28

Jump Start # 2294

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2294

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant”

Our verse today launches us into the love section of 1 Corinthians. These words define, describe and illustrate the choice of love that not only does God have towards us but that we ought to have towards one another. Often the setting of these verses is missed and in that, the meaning becomes fuzzy. Give some thought to these words:

 

First, these words are placed among several chapters about spiritual gifts. The brethren had a question about spiritual gifts and it appears that they were seen as a mark of superiority. Some had gifts and others did not. And, among those who had the spiritual gifts, tongue speaking seemed to be the one prized the most by the Corinthians.

 

Keeping this in the forefront is important. Although we use this section on love often in weddings, that wasn’t the purpose here. Paul wasn’t writing about spiritual gifts and in the midst of this remembered that he had a weekend wedding coming up and so he scribbled down some sweet words about love and then returned to his main thoughts about spiritual gifts. Not at all. This section on love has everything to do with the spiritual gifts. Paul is using this to suppress the evil thoughts, suspicions, jealousy and talk concerning who had what gifts. If these brethren truly cared about one another, they would accept that God has given the gifts the way He wanted to and help one another rather than point fingers and get ugly, as they were beginning to do.

 

Second, these words are actions that are directed toward others. Love is not a feeling. Love does something. Love is patience. It’s allowing a person to grow. It’s allowing a person to apologize. It’s allowing a person to learn. Patience is more than waiting, it’s not coming unglued while you wait. There are many times in life that one has to wait. Construction traffic comes to my mind. Waiting in airports. Waiting on people to show up. Waiting in emergency rooms. We wait because there isn’t many other options, other than go home. But merely waiting isn’t the same thing as patience. Patience is what goes on within a person. It takes place on the inside, while we are waiting on the outside. Many wait, but in the process they huff and puff and get worked up, bothered and when it is finally their time, they let others know all about it. That’s not patience, that’s waiting.

 

Here, love is patient. While some had special gifts and others didn’t, that understanding took some patience. It’s like watching a little one putting on his snow boots. He tugs and grunts and doesn’t want any help. He has to do it himself. When he finally gets them on and stands up, he realizes that he has them on the wrong feet. So, here we go again. Patience. We just smile.

 

Love is kind. This follow patience spiritually. It’s nearly impossible to be patient and then be unkind. The unkind folks aren’t patient. While patience is on the inside, kindness is on the outside. Kind words. Kind actions. You can see kindness in the expression of someone’s face. Some folks just light up with a big smile when your eyes connect. They are kind. Kind people are a blessing. They spread kindness by doing good deeds.

 

Next follows a series of three negatives. Love is not jealous, is not bragging and is not arrogant. While love is, love is also not some things. These three negatives were some of the reasons the Corinthians had problems with spiritual gifts. Jealousy leads to bragging. Bragging stands upon the shoulders of arrogance. I’m better than you are, doesn’t help a person out. It certainly isn’t kind. And, it makes others try to out do you. Before long, our spirits are entangled in an ugly mess of which one of us is better than the other. Love doesn’t go there. Kindness won’t allow that. Those are the seeds of division, hatred and name calling.

 

Third, these words and the ones that followed, were God’s solution to the division about spiritual gifts. Today, we’d sit everyone down and if possible, we’d let everyone have a turn and let everyone pick which gift that they wanted. That’s not how things happened. God granted the gifts as He decided. Getting along back then over gifts isn’t much different than getting along today over someone sitting in my seat. We can be a bit touchy and sensitive about things. We can read things between the lines that are not there, but we think they are. We can assume hidden agendas, false motives and feel that everyone is out to get us. Truth be known, most don’t even think about us. We think of ourselves much more and much greater than others ever do.

 

Patience with one another remains a virtue that is necessary to get along with one another. Without this, tempers flare and words are spoken that never should. Kindness is needed today. Kindness can smooth over hurt feelings and fill the gaps that sometimes comes from our bumping into each other.

