08

Jump Start # 1244

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

Jump Start # 1244

Ecclesiastes 10:10 “If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen it’s edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.”

  I’ve been teaching the book of Ecclesiastes on Sundays. Our verse today comes from a section that describes the destructive nature of foolishness. Foolishness stinks up one’s character, like dead flies do to perfume. Foolishness makes a terrible guide. The fool always choose the wrong direction. Foolishness causes injury. And in our verse, the foolish one must work harder because he doesn’t take the time to do things better.

 

The illustration is of woodsmen. Today, we’d call them lumberjacks. They cut trees. Here are two woodsmen. They start the day off cutting and cutting. After a while, their axes lose it’s edge. They become dull and the woodsmen must chop harder and harder. The more the axe becomes dull, the more and the harder they must chop. This wears the woodsman out.

 

One of the woodsman stops chopping. He leaves and goes to sharpen his axe. The other man continues to chop away. In a sense, the first woodsman is not being productive. He loses time by stopping and sharpening the axe. The second woodsman stays the course, chopping and chopping. Soon, the first man returns. His axe is sharp and crisp. It doesn’t take long before he has passed the second woodsman who is chopping frantically with a dull axe. The axe and his arms both are giving out. The first man not only has a sharper axe, his arms were able to rest while he sharpened the axe. He is able to cut more and cut longer than the man who stayed with it. Wisdom prevails. Wisdom tells the first man that it is not a waste of time to go and sharpen the axe.

 

There is a great application here to those who shepherd, teach and preach God’s word. So often our lives are busy helping others. We pour hours into teaching, guiding and shaping. The work is good. In time, we become weary. The strain and the stress can be great. Unless we refill our buckets, we become empty. Our axe becomes dull. Few things are worse than a dull teacher or preacher. Remember some of those college classes that you were required to take? You may have had a very dull topic taught by a very dull teacher. Hard to stay awake. Hard to learn anything. Dull church services drain the energy out of a congregation.

 

What’s the answer? Take some time now and then and sharpen the axe. Everyone needs a break. Do something for yourself. Get away from the situation, catch your breath and then jump back in. The woodsman who keeps chopping and chopping with that dull axe doesn’t understand this. He looks down upon the woodsman who walks away from the work to sharpen the axe. There area more trees to be cut. The work isn’t done. He feels neglected. In some ways, he feels better than the other guy. Don’t have to sharpen my axe, he thinks. He should, but he won’t. It takes him more and more energy to do what he once did so easily. His effort is tired. He is tired. But he won’t take a break. He’s a machine. He goes and goes until finally one day he gives out. He hasn’t listened to wisdom. He should have stopped and sharpened his axe now and then. It’s ok for the preacher to have a day off. It’s ok for the elders to take a vacation. They don’t have to be at the same place every single Sunday of the year. Let them go. Let them unwind, recharge and sharpen the axe. They’ll come back stronger, better and more effective.

 

Now, I must say something about preachers. No one says this so I will. Most that I know, work and work like a machine, rarely slowing down. Most folks in congregations, including the leadership do not understand the situation. I write this not to complain, especially not about my situation. I’m treated too well. But I know what it’s like and I have been there. Many, many preachers are given 2 or 3 weeks vacation a year. Many of these preachers live away from family. Their vacations must be used to get back home to see parents and family members. When the holidays roll in, so many get days off from school, work. These holidays are not vacation, it’s time off with pay. The preacher doesn’t get holiday time off. If he wants to be around family, he must use his vacation time. So for the young guy who is out there away from family, his vacations are spent going to visit family. It’s the only way he can do that. If he takes his family on a real vacation, like to Disney, then he doesn’t have time at the holidays. While everyone else is around extended family at the holidays, his is not. So what are you suggesting? More vacation time? No. Just be considerate of the young preacher who lives away from the rest of his family. Allow him to be with family at the holiday time. Have you considered how many holidays you have off in a year, plus how much vacation time you have? Stack that up with the young preacher who has two weeks and that’s all. Allow him to take a break, sharpen the axe and come back strong.

