Resources

Our government is telling us to stay away from sick people during the COVID-19 outbreak. How should Christians respond to this? Our whole lives we have simply stayed away from people if we were sick. Now we are told that we must stay away from people if we are NOT SICK. This should strike us as odd. The Bible gives us some indication about how to think about this.. There are two fundamental operating procedures for Christians.  First, pastors are required to visit, pray for and lay hands on the sick (Jas. 5:14). Notice that God lays the burden on the sick person to “call the elders of the church,” for prayer. This is a command. So, if you are sick, feel free to call the elders of the church for prayer. Pastors need to care for the sheep, especially when they are failing and fearful. People need encouragement when they feel terrible. They need prayer when their lives are hanging in the balance. This is consistent with the principles and practices of the priests in Leviticus 14. They were obligated to be in the presence of the sick person or material, and they had handling procedures that protected them (See Lev. 13-15). The priests examined the sick person, material, or house and then declared them to be clean or unclean. Christian history is full of stories of pastors that did not flee the plague. Pastors are shepherds who do not abandon the flock, “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Fleeing defies both providence and compassion. This contradicted Hippocrates and Galen during the Black Plague, and it contradicted the theology of flight. This is the two-pronged idea that fleeing the plague is fleeing divine judgment and that it is righteous to preserve life. Second, God expects all of His blood-bought people to visit the sick. Jesus said, “I was sick, and you visited me.” He was speaking of all true Christians. Genuine Christians have compassion for the sick and they don’t dodge them. This is the normal practice of the church. If you are a pastor or a Christian, here is the summary, “thou shalt not be afraid of the pestilence and don’t shun the sick among you.” This is after the pattern of Jesus who drew near to the sick and they drew near to Him for healing. However, there may be unusual or extreme situations where elders should wisely not lay hands and saints refrain from visiting, but we must not ignore them or be

The speaker discusses the importance of not missing opportunities to honor the World War II generation before it's too late. He highlights the urgency of this task as the number of veterans from that war dwindles rapidly. The speaker encourages sons to ask their fathers about their stories before it's too late and urges fathers to share their experiences and the ways in which God has blessed them with their children.

In this audio message, Bill Brown explains that it is important for fathers to encourage their sons not to neglect the local church. If a son views the church lightly, fathers should remind them that Christ purchased the Church with His own blood. A high price was paid. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV) - "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

Introduction, the battlefield of my father's youth. Perhaps no other individual battle is as well known by the general populace as the battle for Iwo Jima. Some claim that the most famous picture in the history of photography was taken there of the men raising the flag on Mount Suribachi. This was the first foreign flag raised on Japanese soil in many generations, and it meant the death knell to Japanese expansionism and ultimately the end of the Pacific War. Because Iwo Jima was the battlefield of my father's youth, it was also the vortex where everything in his family background was severely tested and revealed. William Edward Brown was a small-town boy, just twenty years old when he enlisted to fight for his country. He never could have imagined the ferocity of the battles he would face. Furthermore, he could not have anticipated the lasting impression these battles would leave, not only on his life, but on the lives of his unborn children as well. For many years I have thought about that island and what happened there. It was a world of foxholes, flame throwers, unrelenting artillery blasts, bombings, jeeps, fighter planes, explosions and death. Thousands of Marines were ushered into eternity while doing their duty. Many of my father's fellow pilots were lost until one day He found himself alone in his tent, the last one alive. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, said it well, Stormed at, was shot and shell, Bravely they rode and well, into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell. My father was just a boy back then. They were all boys. It's shocking to think that it was nineteen and twenty year old boys who flew B-29s and P-51 Mustangs and stormed the beaches. The youth of our nation fired howitzers and flame throwers and dove on top of grenades. It was young people who saved the world from Hirohito and Hitler. It was high-octane danger and courage. Manhood was tested, forged, and tempered at Iwo Jima. This is difficult to explain, but I love the island of Iwo Jima. For the men who were there, it was hell on earth, but for me it has been a rallying point for powerful principles of manhood. Sixty years after the battle in 2005, three generations of Browns returned to Iwo Jima and stood on the ground where the flag was raised on Mount Suribachi. It was thrilling for me to be there with my father and my son and daughter, to look over the battlefield and see with my own eyes the places my father told me about all my life. When I stood atop

in this audio message, Bill Brown reads from the book Preparing Boys for Battle. The Bible speaks much about friendship. It is vitally important to choose your friends wisely. Those who you spend time with can be a blessing in that friends can sharpen and build up each other or friends can lead to compromise and engaging in sin. John 15:13 (NKJV) - "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

In this audio message, Bill Brown explains that every son needs to be disciplined. It is not something that should be ignored. He shares how in the military, sometimes the training is harder than actual fighting. And yet, that is the purpose of training, to help the trainees be mentally and physically prepared. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) - "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

The author notes that while war is often conducted by imperfect men for the wrong reasons, there are still lessons to be learned from it. The author believes it is legitimate to honor those who served and that heroes can emerge even in the midst of evil. The author does not seek to glorify war but rather to learn from his family's experience in World War II and determine how to glorify God in our lives as a result.

Bill Brown explains in this audio message how even when he was in dire circumstances during World War II, he trusted in the Lord. He explains how God brought him through his experiences on the island of Iwo Jima. He knew that God has gone out before him. 1 Chronicles 14:15 (NKJV) - "And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines."

Bill Brown explains in this audio message that every son needs to hear his father encourage him to take on various challenges. Life will not be easy and pleasurable for our sons. We need to help them to be strong men, who are prepared and are not afraid to work hard when life becomes difficult. Proverbs 16:3 (NKJV) - Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established."

In this audio message, Bill Brown discusses how if a son does not embrace the Gospel, it will not help him to be able to deal with the biggest problem he will face -- his sinfulness before a holy God and a threat of holy fire. He illustrates this point by sharing some of his experiences from the Battle of Iwo Jima. Romans 6:23 (NKJV) - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

As Scott Brown reads the introduction to "Preparing Boys for Battle," we learn that there are three elements that he desires in a book. He say that every book should point back to scripture, be about real people, and it needs to communicate the interesting facts that are interesting and exciting to ponder on. 

In this audio message, Bill Brown reads from the book Preparing Boys for Battle. While living in a foxhole, there was little sleep and little protection from the threat of bullets, bombs, and even jungle bugs. We all face different trials in life. One lesson that we can learn is that our earthly home is only temporary and that we ought to focus on what is eternal. Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'”