10

Jump Start # 1761

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1761

1 Thessalonians 3:12 “and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you” 

  My wife and I went to the movies Saturday. We saw, “Hidden Figures.” There are some words that didn’t need to be said to make it a great movie. Two powerful themes, getting those early astronauts up into space and dealing with prejudice and racism. Super smart black women were coming up with mathematical calculations that the white male engineers couldn’t figure out. That’s enough without giving away too much of the movie. I remembered those early astronauts. They were heroes. I knew their names and followed their explorations. The movie showed a side of racism that I heard about but never saw growing up in Indianapolis. My high school, had serious racial tension and trouble. Fights happened all the time. It wasn’t easy going there. It was known that there were certain hallways that you did not walk down by yourself. Yet, it still wasn’t as bad as some experienced and as the movie illustrated.

 

Last summer, I was preaching somewhere in the South. I had some time one afternoon and went to a local antique store. Tons of rusty junk. But tucked away on a shelf, near the back of the store was two narrow metal signs that said, “Colored Only.” I must have stood in that one spot for five minutes just looking at those signs. I thought about how uppity someone must have been to hang those signs on a wall. That person must of thought, “we are putting these people where they belong.” I then thought about who that sign was directed toward, “colored” people. I wonder how many saw that sign and their hearts just melted. They didn’t have a choice in their skin color. They were just living their lives as best as they could, but the heavy hand of some kept them oppressed. I went back to that spot a couple of times before I finally left the store. I kept thinking that I ought to buy those signs and then destroy them. I didn’t. Today, I would.

 

Prejudice, racism and hatred are learned. These are first learned in the home. Listening to the obnoxious words of a father or grandfather taints and colors how one sees others. Prejudice, racism and hatred come from not knowing what to do with people who are different than you are. Their skin is different. Their language is different. They come from a different land. They are not like us. Fear fuels prejudice, racism and hatred.

 

Our verse today, one of many, that reminds us that we are to love all people. For God so loved the world is not to be interpreted as white America. That narrow and erroneous viewpoint twists the Scriptures and breeds more prejudice, racism and hatred. Love for another and for all people. That’s what God wants. This love will lead me to help all people. This love will compel me to share the Gospel with all people. God isn’t considered with the color of your outside, as He is the color of your inside. The soul has no color. God is truly color blind when it comes to who His “favorites” are.

 

It seems that prejudice, racism and hatred have grown worse and not better in recent times. It seems the tense moments that I remembered back in Arlington high school, have been resurrected in our country. As a society, we tend to do worse rather than better. We tend to do the easy rather than the right. But it’s different among Christians. It must be different among God’s people. Prejudice, racism and hatred should never be allowed in our hearts nor heard from our lips. Never. All the good that comes from our pulpits, can be lost by some narrow minded, off the cuff comment that someone makes in a Bible class. It can be lost by the roll of the eyes that someone does to another. It can be lost by some holding their nose in the air and walking away from someone who is different.

 

Everyone  of us are different in our own ways. What we do, we consider normal. But it’s not. It’s just the way we are. There are some who will not watch their favorite team play without wearing their lucky shirt. They think that stinky ole’ shirt is the reason the team is winning. And, by the way, don’t try to convince that person that what he is doing is not normal. It is to him. Have you ever noticed some of the things folks eat? Putting peanut butter on a pickle? Not only do they think that’s normal, they want you to try a bite. No way! I don’t do it much anymore, but I used to use mustard as a dip for potato chips. I thought it was good. Everyone else in my family thought a rock fell from the sky and hit me in the head. I wear crazy, bold and bright colored socks. Most times they don’t match what I am wearing. A friend in Arizona suggested, “There are professional people that you can talk to about that.” We laughed. I told him that they couldn’t help me. Different in where we sit in the church building. Different in our habits. Different in the way we dress. Different in the way we say words. We all do what we feel is right and makes us comfortable. Prejudice, racism and hatred can’t stand different. My point is, we are all different. I grew up having red hair. I mean RED HAIR. Teased all the time about it. Hated my hair color. Wanted to be like the others. That’s what prejudice, racism and hatred will do to a person. It will make them feel less about themselves and wish that they could be different. It’s one thing to change your socks. But you can’t change your skin color, or your height, or the size of your nose, or how big your feet are, or who your parents were. As one grows older and as one grows in faith, he realizes that those things do not matter. What really counts is you and Jesus. Are you walking with the Lord daily? That’s what matters. A poor pumpkin bumkin, who barely graduated from high school, can impress the Lord more than the movers and shakers in Washington who never give the Lord a thought.

