Jump Start # 2472

Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.”

I’ve been reading a book about the career journey of Robert Iger, CEO of Disney. Driven, calculated and risk taking, his career steps took him higher and higher up the corporate ladder and along the way he learned how to lead effectively. This is why I am reading this book. I want to look into the minds and hearts of leaders and learn from them.

There is a simple statement in one of the early chapters, “No one wants to follow a pessimist.” Gloom and doom won’t bring positive results. This is true in the corporate world, just as it is true in the church, and also, in the home. And, our verse today brings that to mind.

The word “Gospel” means, “Good News.” Go into all the world with GOOD NEWS. Now, one has to understand what is behind this and what comes before this. The Scriptures teach that we have all sinned. The Scriptures teach that we cannot save ourselves. The Scriptures teach that we are Hell bound. We are in trouble and there’s nothing we can do about it. That’s the backdrop to our verse. Jesus came. He paid the price for our salvation. He redeemed up, saved us, and reconciled us to God. There is hope, because of Jesus.

Rather than going into all the world with the message, “You are not going to make it, “ God declared, “GOOD NEWS.” Actually, it’s the best news. Things can change, because of Jesus. Heaven is possible because of Jesus.

And, just what was “good” about this good news?

First, God, through the blood of Jesus, was doing what we could not do. He was forgiving us and saving us. We can’t do that on our own. We can’t be good enough. What’s been done has been done and that’s the problem. What do you do about sin? It doesn’t go away after time. It doesn’t just all balance out in the end. It doesn’t work that way. Sin must be removed. The expressions, “remission of sins,” and, “wash away your sins,” were words that the world had never heard before. Sins can be removed. This was great news.

Second, God’s good news was extended to every person on the planet. It wasn’t just for the best. It wasn’t for those who could afford it. Every continent…every nation…every city…every street…every house…every person in that house. From kings to peasants. From the famous to the unknown, the saving message of God was available to all. Not everyone can go to college. It’s not for everyone. Not everyone can afford a house. Not everyone can travel. Not everyone makes the honor roll. Not everyone plays varsity. However, God’s news, the good news, is for everyone. It is not just available to everyone, but it’s the one thing that everyone needs. Not everyone needs medicine. Not everyone needs a vacation. But everyone needs the Gospel. Even to the person who has everything and he believes there is nothing that he needs, he still needs God’s good news.

Third, God’s message is the same for everyone. There is not an African message and then an American message. The message of the first century is the message of the twenty-first century. What Lydia was told down by the river, what the Ethiopian was told on that deserted road, what Peter told the Pentecost audience, what Paul told the Ephesians, is the same message that you and I hear. It doesn’t change with time. What saved people then is what saves people today. Few things remain the same through the years. Publications stop. Stores close. Roads are changed. Nothing seems to stay the same, except God’s message. It’s the same. It still works.

Fourth, this good news is what needs to be preached and promoted by preachers and churches. The Good News must be taught. So many places have forgotten their mission. It’s not providing drinking water to third world countries. It’s not providing a safe haven for kids to play. It’s not about getting your finances in order. It’s the saving message of Jesus Christ. God did not tell the apostles to go into all the world and clean up politics. He didn’t tell them to go and protest against unfairness. The church wasn’t a voice for the abused and the homeless. It was the sounding board for Good News. The saving message of Jesus Christ is what we are about. And, that message is the theme of the Bible. Therefore, what the church is about, is the Bible. Churches today, do everything and anything but teach the Bible. Many leaders in these churches do not even understand the message themselves. Back to the book we must go. Drop all the psychology, mental awareness programs and teach the good news of Jesus Christ.

Finally, this message must be heard. It won’t save anyone locked away in a box. The Lord told the apostles to go. Get out there and tell others. They walked. They road in chariots. They sailed the ocean blue. They preached. They wrote. They taught others how to teach. And, today, we use every available tool we have to get this message out. Facebook. Twitter. Email. One on One. Face to face. Pulpits. Classrooms. Print. Video. Get the message to the people. There is good news. God hasn’t given up on us. God is giving us another chance. God is showing us how to do things right this time.

No one wants to follow a pessimist. One must wonder if we are making the good news bad. Let’s put some sunshine back into our messages, our faces and our worship. Good news has come from Heaven. Be thankful for that!

Roger

Jump Start # 2449

Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

It’s getting close to election time. Political signs are in yards. Our mailboxes are stuffed with postcards telling us why one candidate is better than another. Political ads fill commercial time on TV. And, behind each candidate, whether it’s for a local office or all the way up to the presidential office, there is a team of PR people, a network of fund raisers and experts in planning, writing speeches, and arranging public appearances. There is a whole team behind every candidate.