 

All of us need to consider this. Dads need to give moms a break. He needs to take a Saturday and stay home with the kids, clean house and allow mom to go out and recharge her battery. Young parents need to find a baby sitter and have a date night now and then. Teachers, preachers and elders need to be reading things that are challenging, encouraging and helpful in their work. Keep sharp.

 

The “axe sharpening” doesn’t have to be anything big nor expensive. It’s not a trip to Disney. It could be just staying home and relaxing. It could be just watching some movies. I recorded a ton of movies recently. Old stuff. Fun stuff. I may die before I watch all of these, but I’m thinking about having a day in future where I’ll just sit and watch a bunch of these in a row. Golfing does this for me as well. To golf decent, you must think, concentrate and work at it. When a person is doing that, they are not thinking about other things. It’s allowing the mind to take a break from the constant stretching, working in the most important areas.

 

So don’t frown when the preacher says he’s taking a day off. Encourage him. You want that. It makes a better preacher. Don’t make him feel guilty or that he must beg to have a few days to go do something fun. Now, if he does this all the time, there is a problem. The woodsman belongs in the forest chopping. If he spends all this time sharpening the axe and he never cuts any trees, he’s wasted time. Those that are serious about their work for the Lord will do well with this. Those who are not, need to do something else.

 

Keep the axe sharp and keep swinging away…

 

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 1243

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

Jump Start # 1243

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

Today, we wrap up our series on “trying to figure God out.” We’ve looked at several Biblical examples of people who couldn’t understand why God did what He did. Habakkuk couldn’t understand why God would use the wicked Babylonians. Job’s friends had never seen the righteous suffer. Naaman was certain that the prophet of God would come and wave his arms and heal him in a dramatic fashion. Eve thought God didn’t mean what He said. The list could go on. There are others that illustrate exactly what our passage is saying today, God is not like us. His thoughts, His ways, His plans are higher and better than ours.

 

All of this leads to understanding that we cannot use ourselves as an indication of what God likes or dislikes. God is not like us. We cannot use culture, society, or even the past to explain, understand or build our faith upon. When we do that, we manufacture and shape God into what He is not. We make Him more like us than we become like Him. God is not like us. Our thoughts level off. Our ideas run dry. Our expectations are limited and easy. God’s ways and thoughts are higher. We tend to sympathize and find reasons for our short comings. We don’t expect nor demand too much from each other. God is not like that. The sacrifice of Cain was rejected. The strange fire of Nadab and Ahibu insulted God. The lip service of the Pharisees did nothing for God or for them. God’s ways are higher than our ways.

 

This tells us that the casual spirit of worship, the desire to be innovative and change worship, may appeal to many of us, but that doesn’t mean it does to God. God is not like us.

 

This tells us that flirting with the world in immodesty, social drinking, vulgar language may appeal to us, that doesn’t mean it does to God. God is not like us. Instead of blending in and being more like the world, God wants us to be sanctified, holy and separate. Israel was to drive out the nations when they entered the promise land. They failed to do that. They became influenced by those nations. The same is true today, spiritually. We become influenced by the world about us. Instead of remaining distinct and holy, we tend to blend in. We let our guards down. We don’t see the big deal with things. We look, act, talk and behave like those around us. We want to be “cool” Christians. The books, the blogs are saturated with this concept. It’s a good sell. It makes Christianity hip. Mega churches have sold a softened and watered down gospel to the multitudes. Go to church on Sunday and go out drinking on Friday night. Nothing wrong there. What you do at work and what you do in church have no connections. Lie, cheat and steal, if it fits your needs, but be sure and grab your cup of Java and laugh your way through a comedy sketch that is sold as worship. What’s happened? We assume that God likes what we like. We are convinced that God is like us. His ways and our ways are the same. If it works for me, then it must work for Him. The holiness of God, the reverence for the sacred has been lost. We have become convinced that we have figured God out and that He’s ok with us doing a little wrong. Moderation has become the fifth gospel in the Bible. Do everything in moderation. Don’t drink too much, just in moderation. Don’t be too worldly, just in moderation.

