31

Jump Start # 3337

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3337

Mark 5:19 “And He did not let him, but He said to him, ‘Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”

Our verse today is the conversation between the Lord and the demon possessed man. The man had been living among the tombs. He was naked, cut himself with stones, broken chains that had bound him and screamed night and day. What a terror he was. Seeing Jesus, he ran to Him, bowed and begged the Lord not to torment him. The demons were cast into a herd of swine, which rushed into the sea and drowned. Now, this man wants to follow Jesus. This is where our verse comes in. Jesus won’t let him. He has other plans for him. Go tell your people. This man was very likely a Gentile. Later, as Jesus returns to this area, others have heard about the Lord. Could it have been through this man?

What is so fascinating about this passage is what is left out. Go tell your people, but first, you must sit through thirteen weeks of personal evangelism classes. Nope. Go tell your people, but take these pamphlets, tracts and literature with you. Nope. Go tell your people, but you don’t know anything about the church, the structure of the church, Biblical prophecy and you must have an understanding of Revelation first. Nope. How could he tell his people when he didn’t understand the qualification of elders, the nature of the Lord’s Supper, what propitiation means and the concept of Biblical fellowship.

Go tell your people what the Lord has done for you. That’s it. So much he didn’t know. So much he couldn’t answer. But, he knew one thing, Jesus had changed his life.

Throughout the Gospels and heavily in Acts we read about the spread of the Gospel. We see the growth of the church. We see that the numbers multiplied. But, what is so interesting is that in all the letters to the churches, very little, if anything, is ever said about evangelism. One would think that the apostles would be pushing this hard. One would think that there would be mountains of paragraphs written about how to do evangelism, the need for evangelism and the dos and don’ts of evangelism. But, it’s simply not there.

Some thoughts about that:

First, evangelism is the only way the kingdom grows. There is no other way. Teaching and converting is the means of growth in the kingdom. There is no Plan B. More than that, if we don’t do it, it won’t get done. There isn’t some agency that can be hired that will take care of that. There isn’t someone that can do that for us. If not us, no one.

Second, it just may be that the reason we don’t read much about evangelism in the letters to the churches is that they naturally understood the value of this. They grasped what a great gift salvation was and they wanted to tell others about it. The words of our Lord are enough. You are the light of the world. Shine that light is what we must do.

Third, within preaching of the Gospel comes the saving message of Jesus Christ. To preach the Gospel is to evangelize. And, the first place this begins is in our homes. Living for Jesus ought to be an everyday natural part of our lives. Prayer should be common in our homes and our lives. Reading the word of God ought to be something that is just as important as paying our bills, mowing the yard and making dinner. To preach Jesus is to evangelize.

And, right here may be the reason why we have to spend so much time on evangelism, with sermons, classes and booklets. Maybe we have just dropped the baton. Maybe it’s just not natural to us. Maybe there is a disconnect between us and the lost.

And, how we rightly deal with this is to remember that the Lord loves everyone and to remember what the Lord has done to you. What if I’m asked a question I don’t know? Then, you say, “I don’t know.” But go do your homework and find the answer. What if someone says, “I’m not interested?” Fine. Be kind. Invite them anyway and help them anyway you can. What if someone gets ugly? What do you think happened in that pagan first century world? Have faith in what you know. Be sure yourself. Give evidence and then let the person think about it.

Talking to someone about Jesus ought to be as easy as it is talking about sports, cooking, or the weather. Don’t make it harder than what it is. Don’t manufacture obstacles that may not be there. Don’t answer for others, let them answer for themselves. Well, I know my cousin wouldn’t be interested. Maybe not. Maybe he would be.

It begins with a lifestyle that is different than the world. It begins with a hope and a confidence that comes from the Lord. It begins with loving the Lord and His people.

Go tell your people. Do you think you could have done that? Do you think you can do that now?

Roger

30

Jump Start # 3336

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3336

1 Samuel 13:14 “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Our verse today is the cold reality of the consequences of King Saul’s disobedience with God. He was out and another was taking his place. It was more than he simply was no longer going to be king, but the lineage, the legacy would not be through his family. Not only was he being replaced, but his family heritage was changing. Sin will do that. It has long lasting consequences that can hurt generations.

The replacement for Saul was the youthful, national hero, the giant killer, David. God was looking for someone who was after the heart of God. The Psalms reflect that spirit. The desire to build God a permanent house illustrates that. David was one who sought to please the Lord.

The story of David is not picture perfect. There are several moments that remind us that he too, as we do, have feet of clay. David sinned. Those who know the story are quick to point out Bathsheba, the killing of her husband, the numbering of the nation, the careless way the ark was carried to Jerusalem upon a cart, the negligence towards Amnon who rapped his daughter. But if someone studied our lives as we do David, they might notice times we didn’t go to worship when we could have, or, the times we lied because we didn’t want to tell the truth. All of us are in the need of a Savior.

