Showing results by author "Gregory Brown" in All Categories

Mental health is the driving force behind every decision we make—how we live, work, and love. Many of us suffer from depression and anxiety, which impede our choices and quality of life, and despite the proliferation of prescription drugs, the numbers are growing across the globe. But there is another, proven way to achieve mental wellness, beyond antidepressants and talk therapy. Practicing psychiatrist Gregory Scott Brown believes that mental health begins with actionable self-care.

Nehemiah: Becoming a Godly Leader is a fourteen week expositional study of the book of Nehemiah. It considers topics like the characteristics of a godly leader, a godly leader’s priorities, cultivating a life of celebration, characteristics of revival, how a godly leader responds to discouragement, conflict, prosperity and promotion, the tactics of the enemy, and much more. Let’s study it together with the Bible Teacher’s Guide. “The Bible Teacher’s Guide … will help any teacher study and get a better background for his/her Bible lessons. In addition, it will give direction and ...

A promising literary star makes his debut with this emotionally powerful saga, set in 1980s Maine, that explores family love, the power of myths and storytelling, survival and environmental exploitation, and the ties between cultural identity and the land we live on.

Crete was a difficult ministry. Culturally, the people were known for being lazy, deceptive, and combative (Tit 1:12). Though difficult, many churches there needed to be discipled and built up. Consequently, Paul visited to minister to the Cretans and eventually left Titus there to continue the work. In Paul’s letter to Titus, he encourages his son in the faith and gives him various instructions. Titus was to select elders in all the churches to help train the believers, teach them sound doctrine, and protect them from false teaching (Tit 1:9-10). In addition, Paul emphasized that the ...

Unlike other epistles, James is not so much concerned with doctrine but living out doctrine. Over half the words in this epistle are commands. James believed that true faith produces the corresponding works, and if it does not, it is not true faith (Jam 2:14-26). Even the demons believe in God but are not saved (2:15, 19). True faith not only hears God’s Word, but obeys it (1:22). It not only sympathizes with the poor but also cares for them (1:27, 2:1-13). It affects one’s tongue (1:26, 3:2-12) and how one responds to conflict (4:1-3, 11-12), trials (1:2-4), money (5:1-6), planning (4:...

The year was AD 67; persecution was rampant and false teachers saturated the church. Many believers no longer desired to hear sound doctrine and, therefore, heaped up teachers to simply itch their ears (2 Tim 4:2-4). Timothy, a pastor in the church of Ephesus, most likely, was discouraged (1:7, 2:1). With some of his last words, Paul writes from prison to encourage his disciple, Timothy, to complete his ministry (4:5). He commands him to be like a good soldier (2:3-4), a victorious athlete (2:5), and a hardworking farmer (2:6). Above all, Timothy needed to stay faithful to Scripture: he was...

Fleeing New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approaches, Henry Garrett is haunted by the ruins of his marriage, a squandered inheritance, and the teaching job he inexplicably quit. He pulls into a small Virginia town after three days on the road, hoping to silence the ceaseless clamor in his head. But this quest for peace and quiet as the only guest at a roadside motel is destroyed when Henry finds himself at the center of a bizarre and violent tragedy.

What are angels? Who are they and what can we learn from them? In Scripture, angels are mentioned over 250 times in thirty-four books of the Bible. Angels were present, rejoicing at God’s forming of the earth (Job 38:4-7). They visited Abraham’s house and brought judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18, 19:13). They were involved with the transmission of the Ten Commandments to Moses (Gal 3:19). An angel gave prophecies to Daniel about Israel’s future (Dan 9, 10). Likewise, an angel prophesied the messiah’s birth to both Mary and Joseph (Matt 1, Lk 1). An angel strengthened Christ ...

The Perfections of God is a study of God’s characteristics including his love, goodness, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, eternality, wrath, sovereignty, and much more. It can be used as a seven to fifteen-week small-group curriculum depending on how the leader chooses to divide the introduction and the fourteen characteristics. “Expositional, theological, and candidly practical! I highly recommend The Bible Teacher’s Guide for anyone seeking to better understand or teach God’s Word.” —Dr. Young–Gil Kim, Founding President of Handong Global University “Helpful to both...

Ecclesiology is the study of the church, which is God’s people throughout the world. God has chosen the church to be his global representative (Matt 28:19) and to glorify him throughout eternity (Eph 3:21). The church is God’s temple (1 Cor 3:16) and his family (Gal 6:10). It is Christ’s body, including various members with different spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:12-28). It is the salt and light of the world (Matt 5:13-14). While on earth, Christ promised to build his church and that the gates of hades will not prevail against it (Matt 16:18). It is the most important institution in the ...

How can we grow in kingdom character? When Christ came into the world, he preached the kingdom of heaven (Matt 4:17). He taught that not only was the kingdom something future but a present reality, as the kingdom of heaven was in their midst (Lk 17:21). The kingdom consists of all those who profess Christ as Lord—though all who profess are not truly saved (cf. Matt 7:21-23, 13:36-43). In Matthew 5:3-10, Christ introduces the character of those who are truly part of his kingdom. They are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They are...

