23

Jump Start # 1338

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1338

1 Corinthians 9:27 “but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

  In our verse today, Paul lets us inside his mind and heart to help us understand how he does things. It’s a very revealing insight and helpful for us in our walk with the Lord. In this section of Corinthians, Paul references several sporting events. He talks about running a race. He talks about boxing. The goal is to win the prize. For the Christian the prize was not a wreath of garland to be worn on the head, it was the prize of Heaven. Paul refers to exercising self control. Our verse uses the expression, “discipline my body.”

There are some great lessons from our verse today.

1. It is easier to preach a lesson than it is to live the lesson. Talk can be cheap. It’s making those life choices that are hard. Out of the pulpit, the preacher must apply the very things he taught others to himself. Often many eyes are upon the preacher. He said it, now he must live it. That’s hard. It’s hard for any, but especially for the one who has been trying to show others how to walk by faith and live righteously. The preacher must apply the lesson to himself.

 

2. Preaching a lesson doesn’t automatically grant you a special place in the line going to Heaven. Paul had to exercise self control and discipline himself, otherwise he would be disqualified. The preacher isn’t excluded from having to grow, learn and become. He needs those traits in his life as well.

 

3. How terrible it would be for some to have heard the preacher and be saved, while the preacher was lost. That was a possibility. When Paul used the expression, ‘disqualified,’ it was intended to mean from Heaven. Without self control and discipline, the preacher who helped saved others would be lost himself. What a strange twist that would be.

 

4. We are to be in control of our minds, body and passions. This is what self control means. It is the control of self. Included in this list would be our anger, our words, our passions and our emotions. Someone who is out of control is likely to say anything. Like a volcano, no one knows when he might explode and spew his hot lava upon all who are near by. A meeting a work, a drive home, a messy house, a dinner that is not on time, are just a few of the things that can set off one who isn’t at the wheel of his thoughts, words or emotions. He makes a wreck of disaster around him only to later apologize over and over. Get control of yourself is the answer. Paul disciplined himself. Paul was in control of himself. Paul was at the wheel of his life. He wasn’t going for a ride, he was turning the wheel where he wanted to go.

 

5. This passage reminds us that even the apostles could have lost their souls. It was not guaranteed that the apostles were absolutely going to Heaven. They had to walk by faith and be righteous men as the rest of us do. Paul understood that. He didn’t take anything for granted. His love for the Lord had to be real. He had to make daily choices that reflected his faith in the Lord.

 

 

6. Paul shared all of this with us to help us understand that we must do the same. We are not going to Heaven without a proper faith, choices and love for the Lord. We too, must use self control. We too must run in such a way, keeping focused, lest we get side tracked and lose the race. The Boston Marathon was just completed a few days ago. Every year, a few show up dressed in outfits to get attention. There will be customs like Halloween. There will be a few in tuxedos. They make the pictures. They get a few laughs. But you don’t see them winning. They are not dressed to win. They are not serious about winning. They just want some limelight and that’s all they will get. The same happens in our faith. Some talk a good show. Some want the limelight. But there are those who are serious about making Heaven. They work at it. They take the Lord seriously. They dress the part and discipline the body.

 

All of this makes us ask ourselves, ‘How hard are we trying?’ Are we truly doing our best? Do we get side tracked and lose our focus much too easily?

 

Paul did not want to be disqualified. Neither should we.

 

 

Roger

 

 

22

Jump Start # 1337

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1337

Matthew 5:44-45 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

 

A Jump Start reader asked me to write about a popular bumper sticker that has caused some concern and question. The bumper sticker reads, “God bless the whole world. No Exceptions!” I have not seen this one, but it seems that this is more of a slam upon conservative minded believers than it is addressed to God. I have seen the ridiculous “Co-exist” bumper stickers which are composed of various religious symbols. The thought is that there is room for all of us and that we ought to get along equally. That simplistic thinking ignores the ideology and theology of these groups. Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Christians do. Muslims do not like Jews or Christians. Pagans believe in something strange. Wicca believes in witches. It’s a hodge podge of everything and everyone. What good is your faith if you cannot practice it? Now this is not a call for violence or rudeness, but polytheism and monotheistic believers cannot co-exist at the same time. They are opposites.

