17

Jump Start # 3005

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3005

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “there is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under Heaven.”

One of our Jump Start readers wrote me recently about the work load I carry. I am busy. I am also a workaholic. There is so much to be done. I am blessed to be engaged in the greatest work in the world—preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not everyone can do that. Most have secular jobs. And it is those jobs that often create spiritual guilt in us. Our jobs require so much time. Even when we come home, many are bringing their work home. School teachers do that. Many medical people do that. The paperwork is overwhelming. Many travel and traveling these days is long and stressful. And, when you travel, you often do not put in an eight hour day. Your day looks more like twelve or fourteen hours. Then, it’s back on an airplane and traveling home. And, what I see and what I hear is brethren who are weary and they gather on Sundays and we preachers pour on the guilt about reading your Bible more and doing more. And, there you sit, wondering “how?” Wondering if the preacher ever worked a secular job? Wondering what it would be like to walk in his shoes where you have the luxury of studying, teaching all the time. We need our jobs but are our jobs killing us spiritually? It’s not just the time element. It’s the mental strain and energy. We are exhausted at the end of the day. It’s also crawling back into the slim pit every day of toxic attitudes, gutter talk and unashamed immorality. You would love to quit, but you can’t. You don’t even count the days until retirement because that only makes you more discouraged. Where are you to find the time to be a parent? Where do you have time for your spouse? Where do you have time for the Lord? Where do you have your own time?

Have I painted a real picture for you? Is this where you are? And, you wonder if the shepherds and the preachers understand. You are so tired, not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and of trying to wear all the hats you have to wear. You want to do more in the kingdom. You want to teach. You want to become a shepherd. But when? There simply isn’t any time.

I don’t know if I am one to offer the right suggestions, but I will try. For more than four decades I have preached and my world is different than yours. There were periods in which my wife worked nights. I tried to do my work at home, and with four little ones, it was hard. There were a few days when as soon as she came in, I left for the office. I don’t miss those days. I don’t think my work was the best during those times. Guilt, stress, deadlines—I’ve tasted all of those.

Here are my thoughts:

First, remember balance. You cannot do it all and you cannot do it all right now. Find ways to take mental vacations. You don’t even have to leave your house to do this. Music can do this. Reading can do this. Sitting on the back deck can do this. The more stressed and stretched you are the more you will take it out on those you love the most, including your family and the Lord.

Second, the demands of little children changes as they age. I could not carry the work load I do today if my children were still at home. I’m an empty nester now. The day will come when little ones will go to school. The day will come when they will be off to college. The day will come when they will be on their own. Your time and even the amount of money you pour into them changes. While they are home, they need you. It is important that you are in the stands watching their games. It is important that you are in their lives. Use this time to read the Bible to them. This allows you to read yourself and teach them. You do not want to save the world and lose your family. That’s not a good tradeoff. There will be time later on, if the Lord allows, for you to do more with others. But even when they are home, you can have other families over on a Sunday. You can take them to funeral homes. You can grab a rake and have them help you help someone else.

Third, there is that wonderful passage in the Gospels where the Lord commended Mary for pouring the costly perfume upon Him. Jesus defended her and said, “She has done what she could.” And, that’s all God can expect from any of us. Do what you can do. Learn to be efficient. Learn to use your time wisely. Get organized. Delegate. Notice, Jesus did not say “Mary has done everything.” Mary could not do everything. Mary could not go to the cross for us. Mary was not a chosen apostle. Mary was not a miracle worker. There are things that Mary could not do. But, she has done what she could. And, so must you. Do what you can do. You won’t do it all, nor should you. But, you can do what you can. And, as time allows you, you can take on more.

Fourth, no one understands what is going on in your world and in your life more than the Lord does. He is not here to beat you up, make you feel like trash and trample any hope you have remaining. Not at all. He knows you juggle your job, family, congregation and personal life. The Lord is here to help you, not defeat you. Among us, the Lord often provides help but we just don’t see it. First, look within your congregation and see who is really a busy person and very spiritual. There are many busy people in the world, but they may not be very spiritual. You want both. Carve out a couple of hours so you can spend time with that busy spiritual person. It may be one of your shepherds. You want to know their daily routine. You want to know how they balance work, family and God. You want suggestions. You want tips. You want help. Then, look among the congregation at someone who is retired. Take them to lunch. Ask them how they did it. You are getting perspectives. You are gaining insights. Then make adjustments. Learn to say “No.” Realize that burnout is the death of spiritual life. Find ways to recharge yourself spiritually. Find ways to get excited about worship again. Set some goals. Set goals for you. Set goals for the family. Use down time as opportunities. Sitting in airports, boy I’ve done that a ton. Use that time to read. Use that time to text others in the church. Waiting for kids, I’ve done that. Use that time to pray. Learn to adjust and balance.