 

Love is. Great words. Great reminders. Greatly needed. And, these are within your grasp. These are choices that you can make. You can be patient or you can be impatient. You can be kind or you can be unkind. For us, it starts as we leave the house. It finds application at work. It’s all about how we chart the course of this day. Patient and kind, or selfish and indifferent. God’s way or our way?

 

Love is.

 

Roger

 

27

Jump Start # 2293

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2293

Proverbs 27:23 “Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds”

Our verse today is so important for leaders. In teaching the shepherding principle we so often focus upon looking at each sheep individually, because each of us are unique and different. We are not at the same place spiritually. We come from different backgrounds. Our concerns, temptations and needs are not identical. Missing this is a huge mistake that many make.

 

However, there is the need to look at the overall condition of the flock in general. The big picture of how everyone is doing. Parents need to do this as well as shepherds in God’s kingdom. There are times when special things must be done. We understand this in the family. The family has been busy, the schedules hectic, that it’s time to get away for a vacation. It’s time to do something special and it’s time for the family to be together. Sharp parents recognize “the condition of the flock.”

 

Spiritually and especially, emotionally, the overall condition of the flock can go through all kinds of things. Consider a few:

 

The congregation is in shock. There are many reasons that this can happen. The sudden death of an elder or the preacher can leave everyone stunned, shocked and lifeless. A divorce within the congregation can do that. A very active family moves away can do that. Even, the shocking news of a member getting arrested can do that. These things fill the minds and the hearts of the members. They can’t seem to move past it.

 

This is a time for shepherds to “know well the condition of your flocks.” Adjustments need to be made. A time for grieving, talking things out, getting through things is helpful. I have been at places where a sudden death took place on a Saturday night. The next day, being Sunday, you’d think nothing ever happened. Same classes. Same schedule. However, the people were walking around stunned. You could see it. The death is the only thing people were talking about, at least privately. Publically, you’d never know it.

 

But, I have also been with a couple of groups when a very different approach took place. A sudden death took place the night before. The wise shepherds understood the condition of the flock. That Sunday morning, all the classes were brought together, even the kids classes. A special lesson was put together about the rich man and Lazarus, hope and faith and storms in life. During the worship, adjustments were made. The elders were all involved. Thought was given to picking songs that would help the congregation. More prayers were uttered during that service. The outcome was remarkable. It helped the people. Months later, the shepherds were still receiving thankyou cards for leading the congregation through those tough moments.

 

Be flexible. Make adjustments when necessary. You can always get back to studying what was on the schedule, but to ignore what is on everyone’s mind can seem to be thoughtless and cold to what has just happened.

 

The congregation seems to be in a slump. Baseball players go through slumps. They can’t get a hit. Everything they try fails. If the manager is sharp, he’ll see that. He may change the lineup. He may bring in a special batting coach to help the team out. Shepherds need to recognize when a congregation seems to be in a slump. There’s nothing really wrong, but it just seems that the energy level is low. The condition seems tired and stuck. Shepherds can keep hammering on with the schedule that they are on, or they can recognize a shot in the arm would help. Bring in an outside speaker. Immediately, some would respond, “but we already have our two meetings for the year scheduled.” So. You can’t have three? Maybe it’s not a “meeting” format, but just invite a speaker in for one Sunday. Have him present some things that will connect and spark some energy within the group. Again, some would say, “Bring a guest preacher in for just one day?” Sure. Why not? Know well the condition of your flock. Maybe it’s adjusting the class schedule that will help things out. Drop the quarter, or 13-week concept, and have a special two or three week class. Have a class that answers questions that have been submitted. Have a special class on parenting that is beyond the usual “Parenting 101” stuff. Change the class room around so that all the chairs are in a circle. All of these things take a bit of effort and time, but trying to move on when everyone is in a slump without adjustments, only deepens the slump.

