09

Jump Start # 2322

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2322

Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

I was thinking about my mom the other day. I’m not sure why, but thoughts of her popped in my mind. Mom has been on the other side, in the other room, for twenty-four years. My kids were little when she passed away. I was still a young preacher. I preached her funeral and I still have a few copies of that filed away. I have moved twice since then. My kids have all grown, married and have their own families. Sometimes you hear people saying about a departed family member, “I think about them everyday. Not a day passes that I do not think about them.” It’s not been that way for me. It was at first, but life and the present fills the mind and the heart. I think about her around her birthday and the anniversary of her death, but most times I don’t think about her through out the day.

 

But when I thought about her the other day, I also thought about this verse. Abel was dead. He was murdered. The first crime in the Bible. The first human to die in the Bible. The good one died and the one with hatred, jealousy and issues remained. All these years later, the Holy Spirit begins the list of God’s faithful with Abel. All we know about Abel’s faithfulness is that he pleased the Lord with the sacrifice that he offered. It was in accordance with what God wanted. And, though he is dead, Abel still speaks. There isn’t a voice that people hear. It is the voice of influence, example, and trust in the Lord. Abel did right and yet he died. That bothers us. That isn’t the way things ought to be in our thinking. If you do right, then you ought to be rewarded and you ought to succeed. Being killed by your own brother doesn’t seem like God was really watching out for him.

 

Hebrews 11 marches us through the lives of God’s righteous people. They suffered. They had to make difficult choices. They pleased the Lord but often their lives were not what we would expect. We must move past the mentality of trying to make this place Heaven. It will never be. It’s broken, marred with sin and dominated by Satan. God’ people suffer. The righteous are chased down. Yet none of that changes a thing. God remains on the throne. The reward of the righteous in not a long life here, but an eternity with Him there.

 

And, dead Abel speaks. It would be easy to think, “Boy, I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.” Killed by his own brother, what a terrible thing to happen. What a tough way to go. But look where Abel is. He is with the Lord. His life is honored by the God of Heaven and Earth. He heads the list of God’s righteous ones. And, what is it that Abel says? He tells us to worship God the way God wants. He tells us to be faithful to God even when it is hard. He tells us not compromise or look for short cuts. The easy and the convenient isn’t always the best.

 

And this example of Abel reminds me, and it reminds all of us that have had faithful loved ones pass away, the example and the footprints for us to follow. I can still hear my mom telling me to drive with both hands on the wheel. But I remember how hard she worked. She was always busy. She always would sacrifice to make us happy. She always tried to get us to be the best that we could be. She loved us. She never got to hear me preach very much. My dad tells me, when he hears me preach, with a tear in his eyes, “your mom would be proud of you.” I believe that.

 

And, with this, one must think about what impressions we are leaving for others. When we are no longer here, what will our family, friends and brethren be “hearing us speak?”

 

  • How serious have we been in worshipping God? Have we played church all of our lives? Do we pay attention in worship? Is worship changing us?
  • How careful have we been with God’s word? Have we played spiritual dodge ball, jumping around passages that makes us uncomfortable?
  • How much of a difference have we made in the lives of others and in the congregations that we are a part of? Have we left footprints for others to follow?
  • Have we shown love, grace and forgiveness? Or, have we been a real pain in the lives of others? Have we been demanding, ready to throw the book at others? Have we been judgmental and always talking about the faults of others?
  • Has our journey of faith been enjoyable and wonderful or have we made the image of Christianity miserable and tough?
  • Have we made the lives of others better? Have we lifted the burdens of others? Have we engaged in good deeds that have helped others?
  • Have we lived in such a way that people would say, “I wish I was like you?”

 

I am blessed to have fond memories, pleasant thoughts, and a wonderful example when I think about my mom. Not everyone has that with their parents. For some, it’s been tough. For some, there have been more tears than joys. For some there has been no godly example and no footprints leading to Christ. For some, it’s been a nightmare. That can color you, define you and describe you, or, you can realize that God has loved you, blessed you and been there for you all these years. It is God who saves you. It is God who has never let you down.

