April 9, 2023 by Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

THE LAMB “Hell trembles and Earth Quakes”

“Jesus, when he had cried with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost (died).

And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom (torn in half), and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent (split);

And the graves were opened; and many of the bodies of the saints that slept (had died) AROSE.

And came OUT of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Now when the centurion and they that were with him, watching (guarding) Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things which were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

And many women were there beholding afar off (watching from a distance), which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.

When the even was come (it was evening), there was a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:

He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.

And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean line cloth. And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against (opposite) the sepulchre.

Now the next day, that followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,

Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure (secure) until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead; so the last error shall be worse than the first.

Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch (guard): go your way, make it as sure (secure) as you can.

So they went, and made the sepulchre sure (secure), sealing the stone, and setting a watch (guard).

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre (tomb).

And behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment (clothing) was white as snow:

And FOR FEAR OF HIM. THE KEEPERS (guards) DID SHAKE,AND BECAME AS DEAD MEN (fainted).

And the angel answered and said UNTO the women; FEAR NOT YE; for I know that ye seek Jesus. which was crucified, HE IS NOT HERE: FOR HE IS RISEN, as he said, Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him, lo, I have told you.

And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples his word.

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail (Rejoice).

And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there they shall see me.

Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch (guards) came into the city, and shewed (told) unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel (talked about it), they gave large (much) money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.

And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure (protect) you. (it would have been death to them if they had really slept).

So they took the money and did as they were taught; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ALL power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 27:50-66 and Matthew 28:1-20

Wow, can you imagine how awesome it would have been to see that angel come down, roll away that stone, as the guards literally stood there shaking in their boots, the angel then actually sitting on top of the stone, almost as if to say to the guards, ” Try moving it now, boys” and at this sight they were so horrified that they actually fainted.

And then the angel in display of the gentleness of the one he serves, tells the ladies to Fear not! Please also forgive my capitalization, it is not intended as shouting, it is to highlight, it’s hard to preach in silence.

You may be wondering about other common verses, such as the doubting by Thomas, but I chose to go with the account from Matthew as it had been used in the previous post, but I encourage you to read the accounts of Mark, Luke, and John also as each tells a little more of the story in his own words.

Lord will, we will highlight those accounts also in the next post on the way to Pentecost.

But back to this one, it is so wonderful, the fulfillment of this prophecy, Hosea 13:14:”I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death; O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction; repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.”

Written this way in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”

As we read in the last post those of the day clung to the law but had no mercy, love, and kindness toward any, but Jesus came to teach us the truth of who he is, delivering us, teaching us that faith in him is the way to salvation.

And the picture of the ultimate resurrections, as the saints of old were resurrected on that day as Jesus rose in His power and might and the earth quaking in prelude to the ultimate quake when he returns to earth and Mount Olive will split in two and those of earth who are still rebellious, cruel, and unyielding in accepting salvation will beg those rocks to fall on them and hide them from his face but there will be no hiding from the one who created it all.

Jesus fulfilled every promise God had made that he would again reconcile us back unto him and he did it all with his blood, his love, and his desire to save us.

Jesus is kind, he is merciful and he does not want any one lost or left to the devices of enemy, and satan and his demons cower in his presence, one descriptive verse written this way, James 2:19: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; THE DEVILS ALSO BELIEVE AND TREMBLE.”

Today, REJOICE, REJOICE!

Revelation 1:18: “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys to hell and death.”

God bless you and have a wonderful Holy Day!

Φλογιζω NBJ 2021/ Reverend Nina Brown Johnson REPOST 04/09/2023

April 1, 2023 by Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

“Sorrow and Praise”

“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he has taken under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh but the earth abideth for ever.

The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth, down and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind gently goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

All things are full of labour (weariness); man cannot utter (express) it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing.

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.

Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things: neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are now come with those that shall come after.

I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out wisdom concerning all the things that are done under heaven; this sore travail hath God given the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, it is all vanity and vexation of the spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight; and that which is wanting (lacking) cannot be numbered.

