16

Jump Start # 2899

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2899

1 Timothy 4:1 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Our verse for today gives us much to think about. It’s stuffed like a suitcase going on a vacation. It does us good to “unpack” several of these expressions and to expand upon them. For instance:

  • Ensuring salvation: that’s the end result of all that is said in this verse. That’s the motive and the purpose. Why pay close attention? Why bother? The reason is to ensure salvation. Guarantee it. We understand “insurance.” You are supposed to have insurance on your car if you drive. You best have insurance on your house and even your life. That is being financially responsible. That is doing the right thing. The same goes for our salvation. Ensure it, but making sure you are staying close to the Lord. Stay so close that He is always in sight. Stay so close that you don’t miss a step.

Some folks believe that once you are saved you can never lose it. Always saved. Nothing can touch it. Never can lose it. Doesn’t matter what you do, you have it and will always have it. In theory that sounds wonderful. But practically, it doesn’t make sense. Biblically, it’s nonsense. The majority of the N.T. is written to Christians to teach them how to continue on the walk with the Lord. If it doesn’t matter, then why those passages in our Bibles? Example after example is found in the Bible of people like Demas who chased after the world instead of Christ. The Corinthians were warned about falling (1 Cor 10). The Galatians were told that they had fallen (5:4). Multiple churches in Revelation were told to repent or be punished.

Your salvation can be lost. It can be lost when you are not paying attention to what you are doing. That leads to the first action words in this verse.

  • Pay close attention: we have a word and a concept of the opposite of this. It’s called being distracted. A distracted driver is likely to drift into another lane and have an accident. This is such a problem that in my state, if the police catch you on your phone while driving, you will automatically receive several points against your license. Get enough of those and you won’t be driving for a long time.

Pay attention. More than that, pay CLOSE attention. Pay close attention to yourself. Look what you doing. Listen to what you are saying. Where is it you are going? God’s people are gathering to worship, where are you? Not paying attention leads to accidents, little ones getting hurt, and being caught off guard by the devil. A little anger let loose can sure do a lot of damage. A little flirting with someone you are not married to can put you in a real mess. Pay close attention. What is that you are reading? What is that you are watching? What is that you are letting into your heart? Are you paying attention? Are you paying close attention?

I’ve mentioned before that I hate snakes. I hate them with a passion. I wish God had never created them. If animals went to Heaven and Hell, I know where snakes would end up. It’s not the good place! I know I have snakes in the woods near my house. So when I’m back there, I’m watching, looking, and being very careful. Now, when you are in the world of Satan’s snakes, temptation, deception, error, unprincipled morals, keep your eyes open. Be watching. Be careful, very, very careful.

He then adds, to the preacher Timothy, pay close attention to your teaching. Make sure it’s what God says. Don’t preach assumptions, opinions or doubts. Don’t be guessing. Do your homework. Pay attention, pay close attention. Don’t say things just to get people to like you. Don’t say things just to be controversial. Don’t say things to get a following. Pay close attention to what you are saying. It best be by the book or else you best sit for a while and figure out what you are really doing.

When you have paid close attention, it will bring positive results. It will bring about salvation for yourself and for others. And, that’s what we are after. We want the salvation of all. But that comes about when one has paid close attention.

Paul is showing Timothy that if you wreck, it will affect others. If you do not pay attention to what you are doing, not only are you hurting yourself, but others will be hurt. But when you pay close attention to yourself, others will follow. There is a direct connection between the salvation of Timothy and those that heard Timothy.

Sometimes we put things off because we don’t want to be bothered. We do that with our health. Someone in the family pleads for us to see the doctor, but we tell them, “there’s nothing to it. I’m ok.” We are not paying close attention. The same happens spiritually. We can get very close to the line of right and wrong and some can walk that line, telling others, that its not a sin, but the slightest push and they are over on the other side of things. Why get that close? In recent times, there has been way too many Youtube celebs that have died because they were taking a picture of themselves on dangerous cliffs. They fell. They died. Yet, more have died spiritually, because they have stood on the edge of wrong, wanting to get as close as they could and they fell.

Paul’s simple words are: Play close attention to yourself.

Roger

13

Jump Start # 2898

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2898

Matthew 10:21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parent and cause them to be put to death.”

Our verse today shows the extreme contempt some would have towards those who believed in Jesus. It’s hard for us to imagine our own family turning against us to the point of allowing us to be executed, simply because we believe in Jesus. In the age of tolerance that we live in today, this just seems unfathomable. But it was true, and it did happen.

