31

Jump Start # 1156

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1156

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Our times are not peaceful. A passenger jetliner is shot down over the Ukraine. How much Russia was involved is unclear. Israel and Hamas are shooting rockets at each other every day. The world is uncertain if Iran has a nuclear bomb. School girls have been kidnapped in Nigeria. Terror attacks and threats are spreading world wide. These are very uncertain times. Nations are not getting along. Jesus’ words for peace are welcome words.

 

Our passage is taken from the long dialogue Jesus had with His apostles before the cross. The verse before, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to the apostles to teach them and to remind them of the things Jesus said. Accuracy in God’s message is important. Most can not remember accurately conversations and lessons they heard a few months ago, let alone two or three years ago. These apostles had been with Jesus for three years. Those three years had been stuffed full of lessons, teachings and sermons. Jesus was now heading to the cross. He would not be with them. They would be sent out preaching Jesus’ message. Would they remember? Would they get it right? The Holy Spirit came upon them, such as in Acts 2, to complete and fulfill God’s plans.

 

Then comes our verse. Jesus promises to leave His peace with them. His peace, He tells us, is not like the peace that the world gives. It’s different. Have you ever thought about that?

 

The peace the world offers is external. It’s based upon treaties, signed papers, handshakes and promises. The history of the world shows that these signed papers do not last long. The treaties are broken and wars start up. In Kansas City, where I once lived, is the national WWI memorial. That was to be the war that ends all wars. It didn’t. The agreements forged out to end that war were broken just a few years later.

 

The peace the world offers never lasts. There are brief moments of rest, but before long, someone invades another land, someone violates the national laws of another country, and troops are sent, threats are made, and wars start. It has long been known that the old men make the war and the young men die in the war. Maybe if the politicians who made the war had to go fight in the war, there would be less war. The peace that the world offers never lasts.

 

The peace that the world offers is always based upon two parties. One side can be genuine and honest and the other side has their fingers crossed behind their backs and has no interests in settling differences. It’s hard to have peace when dealing with others.

 

Jesus’ peace is not like this. It’s not like the world’s peace. How is it different?

 

First, what Jesus was offering was not signed papers between nations, promising not to bomb each other. The peace of Christ involved a person and God. Because of sin, we are separated from God. We are at odds with God. There is enmity between us. One of the words of salvation is “reconciliation.” Christ brought us together. There was a bond of peace between you and God. This peace is personal and intimate. It is about your salvation. It involves no one other than you and God.

 

Second, the peace of Christ is internal. It is about relationships between you and God. It is built upon faith, forgiveness, love and trust. A broken relationship is restored. Hope is promised. Goodness abounds. A person’s eternal destiny is changed because he now has peace with God.

 

Third, this peace is lasting. It is not affected by national news, or even congregational peace or even drama in a family. None of those things alter the relationship one has with Christ. None can alter this peace except a person refusing to walk with Christ. That’s a personal choice. It’s up to the individual.

 

Fourth, the peace of Christ changes a person and this change affects and influences all other relationships he has. Because someone has peace with God, his character is molded to be like Christ. Now his marriage improves. Now his attitude towards others improves. Now his outlook changes. Less about self and more about serving. Grace and forgiveness is offered to others, just as it was offered to him by God. The peace of Christ has changed all other relationships. It begins with God.

 

Jesus said in the beatitudes, “blessed are the peace makers.” Many enjoy peace. Most want peace. This thought is about those who MAKE the peace. They go into a situation where there is no peace and now peace is made. Applications can be made to nations, marriages and neighborhood fusses. But the intent is between man and God. Blessed are those who make peace between you and God. Blessed are those who bring you home to God. This is done through the teaching of God’s word. This is accomplished by the godly counsel that leads to repentance and the breaking of the stubborn will that will not listen to God. Peacemakers are those engaged in God’s business of making and restoring relationships with God.

 

My peace I give to you. Calm in an unsettled world. Free from worry. Hearts that no longer are troubled. Hope that is real and based upon God. Friendship with God. This is what Jesus gave. It is more important and greater than signed papers between national leaders. If everyone had this peace, there would be no more wars. The reason that wars exist, whether between nations, in marriages or between co-workers, is because someone doesn’t have peace with God. Peace with God will lead to peace with one another. Until we start with God, there will always be wars, external and internal. The greatest war and turmoil is what rages within our hearts. Living without God. Facing death with God not as a friend. Living without forgiveness. Walking on your own, without Christ. This is the greatest tragedy. This is the greatest war.

