09

Jump Start # 3344

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3344

Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.”

The grace of God—those very words make some nervous. We know that we are saved by grace, yet we seem to always have to put an asterisk by that expression. It’s like the ole’ baseball player, Roger Maris. In 1961, he hit 61 home runs that season. That broke the decades long record held by the legend Babe Ruth. However, baseball had extended the number of games by that time and Maris actually played in more games in a season than Ruth did. So, for years in the record books, Maris was at the top of the charts for most homeruns in one season, but there was always an asterisk, indicating that he played in more games.

And, when it comes to grace, our asterisk always includes repentance, baptism and living a godly life. We are saved by grace, but…We often fear unless we include those other things, some might get the idea that grace is it. They might conclude that God does it all and we just sit back and enjoy the ride. But anyone serious enough about God, ought to look at what God says and they’d see that grace has conditions. If it didn’t, then everyone is saved and no one is lost.

Our verse tells us that grace has appeared. What a wonderful message that is. It appeared doing two things. First, it appeared bringing salvation. We are saved by grace. And that grace is for all people. Not a specific race, not a specific nationality, but rather to all men. The grace that has saved you, saves me. The grace that saved those first disciples, saves people today. That grace has a name and it is Jesus. Jesus has appeared. The redeeming salvation that came through His death and resurrection is what changed the course of our eternity. Hope abounds because of Jesus.

Second, grace instructs. Grace teaches. Grace isn’t finished with salvation. There is something that follows. That godly, righteous life is what grace teaches us. Given a second chance, we don’t go back and make the same mistakes again. We’ve learned. Grace has taught us. What we did, didn’t work. What we did, was sin. What we did, took us away from God. Now that grace has appeared, we do better. We live as if we have sense, and not as an animal. We live the right way or righteously. And we live godly, pleasing our Father in Heaven.

Without grace there is no salvation. Without grace we don’t make it. Some thoughts for us:

First, perfect as we try to be, we are not. We fail. We fumble. We sin. We see others doing the same. Some are quick to want to bring thunder from Heaven upon them. And, through this, we leave the impression upon the young and the new, that if you make a mistake, you’re out. God will have nothing to do with you. What terrible fear and guilt fills the heart with such thoughts. Until we repent, God will have nothing to do with you, is how many see it. And, from this twisted thinking, grace has been left out. Worship is a mere exercise in hearing how bad we are and the image is left of “wait until your Father gets home,” fear.

But, that’s not the message we get from the Psalms. That’s not how the apostles viewed it. Gracious, forgiving and merciful is the image they paint of our Heavenly Father. He is a God that longs for us. At our best, we are not very good, but God’s love is greater than all of that.

On the back of my office door, I have several stick figure pictures drawn by my grandchildren. Several are supposed to be me. I love looking at them. If I were to list them on Ebay, I’d get no bids. If I took them to the Louisville art museum and asked if they’d like to display them, I’d likely be laughed out of the building. But they are precious to me. Drawn in love, given in kindness, and displayed as masterpieces, they remind me of what my work must look like to the Lord. The Master who authored this amazing Bible, must smile as He sees these Jump Starts and think, ‘How cute.’ But, knowing the love, effort and joy put in to them, He sees our work as masterpieces.

Second, grace changes us. It’s more than simply getting a mulligan in life. It’s an opportunity to learn and to do things right this time. It’s seeing our sins and what led to those lousy choices. It’s seeing the way that God expects us to live. And, through that, we become better, stronger and more Christ-like.

There is many a person I have met through the years that had believed and was baptized, but little did they change. Same smug and selfish attitudes. Same greedy, tightwad, keep it all to myself spirit. Same pointing the fingers at others and quick to judge and quicker to condemn. Oh, they sit in a church building on a Sunday, but grace hasn’t filled their hearts. Jesus is described in John’s Gospel as being full of grace and truth. Full of grace—wouldn’t that be wonderful if that was said of us?

Kindness, compassionate, forgiving, going out of the way to help, those are the qualities of a person who has spent time with Jesus. Godly. Righteous. A true disciple. Changed by the grace of God.

Third, there seems to be a passing of the baton through our passage today. God has extended His grace to us and as it changes us and we learn from that, we become gracious to others. We become a little slower to make a comment that condemns. We are less likely to see what is wrong and more able to praise what is right. Complaining is pushed out by a thankful heart. And, within our families and within our fellowship, the grace of God runs richly through us. The spirit of helping rather than driving away takes over.

We’ve received grace so that we can extend grace. What a beautiful gift God has shared with us. We have been forgiven so we can forgive others. We have been given hope so we can give others hope. The grace of God doesn’t stop with us. It merely flows through us. A powerful image and a powerful picture of simply sharing what has been shared with us.

The grace of God has appeared…

Roger

08

Jump Start # 3343

Posted on June 8, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3343

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth.”

