08

Jump Start # 2754

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2754

Nehemiah 2:18 “I told the how the hand of my god had been favorable tome and also about the king’s words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, ‘Let us arise and build.’ so they put their hands to the good work.”

Every year the congregation I am a part of chooses a theme for the year. Everything is built around that theme. The Bible classes, the VBS, the meetings, are all tied directly to the theme of the year. Sermons, articles, podcasts, reflect and return to that theme over and over and over, throughout the year. We’ve had some great themes in the past such as: Life the way it was meant to be; Heaven Bound; Now I see.

This year, a lot of thought went into what to focus upon. Last year, 2020, was difficult for so many. As a church, we had to cancel many things that we had planned and some of our worship services were held through videos. What a year it was. And, one immediate passage came to our minds, which is our verse today. “Rise and build,” is what we are wrapping this year around. The book of Nehemiah is the key. It will be taught textually, as well as used to focus upon building leaders. Let us arise and build is what the people said then and it is what we need to say today.

It is easy to look upon the rubble of disappointments, cancellations and problems and simply sit down and quit. It is easy to allow the problems to be greater than we are. It is easy to think, “It’s too late to make any real difference.” Can you imagine what Nehemiah saw when he looked upon the rubble of those fallen walls? What a mess! It would be hard to know just where to begin. But, he did. And, where he started was with the Lord. Nearly every chapter in Nehemiah contains a prayer. God first. God is our help. With God, we can do this. Those are the platform upon which Nehemiah rallies the people to build the walls.

And, what powerful, faith structured lessons for us as well. The rubble we look upon is not the debris of fallen walls, but something far greater. A community filled with fear and hate. Suicide rates have soared during the pandemic. The word of the Lord needs to be sounded forth. But even within the congregation, there has been a lot of rubble building up. People have gotten used to worshipping at home in their pjs. Some have declared that they may never return to a church building again. Bible classes have fallen. And, with all of that, comes a weakening of the congregation. The walls have fallen. We are open to attack. We are vulnerable. Disappointment and discouragement is common.

As, Nehemiah surveyed the ruins of Jerusalem, his mind was moving. He was not seeing rubble, he was seeing walls going up. God would partner with them. God alone wasn’t going to build the walls, and without God, they would never be successful. However, with God’s help, as partners working side by side, the people had a mind and a heart to do what seemed to be impossible.

With that spirit and that divine partnership, congregations can become stronger. Families can become better. Marriages can be a real example. How do we do this? Where do we begin? There is so much to be done?

First, it begins with prayer. Nehemiah’s first chapter has the man of God praying to win the king over and allow him to begin the work. This doesn’t seem to be spontaneous or a whim. The journey home from Jerusalem was 800 miles. Months and months it would take to travel that. There is a lot of thinking, praying and planning going on during that time. The focused and faithful Nehemiah was sketching things out in his mind. How do we get our congregations roaring back and powerful? We need some Jerusalem to Susa time. We need to be thinking. We need to be sketching things out. We need to be talking to others. We need to be doing some deep praying.

Second, Nehemiah needed help. Of course, from the Lord, but also from the Persian king. Nehemiah knew exactly what was needed: safe passage ways, timber, letters of permission. Nehemiah had this all thought out. He was ready when he went before the king. His ideas were well thought out. All he needed was to put wheels to the plans.

Third, before the walls went up, the debris went out. Demo day is often the best part of the home improvement shows. Give a guy a sledge hammer and step back and watch him get at it. And, for us, there has been some debris that needs to be tossed out. Bad attitudes. Selfishness. Unwillingness to cooperate. Much finger pointing and complaining on social media. Not wanting to follow the leaders. Until these massive stones of debris are cleared out of the way, the walls will never go up. You can’t build upon anger, ugliness and a lack of forgiveness. The walls won’t stand. So, lessons about getting along, respect, authority, submission are part of tossing out the debris. You can’t build until you get rid of the debris.

