Jump Start # 1723

Luke 12:48 “but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

Our verse today is part of a long explanation that Jesus gave as an answer to a question that Peter asked. Jesus had been teaching about being ready and being alert. He used the illustration of a thief that came in the night. Had the man of the house been ready, no theft would have occurred. It is here that dear ole’ Peter asks, “Are you addressing this to us or to everyone else as well?”

Peter, Peter, why does that matter? If it is to you, the apostles, take the necessary steps to be ready. If it is for everyone, you still need to be ready. Stop worrying about everyone else. We do that. We point the radar gun at others more than ourselves. We watch every step of others and are quick to point out mistakes but rarely look in the mirror at ourselves.

Instead of simply answering the question, the Lord tells the story of servants and their relationship to their master. The ones that knew what the master wanted and accomplished that were rewarded. The ones that knew, but thought that they had plenty of time still, and used their time to do evil deeds, they were flogged. The ones who did not know the masters will and did evil will still be flogged, but not as severely. It is here that our verse is found.

Some want to read into this degrees of punishment and reward, as if Hell has hotter spots in it for those who are really bad. This misses the point. The apostles knew. They had been with Jesus. He was soon to leave. What would they do after He went to Heaven? Would they be faithful to the task or would they go back to their old ways?

The principle at the end of our verse is interesting. The Lord says, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” That’s a thought that we need to look at closely.

There are several levels or applications we could consider:

First, generational. To whom much is given, much is required. This generation has it when it comes to technology. Just consider our Jump Starts. I write this on a laptop, send it out by email, it goes to thousands of readers and then it is archived on our website for future reference. When I started preaching, thirty-six years ago, this wasn’t possible. I begin with an electric typewriter. Churches were still using overhead projectors. When friends needed material, it was copied on a copy machine and mailed. It took a few days for them to receive the package. Today, I can scan and send material worldwide in seconds. This generation of preachers has volumes of books in electronic form that they can take with them anywhere. In a second, verses can be compared in multiple translations. With the internet we can access videos from the Bible lands. We can watch sermons from across the country, many of them live. It is amazing what we can do without ever leaving our homes. Through Facebook we can connect with people, help people and invite people. Can you imagine what the apostle Paul would have done with Facebook? I believe this generation has more information, more tools, and more ways of sharing that than ever before.

The thought is: to whom much is given, much is required. Are we doing more with what we have? The modern farmer with technology, modern equipment, advanced development of seeds, can do more and get greater return than the farmers of any other generation. How are we doing with spiritually spreading the word of God?

Second, Congregationally. Today, we can print in bright, bold colors our own tracts and pamphlets for classes and to give to others. We can live stream our services. We can mass produce CD’s and using the internet reach and teach people globally. Today’s church is beyond the little neighborhood congregation. Today, we can reach more, do more and be more effective than ever. A farmer today, can still go out into his field and sow seed by hand. That still works. He will still get a return. But it is not the most effective way, nor the best use of his time. He needs to spend some money and invest in some new equipment so he can do more. We can’t make more time, but we can find ways to do more with the time we have. The same thought goes to what a congregation is doing. What worked in 1970, may still work, but it may not be the most efficient way nor the best use of time. Invest in some modern equipment, and there in lies the problem. Some don’t want to. Some see nothing wrong with doing things the way we have always done it before. I suppose black and white TV’s still work—but we don’t use those. I suppose those small 20 inch TV screens still work—but we don’t use those. We want the latest, largest and greatest in our homes. We want cars with all the options. We want whistles and bells on our phones and tablets. And, yet, in far too many church buildings, the poor preacher is working with hand-me-down junk that someone didn’t want around the office or their home. So, they take it to the church house and expect that to be what we will do the Lord’s work on. Step it up, folks. Get out that checkbook. Spend some money and get up to date. We are doing the Lord’s work. Everything ought to be top notch. Everything ought to be as good as we can do it. Get help. Bring in folks who know how to do things and learn. To whom much is given, much is required.  Some churches are stuck in the past. They need to flip the calendar and get with the times. Make some videos that are SHORT and to the point. Find ways to create interest. Don’t get stuck simply having a Spring and Fall meeting every year. Do things differently. Freshen things up. Put thought, energy and effort into what you are doing.

Remember, to whom much is given, much is required. Are we doing less with more tools available?

Third, Personally. With all the tools available today, we ought to know that Bible. We can have it everywhere our phone is. We can read it. We can study it. We can be stronger than ever before. But are we? Are we using all these tools to grow, to teach, to reach others? We ought to be developing faster. We ought to be turning out more elders. We ought to be seeing more and more teaching classes. The tools are there. Are we using them? We can keep lists of people to pray for. We can have daily Bible readings. We can have access to so much information, that our questions are answered. We have it. But is it doing anything to us? Are we better because of these things? We are in touch with more brethren worldwide than ever before. We can travel and visit more places than ever before. We make more money than other generations. We ought to be hitting on all cylinders. But are we? Are we as strong spiritually as our parents were? Are we as strong today as we were twenty years ago?

To whom much is given, much is required. That statement sure makes us think doesn’t it? We have been blessed. Are we utilizing our blessings in the best ways possible?

Roger