 

First, where is moderation taught in the Bible? It’s not. Sticking one toe in the ocean of wrong isn’t better than jumping in completely. They are both wrong. Moderation is the gospel of seeing God like us. Don’t go overboard, be moderate. Did Paul preach that? Is that what Jesus told Zaccheus? Was that the message to Martha when she was so bothered about her sister not serving? Never. Never is moderation the answer. Never is moderation the theme. Never is moderation preached. Never.

 

Second, what in the world does moderation mean? Who has the guidelines? Who determines? For instance, I’ve heard this argument, the Bible condemns drunkenness. You can’t get drunk. It doesn’t say anything about a little drinking. (Actually, it does. Read 1 Peter 4:3). So, the thought goes, drink in moderation. Where is that taught? Why not drink right up to the line of drunkenness. If being drunk is wrong, the line right before it must be right. The preachers of moderation wouldn’t agree with that. If five beers puts a guy under, then four and a half must be ok. He’s not drunk. Now, the preachers of moderation would frown on that. However, a couple of beers would be ok. Moderation. Now, you take two different people, one who grew up in a Christian family and never drank. The other person, worldly as he was, becomes a Christian. For the first guy, two drinks is affecting him. He’s not used to it. The other guy can handle four pretty easily. He’s had a life time of drinking. Now what is moderation? Who is to say to the first guy, after two, you shouldn’t? Are we making up the rules here? Are we thinking that God is like us? Now consider this. A guy goes to Colorado for vacation. Smoking pot is legal there. The sermon  on moderation convinces him that he can smoke pot as long as he doesn’t get stoned. Really? The big toe in the ocean of wrong doesn’t work. God’s ways are not our ways.

 

Third, moderation doesn’t produce powerful Christians. Dabbling in a little wrong here and there, even though in moderation, isn’t the substance that grows faith. Alcohol doesn’t strengthen marriage. Alcohol doesn’t build strong churches. And folks will say, “But Jesus drank wine.” Really? Is our knowledge that shallow? Do we not realize that the word WINE in the Bible means everything from the grape still on the vine to what they considered hard liquor. Same word. We have different words. For us, wine is not beer and beer is not bourbon. Different words. They used the same word. So standing behind Jesus because He turned water to wine doesn’t at all mean it was alcoholic. There doesn’t seem to be much moderation in the wedding feast at Cana when Jesus produced 160 gallons of wine. Maybe our thoughts are not His thoughts.

 

God wants us to be strong, pure and holy. Dancing with the world doesn’t do that. Moderation doesn’t do that. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you is what the Ephesians were told. Be led by the Spirit is what the Galatians were told. Don’t get drunk, be filled with the Spirit is what Paul wrote. Imitate Christ. Be conformed to His image. Christ lives in me. Christ be formed in you. All those great New Testament passages speak of a distinct course of life. It’s obeying God. It’s letting God speak through His word. It’s not trying to guess God. It’s not trying to figure God out. He has shown us who He is.

 

God declared to Moses, “I Am, that I Am.” This is the God we follow, serve and bow down to. A new form of idolatry has taken over our land. It’s not a physical stature, but rather an image in our minds. We’ve made God to be like us. He’s become our buddy. He’s one of us. That manufactured image isn’t the picture you get from the Bible.

 

My ways are not your ways…

 

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 1242

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

Jump Start # 1242

Genesis 3:4-5 “The serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”

  We continue our thoughts this week on trying to understand God. We’ve looked at several Biblical examples of people who thought God ought to do something a certain way, but He didn’t. Habakkuk couldn’t understand why God would use the wicked Babylonians to punish Israel. Job’s friends had never seen the righteous suffer. Naaman was certain that the prophet Elisha would come and wave his arms and heal him in a grand and dramatic fashion. He didn’t. He didn’t even show up. He sent a servant with a message.

