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

Jump Start # 3089

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 comes at the end of the powerful miracle of Jesus when He cast legions of demons into pigs and then the pigs rushed into the sea and drowned. There were 2,000 pigs that died. The demon possessed man, described vividly as naked, bloody, and crazed. He would scream. He was living in a cemetery. But he encountered Jesus. Now, sitting down, clothed and reasonable and sensible, this man illustrates layers and layers of change in his life.

Now, demon free, this man wants to go with Jesus. Who wouldn’t? But that wasn’t the plan Jesus had for him. “Go home,” is what the Lord told him. Go home to your people and tell them what the Lord has done. And, right here, in these simple words, we have one of the first examples of evangelism. Oh, the things this once possessed man likely didn’t know. I doubt he could explain the concept of the trinity. Predestination, sanctification, the role of shepherds, the ending of spiritual gifts, the second coming, maybe even Jesus’ resurrection, major themes in our Bibles, yet, very likely he didn’t have a clue about those things. He had not sat in a 13 week Bible class about personal evangelism. He didn’t have a handful of tracts to pass out.

But what we see is that this is one of the very first persons that Jesus allowed to tell the story. Most often, before this and even after this, Jesus would say, “Do not tell.” Here, go home to your people and tell them. And, this simple story ought to rock our theories about evangelism. Maybe we’ve made it too complicated. Maybe we have spent so much time defining and defeating Calvinism, Premillennialism, Catholicism, humanism and any other “ism” that we can come up with that people just don’t know where to start. Go home to your people. I like that. Our people know us. Our people have seen us grow up. Our people have seen us change. If we can’t talk to our people, how will we ever talk to a stranger?

Consider some thoughts here:

First, this demon possessed man would certainly look differently than what he once was. Had any of his family seen him during the possessed years, he was naked, bloody and screaming. Not now. Those days are over. And, for you and I, it may not be naked and bloody, but drunk and high. Or, it may be broke and jobless. Or, it may be selfish and obscene. Or, immodest and cursing. Or, dishonest and lying. And, what our families ought to notice immediately is that we are not that way anymore. Decent. Kind. Thankful. Selfless. Helpful. Godly. They ought to see a change in us.

Second, there is a good chance that the possessed man’s family never heard of Jesus. So, their impression of Jesus was going to come from the image that the possessed man presented to them. And, that is just the same for us. Much too often we want to first talk about the church, rather than Jesus. We talk about how nice services are. We brag about our friends at church. We talk about all children at church. But in all of that, where is Jesus? It is not the church that has changed us, but Jesus. The one who has done great things for us is Jesus. The way we present Jesus is the image that many in our family will have. Make sure you color the right picture for them.

Third, the message that the possessed man would offer was to be personal. Tell your people what great things the Lord has done for YOU. Not for Israel. Not in the past. But for you. Some would want to call this a testimonial and then make this much more than what it is. He simply told his family how Jesus drove the demons out of him. This wasn’t done on a Sunday morning before the church. This took place at home, among his people. We may not be able to find a bunch of verses, but we ought to be able to tell someone how the Lord has changed our lives. We ought to see the blessings of the Lord in our lives. In the hymn, Amazing Grace, we find, “I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.” Simple. God has made my life better. Can you tell that to a co-worker? Can you tell that to your siblings?

What has the Lord done for you? Don’t make your answer lofty, big and dotting every “I” and crossing every “T”. Make it personal. What has the Lord done for you?

Evangelism is the only mechanism that the church grows. There is no other way. Every person, in every house, on every street, in every city, in every nation, on every continent needs to hear the message of Jesus. It begins by going home. Tell your family. That’s a starting place.

Roger

Jump Start # 2619

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.’”

This is a special Jump Start that is designed for you to copy, put your name at the bottom and send to a family member or dear friend who may not be a Christian. Even during this difficult time of social distancing, we must be evangelistic. The Gospel message is not bound by walls, oceans, calendars, or even pandemics. We hope that you will find this to be a useful tool and a bridge to help others come to know the Lord as you have. This is just one way to tell ‘your people’ what great things the Lord has done for you.

We have known each other for a long time. I have come to appreciate you, respect you and always enjoyed the times we could be together. There is something that I have been wanting to share with you for a long time, and that’s what the Lord has done for me. I know the subject of God, religion and the Bible can be very uncomfortable and even very confusing. But you know me and the Lord is so important to me. He has changed my life and has helped me so much.

Please understand, this is not a guilt trip to get you to come to church. You have come to know me and respect me and what you see in me is how the Lord has shaped me. I haven’t always been this way and I am far from perfect now, but I have come a long, long way through the love and grace of Jesus. Worship is important to me, you know that. But this is so much more than just sitting in a church building on Sunday morning. Through the Bible, I now see things so much differently than ever before. In these uneasy times of that our nation is going through, I feel a sense of calm and peace because I know the Lord sits upon the throne. And, no matter what happens, I have a confident hope that someday I will be with the Lord in Heaven.

The subject of Jesus is not limited to just salvation. It’s a way that one looks at life. It’s a perspective that sees eternity. And, because of that, this has shaped my choices, my values and my heart. The Lord has been good to me. There has been storms in my life. There has been dark periods of my life. You may know about some of these. But, the Lord has always been there.

And, because of the Lord, I have been able to meet some of the kindest and best people in the world. They are not perfect, but they are certainly trying to be like Jesus. There is a goodness that comes from being with them. And, what I have learned from the Bible has been amazing. It’s a great book that reads as if it were written just for today.

