitudes shift when that happens. The spirit changes. Compassion runs thin as does patience. We tend to forgive less and remember more when Christ is no longer the center of things. We get irritated with each other. We bother each other. The joy of worship becomes the drudgery of duty. Christ has been moved off center. We settle for substandard service. We find ourselves going through the motions.

 

This will especially haunt and hurt small churches. Judgmental attitudes are known to prevail when Christ is no longer the center of things. Opinions rise, tempers flair, motives are questioned when Christ is moved off of center.

 

A young preacher recently encountered someone who was very vocal and demanding where he preached. In a Bible class, a woman answered a question. This brother when ballistic. He demanded a meeting with the young preacher. He was all over him about women not being allowed to speak in church. This brother never gave any thought to what his abrasive tone was doing to the spirit of the young preacher. He never gave any thought to how would Jesus handle that. He came with guns blazing. The young preacher called me. “What do I say?” I encouraged him to ask this guy if his wife and daughters sang any hymns during worship? They did. Now, how could he go along with that if he believes that women cannot speak in church? Further, was this man’s wife a Christian? She was. How did she confess Christ before men if she couldn’t speak in church? Very odd. It shows, the man hadn’t really studied things out. He was repeating old arguments that were not right. But worse, he was causing a stink because of his wrong opinions and was hurting someone who was willing to devote his life to preaching. Where was Christ? It certainly wasn’t at the center of the discussion. We can get so upset and so mad that it justifies us being rude, offensive and mean for the sake of truth. Really? What page from the life of Jesus gives us that impression?

 

Those kind of horror stories can be told all day long. They are numerous. I have dozens myself, from being accused of being sinful because I had a beard, of being loose because I did not use the King James Version, of being radical because I wear loud ties, of being told I was wrong because I use stories in my lessons, and accused of being soft because I preach in a large congregation that has a steeple on the top of the building. Yes, I’ve been there. I’ve heard it so many times. Loud, forceful, dominating the conversation, unwilling to listen, demanding, threating, opinionated and ugly. It hurts. It leaves scars. But worse, that spirit slows down momentum and keeps a church from growing. And too often, that spirit is permitted and tolerated.

 

When Christ is the center of our lives, we think about things before we say them. We try to be helpful We want to leave the person better and closer to Christ. Destroying someone isn’t even on our radar. That doesn’t interest us. We want to save them. We want to encourage them. We want them to be healthy and spiritual. A brother once wrote an article in a magazine entitled, “Drive out, destroy and Defeat.” His application was to those that he deemed wrong in the church. That bothered me. I wrote the editor. I told him I thought we were supposed to “seek, save and restore.” How can we forget Christ in any discussion or moment in our lives?

 

Unhealthy Christians is a plague today. We’ve fooled ourselves into thinking as long as we are doctrinally right with God, nothing else matters. Some can be so mean toward others. Some can be so hard on others. Is it any wonder some congregations do not grow? Some will quickly turn to Matthew 23 and say that Jesus called the Pharisees “hypocrites.” That is true. He didn’t do that on the first day, though. This came after three years of miracles, sermons, parables and examples. Three long years with them. He was patient with them. This came after everything else. It seems that some fail to realize that. They want to start with name calling.

 

My daughter has a baby growing in her. Yes, I am going to be a grandfather once more. She calls and tells us that the baby kept her up or the baby is kicking or the baby didn’t like what she ate. The baby in her is affecting her. Paul had Christ in him. It was affecting him. It would soften the rough edges. It would make him think before he spoke. It would make him choose grace and forgiveness. It would lead him to being kind and tender hearted. Stuff the macho attitude. We need to be like Christ. Kind and tender hearted are the very words Paul used in Ephesians. That’s what we are to be. Christ in you will affect you.

 

Unhealthy churches will not grow much. They are destined to drive people away in tears. They are always fighting about something. They are miserable. They make everyone else miserable. If they won’t put Christ back at the center of their hearts, they might as well put a for sale sign out front. They are not doing any good. They are not acting like Jesus. They are not showing the world Christ. They are hurting. They are distorting things. Get it together, or get out of the way, is how I see it. There’s no excuse for Christ not being the center of all things. That decision should have been made a long time ago when one became a Christian. Gossipy churches…judgmental churches…unfriendly churches…dead churches…stale churches…they are everywhere. There’s nothing impressive about them. They are small and staying small because they are sick. Their only hope is what the Ephesians were told, repent and return. Get Christ back to the center of things. Spend volumes of time reading the Gospels. Look at Jesus. Watch what He does. Learn from Him. Imitate Him. Be like Him. That is the hope. That opens the windows of a place. Christ brings fresh air. Christ is the refreshing spirit. That brings change. That starts the movement of growth and life and joy. The Gospel is good news. Have we forgotten that?

