17

Jump Start # 2511

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2511

Hebrews 11:37-38 “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”

Our passage today is a plateful of humble pride for us. Wrapping up this impressive chapter about the heroes of faith from the O.T., the Hebrew writer now summarizes and generalizes the time period. It was tough. They suffered. They went through incredible things. They did all of that on the other side of the cross. They didn’t fully know Jesus, the Gospel, nor the wonderful fellowship of God’s people. They believed. They put their faith before their wellbeing and even their safety. Truly, they endured.

Our Lord endured the cross. The pain He went through is off the charts. It’s hard to imagine not just having one hand nailed to a wooden cross, but the other and then the feet. Torture is the word we would use today.

Our apostles endured hostility and hardships. They were poorly clothed, roughly treated, reviled, persecuted and considered the scum of the earth. No one would want to be an apostle back then. They were hunted down. They were arrested, put in prison and eventually, put to death. No one was buying their meals. No one was giving them new suits to wear. No one was making a big deal out of them. They were servants of God and they had a job to do. The apostles endured.

All of this leads to a book I have been reading. It’s an old book, written in 1880. It’s about the early pioneer preacher Elijah Goodwin, who preached in Indiana and Illinois. He started out as a Newlight but quickly embraced the restoration concept. Notice a few sections I read recently:

  • “During the year 1842, I traveled 2,925 miles, and preached 450 sermons, and baptized 108 persons” (Life of Elijah Goodwin, pg 180).
  • The next year, 1843, he traveled “3,987 miles and preached 371 sermons. The traveling was all done on horseback” (pg 182).
  • On another occasion Goodwin says, “I preached five hours without leaving the stand. I spoke on the subjects, action and design of baptism. I preached two hours and thirty minutes, and then gave an intermission of fifteen minutes; then resumed the subject, and peached two hours and thirty minutes more, all before leaving the stand. The barn was a very large one, but it was full, and a great multitude stood in the street before a large open door the whole time, giving the most earnest attention to the discussion of this important subject” (pg 184).

Multiple times, Goodwin tells of crossing swollen streams and rivers, often in pouring rain or in snow storms. Traveling from Indiana to Illinois, he crossed the Wabash River often. The water often came up to the saddle and in the dead of winter, and being in a hurry to make the next place to preach, he didn’t change his wet clothes. He endured.

I have crossed the Wabash River many times—in a car, going over a bridge. There is no way I could make it on horseback, swimming the river. Elijah Goodwin endured.

Several lessons here:

First, God forgive me when I whine. A long day for me is nothing compared to what these faithful brethren went through. We complain if it’s too hot or too cold in the nice church building. We complain if the sermon is a bit longer than usual. And, we preachers can complain about how hard we have it. Shame on us.

Second, you’ll notice that God didn’t make things easy for these servants of His. They suffered. From the O.T. forward, they suffered. This world is not our home. Too much comfort, praise and ease can make us soft, lazy and lose our longing for Heaven. Paul told the preacher Timothy to endure hardships. That’s something we preachers need to remember. I think some want to leave town the moment any hardship comes their way. There are hardships and we stand in the shadows of these great people of faith when we simply do the work of God and endure.

Third, it’s easy to think each generation is more faithful than the next because of the hardships they endured. We tend to talk that way about life in general. Our kids get the idea that we walked up hill both to school and back home. They get the idea that it snowed in August. Were the O.T. heroes more faithful than the apostles? No. Are we to assume that Elijah Goodwin was more faithful than we are because he crossed icy rivers to preach? No. The suffering of the times is not what makes one faithful. It’s what is in our hearts. Sometimes the trials and hardships of life makes one rely more upon God. The good times can be harder on our faith. Affluence, peace, good times can make one take God for granted. We may not pray as much because our hearts are not broken and hurting.

Finally, each generation must do what they can for the Lord. We don’t travel by horse. I’ll be flying to other parts of this nation several times this year to preach. It’s our way of traveling. But we carry with us the same saving message of Jesus Christ. That doesn’t change. It never changes. Like it is said of David in Acts 13, we are to serve the purpose of God in our generation. For us, it’s using every tool that we can. It’s using social media, podcasts, emails, livestreaming. It’s writing blogs. It’s creating good class material. It’s mailing resources worldwide. It’s using our phones and sending texts to help people get closer to the Lord. We must pour our all into the grand work of the Lord. Do the work, is what Paul told the preacher.

