06

Jump Start # 1284

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1284

John 3:1 “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You have come from God, as a teacher; for no one can do thee signs that You do unless God is with him.’”

  Nicodemus is a very unique person that Jesus met. He is a ruler of the Jews. He’s one of the Pharisees. Commentators make a big deal about this encounter “at night.” Was he stepping closer in belief but didn’t want others to know? Did he fear losing his position if others knew? Or, was it nothing more than he had a busy day and that was the best time to meet?

 

Nicodemus spoke in a way many of us do. He brought in the plurality. He said, “We know…” Who is the “we?” When Jesus answered, He addressed Nicodemus personally. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you…” No we, just you.

 

Nicodemus doesn’t seem to need anything. So many that came to Jesus had a sick child back home, an injured servant, or a family member in need of a miracle. A few came to Jesus who needed healing themselves. The woman with the issue of blood and the ten lepers who cried out to Jesus for mercy, they were in need of help. Nicodemus is not like that. He doesn’t ask for a miracle.

 

Nicodemus doesn’t ask Jesus a question at first. Others did that. There was the young man that asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Then there was the man who told Jesus to make his brother share the family inheritance. Nicodemus doesn’t have a question, not at first.

 

It’s hard to know just why Nicodemus came to Jesus. He’s heard and seen enough to recognize that Jesus has the power of God behind Him. Being a ruler of the Jews, he may be starting to put the pieces together in his mind about Jesus.

 

After Nicodemus’ opening statement, Jesus takes the conversation. He leads Nicodemus into a discussion about the kingdom, how one gets into the kingdom and the positon and purpose of Jesus. The famous, John 3:16 verse, “God so loved the world…” is in this discussion with Nicodemus. There are 21 verses devoted to this discussion. Nicodemus speaks four sentences. Jesus does most of the talking.

 

Aside from the obvious lessons about being born again and the motive for Jesus coming to earth, we find a  fascinating encounter between Jesus and someone who was knowledgeable in God’s word and even a teacher. This shows us that one size fits all Bible studies do not always work. You must begin where a person is at. With some, it’s very fundamental, and very slow. There are many, many people who know very little about the Bible. Flipping through and reading multiple verses only makes their heads spin. Slow it down. Take time. Show. Talk. Explain. Too often, especially for those who have been in a strong Bible teaching church for a long time, it’s hard to understand that many people do not know what a parable is, who Moses was, or how to find the books of the Bible. People do not read the Bible much today, and many that do, are not given the basic understandings to grasp what they are reading. So they read nice stories. They don’t know if a Pharisee is a social club, a street name or a disease. They just skip over things like that and try to find something nice to hold on to. Their approach to the Bible is like a daily devotional. Chicken Soup of the Bible is how they read the Bible. When you meet folks like that, be patient. Don’t over load them. Don’t go too deep, too fast. Their heads are spinning.

 

Then you meet a Nicodemus. He’s different. He’s been teaching the Bible. He knows many things. Your approach with him is much different than others. The nets can be lowered. Concepts can be explained more quickly. In the Lord’s discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus mentioned, “Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness…” and then He made a comparison to Himself being lifted up, an analogy to the cross. What is interesting is that Jesus didn’t have to quote the O.T. reference to Moses. He didn’t have to explain it. He didn’t have to give the background story about what the serpent meant. Nicodemus knew. People not in Nicodemus’ shoes might think that Moses had the serpent from the garden of Eden. Jesus understood the level of Nicodemus’ knowledge. You can do the same by talking with someone. Finding out their religious history, what they have been reading, what they know about Jesus. It doesn’t take much to see that some people have a good grasp on Bible concepts and others don’t.

 

Jesus shows us how to connect to people. This is true one on one, this is true when teaching a class or preaching. Know your audience. Not everyone is where Nicodemus was.

 

Teaching is a journey. It takes patience. It takes understanding the subject as well as understanding the person you are teaching. The joy of teaching is seeing changed lives. It is seeing hearts bow to Christ. Nicodemus’ name comes up again at the end of the Gospels. When Jesus was crucified, it was Joseph and Nicodemus who took the body of Jesus off the cross and buried it. Nicodemus. One wonders if he thought about this conversation, Jesus being lifted up, when he  pulled the body down from the cross. Nicodemus and Joseph had traveled in faith with the Lord. Their presence that day illustrated that they were disciples, they were believers.

 

Teaching is challenging. It’s an amazing thing that God puts His perfect word about His perfect Son into imperfect hands, such as mine, and allows me to teach others. Amazing. The teacher must be careful. The teacher must be true. The teacher has an important job to do. You become the bridge to the Word and that becomes a bridge to God.

