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Jump Start # 2784

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2784

1 Kings 19:14 Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.”

Our verse finds Elijah hunkered down in a cave. He is scared, alone, isolated and at the end of his rope. He believes that he is the last faithful one in Israel. Jezebel’s death squad is out looking for him. He has come to the end of the book. The last chapter in his life. Custer’s last stand. The Titanic going down. His words lack hope, faith and any future. His prayers are for the Lord to take him before Jezebel’s goons do.

Twice in this section Elijah repeats these words. Twice he reminds us that he is the last one. Twice we are told that he is alone. The dark walls of the cave seem to be closing in around him. He has passed by discouragement and depression, miles ago. He is way beyond those feelings. He is looking at death as the only way out. The question for the prophet is how will this happen. Will it be by the Lord or will it be by Jezebel? But death is all that he sees.

I was talking to a fire fighter a while back. He has never seen so many 80 year olds taking their lives in suicide as what has happened in the pandemic. Alone. And, when history writes the story of the Covid pandemic, the emotional toll of being isolated and the consequences of loneliness, depression and mental illness may well be worse than the virus. Children unable to see classmates, play in sports and be in Bible classes together; families locked in their homes away from the interaction of others, working from home; school from home; and even, worship from home—has had to have a major impact upon the emotional and mental health of the nation. For five months, we could only visit my father through a window. It was not until he was actively dying, that a couple of us were allowed in. The rules were only two of us for thirty minutes total. But some sweet staff members allowed more of us in after hours. My wife and I were allowed to spend the night in his room hours before his death. Our story is not unique. Funerals with only a handful of family members permitted or worse, a quick burial with the hopes of some celebration service later in the year.

I alone am left, were the words of Elijah. And, one of the biggest impacts this may have had is upon the fellowship of brethren. When things get better, many congregations are going to be faced with a smaller crowd. People have gotten used to staying home. People have gotten by without that spiritual fellowship. There has been a silent death that so few have recognized. It has been the death of fellowship.

There will need to be a concentrated effort to get people back to the church building. Worshipping at home was a substitute but it cannot be a permanent fixture in our future. What worshipping at home misses is the fellowship. We need to see each other. We need to hear the voices of others. We need to see the smiles, feel the hugs and engage with our spiritual family. We need each other.

Here are a few thoughts:

First, sermons on the benefits of assembly and fellowship will need to be preached. Just me and God at home isn’t the total picture of our faith. We need to show people what they are missing and make worshipping together a wonderful and joyous part of their weekly lives. We may have taken some things for granted in this area that we now must teach and help people to see.

Second, we must be patient. Some need to know what safety measures have taken place at the church building to protect the health of those coming. Emails and even videos showing how seating takes place, how the Lord’s supper is conducted and how the building is cleaned between services will go a long way with helping people feel comfortable and safe about returning. Some will come right away. Some will wait. Be patient.

Third, the shepherds will need to make personal contact with the members. Personal phone calls from the elders will allow people to voice their concerns and hear what all has been done for their safety and even give the shepherds an opportunity to encourage and remind the members why assembling is so essential and important.

Fourth, the reality may show that some will not return. This pandemic has been a real test of faith. And in any test, some do well and others don’t. We may find some were coming out of habit and not love for the Lord. And, some may have been away for so long that they never plan to return again. This pandemic has killed some faith. All the encouragement in the world will not bring some back again.

For Elijah, God told him to leave the cave. He was to get something to eat. He was to get busy in the Lord’s work. That would put him around others. And, the Lord revealed that Elijah wasn’t alone. He was not the last one. He had it wrong. He got all worked up about things he didn’t know. He assumed, but he was wrong. The Lord knew of others, thousands of others that were still faithful to the Him.

It won’t be long and you and I will need to get out of the cave. We need to be around others. We need to return to the Lord’s work. What a great day that will be.

Roger

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Jump Start # 2783

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2783

Genesis 31:2 “And Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as it had been before.”

