Sharing Life and Christ

First of all, I would like to take a moment to thank and praise my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I have been blessed to be able to spend Christmas with family and friends. I've also been blessed to have ample time to spend studying the Word and growing closer to Christ. God is good and I pray that you will experience His love, mercy, and grace this Christmas season! "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 There is a lot of wisdom to be gained about prayer from these verses. What kind of attitude should we have when we pray? What should we pray for? What's the use of prayer anyway? God gives clear answers in Paul's letter to the Philippians. Verse 6 tells us to bring all of our requests before God. We don't have to fear that...

I just read the first chapter of a book that came highly recommended called "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life" by Donald S. Whitney. I'd like to share a few quotes and thoughts on this book that appears to be of great value for anyone desiring to achieve Godliness. The chapter starts with a quote by V. Raymond Edman: "We need the rugged strength of Christian character that can come only from discipline." What is it that this dead, selfish, and greedy era needs? It needs disciplined Christians who are equipped with rugged strength by the grace of God! Whitney makes a very compelling argument for discipline in the pages that follow. Whitney asks the question "What good is discipline without direction?" Does a musician practice countless hours without a clear vision of what that practice will lead to? Not a chance! As a professional trumpet player, I can relate to that very well. The level of success I have achieved as a musician has r...

"But he said to me, ' My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 This is dedicated to an old friend that I was blessed to see tonight for the first time in a long time. If you know me, you've probably heard me say that grace is my favorite word. What would life be like if I actually got what I deserved? I cower at the thought. Praise be to God that I don't have to live in fear of that ever happening! So what is it about God's grace that is so incredible? For many many years, I lived a disobedient life gratifying myself rather than Christ. Did God ever turn His back on me? No! For even when I was unfaithful God was faithful because He cannot go against His nature. This speaks to my heart in a tremendous way. I was known by God before the foundations of the earth. I was created to glorify Him a...

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 I started pondering this verse tonight on my walk back from Bible study up at the Lighthouse. As I was dwelling on God's Word, I began to think about these three qualities individually. Faith: In recent months, God has revealed to me that what our faith is based upon is far more important than the quantity of our faith. If our faith is placed anywhere other than in Jesus Christ, we believe in vein because we lack truth. However, faith the size of a mustard seed can grow a multitude of fruit when that faith is in Christ. In my studies, I have continually seen God's grace add to my faith, and I humbly give Him the credit and the glory for my faith. Hope: Hebrews tells us that faith is the assurance of things hoped for. So what are those things hoped for? Where is my hope? Where are my sights set? My hope is in the promise of Jesus Christ that all who belie...

I've liked the layout of blogspot better for awhile and finally decided to make the switch from Xanga. I copied a few of the posts I made on Xanga onto this new blog. If you want to see the original location, it is www.xanga.com/trumpetmc I'm looking forward to future writing. God bless, Matt

written December 3, 2008 The question was brought up tonight at Bible study "what does it mean to be free in Christ?" As I walked back to base, I considered just what it meant and why it is so important that I have an answer to that question that is concise and accurate. Since I arrived in Japan, the Lord has been working in my life in miraculous ways that have delivered me from the bonds of sin and truly set me free. While this is something that I sincerely believe must be experienced to believe, I nonetheless want to share what the power of Jesus Christ can do in the life of an ordinary guy seeking to gaze upon the face of God. One can view freedom on many different levels. African Americans surely have a view of freedom that is influenced by the slavery of their ancestors. From my own experience, I know that I can feel chained down by the Navy at times, and, while it doesn't compare to a slave's life, it factors into my thoughts on freedom from a human perspect...

written November 22, 2008 A couple weeks ago, I wrote of the wisdom that comes from Heaven and the characteristics that godly wisdom possesses according to James, the brother of Jesus. In my current study of Ephesians, Paul speaks at great length about godly wisdom. However, he speaks primarily from an application perspective rather than one of character. I have to praise God for how intricately His Word ties together from book to book and author to author. It is such a testament to His omniscience and goodness and I always rejoice in the discovery of new connections when I study His Word. So what does it mean to be wise? How does one's Christian walk reflect the wisdom that comes from above. Let's look in Ephesians Chapters 4 and 5 to find out. Starting in Chapter 4:17, Paul begins to tell the church of Ephesus about the new life in Christ or how to live as children of the light. Chapter 5:1-2 is the apex of what Paul desires for His brothers and sisters in Christ: ...

written November 17, 2008 I heard my friend/mentor/dad in Japan, Jim, mention the Romans Road for the first time last week. After two of my Christian brothers and I decided to discuss what it means to be a good witness, I decided to study Romans to see what verses I might use to guide someone who knows Scripture and wants to believe and have faith in Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior. Here is what I came up with: In the first chapter of Romans, Paul quickly defines what it means to be a Christian. Anyone wanting to know what the Gospel is all about has to look no further than verses 1-6 for the answer. To summarize the verses, Paul explains Jesus's lineage from David, His resurrection declaring Christ's divine nature, and the gifts of grace and apostleship that we use to witness to the lost. Chapter 1 has two more key points that I find significant enough to mention. The first is the idea of righteousness by faith, which becomes one of the main themes of Romans and ...

written November 3, 2008 I've been studying the book of James and one of the themes that struck me was the characteristics of the wisdom that comes from Heaven. Chapter 3 verse 17 reads "But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate (gentle), submissive (open to reason), full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." This is from the NIV translation and the parentheses are from the ESV. In context, James has just finished writing about the tongue and how it can lead the entire body to Hell by its boasts and evil nature. He talks of how hypocritical the tongue is when we praise our Holy God and then turn around and bad mouth God's children. James then poses the question "who is wise among you" in verse 13. Let him show his wisdom by his good deeds and humble attitude. James defines "worldly wisdom" as selfish and envious and from the devil. Which kind of wisdom do you seek after? I know whi...

