29

Jump Start # 1592

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1592

Psalms 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”

Psalms 19 is a powerful chapter that reveals God. The chapter begins with the heavens declaring the glory of God. Nature itself is a witness to God. As science takes us deeper and deeper into the cell structure more and more are realizing that these systems are too complex and connected to allow time and chance to develop them. The natural world points to order and beauty which leads us to God. Nature on it’s own does not tell us who God is. We do not know God’s name, His will or His expectations by nature alone.

 

The second part of this chapter describes the revealed word of God. It is here that our verse is found. Six times we are reminded that these words are “of the Lord.” They are not of man. They are Heaven sent. They are divine. This section gives us multiple terms describing God’s word. We find: law, testimony, precepts, commandment, fear, and judgment. We also find the value of God’s law. It is: perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true. We also see the benefits of God’s law: restores the soul; making wise the simple; rejoicing the heart; enlightening the eyes; enduring forever.

 

Added to these words we find, “in keeping them there is great reward.”

 

A few thoughts from all of this today:

 

1. We are blessed that God sent us His word. Since we were the ones who walked away from God when we sinned, He could have easily said, “Find Me.” We wouldn’t know where to begin. We wouldn’t know what to do. God could have given His word to a select few, only the best. It was His wishes that the apostles would go and preach to every creature (Mk 16:15). That means every continent. That means every nation. That means every city. That means every street. That means every house. That means every person in that house. God’s word is for all of us. It is for the king as well as the peasant. It is for the master as well as  the slave.

 

2. We ought to be content with God’s word. Peter said that everything pertaining to life and godliness has been given. We have it. We have it all. There is nothing more that we need. That thought alone kills the need for creeds, councils and any other religious documents written to govern us. We have God’s word. But some don’t seem to buy into this. They don’t see this. They are not content. For some, they think God is still talking and revealing things. If He is, then Peter was wrong. Peter said his people had everything. Some put more stock into “divine nudges and feelings,” than what is written on the pages of their Bible. Some are led by feelings and not faith based upon the word of God.

 

Some are not content with what the Bible says. They are always wanting to push the limits. They want to dwell in controversy. They want to introduce and test things that are not found in the word of God. They spend too much time thinking about what’s not there rather than what is there. For some, thinking outside of the box has become a life’s goal. They are consumed with out of the box thinking. The problem with all of this is that one must first understand what is IN the box. What some call traditions, are not. What some what to introduce, they should not. Some have confused what is a method with what is Heaven’s law. This fuzzy, confusing thinking only stirs up the rebels in a congregation and beckons the call for change. They are always wanting change. Never content with the way God has revealed things, they want a church that looks more like the churches all around them. Like ancient Israel, wanting a king like the kings around them, some, not content today, are wanting a church that looks like other churches. More social. More entertainment. More dealing with the wholeness of a person. Less teaching. Build houses. Plant gardens. Sweep streets. Safe houses for abused. Safe places for children to play. And as some push for these things they fail to see that none of those things will help with man’s greatest need and that is God. The church is a community of saved people who are trying to prepare others for Heaven. The mission is spiritual. The tools are the word of God. It involves teaching and preaching. Content with God’s word. Content with the ways God has defined it. That’s missing in some places today. That’s missing in some hearts today.

 

3. The reward that this passage talks about is found in keeping God’s word. This comes from knowing that word. It comes from believing that word. It comes from obeying that word. There is no reward for disobeying God’s word. There is no honor in changing God’s word. There is no hope in walking away from God’s word. The word in our hearts will do something to us. It changes us. It molds us. It takes the meanness out of a person. It drives the selfishness out of a person. It turns a person into a kind and generous soul. It makes a person forgive and apologize. It makes a person compassionate. Getting the word deep into our hearts and souls will have an affect upon us. There are those who claim to be Christians but they have never gotten the word of God deep within them. They are surface readers only. The impact is obvious. They haven’t changed. They are still bossy. They continue to demand their way. They are the last to forgive and the first to point fingers. Sure they go to church on Sunday, but it hasn’t done much for them.

 

The reward is found in those who drink deeply from God’s word.

