Rodney Howard Browne

I am convinced it was there, in that barren place of obscurity, that Paul developed his religion. Noiselessly and alone, he plumbed the unfathomable conundrums of sovereignty, election, decadency, the deity of Christ, the supernatural power of the Resurrection, the Church, and future things.

It turned into a three-year crash course in sound doctrine from which would flow a life of evangelizing, teaching, and writing. More than this, it’s where Paul tossed aside his polished trophies and traded his resum of religious certifications for a colourful relationship with the risen Christ. It was there, without doubt, he concluded “whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than this, I count all things to be loss in view of the exceeding cost of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so I may gain Christ” ( Philippians 3:7–8 ). The same words describe many Christians sitting in churches today.

We are not busy doing all of the wrong things or maybe some ghastly things.

But if the truth were known, we’ll go for miles on smoke, all of the while choking the life-giving spirit inside.

It was one of those films with few words but a giant quantity of emotion.

How he escapes is interesting, but the good news is he’s picked up by a ship and is, at last, returned safely to the now-unfamiliar sector of life as it used to be. And the change inside him led straight to a change in the lives of thousands of people down thru the ages.

admin Great Awakening Tours, Rodney Howard Browne

Saul, no doubt with blood stains still on his garment from Christians he had tortured, now stood with arms outstretched saying, “I’m here to testify to you that Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son.” And the folks that heard it were dazzled. The Greek text uses the term from which we get the word euphoric.

They answered with nothing short of glad mystification at the swift reversal of Saul’s life.

Others he had taken into jails, maybe many of them kin and pals. The subsequent statement assures us he did not slow down : “But Saul kept accelerating in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by establishing this Jesus is the Christ” ( Acts 9:22 ).

Not only did Saul evangelise about Christ, he preached with noteworthy ability. The word interpreted establishing comes out of a Greek verb, meaning, “to knit together from many different strands.” Saul’s sermons were elegantly woven together, neatly delivered with compelling logic—all evidence of a talented expositor. Till Saul made his case, most hadn’t made that connection. Before we are going on, let’s pause and remind ourselves, none of these extraordinary events might have been witnessed, or recorded actually, had it not been for Ananias’s bold religion. You could have never thought of that till now. Saul would have stayed blind and shaking had the disciple of Damascus refused to obey and go to Straight Street. All this was set in motion because God exploited the unusual religion of a little-known but unswerving hero. His shaking but loyal obedience modified the destiny of millions, including me and you.

admin Great Awakening Tours, Rodney Howard Browne

Stepping out in religion always brings clarification of The Lord God’s plan. When Ananias went to see Saul, he was given further info.

As Saul submitted himself to the ministry of Ananias, he found out more about God’s plan for his life.

I go to use you to bear My name.” Saul had not known that before. ) He knew nothing of what was in store for him till Ananias took that first step of religion. Both men discovered that God Himself selected Saul to be His instrument and that intense suffering would mark his ministry. When Cynthia and I first sensed God directing us to leave California and reposition our ministry, we could barely believe it. Neither space nor time let me describe the things God has shown us since we made the choice to move. But now, as God continues to put the finishing touches on His wonderful portrait, what we see is fully gorgeous. Till we took that primary step of obedience, all we had was, “It’s time to go.” it is superb to me even as I write these words. Surprises always bring about clarification of God’s plan. BTW, the Swindolls have grown deeper in our relationship with the Lord, having trusted Him without first knowing all of the details.

Obeying God drives the roots of your religion much deeper. And that obedience stimulates expansion in each area of life.

Ananias’s obedience to God’s surprising plan let him to witness mystical power. Nobody else in Scripture witnessed the scales unbelievably falling from the ashamed Pharisee’s eyes. When Saul’s sight returned, Ananias’s own eyes were also opened to the superb power of Almighty God to transform a life. Step out on religion, and you may always find solid ground.

admin Great Awakening Tours, Rodney Howard Browne

I am impressed that Job listened to the words of his better half.

He contemplated them, he considered them, he turned them over in his mind.

He heard what she announced, and he did not interrupt her as she revealed it.

That places Job in a novel class among men, quite candidly. Men, I have revealed that many of us aren’t hard of hearing ; we are hard of listening. Our other halves often have the most vital things to assert that we are going to hear that day, except for some bizarre reason, we have formed the practice of mentally turning off their advocate. Let me add here, when you do reply, always let her know the truth.