I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom then all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this is also vexation of the spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that exerciseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

That was the summation of Solomon. He had been blessed of the Lord to ask for whatsoever he desired, and he chose wisdom, above gold, silver, riches or rule. God in turn being pleased with his request added to him all the riches he could fathom and peace for his kingdom. Unfortunately,

Solomon resting in his leisure and wealth sinned in worshipping other gods with his pagan wives, but once he returned to the one true Jehovah God, he wrote this realizing that, just as he said, it is all vanity, uselessness that we humans strive for so many things on this earth that will mean nothing in the end.

The only things that will remain are those things which are eternal. And we see such a mirror of this in those things which are taking place in our world now, the more we know concerning the word and commands of God and understand those requirements the more we are accountable to God concerning those things.

And the more we know about what’s taking place in the world, the more we sometimes wish we didn’t.

And it all has been and mirrors what was or the response it will bring

The sorrow, the sorrow of seeing news clip after news clip of Ukraine being completely trampled by Russia. Anyone who wants to argue that it is nothing like the Holocaust is delusional, the Holocaust was certainly more barbaric and methodic, but the slaughter and absolute contempt of Ukrainian lives is just as horrific.

It just blows my mind every time I hear leaders toting their new and improved sanctions against Putin and others. It is such a bad joke, he doesn’t care about sanctions, and he certainly doesn’t care about committing war crimes, his agenda doesn’t involve him answering to anyone and unfortunately the nations are much to slow in realizing that Ukraine is only his starting point.

But again, all nations watch, as the slaughter continues. And I am sure all have saw news footage of the train station attack and the photo of a child’s little stuffed horse covered in blood, heart wrenching.

Human suffering is the hardest of all evils and even though enemies smirk thinking that they are winning, maybe they are on earth, but judgment day does come, as scripture states, “And as is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. one day,

I am sure no one questions whether or not hell is filled with the evils of all the ages, the Nazis, the slave traders and owners and all those who have persecuted, murdered, and enslaved others, scripture tells us that hell is, in fact, enlarged daily.

And those that remain at the Lord’s return and still refuse to repent will face his wrath, and be held accountable.

The blood of those who have destroyed these innocent lives that will be required by Jesus and most know that in that day the blood will be to the horse bridles .

As the Preacher said, nothing new under the sun, the same old evil.

The news story of the 115 aborted babies obtained by the anti-abortion group, the “medical waste” box on its way for the contents to be burned so that it could be converted to electricity. Five of the babies were late term, and it is now trying to be determined whether they were victims of infanticide, depending on whether air was taken in before they died.

If you have not saw this it is easily searched, Google DC aborted babies, I do not suggest watching the video, it is horrific beyond words and it will rip your heart out.

I do not even understand how any being professing to be human cannot see that this is so much more than wrong, it is literally demonic.

Reminds me of this from the book of Jeremiah which was and mirrors as which is also to come in the last days.

“But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction (instruction):truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouths.

Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.

For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by name to pollute it.

And they built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, which I commanded them NOT, neither it came into my heart.

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of SLAUGHTER; for they shall bury in Tophet till there be no place.

Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of the voice of mirth, the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.”

The shedding of innocent blood is murder under the law of God, and of course there are so many that reject him as God but that will not spare them, He is still God regardless of who believes and who does not.

This mirrors the world today, so perfectly with shoe that defile his house, committing absolute abominations and wishing to use his name, and the slaughter of the unborn, which is not going unnoticed by him, and finally the warning of the desolation of the land.

The warning he gave for our land today echoing his very words.

Revelation 18:23: “And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall not be heard no more at all in thee; for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.”

The sorrow of knowing is only bearable in the knowing that those things that have been, are now those things that are again,, the truths that were forgotten by the following generations allowing them to fall to the same self willed rebellion against God, and it is not just the sin, it is the total disregard for life that has sealed the nations fate.