However, there is one aspect of David’s life I really have trouble with. It’s the concubines. I can even understand the multiple marriages as a political move, but concubines, I don’t see how that fits in with one who seeks the heart of God. Concubines don’t add stability or peace to a kingdom. Most often, men married to have legitimate children. Concubines weren’t married. Concubines were just for pleasure. And, the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments, if followed would have put an end to concubines.

When Absalom, David’s son, declared himself to be the king and moved into Jerusalem, David fled. He took his wives and ran to the hills. However, he left his ten concubines to watch over his house. Why does he have concubines? Is he no longer a man after God’s own heart? Trying to fit this together, causes me fits.

Here are some thoughts:

First, we tend to focus a lot upon other people. We try to figure them out and decide who is in and who is out as far as their walk with the Lord is concerned. Samson is another one that is a mystery. Why is he included in Hebrews 11? All of those “gained approval.” It seems that Samson couldn’t make up his mind whether he was to be with Israel or the Philistines.

And, maybe this is a good reminder to us that we don’t have to figure everyone out. Before every funeral starts, we’ve made up our mind whether the deceased is in Heaven or not. There are times that I must wonder if we have a bit of the Pharisees spirit in us. Let the Lord figure Samson out. Let the Lord deal with David and his concubines. Ours is not to be the one who sits upon the throne of God.

This impacts our fellowship today. Some seem to be just in the place that they ought to be. But then there are others. In and out. Up and down. One foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom. Always a near train wreck. Always moving from one disaster to the next. As a church, fellowship is built upon determining whether one is walking in the light or not. But that ‘walking in the light,’ often translates to near perfection in some minds. The John passage, where walking in the light comes from, also, in the same sentence tells us that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. Walking in light and in sin at the same time just doesn’t fit in the same category for most folks.

Second, what God says may not be what we say. And, when that happens, God is right. God is always right. The preacher Stephen said in Acts 7, “David found favor in God’s sight.” Inspiration led him to say that. We might say that with a giant “HOWEVER,” that had to qualify that. He found favor however, he committed adultery. He found favor however, he had someone murdered. He found favor however, he disobeyed God. He found favor, however, there were those concubines. Interestingly, God didn’t use a “HOWEVER.” How could one find favor with God with such a black list to his name? And, maybe we have forgotten about the grace of God. Later in Acts, our passage today is quoted and again, the “man after My heart” is repeated. This is quoted centuries after the story is over. God is still saying this about David. After all those mistakes. After all that blood is on his hands. After all those sins. After all those concubines. He remains a man after God’s own heart. Salvation is by grace through faith. We know that, but we have trouble putting shoes on that when it comes to concubines, blood and sin.

Maybe David’s story will help us with our guilt. We need to obey the Lord. We need to walk so close to the Lord that we could reach out and touch Him. However, like David, we have a list of things that are just not right in our lives. Attitudes, especially towards others. Sins that we struggle with. We try, but these things keep us from enjoying the fellowship of God. We walk among each other with such guilt that we wonder if any of us will make it to Heaven. We hear lessons on grace but our lack of perfection creates such guilt.

David’s concubines—are we to conclude that it didn’t matter? Can I use that as a reason to do a belly flop into the pool of sin? Running through these verses and within this article is the thought that David was after the heart of God. He didn’t do wrong knowing that it’s no big deal. He didn’t do wrong thinking that God will give him a pass. That’s taking advantage of God and that’s abusing grace. That’s not the spirit of one who is after God’s own heart.

Third, here we are all these years later trying to figure out how concubines and a heart for God fits. There are things we likely do not understand. There are things that we may never know. Paul told the Corinthians that our ambition is to please the Lord. When that is driving our hearts, we will do the best that we can. Not being serious about our walk with God and not caring what God says and having a heart that will do whatever it wants to do, will only take us further from the Lord, not closer. David wasn’t like that.

Am I after the heart of God? Do I want to please the Lord?

Roger

26

Jump Start # 3335

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3335

Matthew 1:5 “and to Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth; and to Obed, Jesse.”

Our verse today is found in the opening sentences of Matthew’s Gospel. It’s the genealogy of Jesus. Names upon names. In the old King James translation, there are a lot of “begats.” Genealogies are interesting. It seems the older one gets the more interested one becomes in their family history.

After my sweet dad died a couple of years ago, I got his collection of family history. Among the boxes of diaries, charts, old Bibles, was two massive notebooks of a PhD. Dissertation that someone had written about our family. There is a unique aspect to our family heritage. Every Shouse in America came through one descendent who left Germany in the early 1700’s and came to the States. We are all related. The history can be traced back to the late 1500’s. Tons of names and a lot of branches on this tree.

