Brown's Daily Word 3-2-12

Praise the Lord for this first Friday of March. Praise the Lord for this wonderful season of Lent in the life of the Church. We reflect on the wonderful love and the wonderful grace of the Lord displayed and demonstrated in the person of Jesus Christ of our Lord. Jesus is the epitome and the embodiment of peace that passes all understanding. He is the prince of Peace and the Author of Peace. We are so blessed to have foretasted this peace and grace in the Person of Jesus Christ our Lord. As we journey with Jesus during this Lenten season we are planning for the Holy Week events culminating in the Easter Event. May the Lord grant us His grace that we might find ways and places to serve Him, worship, and Witness for Him.

Noted author James Michener reported that he found peace of mind by walking his two dogs along deserted country roads, beside old streams, and through fields that had not been plowed for half a century. There is a universal desire for peace of mind. In the words of St Augustine: “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” Pascal had the same idea when he commented that there is a “God-shaped vacuum” inside every human being. Francis Shafer argued that as Western society has turned away from God, it has abandoned any notion of absolute values. The result would be a society ruled by the tyranny of public opinion—"the majority plus one. "Either that—or the rise of some form of authoritarian rule." A culture that rejects Christ becomes confused, chaotic, arrogant, and hostile to the Truth. A culture that rebels against the Living Lord worships idols made with human hands and minds. A culture that rejects Christ lives in fear, hostility and distrust.

Against that bleak picture, we discover the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul’s entire description of the gospel may be summed up in one word, justification. The word means “to declare righteous.” Justification is that act whereby God declares a sinner righteous, i.e., not guilty, the moment he places his faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 4:5 tells us that justification does not depend on good works of any kind, but only on simple faith in Jesus. More than that, justification means that God declares a sinner righteous while he is still a sinner ( though a forgiven sinnsr) on the simple and single condition of faith in Jesus Christ. That justification by faith is the universal experience of all believers. That justification by faith is the permanent possession of every believer. “Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul said that through Jesus Christ and as a result of our justification we have peace with God. The Bible says that Jesus “made peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:20) If Jesus “made peace” when he died on the cross, then all that is left to us is to accept by faith the peace He has already made. Peace with God is the first great permanent possession that comes to the believer as a result of justification. “Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” The word “access” means “to enter the presence of a king.” It speaks of the right to enter the inner chambers and speak with the king face to face. Our text starts with peace, moves to joy and ends with love. All are found in the same place—the Lord Jesus Christ. He made peace with God, he brings joy in the midst of sorrow and he opens the floodgates of God’s love.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/9hT4jKDiGdY

Friday March 2, 2012

Television Outreach

Time Warner Cable Channel 4

Time 7:00 PM

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012

Speaker: Rev. Brown Naik

Special Music by Laureen Naik,. For information, call 607-748-6329

Brown's Daily Word 3-1-12

Good morning,

Praise the Lord for this new day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Praise the Lord for this first day of March. One of my favorite verses is found in Romans 8:37, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through the One who loved us."
The disasters, disappointments, tribulations, and trials we face in this life on earth are not intended to separate us from Christ but to bring us closer to Him. All these masses of evil things are utterly incapable of keeping a Christian from being a glorious conqueror. The Christian becomes a conqueror not in spite of them but because of them. It is written, "in all these things." We conquer in all the strife of life. The Bible does not simply say that we conquer in or through them, "but we more than conquer." The balance is not just barely tipped to our side. There is no hair breath victory granted here. Our triumph is not snatched out of the jaws of defeat. Our victory corresponds to the victory of Christ on the Cross. Notice also that the victory is not won in far off heaven but right now in the midst of life and strife. All the affliction patiently endured and overcome make us stronger, brings us nearer to Jesus Christ, and makes us more Christ-like.
It is written, "through the One Who Loved us.". Jesus Christ, in His death, conquered sin and in His resurrection overcame death. The bedrock of our Christian faith is the unmerited, fathomless marvel of the love of God exhibited on the Cross of Calvary. The Love of the Cross is love we never can and never will merit. It is written that we are more than conquerors in all these things through Jesus who loved us and who still loves us. He makes us super-victors, with a joy and growth we would not have but for the very things which look as if they are going to overwhelm us.
FANNY CROSBY, composer of thousands of songs, was truly more than a conqueror. When she was only 6 weeks old, faulty treatment of an eye infection resulted in lifelong blindness. By age 8, having fought and won over discouragement, she wrote this poem:

Oh, what a happy soul am I!
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented shall be.
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't.
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot-and I won't!

