14

Jump Start # 2941

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2941

Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

I was listening to my oldies the other day. Peter, Paul and Mary’s very political song, “Where have all the flowers gone?” came on. It’s a sad, sad song about the young soldiers who were killed in Vietnam. Where have they gone, echoes throughout that song.

I want to put a twist to that song and ask, “Where have all the preachers gone?” Our fellowship is facing a coming crisis because of a lack of preachers. There have been many preachers, both young and middle aged who have quit. And, on top of that, fewer and fewer younger men are stepping up to preach.

Preaching has always been God’s chosen method to push His message out to the people. God did not raise up writers. God did not choose videos, artists or other means to communicate. God chose preachers. Noah preached. Moses preached. David preached. The prophets preached. The apostles preached. John the baptist preached. And, our Lord preached. Our verse today asks a pointed question, “How shall they hear without a preacher?” The role of the preacher is to proclaim the message of Jesus. It is not to be the office administrator of the church. It is not to be the church’s errand boy. It’s not to be the official representative of the church. His role is defined as reprove, rebuke and exhort. Preach the word is what Timothy was told.

Will we get to the point that we don’t need preachers? The Scriptures do not show that. Our passage does not indicate that. We need preachers.

So, why is it that there are fewer and fewer preachers these days?

First, brethren need to take a long and serious look at how we treat preachers. The awful and shameful stories abound about the criticism, ridicule and emotional abuse that many preachers endure. Shepherds need to take a nurturing role in helping preachers. Care needs to be given to the preacher’s family. While the pay for preachers has increased over past generations, the benefits have not. After thirty or forty years, what does a preacher have? And, much, much too often, as a congregation desires to have a younger face and voice in the pulpit, the older preacher is released, let go, fired without any thought about what will happen to him, nor for his decades of service in the kingdom.

Getting an earful of gripes every Sunday and heartache from leaders who do not want to lead or have vision, some just give up. Why put myself through such pressure, agony, knowing that there is no job security and at a moments notice you could be replaced.

I’d suggest that shepherds take one Saturday morning and have an open conversation about what they are doing with their preacher. Put some thought into what he does and what he goes through. If you want to keep your preacher, then you ought to show it. The church ought to show it. Let’s be honest, many quit because of the way they are treated. And shame on any of us who are the cause of that.

Second, we need to restore the honor of preaching among our young men and their families. Much too often we hear, “There are other ways to serve in the kingdom,” which is true. Serving as a shepherd is incredible. Serving by teaching is great. But if every young man went down that road, where would the preachers be? Moms and dads need to take a longer look at what it means to put the kingdom first. Stop thinking about paychecks, nice homes, fat retirements and put more thought into the Lord and the most incredible work of preaching His word. Preaching is hard work. It’s more than a job, it’s a life. It’s not something that you leave behind at the end of the day. It takes a person who is self driven. It takes a person who likes to read. It takes a person who can communicate. It takes a person who loves people and is comfortable talking to others. It takes a person who loves helping others. It takes a teacher at heart. It takes a disciple at the core.

When a man gives one Wednesday night invitation a year, believes he knows how to preach and thinks he’s got preaching down, what a mistake and dishonor he makes. Because I can change the spark plugs in my car, does not make me a mechanic. Because I can put a bandaid on a cut does not make me a doctor. Just giving a short lesson once in a while is not all there is to preaching.

A congregation ought to allow younger men to speak more and more. There ought to be an openness to help those who are giving lessons. They should spend some time with the preacher. An atmosphere and a culture needs to be developed within a congregation that loves good preaching and honors the work that preachers do.

