Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Merry Little Christmas
“And from the days of John
the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent
take it by force.” Mt. 11:12
Probably didn’t see this
verse on any Christmas cards.
Probably didn’t see colorful
scenes of Herod’s soldiers slaughtering innocent children under the age of two,
recorded in Mt. 2:16-18
I doubt that the shadow of
the cross was cast in any Christmas plays.
The unsentimental truth about Christmas is that it was a
rescue mission. God invaded the legitimate kingdom of darkness in a manner
hardly seeming of consequence.
He established a beachhead.
Lk. 2:7
Made and colorful
announcement that an assault was under way.
Lk. 2:8-14. Do we really think that God
was telling shepherds?
And, in the person of Jesus
began an assault on the kingdom of darkness, taking back souls instead of land
for the glory of God.
There are only two kingdoms.
We understand that, in the garden, man legally handed over dominion to Satan.
When Satan says, “Allthis authority
I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me and I give
it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be
Yours.” Lk.4:6,7 he wasn’t kidding. The war was in full vigor.
“To what shall we liken
the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a
mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the
seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater…” Mk. 4:31,32
A baby in Bethlehem manger. A
small seed.
In his book Authority to
Heal, Ken Blue writes,
The ebb and flow in the cosmic battle between light
and darkness is not a dance choreographed by a puppeteer Deity. The fight is real, the victory of
Christ through His cross and resurrection is final, but not yet fully realized.
Evil continues to exercise its bounded, though significant, power till Christ returns
in His glory.
Earlier in his book Blue
describes the dispensation that we are now in as “now and not yet” and compares
it to the time between “D-Day” and “V-E Day”; WWII. Though “D-Day” is typically
considered as Jesus' victory at the cross, I would respectfully push it back thirty-three
years sooner.
Only the God who spoke and
created light could bring back light into the world, and He sampled that
manifestation with the star of Bethlehem.
The “wise men” whenever they
showed up, represent, I would suggest, allied kings welcoming the transfer of
power and rejecting the oppressor; receiving coded information.
Santa Claus’ suit is read
because it was stained with blood. “It was not a silent night” Christmas is a
violent invasion of the kingdom.
Ps. 2:1,2 is on full display;
“Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel; together,
Against the LORD and
against His Anointed”
On the way toward;
“The kingdoms of this
world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall
reign forever and ever!”
Rev. 11:15
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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Today’s photo of my canine friend, Harley, with eyes
fixed on something in the distance, or pretending he never knew me, as the sun
lights up the sky and tries to hide behind a power tower comes to us from yours
truly as I captured this scene at the place were “Freedom” and Waite Road meet while
out walking Friday afternoon.
Well, Its This is Christmas, and if you had a
similar experience to the one I had yesterday you may be wondering “What have I
done?” as another year (almost) over and a new one’s (almost begun). SO
Okay that was
an attempt to harness John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas” cadence as a I try to
make light of something that happened at the Christmas Eve service at my local
church yesterday.Oh, by the way – to keep
the John and Yoko classic rolling – have a
Very Merry Christmas, And a happy New Year
Let’s Hope it’s a good one.
Without any fear…..
Fear? What’s there to be afraid of at Christmas
Time?Well, Ebenezer Scrooge would tell
you that there are Ghosts to be aware of. And I would tell you that if you’re in
recovery, there are demons and “spirits” of the past – that will attempt to
pull you into relapse – that you may have to ward off.Full confession – I took a two day “break”
from sanity and my food plan – and will celebrate Christmas today – making wise
food choices and drinking lots of water to flush out all the sugar I put into
my body over the last 48 hours. But as frightening as a relapse can be, if it
doesn’t kill you (not a joke), there is always a new day to ask the Lord for
forgiveness and strength and to start again.
With the food addiction, my body will be back “in
the zone” in a few days and as long as I don’t get trapped in a vicious cycle
of temptation and “giving in”, I will be back on the road to increased health
and physical fitness in no time, and I will be armed with another reminder of
just how unsatisfying giving into the things that tempt you can be.
