09

Jump Start # 1679

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1679

2 Chronicles 21:20 “He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”

 

Our verse today is about Jehoram, one of the kings of Judah. He was not a good king, and not a good person. When he became king, he ordered the assassination of all of his brothers and some of the rulers of Judah. He married Ahab’s daughter, the king of Israel, which influenced him further into idolatry. God wasn’t pleased with this king. His own people revolted. He was stricken with a deadly disease that God had prophesied was coming. For two years he suffered. At the end, his bowels came out and he died in great pain. When he died, he wasn’t given the honor like other kings. He died, as our verse states, with no one’s regret. This reminds me of the scene from the Wizard of Oz, when the wicked witch melts away and her guardsmen sing, “Ding, dong, the witch is dead, which o’ witch, the wicked witch.” They rejoiced at her departure.

 

There are some things to notice about King Jehoram.

 

  He lived forty years, but wasted the time that God gave him. He was in the position to help others. He was in a role of leadership. He could have, but he didn’t. He helped the nation spiral downward. A forty year old dying, seems young, but he had eight years to do something. In those eight years he bowed to false gods and killed his own family. God had enough. Give this man a dozen years, and things would not have turned around. There are those all around us who walk in the shadows of Jehoram. They waste a lifetime doing nothing. Their world is spent on doing what they want to do, ignoring others, and not being a participant in the greatest work on earth, God’s kingdom. How sad to witness a life wasted.

 

He hurt his family. Jehoram killed his brothers so that they would not be rivals to the throne. Instead of reigning in goodness, his was a reign of terror and fear. What Jehoram did to his family others are doing today verbally and mentally. They are destroying their families. The criticism, ridicule, tension, abuse is crippling their families and setting the young hearts and minds on a course to continue this destructive dysfunction.

 

  He left no positive legacy for others to follow. All of us leave footprints for others to follow. My fellow preachers need to realize this. Someday, another preacher will be replacing them. That’s the nature of things. How you conduct yourself can make it easier or harder on the next guy. Some come in with great demands and leave in such a hurry or leave in a mess that it makes things difficult for those who follow. Some churches have a sour taste about young preachers because they have had bad experiences with one after another. Young children will grow up and you may be the first preacher that they remember. What impression are you leaving, Mr. Preacher? For Jehoram, when he died, no one regretted it. They found relief when he was out of the picture. What a terrible way to live. If people can’t wait for you to die, you are not doing something right.

 

  He ignored the opportunities for good. Jehoram received a letter from Elijah, God’s prophet. THE ELIJAH. Can you imagine getting a letter from Elijah. The letter contained word of coming bad news. Elijah was in the area. Jehoram could have sat down with Elijah and learned. He could have changed his ways had he allowed God’s prophet in his life. Isn’t this scene repeated today? We don’t have prophets, but we have men and women of God. A godly, faithful grandpa in the family. Does anyone allow him to influence them? Is the family falling apart, with miserable marriages, overcome with worry and materialism, and there sits grandpa with his Bible opened in his lap, and everyone ignores his godly influence. Week after week, that old man of God will assemble with God’s people, yet the rest of the family is too busy and too selfish to think about God. Then grandpa dies. The family gathers for a funeral. They call the preacher that grandpa knew and loved. They hear about a godly man and a godly life, but as soon as they leave the cemetery, the family is finished with grandpa, and his faith. How sad to see so many families like this. Right among them is a living example. They close their eyes to it. They don’t want anything to do with it, never realizing, like King Jehoram, their ways could change and even be better if they listened and followed the ways of God. I have preached these kinds of funerals. I look at all those family members and think why haven’t you ever come to worship? Why is all of this talk about death, Heaven and the Bible so foreign to you? And when one of them dies, they have no idea who to call to preach the funeral. They have no one in their circle of friends that is a Christian. They start calling churches, any church, just to find an available preacher, so he can preach them into Heaven. So, so sad. Elijah sent a letter to Jehoram. For eight years he could have sat at the feet of Elijah. He didn’t.

 

  His choices put him in trouble with God. That’s the same for all of us. Our choices—whether to follow God or to ignore God, will determine where we spend eternity. It doesn’t matter whether you are a king, or a servant, we all have a choice with God. It doesn’t matter what education opportunities you have. It doesn’t matter what history you have. We each have a choice with God. Follow Him or ignore Him—but those choices come with consequences both now and later. You can’t live like a sinner and die like a saint. No one is preaching you into Heaven. You have chosen Heaven by following God and glorifying Him.