Third, some of what we are talking about falls on the preacher. Some run every time there is some criticism. Get a backbone, preacher. Remember those reformers who were burned alive for what they believed in. Remember those early disciples who were killed by lions for what they believed. So, brethren drag their feet. Help them. So, some leaders don’t lead. Help them. So, some can’t see beyond tomorrow. Help them. You are fighting Satan and the powers of darkness. God is on your side. Quit? Quit to do what? Find a better job? Find more money? Find people who do not complain? You want to trade preaching for working in a toxic office where the conversations are about getting drunk and sleeping around? You think you’ll find happiness there? Now, if a person’s heart is not into what he is doing, he ought to get out. Worse than having few preachers is having a preacher who really does not want to preach. Mortgage payments, kids at home, and unable to find anything else, some stay in preaching even though their heart has left long ago. They are in it for the money. They will do as little as possible and it will show after a while. Such a person will do everyone a greater service if he simply found something else to do. If your heart is not into what you are doing, then you won’t devote the excellence that it requires.

But before one quits, talk to an older preacher. Talk to one who has preached for decades. He has stories, and they are not all funny. He’s been there. He’ll remind you that Paul told Timothy to “endure hardships.” Don’t run. Don’t quit. Take a breather, but get right back into the fight. All of us have scars. All of us have had disappointments. All of us have made mistakes. And, all of us have seen the joys of people changing their lives for Jesus. Endure. Endure hardships.

What will happen if fewer and fewer preachers are busy in the kingdom? There will be a downward affect. The kingdom overall will survive, but that may not be the case for some individual congregations. Rather than getting stronger and better, weaker and fewer may be the result.

Where have all the preachers gone…that’s a good discussion to have. And, from that, maybe some needful changes can take place.

Roger

13

Jump Start # 2940

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

Jump Start # 2940

2 Chronicles 33:1 “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.”

Families are interesting. We love our families and our families can be our greatest concerns and the source of our greatest stress and heartache. Manasseh became king in Jerusalem, our verse tells us. He would reign longer than any of the kings, fifty-five years. Manasseh wasn’t among the good ones. Manasseh built idols for Baal and according the 2 Kings, he “worshiped all the host of Heaven and served them.” He sacrificed his own child, practiced witchcraft, used mediums and spiritists. It seems that he was a spoiled child that became a spoiled adult and everything that was wrong, he did. God spoke to Manasseh but he paid no attention.

And, what makes the story of Manasseh so strange to us is to realize that his father was the great Hezekiah. Hezekiah, the reformer. Hezekiah, the one who walked in the shadow of King David. How could one who had such a godly and great example turn out to be so rotten and wicked?

There are some lessons here for us:

First, some throw away the great opportunities and advantages that they are given. How many people would have loved to have Hezekiah as their father. How many would have loved to have a parent that walked with the Lord, set the rules and showed powerful leadership. Is it any different today? Growing up in the home of Christian parents, where prayers are the norm, going to worship is understood, and where kindness, grace and forgiveness is a way of life. Yet, rebellious, ungrateful, and indifferent, a child grows up in that home only to declare that they are gay or atheistic. The parents are filled with guilt as to what they did wrong. They are at a loss as to what to do. The truth is, some waste every wonderful opportunity ever given to them.

Second, our course of life is built upon the choices that we make. We are influenced by the environment of friends, social media, books and movies, but the way we turn out is what we have chosen. Some want nothing to do with God. Given the choice of worshipping with Hezekiah in God’s temple or bowing down with Manasseh and his idols, some would choose the idols. A life of misery, dead-ends, and hopelessness is what comes with idols. Yet that was the choice of the king and that’s the choice of many today.

Some think that they are missing out if they are not drinking, staying out all night and pushing the edges of wrong. And, the time this really explodes is when a young person heads off to the university. On his own for the first time, not having a mom telling him to get up and get ready for church, he now sees so many enjoying things he was never allowed to engage in. And, for so many, after four years in a university, they come out with a degree and the loss of their faith. Alcohol has replaced God. Sleeping in has replaced Sunday worship. Idle talk has replaced godly conversations. Selfishness and materialism has replaced character, hope and love.