 

Today, we go to the conversation between Eve and the serpent. Why she is engaging in a conversation with a serpent is beyond me. The serpent deceives Eve. He gets her looking at the one tree that she is not allowed to have. Instead of counting all the trees that she does have, she looks at the one tree she doesn’t have. Satan didn’t have a relationship with Eve. God did. It was God who created Eve. It was God who put her in a perfect world. It was God who walked with her in the garden. God had communicated with Adam and Eve. God had been there for them. Yet, through the dishonest words of Satan, Eve loses trust in God and goes with the serpent on a journey toward the forbidden tree. In Eve’s mind, God wasn’t right. The forbidden tree was good. The forbidden tree is something that she should have. She thought she knew better than God. The bottom line with Eve is that God said “do not eat the forbidden fruit,” but He really didn’t mean that. She thought she knew what was best.

 

There is a little bit of Eve in all of us. We try to out guess God, calculate what is really behind things and conclude that God doesn’t really mean what He says. Like Eve, the forbidden looks good. It’s something that we want. It’s something that we need. God doesn’t really know us nor does God really appreciate our situation. So we delve into the forbidden. We may even know it’s wrong, but in our case, it’s ok. That’s our thinking. An affair is justified because of the lack of attention at home. It’s innocent and no one will get hurt. That’s serpent talk. We need the affair, we believe. Technically, it’s forbidden, but in the long run it’s good. It’s better than a divorce. Our thinking by-passes God  and we find ways to make the forbidden acceptable.

 

The same goes for the guy at work who cooks the books to steal from his company. Technically it’s wrong. However, it’s been forever since he’s had a decent raise and they waste more than what he is taking just on lunch for the execs. His kids are soon to be in college and things are tight. His forbidden fruit becomes acceptable in his mind. God will understand, he thinks. He’s not doing anything real bad. Oh, the twisted and  conniving ways our minds try to out think God and find ways to make the wrong seem right!

 

Others do it with excuses. What they say is really weak and lame. However, it works for them. In their minds they can’t go to work, school or church services. That same day, they are out shopping, going to the gym, or the restaurant. They take advantage of others simply because they need some time for themselves. They have found ways to milk the system and take full advantage of others, trying their patience, all the while feeling justified because “I deserve the time off.”

 

Eve was convinced that God didn’t mean what He said. The serpent convinced her that she was not going to die. The forbidden was good. The forbidden was useful and even helpful. So Eve became the first to open the door to “really knowing” what God means. What He says isn’t it. One must understand what He means. He says, NO, don’t eat the forbidden fruit, but the enlightened Eve now knows that God didn’t mean that. He has to say things like that. There has been a flood of “enlightened” theologians coming out of universities that filled the pulpits in America and have authored zillions of books that have discredited what God said in the Bible. They seem to know what God really means. And, according to them, what God really means is not what’s in the Bible. These enlightened intellectuals know what no one else does. They are lifted up on pedestals and their words are quoted and often used to trump what the Bible says. They know because of their research, not into the word of God, but into secular culture and grasping the spirit of the times. For them, this new understanding changes what is said in the Bible. The Bible says this, but that’s not what it really means. These enlightened folks are simply dancing to the same song that Eve first danced to. If they took the time to read the rest of Genesis 3, which most do not believe really happened. They believe it was just a story, and nothing more than a story. The rest of Genesis 3 reveals that God DID mean what He said. The forbidden was forbidden. Adam and Eve suffered consequences for listening to that dumb serpent.

 

We must stop trying to figure God out, guess what He really meant and by faith trust Him, believe Him and understand He says things in a way for our good. He wants us to be righteous and holy. He knows us. Eve was convinced that God didn’t really know her. How wrong she was. How wrong others are today who feel that the Bible isn’t right for them. They’ve outgrown the Bible or they simply do not need to the Bible to be spiritual. What a huge mistake they are making. Like Eve, they will see, too late, that there are ugly consequences to out guessing God. The most serious is the loss of our souls eternally.