 

God bless the whole world. No exceptions! I expect what is behind that thinking are those that stand on the outside of Christianity and instead of changing, they simply want to be accepted. The same-sex marriage crowd is probably near the front of the line in that group.

 

Our passage today goes a long way in helping us with a greater understanding of such things. Taken from the first chapter of the Lord’s sermon on the mount, Jesus is addressing our reaction to our enemies. Yes, the disciples of Jesus has enemies. Jesus would later tell His people that they would be hated because He is hated. Following the famous, “God so loved the world,” passage, Jesus revealed that people hated Him because they loved darkness rather than the light. Coming to Jesus, the light, their wrongs would be exposed. They would be compelled to change. Jesus loves us, yet He demands holiness and righteousness in  our walk with Him.

 

Our passage tells us to do two things toward our enemies.

First, love them. Love here is a choice. Love is not a feeling. It is wanting the best for our enemies. It is compassion and care.

 

Second is to pray for them. Pray for their salvation. Pray for open eyes. Pray for opportunities.

 

The part of our passage that is especially intriguing is what it says about God. He, God, sends the sun and the rain upon the good and the evil, upon the righteous and the unrighteous. Did you catch that Jesus refers to the sun as “His sun.” The sun belongs to God. He allows it to shine where He wants it to. God does send blessings to all people, without exception. He has done that from the very first day. The rain, the sun, air, crop production, health, life—these are precious blessings that fall upon all people.

 

You’ll notice that Jesus refers to some people as evil and unrighteous. The fact that they have received God’s blessings of sunshine and rain, does not mean that God no longer views them as evil and unrighteous. Now, they still are that way. The fact that they have a blessing from God does not mean that they are in good favor with God. God is kind to them. God is generous with them. They in return ought to be thankful to God, obedient to God and reverent towards God. Will they? That’s their choice.

 

God doesn’t buy our allegiance by only blessing us when we are good. If that were the case, people would flock to God, not because He was God, but because of the blessings. God sends His sun and rain upon all people, regardless of how thankful, mindful or humble they are towards Him.

 

There are spiritual blessings that are only found in Christ. These blessings are the result of faith and walking with Christ. Forgiveness, fellowship and the hope of Heaven are available to all, but are not extended to all, unless there is a movement on our part towards God. The greatest blessings from God are the ones found in Christ. God wants everyone to enjoy these blessings, but you must believe in Him and follow Him.

 

God bless everyone. No exceptions! Is a statement that probably means more than what it seems on the surface. It most likely is intended to convey that God accepts everyone, period. All are saved and none  are lost. Everyone, no exceptions, will be in Heaven. That is a grand thought, but it’s not Biblical. Revelation tells us that outside the city of God will be the immoral, the cowards, the liars and those whose names are not written in the book of Life. There are exceptions as to who gets into Heaven. That call is not mine to make. Nor is it yours to make. It belongs to God alone. God alone looks at the heart of a person and understands why they did what they did. But there will be exceptions. This same sermon on the mount where we started today, tells us that the road to destruction is wide and crowded. Many will not make it. Those are God’s words. There will be people who have been blessed by God who will not make it. There will be those who have enjoyed God’s sun and benefited from His rain, yet chose to ignore Him and live a life that dishonors Him. It is those choices that will make God close the door to some.

 

God is good. God is generous. He does bless all people. His blessings are not a sign of approval. It’s a knock on the door of their heart that God wants in. He wouldn’t have to do that, but He does. He could send the rain only to the righteous. But He doesn’t.

 

For us, the passage is teaching us to be kind to those who are mean and ugly towards us. God does. He doesn’t ignore His enemies. He blesses them. He doesn’t send lightning to destroy them, but soft rain to nourish the ground so they can prosper. God is good. We need to follow His lead. Pray and love those enemies. It’s hard. But God does it.

 

Roger

 

21

Jump Start # 1336

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1336

Proverbs 1:5 “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel”

  Learning, education—it’s not something that is only restricted to school age children and college students. Learning is a life long process. The more we learn, the better we become. The opening pages of Proverbs is devoted to acquiring wisdom. This wisdom is not mathematics, or text book lessons but instead, wisdom from God. Learning life from the one who designed life, God. Learning what works from God.

