Brown's Daily Word 4-19-13

Praise the Lord for this Friday. Those of you live in the region join us for our weekly TV outreach this eve at 7P on Time Warner ch 4. I am sharing frpm Psalm91. One of our ministry teams will be preparing a serving a special meal tomorrow to be served at 12 noon at the First United Methodist Church, 53 Mckinely Ave., Endicott. We will gather for worship at 8:30 and11:00AM at the Union Center UMC and at 9:30AM at the Wesley United Methodist Church. Join us. Plan to worship the Risen Lord whereever you might be on this coming Lord's day. When the saints sing and worship, when saints serve and give, Satan trembles.

We got a very sad news yesterday that our nephew Bryan, who lived in Syracuse with his wife and a little, girl, died unexpectedly. He was 39 years old. I had conducted his wedding few years ago. I came to the USA on 5th of September 1974, when Bryan was a baby. Bryan was born on the 5th of January, 1974. We also learned about the death of a sweet servant of Jesus, pastor Bill Turner. Pastor Bill served faithfully in Endicott. He was faithful partner in our Saturday ministry in Endicott. We praise the Lord for the eternal hope we have:

"in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection from the dead through Jesus Christ our Lord.... Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

 

I was talking yesterday with our oldest daughter who lives with her family in Boston. She was sharing that once again Bostonians were on the road running, jogging by thousands. Then I was talking to Sunita who lives in Washington. She just reurned from the Republic of Georgia and visiting friends in Albania. She will be back to Cyprus and Israel in coming months. She was sharing how the world is full of the goodness and the grace of our Lord. We have seen the Lord brings out the best in His people and they move out to serve and share.

“The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For He laid the earth’s foundations on the seas and built it upon the ocean depths” (vv. 1-2). “The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it…” As I read His Word.the Lord gives me His assurance that this is my Father’s world and nothing happens here that He does not know about. We serve a Living Saviour who is in the world today.

    “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle” (vv. 7-8).

Here comes the King of glory, Jesus Christ, the one we serve and worship and he wants to have a presence in these lives. For we read in Psalm 24 “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it…” Each heart belongs to him. So he beckons us to cry, “Open up in the name of the King!!!”
Who is this king? It is Jesus who won the battle on the cross and can win the battle for your soul, for the battle belongs to the LORD!

This is our call to worship. We serve the King of glory. He created us and He deserves our worship as the Creator of all that lives around us. He is holy and He deserves to have holy people serve him through faith in Jesus Christ. He is victorious and He deserves to have people serve Him who trust in Him that He has won the battle.

C.S. Lewis said, “The gospel means we can stop lying to ourselves. The sweet sound of amazing grace saves us from the necessity of self-deception. It keeps us from denying that though Christ was victorious, the battle with lust, greed, and pride still rages within us. As a sinner who has been redeemed, I can acknowledge that I am often unloving, irritable, angry and resentful with those closest to me. When I go to church I can leave my white hat at home and admit I have failed. God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don’t need to apply spiritual cosmetics to make myself presentable to Him. I can accept ownership of my poverty and powerlessness and neediness.”

How can we help but worship the Risen Lord, who allows us to come to Him in such a poverty stricken way as ourselves, honest and humble. Praise the Lord that He still calls us to worship and serve Him. By the grace of Jesus Christ this is our worship. See you in church.

In Christ

Brown

http://youtu.be/Gy7XVvu6oqE

Brown's Daily Word 4-18-13

Praise the Lord for this new day our Lord has made. We will rejoice and we will worship and serve Him. Our oldest daughter, Janice, who lives with her family in Boston and along with her husband Jeremy, is an avid runner. Janice shared with me yesterday that after the senseless and barbaric terror in Boston thousands were running in Boston once again. Boston is a beautiful, even gorgeous, city with so many internally renowned universities, medical centers, churches, theological institutions, museums, art galleries, the Public Garden, the Arnold Arboretum, parks, restaurants, the aquarium. One of my classmates is the Bishop of our united Methodist church in Boston. The people of Boston back on the saddle again. The Church of Jesus Christ continues to proclaim the good news. We need to be praying for the evildoers that they will se the light and find life and liberty in Jesus.

The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday gathering yesterday. It is a thrill to be together to share in the sweet fellowship in Jesus our Lord. In the light of the current national and international events I was reminded of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. When commanded by the Babylonian King to bow down to his golden idol they replied: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:16b-18)
WOW!! Even if God doesn’t rescue us…
we WILL NOT bow down.
we WILL NOT fall down
we WILL NOT stumble down before your idol.
We know we have the peace of God when we are able to stand tall and look into the fiery furnace in our life and say: "Even if He doesn’t rescue me …. I will not stumble". It doesn’t mean we won’t be a little scared… but it does mean that even when we are scared, we won’t even think of turning and we won’t consider giving up BECAUSE our trust will be in our Lord… not our circumstances.
Isaiah 26:1-3
“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts. Open the gates that the righteous nation may enter, the nation that keeps faith. You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.”
In Isaiah 26:1 we are told that we have a strong city; God makes salvation its walls and ramparts.The imagery God is using is that of safety and peace INSIDE the walls of a city. In other words, if you’re going to find God’s peace & security you’ve got to be inside the walls. We have to be where He wants us to be. Jesus's church can be a strong city with Jesus sitting right in the middle of it. God’s peace is here BECAUSE Jesus is with us.. He “will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Is 26:3)
I read a story some time ago about Oliver Cromwell, who in the mid-17th Century sent one of his officials to France to represent England in some negotiations. One night during his travels this official found he was unable to sleep. According to the custom of the day a servant slept in his room and that evening the servant was sleeping soundly. In the middle of the night the official woke his servant up to tell the servant that he could not rest because “I am so afraid something will go wrong with the diplomatic mission,”
“Master,” said the servant, “may I ask a question or two?”
“Of course.” Replied the official.
“Did God rule the world before we were born?”
“Most assuredly He did.”
“And will He rule it after we are dead?”
“Certainly He will.”
“Then, master, why not let Him rule the present, too?”