How so many people can argue and fight to try to convince others that this is somehow okay. Now that is deception on an apocalyptical level.

And it has brought about the indignation of the Lord. He is Holy, He is righteous, and he requires only a reasonable service, and he forces no one to worship him or serve him but he will not allow this earth to continue to be covered in the blood of innocents.

To overcome the sorrows of what is taking place and to try to survive the emotionally overwhelming of those things we witness and those things that will come, we have to rest in praise and rest in knowing that it will come to an end and that end could be any day.

Thank God for the Senators who called for an investigation into the deaths of those precious babies.

Thank God for the leaders who continue to fight tooth and nail the forces of darkness and hell, because this is not about politics, this is an assault on human life itself.

Thank God for Slovakia giving all it had to give while all others stand still.

Thank God for his salvation and most of all the deliverance of this world soon to come.

“After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

And cried with a loud voice, saying, SALVATION TO OUR GOD WHICH SITTETH UPON THE THRONE, AND UNTO THE LORD.

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders, and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What (Who) are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they (Where are they from)?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

Have a blessed Palm Sunday, keeping it here, mirrors the future palm celebration. It gives us hope and encouragement by helping us to remember that even in the sorrows of this world that those innocently slain will be there and Jesus will wipe away every tear, as he said in the verse above, as they killed the children in Tophet, he did not command that, and it never entered his heart, notice heart, God’s very heart being broken by the atrocities being carried out.

No leader on this earth and certainly not Putin, No political party nor supposed religious party will stop the wrath to come, as they have broken his heart he will break them.

Φλογιζω NBJ 2022/ Rev. Nina Brown Johnson 2022 REVISITED 04/02/23

December 29, 2022 by Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

“2022 Season’s Walked Through”

Psalm 69:1-3: “Save me, O God: for the waters are come in unto my soul.

I sink in deep mire: where there is no standing.

I am come into deep waters, where floods overflow me.

I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.”

An excellent passage for so many as we finish up another year.

The past twelve months not being without its victories, new life springing forth as babies born and battles won, hope renewed.

But for many the past year has been very difficult, seasons of fear and loss, natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, deaths bringing seasons of sorrow, and sorrows hanging on from seasons past.

Seasons of grief, and seasons of lack as inflation continued to climb and supply has continued to shrink, seasons of dread and concern as many basic medications are now absent from shelves and sickness is rampant.

Many battling not only one virus, but viruses plural, strange new strains bringing strange new symptoms and rounds of antibiotics offering no relief much less cure.

Many suffering with multiple viral conditions, some contracting multiple viruses at once, and others back to back, being afflicted with a new illness while recovery from another, leaving many in that cycle for months at a time.

Weather playing its part, thirty degree temperature drops over the course of hours, wind-chills negative zero by mind numbing degrees in regions that are never subjected to such extremes, lives lost, and people not prepared for what they normally do not experience, cold, suffering, vehicles stranded,water pipes bursted and frozen.

All these things that are being experienced, especially under the added weight of experiencing the different aspects of each at the same moments in time can take a toll on faith, preservenace, and hope that God God never fails.

This is what the writer was feeling, he was facing human enemies, but enemies are enemies, those seen or those unseen.

And in those times, regardless of the circumstance, because there are many, as we all face different battles but we all battle and truth be told everyone has felt this at one point or another in life. When you feel that your very soul itself is being completely overwhelmed by troubles and as you try your best with all the strength within you, that the ground your trying to stand is sinking to the point that there is no standing.

And in your sorrow, discouragement, and angst tears have been shed until there are no tears left and you can’t even look up.

As the writer felt this and we have felt this, think of Jesus.

Jesus felt all of these things, as He was on earth, there is no emotion, no sickness, no trial that can befall us that He does not understand and understand completely, and exactly what we are suffering.

As the writer continued on, crying out to God, after expressing his dilemma, he pleads for deliverance, and often the crying is is what we fail to do, we need to cry out to God in our affliction, and in our troubles, it gives us emotional relief in knowing He sees, He hears,and most of all He cares, and opens the door for deliverance.