 

Jehoram died and no one regretted it, not even God. What a sad commentary on a selfish and empty life. Isn’t it time that you started making some wise choices in your life? Isn’t it time for you to make a spiritual difference for others? Isn’t it time for you to walk with the Lord and do what He wants you to do?

 

Roger

 

08

Jump Start # 1678

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1678

Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I AM’; and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

  Our verse, from a conversation between God and Moses, finds Moses asking God what His name is. Moses was concerned what he would tell Israel when they asked, “What is his name?” In reply, God referred to Himself as, “I AM.”

 

1. God has a name. Multiple times in Scriptures He is called Jehovah. He is not “the big guy in the sky.” He has a name. Does it matter what I call Him? Does it matter what people call you? Do you like for people to call you by another name than what is yours? At a wedding, if a bride is marrying Mr. Smith, will she want to be known as Mrs. Jones, a different name?

 

I AM. Present tense. Now. Today. Not, I used to be. I once was. Nor, I will be. I could be. I might be. I AM. I AM here. I AM God. I AM.

  2. Don’t confuse I AM with other make believe or false gods. Allah, the god for the Muslim is not the same as I AM. Allah doesn’t act like I AM. Allah does not have the character of goodness like I AM. They are not the same. I AM is not the same as the cosmic energy that the Hindu believes is in all of us. That energy we are told is eternal and moves from lower and higher levels of consciousness. It moves in and out of a person. This theory of energy is not the same as I AM. When people say, “We all mean the same thing, we just use different words,“ that’s not completely true. I AM is defined in Scriptures. He is the creator and sustainer of life. He is not Allah. He is not a cosmic energy force.

 

  3. God’s name is special. In the Ten Commandments, Israel was told not to take the name of the Lord in vain. When teaching about prayer, Jesus said, ’Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name…” Hallowed or holy is God’s name. God’s name is not to be used when we don’t know what else to say. It is not to be used to express surprise or anger. One hears the name “God” all the time, but rarely is it used in reference to I AM. People just say it because they have a limited vocabulary, are used to hearing it misused on TV, and they don’t think when they speak. Is that plain enough? While we are on this, the OMG, is not kind, glorifying nor honoring G-O-D. Don’t be liking that on Facebook. Don’t be liking the misuse of God’s name. I’m a pretty nice guy and I get along with just about anyone and everyone. I’ve had folks toss verbal mud my direction. That doesn’t bother me. Start trashing my wife, kids or now my grandkids, look out. I won’t sit back for that. Shouldn’t it be the same for our God? His name is special. His name is holy. His name is to be treasured and honored. Bless be the name of the Lord. Treat it that way. Be careful how you use God’s name. Don’t laugh at taking God’s name in vain. Be offended. Blush. Be upset. Stand up for God.

 

4. God’s name is equivalent to God’s authority. Those early disciples were told to baptize in the NAME of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Colossians were told that whatever they did, to do it in the NAME of the Lord Jesus. What do those expressions mean? It’s more than verbally saying God’s name. We hear the preacher saying out loud at a baptism, “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Was this nothing more than something to have the preacher say? Of course, there is more. In the NAME of, means by the permission or the authority of God. Baptizing in the NAME of, means, by the authority of God. What we are doing is authorized and found in the Bible. This is Biblical, not because we say those words, but because we are following the word of God. In the name of God means to be God approved. It means that one is sticking with and following what God has said in the Scriptures. There is a lot of stuff going on in the religious community that is not in the NAME of God. Certainly, they will claim that it is. They will stick the word “ministry” behind what they are doing but you can’t find what they are doing in the Scriptures. Having a Bar-B-Que ministry sounds like a wonderful idea, especially around lunch time. But having a church sell food to non-needy people is a business and was never done in the Bible. Calling such things a work of God or we are doing this in God’s name, illustrates that the person doesn’t fully understand the expression “NAME of God.” To be in God’s name, God has to approve of it. Sticking a label on it because we like it or we want it, doesn’t mean that God does. Just because we perceive some good being accomplished doesn’t mean that the end justifies the means. How you get there is just as important as getting there. Whatever you do, the Colossians were told, do all in the NAME of the Lord Jesus. If it is not found in the Bible, how can it be in God’s name?

 

5. We carry God’s name. The word “Christian,” used only three times in the Scriptures and only of believers, means, “belonging to Christ.” We belong to Christ. We are His. God’s name becomes part of us, because we are with Him. Today, the word “Christian” is used to describe bookstores, colleges, camps, publications, radio stations, types of music and even a nation. This is a Christian nation, folks once said. Few say it today.  The name Christian belongs to people not things. The name Christian belongs to those who belong to Him. What an honor to be viewed not as an outsider, but as one of God’s sons or daughters. Adopted. Loved. Accepted. Wanted. Included. Honored. That’s what comes with belonging to Christ. Once understood and once appreciated, how can anyone ever walk away from that? How can someone stop?