Fox contributor Greg Jarrett has authored a new book titled, “Trial of the Century.” It is about the 1925 ‘Scopes Monkey Trial,’ that took place in Dayton, Tennessee. William Jennings Bryant, who ran three different times for the presidency on the Democratic ticket was an outspoken voice for fundamentalism in America. Books were banned and in Tennessee, teaching evolution in public school was against the law. John Scopes, a young high school biology teacher challenged that ruling and taught evolution. He was arrested and taken to jail. What followed was ‘The Monkey Trial’ where William Jennings Bryant represented the state of Tennessee. Clarence Darrow, a flamboyant Chicago attorney came to defend John Scopes. In the end, Darrow made Bryant look ridiculous and won the case.

I have been to Dayton, Tennessee and visited the small museum about that trial. Listening to author Jarrett speak of his new book, expressing great appreciation for Darrow’s work and free speech, he said, “Evolution and creationism are not exclusive of each other. They not only co-exist but they work wonderfully together.” Now, that grabbed my attention.

Evolution and Creation, presented as friendly comrades, working side by side and together. In this way, there is a marriage between religion and science. It is a means to keep everyone on all sides happy. People have wondered, “Could God have used evolution as the natural means of creating the world?” This merger of evolution and creation satisfies many in the scientific world and amazingly even in the religious community.

Now, I have not read Jarrett’s book, but I have carefully studied the topics of evolution and creation for decades. Being a science major in college, I had an eye full of theories, ideas and speculations. What God said in the Bible wasn’t even on the table. We were told that stuff belongs in theology class, not science.

Let’s give this some thought:

First, in order for evolution to have a chance, one must look at the Bible in a different way. The six days of Genesis must be considered as an allegory and not literal. But what a way to begin a book. What would lead one to that conclusion other than the desire to make evolution a possibility. Yet, there remains Exodus 20, the Ten Commandment page, where a week is defined according to the creation account. Now, has the allegory become literal?

And, it’s not just Genesis. Sprinkled all throughout the Bible is thought that God is the Creator. Changing a few sentences in Genesis doesn’t take away what the Bible teaches in Psalms, Matthew, Hebrews, Colossians and many other places.

Second, the tenants of evolution are natural law and time and chance. No purpose, no design and no Heavenly influence takes place in that model. It’s all natural. Yet so many questions remain about that. The eternity of matter, which is fundamental to evolution has not and cannot be proven. The great moral argument and the desire to worship something greater than we are, that anthropology supports, does not fit within the evolutionary model. And, then how does life come from non-life? Logically that does not make sense. What God says in the Creation account is seen in the world. There is an “after their kind” in relation to botany and zoology. We don’t see species crossing over to other species. This is often referred to as the missing link idea. We see primates or monkeys. We see homosapiens, or humans. What we do not see are half monkeys and half humans. The transition from one species to another species is not seen in the world today nor found in the fossil record. That is a major, major component of evolution. The simple evolves to the complex. But there is nothing to substantiate that. The theory remains an unproven theory.

Third, Romans 1 tells us that God’s divine attributes are clearly seen in what He has created. Things such as order, beauty, design, purpose are parts of life. These point to God. Evolution cannot explain these. Hebrews 11 tells us that by faith we know that the invisible created the visible. That’s not what evolution says. The Gentiles in Romans were told that they were without excuse. The evidence of God was all around them. Rather than worshipping the Creator, they chose to worship the creature. And, all these years later, nothing has changed. All around us are the evidence of God. Where is the evidence of evolution? It exists only in the minds and textbooks of those who have closed their eyes to the world around them.

To acknowledge creation, is to admit there is a Creator. From that, one must realize that we are accountable to that Creator. We are not at the top, God is. We cannot do whatever we want. What He says, matters.

In the past several years, several excellent works have been published about microbiology and the detailed structure of DNA. Time and chance and a whole lot of error simply will not work in systems so complex that every part is necessary. More and more researchers are coming to the conclusion that naturalism is not the way the world came to be.

Evolution and Creation are exclusive. It’s one or the other. Marrying the two together won’t work. That is not a marriage made in Heaven and that is not a marriage that will make it. It’s one or the other. God was there. He knows. I think I’ll stick with what He said.

Roger

07

Jump Start # 3342

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3342

James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

I attended a high school graduation the other day. It was for one of our seniors here in our church family. I’d not been to a high school graduation since my kids graduated and that has been a long time ago. It was a small school and I was surprised to hear both the school principle and the district superintendent refer to Bible verses. It was refreshing, especially in our current cultural climate.

The superintendent in his speech talked about the growing concern of AI among administrators. He said the information was fast and thorough but it was not referenced. There wasn’t a way to verify or check the accuracy of the information. Sources aren’t cited. From that, he talked about authenticity and being an authentic person to the graduating seniors. He detailed practical ways to be a genuine person.