 

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 1283

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1283

Luke 7:12 “Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.”

 Intersections are important and interesting. As we drive down roads, we come across intersections all the time. Two roads intersect. Nothing really special about that. But there are other intersections that are. The intersecting of lives. People meet and good things happen.

 

Our passage today is about the intersection of two large crowds. The events take place in the city of Nain. Jesus was entering the city. The apostles and a large crowd was with Him. Jesus had just healed the servant of a Roman soldier. I expect there was a lot of noise, talking, energy in this crowd. Jesus was doing amazing things.

 

As they approached the city gate, they intersected another large crowd. Jesus was coming into the city, this crowd was leaving the city. It was a funeral procession. Luke details the sadness of the day. A mother was burying her son. It was her only son. Luke adds, she was a widow. She had no one. Alone now in life in a world where there was no life insurance, few women worked, and the concerns of such people were not considered. Her only real hope would be to marry again. Maybe she didn’t want to marry again. Did she have brothers who might take her in? It was a sad, sad day.

 

Two crowds intersect. One coming and one leaving. One excited and one sad. I would hope that the crowd coming in would step aside and allow the funeral procession to pass on by. I would hope that the noisy crowd would quiet down when they realized it was a funeral. Those are decent things that decent people do.  But something happened. Something always does when Jesus is around.

 

Luke tells us that Jesus saw her. He saw her tears, because He said, “Do not weep.” I expect everyone in Jesus’ crowd saw her, but no one really saw her like Jesus did. He felt for her. He was touched. Instead of just standing to the side and allowing the funeral to pass by, Jesus interrupted the funeral. He did that to every funeral He attended. Death is sad. Death is Satan’s greatest weapon. Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan, and that meant, defeating death. This was not one victory that Satan was going to have. Not on this day.

 

Jesus touched the coffin and spoke to the dead man. He told the dead man to “arise.” In a powerful but quiet thought, Luke states, “the dead man sat up and began to speak. Oh, wouldn’t we all love to know what he said? Wouldn’t we love to know what it was like on the other side? What he said is not recorded. What he saw was not left for us. Jesus could talk to the dead. The dead, being dead, obeyed Jesus. His voice crosses over into the next world. Jesus, right then and there, illustrated that He had all authority.

 

The crowd was gripped with fear and began glorifying God. Which crowd? The going crowd or the coming crowd? Yes. Both. All of them. No one had seen anything like this before.

 

This miracle wasn’t planned. It just happened, as most miracles do. God doesn’t have to rehearse. God doesn’t need to make an appointment to do things. The power, love and authority of Christ are all shown in this great story.

 

Intersections. They still happen today. You meet someone at work, or school, or out and about. A conversation takes place. The conversation turns to spiritual things, because that is important to you. An invite to church services or a Bible class is extended. The person shows up. A bit scared. A bit unsure. You greet them, sit with them and introduce them to others. They have questions. Bible passages are shown to answer those questions. In a short while, they are coming all the time. They obey the Gospel and become Christians. The lost has been saved. The dead made alive. Your intersection with them was the key.

 

Without Jesus, those crowds in Luke would have passed without any notice, changes or hope. With Jesus, the dead are made alive. That same thing happens today spiritually.

 

Jesus noticed this poor mother. He saw her. Jesus didn’t let the excitement of his crowd blind him to what was going on around him. Not everyone feels the same as you do. Not everyone may be excited when you are. The intersection brought two different crowds, going two different ways, with two different emotions together. Jesus noticed. Do you?

 

The key to compassion is being able to see others. Jesus always did that. He saw the bent over woman in the synagogue when most over looked her. He saw Zaccheus up in the tree. He saw the adulterous woman who was thrown before Him in the Temple. Jesus saw. Hurting people. Hopeless people. Desperate people. Messy people. Sinful people. People who needed Christ. People who needed a second chance.

 

Jesus saw intersections. We become the Lord’s hands, feet and eyes, when we notice them as well.

 

Roger

 

 

 

04

Jump Start # 1282

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1282

Mark 8:14-16 “And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. And He was giving orders to them, saying, ‘Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.’ They begun to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.”

 

These verses are almost humorous if they weren’t so sad. On this side of the cross where we are, these disciples seem really dense. Jesus is warning them about the influence of the wicked Pharisees and Herod, using the expression, “Leaven.” They are discussing, while Jesus is talking. What they are discussing is the fact that someone forgot to bring the food. Like little children, they think more of their bellies than anything else.

