Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. He blessed us with a beautiful Wednesday Evening gathering. It was a joyful time sharing the meal, laughter, and a time of testimonies and prayer.
I am looking this morning at Colossians 4. The New Testament tells us that the Risen Lord has now given a new kind of authority to His people in the world. Jesus has passed on his authority to us, to continue his ministry, by giving us the Holy Spirit. Paul also gave some advice about how we might go about that:
4:3-4 - Pray for us, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
4:5 – be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
4:6 – let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
As most of you know, I love spicy and salty foods. Food without salt or seasoning is boring. Our words, on the other hand, should never be dull, but full of flavor. Paul entreated readers to pray for those of us in preaching, that we will never be boring … I sometimes wonder whether one of Satan’s best tactics against Christians is to direct our minds to thinking that the only way to be holy is to be boring.
In 1998 the National Church Life Survey organization undertook a national community survey called ‘why people don’t go to church’. Of the many significant reasons that people give for not going to church, the dominant one was boredom. 42% of infrequent or non-attenders said church services are boring and unfulfilling.
We have no excuse to be boring. There is nothing boring about living in Christ. It’s gutsy. It’s subverting hierarchy, defeating Satan, healing wounds, and conquering death. It’s winning the battle, as Paul wrote in Colossians 2:15: “having disarmed the powers and authorities, Jesus made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them, by the cross.”
The way of the cross certainly is not glamorous, but it is the way to life, and if anyone ever was qualified to talk about it, it was Paul. Even as he wrote this letter from prison, with his own hand, he signed off from prison by saying, “Remember my chains.” We do well to remember the chains of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Every time we remember Jesus’ sacrifice, we might remember the millions worldwide who have suffered for the gospel – even those named in this letter: Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Onesimus, Luke, Demas, Archippus …. and all those who are lost in history, but who are remembered in heaven. We may especially remember all the women, children, and slaves, whom the Scriptures don’t name, but who have been salt to the earth, and who have shared in the sufferings of Jesus.
This morning I remember one of my former students, whose name is Mathew. He was trained as a teacher, and had become one of the young leaders in Orissa. I shared the pulpit with him in July 2008, the last time I was in India. He was one of the first martyrs who was burned to death during persecution broke against Christians in Orissa, India in August 2008. Over 100 Christians were killed and over 70,000 were made homeless during the summer of 2008.
Continue to pray for those who boldly preach the name of Jesus, who season the world with the Gospel.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/3qEjRLlL9iE
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenu
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott
Saturday, May 21, 2011
6 PM Coffee Fellowship( First UMC Enicott, )
6:30 PM Worship Service Worship Music:
Speaker: Rev Marshall Sorber
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 5/18/11
This is the day the Lord has made we; will rejoice and be glad in it. We will come together for our mid-week gathering for fellowship and celebration today at 6 PM. The Spring season is at it's peak here in New York. The flowering trees and bushes are aflame with multicolor flowers. We have two crabapple trees in front of the parsonage which are in full bloom. There are several lilacs trees and bushes around the church and parsonage grounds which are in full and luxuriant bloom. They look more colorful and more beautiful his year than ever before. Praise the Lord, for He is the author of the Eternal Spring.
I am looking at Philippians 1, "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Philippians 1:22-23).
Some people want to die because they hate this life. Paul was ready and willing to die because he looked forward to life with Christ in heaven. For him death would be like a ship pulling up anchor and sailing out of the harbor toward a new destination. It would be like an army breaking camp, striking the tents, and moving to a new location. Paul understood that for the Christian death is nothing more than a change of address.
In the meantime he was willing to remain if he could make a difference in the lives of other people. It was Henry James who declared that “the best use for your life is to invest it in something that will outlast it.” Too many people invest their time and energy in things that won’t last two weeks or two years, much less outlast their earthly life.
