I am reposting this article about worship songs today. There are some wonderful songs out there, and tremendous hymns of praise. The point of the below is not to ruin that!
We need to give thought to our worship. And we should be careful about what songs we sing when it comes to worship. Not every song with a Christian label is good for us. I hope the below gives you some thought and make your worship be pure before God today. 
I’ve been thinking about worship songs recently. In particular, their content and origin. This began several months ago when singing the song “Christ is Enough for me…” It got me thinking… is Christ really enough? Of course He is, but what I mean is – is enough an adequate term to describe the One Who redeemed us?…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2019/02/25/christ-is-enough/
Sharing an older post today on the 10 Commandments. I hope you enjoy! 
Yesterday I wrote about one of the proverbs, and it was ultimately a post about stealing. You can read it here – It’s Not Really Stealing… I referred to one of the Ten Commandments which clearly tells us we should not steal. It got me thinking about the Commandments as a whole and so perhaps…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2020/05/01/the-ten-commandments/
Sincere apologies that I have not had much time to write lately. In lieu of that, I share an older post with you today. This post was released in the height of the coronavirus pandemic but I hope it’s words are still very much relevant today. 
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2020/03/23/where-do-you-stand/
This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. 3 And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.
Titus 1:1-3 NLT
Had I planned out my blog posts a little better, I probably would have concluded my thoughts on verse two of Titus 1 yesterday. But here we are…
In yesterday’s post – Confidence – we thought about the fact that teaching the truth of God will give His people confidence in their eternal destiny. Resting fully in Christ’s work at the cross, we have assurance that our entry into heaven is not reliant on our performance. The blood of Jesus cleanses us, and by placing our trust in Him, we have eternal confidence. That is not to say our performance does not matter of course, and I reminded us that we ought to live godly lives because it is right, and because it is would Jesus would do.
A further reason to have confidence is found in the latter half of verse two. We have assurance because God has promised it.
God does not lie. That’s just plain, good theology. Everything God says will come to pass, and anything He has promised will be done. His promises are based on His Word and His character. If God does not lie, then you can bank on his Word.
If #God does not lie, then you can bank on – trust in – His Word, which is the #Bible
God is not a man that He should lie. Too few of us, myself included at times, are flippant with our words. We say things we do not mean, or say things in haste or anger that we later do not follow through on. How often do we as parents threaten our children with some punishment or restriction that we later do not do. When this happens, our children learn that our words are of little value. We all say things in the heat of the moment that we do not really mean, but not God. God has never uttered a single word He did not fully mean or commit to.
The particular promise that Paul refers to in this letter, is the promise of eternal life. When did God promise this? Before the world began… Again, this speaks of God’s sovereignty. He is outside of time, knowing the end from the beginning, and can make a promise of this kind.
If God promised it before the world began, then He did so before you were born. He did it prior to you doing anything good or bad. Before you said your first word, or conceived your first thought, God had already made the decree. This reminds us that the promise of God is not reliant upon us. Before the foundation of the world, God chose you. And He will not change His mind. That gives us confidence!
The Revealed Message
A phone sending a text message?
We conclude this section of the letter with verse three, which in many respects summarises what we have already covered over the last few posts.
God, as I say above, knows the end from the beginning. Being Sovereign, He knows the precise moment to do something. Now, at just the right time, God has revealed the message to His chosen people. What message? The message of faith which Paul is proclaiming.
Paul does not proclaim it because he feels like it, or it is his hobby. Instead, he does so because it is the command of God. I put this out there to you too, and ask – what has God commanded you to do? And, are you doing it?
We have covered a lot of ground in a few short verses, but all of them centre around this revealed message – that is, the proclamation of faith and the teaching of the truth of God. The result of this proclamation and teaching is eternal life, and the confidence of its knowledge. That is the basis upon which Paul is an apostle. He establishes this as the springboard for what he intends to say in this letter. The contents of this epistle is where we go next, and I hope that you find it encouraging and uplifting.
This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began. 3 And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.
Titus 1:1-3 NLT
A sign sending you the right way
In yesterday’s post – A Slave of God – we thought about Paul’s opening words in the letter of Titus. Today we continue on that same line.
Paul identifies himself not only as a slave of God, but also as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is an apostle? There are a few different definitions actually, and the one most commonly used is to describe the group who first took the Christian message into the world. These were mainly the disciples of Christ, and of course, Paul himself. Many of them had seen the Risen Lord.