Fourth, Nehemiah inspired the people to work. There is no way Nehemiah, by himself, could have built those walls. The stones are too big for any one person to move. It took others. Someone had to lead. Others had to follow. And, that very thought is enough to kill most projects. Everyone wants to be the boss and no one wants to be the worker. But Nehemiah inspired the people. They had a mind and a heart to work, even as our verse today illustrates. Find what you are good at and then get at it. Within a congregation, some of the best work is never seen publically. It’s the cards that have been sent. It’s the phone calls made. It’s the work to make sure everything is up to speed and running properly. The quarterbacks always get the attention, but it’s the linemen, the receivers, the coaches, the trainers that make the quarterback look good. It’s a team effort. Nehemiah got that. The walls went up in 52 days. It takes longer than that these days to just get the permits. It is believed that the walls covered four miles. Four miles in 52 days! The people wanted it done and they got it done.

When you and I get serious about the Lord’s work, it is amazing what great things can be done. Noah built the ark. Solomon built the temple. Jesus built the church. And, you and I are building lives through Jesus Christ. We are building for now and we are building for future generations. What will the church look like in 25 years? That answer really depends upon what we are doing now.

Rise and build—powerful stuff.

Roger

07

Jump Start # 2753

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2753

Psalms 50:3 “May Our God come and not keep silence; fire devours before Him, and it is very tempestuous around Him.”

 

  On Sundays, as our worship begins, one of the preachers reads from Psalms. Recently, it was my turn and the chapter of the day was Psalm 50. Here in our verse today, taken from the New American Standard, we find the word “tempestuous.” Borrowing from the movie, “Elf,” that is a FUN word to say.

 

  • Older versions of the New American Standard uses the expression: a storm is violently raging around Him.
  • ESV: a mighty tempest

 

  Tempestuous is defined as strong, turbulent, even damaging. It can refer to a storm and it can refer to one’s emotions. Around God, it was tempestuous. It was this way, contextually, because of His judgment upon those who would not believe.

 

  However, taking a step back even further, there is even a greater lesson for us that we often just take for granted. Tempestuous is not a word that we hear every day. I expect one could read a weeks worth of newspapers and not come across this word, not even once. I expect one could read a dozen books and not find this word. It’s not a word that is used very often. And, that takes us to the reading of our English Bibles. Our Bibles are built upon the languages originally used to write God’s word, mostly Hebrew and Greek.

 

  And, what one finds as he reads the Bible is that God rarely uses big words. Tempestuous caught my eye and my attention. This word stands apart from most of the Bible words we find. God’s word is written in such a way that all of us can read it and understand it. It doesn’t take a dictionary in your other hand to understand God’s word. Jesus spoke the language of the people and not just the common language but in words that the common person would understand. It does little good to hear a sermon and then leave not understanding what was said. I knew a preacher that loved to push the limits of big words. He was a wonderful speaker but as I looked at others as he was preaching, you could see puzzled expressions upon their faces. When Ezra read the law of God, they explained and gave meaning so all could understand.

 

  The difficulty with God’s word is not in the understanding part, but in the doing part. It’s one thing to know what God says, but putting that into action, that’s the hard part. And, for most us, we know what God says. We struggle with doing what God says. We know that we could be more spiritual than we are. We know that we could step up our game. We know that we get bothered too much by worry. We know that worldly thinking isn’t doing us any good. Yes, we know. It’s just the matter of doing these things.

 

  Here is another thing to consider. God knows every language, all of them. Languages that have been lost to history, God knows. Not only that, God knows every word in every language. God could have written the Bible in such a way that only a few of us would ever know the meaning. God could have impressed us all with His knowledge, by writing each page in a different language. But, He didn’t. That wasn’t the point. He wasn’t trying to impress us. He was trying to transform us. And, what a great lesson for all of us that preach, teach and lead others. The attention isn’t upon us, but on improving the lives of others. Speak in such a way that people will understand and know. Speak clearly. Speak specifically. Speak in such a way that people do not have to play guessing games at what you are trying to say. Speak pointedly so people will not be able to play spiritual dodge ball with you, hiding behind generalities and vague meanings.