I am provoked to serve the Lord with deep devotion whenever I think about the five young men who gave their lives reaching the Auca Indians in 1956. At the time it seemed to be a tragedy with no redeeming purpose. What has happened as a result? Within a few years over 1000 new missionaries went to the field as a result of their martyrdom. Soon the Indian Bible schools in Ecuador were filled to overflowing with native believers desiring to learn God’s Word. Rachel Saint and Elizabeth Elliot (widows of Nate Saint and Jim Elliot) moved into an Auca village to begin the process of Bible translation. Nine years later two of the Aucas who helped kill the five missionaries had come to Christ and baptized Kathy and Steve Saint—daughter and son of Nate Saint. A flourishing church was established among the Aucas and other neighboring tribes. In 1995 Steve Saint moved back among the Aucas to live with them—at their request.
The story goes on and on. This is no doubt part of the “fruit” Paul speaks about . Truly the “blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Those men had no idea of the thousands of lives they would touch by their death on a sandy beach in a remote jungle. They only knew that God had called them to the Aucas, and they must obey.
When all is said and done, there are only two philosophies of life. You can say with the Apostle Paul “To me to live is Christ and to die is gain” or you can say with the world “To me to live is self and to die is loss.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/0VdUiKagWjU
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:
Speaker: Rev Marshall Sorber
I am looking at Philippians 1, "If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Philippians 1:22-23).
Some people want to die because they hate this life. Paul was ready and willing to die because he looked forward to life with Christ in heaven. For him death would be like a ship pulling up anchor and sailing out of the harbor toward a new destination. It would be like an army breaking camp, striking the tents, and moving to a new location. Paul understood that for the Christian death is nothing more than a change of address.
In the meantime he was willing to remain if he could make a difference in the lives of other people. It was Henry James who declared that “the best use for your life is to invest it in something that will outlast it.” Too many people invest their time and energy in things that won’t last two weeks or two years, much less outlast their earthly life.
I am provoked to serve the Lord with deep devotion whenever I think about the five young men who gave their lives reaching the Auca Indians in 1956. At the time it seemed to be a tragedy with no redeeming purpose. What has happened as a result? Within a few years over 1000 new missionaries went to the field as a result of their martyrdom. Soon the Indian Bible schools in Ecuador were filled to overflowing with native believers desiring to learn God’s Word. Rachel Saint and Elizabeth Elliot (widows of Nate Saint and Jim Elliot) moved into an Auca village to begin the process of Bible translation. Nine years later two of the Aucas who helped kill the five missionaries had come to Christ and baptized Kathy and Steve Saint—daughter and son of Nate Saint. A flourishing church was established among the Aucas and other neighboring tribes. In 1995 Steve Saint moved back among the Aucas to live with them—at their request.
The story goes on and on. This is no doubt part of the “fruit” Paul speaks about . Truly the “blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Those men had no idea of the thousands of lives they would touch by their death on a sandy beach in a remote jungle. They only knew that God had called them to the Aucas, and they must obey.
When all is said and done, there are only two philosophies of life. You can say with the Apostle Paul “To me to live is Christ and to die is gain” or you can say with the world “To me to live is self and to die is loss.”
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/0VdUiKagWjU
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:
Speaker: Rev Marshall Sorber
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Brown's Daily Word 5/17/11
Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this new day. I have been looking at one of the power and praise filled passages in the book of Second Chronicles. 2 Chronicles 20:19-22, "Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice. Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.The nation responded to God’s promise with praise. Jehoshaphat placed the praise singers out in front of the army because he believed that God would do what he said and deliver them without even having to fight.
Praise is simply the fruit of faith. The people were responding to what God had said. They were simply thanking God in advance for the victory. Before it even happened, they were thanking God. Praise is verbalized faith. If you thank God after the fact, that’s gratitude. If you thank God before it happens, that’s faith.
God defeated the enemy. They turned on each other and destroyed themselves while the Israelites looked on. 2 Chronicles 20:24, "When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped".