 

One of the best scenes from the movie, Toy Story, is when the toy cowboy Woody, looks at the bottom of his boot, and sees the name ANDY. Andy was the boy that played with Woody, loved Woody and owned Woody. He was Andy’s toy. He belonged to Andy. On our hearts is written God’s name. We belong to Him. We are His.

 

God’s name. I expect you’ll hear it often today. Sadly, most times, won’t be in a good way. Be different. Try to honor God by honoring His name. Love Him. Follow Him. Glorify Him.

 

He is the I AM. That’s what you need today, I AM.

 

Roger

 

07

Jump Start # 1677

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1677

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

  God’s word is powerful. It is able to cut through false ideas, excuses, and doubts. It is powerful enough to change a person. The word for “power” is from the same root word for dynamite. Explosive. We know this, but then we don’t. It seems that God’s word is powerful when it comes to Romans, but not so powerful when it comes to Corinthians.

 

Here is what I mean. In 1 Cor. 6, Paul states that fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunks, revilers, swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. He then reveals, “such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” This list of sins involve serious problems. Yet it seems that the word of God was capable of changing the minds and hearts of those Corinthians. How did they overcome and break free from homosexuality without exit counseling? How did they handle the addiction to alcohol without a 12-step program?

 

It seems that today, we are quick to send someone to counseling to deal with these very things that the Corinthians dealt with. Sexual sins, addictions, twisted thinking—we race a person off to the counselor to get straightened out and turned around. I’m sure there is much that is productive and helpful from good counselors, but I also wonder if we have given up on the power of God’s word and feel that these problems are too complex and too delicate for any of us to handle. How could Corinthians get turned around without trained help? It didn’t exist back then. How did the common believer get help in the 13th century? He was poor, many couldn’t read, and they lived in small villages that didn’t have the resources that we do today. Was it possible for a person who grew up without God and accustomed to some of the very things that the Corinthians were engaged in, to flee those things and be pleasing to God? That villager didn’t have experts in addictions to help him. How did he do it?

 

I wonder if in modern times, with all the rehabs, counseling, and “experts” that are available, if we have short changed the power of God’s word. I wonder if we feel that God’s word can’t do the trick and that these trained professionals are needed. Or, in the worst situation possible, maybe we want the experts to deal with these messy situations because we don’t want to get involved.

 

God’s word is powerful enough to change a person. That’s the beginning point. Believe this.

 

God’s word is powerful enough to set before a person the life that God wants them to live. It is possible for a person to stop addictions. It is possible for a person to “become” what God wants them to be. Be holy, is more than a stop into a church service on Sunday morning. It is what a person is. They have become that. They have changed. They are now holy. How? Just how does that work? Hate sin. Turn to Christ. Learn. Grow. Fight. Desire to be what God wants you to be.

 

Is this to say that we should forget modern counseling? No. Is this to say that we should shun outside help? No. What it is saying is that do not view these external help as the savior nor the solution. The help is in God. These external counselors can reinforce and help what God’s word is already doing. The hope is in the word of God. The power is in the word of God.

 

For centuries, God’s people have been able to help one another by using the word of God. This will continue and always be the best available tool to fight the sin in our lives. Nothing beats the word of God. Maybe it’s time we plugged the word of God back in. Maybe it’s time we see how lives were changed through the preaching and dedication to the word of God. Maybe it’s time we took a look at the power of God’s word.

 

Are you currently going to counseling to get some help? Good. Keep going. But fill your heart with the word of God. See what God wants from you. Learn to become. Don’t view counseling as an alternative to God’s word. Don’t see it as a choice between counseling or the Bible. Combine the two. Use them both. The power is in God’s word. Commitment. Loyalty. Dedication. These virtues will help you. Some battles people face are lifelong. Some of these battles are very hard. We can sure get ourselves into all kinds of messes. In my area, heroin addiction is off the charts. Lives are being consumed by this dangerous drug. I don’t get it. I don’t understand why someone would even start. The death grip that this drug has on people is unbelievable. Simply sharing a verse doesn’t fix the problem. As intense as therapy must be, so must the teaching of God’s word must be. Accountability is a must. Change the person’s environment. End some friendships. Start godly habits. Turn this thing around before it’s too late.

