14

Jump Start # 2536

Posted on February 14, 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

14

Jump Start # 2531

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

Jump Start # 2531

1 Thessalonians 4:14 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”

This is a tough one to write. I pray that it comes out right. Sometimes things happens in life that leave us speechless. This is one of those times. My dear son called last week. He preaches in Dallas. There had been a tragedy. I could tell that it was so difficult for him to tell me. A young boy, Clay, who had just turned eleven, got sick suddenly3. His family rushed him to the hospital. The angels came, and sweet Clay was carried home to Jesus. He died. So young. So sweet. His family are incredibly strong Christians. I remember meeting Clay. A great kid. And, now, his precious time here is over. It all happened so fast. Life is a vapor, James tells us, and in a short while our lives here are over.

It’s hard to know what to say. Death is so ugly. The longer one lives, the more one hates death. Often times, the best thing is to say nothing. Let the Holy Spirit take our groaning’s to the Lord.

Our verse today was written to help Christians. It was written to help them understand. It was written to comfort those who had to journey the long and lonely path to the cemetery. And, from these ancient words we find three truths that ought to touch our hearts.

First, we believe that Jesus died and rose again. That is the exclamation point of the Scriptures. That alone is what the Bible is about. Without that, there is no hope. Without that, nothing else really matters. Without that, salvation is lost. Without that, the grave is final. Prophecy, testimony, eye witnesses all attest to the fact that Jesus died and rose again. This we believe. This we know. We serve, as the hymn states, a risen Savior.

Second, we believe that Jesus is coming again. “Even so,” our verse says, “God will bring with Him”. God is coming. He hasn’t forgotten us. He hasn’t abandoned us. He hasn’t given up on us. He promised to come and He is. This place will never be Heaven. This place is broken. The few happy moments we have are suddenly shattered by news of death and sorrow. Thankfully, Jesus is coming. This we believe.

Third, God will bring with Him, those who have fallen asleep. Not just everyone who has fallen asleep, but those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Believers. Those who believed that Jesus died and rose again. Those that believed that Jesus was coming. Those that changed their lives to follow Jesus. Righteous ones. Pure ones. God’s people. Not forgotten. Not forsaken. With God and coming with God, what a grand thought.

Now, what would these simple truths mean to those early Christians? What do they mean to us?

First, it means that death doesn’t have the last word. Death isn’t the end. Death doesn’t win. Death can break our hearts, but it can never steal the victory in Jesus. Sweet Clay lives on and on. I wonder what eleven year old Clay is seeing. The eyes of a child. The curiosity, the love and the faith of a child. Not scared, because the Lord is with him. I just wonder what his world is like today. Excited. Happy. Loved. Accepted. He’ll be alright. Heaven’s got him and Heaven will take special care of him. He’s with the Lord and will never be separated from the Lord. It means he made it. It means he’s home. It means he is where God wants him to be. I cry for his parents. I cry for those who will miss him. But I except if Clay could speak to us, with a big smile on his face, he’d say, “I’m ok.” But he doesn’t have to speak to us. The Scriptures do. We know. We believe.

Second, it means that the journey we are on, Heaven Bound, is the right path. We must stay on this path. The world offers all kinds of trinkets to get our eyes off of Jesus. The world presents all kinds of excuses for not staying with Jesus. But we know. We believe. And, when our time comes to pass through that door of death, we too believe that the Lord will bring us with Him when He comes. Some days the journey is long. Some days it’s just hard. Some times our bodies and our hearts tell us to just stop. But we can’t. We mustn’t. Jesus promised. Where I am, He said, there you may be also. With the Lord. That’s where Clay’s at. That’s where all the righteous who have gone through that door of death are. They are with the Lord. There is no prize for quitting. There’s nothing for those who give up. We are on the right path. We believe that. We must keep going. When one of us gets tired, the rest needs to pick them up and help them. When one seems overwhelmed, the rest will be there. Together, we will make it. Encouraging, helping and reminding, we are marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion. We believe.

Third, it means that we all leave footprints for others to follow. Our words. Our kindness. Our love. Our faith. It is witnessed by others. It touches others. Some leave footprints that are hard to see. Some leave footprints that are headed the wrong direction. But, there are those few golden footprints in the sand of time, left by the righteous who are following the steps of the Lord that remind us and teach us what is good and right. For a family, for a church, and for a community that remembers a sweet boy who was good, kind and helpful, they are seeing footprints. Even a young person can leave the right footprints. And, as people mourn, they too, leave footprints. They can blame. They can get angry. They can walk away from God. Or, they can rejoice and be thankful for a wonderful blessing given to them and shared among them by the Lord.

