Brown's Daily Word 10-14-09

Good morning,
It is Wednesday - WOW! If you can join us at the church for a meal at 6:00 this evening, followed by Bible study. (It's a double feast.)
During the Korean War, a group of US soldiers got cut off from the rest of its regiment by an enemy advance. Headquarters repeatedly tried to communicate with this missing unit. They kept saying “Baker Company, do you read me? Baker Company, do you read me?”
Finally after 2 hours, a voice replied “This is Baker Company.”
Headquarters said “What is your situation?”
They said “The enemy is to the east of us, the enemy is to the west of us, the enemy is to the north of us, the enemy is to the south of us. And we’re not going to let them escape this time!”
Those men were bold! They were not worried about the opposition! They were confident about their mission even though they were surrounded by the enemy. Can the same thing be said about us? Are we confident enough to talk to our friends about how Jesus has changed our lives? Acts 28:31 says that the apostle Paul "boldly and without hindrance preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ" and God expects the same thing to be true of us.
Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy in 66 AD, near the end of his life. He was in prison and he was lonely. He wanted to send Timothy one more letter before he died. In verses three through five, Paul wrote, “I remember you in my prayers. I remember the tears you shed the last time we saw each other. I look forward to the day when we can be together again!
“But most of all, I am reminded of your sincere faith. I remember when you first joined my ministry team. I was so proud of you. I even told the Philippians (in Philippians 2:22) that I have no one else like you! I told them that they should be happy to have a minister like you! I told them that having you around was just as good as having around one of the apostles!”
Then, in verse six, Paul continued, “For this reason, I want you to keep on serving the Lord! Fan into flame the gift of God which was given you through the laying on of my hands.” The expression “fan into flame” literally means “to rekindle a fire that’s in danger of going out.” Paul was saying, “You have a gift for ministry. But you need to get the fire going again! You have to start using it! You have to fan into flame the gift for ministry that God has given you!”
Some of you have the gift of encouraging people. People need to be encouraged! It brings glory to the Lord and it promotes the gospel of Christ. 1 Peter 4:10 says “Use WHATEVER gift you have been given to serve others.”
Timothy’s gift for ministry was preaching and teaching, and in verse 7, Paul said, “Don’t be afraid to use it! God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” The Bible seems to suggest that even though Timothy was a faithful Christian, he may also have been a timid Christian. In 1 Corinthians 16:10, Paul told the Corinthians, “If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.”
In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul wrote to Timothy, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, life, love, faith and purity.”
Paul's words remind us that God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, love, and self-control! The Holy Spirit gives us the boldness, the strength, and the compassion to do whatever we are called to do to help propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ! God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, love, and self-control!
Proverbs 28:1 says that “the wicked man flees, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” May we bold, brave, courageous and confident to day because the Lord leads us in triumph.
Praise be to Him,
Brown

The following is one of the worship songs the" Continentals" sang during their recent concert.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-08YZF87OBQ