07

Jump Start # 3465

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

Jump Start # 3465

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

When I graduated from high school my parents gave me a gift. Some kids got cars. Some took exotic trips. Not me. My folks gave me a Bible. Inside the cover, my dad had written our verse today. I still have that Bible. It was one of the first Bibles I used to preach from.

The contrasts in our verse today identify that some things change and some things do not change. The grass changes. It withers. The flower changes. It fades. But God’s word does not change. It stands forever.

There are great lessons for us in understanding this:

First, it is great to know in a topsy-turvy world one constant remains. God’s word is the same. It was the same for the people in first century Jerusalem. It was the same for those disciples in Europe in the middle ages. It’s the same for the person living in busy New York City, as it is for a guy living in rural Texas. It is the same here as it is over there. It’s the same now as it was back then. It remains the same. Unlike your phones and computer software, God’s word does need updates. It remains the same. It worked well in the dark ages. It worked well in World War II. It worked for slaves. It worked for CEO’s. It worked for those struggling. It worked for those oppressed. It worked for those persecuted. Unlike some of those college classes that we took, we wondered if we would ever use that stuff ever again. God’s word has proven to be useful and helpful.

Our culture longs for a changing message. It is looking for God to approve of things He doesn’t approve of. Redefine the words. Change the application. Mix up the message. Make wrong right. But in the midst of this, we hear the prophet Jeremiah writing, “Thus says the Lord, ‘stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. “

God’s promises remain the same. God’s expectations remain the same. God’s warnings remain the same. In a changing world, one thing has remained the same, God’s Word.

Second, it is comforting to know that we can learn from our forefathers because they had the same word that we have. That Word of God that brought hope to worried mothers whose sons were far away fighting in World War II. That Word of God brought peace when the monarchy of Europe changed. That Word of God helped when diseases ran through small villages.

It is this same Word of God that was read at weddings and funerals for generations. Today, we communicate faster, travel farther and have so many conveniences than our forefathers, yet it is that same Word of God that fills our hearts with hope and love for the Savior.

Third, since the Word of God does not change, and it has been around for so many generations, it is doubtful that you or I will find something that someone hasn’t seen or taught before. Our attention should not be in finding something new and different, but rather learning that old, old Gospel.

Each generation must learn God’s word. For them, their eyes are seeing truths that they have never known before, but the truths have been there. Like the pearl merchant in the Lord’s parable, they find something that is life changing. Truth is that way.

There is a comfort in knowing that you can know God’s word. New phones are out on the market. There will be a learning curve before people get used to them. New cars. New TVs. New appliances. There is always something different than what we were used to. But, not so with God’s word. The message is the same.

I’m glad that my parents gave me a Bible when I graduated. I was a new Christian. I was heading off to college. Preaching wasn’t the direction I was heading towards. Had I gotten a new car, it would be trashed by now. A trip would be a distant memory. But that Bible gave me a foundation upon which I now stand.

As we head to a season of giving, don’t think that giving a Bible isn’t much. The video games, toys, clothes will all be tossed aside someday. But that Bible you give, can change a life for eternity. It can be a gift that is held on to for decades.

The Word of our God stands forever.

Roger

06

Jump Start # 3464

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

Jump Start # 3464

Philemon 21 “Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.”

The little letter of Philemon is rich in big lessons. What a challenge this book presented to the first century world. A run-a-way slave, who becomes a Christian is sent back to his master. Social pressures were huge. All eyes would be on Philemon, the slave owner,  to see what he would do. His example would set the tone for other Christian masters and other slaves. Would the slave be beaten? Would Philemon make an example out of him? Would he forgive? Would he send him away?

Paul’s letter to Philemon, which was delivered by the run-a-way and corresponds with the Colossian letter, outlined what should be done. The apostle was counting on him. As our verse begins, Paul had “confidence in your obedience.”

It is the end of our verse that our attention is drawn to. Here we find, “I know that you will do even more than what I say.” What a powerful proclamation and hope. I know you’ll do more than I ask. Imagine that spirit at home. Imagine it at work. Imagine it in a congregation.

Doing more than what I say, let’s look at that.

First, that attitude and spirit is a culture that disciples ought to strive for and even expect. Just getting by, just doing the minimum won’t produce growth in a person nor in a congregation. Some live by the spirit of the minimum. You’ll see them on a Sunday morning at services, sometimes. You won’t see them on a Wednesday night Bible study. They might even proclaim that “Wednesday Bible study is not commanded in the Bible.” And, because of that, you won’t find them. They’ll be home watching mindless TV.