For all the good that Hezekiah did, Manasseh did just the opposite. That story is true today. Preacher’s kids who turned out rotten and lost. The children of elders who, when on their own, never worshipped the Lord again. Known only to Heaven is why God allowed Manasseh to reign so long. It seems that the good one, Hezekiah, should have been the one to reign for decades and decades. But that’s not what happened. Wicked Manasseh reign for five decades. Maybe God was giving him time to repent. Maybe this is an example of God’s patience. Maybe God saw things that we don’t see.

Third, do we recognize the wonderful advantages we have in our congregations today? Godly shepherds, not only watching and guiding us, but there to talk to, learn from and be like. Resources every week such as podcasts, videos, blogs and sermons, sermons, sermons. They are there. And, not just from our home congregation, but all across this country there are similar things. Every day of the week we could listen to sermons. Every day of the week we could be encouraged, taught and made better. There has never been a time like this. Forget the pandemic, look what we have available to us. Twenty years ago, it wasn’t this good. Overseas, it’s not like this. But now, on our phones and tablets we have so much. We can look at videos from the Bible lands. We have class material every week. We can read the Bible in just about every translation conceivable, right there on our phones. It reminds us of the Lord’s passage, “to whom much is given, much is required.” But, are we stronger today? Are we closer to the Lord today? Are we doing more today? Are we better today?

Like Manasseh, we look to our Hezekiah’s. So much opportunity. So many blessings. So much good. I was reading about the number one high school football superstar. Colleges are beating down his door to get him. His name is Arch. He had two uncles that played, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. His grandfather, whom he is named after, also played pro football, Archie Manning. So much talent. So much insight into the game. So much help all around him. Can you imagine the table talk about football? Or, how about sitting down and watching a game with that family? So much insight and experience. Now, suppose this young Manning declared to his family that he wasn’t going to go to college. Supposed he told them that he had a job at an ice cream shop and that was what he was going to do with his life. Talent, opportunity, experience, choices—all swirling around him and he’d not pursue it. Is that any different than Manasseh turning to idols? Any different than you and I being spiritually starved and stuck in a world with so much talent, opportunity and experience around us?

We ought to be the brightest, strongest, most knowledgeable, most courageous believers of all time. Are we?

Opportunity…Manasseh wasted his. What are you doing with yours?

Roger

12

Jump Start # 2939

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

Jump Start # 2939

Psalms 124:1-3 “Had it not been for the Lord who was on our side, let Israel now say, ‘Had it not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us; then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us”

“Had it not been for the Lord” – that’s a great statement. It recognizes that the Lord made a difference. Had it not been for the Lord, their story would have turned out differently. And, had it not been for the Lord, our story would have turned out differently. Our story would not have had a happy ending. Our story would have been marred with mistakes, sins and trouble. Had it not been for the Lord, we would have been lost.

Twice this passage acknowledges that the Lord was on their side. Truth is, the Lord doesn’t take sides. We are either on His side or we are not. For the writer to admit that the Lord was on his side is to say that he had been walking faithfully with the Lord. He knew the Lord. There was a relationship, a bond, and a unity. He was on the Lord’s side and the Lord was on his side.

I wonder if we realize how dark, depressing and troubled our lives would have been had we not had the Lord on our side. Those of us who grew up in homes where God was honored and worshipped and had involved parents, we had to watch our words. We had curfews that had to be kept very strictly. We had to be in the church building on Sundays. Prayers were as normal as milk was for breakfast. No smart talking. No attitudes. We were taught the Bible. Our parents had to know who our friends were and where we were going. And as strict as our parents were, a foundation of goodness, service and righteousness was being established in our hearts. We didn’t realize it at that time. Off we went to college. That foundation kept us from being arrested, expelled, and flunking out. When we started dating, we looked for someone who had a similar foundation. And, today, all those years later, we are leading God’s people as preachers, teachers, shepherds and deacons. We have surrounded ourselves with the greatest people on the face of the earth, the people of God. We have understood that Sunday is the best day of the week because we gather to honor and worship the Lord. We have been put on a path and that path has taken us directly to the Lord.

