24

Jump Start # 2807

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2807

Matthew 18:1 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?’”

Louisville’s legend, Muhammad Ali, declared, “I am the greatest.” That was partly true because of his first class ranking as a boxer and likely, a bit of showmanship, which he loved to display. But here in our verse, the disciples are asking Jesus a most unusual question, “Who is the greatest?” Easily, Jesus could have said, “I am.” And, He was. But that wasn’t the direction the disciples were going. Among them, which one of us, is the greatest.

It floors me that they would even ask that question. What did they expect Jesus to say? There are several candidates we might consider for that role.

PETER: His name always comes first when we find a listing of apostles. He was one of the inner circle. He will preach the first gospel sermon. He is the first to go to the Gentiles. He authors two N.T. books.

JOHN: He was the one that Jesus told to care for His mother. He was the last apostle to die. It is believed that he was the only apostle not to be executed. He authored five N.T. books. He saw the Lord years later in a vision. He too, was one of the inner circle with Jesus.

JAMES: The first apostle to be martyred. The third part of that inner circle.

ONE OF THE OTHERS: Thomas, turned believer when He saw the resurrected Jesus. Andrew, the one who took people to Jesus.

Here are some things to note:

First, by asking this question, the disciples revealed that they didn’t understand Jesus. Humility was important to the Lord. Very important. Among the things God declared that He hated was “haughty eyes” (Prov 6). Had they watched, listened and payed attention to Jesus, they would have seen that the Lord never acted arrogantly.

Second, any names that the Lord provided would have driven wedges between the apostles rather than puling them together. There was enough cultural differences among them. A tax collector and a zealot. One from Judea and the rest from Galilee. Some were family and others were not. So, had the Lord said, “Peter is the greatest,” you can easily see how the rest would have despised Peter and maybe even tried to undermine him and make him look bad.

Third, the spirit of who is the best can run through our hearts and our congregations. It’s easy for us preachers to believe that the doors will close and the place will collapse if we are not around. We can start talking about who is the most important, most widely known, who holds the most meetings and with that create a list of what we think are the greatest among us. That’s vain, artificial and definitely headed down the wrong path. Some of the hardest working preachers are not well known. Holding meetings is more about who knows who than anything else. Widely traveled, household names are all it takes for someone to get a head larger than the front doors. Some of the most dedicated workers in the kingdom are not even preachers. They are men and women, who outside of their own congregations, most would not recognize. Most don’t know their names. Most have never heard from them. But these wonderful disciples give life, time and money to the kingdom. They have held congregations together when the winds of division have blown by. They have taught, influenced and led the people of God for decades. Famous, not to us, but they are to Heaven. You’d pass them on the street and not even know them.

Fourth, the desire to be known can get one in trouble. This concerns me about young preachers. The drive to write books, to be published, to be known as an author can be dangerous. It’s one thing to write if you have something to say. But to toot your horn that you are a writer, won’t open any doors nor will it get you a free meal. To be noticed often tempts one to be different, unusual, out of the box and that can be a dangerous place, especially for one young in faith or experience. Arrogance is a poison that kills many of us. It’s hard to deal with criticism when one is arrogant. It’s hard to listen to others when one is arrogant. The more the head swells, the less people want to be around you. And, when one starts taking about things outside the box, he best understand what’s inside the box to start with.

Finally, Jesus answered the disciples question. It wasn’t what they were expecting. A child was used as an illustration. Humble yourself like a child and you’ll be great. The way up is down. I have a bunch of young ones in our family. Ten grandchildren, with number eleven on the way. They are all under ten years old. We get the toys out and make a mess. When it’s clean up time, they jump in and do their part. When I ask them to help me pick up sticks, they run with eagerness. They smile. They laugh. They tell stories. They never ask which one is my favorite, because I don’t have one favorite. They are all my favorites. The humble pitches in. The humble serves. The humble doesn’t ask, “what about that guy?” The humble is thankful to be included. Who is the greatest? The one who has the spirit of a child. The one who is sweet, kind and willing to get along. The one who isn’t going to be asking the very question that you disciples asked.

This is sure something for us to think about in our times. We become great when we are helping others. You do that without telling others what you do. God notices. Heaven is aware. That’s all that matters.

Roger

23

Jump Start # 2806

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2806

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life.”

Last Sunday a young man in our congregation was baptized into Jesus Christ. His journey began. The next day, on Monday, word came that an old preacher, famous historian and friend, Ed Harrell, ended his journey here. Ed was 91. I thought about that, side by side, a journey starting and a journey ending. A long time ago, Ed Harrell was in the shoes of that young man, just starting out a journey with the Lord.