 

So you are different? Look at that group we call the apostles. What a mix-match they were. Had Jesus not called them, a few of them would have nothing to do with the rest of them. But the Lord pulled them together. The Lord loved them and showed them how to love one another. They were taught. They were a team. It worked. That same concept is how it must work in a congregation today. We must see how the Lord loves all of us. We must learn. We must follow. We see that we need each other and we are a team. We come together as one. One mind. One voice. One heart. One people. God’s people. Young and old. College and never went to college. Black and white. Native and foreigner. Black haired and red headed. Short and tall. Skinny and fat. Good  looking and plain looking. Rich and poor. Large family and only child. All together. All different. All one in Jesus. All the same in Jesus. Same needs. Same Savior. Same Heaven.

 

To kill prejudice, racism, and hatred, God’s people must include those who are being excluded. Don’t be standing around laughing at things that are not funny. Don’t participate in prejudice, racism and hatred. Invite those who others wouldn’t. Sit with those who others wouldn’t. Reach out to those who others wouldn’t. Kill prejudice, racism and hatred by loving all people.

 

Quick Quote is a new daily one sentence quote that our congregation is sending out. You can find these on our APP, website, Facebook page. The quote for today, so fitting for this Jump Start, “The thoughtless are seldom wordless.” That’s how we know of prejudice, racism and hatred—it is expressed.

 

Love one another…can you do that? Even today?

 

Roger

 

09

Jump Start # 1760

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1760

Matthew 18:25 “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.”

  Our verse today comes from the powerful parable that illustrates the enormous problem that sin puts us in and the Biblical definition of forgiveness. This was told immediately after Peter’s question, “How often must I forgive someone?” Peter pushed the question further with, “up to seven times?” Peter was on that side of the cross. We are on this side of the cross. That very question is troubling to me.  Should there ever be limitations or a number on forgiveness? There certainly isn’t when God looks at us.

 

The Lord answered Peter by saying, “up to seventy times seven.” Forever is what Jesus had in mind. Endlessly. Then Jesus tells our parable. A man owed 10,000 talents and he was unable to repay. This number is hard for us to understand. First, 10,000 of anything is a huge number. If you have 10,000 baseball cards in your collection, that’s a huge collection. If you have 10,000 photos of Elvis, WOW! If you have 10,000 do-dads in your china cabinet, that’s massive. I have a lot of books. A lot. But I do not have 10,000. The number is large. But it wasn’t $10,000 that he owed. Based on the fact that a common laborer made a denarius a day and it took about 600 denarius to make one talent, this man owed roughly 6 million days of work or about 16,400 years. How in the world did he get into that kind of debt? This massive problem shows us what sin is. The lesson of this parable is forgiveness. Sin is more than a mistake, a boo-boo or simply off my A-game. Sin hurts. Sin hurts us and it hurts God. The master in this story lost out. He was owed a ton of money, literally, and he would never see it. Sin is something so terrible and massive that we cannot do anything about it.

 

When the slave fell and begged for patience saying, I will repay everything, that is humorous. Really? Is the master to wait 16,000 years for you to do this? This would never happen. The master forgave him and released him of the debt because he felt compassion for him. That’s the definition of forgiveness. It is to release one from what he owes. Forgiveness is grace centered. It doesn’t make sense, nor is it right or fair.

