And God Became Man

Pastor's Corner  (Gal. 4:4-5) "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." As we conclude the Christmas story, it's important to remember that man is not saved or redeemed by the birth of Christ, but rather by his death. For complete salvation can only come about through the redeeming sacrificial death of an innocent one. That's why Jesus came, "made of a woman," and "made under the law." God required a perfect sacrifice to free us from sin. So, "God sent forth his Son  made not of the seed of men, but rather the seed of God. He was born righteous, perfect, and obedient to the law of Mosses, and because of him we too can become the righteous sons of God through him, not by our own works of righteousness but by simply trusting in him. Thank God for the unspeakable gift of Christ who left the glory of heaven to dwell among us, who died in our place, and gave himself for our sins!

 

 

 

Have you any room for Christ?

(Luke 2:7) "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for
them in the inn." Ever since I first heard this verse as a little boy, I
have been challenged by the fact that when Jesus Christ was born, there was
"no room" for Mary and Joseph to have their baby. When I was a child I would
watch a movie about the birth of Christ, and be saddened when the Inn keeper
said to Joseph, "no room." And all my life I have never have forgotten those
words, words that the Holy Spirit uses to convict me of my heart attitude at
different times. For, it's real easy to get side tracked, to fill our lives
with the things of this world and have "no room" for the spiritual. It's
easy to get wrapped up in work and other things that cause us to neglect
church, people, and God's  service. It's easy to become too involved in the
carnal, where we no longer have time for God and His work. So, how can we
know if we have " room" for Christ today? Take a piece of paper and write
down everything you do for Christ through your local church, leave off
church attendance, and then write down what you used to do. It's amazing how
easy it is these days to push Jesus into the stable, and have "no room" for
him in our homes and lives anymore!

The Archangel Gabriel

(Luke 1:19) " And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that
stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew
thee these glad tidings." The angel Gabriel spoke these words to Zacharias
the father of John the Baptist, proclaiming beforehand John's birth. Gabriel
was also the angel that visited Mary with the announcement that she would
give birth to Jesus Christ. Gabriel is God's chosen messenger of glad
tidings. (Heb. 1:14) tells us that all angels are, "ministering spirits,
sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation," but why is
Gabriel mentioned by name? Well, the above verse says that he stands "in the
presence of God," and in (Daniel 8:16) Gabriel was "caused to fly swiftly"
to give Daniel God's vision. You see, Gabriel is (The) messenger of God, and
even though there is only one archangel mentioned in scripture, (Michael)
the defender of Israel (Dan. 12:1), most scholars believe that Gabriel was
one as well. The term "archangel" means "chief angel," and certainly Gabriel
is one of the chief ones, for Gabriel was the only one given the privilege
of proclaiming the greatest announcement ever made to man,  the birth of
Jesus Christ! 

“Thanks – Giving”

In a few weeks we will be celebrating “Thanksgiving.” The true meaning of thanksgiving can simply be understood by dividing the two words that make up its name. “Thanks,” meaning to be thankful for, and “Giving,” meaning that we share that which we are thankful for. In the OT when the Jew was thankful to God, he would offer back to God the best of his flock, and the best of all his increase. Therefore being thankful is a state of mind that appreciates what God has freely given to us, so that we share it with others as God shared it with us. Being thankful doesn't look at what we don't have, but rather it shares the best of what we do have.  As Christians we have been given so much in Christ Jesus. Take our salvation, we didn't earn it, or work for it, all we did was accept God’s gift that He freely shared with us. The Bible says, that God so loved us that He shared Jesus Christ with us, and God expects us to share and give to others as Christ gave. In (Luke 17: 11-19) ten lepers were cleansed from their leprosy by Jesus, and although all 10 were cleansed, only one had the true spirit of Thanks-giving. He came back and desired to give himself back to Christ. Why, because he was truly thankful! I wonder how many of us truly appreciate not only our salvation, but all that has been given to us freely in Christ. If we really did, wouldn't we be more thankful also and share not just Jesus with others, but also ourselves, and all that we have been given as well ?

“Giving Thanks Through Giving”

(2Co 9:12) "For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God."  In this  verse the Apostle Paul is teaching the Corinthian Church about the importance of giving financial help (or this service) to missionaries and others who are sharing the Word of God, because they glorify God with many thanksgivings on our behalf. (9:13) also goes on to say, "Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;" Giving to Faith Promise Missions is in itself a ministry (or ministration) of helping missionaries reach the world with the gospel. Paul calls it here an "experiment" (or way that we prove our faith and glorify God). As we celebrate another thanksgiving, we need to remember that God is the one who deserves all the thanks and glory for that we give, and for all that our giving accomplishes on mission field. When we give to FP we are not just giving money, but rather "glory" to a God that has blessed us in such a way, that he lets us help out!

“Jacob’s Lesson Of Faith”

(Gen. 32:24) "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day." In the above verse, God brought Jacob to the place where he must now face his brother Esau. Twenty years earlier he tricked Esau out of his birthright and the blessing of God, and Esau vowed to kill him. This night while Jacob was left alone in his tent, a man suddenly appeared in the dark and began to wrestle with him. Jacob knew that this man was sent from God, but little did Jacob know that this night he was wrestling not with an angel or a  man, but rather the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jacob would later say, "for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Just like Jacob, there needs to be a time in our life where we stop wrestling in the flesh,  and surrender to God’s will and way for our lives. That night God changed a conniving Jacob into a Prince called Israel, for God said,  "for thou has power with God and with men. Once the wrestling was over Jacob learned that his true power was not in his ability to manipulate but rather in his ability to simply trust God to handle his problems. By the time Esau arrived God had already changed the heart of Esau from  hatred to a love for his brother.  Jacob was never the same, and neither will we be once we realize that God's power and blessing is not acquired by the works of our flesh, but rather by our faith in a prayer answering God.

“All Things Work Together For Good”

(Rom. 8:28) "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  There is probably not a better lesson to learn in life than the lesson that the above verse teaches.  God wants all believers to know that whatever happens to us in this life, that He will use it for our good and his purpose, if we continue to love and trust him. God in his sovereign will, chose us, and called us to fulfill his will in this life, so that we accomplish that which he has already purposed for us to do. In short, whatever happens to us is already approved and purposed for his glory and our good. God never causes bad things to happen to you, but he does use them to build in us his character, so that we might use it for a better good. In the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, God used the bad things that Joseph's brothers did to him, the years of being imprisoned falsely, and the wisdom that he gained along the way, to build in him the character and ability of a great leader who not only saved Egypt from famine, but who also brought Israel into Egypt to fulfill the will of God