 

Dead, yet speaking…someday, that will be said of me and of you. Our lives will speak. What will people hear? It’s time to put some thought and actions to this.

 

Roger

 

08

Jump Start # 2321

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2321

Matthew 10:42 “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward.”

This passage is amazing. There is a reward given for the one who provides a cup of cold water. A cup, not a case of bottled water. Not a barrel of water. Not building a well. Just one cup and there is a reward attached to that.

What is impressive about that is that a cup of cold water seems like nothing. Anyone can do that, and I think that’s the point. Not everyone can fly a plane. Not everyone can hit the home run. Not everyone can throw the touchdown pass. Not everyone has the stomach to do surgery. Not everyone has the know how to fix a broken car. Not everyone can do home improvements. Not everyone has the gardener’s green thumb. Not everyone can cook. For some things, it takes years and years of schooling and experience. Other things requires vast amounts of money. But here, in this passage, it’s a cup of cold water.

What is also impressive is that just about anyone can do that. A small child can get a cup and get some water. An aged person can do that. In Bible times, it meant going to a well. But today, it’s a matter of going to the sink or the frig. A child who is still too young for school, can fetch some cold water. It doesn’t take four years of college to get cold water. One doesn’t have to have a large amount of money to get a cup of cold water. Anyone and everyone can do this. But do we?

Here are some thoughts:

First, we can overlook the simple because it is simple. We often want the grand, the big, the impressive solution. Rather than give a cup of cold water, let’s find a way to eliminate all thirst. That’s a big task. That may never be done. But in the mean time, that one cup helped one person. We can do this with evangelism. Acts 8 is a great place to see this. Philip was preaching in Samaria. Great things were happening. God pulled Philip away to go meet the Ethiopian. From the crowds, Philip went to one person. How he may have ignored this call because of all the people that were being reached. But God saw the value of one person. Give a cup of spiritual water to one person. That one person is as important as the great crowds.

Second, we often try to do the one big thing that will be remembered for a long time. The impressive gift. The one thing that no one expected. Large. Grand. Unforgettable. But here, it’s one cup of cold water. It helped for the moment. The thirsty person would likely be thirsty again, maybe even later in the day. A week later, especially a month and a year later, that one cup of cold water would likely be forgotten. It didn’t last. This is not the type of gift that compels someone to send you a thank you card. “Thanks for the cup of cold water” is not a greeting card you find in the store. It helped for the moment.

Third, a cup of cold water is more than just cold water. There are other things just like this. Holding a door open for someone to walk in. Helping an elderly person in or out of the car. Taking someone’s grocery cart for them so they don’t have to walk it back to the store. A smile. A hand shake. A kind word. A compliment. Helping someone pick up something that they dropped. An applause at the ballgame or concert. Allowing someone to have the parking space that you wanted. Sharing your umbrella. Moving over in church so someone can find a seat. Handing someone a song book opened to the right page. Helping the person next to you find a verse in their Bible. Writing a nice review to a place that excelled in service. Forgiving someone. Letting a person who made a mistake feel like it was nothing. Being kind. Lowering your voice. Letting others talk. A cup of cold water is nothing more than encouragement. It’s thinking about someone other than ourselves. It’s kindness in action. It’s love shown. It’s doing the right thing.

Fourth, although we probably have forgotten, most, if not all of us, have been given a cup of cold water by others. Look at that list in the third point. Many of those very things have been shared with us. We are people who have tasted the cold water of others. It happens every Sunday morning when you walk into the church building. Eyes light up. Smiles spread. People come to greet you, shake you hand and share their hearts with you. I love the preaching of Dee Bowman. He’s one of my heroes. He has a way of making Christianity attractive. What he does so well, is stand in the pulpit, and before he says his first word, he looks this way and then that way and just smiles. Everyone smiles back. He’s a master of that. We don’t realize it, but he has just dipped his cup in cold water and given each of us a good drink. I’ve seen preachers with frowns on their foreheads, screaming at the audience and it makes everyone feel afraid. Not my good brother Bowman. By the time he is finished with that sermon, you’d think everyone in the audience was his best friend. Cold water. We all have received it and we all know how good it is.

