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Jump Start # 116

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 116

1 Peter 2:1-2 “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation”

  The words of Peter here address the spirit and attitude that ought to be found in all Christians, but especially the new Christian. Peter defines in detail the dual steps of growth. First, comes the “putting aside” or the stopping of wrong. Simply adding Bible to rotten behavior generally produces a rotten Christian. Several years before Peter wrote this, he first preached this concept, when he told the Jerusalem crowd, “Repent and be baptized into Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.” The “putting aside” is another way of saying, repent.

  Peter lists five things that must be put aside. This is not the total list. I expect Peter knew some things about these people and knew that these were the very things that would keep them from becoming what God had in mind. These five sins are largely attitudes and more than that they are attitudes toward others. Malice (wickedness), deceit (dishonesty), hypocrisy (pretending to be righteous) envy (evil spirit toward others) and slander (saying things about others that hurt and ruin them) are the spirits of a wicked and lost heart. These cannot dwell in a heart that is governed by Christ. You will also notice that Peter uses the qualifying word “all” before three of these sins—all malice, all deceit, all slander. He didn’t use it in front of hypocrisy and envy. Does that mean a person does not have to put aside all hypocrisy? We can’t be serious with such a question. Do you think God approves of “some” hypocrisy? Absolutely not. No way. “All” is implied before each of them, otherwise they have not “put aside,” they would have kept some.

  Peter is telling us, empty out the junk, the bad, the sinful and then fill your heart with God’s word. This is a two part project. Some dump the bad but they don’t fill it with the good. They are just empty. Others try to fill their heart with the good but it is so filled already with the junk that not much gets in there. They get disappointed and quit.

  When you see Christians who are mean, gossipy and hypocrites you can just figure that they didn’t “put aside” like Peter said. Some in the name of Christianity feel like they can be rude and offensive, because they are telling someone just the way it is. They like being the judge and jury and have no problems declaring that others are headed to Hell. These folks do more harm in one afternoon than can be imagined and it often takes generations to heal from such sorry words and negative attitudes. Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t treat you that way? How do we change those kind of things? “Putting aside all…”  is a good start. You will find yourself wanting to go back to these old ways, but remind yourself, “Put aside.” That will help you.

  The other step is just as important. Peter tells us to long for the pure milk of the word. “Long” means to “want it.” Newborns get hungry often. They don’t understand clocks and schedules. Two in the morning is just as good of a time to eat as eight in the morning to a newborn. They eat often. They need it to grow. So is the Christian, Peter tells us. Want the word. Go to the word often. Don’t get weary with the word. Learn it. Practice it. Understand it. Teach it. Use it. Grow and grow and grow. Peter ends his second letter with these words, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (3:18). Do you know how that is done? Putting aside and longing for…that’s it!

Roger

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Jump Start # 115

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 115

1 Peter 1:8 “and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” 

  Peter is writing about faith. The verse before talks about the “proof of your faith,” the verse after talks about the “outcome of your faith.” Peter is not giving a symposium on faith, but is talking about THEIR faith.

  In our verse today, Peter twice mentions seeing Jesus. He talks about the past (though you have not seen Him) and the present (though you do not see Him now). Even though Peter’s audience had NEVER seen Jesus, they came to believe in Him and love Him and rejoice because of Him. Although it is not mentioned here, we can’t help but see a contrast between Peter and his audience. Peter HAD seen Jesus. He walked on water with Jesus. He was one of the three invited to witness the transfiguration of Jesus. He saw the healings, he heard the lessons. Not only is there a contrast in Peter seeing and the audience not seeing, but we also remember, at the end of John, Jesus asking Peter if he loved Him. Three times Jesus asked Peter that. Here, the audience had no first hand experience with Jesus. They never saw what He actually looked like. They never actually heard His voice. They never witnessed what Peter did, yet they came to believe, love and rejoice in the Lord.

  How did they do that? The same way you and I do, by faith. Jesus had said, “blessed are those who have not seen yet believed.” We wonder and we ask, “would we loved more if we had seen?” “Would we have stronger faith if we had been there?” In some ways we might think yes. But with that yes comes a faith that is based upon our senses, what we have seen and heard. Peter’s audience had a faith based upon trust and confidence in the word. Like us, we see through faith. The miracles, the lessons, the stories become alive as we read them. It is as if we were there. Our faith is not based upon our eyes and our ears, but upon our heart and the confidence and trustworthiness of the word of God.

