28

Jump Start # 2252

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2252

Psalms 73:1 “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart!”

NOTE: With the New Year’s Holiday, there will be no Jump Starts on Monday or Tuesday.

We’ve come to the end of the year. This is our last Jump Start for the year. Sunday will be the last worship of the year. Has it been a good year, or are you ready to put this year in the books and turn the page for better days? Have you learned anything this year?

So often, we measure how a year is and we view God based upon the blessings in our lives. God is good, we say, if things are good in our lives. We have health, we have money, and things are running smoothly, oh, God is good. However, if we are stuck in a dark valley and things are difficult and the blessings are few, then we tend to wonder about God. Why, we ask. Why won’t God answer our prayers, we wonder. When will the blessings return. This thinking is common, but it is also faulty.

God is good. God is holy. The Scriptures define and describe God this way. Our verse today states, “God is good to Israel.” God is good to me, we sing. However, are those thoughts qualified and limited to only the good times in our lives? For instance:

Is God good when you have the flu?
Is God good when there is a death in the family?
Is God good when you are unhappy?
Is God good when money is tight?

We tend to see God only through the lens of our lives. Our observation is limited and often slanted because of our perspective. And, because of this, there are times when we must admit that God is not good, because things are not good in our lives. This is why this thinking is faulty. God is good, period. God is good, even if my life isn’t good at the moment. God is good, even if I am currently in a valley of death. God is always good.

There may be times when we are facing a giant of a problem. There may be moments when we are suffering because of our faith. There may be seasons when all the hedges protecting us have been removed. God was good, even when Daniel was sitting in a lion’s den. God was good, even when Job lost everything around him. God was good, even when the apostle Paul was dragged out of a city and stoned nearly to death. God was good, when Antipas was killed. God was good, when Abel was killed. God was good, when Stephen and then James were killed.

God doesn’t change. Our lives have good moments, everyday moments and bad or tough moments. There are times when we are happy and other times when we are sad. There are moments where we are excited and moments where we are bored. There are moments we are upset and angry and moments when everything seems fine. Through all of those moods, moments and times in our lives, God has remained the same. God is good. God is good no matter what happens to me.

God is good even during the moments when we wonder if He heard our prayers. God is good even when the answer to our prayers has been “No.” God is good. This is a hard principle to grasp and most in the world do not see it this way. Their view of God is based solely upon what happens in their lives. This is why some are glad to worship God one day and another day, they are so angry with God that they are cursing Him. Why is it this way? Because they can not view God separate from their own lives. They become the definition of God.

So, as we close the books on this year, we realize and understand that God has been good. For some, this year may have been filled with pain, surgeries, disappointments and even death. The year seemed so long for some. Yet, God is good. For others, it’s been one of the best years in their lives. A wedding. A baby born. A graduation. A new job. Life has been good for them. God is good.

And, for us, the people of God, there are a few things to take away from this year:

First, there has been much to be thankful for. There has been blessings and joys and wonderful memories over this past year. There has been sermons that have helped us. There has been classes that taught us, reminded us, and helped us get closer to the Lord and be stronger in our faith. There has been new people in our lives. There has been some sad farewells. There has been many sins forgiven throughout the year. But through all of this, we must be thankful. Thankful for all that God has done.

Second, there has been some great lessons learned. Sometimes it is in hardships, trials and troubles that we learn the most. We learn about character. We see the importance of priorities. We have been helped and we have helped others. We look back and see mistakes and learn from them. We remember great discussions over the Bible. We remember visiting preachers and the wonderful lessons that they taught. We saw some obey the Gospel. We saw some coming back after being away for a long time. Today, we are better, stronger and closer to God than we were this time last year. We’ve had a year of Bible in our hearts and in our souls. We have learned much.