Thankfully this does not happen today. However there is a very real and often unspoken loneliness that many experience with their families. I know of several people in which they are the only N.T. Christian in their family. These believers often face pressures and situations that the rest of us are completely unaware of. The family takes a vacation. Seems wonderful, but for the lone Christian it is often tense, difficult and puts him in tough situations. The family doesn’t have time nor interest in worshipping on Sunday. To the lake, on a boat, is where the family will be and everyone is expected to be there. In the evenings, it’s to the Casino for a night of gambling. The young Christian is teased about his faith. He’s encouraged to drink alcohol with the rest of the family. The family vacation isn’t fun for the Christian. The values he loves are not those of his family. Holiday times are not much better. Birthday parties. Family reunions. Home for the holidays is not a warm and wonderful experience for the one who is the only one following Christ.

There are some lessons for us:

First, so many do not know what this young Christian experiences. He doesn’t say much. He loves his family, but they are making it so difficult for him. He sees whole families in the congregation, worshipping together, going out to eat together, and how he dreams and wishes that his family was like that. But it’s not.

Second, this young Christian carries a lot of guilt, shame and pressure. He wants to follow the Lord, but his family won’t let up on pushing him to do things he no longer believes in. He wonders if he is doing something wrong. He’s tried talking to his family but they won’t listen. They don’t seem to care. He finds that he has less and less in common with them. He feels very lonely.

Third, more than once he has thought about just leaving the Lord. His family sure seems to have a good time. They don’t worry about consequences, the feelings of others, or what is right. Fun is all that they are after and they’re doing that to the max. Maybe he should just quit this walk with Jesus. Maybe he ought to just join them. He knows following the Lord is right, but it sure seems hard.

I wonder how many in the congregation you attend are just like the picture I painted. They show up Sunday bright and early. They seem to be doing well, but deep, deep inside, their very family is tearing them apart. They are afraid to say anything, because everyone else seems to be doing well.

What can be done when one is the only Christian in their family? Here are a few thoughts:

First, the shepherds need to be on this. They need to see who falls into a situation like this. Who needs some special attention because not only are they alone, but they are suffering from their families. Get out that church director and go through it. Who doesn’t have family there? What’s the story? Do they have family that are Christians but live elsewhere? Or, might they have family in the area but none of them are Christians? Pay some special attention to those who are alone like this.

Second, give some personal attention and encouragement to those who may be facing trials from their own family. Build them up and help them with dealing with things. Offer suggestions. Let them know that you’d like to meet their family and maybe some good can be done.

Third, don’t forget to include those who are alone to your holiday events and other social activities. Rejected by family and ignored by the church is a terrible place to be in. Make sure that doesn’t happen. Do what you can to make a difference.

Fourth, above all things keep an eye on their faith. The pressures from family can be all it takes for some to give and quit. You do not what that to happen. Encouragement and support, beyond the church building goes a long way.

Families turning on family—it’s really nothing new. Cain did it. Joseph’s brothers did it. It happened in the days of Jesus. And, it happens today. And, sometimes we find out that we have a closer bond and more in common with our church family than we do our physical family. That’s hard for some to understand. It’s harder still for some to see who really loves them and has their back.

Look around and see who you might be able to help.

Roger

12

Jump Start # 2897

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2897

Colossians 4:12-13 “Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, send you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.”

Her name is Savannah. She’s a typical teenager, full of life, active and a bit shy. Her smile is contagious. But there is something else about Savannah, she has cancer. That ugly, dreaded word, cancer. She is in the early stages of chemo. Our congregation, which is her family, has busted the seams with support. It is amazing to see all the things that have been done. There are T-shirts with the expression, “Savannah Strong,  her fight is our fight.” After services last Wednesday, her birthday, there was a caravan of cars that drove by her house and left her cards and gifts, waved and honked our horns. In that caravan was a fire truck, multiple police cars and over fifty cars from our church family. Nearly every prayer in our services names her. We love her and her family and we want her to beat this, which she can.

And, all of this takes us to dear ole’ Epaphras and our verse today. I hope someday that I can stand beside him in Heaven. I know if Epaphras was among us that he’d lead the way in praying for our Savannah. When people play the game who they would like to be like, some say Paul, others say Joseph or Apollos—mine is Epaphras.

Notice what our verse tells us about him:

First, he belonged to Jesus. He was a bondslave of Jesus Christ, is how Paul put it. Did Epaphras preach? Probably. And, if he didn’t he’d be one of the greatest cheerleaders for those who preached. He was one of the Lord’s. That’s powerful. Who do you belong to? America? Your congregation? How about Jesus, first. How about Jesus, always.