With recovery from substance abuse (drugs, drinking,
or food) and/or sex addiction, one often arrives to a moment of clarity where
the addict clearly sees the “emptiness” of the object of their obsession where
you can see that there is nothing in and of the object of your addiction itself
that has anything of substance or lasting satisfaction – where you realize that
the thing that has kept you in chains is almost ethereal, or ghost likein how it's effects can give you pleasure and
then just fade away – where you realize there is “nothing to it”.That moment of clarity is a good moment to
have because can gain an insight to the mirage like quality of how you have
been deceived and believed the lie that there was something inherently “good”
about the object of your addiction and now you can renounce the lies that you believed
and hopefully, not forget and get lured into them again.Over the last two days, I was reminded of
how sugar and carb laden foods really aren’t “good food” – they really aren’t and
now will choose to put that insight into practice and feel my body slowly
recover from the “heaviness” those foods put on me.
Okay, with all that said about relapse and recovery,
one may think that I may have been tempted to relapse at my church with sweet
treats or something, and even though that has happened before, it wasn’t the disturbing
thing that happened to me yesterday that has me reminded me of the big stigma
you get when you walk through life with the “recovery” label.
While I have seen the fear and awkwardness in the
eyes of some of my Christian brothers and sisters, when they come to realize
that I’m “one of those” Christians – a prodigal or a former “carnal” Christian
or a “man with a past” or “brokenness”, I am still somewhat taken aback when I
encounter someone whose demeanor towards me changes when they realize I am in
recovery but I was really quite shocked yesterday, when I was “ghosted in
Christmas present” by someone who I have been encouraging to come out of the
darkness of addiction themselves.
While waiting to go into the Christmas Eve service
yesterday, I saw someone I knew from one of “the rooms” as people in AA
say,and gave a quick “Hey _______.” to
which they didn’t respond – as they averted their eyes, looked off into the
distance and said something like “ Hey what’s over here?” to the person they
were walking with as they walked off without responding to my nonchalant greeting.
Ghosted on Christmas Eve by someone who I have tried
to help? It couldn’t be. Could it?As
awkward as these little interactions can be – whether you’ve been blown off or
are the one blowing someone off – trying to avoid them, you know that often you
get a “second pass” – that somehow you end up encountering the person again! And sure enough, as I stood waiting to be let
in the church service, because of the bustling crowd, the person who had “walked
on by” ended up being pushed in my direction once again, and while I didn’t try
to greet them the second time, the second pass made it painfully obvious to me,
that they were indeed avoiding me! “Ghosted” again!
Anyway no big deal, there is a stigma to recovery
and the person may have been under the impression that I am known for running
the recovery ministry group – which I am probably kidding myself but… I don’t think
I am – not in our big church, right? – and they didn’t want to be associated
with me to keep their addiction a secret… or perhaps more likely, because I haven’t
seen them in a few weeks, they may be in the midst of a holiday recovery hiatus
that is a little more illicit that eggnog, candy, and cookies.They may have “walked on by” because they
have fallen into their addiction again and were convicted by my mere
presence.I have seen it before and if
I was a gambling man, like I used to be, I would put some money down and make a
wager that more than social embarrassment, my “friend” avoided me because they
are back to hiding in the shadows.
Everything’s fine, nothing to see here.I don’t need recovery. Thanks, move along
please, move along.
Well, he moved along, and I will too and will wonder
if I will see them in the rooms again after the holiday hoopla is gone and the
new year begins.I hope they do come
back because I know about those shadows and life is so much better living in
the light.
So as we enjoy the BIG holiday today, it is my
prayer that all my friends have a safe, sensible, and self-controlled Christmas
and that you thank God for all the gifts you have received and find some peace and
rest knowing that Christ has given you a new and eternal life that gets better
the close you get to Him.
For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Comfort.
Deuteronomy 32:10-12 (NKJV) 10 "He found him in a
desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He
instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11 As an eagle stirs up its
nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying
them on its wings, 12 So the LORD alone led him, And there was
no foreign god with him.
Today’s
verses fall under the second point of our counseling reference guide resource’s
section on Comfort.
2. As an eagle stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young, so God cares for his own.
Today’s verses come from
the Song of Moses, where he reflects in song all about how the Lord swooped in
and rescued the nation of Israel and literally walked them through the desert
to the promised land.Where the “the
Lord alone led” them from slavery to freedom.
The themes of rescue and
provision should be very familiar to the Christian – because we were once lost
and are now found. We were dead and brought to life. We were in darkness and saw
the light.I could sing a song of
praise to the Lord for all He has done for me, and I have.