If what she asserts is sensible and squares with what you are truth—if it is helpful—then say. His reply after hearing her was, “You speak as one of the stupid girls speaks.”. Job detected in his better half a snag of acrimony, some disillusionment ; so he claimed to her, actually “This is recommendation I can’t and won’t act on.

In the 4 decades I have been working with folks who are married, I find one of the hardest things to get couples to do is say the truth to one another. How much better to reply, “You know, honey, I realize you have got my good at heart, but I truthfully want to say that I do not agree with it. I suspect it is foolish for you to proffer that.” In the long haul, your wedding will be more healthy if you may permit truth to overcome, particularly if it’s truth spoken in love. Listen well, and always talk the truth wrapped up in loving care.

admin Great Awakening Tours, Rodney Howard Browne

In Saul’s case, the surprise came in the shape of a light from heaven, marking a life-changing change. For Ananias, it absolutely was an apparently irrational and illogical command from the Lord, delivered in a vision. If you are waiting on God to fill in all of the shading in your picture, you’ll never take the 1st step in obeying His will. You have to be prepared to trust His plan, knowing it’s going to be full of surprises.

Surprises are often a part of Almighty God’s leading.

When you run into the surprising part of Our Lord God’s will, your religion must engage full throttle.

as an example, when God tells you no, to attend, or to sit tight, you’ll be wanting to disagree.

But when your faith kicks into gear, none of those impulses will control you. Quite probably God has a major move in store for you in the future.

After about 70 years on this earth, and having spent 50 of those years studying and becoming more knowledgeable about the manners of God, I am able to tell you His will for our lives is full of surprises. He’s got more moves in mind for us than we could most likely expect. Some mean moving us out of our comfort sections to touch the lives of folks we’ve never met.

Or we would be in for a cross-country or cross-cultural journey that needs a quantity of religion we’ve not exercised in the past. Watch out about feeling too settled where you are—physically, emotionally, spiritually, or geographically. If the Lord wants you to move, I strongly suggest you cooperate, with no regard for the risks . If He leads you to switch, then change, even if it is hard.

admin Great Awakening Tours, Rodney Howard Browne

With no regard for what you have done, nobody is beyond hope. That is the great hope of the Christian message. No amount or depth of sin in your past can trump the grace of Our Lord God. If you question that, remember Saul, the loud Pharisee of Tarsus.

When the Lord saved him, he did not put him on probation. No, God gave Saul a new name and, in the process, made him a new creation. Although your past is dirtied, anybody can find a new start with God. When Saul knelt before the living God, he eventually faced the actuality of his sin.

Deep in the man, Christ transformed his life, and he started doing what was right.

Grace provides that kind of new beginning. Do not squander your time targeting what you used to be.

Remember, the hope we have in Christ means there is a brighter tomorrow. We are no longer chained to a deep, dark pit of the past. Could it be that you are stuck because of something from your past? Maybe it has pinned you to the ground with humiliation, shame, and fear.

The very best you can do is to limp thru every day, looking for a pain free end. That way of thinking is from the enemy, Satan. He likes to bump your nose in the mud, looking to make you miss the wonderful claims of grace. Don’t permit him that power in your life today. Around you are folk who have no bigger claim on grace than you do, and the Lord mercifully brought them out of their pit of sin.

admin Uncategorized

If you have not yet done so, stand for a couple of seconds in Ananias’s sandals.

Know how hard it would’ve been to discover how God’s plan could doubtless work.

How in the world could God take a man renowned for such vicious, merciless, and murderous treatment of trusting Christians and turn him into an envoy for Christ? Maybe Ananias did not hear the answer in the Lord’s Word to him : “But the Lord announced to him, ‘Go, for he’s a selected instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the boys of Israel ; for I’m going to show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake’ “( Acts 9:15–16 ). God’s answer to Ananias’s question is clear : “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”. Down thru the centuries it’s been God’s taming ground for raging bulls. The melting pot of agony and trouble is God’s schoolroom where Christians learn mildness, compassion, personality, patience, and grace.

It is true for you and for me, and it might shortly be true for Saul. Years after, with scars to prove it and under the pile of heavy ministry responsibilities, he gave affidavit that suffering had been his companion. I do not understand all of the reasons we suffer for the Name. But I am convinced of this : it is an element of God’s sovereign plan to prepare us to be His instruments of grace to a cruel and desperate world.

