22

Jump Start # 2764

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2764

Exodus 32:32 “But now, if You will, forgive their sin– and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written.”

There are passages that we run across in the Bible that are very hard for us to put ourselves in those shoes and to say what was said. Our verse today is one example of that. Moses was pleading for God to forgive the nation. The nation had gone the wrong direction. While Moses was on the mountain getting the Ten Commandments, Aaron and the nation were sculpting a golden calf that they called their god. As the Ten Commandments were being written on the mountain, the people were breaking them down in the valley. God was angry. But here in our verse, Moses stands as the mediator. Forgive them or cast me with them. What a difficult statement to make.

Paul said a similar thing in Romans nine. If he could save his people but the price to pay would be his separation eternally from God, he was willing to pay that. He wanted his people to be saved.

Those passages reminds us of difficult prayers that we often must pray. Let’s consider a few:

The prayer for a prodigal to spend time with pigs so he will wake up spiritually. That’s a hard prayer to pray. We want our children to do well. We want success, trophies, ribbons and lots of friends for them. But that journey often takes our children away from the Lord. Off they dance with their friends to a night of thoughtless self indulgence. God doesn’t cross their minds. Getting up and going to worship on Sunday would never happen. They are happy, content and moving further away from God. The righteous parents see this. Their hearts are broken. It’s time for that nearly impossible prayer to be prayed. It’s time to ask God to rattle their cages, pull the rug out from under their smug life, and give them a good dose of hard times. Let them lose their jobs. Let them spend a night in jail. They them get so hungry that they’d like to eat the food of pigs. Not many of us can pray that prayer. But those that do, realize that the salvation of the soul is much more important than the happiness of today.

The prayer calling for the angels to come. I know that prayer. I’ve prayed it before. Twenty-six years ago my dear mother was lingering between life and death. Days and days passed. Each day we thought was her last. I asked the congregation where I was preaching to pray for God to send His angels to take her sweet soul home. Now, all these years later, I find myself praying that prayer again. This time it’s my dad. Death is near. The Jump Starts this week have been written in advance. Today’s was written last Friday. All through the night that was my prayer. I expect by now, he will be safely on the other side. Kind, faithful, generous, loving and blessed, he’s been in my life always, but now it’s time for him to go through that door. And, as much as I talk about that door of death and preach about it, I find tears running down my face as I write these words. I know it will be ok. I know he has walked with the Lord. I know this is what he would want and it is what I want. But now, standing at that door, with it opened, the tears come. More than anything else I want to hold his hand as the angels take him through that door. But because of Covid and so many restrictions, I doubt that will happen. Praying for angels to come. That’s a hard prayer to pray.

The prayer confessing our sins is a hard one to pray. Honesty and our pride fight each other. God already knows. It’s easy to hide behind the generate, “forgive us of our sins,” but to name the sins and to put them on the table before the Lord is hard. It reveals that we have failed God. It reveals that we still have weaknesses in us. It reveals that we are not the big shots that we’d like to believe that we are. John wrote that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us. The word “confess” means to speak the same thing. When you stand in a cave and shout “Hello,” off in the distance you ought to hear a faint, “Hello.” That’s speaking the same thing. God’s word says we have sinned. We say, “we messed up.” Not exactly the same. God says we sinned. We say, “I had a bad day.” Not the same thing. To confess is to copy or reproduce the same. God says we sinned. We say, “We have sinned.” Nehemiah’s prayer in the first chapter reveals the confession of the nation’s sins as well as his own. That’s a tough prayer to pray.

The prayer of offering yourself is a hard one to pray. Here am I, send me, is what the prophet said. Volunteering yourself for the Lord is hard. It’s easy to say, “Someone needs to do this.” It’s very different to pray, “Lord, help me be the one.” Praying that God can use you to reach others. Praying that God will open doors of opportunity for you. Praying that you will go no matter how rough the road is, how lonely the journey is, nor how long it will take. Here am I, Lord, send me. Here am I, Lord, use me. That’s a tough prayer to pray.