Third, faith and hope are what opens the door for the new year. Who would have known all the things that happened to us this past year, other than the Lord. Our travels. Our trials. Our ups and downs. We journey by faith, knowing that the Lord is in charge. This coming year is an unknown. Will we have surgery? Will there be a death in the family? Will there be tears? Will there be smiles and happiness? One thing we know, the Lord journeys with us. Through faith, we trust God. Through hope, we know that even the darkest days will pass and Heaven awaits us. How few in Judah really understood that a day came and they were overcome by the Babylonians and many were taken captive. How few understood that years later, the same city of Jerusalem, would be overcome by the Romans. What awaits our nation? We don’t know. Is this the year that the Lord will come? Faith and hope is what gets us through the unknown.

We’ve picked up several new readers to our Jump Starts this year. Thank you for taking time to be part of our Jump Start family. Thank you for your kindness and encouragement you give to me. May the Lord be with us and more so, may we be with the Lord, in this coming year.

God is good.

Roger

27

Jump Start # 2251

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2251

Revelation 3:2 “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.”

 

Our verse today comes from the Lord’s assessment of the church in Sardis. Things were not going well, at least from God’s perspective. He described the congregation as being dead. It was time to do something. It was time to change things. It was time to get on the ball or else the entire place will be dead. Wake up, is what the Lord demanded. Strengthen what remains! This was a church on life support. Now, what we are not told about Sardis is the size of the Sunday morning crowd, or, whether or not they had any leadership or even if they had their own preacher. With or without those things, the church was in a grave condition. Worse, it seems that they were clueless and oblivious to their true condition. Had the Lord not said what He did, they would have carried on until there was no life in them at all.

 

Throughout my area, and actually, all over this country, there are many small congregations that need to take a serious, serious look at where they are and what they are doing. Congregations that are less than thirty in number struggle. They struggle financially. They are very limited because of their resources. With every funeral, things look bleak. There are quite a few congregations that would love to see thirty people on a Sunday morning. They number under twenty. They have just enough contribution to pay the elect bill to keep the doors open. Few children are found in these places, and what they have are all brought together in one or two classes that cover large age differences. These small places lack the resources and the know-how to use social media to reach the community. They cannot afford to invite a visiting preacher in. So, year after year, they keep the doors open and no one publicly says what everyone is thinking, “How much longer will we keep this up.” And, on top of that, too often the quality of teaching and the input of fresh ideas doesn’t exist. These places drift, holding on to the memory of days gone by when they were much larger. But those days are gone for them. And, without leadership, no one knows what to do other than just do what we are currently doing.

 

Within driving distances of these places are larger congregations. There are options there if they would put down their pride and seek some help. First, they could get ideas from what larger congregations are doing. Second, they could ask for some help from some of the brethren in larger congregations. Thirdly, they could discuss selling their church building and merging with a larger congregation. But, most times this never happens. NEVER.

 

Many have already made up their minds that they do not like a large congregation. So, they sit in a group of about twelve, faith dwindling, never growing, and just keeping house. They have made up their mind that large congregations are “too large” and that you can never know everyone in a large congregation. Yet, within just a few miles of them, is a place that has functioning leadership, multiple classes for all ages, all kinds of tools, helps and new faces showing up all the time. Here is a congregation that is growing. They are doing things and the members are extremely active. But, stubborn as some are, they would rather dwindle down to three people than to pull the plug and be part of an active and thriving congregation.

 

Most preachers that I know would gladly help out a group that is wanting to try, but that often is the problem. Some congregations like being small. They don’t want new faces and new people. They are content with just what they have. Evangelism doesn’t really exist in these places. The bulk of what they do is simply maintain what they have. Many books of the Bible, from Revelation, Ezekiel, Leviticus, Daniel are never studied because there is no one there capable of teaching those books. Classes never vary. Verse by verse, over and over and nothing challenging, and nothing moving the people into more activity. Hospitality is extremely rare in small congregations because everyone already knows each other, so why have them in your home?