 

  When someone leaves our worship services, they ought to leave with a clear picture of what we are about and what is important to us. The message, through the songs, the prayers and the sermon, ought to point to God. A visitor ought to understand that we are serious about the Lord and His word.

 

  And, in speaking a clear message, we must also put ourselves in the shoes of someone who hasn’t been around us very much. We use some “in house” expressions, that we all know, but someone visiting may not. Making things clear, understandable and in a way that all can perceive it is essential. We know the order of worship, a visitor doesn’t. We know what to expect, a visitor doesn’t. The more that is explained, the more comfortable a person becomes and the more ready that person is to hear, listen and even become.

 

  Tempestuous—a great word, and a great reminder to make sure everyone understands what we are saying.

 

  Roger

 

06

Jump Start # 2752

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2752

Hosea 10:9 “Since the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not war overtake the evildoers in Gibeah?”

The prophet Hosea reveals a very sad picture of Israel. Israel had not only sinned, but they remained there. They didn’t leave sin. They didn’t repent. They fell down and never got back up. They remained down. Sin conquered them. Sin was the victor. It’s hard to understand why Israel remained in sin. It’s hard to understand why people do that today.

Let’s be honest about sin:

First, sin has an attraction to it. That’s why it begins with the concept of temptation. If there was no tempting or appealing aspect to sin, then we’d not have a problem with it. If sin was like getting a tooth pulled or seeing a snake in your yard, we’d avoid it and never be bothered by it. But sin isn’t like a snake in the grass. It sparkles before our eyes. It dances in our minds. It creates a thirst for it. So, why do people remain in sin, it’s fun for them. Satan has blinded their eyes to the consequences. They see only the here and now. What is before their eyes is all that they look at. The eternal never crosses their minds.

Second, sin is so popular. The Roman statement, “All have sinned,” shows us the universal nature of sin. Not everyone has traveled oversees. Not everyone, believe it or not, likes chocolate. Not everyone drinks coffee in the morning. Not everyone has graduated from college. Not everyone is married. Not everyone has children. Not everyone goes to worship. However, everyone has sinned. All have sinned. You will not run into an adult today who has not sinned in his life. That includes the President, the CEO of your company, your mate, your grown children, the shepherds of your congregation, the preacher, even the apostles we read about in the Bible. It’s easy to do wrong when everyone around you are also doing wrong. Israel sinned and there you have remained.

Third, sin is hard to stop. It’s so easy to begin, but it’s hard to stop. Like many addictions, we can fall so easily into them and then find that we are shackled to that sin for decades. The alcoholic understands this. That first drink was so easy. Finding that last one is hard to do. The drug addict is the same way. The gambler, as well as the one hooked on porn. The habitual liar is also in this company. But, actually, this could be said of all sins. It’s easy to act without thinking. It’s easy to talk without giving thought to what you are saying. Doing right requires effort, diligence and a heart that wants to please the Lord.

Fourth, some would rather stay in the mud than get out and get clean. Some have become use to the environment of wrong. The people that they hang around with, the shows that they watch on TV, all revolve around wrong. Wrong decisions. Wrong attitudes. Wrong actions. Wrong words. Rarely is anything good, decent or kind found in the world that they have put themselves in. There is found no encouragement to do what is right. There is no example around them of those who are doing right. There is no avenue of moral rightness and goodness streaming into their hearts and minds. For some, they wouldn’t know how to do right if they wanted to. All around them, everywhere they look, is wrong. Couples living together without marriage. God’s name blasphemed. Drinking. Drugs. Loose talking. Trashy TV shows. All day long, this is the environment some are in. And, unlike the prodigal son, some have gotten use to being with pigs. They don’t mind the smell.

