Jump Start # 2035

Romans 2:21 “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”

It was a most strange phone call and request. Someone called wanting a friend to be baptized. That’s always exciting news. In the course of talking, it was revealed that the caller was no longer walking with the Lord. He did not feel worthy to baptize since he wasn’t right with the Lord. I asked, “What’s keeping you from getting back with the Lord?” A long, sad story about family, divorce and complicated issues followed. Then came the sobering truth, “I know I am lost. I won’t go to Heaven, but I’m trying to help others.”

How odd? How strange? I want to save others, but I, myself, won’t do what is right? It’s hard to tell others about the value of worshipping the Lord when one doesn’t worship. Our actions speak much louder than our words do. Why should someone listen to the words of someone who isn’t willing to put the Lord first. Their example shows that when at the intersection of what is hard in life, and a choice must be made between following the Lord or doing what is convenient, your example and your words, show what you have chosen.

Paul’s words to the Romans echo so true to us today. Our words sound hollow and empty when we are not willing to do what we are telling others. Preaching is easy. Living the message is what’s difficult. Standing behind a pulpit and telling others what they ought to do is much easier than showing others what to do by your godly example.

There are several layers of application:

First, in the home. Mom and dad can preach all they want about language, but what choice words do we use when upset? We can tell our kids not to watch shows that are indecent, but once they are in bed, do we watch similar shows? Practice what you preach. Kids can read inconsistencies. They can see that you tell them what to do, but then you get to do whatever you want. That’s not the way it ought to be. We must follow Christ. We don’t get to do whatever we want. We have denied ourselves, taken up our crosses and followed Him. We make it our ambition to please Him. You are setting examples in your home. Practice what you preach.

Second, in the church. Elders are to be examples to the flock. Flawless they are not, but they ought to do what they say. Preachers need to listen to their own sermons. It’s easy to find a passage about hospitality, forgiveness or being busy in the kingdom, and tell others that’s what they need to do. But are we out there setting the example for others to see. Do they see us busy? Do members ask, “I wonder what the preacher does all week, or is it obvious by your example?” There should not be expectations for some that are not there for others. The kids of preachers and elders ought to behave themselves, as well as, the kids of all the members. Young people can really set the tone for a congregation. Enthusiastic, joyful, smiling and helpful, they can put a smile on an old gump’s face. They can get others to sing out, by their example. They can be a spark plug that becomes just what we need.

Do you practice what we sing? We sing, “Bless be the tie,” about our fellowship. But is there that one person that we still refuse to talk to? We sing, “Oh, how I love Jesus,” but if the games on, I won’t be at services. Are we doing what we are singing about? You who teach another, do you not teach yourself?

Third, in our personal lives, it’s hard to help someone when we are in need of help ourselves. It’s hard to remove that speck from a brother’s eye, when there is a log sticking out of our eyes. Specks need to be removed. They irritate, bother and make things difficult to see. However, the logs in our eyes prevent us from being of much help. We don’t go to a broke family member for advice about saving money. We don’t go to an overweight co-worker for advice about diets. We don’t go to a non-Christian for advice about living for Jesus. Those things are obvious. So, when it comes to needing help with marriage, who are you going to ask? The single guy? The newlyweds? The guy who is divorced? On, the couple that has been married for decades and shows all the signs of a strong, healthy relationship? You want to grow in the Lord. Who do you ask? The person who barely comes on Sunday? Some website you find on Google? One of the elders, who has demonstrated decades of devotion, teaching and experience in the Lord?

Those of us that preach and teach realize that the toes that we step on the most are our own. Our words echo not just through our ears, but through our hearts. The words that we teach will either pull us away from temptation or they will close our hearts and we live the life of a hypocrite. Some have done that. It shocks the congregation, but long before the truth came out, there was distance being made between what they were saying and what they were doing. They were not believing what they were telling others.

The words of that phone call stayed with me for a long time. “I know I’m lost.” Why won’t you do something about it? It’s not like having a terminal disease and nothing more can be done. He didn’t have to be lost. He held his eternity in his hands. He had the opportunity to turn the course of his life. The choices for him were too great to make.

You that teach, do you not teach yourself? Solemn words. Words that we do well to dwell upon. Words that can make a difference in our lives. The first pupil, the first student, the first person in the pew, is ourselves. If we can’t change ourselves, how will we change others? If our words do not move us, they will never move others. It begins with self.

Roger

Jump Start # 1789

Romans 2:21 “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?”