Instead of weeping and sighing, Fanny Crosby dedicated her blindness to God. Out of her rich Christian experience she composed numerous gospel hymns. In her testimonial song "Blessed Assurance," she seemed to forget that she was blind. Phrases like "Visions of rapture now burst on my sight" or "Watching and waiting; looking above"expressed what she called "a foretaste of glory divine."
Do you long to know and apply her secret? While many of us seek Christ for what we can get, Fanny Crosby sought Christ for what she could become through Him. She became more than a conqueror (8:37). Even through times of extreme distress, God's grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9), "For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy. To the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, sovereignty and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 24 & 25.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/A8GfJwjGSlI

Friday March 2, 2012

Television Outreach

Time Warner Cable Channel 4

Time 7:00 PM

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012

Speaker: Rev. Brown Naik

Special Music by Laureen Naik,. For information, call 607-748-6329

Brown's Daily Word 2-29-12

 

Good morning,

    Praise the Lord for this last day of February.  Praise the Lord for this season of Lent in the Church Calendar.  We are called to pause and ponder on Jesus our Lord, who went to the Cross.  He came, He saw, and He conquered.  We will not meet for our Mid-week gathering this Evening.  We will gather for the Weekend services starting Saturday Evening at 6.00 PM.

    I conducted a service of death and resurrection this past Monday for a woman  who died last weekend..  She was 76 years old. She was blessed with 5 children, 15 grand children, and 15 great grand children.  It was a very large gathering.  During the visiting hours I discovered that three were 3 couples whom I had joined in marriage.  One couple shared with me that their entire family loves the Lord.  Each one of them is involved in serving Christ.  That gives them great joy.  The wife is involved in the music ministry.  Her husband goes on short term missions. Their son is involved in the local missions.  They were recounting the blessings and the faithlessness of Jesus in their lives.  The wife shared with me that she has a great burden and passion share Christ with others, that they might discover the life, joy, and power Christ alone offers. 

    Last Sunday after the worship service one of the saints of the Lord poured out to me about her great burden to Share Christ to every one.  She shared about the events that are unfolding the Moslem world and in the middle East.  In the light of all that is unfolding we need to be passionate in offering Christ to the very needy world around us.  I shared with her that the record of the world history and the chronology of the  world events tell us that the kings and queens, presidents, autocrats, and tyrants do not rule the world.  It is Jesus our Lord who is the  ruler of the earth.  "He rules the world, with truth and Grace"   “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”  I was provoked and challenged to be faithful to Christ in His claim on me and in His call to me. 

    One powerful passage is found in Romans 5:1-5, which says that because of our faith in Christ, we have four things:

    1. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    2. We have access to God. 

    3. We have the joy of God. 

    4. We have the love of God.

Verse five says that God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit so that we can love Him and love others the way we were always intended to love!

    Romans 5:6-7. "You see, at just the right time, while we were still powerless, CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY!"  He died for our sins just when we needed him most.  It’s very rare that a person would be willing to die for us. 
    Romans 5:8 says "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!"  Because Jesus died for our sins, we are justified before God.  Verse 9 says "Since we have been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him."  Because Jesus died for our sins, we are justified before God.  Furthermore, we are reconciled to God.

    I was reading about a 4th century monk named Telemachus, who visited Rome and saw gladiators fighting and killing each other in the coliseum.  He thought to himself, “Four centuries after Christ and people are still killing each other, for enjoyment?”  He jumped over the railing and went out into the middle of the field, got between two gladiators, held up his hands and said “In the name of Christ, forbear.” 
    The crowd protested and began to shout, “Run him through! Run him through!” A gladiator came over and hit him in the stomach with the back of his sword.  It sent him sprawling in the sand.  He got up and ran back and again said, “In the name of Christ, forbear.” 
    The crowd continued to chant, “Run him through.”  One gladiator came over and plunged his sword through the little monk’s stomach and he fell into the sand, which turned crimson with his blood.  One last time he gasped out, “In the name of Christ forbear.”  A hush came over the 80,000 people in the coliseum.  Soon a man stood and left, then another and more, and within minutes all 80,000 had emptied out of the arena.  It was the last known gladiatorial contest in the history of Rome. 
    With one act of bold kindness, Telemachus put an end to the hostilities.  That is what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Colossians 1:20 says that Jesus made peace between us and God with His blood, shed on the cross.

  

In Christ,

     Brown

  http://youtu.be/eOY0mjjmx8Y

Friday March 2, 2012

      Television Outreach

      Time Warner Cable Channel 4

      Time 7:00 PM

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

           Location:  First United Methodist Church

                               53 McKinley Avenue

                               Endicott, NY

        Sponsored by:  Union Center United Methodist Church

        Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

                    6:30 PM Worship Service

        Date:  Saturday, March 3, 2012 

        Speaker:  Rev.  Brown  Naik        

        Special Music by Laureen Naik,.  For information, call 607-748-6329

Brown's Daily Word 2-28-12

Thanks be to Jesus for this new day to live in Him, to serve Him, and to enjoy His blessings. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful weekend of fellowship, worship and witness. Somebody from the Saturday evening worship invited some of her friends to come join us Saturday Evening worship at the First United Methodist Church. We were blessed to have 19 visitors for the evening worship. The Lord blessed us yesterday, the First Sunday in Lent, in His house.