 

Having said all of this, I want to look at that one expression, found in our verse today, “since he did not have the means to repay.” Christmas is over. All the holiday decorations have come down. We are back to work and back to school. And now, here comes the bills. The joys of Christmas are often short lived because of the worry that comes in January of how we are going to pay for what we purchased. The kids had a blast opening up their presents. Now the parents are stressed because they don’t know how they are going to pay  for these things.

 

In our parable, the man who owed 10,000 talents, was to be put into prison, along with his wife and children, until repayment was made. Everything he owed was to be sold. I have wondered how the master thought the man now in prison, could make payment back to him? Can you imagine what would happen in our country if instead of bankruptcy whole families were locked up because of debt? Can you imagine a little four year old going to jail because mom and dad over spent and couldn’t make good on what they owed? Our country would be horrified.

 

Our paycheck to paycheck lifestyles will someday catch up with us. Too many are living without any savings, investments or future thought. The statistics about what too many are doing today is shocking. More than 50% could not come up with $600 to cover an emergency. The furnace goes out. The car won’t start. A short visit to the hospital. These things catch us off guard. They are not planned for. They throw us into an immediate tail spin. And more than half of our country could not pay for those emergencies. They would have to go deeper into debt. That hole gets larger and larger.

 

Other stats indicate that a large segment of working families are not saving or investing. We are spending. We are spending it all. Retirement looms on the horizon, yet nothing changes. One stat indicated that a nearly 50% had less than $10,000 in retirement or investments. And worse than that, they have no plans to do anything about that. Their ship is heading toward the waterfalls, and they are doing nothing to change the direction that they are going.

 

God’s people must be careful stewards of all things, including the wallet. I like the story of a man who was going to be baptized. As he put on the baptismal garments, he put his wallet in a pocket with him. The preacher told him that his wallet will get wet. The man smiled and said, “I know.” His wallet was his problem. Baptizing your wallet is a funny story. What needed to be done was a change of thinking and a change of practice.

 

If the current picture doesn’t change for many of us, in the future, we may be running to churches asking for help when in fact we are not true benevolent cases. Our lack of planning and stewardship got us into this trouble. If a person can’t manage $30,000 a year, he couldn’t manage $3 million a year. It’s not the amount coming in, it’s what we are doing with it and our choices. There is an old liquor expression that says, “he has champagne tastes on a beer budget.” I don’t know much about booze but the idea is he has expensive tastes and he can’t afford it. Not only will many of us be in trouble if things do not turn around, in the future, this will affect the kingdom. Limited in what one can give will affect future building projects, evangelistic ideas and cripple what a church can do.

 

He did not have the means to repay—we wonder why? Did he not think? Did his buying get ahead of him? Did he not know how to budget? Did he think that no one would notice? He was in a real mess. The compassionate master gave him a second chance. That master was God. Your creditors will not be as compassionate, nice or forgiving as God.

 

As this new year starts, make a budget for the year and stick to it. Start thinking about retirement. You may have plans to work until you drop. That’s fine, but what if they don’t want you or if you can’t? Then what? Will you have a means to repay? Will you have means to survive and live?

 

Don’t fall into the trap that you have to go everywhere and have everything. If you spend more than you make the only place that will get you is a seat in Congress. It doesn’t do well at home. So cut the fat. Trim down where you can. A little here and a little there. Stick some away in case that furnace does go out. Budget so you can take a vacation and it’s paid for before you leave home. That makes your trip more enjoyable. There’s nothing good about paying for last year’s vacation this year and still paying for Christmas in July. Do better. There are brethren all over the country that work in finance. Talk to some. Get a plan. Get  smart in your finances.

 

He did not have the means to repay…what a chilling statement. I could see the tears coming down a little girl’s face as the men took her off to prison because of her parents debts. So sad.