There are a couple of lessons I see here:

First, we need to approach our Biblical studies with a more academic approach. Just showing up for Bible class without having a clue what was taught the week before nor what the current lesson is going to be about and then offering comments that just pass through our brain probably isn’t the best method or means to learning. This feeds shallow thinking and superficial questions and answers and little depth and little application and mostly little changing. It’s beyond me to see folks show up to a Bible class without even a Bible. They just sit there and stare at the teacher. They have brought no pen and paper, so no notes will be taken if by chance they do learn something new. The teacher must work hard to try to engage the class and spoon feed them on the simplest themes. Sharing ignorance is often what is accomplished in the class. More time is spent chasing rabbits than it is in learning the text of God’s word.

 

What’s the solution? Two fold: First, the teacher must teach. Challenge the class to think. Give quizzes. Lower the nets to deeper levels. Second, the students, the class, must come prepared to learn. They ought to do some homework ahead of time. They ought to give some thought to what is being studied that day.

 

A person who has been a Christian for twenty years ought to have a massive understanding of the word of God. The number of classes he has sat in, the number of sermons he has listened to, and then his own private studies, should have given him a greater understanding and insight in God’s word. But far too often, that’s not the case. The guy has been sitting in Bible classes for twenty years, but he has never learned much. He has never applied himself. He has never been prodded to use what was being taught. Twenty years of teaching went in one ear and out the other. There is a great failure in what happens here. This man doesn’t grow. He doesn’t change. He doesn’t become better. He’s just about the same as he was twenty years ago. He ought to be teaching, but he doesn’t know. He ought to be leading God’s people, but he doesn’t have a clue. More classes. More sermons. He stays the same. The bad in all of this, his character, his heart doesn’t become more Christ-like. He stays pretty much the same. Worry, doubt, fear, are always near by. He relies upon old thoughts and old things he heard people saying a long time ago, never realizing that those things were not accurate, helpful nor Biblical.

 

A second lesson that is found here is the understanding that all of God’s people need to always be learning. Preachers need to be growing. They need to feed their souls and be learning. The books that they read help them grow. Preachers need to always be looking at how to be better. We train young preachers where I am at. They receive a notebook—it’s grown into two large notebooks. These notebooks are packed with articles about preaching. All kinds of interesting things such as how to teach classes and when is it time to move. Before the articles make it to the notebook, Mr. Roger here reads them first. I read them for myself. I read them to be a better preacher. If they are good, they make it to the notebook.

 

The same ought to be said of the shepherds within a local congregation. They lead, but they are not finished learning. The more they grow the better they will lead. They need to learn about leading people. They need to understand people. Again, this is something that tends to fall off today. Some have the idea that they know all that they need to know. So there is a ceiling to their knowledge. It won’t take long until the congregation will be ahead of them and progress will slow down. Leaders need to grow. They need to spend time learning. They need to spend time looking at how Jesus led people. They need to understand why sheep tend to wander off. They need to see what is bothering sheep today. The methods of the 1960’s may not be the best methods for today. There is a growing segment of society today that considers it’s self to be spiritual but not religious. Do leaders understand that? Are they in tune that what is bothering folks today? Learning these things will help them decide what classes to offer and what the congregation needs. Leaders who are not growing will find the church drifting after a while.

 

Ignorance is one of Satan’s greatest tools. Without knowledge, we get scared easily. Without knowledge we will never try something that is different. Studying the same topics, in the same manner, over and over gets to be mindless and tedious. Depth. Challenge. Learn. Grow. Become. That’s the answer.

 

This all starts with me. It starts with me turning off the mindless TV and picking up my Bible and really blowing the dust off it and getting into some unique studies. See Jesus. Ask yourself, “Why, did He do that?” “Why did He ask that?” Peel the layers back. Chew on it a while.

 

For instance, when we read about the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. He was reading from Isaiah when Philip came to him. Have you ever thought what it must have been like to have his own copy of Isaiah? Back then? Hand written. Few copies. Philip most likely did not have his own copy. Chew on that a while and that tells you a bit about the Ethiopian’s faith and love for the Lord.

