Good morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Sunita flew out on Monday evening to Burundi, Africa, on an assignment for her work at World Vision. She, along with some of her colleagues, have gone for ten days. She sent us an e-mail that she arrived safely in Burundi after a long flight, but her luggage was missing en-route. Sunita gets a great thrill in serving the Lord by serving His people. I get excited about Jesus and His Kingdom when I talk to Sunita.
The Lord blessed us with a blessed Mid-week service of fellowship, study and prayer yesterday evening. The Lord calls us to a life of spiritual discipline so that we might renew our friendship with Jesus in a deeper way every day.
One of the prayers in the liturgy of the church says, “Most merciful God we confess that we have sinned against you and our neighbor. We have taken great benefits with little thanks and we have been more ready to insist upon our rights than to see the needs of others. Have mercy and forgive us, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Andrew Carnegie, the multimillionaire, left $1 million to one of his relatives, who in return actually cursed Carnegie because he had left $365 million to public charities and had cut him off with just one million. It is sort of like the young boy who was walking down the street with his mother. They met a neighbor on the street, returning home with a bag of groceries. The neighbor gave the boy an orange, and the mother said to her son: “And what do you say to the nice man?” Looking at the man, he held out the orange and said, “Peel it!” Yet, the boy is no different from us when we take great benefits from God with little thanks. The good news is that Jesus comes to us with mercy and grace, and does not see us as we are, but as we could be. He blesses us and is gracious toward us when we recognize his goodness — and when we do not. The Bible says, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:10-14).
In His Grace,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EfejDF85QI
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 5-27-09
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Alice and I drove down to Washington, DC on Saturday, May 24 to visit Andy and Sunita in their new home.. We joined them in worship on Sunday, as the service got under way at 5 PM. They are members of an Anglican Church, called "St. Brendon's". They meet in a building shared by a shelter for Homeless Men. The congregation is pastored by Father Bill Hayley. He is an Anglican Priest who is married to his lovely wife, Tara. They are blessed with three beautiful children. His wife has just returned from a trip to Calcutta, on a short term mission that included working at Mother Theresa's Mission for few days.)
The congregation of St Brendon's consist of many young couples with children, many single people, and some who live in the Homeless shelter. Many of the young professionals work for the federal government, at such organizations as the CIA, FEMA, the World Bank, FrediMacand USAid. Father Bill made a statement during worship, "Worship is renewing friendship with Jesus."
Indeed, worship is part of our spiritual discipline. As we enter the summer season, let us commit ourselves not to neglect in worshipping the Living Lord Jesus and renewing our friendship with Him. So, let us make it a spiritual discipline to be part of corporate worship every Lord's Day. We read in Romans 12, "Therefore I urge you brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." We see that offering your bodies, your very selves to God in your conversion was your first true act of worship. Therefore, continuing to offer your bodies, your very selves to God every day is true worship. It is simply the number one priority of our lives. It's the most important thing that we can do as human beings. We find our reason for existing in worshipping Him. To worship God is to get the equation of life correct.
The following quotation is from Michael Hamilton, who is the coordinator of the Pew's Scholars Program. He is also an assistant professor of history at the University of Notre Dame. I think this is one of the best quotes I have ever read on the issue of music and its place in our life of worship, and particularly music in this context of the worship service.
"The Bible has four different gospels. No single one of them tells us the whole truth about the life of Jesus. Likewise, no single musical style brings to full flower more than a few of the many possibilities of communing with God. It is said that when King George II of England heard Handel's Hallelujah Chorus for the first time, it was not the glory of the music that, to the astonishment of the audience, pulled him to his feet. It was rather the glory of the Lord surging through the conduit of music... " He goes on to write here, "When my neighbor, Elise Hudson, lay in a coma for several days, she responded to no one, not even her closest family members until her pastor sat beside her and softly sang the simple gospel songs that she had sung all her life. The power of God surged through that music, also to the astonishment of the hospice workers, waking her one last time before she went home to be with the Lord." Hamilton goes on to write, "It is fruitless to search for a single musical style or even any blend of musical styles that can assist all Christians in true worship. The followers of Jesus are a far too diverse group of people, which is exactly how it should be. We need rather to welcome any worship music that helps churches produce disciples of Jesus Christ."