 

The word of God is intended to mean what it says. Sure there is some digging to be done but it’s within the book. The Psalmist loved the word of God. He declared that it was a lamp unto his feet.

 

Eve was wrong. She should have listened to what God said. God meant what He said. Where are you with all of this? Have you tried to find ways to cross the fence into the forbidden? Have you left what the word of God says?

 

God says what He does for a reason. Believe it. Trust it. Follow it. Obey it.

 

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 1241

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

Jump Start # 1241

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.’”

  We continue our look at people in the Bible who thought they could figure God out. Habakkuk couldn’t understand why God was using the wicked Babylonians. Job’s friends had never heard of righteous people suffering. Their misunderstandings about God led to some wrong conclusions.

 

Today, our little journey takes us to the Syrian commander Naaman. He was a mighty and victorious soldier. One battle that he was not going to win was a personal one with leprosy. A captive servant girl is the hero of this story. It was her faith and compassion that led to finding the prophet of God who would cure Naaman. The prophet, Elisha, sent word for Naaman to dip seven times in the Jordan River. That unusual act was the key to his recovery. It was an act of faith. When Naaman received the word about what he was to do, he went ballistic. This is where our verse is found.

 

The angry Naaman expected three things to happen. He expected Elisha to show up. He didn’t. He sent a messenger. He expected him to call upon the name of His God in some dramatic fashion. That didn’t happen. He expected Elisha to wave his arms and make the healing a huge event. He didn’t do that. He didn’t even show up. A messenger came. The word was to dip in the dirty Jordan River seven times. There was no fanfare about that. This wasn’t the way Naaman expected. In a classic statement, he says, “Behold, I thought.” He thought he had figured out how God would cure him. He thought he knew what would be done. It wasn’t the way he thought it would be. The news was disappointing. He became angry.

 

Folks are still “Beholding I thought,” today. One area, especially this time of the year, that so many “think”, is for a church to simply hand out money to any and everyone who wants some. It typically happens this way. A phone call is made to the church building. A stranger on the line needs help paying rent, light bill, Christmas shopping for grandkids or something like that. They belong to no church. They have never visited the place that they are calling. They have a phone book opened and are randomly calling church after church. The preacher on the other end kindly explains that the church doesn’t just randomly hand out money, especially to strangers, and especially to those who have no connection to the church. Banks don’t do that. Businesses don’t do that. Free money without no strings attached, sounds wonderful. The New Testament has a pattern for what is to be done with the collected contribution. It goes to specific places and people. That pattern is just as important as any other pattern in the Bible. Those thoughts are too foreign and too deep for a person looking for free money. When they find out that it’s not going to happen, they either hang up and go on to calling the next church listing in the phone book, or they get mad. They lecture the preacher on the other end of the phone about Christian duty, even though they have very little understanding about what a Christian is. Behold I thought… They thought they knew what a church ought to do. They thought they had God figured out. In their way of thinking, God established the church so people in trouble can come and get free money, without any obligations and commitment and go on their way. Even the Salvation Army makes folks listen to a sermon before they get a free meal.

 

This, “Behold, I thought,” mentality continues on in other areas. Bring up the sensitive subject of divorce, and every “Behold, I thought,” person comes out of the woodwork. Sweet, mild mannered senior citizens get all fired up if the discussion doesn’t go the way “they think it should.” Bizarre situations, complicated messes and twisted relationships are thrown out on table to be looked at and analyzed in a Bible class. The folks bringing up these sad stories already have a “behold, I thought,” conclusion in their minds. They are wanting affirmation and confirmation of something going on in their families. They are wanting a USDA stamp of approval that Junior can marry once again, for the tenth time, to the love of his life, who has only been married eight times before. The “Behold I thought,” crowd makes loud assertions and sometimes even threatens to leave, if someone would dare say that Junior shouldn’t be getting married. “Behold, I thought…”

 