It takes great and deep faith to thank God for everything in your life – even the problems. When we start thanking God NOW when we are in the middle of the storm that is faith - thanking God in advance.
2 Chronicles 20:26-30, "On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the LORD. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day. Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lutes and trumpets. The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side."
BERACAH means BLESSING. May the Lord, grant us a Valley of Blessing in our lives today. Our God loves to demonstrate His power in those who will just believe Him and expect Him to work in their lives.
We are also called to be a people of courage. This means that we need to step out in faith. We must be willing to take risks, try new things – even if that means we may fail in the process. Elton Trueblood wrote, "It used to be that Christianity was a revolutionary faith that turned the world upside down. But today Christians sit in Sunday morning church services looking at their watches, wondering what time dinner will be served, or thinking about the kickoff. And we hope that church won’t interfere with the things we would really rather be doing."
God is doing a new thing in the world today. The world is changing, and while these changes bring many challenges they also provide opportunities to witness for Jesus our Lord, as never before.
In Christ,
Brown
Praise the Lord for this new day. I have been looking at one of the power and praise filled passages in the book of Second Chronicles. 2 Chronicles 20:19-22, "Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice. Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.The nation responded to God’s promise with praise. Jehoshaphat placed the praise singers out in front of the army because he believed that God would do what he said and deliver them without even having to fight.
Praise is simply the fruit of faith. The people were responding to what God had said. They were simply thanking God in advance for the victory. Before it even happened, they were thanking God. Praise is verbalized faith. If you thank God after the fact, that’s gratitude. If you thank God before it happens, that’s faith.
God defeated the enemy. They turned on each other and destroyed themselves while the Israelites looked on. 2 Chronicles 20:24, "When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped".
It takes great and deep faith to thank God for everything in your life – even the problems. When we start thanking God NOW when we are in the middle of the storm that is faith - thanking God in advance.
2 Chronicles 20:26-30, "On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the LORD. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day. Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lutes and trumpets. The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side."
BERACAH means BLESSING. May the Lord, grant us a Valley of Blessing in our lives today. Our God loves to demonstrate His power in those who will just believe Him and expect Him to work in their lives.
We are also called to be a people of courage. This means that we need to step out in faith. We must be willing to take risks, try new things – even if that means we may fail in the process. Elton Trueblood wrote, "It used to be that Christianity was a revolutionary faith that turned the world upside down. But today Christians sit in Sunday morning church services looking at their watches, wondering what time dinner will be served, or thinking about the kickoff. And we hope that church won’t interfere with the things we would really rather be doing."
God is doing a new thing in the world today. The world is changing, and while these changes bring many challenges they also provide opportunities to witness for Jesus our Lord, as never before.
In Christ,
Brown
Brown's Daily Word 5-16-11
Good morning,
The Lord blessed us with an abundant weekend. It was great blessing to share in the Women's banquet Saturday noon and the Saturday evening worship, and then the morning worship services on Sunday, the Lord's day. One of our great blessings was to have our friends Linda and her daughter Kristi, visiting from Vermont along with our daughter Sunita and our son-in-law Andy visiting us from Washington, DC.
The readings for Sunday were taken from Psalm 23 and John 10. One of the great hymns of the church we sang was, "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us". The hymn goes on to say, “Much we need thy tender care; In thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use thy folds prepare.” Jesus, in John 10, describes a sheep pen which had only one door. When the sheep returned to the fold at night after a day of grazing in the pleasant pastures, the shepherd stood in the doorway and inspected each one with tender care as it entered. If a sheep was scratched or wounded by thorns, the shepherd would anoint it with oil to facilitate healing. If they were thirsty, he gave them water. After all had been counted and brought into the pen, the shepherd would lay across the doorway so no intruder could enter. The shepherd thus became the door. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who protects and sustains the life of the sheep. Jesus said, “I am the gate for the sheep.”
The rest of the hymn, tells us that, “Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, thou hast bought us, thine we are.” The distinguishing mark between the good shepherd and the hired hand is that the good shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep. He was their protector.
