CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

 

Our God loves celebrations! Throughout the Old Testament, we see Him instituting special days and instructing the Israelites to celebrate yearly, as a reminder of His power among them and His provision for them. Also, through the celebrations, He wanted younger generations to know what He had done for their ancestors in the past. The Sabbath, for instance, was instituted to make sure they rested as God did, on the seventh day of the week (see Exodus 31:12-17). Similarly, the Passover was to remind them of the time the angel of death killed the firstborn of both man and beast in the land of Egypt, but spared the Israeli families (see Exodus 12:1-14). 

Over two thousand years ago, God put His salvation plan into motion, sending His One and only Son into the world to make His dwelling among us (see John 1:14) and to become our Savior. About three hundred years into Christianity, 336 to be exact, the Romans recorded the first celebration of the birth of Jesus. We have celebrated His birth ever since, with decorations, caroling, feasting, giving, and receiving. Even those who don’t believe in Jesus often celebrate it in some form.

Every year when we celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Savior, we should reflect on the truths behind the season:

We are sinners and need redemption –We know we are sinners because Scripture tells us that, through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin and death passed to all mankind. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV). There is only one way to restore our fellowship with God; it is through faith in Jesus, because He came to seek and to save that which was lost.  Scripture tells us, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NIV).

God is love – It is His love for us that led to His formulating the plan for our redemption before the foundation of the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV). We are also reminded of His humility! He was willing to leave His throne and majesty above, be born into a sinful world, not in a palace, but in a manger! He says to us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29 NIV).

God is faithful – He promised Jesus’ coming decades before He was born. “The virgin will be with child, and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Emmanuel,” which is translated, 'God with us'” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23 NIV). He promised, and then fulfilled it! That is a faithful God! Again, it was prophesied, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 NIV). Through the angel Gabriel, He declared the Virgin Mary was going to have a Son, and to name Him Jesus. He would be great and be called the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:30-31 NIV). God fulfilled everything He promised concerning Jesus. How faithful! This reminder assures us that we can trust Him one hundred percent; He has never failed since the beginning of time, and never will! We can look forward to the promise of the rapture and His second coming with hope.

We should Express gratitude - We need to be thankful to God because we could never have saved ourselves nor done anything to qualify for salvation. He planned it, and carried it out; making us His sons and daughters, so now we can confidently say of God, “Abba, Father” (see Romans 8:15).  

Merry Christmas; let’s celebrate with assurance, gratitude, and anticipation of His return!

CHRISTMAS

 

God planned Christmas, the birth of Jesus, before the foundation of the world, before creation. What was His reason, you might ask? He knew how the devil would interfere with His creation and intentions for man, thus causing a separation between Him and man.

He could have prevented the interruption but didn't, because He wanted man to love, trust, and obey Him willingly: by choice. He, therefore, put a plan into place that would defeat the devil, give fallen-man a second chance, and thereby restore His broken relationship with man.

The first Christmas was only the beginning, the first in a series of events constituting God's redemptive plan. In the first step, Christmas, God became man, in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life among sinners, showing them the way back to God--through grace, for He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NLT).

The next event was His death. He willingly laid down His life, suffered at the hands of sinners, who crucified Him. He told His disciples, “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily” (John 10:17 NLT). They buried Him, sealing the tomb with a huge rock to ensure His disciples wouldn’t be able to move Him out. The devil who motivated them must have thought he had won this fight, but God had a surprise for him!

The third was His resurrection from the dead. The morning of the third day, there was an earthquake, an angel rolled the stone aside and sat on it. The angel comforted the women who had gone to embalm the body. “Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen” (Matthew 28:5 NLT). Jesus came back to life, delivering a crushing blow to the devil once and for all. Jesus will never die again. Death and the devil were both defeated. That death paid for the sins of all who'd repent, ask for forgiveness, and accept the sacrifice made on their behalf. Because He rose from the dead, those who believe in Him shall also rise someday.

Fourth, He ascended into heaven as His disciples watched with broken hearts. Angels assured them, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:11 NLT).

The final event will be Jesus’ Second Advent. This time, He’ll come not as a baby, but as the King of kings and Lord of lords, and He will set up His kingdom. At His coming, every eye shall see Him (see Revelation 1:7), but it'll be too late for those who have not called on Him for salvation. Judgment and punishment will be all that awaits them.

As you celebrate Christmas this year, don’t just go through the motions. Understand that God loves you very much, and longs to enter into a personal relationship with you. How do you plan to respond to the One who has gone to such trouble to demonstrate His love for you? He has freed you to love and serve Him willingly. The window of opportunity is limited; it'll close for each person when they die, or when Jesus returns. Nobody knows when either one is going to happen (see Matthew 25:13).

I encourage you to call on Him today. As the Bible says, “Today when you hear his voice don’t harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7 NLT). The Bible also asks, “What makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus Himself?” (Hebrews 2:3 NLT). The answer to this question is obvious—no one can escape punishment if he or she chooses to not respond to God’s love. Decide today 

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DON’T WALK IN THE DARK WHEN LIGHT IS AVAILABLE

 

Light is the opposite of darkness, as we all know. The two cannot co-exist/ When it is dark there’s no light: it remains dark, but the darkness disappears when the light appears. When in the dark, we cannot see our surroundings and therefore are unaware of potential dangers.

