21

Jump Start # 2536

Posted on February 21, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2536

Acts 11:29 “And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.”

Our verse today is about the church at Antioch. It was an amazing congregation. It was a church of “firsts.” It was the first Gentile congregation. It was the first place where the word “Christian” was used. It was the first to send out preachers. And, from our verse today, two more “firsts.”

This is the first time we read about money being sent from one congregation to another. There was a reason. There was a need. The brethren in Judea were suffering from a famine. Those in Antioch sent money to help the brethren in Judea. The other “first” here is that this is the first time a Gentile church helped out a Jewish church. That is remarkable. There were so many cultural differences and prejudices between Jews and Gentiles. One wonders if the roles were reversed, would the Jewish brethren send help to the Gentile brethren. We would hope so. Being one in Christ cancels all differences that we may have. Being of the same spiritual family pulls us together rather than separates us.

There are some amazing principles that we see with Antioch. They become a model for churches, even today. They had open eyes. They had big hearts. They grasped the concept of brotherhood and love. They had great leadership. And, they did something. What they did would make a difference for the suffering saints in Judea.

Let’s consider some thoughts from Antioch:

First, the church is not in the banking business. There are times and there are places when one would wonder about that. Too many congregations have fat bank accounts that are sitting there gathering dust. And, I know the justification. I’ve heard it for years. “You never know when we might need it.” “You never know when there might come a need.” And, my rely? Do you have insurance? Stick a little back to cover a deductible and then have some faith. Put that money to use in the kingdom. Find wonderful ways to use that money. It may be in supporting other preachers, but that’s not the only, and sometimes not even the best use of the money. Look around where you are. Is it time to clean up and update the church building? Some places are real dumps. While we live in nice homes, the church buildings are plagued with mold, junk and are dark like a dungeon. If you want to bring folks in, show that you take seriously the worship and the work of God. Next, look about what you are doing to get the word out. Do you have a great website? How about a Facebook presence? How about launching things on Facebook? How about a podcast? How about putting out material that looks great in both content and eye appeal? All of that takes money. Don’t have anyone who can do a website? Hire it out. Got an old black and white copier? Get a color copier. That costs. Yes, it does. Is it better to do things that can encourage, teach and help others or just fatten the bank account?

Second, Antioch had the core ingredients that makes a powerful church. Their members were active. We see that in our verse today. Each of the disciples determined to send money. This wasn’t a decision of the elders. The members were engaged, busy and active. Second, a powerful church must have money and resources. One poor guy can’t really help another poor guy. The saints in Antioch had money. They were willing to share it with those in Judea. It takes resources, talent and active members to do things. Next, they hand open doors and open hearts. You can have all kinds of resources, but if you don’t have any opportunity to use that talent, it doesn’t do much good. Antioch had a door of opportunity. Not only could they help the Christians in Judea, but they could also send Barnabas and Paul off on their first missionary journey. Sometimes opportunity stands before us and we do not even recognize it. Sometimes we miss opportunities because we move too slowly. Antioch didn’t seem to have to have months and months of discussion about sending money to Judea. The need was presented and they seemed to jump on it. And, obviously, running through all of this is incredible leadership. Leaders who understand the way of God. Leaders who can touch lives and get folks motivated. Leaders who know how to rally people around a just and good cause.

Powerful churches—there doesn’t seem to be many around these days. Oh, there are plenty of congregations, but active members, open doors, having the resources, incredible leadership—now, that’s what’s missing. People show up at the church building for worship without a purpose, mission or a need. Little to prayer for. Little to give for. Little to be excited about. Little to volunteer for. Not Antioch. Sending money and sending preachers—what a great place with a great heart.