 

It doesn’t have to be that way. It is, because we don’t know Christ.

 

My peace I give you. What a great promise. Do you live with it? Do you know it? Do you share it with others?

 

Roger

 

30

Jump Start # 1155

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1155

Acts 7:52 “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.”

 

Our verse today are the indicting words spoken by Stephen that led the mob to rush him and kill him. They did exactly as he said. They did exactly what their fathers had done. Not only had they killed Jesus, they were now killing Stephen. Hebrews tells us that the prophets of old “were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated” (11:37).

 

There are several lessons here that we need to explore.

 

First, these prophets and spokesmen for God did not encourage this conduct. They did not have a “martyr complex.” They did not have a death wish. Some act that way. Some think being destitute is a sign of righteousness. They miss the point. Paul learned the secret of living in prosperity. These prophets suffered because that was the response and reaction to what they were saying. It wasn’t a choice. It wasn’t a “vow of poverty.” It wasn’t a sign of spirituality. It happened.

 

Second, God allowed it to happen. God’s spokesmen were ill-treated. That carried over to the apostles. They weren’t viewed as heroes. Paul told the Corinthians, “To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed and are roughly treated, and are homeless” (4:11). He adds, “we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things” (4:13). God didn’t shelter the apostles. He didn’t make it that they lived as modern rock-stars. They didn’t live in fine hotels. They weren’t escorted in limos. They didn’t have adorning fans falling at their feet. Just the opposite. And God allowed it. The prophets and apostles were messengers and tools of God. The emphasis was upon the message, not the messengers. Jeremiah was thrown in a pit of mud. James, the apostle, was executed. John the Baptist was beheaded. When their work was finished, so were they. The mistreatment of the prophets was not an indication of God’s displeasure nor perceived as punishment. They were glad to suffer because Jesus had suffered. In our verse today, Stephen asks, “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?” The implied answer was ALL of them. They mistreated all of them.

 

Third, these prophets and apostles were killed by their own people. It wasn’t foreign armies that came and killed them. It wasn’t pagans that killed them. Nearly all were killed by people who were supposed to be followers of God. Their own brethren killed them. It was these people who had God’s law and God’s promises. It was these people that God had blessed. He led them out of Egypt and gave them deliverers. He was with them and protected them. Yet these same people, turned their backs on God and turned violent against God’s prophets. They didn’t like the message of the prophets. They didn’t want to hear what God was saying. Instead of changing, they silenced the messenger. They thought that would do away with it. It didn’t. God sent more and more prophets, until He finally sent His Son. This one they also killed. The very people who ought to embraced the prophets, were the ones who killed them.

 

Fourth, God’s prophets stayed the course. They remained true and spoke what God wanted. Ill-treated and rejected, they continued on with God. They did not look to themselves nor their own comfort, but to the glory of the Lord. They became true servants of the Most High.

 

Finally, two lessons for us. How do we treat messengers today who say things we do not like? This is not about someone teaching falsely. This is about someone challenging us to change, repent, or move closer to God. There are some topics that people do not like to hear, especially from a younger preacher. Far too many older, rough brethren get in the face of a young man who is trying his best to preach the will of God. Stubborn hearts will attack the messenger rather than look within themselves. Mean spirited brethren will get rid of the young preacher rather than get rid of the pride in their hearts. Shame on us when we do that. We are not much different than the crowd Stephen was speaking to. We ought to be holding up the hands of these young men who are courageous and fearless in preaching God’s eternal word. We ought to respect them and thank them for helping us see ourselves and showing us how to be right with God. Far too many young preachers quit because of the abuse from their own brethren. They come home at night, defeated, dejected and fearful of how they are going to survive financially, while arrogant and indifferent brethren take pride in “setting another one straight.” These young men are pouring their hearts into what they love. They become so discouraged because no one seems to want to hear the truth. There will be some reckoning at judgment for all these things. How do you respond when your toes have been stepped on? Are we “killing the prophets” today by running them off? Have we fallen into wanting teachers who tickle our ears and we have not even recognized that?

