Jump Start # 1359

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”

NOTE: Two announcements for our Readers.

  (1) Monday is a holiday and there will be no Jump Start that day.

  (2) Another Jump Start book has been made. It’s entitled, “Shepherding God’s People.” It’s a collection of seven recent articles about the role of elders and shepherding God’s people today. This book may not appeal to some, but it is available and free if you would like. This would especially be good to give to your elders or to use in a leadership study. Contact me (Rogshouse@aol.com) – send me your mailing address and the number of copies you would like.

This weekend is the time we remember the fallen soldier, Memorial Day. I have known many who have served. My father is a WW II vet. The greatest price and the greatest sacrifice and the greatest gift that any person can give is their own life. Freedom comes with a price. There are those who want to take away the freedom and our safety and protection is made possible by those sacrifices. Simple things, such as writing and sending these Jump Starts, would be banned and outlawed in many places today. This freedom should never be taken lightly. God bless those who have served our country and have walked with the Lord at the same time!

Our verse today is another form of remembering. It wasn’t a national holiday. It was something that people would do on their own. It wasn’t about soldiers, it was about spiritual heroes. They were to remember those who first taught them the Gospel. That’s a good thing to do. The congregation where I am at had it’s 100th anniversary a couple of years ago. That’s an important milestone to remember and reflect upon. There are a couple of old pieces of furniture, an old pulpit and a table that was once used for the Lord’s Supper, that are kept and remembered. There have been many important voices that have spoken from behind that old pulpit. There were many stirring sermons preached that led individuals to following Christ.

Our passage today reveals three thoughts:

  Remember those who first taught you. Can you remember? Who is the first preacher that you remember? What do you remember about him? Often they wore dark suits and as a child we just assumed that they cut their yard and even went to bed in those dark suits. But what we remember the most is the passion, the commitment, the dedication and their desire to help us know the Lord and walk with Him. They worked long and hard, and back then, most were not paid near what they were worth. Many of their families struggled financially, but they got by with the help of the Lord. Those spiritual giants knew the book. Many could stand up in front of a crowd and quote passage after passage. That’s impressive. More than that, they really knew the Lord. They prayed often. They took their walk with the Lord seriously. Good men. They kept many congregations going. We remember.

  Considering the result of their conduct. Other translations state, “considering the outcome of their faith.” The tone of these words imply that they had gone on. They had finished their journey. It’s hard to consider the outcome of one’s faith, when they haven’t yet finished it. The thought is that those first teachers of the Gospel had died. In the book of Hebrews, they may have been persecuted, or simply, executed for their faith. They kept and they finished, as Paul would declare about himself. It’s one thing to start. Just about anyone can start. I could start a marathon. That’s easy. It’s the staying with it until you have finished that is hard. Starting college, not too hard. Starting a new business, easy. Finishing, that’s tough. Those that were remembered here, had completed their journey. They did what the Lord wanted. The “well done” would be spoken to them by the Lord.

You and I are still on our journey. Stopping now means quitting. Stopping now isn’t reaching the goal. We must continue on. We must go until the Lord stops us. We must realize that others will be watching us. Some day, someone may consider the outcome of our faith. How we handle every day things is noticed. How we handle the big things is noticed. How we die will be noticed. This isn’t just about us. Our children, especially, will see what we have done.

Imitate their faith. There were footprints that these first teachers left. Those footprints led to Heaven. The readers were told to imitate or follow those footprints. Imitate how they worshipped. Imitate how they believed. Imitate how they refused to quit. The devotion, commitment and dedication—imitate those things. Years ago, when I was a puppy preacher, I held a series of meetings in Northern Kentucky, three years in a row. I stayed with an old guy named Victor. He was country and old school, through and through. Victor would tell me that people today are soft. Victor wasn’t soft. I tend to think that is what the Hebrew writer was expressing to his audience. The book reveals many forms of persecution and hardships that they were going through. Some had quit. Some had found a way to avoid those things. They were neglecting, compromising and simply giving up. The reminder of these first teachers, what they went through, the outcome of their faith, was used to keep them on course.

We need to do the same. Some of our forefathers, spiritually, donated land so church buildings could be built. Some of them traveled a long way, not in the luxury of air travel, but on horseback, to preach and strengthen souls. In pouring rain, those early preachers in America would travel, often sleeping on the ground, preaching in log cabins and in schools and out in meadows, wherever a crowd would gather. They poured their hearts out. Today, we have fine congregations that meet in state of the art church buildings, the latest technology, copiers, computers, projectors, facebook, twitter, videos and all this stuff, yet it will be the same dedication, hard working, committed soldier to the cross that will make the difference. Don’t forget. Remember!

Three simple words from our passage: remember, consider, imitate.

It does a soul good to do that. It helps us to remember what is really important. It keeps our eyes upon Heaven.

Roger