What kinds of dangers could one encounter when walking in the dark? There is the possibility of walking into objects, stubbing the toes, walking into a ditch, and sustaining injuries. It’s understandable when people need to walk in the dark because they absolutely have to get somewhere but have no access to light. On the other hand, it’s irresponsible when people choose to walk in the dark when light is available to them.

Christians, we live in a very dark world, journeying through it with our focus on a destination: our heavenly home. Soon, we’ll see our Lord and Savior, Jesus, face-to-face. Although it is dark in this world, God has given us everything we need to navigate it and arrive home safely: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4). Included in the “everything we need” is the Word of God, which teaches us how to live to please God and be like Him.

The psalmist, on his journey through this dark world, quickly learned he needed some form of light, and he found it: “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). Similarly, we Christians need the same light source to guide us safely through this world. It is the Word of God that throws light on our path to enable us to see where we are going and guides our feet so we don’t end up with stubbed toes.

For us to benefit from the Word of God, we have to read it, know it, cherish it, meditate on it constantly, and live by it. It is not enough to know it; we have to obey it. Only then will it fulfill its purpose as light. For instance:

 If you don’t steal because the Word says not to, then the Word has become your guide in doing what is right and pleasing to God.

If you are in a frightful situation, won’t you find this verse encouraging? “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). Of course, you would, but that is if you already knew it, as the psalmist says: “I have hidden your word in my heart, … “(Psalm 119:11). For the Word to be our guide, we have to know it.

Are you having a hard time with a decision you have to make? Here’s your guide: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take” (Proverbs 3:5-6). This verse is directing us to pray and trust God to guide us with His wisdom.

Are you debating how much to give to ministry? Here’s your guide: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).

We’ll never face a situation that does not have some guidance from the Word of God. It is crucial that we read, meditate, and delight in the Word, and hide it in our hearts., When the need arises in our personal lives or the lives of others, the Holy Spirit will remind us, so we can better cope with the situation. 

We have the Word as the lamp that throws light on our path; let’s use it. Let’s not walk in the darkness as though the light wasn’t available to us. Let’s always remember, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105).

DIVIDE and CONQUER

 

Divide and conquer is the policy of maintaining control over one's subordinates or subjects by encouraging dissent between them. This adage is the exact demonstration of “There is strength in numbers,” because, when unity is lost, the accompanying strength is lost as well. There is yet another adage that teaches the same lesson: “united we stand, divided we fall.” All these are true statements that, when put into action, result in chaos and defeat. This policy is one of Satan’s tools, and he uses it against the Church quite often, unfortunately, with much success.

Do you know people who hop from church to church, and are not able to call any particular church their home church? Why does that happen so often? Why aren’t people happy with ‘their church’? They make excuses like: they didn’t like someone or something in a particular church, someone offended them, their needs were not being met, or their suggestions were not taken seriously, just to name a few. The devil uses all these excuses to break down relationships in the Church, and we become powerless in prayer because we regard so much iniquity in our hearts (see Psalm 66:18). We hold our hurts inside, give people the silent treatment, and think we are doing church. O shame, thrice shame upon us, Christian brethren, as the hymnist says!

 This morning, reading Psalm 141, I was fascinated with verse 5, “Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don’t let me refuse it.” I believe that’s what the Church needs today; we need to be able to accept correction with gratitude, and we need to rebuke and correct each other with kindness and respect. The Church is God’s, and if we focus on His glory alone, we won’t allow our emotions to run so wild. It’s time to settle down and play our given role in the Body of Christ. And if something goes wrong, which, given time, it will let’s address it with the right people in the right way (see Matthew 18:15-17).  

Jesus knows the power of unity. After all, He is in unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit as the Godhead, and they work together as One! They have no inner fighting; there is always harmony in their relationship, and they are each other’s promoter. They never do anything contrary to the will or desire of the other. They created the world together and supervise its workings together. Before His death, Jesus prayed for His disciples (the then-current, and the future ones-us), “Protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are” (John 17:11). “Just as we are,” He prayed! How powerful! In order for Christians to succeed at what they undertake to do collectively, they have to agree and be united. No wonder Jesus taught, “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:19-20). 

Likewise, Satan knows the power of unity, not because he is one with anybody, but because He sees the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at work, and knows how powerful and effective they are in all they do. That, of course, is why he does not want interconnected families or unity in the Church. His goal is to turn believers against each other, creating chaos, so they lose focus of their calling and responsibility toward each other and the unbelieving world. In the absence of group unity, there is infighting and division, and so, consequently, nothing or very little is accomplished. 

Can you imagine what great works The church could accomplish if we were united? Wow! If we didn’t have gossip, backstabbing, backbiting, resentment, pride, arrogance, and “better than thou” attitudes in the Church, what victories we’d experience as the body of Christ!

We should guard against such problems by obeying the command, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3). We are also commanded to “Get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech” (1 Peter 2:1). 

Why does Satan attack Christian marriages? Because the Christian family is a Church in itself and a member of a local and the universal Church. If he succeeds in instigating controversy, he gets the upper hand. And even if the controversy does not lead to separation or divorce, he has still succeeded in turning the couple against each other. When there’s chaos in the home, praying or studying the Word together would be totally impossible or ineffective at best. Couples have disagreements about almost anything: finances, child discipline, you name it.

Church, let’s stay alert and not allow the enemy to divide us. If we allow him to divide us, it would also mean we’ve given him permission to derail us and hinder the work of God through us. The biblical solution to this dilemma is for us to “Show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters” and “Love each other deeply with all our heart” (1 Peter 1:22). May God help us!