Second, he sent his greetings. That’s a nice way of saying encouragement. Many people think of others, but they never know it. Sending greetings is so easy today. Pick up the phone. Send a text. Send an email. Mail a card. Facetime. Facebook message. Just let others know you are thinking about them. That’s enough to drive the clouds away and put some sunshine in someone’s heart and soul. Epaphras sent his greetings. I expect that meant a lot for the Colossian church.

Third, always laboring earnestly for you in prayers. Epaphras was a man of prayer. He prayed. He prayed for others. He prayed hard. I especially like the expressive way the NIV states this: “He is always wrestling in prayer for you.” Sounds as if he was fighting a bear! No, repeating the same ole’ words every time. He was working hard in prayer. Just as Jacob wrestled an angel, Epaphras was wrestling in prayer.

And, this makes us pause and wonder about how we pray. Is merely running through a check list actually praying? We “bullet point” our prayers, but do we labor and wrestle with them? Do we pour our heart and our soul into our prayer? Do we bust it hard in prayer? Does our prayers cause us to sweat, agonize and feel tired? When Jesus prayed, his sweat became blood. Image that taking place on a Sunday morning in the pulpit?

And, what was my friend, Epaphras working so hard over in his prayers? He was praying for the Colossians. He was praying hard that they be mature, another word for perfect, and be complete, or strong. His prayers were not about Caesars in Rome, jobs, the weather, but the spiritual wellbeing of the people he loved. I doubt this prayer was short. Most wrestling matches take awhile.

Fourth, he did these things because he had a deep concern for the Colossians. But he had a similar concern for Laodicea—that church that became infamous in Revelation for being lukewarm. They had someone caring for them. They had someone praying hard for them. And, another church, Hierapolis, was also in his prayers and in his heart. He cared. That’s where prayers and service begin. Without love, without care, nothing gets done.

We’ve been praying hard for our sweet Savannah. She is tough. She’s strong. Her family is awesome. And, with a mighty army of God’s people around them, they’ll get through this. The Lord can whip cancer. Could I ask you to take a moment today and pray for our Savannah? And, while you are at it, thank the Lord for all that He does for us. We are certainly blessed.

Epaphras—I just love that guy. I wish I was him.

Roger

11

Jump Start # 2896

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2896

Luke 12:8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man shall confess him also before the angels.”

On Fridays, we produce a weekly podcast. It is generally themed for a month. Our Friday August theme is: “God’s B-team.” We could call them second chair, or second string or even, the JV squad. We know the names and the stories behind Abraham, Daniel, David, Paul, Peter and of course our Lord. But there are many people who played significant roles in the Bible story, that we are not even given their names. They are known to God but not to us.

I thought about this passage today as we produced our first in this B-Team series. Confess Jesus here and He’ll confess us there. For us, it’s before men. For Jesus, it’s before angels. Earthly and Heavenly. Now and later. Jesus will confess us. What a thought that is. Most of us could walk down the street and no one would even notice us. We could pass by important people and they wouldn’t call out our names. They don’t know us. The President doesn’t know you. The governor doesn’t know you. For many who work in a large corporation, the CEOs do not know them. But our names are important to us. When mispronounced, we kindly, but firmly correct the person. When misspelled, we point that out. Some of us have difficult names to pronounce. Some of us have unique spellings to their name. But our names are us. They identify us. When we hear our name, we perk up, we pay attention.

Now some thoughts:

First, the name of Jesus is much more important than our names. He is the glorified God who came to earth for our salvation. He is our redeemer and our hope. History can forget our names and life goes on. We forget the name of Jesus, we are in trouble.

God understood how sacred His name was. Do not curse it. Do not blaspheme it. Understand how precious and special His name is.

Second, to confess the name of Jesus, is much more than saying, “I believe in Jesus.” Some say that once, right before they are baptized and then that’s it. We confess Jesus by choosing to follow Him and by demonstrating a righteous life based upon Him. We confess His name when we pray. We confess His name when we sing. We confess His name as we preach. We confess His name as we take the Lord’s Supper. “In the name of,” has significance in the Bible. It means ’by the authority of.’

Third, Jesus confesses our name as one who belongs to Him and who dwells with Him in Heaven. When Jesus confesses you, He will not confuse you with someone else. He will not mispronounce your name. The Lord knows you. The Lord has loved you for a long, long time. The Lord wants you to be with Him in Heaven.  If Jesus already knows us, why is He confesses us? Could it be to introduce us to all in Heaven? Could it be to show His grace and why we ought to be there? Could it be that He likes saying your name?

Fourth, our confession of Christ is visible. It is before men. It’s not done in a secret place. It ought to be beyond the walls of the church building. Because of our confession of Christ, others might confess Him as well. Others might want to know what we see in Him. We confess. Others witness that.