Fifth, those that are really good at encouraging, just do it naturally. They don’t write things down or have it on their to do list. They just see opportunities to smile, share, dip that cup in cold water, and they just do it. All day long. Every day. At work. In the neighborhood. In the home. At the church house. They just do not think about themselves. I’ve seen a preacher take off the very tie that he was wearing and give it to someone who really admired it. Cold water. I’ve seen a brother in a restaurant, see some others from the church sitting in another booth, and without saying anything to them, he picked up their bill, paid for it, and left quietly. Cold water. I’ve know folks to come over to a home where there was some sickness. And, they mowed, trimmed shrubs and cleaned the place up. Cold water. The list can go on and on. I’ve known so many folks who were naturals at giving cold water. And, what people remember, is not so much the cold water, but the kindness, the thoughtfulness and the love. It lifted spirits. It helped encourage. It reminded them that they were not alone, nor forgotten.

Cold water—do you have a cup with you? You might find someone today who could use a little drink.

Roger

05

Jump Start # 2320

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2320

Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

This week I received an email with several photos attached to it. There were two black men in the pictures. One I did not know. The other, I have had a few email exchanges with. The pictures came from Uganda, Africa. The man I did not know was from Kenya. In the photo they are holding up copies of our Jump Start books. Through a contact here in America I was asked to send some material to the Ugandan preacher. He since requested a bunch more so that he could share them with other preachers. This is how the Kenyan preacher got some of the material. I looked at those photos for a long time. There on the front of those class books and Jump Start books was my name. Who would have thought. It made me think of my simple grandfather. He was a poor but decent Christian who lived and died in the same county that he was born in. And here, a couple of generations later, some Africans are using material that I wrote. That is amazing to me.

 

Our verse today reminds us of the global vision that we need to have. It was directed towards the apostles specifically, but the principles trickle down to each of us. There was a time, not too long ago, especially in my grandfather’s time, when “the world” was basically the community surrounding the church building. That was the extent of most evangelism. Occasionally, a congregation would send some money to a preacher who was in other places and once in a long while, they would send money to a preacher overseas. Other than sending out a monthly check, the “going into all the world,” didn’t happen much. Later, some preachers started traveling to different places overseas to preach. The world started getting smaller. And today, because of technology, the world has fallen into our grasps.

 

The Lord said in the Gospel of Luke, ‘to whom much is given, much is required.’ I wonder about that, not just individually, but congregationally. Will the Lord, does the Lord, expect more of us in this generation than He did of those in my grandfather’s generation? With a few strokes of a keyboard, I can send articles, sermons, class info world wide. Without ever leaving my house, I can go into all the world.

 

Now, with this comes some thoughts we need to consider:

 

First, we preachers need to think globally. It’s more than going overseas, and that’s powerful, but in providing the tools, the materials and the knowledge in the hands of brethren that can help them in their work. So, when we write Bible class material, write it with a global impact in mind. Make your material top notch. Clean up the mistakes and typos. Print in color if you can. Bind up the lessons into a booklet. Many hours went into researching and writing those classes. Put an attractive cover on those lessons and send them to young preachers and your contacts overseas.

 

Second, through websites, Facebook, and other avenues of social media, put quality material that is easy to find. Build search engines into the websites so people looking for a specific topic can find it. Don’t be stingy with your material and your work. Don’t sell everything that you put out. Make it possible for others to learn, grow and be equipped.

 

Third, as you do this, there comes a large shift in your work. Suddenly, you’ll find emails, texts, phone calls, and requests that start coming in from all over the world. You realize that most of these people will never attend where you preach. However, the kingdom is larger than just where you preach. If you are helping a soul, isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing? Congregations need to appreciate, be kept up to date and understand the global impact a church can have. This isn’t about making a name. This isn’t about promoting yourself. This is about helping the kingdom grow. This is about helping people learn the Bible. We have so many tools over here that folks in most of the world do not. Copy machines, computers, study materials, books—these are things at our finger tips. Most preachers overseas have only one Bible and that’s it. We have shelves lined with books. We have all kinds of tools. Help others with what you have. Many are now having live Bible studies over their computers with people overseas. It’s a wonderful opportunity to teach and help people grow in the Lord.