If the Lord allows this place to continue on, will someone 175 years from now read about what we were doing and marvel? That I don’t know. Our concern is doing our all for now. Having a heart that is willing to endure and understanding that no sacrifice is too great for our Lord. When we put our comfort and wellbeing before the kingdom, things will take a turn for the worse.

Faith of our fathers…they inspire us, motivate us, challenge us, and encourage us. God bless all of them. And, in time, we become those very examples for those who follow us. Leave great footprints for all to see!

Roger

16

Jump Start # 2510

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2510

Nehemiah 4:6 “So we built the wall and the whole wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

  I love this verse, “the people had a mind to work.” Nehemiah, through his great leadership, got the people to clean up the rubble and rebuild the walls around Jerusalem in fifty-two days. That is remarkable. In our times, we couldn’t get all the permits cleared in fifty-two days. And, what Nehemiah did wasn’t easy. The people were complacent. The opposition was strong. There were multiple reasons why this could have easily turned into a ten year project. But it didn’t. The people had a mind to work. That didn’t mean the work was easy. That didn’t mean they weren’t tired. But with each man building a section of wall in front of his own house, insured that it would be built strong and secure.

  For the people had a mind to work. They didn’t at first. They didn’t on their own. But through teaching and leadership, all of that changed. The work was too much for one person. But together, with everyone having that mind to work, a great project was accomplished.

  Now, there are several, several lessons that flow from this thought.

  First, there is a need for strong, positive leadership that changes the will and the hearts of people. This is true in the home and this is true in the church. Screaming at the kids to get off the couch and go clean their rooms doesn’t work. Loading on the guilt at church doesn’t work well either. People need to be taught. People need to be shown. People need to be motivated. People need to be encourage.

  There are many men, both in the home and  in the shepherding role in the church, who do not know how to lead. They know how to bark out orders like in the military. They know how to scream, threaten, get mean and get ugly. But what they don’t know is how to develop a mind to work in others.

  Here are a few thoughts on that:

  The worthiness of the project needs to be seen. It’s like the story of the two stone masons working side by side. Asked what they were doing, one said, “I’m building a wall.” The other one said, “I’m building a cathedral in which God will be praised.” Same wall. Same project. Two different attitudes. The worthiness is shown by talking about the joy it will bring when the job is done. The good it will do for others when the job is done.

  Next, demonstrating that you are a servant helps others. Rather than just screaming at the kids to do something, help them. Show them. When my little grandkids visit, we get all the toys out and the basement is littered with stuff. Before they leave, I help them pick it all up. We sing a little song, “Clean-up, Clean-up.”  When the little ones see the big ones helping out, they’ll do their part. The work goes faster and it doesn’t fall to one person. “Can you help me,” is much more encouraging than, “you need to do this.” The bigger picture is not merely cleaning up a room, building a wall, but developing a mind to work. Having a heart of a servant.

 Then, you give it your all. You along with others work hard. You don’t cut corners. You don’t look for the easy way out. You don’t just shove things under the bed. You do it right and you do it right the first time. You give your all, because that’s the way things ought to be done. You give your all because that’s just the right way.

  And, you celebrate when you are done. For Nehemiah, they had a grand parade on top of that wall that was built. You might take those you worked with out to eat. You may spend some time watching a movie with the kids after you get the house cleaned.

  You have a mind to work. This is so lacking today. People want a paycheck but they don’t want to work. People are looking for the easy way out of things. Too many elders in God’s kingdom today do not know how to get people to have a mind to work. It’s that “want to” that good leadership changes. I know elders that clean the church building, because no one else will. I know congregations in which the same people are teaching year after year. Tired. Worn out. Burned out. But no one else will step up. Strong arm pressure is how far too many operate.