It just wouldn’t be right for us to be friends as we are, and me never to tell you about the greatest thing in my life. I remember how uncomfortable I was when someone first talked to me about Jesus. And, the first time I walked into that church building, I thought everyone was staring at me. I didn’t know a thing. I had so many questions and I fought and resisted for a long time. Every question I asked was answered with a passage from the Bible. It was all there. Things started to make sense and fall in place. I was baptized because I believed and that’s what I found in the Bible. I wasn’t sure if I could stick with it, but I have, and what a difference it has made. I find my life so much better today. I thought I was happy, but now I really am. I don’t worry as much as I used to. I don’t try to figure everything out. I don’t get as upset as I once did. And, I certainly do not get afraid as I once did. The Lord has changed me.

I would like to just sit down with you and have you talk to me. Where you are now is where I once was. I remember. But where I am now, I would love for you to be. There is such a joy in being a child of God. I am not interested in judging others, comparing churches, but only looking in our Bibles together. The only thing that matters is what does God say. I’m not going to twist your arm, talk you into something that you do not believe, nor be upset if you are not interested. If you found a sure way to save money, I’d hope and even except you to share that with me. That’s what friends do.

This is why I am sharing this with you. I do love you. I hope you will find a time for us to sit down, have some coffee and talk about these things. You will never hurt my feelings. You are my friend.

Much love to you…

Jump Start # 800

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.’”

We have reached another milestone with our Jump Start today, number 800! That’s amazing! That’s a lot of articles. Our list of subscribers is at an all time high. I am seeing these Jump Starts reprinted in church bulletins and I’m told that several congregations are using them. Nearly every day I receive an email from one of our readers with a comment, question or a thank you. To all of this all I can say is that I am amazed and God is good. Several of you have been reading these from the very first. We transitioned through two different ways of emailing these out and basically the format has remained the same. The question I am asked the most regarding these Jump Starts is, “How do you do this every day?” I guess the answer is similar to how do you find a new sermon every week after preacher more than 30 years. It’s  not me, it’s that awesome Bible. Indeed “All Scripture is inspired of God and is profitable…”

I have done this before, but it is only proper to do this again and that is to thank first, my congregation that puts up with me and allows me to do this. They have embraced these little daily reminders and are the heroes of why this has grown and spread worldwide. They are the ones who first shared it with family and co-workers. We never had much of a marketing campaign. Following the thoughts in our verse today, people just told others. That’s how the gospel was first spread. It still works that way. To the folks at Charlestown Road, thank you. You are my family, friends, and joy.

Second, I thank the tons of readers outside of my congregation. Many of you I know but many more of you I don’t. I thank you for reading these. You have shared these with others. Our base of readers has swelled because of you. That’s awesome. I wish I could hug all of you and tell you thank you personally. Often, early in the morning when I am typing, my brain and fingers aren’t on the same wave length. I’ll go back later in the day and look up something in one of the Jump Starts and see typos, wrong words, poor grammar and think this is pitiful. Yet you continue to read. You continue to share these. Thank you!

Finally, I thank our Lord. He is the reason all of this started. It is His word that I begin with each day. It is His word that has touched my heart and it is His gift that has allowed me to write. The reason I do all of this is because our world is getting darker by the minute. Too many are living day to day with no thought of the eternal. Lives are shaped and ruined by selfishness and indifference to others. The way of the Cross just seems brighter and brighter to me. I long for Heaven. I want everyone to know about Jesus. That’s all.

Many of you have come to know me because of some personal things I share in these writings. My intentions from day one was to write something worthwhile but not too heavy. Insight and reflection is what I was after. I was asked recently how much longer was I going to do this? I really don’t know. So far, the well has not dried up. I think even when we put an end to Jump Starts, I will continue to do this personally. This avenue has helped me in so many ways.

We know someday this will end. We know someday our journey here will end. We work with that in mind. We must be aware of those things. This morning a dear old preacher from Nigeria who I grew to love enormously died. When I was just a young green preacher I heard a man give a report who had gone to Nigeria. He had slides. I was amazed. I asked him for a list of preachers who could speak English. I wanted to write to them. One name on the list was Sunday. Sunday Ahiwe. I fell in love with that name. What a cool name. I chose him. I wrote. He wrote back. We corresponded for more than 30 years. I have sent him a many books and money through the years. We never met. We exchanged pictures, family stories, and love. He had a genuine love for the kingdom. Twice I tried to go to Nigeria but political unrest in his country kept me from getting a visa. This morning his journey ended. I am writing this with tears streaming down my face. I shall miss him. There are now other Nigerians. I have a whole network of those that I still write to, all because of Sunday. My friend never had much. He wouldn’t understand the concepts of modern technology. But he did understand the Lord. Folks here will never know what good he has done, but the Lord does.

Someday our journey will come to an end.  The choices we make today, the paths that we journey on will make all the difference at that time. I’m hearing about churches fussing, brethren complaining, people dropping out, finger pointing and families not getting along. Life is too short for these things. So, we have been hurt. So, we didn’t get our way. So, we don’t like a certain person. Get over it. Forgive. Extend grace. Apologize. Mend the fences and build the bridges! Our journey is coming to an end someday. Some of this stuff isn’t worth it.

Our verse reminds us, the Lord has done great things for us. He has to me. He has to you. Think about those things! Count your blessings. Be thankful. God is good!

Again, thank you. Again, thank you, my friend Sunday. Again, thank you, Lord.

Roger