Now, we look to our verse today, the spread of the Gospel message into all the world and we notice a completely different plan. Jesus mapped out the direction they were to go. First, Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, then unto all the world. The book of Acts shows that plan fulfilled. The Holy Spirit would reveal what was to be said. The apostles were witnesses to the resurrected Christ and had the power of miracles to open the closed eyes of an unbelieving world.

But, how differently the spread of the Gospel was as compared to running a political campaign. The flow of money wasn’t there for the apostles. They didn’t have a network of people printing and running their stories to the press. They didn’t have front men who were arranging interviews and setting up private fund raising dinners. There were no signs in the yards. There were no bumper stickers on chariots. There were no flyers be posted on buildings or things being mailed to individuals. No TV. No internet. No texting. No Twitter. No Facebook. You’d think that God would have delayed all of this until these things had been invented, but He didn’t.

Imagine what would have happened had God given a miracle to every person in the first century. Every disease cured. Every hardship fixed. Every broken heart mended. Every person had at least one problem taken care of. The entire world would have flocked to Jesus and the entire world would have believed. It was within the possibility of God. He could have done that. But He didn’t.

No PR men. No massive budgets. No behind the scene team of workers. Just the apostles, with the few miracles that they did and their voices was enough to spread the message of salvation into the known world. And, with this we must see how God believed in the power of voice, conviction and truth. The combination of those three were enough to turn a world upside down as some claimed. And, it is those same three elements, voice, conviction and truth, that you and I have available today. It is those same three items that turns a sinner from his ways to the grace of Jesus Christ. It worked then and it still works today.

We get ads all the time from church growth experts who want to sell a program that is guaranteed to increase the membership of your church. Those fads and gimmicks probably work. They may increase the size of a congregation, but nothing will make a disciple of Jesus other than the preached word from a convicted heart that is built upon truth. Jesus did not tell the apostles to go into the world and make megachurches. He didn’t say fill the buildings. His desire was to have disciples, hearts that belonged to Jesus. Those who were willing to change, learn and become. A lot of folks go to church on Sunday but they never have changed, never will change and on top of that, they don’t have the desire to change. They are convinced that if you sprinkle a little religion on top of their lifestyle, that’s all that matters. Jesus knew differently.

This plan of going into all the world and preaching the Gospel was first experienced by the demon possessed man. He was cured. He wanted to follow Jesus. The Lord told him to go report to your people what great things the Lord has done for you. Voice, conviction and truth. He didn’t have to sit through thirteen weeks of a class to learn how to do evangelism. He didn’t have an arm full of tracts to pass out or even a few sermon CD’s to give to others. He had, what the apostles had, what you and I have, a voice, conviction and the truth.

Tell your people what great things the Lord has done for you. Could you do that? What has God done for you? Do you recognize it? Where would you be today had it not been for Jesus? I thought about that the other day while driving. I’m so blessed. I have a great family. We love each other. We talk all the time. Everyone is busy in the kingdom. How that story would be different if I wasn’t a Christian. I wonder if I would be an alcoholic. Living where I do, there seems to be more bourbon than there is oxygen. How easily it would be to get addicted to that. And, that would have been just the beginning. The booze likely would have led to a divorce. Nasty, painful and ugly are three words that follow divorce. My kids likely would be messes as well. I wonder how many relationships I would have flown threw by now. I wonder if I would have had a serious disease because of drinking and running around. I expect I would be bitter, miserable and never understanding the power of forgiving others. I definitely would be selfish. Pride would be high on my list of achievements. The people I know and love wouldn’t know me and without their impact in my life, I would be all the worse. And death, would scare me.

What has God done for me? He has changed my life. He has given me hope, peace, salvation and a future. He has driven the fear of death out of me. He has given me confidence, joy and surrounded me with the greatest people on the face of the earth—His people. He has filled my heart with His word. He has changed my thinking. He has rewired the way I look at things. He has given me a reason to serve others. He has led me to take my eyes off of myself and to see good in all people.

What has God done for me? He has made me who I am. And, with voice, conviction and truth, the world was shown Jesus Christ. This is what God sent the apostles with. This is what the demon possessed man had. And, this is what you and I have. We can invite our neighbors, tell our friends and share with our families what God has done for us. It’s not about the church. It’s more than which church one ought to attend. It’s about Jesus Christ. Open your heart and open your eyes and see the goodness of God in your life. Answered prayers. Grace. Forgiveness. Better attitudes. Opportunities. Contentment. A home awaiting you with Him.