  Second, another great lesson here is having the mind to worship. When we gather, that’s the purpose. Shuffling in late, all the time, every time, and playing church is not having the mind to worship. Critical, complaining and sour spirits is not the mind to worship. Again, just like changing minds to work, leadership must change the minds to worship. What an honor, what a privilege it is to sing to God. What a joy it is to thank Him and glorify Him. What a delight it is to hear His word preached. Don’t hurry through worship. Don’t think other things are more important. Have a mind to worship. Get there early and stay late. Get there with a rested mind and a ready heart. Get there will joy, anticipation and excitement. Have a mind to worship.

  Third, have a mind to follow Christ. The way of the cross leads home, we sing. Having a mind to follow the Lord eliminates the need to try to convince a person about why this needs to be done. Christ forgives. Christ is right. Christ leads us to Heaven. Why wouldn’t we follow Him. It’s an easy choice. Follow Him through grace and forgiveness of others. Follow Him with the eyes of a servant. Follow Him by leaving steps for others to follow. When a person has this spirit and heart, they never ask, “Do we have to go to church on Wednesday?” They want to, because they are following Christ.

  Finally, have a mind to get engaged in kingdom work. Have a mind to work. Share things on your Facebook page that will help others spiritually. Pass along some sermon CD’s for others. Invite others to come worship with you. Be an encouragement to a young preacher. Find what you can do and then do it. Have a mind to work.

  The reformer Martin Luther said, “If everyone would sweep in front of their own home, the world would be cleaner.” Having a mind to work is where it begins. Don’t wait for others, they may not have that mind. Don’t do it for glory, a part on the back or any other praise. Just do it because a wall needs to be built. Work hard. Work often. And, before you know it, the project is completed.

  Have a mind to work…

  Roger

15

Jump Start # 2509

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2509

1 Timothy 4:8 “for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

For our readers who are not aware, we are broadcasting our “Heaven Bound” podcast. Every week we are putting three different lesson content on the podcasts. On Mondays, it is “Jump Start Rewinds.” I read a Jump Start from the achieves. On Wednesdays, it is “This week at Charlestown Road.” We talk about something from the sermons presented on Sunday and then give a little sneak peak to what we will be preaching the following Sunday. On Friday, it’s “Heaven Bound.” This is our conversation platform about all kinds of things connected to our journey to Heaven. If you are interested, you can subscribe for free to this podcast in a variety of places. It’s called, “Heaven Bound.”

I have been listening very intently to these first few podcasts. I’m listening to volume, inflections, transitions, dead air space and all the critical things that I pick up on that most would never hear. In doing this, I’m listening to myself. Most all of my preaching career, I have been recorded. With the congregation I’m at now, we videotape and live stream our services. And, after all of these years, I still cringe when I hear myself speak. I don’t like the sound of my voice. Most preachers I talk to have a really hard time listening to themselves. How I hear my voice is not the way it sounds on podcasts and recordings.

But if we stretch that thought, most people do not like the way that they look. Growing up I had very red, wavy hair. Hated it. Some don’t like the looks of their nose. Some have ears that stick out. Some have knobby knees. For others, it’s freckles. Some think they are too short. Some think they are too wide. The truth is, most do not like the way they look. Then we walk by the magazines in the grocery store and we see what movie stars look like with the perfect face, or the perfect hair, or the perfect body. We sigh, knowing that we’ll never look like that. Truth be, most of them do not look that way either. One magazine cover proudly stated that the cover actress had the perfect look. It was found out that the magazine company paid $1,500 just to clean up the photo and remove lines and change skin tones and color to create “the perfect look.” The actress didn’t actually look like that.

Now all of this brings us to our verse today. Paul makes a contrast. The contrast is between the inside and the outside. The contrast is between physical exercise and spiritual exercise. It’s between bodily discipline and godliness.

Physical exercise has some value. That’s been proven medically. Get up and move about. Eat right. It’s good for you. However, the body still wears out. It is still appointed unto man to die. Bodily exercise won’t do you much good in the next world. A healthy physical heart is not the same as a strong spiritual heart.

Godliness makes a difference here and there. It changes us here and it prepares us for there. It builds our character and strengthens our hope. Godliness makes us stand in the shadow of God. Compassion, grace, forgiveness, goodness, service, faithfulness, truth, these are all the components of godliness. And, those things are manifested now. They are shown in the way we treat others. They are demonstrated at home, at work and in the church house. But the beautiful thing about godliness is that through faith, we have can and we will be with God. We will see His face.

