Brown's Daily Word 12-5-07

Good Morning,

Praise the Lord for this Holy Season of Advent. It is a season of pausing and pondering, of waiting and contemplating. It is the season of repentance and cleansing. It is our sin that caused Christ to come into the world. He came to the crib and went to the Cross. The Lord of Majesty and Splendor did not abhor things that were mundane and insignificant. He chose to make the manger His cradle. The Lord of all creation and glory came down to the dunghills of life. He brought glory with Him as He came down to dwell among us.

Michelangelo specialized in sculpting marble. Our Savior and Lord specialized in recreating and redeeming our human lives. He became the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He emptied Himself and became a servant. He focused on small things and made them significant and sacred.

I have gleaned some interesting insights from an article entitled, “Significance vs. Size,” found in Ministry Today magazine. The article focuses on Jim Graff, founder of the Significant Church Network, and Graff states, “The Barna [research] Group notes that, in 2005, 45 percent of American adults attended church on a typical weekend, but only two percent attend a Protestant megachurch. The bottom line is: The vast majority of America’s Christians are being discipled and cared for in smaller churches.” He also draws from The World Christian Encyclopedia to tell us that, “Urban dwellers are more evangelized than rural dwellers,” revealing a huge need for ministry efforts to be concentrated in rural areas, or the places that are overlooked and deemed insignificant. Graff is saying rural America is significant to the Lord!
Jim Graff goes on to say, “I would like to believe that the next 10 years will be known as the beginning of the Third Great Awakening in our nation." If you are unaware of what happened in the first two Great Awakenings, it makes for fascinating reading. Cities were changed as people began attending churches and steeples from newly-constructed churches filled the skylines. The Great Awakening, according to historians, was not one continuous revival but a series of revivals in several locations. Almost without exception these sparks of renewal started in smaller communities before spreading into larger cities and towns. Near the end of the magazine article Graff leaves us with some sound advice and encouragement from 2 Corinthians 10:12, which states, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” Let’s not compare and live in discouragement, but realize that God has a plan and purpose for the small church.
Let’s look at the ministry of John the Baptist, as we read Matthew 3:1-6. "He Preached in the Wilderness" When John began his ministry where did he preach? We read here that “he came preaching in the wilderness of Judea” (v. 1). The wilderness . . . do we feel that we are in the wilderness? Does our church or ministry feel hidden and obscure? This is how the members, and even the pastors, of small churches often feel about themselves. They feel that they can’t be of any significance to God in a sparsely populated area; but just look at John! His ministry was in the wilderness, and it was even prophesied about and planned by God (v. 3)! Consider how the Lord may have you planted where you are for a strategic purpose.
"He Preached the Gospel Message". What did John preach? Verse 2 shows that he declared to the people, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Mark 1:4 is more specific, for it tells us, “John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” John was preaching a message about repenting of our sins, being forgiven of those sins, and being baptized symbolizing a new life free from sin. He also preached that one must believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sin, for Paul stated over in Acts 19:4, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” John preached a very straight forward and non-watered-down message that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6).
"The Setting was Unattractive" – What do you notice about John himself? Would you say that he was an attractive fellow? The Bible describes him as a grasshopper-eating caveman (v. 4). John was a strange looking person, to say the least, but if you will notice people still came to hear his message. They didn’t come because John was attractive; they came because his message was attractive. So many times we feel insignificant because our facility is old, or because we don’t have flashy amenities to offer, but that’s not what draws people. Magnifying the name of Jesus is what draws people to our church. In John 12:32 Jesus declared, “If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
"News of God’s Work Spread". When we examine this passage, who all do we notice that heard John’s message? In verse 5 we learn that it was those from Jerusalem, from all Judea, and the entire region around the Jordan, or surrounding the Jordan River. The Jordan River is 156 miles long. It was a large area of population that was affected by his ministry, not just the few hermits found scattered here and there in the wilderness. If you faithfully preach God’s Word, news will reach far and wide!
"The People Were Drawn There". They heard him out in the wilderness! In verse 5 we read that they actually “went out to him.”
"People Were Spiritually Healed". As we see here, when people heard the faithful preaching of the gospel, their lives were changed. They were forgiven of their sins through Jesus Christ, and as we read in verse 5, they “were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.” These people were healed spiritually. The Lord of the church will bless the church when it is faithful with the small things (Matthew 25:21).
We see a similar theme in the ministry of Jesus, our Lord, as we read in Matthew 4:23-25. "He Preached in the Wilderness". When Jesus began his ministry where did he preach? Verse 23 says, “Jesus went about all Galilee . . .” This verse brings to mind a prophecy of Jesus, often quoted during the Christmas season, from Isaiah chapter 9, which says, “By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined” (9:1b-2). Galilee was divided into upper and lower Galilee during Jesus’ time, and “Galilee of the Gentiles” was the upper portion. “The upper Galilee has no cities in it. It’s rural, it’s remote. It’s located in the highest hills of the land of Israel . . . a very remote area along the borders and frontiers of modern Lebanon, and high mountains and very, very treacherous terrain, very isolated by reason of topography and the nature of the land itself.” Jesus’ ministry began in a remote area, and in John 7:41 and 52 we hear a crowd state, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? . . . Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” How many people today feel that God can’t do anything good in a rural or remote area?
"He Preached the Gospel Message". What did Jesus preach? Verse 23 tells us it was “the gospel of the kingdom” (v. 23). As with John, Jesus also preached the gospel or Good News! We read in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 of the gospel message: “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” Believing and confessing the gospel message is what leads to salvation. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Let’s not overlook the fact that the Lord also used Jesus to pray for people’s healing, and to see people miraculously healed!
"The Setting was Unattractive". What kinds of people showed up where Jesus preached? Many were sick people. Today, if we hear that a number of people at church have the cold or the flu, we usually find a reason to stay home that Sunday. During the winter we might decide not to place our children in nursery or children’s church because kids spread so many germs. Not too many of us want to show up in a place where there are a lot of sick people. It’s just too messy! We see here that Jesus’ message was so attractive that no one cared that there were a lot of sick people around. If we are preaching what people need to hear, they won’t mind the mess!
"The People Were Drawn There". How were people able to hear Jesus preach and be healed by him? Verse 24 says, “And they brought to him all people who were afflicted . . .” They came to him where he was. As I said before, if we offer people what they need, then it does not matter how remote our church may be; people are going to journey here.
"People Were Spiritually Healed". As we saw with the example of John, when people journeyed to hear Jesus preach, they were healed spiritually. Verse 23 tells us that Jesus healed “all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (v. 23). The greatest sickness and the deadliest disease is sin, and the related consequence of sin, which is spiritual death (Romans 6:23) for all eternity. Jesus healed this disease too, for John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29b). The Good News is that no place is too small for God to show up; we, because of Christ, are significant in God’s kingdom! We may not see it right now, but God has strategically placed us where we are for a reason, and we need to remain faithful. We read in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”



