Jump Start # 4000
Mark 3:13 “And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him.”
Today is a major milestone in our Jump Start journey. Today marks number 4000. Unbelievable. There are so many that have been reading Jump Starts for a long time. Jump Starts began in 2010 as a little exercise and experiment for our home congregation. NEVER did I expect to still be doing these sixteen years later, nor did I ever expect to be writing the volume that I have. A typical Jump Start article is about 950 words. That means I have written around 3.8 million words.
I first want to thank the wonderful church family at Charlestown Road for supporting and funding this project all these years. The eldership has gone through several changes but the positive support has always been there. I need to thank you, the core readership of these Jump Starts. Every week new names are added and few drop off but we have maintained a steady readership that hovers around 3,000. Many pull the Jump Starts off our website and others go to the Facebook page. Still others are copying and sending them to their own group of friends. All told, it is easy to think that nearly 4,000-5,000 people are getting these every day.
Jump Starts has become a big part of my life. It takes about 30 minutes in the morning for me to write one. I don’t view this as something I have to do. It has become rather easy and for some reason the bucket of ideas rarely runs dry. The Lord deserves the honor for using me in this simple way.
I will be retiring from Charlestown Road in August. My wife and I will be moving to the Noblesville-Fishers area, on the north side of Indianapolis. It is there that we will find what the next chapter will be in our lives. I hope to continue to write and this Spring I will be changing formats as I take over the administration of Jump Starts.
As I thought about this milestone in our Jump Starts today, I wondered what milestones we’d find in the Bible.
Here is a quick list I came up with:
· The completion of the ark was a milestone. No more hammering and sawing. The boat was finished. Decades of work was now completed.
· The dedication of Solomon’s temple was a major milestone. David had planned it and financed it. Solomon pulled everything together and finally, there was that enormous worship and dedication of what was completed.
· The calling of the apostles was another milestone. As our verse states today, Jesus called the ones He wanted. He finally had all twelve. That was the number. That’s what He wanted. They were often called, “the Twelve.”
· The words from the cross, ‘It is finished,’ was the ultimate milestone of the Bible. Prophets had told about the coming Messiah. Jesus had shown that He was God on earth. And, the monumental moment was His death upon the cross. With that death and resurrection, atonement was made for our sins, the devil was defeated, and hope was made sure.
· The completion of God’s word was another milestone. Those early Christians needed spiritual gifts to know what we have in our hands, the complete word of God. They needed knowledge to guide them. As the last sentences of Revelation are penned, ‘Come, Lord Jesus,’ God now speaks through His word.
We all have milestones in our lives.
· The last child out of diapers. What a relief and what a cost savings that is.
· The last child graduates and moves out of the house.
· Your retirement
· The end of your journey here.
One day we’ll have our final Jump Start. This writing journey will end. We hope that it has been worth it and that it has accomplished some good. If the Lord allows, someone else will find a way to encourage brethren and help others know the Lord. As technology advances, it’s hard to know what avenue or platform that will be, but there will always be a need to teach, to encourage, to answer, and to help each other on this wonderful and joyful journey to our God.
Thank you!
Roger