 

Our hope in saving marriages, breaking free from addictions, conquering debt, overcome phobias, dealing with our past, must be in Christ. It is Jesus who is our Savior and our hope. Use tools to help but understand the power is in the word of God. Counseling without Christ, will leave a person empty. The demons may be drained out, but nothing will be there to replace them. The person is empty. The Gospel fills a person with purpose, reason, hope and power. I can do all things through Christ. Those were the words of Paul. Do you think, through Christ, he could have overcome addictions? Self-esteem issues? Fear? Worry? Homosexuality? Dependence upon alcohol?

 

There is power in the blood. Let’s not short change what God’s word can do. Let’s transfer the power source back to the Bible. Let’s put the hope in the word of God. Let’s get the proper order about things.

 

The victory, even over death, is in Christ Jesus.

 

 

Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 1676

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start  # 1676

Psalms 112:6 “For he will never be shaken; the righteous will be remembered forever.”

  His name was John, but most folks who knew him simply called him by his initials. He died forty years ago at the age of 88. He lived a full life. Among folks in the Midwest and Ohio Valley area, his name was well known. He preached. He preached and preached. For almost 70 years he preached. He never worked with one specific congregation, but rather, preached at different places each week. He preached in just about every state in the country. Although from a small village in Illinois, called “Fidelity,” his name was known in California. It is said that throughout his preaching that he baptized over 15,000 people. I first heard of his name years ago from an old timer. He wanted me to write a book about this great preacher. At the time, I couldn’t find enough material, mostly just stories that people told me about him. But today, sitting on my desk, is a ledger that contains 69 hand written sermons that belonged to him. His penmanship is very neat, much better than mine. I have been looking through this old ledger, and thinking about these sermons that he preached and what good that they might have done. I noticed above the titles of many of these sermons, he has placed a check mark or a circle. This was some code known to him, but I expect the checkmarks meant sermons that went over well and that he liked. The circles were not preached again. All of us preachers have our own sermons that would be checkmarks or circles. Some have more circles than checkmarks, but we are trying.

 

What is most amazing to me, is that a few older folks remember him, but other than that, he is forgotten. For all the good that he did. For all those years of preaching, there has come a generation that has never heard the name J.C. Roady.

 

That makes us wonder about our verse today. How can a man who has only be gone for forty years be unknown to the majority of believers today?  I think there are some things that need to be considered.

 

First, a person is never forgotten by God. The good that we do is known and remembered in Heaven. Jesus called it, “laying up treasure in Heaven.” He said that even a cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple would not be forgotten in Heaven. The Bible is full of names, but there are many, many more unknown people than known people in the Bible. People like the servant girl who told Naaman’s wife about the prophet in Israel. The little girl who Jesus raised from the dead. The four men who lowered their friend through the roof as Jesus was preaching. The woman at the well in Samaria. So many people, whose names are not given to us, but they are known by Heaven. God hasn’t forgotten them.

 

Second, the good that we do is to the glory of God and the kingdom. It is not so that we are to be remembered. We don’t name our church buildings after us. We don’t build statues of us, so people will remember us. It’s not about us. This is the distinction between God’s people and people who live for themselves. They want to be known. They want to be remembered. The righteous want God to be remembered. We are simple servants who are doing what we are supposed to do. The glory belongs to the Lord who has blessed us and taken care of us and given us opportunity to do what we could. Without the Lord, none of this was possible. I expect men like J.C. Roady, would not want any recognition from us. To hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” from the Lord, is all that they ever wanted.

 

Third, like it says of David, in Acts 13, we serve the purpose of God in our own generation. I’m reading these old sermons. They are mostly outlines. To me, they are simplistic, and first principles. I could see using these in a class, but it’s not my style of writing a sermon. They also seem long, a lot of points. But for nearly 70 years, these sermons worked. They built faith and taught many people the way of the Lord. We, each, serve the Lord in our generation. Someday, mountains of my sermons may be passed to some preacher. He’ll look at those and try to make sense of them and wonder if they did any good. We each must work with our talents and find the best way that we can serve the Lord.

