Brown's Daily Word 1/23/15

      Praise the Lord for this new day.   It is Friday... and Sunday is coming.  Those who live in the area join us for our weekly television outreach this evening at 7 PM on Time Warner Channel 4.   We will gather for the Sunday School hour at 9:00 AM with classes for all ages, and for worship at 10:15 at Union Center United Methodist Church.  The Coffee table will be open at 9 AM and there will be a full coffee reception after the morning worship.  Aric Phinney, our music minister and choir director, will lead  in worship with music and songs.  Justin Brown will be playing drums.  Mary Brown and Grant DeGaramo will be leading singing.  Betty Phinney will accompany at the organ.  There will be a staffed nursery.  Junior church will meet during the worship.  Kari Hettinger and Mike Meilunas will provide  power point.  We are ready to rock for Jesus.  Come and join us.  There will be time for prayer for  healing and blessing after the service.  We are expecting miracles and blessings.  I am preaching from Mark 1: 14-20

 

    We will gather at Wesley at 9:00 AM for worship.  Alice will be preaching .  Mike Wingard will be leading worship.  Ruth Gent will be at the piano.   

 

    TIME magazine's Person of the Year in 2011 was "The Protester".  Protesters were the big story in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Mexico, Greece, America, and Russia. The article said, "The word protest has appeared in newspapers and online exponentially more this past year than at any other time in history."  People are fed up with the violence and injustice.  Sometimes I wonder if anything much will change.  Sometimes it seems that the world is so messed up that there's no hope. 

 

    We have been studying the prophets during our Wednesday evening gatherings.  .In Habakkuk and Jeremiah's day, Babylon became a juggernaut. Its vast capital was seemingly impenetrable and it was certainly lavish, as it included one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Nebuchadnezzar's hanging gardens. However, Babylon's heyday did not last long when the nation was suddenly crushed by the Persians less than 100 years later.

    In a very real sense, Babylon never went away. In the Bible, Babylon is not just a country.  It is, rather, a kind of perpetual shadow kingdom.  Babylon shows up again in the Book of  Revelation, where we see Babylon the Great, seated like a great queen who is also a prostitute, seducing all the nations of the earth to their doom. Her method is not so much warfare as the marketplace. Just as ancient Babylonians plundered and looted wherever they went, so Babylon the Great loots the world.  What's more, she is bent on destroying the people of God.  Babylon the Great is a powerhouse in our world.  She is not a country, but infects the world with that same proud, ruthless, insatiable DNA as that ancient kingdom.  At the heart of Babylon the Great is a bloodthirsty violence bent on plundering the wealth and life of all people on earth, but especially the people of God.  All her violence and injustice are solely intended to satisfy the ruthless arrogance of Satan and all others who refuse God. 

`We read again  about the great Babylon in the Book of Revelation where chapter 18 begins, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!"  Then verse four says, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues."  In God's good time, "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea."  The ashes of Babylon the Great will be swept from memory.  Just as the flood in Noah's day destroyed everything, so there is coming a deluge of the glory of God that will recreate a new heaven and new earth where God reigns alone and supreme, where every citizen of his kingdom is redeemed and Christ-like, where nature groans no more and the lion lies down with the lamb, where the best of the nations is brought into the Holy City, where every acre, every endeavor, and every soul bows gladly to the Lord Jesus Christ, for he is "the glory of the LORD."  We will not sell our souls to Babylon.  We will wait; through suffering if need be, till the earth is flooded with the knowledge of the glory of God.

    Isaiah 21:9 says, "Babylon has fallen, has fallen!  All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!"  There are no other gods.  Only this is true: "The LORD is in his holy temple."  He has always been there and always will be.  No matter how chaotic the world might seem to be, "the Lord is in his holy temple."  No matter how the righteous suffer and the wicked seem to prosper, "the Lord is in his holy temple."  He is surrounded by the hosts of heaven and celebrated by the saints he has saved.  "Let all the earth be silent before him."  Let the wicked catch their breath in terror.  Let everything in all creation fall to their knees before the Lord Jesus Christ.  Babylon's shouts of triumph are stilled and their drunken celebrating has gone as silent as the grave.  "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him."  Since that is true, the only safe place to be is among those who love and worship the LORD in his temple.

    Babylon the Great still sits gloating on her throne, trading in the souls of people, but rest assured that we live by trusting God, no matter what happens.  In God's good time, only the knowledge of the glory of the LORD will flood the earth and God will disgrace and destroy the wicked.  Finally, rest assured that the LORD reigns right now from his holy temple and soon all the world will know it.

