Good morning on this last Saturday of October. Tuesday, November 2nd, is the day of our mid-term elections. As I was preparing to write today's blog, I received yet another of those pesky political telephone calls whereby some person, either live or through a prerecorded message, encourages me to vote for a particular candidate. This call is one of a google of calls I have received during this election cycle. Then there is the incessant political advertisements on television, sometimes as many as four to six in a row which fill the airwaves. When you add the blizzard of political mailings, handbills, posters and newspaper ads, it is an overwhelming avalanche of solicitations plaguing your senses. It seems this year is worse than any other for this cavalcade of contacts. If you are like me you will breathe a sigh of relief when it finally ends. But in spite of the nuisance of these constant advertisements, we need to be reminded that it is our God-given privilege and responsibility to carefully exercise our right to vote. Every Christian should thoughtfully analyze each candidate, determine where they stand on the issues, weigh those positions in the light of their Biblical and personal importance, and then go to the polls and vote.
When you weigh your vote consider what Samuel said about the candidacy of Saul as their chosen king, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among the people" (1 Samuel 10:24). Now that's the kind of candidate we should seek to vote for!
Tomorrow's sermon is another on the subject of revival.
I hope I'll see you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, October 23rd. The times in which we are now living have been often referred to as the "information age." With the unremitting technological advances, the proliferation of research projects, the constant scientific pursuits, and the billions of dollars committed to uncovering the mysteries of man and his universe, we have an estimated 1,000,000 pieces of new information entering our potential knowledge base every single day. That is a staggering number by any measure. In an effort to keep up with it all, we have gone from specialists to sub-specialization to sub-sub-specialization in many fields. Some say we can just keep adding another "sub" as the information continues to proliferate. The prophet Daniel foretold these times when he wrote in Daniel 12:4 that knowledge would increase and man would run to and fro. The Hebrew word for increase in that verse means exceedingly or abundantly increase. But with all of our vast increases in knowledge and information, one thing remains constant - God's unchanging moral laws. Some things are right and some things are wrong, period. Has our vast increase in information changed the fact that cheating, or stealing, or adultery or a host of other misdeeds are wrong? To borrow a phrase from the book of Romans, GOD FORBID! The circumstances and base of knowledge to which we apply God's moral laws may change, but the morals themselves are unchanging. God's standards are immutable because God is immutable. He said, "I am the Lord and I change not" (Malachi 3:6). Thank God we will always have an unchanging eternal compass to provide moral guidance in this rapidly changing world.
Tomorrow's sermon is about the recipe for revival.
I hope I'll have the pleasure of seeing you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, October 16th. Tomorrow will be a special teacher appreciation day in which we honor our teachers, both inside and outside of our church. We'll be recognizing our teachers, both past and present, who have faithfully taught in our Sunday school, Awana, Children's church, and numerous other Edgewood ministries. We thank God for the faithfulness of so many people who have influenced our kids and adults for Jesus Christ throughout the 105 years of Edgewood's history. Their impact on the lives of others for time and eternity will never be fully realized this side of Heaven. Many of our parents have adopted their children's school and have provided gifts of appreciation to their teachers, and many of our children have invited their teachers to join us tomorrow for this special recognition Sunday. Our students have passed out written invitations to their teachers inviting them to attend on Sunday, and many of their teachers have accepted their invitations to attend. It promises to be a special day in every way. Tomorrow's sermon will focus on Jesus Christ as the master teacher.
Each Sunday evening this fall in the 6:00 p.m. service we'll be focusing on a series of timely hot topics. Every member of our pastoral staff will have the opportunity to tackle one of the controversial issues of the day. Please plan to join us for all of our services tomorrow.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, October 9th. For the last several years my daughter Cheryl has taken her sister, Lori, and my wife, Barb, on a get-away trip. It is a time for the ladies in the family to have a special time of fun and fellowship together. Today is the day they return home and I have been busy earlier this morning straightening up the house in preparation for their homecoming. As I was vacuuming, sorting and cleaning, I was reminded of the importance of keeping our spiritual house in order. In 1 John 1:9, God addresses this issue with these words, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness." God is saying that we as believers need to do a regular check of our lives to find the areas (sins) which are offensive to God and ultimately damaging to our lives (all sin is ultimately damaging to us - there is pleasure in sin for a season but when the reaping starts the damage is felt). The Psalmist said, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24). Once we find the areas of our lives which require attention, we are to confess and forsake that attitude, action, habit or omission which is sinful. In fact God tells us that this should be a constant occurrence in our lives. Then we will have close fellowship with God with the joy of our salvation is full force. How long has it been since you have experienced a spiritual housecleaning? If every day you ask the Lord to search you, know your heart and thoughts, try you and reveal any sinful way in you, God will show you those things which need confession. When you do you will be clean, refreshed and right.
Tomorrow's sermon is an exposition of Psalm 32. I hope you'll be there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, October 2nd. Seventh Day Adventist Church followers have mailed out a large number of booklets and literally blanketed some areas of the Quad Cities with their materials. Numbers of our people have received them in the mail. Obviously their intent is to try to convert people to their church. Concerning the questions regarding worshipping on Saturday instead of Sunday as most of Christianity does, here are some answers:
(1) It is true that the Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day and the day God rested after creation.
(2) The Sabbath according to Jewish reckoning begins at sundown on Friday evening and continues until sundown of Saturday evening.
(3) In the Old Testament the Jews observed the Sabbath for worship and rest.
(4) One of the 10 Commandments concerns the Sabbath, “Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.”
(5) There were ceremonial Sabbaths (Holy Days) which were also observed besides the seventh day Sabbath by the Jews.
(6) Sunday, the first day of the week, is called the Lord’s Day in Scripture (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:1-2).
(7) Why then does most of Christianity worship on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, instead of Saturday, the Sabbath?
(8) Jesus was raised from the dead sometime after Saturday evening and appeared to the women at dawn on Sunday, the Lord’s Day; hence the reason why many have sunrise services early on Easter morning which is always observed on Sunday (Mark 16:9; John 20:1, 19).
(9) In the New Testament the early church worshipped on Sunday, the Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7).
(10) The Apostle John who wrote the gospel which bears his name, the epistles of 1st, 2nd , and 3rd John, and the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation records that he worshipped on the 1st day of the week while on the Isle of Patmos (where he wrote the book of Revelation while in exile) (Revelation 1:9-10).
(11) Paul commands Christians to give by “laying in store according as the Lord has prospered us on the 1st day of the week (Lord’s Day)” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
(12) Church history shows us that the church met and worshipped on the Lord’s Day, Sunday (See church history textbooks).
(13) Of the 10 Commandments found in the Old Testament, Nine are reiterated in the New Testament but the only one not reiterated is “Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.”
(14) The book of Colossians tells New Testament Christians, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy-day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath Days: Which are the shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17)
(15) We are not to let others judge us in regard to their Old Testament rules and rituals because according to the book of Hebrews and Galatians, the things including the Old Testament sacrifices and rituals were foreshadows of Christ and when Christ came He instituted a New Covenant of Grace rather than law. The Old Testament ceremonial laws were called in Galatians a “schoolmaster” to teach us about the coming of Christ, but when Christ died and was raised again graduation occurred and the need for the school master was over. We are consequently no longer under the ceremonial law of the Old Testament (observing the Day of Atonement, Passover, etc. or practicing Old Testament rituals.