These words of Paul to the Thessalonians were offered to comfort, strengthen and help brethren who mourned. They were words of peace and hope. They were words wrapped in Jesus Christ. As shock and tears become reflection and observation, it is my hope that we see that God remains good. Death is His enemy and someday soon, death will be no more. There is a land that we are heading towards that will not permit death, sorrow or even tears. How wonderful that will be.

We can be sorry for what might have been, or we can be thankful for what we had. Each day is a gift and each day is a blessing. We must live as if we have one foot already in Heaven.

Our thoughts, prayers and heart go out to the wonderful Chapman family. May the Lord be with you and may you wrap your arms around the Lord who loves you so much. A powerful church family will help you. The Scriptures will comfort you. And, your faith will carry you through until you meet your sweet boy again.

Safe in the arms of Jesus—what a wonderful place to be!

Roger

13

Jump Start # 2530

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

Jump Start # 2530

1 Timothy 4:15 “take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all.”

Earlier in the week I wrote about the subject of anger. Specifically, when our anger is noticed by others. It leaves a mark and it ruins the good impression that others may have about us. Well, there is another side to being noticed. It’s when someone steps up and becomes more engaged, involved and active with the Lord. That too, is noticed.

Our verse, written to the young preacher, touches upon this. Paul said, “your progress may be evident to all.” Progress, it’s the same as growth. We progress through grades and semesters until we graduate. The idea of progress suggests one getting better, stronger and more spiritual.

I saw this recently in one of our members. Since the first of the year, her attendance has greatly improved. She not only is coming to Bible classes, but she is connected. You just see progress in her eyes and in her heart. She has a growing love for the Lord and His kingdom. She sees the difference. But more than that, others are seeing it as well. Her progress is evident to all.

And, that is the very nature of the Gospel in our lives. We ought to be getting better and better. All those sermons we listen to. All those Bible Classes we sit through. Our own personal study of God’s word. Jump Starts. Podcasts. So many wonderful ways to learn, grow and become as God wants us to. And, in a short time, it should show. Just as you see a little boy growing and growing, so should our spiritual hearts be growing.

Here are some things to remember:

First, the progress takes place on the inside. This is where it starts. Better attitudes. Better control of temper. Better choice of words. More thoughtful. More forgiving. More hopeful. More optimistic. And, all of that simply makes a person feel better. They will approach the day better. They will deal with troubles better. Progress makes us a better person.

Second, this progress translates into better choices and better actions. This is when the internal becomes the external. We open our hearts up to others. We find powerful ways to be generous and kind to others. We become more interested in others than self. We take on the heart of a servant.

Third, this progress is noticed by others. This is a great encouragement to shepherds and preachers. All the work that is poured into trying to help people become more like Jesus is often wondered if it is doing any good. And then, progress is noticed. Some one is stepping up their spiritual walk. What a blessing that is. What an encouragement that is. And, believe it not, that becomes very contagious to others. That spirit touches others. Excitement grows just as discouragement can grow. More good things start happening. People invite their friends to services. More depth is reached in Bible classes. More hands want to reach out and do good.

It is at this point that others start to notice the difference. Sometimes, as Peter mentioned about Christian wives married to non believers, they begin to notice. Even though some may not fully embrace the Lord, they make changes because you have. Around you, they watch their language. Around you, they know better than to bring up things that would upset you. Your progress has made a difference.

Fourth, as this progress continues, it shapes some men to step up to the leadership roles in the church. When it comes time to appoint more shepherds or deacons, these names are obvious. No one has to do any convincing or campaigning, which shouldn’t be done in the first place. Their obvious progress makes is a sure thing. They have shown tender care for God’s people. They have demonstrated a commitment to faithfulness of God’s word. They have been busy serving and doing for some time. Their progress has been evident.

Finally, the opposite of our verse is also true. There are some who seem to be stuck. They aren’t progressing. They have kept one foot in the world and they remain on the fringes of the kingdom. These are the ones who struggle with right and wrong. These are the ones who don’t seem to get what everything is about. And, sadly, some have stayed this way since they came to the Lord. For decades, they have remained idle. There has been so little progress, that they don’t even notice it. Their names are passed over without even pausing when folks think about future leaders. Why? There has been no progress. Other than showing up on a Sunday, nothing more has been done. They aren’t engaged. They aren’t connected. They have just enough guilt to keep them coming, but not enough commitment to make a difference in their lives.

And, just as those progressing bring great encouragement to the church, those stuck bring great discouragement. Elders wonder what more can be done to light a fire under them. Preachers go home Sunday evenings, feeling like a failure because they cannot reach those who seem to be content to be idle. They ought to know things by now, but they don’t. The simple concepts they do not understand. The reason, they have not progressed.

