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Jump Start # 2877

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

Jump Start # 2877

Psalms 123:1 “To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens!”

I have been doing a lot of travel recently. I’ve spent time in several airports. On one of my recent trips there was a beautiful lesson before me. In front of a large plate glass window stood two people. They were not very close to each other but they were both looking at the same thing. One was a small boy. A large airplane, the one that we would board was just outside the window. He looked with eyes wide and a heart full of amazement. He’d turn to his parents and say loud enough for all of us to hear, “Do you see the plane?” He’d look and then he’d look back to his parents. Back and forth he’d look.

The other person standing at the window was a pilot. He’d be our pilot on that very plane. He was looking very intently at the plane. I watched the back of his head. He wasn’t turning, or, looking around. He seemed to be focused upon the wings and the engine. He was giving it a careful, careful look. In a few minutes, he’d pilot that plane full of people into the skyway. Our wellbeing was resting upon him.

Two people looking at the same plane. One with awe and curiosity. The other analyzing and making sure every detail was right and safe. And, that made me think of how we view the Lord.

There are those who come with a child like curiosity. The child did not understand things such as lift, aerodynamics, thrust, speed and altitude. Much too complicated for a child. They just like the size and the color scheme of the airplane. And, in a similar way, there are those who do not understand how the Old Testament fits in with the New Testament, like puzzle pieces. They do not understand types, shadows, Jewish customs, Roman history or even the history of the Biblical books. They just love Jesus. They love those stories about healings. They love how kind He was. They love how He was not afraid, even when standing alone facing the cross. They love that He offers forgiveness and hope. They come to the Lord with a sense of awe and curiosity. Their faith may not run deep, but it is strong.

Then there are those who have spent a lifetime studying the Bible. They know many things about Biblical languages. They understand the dispensations and how one thing led to the next thing. They come to the Bible with great academics. They love the Lord, but they see different things. They see depth, transitions, and connections. Their faith is deep and rich. They understand God’s great plan. It is these who preach to us and teach our classes. They spend hours upon hours thinking, studying, looking up words and finding wonderful ways to express them to us. Sitting before them is like being in a classroom. As they teach and preach, we are busily taking notes of what they say. Congregations are blessed to have those who have such depth and knowledge in the word of God.

Two people looking at the same thing. One sees a big plane and the other is looking at the mechanics of the plane. One is curious and the other is concerned. One is fascinated and the other is careful. Two ways of looking. Sometimes we can be disappointed with the child like faith. We can think that it is so simplistic that it misses things. But, there are times the academic loses the curiosity that the child has. The child can see things that the grown up overlooks and takes for granted.

We should always strive to lower our nets deeper into the knowledge of God’s word. We must never be satisfied. The more we know, the more we become. The more we understand, the more the doors of hope are opened. Challenging Bible classes with depth is a must for a growing congregation. Leaders that are always learning and growing is a must for a congregation to have any future. Spend time thinking, looking, sharing and learning. Take notes when you hear others teach and preach. Investigate and see things on your own.

But at the same time, never lose that child like curiosity. It is the child that will ask dozens and dozens of questions. His mind sees the beauty, the fascination and the love of the Lord. He may not be able to answer the deep questions of life, but He knows the Lord and He loves the Lord. He may have more emotion than knowledge, but knowledge without feeling is dry and lifeless. It is that child-like faith that will cause some to cry during a hymn. In our quest to be accurate and truthful, some have left their feelings out of their faith. Look at the two men who traveled with Jesus to Emmaus. Their hearts were burning within them. They had knowledge and emotion.

There was a moment at the airport, when the pilot looked away from the window and looked at the little boy. The little boy looked away from the window and looked at the pilot. The two of them smiled at each other. I smiled.

Among us at worship will be those who are like that little boy. And, with us will be those like that pilot. Looking at the same Jesus, but looking with different perspectives, backgrounds and depth. Don’t be ashamed that you do not know what others do. Count it a blessing that you have those people in your life and draw from their knowledge. But, don’t ever forget that faith leads to feelings and those feelings are important. The Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing, Luke tells us in Acts. The Philippians were told to rejoice always.

Our worship hour is not a college lecture. It is more than dispensing information. It is honoring, praising and glorifying the Lord that loved us enough to save us from our sins.

A child and a pilot…we need both views.

Roger

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Jump Start # 2875

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2875

Jeremiah 29:1 “Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”

Jeremiah wrote a letter. It was an important letter. It was for the people of Judah who were no longer in Judah. They had been taken captive. They were in the foreign land of Babylon. Psalms 137 says the people of Babylon wanted the Jews to sing some of their songs. But they couldn’t. How could they sing while they were being held captive and their beloved city was in ruins.

Jeremiah’s letter was important. It would address how the people of God were to act in a hostile and foreign place. There was very little in common between the people of God and Babylon. How were they to act as exiles? Were they to wait for a chance to break free in the middle of the night? Were they to try to overthrow the government? Or, were they simply counting down the days like a prisoner in jail?

And, immediately we ought to see a common parallel to us. While we are not held captive, we find very little in common with the people around us. The government is not a friend to faith. How are we to act while we are here? This past year has shown worldwide riots, the destruction of property and the most hateful things spread on social media. Here in a foreign land, how are we to act?

First, the Jews were to be a blessing to Babylon. They did this my making improvements. They were to build houses, plant gardens, marry and raise families. They were to seek the welfare of the city. That word “welfare” is from the Hebrew ‘Shalom’ meaning peace, health, prosperity. While in Babylon, they were not to be a pain to the government. They were not to cause trouble. They did not have to be watched. In fact, not only was it good for the Jews to be there, they were a blessing to Babylon.