Third, the Lord said to whom much is given, much is required. We are living in times when we can become a global church. It doesn’t take sending a Barnabas and a Paul in a boat to reach others. Not these days. Through email, social media, live Bible studies can be conducted across the oceans. Things can be sent to brethren in far away places that have no means, resources to have tools in their hands to teach, encourage and spread the word of God. It’s time that we lifted up our eyes and looked upon the fields. There are so many powerful and wonderful ways to spread God’s word, here and globally that could never be done before. I wonder when our days have ended here, if the Lord will ask us about these things. He might say, “You could watch Netflix from your bed, send an email to a friend hundreds of miles away, look at Facebook all day long, but you never thought about using things like that to spread My word?” Can you imagine what an Antioch church would be doing today with our technology and resources? And, yet, too many are content to do as little as they can. Content to stay in the dark ages. Content to just let things be. Content to watch the church whither and die. Content to just float along.

I believe there are several Antioch congregations around today. You hear about them. You hear about them because they are busy doing things. They are pushing and pushing the limits of what they can do to encourage, teach and spread the word of God. You ought to go visit some of these places. You ought to call up the leaders and ask to meet with them. You ought to go with a notepad and get ideas. You ought to see the good that is being done worldwide. God left us an example in the Scriptures of such an incredible church.

Antioch—the church of firsts.

Roger

20

Jump Start # 2535

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2535

Luke 10:30 “Jesus replied and said, ‘A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead.”

  Our verse today comes from the amazing parable we call the Good Samaritan. Jesus told this for a reason. This story was the Lord’s answer to a question. A Jewish lawyer was quizzing Jesus. He was asking about the what it takes to inherit eternal life. Lawyers knew that. They weren’t attorneys of law like we have. These were people who spent their days studying the law of God. Exactness and accuracy was what they were after. So, he pretty much knew the answer even before he asked. He wanted to see what Jesus knew.

  Jesus turned it on him. “What does the law say,” is what Jesus asked. The lawyer responded, it seems without hesitation, love God and love your neighbor. That’s it. You answered correctly, is what Jesus said. But the lawyer wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to push the buttons of Jesus. He asked, maybe even sarcastically, “And, who is my neighbor?” The good Samaritan parable is the Lord’s answer. That’s who your neighbor is. Any one in need that you can help.

  The focus of the parable is on the good that the Samaritan did. The priest and the Levite did nothing. Their closed hearts and closed wallets nearly left the half dead man completely dead. The hero wasn’t a Jew. It was a Samaritan.

  Our verse starts the story. It tells us all that Jesus needed for us to know. But is it enough? There are some gaps that we just want to fill. There are some things that we want to know. For instance:

· Why was he travelling alone. That wasn’t smart. Even though this was just a story, it wasn’t make believe. That winding, twisting road was known to be dangerous. It was a sure place to get robbed. This guy wasn’t street smart. Why wasn’t he travelling with others?

· Why didn’t he carry some protection on him? The story may have been different if he was armed with a sword. He should have known better.

· Why didn’t he tell others of his plans so they could have been waiting for him and watching for him?

· Why did he not see the robbers and run from them? Was he not paying attention?

· Was he followed out of the city? Had the robbers seen this man flashing cash around and thought that he was an easy target? Was he aware of what was going on around him?

· If this stretch of road was known to be a high crime area, why didn’t soldiers patrol it and make it safe? Where was the protection? Taxes were paid, yet where were the soldiers?

  None of these questions make Jesus’ story. He doesn’t address any of these. You and I could sit and kick these thoughts around for a whole Bible class. We could say what he should have done. We could talk about what would prevent this from happening in the future. Around and around we could talk about this. Some could even conclude that “he got what he deserved. He shouldn’t have been on that road.” And for all that talk and all that discussion and all that guessing and speculation, without realizing it we find ourselves on the other side of the road, standing with the priest and Levite.

  Along comes the Samaritan. He felt compassion, not questions for the injured man. He bandaged him up, put him on his donkey and brought him to an inn and took care of him. The Samaritan had other places to go. He left money to take care of the injured man and he left a promise to repay any more that was spent. He didn’t have to do that. It wasn’t his responsibility. It wasn’t his problem. He had done enough. But that’s what compassion will do.

  The Samaritan doesn’t seem to ask any of the questions that we might have asked. It didn’t seem to bother him that the hurt man was a Jew and Jews didn’t like Samaritans. He understood that pain is pain. And pain doesn’t recognize the color of skin, one’s faith, or one’s status. A man was hurting and he could do something. And, he did.