 

God is good to forgive us. Be good and faithful stewards, even in your finances. We preachers, need to talk more openly about this subject. Jesus said more about money than He did Heaven. Unable to pay is clogging our spiritual arteries and creating worry and stress. We need to learn. We need to be taught. We must do better.

 

No means to repay…

 

 

Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 1759

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1759

Hosea 11:1 “When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son.”

  Our passage today taken from the minor prophets is applied to Jesus in the early pages of Matthew when Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with Jesus. They remained in Egypt until God called for them to return. But here in Hosea, as it is first used, these words apply to Israel. God loved, cared and led Israel, out of Egypt. God sent prophets to teach and guide Israel. It is in this way that God acted as a parent to Israel. Israel was God’s child.

 

It is that thought that I want us to explore today. God as a parent. Parents struggle today. It’s not easy being a parent. Our kids face so many things that many of us never had to. Social media is a huge part of their lives and can be a destructive influence if they are not guided and are not given any limitations. I love the illustration of flying a kite. It’s the very thing that parents face. If the kite sting is too loose, the kite will fall. If it is held too tight, the string snaps and the kite is lost. It’s finding that spiritual balance that is so hard.

 

I am about to launch a series of lessons about parenting. I came across this idea of God as a parent. The perfect parent. None of us had perfect parents. We may have had great dads or amazing moms, but they weren’t perfect. We, as parents, failed. There are many things I wish I could do over but I can’t. God was perfect. God is perfect. God is sinless, holy and righteous. God is generous. God blesses. God forgives. One would think that if there was ever a perfect family, it would be God’s. Yet, Biblically, that’s not the case.

 

Consider Adam and Eve. They didn’t have to deal with neighbors, in-laws, siblings, co-workers, and they lived in Paradise, Eden. There was no traffic to complain about. The weather was perfect. No bugs. No weeds. There was nothing to be unhappy about. Perfect. The perfect husband. The perfect wife. Literally. No stress. No worries. No death. No bad news. We cannot relate to their perfect world. Yet, Satan convinced Eve that she was missing out. Dissatisfied, she and Adam disobeyed God.

 

Consider Israel. Taken out of Egypt as slaves and led directly by God to a land that He gave them. Blessed. Cared for. Loved. Yet the history of Israel is departure after departure. They continually turned to idols and listened to false prophets. They turned their backs on God. Here in Hosea, God is nearly at the end of His patience with this rebellious people.

 

Consider the prodigal son. In that parable, the father is God. The prodigal are the people of God who have everything at home, yet they are not happy. Give me, is his attitude. Out the door he goes, hoping to never look back again. What a wasteful, rebellious life he lives, ending up in a pig pen, wanting to eat what the hogs were eating. How disgusting that would be to a Jewish family. How disgusting we became to God because of our rebellion and sinful choices.

 

We could look at these three situations and conclude that God is great at making and running the universe, but He doesn’t know much about being a parent. And, what a false conclusion that would be. God knows what He is doing. It’s the willful and sinful choices of His children that led to their disobedience. God could not have done more. God could not have been a better parent. The faithless hearts of these people are what led them to make these wrong choices. I don’t know anyone who would rightfully declare that God messed up as a parent. We can’t go there.

 

If the perfect parent had rebellious children, what about us? Many godly parents have done all that they could to raise children to know, love and follow the Lord. They took their children to Bible classes and worship and lived godly examples before their eyes. They were kind, generous, forgiving and patient. Yet, for many of these parents, a silent guilt that simply will not go away, is why have their children chosen to walk away from the Lord? What could they have done more? Added to this grief, is the wagging tongues and the whispers that come from others. Many of these godly dads have had their reputations hurt because of the choices of their grown children. Many would make amazing leaders in the kingdom, but they refuse to be considered because of the choices of their children. As these aged godly saints pass away, I have been called to preach their funerals. Too many of them. Too many of the same story. Tons of kids, grandkids show up. Never seen any of them before. Most live right in the area. They don’t share the same faith nor hope as their departed dad and granddad did. They have not darkened the church doors in decades. Most are busy, happy and have no time for the faith of their parents. One by one, as these old saints pass, one wonders what will happen to these grown kids. No God in their lives. No direction or influence from Heaven. When it becomes their time to leave this place, who will be called to preach their funeral?