The progress is individual. It’s not based upon the church, the sermons, the classes. It’s what one does with those things. It’s what one thinks about during the week. It’s how much one believes and how active one wants to be. The progress takes place as much outside of the church building as it does inside it.

It’s amazing how you can have within the same congregation, some who progress and some who are stuck. They hear the same lessons. They have the same opportunities. Some take it and run and they have grown. They have progressed. Others, let them pass right on by. They are stuck because they are not interested. They are idle because they really do not care. They do not care because they truly do not believe.

Progress takes you places…for us, it takes us closer to the Lord. Are you getting better? Do people see it in you? Maybe it’s time to give ourselves a little push to get us moving again.

Thanks, Judy. Your progress is evident to all!

Roger

12

Jump Start # 2529

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2529

Matthew 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I was reading an old book the other day. It was published in 1840 and my copy was a first edition, 1840. It is about an early New England preacher, Elias Smith. It’s his story written in his own words. He begins with, “How strange is Life! When a man considers his own existence; that he now is, that once he was not; that his existence shall not finally cease, but continue in a world without end.” He was speaking about eternity.

There are Biblical concepts that are hard to understand and harder still to explain. Someone asked me last week to explain the trinity. I tried. I used the illustration of three fingers and one hand. I talked about a pretzel has three circles yet it is made of one long strand of dough. Comparing God to a pretzel didn’t set well with me, but it’s hard to explain that One Father, One Spirit and One Son do not make three Gods, but one.

Eternity is another Biblical concept that is hard to explain. I’ve seen people draw a long line on a chalk board and then place one dot on that line. That dot is the history of mankind. We see that, but we don’t get it. We don’t get it because everything we know ends. Every movie, even the Jaws series, comes to an end. Every book, even God’s book, has a last page. There is a beginning and there is an end, to everything, even our lives here. A baby is born, That baby grows up. In time, that person dies. Death comes. Our lives here end. Everything that we know, ends. Stores close. Icons die. Heroes die. Someday, Jump Starts will end. Everything here ends. We may not like it, but we know that’s the way it is. But, in eternity, things do not end. They never end.

Our verse today shows us a few truths that we must remember:

First, everyone lives on past death. The righteous and the unrighteous. Far too many are accepting the idea of annihilation of the wicked, the idea that only the righteous live on after death. Everyone else just dies and they stay that way. The subject of Hell is rarely preached these days. No one wants to hear it. In the religious community, preachers shockingly admit to not mentioning the word Hell in their sermons. Some proudly state that they haven’t touched the subject of Hell in decades. Congregations would be horrified to hear lessons on Hell.

Our verse today links eternal punishment and eternal life together in the same sentence. If there is one, then there is the other. If one is missing, then both are missing. If there is a Heaven, then there is a Hell. No Hell, then no Heaven. Too many want a Heaven, but they don’t want a Hell. They want Hell to just disappear. It’s not going anywhere. Believe it or, want it or not, there is a punishment beyond death.

Second, the eternal abodes are described as punishment and life. It’s not a playground for the wicked. It’s punishment. It’s forever without God. Life brings the idea of joy, happiness, fellowship, acceptance. Life with God. Life free from disease, death and destruction. Life. Goodness. Hope. Future. Those are good words. Those are wonderful concepts.

Third, these realms of punishment and life, Hell and Heaven, run eternally. They do not end. They never end. There is nothing beyond them. They won’t be outdated. They won’t grow old. They won’t wear out. Even the best times here, have to end. I have been in worship services that were so edifying, rich and wonderful that I didn’t want them to ever end. They did. I’ve had times with my family that we so good and wonderful. But sooner or later, one starts yawning, then another and it’s time to end and get some sleep. But this wonderful, wonderful life that God is offering will not end. It will never end. It is eternal.

People ask, won’t we get tired of singing in Heaven? Won’t I get bored with doing the same things over and over? You are looking at that with earthly eyes. You are looking at things from our perspective. We don’t understand forever. We don’t know “eternal.” The answer is always “No.” No, you won’t get tired. No, you won’t get bored. No, you won’t wish for anything else. Trust God. Believe God. It will be wonderful.

Fourth, our passage is taken from the judgment scene of helping others out. Jesus claimed to be hungry, thirsty, naked and in prison. The faithful of God stepped up. They were there. They got food. They gave water. They clothed. They visited. They made a difference. The unrighteous didn’t do any of those things. They could have given food, but they didn’t. They could have brought water, but they didn’t. No clothes. No visits. From that, the punishment and life were given out eternally. There was no test to see what one knew. There was no memorizing the books of the Bible in order. There was no finding Jerusalem on a map. It was based upon what was done. Our faith is only good if it leads us to doing the right things. To believe but not do anything is wrong. Hearts were opened. Good was done. People were helped. Heaven noticed. Faith led these people to be compassionate and caring like the Lord. Faith changed the circumstances. And, that was what determined the eternal destiny of the people.