In a world of fake news, artificial intelligence, there is something to be said about being the real deal. Authentic. Genuine. Real. There are a lot of people who put more emphasis upon the outside than the inside. Looking good, being impressive, staying in style, while there is no substance, compass, morals on the inside, is all show. It’s fake. It’s not being genuine.

Here are some things to consider:

First, our faith in the Lord must be genuine. Our love, passion and walk with the Lord must be as strong when we are alone as it is when we are sitting among others in the church building. If it is not, that will quickly lead to hypocrisy, which is nothing more than a fake faith. It doesn’t take much wind to blow over a faith that is not real. Praying when there is no one around, reading Scriptures, just because, are the steps that will lead to a real and honest faith.

Our verse today defines pure and undefiled religion. The NIV uses the expressions, “pure and faultless.” And, what God considers that genuine faith is illustrated in both a positive and negative in this passage. In the positive fashion, you are helping those who cannot help themselves. Orphans and widows in distress need help. And, it’s those with that genuine, pure, undefiled religion that are going to step up and help out. But, in the negative fashion, that pure religion keeps itself from the world. The world stains. It stains our soul, sours our attitudes and ruins our destiny.

What our passage shows us is that the religion that God is interested in is much more than talk. It’s not a Sunday only deal. It’s more than just worship. It’s pure. It’s authentic. It’s the real deal.

Second, our fellowship and our friendship must be genuine. Our love and concern for one another must grow from within our hearts and be expressed in the way we care for each other. One can quickly tell when people at church love each other or they merely tolerate one another. Genuine means one will stick with each other through thick and thin. Genuine means that one will be there in the hard times. Genuine means that we are locked arm in arm with one another.

Third, our love for the lost must be genuine. If it is not, then the walls close in, the doors are shut and we become a secret member only society that doesn’t want anyone else in. Evangelism is built upon our love for all. All are made in the image of God. Red, yellow, black and white—God made all and we must love all. The broken. The hurting. The confused. Anyone and everyone ought to be welcomed by the people of God. Genuine love. It’s not about building a larger congregation. It’s about pointing souls to Heaven. It’s helping where one can help.

The opposite of genuine is fake. One sees in stores, genuine leather. It’s not fake. Knock off purses are very good at looking like the originals, but they are not. There may be some that are nothing more than knock-off Christians. They may talk a good game. They may be in the right places on Sunday, but it’s the insides that determine whether they are genuine or not.

Authentic in a world of fakes…

Roger

06

Jump Start # 3341

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3341

Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat.”

In our verse today, the Lord tells Peter something that he likely had no idea about. Satan had his aim on Peter Satan wanted Peter. And, specifically, Satan asked about Peter. There are powerful things to consider here:

First, Satan had to get permission. He is limited. He can’t do anything that he wants. He has power. He is a liar. But he is not equal to the Lord. He cannot overcome the Lord. He was limited in what he could do to Job and he is limited in what he can do to Peter. He sought permission.

The “sifting like wheat” brings the idea of shaking violently and thrashing about. Satan wasn’t referring to the boat ride through the violent storm. The sifting would come through the voice of a servant girl. Jesus, arrested and led to the high priest, Peter follows. In the courtyard, a servant girl accuses Peter. This happens again. Fear. Alone. Lacking faith. The sifting of Peter was someone challenging him. It wasn’t a Roman with a sword drawn. It wasn’t the hierarchy of the Jewish power structure. It was a girl. It was a servant. That’s all Satan needed to rock Peter’s world. Three times Peter would deny.

Our greatest challenge may not be from radicals who are pushing immoral agendas. It may not be a college professor who mocks faith. Our sifting may be from a family member. It might come from a young person. Fear. Alone. Lacking faith. And, our world can be turned upside down. Thinking of how to look good, protect ourselves, the Lord we love can be denied.

Second, the Lord gave Satan permission. Easily, Jesus could have said, “No, he belongs to me.” But He didn’t. It’s amazing that Jesus would grant anything that Satan wants. Earlier, when demons begged Jesus to send them into the swine, He allowed that. Amazing that the Lord would grant what these wicked forces wanted. I’d think, ‘If you want to go into pigs, I’ll put you inside a tree.’ Or, ‘If you want to sift Peter, I’ll give you permission to eat worms.’

Maybe the Lord was counting on Peter. Maybe the Lord thought Peter could take it. But even before the sifting began, Jesus revealed that Peter would deny Him three times. He knew.

Third, the text tells us that Jesus would pray for Peter. That’s an fascinating thought. We pray to God. We pray to Jesus. But Jesus, praying for one of us? The Lord prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail. He knew it could. He knew that faith was the key. And, so it is for us. A strong faith will keep us going. A strong faith will kick Satan to the curb. But when we are wavering, and when the storm clouds blow in, Satan will have his way with us. I’m praying, Jesus said. I want your faith to be strong, Jesus said.