“Well, I’m not any good at personal evangelism,” you say. God says, “go tell your people what the Lord has done for you.” You can do that. You ought to do that. If you can’t think of anything, then it’s time to stop and count your blessings.

Go into all the world…what a simple plan. It still works today!

Roger

Jump Start # 2320

Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

This week I received an email with several photos attached to it. There were two black men in the pictures. One I did not know. The other, I have had a few email exchanges with. The pictures came from Uganda, Africa. The man I did not know was from Kenya. In the photo they are holding up copies of our Jump Start books. Through a contact here in America I was asked to send some material to the Ugandan preacher. He since requested a bunch more so that he could share them with other preachers. This is how the Kenyan preacher got some of the material. I looked at those photos for a long time. There on the front of those class books and Jump Start books was my name. Who would have thought. It made me think of my simple grandfather. He was a poor but decent Christian who lived and died in the same county that he was born in. And here, a couple of generations later, some Africans are using material that I wrote. That is amazing to me.

Our verse today reminds us of the global vision that we need to have. It was directed towards the apostles specifically, but the principles trickle down to each of us. There was a time, not too long ago, especially in my grandfather’s time, when “the world” was basically the community surrounding the church building. That was the extent of most evangelism. Occasionally, a congregation would send some money to a preacher who was in other places and once in a long while, they would send money to a preacher overseas. Other than sending out a monthly check, the “going into all the world,” didn’t happen much. Later, some preachers started traveling to different places overseas to preach. The world started getting smaller. And today, because of technology, the world has fallen into our grasps.

The Lord said in the Gospel of Luke, ‘to whom much is given, much is required.’ I wonder about that, not just individually, but congregationally. Will the Lord, does the Lord, expect more of us in this generation than He did of those in my grandfather’s generation? With a few strokes of a keyboard, I can send articles, sermons, class info world wide. Without ever leaving my house, I can go into all the world.

Now, with this comes some thoughts we need to consider:

First, we preachers need to think globally. It’s more than going overseas, and that’s powerful, but in providing the tools, the materials and the knowledge in the hands of brethren that can help them in their work. So, when we write Bible class material, write it with a global impact in mind. Make your material top notch. Clean up the mistakes and typos. Print in color if you can. Bind up the lessons into a booklet. Many hours went into researching and writing those classes. Put an attractive cover on those lessons and send them to young preachers and your contacts overseas.

Second, through websites, Facebook, and other avenues of social media, put quality material that is easy to find. Build search engines into the websites so people looking for a specific topic can find it. Don’t be stingy with your material and your work. Don’t sell everything that you put out. Make it possible for others to learn, grow and be equipped.

Third, as you do this, there comes a large shift in your work. Suddenly, you’ll find emails, texts, phone calls, and requests that start coming in from all over the world. You realize that most of these people will never attend where you preach. However, the kingdom is larger than just where you preach. If you are helping a soul, isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing? Congregations need to appreciate, be kept up to date and understand the global impact a church can have. This isn’t about making a name. This isn’t about promoting yourself. This is about helping the kingdom grow. This is about helping people learn the Bible. We have so many tools over here that folks in most of the world do not. Copy machines, computers, study materials, books—these are things at our finger tips. Most preachers overseas have only one Bible and that’s it. We have shelves lined with books. We have all kinds of tools. Help others with what you have. Many are now having live Bible studies over their computers with people overseas. It’s a wonderful opportunity to teach and help people grow in the Lord.

Fourth, going into all the world always takes money. It did back then for the apostles and it does for us today. For the apostles, going into the world meant either traveling in person, or writing a letter. Both took months and months to reach the desired destination. Today, emails can be sent rapidly within an hour world wide. Printing material takes money. Having quality material on a website takes money. Sending things overseas takes money. A congregation can get involved by first providing the money necessary to do these things. But in other ways, people can get involved by helping box and mail material. Others can keep the website up to date and fresh.

Fifth, in becoming a global church, we must never forget nor neglect the neighborhood around us. Nothing beats the personal, face to face Bible study. We must continue to invite family and friends to worship. We must keep setting the right example before others. We must pray that the Lord will wear us out in service to the kingdom.

It bothers me that so many congregations today do not want to use social media. No website. No Facebook. No twitter. And, often it’s older leaders that do not understand how the world operates today. Sometimes there is no one within the congregation with the knowledge of what to do. In those situations, ask around and find someone in another congregation that would be willing to help you get things going. The message of Christ never changes, but how we get that message out certainly has. In the Lord’s parable of the sower, walking through a field with a bag of seed slung over your neck is how it was done in Jesus’ day. Broadcasting—is that that was called. The sower would reach into that bag of seed and fling it out as far as he could. That method still works. It’s slow and one is limited, but it still works. Most farmers today, have massive tractors with dual wheels all around, and a planter that will plant twenty or more rows at a time. What it took a farmer all day in Jesus’ time, takes today’s farmer a couple of hours. We need to think about that. We must continue to sow the seed. That’s beyond debate and discussion. The question remains, are we going to walk through a field with a seed sack or are we going to use a multi-row planter?