 

We see some lessons from God toward rebellious children. God continued to love them. God continued to be patient with them. God continued to instruct them. But God also allowed them to go. You don’t read about the Father in the prodigal story, chasing after his son, begging him to stay home. He let him go. You also do not read about the father sending money to the pig pen. God allowed Israel to bow down to idols. He allowed them to dance with the wolves and drink the poison of false doctrine. But a time came and God punished them. Adam was removed from the garden. Israel was constantly harassed by foreign armies and eventually led into captivity. All of this was to get them to see where they were.

 

Parent today need to pray for their grown children who do not walk with the Lord. Continue to be an example before them. Don’t side with their complaints. Don’t bend the rules to coax them back. Don’t enable  bad behavior. When the prodigal returned, the father didn’t drop the rules. The very rules that he hated and wanted to run away from, were still in place. What changed was the heart of the prodigal.

 

Keep walking with the Lord. Keep dropping hints. Keep talking about the good things about the Gospel. Continue to invite. Continue to ask them to study with you. Continue to show the goodness of the Lord.

 

The perfect Parent had troublesome kids. If you have made mistakes, don’t cover them up. Apologize. Learn. Do better. Be transparent. Be honest. But don’t beat yourself up and feel like you are a failure because your grown children have chosen to turn their backs on the Lord. We may send our preachers all over the world to save the lost, but we still need them in our homes to save our own families.

 

God give us Christian homes, is more than a hymn, it’s a plea and a prayer. God doesn’t just “give us” these homes. They come about from hearts that are willing to bow before the Almighty. Some of the best people I know, have kids who are not walking with the Lord. Instead of pointing fingers, we need to extend arms of comfort. Pray with them and for them.

 

These are tough times and it’s only through Jesus that we find hope, peace and a future.

 

Roger

 

05

Jump Start # 1758

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1758

Luke 15:6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”

  Our verse today comes from the “lost and found” section of Luke 15. Three things were lost and all three were found. Lost sheep, lost coin and lost boys. There are some common threads in these three parables and there are some unique aspects to each of these. In all of these, something valuable was lost. Never did the person give up and say, “Oh, well, it didn’t meant that much to me, anyway.” That never happened. A search took place. The lost was found and there was great happiness and joy.

 

In both of the first two stories, the lost sheep and the lost coin, when the lost was found, friends and neighbors were told of the great news and invited to celebrate in happiness. Sharing good news. I like that. Much too often, we share sad and bad news. We do that just to inform people. We say, “Did you hear who passed away?” We talk about a church that is going through some hard times. We note when preachers move. Bad news is certainly shared and sometimes that is necessary.

 

But how rare is that we share the news of good things? A baptism. A great sermon. A great worship. People like and need good news. In the business world, sharing good news is nothing more than referrals. You move into a new town and you ask someone who is a good doctor? Who is a mechanic that you like? If they tell you about a car shop down the street, where you have to wait half a day, they over charge you, and the work is shoddy, you’ll never go there. We do this with real estate agents, insurance agents, dentists, and even which neighborhood to buy a house in. Sharing good news. Sharing success stories. Here is who I go to.

 

The shepherd in Luke 15 lost one of his sheep. He left the 99 and went after the lost. He carried the lost sheep on his shoulders. When he got home, he called friends and neighbors to tell them. There was a celebration. His friends and neighbors seemed to care about what happened. They were not so wrapped up into themselves that they didn’t care. Good news was shared and happiness was expressed among others.