 

Thank you for sticking with me in this series. This hasn’t been easy to write because it brought up many painful reminders from my past. I hope that this series will be a bridge for serious dialogue. Ecclesiastes tells us that a live dog is better than a dead lion. There is hope as long as we are alive. Unhealthy churches can become healthy. Small churches can start growing. Leadership can change. Attitudes can change. Things can happen. Pray for it. Work towards it. Doing nothing is defeat. Doing nothing is wrong. Use these articles as a starting point. Take a serious look at what is going on. Begin with self. Make adjustments. Don’t deny reality. Don’t make excuses. Become what God wants, as a person and as a congregation.

 

This series will be printed in a booklet that will be entitled, “Essays on Small Churches.” It will be free. If you want a copy, or several, email me at: Rogshouse@aol.com

 

May the Lord help us to be pleasing to Him. May we invite Christ to live in us and be the center of all things.

 

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 1072

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

Jump Start # 1072

2 Corinthians 7:13 “For this reason we have been comforted. And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.”

  We are looking this week at some of the reasons why small churches tend to stay small. It is frustrating when things aren’t right. They could be, but they are not. It’s that way in a marriage. It’s easy to be short with each other.  You know how the marriage ought to be, but it’s not. That’s frustrating. The same goes with a congregation. It could be awesome. It could be so helpful and beneficial. But often it’s not. That is so frustrating. There are internal reasons why some small churches remain small. They will continue to be small until these internal issues are improved upon. Until the people involved take the steps to make things better, they will continue to struggle. There are issues that smaller congregations face all the time. They struggle with finding gifted teachers to teach classes. When they do, it is very often that those teachers never get a break because there is no one else who can or will teach. Smaller congregations struggle financially. There are things that they simply cannot afford to do. Keeping the church building from falling in is often about all they can do.  It is frustrating to witness congregations struggling year after year with no changes, no improvements, and no ideas as to what to do.

 

One of the internal reasons why small churches remain small is that they are stale. Stale is not the same thing as old. I’ve been to some old church buildings and some old congregations and they are growing and healthy. Stale has nothing to do with age, but everything to do with atmosphere. You know what stale bread and stale crackers are like. UGH. Dry, stuffy, boring, lifeless, going through the motions—been there. Seen that before. You can often tell a stale congregation the moment you walk into the church building. It’s not bright and inviting, it’s just the opposite. It looks like someone’s garage or storage shed. Junk lying around. Trashy looking. Dim lights. The tract rack is stuffed with old tracts that no one reads. There are papers and Bibles and stuff everywhere. The classrooms are dingy and trashy. The atmosphere is stale. Sometimes those are the brightest spots of a stale congregation. It only gets worse. The members drag in late, as if they are headed to surgery. Many of them do not even have their Bibles. The worship is unorganized and disjointed. The song leader leads stale songs in a slow, go to sleep manner. He leads the same songs, the same way, every time. The prayers are the same. Lifeless. The sermon lacks passion and is dry. People stare off in space. Another Sunday done. Nothing accomplished. Nothing new. And the folks wonder why they are not growing. They will have two Gospel meetings, always one in the Spring and always one in the Fall. They are not sure why, but that’s when they have them. A few friendly faces from other congregations might visit once in a while but that’s it. The boat has a slow leak and no one knows how to fix it. The lifeless church dwindles with every funeral.

 

It doesn’t have to be that way. I know small groups that are amazing. Their worship is incredible. Stale does not have to be your destiny. Too often, stale churches put all of their hopes upon the next preacher. They view him as the knight in shining armor who is going to come and rescue them from a slow death. They don’t realize that within months the new preacher will be having second thoughts about moving there. He sees the situation as it really is. The stale church doesn’t want to do anything and they expect him to do it all. Without help, without participation, without teamwork, the preacher will either move away or he too becomes stale. A stale preacher working with a stale church is about as pitiful as it gets. I’ve seen it. It makes me want to scream. I see all kinds of things that can and should be done. But stale folks don’t want to do that. They’ve gotten used to being stale. The taste isn’t so bad after awhile.

 

A friend said to me the other day, having read this series so far, “I can’t believe you are writing these things. No one mentions these things.” I thought at first that I was in trouble or had crossed the line. I asked him if I ought to stop. He said, “No. Never. These things need to be discussed.” Stale churches fall into that category.

 

Our verse today, Paul’s thoughts about Titus, shows the opposite of stale. Titus was refreshed. We like refreshments. We enjoy fresh sheets, fresh fruits and fresh breezes. It’s the stale that turns the stomach. It’s the stale that leaves us empty, dry and disappointed. Years ago, someone in the congregation filled in for me when I was out preaching elsewhere. He used to preach. He complained that so many were sleeping while he was preaching. He asked me to listen to the CD. I hate doing that. His lesson was accurate, true and helpful, however, it was stale. I told him that his sermon was like toast. It was good, but I like a little jelly on my toast. The next time he preached he reported back with much enthusiasm, “I had jelly on my toast.” That’s the difference.