 

The congregation needs to get back to the basics. The shepherds notice that some fundamentals are slipping and there seems to be a need to get back to the basics. Then do that. Find a way to teach the fundamentals and help the congregation to build their faith upon the word of God. Surveys, quizzes, homework, are challenging ways to help a congregation become solid in the fundamentals.

 

Much too often, plans are set and there is no deviation no matter what. No adjustments. No doing anything special. A death takes place, and everyone is sad. Yet, Ephesians is being studied and Ephesians is going to be taught, even though no one, including the teacher, is in the mood for that. The preacher is in the midst of a series, and he’ll stick with that, no matter what. Not recognizing the condition of the flock may result in wasted efforts. A congregation that is hurting, upset, angry, in a slump, afraid needs special attention. It’s just like at home. When the kids are scared, parents are there to comfort and calm them. Shepherds need to do the same for the flock.

 

The greater problem in all of this is when the leaders are clueless to the condition of the flock. They don’t recognize that the flock is hurting, scared, in shock or in a slump. Onward we go, even though the flock is hesitant about moving forward. This is the time for comfort, reassurance, calming, and leadership. But, sadly, it often is lacking. And, what happens is the congregation suffers. Deeper the group sinks into discouragement. The leaders lose credibility because they appear to be out of touch and indifferent to what is going on. They can be so stuck in a plan that never changes, that people are dying spiritually right there in the pews.

 

Know well the condition of your flocks. How is everyone doing? Do you really know?

 

Roger

 

26

Jump Start # 2292

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2292

1 Corinthians 7:1 “Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.”

A study of Corinthians shows two major structures to the book. The first section are the words and admonition from Paul to a divided church. He addresses the problems immediately. The second structure is made up of Paul answering questions that the Corinthians submitted to him. The questions are easy to find because they begin with the expression, “Now concerning.” They ask about the contribution. They ask about spiritual gifts. They ask about eating meat that has been sacrificed to an idol. And, starting the list of questions, our verse today, they ask about sexual relationships. I believe implied is the thought, now that we are Christians and now that we are to be holy and pure, does this mean sexual intimacy in marriage is out.

 

We don’t know if Paul is answering their questions in order, or if he answers them by importance. I do find it interesting that this was asked. I expect before this question went to paper and then was sent to Paul, that they had discussed this among themselves. And, because this was sent to Paul, they wanted an apostolic answer. Either they couldn’t come to an agreement, or they wanted to make sure that their conclusions were right. Now, we probably would be a bit delicate to discuss this openly, there are some great lessons to be learned here.

 

First, the Corinthians understood that the application of God’s word is taken home. Spirituality doesn’t end with the setting sun on Sunday. What we do outside of worship, and even at home, involves our faith and our commitment to the Lord.

 

Second, even the most private of matters, one which we do not share with others, is something that must honor God and be right with Him. How easy it is to say, “It’s nobodies business,” but it is, especially God’s. The problem in the fifth chapter of someone being immoral with his father’s wife, was the concern of God and righteous brethren. We don’t and we can’t put up barriers around us that says, Keep Out. How we conduct our business, what we post on social media, how we behave at ballgames, on vacation, in our backyards, is always God’s business. There is no part of your life that is off limits to God. What you think, what you say, what you do, your motives, your attitude—they are all choices that either reflect faith and honor God or they do not.

 

Paul was leading the Corinthians, in chapter five, to remove themselves from the immoral man. Keeping this a secret wasn’t going to change the man’s dishonoring God in his behavior. He was out of fellowship with God and the brethren needed to follow. This was the business of the church. Our conduct is the same. “What I have to do to get ahead in business is no one’s business,” simply isn’t true.

 

Third, questions need to be answered, and they need to be answered Biblically. Just assuming, guessing or letting things alone as they are, can be the wrong choices. They didn’t know, so they asked. Today, we still have questions, both individually and as a church. Leaders need to find the answers through a study of God’s word.