I have been going to the Post Office a lot lately. In fact, I think I have been there just about every day for the past week. Lots of mailings of booklets and such things. There is a small town Post Office very close to where I live. They all know me by name, I guess because I’m in there so often. There are great to help me and most times I spend a bit of time chit-chatting with the employees. I was in there again, today. I had a stack of booklets to mail to one person, but no box to put them in. I knew the staff would help me out. Most times, there is hardly any customers in there. And, if I have a lot to mail, I usually let others go before me. Today, as I was putting things in the box to mail, another person was waiting. I let him go before me. He was quiet and didn’t say much. After he left, the postal employee who I know so well said to me, “He sure wasn’t very friendly.” There may have been many reasons. It was in the morning and some folks just aren’t talkative in the morning. He may have had a lot on his mind. Maybe he was sad. Don’t know.

But that made me think of our verse today and wonder what the postal employees say about me when I leave. More than that, our expression on our face, our friendliness, kindness and helpfulness is seen by others and that has much to do with what they see in us. It wasn’t too long ago that my siblings and I sat down with a funeral director to make arrangements for dad’s funeral. None of us knew this funeral director. We spent three hours with him. He knew all of our names by the time we left. He was so kind, helpful and caring. He sure made a difficult day a lot smoother for all of us.

Now, we must think about our interactions with others. The impressions that we leave has a lot to do with how well our light shines. I have heard the horror stories of brethren being demanding, lousy tippers, and pushy when it comes to restaurants and other places of business. We can get so caught up in ourselves that we forget that we are leaving impressions with others.

Laban, from our passage, had a change of spirit towards Jacob. He was not as friendly as before. Jacob caught that and it bothered him.

Here are some things to remember:

First, with visitors to our worship services. How many times have we heard the stories of people visiting places on vacation and no one welcomed them. An unfriendly church is not a growing church. Some places like to stay small and so any new faces are not wanted. Shame on us if that’s the way we act. Look around for those who may be visiting. Put yourself in their shoes. Don’t hit them up with 10,000 questions that are nosey. Be friendly. Invite. Encourage.

Second, with our interaction with those who are not Christians. That will include co-workers, doctors, dentists, car mechanics, and yes, the folks at the Post Office. You don’t have to share your stress and troubles with them. But what you can do is help carry their burdens. Politeness and manners is something that was once understand as normal. It’s not these days. Some people live as if every day was Black Friday—they are pushing their way to the front, bending the rules and just thinking about themselves. Some are rude, loud and demanding. Don’t be that way. It’s next to impossible to invite someone to services after you have chewed them out and been aggressive with them. Always keep in mind the big picture. So you have to wait another five minutes. Use that time to pray.

Third, we know how Jesus would conduct Himself. He was patient. He was kind. He was thoughtful. Remembering Jesus changes everything. Many didn’t like the things Jesus said, but no one could say that He was unkind or unfriendly. When you don’t like someone, you tend to avoid them. You don’t see that in the Gospels. Everyone flocked to be around Jesus, including His critics. They wouldn’t believe that He was the Messiah, yet, they were always in the audience, watching and listening.

Fourth, smiles sure make a difference. Have you smiled at all today? When you walk up to the counter to have some business conducted, do you bring a smile? Often on the other side of that counter are people who have had a long day. Tired. Stressed. Wanting to go home. Having to deal with impatient people is weary. And, along you come, bringing a smile. You talk softly and ask about their day. You sprinkle some sunshine on their day. Even when things are not right and there has been some mistakes, you deal with that in kindness and friendliness. Not only might you lift some heavy hearts that day, but you may just open a door for Jesus into their hearts. I have been to several countries. Even when I do not know the language, I have found that a smile is international. A child knows a smile. An elderly person sitting in a wheel chair recognizes a smile. The world would be a better place if we smiled more and talked less.

Friendly at work…friendly at worship…friendly at home…friendly in stores…friendly with all people. Some are very natural at this and it comes very easily for them to smile, be friendly and thoughtful. Others, it’s not the way they are wired. They are shy, quiet and keep to themselves. Yet, even in that a smile does wonders. Being polite, patient and kind is something that we all can do.

“That guy wasn’t very friendly.” Those words stayed with me today. I sure hope no one says that of me. I think Jesus would expect me to be better.