Psalm 69:13-16: “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.

Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of deep waters.

Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

Hear me, O Lord, for thy lovingkindness is good; turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.”

As he cried out for deliverance, that deliverance came, as a child of God, you have His promise that He will never leave you, and He will never forsake you, He hears when you call and in His love and His mercy, He will deliver you.

This is His promise.

Isaiah 43:1,2: ” But now thus saith the LORD that created you, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

When thou passet through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

He gave us these promises because we all need these promises, through the seasons of life, the seasons of life that all mankind must walk, saved or unsaved, but when you put your hope and trust in Jesus, you can rest in these words, while others who do not know Him have no comfort during these storms.

Rest in Him and His words today and take comfort in knowing that these are just that, seasons that we all walk through and as there are brighter, happier, healthier seasons ahead with renewed hope, joy, and faith in the knowing of what He has already walked us through.

Love & Peace to you today, May you rest in His love, mercy, & peace while you await that seasonal change.

Φλογιζω NBJ 2022/ Rev. N Brown Johnson

June 10, 2022 by Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

“To Conquer Condemnation”

“And he shewed (showed) me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist (oppose) him.

And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord doth rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this the branch which was plucked out of the fire?

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

And he answered and spake (spoke) unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with a change of raiment (rich robes).” Zechariah 3:1-4

Notice how the enemy, the adversary is standing right there to oppose this change that the Lord was making. Even though his clothing was filthy, God was in the process of changing it all.

Often when we commit to Christ, the enemy, others, and often our own minds have a way of trying to convince that we have not really been changed, that we just thought we were saved, and then comes the list of past sins, failures, or mistakes since salvation flooding to our minds and it is such a lie form the enemy, just as in our verse above, he opposes God’s children at that point of salvation.

The Book of Revelation spells it out with crystal clarity.

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.

And prevailed not; neither was there place found any more in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Revelation 12:7-10

That pretty much tells all their is to tell about the severity and persistence of the enemies constant accusations against God’s people.

I know this often quite a stumbling block for many Christians, especially new ones.

So let’s look at where we all have been.

“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe: for there is no difference.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:22,23

Isaiah 64:6: ” But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags: and we do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

We have all sinned, we all make mistakes and that is the supreme beauty of Jesus, he forgives us, not only for what we did in the past, or even yesterday, but also has grace and forgiveness for today.

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18

Once we are committed to him, nothing can ever separate us, except us.

It is vital to fight against the feeling of condemnation that tries to hinder you, because it does not belong to you!

“For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

Once we have accepted Christ, everything is washed completely away, we are made new and the past, in God’s view, no longer even exists and if God is so gracious to us, why can we not be gracious to ourselves and accept his wonderful gift of forgiveness?

Finally, I want to leave you with the verse to use to combat the enemy, and even others who may be trying to bring your salvation into question, it does not matter what you did yesterday or even today, if you repented and ask Jesus to forgive you that transgression is now under the blood and does no longer exists, so believe that and have comfort in that and when mistakes happen, get it under the blood and never look back at it again, and use this verse as your standing ground.

Romans 8:1: “THERE is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

We are all works in progress, and even those who have been with the Lord fifty years, I am sure still have their moments of struggle and growth, we will never be perfect. He never asked us to be, He is perfect and he is the only one who will ever be.

Don’t let the joy and peace he wants you to have in him be stolen away by the trick of the enemy, just take it day by day.

Philippians 1:6; “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath began a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Christ.”

Bless you and have a great night!

Φλογιζω NBJ 2022/ Rev. N. Brown Johnson

June 9, 2022 by Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

“To Cover It All”

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of the disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

And he said unto them When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil.” Luke 11:1-4

I love the Lord’s prayer, I use the one from the Book of Matthew, it has just a tad different wording, exact same meaning.