Knowing this contrast, it is obvious where one needs to pour most of their attention and effort. It has to be in becoming godly. Eating right is great, but what are you pouring into your heart? Walking 10,000 steps a day is fine, but are you walking with the Lord? One can be in poor health, yet have strong faith in the Lord. But if one is strong in body, but weak in soul and spirit, he won’t make it to Heaven.

And, all of this reminds us of what we can and what we cannot change. I don’t like the sound of my voice. There’s not much I can do about that. I suppose if a person didn’t like the way they looked, and they had the money, they could change the shape of their nose or ears. That sounds painful to me. You can’t really stretch a short guy into being a tall person. There are some things that we can’t change. There may be some things about ourselves that we do not really like, but there’s not much we can do about it. It’s the way the Lord made you. However, there are things that we can change. We can become godly. We don’t have to accept living with a negative or soul attitude. That’s your choice. You can change that. You don’t have to be judgmental. That’s a choice you make. You don’t have to be demanding and mean. That’s a choice you make. You don’t have to be selfish. That’s a choice. You don’t have to be stingy. That’s a choice.

The most important part of you is not the way you look but your heart and your character. And, those things, the most important things, you can change. Spend time with the Lord. Walk with Jesus through the Gospels and notice how He treated others. You can do that. Learn, as James teaches us, to listen more and speak less. Learn to control your anger and not let so many things upset you. You can learn to be thankful. You can put on a heart of a servant. All of these things are choices. All of these things can be changed.

Sadly, far too many spend most of their time trying to change the exterior of how they look but the insides remain unchanged. Jesus referred to the judgmental Pharisees in this way. They were like a cup that was clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside. They were like a tombstone, bright and nice, but under the ground was rotting flesh. The Pharisees majored in making sure the outside looked good. Where they failed was changing what they really could change, their insides. Their insides ruined the way they looked on the outside.

There are things you can change and things you cannot change. The things you can change, you ought to. The things you can change are the most important. It is these things that will determine whether you are godly or not. Godliness is profitable for all things. It always fits. There is never a time, nor a place when being godly isn’t good.

Let’s change what really needs to be changed.

Roger

14

Jump Start # 2508

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2508

1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice always.”

I was reading through this section of Thessalonians recently and found something very interesting. It’s not what the text says, but what the text doesn’t say. The context reads as we’d commonly call today a list of bullet points. For instance, we find:

  • Rejoice always (16)
  • Pray without ceasing (17)
  • In everything give thanks (18)
  • Do not quench the Spirit (19)
  • Do not despise prophetic utterances (20)
  • Examine everything carefully (21)
  • Abstain from every form of evil (22)

Simple and practical reminders of our walk with the Lord. But do you notice a few things that are missing?

First, Paul doesn’t go into detail telling us why we need to do these things. He just says to do them. Why rejoice always? Why pray without ceasing? Why give thanks for everything? It seems that the brethren knew. They didn’t have to be taught why. They just needed a reminder to do these things.

Second, Paul doesn’t bring up great examples from the O.T. showing the value of doing these things. He didn’t quote many verses, in fact, none in this section. He just gave a list of things to do.

Third, Paul doesn’t paint a picture of what life looks like if we don’t do those things. He doesn’t show the bitter consequences of life without rejoicing or prayer. He doesn’t use guilt to shame the brethren into doing these things.

I look at that list and think about how we preach these days. Most would feel the need to fill in the gaps, prove the points, back them up with Scriptures, and build and build upon these thoughts. When we were done, they would no longer look like bullet points. They would resemble paragraphs and lengthy sermons. Most of us would not dare get up on a Sunday and say, “I want to share with you seven thoughts that will make a difference in your week.” Then, read these seven bullet points as Paul wrote them and sit down. It’d take about two minutes to do that. The congregation would feel cheated. We preachers would feel embarrassed and would expect a talking to by the shepherds.