In fact last night, as I was driving back to
my countryside home from my parent’s place in Hudson, I was a little tired and
realized I had to be diligent to stay awake so I turned off the audio book I
was listening to and put on a playlist of worship music from my Celebrate
Freedom days in Hudson and it didn’t take long before I was WIDE AWAKE and
singing and shouting out praises to the Lord as I drove north.As I was reminded of how the Lord has rescued
me and blessed my path, I was lifted to heights of joy as I sang and shouted out
my thanks and praises. And the fact that I was doing it on Christmas Eve, took
my worship session up a few notches higher as I realized that I was doing what
all Christians should be doing on Christmas Eve – thanking God, praising Him,
and proclaiming our undying allegiance to following Him.
So on this Christmas day –
let’s remember the rescue and the new life we have and rejoice over the best
gift we have ever received – our Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we are sharing from “God is in the Manger-
Reflections on Advent and Christmas” – By Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
We cannot approach the manger of the Christ child
in the same way we approach the cradle of another child. Rather, when we go to
his manger, something happens, and we cannot leave it again unless we have been
judged or redeemed. Here we must either collapse or know the mercy of God
directed toward us.
What does that mean? Isn’t all of this just a way of speaking? Isn’t
it just pastoral exaggeration of a pretty and pious legend? What does it mean
that such things are said about the Christ child? Those who want to take it as
a way of speaking will do so and continue to celebrate Advent and Christmas as
before, with pagan indifference. For us it is not just a way of speaking. For
that’s just it: it is God himself, the Lord and Creator of all things, who is
so small here, who is hidden here in the corner, who enters into the plainness
of the world, who meets us in the helplessness and defenselessness of a child,
and wants to be with us. And he does this not out of playfulness or sport,
because we find that so touching, but in order to show us where he is and who
he is, and in order from this place to judge and devalue and dethrone all human
ambition.
The throne of God in the world is not on human thrones, but in human
depths, in the manger. Standing around his throne there are no flattering
vassals but dark, unknown, questionable figures who cannot get their fill of
this miracle and want to live entirely by the mercy of God.
“Joy to the world!” Anyone for whom this sound is
foreign, or who hears in it nothing but weak enthusiasm, has not yet really
heard the gospel. For the sake of humankind, Jesus Christ became a human being
in a stable in Bethlehem: Rejoice, O Christendom! For sinners, Jesus Christ
became a companion of tax collectors and prostitutes: Rejoice, O Christendom!
For the condemned, Jesus Christ was condemned to the cross on Golgotha:
Rejoice, O Christendom! For all of us, Jesus Christ was resurrected to life: Rejoice,
O Christendom!… All over the world today people are asking: Where is the path
to joy? The church of Christ answers loudly: Jesus is our joy! (1 Pet. 1:7–9).
Joy to the world!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
In this you rejoice, even if now for a little
while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your
faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by
fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is
revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do
not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and
glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of
your souls.
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Today’s photo of my canine friend, Harley, and a
late afternoon sun pouring over the border trees of farmland at the end of
Freedom Road comes to us from yours truly as I decided to go just a little bit
further than I normally do and realized when I turned and looked back at the
sun why I did.I live in the context of
the kingdom of God where God is not only in control but He also is crafting
every moment of my experience, and so you’ll have to forgive me when I say it,
but, I went further than usual to see and capture this magnificent moment
because – “God wanted me to.”
Well, It’s Saturday, December 23rd, or as
some will call it – Christmas Eve, Eve and it is my hope and prayer that all of
my friends take time over the next three days to appreciate all that the Lord
has done for them in their lives and to see what a gift we have been given in
life and especially in Jesus as He delivers us into peace with God and the joy
that goes beyond understanding. I also pray for the safety of my friends who
will be taking to the highways, byways, and streets to finish your Christmas
celebration preparations and to resist those feelings of guilt that would drive
you to overspend as you get the urge to “have a Merry Christmas”.Money can’t buy you love and it also won’t
guarantee filling your family with Christmas cheer.
I myself will NOT be going to any stores, I declare
it!, until after Christmas as I spent about 6 hours going from store to store
with my wife and stepdaughter yesterday to get groceries, some “last minute
gifts”, and had a fruitless search for a “Christmas outfit”.I didn’t know that last part was part of the
agenda and if I had, I might have stayed at home because – the day took longer
than I thought it would, there was a lot of traffic, and shopping for “ideals” especially
with time waning doesn’t go well.
