Starts are essential to the goal. Whatever goal we seek we need to make a start. When we start we should have a goal for the finish. Sometimes it may be a race or sometimes it may be cleaning the house.    We start school with the anticipation of graduation. We start an employment with the anticipation of bringing home a paycheck to provide food and shelter.  Along the course between start and finish we must anticipate, as much as possible, what will be needed. The things considered may be the provisions necessary, the cost, the possible losses and the manpower requirements. A consideration for starting is that the goal or the finish is worth even starting for. In some cases when we consider the costs we see that it isn't worth starting.

    God made a start with mankind as we see in the first text. His start had a goal of fellowship with his creation. Jesus had a start. Mat. 2:1; "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?" Jesus was born in Jerusalem and started the last part of His salvation program for mankind. In Acts 1:8 "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." The apostles made a start with the Holy Spirit whom also made a start. People need to make a start on any journey or endeavor they desire. In the Gospel of Christ we must find out what is the goal and what is needed to reach the goal to determine if we should make a start.

    When we have determined our goal we have to determine our starting point to allow us to attain the goal. Since we have already ruled out starting with Buddha or Mohammed we will skip on to an appropriate starting point.  After a little reading we see the starting point is not so hard to determine. Sin separates us from God and alienates us from His grace and mercy. We will start in the gospel of Christ and the starting point is to acknowledge our own sin.

Rom. 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And Eph. 2:1-2 "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly