08

Jump Start # 3064

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3064

Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

 

  Our verse today is found in the midst of trouble. The previous verse says, “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone…” The verse that follows our verse today says, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God…” The setting isn’t one of fond memories. Evil, revenge, pay backs, wrath—things were stirred up and the saints of God were troubled. Someone has hurt them. Jesus wants the golden rule. We want to smack the person back.

 

  Hollywood has been buzzing ever since the Oscars when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for a joke that seemed to go to far. Some are supporting what happened. Others are outraged. A poor example was set before the world. Few people even watch the Oscar ceremonies any more. Most couldn’t tell you much about this year’s show other than “the slap in the face.” That won’t go away, nor will it be forgotten. Some are demanding that Will Smith’s Oscar be taken from him. The person who tries to do that might get slapped!

 

  All of this presents a setting for us for our verse. Let’s put some thought to this:

 

  First, if possible. That’s conditional. Sometimes it’s not possible. Russia isn’t interested in talking peace. They want Ukraine. Wars happen. Fights take place. Friendships end. And, the reason is, some are not interested in doing what is right. Some do not want peace. Some want war. Some want their way.

 

  Second, so far as it depends on you. This puts us in the driver’s seat. Rather than pointing our finger at the other person and saying, ‘I’m only reacting to the way he treated me,’ we must take the lead. As far as it depends upon you. If you can have peace, have it.

 

  Now, this means, I’m going to let some things slide by without a response, comment or rebuttal. You can engage in every single skirmish that comes your way and you may lose the war. You may lose your reputation. You may kill your influence. You may not ever be considered a gentle person, nor one with a kind heart, as the Lord wants. And, in the end, you might even lose your soul. Every disagreement, every opinion, every thing you don’t like, if are you there voicing your objections, you will have violated this passage. We know co-workers who are just like this. They jump in other people’s arguments just because they thrive on controversy and stirring things up. They like to be heard. Loud, obnoxious, and out of place, everyone knows them. So there will be things people say, even brethren, and I will let it go. It’s not the time, it’s not the place, and it won’t result in peace. And, in the big scheme of things, it doesn’t matter.

 

  The “possible” and the “depends on you” are understood to deal with personal battles and not digression from God’s Word. Error has no toleration. We do not put up with Satan for a moment. There comes a time to speak out, draw the line in the sand, and let the chips fall, because we stand with the Lord. That’s not within the context here. Here, it’s something that someone says to me. It’s something outside the Bible. It’s politics. It’s economy. It’s masks. It’s things I like and things I don’t like. It’s not even advice. Evil, revenge, paying back all points to someone hurting you in some way. What happened may have bruised your feelings. It may have stepped on your pride. It may have angered you. You were excluded and not invited. Gossip does this.

 

  We all know the expression, “pushing buttons.” Kids are good at that. They know just how to get mom upset. Some excel in that. There are adults that like to push buttons. There are brethren that like to push our buttons. Will we continue to fellowship? Will we continue to be in unity? Will I make a big deal out of no deal. So, some careless and thoughtless person said something unkind. Can you be at peace? So, you were overlooked, again. Can you be at peace?

 

  It takes a big person with a Christ-like character to not let all those things eat at us. We preachers have to have thick skin and egos that can be stepped on. Otherwise, most of us would have quit long ago.

 

  Third, be at peace with all men. For this to happen, one must let go and not file the hurts in your memory bank. The longer we stew upon those things, the worse we feel and the more we feel like declaring war rather than being at peace. As long as we continue to think about, tell others about, and dwell upon the hurts done to us, we will never be at peace. Our insides will be upset. We must remember, early in the Lord’s sermon, He blessed those who were peacemakers. Many love peace. Some want peace. We need peace. But to make peace, means in an environment where peace doesn’t exist, it is created. Contextually, Jesus is driving at our peace with God. We cannot have an outward peace until there is an upward peace. Peace must be vertical before it can be horizontal.