Consistency is one of the thoughts that comes from our verses today. Paul, in writing about the Jews, shows how they were good to say one thing but they failed to listen to what they were saying. They didn’t do what they were telling others. They didn’t practice what they preached. Their words and their own actions didn’t match. They talked the talk but didn’t walk the walk. Very pointedly Paul says, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

There are some lessons we can take from Paul’s words:

First, it is easier to tell others what to do than it is for you to do it yourself. It’s easier to preach a sermon than it is to live what you preached. Telling others is a lot easier than fixing your own life. We can often see what others need to change more than we can see what we need to change. We find safe and ready excuses to keep us from changing, all the while, expecting the other person to drop what he is doing and make immediate changes. I suppose this is why judging is such a problem among Christians. We are so quick to pull out the radar gun and point it at others but never look in the mirror ourselves at our own failures. There is a place for judging. But too often, it is out of place and our critical words are not offered to help but rather to crush and destroy.

Second, talking is always easier than doing. That’s true in about all areas of life. We can talk a good game, but putting that in practice, that’s tough. Consider the subject of dieting. Easy to talk about it. Tough to do it, especially when you have a donut in your hand. The same goes for saving money. It’s easy to map out a savings plan on paper, but the impulsive buying at the store, kills that budget. It’s easier to talk about what we need to do than it is to do it. Churches can be like that. They can spend quarter after quarter studying every aspect of evangelism. They can have all the answers in case someone asks a question. They learn how to answer every “ism” from Calvinism to Premillennialism. Some even have role playing just to practice. But sooner or later, break from huddle and play the game. Just go do it. Evangelize. Invite. Engage in conversations. Talking is easy. Get to doing it. Making plans can be the same way. Plan this. Plan that. Map everything out. Sooner or later, you have to start doing things. Talking is always easier than doing.

Third, consistency is hard. When we are not consistent, people notice. This is where the charge of being a hypocrite comes in. It is easier to be a Christian on Sunday than it is the other days of the week. It is also easier being a Christian when around other Christians, than when you are by yourself or surrounded by those who are not Christians. It’s easy to think about God at worship. It’s hard to remember when at a ballgame, in the middle of a meeting at work, or engaged in a political discussion with someone. When we forget, we often make mistakes. It is during those moments that we say things that we shouldn’t. We forget. Then we have to apologize. Our lights didn’t shine so bright during those moments. It is at those times that our influence and impact with others takes a hit. A month of church services can be lost in a few minutes of inconsistency. Someone sees us losing our temper at work or sees us being dishonest in selling things, their impression of us changes. They wonder about everyone else at church. Are they all like this? It’s hard to bounce back when you have been inconsistent. It hurts the most at home. Kids are smart. They see things. They see us in worship but then they see us at home. Sometimes those images are not the same. Sometimes they wish the person at worship came home rather than the other person we appear to be. I knew a man who served as a shepherd in the church and he often came home and literally beat his wife. Those hidden secrets came out. It sure changed my impression of him. I couldn’t move past the idea that he could stand before the people of God and teach and then at home strike his wife. Inconsistent and wrong.

How does one remain consistent? How does a person act the same all the time? It was Wesley who said about preachers, “some are so noble that they should never leave the pulpit; and some, once they leave the pulpit are so vile that they should never return to the pulpit.” He was driving at consistency.

Consistency is a faith issue. That’s where it begins. A person believes in Christ and loves the Lord. The devotion is not to the church, but to Christ. Everywhere he goes, he is a Christian. Every day of the week, he is a Christian. There is never a time and never a place when he can forget that he belongs to Christ. That spirit and that behavior may cost him a sale. It may cause him to lose a job. It may lead to losing some friends. But even if it does, he belongs to Christ. Always!

From that, a person must always be thinking spiritually. Always. Set your mind on things above—is more than a great motto for a church bulletin, it is the way it is for the consistent Christian. He is always thinking spiritually. Every action. Every person. Every move is measured by those thoughts. He considers his influence. He considers his reputation. He considers how to shine his light for the Lord. He considers consequences. Little, if any thing, is done spur of the moment, spontaneously. He is thinking. Before he raises his hand in a Bible class to offer a comment, he has thought through what he wants to say. He makes sure that his comment won’t hurt others. Before he sends texts, hits the like button on Facebook, he is thinking about how that will be perceived, first by Christ, and then by others. He is the same on Sunday as he is on a Friday night.