Going out of the way is another way of expressing, “doing more than what I say.” I know a ton of my preacher friends who live this way. They are writing blogs, producing podcasts, writing special lessons, teaching classes during the week and just busy all the time. No one tells them to do these things. In many places, just teaching Sunday and preaching is all that is expected. But not these guys. They are driven. They have a passion. They will do even more than what is expected. They do this because they love the Lord. They do this because they want the kingdom to grow and grow. Others fly across the planet to third world countries to spend weeks preaching and teaching to young disciples. The places they visit would not be on anyone’s vacation dream list. The work is hard. Very often, these preachers are funding much of these trips out of their own pockets. Why? Because it is in their DNA to do more than what I say.

Second, when someone does more than what is expected, a little praise, encouragement sure goes a long way. It makes that person realize that what he did was noticed and appreciated. Personally, I have a folder that I keep all the emails that have been written to me about these Jump Starts. It’s helpful to know that someone out there is reading these things and somehow it is making a difference in their lives.

There is that guy who shows up at the church house on a Saturday morning to pick up some trash, pull weeds or make the place look nice. No one tells him to do this. Most will never know about this. He does this because he has the spirit of doing more than what is expected.

The encouragement and praise that we give to the kids at home when they have done more than what is expected can set the tone for others. Raising the bar is something that mom and dad need to do as well.

Third, a spirit of excellence takes over when a person stops thinking about himself and focuses upon how he can help others. Doing the best that we can do reflects what God has done for us. God has always given the best. He sent Jesus. He revealed His heart to us. He blesses us more than we deserve. He continues to forgive us.

And, when the spirit of excellence prevails, sloppiness, indifference, and unprepared suddenly disappear. You’ll find song leaders on a Tuesday practicing their songs for Sunday. You’ll see people working on lessons months in advance. The days of “winging it,” picking out songs as one walks to the pulpit, and being so casual in spirit will be a thing of the past. Doing more than what is expected. Doing more than what I say.

As we wrap up this year, let us think about how we each can do “more than what I say.” Think of ways in which we can go out of our way to make things the best. Let’s always bring our best to the Lord.

I am confident that you will do even more than what I say…what a great example for us.

Roger

05

Jump Start # 3463

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

Jump Start # 3463

Habakkuk 1:2 “How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ Yet You do not save.”

The cry of violence. It is something that fills our times and the pages of history. Shootings and killings are so common that we hardly pay attention. Most major cities have seen an increase in murder. The aggressive attack upon Israel in October was more than war, it was barbaric. The innocent suffered.

Have you ever just looked at the violent acts of mankind as recorded in the Bible? Here is a sampling:

  • It starts with Cain murdering his brother, Abel (Gen 4:8)
  • Pharoah commanded all the boys that were born were to be thrown into the Nile River (Ex 1:22)
  • The rape of Dinah (Gen 34:2) and the rape of Tamar (2 Sam 13:14)
  • The dismembered concubine (Judges 19:29-30)
  • Samson’s killing a thousand Philistines with jawbone of a donkey (Judges 16:15)
  • Adonibezek had this thumbs and big toes cut off (Judges 1:6-7)
  • Abimelech killed seventy of his brothers (Judges 9:5)
  • Jael hammered a tent peg into the head of Sisera (Judges 4:21)
  • Gouging of Samson’s eyes by the Philistines (Judges 16:21)
  • King Saul threw a spear at David to kill him (1 Sam 20:33)
  • Two women boiled and ate a baby (2 Kings 6:29)
  • Absalom was killed with spears as he hung in tree (2 Sam 18:14)
  • Jezebel was thrown out a window (2 Kings 9:30-34)
  • King Manassah sacrificed his own child in a pagan worship (2 Kings 21:6)
  • Zedekiah saw his sons killed and then his eyes were put out (2 Kings 25:7)
  • Jeremiah was put into a cistern and left there (Jeremiah 38:6)
  • The men who accused Daniel were thrown into the lion’s den, along with their families (Dan 6:24)
  • Nehemiah hit and pulled the out the hair of some (Nehemiah 13:25)
  • Beheading of the prophet John (Mt 14:10)
  • Herod’s slaughter of baby boys in Bethlehem (Mt 2:16)
  • Stephen was stoned (Acts 7:58)
  • The apostle James was executed (Acts 12:2)
  • Jesus was crucified (Mt 27:50)

Some lessons we learn from this:

First, violence is not new. It has been around for a long, long time. We may be more aware of it today because of our advanced media, but hatred, violence and evil have walked the halls of mankind for most generations. Without God, people act like animals.

Second, without God, there is no bottom to how far some will fall. Wicked and evil fills the hearts of many people and their thoughts, plans and intentions are to do more and more evil. There is no limit to how bad some bad people become.