 

I’ve often wondered, if a congregation today were able to send a letter to an apostle, what questions would we ask? Would our questions reflect faith and a concern for all, or, would they be superficial questions about which songs to sing in worship? Somehow, the questions about sexual relations came to the forefront and was included in a letter from the church to Paul. This was on their minds and they wanted to know.

 

Today, I could just hear some saying, “Don’t ask THAT question.” Some might even reason, “How would Paul know, he’s single.” Or, “He doesn’t care about those kind of things, he’s only interested in faith based issues.” However, the Corinthians asked. They would never know the Biblical answer had they not asked.

 

Do we know what questions folks struggle with today? What about cremation? What about bankruptcy? What about working on Sunday? What about a church going in debt? How about a church having one service on Sunday? How does a church part ways with a preacher? Now, most of us have a pretty good opinion on all of those. I expect many of the Corinthians may have had a pretty good idea on their questions. Yet, they still asked. What we must do is not rest upon our opinions, but to be sure what the Scriptures teach. We might think that it would be easier just to fax some questions and then get the answers faxed back. But the task before us is to be transparent with one another, and to open our Bibles and using the principles that we have learned, find answers that fit with the rest of the Scriptures.

 

Our walk must be Biblically based. We walk by faith, not opinions, nor by sight. The Corinthian questions mattered. God included them in His inspired word. He wanted us to know about these questions. It’s not wrong to have questions. Where do you find your answers and what do you do once you find the Biblical answer?

 

We still have much to learn…and that learning must come from God’s word.

 

Roger

 

25

Jump Start # 2291

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2291

Proverbs 15:26 “Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord, but pleasant words are pure.”

 

Jussie Smollett, a relatively unknown actor has been in the forefront of the news this past week. His plans certainly backfired. He was hoping the attention and the publicity would somehow give him a bump in pay. But, instead, he’s out of a job. Our verse today, from a long time ago, reminds us of the trouble we face with the Lord when we plan and scheme to do wicked things.

 

Earlier in Proverbs, where we find the list of things that God hates, “a heart that devises wicked plans” is among them.

 

Some thoughts from this:

 

First, before the plans were formed, evil, wicked and wrong were thought about. A corrupt heart turns to corrupt thinking and planning. What has been in the news this past week, is nothing new. On smaller scales this happens all the time. Insurance fraud and medical fraud are nothing more than corrupt people trying to cheat the system to their own advantage. They are trying to get by, get ahead, and do things dishonestly. Some major cities will have a highway lane that is designated for carpool riders, at least two people are to be in the car when on that lane. People try to cheat that system. There have been those who put manikins in the passenger seat to make it look like another person. Long before the plans are formed, the thoughts are there.

 

Second, when folks get caught, and they usually do, the trouble, punishment and fines are a whole lot worse than what they gained from cheating. This is true in school. A student will come up with all kinds of ways to disguise his cheating. Rather than spend that same amount of time studying, he devises evil. When caught, the consequences sometimes are more than an F on the test. In some settings, he fails the course and sometimes is expelled from the school. What happened was far worse than what he would have gained by cheating.

 

Third, the Lord already knows what is going on. There is no mocking God as the N.T. teaches. We can fool others and we can even deceive ourselves, but God knows. He knows our motives, our intentions and our heart. There is no getting around God. A person may literally get away with murder, at least here and for a while, but he never truly gets away with it. He will face God one day. God knows.

 

Fourth, those that cheat, have a low regard for others. There are those who try to cheat in business. There are those who try to sell inferior or even broken products. Why? Their selfish hearts only think about self. They want to make some money and they do not care if someone else is hurt. The Lord told us that the second greatest commandment was to love your neighbor as your self. This goes out the window when a person is planning evil and wicked. That selfish, indifferent attitude doesn’t set well with the Lord. It is just the opposite of what He is. The N.T. teaches us to be kind, gentle, forgiving, engaging in good deeds and loving. All of these great qualities and characteristics are directed towards how we treat others. A person can’t be wrong with others and right with God. Remember that golden rule? That is forgotten when one plans evil.