All of this makes us wonder if sometimes we hide behind nice, safe and easy prayers. Prayers that don’t require much. Prayers that keep us from having to do much. And, maybe, just maybe, we are not praying big enough prayers these days. Maybe we like keep our boats close to the dock. Maybe we have made following Christ a smooth walk in the park. And, maybe, just maybe, it’s time for us to start praying hard prayers.

Roger

21

Jump Start # 2763

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2763

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.”

We are living in a culture of anger and foul language. It’s everywhere. Politicians let words fly that should never be spoken. Athletes drop curse words in interviews. Top to bottom, it seems that are times have accepted offensive language as being normal and acceptable.

On our congregation’s website, we post a quote each day. We call it, “Quick Quotes.” I gather those quotes to be posted. I found one the other day that brings us to our verse. It said, “What ought not to be heard by little ears, should not be spoken by big mouths.” Well said!

Our verse adds several important factors that we need to consider:

First, Our speech must be with grace. Always. Every time. No exception. This includes when you are mad. This includes when you are frustrated. This includes when you are bothered, irritated and upset. This includes at home. This includes at work. This includes on social media. Our speech must be gracious. We must not follow the descending trend of our culture. Our words reflect our attitudes. Our words connect to our faith. Our words must be kind, when others are impatient, rude and ready to bite your head off. Our words must encourage, when others are ready to destroy you with their words. Our words must heal, even though the words of others wound and hurt. Always with grace.

Second, one can apologize for what was said, but what was said will be remembered. Sometimes it will be remembered for a long, long time. Getting it right the first time, with the right words, is important. In Nehemiah two, the Persian king asked Nehemiah what he wanted. Before he spoke, Nehemiah prayed to God. Boy, that would help so many of us. Pray before you speak. Pray before you put your foot in your mouth. Pray before you offend. Pray first. Talk later.

Third, Paul uses the illustration of salt as seasoning. In our times we must be careful with salt, but it is still a vital seasoning. Corn on the cob just doesn’t taste right without some salt. Gotta have some salt in those mashed potatoes. We remember the Lord’s use of the word salt. You are the salt of the earth, Jesus said. One doesn’t see the salt in the food, but you certainly know when it’s missing. Such is seasoned speech. We may not be able to define it thoroughly, but we recognize when it’s missing. Seasoned speech would cool down an argument. Seasoned speech would allow the other person to finish without interrupting and debating. Seasoned speech is not tolerating wrong, avoiding a discussion, running from an argument. Not at all. Seasoned speech sets the tone and the direction for those very things. Raising the volume in a discussion doesn’t prove one’s point. It simply means he has a loud voice. Thunder doesn’t kill anyone. It’s the lightning that does.

Fourth, gracious speech is how we speak to every person. Some people are hard to talk to. Some want to dominate the conversation and do all the talking. Others, never say a word. When you talk to them, it’s like having a conversation with yourself, because they don’t add anything to it. Some can’t speak without always pointing out the negatives and the problems. That’s all they see and that’s all they talk about. Some talk too much about other people. Some complain. Some talk softly. Some are loud. Some can ride in a car with others and be content to just enjoy the ride without talking. Others perceive silence to mean that something is wrong.

Gracious speech fits all of those situations. It works. It teaches us how to respond to every person. Speak as we would like the other person to speak to us. Speak kindly. Speak after you have thought things out. Speak after you have prayed.

And, one of the things that will come out of this is that people will notice. They notice that you don’t talk like others do. You don’t use those filthy words like others do. You don’t talk about others, like everyone else does. You become a breath of fresh air. Some will even tone down their words when around you. Some will apologize when they let one of those bad words slide off their tongue. Seasoned speech is rare. The speech of grace is rarely heard. And, without realizing it, you are showing people a characteristic of Christianity—more than seasoned speech, a life that is under control. You show them that you don’t have to be mean, angry or offensive to stand your ground.

Your speech always with grace. Not easy to do, but it can be done. It will make a difference.

Roger

20

Jump Start # 2762

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2762

Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.”

This verse reminds me of the little song we teach children in Bible classes, “Be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above, is looking down in love.” God sees. His eyes are in every place.