Third, many innocent people have been hurt by evil in this world. The wicked like to prey upon the vulnerable and the innocent. They have no mercy in their hearts and they live without any compassion.

Fourth, God is aware of all these wicked deeds and every person will stand before the Lord in the judgment. There is a penalty and a consequence that follows evil.

We must pray for our safety and be there to encourage and help others who have been hurt. It is not our right to return evil upon evil. God has a system in place to deal with evil, and even if that doesn’t work, God knows and God will bring His justice upon the wicked some day.

Our verse has the prophet questioning why God wasn’t doing something. The following verses remind us that God was doing something His answer was not what the prophet expected. “You would not believe if you were told,” is Heaven’s explanation. God was doing things, even thought the prophet could not see that. And, today, it very well may be the same for us. We wonder why there is so much wickedness and crime. Why doesn’t God do something? He may be doing something and we are not aware of it. He may be doing something and we cannot see it.

There is a day approaching when we will be separated from the wicked of this world. We will be ushered into the home of God where we will forever be safe.

Roger

04

Jump Start # 3462

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3462

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

In our verse today the apostle sets before us the attributes and approach one needs to have as he comes to the word of God. He comes as a workman. He comes as a workman who does his job well. He comes, not looking for loopholes, new ideas, agendas, but accuracy. The goal is to be accurate.

Being accurate. Being correct. Being right. This matters in life and it matters with God. Just close doesn’t cut it. If you are parking your car in a crowded lot, you want to be accurate. Otherwise, you’ll have some scrapes on your car. When it comes to taking tests, you want to be accurate. Otherwise, you’ll flunk. You want your doctor to be accurate with your medical exam. You want the payroll to be accurate with your check. When you go to the bank and cash a check, you want the teller to be accurate. In ballgames, it is essential that the time keeper is accurate. The final seconds can determine the outcome of a game.

God wants us to be accurate with His word. Here are some lessons for us:

First, all of this implies that there is an absolute answer. God’s interpretation is more important than your interpretation. God has written in such a way that we can understand. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” Don’t fall for the common idea that understanding God’s word is vague, fuzzy and no two people can agree. Really? What that leads to is that God is a sorry writer. We can understand physics. We can understand Shakespeare. We can know the plot of a movie. We can understand poetry, music and art. But, we can’t understand the Bible? Jesus said you can know it. I trust Jesus.

Accuracy implies something right and something wrong. You can be right. You can handle it right. You can be accurate.

Second, how accurately one handles the Bible builds credibility or distrust. A verse misused can say anything. Our job, like that workman, is to handle it accurately. Put that verse back into the context and see what it says. Some things are hard to understand. The Bible says that, even about Paul’s writings (2 Pet 3). However, there are some things that are not hard to understand. The organization of a congregation (Phil 1:1) is pretty straight forward. No delegates. No hierarchy. No earthly headquarters. Overseers, deacons and saints—that’s it. And, if a person can’t get that straight, why should I trust him on other things? It’s not how cute someone is, how popular they are, but rather, how accurate they are. When someone puts something out in the public, we ought to search the Scriptures, as the Bereans did, to see if it is so. If it isn’t so, then, we’ll throw red flags, caution and be uneasy with what else he may say.

A while back someone recommend a very popular writer to me. He’s amazing I was told. Some are declaring that he is a modern C.S. Lewis. Brilliant and insightful were some words used to describe his writings. So I looked into it. I quickly found that he was not accurate with organization, salvation, inspiration, homosexuality and the operation of the church. He missed it on all of those. Now, how can I trust someone who is so wrong on those things to be right on Revelation or the Holy Spirit?

Accuracy builds credibility or it creates distrust. Those that do things in the public forum must understand that people have a right and an obligation to measure what we are saying with the word of God. Are we accurate? And, if we keep fumbling the ball over and over, it won’t be long before people will no longer trust us. Such a person will be known as inaccurate. And, the boiled down version of inaccurate is simply wrong. He is wrong. He is wrong because he is not accurate. He is wrong because he does not handle the word of God rightly.

Accuracy is something that God expects and God requires. It is not attacking a person when public statements are found to be inaccurate, out of context and misleading. Such a workman ought to be ashamed. That’s what our passage demands.

Third, this may be one reason why James says not many be teachers. Some are apt to teach anything and everything. We are responsible for what we say. It’s not who I am or who I am a part of, that matters. What matters is am I handling the word as a workman, who is giving his all to the master, the Lord.

