Brown's daily word 6-25-07

Praise the Lord for Summertime. Praise the Lord for the beauty of the Lord that is bountiful all around us. When our Lord lived on earth He spent much time outdoors by the beaches and on the hills and on the plains. He taught, preached and healed. He performed miracles and demonstrated mighty deeds, 24/7. Jesus must have loved Summertime, for He spent much of His time on the Sea of Galilee.

One of the readings from yesterday was taken from Luke Chapter 8. The disciples had just come through a life-threatening experience on the Sea of Galilee. A terrible storm had almost taken their lives, and in a moment of weakness, they thought that Jesus had forsaken them. Awakening Him in a panic, they cried out, “Save us or we perish!” The Lord spoke to the murderous winds, and said, “Be Muzzled,” and the winds were stilled. The Lord rebuked the disciples for their lack of faith in Him and all that He had taught them. They responded with humble hearts and were in awe of their Lord, as the boats drew close to the shore..That day would not end without another miracle taking place in the fading light of day. Suddenly, the quiet lapping of the water on the shore was interrupted by a piercing scream. Seemingly, out of nowhere, a wounded, naked man - hair matted, eyes wild, broken chains rattling from wrist and ankles, ran up to them on the shore and threw himself down at the feet of Jesus. Nothing that they had experienced prepared them for this.

Dr. Luke goes on to tell us that us that this man “had demons for a long time” the KJV says that, “he had devils for a long time” but in reality there is only one “devil” but there are many “demons.” When the Bible says that “he had many demons,” it means that he was “demon possessed” or literally “demonized,” that is “under the influence of one or more evil spirits.” The Bible speaks of demon possession rather matter-of-factly, without apology or excuse. C.S Lewis wrote about the confusion about demon possession when he wrote, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about demons (devils). One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased with both errors …with the same delight.” [C.S. Lewis. The Screwtape Letters. (New York: MacMillan. 1971) p. 3 ]
Our world plays with spiritual forces rather than taking them seriously. Every day we see psychics advertise on Television, and the daily newspaper carries your daily horoscope. We tend to see these things as harmless and they are not. We need to be careful not to allow the forces of spiritual darkness to get a foot in the door of our minds through occult books, movies or even games such as “Dungeons and Dragons”. This is serious business, according to Ephesians 6:12 there is a very real spiritual battle being waged between the God and Satan over the lives and souls of men and women. It was going on during the ministry of Jesus, it was seen in the early days of the church, and it will continue in every generation until the Lord comes again and Satan and all of his demons are forever cast into the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:10). The power of the Devil is real and I believe we are seeing increased evidence of it today. We encounter a man here who is obviously fully demon possessed. He lives in a cemetery, for crying out loud!! He is a raving madman who cannot be bound by shackles and chains. He cries out in shrieks and wails all night long, as he cuts his body with stones. How could this apply to us? He is a reminder of the dilemma that is faced by every human that has not come under the influence of the saving power of Jesus Christ. Paul describes the condition of all believer’s prior to salvation in Ephesians 2:1-2, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” The story of the demon possessed man illustrates how a person can be so inwardly bound that he suffers inner pain and confusion. While he may throw off all outward restraint, he is unable to control what is going on within him. Sometimes, this bondage is caused by our human frailty. (v. 27b) “… And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs…”The townspeople in the past had subdued this man but he had broken his bonds and escaped taken up residence in the cemetery, the townspeople now have decided that the safest thing to do is to leave this man alone. “…For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. He appeared to be a raving lunatic who was extremely violent to himself and to anyone he chanced to meet. He had become his own worst enemy. “When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!"
It is reassuring to note that when Christ and Satan meet head to head that it is not a clash of titans with the outcome uncertain, Satan and his demons do not stand a chance when they come into contact with the full force of God’s power.
When our text says that he “fell down before Him” The demons that control this man proclaim, “Jesus, the son of the most High God,” unlike the religious rulers of the day the demons immediately recognized that Jesus was indeed the son of God. The demons ask Jesus in verse twenty-eight, “do not torment us” “For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. … (30) Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him. (31) And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.” When Jesus asked the demon for his name he was not simply requesting information. He asked in order that all could see how pitiful this man’s condition was. The demon responds that his name is “Legion.” A Roman legion consisted of 6,000 foot soldiers as well as 120 horsemen and other personnel. To the Jewish mind “legion” suggest great numbers; efficient and organized and relentless in strength. Jesus “… commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.” Jesus did not seek to calm the man but rather he confronted the demons that were abusing the man. In verse thirty-one the demons make a request of Jesus, “ And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. (32) Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. (33) Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.” Much to the shock of everyone, the swine unexpectedly Stampeded; the shock of suddenly being occupied by the demon spirits, caused the hogs to blindly charge down the hillside into the lake to rid themselves of their unwanted guests. “When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.” The word spreads fast when those tending the pigs fled into the city to report what had happened. When the people came out they found a completely different man than they had known. There is a word of hope here for those who have descended so far into sin, and have so many scars that they have given up on ever being made whole. In the life of the Demon possessed man when the deliverer comes there is New Life. His encounter with Christ has changed him completely in both his look and his outlook. In verse thirty-five we find that when the townspeople arrived they “… found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.” Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, that when we really commit our selves to Christ we are changed, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” In verse thirty-eight we see that he also has a New Heart, for he “… begged Him that he might be with Him.” The healed man wanted to join Jesus’ band of disciples, but Jesus had a different calling in mind. but Jesus sent him away, saying, (39) "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you." And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.” Jesus told him to “return to your own house” his testimony was to begin with those who knew him best and could see the change that Jesus had made in his life. . He was to testify of “what great things God has done for you.” Mark in his account tells us that the result of this man’s testimony was that “all marveled” (5:20). The townspeople, however, did not respond as the demon possessed man did. Verse thirty-seven reveals that “Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear…”. Following Jesus is now and always has been a choice. The townspeople chose to ask Jesus to leave. Sadly they would rather push Jesus away than risk Him changing their lives too. Far more people than we can imagine turn their backs on Christ or ask Him to go away because they fear He will disrupt their lives. Be careful about asking Jesus to leave you alone. The text tells us that “…And He got into the boat and returned.” Did you know that as far as we know Jesus never returned to the land of Gadarenes. Never! This was their only chance. We have to wonder just how different it might have been in their lives had these people invited Jesus to come into their city and into their lives, instead of asking Him to leave. Statistics today tell us that 85% of all people who do not accept Christ before they are 18 never will. So Jesus left. He simply got into the boat and departed. He didn’t beg. He didn’t plead. He didn’t threaten. He didn’t come back. Jesus takes charge only in the lives of those freely offered to Him.