 

The atmosphere and appearance in most of these small congregations is old, and outdated. A new coat of paint and some intense polishing and cleaning would do wonders, but who will do that and that will cost money and there isn’t any. So, old curtains, faded and ugly hang in the windows. Papers are stuck here and there. In many places, the baptistery area is filled with mold, which is a health issue. But there is no one to take charge in cleaning the place up and no money to afford the supplies necessary to do a good job. So, year by year, the place deteriorates. The appearance, the atmosphere, the mood, the activity all seems stale, lifeless and dying.

 

As we end a year, and launch a new year, what plans, what goals, what future lies with some of these places? So sadly, nothing will be done until there remains only one or two couples left. Then in desperation, something will have to be done. And, in this long process of death of a congregation, there has been other costs that few realize. What young people were there, are gone and gone for good. They never had a faith that grew nor was fed. Others finally give up, so discouraged and so down spiritually, one wonders if they can ever find joy again spiritually.

 

Why are we so wedded to a congregation and not so wedded to Christ? Why do we hang on until a congregation dies and even with that we do not seek advice, help or ideas for anyone else? Why are we so set against the size of a congregation without even trying? Why do we allow our pride to color the reality before us?

 

I have preached in places like this. In one place, I had to step outside because the smell of mold was so strong that I couldn’t breathe. I got sick after preaching one time there. I can only imagine what that was doing to the people week after week. Some of these places have such a closed mentality that if any new face showed up, they’d be stared down by everyone to such a degree that they would never come back.

 

I suggest two things: first, let’s try a few things to put life and energy in these dying places. Second, let’s have a serious and open discussion about the future. Is it time to just close the doors? Many of our readers know people in these small, small congregations. I hope that you would share this with them. It’s time to have some discussions. Are we really being good stewards of God’s money when we simply keep the doors open on a dying congregation?

 

Sadly, I fear another year will pass, and nothing will change. Another funeral and yet nothing will change. Is this what the Lord would want?

 

It’s time for some serious looking and some serious talking.

 

Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 2250

Posted on December 26, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2250

Psalms 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Cease striving. Other translations express this simply as, “Be still.” You can hear a mother telling her busy and fussy child to sit still. Be still is hard for many of us. We want to be right in the thick of things. We want to run things. Sitting still and allowing God to be God is hard.

I read a report recently about the large numbers of Americans regularly taking antidepressants. More than 12% of the population and more staggering by age, those over 60, 19% take antidepressants. The same report also indicated that it’s hard to stop using antidepressants once a person has started.

One thing that the Bible hardly touches at all is the subject of mental issues. Jesus talked about being anxious or worry. Paul admitted to being depressed but was refreshed and encouraged when God sent Titus to him. And, in the Old Testament, King Saul seemed to lose it completely when he became obsessed with killing David. His mental stability appears to be very shaky and volatile. Demon possession wasn’t a mental problem. Demons were real spirits that inhabited a person. They were cast out miraculously by the hand of God.

But today, things seem so different. There are layers and layers of various psychological and mental issues, some even getting into serious mental illness. And, according to the current stats, as a person grows older, these things get worse, not better. I’m baffled by these things. It’s hard to put a finger on why in the past decade there has been a huge increase in the use of prescription drugs to deal with life’s issues.

Here are a few thoughts:

First, because a person needs antidepressants does not mean he is “crazy.” There are a lot of chemical imbalances that can take place within a person and often medicine can help even out those imbalances.

Second, we see with this specific situation, that we do not always find common examples in our Bibles. We do not find anyone using antidepressants in the Bible, mostly because as we know them today, they weren’t invented. In fact, aside from Paul telling Timothy to take some wine for his stomach ailments, we do not read hardly anything in the Bible about medicine. The Bible isn’t a history book of the times. It is God’s word for us to live righteously and to prepare ourselves for Heaven. The absence of information or lack of example does not mean something is right or wrong.

