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Jump Start # 2723a

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2723a

Acts 22:19 “And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.’”

The thoughts in this verse came up recently in a couple of different classes that I’ve been teaching. In Philippians Paul said, ‘as to zeal, a persecutor of the church.’ And, in a class on beatitudes, there is “blessed are those who have been persecuted”. Violent persecution—it’s hard for us to understand how people could have such a hatred of peaceable and loving people. The Christians were not wicked. They were not causing harm. They were doing good. A couple of pages after our verse today, Paul said that he tried to force Christians to blaspheme.

Forcing someone to blaspheme. The image comes to my mind of a bully pulling your arm behind your back until you said “uncle.” It hurt. It hurt bad. You didn’t want to say uncle but you couldn’t stand the pain. I don’t know what tactics Paul used, but I expect there was no limit to what he would do.

There are several powerful lessons for us in these verses:

First, God is loving and forgiving. I expect if anyone ought to have been excluded from Heaven and the benefits of Christ, it should have been Paul. He not only was opposed to Christ, he tried all that he could to destroy that movement. He hated Christians. But he changed. He not only became one, he became one of the best. He loved. He forgave. He taught. He became one who received the very persecution that he once gave to others.

God can forgive you. God wants to forgive you. The troubles that you have had and the misery and messes that you caused can be made better by a change in you. Hope can lift up your eyes. Faith can change your outlook, attitude and it can defeat the selfishness in you. God forgave Paul and God can forgive you.

Second, Paul had to live with the damage that he caused. I wonder if he had nightmares the rest of his life, seeing him literally beating people and breaking up homes and dragging men and women off to prison. What happened to the children in those homes? Did those people ever get released or did they die in prison? What trouble he caused. His name was known. He was feared, hated and the source of all kinds of trouble. Now, years later, he changed, but what he did remained in his mind. Forgiving ourselves is one of the hardest things ever to do. The pain we have caused to our parents by the sinful choices we made is hard to imagine. The hurt we’ve caused by breaking up homes through selfish divorces. The tears that were shed because of our selfishness. Yes, those sins have been washed away by the precious blood of Jesus, but the scars and the memories can remain. We can wonder what would have happened had we made better choices. What would have happened had we not been so selfish and sinful.

Beating an innocent person with a rod is beyond my comprehension. What is interesting is that Paul didn’t run and hide in a corner of the world where no one would ever find him again. He didn’t change his name, wear a disguise and take on a hidden identity. He wasn’t so ashamed of what he did that he drowned himself in alcohol or worse, take his life. No, where do we find Paul? Right back in the very places where he once beat people. We find him in the public eye, in synagogues teaching and preaching. Not only is he an example of God’s forgiveness, he is also an example of how to get up and be useful after one has made a real mess of things. Don’t run and hide. Don’t give up, especially on God and on yourself. Get busy and become useful.

Third, it took some forgiving by the people who listened to Paul preach. Imagine on Sunday morning, the man in the pulpit preaching is the same person that put your parents in prison a few years ago. Or, this is the man who beat and possibly broke the arms and legs of your mother simply because she believed in Jesus. In our world today, some would probably get up and walk out of services. Some would protest loudly to the elders about allowing such a person to come and speak. God had forgiven him. Paul had to forgive himself. Then, brethren needed to forgive him. And, this is shown by giving him a chance.

Fourth, all of us have a story and a past that has moments that were not good. We are all just like this. We can forever be looking in the rear view mirror and wonder why we did such wrong things, or seek God’s grace and move forward. We can allow our past to ruin our future. We can be chained to the past. We can refuse to enjoy God’s blessings because of our past. We need to learn. We need to help others. We need to move forward with God and be busy in the kingdom.

Late at night, Paul may have tossed and turned about all those people he beat and put in prison, or he could see all those faces who were coming to Christ because of his preaching.

Sure is something for us to think about.

Roger

20

Jump Start # 2722

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2722

Joshua 24:15 “If it disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Our passage today is well known and well loved by those who are familiar with the Bible. Joshua tells the nation to choose. His choice was already made. He was staying with the Lord. And, with this verse we give some thought to the idea of choices. Sometimes we make bad choices. We make a promise that we cannot keep. We do not read the fine print when we sign our name to an important document. We decide to reveal something that was told to us in confidence. Choices.

There are four principles we need to remember about choices.

First, we have the liberty to make any choice we want, but we do not get to choose the consequences that follow those choices. A person can drink alcohol until he passes out. Many do that. That’s his choice. He doesn’t have to do that, but he does. Now, he is not at liberty to choose the consequences that come from drunkenness. He may wake up sick and with the worst headache of all time. That follows drinking. He may lose his job, his driver’s license, his reputation, and he might even spend a night in jail. You can choose anything you want, but you cannot choose what follows.