 

Little things like that are on every page of the Bible. We over look them because we go too fast, repeat the same thoughts we have always heard and we don’t look with insight. They are there. Fresh. Interesting. Challenging. Faith building.

 

Wisdom—it’s more than knowing facts. It’s living what we have learned. It’s a life long experience and a wonderful journey.

 

Roger

 

20

Jump Start # 1335

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1335

Genesis 22:7 “And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.” And he said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

 

Last evening was a very special service for us at Charlestown Road. Nine of our young men, all Christians, conducted the entire service. All the singing, all the prayers, the lessons, the Lord’s Supper—everything but the closing announcements. A lot of time was devoted to this. They were groomed and taught what to do. They took it very seriously. All of them dressed up. They were prompt, dedicated and serious about what they were doing. The congregation was amazed. Such talent. Such young hearts. It is easy in a congregation our size with all the talent we have to leave the young men on the sidelines. They would never really learn if that happened. Nearly all of us had our first time at doing things. These young men have been used many times, but never as concentrated as last evening. It was so encouraging.

 

I thought of our passage several times last evening. This Genesis account involves Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice. For more than three days Abraham knew this, young Isaac didn’t. When they got to the place for the sacrifice, Isaac questioned his father. He understood that a lamb was needed for a burnt offering. He didn’t suggest burning some pine cones, catching a rabbit, so something that would be easy or different. He knew. How did he know? He must have seen his father worship. He understood the reverence and devotion that was necessary in worship of God.

 

This is the role first of our homes and then secondly of our congregation. We must teach each generation. When some get of age they will ask questions. Why can’t we do this? Why can’t we have pizza for the Lord’s Supper? Don’t dismiss that thought. Answer it carefully and thoughtfully. When they ask ‘Why can’t we have a car wash and raise money?’ Answer the question. They must learn, see and come to respect. What happens when a generation grows and they are not taught, either at home, or in the congregation, then departures take place. Pizza becomes a viable alternative for the Lord’s Supper. The worship shifts from being God centered to what makes the people happy. Once the door is opened for “why not,” anything goes. The first generation will only take one or two steps away from how they were raised. It’s daring for them. However, the children of this new generation, will grow up with departures and changes as normal as anything. That generation will be more brazen and bold. They will take it places where their parents would never go.

 

This is the story of ancient Israel. The nation remained pretty loyal to God as long as Joshua was around. When he died, the next generation took that daring step away from God. Their children, the next generation, did not even know God. This is when idolatry became introduced.

 

So, at a very young age, moms and dads must teach about prayer. God is not Santa and we do not bow our heads and get anything we wish. God is God. We must talk reverently to God. God’s will is that all of us honor Him, obey Him and follow Him. That some times takes us down some dark valleys in life.

 

Worship must be a time to teach children about God. When they are babies, they need snacks and books. I have never been a fan of bringing their toys to services. Little books about Bible subjects is a reminder of what mom and dad have with their Bibles. It’s a time to be quiet. It’s a time to learn songs and sing them. Not just in the church house, but in the car, around the home. Learn the songs. Sing them together. When they fuss, take them out. Be quick about that so that they will not disturb the worship of others. However, when they are taken out, it should not be play time. Going out should not be a happy occasion. It means that they were fussy. They will soon learn that if they fuss, they can go out and play. However, especially when they start getting some age on them, if they go out and it’s not a pleasant experience, they will stop that.

 

Talk about God. Pray to God. Read God’s word. Make God the center of your life. Make worship to be a highlight of your week. Come early. Meet the people. It’s hard on young parents. You can do it. Others have before you.

 

And as young Isaac understood what God required for a sacrifice, your children will understand what God wants in worship today. And to sit and see the glowing eyes of so many parents last night, who saw their young sons honoring God in a Biblical, reverent, and godly fashion, was to realize all those lessons, all those talks, all those questions paid off. They understood. They got it. What a delight that is.

 

The next generation has all kinds of questions. The next generation needs to know why we do what we do. The next generation needs to be shown how to worship God in a proper fashion.

 

Keep it up parents! Keep it up church!