When our passage says, “There is time for every event under Heaven,” that does not mean it all happens at once. These events occurred at different times. Different days. Likely even different years.

I have found much good in the principle of the drops in a bucket. It works financially. It works in Bible study. It works in connecting with others. It works in kingdom work. A drop falls into a bucket. It’s hardly noticed. Then another drop. Then another. It takes a while until the bottom of the bucket is covered. More drops. Slowly, some water can be seen in that bucket. Then more drops. In time, the bucket is half full. More time, and that bucket is filled. More time and the bucket is overflowing. We see that overflowing bucket and that’s what we want. We want that financially. We want that spiritually. It’s possible. You just constantly and always keep adding drops.

The work environment has changed. The atmosphere of so many places is that “this job is your life.” It’s not. Once you die, you will be replaced within a month. That’s even true of us preachers. Your life is Christ. Your life is your family.  Your life is getting to Heaven. Keep the right perspective and keep going.

Roger

14

Jump Start # 3004

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3004

1 Timothy 4:15 “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all.”

Our verse, written to the young preacher Timothy, is layered with three obvious principles. The first two leads to the last one. Without the first two, the last one wouldn’t happen. The last of these principles is progress. It’s movement. It’s moving in the right direction.

Your progress is evident to all. Everyone sees it. Everyone knows you are growing and the faith in Christ has become the center piece of your life. It’s easy to see. You’ve made progress. These words remind me of my ole’ grandma’s house. We grandkids would line up in a doorway and she’d make a mark and put our names by that mark. We’d witness how fast we were growing.

And, with this one principle comes a few thoughts:

First, God intends for us to make progress. Just gettin’ by as some call life doesn’t cut it with the Lord. Be strong is what the Ephesians were told. In Peter’s second letter it’s, “grow in the grace and knowledge.” The Corinthians were told, “Act like men. Be strong.” Progress. In football, the team with the ball has four downs to make progress. If they don’t the other team gets the ball. In finance, if we are not making progress, we are losing money.

Second, progress is visible. As the passage says, “It is evident to all.” Better Bible knowledge. More compassion. Quicker to forgive. More willing to volunteer. You are simply not the same. You’ve changed, and you have changed for the better. It’s hard to tell any progress when all we see is someone sliding in a pew on Sunday morning. A few shallow conversations and then little contact until the next week. And, it’s the same thing all over, again. How would we notice progress? Maybe you’re teaching and you have never done that before. Maybe you are leading public worship by singing, or praying or giving lessons and no one has seen you do that before. But there must be some other ways. Maybe ways beyond public worship. Maybe in the interaction with others during the week. Maybe it’s seeing you at the funeral home for a visitation. Maybe it’s hearing that you took food to someone getting over an illness. Maybe it’s learning that you gave a family a few dollars that made a difference. Progress. Doing things you have never done before. Doing the right things. Doing the things that others not only see but are benefited from.

Third, progress takes time. Growth can be slow and that’s ok as long as progress is being made. It’s when things have come to a stand still that progress stops. Without forward movement, there is no progress. It takes a while for a seedling to become a mighty oak. It takes time to become comfortable with the Bible. Don’t hurry progress. Things have to fall into place in the right order. Sometimes we are the last to see any progress in ourselves. But if we are putting the time into our study of the Bible and if we are connecting more with the Lord and His family, then progress will happen. Some grow at different rates. Some have more to overcome. Make progress.

Fourth, the result of spiritual progress is stronger churches and more people who have been enriched by your good deeds. What makes a church lukewarm or stagnate is the lack of progress. When we coast along, or no longer put effort into what we are doing, progress stops. And, when progress stops, our personal growth stops. And, when that happens to enough of us, the church stops growing. And, it is at that point that the beginning stages of death takes place. Growth isn’t measured just by the number of people sitting in pews. Growth must also be measured internally, spiritually. Strong faith, resists temptation more. Strong faith, doesn’t collapse in times of worry and fear. Strong faith comes from those who have progressed.