Had it not been for the Lord, how many marriages would we have trashed by now? Without a foundation of commitment, service, forgiveness and grace, selfishness takes over. We grab what we want and we do what we want. Happiness is the only goal.

Had it not been for the Lord, what addictions would we be struggling with today? Alcohol? It’s everywhere. It’s so easy to get hooked on that stuff. It begins with beer in college. Then cute wine tastings. Then the harder stuff. And a lifetime of drinking and being hooked without realizing that. And, from that, how many DUIs would be attached to our names? What health issues would we have? How many people would we have offended by our drunken behavior? And, then there are the pills. Pain pills, taken by the handfuls. Pills to put one to sleep and pills to get one going in the day. How dishonest would we have become just to keep the pills coming.

Had it not been for the Lord would we have a criminal record attached to our names? Would we have been fired from our jobs? Would we have been in trouble with the IRS? Would lying on a resume been a normal practice? Would being dishonest on loan applications been standard procedure for us? Would lie, cheat and steal been something that defined our character and our lives?

Had it not been for the Lord, would we be alive today? Would we have died from a disease caused by drugs or alcohol? Would we have taken our own lives because we saw no value in going on?

Had it not been for the Lord, our character, our hearts, our attitudes would be colored a different way. Had it been for the Lord, what would there be to look forward to as one ages? Had it not been for the Lord we would not know how to apologize, make things right, or be a people of kindness and joy. Our conversations would be shallow, superficial and always about things here.

Had it not been for the Lord, the cemetery would scare us to no end. The subject of death would have no value for us, had it not been for the Lord. Had it not been for the Lord, we would see no purpose in suffering. We would learn no lessons from trials. We would see nothing beyond the door of death.

Had it not been for the Lord, Hell would be our permanent address. Had it not been for the Lord there would be no hope in death. Had it not been for the Lord, we would have died guilty, lost and a life wasted.

Had it not been for the Lord. Have you thanked the Lord for making you the way you are? Have you thanked the Lord for giving you a second chance and putting meaning and purpose in your life? Have you thanked the Lord for inviting you to spend forever with Him in His home? Have you thanked the Lord for the way your life turned out?

Had it not been for the Lord…

Roger

11

Jump Start # 2938

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

Jump Start # 2938

Nehemiah 8:4 “Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand. “

Ezra stood at the wooden podium. Others render this as, “Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden pulpit.” Pulpits—I know a thing or two about them. For more than forty years I have stood behind pulpits. Some were big and fancy. One in India was made of marble. The one at my home congregation is white. I have an old one that sits in my office, likely one of the first pulpits in the history of our congregation.

But the other day, I had the honor to stand behind a pulpit in a very, very old church building. I have been there many times before, but on this occasion, I got to preach. I had an audience. It was a log church that was built in 1791. It holds a huge place in restoration history. This was Cane Ridge, the actual church where Barton W. Stone preached. The wonderful church in Paris, KY asked me to come on a Saturday and to give a couple of lessons in that Cane Ridge log church. In the first lesson, I talked about the history of that church building and the events of the 1801 revival. Fascinating stories about all the events surrounding those few August days in 1801. Estimates range wildly from 10,000-40,000 being present. The governor of Kentucky was in attendance. It stands as one of the largest religious gatherings in this country.

More important than the old log church building was the spirit and the atmosphere of what happened. Multiple preachers from  common denominations, such as Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian, all preached a common salvation. Amazing things happened as the crowds emotionally got caught up in the moment. Some fainted. Some ran screaming. Some fell to the ground and were jerking and shaking, as if in a seizure. This was not happening to just a few, but scores of people seemed to be influenced. The first hand accounts are hard to believe.