Finally, we will spend more time on the other side of life than we will on this side of life. Even if a person lives to be 100, which is rare, that’s nothing to forever on the other side. Even ole’ Methuselah, who was nearly 1,000 years old, is nothing compared to the eternal. Since we will spend longer on the other side than this side, it seems we ought to put more focus on the eternal than the temporary. We ought to give more thought to the spiritual than to the physical. We need to focus upon the other side more than this side.

Eternal…forever…never ending.

We need to think about that. Sooner or later, we’ll be there.

Roger

10

Jump Start # 2527

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2527

James 1:20 “for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

I was watching the President’s State of the Union speech last week. And, as everyone is talking about, at the end, the Speaker of the House ripped her copy of his speech in front of everyone. That sent shockwaves because nothing like that had ever been done. There is a lot of tension and bad feelings between the two and what she did takes us to our thoughts today.

Anger doesn’t put us in a good place with God. And, anger before others is something that people long remember. Children will remember when mom and dad got into a screaming argument. Decades may pass, but the memory remains. People remember when brethren got upset with each other in church. Someone shouted at another. Some left. Doors were slammed. Those impressions stay with a person for a long, long time. People can kiss and make up, and move on with their lives, but deep inside, those dark moments of anger are remembered.

Here are some things to consider:

First, while we may have gotten over things, those around us may not. They picked up on our anger. They heard our words. We may be ok, but those who witnessed the ugliness of the battle may not be ok. They may be ruined. They may be finished with the people we had a problem with. They may never want to go back to that congregation where once there was shouting, ugliness and hatred.

Slow to speak and slow to anger are words that James uses to demonstrate how we are to behave as God’s people. The emotions of anger gets a person saying things that he shouldn’t say. It’s hard to pick up the pieces once you’ve let those words fly out of your mouth. You can say, “I didn’t mean it,” but if that’s true, then why did you say it?

Second, when others see our anger, they often only see our side of the story. There are always two sides. We believe our side is right. But sometimes, it’s not. Those around us only hear our side. Emotions running wild, things being said that shouldn’t be said, accusations being made, it’s easy for someone to be pulled into something that isn’t actually true. We may be at fault. We may be in the wrong. However, our actions and tantrums, can stir up a mob spirit that leads to others saying and doing things to bring about fairness and justice.

Third, for younger eyes and hearts, they are seeing an example, even though it may be a bad example, of what to do when one is upset. Getting all worked up and thinking the worst of others certainly isn’t the direction that God wants us to go. Life can be cruel. People can be mean. Showing others what and how to conduct ourselves is a lesson that may stay with them for a long time. God expects us to be under control. Self control, or the control of self, is one of the virtues that Peter tells us to add to our faith. Out of control—we know what that’s like. An out of control car is spinning around and around like a top. The driver is along for the ride. An out of control temper is just like that. The person is along for the ride. The temper, the emotions, the words, the actions—one has no idea where this will land.

We remember the example of Jesus, when threats were made, He uttered none back. He was silent. There was a time to speak and a time to be silent. And the Lord knew those times.

Fourth, all the good that we believe in and stand for can go out the window when others witness our moments of rage. All the good that has been accomplished seems to be tossed out the window when one loses it emotionally. Our value and our influence goes down rapidly when people see us explode with anger. Outbursts of anger is considered one of the works of the flesh. All it takes is one time, and people will remember. That memory of you losing your cool, will come back to haunt you years later. When men are being considered for leadership roles in the church, and your name is suggested, someone will mention the time you blew up in anger. That memory is all it takes to convince some that you don’t have what it takes to lead the people of God.

Fifth, as our verse tells us, anger doesn’t get us anywhere with God. It’s not righteous. It’s not what God wants. Anger opens the door to the devil. It invites hatred, violence and bitterness to come into our hearts and lives. It ruins our character, shatters our influence and sets a bad example before others. The people of God are to be righteous, even when they are upset. Even when things do not go their way.

Anger before others—that’s something we must put some thought behind. Little eyes see us. Big eyes see us. His eyes see us. The damage done through anger can take a lifetime to get over. Our actions, our words are seen by others. All the good that we preach and all the good that we want done, can be lost because people see us in unkind, angry moments. It makes some wonder if we are hypocrites in those dark moments.

Be angry, the Ephesians were told, but do not sin. That’s the key. Angry without having to apologize later for what was said. Angry but not leaving a trail of destruction. Angry and not leaving the wrong impression or bad example before others.

Angry—others are watching. Remember that.

Roger