In Jesus our Lord,

 Pastor  Brown

http://youtu.be/wNRFumI2ch0

Good Morning, Pastor Brown~
Last evening at the mall was truly a HIGHLIGHT of this Christmas for me!  Watching the little 'cherubs' participating, the parents taking pictures, seeing other Christians I haven't seen in a while, listening to Yancy and his Christmas music...all of it was more than a thrill.  But to be in the midst of so many Christians at the MALL (!!!!!!!!)jointly singing to our Lord almost took my breath away.  I am overwhelmed with the sin in this world, the filth on TV, the language we hear when passing people on the street, etc.  So to be worshiping Christ in the middle of the public mall made me think of "...every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..."  WOW, do we have something to look forward to.  Then in the Daily Bread this AM I read (in part) the following:

"Every Christmas, as we celebrate Christ's first coming with glorious music, I'm reminded that God's people, like choir and orchestra members, are getting ready for the next downbeat of the conductor when Christ will come again.  On that day, we will participate with Him in the final movement of God's symphony of redemption -- making all things new.  In anticipation, we need to keep our eyes on the conductor and make sure we are ready."  I AM SO EXCITED! 

I'm sorry this is so long, but I wanted to encourage you for making last evening happen.  I am so very thankful for you and your lovely wife and all that you do.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, my brother!

In Christ,
LA

Brown's Daily Word 1/22/15

Praise the Lord for another brand new day, brilliant and beautiful. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday gathering. There was beautiful sharing, laughter, humor and, best of all, sharing in Jesus's love.
Doing some reading recently, I was amazed to learn about the terrible trend in the world today in the area of self-injury or self-mutilation, which some are calling an epidemic among young people. It is reported that the practice of cutting is an effort to relieve anxiety or low self-esteem.
I love the account of Jesus who came to the area where a man was possessed by demonic spirits. The man was consumed with pain—and he cut and abused himself until he encountered the One who could bring healing to his soul, as well as his body. This account we find in Mark 5.
Apparently the people who lived in that area had tried to control him by chaining him, but he was so strong that he had repeatedly broken free from the chains. Demonic forces had occupied his life, and they had brought him great strength…and great pain. Then, much to their surprise, they saw Jesus. Others may not have known who Jesus was, but these demons had no question about who He was; they were terrified as He approached. No doubt people had long been running away from this dangerous madman, but Jesus approached him and commanded the demons to come out him.
The same word was used to describe how Jesus commanded the storm to be still. Under the influence of these evil forces, the man fell down before Him—as if in an attitude of worship—and begged to be left alone. The man immediately knew Jesus, calling Him, "Son of the Most High God". Peter's confession of Jesus as Messiah, as Son of God, is still in the distance; but these demonic forces knew Him, and they knew the kind of power He had over them. It is amazing. Demonic Spirits knew who Jesus was.
Just as they referred to Him by name, Jesus asked the man his name. He said, "My name is Legion, for we are many." A Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 soldiers—just a bit larger than the size of a battalion in the American military. He was not necessarily saying there were 6,000 demons inside of him; his response was intended to convey that he's under the control of multiple evil forces—a demonic mob. These demons knew Jesus could destroy them with a word. They understood what Mark wanted us to understand: that just as Jesus has authority over natural forces, Jesus has authority over spiritual powers. There is nothing beyond His power and authority. Because of that power, Jesus can transform our pain into freedom. Tom Wright writes, "That's what we need to know as we ourselves sign on to follow Him. He isn't just somebody with good ideas. He isn't just somebody who will tell us how to establish a better relationship with God. He is somebody with authority over everything the physical world…and the non-physical world…can throw at us.
This is a Jesus we can trust with every aspect of our lives." The demons knew Jesus had the power to remove them from the man, so they begged Him not destroy them. They asked Him to allow them to flee into a nearby herd of pigs, recognizing their fate was completely under His authority. Jesus granted them permission; but much to their surprise, as soon as the demons fled into the pigs, the herd rushed down the bank and fell into the sea to their death—! Yet it was a vivid demonstration of what Jesus had just done in freeing this man from the demonic shackles that had been holding him. "The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him. And He did not permit him but said to him, 'Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.' And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled." People came to see what had happened to the pigs, but they were more shocked when they saw what had happened to the madman of the tombs. No longer shrieking in agony, he was now clothed and sitting calmly with Jesus.
 The One who has authority over storms of every kind had calmed the storm in this man's life, and they saw him transformed. The demoniac had become a disciple. That is the greatest miracle we will ever see. There are miracles of physical and emotional healing. There are miracles that demonstrate God's power over the natural world.
 However, the most compelling miracle is the one in which Christ removed a sinful heart from our lives and replaced it with a new heart in which He sits on the throne. The most amazing miracle ever done is the one in which He forgives our sin and rebellion and adopts you into His forever family.
 There is nothing beyond His power and authority. Because of that power, Jesus can transform our pain into freedom. That's what Jesus Christ can do in a life…2,000 years ago and still today. There is nothing beyond His power and authority. Because of that power, Jesus can transform our pain into freedom. We celebrate His Freedom... We declare His Freedom. In Jesus. Brown http://youtu.be/28sqs5H5hao?list=PL7304E4198449D993

Brown's Daily Word 1/21/15

Praise the Lord  for this new day.  The days are getting longer and remaining brighter.  The birds have started singing again.  We will meet this evening for our Wednesday gathering for food fellowship and study at 6 PM, followed by choir practice at 7:30 PM.  I praise the Lord  for so many around the corner and around the globe who love Jesus and who serve Him in so many ways.  In our church there are so many of all ages who are propelled by the Lord to serve Him.  A group of women came to the church kitchen and baked up a storm... cookies and pastries to be shared and to be given away.  Many are collecting shoes to be sent away overseas to needy people.  We are planning for special banquet on February 7, at 5:30 PM.  We have a young chef and his team who are planning to prepare a very special menu to bless others.  Another team is getting ready to turn the fellowship hall into a banqueting hall once again.