Fourth, though Peter failed, the Lord wasn’t through with him yet. Peter would preach that Gospel at Pentecost. Peter would be the first to go to Gentiles. Peter would write two books of the N.T. He crashed, but he got back into things. I wonder if you and I find more in common with Peter than any of the other apostles. We have crashed. We wonder if our race is over. God doesn’t think so.

In our times today, Peter might have a hard time finding a place to preach. We tend to remember mistakes, especially of public leaders such as shepherds and preachers. We often ban such a one for life. Never again do we allow such a person to preach. Never again is he allowed to serve as a shepherd. Marred for life. We might tell the person that he is forgiven, but the way we treat a broken disciple sure doesn’t demonstrate it.

We allow prodigals to come home, but we keep our eyes on them. We keep them on a very short leash. We limit what they will do and for some this becomes a lifelong sentence. Forgiven, but sitting on the sidelines. Forgiven, but we don’t want you to touch anything. Forgiven, but just stay out of the way.

And, is it any wonder that those returned prodigals become to wonder if they made the right decision. They came home, but they are treated as lepers and foreigners. The stigma and isolation is enough for some to go back to the far country. It wasn’t that the far country was such a strong pull, instead, it was that home never accepted them again.

Peter was sifted. Peter was run over by the devil. Yet, the Lord was there to pick him up, forgive him and get him right back into service.

The Lord knew…

Roger

05

Jump Start # 3340

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3340

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

 

  Our verse doesn’t fit well in the description of a Christian that some have. By their thinking, Christians are always smiling, always peaceful, always getting along and always avoiding confrontations. Never judging, never correcting, never telling others that they need to change, is how some see it. Jude talks about snatching some out of the fire. The Galatians were told to restore those who were in sin. And, our verse today uses the terms “destroying” and taking “captive.” Paul paints a picture of conflict, war and battle.

 

  Recently, I presented a three part series about “Our Identity.” This was much more than understanding what the Bible teaches about gender, it was about who we are, our purpose and our destiny. Our identity is woven through those concepts.

 

  Satan is actively trying to deceive the world. He does that by convincing our culture that they know more than God does. He deceives those who are in power, because they shape policy and make products. He deceives those of influence, because people follow them. And, he deceives those who educate because they change minds and the way people think.

 

  And, all around us we are witnessing these very things taking place. In politics, in sports, in glamour, in media, in movies, in the halls of education, and in stores, we see this strong push to make the unacceptable acceptable. The drive is to make abnormal normal. And, the way it’s talked about so much, one would get the impression that a huge segment of our country is embracing this radical ideology. But major beer companies and stores are realizing that there is a silent majority that does not want these things in mainstream life or on Main Street of life. The push will continue. Say a lie loud enough and long enough and people will accept it.

 

  Our verse shows us the strong counter move by disciples. Speculations are being destroyed. Thoughts are being held captive. Now, just how is this done?

 

  First, it’s not a political move. It’s not about electing the right guy for office. Those early Christians didn’t have that option. Our hope is not in the Whitehouse, or even the court house. Our hope is in Heaven. Laws do not mean anything to those who do not keep laws.

 

  Second, the means of destroying speculations and taking thoughts captive is through the teaching of God’s word. Preach. Preach. Preach. God’s people must recognize what is right and what is wrong. Opening eyes to what God says will reveal how far from those truths that the world has sunk to. Our young people must know that our identity is not up in the air and we must determine it. God has determined it. God doesn’t make mistakes. We must discover what God has declared.

 

  Third, with our hearts standing upon God’s word, we become absolute in our convictions. We have a confidence in our faith and we become unwavering in our resolve. Much of noise these days is just that, noise. Shouting someone down doesn’t prove a position. Threats do not make right. Truthful evidence is what makes a difference. Those who lack conviction and faith, will cower in fear of being called a racist or prejudice. Rather than standing firm, many cave it. This is true in school systems, corporate board rooms and many religious institutions. Fear and false guilt will cause many to accept what they do not believe in.

 

  We are destroying…we are taking captive. How? By sticking with what God says. Remaining calm. Presenting truths. Staying factual. This will blow away the smoke of emotions that have nothing behind them.  The facts are, God has already determined our gender, our race and the times we will live in. Our gender cannot be changed. One might change the outside, but chromosomes, bone structure, muscle mass, the amount of red and white blood cells—none of that changes, even if a man puts on a dress, calls himself by a girl’s name, puts lipstick on his lips. A hundred years from now, if his bones were dug up, investigators would declare that he was a man, even though he may have claimed that he was a female.

 

  Facts. Faith. Bible. There is no way that God can be wrong. The fight is on and we know already who will win. God wins.

 

  Roger