Thirdly, and I say this delicately, in a secular society, secular doctors are going to prescribe medicines more often than expect us to walk by faith. Life is hard. Storms come. There are days we have to go visit the funeral home. There are days when our journeys take us through the dark valleys of death. Maybe medicine can calm us. Maybe it can help us to be functional and stable. But maybe, just maybe, there are times we must rely upon the Lord to get us through. I wonder sometimes if our lives are built upon medicine and not upon the rock, which is Jesus. I have heard people say, “I couldn’t get through a day without my medicine.” I’d much rather hear, “I couldn’t get through the day without Jesus.” And, I understand that I do not understand much of this. I’m just a preacher, but I’m seeing less and less relying on faith, patience and having the courage to endure and more and more talk about having to take medicine in order to cope and get through. Medicine needed to sleep. Medicine needed to get going. Medicine needed to have the right attitude and be in a good mood. It just seems like a lot of medicine. How did folks get by before this age of medicine? How did they do it in the first century?

Fourth, I wonder if the breakdown of the home, the empty lives and the lack of true Biblical faith has led to so much of the mental issues in our country. So many of the mass shootings have come from unstable and violent people getting guns and then killing as many as they can. Why does a person think that way? It doesn’t just happen. There has been a long and gradual process of contributing factors that have included not valuing life, not respecting authority, and not thinking Biblically nor correctly.

Fifth, it’s hard for me to understand why the 60 and over crowd are the largest group using antidepressants. By this time in life, you have experienced ups and downs. You have seen good and bad. You have journeyed long enough that you ought to have learned a few things and figured out a few things. Is it because this group is aging, hurting and the outer man is decaying. What these stats indicate is that the outer man decays and the inner man is decaying as well. We are not being renewed day by day as Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 4.. We are not getting better on the inside. The outside is shaping the inside. Again, a lifetime without God and a lifetime of always being in charge and now the nearing of death, probably has many folks scared, uncertain and anxious. It ought to. The answer is not in a pill but in Jesus Christ. It may just be we are witnesses houses collapse that have been built upon sand for decades. The reality now comes and some just do not know what to do.

Again, let me say this so no one misunderstands. For some people, there is a real need for medicine to help them. The imbalance is so great that without medicine they could not function. That’s true of some, but is it true for all of us?

I think of the song, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” Life will slap you. Life can be ugly. Things can be complicated and difficult. Look what Paul went through. Look at David when chased throughout the country by Saul. We will face our Goliaths. The world will not agree nor like us. Life is not fair, nor nice. Young people die. Those that are doing right are not recognized. Satan won’t leave us alone. The world is telling us to blend in and be like it. Some days the journey seems long and lonely. It’s not a pill that will get us through but Jesus. Be still and know that I am God. Mediate. Read Scriptures. Pray. Focus upon the Lord. Count your blessings. Get out of your cave and go do something in the kingdom, as God told Elijah. Rather than holding our hands and telling us that it’s ok, what we often need is a kick in the pants and a command from God to get about doing what He wants us to do.

Faith. That’s what much of this comes down to. Are our times so much more difficult than other times? I wonder about my sweet grandma. She had two sons, one was my dad. Both boys, one in the army and the other in the marines, were off to the other side of the world fighting in WW II. No communications. She had no idea where they were. But many families were just like that. What she did was attend worship weekly and pray diligently. Her boys both came home. That wasn’t the case for so many of her neighbors. Some families got through those times and others never did. But go back even further. Middle Europe and massive plagues that took thousands of lives. Go back more. Babylonian captivity. Egyptian oppression. How did people make it? Some did and others didn’t. Mostly, those that did, it was by faith. That is the constant through the ages.

Now, here we are. Nothing has changed. How are we going to get through these times? By faith.

My hope is built upon nothing else…

Roger

21

Jump Start # 2249

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2249

Luke 15:24 “For this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

Some Housekeeping Items and News Items:

 

First, with the holidays, there will not be a Jump Start on Monday or Tuesday next week.

Second, our series on Job, “Mondays with Job” is now completed. We have put those together in our latest Jump Start book. We now have more than 20 different Jump Start books available. If you would like a copy of the Mondays with Job, send me an email (Rogshouse@aol.com). Include your MAILING ADDRESS. These are free.