  I like those simple words Peter uses here: believe, love and rejoice. We believe in Jesus. We love Jesus. We rejoice because of Jesus. And as a result, our lives have changed and we are the better. Faith, love and rejoicing, these three words define the heart and attitude of the Christian today. Worship ought to be faith, love and rejoicing.

  One day things will be different. It’s hard to imagine. One day, we shall see Him. One day we shall be with Him. One day we will be in His presence. What a glorious day that will be! Keep believing. Keep loving. Keep rejoicing.

Roger

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Jump Start # 114

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 114

1 Corinthians 14:37 “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.”

  Someone once said, “Opinions are like noses—everyone’s got one and they think theirs is the best!” There is a difference between what God says and what my opinion is on a subject. My opinion may be based upon my experiences without seeing the whole picture. My opinion, frankly, could be wrong. We get in trouble when we fail to recognize the difference between our opinions and what God says.

  The apostle Paul, as well as the rest of the apostles, wore several different hats. First, he was a Christian. He was a gospel preacher. He was also a chosen apostle. We have to understand which hat Paul is wearing when we use him as an example. There are certain things only the apostles could do and no one else. Even though he was a Christian and a preacher, he was also uniquely chosen and gifted as an apostle. Jesus instructed the apostles, “…whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in Heaven” (Mt 16:19). Christ gave the apostles authority. Their words carried weight. Their words were the law of Heaven. To “bind” is to restrict or tie up. To “loose” is to release or allow. The apostles had the authority and right to make law. It was not their opinion or their way, but the way of God.

  The verse today is a part of that. Paul was writing the Corinthians about spiritual gifts. He was giving them instructions and rules about how to use them. He reminded them in this verse that what he was writing was God’s commandments. It wasn’t just Paul. It wasn’t just his opinion. To disobey what he said was to break the commandment of God.

  Preachers today do not carry that authority, although some think they do. Church do not carry that authority. So the words of Christ are not just the “red letters” in the Gospels, but the writings of the inspired men of God. The rest of the N.T. is just as much from Christ as if He spoke it. And in many ways He did, through the Holy Spirit to the apostles. The message was a revelation (Gal. 1:11-12) from Heaven, and not thought of by men.

  Understanding this is important. It affects how I view the Bible. It shows that all the N.T. needs to be followed and obeyed. It also shows that churches voting on matters or deciding what their “law” or “creed” will be is not of the N.T. It has already been decided. It was chosen by God and revealed to the apostles. There is nothing left to be settled or voted upon. As society changes, and more become tolerant of things God has declared wrong, the people of God already know where God stands. They know where the church stands. God has spoken. God has declared.

  This is comforting to know. God is not scratching His head trying to make up His mind on things, He has declared. We are to stand with God. The world can’t make sense of this. They view Christianity as intolerant and judgmental and narrow. But consider the source. The world doesn’t believe in God. The world worships itself and puts itself before all things. It never will make sense of the righteous.

   What does God want of you? The N.T. tells you. What does God expect? The N.T. tells you. What’s a church supposed to do? The N.T. shows you. How is one saved? Look in the N.T. What is a church to do with it’s money? The N.T. has the answer. What about marriage? What about divorce? What about raising kids? Go to the N.T. That is our plea. That is our call. Lay down the opinions of man. Walk away from the creeds and by-laws of the church. Follow the book from Heaven and nothing else. Be a Christian—in name, practice and faith. The N.T. will make only one thing, and that is a N.T. Christian.

Roger

10

Jump Start # 113

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 113

1 Corinthians 4:11-13 “To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

 These words of Paul are hard to grasp. This was not a pity party nor an attempt to gain advantage of some. This was just the way it was. This was reality. This was the baptism of fire that the Lord had long ago talked about. This is the cup of sufferings that they would have to drink. The expression, “scum of the world” brings the image of the oil filling the Gulf. Times have certainly changed. Today the apostles are held in high regard. Cities, universities, and church buildings are named after the apostles. Book stores are lined with many volumes about the lives of the apostles. We name our children after the apostles. Museums throughout the world house masterpieces portraying the apostles. In Europe one can find many cathedrals which are lined with statues of the apostles. Times have certainly changed for the apostles.

  Looking at what Paul says here we notice more closely, external affects (such as being hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, and homeless) and the harsh rejection from others (roughly treated, reviled, persecuted, slandered). The external affects wear us down. We hurt physically and lose our steam. The harsh rejection hurts on the inside. It hurts our feelings, self image and makes us question if we are doing right.

