Believing Is No Mystery

James Thomas

September 14, 2007

Pastor’s anniversary Napoleon Bryant

THANK GOD FOR THE PREACHER

Eph 4:11-12

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Romans 10-13-15

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Tonight we celebrate the dedication and labor of this anointed man of God. The fortitude God has given him to continue to fight the good fight and the dedication to stay his course.

There are times when life will throw you a curve ball. There will be times when it Gets, hard to fight when your arms are tired from swinging, sometimes it gets hard to Stand when your knees are weak form standing.

Sometimes it seems as though you are Boxing giants with the arms of a small child. Yet is there anybody here who knows that with God on your side nothing is impossible if God be for you then who can stand against you. No

weapon formed against you shall prosper, not that it will not form animosity will form, Jealousy will rear its head, people will walk away from you, and sickness will come, but that it will not prosper. The winds of trouble will blow.

People will talk about you friends will walk away they will criticize you the ones you started with won’t always be the ones you finish with. But I believe Pastor Brown is like Nehemiah and said I cannot come down from this wall I

am doing a great work. There is work to be done. Yet after 29 years of fighting the good fight, 29 years of running for Jesus you have stayed your course. The great Apostle says 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,

nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. There is

something to be said about staying your course especially in the microwave society we have become we want everything right now everyone who starts this race will not finish the race. Paul while writing from Rome to the

church in Phillipi he said I press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Paul said I press which means there was something in his way that he had seen trouble he had stood before Agrippa and plead his case

had become enemy not only to the Jew but also to the roman government he said I have been locked up because of my faith. He said I went from on top of the world to the world on top of me. There is something about being in

the press the bible says that there was a woman with an issue of blood and when she heard Jesus had come she got in the press behind him and touched his garment. There is something about getting into the press. The bible

speaks of a young who was paralyzed and could not get to Jesus because of the press so his friends took him on top of the roof and began to tear away at the roof until they could get to Jesus. Sometimes you have to tear away

some things to hear God. There is something about being in the press that will cause Jesus to take notice of you. I believe this great man of God has had to press through sleepless nights through some sick days through hurt and

tragedy disappointments and pain press through tear stained eyes. There have been days when he did not feel like preaching but he had to preach anyhow days when he did have the strength to pray but had to pray anyway.

Nights, when he had to get out of his sick bed. To go visit the sick bed of another. Days when it looked like the problem was solved only to have it come back again. But if he had to testify tonight I believe he would say God has

been good to me a he has been a friend like no other, his grace has kept me and his mercy has held me. When I though I couldn’t get up and go another step he lifted me and when I couldn’t lift my head he was a ray of