 

What makes this passage humorous is that the chapter begins with Jesus feeding 4,000. Just a few pages before, He fed more than 5,000. So they only have one loaf, they have Jesus. What more did they need? Had they forgotten already? Did they think Jesus had run dry of miracles? Jesus was disappointed with them. He said, “Do you not see…” “Do you have a hard heart?” Jesus then made them answer two questions. After feeding the 5,000, how many BASKETS  full did you pick up? They said, “twelve.” After feeding the 4,000, how many BASKETS full did you pick up? They said, “seven.” Then, “do you not understand?”

 

I think this shows that sometimes we forget God’s earlier blessings in our lives. We count the loaves and get worried. We see that we do not have enough. We panic. We doubt. We question. If we only remembered, maybe that would get us through those moments. Could this be one reason God wants His people to remember the Lord’s Supper on Sundays? It’s the greatest gift and the greatest blessing of all. If God can take care of our sins and extend His grace to us, can’t He feed us and take care of us in other ways?

 

This passage makes me wonder what that conversation in the boat must have been like? Were the apostles pointing fingers at one another? Were their whispers getting louder and louder? Did it get to a point where Jesus had enough. Enough of this blaming. Enough of this worrying. Enough of this doubting. Enough.

 

On this side of the cross, where we are, trusting Jesus seems easy. Count those blessings we sing. Every Sunday, a gentle reminder, Jesus died for us. Yet, how many times do we find ourselves in that boat with those disciples, counting our loaves instead of seeing that Jesus is with us. Our loaves may be our retirement. The market goes up and we are happy. The market goes down and we panic. We start counting loaves. We worry. We look up and we are sitting right with Peter and Andrew. The same happens when disappointing news comes. The medical tests are worse than we imagined. Scoot over John, I’m sitting beside you now. It’s loaf counting time. The job future looks shaky. Here I come, Philip. Save me a spot in the boat. Aging parents have to go to assisted living. We’re in the boat with the rest of them.

 

It doesn’t take too much for you and I to start counting the loaves. We know so much more than the apostles did at that time in the boat. We have the whole picture. We have prophecies fulfilled. We have Heaven in sight. We have the epistles. We have Jesus explained. Yet, we find ourselves in that same boat, with them, counting how many loaves we have.

 

Forget the loaves and focus upon Jesus. You have Jesus, what else do you need? We can forget all the good that God has done for us. We can forget the blessings. We can forget the grace. We can forget the fellowship. We can forget the hope. All we see is one loaf. There is just one loaf. We are down to one loaf. How are we going to get by? What will we do? One loaf isn’t enough. One loaf doesn’t get us through the week. One loaf, means we are in trouble. Maybe we ought to stop looking at the loaf and put our eyes on Jesus, as Hebrews tells us. Maybe we ought to stop worrying and begin trusting. Maybe we need to remember. We all have a 5,000 fed and a 4,000 fed event in our lives. It wasn’t miraculous. It wasn’t as grand as those Bible stories, but we all have God in our life. God was there. God answered. God strengthened. God got us through. God picked us up. God forgave us. God encouraged. God comforted. He was there for Daniel, when the lions were surrounding him. He was there with David, when a huge giant faced him. He was there for the three Jewish men when they were ordered to be burned alive. He was there when Adam sinned. He was there when Jonah ran. He was there when the prodigal came home. He was there in the valley of the shadows of death. God was there.

 

Look back in your life. God’s been there. So when you get down to one loaf, don’t fret. Don’t count. Don’t lose faith. Remember. Trust God. Obey God. Count those blessings. God will be there for you.

 

I must admit that I have sat with Peter far too many times in that boat. When the darkness of the storm surrounds you, a person tends to forget. They get scared. They feel alone. They start counting what they have left. One loaf, or one Jesus. It is amazing that among the twelve, no one seemed to think about Jesus. No one remembered what Jesus could do. With one loaf, Jesus could feed the world. With no loaf, Jesus could still do it.

 

Maybe we ought to remind one another, during those stormy moments, to look to Jesus. Maybe we ought to help one another put the loaf down and reach out for the Lord’s hands. Maybe one of us, can help the rest remember. A prayer can do that. A suggestion can do that. A passage can do that.

 

It’s time to leave the boat, and trust Jesus. Trust Jesus with the terrorism threats in the world. Trust Jesus to help your marriage and your family. Trust Jesus to turn hearts and open eyes. Trust Jesus to get things back to where they need to be. Read His word. Follow Him. Believe. Trust.

