Brian "pb" Brijbag

Time to get serious about … defense.

Battle strategy.

 

Defensive and offensive.  Before the days of radar and air surveillance, the strategy for defense included a system of watchtowers and walls.

 

The watchtower allowed someone to see a great distance off.  They could see the enemy approaching and a warning could be sent.  Maybe an alert to another watchtower or directly to the people, but a City or Nation could prepare for potential danger.

 

Walls, from very early history to modern times, have been a necessity for fortification of cities.  Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia is one of the world’s oldest known walled cities.  The Great Wall of China has been built since the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC). One of the most famous biblical walls would be the one that protected the City of Jericho.  Walls allowed the city to let those in who were friendly by limiting access through specific openings or gates.

 

So once again, battle strategy.

 

As an ancient city has a defensive strategy, we should have a defensive spiritual strategy. 

When we are under spiritual assault, how do we defend ourselves? 

 

We need to limit access to the enemy.

 

What things are we allowing to pass through the openings of our wall?  How strong is our wall in the first place?  Our wall should be impenetrable.  Our wall should be “above reproach”.  We need to be very careful the things we allow in … TV, music, friends and the like.  Any weakness in our wall is an area to be hit hard by the enemy.  That’s a guarantee.

 

We need to identify potential problems.

 

The purpose of the watchtower was to look for potential problems before they became real problems.  We also need our own personal watchtower; we need to be on the lookout for potential problems, so we can react pro-active (before) rather then reactive (after) it occurs. 

 

We do not want to give Satan a foothold to launch his assault. We can not let the enemy breach our defense. 

 

How do we find the strength and might to defend ourselves against the attack of the enemy? How do we find the strength and might to build up a strong wall? How do we find the strength and might to build a watchtower to identify potential problems?

 

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Eph 6:10Eph 6:10
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10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.

)

 

It is not your strength that equips you to stand; it is God’s strength invested in us when we submit to God. That is why James 4:7-8James 4:7-8
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7 Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

tells us that the power of resisting is found through submitting to God.

 

The enemy does not flee from your power, but from God’s power within us that overcomes him.

 

We have the promise that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Resistance is no longer measured by our strength, but the strength of God who draws us out of temptation.

 

To make sure we don’t miss the point, James 4:8James 4:8
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8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

concludes with the instruction to “cleanse your hands you sinners; and purify your hearts you double-minded”.

 

To be double-minded means to have a divided interest. Those who are divided between living for Christ and living for the world will never experience the power of God in their lives until they allow God to cleanse, purify and renew them with a Christ-centered focus.

 

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”(1 Corinthians 10:121 Corinthians 10:12
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12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.

)

 

Your strength will only stand as long as your opposition is weak or temptation is small. When the battle rages, those who stand on the rock of Christ have the power to stand even when their own strength fails.

 

Build up your defense today.

The Master

Round used for detail.
Flat used when you need quickness and detail
Bright used for driving into the canvas.
Filbert provides for good coverage.
Fan is for blending broad areas.
Mop can be used for glazing.
Rigger is for the uptmost fine detail.

Synthetic or ox. Hog or sable.

Brushes used by both the master artist and the weekend warrior.

Brushes that allow us to have a measure of creativity.  To duplicate the world around us … flowers, ponies and people.  Fill up a blank canvas.  Decorate an earthen jar.  Diagram a cave wall.

Everyone is creative.  We all find ourselves longing for an outlet to accomplish the beginning of something.  To make where nothing was.

Makes sense since we were “created” in the image of the master creator.

But think about it. The greatest creative minds of our time…Einstein, Bach, Michelangelo, and others didn’t create anything; they just rearranged or discovered some things in brilliant ways. And if we attribute brilliance to them for discovering or rearranging, how much more should we attribute the One who did the creating in the first place?

He is the one with the perfect brushstroke … we are just discovering how to duplicate His methods.  He is the one who deserve all the glory and honor and praise!  This is God’s world and we are a stoke of His brush …

What have you thanked him for today?

Summer Camp Time!

Ok … well not yet but you better start thinking about heading over to Word of Life!

This is what they have to say:

“You’ll find enthusiastic counselors, dynamic and relevant Bible teaching, and contemporary worship at Word of Life Camp in Florida. Just outside Tampa, our 500 acre property has everything a teen could ask for in an awesome camp experience with comfortable cabins, great food, a paintball course, basketball and volleyball courts, climbing tower, zip line and enormous pool and Jacuzzi.”

Our dates are July 11-18 so get it on the calendar!  Go to www.wol.org for more info.

New at camp this year … a new waterslide!

My Box of Chocolates

“My momma always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
- Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump (1994)

With all due respect to Mr. Gump, I do know what I am going to get.

I am looking at a box right now.  Red. Heart-shaped. Frilly.

On the back it diagrams which type of chocolate can be found in what area of the heart.  Some boxes place that diagram on the inside cover.  Others give you a separate sheet you can take with you and study, peering over the strategy to successfully tacking that cardboard heart.

So how do I know what I am going to get?  Because I know my heart.

How do I know what I am going to get out of life?  Because I know my heart.

