Good morning on this last Saturday of March. Last week I wrote about the recent multiple tragedies in Japan which included an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor meltdown. Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara referred to the massive earthquake as divine judgment. He has now apologized for his remark, but a recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute and Religion News found that nearly 40% of those polled believed that such natural disasters are a sign from God. Although 51% disagreed that natural disasters are a sign for God, 56% reported that they personally believed that God is in control of everything that happens in the world. Some insist that the meaning of these signs from God is always direct punishment. The book of Job clearly teaches that not all disasters are the result of the punishment for sin. It characterizes Job as a man who was perfect (good), upright, feared God, and eschewed evil (Job 1:1); yet Job suffered one catastrophe after another. His servants were killed and his oxen and donkeys were carried away after being attacked by the Sabeans, his sheep and servants were consumed by a conflagration, the Chaldean's stole his camels and wreaked further havoc upon him, and a gale force wind collapsed the home where his children had gathered killing them all (Job 1:13-19). Clearly these tragedies were not punishment from God for Job's sin. The lesson we learn from Job is that we must be careful in attributing all natural disasters as being caused by a punishment for sin by God. Sometimes in Scripture they are, but other times they are not. In next week's blog I'll discuss natural disasters as signs in prophecy.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Re-digging God's Wells. I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, March 19th. Many of you have been asking about the well being of our missionaries serving in Japan. I'm happy to report that they are all safe and doing well. I received e-mails from the Kings, Smiths, and Zemkes this week. Because of Ellen King's surgery, the Kings have been in Florida for her recuperation. Their daughter, Ruth, also a missionary in Japan, is serving in their church/school in a location approximately 10 hours from the epicenter of the earthquake. The Smiths are located about four hours from the quake site and have reported that all is going well with their family. The Zemkes are on furlough and will not be returning to Japan for several months, and the Piatts are also in the states completing their furlough. The Smiths reported that there are two sister churches located near the nuclear power plant in Fukushima and that they are monitoring the situation in those congregations. A special fund has been established by the Baptist Bible Fellowship International Missions Office to meet the needs of those in Japan who are struggling because of the quake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor meltdown. Manna Worldwide has also begun a fundraising effort to assist the suffering Japanese Christians with their needs and to minister to those affected by these terrible tragedies. These relief efforts are trustworthy vehicles for those of us who want to give money to this charitable cause. Special envelopes are in the pews at church for use by those who want to give to the Japan Emergency Fund. You can rest assured that 100% of what you give will go toward meeting the needs in Japan.
Tomorrow's sermon is entitled, Are You The Man God Is Searching For? I hope you'll be able to attend.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, March 12th. This week Japan was hit with a massive earthquake which measured 8.9 on the Richter Scale. Trains disappeared, buildings collapsed, villages were devastated, and numbers of people were killed. People in the cities reported buildings swaying like hula dancers and one of Japan's main nuclear power plants became unstable and began leaking radiation. A Tsunami developed off the coast of northeastern Japan which produced waves as high as 12 feet that slammed into the coastal region. The destruction caused by this quake was extensive. When I was ministering in Japan many years ago, an earthquake struck in the middle of the night which shook the house where I was staying with a mighty force. The house rumbled, rattled, and swayed and I had the feeling that the house was going to collapse upon me. It was a very unsettling experience and the two aftershocks which followed perpetuated the anxiety. Earthquakes are mentioned 19 times in the Bible and are sometimes associated with the overthrowing of kingdoms. Haggai 2:6-7 predicts God using powerful quakes for such a purpose, and Daniel 2:44 teaches the ultimate replacement of earthly kingdoms with God's eternal kingdom, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."
Jesus taught us in the model prayer that we should pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." This earthquake in Japan should remind us of what is and what is to come.
Tomorrow's sermon is about the sin of taking away from the sacrifice of Christ. I hope to see you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this first Saturday of March. Last week I wrote about the current state of affairs in many of the countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa. With mounting protests and anti-government sentiment fueling the demonstrations, many dictatorial regimes are in imminent danger of being overthrown as happened in Egypt. The ultimate question is what kind of government will replace these autocratic regimes? Will they have a philosophy and purpose of global jihad similar to al-Qaeda, the radical Islam group which sees national boundaries as obstacles to their cause of installing radical Islam governments who will practice their form of religious practice and strict adherence to Islamic law in government in every nation? Will we have Islamic governments similar to the radical Islamic regimes in Iran, Palestine under Hamas, or Lebanon under Hezbollah, or more moderate and secular governments such as Turkey? There is also the threat that the new governments of these nations will be gradually transformed from secular governments into Islamic states. As of now there are still many questions but few answers.
Tomorrow's sermon will focus on the life transforming experiences of the prophet Ezekiel and their application to our lives today. I hope you will be able to be there.
Mel Brown