The Old Testament reading for yesterday was taken from Genesis 9:8 ff. The Lord of Grace and mercy promised never again to flood the entire earth. This is one of the major covenants the Lord has made with His people. It is an unconditional covenant. That is, there are no conditions to be met by us. God did not say, “If you obey me, I promise never to flood the earth again,” or “If you offer a sacrifice, I promise never to flood the earth again.” To the contrary, God asked nothing of the human race - no obedience, no sacrifice, no faith, no prayer, nothing at all. This isn’t a two-way street where we do something and then God does something in response. This is a promise made by God in spite of the fact that the world had just been destroyed because of sin, and in full knowledge that the world was soon to plunge back into the pit of sin. This is a covenant of pure grace, made in spite of human sin, not because of any supposed human goodness or human faith or human obedience. In spite of our continuing sin, God promises never again to destroy the entire human race with a flood.

God's grace to us is pure grace. . . free grace. . . grace greater than our sin. It is a covenant guaranteed with the sign of the rainbow. Rainbows are beautiful. They display their colors across the full spectrum of light, covering all possible shades and hues. Here is a sign perfectly fitted for the entire human race, at all times, in every location, and it is a sign easily understood by all ages. When we see a rainbow, we are to remember, “God promised never again to send a flood upon the entire earth.” As we reflect, on the rainbow promise, notice what the text does not say. Nowhere does God say, “I will never send a storm again.” Nowhere does God promise that life will be free of storms, trials, troubles and difficulties. Most rainbows appear only after the storm has come and gone. If there were no storms, there would be very few rainbows.

The message to us is obvious. God never promises a life free from pain and suffering. Rainbows come after the rain, not before. Weeping endures for a night; joy comes in the morning. The rainbow is beautiful anyway, but the promise is more glorious because of the flood that preceded it. Three times God says, “Never again!” He really meant it. Never again will there be a worldwide flood. It is no coincidence that when John saw the vision of heaven in Revelation 4, he saw a rainbow encircling the throne of God (v. 3). That symbolizes the completeness of God’s mercy. The blood of Jesus has transformed the throne of God from a throne of judgment into a throne of mercy.

In Christ,

Brown

Friday March 2.2012

Our Television Outreach:

Time Warner Cable Ch 4

Time 7.0PM



Saturday Evening Worship Service:

Location: First United Methodist Church

53 McKinley Avenue

Endicott, NY

Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church

Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service

Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012

Speaker: Rev. Brown Naik Special Music by Laureen Naik,. Information : call 607-748-6329

Brown's Daily Word 2-27-12

Thanks be to Jesus for this new day to live in Him, to serve Him, and to enjoy His blessings.  The Lord blessed us with a beautiful weekend of fellowship, worship and witness.  Somebody from the Saturday evening worship invited some of her friends to come join us Saturday Evening worship at the First United Methodist Church.  We were blessed to have 19 visitors for the evening worship.  The Lord blessed us yesterday, the First Sunday in Lent, in His house. 

    The Old Testament reading for yesterday was taken from Genesis 9:8 ff.  The Lord of Grace and mercy promised never again to flood the entire earth.  This is one of the major covenants the Lord has made with His people.  It is an unconditional covenant.  That is, there are no conditions to be met by us.  God did not say, “If you obey me, I promise never to flood the earth again,” or “If you offer a sacrifice, I promise never to flood the earth again.”  To the contrary, God asked nothing of the human race - no obedience, no sacrifice, no faith, no prayer, nothing at all.  This isn’t a two-way street where we do something and then God does something in response.  This is a promise made by God in spite of the fact that the world had just been destroyed because of sin, and in full knowledge that the world was soon to plunge back into the pit of sin. This is a covenant of pure grace, made in spite of human sin, not because of any supposed human goodness or human faith or human obedience.  In spite of our continuing sin, God promises never again to destroy the entire human race with a flood.

    God's grace to us is pure grace. . . free grace. . . grace greater than our sin.  It is a covenant guaranteed with the sign of the rainbow.  Rainbows are beautiful.  They   display their colors across the full spectrum of light, covering all possible shades and hues.  Here is a sign perfectly fitted for the entire human race, at all times, in every location, and it is a sign easily understood by all ages.  When we see a rainbow, we are to remember, “God promised never again to send a flood upon the entire earth.”  As we reflect, on the rainbow promise, notice what the text does not say.  Nowhere does God say, “I will never send a storm again.”  Nowhere does God promise that life will be free of storms, trials, troubles and difficulties.  Most rainbows appear only after the storm has come and gone.  If there were no storms, there would be very few rainbows.