 

Third, for the first time we are also making available a brand new class book on Job. Our Mondays with Job came from a few of those studies. It is a thirteen week study entitled, “Life Lessons from Job.” We have a master copy and also a student copy. The student copy is what the class received and it has blanks to be filled in. The master copy already has the blanks filled. We are not a publishing house and cannot supply great quantities of these to each person. However, with a master copy and student copy you can make your own copies for class use. These are free as well. Just send me an email and include your MAILING ADDRESS.

 

Now, to our verse today. The prodigal came home and there was a time for celebration. There was reason for much joy and happiness. Good news has finally come from what seemed to be a nightmare and much disappointment. This holiday season, with friends and family gathered, we have much to celebrate. Here are four simple reminders:

 

Be THANKFUL. God has been good to us. The year is nearly over. Many plans are being shaped for the coming year. God needs to be in all of this. It is the thankful heart that counts blessings, is appreciative and takes care of what has been given to him. Be thankful for family. Be thankful for forgiveness. Be thankful for prayers answered. Be thankful for hope. Be thankful for God’s patience. Be thankful for God’s word. Be thankful for God’s people. Say it. Show it. Mean it.

 

Be THOUGHTFUL. This holiday season brings out the best in folks. People tend to be more generous during this season. Be thoughtful of others. Be thoughtful of those who are less blessed. Be thoughtful of those who are going through some hard times. Be thoughtful of those who are lonely and sad at this season. With your words, be thoughtful. Remember James’ instructions, be slow to speak and quick to hear. Not everything needs to be said. What you hear doesn’t always need to be repeated. The flow of gossip stops when we stop sharing things that we shouldn’t be talking about. Choose your words wisely. It’s great to get into discussions with others, but keep calm, remain Biblical, and be kind. That will work much better than a shouting match.

 

Be a LIGHT SHINNER. Shine that Gospel light. Be an influence for good. Set the example before the little ones as well as the big ones. Our words is one way. Our actions are another way. Many only think about Jesus this time of year. Use that to build bridges to the Lord. Be helpful around the house. Be the one who jumps up and helps others. Be glad to see others. Be gracious.

 

Be STRONG. Families, the rush of holidays, the pressures, the have-to-do lists can get even the best among us. Breathe. See the big picture and don’t fret if your dinning room table isn’t perfect like in the magazines. Sometimes at the holidays our patience is tested. Be STRONG. Some want to leave God out, be STRONG. Use your time off from work to enjoy family but also to it catch up on some good reading. Map out what books of the Bible you want to read next. Take a few minutes to write a card to thank your shepherds for all that they do. While many of us have several days off from work, most of the preachers will still be working. There are classes to be taught, bulletins to be written, and sermons to be preached. That doesn’t stop, even with the holidays. Be mindful of what your preacher does and realize that he doesn’t get holidays off like you do. Preachers do not get any holidays off unless they use one of their vacations. That’s just the way things are and maybe in the coming year some adjustments can be made. But be STRONG. Don’t be skipping worship because family is in or because it’s holiday season. Set the example. Shine your light. Bring family with you and then use the occasion to help them get closer to the Lord.

 

Celebrations. Wonderful times. Enjoy.

 

Roger

 

20

Jump Start # 2248

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2248

Nehemiah 2:2 “So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Then I was very much afraid.”

 

Our verse today sets the spirit and the tone for Nehemiah leading the people of God to rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. The city was built, but they had no defense. The walls lay in rubble. Nehemiah was far away in Persia serving the king. News came to him about his beloved city. It broke his heart. This is where our verse is found. Nehemiah’s expression gave it all away. Worry, uncertainty, depression, they will do that. We carry that in our eyes and in our spirit. We sometimes try to cover up our feelings by wearing masks, but masks don’t hide everything. Now the king knew that Nehemiah was sad. He was afraid that would impact what he was doing. Instead, God used this moment for Nehemiah to get permission to lead the people to successfully building the walls.