 

  Peacemakers…that’s a tough role to play. Some irritate because they want trouble. When you let it go and you give it to the Lord, you are the better person.

 

  Will Smith apologized for the Oscar slap. Yet, the world won’t let this rest. That’s the trouble with trouble. It doesn’t go away quietly.

 

  If possible, as far as it depends upon you…great challenge God puts before us.

 

  Roger

 

07

Jump Start # 3036

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3063

1 Corinthians 9:18 “What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel.”

Our verse today describes Paul’s special relationship with the Corinthians. By his own choice he had decided to preach to them voluntarily. He was not being paid a wage by the Corinthians, although he understood, and even explained within this setting, that he had the right to be paid. He would say, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing. God is not concerned about oxen, is He?” And, a few sentences later, “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?” Also, “…the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.”

These principles show that a preacher can be paid by a church. There is no shame in that. The preacher shouldn’t have to feel like a beggar. Taking care of your preacher is an honor and a privilege for a church. Most preachers are paid a good salary. They should be. They work long, long hours preaching and teaching. However, we often forget that with so many of these preachers, their paycheck doesn’t not include health insurance, social security or any type of retirement. As long as the preacher is preaching, he does ok. Far, far too many preachers get advanced in age and have nothing. We could point our fingers at the preacher for poor money management, or we could look at the church and wonder why they did not consider the future for the one who has worked so hard for them. If all you received as a paycheck and nothing else, how would most of you fare?

Right before our verse, the apostle declared, “For I do this voluntarily…” Paul was not being paid by the Corinthians. He could rightly say, “I offer the gospel without charge.”

But what if the opposite were true? What if Paul charged for the Gospel? When we go out to eat, the bill always comes at the end. When we go to a ballgame or a concert, there is a price of the ticket that we must pay before we can get in.

  • If the church sold tickets, few would come. Many already have a funny feeling about TV rich preachers who jet around in private planes and that would only solidify what they suspected, the church is in it for the money. And, not just any money, but, your money.
  • If the church sold tickets, many would think that they didn’t get a good deal for what they had to pay. The Gospel was taken freely into all the world. It was to be preached in every land to every person. Not every person could afford the price, if the church charged people to hear a sermon.
  • If the church sold tickets there would be a subtle shift from the integrity of the message, to mass marketing and promotional campaigns to draw more people and sell more tickets. Money talks.

The church isn’t in the business of selling the gospel. We travel down unpaved roads when we start thinking this way. The church isn’t a business and it doesn’t conduct itself like a business and it doesn’t look like a business. It’s the body of Jesus Christ. It’s a spiritual organization designed to prepare people for Heaven.

I especially like the expression, “I may offer the gospel without charge.” I knew an attorney, he has since passed away, who milked his clients for everything. A two sentence email to the attorney would generate a bill for over $100. A five minute phone call, and a bill from his office would come in the mail. He charged for everything and anything. He must have thought he was worth it. I didn’t. I found someone else to talk to.

We must keep the Spirit of Jesus before us, who when asked, went. He was never troubled, bothered nor upset to be interrupted, to be asked questions and never did He ask for payment. There are some costs connected to putting these Jump Starts out. But as long as I am alive, the audience, you readers will never be charged. NEVER. There is a cost connected to printing and mailing out our Jump Start books. There are now twenty-six books. But these costs will never be passed on to you readers. NEVER. I want to offer the Gospel for free.

These days, some are charging for special lectureships, get-a-ways, podcasts and other things. I’m sure there are costs involved that they need to recover the money that they have invested to conduct these things. But in charging, some cannot afford and therefore cannot receive the information that is being made available. By charging, some are left wondering, where is the money going? By charging, is the Gospel free anymore?

The important thing is to get the message of Jesus Christ out to as many people as possible. I offer the gospel without charge…

Sure is something to think about.

Roger

06

Jump Start # 3062

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3062

Luke 20:20 “And they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so as to deliver Him up to the rule and the authority of the governor.”