Second, our minds can justify anything our hearts really want. This is true even of things that are wrong. In our minds we find a way to make the wrong look right. Here is a person who does not have a Biblical reason for  a divorce, yet he gets one. Later he finds the love of his life. He can’t get married, not according to the Bible. But he wants to. Now, he finds ways to make this right. His first wife was a witch, he says. She was abusive, mean and threatening. The truth is, he really wants to get married again. Nothing is going to stop him, including the Bible or what folks say down at the church house. He paints a picture that makes him look like a hero and he tries to gather up sympathizers and supporters to his cause. His mind has justified what his heart wants.

Third, one bad decision often leads to more bad decisions. David’s adultery with Bathsheba is a classic illustration of this. The first bad decision was calling for Bathsheba to come to his palace. Then to cover up the pregnancy, he brought her husband from the warfront and got him drunk. Bad decision. When that didn’t work the way he wanted it to, he sent him back to the front lines with orders for the troops to withdraw so he would be killed. The list of wrongs keeps growing and growing. Once the door of bad decisions has been opened, more and more are likely to follow. This is true of lying. A second lie has to be told to cover the first lie. One bad decision often leads to more bad decisions.

Before we get to the final principle about choices, we ought to notice that there is a pattern of not thinking spiritually, Biblically or godly running through these first few principles. The reason one bad decision often leads to more bad decisions is that the person is not thinking spiritually. He is only thinking of himself. He is trying to cover up bad choices and to do that he makes more bad choices. And, when our minds are not focused upon the Lord, we will justify anything we want.

So, all of this tells us that we need to be thinking better than what we have. And, this is done by what we allow our minds to dwell upon and what we are pouring into our hearts. Paul said let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. When that happens, it will shape and direct our thinking. Bad choices will be stopped, confessed and changed rather than leading to more and more bad choices. I wonder if we have spent too much time telling young people to make the right choices when we have not gotten them to think right. The foundation of right choices is a mind and heart that loves the Lord and wants to please the Lord.

Fourth, the final principle about choices is that God can use us even after we have made bad choices. Peter shows us this. He rebuked the Lord. He had little faith. He denied the Lord. However, God wasn’t finished with Peter. God was willing to give Peter another chance. Jesus trusted Peter with the wonderful Gospel message of His life. God will give us another chance when others will not. People will remember your bad choices. Some will remind you of them over and over again. But God is not like this. He will find a place for you to be useful in His kingdom. He will forgive you and help you.

Choose you this day—boy, that sums up a person’s day. Every day choices. Do I even get out of bed? Do I go to work? Do I do my job? Do I walk through the day with a cheerful and joyful spirit? Do I complain or give thanks? Do I worship or not? Do I follow or not? Do I become or not?

Choices…every single day. Big choices and little choices. Some choices do not matter much and are soon forgotten. Other choices are big and can alter my direction in life. The worst choice one can make is to live without Jesus. You can ignore Him, but He will never forget you. You can deny His existence, yet, He will still love you.

Choices…

Roger

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Jump Start # 2721

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2721

Romans 14:19 “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”

I’ve been teaching a class on the Beatitudes. Simple statements that are packed heavily with so many applications and thoughts. While doing some reading about “peacemakers”, you know, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God,” I ran across the following statement. A writer said, “Churches are getting over problems, in the middle of problems are just about ready to have a problem.” That’s a pathetic thought! That sounds like problems are always hovering around, like a mosquito, about to land upon you. And, that sure takes us to our verse today. We must pursue peace.

Consider if you will:

First, like the quote about problems, some people are always expecting and looking for problems. If there are not problems, then they’ll generate one. Things just don’t seem normal unless something is wrong and there is something to complain about. Stirring the pot may keep the chili from burning, but in a congregation it keeps everyone on edge. Radical, off the wall comments that push the envelop is not the stuff for good Bible classes. Those things generate questions and then suspicion and doubt. Timothy was told to preach the word, not stir the pot.

Second, we are all on a journey of growth and not all of us are at the same place on this journey. Not understanding that, along with impatience, can make problems when there doesn’t need to be any. Some would rather throw the book at some rather than extend a helping hand. Not all problems have to be problems. The way we handle them, our attitudes, and what we allow to bother us has much to do with whether or not problems are truly problems.