written October 28, 2008 It's been very hard for me to make life about anyone or anything but me lately. A week ago Thursday, I got sick. It happened to be the day before a Christian men's retreat that I was very excited about. Not only did I feel that I could gain a lot from the speaker and the small group time, but I felt that the work God has been doing in my life could help others. Unfortunately, I spent nearly the entire weekend in bed and the plan to grow and share was no more. This last week has been somewhat of a blur. I got sicker. Life tried to happen and I couldn't keep up. Finally, it was discovered that I had pneumonia and a day later I ended up in the hospital with IVs and inspirational breathing toys and the whole business. It sure seemed like it was about me. People praying for me. People at work worried about me and calling to check in. People stopping by to visit and bring me McDonald's (don't worry, I lost a bunch of weight so I need to...

How great you are, O God! written September 21, 2008 How great is your faithfulness! How great is your love! How great is your mercy! How great is your truth! How great is your creation! How great is your kingdom! How great is your truth! All things point to your goodness, Father. Jesus, help me to fix my eyes on you. You are my everything. May I count everything as rubbish except for the pursuit of knowing you, Lord! Use me to do your work for I am but your humble servant. May my life reflect everything that you are, Jesus.

written September 9, 2008 So here I am on cloud nine just amazed at how wonderful my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is and how thankful I am that He is living and active in my life. (I know that's a dependent clause, but I didn't feel like writing a three line sentence so please forgive me) I made my best effort to not be disillusioned that life would always be peachy and I would never have struggles ever again. That's foolish, and it isn't what Christ says will happen to those who follow Him. Pain comes; sins are committed; struggles ensue. That is life and it is essential to every Christ follower to know what God's Word teaches us to do when discouraging things take place. The past couple of weeks have been difficult for me and have tested the very Truth that I desire to know and live. Work has been very busy and even stressful at times. We've played some really hard shows on little rehearsal time and the tension has been tough to handle. I've been w...

written August 25, 2008 A good friend of mine reminded me of something that I had been losing sight in these writings and in my life that I feel is necessary to address. The life that we Christians live is a direct result of the real and active relationship with Jesus Christ. Christ is alive in my life today and every day. I have been moving away from this idea and writing about God making Jesus seem far less important than in fact He is. It is only through Jesus living in my heart here and now that I have any hope of connecting with the Father. For this reason, I fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. I don't wish to think or speak in generalities, but speak in the name of Jesus, for it is He who saved my life and lives in my heart revealing God's Truth. Lie: Small compromises in my thoughts and actions are no big deal. I can still keep "innocent" worldly things in my life and be ok. I cannot count high enough to tell you how many times I ...

written August 22, 2008 I've got to be honest with you. I'm anxious to write this blog. It's been on my heart for at least a week to search Scripture to try and refute the lies that Satan uses to neutralize Christians and destroy those who don't know Christ. God has revealed to me a few lies that greatly reduced my effectiveness for the Kingdom because I believed them for so long. It is my prayer that God's Truth ring true in this writing and that those of us running the race be encouraged to seek the Truth in all that we do! Craig Groeschel, pastor of Lifechurch.tv had this to say about lies: "A lie believed as if it were true will affect you as if it were true." LIE: I don't have to read the Bible or go to church to walk in the Light of Christ. When I was in college, I tried to reason that I didn't need church to love God. I didn't need to immerse myself in Scripture to know who God was. I just needed to pray and try and do the right...

written August 14, 2008 I tried to write that as the ups guys would say "what can brown do for you?" I'm sure Jenny got it at least. I hope I'm not beating a dead horse by continuing to talk about God's Truth, but I can't help it. He has led me into a place where peace and joy abound! Why? Because God is revealing His Truth to me. I learned this tonight when posed with a question from the leader of our Hebrews study, Erik. He asked how do we know we are doing what Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us to do: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." What compels me to do this? The more of God's Truth that is hidden in my heart, the more I love God. The more I love God, the more I desire to live an obedient life that best allows Him to work through me to grow the Kingdom. The more I submit to ...

Written August 5, 2008 I just finished a great book by Josh Harris (he wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye) called Sex Isn't the Problem (Lust is). It's amazing that the more I talk to men of any age and in particular single guys in their 20s like me, the more I realize that every one of us has made compromises in the area of purity in our lives. We've all made decisions that have led us to seek our own selfish desires of the flesh and caused our walk with Christ to suffer. Josh Harris wrote his book about this very issue. I thought this book was terrific and has given me new insight and courage to battle for purity. Chapter 7 is especially convicting and I encourage everyone to at least read this chapter. Josh talks about how the slightest of compromises can lead to gigantic sin. This is how Satan snares us. He gets us to make seemingly petty decisions that eventually continue to build until we have a real problem on our hands. Josh speaks of lust as an unquenchable de...

written June 18, 2008 So, the Lighthouse Wednesday night group is continuing a study on Hebrews. I dove in with them last week for the first time on chapter 4 and learned of many things. Salvation has three parts: Justification that occurs upon accepting Jesus, sanctification that is basically the post-Jesus life aimed at becoming more godly, and glorification that we receive when we meet Christ face to face in Heaven. Rest is talked about many times in early Hebrews and takes on many different meanings including the Sabbath, our assurance that our lives are important to God, and our eternal rest void of suffering. The writer of Hebrews speaks of several warnings of which we talked about drifting away and unbelief. This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as Hebrews is concerned and I can't wait to continue the study! It's amazing how many instances in my life I can see myself having drifted away from the Lord. I've also walked the line of unbelief and of hardening...