The opposite of consistency is someone who is two-faced. They may be one way to some and a different way to another. The chameleon is a great example of this. Sitting on something dark, his skin looks dark. Next to something light and he turns lighter. He is always changing to blend in with the surroundings. That works great for chameleons, but it’s a terrible way to live as a Christian. It won’t work. It will backfire and he will be so miserable. Too much guilt to do what his worldly friends are doing, but too much world in him to do everything that the Christians are doing. He is a man without a country. Miserable on both ends. He is inconsistent.

Do you listen to what you are saying? Are you walking as you talk?

Consistent—the Jews weren’t. Are you?

Roger

Jump Start # 916

Romans 2:21 “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”

Our verse today comes from a section of arguments that Paul makes toward Jews. They boasted in the law, yet did not keep the law. The very law that they thought justified them, actually declared them guilty. They said one thing and did another.

From that, I want to look at one secondary thought.

First, consistency is important. Saying one thing, but doing another, especially when demanding that someone else has to do something, and we ourselves do not do that, kills whatever message you are trying to teach. People see that. Parents need to be consistent. Kids will quickly learn that mom has a lot of bark but no bite to what she says. They will ignore what parents say because they never follow through. Consistency.

The inconsistent one often judges others while making excuses for himself. He has little tolerance for the disobedience of others, but somehow always has a reason why he can’t do the same. One of our greatest teaching tools is our example. What we do often speaks louder than what we say. Follow the leader works much better than the leader telling but not doing. Jesus was the best at leading by example. He shows us how to pray. He shows us how to be a servant. He shows us compassion and how to use God’s word. Jesus did and Jesus said. We have so many hymns about following Jesus. It is the “Footprints of Jesus” that we follow. Consistency—making our speech and our actions match.

Consistency means simply that, being consistent. It’s easy to leave the church building on a Sunday, all pumped up and full of “let’s do this” type of thinking. But by mid-week all the air has leaked out of us and we are back to old ways. Consistent. We speak of that in wedding vows. One promises the other to love in sickness and in health, in riches or in poverty. Those are NOT options one chooses. The groom doesn’t say, “I’ll take the health and the riches part.” He loves. He loves no matter what. His love is constant and consistent. He loves in good times and hard times.

This is how our faith should be. “Fair weather” Christians is a term that describes those who have faith and obedience in good times, but can’t be found in hard times. It’s the suffering and valleys of life that show our dedication to the Lord. It’s the times when we are alone. It’s the times when we can get away with not being so “religious” that determine if we are really consistent or just full of talk. Consistently following God. Consistently devoted to the Word. Consistently praying.

Paul used the expression, “in season and out of season” to define how Timothy was to preach. Consistent. Hunters know what “out of season” means. Those who love fruits and vegetables understand what “out of season” means. I love watermelon. I love homegrown Indiana watermelon. You can’t find Indiana watermelon in January. It’s out of season. In reference to preaching, Paul wanted Timothy to be consistent. Don’t change your message because of the crowd. Don’t preach things that are safe and easy. Preach Christ. Some audiences will love it. Some won’t. Preach it. Consistent. That’s the key.

The hard thing about consistency is being consistent. Things happen and we use those things to be inconsistent. Company comes. The weather turns foul. There’s a lot of demands at work. You’re tired. You’re cranky. All of those things filter into our thinking and find a place so we don’t have to be consistent. Before long, we are standing right beside those Jews that Paul was writing about in our Roman passage. We say one thing and do something else.

I’m seeing that consistency is harder for younger couples. Not sure why. It seems the little things get to them and they are hit and miss with the Lord. Older couples, with all their aches and pains, seem more steady. Maybe it’s because the older generation is retired and has more time. Maybe it’s because the older generation has weathered so many storms and has benefited from the Lord helping them, that they know to keep on keeping on.

The work of far too many preachers has been ruined because they chose not to live what they were preaching. Their immoral sins usually catch up with them and a scandal and embarrassment fills the church. All their good is forgotten. They leave as a marked man and someone else has to come and try to get everyone else back on focus. This sad tale has been repeated over and over throughout this country. Consistency. Listening to your own sermons.

Consistency is where growth comes from—whether financial, intellectual or spiritual. There is not one sermon that will answer all questions and give you everything you need. But a steady diet of learning, growing, reading and one will have a powerful faith.

Consistency. Does that describe you? Do others know you for always being honest? Do others see you as a regular worshipper of God? Do others know that you will not talk nasty nor gossip. Steady. Consistent. Always. Faithful. Counted upon.

It all starts with today. Today I will…

Roger