Could it be that Paul understood that the young Thessalonian believers knew and understood these things. Nothing more needed to be said. He wasn’t trying to convince them. They already knew. He was merely trying to motivate them and move them to action. “Why should we,” is not a reaction that would come from these people. They knew why. It was a matter of remembering to do these things.

All of this gets to the profound importance of knowing your audience. Jesus understood His audience. Paul, through the Holy Spirit, knew his audience. Possibly we are spending too much time trying to explain things to people who already know what we are saying. Rather than teaching, and trying to show, maybe we need to be motivating and moving some to action. Preaching the word involves challenging complacent people to do what they know they ought to do. They simply aren’t doing it. It’s not knowing, but the doing that needs to be worked on. We must know our audience.

And, all of that leads to the idea of application. A sermon without any application is nothing more than sharing information and a college lecture. Knowing dates, facts, words about the Bible is extremely helpful, but after all of that, what’s the point? A sermon ought to persuade a person to action. It ought to bring a sinner to Christ and cause a disciple to step a bit closer to the Lord. Have you noticed how Jesus preached? Simple. Practical. Plain. Understandable. Memorable. Useful. Helpful. Life changing. If anyone could have lowered the nets on knowledge, it would have been Jesus. Can you imagine Jesus saying, “I’m going to take five minutes and tell you what We did on the first day of Creation. Here’s how it all came about.” He didn’t do that. As He spoke, He could have traced the common Greek language back through other languages to what the original language was. He could have explained how words came about. He didn’t do that. He could have explained the history of the Egyptian gods and how they were borrowed from other civilizations. He didn’t do that. Look at the sermon on the mount. Pointed, but practical. Plain, but powerful. Look at the model prayer. Short statements. Simple words. Who was Jesus preaching to? Fishermen. Housewives. Slaves. Common laborers. Not dumb, but not intellectual elites, either. God chose a common language fit for a common people. The message, although from Heaven, was something that the common man would understand.

This is not a call to dumb down the message, but rather to speak to audience. Who is in the audience? Nurses. Retired people. Housewives. Mechanics. Engineers. Doctors. School teachers. Busy people. Good people. Common people. Are we speaking their language? Do they understand and more so are we handing them things that they can use? What are the things that are keeping these people awake at night? It’s their families, worried about them. Thinking about money and if there will be enough in the future. Health. Life. It’s those kinds of things that Jesus took to the people. Showing how trusting in God, they can be righteous people. It’s those same things that we need to be preaching these days. It’s where the people are at and it’s what the people are needing.

A series of simple bullet points. How simple. How profound. How powerful. They understood what Paul meant. They got it. He could say in brief statements what some of us are trying to say in 45 minutes. Maybe we ought to learn from these things. It’s not the length, it’s the content. It’s knowing the audience and it’s speaking to them in such a way that it will make a difference in their lives.

The Gospel needs to land on everyone’s front porch! That’s the key.

Roger

13

Jump Start # 2507

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2507

1 Peter 3:1 “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives.”

Love and marriage—not always easy topics to teach, to understand, and more so, to live. That “two becoming one,” often is a battle of which one. Here, late in the first century, Peter is writing about mixed marriages—one is a disciple and one is not. Specifically in this context, the wife is a Christian and the husband is not. We see that today. It’s a Sunday morning, and there is a young mother with backpacks, sippy cups, and an armful of kids, but no husband to help her. She’s not a single mom, yet, on Sunday’s she actually feels like she is. Where’s the husband? He’s in bed. He’s out fishing with the boys. He’s with his family. He’s doing a thousand things other than worshipping his God. He’d rather do nothing, and many do, than come to worship. He doesn’t understand, nor does he want to understand.

And, for this young mother it’s hard. She is trying to instill the virtues of Christ into the hearts of her children. She wants them to grow up knowing the Lord. It’s a hard and lonely journey for her. Her husband often begs her to skip worship services. He plans trips that would take her away from worship. He wants her to be with him and he doesn’t seem to care if that would kill what faith she has.