Roger

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Jump Start # 2782

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2782

Job 42:5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eyes see You.”

Job has learned some lessons. Throughout the book of Job, he has been talkative. Long, long speeches. Arguing with his friends. Back and forth verbal jabs, trying to figure out the “whys” of life. Then God speaks. Two chapters filled with questions. God doesn’t explain Himself. He doesn’t tell Job about Satan. He doesn’t promise him that things will turn around and get better. Just questions. And, not deep moral questions, but questions about nature. God is showing Job something with these questions. If you don’t understand these things, how can you understand the deeper things such as Satan’s power, suffering or allowing the wicked to thrive.

By the final chapter of this long book, Job wants to put his hand over his mouth. He’s talked too much and now he is beginning to see things. We are not in the position to question God. He knows what He is doing. He is always right. A lesson our generation would do well to learn. Blaming God, shouting “Why” to God, accusing God comes from hearts that do not understand the Lord. A walk through those two chapters of questions would make most of us be quiet.

All of this leads to our verse today, “I have heard of You by learning…but now my eye sees You.” In many ways, Job is expressing the path of faith that we all take. We begin by being taught things about the Lord and His way. We sit in children’s Bible classes and learn things. We can sing songs that list the books of the Bible and the apostles. We hear sermons about the goodness of God. This is an intellectual faith. It is a faith based upon the word of God. But there’s more.

For some, that is as far as their faith ever gets. And, when challenged, especially in college, that intellectual faith butts up against intellectual skepticism. For many, what faith they had crumbles. They leave the university with a diploma in their hand and no faith in their heart. Their choices and path in life no longer includes God. They outgrew God and left Him in those simple children’s Bible classes long ago.

However, with Job, what he heard and learned, that intellectual faith, transitioned into a personal faith. Now, it was no longer what I had been taught, but what I see. I have heard, but now I know. And, when faith gets to this deeper level, it’s hard to move it, shake it or destroy it.

Job declared, “Now my eye sees You.” Did Job actually see God? Possible, but more likely, having gone through all of those questions God asked him, his eyes opened up. He realized that he was not on equal ground with God. He was no longer talking to one of his friends. He was talking to the Lord. And, through those questions he saw that God was the creator. He saw God’s power in how things came to be. He saw the Lord’s nurture and care for the animals. He saw how God has the whole world in His hands. Job saw nature like he had never seen it before.

And, for you and I this is the journey our faith must travel as well. Unless our faith becomes real and personal, it will remain facts on a page and that page can look a lot like a dictionary, encyclopedia or other book of information. True as they are, but not changing us much. It is when we see with our eyes that faith becomes genuine, real, alive and personal. How does that happen? God is not going to ask us a series of questions.

First, we see God through answered prayers. You have prayed and prayed hard for something and the Lord blessed you with answered prayers. God heard. God answered. God is real. You can sit through a whole quarter of Bible classes studying the ins and the outs of prayer, but nothing beats what you have seen in your own life. You have heard, but now you see with your eyes.

Second, we see God through changed lives. It begins with our own life. Look over the past few years and you’ll see changes. Just as the mirror shows us outward changes, our character reveals inward changes. More patient. More kind. More loving. More thoughtful. More spiritual. Less chasing the rabbits of success and popularity as you once did. Worship has become more meaningful to you. Those hymns seem to touch the very cords of your heart.

But it’s not just in you, it’s in others who are walking with the Lord. You see it in your children. Those selfish, fussing kids have grown up to be spiritual giants in their own way. You see kindness and the heart of a servant in them. Sure you had a hand in molding them, but it was the Lord’s way. You see this in others. Through the years you notice some people opening their hearts and being less stingy and grumpy and complaining. You see the Lord’s hand in all these things. Oh, you’ve heard dozens of sermons about the heart of a Christian, but seeing them with your own eyes makes you know that all of this is true. You have heard, but now you have seen.