Our verse today follows a blistering parable that Jesus preached before the crowds. In that parable, a man rented out his vineyard to others. At harvest time, he sent a servant to collect his share of produce. It was his land that they were using. It was his vineyard that they were renting. But instead of giving a share of the produce, they beat that servant. A second and then a third servant were sent. They were also beaten, wounded and thrown out. The owner then sent his son, thinking that they will do what is proper and right. Instead, they killed the son. The wrath of the owner results in destroying those wicked renters.

As this parable ends, the chief priests and scribes realize that Jesus was talking about them. The owner of the vineyard is God. The multiple servants were the prophets. They were abused, mistreated and beaten. God then sent Jesus, whom they killed. This parable is a prophecy about what was soon to take place. Jesus knew.

It is here that our verse falls into place. They watched Jesus. They sent spies to Jesus. They sent those who pretended to be righteous. They sought to catch Jesus in a statement which could be used against Him. They wanted Jesus out of the way.

Spies pretending to be righteous caught my attention. That is an interesting expression.

  • NIV: spies who pretended to be sincere
  • Phillips: spies pretending that they were honest men

Pretending to be righteous, give that some thought:

First, they had to have some idea of what righteousness looks like. The wolf in sheep clothing, looks like a lamb from a distance. If they had no idea what a disciple was like, their cover would have been exposed and they would have been known as imitators, fakes and spies. What they wanted to accomplish would have failed. Today, the expression, a mole, is used to describe someone who works undercover to infiltrate a crime family or drug cartel. They have to look the part. They have to talk the language. They have to know what others do and how they behave.

It seems that these religious spies spent some time watching Jesus and the others. They had to fit in and know what to do. Studying righteousness without becoming righteous, is a sad statement. It’s similar to those who study the Bible, only to ridicule it and pick it apart.

Second, pretending to be sincere when you are not is nothing more than hypocrisy. Pretending to be interested when you are not interested, is what these fakes were all about. I’ve been there in other settings. I have listened to sales presentations, car salesmen, insurance salesmen, who were trying to get me to buy. I wasn’t interested. I sat and watched, even smiled, nodded my head a few times, while thinking, just get done so I can leave. I’m not interested. I’m not buying. You are not convincing me. Pretending to be sincere, when you are not.

I wonder how many that describes on a Sunday morning worship? They have assembled, but they really do not want to be there. It’s a girl friend or a wife that made them come. Some have come, kicking and screaming and complaining the whole way. They seem to be glad to be there before services begin. But once worship starts, the pretending begins. So many times I have heard some say, “Just how could anyone sit there through a sermon like that and not respond?” How? If they are not engaged they can. If they are pretending they can.

Third, as sneaky as these Jewish spies thought they were, Jesus saw right through them. He knew. They may have fooled the disciples around them, but they didn’t fool Jesus. He knew who was serious and who was pretending. He knew who wanted to know and He knew who wanted to trap Him. And, it’s no different today. He knows who assembles to honor Him and who has shown up just because they had to. He knows who loves Him and He knows who uses Him to just be allowed to date.

Fourth, there won’t be anyone in Heaven who got there because he was faking things. There won’t be any pretenders in Heaven. Our hearts reveal the truth. We can walk through life living a double life, fooling our family and our brethren, but it will catch up with us. It usually catches up with us on this side of life, but even if it doesn’t, it will always catch up with us on the other side. Always.

Spies pretending…I wonder if any changed their minds and their hearts seeing Jesus as He truly was. Watching His compassion, caring for those who were plagued with diseases, listening to His words about righteousness, did any of these spies have a change of heart? Did they realize, as Judas did, and as Pilate did, that the Lord was innocent? The Lord was about goodness. The Lord was about helping us connect with God.

Spies pretending…

Roger

05

Jump Start # 3061

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3061

Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent.”