 

Don’t count how many loaves you have. See where Jesus is, and sit next to Him.

 

Roger

 

03

Jump Start # 1281

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1281

Proverbs 14:4 “Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.”

  Our verse today is fairly straight forward. It’s not one of those passages that you must allow to set on your mind and cook a while before you get it. No ox, no mess. No ox, no money. That’s it. But there is more to it than that. Go beyond the literal and give this plenty of thought. Things worth while take effort and often can be messy.

 

The easy way isn’t always the best way. What seems so neat and clean can also be unprofitable and a cover for laziness. To have an ox takes work. I’ve not been around very many oxen. I’m a city guy, but I don’t live far from some of the finest race horses in the world. I’ve been several times to see the thoroughbreds of Kentucky. Years ago, I got to see Secretariat up close and personal. It takes a whole team of people to make those horses successful. There is a lot of work. But the all the manpower pays off. Those expensive race horses are the bread and butter of those farms. They aren’t growing corn. They are not raising cattle. They are breeding race horses.

 

I know a young man that is in the early stages of his medical education. He has years ahead of him. It’s a long and hard road, but he’ll do it and the effort is worth it. This is true of many disciplines today. It takes work. It takes effort. Too many want the revenue without the oxen. They want a clean manger but they want the profit from oxen. This drives the lottery. Get rich without doing anything. Buy a simple ticket, no oxen, no messes, but great profits. I read once that a person is more likely to be struck by lightning SEVEN times as to winning the powerball ONCE. It’s truly a losers bet! Those that succeed in sports know the hours and hours that they have labored to be at the level they are. The same goes for the singer, the musician, the artist. Everyone wants to be the Sunday quarterback on TV. Few are willing to be that football player in the hot August sun training. On stage is wonderful. It’s the hours and hours of practice that keeps most from doing anything.

 

Clean stalls are nice. Having no messes are nice. But if you want to have success, you need oxen.

 

For instance, a growing church is that way. New people brings problems. Parking problems. Space problems. Baggage that we all carry. The opposite, no conversions, no new people, means no messes. Some like it that way. Everything nice and simple. Everyone knows everyone. None of those “other” people, whatever that is supposed to mean. Converting people means you have to expand your fellowship. It means you must get to know more people. Some people, most people, have baggage. Some of the children that come with new people have not grown up attending Bible classes. They can be a bit rowdy.  There are classes that must be taught for the new people. So don’t like  all those things. No ox, no mess. But with that thinking, the church gets smaller and smaller with every funeral. At some point it begins to look unlikely that they can continue on much longer. There hasn’t been any messes in a long time, the manger is clean, but there are no oxen. Nothing is going on. There are churches like that.

 

That same Proverb fits the way some study the Bible. Same lessons. Same class books. Same format. Same. Nothing challenging. Nothing different. Nothing unusual. Nice. Neat. Clean. But the same. After a while, the same can become dull. The same food every night gets old. The same show over and over no longer seems very funny. Put some thought into how you teach and what you are studying. Don’t get stuck looking at the same passage the same way. Clean out the cobwebs in your mind. Try looking at things with fresh eyes. Bring the word of God alive in your life. This takes work. This can be hard. But the good that comes from this is life changing.

 

Young people need to have goals, ambition, and challenges. It’s hard for some of them to see beyond Friday. For some, their greatest goal is beating the next level of a video game. Get them working. Get them busy. Get them engaged in life. Challenge them with reading. Some hate to read. Challenge them with helping others. Some hate to help others. Challenge them with serving the Lord. Engage them. Use them. No oxen, no messes.

We see that with the young people, but the same fits for us. It’s easy for us to get in the same routine about things. We need challenges. We need to get involved with others. It’s good. The work can be messy. But the good done touches lives.

Is our goal clean mangers or successful farming? Buy a stable and don’t put any animals in it. It will remain pretty clean. Sweep it out once in a while, dust it now and then, and that stable will look as fresh and clean as the day it was built. But is that the purpose of a stable? It’s meant to house horses. Horses, like oxen, make messes. The stalls must be cleaned out often. They need feed. They have to be groomed. The vet must see after them. Lots of things to be done. Not for the lazy. Anyone can have a clean manger. Even this city guy can do that. But to have profit, you need the oxen. That, takes work.

 

This is what this verse is driving at. Whether it’s saving money, getting a college degree, working an extra job to save up a down payment, burning the midnight oil to learn God’s word, effort, hard work, muscle all pay off in the long run. There are no short cuts. Stay with it. Work hard. Have a goal. Include spiritual goals.   Studying to teach a class. Working on a lesson to deliver. Developing the character to serve or lead God’s people. Work hard. Work long. The effort is worth it.