The “behold, I thought,” is found in most of us at one time or another. We have heard things, read things, been taught things, assumed things and come with a past, baggage and a load of I think so’s. Most times, once someone is carefully shown things in the Bible, I hear people saying, “I never thought about that before.” They assumed the “Behold, I thought,” was the way it is. When shown, the behold, I thought, now becomes, the Behold, I know. This is the way to deal with thoughts, assumptions, ideas and concepts that people carry. Open the Bible up. Show them. Take them on a Biblical journey and let them see what the Bible truly teaches. Some get mad. Naaman did when he didn’t get the news he wanted. Some, especially, those with an honest and good heart, will see, learn and change their tune. It will no longer be, “behold, I thought.” It now becomes, “The Bible says.” Their confidence stands where it ought to, upon the word of God.

 

Naaman finally got cured. The message didn’t change. His stubbornness did. We cannot change the message because people do not like it or they get mad. We cannot change the message because someone thought it ought to be something else. It doesn’t work that way. The word of God never changes. It’s us who must change. That Syrian officer had to travel to the Jordan River and get in it and dip not once, but seven times. When he did, his leprosy went away. He was cured. God knows what He is doing. Listen to God. Follow God.

 

Biblical ignorance is nearly epidemic today, both in and out of the church. Folks simply do not know the Bible. They “think” they do. They say things that sound “Biblical,” but what they say can’t be found in the word of God. The solution? Open the book. Serious studies of the Bible, more time spent reading it as it is written, letting the Bible form and shape our thinking, that’s the hope and that’s the challenge before us.

 

Behold I thought, or, this is what the Bible says. Often those two are not the same. Let’s speak as the oracles of God.

 

Roger

 

02

Jump Start # 1240

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1240

Job 4:7 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed?”

  Yesterday in our Jump Start, we looked at a passage from Habakkuk where the prophet had a hard time understanding how God could use a more wicked nation to punish Israel. He simply could not figure God out. Today, we continue with that thought. People often try to guess what God will do or like. Thinking that they have God figured out, allows them to do things that are not found in the Bible. “I know God likes this,” actually means, “I like this,” and if I like this, then God must like this.

 

A classic example of this are the three friends of Job. They did some wonderful things. They heard that their friend Job was suffering and had his entire family had been wiped out, except for his wife. They didn’t send a card. They came. There is something powerful about presence. I’m certain, like with most of us, they had things to do, however, a friend was hurting. They came. They sat with Job for a week without saying a word. That’s some of the best things that they did. There are times when no words are necessary and no words ought to be expressed. They came and they sat. To sit a week implies that they had to eat. They were there to take care of Job.

 

The problems with Job’s friends began when they tried to reason why these things happened. They thought they knew. They thought they had God figured out. Our passage today is just one of many examples, of the foolish, wrong, and even hurtful things that the friends said. In the verse, “who ever perished being innocent,” drives a stake into the heart of Job. Who perished? All his children. All of them. There was a storm and all ten young people died. Ten fresh graves on the hillside was a reminder of what he felt and experienced. The statement, “who ever perished being innocent,” is saying, “your dead children, were sinners and God punished them.” “Your dead children are not going to Heaven.” “Your dead children, got what they deserved.” “God was not pleased with your children.” Can you imagine? It is a statement of extreme judging. It lacks compassion, feeling and more than anything else, understanding of God.

 

Who ever perished being innocent? How about the babies killed by Pharaoh? How about babies dying in childbirth? How about David’s baby? How about the babies when Herod ordered the slaughter in the days of Jesus? Do the innocent perish? Yes, they do.

 

He adds, “Where were the upright destroyed?” Hebrews tells us that many Old Testament worthies were “stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword” (11:37). These people “gained approval through their faith,” and we are told were men who the world was not worthy. Upright? Absolutely. Destroyed? Yes. The prophets were killed. John the Baptist was beheaded. The apostle James executed. Page after page in our Bibles illustrate the suffering saints.