 

But our verse reminds us that even the people of God get sad. It’s not a lack of faith, but being in a corner and not sure what to do or if there are any other options. And, especially with the holiday season, as festive as it is and as families gather and there is much joy and happiness, for some this is a very sad time of the year. There are reasons for that:

 

Some are alone. They live away from family and finances or commitment to jobs keeps them away from family. While it seems that everyone else is enjoying time with family, there will be those who sit alone. For others, there has been a divorce or a death. The pain is especially felt this time of year. There are memories of what once was, but that’s all they now have, memories.

 

Some could go home but they won’t. There has been some issues and problems in the family. Words were said. Feelings were hurt. Tension, guilt and fear of more trouble makes some just stay away. They feel as if it is not worth getting into yet another argument and fight. Some are not welcome any more. Their choices have offended some in the family and lines were drawn and they were told not to come home, not until changes have been made.

 

Some cannot afford what they would love to give their family this year. Gifts can be expensive and every parent loves to see the joy on their children’s faces as they open gifts. Our commercialism has gone overboard. We can feel the need to give much more than we can afford. And, then there are those commercials on TV where someone walks out their front door and a brand new car with a bright red bow on top of it awaits the surprised person. Wouldn’t that be great to give someone a brand new car! Not many can do that. Love is not expressed in how many gifts. Children would have the best time with just a few gifts and you spending the day with them playing. That will be remembered much longer than some gift.

 

Some won’t get the gift that they want. Maybe there was something that a person was really hoping for but all the gifts are given and opened and it was not there. A sadness comes over the person. But in the big picture, it’s just an item, a thing. Work hard, save up your money, and get it yourself later on.

 

Sadness is hard to hide. The king saw it in Nehemiah’s eyes. Others can see it in our eyes. And, this sadness has a way of shaping our mood. We can be a stick in the mud around others because we are sad. We can make others sad because we are sad. We can become jealous of others because of our situation. We can get angry because others do not notice our sadness and do not move to help us.

 

For the world, getting through the holidays with sadness means sitting alone in front of the TV with a bottle of alcohol. That’s the world’s solution. Drown your misery and in the process make yourself feel numb and then sick because of the effects of alcohol. Dumb choice. After the effects of alcohol passes, the person is still sad. Nothing changed.

 

For the child of God, moving past sadness is a spiritual process. Count your blessings and what you have. We forget that when we are sad. All we think about is what we do not have. God has been good to us and we tend to forget that. The world wants to define and tell us what we have to do to be happy. And, if we do not march to the beat of the world, then we are supposed to be sad. That’s a bunch of junk! We don’t listen, follow, nor pay attention to the world. The world is a mess. They’ve got things all backwards and they are missing out on Jesus. So, you don’t have to take a vacation to get away to make yourself happy. You don’t have to spend yourself into massive debt to settle your mind. That’s the way the world thinks. Count your blessings.

 

Don’t isolate yourself. Remember Elijah hiding in a cave? It didn’t do him much good. Alone with dark thoughts and singing, “doom, despair and agony on me,” isn’t productive, helpful, nor healthy. It was God who got Elijah out of the cave and around people. That’s what you need to do. You may not feel like it, but it’s one of the best things you can do. Invited to a holiday get together? Go. Someone invited you out with them? Go. Get your mind and your thoughts off of you and your plight and be around others, especially children. Enjoy their laughter and their smiles. They have a way of bringing happiness to even a cold heart.

 

Do something good. Thinking of others is helpful and Biblical. We are to be engaged in good deeds. This time of year brings the generosity out of many people. Volunteer somewhere. Make some cookies and give them to others. Invite others into your home.

 

Remember, God is still with you. He’s been there all this time. He loves you. He cares for you. He realizes you are sad. Talk to the Lord. Pour your heart and your burdens out to Him.

 

It’s good for the rest of us to look around and realize that there are those in our neighborhood, or work place or even our congregations that are sad this time of year. Go out of your way to try to brighten their spirits by letting them know that you think about them. Your thoughtfulness can be the very thing that they need to get back on track and to help them through this season.

 

Roger