Something in the servant’s reply stirred the official’s faith and he felt a deep sense of peace come over him - and in a few minutes both he and the servant were sound asleep.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/c9zHn4QSH-8

Brown's Daily Word 4-17-13

Praise the Lord. Today will be one of the ten best days of April here in New York. We will gather for our Wednesday evening gathering for fellowship, study, and prayer. We will gather for a special meal at 6 PM followed by Bible study. We will be looking at Psalm 37. The Choir will practice at 7:30 PM.

Psalm 37 is attributed to David, who knew what it was like to be hunted down, persecuted, and hated. From before David was ever crowned as King, his predecessor, King Saul, the first King of Israel, sought to kill him. Despite the fact that Saul was in pursuit of David’s life, David refrained from seeking vengeance upon Saul. He had more than one opportunity to kill Saul, but David would not do it.
"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away." (Psalm 37:1-2 NIV)

In Psalm 37:7-8 we read, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil." (Psalm 37:7 NIV)

When we give anger and rage a foothold in our life, then absolutely nothing good is going to come from it. God counsels us to resist the urge to burn with anger. "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." (Psalm 37:3 NIV)

"Trust" is not a mere emotion or simply a trite word spoken, but a conscious act of the will. Trust is placing our absolute confidence in our Living Lord, regardless of the situation at hand or the lack of evidence. Many are those who have gone before us who have wrestled with the question of being beaten down by the enemy. We can trust in God. He is faithful. He has always been faithful to those who were under attack and cried out to Him for comfort and strength in the midst of their hurt and fear.

We can also make our home in this land and feel safe in the Father’s arms. That really is the meaning of the second half of this verse where the Psalmist says, "Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." The Hebrew word for "dwell" means, "to reside, to rest, to dwell, to settle down, or to abide." There is no safe place outside of the Father’s arms. Even in the Father’s arms storms will roar, towers will topple, and blood will be shed, but He will keep us and hold us into eternity.
"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." (Psalm 37:7 NIV)
Our Risen Lord counsels us to be "still" before His presence when catastrophe comes upon us.

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/byIpfEVxhs4

Brown's Daily Word 4-16-13

We are waking up after another terrorist attack on American soil, causing death and destruction. We are called to pray for our enemies, that the Lord of all nations, the King of kings, might change their hearts. Our daughter Janice and her family, who live in Boston, go every year to watch the Boston Marathon. They had just returned home when the terrorist struck, the second blast occurring just one block from where they had been standing. We will keep on praying for the victims particularly for the children and their families. May Jesus heal our land.

 

The opening verse of Psalm 91 has been quoted countless times and repeated in the hearts of God’s people even more frequently: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” There are two striking imageries for God here. One is that of a large bird sheltering its young with his wings: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.” A majestic eagle comes to mind as he protects his young high on a craggy mountain ledge. He is the “most high” of all living creatures. The person being protected by God is pictured as a small bird in the nest. No predator comes near the nest because the father eagle is standing in the nest next to his young so that his shadow falls over them. This is a picture of extreme tenderness on the part of God. The young are lovingly cared for and protected. The other image is that of a military fortress: “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” Again, “His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” So we have here both the tenderness and strength of God. Tenderness without strength would fail to give the kind of protection needed, but strength without tenderness would fail to be the kind of protection you would want. God’s strength provides our protection, but its motive originates in the heart of God and reminds us that we are cared for deeply.

In this wonderful Psalm we are invited to dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty. If we walk with him and trust in him then he will cover us with his wings and protect us. We can count on that! At the same time it does not mean that nothing will ever happen to us. There may be other parts to the equation of God’s plan for our lives.

The Bible says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14). God may be doing something about which we do not yet know, and it may be something which we could not understand if we were told. All of life finds its meaning in a relationship with God. The psalmist wrote: “‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.’”

If we have a love relationship with God then even the greatest disappointments in life have meaning and purpose — because all of life finds its meaning and purpose in him. Our relationship with the Risen Lord, is the filter through which we look at all of life. That relationship helps us to interpret all the things which happen to us. We see him standing there in the midst of the situation we face holding out his arms to us.

I love the story of Jesus’ disciples when they left Jesus on the shore and headed out into the Sea of Galilee. A terrible storm arose and they were straining at the oars just trying to survive. The wind was against them and it looked as though the sea was going to swallow them, but suddenly something worse than the storm frightened them. Their worst fears were realized as they saw what they thought was a ghost floating across the waves. They did not realize it was Jesus walking on the water toward them. Screams of terror arose from the boat, but just as they thought they were going to perish, they heard a familiar voice say, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid’” (Mark 6:50).

I believe this has been the experience of Christians throughout the ages. Just as their worst fears are realized; just as they think the storms of life are going to overcome them and the waves swallow them; just as they think they are going to perish, they hear a familiar voice call out to them saying, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. It is not disaster, it is me!” See him coming to you now. Hear him speak through the storm: “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Hear him say through the psalmist: “Because you love me I will rescue you. Because you have acknowledged my name I will protect you. I will be with you in trouble. I will deliver you.”

In Christ,

Brown

http://youtu.be/ZIUCRXMM4pE