So, the other day I started reading the dissertation about our family. To be honest, it’s not well written, but it is what it is. I was chasing one specific name. There was a preacher in Kentucky in the late 1800’s with the same last name. I never knew for sure how he was connected. In digging, I found another preacher connected to Christian church/churches of Christ who preached in Texas. There was one who was a mayor of a small village in Germany. Then there was a Jouett Shouse, the son of one of the preachers I discovered, who served in Congress and was assistant secretary of the treasury under President Wilson. Jouett later was head of the Democratic Party in the 1920’s. His picture appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1930. And, there is Ed Shouse, who ran with the Dillinger gang. He died in prison and is buried in prison cemetery with just a number marking his grave. Preachers. Criminals. Politicians. And, a whole bunch of just everyday, common people. That’s my family. Now, there are two more preachers in that bunch, myself and one of my sons.

And, in the line of Jesus, there is Rahab, a prostitute. There is David, the king, but also who had a marred history. There is Solomon who introduced idolatry. Heroes. Bad guys. And, a whole bunch of everyday, common people.

Here’s some thoughts:

First, all families have bright spots and dark moments. There are heroes and bums in about all of our families. Dig deep enough and one finds scandals, embarrassing incidents and things that you would never do. One might dig and find that your family once owned slaves. Now, you’d never do that, but it’s in the history. One might find drunks, drug addicts, and some who were sent to prison. One might find war heroes, people that made significant impacts and improvements upon the lives of others.

Your family, your family name, might get a door opened for you. But it will be up to you to prove yourself and do the job that you are supposed to do. What some have done in the past does not mean that you would do that yourself.

Second, who we are is based upon the choices that we have made. Some have had a terrible family history. Yet, they have risen above that and became incredible disciples for the Lord. I’ve known some great men whose dads were drunks, neglectful and didn’t have an ounce of faith in them, to move beyond that and serve as great shepherds among God’s people. You do not have to walk the same path as your ancestors. You make your own choices.

Third, if the Lord allows this ole’ world to continue on, someone someday might be tracing our name through the pages of the family history. Just a name. Just a birth date. Just a death date. But it’s much more than that. Each name is a soul. Each name is someone that the Lord loved. Each name is someone who got up in the mornings, just as you do and went to work and tried to raise a family. A name in the family history,  but more than that, a soul that was important to Heaven.

Each day is filled with choices, opportunities, adventures and ways to make a difference in the lives of others and to honor and glorify our Lord. And, what our lives are, just a combination of all those days, just like today.

Preachers. Politicians. Criminals. And, a whole bunch of forgotten, everyday people. None are forgotten by God.

Roger

25

Jump Start # 3334

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3334

Genesis 25:8 “Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.”

Our verse today could well be used as Abraham’s obituary. He breathed his last. He died. He died in a ripe old age. But most telling, he was satisfied with life. We measure life in many different ways. The most common is by one’s age. The listing of the age of a person is very common in the obituaries of today. But simply living to a certain age doesn’t tell us much about the person. Life is more than just how long you live it. Methuselah is the oldest man in the Bible. He was the grandfather of Noah. There is a good indication that he died in the year of the flood. Did he die in the flood? But that’s about all we know about someone who lived over 900 years.

There is something about being satisfied with life. Let’s explore that:

First, there are many things in life that we become dissatisfied with. We get weary of wrong. Trouble, crime, corruption weighs heavily upon the hearts of God’s people. Wars. Plagues. Disasters. Turmoil. Every generation deals with those things. Most of those things are out of our hands and beyond anything we can do about them.

Yet, it is because of those very things that some are dissatisfied. They become bitter and grumpy towards the world. Things are out of place and that has gotten their mood, heart and attitude out of place. The misery of the world has crept into their hearts and they wish and long for a different world. The good ole’ days, they remind us, were so different than things are today.

Abraham’s world was a mess. Pagan idolatry. He obediently followed God’s command to go to a place he did not know. Out of his comfort zone. The wrath of God fell upon Sodom during Abraham’s days. Two entire cities were leveled because of their sin. So much that could have made Abraham bitter and angry. Much to complain about. Yet, the text tells us that he died “satisfied with life.”

Second, there are always those who are looking for external pleasures to bring satisfaction to them. If only we traveled more. If only we had gotten a bigger house. If only I had retired sooner. If only I had saved more money during my working years. If only…and the words, “If only,” are the sounds of regret. And, one of the biggest reasons why some are never satisfied is because of regret. I should have gone back to school. I should have not listened to my friends. I should have started a business. I should have followed by dreams. And, as one looks back over the years, what could have been and what is often are not the same. It’s those regrets that keep some from being satisfied.