Third, some problems do not go away quickly. Just giving someone a verse won’t fix their broken marriage. Time, effort, and a lot of ‘what-to’ must be rolled up with grace, forgiveness and love in order for broken and hurt feelings to mend. When one is not directly involved, it is easy to expect folks to solve their problems immediately. Most times, it took a while for the problem to develop and it often takes a longer time to solve the problem. Now all of this means that people can grow weary of the problem hanging around. Another week, and it’s still there. Another month, and it’s still there. Sometimes we change calendars and the same problem lingers. There comes a time when leaders must see if any positive movement is taking place or is the problem stuck. Some can just be waiting for the other person to make the first move, while the other person is waiting for someone else to make the first move. And, nothing happens. No one is talking. Nothing is being done. That may be the time for leaders to roll up their sleeves and get things rolling by coming up with a positive plan of action.

Fourth, from our verse today, we often have problems because we have failed to pursue peace. This is true in the nation, in the church and in the home. A bunch of selfishness will keep us from striving for peace. Some want peace, but they want it on their terms, in their way and in their time table. And, the problem with that is that they are not sitting in the center of the universe. Pursue the things which make peace. Now, what would that look like:

  • Sometimes I am going to keep my mouth closed. If I say what’s on my mind, it will agitate, irritate and cause trouble. Pursue peace. Watch what you say and if you must speak, say it in a peaceful not threatening manner. If you push a person enough times, he’ll push you back. And, we can do that verbally. So, filter your words and the less said the better.
  • Don’t complain all the time. Mention what’s for dinner and much too often the response is weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. I don’t like this and I don’t like that, gets back to who is in the center of the universe. It certainly isn’t us. When you express that you don’t like something, often someone standing near by does like it. And right there come trouble. Pursue peace. Be one who spreads sunshine through compliments rather than brings the rain by complaining.
  • Stop pushing buttons. Oh, we know what that means. There are certain topics that will send some people into orbit. What good is it to bring those up? Why cause trouble? Pursue peace. Find common ground and common areas of agreement. Pushing buttons is a lot like picking scabs. When you do that, the wound just never heals. It starts bleeding all over again. Coming into Thanksgiving, how easy it is to toss a hot potato into the conversation and before long people will be leaving mad and upset. That isn’t pursuing peace.
  • Grace, forgiveness and a good dose of forgetfulness helps with the peace process. Bringing up the painful past is all it takes for family feuds to start all over again. Why do that? Pursue peace. Let the past lie there. Move on. Forgive. Extend grace. Build relationships, not tear them down.

In that first century world, where there were Jews and Gentiles, masters and slaves all within a congregation, there was enough for several major battles. But standing united in Christ, clothed in grace, love and pursuing peace, those socially opposite groups could be one in Jesus. We do well to take a long look at that picture. Imagine a Sunday morning where a master might hand his slave the Lord’s Supper and as soon as services were over, that slave would feed the master at home. Or, imagine a Jew handing the Lord’s Supper to a Gentile, without rolling his eyes and murmuring under his breath. They all belonged to Jesus. They were one in Jesus.

Much too often today, when there is a problem in the congregation, some will leave and start their own congregation. Had that spirit been alive in the first century, there would have been a meat-eating church and a veggie church in Rome. Corinth would have splintered into a dozen little groups. Galatia would have had a Gentile church and a Jewish church. There would have been a church for slaves and a different church for masters.

When there are problems at home, we work them out. You don’t go next door and ask your neighbor if you could live in his house. No. You apologize. You forgive. You make corrections. You make things work. And, in the church it ought to be no different.

Churches are getting over problems, in the middle of problems, or about to have problems. Not sure if I agree with that statement, especially when we are busily pursuing peace with one another. No church is perfect, but it ought to have it’s eyes set upon the one who is perfect, Jesus Christ.

Pursue Peace—work at it. Make it happen.

Roger

17

Jump Start # 2720

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2720

Matthew 2:18 A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.”

Our verse today is not one that you’ll find in devotional books. You won’t find this cross-stitched on pillows. Weeping, mourning and no comfort is not the kind of stuff that grabs our attention and holds us captivated. Most would rather do all that we can to avoid weeping, mourning and being uncomfortable.

The passage is a quotation out of Jeremiah. There it is used of Judah being taken into Babylonian captivity. It was very tough times. The walls came down. The Temple was burned. People died. Others were taken captive. It was a time of tears and mourning. Jeremiah would write, Lamentations—a book of mourning. Yet, before that, in the days of Genesis, around Ramah, is where Rachel gave birth to Benjamin. Rachel died in childbirth. She named the son, Ben-oni, which meant the child of my sorrow. Jacob renamed him ‘Benjamin.’ Now, all these years later, in the time of the Gospels, these thoughts and this statement resurfaces. Herod, angry because the wise men tricked him and jealous because a new king had been born, set a decree to slaughter all the baby boys two years old and younger. He thought he could stop what God was doing. And, in this setting, Jeremiah is quoted, reminding of the days of tears, mourning and heartache. Those poor mothers around Bethlehem who had their little boys killed felt an emptiness, anger and helplessness. This would be a major attack upon their faith. How could God sit back and allow this? This was being done to God’s people? These little boys hadn’t done anything wrong.

I have a little grandson about that age. We spent a long time playing together the other day. Cute. Innocent. Full of life. Loves to run. Loves to call me “PJ.” I can’t even fathom the government coming and putting him to death. The tears, mourning and heartache of this passage is beyond our understanding.

There are some lessons for us:

First, all of those innocent baby boys that died filled Heaven. Pure. Sinless. They await us someday in that Heavenly home. Wicked Herod doesn’t have an eternity of joy and peace. The heartless soldiers that put those little boys to death join Herod in an eternity worse than anything they ever imagined. While those boys didn’t get to grow up, they are not gone. They are not lost. They are in Heaven’s arms and there they are safe forever.

Second, fairness doesn’t happen on this side of life. The innocent suffer. Right gets walked upon. Good is defeated. And, all of that just troubles us. We want the story to end victoriously. And, it does and it will, but not on this side of life. Satan smiles because he thinks he wins. He doesn’t. Those that dance with Satan think that they can do as they please and get away with things. It’s only for a short, short time. Time on this side of life isn’t long. Time on the other side, the eternal side, never ends. That perspective helps us to deal with the evil, the wicked and the wrong. It won’t be very long and we are on the other side. There we will see fairness. There we will see all things right. There we will never be troubled again.

Third, God recognizes the tears and the mourning of the heartbroken. He knows. He sees. Does Jesus care, we sing. And, we know the answer. The chorus shouts, “Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares.” The comfort is not in miracles. The comfort is not in rewinding and reversing what has been done. The comfort lies ahead of us. It is an eternity with the Lord.

People deal with grief and hardships in different ways. Even within a marriage, men and women mourn differently. One is not better than the other. It’s basically how we are wired. But we men tend to keep things within us. We don’t talk and we especially do not want to talk about the tragedies. And, many men do not have close friendships, again a nature of how many of us are wired. So, men tend to bottle things up. And, usually at some point later on, all that needs to come out. If it doesn’t they can explode and that explosion can hurt family and others. Having someone to talk to, especially someone that doesn’t say much, but just will listen. Often there are no solutions to be found. There are not changes that can be made. A hurting heart needs comfort. This is one of the important aspects of our fellowship. This is something that we need and keeps us going. This is where true Christian friends make a difference. They will comfort, remind and keep us close to the Lord. Friends of the world may hand you a bottle to forget your pain. But the bottle doesn’t do that. One wakes up and nothing has changed. A Christian friend makes all the difference.

Fourth, time always helps with healing. This is true after surgery. This is true with broken friendships. This is true with grief. Time helps. Tragic events, especially when someone is at fault, can taint us and even ruin us. Can you imagine being a parent in Bethlehem that had your little boy killed because Herod said so. Every time you saw a soldier, the anger would rise up. Every time you heard the name Herod, your blood would boil. I don’t know how I would have done had it happened to my family. But I know how God would have expected me to continue walking with Him. God would want me to pour my heart out to Him in prayer. God would want me to honor and praise Him in worship. Getting revenge is not on the list of what God would want me to do. Living with hatred is not what God would want me to fill my days with. Speaking evil of Herod is not the choices God would want from me. Even though a baby boy of mine was slaughtered, God would not want me to grab a sword and go after the next Roman soldier I saw. God expects us to walk in righteousness even when angry, sorry and hatred want to take over our lives.

Herod’s dead. There is no decree to kill baby boys today. Yet, we’ve had an election. Things may be reversing from what was. What is my spirit? How is it that God expects me to live? What am I saying, complaining about, posting on social media, liking on social media?

Tears and mourning. Tough times. The righteous must stand upon the promises of God.

Roger

16

Jump Start # 2719

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2719

Mark 12:37 “David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard Him gladly.”

Our passage today tells us that the common people not only heard Jesus, but they heard Him gladly. Other translations use the expression, they “enjoyed listening to Him.” Now, that’s something. They enjoyed listening to Jesus. I wonder how many would say that these days? Some might say that we need to hear Jesus and we ought to hear Jesus, but gladly? We like listening to music. We like watching our favorite team win. We enjoy good food. We like playing games with the kids or grandkids. But listening to a sermon? For some reason that just doesn’t make the list of enjoyable things to do for some people these days.