  Christ had said that His people would be hated because of Him. When the enemies of Christ run out of arguments they turn to violence. They did this first with Christ Himself. It has never stopped since.

  We also must notice Paul’s reaction to this sordid treatment he received. He shows a contrast here. When reviled, we BLESS. When persecuted, we ENDURE. When slandered, we try to CONCILIATE. We need to learn from this. We often fail at this. We want to get in the mud and fight with those who roll their lips at us. That’s not the way of Christ! If you light is shinning, it will bother some. You may lose a friendship. You may receive some snide remarks. Folks may whisper when you leave a room. Some will challenge you, test you to see if you crack or can take it. We are not near the level of suffering as the apostles were, but do not think for a moment that all is peaceful. It is not. Darkness hates the light. Those of the darkness will make your life uncomfortable. Sometimes it comes from our family. That is hard to deal with. Sometime it will come from co-workers, whose whole ambition is to make it to Friday so they can party like an idiot. They have no tolerance for prayers, Bible or talk of God. In the mud is where they want to dwell. Sometimes it is strangers who raise an ugly and loud voice.

  We see here how we should act. We remember our Lord, when challenged and ridiculed, He did not return insults. Human nature fires up when we are under fire. We want to launch a few missiles back toward the enemy line. Can’t do that. That hurts the image more than anything else. Defending the gospel does not give us a right to attack, slander or use the mindless, hurtful tactics that the enemy uses. We carry the name of Christ!

  One other thought here, why? Why did Paul put up with all this junk? Why allow others to treat you this way? There is only one answer, Christ. He was right. He knew that. He knew what was awaiting him, Heaven. He knew this is what Christ wanted him to do.  It’s tough. It’s hard to walk into a place where people stare at you and you know they don’t like you. And it’s not you, it’s what you believe in. It’s easy to want to run. It’s easy to compromise. But we don’t. We can’t. We walk with the Lord, all the way to Heaven.

Roger

09

Jump Start # 112

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 112 

1 Corinthians 14:20 “Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.”

  Throughout Paul’s writings, especially to the Corinthians, the apostle is concerned with the maturity of brethren. In the chapter before, as he was instructing about spiritual gifts, he said, “when I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things” (13:11). In the last chapter of Corinthians Paul writes, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (16:13). Today, we’d say, “grow up!”

  Our verse today shows that in some things we are not to be childish, but in other things we are. This is similar to what Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16). Childish in some areas, but grown up in others, that is what Paul is driving at. Now, we must know when to be like a child and when to be grown up. If we get this mixed up then we’ll be in a mess.

  Don’t be childish in your thinking, but be mature. The mature consider. They see beyond the obvious. They consider consequences and the impact of what they do upon others. They think. They analyze. They put thought into what they are doing. Children don’t. They just do what they want. When they don’t get their way they pout and throw a fit. They cry to get their way. They get upset and go home. Now most of us have seen “grown up children.” They have never grown up in their thinking. Spiritually they want to be served. They want the church to cater to their needs. They feel that it is all about them. When they don’t get attention, they fuss and throw a fit and threaten to leave. Many do. The rest who witness these tirades just want to say, “Grow up,” and maybe we should. The apostle did. The mature understand that we are to have the heart of a servant, as Jesus did. He came to serve and not be served. His disciples are the same. The mature realize that it is about God. Our Lord is to be magnified as Psalms teaches us. Attention, adoration, praise goes to God and not us. We work together. We must get along with one another. We must strive to be peaceable and maintain unity. Submitting to one another is the key to any success in the church. The mature know this. The childish never get it.

  The apostle then flips this and says, “in evil be infants.” Be innocent. Be naïve. How is it that some know all the slang words for drugs, all the “street language,” all the gang terms? I heard a preacher once talking about drugs and he was using all the common slang words that the drugs are called on the streets. I had no idea what he was talking about. I wonder how many in the audience knew. There are some things that it is good just to be innocent and naïve about. Proverbs tells us not to envy evil doers. If I wanted to go out and buy some street drugs today, I’d be arrested in two seconds because I wouldn’t know where to go, what to say or how to do it. This is much more than being naïve about drugs, it is about all evil. Don’t spend time thinking about how evil people do evil. Don’t learn the ways of evil. Fill your mind and heart with righteous thoughts.

  Childish and mature. They both dwell within us. That is what the apostle wanted. We must learn when to be mature and when to be infants. It’s what you think about and it affects what you do.

Roger