That’s a thought for us. It is good that we disciples are here. We are to make improvements by illustrating obedience, integrity and hard work. We show the heart of a servant. We raise godly families. We pray for our leaders, even the ones we disagree with. We make improvements to the world we live in. It is good that we have been here. We are not to cause trouble. We are not to act in such a way that someone must watch our every move. We are to be a blessing. It is good that we have been here.

Second, Jeremiah’s letter reminded the Jews that they were not to forget God’s promises. Babylon wasn’t their home, Jerusalem was. One day they would be coming back there. One day the captivity would end. Be a blessing here, while you keep you eye on that home God has for you.

And, that is the same for us. While here, we are a blessing. We are helpful, engaged and encouraging. But, we never lose sight of that heavenly home. This world is not our home. We must never forget that. That influences how we treat others. That impacts how we care for others. And that is demonstrated by our hope to be with the Lord.

Here and there—that’s the concept. While here, be a blessing. However, our hearts want us to be there, with the Lord.

Some folks are so concerned about earth that they become like the world. They are conformed to the world. They are defined by the world. They are like the world. In becoming that way, they have taken their eyes off that Heavenly home.

Yet, others can be so heavenly focused that they are no earthly good. And, in becoming like this, they miss the essence of Jesus Christ. He made others better. He did that by healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons. He did that by showing people grace and forgiveness. He did that by filling hungry bellies and bringing hope to hopeless people. Jesus made a difference while here.

Here and there—powerful concepts. Often times, we don’t do well with here or there. We forget to be a blessing here and we take our eyes off of where we are going. You leave your mark where you have been. At school, years later teachers remember certain students. After an employee has moved on to another job or retired, some still remember him and his example. The same goes after we leave a congregation.

Be a blessing here and be hopeful for the home to come…all of this from a letter. But, what a letter it was!

Roger

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Jump Start # 2874

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 2874

  Mark 5:41 “And taking the child by the hand, He said to her, ‘Talitha kum!” (which translated means, ‘Little girl, I say to you arise!”).

I was at a funeral the other day. The dear soul that passed away was in his high 80’s. He had a long legacy of faithfulness and goodness in the Lord. It was a treasure to see a spiritual family honor one of God’s children. The casket was open. The preacher was doing a fine job highlighting the steps of faithfulness that this grand soldier of the cross had taken. As I listened and as I watched the thought came to be about resurrections. Our verse today is one of the N.T. resurrections.

I had never thought about this before, but have you ever considered the ages of the people raised from the dead. Here in our verse, the girl was twelve years old. In Luke, Jesus interrupted a funeral procession. A widow was burying her only son. Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you arise.” There we have it again, “young man.” Then there was Lazarus. We are not told how old he was. Somehow I just assumed and imagined that he was likely around the age of Jesus, probably in his 30’s. The person who fell out of the window and was raised to life by Paul was a young man. Elisha raised a boy from the dead. The one exception may be Dorcas, raised by Peter. There is no indication of how old she was.

Why mostly if not completely young people? Why were there no 80 year-olds raised? Now I can build some reasons why I think only young people, but the Bible doesn’t say. Even though my arguments might make sense, especially to me, they stand upon my suppositions and not the word of God.

So, here are some thoughts running through all of this:

First, it is imperative that one allows the Bible to speak for itself. Don’t be reading between the lines. Don’t be making things up based upon how you feel or see things. Don’t be speaking for God. Deuteronomy tells us that the secret things belong to God. Whole systems of ideas and faiths can be built upon our imaginations and not the word of God. When I was in college I had some studies with the cultic group Moonies. In their writings, they concluded that the “forbidden fruit” that Adam and Eve ate was sexual sin. Their basis was because God covered them with animal skins, covering up the areas of sin. I remember asking one of the Moonies, “Weren’t they married? How could they commit sexual sin when there was no one else around?” He didn’t know.

Second, it is also easy to connect dots that were never intended to be connected. Jesus raising young people wasn’t a detailed plan discussed and implemented ahead of time. I see this as being more coincidence that designed. Few things disturb us more than a hurting child. A parent would rather take a bullet than let their child suffer. Raising these young dead would fill the hearts of many with faith. The purpose of miracles wasn’t to eliminate death. If it was, then Jesus failed. The purpose was to point to the absolute authority of Christ. The devil’s greatest power is death. Jesus destroyed that. Jesus could talk to the dead and they heard and came forth.

Not every N.T. thought is connected to an O.T. image. Some are. Many are. But not all of them. We must remember that the Gentiles would not have known the O.T. Building powerful bridges from the O.T. to the N.T. is great, if the bridges are supposed to be there. Sometimes, on this side of the cross, we understand things that others on that side would not have seen.

Third, false conclusions can be manufactured from assumptions we make. If we see that only young people were raised from the dead, then one can wrongly assume, “God doesn’t care about the life of an old person.” Live or die, God won’t help an old person. As silly and off as that sounds, one ought to read what is found in many religious books these days. Wild ideas about people dying and coming back, Jesus talking directly to people, and signs, just as visible as Gideon’s being used today. How can people believe this stuff? They have just enough Bible to make them dangerous but not enough to make a difference. Our conclusions must be consistent with the rest of what the Bible teaches.

Finally, the Bible teaches and reads the same for all of us. You don’t have your view and I have my view and we both are right. That doesn’t happen in school, sports or life and especially with the Lord. The truths taught in the first century remain the same truths today. Culture and customs have changed, but truth doesn’t. What God expects remains the same today.

Resurrections—someday we’ll be raised. What a grand day that will be. Build your faith and wrap your trust around what you know from God’s word. It is that word that will change your life and make all the difference in the world.

Roger