Getting the “perfect” gift or “finding the perfect
outfit” for Christmas is like a quest and unless it is “your quest” you really
don’t want to have anything to do with it because if it is not “your quest” you
can’t understand it and won’t be able to “see” what will be able to fulfill
it.As far as I knew, my stepdaughter
has a dress, recently purchased, in a shade that is thematically in line with
the Christmas season, at home and so I didn’t quite understand why we went from
store, after store, after store – three stores – looking for another. I know
our lives out at country side estates and I couldn’t quite understand the who,
what, or why of the necessity of a new outfit. But I didn’t trouble myself over
it because I didn’t know I was on a quest until we went to clothing store
number two.
I was busy on my own quest booking a Disney vacation
on my phone for February and didn’t even know “we” were looking for the holy
grail of Christmas outfits and even though I managed to make all the
arrangements to fly my wife, myself, and two youngest step-kiddos to the magic
kingdom and back in February, the elusive “perfect” outfit was not found –
proving simultaneously how easy and difficult it can be to create a little
circumstantial happiness.
When seeking circumstantial happiness, you have to
KNOW what you want.I wanted a vacation
in February and since the Lord is blessing me with the sale of my former
marital home, after 4 years – mind you, on December 27th, I got it in
my head a week or so ago to possibly go to Disney World.Yesterday, I let the cat out of the bag by
mentioning the idea to my wife and it didn’t take me long at all to put me into
action and pull the trigger on booking it! While my wife and stepdaughter
looked for an outfit in store #1, I had the Disney Resort Stay, meal plan,
rental car, and flights to and from Orlando booked!I’m going to Disney World!
But unfortunately, while I would imagine, Elisabeth
had some idea of what she was looking for in an outfit, whatever it was it wasn’t
at the three stores she looked in and, to her credit – and my disbelief, she didn’t
buy a substitute – although she didn’t go home empty handed as even though she didn’t
fulfill the quest to get a perfect Christmas outfit, she managed to find other non-Christmas
clothing items that were needed or wanted… I don’t know…Hey guys, you know when you’re shopping with
ladies, just shut up, stay out of their way, and pray for it to end and don’t say
anything sarcastic or “stupid” to set them off if “the quest” isn’t fulfilled,
because they so rarely are.
Anyway, the best of luck to those of you who will
brave the streets and venture into the malls and stores today or tomorrow. Be
kind, be patient, and remember to represent the kingdom by saying “Merry
Christmas” to every “Happy Holidays” you receive.
After a long day of shopping and booking a vacation
on my phone, I was happy to take a walk to shake off the madness of materialism
and attempting to satisfy the urges of arranging for circumstantial happiness,
by taking advantage of the circumstances and taking a long peaceful walk in the
late afternoon sunshine on a brisk December day with Christmas only a few days
away.Every step brought its own peace
and when I saw the view I captured in today’s photo, I turned to the Lord in
gratitude and spent the return trek thanking my Heavenly Father for everything
under heaven – Christmas, my wife, my family, my countryside home, my home down
by The River, the upcoming sale of my former home, for Disney World in
February, for the Celebrate Freedom Growth Group, for Starpoint Church, for my
canine friend, Harley, for Jesus, for the Holy Spirit, and for the life and
life’s journey that God has given to me.
The problem with circumstantial happiness is that
its fleeting. The gifts, travel, food, or experiences that can give us pleasure
wear off or fade away. The moments are good as they can give us happiness in
the present moment and can be fondly remembered to give us joy for having
experienced them, but those things don’t give us peace that last. Only God, through
faith Jesus, and being in harmony with Him in His presence, does that.
So as we move into Christmas, celebrate the coming
of our newborn king, love your family and friends, and have fun, but when the last
gift is unwrapped and holiday hoopla comes crashing to a halt, remember to
thank the Lord and take some time to rest in His Peace, Love, Comfort, and Joy.
For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Comfort.
Psalm 23:1-6 (ESV) 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in
green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He
leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before
me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup
overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Today’s
verses fall under the first point of our counseling reference guide resource’s
section on Comfort.
1. The Lord is our shepherd,
always leading us in the best way and protecting us.
Today’s verses have given
faithful men and women of God comfort for ages past and when we are reminded of
God as the Good Shepherd we can find Comfort knowing that He provides, He
protects, and He will guide us by His goodness and mercy all the days of our life.