 

Fifth, it’s hard to restore name, reputation and trust after one has been caught cheating and planning evil. People become suspicious. People don’t want to include you in places where integrity and honesty are demanded. For some, they will always be known by the evil that they planned. Their deeds taint them and people remember. Selfishness and greed come with a price. That price may simple be that you find it hard to get a job. That price may be that you can’t get accepted into a school. That price may be that you lose friends and even family relationships. There are a lot of things much more important and valuable than a bump up in salary. And, to climb on people to get that, is a terrible and wicked way to accomplish that.

 

Rather than laying awake in bed, wondering what you would do if you could rob a bank, put your thoughts to good, useful and helpful things. Paul tells us to let our minds dwell upon what is lovely, pure and right. Chase those thoughts away and think about how you can help the church. When you walk into a store or your place of work, what do you notice right away? How is it appealing to a visitor? Share those ideas with those at church. Be thinking of ways to get the word of God out on social media. Think about ways to reach more overseas. Pour your thoughts, your energies into constructive, godly and useful ways to improve things.

 

Hollywood glamorizes the one who devises wicked plans. Breaking the law, breaking the rules, stepping on others to lie, cheat and steal, is the basis of so many movies. Wicked plans. Wicked people. And, as our culture sits there and takes in all of those images, is it any wonder that some turn those images into real plans. They stockpile weapons and ammo and then plan how to shoot up a school or church. They make plans to cheat insurance companies. They come up with ways to fool the corporate bosses so they can get paid when there is nothing wrong with them.

 

Rather than feeding our hearts upon glamorized plans that are wicked, we need to fill our minds and hearts with the goodness of the Gospel. What is truly missing in the Jussie Smollett story is a heart that was void of Jesus. His hatred, prejudice and wicked plans came from a heart that has no focus and no direction. Rather than using his influence for good, he chose evil. Rather than promoting unity in a torn city, he added to the division and hatred. Rather than being known as a great actor, Jussie Smollett has become the poster boy of someone who plans evil. His name, unknown to most in this country, has been the illustration of so many sermons recently. Rather than getting praise and adoration, he is scorned and mocked as a fool who lives without God. His plans backfired, as most wicked plans eventually do.

 

Just what is it that you think about? What do you day dream about? What are your wishes? The quality of your heart tells the answer.

 

Roger

 

 

22

Jump Start # 2290

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2290

Mark 12:37 “David himself calls Him ‘Lord:’ and so in what sense is He his son?” And the great crowd enjoyed listening to Him.”

Our passage comes from the temple teachings of Jesus. He began with a question, “How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?” Having quoted a passage, Jesus repeated the question, “In what sense is He his son?” The answer is not given. A thought is created. A dilemma. It was time to put on the thinking caps. If the Christ is before David, how could He be his son? This was not a riddle. This was not a thought to stump the audience. This had everything to do with Jesus being both Lord and Christ. Eternal, as God, and in line to the throne, David’s throne.

But what I find interesting is how Mark ends this passage. The great crowd enjoyed listening to Him. The ESV translates this: “And the great throng heard him gladly.” I like what we find in the KJV. There it reads, “And the common people heard him gladly.” The word “common” does not mean ordinary but large. It was a massive group of people that heard Jesus. The crowds around the Jewish leaders were shrinking, but around Jesus, the crowds were swelling.

But, there remains the sense in which it was truly the ordinary, common person that came to hear Jesus. It was the fishermen. It was merchants. It was parents with sick children. It was day laborers. Jesus was not found giving academic lectures to a group of scholars. His lessons illustrate this. The prayer that He taught His disciples to pray, is short. Short in length and filled with common words. His parables, His sermon on the mount, were directed to the everyday person. Stories that they could relate to. Stories that they could remember. Lessons that hit them personally and to the heart. Things that all could understand and all could use.