A friend of mine was going to speak to a group of young preachers. He had a great outline that he wanted me to look over. As I was reading it, I thought, “What good is preaching?” “Just what does preaching accomplish?” Now, did the audience enjoy listening to Jesus because He told some great jokes? Doubt it. Did Jesus always do shout outs and they hoped He’d call their name? Doubt it. Did Jesus make them feel better? Doubt it. The Lord often said some tough things. On one occasion His disciples said the crowd was offended. Another time, the people walked away from Jesus. The rich young ruler walked away when he didn’t hear what he was hoping for.

What good is preaching? Many are wondering that and you see this illustrated by preachers who no longer preach. They do other things. They tell jokes. They sing songs. They give self-help advice. They do just about anything and everything, except preach. They have moved beyond sermons. Doctrine lies in the dust. They have turned the church from disciples to consumers and the consumer is always right.

So, just what good is preaching these days?

First, it is through the preached word that Jesus becomes real to our eyes and salvation a reality for us. Our hope, our foundation, our future, our anchor rests upon the living word of God. Nothing beats the Bible. Nothing is better than the Bible. The more of the Bible that is in us, the less we fall apart and the greater our faith will be. We need more sermons, not fewer. We need straight forward, crystal clear, very plain preaching that helps us in our walk through this messy world. Encourage your preacher onward.

Second, preaching fortifies a new generation. One generation will hand the keys of this world over to the next generation. Those keys include the church. All it takes is for one generation to fumble spiritually and the domino effect starts. One generation takes one step away from God’s word. The next generation takes just one step away. The next generation takes just one step. In the course of just a few years, a generation will be so far away from truth that they will not even recognize it. And, isn’t that where culture has led us? So, preaching reaffirms that foundation in Christ. Preaching builds faith and hope in your hearts. Preaching shows how the Bible must form our choices and decisions. Future shepherds and leaders need to be cut from the same pattern that God has established and wants. A generation without the word is a generation that will be lost.

Third, preaching gives us real hope for this messy world. Worry, fear and doubt tend to follow us everywhere we go. Disappointment, discouragement and drudgery are not far behind. This world reveals problems but no solutions. We see what’s wrong, but we can’t see how to be right. That’s where preaching comes in. Preaching makes all the difference. It lifts weary hearts. It informs and drives out worry and fear. It motivates and gives us courage to press onward. It builds character and shapes hearts. It explains. It answers. It enlightens. Without Bible preaching, we are left on our own with nothing to hold on to and nothing to look forward to. Our faith is strengthened through Bible preaching. Confidence soars. Hope arises. And, onward we go, facing the giants of today, because of the truths, promises and hope that are established  in God’s word. We don’t need a stack of degrees to counter the arguments of the world today. Our hope is in the word of God. And preaching puts that word right before us. Through good preaching words are explained. Contexts are made clear. And principles are identified.

Fourth, the key to growth, strength and the future lie in the preaching of God’s word. People may show up because the church building is close to their house. They may come because a friend invited them. But what’s going to keep them? They are going to find treasure that they can find no where else. The truths within their own Bible becomes real and practical. The differences we can make in our families and our communities comes from lives that are built upon solid Bible preaching. In this age of quick, convenient and easy, we shouldn’t short cut sermons. We don’t need less, we need more. More preaching. More application. More practical. More to the book. It’s lives that are built upon the rock of Christ that will withstand the storms of life. Those storms can be harsh. They can last a long, long time. But, God’s word can cut through the darkest fog and show us exactly what He wants of us.

My best friends are preachers, and they are good, good preachers. Some folks are intimidated and even scared of preachers. We don’t bite. I was on an airplane once. A man sat down beside me. He asked me what I did. I told him I was a preacher. He got up and found another seat. Some will do that. But not us.

Do you remember the first preacher you ever met? Many of us were little kids and the preacher seemed to be about three hundred years old and had a loud, booming voice. Loren Raines, in Indianapolis, is the first preacher I ever knew. I was a little kid. He moved on and has since moved to the next world. I never really got to talk to him. Years later, I was given a couple of books that had his signature in it. And, I realize that I now stand in his shadows. To the little ones that run around our church building, I must seem to be three hundred years old. But I try to talk to all of them. I want them to know my name. I want them to not be afraid.

God didn’t send movies. He didn’t float pictures down from Heaven. He sent preachers. Noah, Moses, the prophets, the apostles and even our Jesus were all preachers. There is something special about that preached word. It can stir the heart and it can lead us to the Lord.

There is a lot of good that comes from preaching.

Roger