 

There is a culture that is feeding too much on the radical books and blogs of others rather than spending time with the word of God. These free spirits want to be cutting edge. They want to be different. They don’t want to march in line with others. They pride themselves in their intellectualism. Yet, they are not getting these thoughts from the word of God. They have been influenced and poisoned by others and they do not even know that. Their radical thoughts stirs up trouble in congregations. They are not deepening the faith of others. They are chipping away at what some believe. They paint with a broad bush the idea that nearly everything is traditions and they want to toss them all overboard. These “out of the box” folks are moving people out of fellowship with God. They are leading misguided hearts to not follow what is written and more  than that, they are spreading discontent concerning the ways of God.

 

There is great reward in keeping God’s word. A person doesn’t need a university degree to understand God’s will. He does not need a stack of books written by man to understand the words that God has given. He does not need a special insight into the culture that only a handful believe that they know to get what God is saying. The word was first preached to fisherman and housewives and common laborers. They could understand and grow a faith in the Lord. Throughout the middle ages in Europe, there were handfuls of disciples that learned and taught the word of God to others. They did not have these books and insights that others claim today that we must have to know God’s word. A person ought to be able to read and understand the Bible as it is written.

 

Content with God. Content with God’s word. We need to get back to that.

 

Roger

 

28

Jump Start # 1591

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1591

Acts 8:30 “Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’”

  Our verse today comes from the powerful story of the conversion of the Ethiopian treasurer. This story is rich with lessons that are helpful and useful for us. The Ethiopian was a eunuch. He was handicapped. He was unable to father children. We are not told if this was a birth defect, or something that was done to protect the queen, who he was around. He was traveling home. He had been to Jerusalem to worship. This was a long journey. He had his own copy of Isaiah. This was rare and unique in those times. It must have cost a large amount for him to have this private copy. I expect Philip didn’t have a copy of this. As he is traveling, he is reading Isaiah. He may have been holding a copy of Isaiah in his own hands for the very first time.

 

There are several important thoughts from our verse.

 

First, Philip ran. He wasn’t running for exercise sake. He wasn’t running to get away. He was running to the Ethiopian. Philip had been preaching in Samaria with great success. Many were listening and bowing their hearts in obedience to the Lord. God called Philip away to preach to this one man. One man is as important as the multitudes.

 

The running Philip illustrates excitement about what he was going to do. He was going to preach Jesus to a man who didn’t know the Lord. The Ethiopian had an honest and good heart and the word of God was going to be planted deep within this person. We don’t see Philip complaining about the long trip he had to make. We don’t see Philip asking God to send someone else. Philip went. Philip ran. We need running preachers today. Not those that run for exercise but those that run to do the Lord’s work. We need running preachers who are not lazy or reluctant to do what God wants them to do. The running Philip reminds us that our work is important and that we need to be able to go when opportunities arise. Don’t waste time preacher. Don’t be slow. Run to teach God’s word.

 

Second, Philip asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was reading. Great beginning question. The same question can be used today. Find a friend reading the Bible on their phone and ask them, “Do you understand what you are reading?” Reading without understanding is about as useful as not reading at all. Why read if you don’t understand it? Reading must come with grasping what is said. Understanding who is speaking and the occasion and background that this took place is important. Do you understand?

 

Third, immediately after our verse, the Ethiopian honestly replied that he did not know. It was confusing to him. He easily could have said “sure, I understand,” just to dodge the preacher. But he was honest. He knew that he didn’t know. He wanted to know. That honest heart is the key to learning God’s will. We must know what God says and we must also know ourselves. Some live in denial land. Things are always great, even when they are not. Some do not know that they are lost. Honesty will cause a person to reach out for help. Had the Ethiopian not been honest, he may have never known about Jesus.

 

Fourth, implied very heavily in this section is the thought that Philip understood. It’s hard to explain something when you do not understand it yourself. Who is this passage talking about? Philip knew. He knew the prophet was writing about Jesus. It was Messianic. It was a wonderful passage that pointed to the cross. Beginning here, but not stopping here, Philip preached Jesus. He didn’t give a one word answer to the Ethiopian’s question. Who is this talking about? He could have simply said, “Jesus.” But the preacher did more. Beginning there, he preached Jesus.

