The Christian life is an invitation to an undisturbed joy and it also is accompanied by unending battles. We may face a sudden new challenges in life that come to us uninvited. Often our externalities become the Lord's opportunities in our lives. Our disappointments become the Lord's appointments with us. In the Book of James we are reminded that standing strong in hard times brings its own reward. We will be “approved” by God. We will “pass the test.” We will “gain the prize.”Our oldest granddaughter taking fiddle lessons and playing fiddle really well. She has also been learning to play guitar. Simeon is also learning to play certain chords, and even Ada played guitar for her Auntie Laureen one day.Recently Ann Voskamp wrote a blog entry called The Law of Guitar Days. It is based on the observation that in order to make beautiful music, you must put the guitar strings under great stress:Music is made in stress. A string has to be stressed, it has to be pulled tight, to make music. The string has to be moved from its comfortable, resting position if it’s ever going to be make music.A limp string makes no music. You have to tighten it and then tighten it some more. Only when the string is pulled taut can it produce a beautiful sound. So it is with you and me. When we are relaxed and comfortable, when the bills are paid, our family is intact, and all is well in our little corner of the world, life may be grand, but we don’t make much music then. A limp string makes no musicWe have to be pulled taut, stretched in ways that make us scream with pain, pulled almost to the breaking point, tightened again and again by the Master Musician who knows how much we can take and who will not stop until we are stretched to the point where our lives produce the beautiful music of heaven.No one says that this process is easy or fun or painless. Making music for God comes at a high cost, but that music, the melody that our lives produce when we are put under stress and yet endure it joyfully because we are trusting in the Lord, that song we sing, the Symphony of Suffering, that is what it means to be “approved” and to “pass the test.” We all want the music of heaven, but we don’t want the pain. However, they go together. You can’t have one without the other.In Christ,Brown
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Brown's Daily Word 6/11/15
The Lord blessed us again last evening with a wonderful and sweet Wednesday
evening gathering. The food was delicious. Once again the fellowship was very
sweet accompanied by deep sharing. It is official now - we will leaving here,
131 Maple Drive, Endicott at the end of June and moving to Marathon, New York.
I will be serving at the Marathon United Methodist Church. Alice has been
teaching at the Marathon Central Schools for last fifteen years. We will be
living in the town of Marathon, which is situated midway between Binghamton,
New York and Syracuse, New York.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Brown's Daily Word 6/10/15
Praise the Lord for this wonderful Wednesday. I woke up in the early morning, reflecting on the goodness and the grace of the Lord Jesus. We will be meeting for our Wednesday Evening gathering at 6:00 PM, with a very special dinner made by one of the sweet servants of Jesus. We will be looking at some of the passages from the letter of Paul to the Philippians for next few weeks. I will soon be finishing my days here in Endicott. I have two more Wednesdays and three more Sundays. We have been meeting for Wednesday gatherings since July, 1990. It has been both a blessing and blast. Somebody told me as I was beginning my ministry that those who love the church attend church on Sunday. Those who love the pastor attend Sunday Evening worship services. Those who love the Lord attend Wednesday Evening gatherings. We are excited for this evening's gathering and celebration and are looking forward to a great gathering on Saturday the 27th of June 2015 at 5:00 PM.
I am a student of History. History was one of the subjects I studied for my undergraduate studies along with English literature. In 1858 a mighty revival swept across Philadelphia. No leader was more prominent in that move of God than a 29-year-old Episcopal minister named Dudley Tyng. He often spoke to large groups of men, encouraging them to stand firm in their faith. In April of that year, he suffered an accident while visiting a farm. His arm got caught in a corn-threshing machine, was badly mangled, and had to be amputated. An infection set in that would take his life. Knowing he was dying, he called for his family and a few close friends, exhorting them to “stand up for Jesus.” When those words were repeated at his funeral, they made an enormous impact on George Duffield, pastor of Temple Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. The following Sunday he preached a message in honor of his fallen colleague. At the end of his sermon, he recited a poem he had written based on Dudley Tyng’s final words. The poem was later printed and put to music, eventually becoming a beloved gospel song. The first verse goes like this:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory, His army shall He lead, Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.
But it’s a line in the third verse that catches our attention. Now that you know the story, you’ll never hear it the same way again:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you—ye dare not trust your own. Put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer; Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.
Then the triumphant final verse that seems to summarize our text:
Stand up! Stand up for Jesus! The strife will not be long; This day the noise of battle, the next the victor's song. To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; He with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.
