Jump Start # 2806

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life.”

Last Sunday a young man in our congregation was baptized into Jesus Christ. His journey began. The next day, on Monday, word came that an old preacher, famous historian and friend, Ed Harrell, ended his journey here. Ed was 91. I thought about that, side by side, a journey starting and a journey ending. A long time ago, Ed Harrell was in the shoes of that young man, just starting out a journey with the Lord.

We all start the same way. Now, some of us have a huge upside advantage because of our background and our parents. Many have grown up understanding the Lord’s ways and the value of pure worship to God. We have come from homes where honesty was expected and practiced. Prayers were as normal as cereal for breakfast. And, when we became Christians, we already had years of sermons and Bible classes under our belt and in our hearts. What a blessing to start that way.

For others, it was a slow, uphill journey for them. They did not have the advantage that others did. They may have come from a broken home where cuss words filled the air every day. They may have seen the ugly side of sin with abuse, drunken parents and God’s name blasphemed. Worship was never on the schedule. Prayers were non-existent. And, yet, from such a twisted background, some of us found our way to the Lord and our journey began. We didn’t know the books of the Bible. There were many, many stories that we had never heard before. There were major sections of the Bible that we never read. Yet, our journey began.

And, with each of us, our journey has had some twists and turns and ups and downs. Some have grown a bit cold in their faith, especially during the college years. Some may have walked away from the Lord for a while. There has been tough days, sad days and a whole lot of common everyday days. We found on this journey that some excel. Some grow and become teachers, preachers and leaders. Some become the backbone of the congregation through diligent commitment, hospitality and devoted love. Others tend to drift. School, dating, marriage, kids, career, aging parents, moving, those are all the things that we experience on this journey with the Lord. Some seize opportunities and really help the kingdom. Some miss those opportunities. Some keep getting better and better. Some stay about the same.

A journey started and a journey completed. And, in between those two milestones are you and I. We’ve started but we haven’t finished.

As I was thinking about all of this it took me back to the start of my journey. It was in the month of March. I was a senior in high school. I had dreams of working for the Forest Service out west. My plans were to graduate from Purdue, say goodbye to Indiana and head West. Now, all these years later, I’m still in Indiana. I’m not working for the Park service. I preach. I started at Purdue, but didn’t finish up there. Now, four and a half decades later, what would I have done differently at the start of my journey? Have you ever thought about that? Those thoughts could help someone taking their first steps with the Lord.

First, I would have connected better with older righteous people. I have a vast collection of material from those first congregations I worshipped with. I never really knew the shepherds of those congregations. I wish I had spent an afternoon with each of them and allowed them to guide me with their perspectives. I was a teenager and they seemed ancient to me, but looking back I would have benefited so much. Not too many years ago, I spent an afternoon with one of those men. He was frail and aged, but his mind was sharp. He shared great insights into the history of the churches in Indianapolis. That was rich for me.

Second, I would have found a specific plan to read and study the Bible through. Today, there are so many reading programs for the Bible. I don’t remember ever hearing of one back then. Also, starting early, it would have helped to develop a regular habit of reading the Bible every day. Oversleeping in the morning and staying out too late at night kills daily Bible reading. Starting with great habits and sticking with them  would have made a wonderful difference.

Third, I had a great relationship with preachers, but I would have spent more time in their libraries learning the value of great books. I was more of a self taught, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps kind of person and there were many valuable things that would have helped me had I made myself available to the powerful help around me.

And, I believe as each of us thinks back, there were great things that helped us and some opportunities that we missed. Sharing those with others can help them in their journey. We travel the same way and the blessings in life we need to share with others to help them. All of us have been helped by others.

A journey started and a journey ended. That will be said of us as we walk with the Lord. And, through that journey we learn things and we leave footprints for others. We can make the way easier for others by what we do.

Things to talk about and share with others…

Roger

Jump Start # 2007

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

A new year! New calendars, new goals, new plans, new resolutions and hopefully a new you. Often it takes something simple, like the beginning of a new year to lead a person to take inventory, to reflect and to make changes. Business do this. Churches do this. Individuals do this.

There are two fundamental avenues that lead to changes.

First, there is an unhappiness about where one is currently. One doesn’t like what he sees in the mirror. One isn’t satisfied with what they see in their bank account. One doesn’t like the direction things are going. One realizes that they are getting older, but not getting any better. People that just love where they are in life and what is going on, most likely will not change. But when one is not happy with their marriage, their family situation, their attitude, their habits, then they will begin to make necessary changes.

The world likes us to pass over such thoughts. The world tends to think shallow and superficial. The world is into now, not later. Fun is in and serious thinking is out. Do you realize that the majority of Americans did not read a single book last year. Why spend the time with a book, when you can watch a video? Books are long. Books take time. Books are tiring.

Second, when there is hope for better things, then the steps of change begins. If a person doesn’t like what they see in the mirror, but they really believe that there is no hope in losing weight, then they won’t. The same goes with spending and saving habits. The same goes with changing attitudes, lifestyles or making the marriage stronger. One may not like where they are at, but unless they really think there is hope for change, they will stay miserable.

Remember the Peanuts cartoons and comic strips? There was a boy named “Pig Pen.” He was always dirty looking and a cloud of dirt surrounded him. Some are just like Pig Pen. They realize the dirt but they know it won’t do any good to take a bath or to put on clean clothes because they will just get dirty again. Instead, they accept that they are that way and make the most of it. In time, those around do the same. We say, “Oh, that’s just dad,” and that becomes an excuse for rude and obnoxious behavior. Rather than changing, he’s accepted as he is even though he continues to offend and hurt people.