So many valuable lessons for us here:

First, this reminds us that we are never alone. We may be by ourselves, yet God sees us. God is never far away. There is never a place that God cannot see us. What comfort and hope that ought to bring us. You can come home from a hard day at work and try to explain things to your spouse, but he or she often doesn’t get it. God does. His eyes are in every place.

Second, there are things that God sees that disappoints Him. We are made to honor God in our lives. Many do not do that. Day in and day out, they live for self and that much too often revolves are the things that are sinful and wrong. God sees. God watches the evil. We could do better but some don’t. God opens doors, sends blessings from Heaven and grants us ability and talent and too often those gifts from Heaven are only used to further rebellion and sinful lifestyles. This also reminds us that there is no getting away with murder, not with God. He sees. He knows. We can look this way and then that way and think the way is clear. But we fail to look up. God knows what you have done.

Third, God also sees the good that is done. There is no need to keep an accounting of that. There is no need to tell God. He already knows. He sees the good. Sometimes the good that is done is not followed with a thankyou. God knows. God knows what you are trying to do. God knows the prayers that you pray. He sees them and He hears them. God knows the hearts that you are trying to influence and teach. God knows the wrongs that you are trying to correct and make right. God knows the hours you pour into making things just right so you can do your best.

That thought helped me recently. Through this pandemic the number of hours that has been poured into make podcasts and videos as professional and teachable as possible has been off the charts. The days have been long. The weeks never seem to end. So much to do. Things are so different than what they used to be. And, there has been moments when I wonder if anyone realizes how many hours are being devoted to putting out quality material. It’s easy for the discouragement factor to creep in. It’s easy to think, all of this is not necessary. It’s easy to say, ‘No one else is doing all of this.’ But then, there stands our passage. God sees the good. He knows. No one else may understand, He does. No one else may even care, He does. And, it is to Him that all of this is being done.

Fourth, God sees you personally. He made you just the way you are. Special. Blessed. Gifted. Unique. Not only do you have one of a kind fingerprints, you also have only your talent, experience, background and opportunities. And, God sees what you have done with that. Some of us have come from a tough background , like Joseph. Others, have been slapped in the face, like Job was. Others have had to stand in the crossroads of what they thought was right and what is really right, like Paul did. Tough choices. Tough decisions. God saw. God knew.

God knows how hard you are trying. God knows what you have to deal with every day. Sometimes family and brethren do not understand, God does. God knows when our hearts are right and when we are hiding behind excuses and are trying to dodge responsibilities. God knows.

Because God sees, it ought to make praying to God much easier. We don’t have to try to explain things that He sees and is aware of. It ought to lead us to complain less and be more thankful.

God sees…I hope that I see that God sees.

Roger

19

Jump Start # 2761

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2761

1 Kings 18:21 “And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ And the people did not answer him a word.”

Our verse today leads up to the mighty victory upon Mt. Carmel. Elijah and the prophets of Baal—two sacrifices—prayers going to two different gods– but one mighty outcome. Baal was shown to be worthless, powerless and useless. Baal could not stop a drought. Baal could not send fire to light a sacrifice. Baal could not do a thing. At the conclusion of this mighty contest, the people of God shouted that the Lord was God. The prophets of Baal ran and the people of God caught them and slaughtered them.

But our verse starts it all off. The people of God were hesitating or as the ESV states, “limping.” Two opinions and they would not pick which one. The people of God remained uncommitted and silent.

Our verse today reveals several thoughts for us:

First, even among God’s people, there are times when some do not want to stand out. To stand out is to be noticed. Some would rather have no opinion than to have to declare what God says. The pressure of the world and friends and the fear of being different and being noticed causes some to sit right on the fence. They don’t want to offend anyone and they want to be accepted and liked by all. This is nothing more than hesitating or limping. Years ago I hurt my knee playing soccer in high school. Every once in a while, it will act up and I limp. One can’t move fast when you are limping. But here, it’s about making a decision. It’s about the most important decision, in with God or not in with God. Israel limped.