There is another famous quote that I think speaks to life also.  It goes, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

A man who loves God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength will never take God’s name in vain. He will never place anything above God in his affections. He will remember the Lord’s Day and keep it holy. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you won’t lie to him. You won’t steal his possessions. You won’t cheat him in business. When you love your neighbor as yourself, you’ll never do anything to intentionally hurt him.

These elements are increasingly rare in our society. Our society increasingly acts as if men owe nothing to their neighbors. We think only of our own lives, ignoring the needs of others.

If I were to ask you how you are to love your neighbor, probably all of us could give the right answer: you are to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Great, but what does it mean?

Let’s keep it simple. Loving your neighbor means that you do for him whatever you would do for yourself.
• When you have a need, you attempt to meet it.
• When you have a hurt, you attempt to heal it.
• When you have a responsibility, you attempt to fulfill it.
• When you have a prayer request, you pray for it!

We don’t have to be taught how to love ourselves. It comes naturally. We are experts at it. The trick is to keep self-love from becoming selfishness. We need to be constantly reminded that as we love ourselves, so we are to love others.

So it comes back to knowing your heart.  It is your heart that will allow you to know what life will bring you.

Is your heart focused on God?

Then your life will be too.

Is your heart focused on others?

Then your life will be to.

So Mr. Gump … figuring out life isn’t so hard, it’s the heart we need to search.

Now if you said life is like a jar of multi-flavored jelly beans … well, then you would have me!

FX Bible Quiz Blitz Teams Take 1st and 2nd Place at Word of Life!

Our 2009 Quiz Blitz Teams took 1st and 2nd place at the local Word of Life Teens Involved competition held last night at FBC New Port Richey!  The team that finished first was led by team captain David and included Stephanie, Kristy and Kaylee.  The team that finished second (by 1 point!) was led by team captain Niki and included Timmy, Rachel and Kaylene.  Both teams were coached by Pastor Brian.

The Team now prepares for the State level of competition to take place in Jacksonville sometime towards the end of April.

We would like to congratulate our students and thank our parents, our church family at FBC Brooksville, Word of Life (and especially Andy Anderson!) and FBC NPR for hosting (Thanks Pastor Brad!).

True Love Waits Community Rally Follow-up

Last evening we attended a community rally centered around living a lifetime of purity.  Hundreds of students attended this event and a vast majority made commitments that night.  Some of our students stood up and gave testimonies speaking to their experiences and difficulties on what it means to be pure.  One of our students gave a moving testimony of forgiveness and made the pledge to remain pure from that moment on.

 

Recognizing we can not rely on a card or one sermon to speak solo on this topic into the lives of our students, we have planned sessions to continue teaching “counter-cuture” on the topic of sex.  We strive to teach the whole counsel of God and do so in a manner honoring of Him.

“Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship.”

The Five Commitments of True Love Waits

 

• To God: Matthew 22:37Matthew 22:37
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  37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
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  – “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”
• To Yourself: Matthew 22:39Matthew 22:39
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  39 A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
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  – “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
• To Family: Philippians 4:5Philippians 4:5
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  5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
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  – “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”
• To Friends: John 15:13John 15:13
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  13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
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  – “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
• To Future Mate and Children: 2 Timothy 2:222 Timothy 2:22
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  22 Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
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  – “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

True Love Waits Rally

Living amongst the Penguins

 

 

 

Rookery.

 

Interesting word.

 

It’s a community.

 

No … not a neighborhood, but a community.  Don’t confuse the two.  One is where you live.  The other is where you rightly function.

 

Where you live will greatly influence where you function but it is not the community you are called too.  As believers, we are called to live in community with each other through our common bond in Christ Jesus.

 

But back to the rookery.

 

It’s a community.  Best example may be a rookery of penguins.  It’s where they live, fish, breed and raise their young. But it’s more. It’s where they belong.

 

They have roles. They have responsibilities. 

This one is a night watchmen.  Over here we have the nursery coordinator.  And here are the professional hatchers.

 

What role do you play in your Christian community? Who benefits?

 

1 Thessalonians has several community expectations for us.  Consider 1 Thess 5:12-221 Thess 5:12-22
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12 But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, ¹³ and to respect and honor them in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴ We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all. ¹⁵ See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all. ¹⁶ Rejoice always. ¹⁷ Pray without ceasing. ¹⁸ In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. ¹⁹ Don’t quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Don’t despise prophesies. ²¹ Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

:

 

Respect those who work among you

Live in peace with each other

Warn those who are idle

Encourage the timid

Help the weak

Be patient with everyone

Nobody should pay back wrong for wrong

Be kind to each other

Be joyful always

Pray continually

Give thanks in all circumstances

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire

Do not treat prophecies with contempt

Test everything holding onto the good and avoiding the evil

 

So what role do you play?  In your church? Your youth group? Your school?

 

How do you see yourself as a member of a community greater than yourself … in a Christian rookery?

 

In communtiy do you function how you were meant to function?  Respect of leadership?

Helping your less fortunate brothers and sisters?  Being joyfull? Peacefull?  Prayfull? Thankfull?

Can you say you truly march with the other penguins to the beat of one drummer … The Drummer … Jesus Christ?