I was looking at a PhD thesis from the University of Glasgow. The title was: “The soteriological significance of the cross of Jesus: metaphor, meaning and salvation.” It was actually a pretty good piece about the symbolism of the cross. But that title is enough to choke on. I expect if my opening PowerPoint slide on Sunday read, “The soteriological significance of the cross,” the congregation would take up a quick collection to send me on a one-way vacation. Jesus understood His audience. He knew where people were and how to connect with them. The depth of Jesus is not in the use of big words or a large vocabulary, but in the priceless meaning of His message. A friend went to hear someone preach. The preacher was a real intellectual. The thought was that you needed a Bible in one hand and a dictionary in the other. I asked my friend what he got from the lesson. His response was it was impressive. “I don’t know what he said, but it was impressive.” We preachers need to remember who is in our audiences. We stand before the lost. We preach to truck drivers, nurses, moms, as well as engineers and doctors. We preach to an audience that thrives on bullet points, visual images, and short text messages.

Three thoughts come from this:

First, Jesus surrounded Himself with the common people. This was His audience. The parables connected so well, because that was the lives of His audience. They were sowers. They were servants. They were common laborers. Certainly the Jewish hierarchy stood in the audience, but so did the guy who dug wells, built fences, and traveled the same road that the good Samaritan did. Good people. Moms and dads. Hard working people. Jesus learned the trade of a carpenter, a common laborer. Paul, as well as Aquila and Priscilla, were tent makers.

I wonder if sometimes we preachers spend so much time in our offices reading academic dissertations that we no longer know what runs through the mind and the heart of our audience. We are consumed with the date and authorship of Daniel and the audience that we stand before is worried about affording their kid’s braces. We want to teach a quarter of classes exploring the development and changes of Calvinistic thought from the reformation to modern days, and what folks are hoping for is a practical class on dealing with discouragement. We are not encouraging “dumbing down,” but rather speak to where the people are and speak in such a way that it is helpful to them. Have you ever considered what is keeping folks up at night? It’s not concern about the differences between Premillennial and Postmillennial doctrines. It’s money. It’s raising kids. It’s marriage. It’s jobs. It’s life. It’s guilt. It’s worry. It’s fear. And, have you ever noticed that those are the very topics that Jesus addresses over and over.

Second, the common people heard Him. There is a difference in hearing and understanding. We can hear things, but we may not know what a person is talking about. I have become part of a very medical family. My wife is a nurse. My daughter is a nurse. My daughter-in-law is a nurse. My son is about to become a nurse practitioner. When we go out to eat I ask for two tables. One for me and the other for the medical convention held by my family. When they talk medical, there are times I have no idea what part of the body they are talking about. The common people heard Jesus. Nehemiah tells us that they read from the book from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading (Neh 8:8). They understood. Depth is great. I love to lower the nets, but one must do so in such a way that the audience understands. The challenge to the teacher is to make difficult things simple. The common person in the audience today really doesn’t care all that much about what Greek word is used. He wants to know how he can take that passage and live it everyday to please the Lord. Sermons without application are nothing more than lectures. If a lesson is not practical, what use is it?

Third, the common people heard Jesus gladly. There was a sense of joy. Jesus was fresh, new and so different from the rest of the rabbis. They were long, dry and loved to quote old dead authors. We must not follow that direction. They loved to hear Jesus. It wasn’t because He tickled ears, because He didn’t. But they could see what He was saying. They could remember what He was saying. They could use what He was saying.

I wonder if we have that same gladness in our hearts? Do we love to read the Bible? Do we love to hear sermons? Do we assemble out of duty or out of joy? Do we hang on to the words of God or is the message forgotten by the time we sit down to eat lunch?

The common man heard Him gladly. What a powerful compliment to the greatest preacher of all time.

Roger