Second, the context shows us that in some areas more than one opinion is not acceptable. Not all answers are right. Even more specifically, some things are just wrong. And, if I am on the side of wrong, I become wrong. Now, this is very, very hard for some to admit in our times. They don’t want to think that anyone is wrong. “They simply have a different opinion than you,” is what they would say. However, their opinion is wrong. There are times when God has drawn a line in the sand. Jesus said, unless you believe in Me, you will die in your sins. There are not any other options there. The Ephesians were told that there is one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, one body, one baptism. More than one, makes two. There is no way that Baal could have been a possibly right answer as to who the Lord is. No way. Jehovah is the Creator. Jehovah has revealed His law. Jehovah has proven Himself, through the plagues to the Egyptians. Here, to those who believed in idolatry and polytheistic ideas.

Third, finding the answer is a matter of looking at the evidence. For Elijah’s crowd, it was a fire that followed a prayer. For us, it’s what is written in the word of God. Proof isn’t in our feelings, our story or ourselves. Proof is in the Scriptures. In John 5, Jesus listed a series of witnesses or proofs to His divine nature. Those included, His testimony, the word of God, the miracles, the Holy Spirit and the voice of God. The trouble is, some will look at the evidence and they still won’t change their opinions. They are sticking with Baal no matter what you say or do. Their eyes and their minds are closed. They are not interested in discussion or reason.

Fourth, a person can believe a lie, but that doesn’t make it true. Some would try to find some good value in Baal worship. They’d have us to believe that he is not completely bad. But that wasn’t the position of Elijah. The idol prophets were pawning false hopes and dreams to the people of God. They were confusing and diluting the proper worship of God. Truth and error oppose each other. When they are allowed to exist side by side, nothing good will be accomplished.

Finally, Elijah took charge here and forced God’s people to get off the fence. Sometimes that’s just what we need. We need a leader to take charge, put forth the evidence and make us come to a conclusion. Riding the fence is uncomfortable and dangerous. More than a hundred years ago, preachers and churches were having to decide whether they would ride the tide with progressive ideas or stay true to what God’s book said. In the North, the majority went with the progressives. In the South, the majority stayed with the ancient ways. Folks have been trying to figure out why it fell that way. More of the South, at that time, was rural, poor and made up of blue collar families. The North had money, universities, and an ideology of appealing to urban folks. Riding that fence became popular for many. Some knew that if they stayed with the Biblical pattern, they’d lose their jobs of preaching and positions in the universities. Some allowed money to sway them. Others, got caught up in where the majority fell. And, a few, really looked into the Scriptures to see what the Bible taught.

I ran across a song that was written during that time period. It’s called, “Preacher on the fence.” And, the chorus pleads with that preacher to come off the fence and to stand with the people of God.

There comes a time when you and I must get off that fence. We must make a decision about moral issues. We must decide if we are going to stick with plain Bible teaching, or reason our way into believing things that are not there.

How long, is what Elijah asked the people. How long will you limp along? How long will you hesitate?

Roger

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Jump Start # 2760

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2760

Revelation 3:1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says this: I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”

This verse ends with such a solemn pronouncement, “You are dead.” The death of a church is not something that puts a smile on a face. And, like Sardis, a church can be dead, but not out of business. They can continue to assemble, worship and go through the motions of life, but they are dead.

There are two sad realities about death. First, death requires no effort. It takes energy to stay alive. But to die, do nothing. This is true physically. Decades ago, there were a group of protesters in Ireland. They refused to eat. Days and days went by. They would not eat. They died. If you get an injury, a sickness or a disease and you do nothing about it, there is a good chance you could die. Infections spread when there is no medicine to stop it. And, the same principle works for a church. It doesn’t matter the size, the history, nor the age of the church. Do nothing, and the church will die. Stop evangelism. Stop encouraging. Stop teaching. Stop connecting. And years and years of growth, will wither away and the church will die.

Second, a dead church offers no comfort. Comfort comes from hearts that care. Comfort springs forth out of love. Comfort demands contact, cards sent, calls made, prayers offered. That doesn’t come from a lifeless church. What you find in a dead church are people who only care about themselves. Visitors are ignored. The discouraged are abandoned. Those with questions and left to themselves. No thought about the future. No plans. No goals. No comfort. People still shuffle in every Sunday, but it’s more out of duty and habit than love and dedication.