So, every Sunday, this young mother loads the car by herself and heads down to the church building. She knows the day is coming when the kids will want to stay home like daddy does. That’s a battle for another day and she dreads it. At home, there are other battles, all the time. She is the one to remind the family to pray before they eat. She is the one who corrects the children on their behavior and teaches them forgiveness and sharing. She loves her husband and he is good to her and makes good money, but she never saw all this when she got married. She’d love to have some couples over but her husband doesn’t want to be around “those church people.” She’d like to come to more things going on at the church, but she knows for now that she can’t. She remembers as a child that her parents kept visiting preachers in their home. She knows better than bringing that up. She feels pulled both ways and tries her best to keep a good face through it all.

Our verse today, identifies an approach to try to convert a mate who is not a Christian. The passage begins with, “In the same way,” which takes one back through the suffering of Jesus, as the last chapter ended. Jesus suffered, but He kept quiet. But even before that, Peter takes us back to the relationship servants had with their masters. Some were not kind. They were not reasonable. They were not gentle. Even then, these Christian servants were to be submissive. Don’t be mouthy. Don’t be rebellious. Don’t be threatening. Don’t be ugly. One can’t be submissive and be that way.

It is in “this way” that Peter says, “In the same way, you wives…” Your husbands may not be kind. They may not be understanding. They may not be good. YET, God expects us to do what is right. We do what is right, regardless of how others are. We do not determine our behavior based upon what others do. We act, not react. We choose.

So, these Christian women were to be submissive to their non-Christian husbands. They were to be chaste, respectful, gentle and kind as the following verses reveal. They were not to get into knock-down, drag out fights. They were not to be shouting. They were not to be demanding. They were not to be threatening, including saying, “I’ll divorce you,” or “I’ll take the kids and leave.” One can’t be submissive while carrying such a twisted attitude and spirit. Our verse says that these husbands may not listen to the word, but they are seeing character and behavior. They are noticing things. Consistency. Righteousness. Faithfulness. Hope. Love. A gentle heart. A serving heart. A good heart. A thankful heart.

Some thoughts for us:

First, we need to teach our young people about dating and marrying people of faith. One tends to marry who they date. So if the date people who have no interests in the Lord, then they will marry people who have no interests in the Lord. Kissing a frog does not turn one into a prince. That’s the stuff of fairy tales. If you hang with frogs, you’ll get a frog. Far too often our young people are only looking at the exterior of a person. What’s on the inside. What dreams do they have? How do they treat others? How selfish are they? What do they think about the Lord? It’s not enough to marry a Christian, we must marry someone who will help you get to Heaven. Marry someone who will take the Lord seriously. Marry someone who understands commitment.

Second, from our passage, the behavior of the wives is something that takes time. It’s not going to happen in a week. Year in and year out. Your attitude. Your choice of words. You commitment to the Lord. All of these things matter. Compromising here and there. Bending the rules here and there. Not having spiritual habits at home are things that will be noticed.

Third, Peter is hopeful. He believes that these husbands can be won to the Lord. He doesn’t see this as a losing cause. He doesn’t see that there is no hope. It helps to pray and pray daily for the conversion of your spouse. It helps to introduce them to quality spiritual people that you know. Sometimes there is a false barrier in the minds of some. They think that they have to be perfect. Or, they think that they will have to give up all fun in their life. Or, they think that they will be judged for everything that they do. Being around high quality spiritual people that are real and joyous and easy to talk to may help them build some bonds and remove some of these false things in their minds.

Fourth, don’t give up. Never give up. As long as there is life in their bodies, keep praying, trying and doing things. To give up is to give your husband over to the devil. You can’t do that. Fight tooth and nail for his soul. Don’t get discouraged and especially don’t get upset. Talk to others who have been in your shoes. And, keep praying.

Finally, understand that if the Lord can make the sun stand still, part seas, send locusts, shut the mouths of lions, rescue his people from prison, he can do mighty things in your life. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Having a conversation about the Lord is a great starting place. Let your husband ask questions. You may not know the answers, but others can help you find them. Let him see why this is so important to you and why it’s not church, but it’s the Lord that has changed your life. Some have had a bad experience in the past. Some have assumed that all churches are the same. They are not. Try reading a few passages together.

It is interesting that Peter doesn’t place the conversion of these husbands upon the church, the sermons, or, the preacher, but upon the behavior of the wives. How we treat one another can do more than a month of sermons.

Roger