The field of church history has repeatedly shown through every generation, people who have not handled the word of God accurately. Doctrines have been created out of error. Whole movements have started because of inaccurately handling God’s word. The religious landscape today is a grand example of this. If every group was handling the word of God accurately, would we all be so different?

Accuracy is not determined by me, you or us. Ask anyone in any church, and they will tell you that they think what they are doing is right. No preacher begins his sermon by announcing, “the things I say to you today are not accurate.” Who then determines what is right? If it is not me, not you, not any of us, who then? The who is God. God’s word can be interpreted to bring out a consistent understanding that God wants us to have. If not, then what’s the hope of ever being accurate? It’s a learning process. It’s growth, maturity and study. Through the years, as one learns, he changes his thinking. He sees what God is saying.

Going to God’s word is important. But equally important is handling that word accurately. Use Bible words the way God uses them. Allow passages to interpret themselves. Keep things within the context. Understand who is speaking and who is the audience. Know the different forms of literature found within the Bible, from historical narrative, to prophecy, to apocalyptic to figurative. One doesn’t approach the book of Acts the same way one reads the visions of Ezekiel. The workman will know this. And, just as a modern workman reaches into his tool box for different tools, so the student of God’s word, looks at a text through the lens in which it was written, knowing the culture and the people who were first to receive that message.

The parable of  the wise and foolish virgins, set in a scene of a wedding, doesn’t look like American weddings. The wise workman sees that. He understands that. He is looking at things through the Jewish eyes of a first century disciple.

Our feelings, our thoughts, and our wishes can color how we see the Bible. Keep those things at a distance and allow the Word to speak for itself.

The goal of the master workman is to come to understand God accurately.

Roger

01

Jump Start # 3461

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 3461

Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 “Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity.”

Poor Solomon came to a conclusion that many senior citizens have seen in their lives. We spend a lifetime pursuing hobbies, collecting things that are precious and meaningful to us, only to realize that our children and grandchildren have little to no interest in those things. News article after article has shown that Millennials, Generations X and Z have no desire to hold on to grandma’s silverware. Boomers have a house full of stuff, often passed down from their parents that no one wants.

For Solomon, he developed gardens, parks, planted trees, made ponds, collected silver and gold and now he realizes the next generation may not have the same desire for these things as he did. In today’s world, the gardens would become apartments. The trees would be cut down and the space turned into a strip mall. The gold and silver sold at a pawnshop. A lifetime of collecting is disposed of just days after the funeral.

There are some realities that we must admit:

First, what is important to me, may only be important to me and to no one else. I have file cabinets stuffed with articles about Indiana restoration history, the early churches and the early preachers in this state. Someone suggests, you ought write a book about these things. There are already books written and who would read them, expect a few history buffs like myself. I’ve known people who spent a lifetime collecting stamps, coins, old hammers, quilts, license plates, spoons and what-nots that sit proudly on their shelves. What will happen to those things? Most likely, sold, trashed or given away. The collection will not stay collected. What is important to me, may only be important to me.

Second, if you have found enjoyment in collecting things then that was the value for you. Someone else sees clutter. Someone else thinks, ‘where will I store all these things?’ Don’t be upset if others don’t see the value or the joy that those things brought to you. Your kids don’t have the investment of finding, buying and collecting what you have. To them, it’s just stuff, or more bluntly, just junk. You have gotten joy out of putting that collection together.

Third, the most important thing that you can pass on to your family is the value of righteousness and godliness. Teaching your family to make wise decisions and to remain committed to the Lord is much more important than grandma’s cast iron skillet. The memories of love, joy and family is something that they will treasure the most.

Fourth, if you find a way to pass on your collection of treasures to someone else that will save your family a lot of heartache and trouble after you are gone. What to do with this stuff is a major question that comes up after the funeral. Who wants this stuff? No one has the heart to say, “Not me.” So, one person feels the guilt to take things home just because they meant a lot to mom.

There shouldn’t be that guilt. Solomon’s words are true. Someone comes after you. Those things now become their possession. What they do with it is their business. Once you release things and take your fingers off of them, they are no longer yours. The other person might keep those things, sell those things, give those things away or even trash them. It’s theirs. It is no longer yours.

We must remember the words of Jesus, “Life does not consist of possessions.” Don’t define yourself by what you have. Rather, it is who you are that makes the difference. Walk through any thrift store or antique mall, and you’ll see things that were common in your childhood. Now they sit on a shelf with a price tag on them. Most of those things will be sitting on those shelves for a long, long time.

Don’t allow clutter to clutter your thinking or your heart. It’s only stuff and you can’t take it with you. Enjoy it while you have and realize after you are gone, it’s no longer yours.

Roger