 

More importantly, how do we treat the message today? When the preacher shows us the wonderful value of worship, does it lead us to attending more, or are we set in our ways? When we are taught how to forgive, do we continue to hold grudges and refuse to forgive? How we treat the messenger is a reflection of how we treat the message. They killed Stephen because they killed the words he spoke. They hated him because they hated his message. God’s word is living. It causes and demands a response from us. It comforts us. It motivates us. It challenges us. It makes us look within. It causes us to come to our senses. It is there that we face changing our ways or getting rid of the message. This is the cause for some to stop attending. They don’t like what they hear. What they hear is truth, but they don’t want it nor like it. What is said is leading them to change and they like where they are at. So, they stop coming. So, they find a softer message at another church. So, they justify remaining in rebellion to God by saying, “That’s your interpretation. Mine’s different.” So the message is killed. The messenger is abused. And the crowd remains unchanged.

 

Is that us? Is that you? Is that me?

 

Which of the prophets did your fathers not kill? Stephen knew. God knew.

 

Roger

 

29

Jump Start #1154

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1154

Psalms 147:10-11 “He does not delight in the strength of the horse; he does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.”

 

Several years ago Shania Twain had a song, “That don’t impress me much.” This passage reminds us that God isn’t impressed much, especially with the things that impresses us. This reinforces the concept that God is not like us. We are impressed with things that doesn’t move God at all.

 

Our passage lists two illustrations:

 

  • The strength of a horse. The horse was used to pull things. One strong horse could pull a log. It would take a dozen men to do that. In my area, I think about those thundering thoroughbreds at the Kentucky Derby. Years ago, I got to see Secretariat up close. Beautiful, strong, and still the record holder. Impressive, to me. Not to God. He doesn’t take delight in the strength of the horse. We refer to the power of an engine in “horse power.” The greater the horse power, the more impressed we are. Car salesmen will proudly tell a customer how much horsepower is in the car they are looking at. Impressive. Not to God. The strength of a horse doesn’t move God.

 

  • The legs of a man. This refers to speed. How fast a man can run. I had a visit yesterday with a young man who is a colligate hurdler. He is great. He is turning pro and his goal is the Olympics. Tall, lean and all legs. I’ve seen him race. He can fly. God doesn’t take pleasure in the legs of a man. Speed doesn’t impress God.

 

The power of several horses is nothing to God. The God who opened the earth. The God who made the sun stand still for Joshua. The God who sent the Egyptians running when hail fell from the sky. The God who destroyed Sodom with fire and brimstone. A team of horses is nothing to God. And speed, we think a guy running is amazing, it’s nothing to God. In 2 Kings 20, God sent Isaiah to tell King Hezekiah that he was going to die. Isaiah had not even left the palace when God had heard and seen the tears of the king and ordered Isaiah to turn around and go back to the king. Talk about lightning fast. The prayer was heard in Heaven and the message return in a matter of a few minutes. No internet is that fast. Nothing can touch that speed. The legs of a man are nothing to God.

 

What catches God’s eye is faith. It always has. It caught the eye of Jesus. He noticed when it was missing and He saw it when it was there. The faith of four friends who stopped at nothing to lower a crippled friend through the roof before Jesus. The faith that led a synagogue official to overcome fear and prejudices and bow before Jesus and beg for Him to come and help his daughter.

 

God favors those who fear Him. God is impressed with those who love Him, respect Him, honor Him and trust Him. God notices those who are not afraid to bow their heads in a restaurant and thank Him. God recognizes the person who opens up a Bible in the public eye to read a few pages. God is aware of the person who stands up for truth and will not sit back as others blaspheme the holy name of the Lord. God sees that. God is impressed with that.

 

The passage also states that God favors those who wait for His lovingkindness. In Lamentations, we are told that God’s lovingkindness is new every day. Blessings, answers to prayer, help from Heaven—God’s people are looking and waiting for them. They have prayed and now they eagerly wait. They wait knowing the Lord. They wait trusting God. God is good to His people. They know that. Throughout Psalms there is a plea to help God’s people who were oppressed and haunted by the wicked. They awaited the Lord.