Before I was saved, I had bought a Bible, I was trying, and many of the words were like a foreign language until God opened it up to me after I was saved, but anyway, this particular Bible had a “helps” section, and one title was listed as, “Jesus’ ideal prayer” and it listed the one from Matthew.

And it has always had such a place in my heart, as I was seeking back then, I was terrified to pray aloud and had no idea what I was doing, and I would call my late sister and ask her to pray with me, and the first time I told her I was “trying to learn how to pray”, and of course she told me she’d love to pray together, she asked me what I wanted to pray, and I told her that this Bible suggested this prayer and she said that would be great, so we would pray the Lord’s prayer evening single evening for probably around a month and a half, and after I was filled with the Holy Ghost, she was my constant prayer partner and we always started out with that prayer.

I was one of those people that had prayed the sinner prayer countless of times but never felt saved, until I received the Holy Ghost, some of us have so much damage that He has to truly come to where we are and pick us up from it all before we quit believing the lies of the devil, and finally know that we are his.

And I had major damage and put the “heth” in heathen!

So, I want to give both, and if you don’t pray either one of these regularly, please memorize the one you feel more comfortable with and make it part of your daily prayer time, of course he hears us always and there is no “special” prayer but this is great to pray to just cover your day, because it literally covers all we need each day.

Matthew 6: 5-15: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Be ye not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

After this manner therefore ye pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one):

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

The Lord revealed to me over time that as we pray this, we are starting our prayer, first by acknowledging him, as our Father. we are then showing respect and reverence to his name.

Then we are asking his will be done in earth, as it already is in heaven, which I believe of course, is Earth, our world, but also, the earth that is us, as we made of the earth, as Adam was fashioned from the dust of the ground.

Then we ask for our daily provisions, all that we would need for our daily life, but I also believe this has the added meaning of the spiritual bread, the word of God that we need every single day to have peace, strength, and hope in Him.

Then of course we ask for forgiveness and commit in advance to forgiving others for trespasses that may be inflicted toward us that day.

And we ask to not enter into temptation, and remember this is what Jesus told the disciples to pray when he was about to be arrested, he told them to pray that they not enter into temptation, a time of testing, and then we pray to be delivered from the evil one, protection from the devil and his demonic forces and the evil human forces that he often works through.

Then we end it the way we started, with an acknowledgment of the sovereignty and omnipotence of God, and that his kingdom alone is the kingdom, and has all power and glory.

Thank you for joining me, I do hope this hasn’t been too much of things you already knew, but not everyone has heard these teachings and I know the difference in my life.

God bless you, love & peace till we meet again!

Φλογιζω NBJ 2022/ Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

June 1, 2022 by Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

“Epitome of Unassuming Grace”

“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre (tomb), and seeth the stone rolled taken away from the sepulchre.

Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple (John), and came to the sepulchre.

So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the lines clothes lying, yet went him not in.

Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

And the napkin (face cloth), that was about 9around) his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together (folded) in a place by itself.

Then went in also, that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.

For as yet, they knew (understood) not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

Then the disciples went away again unto their own homes.

But Mary stood without (outside) at the sepulchre weeping; and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre.

And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been.

And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

And when she had thus said, she turned herself back (around), and saw Jesus standing there, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seeketh thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto to him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence (carried him away), tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary, She turned herself, and saith unto him Rabboni, which is to say, Master (Teacher).

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

And when he had so said, he shewed (showed) unto them his hands, and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

Then Jesus said to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

And he when he had said this, He breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit (forgive) they are remitted (forgiven) unto them: and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

The other disciple therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except (Unless) I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days again his disciples were within (inside), and Thomas was with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet they believe.

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciple, which are not written in this book.

But these are written, that ye might (will) believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might (will) have life through his name.” John 20:1-31

Even with the millions, billions of words in our human language that could be used to describe Jesus, there are still none that would ever completely describe His grace.