  The spirit of the Samaritan is lived and illustrated in Jesus Christ. The Servant of God who cured lepers, helped Gentiles and was a friend to tax collectors. I wonder if we ask too many questions today. I wonder if we want to put someone through a process similar to being pre-qualified for a loan before we are willing to help. I wonder if we look for ways to back out of helping because a guy wasn’t smart in his decisions, or he wasn’t doing what we would do.

  I think the Samaritan realized two things:

  First, all of us have been helped by God. God sends the rain and the sunshine to all of us, not just the righteous. Not just His people. God has helped us. When one gets that, he is more likely to help others.

  Second, travelling that same Jericho to Jerusalem road, the Samaritan knew that it could have been him that was beat up. Likely, any Jew coming along would not have stopped. One never knows when the time comes that they will need help. It’s great to be a servant and God wants that from us. But, there comes a time when we must allow others the opportunity to serve. Sometimes our pride keeps that from happening. We don’t open up. We won’t allow others to help. We keep things close to the vest and much too often we suffer, when we wouldn’t have to.

  God arranged for His children to help each other. Family, even spiritual, needs to step up and do their part. That’s the way God made things. We can count on each other. We are there for each other. We support each other. Most do not like asking for help. We’ve seen others who abused and took advantage of this. It seems like we’ve failed and not done our part, if we must ask for help. But there are times when the hole is too deep for us to crawl out of on our own. We need a helping hand to pull us up.

  You will notice in the Lord’s story that the injured man never speaks a word. He never asks for help. He never says “thank you.” The Samaritan saw a need and he jumped into action. If we wait for a person to ask, sometimes they never will. If we only do good to get a shout out or a pat on the back, then our intentions are not as they should be.

  The Samaritan showed the lawyer who is neighbor was. It was a stranger. Different in faith, different in background. And, the Samaritan showed what it means to love your neighbor. It means to put some action behind those words. It means to jump in and do what you can.

  That’s love. We have a big family in Christ worldwide. There are folks needing help all the time. Keep your eyes open. Do what you can. Have compassion. Pray deeply.

  Roger

19

Jump Start # 2534

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2534

Luke 18:18 “A ruler questioned Him saying, ‘Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’”

Let’s start with a question. Not the question from our verse today, but a question I have for you. What name, title, or expression was Jesus called the most in the Gospels? Think about that for a moment. It might surprise you. He wasn’t called, “Jesus” very often. Messiah or Christ isn’t the answer. It’s not even ‘Lord.’ Jesus was called “teacher,” more than any other expression.

Our verse today is one example of that. The young ruler begins his conversation with, “Good teacher”. Nicodemus called Jesus “rabbi”, which means teacher and then said, “we know that you have come from God as a teacher.” When the Sadducees came to Jesus with the hypothetical story about a woman who eventually married several brothers in one family, they wondered who she would be married to in the resurrection. They presented the question by saying, “Teacher”. When Mary saw the resurrected Jesus she called Him “Rabboni,” which means teacher. In fact, Jesus referred to Himself as the teacher. When He told the disciples to go into the city to prepare the Passover, they were to find a certain man and tell him, “The Teacher says…” In John 13:13 Jesus said, “You call be teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. “

Interestingly, as a teacher, Jesus never once told the disciples to take notes. He never told them to memorize things. He never gave them homework to do. He never made them take quizzes to see if they understood what He was saying.

But also, Jesus did not teach the disciples “everything” that He knew. Jesus was God on earth, the creator. He knew all things. He knew how to build skyscrapers. He knew how to build a computer and send emails. He knew how to cure leprosy, the flu and even cancer. Jesus could have taught the disciples about sanitation systems in cities and that would have prevented terrible diseases. But He didn’t. He could have told His disciples about refrigeration and that would have prevented food from spoiling. But He didn’t. So many health, safety and life improvements that Jesus could have shared with the disciples. He didn’t. That wasn’t the reason why He came. It wasn’t to make life longer or better here. It was to save the souls of mankind.