Jump Starts in Uganda. When we started this little Jump Start journey a few years ago, I would have never dreamed that someone in Africa would be benefiting from what we were doing.

Simply amazing!

Roger

Jump Start # 1872

Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Our verse today, called the Great Commission, is one of the final things that Jesus said to the apostles. It was Heaven’s desire that this small band of believers would spread out, spread the message and cover the planet. Acts 1 shows the expanding circle that God intended. They were to be witnesses first in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria and even to the remotest parts of the earth.

This message meant that the apostles were going to move. For most of them, their Galilean world consisted of a few trips to Jerusalem every year. By the end of their lives they would go to places that they probably never heard of before. They would preach and preach and preach God’s saving message. Congregations were formed as listeners became obedient believers. These apostles would move on. New places. New faces. Others would follow who would help strengthen these young churches.

For those apostles long ago, going into all the world was long and hard. There was no hopping on a jet and a few hours later you are there. Long boat rides that were often dangerous and not very comfortable. The spread of the gospel was the need. It wasn’t about their safety or comfort. Jesus needed them to go. The world needed to be saved. Like ancient soldiers marching off to battle, these disciples of Jesus were out to conquer hearts for the Lord. Where all they went and what all they did is mostly left to legends or forgotten. Luke shows us the travels of one, Paul. His journeys, trials, troubles and triumphs were not much different than the others. Different places, yet, doing virtually the same things. They were making disciples of Jesus.

Today, that need of spreading the Gospel into all the world is still vital and necessary. It falls upon Christians and individual congregations to do what they can. The means of travel are much faster and easier than ever before, yet the needs remain just as great. The spread of Islam and atheism continues to cover the planet. The misery of lives broken by sin continues to swell.

There was a time when “going into all the world” predominately meant the neighborhoods surrounding the church building. A special meeting would be planned and a few on a Saturday would pass out flyers in the neighborhood or put stamps on a few hundred cards and they would be mailed out. The results were few. And the world that the church tried to reach was limited to a few blocks in the neighborhood.

Times have changed. People are the same, yet they are not. They still need Jesus. Their lives are still marred by sin. They remain confused as to why they are here and what’s this all about. But today, reaching people, communication and relationships have changed. People would rather be on social media than talk face to face. Today, fewer and fewer people read. Did you know that close to 60% of college grads never open up a book the rest of their lives? Did you know that 80% of American families have not been in a bookstore in the past five years? Newspapers are dying all across the country. Time Magazine is reduced to just a few pages every month. It’s all videos, internet and TV today. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter have replaced the old methods of sharing news. Is God’s congregations keeping up? Or are we hoping for results using old methods and outdated ideas that barely worked a generation ago? Do we continue to print and print things which no one will read?

My wife and I are planning a trip later this summer. She’s the one who does all the booking. Everything is done on line. Before we reserved a hotel, she checked it out. Looked at reviews. Looked at pictures. Compared prices. This is the way Americans operate today. They do the same with churches. Before folks come, they want to check it out. They want to listen to messages. They want to see a video. The first place they will look is the website.

Tons of congregations do not even have a website. Too many brethren do not see the value. Some are even proclaiming that it’s a waste of the Lord’s money, yet every spring and every fall they will print hundreds of flyers to put in mailboxes that will be instantly thrown away.

Too many congregations do not have a Facebook page. It’s more than just posting pictures. Let me share with you one amazing story that happened this week. We had our VBS this week. We invited a guest preacher who spoke on Sunday to kick things off. The guest preacher, just happened to be my favorite preacher, my son. Sunday evening he preached an amazing lesson on Social Media. The crowd numbered around 230. He preached. We listened. And for most places today, that’s as far as the message goes. It stays in the building. We live stream our sermons. On top of that, our brilliant media team took that sermon and pushed it out on Facebook. Within four days, 11,000 people had VIEWED that sermon. Did you see that number? 11,000. That, all within a few days. We couldn’t get 11,000 into our building. The right topic, the right speaker and some savvy media tools and the word can be spread.

Our jobs is to get the message out. We are now looking at other methods and other ways. Jump Starts is just another tool that helps get the word out. These are but bridges that will hopefully allow us to have more connections to help people find the Lord.