 

As the story goes on, they passed some water. The Ethiopian called out, “Here’s water. What prevents me from being baptized?” Where did that comment come from? Why talk about water? Why baptism? Because preaching Jesus includes understanding why Jesus came and what Jesus did upon the cross. That immediately leads to our forgiveness and salvation. The Lord had said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved.” Preaching Jesus must include forgiveness, salvation and baptism. Those that preach Jesus but leave out the baptism part, haven’t told the whole story.

 

The running preacher included baptism in his telling of Jesus. This prompted the Ethiopian to ask, why can’t I be baptized? And he was.

 

Running preachers who tell the whole story are the kind that pleases the Lord. That’s the kind we need today. There are many folks who need the Scriptures explained to them.  Can you do that? Do you know?

 

Roger

 

27

Jump Start # 1590

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1590 

1 Corinthians 16:18 “For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.”

  Our verse highlights the work of Stephanas and Fortunatus. Great names. Great people. Can’t wait to meet them someday in Heaven. They are not the first tier of names that we connect with the early church. We know Paul, Peter, Apollos, Timothy and Titus. There is very little said about Stephanas and Fortunatus. But we find two powerful thoughts here.

 

First, they refreshed the spirit of Paul and the Corinthians. Not everyone does this. Some instead of refreshing, they sour the spirit of others. Some step on those who are down and out. Some want problem people to go away. Some only think about themselves. There would be some who would say, “No one refreshed my spirit.” And, in saying that, they missed the whole point of this passage.

 

Refreshing is such a pleasant thought. A cool breeze. A glass of ice tea (sweet, of course). A day off of work. Time spent with a dear friend. Our spirits need to be refreshed. The spirit can get tired. We get weary. We battle Satan. We are busy doing good deeds. There is so much to do. There are so many people to help. The prayer list is long. The load we carry can tire us. Our spirits need refreshing.

 

Sometimes our spirits get discouraged. A couple divorces. Someone drops out. Someone made the wrong choices. A church mistreats someone. Bad news. Our spirits can just drag along somedays. We can feel like Elijah. We wonder if there are any others who are doing well. Our spirits need refreshing.

 

The spirits of preachers need refreshing. They are always energized. They are always pumped up. But behind the scenes, they need encouraging. They need their spirits refreshed. Paul did.

 

The spirits of elders need refreshing. They work with so many problems. Their work is too often thankless. Their eyes look weary. They need refreshing.

 

So, just how do we refresh? How does one encourage? Kind words. A nice note. A personal visit. A gift. A pat on the back. A compliment. A lunch bought. Friendship shared. Refreshing the spirit is nothing more than good old fashioned encouragement. Everyone needs some. It’s like oxygen to the soul.

 

Some folks are great at encouraging. They just have a knack for knowing what to say and how to say it. They are kind and generous. They have a way of spotting a guy when he is having a tough day. They are easy to talk with. They are good at what they do.

 

Our passage not only reminds us that these two refreshed the spirits of Paul but in return Paul wanted the Corinthians to “acknowledge them.” That’s the part that we don’t do so well. We have a hard time acknowledging the good that others are doing. We say things like, “I don’t want him to get the big head.” Or, “I don’t want to hurt the feelings of others that we do not call out.” Paul didn’t seem to have a problem telling the Corinthians and us about Stephanas and Fortunatus. He named them. He pointed them out. What about the others? I guess they didn’t refresh Paul’s spirit like these two did. We are so afraid of hurting someone’s feeling that we don’t do anything. Maybe it’s time we did a bit more acknowledging of others. Maybe it’s time we did a “that’a boy” to some who are stepping it up and going out of their way. Schools have students of the month. Some companies have employees of the month. But in the greatest work of all, the kingdom work, we don’t acknowledge those who are the encouragers.

 

A shout out from the pulpit. A job well done, from the shepherds. A face to face compliment. These are ways to recognize the good that others are doing. Have you ever done this? Have you thought about those who refreshed  your spirit and have you acknowledged such people? Have you made such people heroes in your book? Do your kids know about the people who have helped your spiritually?