The book of Philemon is Paul’s letter to Philemon, a wealthy believer, seeking to reconcile him with Onesimus, his runaway slave. Onesimus previously was useless and most likely a thief; however, after hearing the gospel, he became tremendously useful, including becoming Paul’s assistant in Rome (Phm 1:11-13). Since Onesimus broke the law by running away from his master and could legally receive the death sentence, Paul wrote this touching letter to appeal to Philemon to take Onesimus back, not only as a slave but as a dear brother in the faith (Phm 1:16). The book ends with a cliff-...

Elijah ministered during a terrible time in Israel’s history. Apostasy was at an all-time high because Ahab, Israel’s worst king, was on the throne (1 Kgs 16:30). His ungodly influence was augmented by his wife, Jezebel, who introduced Baal worship to Israel. In order to restore Israel to God, the Lord called one of his greatest prophets, Elijah, to confront Ahab (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah’s ministry was unique. He prayed that it would not rain as a judgment for Israel’s sins, and it did not rain for three and a half years. He challenged Baal’s prophets to a contest to prove that ...

Who is Jesus Christ? This question elicits a lot of mystery and confusion. Some say Jesus was only a regular human—maybe a wise man or prophet. Others say he is a created being, like an angel. Still, others say Jesus is God but not human. While others say he is both fully God and fully human. Who exactly is Jesus? Scripture teaches that our eternal destiny depends on how we answer this question (1 John 4:2-3, Rom 10:9-10); therefore, it befits us to reflect on this question and answer it correctly. In Christology, we’ll consider what the Bible says about Jesus Christ, so that we may ...

What is salvation? Why do humans need it? And what is its process? The doctrine of salvation essentially teaches how humans are condemned to an eternal hell by a just and righteous God because of their sins. However, instead of condemning all of humanity without any hope of redemption, God provided a means of salvation, so that the condemned may become righteous and dwell eternally with him in a place of blessing. In this study, we will consider salvation by exploring some of the elements within the order of its process, the gospel message, and theological issues associated with salvation ...

Everybody has a form of eschatology—beliefs about their future or the world's. For some, eschatology brings despair because everything ends in death—including the individual and the universe. Some have a vague hope of the afterlife. For Christians, they should have a certain hope because God has laid out his plan for the end times in Scripture. He reveals these things to teach his saints about his glory and control over history, to encourage them in uncertain times, and to equip them for good works, among other things. For these reasons, we should not neglect eschatology but instead ...

What is the Sermon on the Mount? In Matthew 5-7, Christ climbs a mountain with his disciples and from there gives his most famous sermon. He starts by describing those who are members of his heavenly kingdom (Matt 5:3-10). They are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, those who hunger for righteousness, the merciful, etc. Those who are truly heavenly citizens don’t just have a profession of faith but experience a faith that changes their life and character—they are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Christ warns those listening to his sermon of potential deception—if their ...

There is great confusion and controversy over the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Who is he, and what does he do? Is he some type of force? Is he an energy or a thing? Likewise, topics such as spiritual gifts, the baptism in the Spirit, and being filled with the Spirit tend to incite differing views and discord, even amongst the sincerest and most devoted Christians. Because of all this, some have hesitated to study or teach on the Holy Spirit. This is unfortunate, since the Holy Spirit makes possible both the redemption (John 6:8-9, Rom 8:11) and sanctification (1 Pet 1:2) of believers. In ...

Though every year the Bible is the world’s most popular, purchased, and translated book, the majority of people reading the Bible have never deeply studied it, and even among those who have, many still have numerous, lingering questions, such as: “Who wrote it?” “Is it historically reliable?” “How were the books of the Bible selected?” “Is it possible that some books are missing or that others will be added?” “What is the over-arching storyline of the Bible and its primary message?” “How do we study the Bible?” “Why are there so many translations?” and “Which...

NASZE UMYSŁY MAJĄ POTĘŻNĄ SIŁĘ, A DR GREGORY SCOTT BROWN UCZY NAS, JAK JĄ WYKORZYSTAĆ NAWET W NAJTRUDNIEJSZYCH CHWILACH. Zdrowie psychiczne stoi za każdą naszą decyzją – określa, jak żyjemy, pracujemy i kochamy. Obecnie wiele osób cierpi na depresję lub zaburzenia lękowe, co wpływa na wybory i jakość życia. Choć mnożą się rodzaje antydepresantów na receptę, liczba chorych na całym świecie wciąż rośnie. Istnieje jednak inny, sprawdzony sposób na uzyskanie równowagi psychicznej, oprócz leków i psychoterapii. Praktykujący psychiatra Gregory Scott Brown wierzy, że zdrowie psychiczne rozpoczyna się od samopomocy.