Keep praying for Linda Ayer who is gaining strength day by day. She may be going home today!

Pray for 5 month old Dylan Jeffery Ring, the grandson of Dave and Barbara Ring who has undergone a three hour skull surgery on Monday. He is stable and gaining strength.





Hi Pastor Brown,

Would you add Scott Henson and family to your prayer list. Scott is unsaved as is his wife Liz. And Allyson is only 6 and is in danger at times due to the addictive, sometimes violent nature of her mother. Allyson's other grandmother who has sinced passed on, was schizophrenic and tried to kill Liz. Liz is Bipolar and addicted to various substances. So I want to pray for protection for all of them.

Thank you, N. H.




A quick note to let all at UCMC know that their prayers have meant so much.
Am glad to report that Mom is on the fast road to recovery. Should be discharged soon to a rehab center
Thank you all the Boyers



Our Lord is awesome and merciful.




For anyone with kids, grand kids, other relatives or friends whom this may concern. Check it out at snopes.com. It is true.

There will be a new children's movie out in December called "The Golden Compass". The movie has been described as "atheism for kids" and is based on the first book of a trilogy entitled "His Dark Materials" that was written by Phillip Pullman. Pullman is a militant atheist and secular humanist who despises C. S. Lewis and the "Chronicles of Narnia". His motivation for writing this trilogy was specifically to counteract Lewis' symbolisms of Christ that are portrayed in the Narnia series.
Clearly, Pullman's main objective is to bash Christianity and promote atheism. Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that "my books are about killing God." He has even stated that he wants to "kill God in the minds of children". It has been said of Pullman that he is "the writer the atheists would be praying for, if atheists prayed."
While "The Golden Compass" movie itself may seem mild and innocent, the books are a much different story. In the trilogy, a young streetwise girl becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle to ultimately defeat the oppressive forces of a senile God. Another character, an ex-nun, describes Christianity as "a very powerful and convincing mistake." In the final book, characters representing Adam and Eve eventually kill God, who at times is called YAHWEH. Each book in the trilogy gets progressively worse regarding Pullman's hatred of Jesus Christ.
"The Golden Compass" is set to premier on December 7, during the Christmas season, and will probably be heavily advertised. Promoters hope that unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the movie, that they will enjoy the movie, and that the children will want the books for Christmas.
Please pass this information along to everyone you know. This will help to educate parents, so that they will know the agenda of the movie.


Kari :-)