 

There is great value in acknowledging those who have refreshed us. It shows our appreciation and thankfulness for what  they have done. It encourages others to do the same. It shows the value of our fellowship and our connections with each other.

 

Refreshing and acknowledging—those two need to be in our spiritual DNA.

 

Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 1589

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1589

Luke 13:14 “But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, ‘There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.’”

 

Our verse comes from the miraculous healing of the bent over woman. The text tells us that she just didn’t have a bad back, but that she was bent double. We’d say, she was bent in half. How she walked is beyond me. Here she is in the synagogue. That is amazing. It is remarkable that she has had this for 18 years. That’s a long time. That’s a lot of prayers that were not answered as she wanted. That’s a lot of life that she missed. That’s a lot of misery and pain. Yet, here she is, worshipping God. Jesus saw her. We’d notice her. How could you not? She must have moved about very slowly. It’s one thing to notice, it something else to see. Jesus saw her.

 

The Lord called her to Him and healed her. She never cried out for mercy as lepers and the blind did. She didn’t come running to Jesus begging for help, as the Canaanite woman did. She sat in the back. She never asked Jesus for anything. The Lord saw her and the Lord had compassion for her.

 

She immediately was standing tall. She was immediately praising God. I’m not sure if she knew who Jesus was. While all of this is going on, another crippled person is about to explode. That’s the synagogue official. He’s crippled in an area that most can’t see. He is crippled in his heart. He explodes. He becomes “indignant” is what the text tells us. That carries the idea of more than being upset. He was blowing a gasket. He was mad at Jesus. The Lord did a good thing. This poor  woman is now returned to society and this official lost it.

 

This reminds us of a couple important lessons.

 

First, some leaders don’t get it. Some leaders are leaders in name only. Some do not know how to lead. They give orders. They boss people around. They use pressure, guilt and fear to get people to do what they want. It’s not a loving situation. It’s not a joyous fellowship. This was his synagogue. Of all people, we’d expect the official to be leading the parade in honoring Jesus. Instead he is ready to toss Jesus out.

 

I have heard the sad story lately of too many church leaders that are like this synagogue official. They’d rather toss someone out as to work with them. Their solution to problems is go away and take your problems with you. Harsh and insensitive words have led many to leave. It has caused some to be wounded to the point that their faith has taken a hit. God’s way of leading is through the tender guidance of the shepherd. It is the gentle waters, the green pastures and even through the valleys of the shadow of death that God’s shepherds are with the sheep. Never alone. Never on their own. Never left to work things out on their own. Problems shared. Problems solved. The church isn’t a place for the “good ole’ boys” club. That spirit crushes people. That attitude is not Biblical, nice or helpful. This synagogue official, if he had his way, would have the bent over woman going home and coming back another day. Not today.  Not now. Stay bent  over. Stay with your problem. No help from us today. What a shameful and terrible attitude.

 

Second, some get mad over the wrong things. Here, the official was mad at Jesus. Some are still mad at Jesus. They don’t like the way the Bible reads. They don’t like the set up of the church. They want the church to pay their bills, feed them, raise their kids, while they don’t even show up for worship and have very little interest in God. When a church refuses to help, out comes the tirade and ugliness of someone who  has no understanding of God nor the work God does.

 

So true to human nature, this official, didn’t address Jesus. He talked to the crowd. He was brow beating them, lest anyone else got the notion of walking forward and getting healed by Jesus. That wasn’t going to happen. Jesus, in response, talked to this official. He directed His words to him.

 

Some  folks wear their feelings on their sleeve. Say the wrong word, do the wrong thing, forget to invite them, forget to include them, and they will blow up. They threaten to leave. They make things much worse than what they are. Sensitive to a fault, everyone walks on tip toes around them, lest they say or do the wrong thing and start an eruption of turmoil.

 

Jesus addressed this official. He didn’t apologize, because He didn’t do anything wrong. His actions were misunderstood and the official was in the wrong. Jesus used the occasion as a teaching tool. He always did.