 

Fourth, it’s easy to feel intimidated in the presence of a giant, even a good giant. I look at the old ledger that belonged to Roady, read some articles about him, and he was amazing in his day. What a powerhouse. Close to where I live, is the factory and museum of the world famous baseball bat, Louisville Slugger. I have been there multiple times. On certain days, you can put on a pair of white gloves and hold a bat that was used by Mickey Mantle. The bat. His bat. They have a mock home plate so you can get your picture taken holding an original bat. Holding this old ledger brings the same “wow” affect to me. All of us have wonderful things that we can do to help others in the kingdom. Our job is not to try to out do each other, but to simply do what we can. We are talented in different ways and in different areas. Some can write. Others can’t. But those that don’t can certainly share what was written with others. Some can teach. Others can’t. But they can invite folks to come here the word taught. Some can cook. Others can’t. But they can put the cooks in connection with those who need meals. Some give money so others can do what they do. It’s all one big family. It’s all one giant team that is helping each other get to Heaven. Help where you can. Do what you can. Don’t feel less because you can’t do what others do. Don’t feel intimidated in the presence of a giant.

 

The righteous will be remembered forever. What a great statement. What a promise. It makes a person just want to get busy today doing something good for someone else.

 

It is interesting, that the man who preached J.C. Roady’s funeral, just happened to be the very first preacher I remember in my life. His name was Loren Raines. He was as old as Moses, as I remember him. I have a few of his books. He was a good man. A connection. A giant circle. One big family.

 

Precious memories…

 

Roger

 

02

Jump Start # 1675

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1675

Ephesians 4:28 “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.”

 

NOTE: Monday is a holiday and there will not be a Jump Start. You can always read past Jump Starts at: www.Jumpstartsdaily.com

 

Monday is Labor Day. It’s a holiday designed to honor the American worker. We work hard. Long hours, stressful conditions, make us weary by the end of the day. Work is good. From the first days of the creation, God had Adam tilling the garden. Work is not punishment. Some view it that way. Some want something for nothing, not realizing that it must come from somewhere and somebody has to provide for it.

 

Work makes us productive. Whether we are crunching numbers on a computer, teaching children, working with cancer patients, fixing cars, selling houses, or preaching, work brings a sense of accomplishment. It allows us to use our minds and hands for something useful. Work develops and using talents that we each have. Long hours in school or in practice have allowed us to be good at what we do. There is a satisfaction from a job well done.

 

Work connects us all together. There was a time, back in the early pioneer days, when many families seemed to survive on their own. They made their clothes, grew their food, hunted, cut wood for fires. Once in a while, they would head to a settlement to get what they couldn’t make on their own. Things are different now. We need each other. Work has a way of pulling us together. The mechanic needs the doctor, who in turn needs the mechanic. The grocery store needs the truck driver who needs the gas station who needs the oil company. All linked together. We need each other.  Work connects us.

 

Work allows us to take care of our families and fund the kingdom. It takes money to survive. A growing family has a lot of needs. A job provides the income that allows that to take place. On Sundays we gather together as a church and we give as we have prospered. That money helps the kingdom. It takes money to keep church buildings up. It takes money to provide material to teach. It takes money to send things out, such as these Jump Starts. Every congregation ought to be busy doing things to strengthen the faith and teach those who do not know. There ought to always be a need for contributions. The more a church is doing, the more it takes. Our jobs allow us to be a part of that. We are a part of that big picture that a church is involved in because we are helping to keep things going by funding it.

 

Work allows us to be able to help others. The story of the good Samaritan tells us of a man who had a good heart and the means to help the injured man. Without the good heart, the Samaritan would have walked on like the priest and Levite. But even with a good heart, had he not had some money and supplies, he would not had been able to help the hurt man. Work allows us to be able to walk in the steps of the Samaritan. It allows us to bless others. It allows us to see beyond ourselves and make a difference for others.

 

Work provides opportunities to share the gospel with others. We are placed in settings with others for long periods of time. Day after day we see them and they see us. Our attitudes, work ethic, language, and compassion are witnessed. Opportunities to discuss the Bible, invite others to worship, to explain things, to answer questions are before us often. What a great opportunity. Many have become Christians because a co-worker took the time to talk to them and invite them.

 

Work is a place where we demonstrate what we believe in. Honesty, goodness, kindness, compassion are displayed in meetings and interaction with others. Work is not a time nor a place to leave our faith at home. We need it at work. We need to show others what it is like to be honest and good. Keeping calm in a crisis, not losing your cool when things go bad, always being in control of your self is something that many have never experienced. They get mad. They blow up. They treat others mean. The Christian worker is going to do his job. He is working as if his boss were the Lord. He earns his pay because he has worked hard and decently.

 

Work, Jesus said, for the night is coming, when no man can work. That work was kingdom work. That’s our greatest job. Raising our families to be godly. Nourishing the faith of others. Spreading the word of God. Building hope and trust in the Lord.

 

Work hard. Work well. Be thankful for your job. Use your blessings to help others

 

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work we go!

Roger