Now, what is interesting about this passage and true to all congregations is that a church doesn’t start out dead. Sardis wasn’t dead to start with. It takes effort, zeal, focus and planning to launch a new congregation. There is an excitement about it. But in time, a church can die. It can die when error replaces the truth. It dies when members are more interested in their happiness than the holiness of the Lord. It dies when people no longer care. And, what is interesting about a dead church is that it doesn’t take very long before one can sense it. You can just feel the lack of interest, the lifeless worship, and the apathy about the work. I’ve seen it. Such a sad, sad situation.

The Sardis example also shows us that Jesus knew what was going on. He knew what others thought about Sardis. They had a name, Jesus knew that. Many thought they were alive, Jesus knew that. And, Jesus knew the truth about them. They were dead. They weren’t what people thought they were. Their character and their reputation didn’t match.

And, from this, here are some thoughts for us to consider:

First, we must be more concerned about how God sees us than how others see us. Reputation is built upon an image of how others see us. Some are more concerned about the outside image than a heart that is true, righteous and pure before God. The image that we present can actually misled and hurt people. Some see us as perfect people. And, for a new person, they feel like they can never measure up to that. Perfect marriages. Perfect obedience. Always in the right place. Always saying the right things. We ought to strive for that, but we know all too well, that we are not that way. There are days this preacher doesn’t feel like preaching. There are days when temptation seems so strong. There are days when our attitudes are not so noble. There are days that we leave kindness at home. Paul reminded folks that he considered himself “the chief of sinners.” We don’t hear that much these days. We can leave the impression that next to Jesus, we are the best thing that came along. Image and truth. Reputation and character. How God sees us and how others see us. Being honest, open and transparent will humble us and keep us close to the Lord.

Second, unlike physical life, spiritual life doesn’t die suddenly. We know of those who died suddenly in car accidents, storms and falls. But spiritual life isn’t like that. A person doesn’t go from being a vibrant, growing Christian to dying spiritually in an instant. Instead, spiritual death is a gradual process of wrong choices, pulling away from the Lord and a weakening of the soul. One stops growing. One stops praying. One stops attending. One stops connecting. Slow steps, but each step away from the cross. More associations with those who are not Christians. More justifying what is wrong. More temptation allowed than resisted. Many of these steps are private and very few people see them. By the time people start recognizing a slipping saint, they have been going that way for months and months.

This is where family plays an important role. When one is married to someone who is not a Christian, that slipping saint will be allowed to fall all the way. But when one is married to a strong Christian, red flags start showing up all the time. The mate can try to turn things around. The mate can call in for help. Before spiritual death becomes a reality, help can arrive. This is why marrying someone that will help you get to Heaven is so important.

Shepherds of the church ought to be noticing things. A lack of interest, a lack of attendance, a lack of involvement, all points to a spiritual heart that is in trouble. However, leaders that are occupied with the maintenance of the church building, the financial wellbeing of the church, often never notice a slipping saint.

And, for Sardis, without knowing all the details, one would have to assume that a lack of spiritual leadership allowed the congregation to die. It happens today. Leaders acting like out of touch CEO’s, who have little involvement or connection to the members, can pay all the bills on time, while the church slowly dies spiritually.

It’s hard to watch someone die. I’ve seen it many, many times. Little can be done other than keep the person comfortable. But watching a church die, when something could be done, is worse. A dead church is made up of dead members. And, dead members are not pleasing the Lord. They are not a Heaven-bound people. They are not living as God would have them.

So, what can be done? How do you turn death around? Sardis had a few that knew. They were not like the rest. They refused to die. They continued to walk with the Lord. Connect with those who are interested in the Lord. Fire the engines up of passionate worship. Get some real preaching going. Revive hospitality. Get some home Bible studies going. Invite family and co-workers. Dust the cobwebs off the place and out of the hearts. Get back to what is necessary, needed and most helpful. Get out those jumper cables and jump start those hearts. Bring in some guest speakers. Get some challenging Bible classes. Don’t settle, but rather, push. Push yourself and then push others. Get up out of that dusty pew and start marching to Zion.

There is no reason for a church to die. It happens when people no longer care.

Roger