 

Roger

 

 

 

02

Jump Start # 1280

Posted on February 2, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1280

Revelation 1:17 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,”

  My friend, John, sent me a link recently in which atheist Stephen Fry was asked what he would say if he met God. What the interview revealed was an arrogant, ungodly attack upon the Holy God. It is amazing that some folks with PhD’s can really be dumb. Frey’s response was the typical why do the innocent suffer? He blames God for what man has done and what Satan is doing. His concept of what God ought to do is to make earth Heaven. It isn’t. There is a Heaven. Heaven is what Fry is looking for on earth. Peace. No evil. No disease. No sickness. No death. Why doesn’t God do that? He has. It started in Eden, but Satan and man messed it up. It will be in the eternal Heaven.

 

But a deeper concern to me, is the total misunderstanding and disrespect for the God of Heaven and Earth. The apostle John, who wrote our passage today through inspiration, saw Jesus. The image of Jesus was different than the Jesus he had known on earth. He spent three years with that Jesus. It was different than the transfigured Jesus. He had seen that. This Revelation Jesus was so glorious and astounding that John fell like a dead man. He passed out. He fainted. He was stunned. No words. No hugs. No dancing. No pointed fingers. No conversations. One look and John was gone. Incredible.

 

What is missing in John’s encounter with Jesus is a demanding, finger pointing, accusation as Fry believes he would dish out if he ever met God face to face. How wrong he is. When Job wondered and questioned things, God answered. God thundered from Heaven. A series of sixty questions stream down from Heaven. Job was baffled. He was overwhelmed. He couldn’t answer the first of the questions. He then repented and declared that he spoke out of turn. God doesn’t owe us answers. We don’t have the right to demand a “Why, God?” from the Holy One.

 

Fry, like so many, have no concept or belief in the Biblical God. They view God as an equal. They think God answers to us. How terribly wrong they are and how stunned they will be when they actually do meet God someday.

 

We might act the same in our prayers to God. We may think that God owes us an answer. He doesn’t. We might think that God has to tell us all things. He doesn’t. We might think that we know what God ought to do. We don’t.

 

The majesty of God is special. God is not like us. His ways are higher, Isaiah tells us. He is purer than we are. He sees things that we do not. He knows things that we do not. Folks like Stephen Fry want to blame God for all the bad things in the world today. Do they want to compliment God for all the good things? The reality, their misunderstanding of suffering, sin and Satan has become an easy and convenient excuse for them to dismiss God. If they can take God out of the picture, so goes the Bible, a moral standard, Heaven and Hell, and the need for a church. Fry’s way, would have us left to our own. He blames a cruel God for allowing a child to die with cancer. This is reason enough for him to claim that God doesn’t exist. However, can evolution explain why that same child died from cancer? Why haven’t we evolved past cancer? Heart disease? Diabetes? What is evolution’s answer for terrorism, hatred and prejudice? Why haven’t we gotten past those things? Not enough time? Removing God from the mainline thought hasn’t improved society. We are more selfish, more addicted, more prone to worry, fear and mental issues than ever before. We live longer but not better. Just a couple of generations ago, neighbors were truly neighbors, people pitched in and helped each other, crime was lower, and there was a sense of helping one another out. We’re not there today. Now, it’s every one for himself. Where is the progression that evolution ought to be leading us to?

 

God is amazing. He is awesome. He is holy. Spending time with His word, helps us to understand that our world is broken. Sin has brought disease and death upon us. The world is cursed. Satan, not God, dominates most lives today. But in the end, goodness will prevail. In the end, justice will be served. In the end, God wins. He always does.

 

Someday, we shall stand before God. His presence will drive out the arrogance within us. We won’t be demanding answers from Him. We won’t be blaming Him. We’ll fall to our knees, asking for mercy.

 

I thought about the interviewers question to Fry. What would I say WHEN I meet God. (There is not “if” to this). I hope I would say, “Thank you.”  Thank you for being there all those years. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for surrounding me with a great family and powerful friends who have made a difference. Thank you for the Bible. Thank you for forgiving me so many times. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for all those thousands of blessings, many which I never thanked you at the time. Thank you for Heaven. Thank you for green grass, white snow, soft babies, chocolate, sunsets, smiles, hymns and hearing my prayers. Thank you for always loving me. Thank you for giving me a second chance. Thank you for being my God.

 

Thank you.

 

Roger