These words give us
strength in times of loss and grief and comfort in all the season of life
especially when we never leave the Good Shepherd's side by faithfully following
and living by His leadership.So stay
close to the Good Shepherd and experience His care all the days of your life.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we are sharing from “God is in the Manger-
Reflections on Advent and Christmas” – By Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
God is in the Manger – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
ADVENT WEEK FOUR – INCARNATION
DAY
SIX
The Unfathomably Wise Counselor
Wonderful
Counselor” (Isa. 9:6) is the name of this child. In him the wonder of all
wonders has taken place; the birth of the Savior-child has gone forth from
God’s eternal counsel. In the form of a human child, God gave us his Son; God
became human, the Word became flesh (John 1:14). That is the wonder of the love
of God for us, and it is the unfathomably wise Counselor who wins us this love
and saves us. But because this child of God is his own Wonderful Counselor, he
himself is also the source of all wonder and all counsel. To those who recognize
in Jesus the wonder of the Son of God, every one of his words and deeds becomes
a wonder; they find in him the last, most profound, most helpful counsel for
all needs and questions. Yes, before the child can open his lips, he is full of
wonder and full of counsel. Go to the child in the manger. Believe him to be
the Son of God, and you will find in him wonder upon wonder, counsel upon
counsel.
In winter it seems
that the season of Spring will never come, and in both Advent and Lent it’s the
waiting that’s hard, the in-between of divine promise and its fulfillment.…
Most of us find ourselves dangling in this hiatus, which in the interval may seem
a waste of time.… But “the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more
joyful our expectancy.” With such motivation, we can wait as we sense that God
is indeed with us, and at work within us, as he was with Mary as the Child
within her grew.
Poet Luci Shaw, in God with Us
But when the
fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the
law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive
adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave
but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
Galatians 4:4–7
DAY SEVEN
The One Who
Became Human
Who is this God? This God is the one who became
human as we became human. He is completely human. Therefore, nothing human is
foreign to him. The human being that I am, Jesus Christ was also. About this
human being Jesus Christ we say: this one is God. This does not mean that we
already knew beforehand who God is. Nor does it mean that the statement “this
human being is God” adds anything to being human. God and human being are not
thought of as belonging together through a concept of nature. The statement “this
human being is God” is meant entirely differently. The divinity of this human
being is not something additional to the human nature of Jesus Christ. The
statement “this human being is God” is the vertical from above, the statement
that applies to Jesus Christ the human being, which neither adds anything nor
takes anything away, but qualifies the whole human being as God.… Faith is
ignited from Jesus Christ the human being.… If Jesus Christ is to be described
as God, then we do not speak of his omnipotence and omniscience, but of his
cradle and his cross. There is no “divine being” as omnipotence, as
omnipresence.
And now Christmas is coming and you won’t be
there. We shall be apart, yes, but very close together. My thoughts will come
to you and accompany you. We shall sing “Friede auf Erden” [Peace on Earth] and
pray together, but we shall sing “Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe!” [Glory be to God
on high] even louder. That is what I pray for you and for all of us, that the
Savior may throw open the gates of heaven for us at darkest night on Christmas
Eve, so that we can be joyful in spite of everything.
Maria von Wedemeyer to Bonhoeffer,
December 10, 1943
In those days a decree went out from Emperor
Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first
registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to
their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in
Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was
descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with
Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were
there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her
firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger,
because there was no place for them in the inn.
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
Today’s photo of a headlight-illuminated Waite road
and the silhouettes of trees, barns and farmyard buildings of the Allen Waite
Farm comes to us from yours truly as I stopped my car to try to capture the
magic moment of experiencing twilight on the shortest day of the year
yesterday, the winter solstice.
Well, It’s Friday, Thanks Be to God!, and even
though yesterday was the shortest day and longest night of the year, there’s
good news, from now on the days become longer and the nights become shorter –
in this Christmas season where we Celebrate the Light of the World – light is
now increasing! Which only makes sense, the closer we get to Jesus the brighter,
lighter, and better things get.
Wednesday, I hosted the Celebrate Freedom Growth
Group at Starpoint Church where I surprised the people who attended with Christmas
gifts. I had an idea of who would attend and wrapped up gifts specifically for a
few of them, but I also prepared extra wrapped gifts for the people who would
show up that I didn’t expect. Truth be told, I had extra stores of the
materials I gifted, just in case, I ran out of wrapped gifts.
