Brown's Daily Word 5-12-11

Good morning,
The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday. It was a gorgeous and glorious day. Praise the Lord for the way He makes our souls full with His matchless beauty. The Lord blessed our Wednesday Evening fellowship and study.
Whenever I take a long walk I wear my "Nike" sneakers. I have put quite a few miles on them. This word " Nike"has an interesting history. "Nike" is the Greek word which means literally, "Victory", or "He Conquers", or "He overcomes". In fact, in Greek mythology, Nike was the goddess of victory. Often people spell my last name as" Nike". My family name is " Naik". It means, in Indian languages, " Leader". "Naik" is also one of the ranks in the Indian Army. The company which selected the word Nike as its symbol knew of the strength of its meaning.
This same word or derivatives of it appear often in the pages of the Bible, especially in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. The words "he that overcomes" have their origin in the Greek word "Nike". Since the Bible speaks often about "Overcomers" we ought to pay attention to who these they are and how we can recognize them. The apostle John spoke about overcomers in the Gospel according to John, in his letters, and in the Book of Revelation. In these he identifies who the overcomers are.
The overcomers are led by the Overcomer of the world. Jesus referred to himself as an overcomer in John 16:33 when he spoke to his disciples, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." We discover that Jesus is the chief overcomer and that the other overcomers follow his example and receive their power from Him.
In I John 4:4 John tells us, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. Christ gives the power to overcome to anyone in whom he dwells. This means that any Christian has the power to overcome. John confirms this in I John 5:5 when he writes, "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God?" We know that Jesus Christ has overcome the world and has given that same ability to everyone who belongs to him. We are like our master. He has overcome, and we have the power to overcome because of Him.
They (overcomers) are Born of God and have a victorious faith. John reveals another aspect of the overcomers in I John 5:4 when he writes, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Those who are born again are overcomers. God plants his seed in them which is His Holy Spirit. The result is that they are given the resident power of God’s presence and nature. He gives everything they need to live godly lives and overcome Satan (II Peter 1:3-4).
We are warned in Romans 12:21 to not allow ourselves to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with Good. The problem here is worse than just committing sins. The person described here is in bondage. He is a slave to sin. In II Peter 2:19-20 the subject at hand is false teachers who deceive Christians. Peter warns, "They promise them freedom, while they themselves are the slaves of depravity - for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and again are entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were in the beginning."
This teaches us that the overcoming is more than just a nice option for the Christian. This is how we share in Christ’s nature. We are overcomers because Jesus is the overcomer. Those who are born of God overcome because it is their nature to do so.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/byIpfEVxhs4

Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott

Saturday, May 14, 2011

12 Noon Women's Banquet
Location: Union Center UMC , 128 Maple Drive Endicott,
Speaker: Linda Ayer
6 PM Coffee Fellowship( First UMC Enicott, )

6:30 PM Worship Service Worship Music: Aric Phinney and the worship team
Speaker: Craig Sabin.