Third, and likely, the greatest way you have seen God is when you see two people who have hurt each other, hugging and forgiving each other. The tears flow. What was said and what was done has been laid aside and now together, unity, joy and fellowship is restored. You’ve seen God when you witness that broken prodigal coming back. Years he has been away from the Lord. He has made some terrible mistakes in his life, but now he seeks the love and grace of the Lord. He’s back. He’s forgiven. He wants to do better and be better. And, the church celebrates with great joy and happiness. A sinner has returned home to God.

Yes, like Job, you and I have heard many things about the Lord. But, it is when we have seen things with our own eyes that we have seen God. It is then that our faith becomes more than intellectual. It becomes personal. We know, because we have seen.

My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord…

Roger

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Jump Start # 2781

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2781

2 Timothy 2:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

The sermon is an extension of the preacher. His thoughts, his talents and his personality go into making and shaping the sermon just the way it is. Some sermons are short. Some are long. Some are all business, to the point. Others have stories, quotes and illustrations. Some sermons step on our toes. Some bring a tear to our eyes. Some we never remember and others we can’t forget. Some are easy to follow and very logical, point one, point two and point three. Others are like listening to a story and it takes a while to figure out what it is all about. Some sermons use a ton of verses. Others look at only one, but it’s a careful and detailed look.

I read something the other day about sermons. It was written by a young preacher. He claimed we got it all wrong. The way we preach these days is not the way it was originally done, was his thinking. He was advocating dropping the sermon and having more intimate and casual settings where things were not so structured and people could just talk. He claimed that our model of preaching came from the Romans and not the early Christians. His proof for that was what he read in a book.

I tend to think that this young guy is all wet. Jesus, the greatest preacher, didn’t follow the model he was pushing when the Sermon on the Mount was preached. Paul didn’t follow that model at the Mar’s Hill sermon.  Even back in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah that model was not used. The law was read. Words were explained. Sense was made of the Scriptures. That sounds pretty much like our typical Sunday sermons. It’s rather odd and strange that someone would go to a book that tries to explain original preaching yet does not look at actual sermons found in the Bible.

So, all of this leads to this question, “What is a sermon supposed to do? What’s the point? What’s the purpose?”

First, a sermon isn’t supposed to be a vitamin that gives us 100% of our daily spiritual needs. That’s not the point. If the only time we are opening our Bibles is Sunday during a sermon, then we are cutting our own legs out from under us. The sermon is just one of many, many tools that can help be learn, grow and become as God wants. It’s not the only tool in the toolbox.

Second, a sermon can change our lives. It did for Peter’s audience in Acts 2. There, the sermon connected the dots between prophecy, Messiah and Jesus. Once those dots were connected, they could see and they believed. They repented and were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins.

Third, a sermon can change our thinking. We can come into a church building pretty sure about things and in the course of a few minutes realize that what we thought was true, really isn’t. It can make us realize that we haven’t forgiven someone. It can open our eyes to the way God wants us to walk and think. It can help us get our priorities in the right order. Sermons can do that.

Fourth, a sermon can fill our hearts with hope. Hearing about the promises of God, learning about what happens after death, understanding grace, and seeing the joys of Heaven can lift our spirits and prompt us to live better and holier. There isn’t much hope these days. Gloom and doom seem more common than anything. What’s wrong is obvious. One wonders if there is anything right. A sermon can show us that God came into this world and changed eternity for those who will love Him and follow Him.

Sermons are not intended to compete with TV. We preachers are not stand up comedians. Having the audience on the verge of clapping, shouting and filled with excitement is not the drive of sermons. For those looking for that, they will bounce around from place to place, until they find it. And, what they will find is cotton candy theology. It looks great. It tastes wonderful. But there’s nothing there. One doesn’t even have to chew cotton candy—it just melts in your mouth. So tasty and so wonderful. And, so is cotton candy theology. No doctrine. No warnings. No truths. Just good times. Just building foundations upon the sand. And, when the storms come, and they always do, cotton candy theology doesn’t offer any help. Hard to laugh through a funeral of a young person. Hard to laugh when you are standing in the shadows of a Job, or hiding in fear with Elijah.

Paul told Timothy to preach the word. He didn’t say, “Preach yourself.” He wasn’t preaching politics. He wasn’t preaching social reform. He wasn’t preaching about all the ills of the Roman government or Roman society. He was to preach God’s word. It was God’s word that would save their souls. It was God’s word that would change their lives. It was God’s word that hope, faith and love are built upon.