We all start the same way. Now, some of us have a huge upside advantage because of our background and our parents. Many have grown up understanding the Lord’s ways and the value of pure worship to God. We have come from homes where honesty was expected and practiced. Prayers were as normal as cereal for breakfast. And, when we became Christians, we already had years of sermons and Bible classes under our belt and in our hearts. What a blessing to start that way.

For others, it was a slow, uphill journey for them. They did not have the advantage that others did. They may have come from a broken home where cuss words filled the air every day. They may have seen the ugly side of sin with abuse, drunken parents and God’s name blasphemed. Worship was never on the schedule. Prayers were non-existent. And, yet, from such a twisted background, some of us found our way to the Lord and our journey began. We didn’t know the books of the Bible. There were many, many stories that we had never heard before. There were major sections of the Bible that we never read. Yet, our journey began.

And, with each of us, our journey has had some twists and turns and ups and downs. Some have grown a bit cold in their faith, especially during the college years. Some may have walked away from the Lord for a while. There has been tough days, sad days and a whole lot of common everyday days. We found on this journey that some excel. Some grow and become teachers, preachers and leaders. Some become the backbone of the congregation through diligent commitment, hospitality and devoted love. Others tend to drift. School, dating, marriage, kids, career, aging parents, moving, those are all the things that we experience on this journey with the Lord. Some seize opportunities and really help the kingdom. Some miss those opportunities. Some keep getting better and better. Some stay about the same.

A journey started and a journey completed. And, in between those two milestones are you and I. We’ve started but we haven’t finished.

As I was thinking about all of this it took me back to the start of my journey. It was in the month of March. I was a senior in high school. I had dreams of working for the Forest Service out west. My plans were to graduate from Purdue, say goodbye to Indiana and head West. Now, all these years later, I’m still in Indiana. I’m not working for the Park service. I preach. I started at Purdue, but didn’t finish up there. Now, four and a half decades later, what would I have done differently at the start of my journey? Have you ever thought about that? Those thoughts could help someone taking their first steps with the Lord.

First, I would have connected better with older righteous people. I have a vast collection of material from those first congregations I worshipped with. I never really knew the shepherds of those congregations. I wish I had spent an afternoon with each of them and allowed them to guide me with their perspectives. I was a teenager and they seemed ancient to me, but looking back I would have benefited so much. Not too many years ago, I spent an afternoon with one of those men. He was frail and aged, but his mind was sharp. He shared great insights into the history of the churches in Indianapolis. That was rich for me.

Second, I would have found a specific plan to read and study the Bible through. Today, there are so many reading programs for the Bible. I don’t remember ever hearing of one back then. Also, starting early, it would have helped to develop a regular habit of reading the Bible every day. Oversleeping in the morning and staying out too late at night kills daily Bible reading. Starting with great habits and sticking with them  would have made a wonderful difference.

Third, I had a great relationship with preachers, but I would have spent more time in their libraries learning the value of great books. I was more of a self taught, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps kind of person and there were many valuable things that would have helped me had I made myself available to the powerful help around me.

And, I believe as each of us thinks back, there were great things that helped us and some opportunities that we missed. Sharing those with others can help them in their journey. We travel the same way and the blessings in life we need to share with others to help them. All of us have been helped by others.

A journey started and a journey ended. That will be said of us as we walk with the Lord. And, through that journey we learn things and we leave footprints for others. We can make the way easier for others by what we do.

Things to talk about and share with others…

Roger

22

Jump Start # 2805

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

Jump Start # 2805

1 Corinthians 16:10 “Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am.”

Make sure that Timothy isn’t scared. Now, there’s lots of things that scare people. For me, it’s snakes. Hate them with a passion. Don’t try to convince me that some are good. The only way a snake is good in my book is if it is good and dead. Some are afraid of storms. Some are afraid of dying. Some are afraid of flying. Our list of fears can be long, very long. Here, Paul was sending Timothy to a church. Timothy was a young preacher. Certainly there is an element of nerves on the part of the young preacher. All young preachers have had that. But, there was something more here. The Common English states this passage, “…be sure that he has no reason to be afraid while he’s with you…” That thought puts the fear factor upon the Corinthians.

And, there was plenty of things to be afraid of if Timothy was going to stand for the truth. A troubled church often has a lot of fixin’ to be done and much too often, no one wants to do that. Fellowshipping an immoral member, divided over the Lord’s Supper, fighting over spiritual gifts, suing each other, false teaching spreading among them—there was a long, long list of things that needed to be worked on. And, Paul was sending in a young preacher. Old heads, with hearts full of arrogance won’t take well to hearing what a young preacher has to say. So Paul is sending a warning shot across the bow of the ship before Timothy gets there. Don’t make him afraid. Don’t abuse him. He is doing God’s work. He is doing what I am doing.