Take pains with these things. Be absorbed. Let your progress be evident to all.

We are marching to Zion…onward and upward we go!

Roger

13

Jump Start # 3003

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3003

Acts 18:1 “After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth.”

 

  Our verse today follows Paul’s travels as he goes from major city to major city with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For many of these places, Paul was the first Christian to walk those streets. How difficult it would be to turn the minds of pagans and idolaters to the one true and living God.

 

  But of all the places Paul traveled, this verse, so simple in language, is filled with difficulty and troubles. Athens, the great center of intellectualism. It is here that Paul witnessed the many idols that lined the streets of that great city. So many idols and so many gods, lest one be forgotten and offended, there was an altar to the “Unknown God.” Paul moved their minds from polytheism of paganism to the monotheistic faith in Jesus Christ. As he preached about the resurrection, some sneered. Others said that they would hear more later. A few believed. What a tough crowd to preach to.

 

  From the intellectualism of Athens, Paul travels to the sewer of Corinth. Here open licentiousness, immorality and lusts of every flavor was flaunted daily in the streets of Corinth. It was as if the city had no conscience and no morals. Nothing was wrong and everything was tried and accepted. What a different atmosphere and a different set of problems that now faced Paul. It was intellectualism and reason and argumentation that he dealt with in Athens. But here in Corinth, it was people living like animals. It was pure gutter sensuality without any shame or remorse. Chapter six of Paul’s first letter to Corinth gives us a picture of what he faced. Fornication. Thieves. Drunkenness. Swindlers. Homosexuality. Idolatry. Revilers. Yet from that baseline group of people the church was formed. They were justified. They were washed. They were changed. They became saints of the Lord.

 

  Athens to Corinth—what a great message for us.

 

  First, it is important to understand where people are. The message in both cities was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, in Athens the approach was different than in Corinth. Jesus was a master of knowing His audience. John 3 has Jesus talking to the great Nicodemus, who is a scholar in the Law of God. The next chapter, John 4, Jesus is talking to an immoral Samaritan woman. Both need Jesus. However, knowing the audience, Jesus emphasized different things to them.

 

  For some of our family and friends, it’s time to invite them to services. It’s time to ask them to read the Bible with us. For others, that’s not the starting point. They don’t know if there is a God and they have serious questions about the Bible being inspired. Know your audience.

 

  Second, God often puts us in places that are not easy. Athens or Corinth—which would you rather be in? Both had their challenges. Both would be tough to preach to. Intellectual issues or moral issues? Or, both? Much too often, a young preacher gets discouraged and wants to move to another congregation. What he often is looking for is a congregation that has very few problems, a church that is running smoothly and what appears to be a pleasant work for him. Yet, what he needs to ask himself, “Why would I be needed there?” Our role is to preach and teach the Gospel. Situations that are difficult, an Athens, a Corinth, may make some run the other way, but for the true disciple, those places need the Gospel. Don’t be afraid of challenges. Don’t turn down a place because it’s going to be hard.

 

  It is also interesting that God did not send Paul to a nice place after Athens. Go, get some rest. Recharge your batteries. Have a nice decade in a nice place. Take a vacation. Have a sabbatical. Nope. That didn’t happen. From Athens Paul goes directly to Corinth. From a headache to the pig pen.

 

  Third, Paul got to work in both cities. People were converted. Churches were established. The seed was planted. Neither place was deemed impossible. Neither place was hopeless. I wonder if we give up too quickly on people and places. I wonder if we think in our times today that no one is interested. No one will come. No one can leave the sins that they are in. The Gospel is powerful. The power is not you, but in the Word. The hope is not in you, but the Word. Don’t throw the towel in yet. Don’t give up on our times. Don’t think all is lost and all is hopeless. Athens to Corinth—people were saved. Churches were started. It took work. It wasn’t easy. Yet, it was done.

 

  Athens to Corinth—what a great reminder for us. Let us keep on teaching and pointing the way to Jesus.