 

Roger

 

17

Jump Start # 1334

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1334

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant”

  The ‘love chapter’ of the Bible is where our verse comes from today. Tis the season for weddings. This Spring I have been invited to three weddings so far. I’m doing the ceremony for two of them, and they happen to be on the same day. That will be a first for me.

 

These love verses some how make their way into most wedding ceremonies. It is fitting, although contextually, these words are not about a husband and wife. Paul, in three chapters, is discussing the value of spiritual gifts and how they were to be used. The Corinthian church was inside out on that topic. They felt that to have certain gifts was a sign of spiritual superiority. They ranked the gifts by importance. And all of that crooked thinking led to jealousy, further division and pain. It took three inspired chapters to iron out all the bumps in their thinking. In the midst of this falls the love chapter. This is not about holding hands, candle lights or engagement rings. This is about folks who are not getting along and how they need to do better.

 

These words are personal. That’s the way they are to be taken. It’s not, as we often would rather it be stated, the other guy comes to me and the other guy is to be nice and the other guy is to do this and that. Instead, it’s about each person. Love is the foundation. This is the highest form of love. It has nothing to do with how you are treated. It is not a reaction but a choice. Love decides to do these things because this is the right thing to do. Lacking these qualities is real proof that one doesn’t love others. That is a huge problem. That is greater than any of the spiritual gifts. If, in a congregation, we are not on the same team, maintaining the same love, hope and spirit for one another, then the bottom will fall out. It always does. People will be suspicious. Gossip will flow. In our times today, some will leave and find another congregation. That wasn’t an option for the Corinthians. They couldn’t go to Ephesus, too far away. There was no Northside and Southside congregation. Instead of leaving Dodge, the better solution was to love one another.

 

There are fourteen things that love does. Love needs to do all of them. This is not a menu and you pick out the easy ones. You do them all. It’s a package deal. Of these fourteen, half of them are presented in the negative. Love does not, the apostle tells us.

 

It’s quite a list: patient, kind, not jealous, not bragging, not arrogant, not acting unbecomingly, not seek its own, not provoked, not take into an account a wrong suffered, not rejoice in unrighteousness, rejoices with the truth, bears all, believes all, hopes all, endures all.

 

You’ll notice several statements that seem to be repeated: not bragging, not arrogant, not seeking its own. Paul is hammering and hammering on this. Pride was behind this. Thinking too much of self was killing the good in that church. All of those statements would cause one to consider what they said before they said it. All of those statements would lead to one thinking about the other more than self.

 

What is really interesting about this list is that you could replace the word “love” with the name of Jesus. Jesus is kind, Jesus is patient and is not jealous. Jesus does not brag and is not arrogant. Go through the entire list. Jesus fits. He fits every time. He fits because He is love.

 

Now, what is very humbling is to go through the list again. Replace the word ‘love,’ with your own name. Boy, that’s an eye opener. For instance, Roger is patient, Roger is kind and is not jealous. Roger does not brag…” That’s about enough of that. Doing that makes us feel very uncomfortable. We see failures in our own lives. We see holes in our character. However, this is what Paul was expecting the Corinthians to do and become. Love wasn’t something outside of them, it had to be within them. Love is something that they either were or were not. This is something that we need to be.

 

Some of the fussing that goes on among brethren would probably stop if we truly put on love. Love works. It works in a church that is upset about spiritual gifts. It works in a family that is upset with each other. Love will kill the jealous spirit. Love will end the judgmental spirit. Love will build bridges and upon those bridges relationships can be established and encouraged.

 

Love is. This is hard. This is hard when you start off being mad, jealous, divided and upset with others. That’s where the Corinthians were. That’s were some of us are. We as soon lob a bomb to the other side as extend a handshake. We’d like for the other side to leave. We’d like the other side to change. There’s little to talk about. There’s little to do.  However, Paul adds one thought to this equation, love.

 

Love is. Maybe it’s time to put down the tomahawk and find the peace pipe. Maybe it’s time for us to take the first step. Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror and ask, “Do I really love my brethren?” In the midst of a battle we forget that. We also forget what John says about that in his epistles. Without love, we don’t have God.

 

Serious stuff.

 

Love is.

 

Roger