Christian life is an invitation into a life of undisturbed joy and at the same time it is a life surrounded with unending battles. Jesus our Lord won the greatest battle when he died and rose again. God intends that we stand in victory at the end of the day, but that will not happen without a fight. The Christian life is both battleground, and a a playground. Christian faith is not for those who want to run and hide. It’s a faith for strong men and brave women. The evil day may be upon us, but we are not pessimissts. It’s time to put on the armor of God. Let’s put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. Let’s make sure we’re wearing gospel shoes. Put on the helmet of salvation. Let’s pick up the shield of faith and the Sword of Spirit and head for the sound of battle. We were made for times like these. Stand firm in the evil day. Stand up for Jesus in the power of the Spirit and victory will be yours.
In Jesus . Brown
https://youtu.be/TRon2Q7yluk
I am a student of History. History was one of the subjects I studied for my undergraduate studies along with English literature. In 1858 a mighty revival swept across Philadelphia. No leader was more prominent in that move of God than a 29-year-old Episcopal minister named Dudley Tyng. He often spoke to large groups of men, encouraging them to stand firm in their faith. In April of that year, he suffered an accident while visiting a farm. His arm got caught in a corn-threshing machine, was badly mangled, and had to be amputated. An infection set in that would take his life. Knowing he was dying, he called for his family and a few close friends, exhorting them to “stand up for Jesus.” When those words were repeated at his funeral, they made an enormous impact on George Duffield, pastor of Temple Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. The following Sunday he preached a message in honor of his fallen colleague. At the end of his sermon, he recited a poem he had written based on Dudley Tyng’s final words. The poem was later printed and put to music, eventually becoming a beloved gospel song. The first verse goes like this:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory, His army shall He lead, Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.
But it’s a line in the third verse that catches our attention. Now that you know the story, you’ll never hear it the same way again:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone; The arm of flesh will fail you—ye dare not trust your own. Put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with prayer; Where duty calls or danger, be never wanting there.
Then the triumphant final verse that seems to summarize our text:
Stand up! Stand up for Jesus! The strife will not be long; This day the noise of battle, the next the victor's song. To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; He with the King of Glory shall reign eternally.
Christian life is an invitation into a life of undisturbed joy and at the same time it is a life surrounded with unending battles. Jesus our Lord won the greatest battle when he died and rose again. God intends that we stand in victory at the end of the day, but that will not happen without a fight. The Christian life is both battleground, and a a playground. Christian faith is not for those who want to run and hide. It’s a faith for strong men and brave women. The evil day may be upon us, but we are not pessimissts. It’s time to put on the armor of God. Let’s put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. Let’s make sure we’re wearing gospel shoes. Put on the helmet of salvation. Let’s pick up the shield of faith and the Sword of Spirit and head for the sound of battle. We were made for times like these. Stand firm in the evil day. Stand up for Jesus in the power of the Spirit and victory will be yours.
In Jesus . Brown
https://youtu.be/TRon2Q7yluk
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Brown's Daily Word 6/9/15
Praise the Lord for the sweet rest Jesus gives by grace and by His love. Praise the Lord for this new day. It has been raining almost all night. The fields, meadows, hills, and mountains are green. The streams and the rivulets are overflowing. People are busy decorating their lawns and gardens. The farmers are planting new crops with great joy and anticipation. The farmers' markets are popping up everywhere. Some friends who live in Miami, Florida, have a huge mango tree in their yard. They sent us fresh mangoes the other day. I love mangoes. I ate them with gratitude and dreamed that night I was back in India , gathering mangoes.. fresh .. unadulterated, straight from the vine. My soul was full. May Jesus Christ be praised.
I preached from 2 Corinthians 4:7 ff this past Sunday. We are described in this passage as "vessels." This is not the only place this figure of speech occurs in the Scriptures, and it is a most significant and fitting description. The sole purpose of a vessel is to hold something, and very often that "something" is far more valuable than the container itself. This verse is so significant because it reminds us that we human beings were intended to contain something. Vessels do not, of themselves, have that substance in them, they are, of course, empty. It is no accident that we describe lives without Jesus Christ as empty lives, because that is exactly what they are.
The world today is suffering from what Dr. Carl Jung calls "a neurosis of emptiness." He says, "When goal goes, meaning goes; when meaning goes, purpose goes; when purpose goes, life goes dead on our hands." This is what is happening in many hearts and lives today of both young and old alike, as they are consumed by a great wave of emptiness, of despair. The result is hollow men and women, who have a façade of interest, attention and activity, but within whom there is nothing but emptiness, creating the restlessness which is so characteristic of our age. Unfortunately, that restlessness breaks out on every side in the form of rebellion and reaction. We are made to be vessels, made to hold something, and if we do not have that something in there, our lives are inevitably empty and meaningless.
We are "earthen vessels". That is, we are made out of dirt, made from clay, from very common material which has nothing in itself of any value, nothing pretentious. Something is there, yes, but nothing of any real value in itself. Here, of course, is the concept with which so many struggle today and which the humanist vigorously rejects. He says that man is the substance of all things, but the Word of God takes a very humbling and realistic approach to mankind and says that we are nothing but insignificant bits of clay.