In Verse 18 we read, "No man takes my life from Me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father."
In the book Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eric Butterworth tells the story of a college professor who had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of 200 young boys. The students were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In every case the students wrote, "He hasn’t got a chance."
Twenty-five years later another sociology professor came across this earlier study. He had his students do follow up on the same 200 boys who were now men. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. The professor was astounded and decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were in the area and he was able to ask each one, "How do you account for your success?" In each case the reply came with feeling, "There was a teacher..."
The teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the old but still alert lady what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement. The teacher’s eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a gentle smile. "It’s really very simple," she said. "I loved those boys." Their success was based on the love of a teacher.
Our victory, as followers of Jesus is based on the love of a shepherd who was willing to lay down his life for us. He loved us enough that our sinfulness became his burden. He loved us enough that his perfect righteousness became ours.
He loved us enough to suffer on the cross for us, to save us from eternal death, and to prepare us to meet His Father. He will keep us safe in the sheepfold if we are smart sheep and follow the Good Shepherd.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/QbTGUurbGTk
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:
Speaker: Rev Sorber Marshall.
The Lord blessed us with an abundant weekend. It was great blessing to share in the Women's banquet Saturday noon and the Saturday evening worship, and then the morning worship services on Sunday, the Lord's day. One of our great blessings was to have our friends Linda and her daughter Kristi, visiting from Vermont along with our daughter Sunita and our son-in-law Andy visiting us from Washington, DC.
The readings for Sunday were taken from Psalm 23 and John 10. One of the great hymns of the church we sang was, "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us". The hymn goes on to say, “Much we need thy tender care; In thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use thy folds prepare.” Jesus, in John 10, describes a sheep pen which had only one door. When the sheep returned to the fold at night after a day of grazing in the pleasant pastures, the shepherd stood in the doorway and inspected each one with tender care as it entered. If a sheep was scratched or wounded by thorns, the shepherd would anoint it with oil to facilitate healing. If they were thirsty, he gave them water. After all had been counted and brought into the pen, the shepherd would lay across the doorway so no intruder could enter. The shepherd thus became the door. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who protects and sustains the life of the sheep. Jesus said, “I am the gate for the sheep.”
The rest of the hymn, tells us that, “Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, thou hast bought us, thine we are.” The distinguishing mark between the good shepherd and the hired hand is that the good shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep. He was their protector.
In Verse 18 we read, "No man takes my life from Me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father."
In the book Chicken Soup for the Soul, Eric Butterworth tells the story of a college professor who had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of 200 young boys. The students were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In every case the students wrote, "He hasn’t got a chance."
Twenty-five years later another sociology professor came across this earlier study. He had his students do follow up on the same 200 boys who were now men. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. The professor was astounded and decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were in the area and he was able to ask each one, "How do you account for your success?" In each case the reply came with feeling, "There was a teacher..."
The teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the old but still alert lady what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement. The teacher’s eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a gentle smile. "It’s really very simple," she said. "I loved those boys." Their success was based on the love of a teacher.
Our victory, as followers of Jesus is based on the love of a shepherd who was willing to lay down his life for us. He loved us enough that our sinfulness became his burden. He loved us enough that his perfect righteousness became ours.
He loved us enough to suffer on the cross for us, to save us from eternal death, and to prepare us to meet His Father. He will keep us safe in the sheepfold if we are smart sheep and follow the Good Shepherd.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/QbTGUurbGTk
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:
Speaker: Rev Sorber Marshall.
Brown's Daily Word 5-13-11
Good morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. This will be another Fabulous Friday. Sunita, Andy and their friend are coming home today from Washington. Sunita loves Spring in New York. We are so blessed. Blessed be the Name of Jesus our Lord. He is the Lord of all seasons and He is the Lord in every Season.
I Corinthians 1:27-29 says, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” In other words,
God uses small things to do very BIG things!