Also, Jesus didn’t let the crowds determine what He was going to teach. Jesus never asked, “What do you want to talk about today?” He had an agenda and He stuck with it. Too often, allowing others to decide what they want to talk about isn’t what is most pressing nor important. Get a group of teens together and you let them set the topic and it may be an eventful and fun hour, but it may not be the life lessons that they really need to know.

Also, unlike the teachers or rabbis, of the day, Jesus didn’t seem to have the right credentials to be a teacher. He was not taught by any formal rabbis. He never wrote a book, as rabbis had. He never taught in schools as rabbis did. He did not have a formal pedigree as teachers then or even today do. If Jesus were on earth today, He would not be allowed to teach in any of our universities. He had no degree. He had no formal training. Yet, the crowds still flocked to hear Jesus. When He spoke, the multitudes were astonished. They had never heard anything like what Jesus was saying.

Jesus accomplished three things when He taught.

First, He made people think. His lessons, especially the parables, had a wonderful way of pulling the audience into the stories. He didn’t teach theories. He was personal, practical and pointed. Jesus used the word “you,” often. He was talking to the audience and they knew that.

Second, Jesus had a way of putting people of the horns of dilemma. More than just making them think, Jesus challenged where they were. He challenged what they had heard and what they had been taught. He did this by speaking with authority. He never guessed. He was absolute and specific. He used the Scriptures as if He had authored them, which He had.

Our verse today is a great example of this. The young ruler comes to Jesus wanting to know about inheriting eternal life. Jesus went to the Scriptures. Jesus then made it personal. Jesus left him with a challenge, sell all that you have, give it to the poor and come and follow Me. There was no getting around that. Specific. Clear. Absolute. Now, it was up to the young man what he wanted to do. Obviously, this wasn’t the answer he anticipated. This didn’t turn out the way he expected.

Third, Jesus made it possible for people to change. He always painted a picture that the audience could see and the audience would desire. Things can be better. You don’t have to continue this way. This is true for the woman caught in adultery. This is true for the young man in our verse today. This is the thread running through the sermon on the mount. Jesus always had a door open for change. It was up to the people.

Jesus, the teacher. Now, pulling all of this together, do I allow Jesus to teach me? Do I come to the Scriptures with a heart that wants to learn, change and be better? Do I read the Bible simply to satisfy the shame and guilt for not reading or do I read to become a better person? Having spent time in worship and Bible classes, am I growing, learning and doing better?

Some of this is answered by my actions. Do I even bring a Bible to worship? Do I bring things to write down? Do I take what I have learned and keep them so I can go back and go over them again? When I miss a Bible class, do I try to find out what I missed? If my actions in worship were used by a child in school, would they be learning or would they be flunking out? Why is it that some have been Christians for decades and they still do not seem to know the most simple concepts of the Bible? Could it be that they have never learned from the Teacher.

The great commission includes, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.” Teaching. The teaching Jesus. We can learn how to teach by looking at Jesus. But better than that, we can learn life by allowing Jesus to teach us.

Open your eyes…open your heart…open your Bible—allow Jesus to teach you. He will change you. He will help you. He will make you what you ought to be.

Roger

18

Jump Start # 2533

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump start # 2533

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired of God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

I have been teaching Isaiah. It’s a long book. Sections of it seem slow and repetitive. As I was working on Isaiah a thought occurred to me. Isaiah is sixty-six chapters or 1291 verses. (I looked that up). In contrast, Obadiah, is one chapter and 21 verses. Isaiah contains a little more than 37,000 words. Obadiah, 669 words. The average 30-minute speech (or sermon) is about 4,000 words (unless you talk fast like me). Obadiah is shorter than a 30 minute sermon. In fact, on average, a person speaks about 135 words a minute. Using that as a baseline, Obadiah was about a five minute lesson. Clearly an understanding of MAJOR prophet and MINOR prophet. But why did God do things this way? Why was there two inspired letters to Corinth and not two to Philippi? Why is Isaiah so long and Obadiah so short? Obadiah could have written his message in less than an hour. Isaiah was written over long sections of time, starting with the reign of Uzziah, through Jotham, Ahaz and ending with Hezekiah. We are talking about years. Now, that brings more questions. Did Isaiah deliver his message in pieces during the different time periods?

We have our Bibles as they are, but there are many things about this that just makes us wonder. Didn’t God have more for Obadiah than simply 21 verses? Was that enough? Why did Isaiah have to be so long? Was that necessary?

Now, some thoughts:

First, God always knows what He is doing and He always does what is right. Always. Obadiah is 669 words and Isaiah is 37,000 words because God wanted it that way. Obadiah had a small, limited and specific target audience. Isaiah was dealing with Israel, Judah, Assyria, Babylon and neighboring nations. Isaiah covers a large segment of Biblical history. The value of the book is not in it’s size. Every book of the Bible is necessary and is profitable as our passage today reminds us.

Second, God’s message is not about fairness to those who penned the books. Obadiah got 669 words from the Holy Spirit and Isaiah got 37,000. In our thinking we would have divided this up some and given both about an equal amount from the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t operate the way we think. There was a reason and God used these writers as He saw best.

Third, there is value in each book of the Bible. Our verse tells us that God’s inspired word is profitable. It’s not a waste of time to read. When one reads the Bible, they are diving into the heart and the mind of God. With an open mind, our hearts are touched, challenged, taught and moved by the word of God. Far too many today would rather hear jokes from the preacher than to hear him read Scriptures. Jokes makes us feel good but they don’t do anything for us. God’s word is powerful. It leads to salvation. It opens the gates to freedom. It builds faith. It shores the soul. It enables us to know the Lord, overcome fear, chase worry away and stand firm against Satan. Reading the Bible is a lifelong journey. The guy who carries a worn out Bible likely does not have a worn out heart. He has learned through those wonderful pages the love of God. He knows what’s coming. He knows how to please God. His life is wrapped around the pages of God’s word and that word will lift up when troubles come.

Fourth, every book of the Bible has an immediate purpose and place. God didn’t just pick men to write so He could have a big book. There is no “filler” or unnecessary parts of the Bible. Most of us today are not as strong as we’d like to be when it comes to the prophets. It’s hard to understand Hebrew poetry and prophetic language. It takes some digging. It takes some homework. It takes some effort. Some books, such as Proverbs or James, are so plain and straight forward, one can’t miss the point. The hard thing about those books are not understanding, but the doing.

Fifth, there is a place for outside reference books that brings insight into understanding the times, the words and the culture in which the Bible was written. When we look at the Bible through American eyes, we often miss the point God is trying to make. However, one must realize that external books are written by man and not God and they may or may not always be true. And, we must appreciate that God’s word stands alone. A person living a long time ago, without any of these modern reference books was capable of knowing God’s will. If it takes modern reference books to know God’s will, then for centuries and centuries no one really knew what God was saying. That thought is troublesome and relies too heavily upon modern scholars.

Finally, God’s word is only as good as we use it. A Bible on the shelf that is never opened does one very little good. It is shocking to me in our times that when a death occurs in the family that no one knows a preacher to call. No one in the family worships. No one in the family has any religious ties. So, some guy at work, or some neighbor, who happens to go to some church is called. They want their preacher to come and put mamma in Heaven. They have no idea what the preacher believes. They don’t know if that even matters. A stranger preaching a stranger’s funeral. I’ve been that preacher. Very awkward. Very odd. Very sad. In the families mind, mamma is dancing with Elvis up in Heaven, having a blast and having a cold beer. They don’t know. They have never opened their Bibles up to read.

Our times would be much better if people opened the Bible and followed it. Instead, we have trained professors telling our young people that God didn’t write the Bible. We have modern preachers telling their audiences, that culture changes the Bible. We have political candidates who try to convince the nation that abortion is a wonderful right and choice, and, homosexuality is just the way God made you. And, the foolish nation agrees. Why not? With Bibles closed they will never know.

God’s word is powerful, profitable and pleasing to Him. We must be sure that it is pleasing to us. We do this by knowing it, believing it, following it, trusting it and sharing it.