In my second lesson at Cane Ridge, I talked about the restoration principles that came from there and that impacted a turning point in the thinking of many people. Creeds, and a hierarchical system of churches and leaders were some of the first things to go. Back to the Bible and back to God’s ways became the sounding call throughout the prairies of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.  The frontier preacher was a farmer by day and a preacher by night. He had more impact than the school trained preachers sent from the East. Simple Bible preaching filled the air and people responded. Less than twenty years after the Cane Ridge events, more than 500 congregations came into the fellowship of the simple N.T. pattern. Like a fire burning across the prairie, this movement, spirit and desire to be nothing more than a N.T. Christian spread. Religious papers fanned the flames even more.

That restoration spirit is still alive today. The church is either going to follow culture and let culture take the lead, or it will transcend culture and stay with the Lord. Every generation must be taught. Every person must decide for himself. How much like the original do we want to be like? How close to God’s pure idea do we want to imitate?

Restoration isn’t history. It’s a way we look at things. Either we look forward and become progressive and open the doors to innovations, changes and new things or we look backwards and we try to follow that original plan of God. Forward or backwards? Do we feel that what God has given us, including the church, is perfect and all that we need, or is the church constantly evolving. Can we improve upon what God has given us?

The garden in which Adam called home was perfect. It was paradise. Adam did not have to leave the garden to find seeds to plant. Everything he needed was there. He was not lacking anything. It is that way with the sacrifice of Jesus. God sent the best of Heaven. He sent Jesus. His sacrifice satisfied, or was the propitiation for our sins. Jesus lacked nothing. And, so it is with God’s word. Everything we need, Peter said, has been given to us (2 Pet 1:3). And, so it is a matter of being satisfied with what God has provided for us. Is it enough to do what God wanted, or is it lacking? Do we need to add, improve and constantly update what God has for us? Is it fixed or is it fluid? Is it absolute, or is it changing?

The answers to these questions are reflected in the direction that both people and churches are going today? Are we content with God’s ways and do we believe that they will still work as well today as they always have or do we feel that there is a need to modernize the message, introduce new definitions for the church, and change the direction that God has put the church on?

Restoration or progression…looking backwards or looking forward? This is something that every person and every church must face. I’m one who still believes in that restoration spirit. I’m one who is still looking for that primitive way of God. I’m one who believes that God gave us everything that we need and that it will do the job today.

What a blessing it was to stand in that old, old log church building where some of those first sparks of Restoration began. This was truly one of the greatest joys in preaching for me. I felt humbled to be there and I felt intimidated knowing the giants that had spoken long ago in that same log church building. We stand upon the shoulders of many who have helped us along the way and others someday will stand upon our shoulders.

Ezra stood behind a pulpit. Barton Stone stood behind a pulpit. Today, I stood behind a pulpit. God’s message—preached to honest hearts will bring changes that light a fire for restoration in each of our hearts.

Roger

08

Jump Start # 2937

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

Jump Start # 2937

Job 40:2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.”

Our verse today is spoken by God. He directs these words towards Job. Job had gotten fussy with God about how things were turning out in his life. Suffering was the name of the street address that Job seemed to live on. Financially, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, Job was taking hits. The friends that showed up to help him only hurt him. Their discussions quickly turned ugly, nasty and name calling. For thirty seven chapters, the longest dialogue of conversations without any divine input, Job and his friends go round and round, like two boxers in a title fight. Finally, God speaks. He speaks only to Job. He doesn’t toss Job softballs. What is at stake is the position, authority and right of God. God had to let Job know that He was God. God was not like one of his friends. One cannot talk to God like we talk to each other.

Rather than telling Job why suffering happens, the Lord asks Job a series of questions about nature and animals. Over and over the Lord asks, “Can you do this,” or, “Where you there when this happened,” or, “Is it by your command that these things take place.” There is no need to reply. Job knew. We know. We weren’t there. We could not, even if we tried. We don’t understand how nature operates. So many questions, sixty at least. And, these were not the really big questions such as when do you decide that a person’s life should end? Why do you bless the wicked and unrighteous? How much grace should be extended? When is it time to send Jesus?