Very few people end up having “big lives,” with careers and accomplishments that make the headlines. Our lives … and our ministries … seem to deal with such ordinary things that we can easily lose our enthusiasm. As Christians we often run out of steam because we don't see the big success that we expected. If we don't see impressive results from our service, we erroneously think that God just isn't blessing our efforts and we get discouraged. SIZE becomes our focus. The problem is that when we put all our focus on RESULTS, we take our focus off of the Lord. We easily forget that God can grow a BIG tree out of an insignificant seed. We forget that God can work in invisible ways, similar to the way a little yeast can cause 50 pounds of bread dough to rise.
In reality, most of us cannot remember the big winners of even a few years ago … the ones that supposedly really made a difference. They were renowned as the best of their fields, but how quickly the applause dies away and the accolades cease. In your own life's story the people who made thea BIGGEST differences are probably not famous or super-talented people, but average, everyday people that God put into your life at the right moment … and they had a BIG influence on you.
Our Lord notices and honors those who serve Him faithfully and with much devotion, both in season and out of season. We are so blessed in the ministries the Lord has called us to be engaged in with those saints and servants who serve Him with their talents, with their treasures, and with their time.
Ed is one of those servants of Jesus, who makes coffee every Sunday morning for the Sunday School group to enjoy. Mark is another servant of Jesus who makes the coffee for Saturday Evening ministry. These servants of Christ are among many who are involved in serving Christ faithfully and joyfully. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is made of small acts that have a BIG effect. In Matthew 25, Jesus gave a story about people who did small acts of kindness for others … giving them food or clothing, or visiting the sick and those in prison.
Jesus said about the final judgment that, “The King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (Matthew 25:39-41) I want to hear this on that day when I enter into the fullness of the Kingdom of God!
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/ppcOA_HSs9U
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.
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. This will be another Fabulous Friday. Sunita, Andy and their friend are coming home today from Washington. Sunita loves Spring in New York. We are so blessed. Blessed be the Name of Jesus our Lord. He is the Lord of all seasons and He is the Lord in every Season.
I Corinthians 1:27-29 says, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” In other words,
God uses small things to do very BIG things!
Very few people end up having “big lives,” with careers and accomplishments that make the headlines. Our lives … and our ministries … seem to deal with such ordinary things that we can easily lose our enthusiasm. As Christians we often run out of steam because we don't see the big success that we expected. If we don't see impressive results from our service, we erroneously think that God just isn't blessing our efforts and we get discouraged. SIZE becomes our focus. The problem is that when we put all our focus on RESULTS, we take our focus off of the Lord. We easily forget that God can grow a BIG tree out of an insignificant seed. We forget that God can work in invisible ways, similar to the way a little yeast can cause 50 pounds of bread dough to rise.
In reality, most of us cannot remember the big winners of even a few years ago … the ones that supposedly really made a difference. They were renowned as the best of their fields, but how quickly the applause dies away and the accolades cease. In your own life's story the people who made thea BIGGEST differences are probably not famous or super-talented people, but average, everyday people that God put into your life at the right moment … and they had a BIG influence on you.
Our Lord notices and honors those who serve Him faithfully and with much devotion, both in season and out of season. We are so blessed in the ministries the Lord has called us to be engaged in with those saints and servants who serve Him with their talents, with their treasures, and with their time.
Ed is one of those servants of Jesus, who makes coffee every Sunday morning for the Sunday School group to enjoy. Mark is another servant of Jesus who makes the coffee for Saturday Evening ministry. These servants of Christ are among many who are involved in serving Christ faithfully and joyfully. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is made of small acts that have a BIG effect. In Matthew 25, Jesus gave a story about people who did small acts of kindness for others … giving them food or clothing, or visiting the sick and those in prison.
Jesus said about the final judgment that, “The King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (Matthew 25:39-41) I want to hear this on that day when I enter into the fullness of the Kingdom of God!
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/ppcOA_HSs9U
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.
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