 

Impressive. We are impressed by the size of houses, the look of a sports car, the who’s who in film and sports. We tell others of famous people we see at the airport. The Hollywood scene is something that many people follow. The walk of stars, the hall of fame, naming buildings and streets after famous people is impressive, to us. We notice those things. Yet, those things do not move the needle in God’s heart. So many of those things are vain, unimpressive to God and have nothing to do with faith, trust and the Lord. A common farmer, who simply lives his life working in the field, never doing much more than farming, never traveling anywhere exotic, but who is a true believer and worshipper of God is more impressive to Heaven than the line up of any all-star game. I have a collection of autographed baseballs in my office. All major leaguers. Many are in baseball’s hall of fame. Impressive. Expensive. Cool to show to others. Nothing to God. How fast you throw a baseball doesn’t impress God. How many touchdowns you scored, nothing to God. How many sales you had last year, nothing to God. How fast your 401 is growing, nothing to God. How big your house is, nothing to God. The name on your clothes or watch, nothing to God.

 

Do we see this? We can be so moved by things that do not matter. We can be amazed at things that doesn’t impress Heaven in the least. However, the things God sees, we often count for nothing. The high schooler who is brave enough to defend creation in his biology class. A college student who challenges the taunting professor who can’t stand God. A young mother who turns the TV off and sings “Jesus loves me,” over and over to her little baby. A businessman who refuses to shade the truth and adjust numbers to appease his boss. A man who refuses to lie to cover up for a co-worker. A couple who ends the day thanking the Lord for the blessings and gift of the day. These things do not make the news. They do not move Wall Street. They are mocked by a godless society who is drunk on fame and fortune. But Heaven knows.

 

Remember what Jesus showed us in Luke 15? “There is more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” Heaven noticed. Heaven saw that tender heart coming back home to God. Heaven saw that person who realized that he was wrong and wanted to be right. Heaven saw that faith growing and making the courageous decision to walk back into the church building after being gone for years. Heaven sees that husband dropping all this excuses and with tears coming down his cheek, apologizing to his wife for hurting her. Heaven sees that troubled heart, with bowed head, and folded hands, begging God for help. That’s impressive to Heaven.

 

This is hard for us. We like to be noticed. It’s great to get your name recognized. What is most important, is getting the attention of God. He’s looking for that honest and good heart. He’s looking for the contrite heart. It’s not the size of the crowd, but the size of the heart that God counts.

 

Faith matters. Faith is noticed, especially by Heaven.

 

Roger

 

28

Jump Start # 1153

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1153

Psalms 100:4 “Enter His gate with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”

 

This Psalm is a beautiful worship passage. It is packed with emotions, such as “shout joyfully to the Lord,” “serve the Lord with gladness,” “come before Him with joyful singing.” This chapter reminds us of the greatness of worship. It is a good thing to worship God. Worship not only pleases the Lord, it does wonderful things for us. It has a way of clearing our heads, getting our priorities back in order, encouraging us and reminding us that we are not alone in this journey to Heaven. Worship fills the heart and drives out fears and worries. This is one reason I just love Sundays. It’s the best day of the week for me.

 

We’ve been spending a lot of class lessons recently on the excellence of worship. Recently, this chapter and especially this verse was given some thought. It is believed that this Psalm was written for those who were traveling to Jerusalem to worship. Ancient Israel was required to gather to Jerusalem, at least three times a year for holy days. The background behind this chapter is that this is something that the travelers would repeat as they walked along the roadways toward the city. Notice how the language supports this idea:

 

  • Come before Him (2)
  • Enter His gates (4)
  • And His courts (4)

 

As they journeyed toward Jerusalem, they weren’t just walking, nor talking about business or life, someone in the group would say loudly, “Shout joyfully to the Lord,” and that would start a series of wonderful and thoughtful and thankful words to God. You can imagine someone shouting, “Great is the Lord,” followed by someone else saying, “Mighty are His works.” “His loving kindness is everlasting.” “Our God is awesome.” On and on that would go, until someone would say, “Come before Him with joyful singing.” Then the songs would begin. The journey didn’t seem so long that way. They were filling their hearts and minds with the Lord. They were getting ready to worship that way. They were worshipping before they came to worship.

 

In many ways, this was a “Pre-worship” routine. Before they arrived in Jerusalem, they were worshipping. And all of that brings these things to us. Do we have a “pre-worship”? Could it be our worship suffers because we are not “coming before Him with joyful singing?”