 

Here are a few ideas:

 

  • Tell a friend, “I was reading a great verse last night in my Bible…” Share that with them. A conversation surrounding a verse might take place.

 

  • Tell a co-worker, “I heard an amazing sermon last week in our church…” then share the highlights of that sermon. You may get them going to the website to listen or watch the sermon themselves.

 

Sharing good news. It is interesting that the word “gospel” means “good news.” The good news is that a Savior has come into the world to redeem us from our sins. That’s great news. It means that God hasn’t given up on us. It means that God is giving us a second chance. It means that God realizes on our own we can’t make it. We need His help and He has sent Jesus. Great news. You can be saved. You can go to Heaven.

 

Gloom and despair mark our days. We don’t like the weather. We don’t like politics. We don’t like what’s happening in the world. And all of this gloom and doom, makes us gloomy. We shuffle into the church house defeated and down. We mumble songs. We hear words but don’t think that they will change our lives much. We go on our weary ways. Really? Is that the way it is supposed to be? Is that what God wants from us?

 

Great is our God echoes through all of the Bible. Great is what He has done. The Psalmist used expressions such as “shout unto the Lord.” There was a genuine excitement because of the Lord. God is the best and He deserves the best from us. It was the unblemished lamb that was offered. It was the first of the fruits that were given in sacrifice. The thought of worshipping God ought to pull the curtains back from our hearts and let the sunshine of God’s love and grace fill us up.

 

The lost was found. That was great news. Share it. Tell others. Come and celebrate with others. Don’t rain on someone’s happy day. Don’t analyze the situation. Don’t be critical. Don’t say, “Is that the sheep that just always wanders off?” Don’t say, “Now, how many times has that sheep ran away?” Don’t say, “I wonder how long it will stay this time?” That’s all gloom and doom talk. Rejoice. Thank the Lord. The lost has been found.

 

Find something good about today, and tell someone about it. Put smiles on people’s faces by being kind, helpful and caring. Thank more. Praise more. Appreciate more. There are good things all around us, we must just lift up our eyes and notice them. The disposition and attitude of Christians have much to do with the “referral” business of inviting others. What and how we say things can show others what it means to us. Gloom and doom will never go far in getting people to come. Neither will fake words and fake emotions. Be real. Be yourself. But you ought to be encouraged, hopeful and excited the Lord.

 

The lost was found. God is great. We are marching to Zion. That ought to warm the heart and put a smile on your soul.

 

He told his friends and neighbors…

 

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 1757

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1757

2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

  Confidence in the Lord is not only necessary in our walk with God but it is a determining factor into how well or successful we will be spiritually. Paul was so confident that he was willing to suffer and endure ill treatment as a Christian. These things did not shake him. He knew. He knew the Lord was right.

 

When we do not have confidence in what we believe, doubt blocks our hope. We become unsure. Eve wasn’t confident. With just a few words, Satan had her dizzy and not sure what she believed. The next thing we know, she’s reaching up for the forbidden fruit. Satan continues to do the same thing with us. When we are not confident, when doubts have clouded our thinking, we, too, reach out for forbidden fruit. Our fruit may not be on a tree. It might be in a bottle of alcohol. It might be in the arms of someone we are not married to. It might be in forms of stealing from our company. Unsure. Dizzy in our faith. Clouded thinking. Doubts about what God really says or means. Forbidden fruit not only seems appealing, it seems to be the right choice.

 

I know whom I have believed. That’s the answer. Confidence in the Scriptures. I have heard folks debate for a long time the question about, “what if all that we are doing turns out to not be true?” What if man wrote the Bible? What if Jesus never rose from the grave? What if all of this isn’t so? And the usual reply folks make is, “Well, if it’s not true, I still have lived a good life.” They say that and then counter, “but what if it is true?” This seems to satisfy most Christians. It doesn’t  me. Paul told the Corinthians that if Christ was not raised from the dead, our faith is worthless, we are still in our sins, those who have died, are finished and done and we ought to be pitied. We believed something that wasn’t true. We have lived a lie, if none of this is true. We have encouraged others to believe this lie, if none of this is true.