And, with this there ought to be some lessons for you and I to think about.

First, we should never be in a position where other brethren are afraid of us. One of the main reasons why people do not go and talk face-to-face with someone that has offended them is that they are afraid. A friendship may end. A shouting match may begin. The tension and the pressure become so great that we’d rather suffer silently than go and deal with the matter. Our countenance and the manner we carry ourselves has much to do with this. Even we preachers need to take this to heart. Anyone ought to be welcome to talk to us without feeling intimidated, scared and the sense of heading to the principal’s office.

Second, tough things often have to be said. Sometimes they are said from the pulpit. Sometimes they must be said face-to-face. Creating an atmosphere which encourages one to speak the truth makes all of that go so much easier. In the home, the kids may be afraid to say something to their parents. I’ve known kids who had a big brother or sister sign the report card because they were afraid of what mom or dad would say. Some can be like a volcano that might explode at any given moment. People walk around on eggshells, fearing that they may say or do the wrong thing. That’s not a healthy home. Nor, does that make a healthy church.

Third, we older folks can learn from the younger ones. There is no “pecking order” within the kingdom. A young Timothy can have more insight and faith than we older ones. When we allow age to out rank others, then we are heading to a dangerous place. We can all learn from each other. Being thankful to a young man who gives the invitation on a Wednesday or teaches a class helps create an atmosphere of respect, love and appreciation for each other. Fear can keep some from preaching what needs to be preached. Now, what’s preached, needs to be spoken truthfully and filled with love. We preachers can create problems by the manner in which we say things. Picking scabs only keeps wounds from healing. Keeping a spirit of unity, love and fellowship goes a long way in learning and sharing from each other.

Don’t cause Timothy to be afraid. Paul was protecting young Timothy, yet he was also sending him right into the middle of a mess. Paul didn’t keep Timothy home. Paul didn’t find nice safe places for Timothy to preach. Go to Corinth. Preach God’s word. But a warning came to the church, don’t make Timothy afraid.

The upside potential was win-win if all went well. Timothy would grow, get more backbone and learn how to face tough situations. The Corinthians would learn how to walk closer to the Lord. If it went well, both would do well. If it didn’t, disaster could happen.

Sure gives us a few things to think about…

Roger

19

Jump Start # 2804

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

Jump Start # 2804

1 Corinthians 11:30 “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.”

Our verse today comes from Paul’s concluding thoughts about the Lord’s Supper. The previous verse reminds us to judge the body rightly. If one doesn’t, he brings judgment upon himself. And that flows directly into our, “for this reason,” in our verse today. The reason many are weak, sick and sleeping is because they are not focusing upon what the Lord’s Supper means.

But on a broader scale, our verse once more identifies the struggles and disappointments found within the Corinthian church. Much earlier Paul rebuked the Corinthians for being carnal, worldly minded and babes. This was a church that today we’d run from. Some were denying the resurrection. Some were suing each other. There was division and a misuse of the Lord’s Supper. They were tolerating and accepting an immoral member. Nearly every page introduces more problems. Attitudes, behavior, doctrinal beliefs, fellowship—what troubles plagued that church. It would be a preacher’s nightmare. Backseat driving would have us to wonder if Paul should have stayed there longer and got the brethren on better footing. We wonder if these folks were truly converted? And, we wonder if any of them ever got going in the right direction and became examples to others?

Now, all of this is helpful reminders as churches start meeting back again. Some places are seeing their numbers pop right back to where they were before covid. Others, many others, are seeing smaller attendance and numbers just trickling in. Some have gotten use to staying home on Sunday and after nearly a year of that, it’s rather comfortable for them.

Here are some things to remember:

First, we are all on a journey with the Lord. Some grow faster than others. Some are content to stay just where they are. Some are weak, have been weak and likely will remain weak. If brethren in Corinth were weak with the preaching of Paul and Apollos, we know that some will be weak today. Different approaches and ideas will be used to strengthen these people, but in the end, some are very, very content to remain weak. Just enough faith to take care of guilt but not enough faith to make a difference.

Second, the lackluster desire in some discourages the strong. The strong can’t understand why others do not want to be strong. It’s hard to understand why some are content to do so little when there are so many opportunities presented to help them grow and become stronger.

Third, it is important that those stronger remain that way. Congregations need to keep doing great work and teaching and providing ways to learn and grow. Not everyone will take hold of these things. And, discouragement may lead us to just stop all these things, but you can’t. Teaching and providing ways for people to grow is what the Lord wants us to do and we must continue to do those things.