Third, being satisfied is being content. When eating, we stop when we are satisfied. We’ve had enough. Contentment is a state of the mind. It comes from within. One can be content who has never traveled far. One can be content living in the same house for decades. One can be content with their job. One can be content worshipping in the same congregation all of their life.

When a person is not content, or satisfied, then changes begin. Not content with my house, I’ll move. Not content in the marriage, one leaves. Not content with the congregation, one starts looking elsewhere. And, what happens so often is that, the new thing the person finds, soon gets old and once again they are not content.

Abraham was satisfied with life. There is much to think about that expression.

Roger

24

Jump Start # 3333

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3333

Hebrews 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation  of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

Our verse today is a wonderful example of faith in action. It begins with believing God. The Lord warned Noah about things not yet seen. As this chapter begins, we are told that “what was seen was not made out of things which are visible.” The invisible made the visible.

That little expression, “things not yet seen,” is fascinating. Most think it has to do with rain. There is no indication that it had rained on the earth up to that time. Early in Genesis, God is watering things from dew. But there is much more than that. Noah had never seen a massive flood. Noah had never seen the earth open up and water coming out. Noah had never seen the wrath of God demonstrated this much. Noah had never seen every living thing, except what was in the ark, die. Not only had Noah not seen these things, nor had anyone else. I have never been in a World War, but I know some who were. I can talk to them about that. I’ve never had heart surgery, but I know some who have had that before. I can talk to them about that. Noah had no one who had seen what was about to happen. No one had traveled down those roads before. No books had been written on that. No journal articles detailing experiences and statical analysis of the events were recorded. All Noah had was what God said. He had to believe. Science couldn’t help him. History couldn’t be relied upon. No person could give him advice about this. Things not yet seen—roads that no one had ever traveled before.

And, for us, God has warned us about things not yet seen. Consider:

First, no one has ever seen Hell. People use that word all the time in an unbiblical fashion. No one in your family has ever gone to Hell and reported what it was like. No co-worker has experienced Hell. Oh, there are some who think that they are living Hell right now, but they are not. A sorry marriage. Dysfunctional family. Toxic work place. Junky car. Health problems. No money. No friends. But as bad as all of that may get, it’s still not Hell. As long as you are alive there are options. There are no options in Hell. As long as you are alive you can turn to the Lord. It will be too late for that after you die.

Outside of the Bible, no one knows what Hell is like. No one has been there to write about it. No one has done research on it. All we know, is what God tells us. By faith, we know that there is a Hell. And, by faith, we know that we don’t want to go there, not even for a minute.

Noah had no experiences with floods. Yet he believed God and got busy doing what God told him. You and I have no experiences with Hell. Do we believe God and are we busy doing what He tells us?

Second, we have never experienced standing before God in judgment. We may have stood before a judge in a court room, but what is at stake is nothing like standing before God. And, what will be involved are the most intimate, personal aspects of our lives. Our thoughts. Our words. Our actions. Our sins. Nothing is more raw, open and revealing as that. What will it be like? No courtroom TV shows are like it. No human judge is like the Lord. No one we know is as righteous, merciful, just and holy as the Lord.

And, gathered at the judgment will be all humanity of all time. The great and small will stand before the throne as Revelation tells us. Will we see each other? Will I recognize Abraham Lincoln? Will I recognize THE Abraham? Will I see the Noah, that our verse today is about? Will I see ancestors that I have never met? Will I see my mom? Are we in alphabetical order? Are we lined up by generations? Are we lined up by faith?

All we have to go on is what is in the Bible. No one you talk to today has already been through that experience. No book, other than the Bible, can give us insight into what that judgment will be. God has told us what we need to know. By faith, we believe. Things no one has ever seen before, we know that it will happen because God says so.

Third, we have never experienced a resurrection in which we will never die again. There are a few resurrections in the Bible. Just a few. The way some talk, you’d get the idea that someone was raised every day. But among those who were raised, they all died again. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, he died again. Jairus’ daughter that Jesus raised, she died later on. The boy that fell out of the window while Paul was preaching died. Paul brought him back. He later died again. They all died again.

But there is a day coming in which the tombs will be opened and the dead will be raised never to die again. What’s that like? Aside from the Bible, no one knows. No one other than Jesus understands this. No one has written a PhD. dissertation on this. There is no information on this. Things not yet seen. Yet, we believe. We know because the Lord has told us.

Noah was told things that only his faith understood. No one else had experienced in the past what God was warning about. No books to study about that. No one to talk to about that. Things not yet seen, yet Noah believed.

How about you and I? Noah got busy building. Maybe we ought to do the same.

Roger