If we are to worship God faithfullywe need to do it in a way that brings Him pleasure. Worship is for Him, but in doing it we find ourselves. For us to grow in true worship, we need to take a lesson. Our Lord said to the Samaritan woman in John, Chapter 4, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Pastor John Piper says in his book, "Desiring God", "Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of his worth." As our heart is captured by who God is, what he has created, and how he works, his purposes are always good. The Westminster Catechism also tackled the idea of worship and of the purpose of man well 100 years ago. It states, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever."
Personal pleasure and reward are the moral enemies of true spirit worship. In the words of C.S. Lewis, "If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased."
As John Piper put it, "The great hindrance to worship is not that we are pleasure seeking people, not at all, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures. We have settled for a home, a family, a few friends, a job, a television, a microwave oven, an occasional night out, a yearly vacation, a new laptop computer. We have accustomed ourselves to such meager, short lived pleasures that our capacity for joy has shriveled and therefore our capacity for true worship has shriveled. Many can scarcely imagine what is meant by "a holiday at sea"- worshipping the living God."
In the words from Jonathan Edwards about Jesus and the truth about who he is,
"We must see and feel the incomparable excellency of the Son of God. Incomparable because in him meet infinite glory and lowest humility,infinite majesty and transcendent meekness, deepest reverence toward God and equality with God, infinite worthiness of good and greatest patience to suffer evil, supreme dominion and exceeding obedience,divine self sufficiency and childlike trust."
To worship in spirit and truth is only the "how" part of worship. We need to ask what do we worship with? That is our lives. Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore I urge you brothers, by these mercies of God, these things we just heard, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." We need to offer all of ourselves to God in worship. We need to worship in service to others, so they can catch a whiff of the aroma of that same Jesus that we came in contact with. We need to worship with our giving of tithes and offerings, our money, so that's a thank you back to God for all he has given us. We need to worship with our obedience that our following him is an attitude of gratitude. We need to worship with our lips by telling others how they can know this great savior that moves us. And we need to sing. Our lives must become a melody that is a pleasing song to God.
In Christ ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCQnwn2hIQ
The congregation of St Brendon's consist of many young couples with children, many single people, and some who live in the Homeless shelter. Many of the young professionals work for the federal government, at such organizations as the CIA, FEMA, the World Bank, FrediMacand USAid. Father Bill made a statement during worship, "Worship is renewing friendship with Jesus."
Indeed, worship is part of our spiritual discipline. As we enter the summer season, let us commit ourselves not to neglect in worshipping the Living Lord Jesus and renewing our friendship with Him. So, let us make it a spiritual discipline to be part of corporate worship every Lord's Day. We read in Romans 12, "Therefore I urge you brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." We see that offering your bodies, your very selves to God in your conversion was your first true act of worship. Therefore, continuing to offer your bodies, your very selves to God every day is true worship. It is simply the number one priority of our lives. It's the most important thing that we can do as human beings. We find our reason for existing in worshipping Him. To worship God is to get the equation of life correct.
The following quotation is from Michael Hamilton, who is the coordinator of the Pew's Scholars Program. He is also an assistant professor of history at the University of Notre Dame. I think this is one of the best quotes I have ever read on the issue of music and its place in our life of worship, and particularly music in this context of the worship service.
"The Bible has four different gospels. No single one of them tells us the whole truth about the life of Jesus. Likewise, no single musical style brings to full flower more than a few of the many possibilities of communing with God. It is said that when King George II of England heard Handel's Hallelujah Chorus for the first time, it was not the glory of the music that, to the astonishment of the audience, pulled him to his feet. It was rather the glory of the Lord surging through the conduit of music... " He goes on to write here, "When my neighbor, Elise Hudson, lay in a coma for several days, she responded to no one, not even her closest family members until her pastor sat beside her and softly sang the simple gospel songs that she had sung all her life. The power of God surged through that music, also to the astonishment of the hospice workers, waking her one last time before she went home to be with the Lord." Hamilton goes on to write, "It is fruitless to search for a single musical style or even any blend of musical styles that can assist all Christians in true worship. The followers of Jesus are a far too diverse group of people, which is exactly how it should be. We need rather to welcome any worship music that helps churches produce disciples of Jesus Christ."
