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@willhartbrown
I have been home from my trip to the Holy Land for about a little over a week now and honestly I am just beginning to process it. In reflection of all that I took in I do have one experience and thought to share that has changed a lot about me.
After 17 hours of flying from Seattle to Tel Aviv,...
Wisdom Is Shown By Deeds
Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds. - Matthew 11:19
If you are going to have wisdom, it must go hand in hand with the way that you act.
If you claim the wisdom that Jesus is the Son of God, it must go hand in hand with the way you act.
Don't Prove Jesus, Experience Him
As I was reading through the writings of Francis Schaeffer, I came across one quote that stood out to me.
"The evangelical Christian needs to be careful because some evangelicals have recently been asserting that what matters is not setting out to prove or disprove propositions; what matters is an encounter with Jesus. When a Christian has made such a statement he has, in an analyzed or unanalyzed form, moved upstairs."
In other words, evangelical Christians tend to turn Jesus into a character who is only irrational and can only be understood through supernatural experience. But happens happens when we say this? According to Schaeffer, the rational, or that which can be discussed and proven, becomes ignored. People try to prove the irrational (which does not mean impossible) while ignoring the rational.
When man begins to separate the rational from the irrational, the grace from the natural, and the "upstairs" ideas of god from the "downstairs" ideas of humanity, our understanding of who we are and who God is becomes marred.
When this happens, man removes the canvas and only has the paint. How can we use the paint if we abandon the canvas which we have been given to paint on?
So, consider the possibility that it is okay to try to convince people through rational thought that Jesus is LORD and that the Gospel is necessary. At the same time, also remember that it only truly happens in a supernatural way, a more irrational manner.
Both the irrational and the rational are essential to understanding, knowing, and being in a relationship with God.
Rethinking How I Live
As I have been reading 1 Corinthians, the thought occurred to me, "Do I really understand what the Gospel is?" A foundation not built upon Jesus the Messiah and the Gospel is something like this:
Paul writes in 1 Corinthinas 3:2 that the Corinthians could only receive spiritual milk to drink when he first spoke to them. Now, they still must only drink spiritual milk, and not solid food, because they are still fleshly. There is jealousy, strife, sexual immorality, idolotry, and many more things that are not of God amonst the Corinthians.
Later on, Paul says that the Gospel that he preached is something in which people must stand and not believe in vain (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). After all, we have been called, as believers in Jesus, to walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1).
Now, I know that no person is perfect. We will all fall or fail one time or another. And while the grace of God is alone what saves us, we are still responsible for responding to that grace and gift of the Holy Spirit by, first and foremost, seeking to live for God alone, not living by the flesh. Our priority and focus should not be to know the entire bible. Rather, it should be to learn wisdom in order to live righteously because we love God.
I often find myself trying to learn tons of bible knowledge, catchy sayings, and insightful knowledge. In reality, I need to understand the Gospel first, which means living a life worthy of the calling of God.
This is what I challenge you to do, just as I am challenging myself. Take a look at your life and pray that God would reveal where you are blatantly living in sin. Pray that he would helped you to understand the fullness of the Gospel and what it truly is. Then, change it with the helper, the Holy Spirit, and confession before the people of God. Then, they can, and should, pray for you. When we have begun to do that, we are truly understanding the Gospel by living for it.
Plans for The World Cup and 2016 Olympics
Yesterday, I had the oppurtunity to sit in on a conference about sports ministry. At it there were two things that really stood out to me. Both of them are encompassed in the World Cup and 2016 Olympic is Rio.
First of all, there is a group called Jogo Limpo Brasil. If I understood them correctly, they are organizing the various organizations in order to do ministry in Brasil. One of these organizations focuses on sex trafficking during the huge events. It tries to make people aware of the problem.
Secondly, they are working on putting churches throughout Brasil onto the same team and schedule so that the ministry, overall, will be more efficient in it's use of people.
Finally, I am still picking up Portuguese little by little! Though I can't write it, I have begun to recognize the suffixes, prefixes, etc. It is great! In regards to the soccer ministry I have been doing, it is, of course, going great.
I always have to remind myself that I am here in a support role. While it is possible to see someone turn their lives around while I am here, I am simply here in Brasil to assist Juca, the missionary host, in what work he has been doing here.
Thanks for reading, supporting, and praying.
God bless and Shalom!
William Hart Brown
P.S. I wish more organizations, international and national, were connected. Also, I get to visit seminary in Brasil next week. It shall be great!
Learning the Way of the LORD/Soccer/Portuguese
Within the first 5 days in Brasil, I have already improved in my soccer skills! To give a little background, I don't actually play soccer in the United States. Therefore, for me to actually be able to play relatively well with little to no experience is amazing!
And then, of course, because I am in a different country, they don't speak English. Rather, Portuguese. Unlike last year, I am actually picking it up a lot better. This previous school year, I took Hebrew. Hebrew has allowed my mind to learn how to take in new languages effectively. At this point, I can pull the majority of verbs out of a Portuguese sentence.
Last, but really first, I have learned a lot of the LORD, His gifts, and His providence. Being here for a mission trip, I decided to work on communicating with God via prayer. It has been awesome! Besides praying for the Church and leaders as Paul tells us to do, I have spent much time also praying for knowledge and understanding in regards to language. He has been doing that.
God has also been showing me a lot of what passions he has gifted me with. The biggest thing is my passion for the Jewish people. When I flying to Brasil, I had a 13 hour layover in NJ. I wanted so badly to just talk to some Jewish people and share the Jewishness of the Gospel. It is a passion that I hope to foster in the future.