The grace that He extends to us as we try to find our way, as our human thinking tries so unsuccessfully to understand the absolute miraculous

I love so much about the accounts above, they all suffered the same doubts, as all humans would, when faced with his death, a death that most witnessed with their own eyes, and as we are told, they had not at this time, understood, exactly what had been foretold to them.

It has often been asked why He revealed himself to Mary first, and I love what I believe to be the answer, and I love it because it is just such a perfect example of who He is.

Mary needed him the most,

Jesus sees us from day one, our entire life, all the pain, sorrow, and sufferings that many go through, and often some more so than others.

And some do seem to be stronger, while others carry wounds that in order to be healed require a touch so gentle, that it can only come from the Master’s hand.

I also love the verse taht tells us Jesus wept, he wept because Mary and Marth were crying, they were crying because there brother Lazarus died, but Jesus knew that He was going to resurrect Lazarus from the dead, He was crying because it broke his heart to see his daughter weep.

He wanted to comfort Mary and dry all those tears by letting her know that He indeed lived.

Notice also when He appeared to the disciples, he knew that they would be confused and afraid, the first word he says is peace, and while they did not ask for “proof”, He invited them to feel his hands and side.

He wanted them to be reassured in his peace.

And even though we quite often hassle Thomas in our day by calling him “Doubting Thomas”, many would have felt the same, again, knowing that Jesus had been crucified.

But Jesus knew what Thomas had said, and even more so He knew what Thomas needed in order to believe.

And at no time are we told in scripture that Jesus questioned them as to How could they not believe what they had been told, or that he in any way chastised them or belittled them for being human, and having doubt.

Quite the opposite, as scripture says this: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men (humans) liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach): and it shall be given him.” James 1:5

That means wisdom and understanding of anything, any are, any question.

And that is with the promise that God will in no way make us feel silly, or chided for our need to understand or the need to have our faith strengthened.

Jesus is beautiful and Holy and there are so many stories in the Bible about just that, His grace toward us, so many examples of letting humans speak their minds, asking for something, while he all the while knows the desire of their heart that they are getting around to asking.

Because for some reason as humans we feel like we have to convince him of the reasoning why we are asking for whatever it is we are asking, but this is not what he asks of us, he just asks us to ask him and believe,

He is so gracious, just as the verses above that He will give us whatever it is that we need to believe, and to strengthen our faith or any other obstacle that need eliminated so that we are not hindered in our walk with him.

Have faith in that today and whatever you need, He has more than enough grace to give it.

Thank you for reading. Love & peace to you till next time! Mention of which, please join me over the next thirty days, as it was on my heart to do a short post, each day, on His teachings.

Starting with this one, so we’ll take a refresher on the Word, straight from The Word’s words!

Φλογιζω NBJ 2022/Rev. N. Brown Johnson

April 13, 2022 by Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

“Stories of Miracles & Provision”

Mark 9:23: “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believe.”

With so many dreadful happenings going on in the world at the moment, it was on my heart, after to do a post on a few of the storied of absolute wonder that are found in the Bible.

I hope it will be a nice companion to to my last post, while the divine deliverance of the Hebrews from the land of Egypt is still fresh in our minds.

Of course, it would be impossible to use all of them, because the Bible is truly a book of the miraculous, so I am going with stories of different human needs and the different miracles each person received from God to meet that need. The words in blue will take you to past posts dealing with specific miracles also.

MIRACLES OF PROVISONS

“And the Lord Children of Israel said to them, Oh that we had died by the hand of the Lord in Egypt, when we set by the pots of meat and when we baked bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.

And the house of Israel called its name Manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.” Exodus 16:3,4, & 31 NKJV

“Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.” Psalm 78:25 NKJV

Elijah the prophet proclaimed the three year drought, God gave him miraculous provision during that time.

1 Kings 17:2-6 NKJV: “Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into Jordan.

And it will be that you drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.

So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.”

Matthew 6:26:“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, neither gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them, are ye not much better than they?”

1 Kings 17:7-16 (NKJV): “And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been now rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See I have commanded a widow a widow there to provide for you.