Preach the word—that’s what was done back then. That’s what needs to be done today.

Roger

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Jump Start # 2780

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2780

1 Peter 3:7 “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”

Our passage today reminds us of what God expects within a marriage. Surprisingly, the Covid-pandemic has not brought a significant increase in divorces as the professionals expected. Still, much needs to be taught about having a marriage that honors the Lord and is a blessing to others. The core foundational value of marriage is not one’s personal happiness. For if it is, when that happiness goes, so goes the reason to remain married. The foundation of the marriage needs to be God and glorifying Him through that relationship.

I was running through some slides on a lesson I did on divorce from a while back. I’d forgotten how sad these numbers were:

  • 41% of first marriages end in divorce
  • 60% of second marriages end in divorce
  • The average length of a marriage is 8 years
  • 43% of children are being raised without a father
  • 1 in 3 women who are divorced will lose their home
  • The average legal fees for a divorce run between $20,000-$30,000

The Common English version begins our verse today, “Submit by living with your wife in ways that honor her…” That takes the emphasis off of self and puts it on the other person. Honor the other person. Make them feel loved, wanted and accepted. And, I believe that we all need reminders of this. Those of us that have been married for decades can get sloppy in our relationship and like little gnats buzzing around, we can irritate more than we honor.

So, what does it take to make a marriage last? It’s more than simply putting the years into it. Some do that with their jobs, but they hate it every step of the way. They long for the day of retirement so they can be through with that job. Marriage shouldn’t be seen that way. That’s not the way God designed it.

I heard one preacher trying to explain our passage. He said, “the one thing I understand about my wife is that I don’t understand her.” That got a chuckle from the audience, but it left the passage hanging without an explanation. The Holy Spirit said to live with your wife in an understanding way. Just what way is that?

Here are a few thoughts:

First, be thoughtful of her. Generally, most wives want the house to look nice. That’s often much higher on her list than on the man’s list. For men, generally, how we define things picked up and put away is not the way she would define them. Understand that! So, you are going to be doing things that you probably wouldn’t do if you were living on your own. And, since you don’t want to live on your own, you’ll go out of your way to do things that pleases her. You’ll pick up stuff and put things where they go. You are not living in a locker room, nor is the room where the TV is at, a stadium where you toss cups on the ground.

Being thoughtful is much more than just picking up the mess you made. It’s thinking about her. I have a picture of my wife on my desk. I look at it several times throughout the day. When I’m stuck and can’t find the right word, I find myself looking at her picture. That helps me be mindful and thoughtful. That will lead you to saying a prayer for her. You’ll pray that she is safe today. You’ll pray that her day goes well. You’ll pray for her goodness and kindness to be seen by others. You’ll thank the Lord for her.

Second, to honor her, you’ll let her have first choice. Where do you want to eat? She often says, “I don’t care,” but I know what she would not choose. I don’t suggest those places. I know the kind of food she likes,  and the kind she does not like. Let her choose what movie to watch. She may not like bullets, car chases and bombs exploding, my type of movie. She may like a movie where the characters talk and they talk a lot. She may like movies about family and love. Honor her. Sit through those without sighing, complaining or making editorial comments about how poor the acting is, or how predicable the plot was. She likes it and you honor her by liking it. Let her choose. That honors her.

Third, by being a person of God. That’s one of the best ways you show that you love her. Be the person that God wants you to be. Be holy. Be a servant. Be kind. Be engaged in the kingdom. Be a leader. Be generous. You help your marriage when you step up and be the person that God wants you to be. Sprinkle grace, forgiveness, gentleness and kindness in your conversations, actions and attitudes. What a difference that makes in your marriage.

How do you stay married? Do what you did when you were dating. A couple has to want to be married more than they want to be divorced. Bumps, stress and trials happen in a marriage. But side by side, one in name and one in aim, two people can honor the Lord just as He intended.

Making marriage work—it is a work. But it happens every day, when a man and woman step up and have the heart that the Lord wants.

Roger