Both of my grandfather’s first names started with O. Both were unusual names. One was Omer and the other was Otto. I didn’t know Omer well. I loved Otto. People called him “Toe”. One of my sons carries his middle name. Why parents name their children what they do is sure interesting. Some put a lot of thought into it. Others, seem rather impulsive.

More important than our names are our character and our walk with the Lord. Some may never know your name, but they will taste of the generosity and service that you have extended. Such is our podcast series. Unknown to us, but what a trail of faith, hope and goodness.

There seems to be an order to our passage. We confess first, then Christ follows. It reminds me of a hymn, “Each day I’ll do, a good deed…”

Roger

10

Jump Start # 2895

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2895

1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of the week let each one of your put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.”

Last week in one of our Jump Starts I wrote about inheritances. I briefly mentioned that I knew of about five congregations recently that received money from the estates of people who passed away. That prompted one of our readers to ask me if that is good or bad. I really appreciate hearing from you and when you ask questions, it often leads to another Jump Start, as this has.

Our passage today is about giving. Built within the DNA of a Christian is giving. God has given to us. God has been good to us. God has been generous, more than we deserve. And, for the kingdom to thrive, it takes money. It takes money to publish class material. It takes money to livestream services. It takes money to produce and circulate these Jump Starts. It takes money to pay the preacher. It takes money to provide nice, comfortable places to worship. It takes money to purchase or make the Lord’s Supper. Among us are those who are hurting financially and they need brethren to help. It took money back then and it takes money today. The Lord understood that. Built in the structure of a congregation is the fact that the members would support it.

Through the years, this topic has hit a lot of speed bumps. A man once told me that if a husband and wife both worked, that they had to put in separate checks for their contribution, even though it was coming from the same checking account. I didn’t buy into that idea. We are in the age of electronic banking and many are sending their contributions in that way. That has made some scratch their heads, but remember back in the first century, it was a cash only society. Checks, as we know and use them, did not exist. It was just another way of fulfilling this obligation to give. Long ago, country preachers were given chickens and ham as a form of payment. One church sent me a new Bible for holding a Gospel Meeting for them.

Now, what about leaving money to a church after you have passed away. In other words, include a congregation within your will? I have been involved with that many times in recent months. Is it good? Is it bad?

Here are my thoughts—and, they are just that, my thoughts. Biblically, there is nothing said about this. And, just as I have my thoughts about this, you will have yours. Our opinions are like our noses—everyone has one and they think theirs is the best. I don’t know if there is a right or wrong on this subject.

First, my first reaction is that I’d rather give as much as I can while I am alive. This allows a person to see the needs of a congregation and to be part of helping it. Sadly, much, much too sadly, there are congregations that are sitting upon hundreds of thousands of dollars. The church is not in the banking business. The money needs to be used. There are too many needs and too many good things that the money can be put to that would spread the gospel world-wide. To be honest, some congregations do not need the money. Some, lacking in positive leadership, would simply bank the money and it would just sit there.

I’ve known tiny country congregations that received a distribution from an estate that was larger than the entire year’s contribution for that group. What would they do with that money?

Second, I know of a situation in which an older couple died and left a congregation some money. They wanted the church to buy new songbooks. The leadership did not want new songbooks. So, the inherited money was put into the general fund and used for other things. So, this wonderful blessing from this couple was never realized. That bothers me. Maybe we shouldn’t “earmark” money and designate how we think it ought to be used, but I expect had they known what happened to it, they likely would not have included it in their will.

Third, for some congregations, receiving an inheritance is just what they need to do some needed improvements and outreach in evangelism. The money received could be the green light that they have been waiting for. That gift is just what they needed.

Fourth, through the years congregations can change. Some die. Some flip over into progressive apostasy. The church you know today, may not be that way in a few decades. Your inheritance can be a blessing or a curse, based upon the direction that congregation is going.

So, I guess you can tell by my tone that I am not a fan of leaving a church money after I die. Is it wrong? No. Can it be a good thing? Yes. It can be wonderful. Would I talk people out of doing this? Never. If the options were leaving some to a congregation or some foundation where a large percentage will go to administration costs and paying salaries, then I’d be for giving it to a congregation. I am not a fan of someone leaving the church stocks and mutual funds. The church isn’t in the stock market. Leave a dollar amount or a percentage, but don’t leave real estate, stock certificates, rare paintings, jewelry.

But through all of this, I like the idea that people are thinking about the kingdom after they leave this place. They are kind and thoughtful and want to help a congregation continue on. That is such a refreshing and delightful spirit.

When you give each week, you are saying that you believe in what is being done. You also are saying that you want it to continue on. And, you are saying that you want the kingdom to thrive. We have been blessed by God.

Something to think about…

Roger