 

The friends of Job were wrong. They thought they had God figured out. They didn’t. Here is where they missed it:

 

1. They based their assumptions upon observation. What they have seen and experienced became the standard and the way it is. The problem with observation is that our view is limited. We cannot see the whole picture. We cannot see what God is doing in other places. We cannot see what is happening on the other side of the world. When we speak generically, we often reveal our ignorance. I’ve read articles and heard preachers proudly proclaim, “Brethren think…”  Some might. Others might not. Or, “churches today…” Some might. Others might not. “The greatest threat facing the church today…” is generally based upon our limited travels and what we see at the home congregation. Some may declare, “the church isn’t growing today.” Probably true in their part of the world, but in other parts it’s exploding. “Young people simply are not interested anymore.” Really? You should have seen Sunday worship at our place last week. The front row, I mean THE FRONT ROW, was so packed with young people that they spilled over to another pew. They were turning to passages, taking notes and engaged. Not interested? Maybe in your part of the world, but not mine. “Brethren do not come out to hear preaching anymore?” Might be true in your world. I’ve been places where deacons were running to find chairs to sit out because the church building was packed.

 

It is easy for us to make conclusions based solely upon what we observe. That was Job’s friends. Their observations were small, and limited. Their observations made them come to some wrong conclusions.

 

2. Their statements did not leave room for the trying of our faith nor the discipline of God. The righteous suffer. They did not even understand their friend Job. God held him up as a blameless and upright man. God knew Job. God used Job as a test case against Satan. God had confidence in Job. These friends had no place in their faith for what God did. That simply wouldn’t make sense to them. God would never do that, yet He did.

 

3. Their limited observations led to some false conclusions and the consequences were false ideas, hope and teaching. Anyone who suffered, in the minds of these friends, was a sinner. If you didn’t suffer, you must be righteous. Psalms 73, the blind man in John 9 illustrate the problems with their thinking. The blind man in John 9 was not blind because of anyone’s sin. In Psalms 73, the wicked prospered and the righteous suffered. Just the opposite of how Job’s friends were thinking. They were wrong about God. This led to being wrong about what they thought God stood for and taught. The same happens today. When we are wrong about God, our conclusions about worship, salvation and even Heaven can be wrong. Most folks have no room for Hell in their theology today. They’ve moved on and have outgrown a God who punishes. That view leads to the assumption that being good is all that God cares about. They think the specifics of what the Bible teaches really do not matter all that much, as long as one is good. How one worships, what the agenda of a church is, are not things to fuss about these days. Gone are the days when folks opened the Bible and discussed differences. Some would engage in debates trying to prove what the Bible said. Rarely do we hear of such things today. Just be good. Worship however it fits you. Find a church, like a car, that has the options that you are looking for. Have fun. Casual is in.

 

All this modern thinking and relooking at God has left little room for obedience. It doesn’t matter, just love. Just be good. Be nice. Wrong thinking leads to wrong believing. Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the author of salvation to all those who obey Him. The Lord said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Over and over in John’s epistles, obedience to the commands is stressed and taught. And yes, Hell is still on the books. Jesus believed in it. He warned about it. Because a person says, “I don’t like Hell, so I’m not going to think about it,” doesn’t make it disappear. Out of sight, out of mind, does not lead to out of the book. It’s still in the book.

 

The only way we truly know God is through the Bible. It is in the Bible that He has revealed Himself. No one knows the heart of a person, Paul told the Corinthians, expect the spirit that reveals. God reveals. A God different than what is revealed, is not the true God. Our observations cannot contradict what the pages of the Bible tell us.

 

Job’s friends were wrong. This led to wrong statements that hurt Job. Job’s friends are alive and well today. They author books about God. They stand in pulpits making grand statements about God. They teach in college classrooms, declaring things about God that no one knows.

 

Can you know God? Absolutely. Not only can you know God, you can become a friend to God. Abraham was. You’ll note that Abraham also did what God told him to do. His relationship, faith and hope was built around a God that he knew, not one he manufactured.

 

Do you know God? Really?

 

Roger