 

A woman went home healed and a man went home mad. Amazing. Same service. Same day. What helps one, upsets the other. It wasn’t Jesus. It was their faith, their attitude and their connection to God. The same can happen today. Same day. Same service. One person can go home changed and another person remains the same. They sang the same songs. They heard the same sermon. They listened to the same prayers. Why is one changed and the other remains the same? It’s their faith, their attitude and their connection to God.

 

Helped or hurt? That’s how those two left Jesus. The woman was helped. The official was hurt. What about you? Are you leaving helped or hurt?

 

Roger

 

25

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1588

2 Peter 1:9 “For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.”

   Our verse today follows that wonderful section commonly called the “Christian virtues.” Peter lists a series of eight spiritual characteristics of a growing Christian. The New American Standard uses the word “applying.” Older translations used the word “add.” We understand that concept. It’s a growth process. We add layers on in the winter to stay warm. We add more friends on Facebook. We add up the days until we retire. Adding is a choice. These were the things that brethren were doing on purpose. These qualities are not a matter of picking and choosing. It’s all of them or none of them. They are so tied together and one leads to the next, so carefully, that a person develops them all.

 

Our verse is what comes next. Peter says the person who lacks these qualities, is talking about these virtues. That is the qualities that Peter has in mind. For a Christian to lack these things, means that he hasn’t grown. He has not understood Christ. He hasn’t become. He’s stuck.

 

The one who lacks these things is blind and has forgotten his salvation. How can we forget? How can we forget where we started and where we are.

 

All of this leads to some thoughts about forgetting. It seems the older a person gets, the more he forgets. I can be around my kids or my wife and they can bring up a story from the past and I have forgotten that. I see faces that I ought to know, but I have forgotten their names.

 

There are some things that we ought to forget. We need to forget our sins that God has forgiven us. Forgiveness does not erase our memory. We can remember the argument and what we said and how we acted. We can remember flying off the handle. We can remember hurting others. The pain of those sins can linger for a long, long time. If forgiven, we ought to bury those sins in an unmarked grave and never return there again. But that’s hard to do. Some continually beat themselves up over the same forgiven sins. We ought to forget them.

 

We ought to forget the good that we have done for others. Just do good, and don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. Keeping a mental file of all the good we have done will make us think too highly of ourselves and it may lead to bragging. Just do good and let Heaven keep track of what is done. One of the best things is when someone comes up years later and he remembers something nice that you did, but you have totally forgotten all about that. That’s the way to do that.

 

But then there are some things that we ought never to forget. This is what has been bothering me lately. I know as I get older, I am going to be forgetting things. There are some things I don’t want to lose. My mom  has been gone for more than twenty years. I will never forget her. But there are some things she said, some memories had are fading. I hate that. There are parts of my childhood that have faded. There are things that I do not want to forget.

 

Here is my list of things that I never want to forget. Maybe after you read this, you can make your own list.

 

  • I don’t ever want to forget how wonderful God has been to me. He has blessed me beyond what I have ever expected.
  • I don’t ever want to forget that I have had great people in my life that have helped me spiritually. There have been churches that gave me a chance. There have been patient brethren that took the time to show me things. I would never be who I am without these amazing people.
  • I don’t ever want to forget how special baptisms are. Each one is a unique story. Each one puts a smile on God’s face.
  • I don’t ever want to forget how special my family has been to me. Words cannot describe what these people mean to me.
  • I don’t ever want to forget where I was before Jesus.
  • I don’t ever want to forget what a privilege it is to preach God’s word. That’s such an honor. And God has allowed a simple guy like me to do that for almost four decades. Unbelievable. Each time, every time, is special.
  • I don’t ever want to forget how beautiful and powerful God’s word is. Those incredible stories have built my faith and made it possible for me to walk with my Savior.
  • I don’t ever want to forget how special Heaven is. Heaven is about God. It’s about being with God.

 

My grandma used to forget the names of us grandkids. She have to start naming them off, sometimes even including the names of the pets, before she got the right name with the right person. We’d laugh. That doesn’t seem all that funny now.

 

Forgetting—there are some things that you need to let go and there are some things that you should never, ever forget.

 

Roger