 

The antidote to staleness is passion. Passionate prayers, James calls it fervent. Passionate singing, Paul said to sing with thankfulness. Passionate preaching. That has nothing to do with volume, but everything to do with heart. Preachers, you are telling the thrilling story of Jesus, how can you not get excited. Pour your heart and your soul into your sermons. Leave nothing back. Give it all. Preach your best each time.

 

The antidote to staleness is grasping what worship is all about. We come to see the king (Isaiah 6). Clean up the church building, it’s God’s house. Have a work day and pitch the trash. Paint the walls. Get brighter lights. Get rid of those old lengthy tracts that no one reads. Fill the tract rack with bright and inviting material. Find things that are colorful. Display sermon CD’s in an attractive manner. Go visit a school and notice the classrooms. Model that. Make classrooms inviting and alive. Notice what people see when they walk into a building. A while back I took a group of elders to Target. We stood in the entry way. I asked them what they saw. There were things hanging down from the ceiling that were colorful and bright. The bathrooms were easy to find. It was bright and cheerful. I then took them back to their church building and had them stand in the entry way. No signs about bathrooms. A lot of junk lying around. Stuff on the floor. Dark. Stale. They got it. Changes came. Atmosphere is important. Atmosphere reflects attitude.

 

The antidote to staleness is getting serious about the Lord. Get to worship earlier. Quit dragging in three minutes late. God deserves better than that. If it take that long to get the family ready then get to bed earlier on Saturday night. Lay the kids clothes out the night before. Find all the shoes, socks and things that they need. Especially find the Bibles and spend a few moments going over the class lessons. Turn off the TV in the morning. No radio or videos in the car on the way to worship. Listen to hymns. Sing hymns. Talk of God. Get yourself in the mindset to worship God. The old way is the stale way. It’s not up to the church to change my staleness. I must own my faith and take charge of things.

 

These suggestions are only the first level of solutions. There are many more. Staleness begins to go away when leaders start asking the question “Why?” Why are we having a Gospel Meeting? Just because? Why are we teaching this subject? Why are we doing this? We have inherited a form of worship from the past generation. There are things and patterns that come directly from the N.T. There are judgments about how we fulfill those commands. How many songs? What time do we meet? What is the format? What worked for one generation may not work for the next. Can’t change what God requires, but how we get about that can. Staleness never considers that. It needs to be looked into.

 

Let me share a couple of things that we are doing where I am at. This is only said to be helpful and nothing else. Staleness is one thing you will not find at the congregation where I worship. Ideas flow. Plans, goals, themes, and the question “Why?” is part of our DNA now as a church. If it’s right with the Bible and it will help us, we will do it. If no one else has, that doesn’t slow us down at all. We are focused on getting these people healthy and ready for Heaven. We love God. We say that. We stand behind that. It takes money to do things. Too often congregations have sent nearly all their money to help support preachers in other places, while they allow the home congregation to grow stale. Maybe it’s time to rethink that. Color—we use it a ton. Color handouts. Color sermon note cards. Color bulletins. Black and white when out with black and white TV. Get with the times. Short, to the point, bright tracts. Gone are those long, detailed tracts. Few, if any, read those today. Change the length of classes. Change the format of classes. Change the length of meetings. Change the number of meetings. Change the purpose and direction of meetings. Put thought into what you are doing. Ask “why?” often. Look at things from the perspective of a visitor. Fix up the website. Clean up the building. Make the place say, “We want you to come. We welcome you.”

 

These Jump Starts are a by-product of this freshness and goal producing congregation. It is a new idea that we experimented with that is working well. Recently, Zack, our amazing other preacher, and myself, took a month of Sunday nights for a special series. The pulpit was removed and we had two chairs, a table and a plant where you’d normally see the pulpit. We talked in a conversation mode and a question and answer format between us. It was amazing. The congregation learned so much. We didn’t deal with fluffy things. We talked about “The New Norm.” Our subjects included, living together unmarried, homosexuality, pornography, and we ended with the social media. These topics need to be preached. A fresh and inviting way of doing that helps so much. Nothing stale about that.

 

Why do some small churches remain small. They are out of ideas. They have no plans. There are no goals. It’s the same way as it was twenty five years ago. And the way things are looking, it will be just the same in the next twenty five years, if everyone can stay alive. Death is the greatest threat to a small church. With no influx of new people, the congregation gets smaller and smaller until serious consideration must be given to whether we can continue to exist. No money to do anything. No passion to drive ideas. Staleness, like mold on a wall, just takes over. The atmosphere is discouraging.

 

Open up the checkbook and spend some of the church’s money. Get things going. Straighten up inside and outside. Get after things. A church doesn’t have to be stale. We let it become that way. We can turn it around. Visit a healthy and growing congregation. Ask them tough questions. Get ideas from others. To do nothing, is to give up. To do nothing is to throw in the towel. To do nothing, is to admit defeat. Do you think that God is pleased with that?

 

Roger