So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, and indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, Please bring me a little water in a cup that I may drink.

And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.

So she said, As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may it, and die.

And Elijah said to her, do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.

For thus says the Lord God of Israel: The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor the jar of oil run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.

So she went away and di according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.

The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by Elijah.”

Matthew 10: 40,41:(NKJV): “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward…”

1 Kings 19:1-8 (NKJV):”And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets (her false prophets of Baal) with the sword.

Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.

And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servants there.

But he himself went about a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree and he prayed that he might die, and said, It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life for I am no better than my father’s!

Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”

Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.

And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

So he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeh, the mountain of God.”

Psalm 91:11(NKJV): “He will give His angels charge over you.”

Matthew 14:15-21 (NKJV): “When it was evening, His disciples came to him saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”

But Jesus said to them, They do not need to go away, You give them something to eat.”

And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”

He said, “Bring them here to Me.”

Then he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.”

Philippians 4:19(NKJV): “And My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

WATER IN THE DESERT AND PROVISIONS MADE SAFE IN TIMES OF FAMINE AND LACK.

Genesis 21:14-19 (NKJV): “So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting the on her shoulder, he gave it to the boy and Hagar, and sent her away.

Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot, for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy,” So she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept.

And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.”

“Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.”

Exodus 15:23-25 (NKJV): “Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter, Therefore the name of it was called Marah.

And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet…”

Exodus 17:3-6 (NKJV): ” And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it that you have brought us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”

And the Lord said to Moses, Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go.

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

2 Kings 2:19-22(NKJV): ” Then the men of the city said to Elisha, Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the ground barren.

And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.”

Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the Lord: I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.”

So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.”

NESECITTYS, RESCUES,& RESURRECTIONS

2 Kings 4: 1-7 (NKJV): “A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.

So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

Then he said, “Go borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors, empty vessels, do not gather just a few.”

And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.

So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her sons, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased.

Then she came and told the man of God, And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

Matthew 17:24-27 (NKJV): “When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”

He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers? Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.

Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money, take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

2 Kings 6:4-7 (NKJV): “So he went with them, And when they came to Jordan, they cut down trees.

But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”

So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So He cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.

Therefore, he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.”

Joshua 10: 12-14 (NKJV): “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel.

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped. Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. Is it not written in the Book of Jasher?

So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel.”

2 Kings 4:38-44 (NKJV): “And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”

So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.

Then they served it to the men to eat. Now, it happened, as they were eating the stew, they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.

So he said, “Then bring some flour.” And he put it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may it.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in a knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.”

But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men? He said again, Give it to the people, that they may it; for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’

So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.”

Acts 12:5-10 (NKJ SV): “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and the angel struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.

Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals.” and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”

So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to an iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.”

Acts 16:22-26 (NKJV): “And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into the prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were loosed.”

Acts 9:36-42 (NKJV): “At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.

But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

And since Lydia was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. then peter arose and went with them.

When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise!” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.”

1 Kings 17:17-23(NKJV): ” Now it happened after these things that the some of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.

So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God?” Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son? And he said to her, “Give me your son.”

So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him own his own bed.

Then he cried out to the Lord, and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?”

And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.”

Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.

And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”

Now Elisha was Elijah’s protégé and replacement, as he had asked the Lord to take him and the Lord did. Elijah did not die, he was taken

Hopefully we’ll get into that in another post about the miraculous, but what I wanted to point out here is that Elisha has also asked for a resurrection and was granted it.

I hope this encourages you today, to believe for those miracles. God sent these when they were needed.

I want to leave you with this.

Psalm 34:17 (KJV): “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”

Blessings and Peace to you and yours! May God bless you and show you wonders in Him that you may have never seen before!

Φλογιζω NBJ 2022/ Rev. Nina Brown Johnson For more concerning the rescue of Peter by the angel: “Behold your King”

April 9, 2022 by Rev. Nina Brown Johnson

“Sorrow and Praise”