Our verse today is like the half-time among all those questions. More questions will follow. But here, God was saying “Why are you putting Me on trial?” The faultfinder is one who finds fault. He is one who accuses, blames and points the finger at the guilty. God was contending that Job was doing that. The truth is, many do that. They find fault, not so much with God but with everyone else. They make it their life’s work to be negative and to find what is wrong.

  • Some do this with the Sunday worship. If something isn’t just right, the faultfinder will see it and he’ll let others know all about it. The services didn’t start on time. He saw that. The song leader led the same song as we sang last week. The man who led us in the prayer didn’t say something right. The preacher really bombed. If there is a typo in the bulletin the faultfinder is on it. Forget what the rest of the article said, he’ll zero in on the mistake he found.
  • Others focus their attention on the family. It seems every family has at least one faultfinder. At meal time, the faultfinder is looking and looking for something not right. The potatoes were too salty. The meat was not warm enough. Too much ice in the cups. The faultfinding parent is always on the kids. They are never doing things right. They sleep too late in the mornings and their rooms are never picked up to the satisfaction of the faultfinder. Watching too much TV. Not hanging their clothes up right. This and that and that and this and the child feels like a complete failure. Every day it’s something else that the faultfinder has found. Grades aren’t high enough. Homework isn’t done quick enough. Poor child. What the kid needs is some praise and compliments. But that won’t happen when faultfinders are around. They don’t know how to compliment. They can’t ever see anything right. Everything is wrong and they will tell you all about that.
  • Sometimes the faultfinder is one of our friends. You go out to eat with a faultfinder and it’s a disaster. Had to wait too long, the prices are too high, the food is sent back because it’s not right and when it comes to the tip, it is embarrassing what the faultfinder gives. You go to a ballgame and the faultfinder is in rare form. It’s that way at a movie. Even when you have the faultfinder in your home, your deco is not right, you dog is too loud, the temp isn’t right, complain, complain, complain. This isn’t right. Your aren’t right. Nothing is right. That’s the faultfinder.

Now some thoughts:

First, if you find yourself being a faultfinder, STOP IT. Rather than being helpful, you are making matters worse. There are skirmishes, battles and the war. The war spiritually must be won. Some little things will be overlooked because of the big picture and what truly is important. Realize that people feel uncomfortable around a faultfinder. It’s tense. It’s hard to have a great relationship with a faultfinder. Not everyone is going to do things the way you do. Even your grown children may do things differently. As long as it’s not going to keep them out of Heaven, keep your thoughts and your words to yourself. Don’t give advice unless it’s asked for.

Second, if the faultfinder would look in the mirror as much as he has his radar gun pointed at others, he’d likely be more quiet. The faultfinder has his own faults. But he doesn’t see them because he is zeroed in on your faults. Whatever you are doing wrong is so much more worse than what he is doing.

Third, try to be part of the solution rather than the warning siren of what’s wrong. In my area, especially in the spring, there are tornado sirens. The blast a loud noise and those who hear it need to take cover. The siren doesn’t open doors for you. It doesn’t tell you how to be safe. It’s just telling you that trouble is nearby. That’s all the faultfinder will do. The services were terrible, he will declare. But not for a moment will he consider making things better. That’s not his job, he proclaims. But being helpful, being part of the solution, being a team member is one of the best ways to end that judgmental, faultfinding spirit in us. “Here am I, send me,” is what the prophet pronounced.

Fourth, encouragement builds, finding fault tears down. Encouragement brings smiles. Finding fault makes frowns. Be helpful or hurtful. Be a blessing or be a curse. That’s the choices before us. After a while, people steer clear of the faultfinder and they don’t want to talk to the faultfinder. If they do, the faultfinder will be correcting them about something. So the faultfinder is often an unwelcome guest, like a mosquito buzzing around the house. He’s there but no one wants him there. And, that’s the way it is with a faultfinder. He’s there, but no one wants him there.

Rather than finding fault, let’s try to find grace. Let’s try to be a help and a blessing. Let’s change our ways and get rid of the faultfinding in our hearts.

Roger