 

Fourth, going into all the world always takes money. It did back then for the apostles and it does for us today. For the apostles, going into the world meant either traveling in person, or writing a letter. Both took months and months to reach the desired destination. Today, emails can be sent rapidly within an hour world wide. Printing material takes money. Having quality material on a website takes money. Sending things overseas takes money. A congregation can get involved by first providing the money necessary to do these things. But in other ways, people can get involved by helping box and mail material. Others can keep the website up to date and fresh.

 

Fifth, in becoming a global church, we must never forget nor neglect the neighborhood around us. Nothing beats the personal, face to face Bible study. We must continue to invite family and friends to worship. We must keep setting the right example before others. We must pray that the Lord will wear us out in service to the kingdom.

 

It bothers me that so many congregations today do not want to use social media. No website. No Facebook. No twitter. And, often it’s older leaders that do not understand how the world operates today. Sometimes there is no one within the congregation with the knowledge of what to do. In those situations, ask around and find someone in another congregation that would be willing to help you get things going. The message of Christ never changes, but how we get that message out certainly has. In the Lord’s parable of the sower, walking through a field with a bag of seed slung over your neck is how it was done in Jesus’ day. Broadcasting—is that that was called. The sower would reach into that bag of seed and fling it out as far as he could. That method still works. It’s slow and one is limited, but it still works. Most farmers today, have massive tractors with dual wheels all around, and a planter that will plant twenty or more rows at a time. What it took a farmer all day in Jesus’ time, takes today’s farmer a couple of hours. We need to think about that. We must continue to sow the seed. That’s beyond debate and discussion. The question remains, are we going to walk through a field with a seed sack or are we going to use a multi-row planter?

 

Jump Starts in Uganda. When we started this little Jump Start journey a few years ago, I would have never dreamed that someone in Africa would be benefiting from what we were doing.

 

Simply amazing!

 

Roger

 

04

Jump Start # 2319

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2319

John 10:3 “To him the doorkeeper opens; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.”

Our verse taken from the good shepherd description of Jesus teaches us about leadership. Leadership is so important and leadership is sprinkled throughout our lives. The president leads our country. Coaches lead their teams. Teachers lead students. In the home, parents lead the children. In the church, elders or shepherds lead the congregation.

 

Some people are wired to be natural leaders. They are the take charge kind of people who understand what needs to be done. They have a natural vision about them. Others learn leadership. John Maxwell has built an empire on his leadership books and seminars. Some who are in the position of leadership are not leaders. We see this in the lives of many parents. Screaming, threatening, having meltdowns doesn’t lead to positive behavior. There are some bosses that are just bad bosses. They may understand how to make a product, but they do not understand how to lead people. There have been politicians that were terrible leaders. They took advantage of the people that trusted them, embezzled money to their own advantages and ignored the people that put them in office. Selfish and unconcerned are the very characteristics that destroy positive leadership. And, very sadly and tragically, there have been churches that put non-leaders in leadership roles. These men may be very capable of paying bills on time, making decisions about adding on to the church building, but what they lack is the qualities to lead people closer to the Lord. They don’t know how to do that and the church suffers.

 

Inherent in the concept of leading, is following. That’s what the context of John ten brings out. The good shepherd, Jesus, knows His sheep. He knows them by name. He calls them. He goes before them. And the sheep, recognize the good shepherd, trust the good shepherd and are willing to follow the good shepherd. What’s not found here, is the shepherd using pressure, guilt and fear to get people to follow him.

 

The thought behind these verses, borrowed from real shepherds in Judea, is that a shepherd would walk through the gates, calling his flock by name and his sheep would follow him out of the gates. The other sheep would remain. They don’t know the voice that is speaking. This describes a relationship that has been built through time. The shepherd knows the names of the sheep. The shepherd has spoken to the sheep many times. And, now, when it’s time to leave the pens and head out to the fields, the sheep follow, because they know that voice going before them.