 

Consider, if our Sunday morning is filled with TV or secular music and then we step into the church building, it may be hard to switch gears. Try filling Sunday morning with spiritual activities. No TV. No newspapers. No radio. No emals. No facebooks. Start with prayers. Sing on the way to the church house. Go around and count our blessings, name them one by one. Use the time to play Bible games, naming the books of the Bible, naming the apostles and such things.

 

Actually, our “Pre-worship” begins on Saturday. The events of Saturday set the tone for Sunday. Staying up late on Saturday can kill Sunday. Sleepy worship is certainly not giving God our best. God is great and He deserves our best each time. Those that participate need to be polished, ready and leading the congregation the best that they can. This is not amateur hour. This is not the time to “wing-it.” We are worshipping God. Just as the High Priest had to put on special garments and purify himself before he served, so we ought to come before the Lord in readiness. The father of John the Baptist was serving in the temple when God sent him a message about his wife’s conception. He was serving according to his order. There were so many priests that the opportunity to actually be in the temple may have come only once in his life. What an honor that would have been. And then to think, what an honor it would have been to carried the ark of the covenant. Those examples show the privilege of serving the Lord. Our passage shows the joy of being able to come to worship. Giving God our best is something that needs to burn deeply within us.

 

Pre-worship begins on Saturday. It is our “preparation” day. The day to get ready for worship. Parents, on Saturday evening, you need to lay out all the clothes, find the shoes, Bibles,  get everything ironed and be ready for Sunday morning. It’s too crazy to be looking for shoes and stuff when it’s time to walk out the door. That makes everyone rushed, late and upset before worship. Give God our best.

 

Pre-worship means, looking over Bible lessons on Saturday. Reminding ourselves of the text. Filling out class books. Thinking ahead for the next day. Give God our best. Those that teach can tell who is prepared and who is clueless. The clueless crowd must ask themselves, are we giving God our best?

 

Pre-worship means getting to bed at a decent hour on Saturday evening. It’s not the time to stay up until two or three in the morning. Is that giving God our best the next day?

 

Pre-worship means our worship begins as we journey to the church building. Like this passage illustrates, shout out to the Lord. Sing joyfully to the Lord. Fill the time with good thoughts. Arrive early. Be a friendly greeter. Enjoy the time with God’s people. Make the most of your worship. Don’t be in a hurry to leave. Don’t miss the amazing encouragement that comes from hugging your church family.

 

Give God your best—each time. This is true for all of us. The preacher, the folks that turn on the lights, the men that lead, those that sit in the pews. Sing your best. Pray your best. Praise your best. God is deserving of  your best. Tired, worn-out and stale worship is about as inviting as old bread. UGH. Toss it out. Start fresh. Give it your best. Make sure the mics works, the lights turn on, the building is dusted and ready to give God our best. Song leaders practice. Preacher make sure everything is in order and go over and over your notes. Men that lead in prayer, think about what you are going to say. Give it thought. All of us, give God our best.

 

The way we worship sets a tone for others. It tells visitors how serious we are and it teaches our children lessons. The days of sleeping in church are over. The days of texting, playing games on our phones are over.  Unless you are medical staff, why do we need our phones in church? Leave them in the car. If you miss a call, get back to them after worship is over. Are things THAT important? Give God our best!

 

There is a pull among some younger Christians to change worship. Come casual, they cry. Even in ‘jama pants. They are missing something. It’s not the outside, but the inside that’s not right. Come with reverence. Come before the Almighty. Come with your best. Best attitude. Best words. Best clothes. Best behavior. You are coming before the Lord. Give it thought. Give it your best. It’s not about you, it’s about God. It’s time we put God back into worship and gave Him our best. Don’t try new songs during worship. That’s not the time for that. Don’t use prayer as a time to push your agenda. Don’t preach old, tired sermons that do nothing. Put your heart into what you are doing. Think. Think of God. Think of the audience. Give it your best. Get there early. Be ready to serve. God deserves your best.

 

Just love Sunday. Do you?  When you are working hard to make it the best, you just gotta love it. When you see God, you just gotta love it. Don’t you wish everyday was Sunday? I do.