On his body would be the iconic stripes of his suffering—imprisonment, harsh thrashings, stonings, shipwreck, near-drowning, ambushes, thefts, sleeplessness, starvation, solitude, illness, dehydration, intense hypothermia.

Beyond all that, he faced the nerve-wrangling, inevitable responsibilities of church leadership. Each distressing, nasty trial brought him to his knees, turning him into a deeper man of grace, modestly committed to following his Savior’s lead. What have you suffered for the name of Christ?

admin Great Awakening Tours, Rodney Howard Browne

Job’s reaction to his better half’s idea that he curse God and die is magnificent. “You speak as one of the silly ladies speaks” ( Job 2:10 ). In his weakened condition, sitting there in the anguish of all those sores, without knowing if any of that would ever change, he stood firm—he even reproved her.

he announced, to all intents and purposes “I need to fix the course of this chat. He went further than stating a reproof ; he asked a superb query. “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” ( v. His discernment was rare, not only back then, but today. How barely such a statement appears from our mundane system.

Job is thinking these thoughts : Doesn’t He have the right? Isn’t He the Potter? Are not we the clay? Isn’t He the Shepherd and we the sheep? Isn’t He the Master and we the servant? Isn’t the way it works? Somehow he already knew that the clay does not ask the potter, “What are you making?” And so he asserts, actually “No, no, no, lover.

We serve a God who has got the right to do whatever He does and is rarely obliged to elucidate it or ask authorization. We want to remember the God we serve has a game plan that’s beyond our understanding, including tough times like this.”. And I adore this last line, “In all this Job didn’t sin with his lips” ( v. “Sweetheart, we cannot explain any of this, so let’s wait and watch God work. We wouldn’t have predicted what occurred. Our God has a plan that’s unfolding, although we will not understand it at this time. Let’s wait and watch to see what he’s going to do next.”.

admin Great Awakening Tours, Rodney Howard Browne

Why in the world would they get so pumped up about it? Because they are free. All around us we see people in bondage because they are in sin, and all they talk about is liberty. I should provide you with a warning, when you are actually free, the folks that aren’t so free will have difficulty with your being free. Her hubby is down there dancing and singing and roaring, and there’s Michal up in the second floor flat, scowling down on her partner. Both have to do with the issue of focus ; one is horizontal, and one is vertical. David’s eyes were on the Lord ; Michal’s eyes were on other folks.

First, the better you know where you stand with the Lord, the freer you may be.

When you do the homework, you find out where you stand with your Lord, and when you follow His plan, then you’re free. To some, you’ll be seen as independent—a maverick. But you will not care that much about public opinion either.

You can care generally about the Lord’s standpoint. There’s no liberty like the kind He provides. 2nd , the freer you are before the Lord, the more assured you’ll become. When you know where you stand, that’s real security. Knowing where you stand before the Lord leads to true liberty. Being free before the Lord, you may become assured, and that’s real security.

admin Rodney Howard Browne

It is saying, “I found David to worry about the things I care about. He is a person whose heart beats in synchronization with Mine. When I look to the right, David looks to the right.

When I look to the left, David looks to the left. And when I say, ‘I care about that,’ David asserts, ‘I care about that too.’ “As we have seen, that is what it implies to be an individual after God’s heart. Many of us look on life as, “Well, you win some, you lose some.

No-one’s perfect.” Others say, “If God explains it, l wish to do it.” Those are those who are “after God’s heart.”. But the others do not get extraordinarily far at all before they start taking account of where they are.

People who live almost all of their lives in the second class aren’t common.

There aren’t a great number of folk whose hearts are hot after God, who obey God’s precepts and honour His elements, in any case. When you drive down the road and you see the sign, “Speed Limit 35 Miles an Hour,” that could be a precept ; there is not any give or take. If the sign reads, “Drive Carefully,” that is a principle. When it comes to the religious life, those that are after God in their hearts care as much about the elements as they do about the precepts. And when they come across a precept that’s obviously delineated, they assert, “As I look at my life, I see where it isn’t like that precept. I have to bring my life in accordance with it.” And they just do that. That is what David did, according to two Samuel, chapter six. A classic example of why he was “a man after God’s heart.”.

admin Rodney Howard Browne