Fourth, in Paul’s words to the Corinthians, he never advocates a separation between those who are weak, sickly and sleepy from those who are strong. Paul never tells us to just cut the losses and leave those others behind. And, in all of this Paul doesn’t sugar coat their spiritual condition, nor justify where they are. He’s honest in his assessment of them. Some were weak. Some were sickly. Some were asleep. And, it is those very ones that would get carried away with error. It is those very ones that would not see any problem with immorality among them. It is those very ones that would likely divide and fight among each other. They do not have the right faith in their wheelhouse to make the right decisions. The trouble that would be found in Corinth didn’t come from strong members, but those that were weekly, sick and sleeping. The way that they would change would be through the constant teaching of God’s word. Keeping at it, keep teaching and teaching and that would be the avenue to encourage and help those who are asleep.

The problems at Corinth weren’t unique to that area. In Galatians, brethren were fighting each other. In Sardis, some were dead. In Ephesus, the call was for them to wake up. This journey that we are on, is just that, a journey. And, when some have stopped or some have taken another path, we must try to help them back where they need to be. Christians who are weak and slow to get what this is about is not new to our times. It’s not something unique to covid. It has to do with faith and life.

This calls upon us to be patient, kind and set forth the right example. We need to help those who have fallen behind. There are some who are weak, sickly and sleeping, yet today. Help them to see what they are missing. Help them to be what the Lord wants.

Roger

18

Jump Start # 2803

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

Jump Start # 2803

Ephesians 4:3 “being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Our verse today is an action statement. It is something that the Lord wants us to do. This action is about how we interact and treat others. I’ve never heard of a congregation warning or disciplining someone because they were not very “diligent” about preserving the unity. It seems like we are patient and do a lot of tolerating of expressing each other’s opinions. We tend to allow the envelope to be pushed outward while not doing much about working to keep us all together. It is sad to hear of congregations who have divided over the wearing of a mask. It’s only a mask. If we can’t get along with masks, what in the world would we have done had we lived in the times of Romans 14. Meats sacrificed to idols had much more at stake than the wearing of a mask. I loved how one church dealt with this by saying, ‘wearing a mask will not get you to  Heaven. Not wearing a mask will not get you to Heaven. But the way you treat those who differ with you may keep you out of Heaven.’ Well said.

Some thoughts here:

First although this was addressed to the Ephesian church, the application of this was personal and individual. Each person had to be diligent. Each person had to want unity. Each person had to do all they could to keep the unity. The preacher can preach a mighty fine lesson on these verses, but if I roll my eyes and look down my nose at those who are doing things differently than I am, those preached words fall empty and useless. The preserving of the unity isn’t the job of the preacher, nor even the shepherds. Tension in the flock causes stress among the sheep. Our selfish spirits can ruin all the good that a congregation is trying to do.

Second, the preserving the unity wasn’t an idealistic dream that was unreachable. Not at all. The Corinthians were told to be of one mind. The Romans, one voice. The Philippians were told to maintain the same love, being united in spirit. The Galatians were told to stop biting and devouring each other. It is possible for different people, with different backgrounds to be united in heart, spirit and work. This is accomplished when people  push themselves to the background and stand together under the banner of the Cross. It’s not your way, my way, but His way. Master and slave, together. Jew and Gentile, together. So different, yet so much the same because of Jesus. Our culture thrives on diversity and individualism. Accent the differences. Emphasis the differences. The N.T. focuses upon our sameness. Same problem, sin. Same solution, Jesus. Same hope, Heaven. Same responsibilities, live for Jesus. Congregations can thrive in unity. Forgiveness and grace and patience are the means to which this is accomplished.

Third, warring Christians is shameful to the Lord and makes the devil smile. When we can’t get along, it shows outsiders that no one can live by these principles. It shows that we don’t even believe in them. But a united church, powerful, strong, and growing, shows the world that we can be one. It shows the world that we can put Christ before our individual wishes. There are a couple of powerful bombs that Satan loves to drop upon a congregation. One is error. But the other is division. Get everyone stirred up, upset and mad with each other, and worship is ruined, the work stops and decades of good can be tossed out the window. That’s all it takes. And, a generation is often lost. Young people remember mom and dad being so upset over trouble at church. They see people pointing fingers and accusing each other of the worst things. And, with that, young people grow and want nothing to do with the people of God.

Fourth, to be one with each other, we must first be one with the Lord. And, right there might be the cause of much of the problem. We may have left the Lord out. We may have taken on battles without the Lord being included or invited. So, the first step in preserving the unity, is for each of us to be walking rightly with the Lord. We cannot be right with each other and not right with the Lord. The Lord always comes first. The Lord makes all the difference. And, this walk with the Lord will humble our attitudes and tame our tongues. It will give thought to our influence. It will think about the other person first. And, in doing all these things, unity happens. We get along. We share. We serve. Great things take place.

Be diligent about these things. Get about it and get about it quickly…

Roger