One definition I once heard is that apostle means “Sent One.” I like that, and it has always stuck with me. Hence the name of today’s post I suppose!
If Paul is indeed a “sent one,” then what has he been sent to do? The NLT translation makes it abundantly clear. He has been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen.
In many respects, all who minister in God’s Word are called to do this. Whether you write a blog, pastor a church or teach a small group, you are proclaiming faith to God’s people. A proclamation is a public announcement of some kind, and in this case, an announcement of the Good News of Jesus.
Sometimes when I sit and write a blog post, it is not easy. I read the Scripture, think about what God might want me to say and often tie myself in knots. Proclaiming faith is not complicated however, and nor should it be. It is not something that only top theologians can do, nor do you need a doctorate or ordination. I’m not against such things I hasten to add, but let us not disqualify ourselves from stating the simple truth of the Gospel to the world that desperately needs it.
If “apostle” means “sent one,” then where is God sending you? #Bible #Jesus #Christianity
I cannot gloss over the little note that Paul adds. He is proclaiming faith to those God has chosen. This touches on the theology of sovereignty, and makes us ask if it is God’s choice, does that remove our own freedom? You often hear people talk of “free will,” but you will not find that phrase in the Bible itself. While there are choices we can make, we must ask ourselves what really drives them. Without straying into philosophy here, what makes you decide to choose option A over B? If you lived a different life, experienced different things or happened to be born in another part of the world, would you still choose A over B? Hard to say…
The point is, when we are trapped in sin, we cannot choose God. As fallen and sinful creatures, there is nothing in us that wants anything of God. In order for us to be saved, He must choose us. Indeed, God did so before the foundation of the world. If we follow Christ, then we are the elect, and God has adopted us into His family. We can claim no credit for this, but instead rejoice in the truth that God did it all for us.
Is God sending you to proclaim faith to His people? That may not mean you boarding a plane and travelling to some far off land, as God’s chosen people might be just around the corner. If God sends you, then proclaim faith in your words and deeds. Do not say the words and fail to live the life.
Proclaim faith with your words and deeds. Do not preach the words and fail to live the life #Bible #Jesus #Christianity
It is good to start the new year with a clean sheet and a fresh start. Jim’s first post of the year, on his This Sunday series, shows us one way that we can do that.
I hope you enjoy reading it, and have a great Sunday, and indeed, a great New Year!
This Sunday at Church I want to encourage you to do the following: Repenting of sins from the previous year. I think the Christian life means …
This was one of my most read Pearls of Wisdom from this year.
I hope you enjoy reading it again tody
Pearls of Wisdom God’s number one goal is NOT to make you comfortable Some Christian TV channels are great, but not all of their content lines up with Scripture. You do have to be discerning. If you tune in to the wrong show or preacher, you might be misled into thinking that God’s number one…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/01/19/gods-glory-or-your-comfort/
Over the course of 2022, I have written a series of posts in the book of proverbs. This particular post had the most views, so I share it with you again today as part of my best of the year. 
In yesterday’s post – If Wisdom – we saw and understood that wisdom required certain things from us. A choice was given to us, and we could opt to follow the path of insight or to tread the way of foolishness. What are the benefits of wisdom though? We posed the question yesterday, if I…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/01/18/then-wisdom-proverbs-25-8/
Are you preaching to the choir? Is that wasteful, or does the choir need your encouragement as well? It was a great pleasure yesterday evening to meet (on video) a couple of fellow Christian bloggers, and lovely to share some of our stories, questions and experiences of ministering through this medium. It was humbling to…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/04/09/preaching-to-the-choir/
On Tuesday, I wrote a post entitled Anything, which looked at the awesome power of prayer. Yesterday, I shared a post called – A Fig Tree – which picked up that theme, and was written by the excellent blogger Bruce Cooper. Some comments on these posts highlighted to me that many do not fully understand…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2022/06/23/poor-little-fig-tree/
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2021/05/25/thankful-christians-psalm-100-5/
If God is sovereign, then what is the purpose of prayer? Why do we pray at all?
Today I share an article I wrote a few years ago, trying to address this very subject.

A couple of years ago, I was challenged about my view of God’s Sovereignty. I once believe that He did not control all things, but rather had delegated some control (for want of a better term) to humankind. Yet, a careful look at the Bible made me question this view, and ultimately dismiss it. God…
— Read on andy-brown.org/2020/07/14/prayer-and-sovereignty/
Andy Brown 