 

Confidence in the Lord leads you to another line of reasoning. It leads you to believe that it is impossible for this not to be true. It is impossible for the Bible not to be from God. Too many proofs for it to be any other way. Prophecy. Unity of writers. Accuracy with history, sciences and the times. Man couldn’t have written this story. Impossible. There is no other option.

 

From that, what the Bible says is true and accurate. We will be raised some day. How do you know that? The Bible says so. We will stand before God some day? How can you be so sure? The Bible says so. The earth will be destroyed some day? Are you sure? Absolutely. There will be Christians alive on earth when Jesus comes. Are you sure? Positively. Hell is real. Heaven is real. You can’t have one without the other. How can you say that? The Bible shows us that. Unless one believes in Christ, he will not be saved. Are you sure about that? Yes. Absolutely. How? The Bible. It is impossible for the Bible not to be from God. What the Bible says is right. 100%.

 

Confidence. This is what our college students need as they walk through the classrooms of universities. College professors will challenge them. They are confident that the Bible is man-made. They will mock believers. They will push the limits of testing the faith of Christians. They have no room to even consider creation. Most science based and philosophy based studies today rip apart any faith in an eternal God. Young believers, especially those who are not confident, graduate with a degree four years later and a faith that has been tossed to the side of the road. Giving up on God and the Bible, opens them to a lifestyle of sin, selfishness and materialism. Greed becomes the new god. Fun becomes worshipped. Doing whatever I feel like is the new gospel. What happened? A faith was crushed by a serpent that created doubts, got them dizzy and put question marks where God placed exclamation points.

 

I know whom I have believed. Be thou faithful even to death is what the church at Smyrna was told. That expression means much more than staying with it until you are old and die some day. It carries the idea that you stay with it, even if you are put to death. A sword to your throat, now do you believe? Do you want to change your mind? Confident still? The words of Heaven are, “Be faithful even to death.” Be faithful even if it costs you your life. Never cave in. Never waver. Never add question marks. Never doubt. There are things worst than death, and one of them is dying without faith.

 

I know whom I have believed. For us, at least for now, the sword isn’t pointed to our throats. But the sword comes in different forms. It may be the laughter of those around you because you won’t tell a lie, take a drink, snort some drug or say a bad word. It may come from those who ridicule you for going to church services as much as you do. They might even say, “Are you that bad?” The sword may look like lust. The sword may look like pride. The sword may look like worry. It may be our own family who holds the sword up to us. It may be co-workers. It may be friends. Be faithful unto death. I know whom I have believed.

 

I fear that sometimes in our teaching, we have pushed baptism so much that we have not truly understood nor established faith as it ought to be. If a person truly believes, then they will do whatever God says, including being baptized. An auditorium full of baptized folks who are not sure what they believe or who lack real confidence in the Lord is nothing more than a weak church. Evangelism won’t happen, because the people are not sure of it themselves. When trials come, people run like Chicken-little, screaming the sky is falling. Fear and worry dominate weak faith. Discouragement comes easily to those with weak faith.

 

What’s the answer? Spiritual confidence. Strong faith. I know whom I have believed. That type of faith leads to Paul later saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” I have. I have because I know whom I believe. I have because I am confident that this is right. There is no way that is cannot be right.

 

How do you get that confidence? Put your nose in the Bible. Spend time thinking, seeing and believing. Just because someone is loud, has all kinds of degrees listed after his name, has written books, doesn’t mean he really knows what he is talking about. Don’t cave in. Don’t be afraid. Why do you believe? Stand upon those facts. Be confident. Your confidence in the Lord will color your decisions. It will show by the choices in your life.

 

I know whom I believe…do you?

 

Roger