So, overall, everything is going really well! Please continue praying for the missionary and his family (finances and their new soccer school), and for my own sanity (I have Hebrew, Spanish, English, and Portuguese running through my head). God bless and Shalom!
William Hart Brown
YMI Brasil 2013
Today was my first day, and last day, of training for the trip with Youth Missions International to Brasil. Training was shorter than normal because this is my second trip.
Of course, the burning question, "What was training?"
Well, I basically got dropped off at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma at 9AM and stayed there until 5:30PM. I just took the entire day for prayer, reflection, release, and replacing concern with the Word of God.
It was great! Though there was nothing that really changed my life dramatically, it was great to be able to take a Shabbat in solitude, prayer, and reflection.
Now, I am waiting in the airport to fly to Brasil...
God bless and Shalom!
A Prayerful Challenge
I have a challenge for you. This challenge is something that I started doing last week. Set aside 1 hour of week. And make a list of prayers. In that hour of prayer, pray over that list while believing and knowing that God hears the prayers. Not only will prayer change you, but your intercession on behalf of another persons life may very well save their soul for eternity. More importantly, it will bring glory to God as you pray for His kingdom, His will, His forgiveness, His sustenance, and His guidance in life. God bless and Shalom!
I Don't Pray
I don't pray. As I drove to work today, I realized something. I haven't been praying much.
Paul, who was the missionaries of missionaries did ask people to pray for the missions that he went on. However, he also prayed for others. And he prayed for his own missions. I have been getting lazy. I. I pray for others once in while. Yet, I never pray for the two mission trips that I will be going on.
In 2 Thessalonians, we are told to pray constantly. So, in praying constantly, what should it be about? According to Jesus, we should pray for Gods will to be done and His kingdom to come. What is that will? The will is that God fulfills the the works which he set for us. The will is that every good work of ours is done out of faith and for the glory of God. This is what I need to start doing. I must start praying that God would make me worthy of His calling and work out the good for His name. And it is my responsibility to commune with God, in prayer, and come to Him with all kinds of prayers and requests.
So, what should we pray for? While we should pray for others, never forget to pray about your own walk of life.
God bless and Shalom!
Disclaimer: This is a very general post about prayer. I am aware that their are many other aspects to it.
Compassion and Love
In Matthew 9:35, Jesus goes to the people, notices their conditions, and feels compassion for them. As believers, we should be the same way. It is so much more than simply saying, "I feel bad for that person."
True compassion, according to 1 John, is the part of agape love, which is the type of love that brings about action. That means that, even beyond feeling what they feel, we are inspired to act upon that compassion. The compassion, part of the love, should be the step directly before taking an action to love somebody.
Recently, one of my friends was hurt. I felt compassion. Now it is my responsibility to act upon that compassion. God has moved me and now I must act. Depending on your situation, you may need to give, pray, or simply encourage. I need to encourage and pray. As a believer, that is my responsibility.
1 John 3:18 says that we should love in deed and truth. That is what I intend to do. That is what I encourage you to do. Respond to the expressions of the Holy Spirit. After all, what good is our faith if we do not love the broken with it?
Jesus came for the lost and the broken. He came for those who need a doctor. So, show the love of Jesus, the love of God, to others.
God bless and Shalom!
Love In Deed
Those who know me know that I am a nerd. I love to study the Word of God. So, I recently started research interpreting a verse in 1 John. While doing research on the context of the verse, I came across this one.
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” - 1 John 3:16-18
Having grown up in the church, I have heard this verse. However, when I read it, it kicked me in the butt. Things clicked and I was challenged.
Beware lest you harbor the base thought, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,” so that you are mean to your needy kinsman and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt. Give to him readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return the LORD your God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings. For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kinsman in your land. - Deuteronomy 15:9-11
Really quickly, I will explain the meaning of this verse. Every seven years, according to the Law, all debt must be forgiven. This passage addresses the people who might say, “Well, I’ll be cruel in collecting my debt because I want as much as possible before I can’t collect my payments anymore.” Those people will be guilty. God desires mercy for all.
That being said, does the love of God really abide in us? This passage points out to important things. First of all, it is a sin to have no mercy upon those in debt. We are to forgive the debts. After all, didn’t Jesus forgive our debt? Jesus speaks of this exact thing is Matthew 18:21-35.
The second detail is that there will never be a person who is not needy. This is a universal truth. Even the wealthiest of nations has poor men, women, and children outside of their houses. Those are to whom we should be opening our hands.
When we see that somebody needs food, clothes, and shelter, as ambassadors of Christ, we should be helping them. That is how we know that God’s love abides in us. Does God’s love abide in you?
I helped two homeless people in one day. One of them was a young lady. The other was an older gentleman. The older gentleman complained to me about how nobody ever gives him money, but they’ll give money to the ladies all day. So, sure, maybe you gave a McDonalds gift card to a lady on the road. But was it truly out of love the love of God? After all, the love of God, if it abides in us, does not differentiate between Jew, Greek, slave, gentile, male, or female (Galatians 3:28, 1 Timothy 2:3-4).
Then love in deed. Do not differentiate. Find the poor, the sick, and the broken, and love them all. Don’t pick and choose by saying, “Well, I only have 400 dollars. I’m going to give a 20 dollar gift card to her because she looks like she is in a worse position in life.” No. I challenge you to say, “Well, I have 400 dollars. I’m going to give a 20 dollar gift card to her. I’m also giving a 20 dollar gift card to him.”
Opening your hand to the needy (plural) is one of the most obvious markers of one with whom the love of God abides.
God bless and Shalom!