A study of the seven churches of Revelation is a fascinating look into what is important to the Lord. We spend a lot of time, energy and money thinking about the church building, the size of our congregations, who is preaching and the finances. You’ll find none of those things mentioned in Revelation. Staying with the Lord, keeping His word, that’s at the top of God’s list. Churches that didn’t do that found themselves drifting, dead, and dancing with error.

As on lumps all seven of the Revelation churches together, there are some overall lessons to be learned.

First, churches can change through time. Sardis was considered dead by the Lord. Churches do not start dead. Can you imagine someone say, “We’ll starting a new church in the next community. It will be a dead church. So you don’t have to come. You don’t have to participate. You don’t have to do anything. Would you like to be a part of our new congregation?” It takes life to start. It takes energy, effort, resources and time to start. Laodicea didn’t start off lukewarm. Churches change through time.

Look at the history of your congregation. Do you know it? There were peaks and valleys. There were good times and hard times. I know churches that a few decades ago were over 200. Today, 20 showing up is a good day. Churches change.

A mistake we make is to assume that the current temperature of the church and the current size of the church will remain that way in the future. Churches change. People move away. People die. Wise leaders understand this and build a program to develop future leaders. They construct a legacy platform so the current faithfulness to God’s word continues.

Second, culture can influence and reshape the direction of the church. We see that clearly in the churches of Revelation. The influence of idolatry, the compromising influence of false teachers had an impact upon some of the congregations. Remaining counter culture is hard, especially for our young people. The pull to have divorce for any reason, women in the leadership, acceptance of social drinking, and less emphasis upon the basics and doctrine has only weakened our souls and our congregations. Leaning towards the world doesn’t make us stronger. The distinctiveness of the Gospel and the Lord’s way has become less important to some. More and more are finding ways to build bridges of fellowship with those that are not faithful to God’s word.

The lessons from Revelation is to repent of these wrongs and remain faithful to God’s word.

Third, internal and external struggles happen. It did in the first century and it continues today. Some do not want to walk fully with the Lord in all things. This always creates headaches among the righteous and sends mixed signals to our families. Storms come. Trials happen. Hardships must be endured. Valleys must be crossed. As long as a congregation remains close to the Lord’s word, help, hope and the blessings of God will come. We long for days when everyone is right where they are supposed to be. We long for the time when Satan leaves us alone. We want peace and harmony. We want joyful worship. We want unity and fellowship. But the pressures from the world and our personal journeys often create struggles that must be worked through. Prayers and open Bibles are always the answer.

Fourth, the seven churches of Revelation reminds us that it is possible for us to please God. Dead churches can be resurrected. Lukewarm churches can have a fire lit under them. Compromising can cease. The toleration of error can end. God never gave up on any of these churches. God never told them to close the doors. God never told some to leave the others. The hope was in hearts that could be touched by the word of God. The hope was in finding a spirit that would return to the Word of God.

You may be in a season in which where you worship is stressful. There may be lots of problems. Discouragement may be running high. Understand, things do not have to remain this way. You can again please God as a congregation. It may take a lot of rolling up the sleeves and someone to be out front to lead them and show them, but it is possible to do what the Lord wants. Don’t settle. Don’t settle for the consolation prize. Don’t settle for second place. Push yourself, then lead others. Get that Bible open. Fire those engines up again. Remember you are part of the kingdom of God. Get busy. Get to worship. Get to doing what God wants.

Lifelessness can be resurrected to a thriving and passionate congregation. Tepid can be warmed up to something that is useful, pleasant and pleasing to the Lord. It can happen. Jesus believed it could. Do we?

Roger

04

Jump Start # 3060

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3060

Mark 1:17 “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’”

  Recently I have been teaching a class entitled, “The Teacher Jesus.” We’ve looked at how Jesus taught. In one of those classes we noticed the transition that took place among the disciples. From fishermen they became fishers of men. But it was much, much more than just putting down their nets and picking up the word of God. There was a mindset that had to be rearranged, adjusted and changed by Jesus.