    "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all" (Mark 10:43-44, NIV).

    The key to the greatest, most forceful, most impactful life that has ever been lived is servanthood — being last, being a slave to others.  Jesus wants our lives to be marked by servanthood, too.  He wants us to give our lives away.

    If a neighborhood is losing value, we say it's going downhill.  If you get let go from your job, it's called downsizing.  When you aren't doing great in life, you're down and out, or downhearted.  Jesus, however, was and is saying that down is somehow up.  Down is good and perhaps down is best.

    Bill Hybel coined a phrase many years ago, "Downward spiral to greatness". Servanthood marked the life of the person who split history in half.  Jesus' life still reverberates through every culture and every civilization.  He did it not by coming to be served, but to serve and to give his life away.  That's what gave His life force, and it is a life we can live, a force we can experience.

    Altogether too often, our goal in life is to get, not give.  We want to acquire, not release.  We want to add, not subtract.  We think, "Less isn't more; it's just less".  Barnabas, in the Book of Acts, sold a piece of real estate and gave away the money—no strings attached—for somebody else's gain.  It was a time of great expectation and enthusiasm in the early church.  God was working, people were responding to the message, and there was great growth.  Barnabas also gave a year of his life.  He experienced real life force.  He knew first-hand what serving through giving could do.  It changed his life, and it changed the lives of others so, when the opportunity came to do more, the choice was obvious.  He knew serving gave force to his life.  He knew that being a servant would enable him to make the biggest difference he could possibly make.  He knew that the church was the hope of the world and that service to it was everything.  He took his skills and leadership abilities, and poured them into a local community of faith so that the kingdom could expand.

For most people, this is a foreign concept, an entirely new language, a radically different culture, a whole new set of values.  This world doesn't teach us to serve. By nature we don't want to serve; we want to be served.  Our goals are diametrically opposed to the goals of Jesus.  It means our lives are opposite of Jesus' in terms of influence, impact, and significance.

    Why do we trade a life of significance for a life of selfishness?  Why is it that we will do anything but give of our resources and our time, anything but selflessly serve, even when it costs us the life we long for?   Many do not  think serving will give the life they long for, afraid that if they gave then they would lose out in the end.  When it comes to serving like Barnabas did—whether it's giving money, or investing our time—we think it will cost us more than we will gain.  We believe first is first, and last is last; more is more and less is less, but that's not true.  This is the reason that Jesus went over this with the disciples, time and again.

    "'I tell you the truth,' Jesus said to them, 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age … and in the age to come, eternal life.'" (Mark 10:29-30, NIV).  In effect Jesus was saying, "I know it's a new math, a new way of thinking.  It's not of this world, but it is of heaven."

    Serving often is difficult, but our Lord was said that serving others is worth far more than it costs.  What will come about in our lives as a result is 100 times more than the results of whatever we were doing before.

`Many people grieved last year  over the loss of 30 Navy SEALS in Afghanistan.  Their helicopter was shot down on a mission to protect other soldiers, and they were killed.  Their bodies were returned to Dover Air Force Base.  It had been the deadliest day in that ten-year conflict.  It's generated a lot of talk, asking whether we should be in Afghanistan or not?  The thing that struck me more than anything else about the situation were the responses from the families of those 30 men.  The widows, mothers, father, and loved ones of these soldiers all gave the same response.  They all believed these men died serving a greater cause.

    These young men saw how their lives fit into the larger picture, into the conflict between good and evil, right and wrong.  They knew their lives played a part in the survival of our republic, our freedom.  Because they saw the situation so clearly, they were more than willing to give their lives.

    This principle was clear for the apostle Paul, who said,

"God is strong, and he wants you strong.  So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials.  And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.  This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours.  This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels."  (Ephesians 6:10-12, The Message)

    We all want a life that makes a difference.  We all want a life of significance. It comes one way: "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life away".  That's the challenge set before all of us.  I want to see every Christian serving somehow, somewhere, for the cause of Christ.  The cause is too great, the day is too dark, and time is too short to have anyone on the sidelines.

    It is not success, but significance, that is the hallmark of one who loves Jesus. That's what Jesus wants people to talk about when they think of us.

In Jesus,

 Brown

http://youtu.be/0rznoe3zKxM