Simply having two Gospel meetings a year and a few flyers sitting on the back pew with the hopes that we will reach the lost doesn’t work today. Find the right preacher. Get a message that people are concerned about. Get on social media. Satan is using these tools. Why isn’t God’s people?

It’s time to get with it brethren. Open up the check book and spend some of that money to help get the message out. We are not in the banking business. Can you imagine more than 11,000 people listening to a sermon that was preached just four days ago? Isn’t it time we got with the times and found the best ways to spread the message.

Go into all the world—for those apostles that meant a boat. For preachers a couple of generations ago, that meant getting on a train. For us, it’s more than airplanes—its’ riding technology as far as it will take us. You don’t have someone in the congregation that knows social media? Talk to folks in other congregations. Hire what you need done. Quit making flyers that no one will read. Quit printing in black and white. It’s time for some color. It’s time to get with the times. Being first century Christians does not mean we use first century technology.

Go into all the world…today’s church can easily become global. To whom much is given, much is required. We have been put in a generation in which all of this at our hands. What will we do with it?

Oh, by the way, I just checked. The number of people that have viewed Sunday’s sermon is now 12,000. The number isn’t leveling off. It’s time to start these discussions. It’s time to get with it. It’s time to “Go.”

Roger

Jump Start # 1408

Mark 16:15 “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

  Our verse, found at the end of Mark’s Gospel, often called, “the great commission,” shows the extent that God intended the saving message of Jesus to be taken. Into all the world—that is every continent, that is every nation, that is every city, that is every street, that is every house and that is every person in that house. All creation is every person.

This commission was given to the apostles. This was their duty. This was their calling. Does it apply to us today? In the sense that we want all to be saved, yes it does. To the extent that we have a caring heart, it does. However, if a person lives and dies in the same county he was born in and never travels far at all, has he violated this desire of Jesus? If this is a command intended for all, then many of us are in trouble for not doing this. Legend tells us that the apostles didn’t do this. Sure they spread out. Sure they went far preaching. Peter and Paul were in Europe. Thomas it is thought made it to India. But each apostle didn’t go to all the countries. God was not expecting each one to hit all places. As a unit, the apostles were going into all the world.

Some folks go overseas to preach and teach and others don’t. Are those that don’t less than those that do? No, not at all. This is the point that I want us to think about. This is not just for preachers, but for all of us. I  know a man who is extremely talented spiritually. He is a giant. He can teach. He can preach. He is very kind, humble and thoughtful. But he is a businessman. He teaches often. He preaches when he can. He’d like to quit the business stuff and preach. He’d be good at it. However, his world is not finding some congregation that will allow him to fill the pulpit. His world is all those people he sees every day. He sees more people, has more influence and can do more good than most of us preachers. Many of us are buried with our noses in books most of the day, all by ourselves. My friend is moving among people, many people every day. What a great opportunity that is. He is sharing. He is teaching. He is changing lives. His world is the folks that he sees every day.  The same goes for the school teacher. The same goes for the guy who works with the public. Your world isn’t hoping on an airplane and flying to a remote place. Your world is the opportunities before you each day. Your world may be as close as the neighborhood. Go for a walk in the evening. Look for people. Introduce yourself. Look for opportunities to make friends, build bridges and talk about the Lord. That’s your world. Your world might be all those uncles, cousins and family members that you are around all the time. Pray for the right thing to say. Let your light shine. Realize that “your world,” may be the very people that you know and are related to.

Is it wrong to go overseas? Never. But do your homework first. Talk to others who have been to where you are going. Find out if there are contacts already there and try to connect with them. Don’t just show up and expect the locals to stop what they are doing and allow you to come and preach because you just happened to be there. That wouldn’t work in this country. A preacher just shows up and thinks that a congregation must allow him to speak, unannounced and unplanned, is just a bit too full of himself. Don’t try to make people overseas Americans. The Jewish Christians tried to make the Gentiles Jews first, and then Christians. We can try to make some Americans first. Each area has it’s own customs, respect them. For instance, in India, the women and children sit on one side of the building and the men on the other side. Don’t try to change that. The manner in which the Lord’s Supper is served varies in each country. Be careful that you don’t force our traditions or opinions upon those in a different land.

Your world. My world. God’s world. Fill it with Christ. Fill it by living the message. Fill it by being hopeful, helpful and kind. Fill it by including the outcasts. Jesus did. We have our form of lepers, tax collectors and Zacchaeus’ today. Do as Jesus would.

Go into all the world and preach. Go across the street and preach. Go across the kitchen table and preach. Our world is where ever we can find listening ears and an open heart.

Roger