If we are to worship God faithfullywe need to do it in a way that brings Him pleasure. Worship is for Him, but in doing it we find ourselves. For us to grow in true worship, we need to take a lesson. Our Lord said to the Samaritan woman in John, Chapter 4, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Pastor John Piper says in his book, "Desiring God", "Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of his worth." As our heart is captured by who God is, what he has created, and how he works, his purposes are always good. The Westminster Catechism also tackled the idea of worship and of the purpose of man well 100 years ago. It states, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever."
Personal pleasure and reward are the moral enemies of true spirit worship. In the words of C.S. Lewis, "If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased."
As John Piper put it, "The great hindrance to worship is not that we are pleasure seeking people, not at all, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures. We have settled for a home, a family, a few friends, a job, a television, a microwave oven, an occasional night out, a yearly vacation, a new laptop computer. We have accustomed ourselves to such meager, short lived pleasures that our capacity for joy has shriveled and therefore our capacity for true worship has shriveled. Many can scarcely imagine what is meant by "a holiday at sea"- worshipping the living God."
In the words from Jonathan Edwards about Jesus and the truth about who he is,
"We must see and feel the incomparable excellency of the Son of God. Incomparable because in him meet infinite glory and lowest humility,infinite majesty and transcendent meekness, deepest reverence toward God and equality with God, infinite worthiness of good and greatest patience to suffer evil, supreme dominion and exceeding obedience,divine self sufficiency and childlike trust."
To worship in spirit and truth is only the "how" part of worship. We need to ask what do we worship with? That is our lives. Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore I urge you brothers, by these mercies of God, these things we just heard, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." We need to offer all of ourselves to God in worship. We need to worship in service to others, so they can catch a whiff of the aroma of that same Jesus that we came in contact with. We need to worship with our giving of tithes and offerings, our money, so that's a thank you back to God for all he has given us. We need to worship with our obedience that our following him is an attitude of gratitude. We need to worship with our lips by telling others how they can know this great savior that moves us. And we need to sing. Our lives must become a melody that is a pleasing song to God.
In Christ ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCQnwn2hIQ
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Brown's Daily Word 5-26-09
Good morning,
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. The early church leader Augustine was once accosted by a heathen who showed him his idol and said, "Here is my god; where is thine?" Augustine replied, "I cannot show you my God; not because there is no God to show but because you have no eyes to see Him." In Psalm 46, we read: "The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Come see the glorious works of the Lord. See how He brings destruction upon the world and causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; he burns the shields with fire.Be still and know that I am God! I will be exalted in the nations. I will be honored through the earth." (Psalm 46:8-11) In light of the assurance of our Almighty God’s triumphs, we should take time throughout the day to be still and reverently honor him as the God of power, love, and sovereign control of all things. We can praise God that He constantly offers reassurance during troubled times. David gives us an emphatic declaration of God’s Almighty power to overcome any calamity that may befall us. Perhaps the most famous verse that speaks of God's overcoming power is found in Psalm 46, "God is our refuge and strength a very present help in the time of trouble." A refuge is a shelter that provides protection from all kinds of danger. When we seek refuge in God we are trusting Him to deliver us from danger and trouble. We can praise God that He constantly reassures us with His mighty power, presence and promise. Take time to thank God for the fact that He reassures you with rock solid guarantees regarding your security. He alone is able to give us the confidence to move ahead with His will for our lives despite intimidating outward circumstances or our personal feelings of fear. We can be certain of the fact that He will bring to pass His will and way for our life if we take Abraham’s attitude toward our challenge, "He staggered not through unbelief but grew strong in faith, being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform." (Romans 4:20,21) Often we are tempted to focus too much on personal comfort and ease. Too much comfort can be a dangerous thing, literally. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley did an experiment some time ago that involved introducing an amoeba into a perfectly stress-free environment. Ideal temperature, optimal concentration of moisture, and a constant food supply were provided, so that the amoeba had an environment to which it had to make no adjustments whatsoever. Oddly enough, it died. Apparently, there is something about all living creatures, even amoebas, that demands challenge. We require change, adaptation, and challenge in the same way we require food and air. Comfort alone will kill us. When teachers want students to grow, they don’t give them answers - they give them problems! It is only in the process of accepting and solving problems that our ability to think creatively is enhanced, our persistence is strengthened. God is infinitely above all of the enemies who seek to steal, slaughter, kill, and destroy those who are His own. We must call upon Him for deliverance. Despite the malice of God’s opponents He is never rattled by their threats. "Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms falls, he lifts us voice and the earth melts." (Psalm 46:6) God’s voice resets all things in their proper position, place and perspective. People will try to set themselves in positions of power, prestige or popularity but God alone will be exalted above all and He alone will receive glory. Let us learn to trust and obey God in all things and at all times so we can gain a greater intimate knowledge of God. Increasing intimacy with the Lord allows one to experience greater power, perspective and problem-solving capacities that are done through the enabling guidance of the Holy Spirit. We can praise God that He has unlimited resources available to win every good battle that we fight. Many people hesitate to move forward until they believe they have all the resources in place, but we can trust God to provide all we need according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) Our Sovereign God not only controls all things; He owns everything. Let us ask the Lord to help us to bring glory to His name in all that we do.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEh7Vt9sxmc
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. The early church leader Augustine was once accosted by a heathen who showed him his idol and said, "Here is my god; where is thine?" Augustine replied, "I cannot show you my God; not because there is no God to show but because you have no eyes to see Him." In Psalm 46, we read: "The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Come see the glorious works of the Lord. See how He brings destruction upon the world and causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; he burns the shields with fire.Be still and know that I am God! I will be exalted in the nations. I will be honored through the earth." (Psalm 46:8-11) In light of the assurance of our Almighty God’s triumphs, we should take time throughout the day to be still and reverently honor him as the God of power, love, and sovereign control of all things. We can praise God that He constantly offers reassurance during troubled times. David gives us an emphatic declaration of God’s Almighty power to overcome any calamity that may befall us. Perhaps the most famous verse that speaks of God's overcoming power is found in Psalm 46, "God is our refuge and strength a very present help in the time of trouble." A refuge is a shelter that provides protection from all kinds of danger. When we seek refuge in God we are trusting Him to deliver us from danger and trouble. We can praise God that He constantly reassures us with His mighty power, presence and promise. Take time to thank God for the fact that He reassures you with rock solid guarantees regarding your security. He alone is able to give us the confidence to move ahead with His will for our lives despite intimidating outward circumstances or our personal feelings of fear. We can be certain of the fact that He will bring to pass His will and way for our life if we take Abraham’s attitude toward our challenge, "He staggered not through unbelief but grew strong in faith, being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform." (Romans 4:20,21) Often we are tempted to focus too much on personal comfort and ease. Too much comfort can be a dangerous thing, literally. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley did an experiment some time ago that involved introducing an amoeba into a perfectly stress-free environment. Ideal temperature, optimal concentration of moisture, and a constant food supply were provided, so that the amoeba had an environment to which it had to make no adjustments whatsoever. Oddly enough, it died. Apparently, there is something about all living creatures, even amoebas, that demands challenge. We require change, adaptation, and challenge in the same way we require food and air. Comfort alone will kill us. When teachers want students to grow, they don’t give them answers - they give them problems! It is only in the process of accepting and solving problems that our ability to think creatively is enhanced, our persistence is strengthened. God is infinitely above all of the enemies who seek to steal, slaughter, kill, and destroy those who are His own. We must call upon Him for deliverance. Despite the malice of God’s opponents He is never rattled by their threats. "Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms falls, he lifts us voice and the earth melts." (Psalm 46:6) God’s voice resets all things in their proper position, place and perspective. People will try to set themselves in positions of power, prestige or popularity but God alone will be exalted above all and He alone will receive glory. Let us learn to trust and obey God in all things and at all times so we can gain a greater intimate knowledge of God. Increasing intimacy with the Lord allows one to experience greater power, perspective and problem-solving capacities that are done through the enabling guidance of the Holy Spirit. We can praise God that He has unlimited resources available to win every good battle that we fight. Many people hesitate to move forward until they believe they have all the resources in place, but we can trust God to provide all we need according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) Our Sovereign God not only controls all things; He owns everything. Let us ask the Lord to help us to bring glory to His name in all that we do.
In Him,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEh7Vt9sxmc
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