Fifth, some have the wrong image of what righteous living is like. They see a choice, fun or faith. Do what is right, which to them seems boring and lifeless, or have a blast doing what is wrong. Their perception is wrong. It may be that some Christians have given them that wrong image. Long faces. Constant frowns. Finger pointing. Judgmental spirits. Heads always shaking “no,” is not the picture I find of disciples of Jesus. They are rejoicing. They are upbeat, positive, and an enjoyment to be around. They have a confidence about them. They are hopeful and delightful. Staying down in the mud of sin is no place to be. God has made us for better things and better ways to live.

Israel sinned and remained there. You don’t have to. The road out may be difficult. It may involve going to people and apologizing. It may involve leaving wrong relationships. It may be cutting off some friends. It may mean getting some real help to conquer addictions. You don’t have to remain there. You don’t have to settle for things that are wrong. Your life can be richer, better and more fulfilling in Christ Jesus. Forgiveness can be yours. Hope can be a reality. Heaven can be more than a dream, but your home. These can be yours, but you can’t remain in sin.

The prodigal got up and came to his father. The father didn’t come out to the pig pen. The son came home. He did not remain with the pigs.

How about you? Are you ready to get up and get back to where you belong? Jesus is waiting…

Roger

05

Jump Start # 2751

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2751

Psalms 8:3 “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars, which You have set in place.”

A couple of weeks ago, just days before Christmas, there was a great alignment of two planets, Jupiter and Saturn. Many considered this the “Christmas Star.” It wasn’t what we read in the Scriptures, but it was a very rare event. I went out that cool night to look. From where we live, you could see the two tiny white spots in the sky becoming one as the alignment took place. It was said that this was the first time this has happened in 800 years. That would have been the year 1220. Can you imagine! This would have been at the start of the middle ages, pre-reformation movement, before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. The planets and this ole’ world continues on, but there sure has been a lot of changes in 800 years. Think about all those people who have lived in those 800 years. Think about all the inventions, changes and technology in those 800 years. Jupiter, Saturn and planet earth have continued on for all those years. And, 800 years ago, our Lord was still watching over this creation.

As exciting as the alignment of those planets were, there are other alignments that are more spectacular, and remarkable, but receiving very little notice and attention. Let’s consider some.

First, the alignment of our hearts to God’s. This comes through faith and the following of Scriptures. And, what happens to make this alignment just right, is that we move. We move our attitudes to line up with God. We move self out of the way and allow the Lord to be first in our lives. We move our opinions, our think-sos, our definitions, our goals, our behavior and align up with the Lord. And what happens is when one looks at the Bible, they see us. And, when they see us, they see the Bible. We mirror each other. We align.

Second, the alignment between a husband and wife. For this to happen, both move towards each other. One wants what the other wants. Together in mind. Together in purpose. More than roommates sharing a house, it is two separate lives that have become ONE. That “oneness” is an alignment of hearts, minds and purpose. The marriage does more than make each other happy, it glorifies the Lord.

Third, the alignment within a congregation. That concept is sprinkled throughout the N.T. Expressions such as one mind, one heart, one voice dominate the N.T. It is an alignment based upon Christ that brings opposites, such as Jews and Gentiles, masters and slaves into harmony and fellowship. One body. One goal. One purpose. And, when that alignment isn’t just right, things become blurry. Factions, divisions, hurt feelings, selfishness, lack of forgiveness and grace, keeps hearts from lining up. Stubbornness will prevent a person from moving the direction that he ought to. Tension fills the air. One can sense that things aren’t right.

Have you ever shard a pair of binoculars with someone? After they have looked through them, they hand them to you. As you look through them, things are a bit blurry. You have to make adjustments to the eye pieces to make everything clear for you. You are getting things aligned to your eyes. And, that’s just what we have to do with life.