Sometimes a person can be overwhelmed by how much they need to change and the task seems impossible. The person who wants to lose weight, really needs to lose 80 pounds, but that’s nearly impossible. Another person looks at their retirement savings and the need another 400,000 to reach their goal. How? It seems like a mountain to climb. This is why so many quit their resolutions by February. A whole year seems too long. They give up. I just can’t do it, they tell themselves.

Our verse today talks about walking in the newness of life. These Roman Christians had been baptized. That act alone did not change their current course in life. It had to come by a determination within them. Driven by their faith and love in the Lord, they would walk in a new life. New thoughts. New friends. New habits. New thinking. Better ways. Better hope. Going from the old to the new is hard. Old habits and old friends are very comfortable. But they also kept us in a place where we do not want to be.

Here are some practical suggestions. Steps to a new you and a new life.

1. Make a list of three books that you want to read this month—in January. One book, is a book of the Bible. The other two books are books that will help you. Books about communication. Books about parenting. Marriage books. Leadership books. Think this over for a moment and write out three books for the entire year. Then start reading. Stay with this. Find what works. Some like a real hardback in their hands. Others like the electronic books. Either way, by the end of the month you will have read three books. By the end of the year you will have read 36 books. Amazing!

2. Take thirty minutes every day to walk. It’s too cold to walk. Walk around your office, the mall, or, just the inside of your house. Thirty minutes. Not long. Don’t worry about the number of steps or the distance, just take a 30 minute break and walk.

3. While you are walking, think and pray. Think about how you can help others. Think about where you are spiritually. Think about what needs to be done. Pray. Pray while you walk. Pray with thankfulness. Pray for God’s will. Pray for the church. Walk and pray. Every day. It’s not hard. It’s just a matter of doing so.

4. Get to services. Get there all the time. Get there when you feel like it and get there when you don’t feel like it. Get there with your Bible. Learn something every week. Make this a habit. Some of you are doing this and you can tell the great value and help this is. Others need to work on this.

5. Write a financial budget. Some do this and live by it very well. Others let money slip through their fingers. Now that Christmas is over, the bills start coming in. Without a plan and without a budget, some will be paying for Christmas throughout most of the year. That’s no way to live. Write out a plan and stick with it. This will help you make adjustments and this will allow you to beef up your savings. If it’s not in the budget, then you don’t spend. That’s hard, but that will make a difference.

6. Have periods of the day without social media. No phone. No email. No Facebook. No twitter. No Youtube. No TV. What will we do? Talk. Read. Do things together. The way some are these days, you’d think that their phone was a third arm. It’s always with them and they are always using it. If folks can spend so much time talking on the phone, you’d think they could talk to one another without the phone. Share. Connect. Grow. Learn. God knows the value of communicating. This is how He chose to deliver His message and will. He could have sent Videos, but He didn’t. He spoke. His words were written down. They were read. There is something about that! You ought to try that.

Change. Resolutions. Hope. It starts where you are and it is built around the idea that things can be better. Will they? That’s up to us.

Roger

Jump Start # 716

Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

I have a son that preaches in Tennessee. We are always talking about preaching and such things. We have a code phrase we use to describe baptizing someone. We call it, “getting our sleeves wet.” He will call me and say, “I got my sleeves wet,” which immediately tells me that he just baptized someone. Last evening I got to tell him, “I got my sleeves wet.” In fact, lately, there has been a lot of wet sleeves at our congregation. It’s exciting to see people coming to the Lord and making a promise and commitment to him.

Our verse today, familiar to so many in our fellowship, describes two important aspects of coming to Christ.

First, there is a death and burial. There is a realization that the path you are currently on isn’t working and it’s headed to a dead end road. It’s taken you away from God and it has ruined your soul. When a person realizes that, they are ready to turn to God. They are through with Hollywood thinking, keeping up with their friends, doing what everyone else is doing, being cool, or being popular. They are ready for God. They are ready for God as a teenager. They are ready for God as a newly married couple. They are ready for God as a middle aged person. They are ready for God as a senior citizen. Repentance and baptism are part of this process. Don’t fight baptism. It is part of God’s plan. He wants you to be baptized. He wants you to be baptized for the right reason. It’s not to join a church or show others that you have done something internal, it is a result of believing that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. It is how we contact the blood of Christ. It is for the forgiveness of sins. The apostles said that numerous times. It is an immersion, a burial. The burial is the ending of one life. A life that didn’t work. A life that failed. We bury that life and leave it in an unmarked grave. We don’t want to return there again. That life brought shame and guilt. That life hurt. That life was headed to Hell.

A person comes to Christ and is buried with Him. As Jesus was buried, we are buried. He was buried in a tomb. We are buried in a watery tomb, we call baptism. It doesn’t end there.

Christ arose. We sing, ‘Up from the grave He arose…’. So, we too, arise from the grave. Not to just go about doing whatever we want. No. We, like Jesus, are risen to a new life. It is a better life. It is a life that follows Christ. It is a life of hope and direction and purpose. It is a life that connects one to other believers. It is a life of worship and fellowship. It is becoming a light in the world. It is being a worker in God’s kingdom. It is to grow and continue to become what God wants of each of us.

Being a Christian is much more than just going to church on Sunday. It’s about a new life. A great life in Christ. A life not lived with regrets and shame. It’s about making a difference in the lives of others. It is about helping others find Christ. It is about being spiritual.

Have you ever thought where you would be if you were not a Christian? The majority of my friends I would not know if it were not for Christ. A person has to wonder, if it wasn’t for Jesus, would I now be in jail? Or, addicted to something bad? Or, even dead? Christ changes a person from the inside out. Their thinking changes. The basis of decisions and choices changes. They have an anchor in the sand, called the Bible. It defines them. It sets the boundaries. It governs them. It gives them peace. It assures them of Heaven. It keeps them on course.

How wonderful it is being a Christian!

It all begins with wet sleeves…

Roger