    The message to us is obvious. God never promises a life free from pain and suffering.  Rainbows come after the rain, not before.  Weeping endures for a night; joy comes in the morning.  The rainbow is beautiful anyway, but the promise is more glorious because of the flood that preceded it.  Three times God says, “Never again!”  He really meant it.  Never again will there be a worldwide flood.  It is no coincidence that when John saw the vision of heaven in Revelation 4, he saw a rainbow encircling the throne of God (v. 3).  That symbolizes the completeness of God’s mercy.  The blood of Jesus has transformed the throne of God from a throne of judgment into a throne of mercy.

  In Christ,

  Brown

Friday March 2.2012

     Our Television Outreach:

      Time Warner Cable Ch 4

       Time 7.0PM

 

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

           Location:  First United Methodist Church

                               53 McKinley Avenue

                               Endicott, NY

        Sponsored by:  Union Center United Methodist Church

        Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

            6:30 PM Worship Service

        Date:  Saturday, March 3, 2012 

        Speaker:  Rev.  Brown  Naik        Special Music by Laureen Naik,.  Information : call 607-748-6329

Brown's Daily Word 2-24-12

    Praise the Lord for this last Friday of February.  It has snowed afresh and anew this morning.  It looks beautiful and brilliant.       Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani has been sentenced to death by an Iranian court for converting from Islam to Christianity.  He is guilty of apostasy under Islamic law. Christians like this are being persecuted for their faith all over the world.  In Acts chapter 12, the Apostle Peter was in prison.  The church prayed, and while they prayed God sent an angel and rescued him.  This Iranian pastor has refused to deny Christ. 

    Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?  Simon's response was seasoned by deep thought and motivated by a gift of faith from the Father.  His face, no doubt, was radiant and his voice alive with the excitement and insight as he answered, "You are the Christ."  "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matt. 16:16)
    In the midst of all the vacillating voices answering Christ's question, "Who do men say that I am?", He comes to each of us and puts the penetratingly personal question, "But who do you, for yourself, say that I am?"  Christ is not even satisfied with how we might have answered years ago, but He is most concerned about whom He is to us now.  What would our own answer be?  C.S. Lewis focused the issue sharply: "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn't be a great moral teacher.  He'd either be a lunatic-on the level of a man who says he is a poached egg - or else he'd be the devil of hell. You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is the son of God, or else a madman or something worse.  Christianity, if false is of no importance and if true, of infinite importance.  The one thing it cannot be is moderately important."
    The true biblical Jesus, the robust, challenging Jesus, is more than just a comforter.  He also confronts us, and He will not accept second place in our lives. He calls us to the exhilarating adventure of dynamic discipleship.  Though He meets us as we are with incredible grace, He loves us too much to leave us as we've been.  The authentic Jesus of the Bible tenderly cares for us when we hurt, but He tenaciously exposes anything that keeps us from being all He intends for us to be.  His love and forgiveness are unqualified, but His demands are unequivocal.  He is the Master who holds before us the mandate of the Kingdom of God and the Lord of all life who calls us to commit all we have and are to Him. 
    Jesus spoke many "hard sayings".  They are called hard not because they are difficult to understand, but that they are difficult to live.  His ultimate question, perhaps the hardest of all if we want to be absolutely honest in how we answer, is "Who am I to you...really?"  That cuts to the core of our being and forces us to evaluate our priorities, values, and attitudes. Can we state unequivocally that for us Christ is indeed our Lord and Savior?  If He is that to us, He will raise us up to stand on mountains, to walk on stormy seas, to stand with courage on His shoulders and to be so much more than we ever thought we could be.
    The disciple was promised a new name that implied a total change of character. No longer would he be the vacillating Simon, the son of Jonah, but he was to become a rock-like person, Peter.  Petros in Greek, means rock.  Christ whispers in our souls today, " Who do you say that I am?"
    Everything now and for eternity depends on your answer.

 

In Christ,

  Brown

 

http://youtu.be/mDkuxEIcpdI

  

Friday Feb 24,2012

     Our Television Outreach:

      Time Warner Cable Ch 4

       Time 7.0PM

 

Saturday Evening Worship Service:

           Location:  First United Methodist Church

                               53 McKinley Avenue

                               Endicott, NY

        Sponsored by:  Union Center United Methodist Church

        Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship

            6:30 PM Worship Service

        Date:  Saturday, February 25, 2012 

        Speaker:  Rev.  William Turner,

        Special Music by Laureen Naik, Emma Brunson.  Information : call 607-748-6329