Jesus was doing things that seemed out of bounds for the way the disciples would have thought and how the typical Jews thought. Jesus had to change the way these disciples saw others. This wasn’t easy. Some cultural thinking is developed by the way we were raised and the environment around us.

For instance:

  • More than once, Jesus was in the home of tax collectors. He even chose a tax collector as one of his apostles. That would have been a major shift in the of thinking of the disciples.
  • Jesus not only traveled through Samaria, but the disciples found him at a well talking to a woman and a woman who had been through several marriages. This was full of things that would have bothered the disciples.
  • In the home of Simon, an immoral woman sat at the feet of Jesus, crying so much that she wet his feet with her tears and dried his feet with her hair. That scene would have turned the minds of the disciples all around.
  • In Gentile country, a Canaanite woman approached Jesus wanting Him to cast a demon out of her daughter. The Jews would have been uncomfortable being in that region to begin with, but seeing Jesus granting the request of a Gentile, and a woman at that, was not something they imagined.
  • Jesus commissioned the disciples to go into all the world and preach to every person. They would no longer be among their own and in settings that they understood and were comfortable with.

And, all of this points directly to you and I. We, too, have a cultural mindset and bent. It’s the way we were raised, taught and the environment around us. We have attitudes, way of seeing others, and opinions that often do not line up with the way God wants. The people we went to school with, our co-workers, our family members, even brethren have a way of influencing the way we think and see things. And, that mindset often needs to be changed. Politically correct is not always Biblically correct. What is acceptable to society may not be acceptable to God. Trying not to offend others may in essence offend God.

Here are some reminders that we need to be reminded of:

First, we are all made in the image of God. That includes our enemies, those we do not like and those who are bent on doing wrong. Not only are we all the same in that way, but we all need Jesus. It may be that we think some need Jesus more than others, but we all need the Lord.

Second, we must distinguish between not liking sinfulness and not liking the person. Sometimes those two are so close to each other that it is hard to separate. We struggle with caring for the violent, the criminal and those that are aggressively mean. Their choice of sin has ruined their souls but we need to love them, do good to them, and care for them. That is hard.

Third, it is easy for us to develop a monastery mindset which is very similar to the way the Jews thought. The Jews only wanted to be around fellow Jews. They lived in villages together. They had shops and market places designed for Jews. They sold only what Jews would buy. They worshipped together. They married within that closed community. And, while there are many positives about that, it easily transcends to a “us and them” mentality. That can happen among Christians. We only want to be around Christians. We only want to do things with Christians. Our world is a closed system of Christians. A lot of security and comfort about that. But easily that becomes another “us and them” type of mindset. Those not like us, “them,” are wrong, clueless and keep at arms length. This makes evangelism hard. This makes us uneasy about a stranger worshipping among us. It’s hard to go into all the world, when we don’t like all the world.

Fourth, our mindsets changes as we walk with the Lord and examine His life carefully. Just being a Christian doesn’t change a mindset. Do you know any black brethren? Have you ever talked to them about what they experienced among fellow brethren? Prejudice in the church? Absolutely. And, could that remain an issue when we see “white churches” and “black churches.” Some like it that way. Some would want it to remain that way. Seeing what Jesus did, He would have Gentiles, Samaritans, Jews, Romans all worshipping together. Red, yellow, black and white—all lifting their voices to Heaven.

Changing the way a person thinks is hard. Getting that person to realize that thinking like my contemporaries isn’t the best. Thinking like my parents may not be the best. Thinking like others isn’t the best. I need to think like Jesus did. Have this mind in yourselves like Jesus. Mold your thinking. Change your thinking. Be a person of Heaven, not the earth. This includes those under the breath comments we make. This includes the jokes that we should never say. This includes the likes we put on Social Media that reflect a worldly way of thinking.

Transitioning from fishermen to fishers of men—it was more than putting up their nets. It involved rewiring their thinking and seeing things through the eyes of Heaven.

Roger