 

From this a few thoughts:

 

First, we must recognize the voice of God. These days God does not speak directly to us. Few understand that. The common thought is that God still speaks to people, like He did to Moses or Abraham. The Scriptures teach us that in the last days, these days, God speaks through Jesus. For God to tell you something directly and personally, and He doesn’t tell me, makes God favor you over me. It makes following God confusing and defining righteousness an impossible task. How can we stand united with one mind and one voice as the New Testament teaches, if you are going left and I’m going right as a result of what God has told us personally? What’s God’s message? For you it may be this and for me it may be something different. Now, many folks equate their feelings as the same thing as God telling them things. So, someone says, “I really feel that God wants me to do this,” when truth be said, this is what they want and how they feel. They think if they feel a certain way, that’s God leading them. God’s message is never fuzzy and hard to figure out. It’s clear. God speaks through the words of the Bible. Words that have definitions. Words that can be translated. Words can be understood. Feelings are different for all of us. I could say, “You know how you feel on a dark rainy day…” Some would think, I love those days. Wrap yourself in a blanket, grab a book and have some quiet time. Others would say, “Oh, I know what you mean. I hate those dark rainy days.” We don’t feel the same.

 

How do we recognize the voice of our shepherd? We read the Bible. We put things together. And we start seeing, and understanding that God wants me to be holy and righteous. Those things do not fit together with a guy who is cheating on his marriage. Maybe he’s miserable. Maybe he’s told himself, “God wants me to be happy. And, I’m certainly never going to be happy married to the one that I am now. So, I’ll find my happiness elsewhere.” He’s not listening to the Shepherd. The shepherd never tells us to seek happiness, even if you have to violate Scriptures to accomplish that. He’s listening to Satan, and not to Christ.

 

Second, we learn from the Good Shepherd that we need to spend time and build trust with those we are leading. There is a relationship implied here. Voices are recognized. Trust is understood. Without those foundations, the leader must push, drive, scream, shout and force people to do things. The image of the Good Shepherd isn’t one of a drill sergeant chewing out a new recruit. We find love, care, and tenderness.

 

How do we move people to the next level? How do you get your kids from having to do things because you told them, to getting them to want to do things because they see what needs to be done? How do you get people off the sidelines spiritually and engaged in the work of the kingdom? Leadership—Jesus’ style of leadership.

 

The leader is before the sheep. That is example. The leader calls them. That’s teaching. The leader knows their name. That’s relationship. And, with those building blocks, parents and elders can lead those in their charge to a greater and better relationship with the Lord.

 

Forcing people usually fails. People don’t like to be pushed into things. They will generally resist. This method most often backfires. Rather than getting people where you want them to be, they will mutiny. They will rebel in the home and in the church they will leave.

 

The shepherd is good because of the way he leads. Give this some thought for our homes and our congregations.

 

Roger

 

 

 

03

Jump Start # 2318

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2318

Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age”

ESPN, the cable sports program, once ran a segment during football season in which they would show clips of bad plays, mistakes, missed calls and bloopers during the game. The segment was titled, “C’mon Man.” The host would shout, “C’mon man, what are you thinking…” I loved watching this, because it was so funny.

 

Our verse today from Titus, reminds us that because of God’s grace we ought to have learned some things. God’s grace is never deserved, expected nor something that God has to grant to us. Grace doesn’t make sense. It’s not getting off on good behavior. It’s not bestowed upon us after we have cleaned up our act. Without the grace of God we are not going to make it. We cannot be good enough, do enough, or be righteous without God’s mercy, favor and forgiveness.

 

God’s grace is shown in Hosea buying back his unfaithful wife. It is shown in the father celebrating the prodigal’s return. It is shown in Jesus not condemning a guilty woman caught in the arms of another man. Grace has allowed us to be forgiven, cleansed and righteous before God. We will be in Heaven not because we can name the books of the Bible in order or have perfect attendance at worship. We will be in Heaven because of God’s grace. Our faith and trust in God and His amazing mercy, love and grace for us, has made it possible for us to be Heaven bound people.

 

In our verse today, grace has changed us. Because of God’s grace we live sensibly, righteously and godly. When a policeman pulls you over for speeding and rather than giving you a ticket which you rightly deserve, he warns you, that’s a form of grace. As you pull back onto the highway, if you smoke your tires, and kick up a bunch of rocks on the hood of the police car, you’ll find your grace gone. You’ll get pulled over again. The cop will say, “Didn’t you learn anything?”