Martin Luther penned these words in his great hymn of faith “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”
And though this world with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him –
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him.”
And that word my friend is “Jesus”
[Martin Luther. “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” in Praise: Our Songs and Hymns. (Nashville, Tenn.: Singspiration Associates, 1977) no. 333.]

The Continentals are coming! They will be performing on Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. They'll be live in concert at Maine Endwell high school auditorium, Farm to Market Rd, Endwell. Those of you who live around here please join us with your family and friends for a great evening of worship and inspiration. They will be also in concert on Sunday, July 8 at 11:00 a.m. at the Union Center United Methodist Church located at 128 Maple Dr. Endicott.

The Russian Men's Ensemble will returning back to NY in November 2007. They are powerful and anointed. They will be performing at the Union Center United Methodist Church on Saturday, November 10 and Sunday November 11, 2007. They are looking for other churches to host them. If you would like to host them at your church please contact us at umcgospel.com.

This devotion is posted on my webpage at brownnaik.com

Janice and Jeremy are celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary today. Micah is growing up to be a young lady. As you know, Janice and Jeremy are expecting their second child to be born within next few days so please keep them in prayer.

Have a wonderful day in Jesus,
Brown



A man in a supermarket was pushing a cart which contained, among other things, a screaming baby. As the man proceeded along the aisles, he kept repeating softly, "Keep calm, George. Don't get excited, George. Don't yell, George."
A lady watched with admiration and then said, "You are certainly to be commended for your patience in trying to quiet little George."

"Lady," he declared, "I'M George!"



Oh, the fullness, pleasure, sheer excitement of knowing God on Earth! I care not if I never raise my voice again for Him, if only I may love Him, please Him. Mayhap in mercy He shall give me a host of children that I may lead them through the vast star fields to explore His delicacies whose finger ends set them to burning. But if not, if only I may see Him, touch His garments, smile into His eyes -- ah then, not stars nor children shall matter, only Himself.
... Jim Elliot