Roger

17

Jump Start # 2532

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

Jump Start # 2532

1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.”

I’ve been reading a book about preaching. I am always reading about preaching. I want to do better. I want to grow. But as I was reading this week about “point to point” type of preaching, point one, then point two, the way I’ve always preached, the author was showing that this was not the best way to communicate. Audiences, he stated, would only remember the last point. All that got me to thinking about our verse today.

Paul and Apollos. What a contrast. Apollos is said to have been eloquent, mighty in Scriptures, fervent in spirit. He was good. Don’t know if he was “point to point” type of preacher, but he was polished and good. Paul was not that way. The twisted accusations about Paul from the Corinthians make us think that he wasn’t that good. His public speaking skills lacked much. Interesting that Paul was the apostle, and not Apollos.

Style of preaching—that’s what much of this is about. Some can tell a great narrative and pull you right into the lesson. Some are screamers. Some are very logical. Some stay with one text walking through word after word with great insight. Others are all over the Bible, building a case, much like a prosecutor. Paul and Apollos, two different kinds of preachers. Which one was better? Which one would we have liked to listen to all the time?

And, all of this brings us to a few thoughts today: (Here we go, point to point):

First, preaching is an extension of one’s life and heart. It is a reflection of one’s personality. Past experiences, knowledge and passion of specific things shapes the kind of preaching that is done. Some love words and they like to trace the origins and definitions of words. Others like history and they love to follow the connections passages make throughout Biblical history. Others are very theory and principle focused. Others are very practical. Some of us are point to point. Others, it’s very hard to outline and take notes because everything just seems to flow together.

Now, is there a right way and a wrong way? Is it fair to tell a Paul that he needed to preach like Apollos? Obviously, the answer is “No.” I’ve found after a period of time, the preacher shapes his audience to hear his form of preaching. I’ve heard some preach and I’m lost. I’m looking for point one, point two and to me it seems that he is all over the place. The audience was used to that. They loved it.

Second, the writings of Peter and John, though guided by the Holy Spirit are very different. Peter tends to be to the point, practical. John is more theory oriented. Different men and different approaches. I find it interesting that most of the apostles were fishermen. Jesus did not send these men to a preacher training school. He didn’t sit down with them and show them how to write a sermon. He didn’t talk about introductions, conclusions, and transition points. He didn’t tell them to keep an eye on the clock. Truth is, Jesus didn’t tell them anything about preaching. They saw Jesus. They heard what Jesus did. They grew up in the atmosphere of rabbis but none of them had any formal training in how to preach. They were told to simply go do it. I wonder if today, we’d try to turn a Paul into an Apollos. Each person has his own unique style. He needs to learn, grow but be comfortable with what works for him.

Third, the point of preaching is to change hearts and lives. The word of God must sink deep into the soul for this to happen. I find preaching much like raising your own kids. What worked for one often doesn’t work on the others. One must not be sold just on one approach. Be flexible. Try different kinds of styles and approaches. The difference between a lecture and a sermon is the intention. A lecture is about giving information. One is filling the mind with evidence and facts. The point of preaching is the heart. With facts, the heart comes to a conclusion. The heart is changed. The heart is moved.

Fourth, preaching isn’t a contest. It’s not about who is the best. Such a statement is bias. My favorite, may not be your favorite. My favorite would be one that preaches in such a way that connects with the way I think and learn. You may not learn that way. I like point to point. You may get more out of a narrative form of preaching. Now, how can we agree upon which preacher is the best, when we learn differently? Putting preachers in a favorite list, feeds egos, builds jealousy and is not what God wants. Be thankful that there are Peters’, Pauls’ and Apollos’ preaching today. What God wants is for the preacher to preach is heart out, faithful to the word, loving the people and doing his best to connect people to Jesus.

Finally, we preachers need to continue to read, grow and learn how to be better. Don’t settle. Don’t get stuck. Read books about communication. Read books about preaching. Keep learning. Keep growing. It will make you better and it will make what you do better.

I planted and Apollos watered. Team work, not competition.

Roger