That is a wonderfully realistic view of human life. Like pots we are made to hold something, but are of little value in and of ourselves. This corresponds so exactly with the words of Paul when he warns the Galatians not to think of themselves more highly than they ought, "For if any one thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself," (Galatians 6:3 RSV). This is the biblical picture of man.
In the Christian life, according to Paul, we have a treasure in those earthen vessels, which he describes as "transcendent power." That is the glory of the Christian life, of humanity as God intended it to be. The vessel is not much in itself, but it holds an inestimable treasure, a treasure beyond price. These are glowing words. They speak of a reality, of something genuine. It is indeed a treasure, a treasure so valuable that the world would give everything it has to get it It is a treasure because it is a transcendent power. The word transcendent depicts something that is beyond the ordinary, something above ourselves, something wholly other, something different, unusual. It is not like the ordinary kind of power, which tears things apart, destroys, blasts, or breaks. This is a power of a strange kind, which unites, harmonizes, gathers, breaks down barriers and middle walls of partition. In other words, here is the power to change a life or a society from within, not from without. It does not make superficial, external adjustments, changing the outward face of things, but a genuine transformation which arises from within, which completely and permanently changes an individual. As individuals become changed, the society of which they are a part likewise becomes changed.
There is nothing like this in the world. The gospel has no rivals whatsoever. There is no other philosophy, or approach to life, which can anywhere even closely compare with it. It is completely unique. It is so tremendous because it is the power which really changes men and women. Thanks be to Jesus.
In Christ our Lord, Brown
https://youtu.be/m92GytERQkE
I preached from 2 Corinthians 4:7 ff this past Sunday. We are described in this passage as "vessels." This is not the only place this figure of speech occurs in the Scriptures, and it is a most significant and fitting description. The sole purpose of a vessel is to hold something, and very often that "something" is far more valuable than the container itself. This verse is so significant because it reminds us that we human beings were intended to contain something. Vessels do not, of themselves, have that substance in them, they are, of course, empty. It is no accident that we describe lives without Jesus Christ as empty lives, because that is exactly what they are.
The world today is suffering from what Dr. Carl Jung calls "a neurosis of emptiness." He says, "When goal goes, meaning goes; when meaning goes, purpose goes; when purpose goes, life goes dead on our hands." This is what is happening in many hearts and lives today of both young and old alike, as they are consumed by a great wave of emptiness, of despair. The result is hollow men and women, who have a façade of interest, attention and activity, but within whom there is nothing but emptiness, creating the restlessness which is so characteristic of our age. Unfortunately, that restlessness breaks out on every side in the form of rebellion and reaction. We are made to be vessels, made to hold something, and if we do not have that something in there, our lives are inevitably empty and meaningless.
We are "earthen vessels". That is, we are made out of dirt, made from clay, from very common material which has nothing in itself of any value, nothing pretentious. Something is there, yes, but nothing of any real value in itself. Here, of course, is the concept with which so many struggle today and which the humanist vigorously rejects. He says that man is the substance of all things, but the Word of God takes a very humbling and realistic approach to mankind and says that we are nothing but insignificant bits of clay.
That is a wonderfully realistic view of human life. Like pots we are made to hold something, but are of little value in and of ourselves. This corresponds so exactly with the words of Paul when he warns the Galatians not to think of themselves more highly than they ought, "For if any one thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself," (Galatians 6:3 RSV). This is the biblical picture of man.
In the Christian life, according to Paul, we have a treasure in those earthen vessels, which he describes as "transcendent power." That is the glory of the Christian life, of humanity as God intended it to be. The vessel is not much in itself, but it holds an inestimable treasure, a treasure beyond price. These are glowing words. They speak of a reality, of something genuine. It is indeed a treasure, a treasure so valuable that the world would give everything it has to get it It is a treasure because it is a transcendent power. The word transcendent depicts something that is beyond the ordinary, something above ourselves, something wholly other, something different, unusual. It is not like the ordinary kind of power, which tears things apart, destroys, blasts, or breaks. This is a power of a strange kind, which unites, harmonizes, gathers, breaks down barriers and middle walls of partition. In other words, here is the power to change a life or a society from within, not from without. It does not make superficial, external adjustments, changing the outward face of things, but a genuine transformation which arises from within, which completely and permanently changes an individual. As individuals become changed, the society of which they are a part likewise becomes changed.
There is nothing like this in the world. The gospel has no rivals whatsoever. There is no other philosophy, or approach to life, which can anywhere even closely compare with it. It is completely unique. It is so tremendous because it is the power which really changes men and women. Thanks be to Jesus.
In Christ our Lord, Brown
https://youtu.be/m92GytERQkE
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