Pastor Brown's blog will return following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Good morning on this Saturday, November 17th. In my recent blogs I have highlighted the rise of atheism, agnosticism and secularism in America and the corresponding decline in Christian influence. I wrote of the need for sweeping revival as our greatest remedy to reverse this trend and restore Christian faith and values as the predominate influence in our society. I also detailed the application of the revival formula found in 2 Chronicles 7:14, i.e., humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God's face and turning from our sinful ways.

We desperately need strong Christian influencers in key areas of our culture. Those who occupy key positions of leadership and influence in our society greatly influence the attitudes, values, and behavior of the masses. Here are some suggestions:

(1) We need Godly influencers in media. Hollywood and television have been overtaken with secularists who promote their values in movies, television shows, and other programming. Committed Christians are usually presented as nuts or hypocrites and sinful ways are not only featured, but often glorified. Wholesome entertainment is in the minority and illicit sex, violence, drugs and hedonism (pleasure pursuit) predominate. Media producers and writers are largely committed to a secular agenda which at the least ignores Christianity, and at the most belittles or attacks it. Would to God we had more fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ producing programs and being responsible for their content. The average person spends many hours each day in front of the TV and its influence is substantial, especially over long periods of time. I read that by the time a child reaches young adulthood s/he has been exposed to 100,000 sexual references, most of them illicit. Do you think that isn't having significant influence upon their thinking, beliefs, and activities?

(2) During my 12 years of college and graduate school education, half was in Christian institutions and half was in secular. I took courses at numerous secular universities during my career and, believe me, I heard plenty of anti-Christian propaganda presented in the classroom as truth. Anti-Biblical values were presented in a variety of classes, and if I would not have had a strong Biblical foundation, I could have been greatly influenced by what I was being taught. We need Christian teachers and professors throughout our educational systems who will influence students based upon Christian values not humanism. Mark Milioni, the new president of BBC, reported that 75% of our graduating high school seniors are going to secular universities and while there 85% of them will drop out of church. Now that is a telling statistic!

(3) We need Christians in positions of influence in government at every level (local, state and national), in business, in unions, in newspapers, in medicine, in law, and in every other profession.

(4) Preachers need to return to fearlessly preaching the whole-counsel of God not ear-tickling, feel-good sermons and who will lead their churches to take a strong stand for right and wrong. Remember the Biblical warning, "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).

That's my two-cents worth as my grandmother used to say.
I hope to see you in church tomorrow when I preach another message in the series, It Is All About Jesus.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, November 10th. In his video, The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment: Is There an Ancient Mystery That Foretells America's Future,? Rabbi Jonathan Cahn draws a series of interesting parallels between the application of this obscure passage in Isaiah to our current circumstances in America and the judgment of ancient Israel. After expounding the effects of ancient Israel's indifference to God, lack of repentance and self-determined prideful course of action to God's judgments, he cites the crystal-clear remedy God provides in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  
This passage more than any other in Scripture prescribes the formula for genuine revival. Let's take a closer look at this Scripture passage.

To humble oneself means to be low or bring oneself into subjection. This is the initial requirement because without bringing ourselves into complete subjection to God with a willingness to wholeheartedly repent of our ungodly ways, there can be no revival.

To pray means to entreat, to make supplication, to intercede. It is found in this passage as reflexive which emphasizes the "himself" application, meaning each person must himself pray or make supplication to the Lord.

To seek God's face means to seek to find, to desire, even to require and demand God's person and presence. The expression cannotes closeness to God as the concept of "face-to-face" with Him.

To turn from our wicked ways means to repent or turn away from our evil thoughts, deeds and actions.

These requirements for revival are the conditions required for the fulfillment of the promise from God, e.g., THEN I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.

The expanded translation would therefore read , "If my people who are called my my name would bring themselves low and in complete subjection humble themselves before me, and each of us himself, entreat, pray with supplication, and with desire and determination seek to find the face-to-face closeness to me and My presence, and turn back to me and away from their evil thoughts and ways in genuine repentance of their sins, then I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land."

Would to God that this would happen to us today in America, but we must all consider that it begins with each one of us!

Tomorrow's sermon is another in the series, It Is All about Jesus. The message will show that only Jesus could be the true messiah.  I hope to see you there.
Mel Brown 

Good morning on this Saturday, November 3rd. In last week's blog I wrote about the increasing acceptance and influence of atheism and agnosticism in America, especially in those under the age of 25. I mentioned that in today's blog I would begin to address some of the cures.

The most perfect prescription is the one prescribed by God in 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land." This Scripture, more than any other in the Bible, is God's formula for genuine revival. Revival throughout history has represented a spiritual awakening, a deep spiritual stirring among God's people leading to their complete commitment to Christ which produces wide-spread evangelism among those without Christ.

When my former professor, Peter Connolly and his partner, Jock Troop were leading the sweeping revivals in the British Isles years ago, whole towns would virtually suspend commerce, flock to the largest building in the community where more were listening on the outside than the inside because of the enormous crowds, and thousands would come to Christ. When they would leave the town the churches would be full, the bars would be empty and you could walk down the streets and hear the sounds of Christian hymns emanating from homes everywhere on the streets. Talk about a cure for unbelief!

How wonderful would it be to be part of such a mighty moving of God in our churches, communities country and ultimately to our whole world. But revival is ultimately about reviving individuals who together make up families, churches and towns. Revival must begin with each one of us. Next week we'll expound the 2 Chronicles 7:14 formula and I'll share the revival God sent to Edgewood during some of our darkest days.

Tomorrow's sermon is another in the series, "It Is All About Jesus." Will you be there?
Mel Brown