The world has us looking at things a certain way. Our family has a way of looking at things. You hear things at work. You hear things on TV. You read things on the internet. So many different views, concepts and attitudes. And as we try to look at life through those lenses, things are not clear. They are blurry to us. It’s hard to see what others are seeing. Some things just do not make much sense to us. And, like those binoculars, you have to adjust the lenses. We adjust them according to the word of God. We are trying to see things as God sees them. What we quickly learn is that seeing clearly as the world does, makes things blurry with God. And, see things clearly with God, makes what the world sees blurry. Both aren’t clear. You can’t see both clearly. You can’t walk with the Lord and see things as God does. The world has no problem with unfit words, unkind attitudes, and ungodly behavior. What is clear with the world is not with God.

Alignment—it takes some moving on our parts to accomplish that. We must move towards God if we want an eternity with Him. The alignment of planets is fascinating, but a month later, it won’t mean that much to us. The alignment of our hearts to God will change our world for eternity.

Are you seeing things as God does? If not, it’s time to get aligned…

Roger

04

Jump Start # 2750

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2750

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Beginnings. The beginning of a new year. The beginning of life. The beginning of a marriage. The beginning of a new school year. The beginning of a new job. A new house. A new school. A new teacher. A new congregation. A new life in Christ. We celebrate so many new beginnings. They are often a journey with a bit of uneasiness and fear. Sometimes a person hopes that they made the right decision. New beginnings.

And, where we are at the start of a new year. Last year certainly didn’t turn out as we’d planned, hoped or wanted. But we made it. We had to make adjustments. We had a few set backs. We struggled. But, here we are at a new year. Will this year be any different? Will this year be better?

For some, a new year is nothing more than the flipping of a calendar to a new date. That’s about it. But for others, a lot of thought, planning and resolving goes into that next year. Steps are made to make things better. And, with those steps comes needful changes, both on the inside, outside and around us.

The self driven person doesn’t wait for someone else to start making changes. He makes changes whether others do nor not. He wants to improve and do better, and most times it shows. I’ve seen that through the years in many people. I do not know if what they did was built around a resolution at the start of the year or not. Many times these changes are the result of a sermon or a private conversation. The honest and good heart is always seeking to better things.

This past year has been hard on us spiritually. Services were slashed. Bible lessons were on video. So many things were band aided together so we could survive. And, what this has shown us is the importance of keeping yourself strong in the Lord. We relied less on others and did what we had to in order to connect with the Lord and others.

Here’s my list of things you can give a try this year as we start things new:

  • Find some challenging spiritual books to read. Not “Christian Fiction,” but things of substance, that will help you, strengthen you, and challenge you. The books you choose do not have to be newly published. There are mountains of old books that are wonderful to read. My personal choice at the start of this year is to read some material about the lands of the Bible. I have a special project later in the year and I want to refresh myself about the area, climate and customs.
  • Try something new spiritually. Try to memorize some passages. Try leading singing. Start in your home. Watch some videos and see if you can get it right. Write up some lessons to be given on a Wednesday night. Think about who you want to invite to your home when the all clear single is given.
  • Maybe this is the year that you need to step up and serve as a shepherd of God’s people. The church certainly needs more and more gifted leaders. Begin the year with a serious and concentrated study of leadership. Lots of great material will help you to get your thinking in the right direction. Talk to current shepherds. Learn. Observe. Then, step up and join the ranks of helping the people of God.
  • Find a new routine, whether it’s sitting in a different pew, reading from a different version, or singing without looking at the words. Bring freshness and life to your worship with God. Start a spiritual journal and record your thoughts. Make a list of people you want to encourage and share the Gospel with this year.

So many ways to start “new.” This could be the year that makes a real difference in your spiritual journey. This could be the year that the Lord works through you to make a difference in the lives of others. But one has to put some energy, thought and planning into this. Without that, we’ll be a year older this year, but not a year better.

Roger