Brown's Daily Word 3-21-11

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for the gift of this new day. The Lord blessed us with a full and blessed weekend.
One of our ministry teams prepared a special meal and shared with the needy amongst us and around us this past Saturday noon at the First United Methodist Church. It is a blessing to come alongside those are need , those who are poor, and those who are very special to Jesus our Lord. We also gathered for Saturday evening worship at the First UMC. There were some who came for the meal Saturday noon who also joined us for Evening worship. They were a part of the Christian Motorcycle Club. They also brought special music for the evening worship.
It was great blessing to be in the House of the Lord yesterday, the Day of the Lord. We also gathered for an Indian buffet following the morning worship services. The Gospel reading for yesterday was taken from John 3. This the first "Nick at night" episode, where Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. He is the patron saint of those modern day seekers. Jesus makes a special time in the night even for one solitary person. He engages in Holy Conversation on New birth, the eternal, and Everlasting life. This portion of the Scripture contains the Golden Verse of the Bible, John 3:16.
Martin Luther called John 3:16 the miniature gospel. It has been called the
gospel in a nutshell. It has also been called a love letter from God written in blood and addressed to all. Some have divided the verse into parts such as
God’s Grace - For God so loved the world
God’s Gift - That he gave his only begotten Son
God’s Gospel - That whosoever believeth in him...
God’s Glory - But have everlasting life.

Another way to look at this verse follows
1. God - The greatest lover of all mankind since His creation.
2. So Loved - The Lord loves us in the greatest degree.
3. The World - The greatest audience.
4. That He gave - The greatest act in history occurred when the Father sent His Son, the Lord Jesus, to be a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
5. His only begotten Son - The greatest gift. 6. That whoever - The greatest opportunity.
7. Believes - The greatest simple act to gain eternal life and forgiveness and deliverance from the penalty of our sins - hell, eternal separation from God and judgment. Only believe.
8. In Him - The greatest attraction - So many things allure people through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, but these are not of the Father, but are of the world. (I John 2:15,16)
9. Should not perish - The greatest promise - Only Jesus Christ can offer assurance of salvation for those who place their faith in Him and ask Him to come into their life as Savior and Lord. When Christ assures you of deliverance from hell and misery He always delivers regardless of your background or problems.
10. But - The greatest difference - IN contrast to those who will perish, those who trust Christ for their eternal deliverance will live in eternity in heaven where all tears and sorrow will be wiped away and gladness and joy and praise of God will fill us with everlasting joy.
11. Have - The greatest certainty - You can be sure that whoever has the Son has eternal life and even though you may walk through the valleys of the shadow of death you will never have to fear evil because He is with you - comforting, protecting and guiding you all the way to heaven.
12. Eternal Life - The greatest possession
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD7H6_AnlwU

Simon Peter

A special evening worship is coming to First United Methodist Church this Saturday evening, March 26, at 6:30 PM. We will be sharing in a special kind of worship experience with the presentation of the dramatic monologue, "Simon Peter". This presentation provides us with a worship experience through sacred drama and music by sharing a part of this disciple's life with our Lord Jesus Christ. Through his monologue, Peter shares with us some of the joys and conflicts of knowing Christ as a brother, of walking and talking with Him, and of experiencing the power of His Spirit. As we listen to him we, too, can share in his agony in denial and then in his tremendous victory through forgiveness. This beautiful and inspiring dramatic monologue will be presented by Dr. James Geer, PhD, distinguished Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Binghamton University.
There will also be a meal at 5 PM preceding the presentation of "Simon Peter". The meal will be prepared by Lou Pasquale and Rodney Haines.
Please plan to attend, and invite a friend or two to come as well! .
For Information call: 607-748-6329
607-748-1358