 

  Roger

 

12

Jump Start # 3002

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3002

Acts 17:11 “Now these people were move noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”

God’s word—the Bible, it is the foundation of our faith. Without the Bible, we do not know God. The Bible explains the will of God, illustrates the saving work of Jesus Christ and is what gives us hope and assurance. Currently, I’m teaching a class called, “How to Study Your Bible.” I’ve found that we make that assumption that people understand how to study the Bible. Is reading the Bible the same as studying the Bible? Many use the Bible like they would a biology textbook. Others read the Bible like a newspaper. Some get so confused and lost when they read the Bible that they just give up. We dads joke that we’d toss our child into a swimming pool and he’d either sink or swim. That may sound funny, but it doesn’t work that way. The child would sink and the dad would go to jail. Swim classes teach how to hold your head above water, dog paddle and kick with your legs. Class after class and then that child can swim the length of the pool. More classes and that child is jumping off the diving board. The same is true with driving a car. You don’t toss your teenager the keys and tell him “go drive.” You’ll be calling your insurance man by the end of the day if you do that. There are some lessons, instructions, warnings, and tips that you share with your child as you show him how to drive.

Why is it that we think just baptizing a person ought to be enough for him to understand the Bible? Where does one begin? What’s prophecy? What’s literal? What’s figurative? Why four gospels?

As I work lessons in this class it occurred to me that there are four challenges we face when we come to the Word of God.

First, letting someone else tell me what the Bible says. That’s an easy crutch to lean upon. Just ask the preacher, he knows. There are times that is necessary. The Ethiopian didn’t understand without the help of Philip. This is especially helpful when we are young in faith. But some never move past this. They take whatever is said from the pulpit as the truth. When we look at our mixed up and confused religious community today, and realize that a vast majority of people would not know if Malachi was in the O.T. or N.T. or if he was a king, prophet, apostle or good guy or bad guy. Staying in regular Bible classes and doing your own study will put you ahead of most of the world when it comes to Bible knowledge. The majority of our people in the pews knows more about the Bible than those who are preaching in mega churches today.

The easiest way for error to get introduced into a congregation is for people just to take the words of the preacher and accept that anything he says is so. Error does not stand a chance when people know truth. These noble Bereans were checking things out in the Scriptures. They heard things, now they wanted to verify if those things were consistent with Scriptures.

Second, a greater challenge is for us to know the facts but not be changed by the message. Bible knowledge can soar among us. Our middle school kids know the facts. We know the stories, but have the stories made us more patient, gracious and kind? We know Jesus, but have we been changed by Jesus? This is the great challenge among us. Teaching the ins and outs of the Bible is essential, but it fails if we are not a better people because of that. The point of the Bible is not to give God’s perspective of human history. The purpose is to bring us to the Lord. We need to be a righteous people because of the word of God.

Third, yet another challenge is to allow our culture to shape how we see the Bible. American eyes can often miss some valuable lessons in the Bible. Our culture has no tolerance for masters and slaves. Yet, that was a part of the Biblical world. When Jesus told the parable about the wise and foolish virgins, we must not put the way we do weddings into that story. They did things differently. Rather than bringing the Bible to us, we need to put ourselves in the Bible. Jesus used the word “dog” in talking to the Canaanite woman. Jesus referred to His mother as “woman.” Those things do not set well with us. Moderns believe Jesus was cold and even insulting. They miss it. They try to understand those passages through our culture and by so doing, they miss it. They miss it by a mile. Our culture is moving very rapidly away from God. Let them go. Don’t try to interpret the Bible through the lens of moderns.

Fourth, another challenge is to think that the truths and principles of the Bible cannot help my situation today. We are left believing the mountains of problems we face each day and we have no real or practical help from God. What worked then won’t help my situation. So, we live as if we are on an isolated island, all to our own. No one understands. No one can help. Nothing will ever change. But such a faith is false. God’s word is living and active. It’s moving. It’s doing things. It’s changing lives every day. It can and will help you. Don’t expect miracles. Don’t expect God to do it all. But through the pages of this Divine word, we find everything pertaining to life and godliness, just as Peter promised. I might not understand your situation. I might think my problems are greater than yours. But never give up on God. And, never close His book. Broken homes, broken promises, broken vows, broken lives can all be mended and made whole through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Following God’s word, obeying His commands, putting the kingdom first in our lives, introduces the changes that can bring real change in your life.

God’s word is challenging—it needs to be. It’s realistic. It’s life. It doesn’t sugarcoat the problems we face. It doesn’t offer quick and easy solutions. But what it does is take us to the amazing Lord of Heaven and Earth. He has the whole world in His hands. He alone can do what no one else can.

If you haven’t made the Bible a daily part of your life—it’s time you did.

Roger

11

Jump Start # 3001

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3001

2 Samuel 23:20 “Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzel, who had done great deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.”

As I write this, snow fills the air here in Indiana. It’s a cold day. Forecasters are calling for a few inches of snow here. This is normal for us. It’s winter and in the winter it snows. I’m one who likes to look out the window and watch the snow coming down. Snowy days always makes driving a bit more treacherous and there seems to always be a mad rush at the grocery store, as if we are going to be housebound for months. But, all of that is normal. It’s life here in Indiana.

But this snowy day made me think of this verse. It describes one of David’s mighty men. He was a brave man of action. Valiant and great deeds are listed in his resume. He fought men. He fought a lion. He was victorious on both occasions. The writer not only tells us that he fought a lion, but that battle took place in a pit on a snowy day. I love those details. How the lion got into the pit we are not told. Was it a trap and the lion fell in? Was it just a pit and the lion was in it? Was Benaiah in the pit as well or was he above the pit? And the snowy day, that would have made footing more difficult. It’s one thing to fight a lion. I wouldn’t do that. But in a pit, there is no running away. They only way out of a pit is to climb out. And, then, to make it more difficult, it’s a snowy day.

This is the kind of man that you want around you. He was more than talk. He had proven himself. He had earned the title, “a mighty man.” And, it was these men who surrounded David and protected him. David never had to fear that one of these men would rise up and attack him. These men were loyal, dedicated, committed and they loved David. On one occasion, David wished he could have some water that was in enemy territory. The mighty men snuck in and brought David some of that water. David poured it out. He couldn’t drink it knowing that his men had risked their lives just to bring him that water.

Mighty men. Proven men. Loyal men. Fighting beasts in a pit on a snowy day. And, this makes us take a look at who surrounds us. Do you have our own “mighty men?” Sometimes we feel compelled to have around us those who happen to have the same last name as ours. Family. Yet, they are not mighty, proven or loyal. Some drag us down. Some are leeches. Some wreck the good we are trying to do. But because they are family, we feel obligated to let them in our inner circle. I don’t go for that. If we are serious about Heaven, then our inner circle ought to be might men of God who will help us spiritually. The people who are honest and not just saying what we like to hear. The people who will push us and challenge us. The people who will give us an honest answer to our questions. The people who will keep us on track with the Lord. Without these mighty men we may not make it to Heaven. Without these dedicated servants of Christ, we may have given up long ago.

Consider this:

First, look within your congregation. Are there the people that you would call mighty men of God? Shepherds ought to be that. Preachers best be that. Do you have a connection and a bond with these? Can you talk freely? Do you have a relationship that can be deep, close, personal and spiritual? This is a good starting point. Men who have the scars of experience. Men who have been in battles. Men who have fought lions in pits on a snowy day. If you have that, build that relationship. Make it a point to get with your mighty man once a month. Go to lunch. Talk. Share. Grow.

Second, look beyond your congregation. Our beloved Dee often said, “It’s not a small world, it’s a big family.” And, so it is. Maybe in the congregation you attend, there is not that one person that you really need. Don’t give up. God’s family is large. Look in other congregations. Look beyond the borders of your state. Because of texting, cell phones, facetime, and emails, distance doesn’t matter anymore. You need that mighty man of God in your life. You need one that you can count upon. It may be a preacher in another place. It may be a spiritual friend who lives states away. Connect. Work out to meet that person. Share your story.

Third, be available for others. You may not find anyone in your congregation that you’d call your mighty man, but someone else may see you that way. They need to talk. They need to connect. You be that person for them. In you, they seem someone who has weathered storms, raised kids, been through hardships, buried parents, fought diseases and you have remained steadfast, strong and influential. You have proven yourself to be a mighty man. You may not think of yourself that way, but others see you like that. They are impressed with you. They would like to be like you.

As I write these words I think about my mighty men that surround me. People near and people far—but they have common characteristics. They are strong spiritually. They’d lay down their lives for Jesus. They have proven to be helpful, honest and loving. I have benefitted so much from these heroes of God.

You need this in your life. It will make a difference.

In a pit on a snowy day, killing a lion. Remarkable. And, what others are doing today, is also remarkable.

Roger