 

So, here is my “C’mon Man” List:

 

  • Here’s the guy who comes to worship but won’t stick around for Bible Class. C’mon Man! Do you think you don’t need to learn? If you got it down so well in your mind, why aren’t you teaching?

 

  • Here’s the person who spends the entire worship watching the crowd. They count how many times people go in and out. They notice who is sitting where. They pick up on what people are wearing. All of this gives them more ammo to talk about others. C’mon Man! How can you sit through a whole worship and miss God? You see all the faults of others, you notice who falls asleep, who is playing on their phone, and yet you never see that you have failed to worship God as well. What is worship about?

 

  • Here’s the person who barely gives any money on Sunday. Oh, he could. He has it, but he won’t let go of it. But as soon as services are over, and one of the kids comes up to him selling cookies or a fund raiser at school, he opens his wallet and goes overboard. C’mon Man! There’s nothing wrong with helping the kids out, but where’s your heart at when it comes to God’s kingdom? It takes money to keep the building nice. It takes money to print things, mail things and put things out on social media. It takes money to help preachers and do the good that needs to be done. You may not be able to preach. You may not be able to put things on social media. You may not be in contact with preachers all over the world. But what you can do is support those things. Support it with your heart, your money, your love and your prayers. If it were up to some folks, the kingdom would go bankrupt because they’d rather buy cookies than see good being done spiritually.

 

  • Here’s an elder and he’s gotten cranky in his old age. He’s forgotten that he’s a shepherd. He likes to boss, yell, and demand people to do things. People cower around him in fear. No one would dare talk to him about a personal problem because they know they will get a brow beating. He has forgotten that these are God’s people. C’mon Man! You can’t treat people that way. You’ll run them off. You’ll kill the church. You are setting a bad example. This is not how Jesus acted. This is not Biblical leadership. Men will run from the opportunity to serve because of the way this is being done. Abuse and fear and domination do not belong in the toolbox of the shepherd.

 

  • Here is a young Christian. He loves the Lord. He is busy all the time. He brings friends with him to services. He is doing all that he can. Some are jealous of him. Some think that he is doing too much. Some talk about him in a negative way. C’mon Man! He is doing more than the rest combined. Don’t get in his way. Encourage him. Help him. Pray for him. He is showing the rest of us what we ought to be doing. If we keep discouraging him, and throwing water on his fire, he’ll get disappointed and quit. We don’t want him to be like the rest of us. We need to be like him.

 

  • Here is a preacher who said something in his sermon that wasn’t correct. Someone pointed it out to him and now the preacher blows up. How dare anyone question him, is the atmosphere he presents. Rather than being humble, thankful and corrected, he makes a little thing a big thing. C’mon Man! You’re not the Lord and you certainly aren’t perfect. So you went to college. Big deal. You don’t know everything. If you can take a little criticism given in love to make you better, maybe you ought to get out of the way and let someone else preach. Word gets around. No one wants to cross the preacher. His ego gets the best of him and he begins to believe that he runs the place. “The place” is the church, and it’s not his, but the Lord’s. Get over it, Mr. Preacher. Calm down. Change your spirit it will ruin you.

 

  • Here is a congregation that is sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars. The bank roll grows and grows and no one wants to spend a dime. C’mon Man! The church isn’t in the banking business. Fear that something bad could happen keeps all the money safe in the bank. The building looks like a dump. Preachers could be supported. A presence on social media could spread the word. But that won’t happen in this place. They just keep adding more and more money. Some begin to question why they even give on Sunday. It just sits in the bank doing nothing. Get some insurance and keep just a little for a rainy day, and then have some faith in the Lord. Put that money in circulation and help the kingdom where you can. You wonder if this group ever read about the one talent man burying the talent in the ground. Not much difference here.

 

The grace of God has appeared teaching us…C’mon Man, don’t you get it? We are to be changed, better, spiritual and engaged in the kingdom. Haven’t we learned anything from grace?

 

C’mon Man! That’s one way to look at this.

 

Roger