 

Roger

 

25

Jump Start # 1152

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1152

Luke 9:23 “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.’”

  I watched a documentary the other day about a castle in England. I love castles. It was built by Henry VIII and used as one of his palaces. It was within that castle that Henry decided to break free from the Roman Catholic church and start his own church, the church of England. Henry wanted a son. His wife of more than twenty years could not give him that. He wanted to divorce her and marry someone else. The Catholic faith would not allow that. Henry refused to go along with that, broke free, started a new church and appointed himself as the head. Interesting show. Great castle.

 

There are two thoughts that I want to share.

 

First, it is generally a personal dispute that leads to someone looking deeply into what they believe. This isn’t bad. Many doctrines and teachings seem more like theory to us until it they land on our front porch. Then, we become personally involved, motivated and curious. One of the sparks of the American Restoration Movement was a result of this. The doctrine of infant baptism wasn’t a hot topic until Alexander Campbell’s baby was born. Then the question came would the child be baptized? That prompted a study of infant baptism, which led to a further study of baptism itself. The conclusion found in Scriptures is that penitent believers were the ones baptized, not babies. A personal matter took them to the Scriptures.

 

The same happens today. Folks do not think much about what the Bible teaches about divorce, until someone in the immediate family announces that their marriage is over. Now, possibly for the first time, people start looking and seeing what the Bible teaches. People do not think too much about life after death, until someone in the family passes away, then they want to know where they are and what happens at death.

 

Personal involvement is a driving force to examining what we believe and what the Scriptures truly teach. It is not uncommon for a person to look in the Scriptures and discover that what they had always been told and what they “thought” the Bible taught, wasn’t there at all. It is here that our second point comes up.

 

Second, Henry VIII, wanted a divorce. The Catholic faith would not allow it, so he founded his own church so he could have what he wanted. The king always gets what he wants. This too, is the way most operate. They put their feelings above Scriptures. I have seen people read a verse from their own Bibles and then declare, “Oh, I don’t believe that.” This is why modern churches cater to the whims of the audience. They are interested in pleasing the people. Timothy was warned long ago, that some would not endure sound doctrine. They would find teachers that tickled their ears. Tell us what we want to hear. We want nice things. We don’t want much doctrine and definitely easy on the commitment part. Make it fun. Make it enjoyable. Make it the way we want. If it’s not, we’ll just go down the road to another church that’s more suited to the way we think. Really?

 

Our verse tells us that those who wanted to follow Jesus, first, had to deny self. That means you don’t “have it your way.” You do things God’s way. This is called submission. It means to bend your will for the will of others, and in this case, God’s way. So in this equation, saying, “Well, I think…” doesn’t enter the conversation. It’s what God wants. What Henry did along ago in England is done all the time in America. People “church shop.” They look and look and try out a church, like they are in a fitting room of a store, trying on outfits. If this church fits my needs, I’ll give it a try, is how many are thinking these days. Little thought is given to how serious and closely that church is following the Bible. Are they “denying self,” or making the rules as they go along? Are they following Christ or mimicking Henry VIII? Don’t say anything about homosexuality. God did. Don’t talk about personal holiness. God did. Don’t talk about divorce. God did. Don’t talk about daily living for Christ. God did. Don’t talk about reading the Bible. God did.

 

Henry’s way or Jesus’ way? When I don’t like something, don’t agree with it, it ought to drive me to the Bible. If I find it taught by God, then I need to change my thinking and my ways. Pleasing God ought to be the basis of what we believe and what we do.

 

Is it in the Bible? Paul said, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4:9). If Paul did it, then we ought to. If he didn’t, we need to ask, why are we doing it then?

 

Starting a church is not a bad idea if the purpose is to be more Biblical, God-pleasing and Christ centered. To start a church to justify what I want to do is shallow and vain. To start a church because I don’t like hearing all that Bible, is wrong.

 

Henry got his divorce. In time, he married several others. A couple of them he accused of unfaithfulness and had their heads lopped off. Henry did what Henry wanted. It’s easy to see his spirit alive and well today. God is seeking those who are willing to do what Christ says, even if it means changing to do that.

 

Change the teachings or change yourself? Denying self is hard, but it’s a must if we are going to follow Christ. Without denying self, there will come a time when we part with Jesus and walk our own way.

 

Roger