I appreciate the people who come to Celebrate
Freedom and I try to express that each week by trying to tell each person as
they arrive that I am happy to see them. The “C” of the ABC’s of Celebrate
Freedom that we try to stress in our group is “Connections”. For the people who
show up, we connect relationally as we encourage and support one another as we
try to overcome those pesky “hurts, habits, and hang-ups” and grow mentally,
emotionally, and spiritually in our faith. And because we are a Christian group,
I stress that beyond one another the most important connection we can make is
with the Lord. No matter who come to the group our for however long our group
will last here on earth, the connection we have with God is forever and just
happens to be the most important thing about us – our relationship with God –
as it will determine our eternal destiny.
So what do you give when you want to share a
connection with our Heavenly Father? You give the gift of God’s love and try to
give someone the possibility of experiencing their freedom in Christ, of
course!
So I wrapped up a framed copy of Mindful of Christ’s
“Biblical Affirmations Poster” (which is a free resource available at https://mindfulofchrist.net/freebies/
), along with a copy of the Freedom in Christ Ministries “Participants Guide to
The “Freedom in Christ Course”, and a copy of the Steps to Freedom in
Christ.My wrapped presents were three
gifts in one designed to give the recipient something to affirm their identity
in Christ, give them teaching to help them grow in their faith, and give them a
tool that could resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts.
And even though I was given thanks from everyone who
received a gift, yesterday one of the recipients reached out via FB messenger
to thank me again and express his joy over receiving it and being a part of Celebrate
Freedom. I was truly touched by his reaching out and encouraged him to ‘dig in”
to the material and expressed how glad I was that he had made his way back to
us after an extended absence.Unbeknownst to me at the time, he also shared his gratitude for the gift
I gave him publicly with a Facebook post and I was delighted to see that he was
using it as he declared that he had read 30 pages of the Freedom in Christ Participant’s
Guide already!
At Christmas, you really want to give gifts that
people like but you are really touched when you see them enjoying and using
them and it is my hope that the three gifts I gave to the people at Celebrate
Freedom will bring them to better the receive the gift that God freely offers
to all of us, peace with Him through faith in Jesus Christ.Jesus is the only gift that can truly satisfy
us and if we look for satisfaction in anything else we will be eventually
disappointed.Do you believe that?It’s true. And to bring that truth home a
little more I am sharing a short message from Dr. Neil Anderson that I received
as a daily devotional email back on December 9th. Anderson writes
about the importance of what we believe, and how it relates to our overall satisfaction
and joy in life and I think it's appropriate for the Christmas season because
many will be looking for satisfaction from what’s under their Christmas tree when
they should be looking for it from the gift that comes from above.
Dr. Neil T. Anderson writes:
“WHAT WE BELIEVE
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also
believe, and shudder (James 2:19).
We all have some
beliefs about the world we live in. Whatever we think will make us happy,
satisfied, successful, etc. is what constitutes our belief system. We are
walking right now by faith according to what we already believe. Be assured
that the world system we were raised in didn't establish a biblical belief
system in our minds.
Because we came
into this world separated from God, we learned to live our lives
independently from Him. We were conformed to this world. Unless we were
raised in a perfect Christian home, much of what we learned to believe
didn't reflect biblical truth. If you believe that you will only be
satisfied by possessions, then you will probably never be satisfied. Jesus
revealed that satisfaction does not come from materials things:
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they
shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6).
If you believe you
are successful because of status or the amount of toys you accumulate, you
will certainly be at odds with Scripture. God has a different standard by
which we are to evaluate and achieve success. Joshua 1:8 states, "This
book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on
it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is
written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you
will have success." We can't make up our own definitions of
satisfaction or success or determine what we want to believe. Faith must
have an object, and for the Christian, that object is God and His Word.
The only
difference between Christian faith and non-Christian faith is the object of
our faith. To think that we will get what we want if we believe with all
our hearts is a faith based on selfish desires. It originates within
ourselves and depends on our own definition of faith. It's a form of
religious self-hypnosis. It's like the Christian who says, "I don't
know the Bible, but I have faith." For that person, faith is a
substitute for knowledge and a compensation for ignorance.
Lord, I choose to believe today that You are the source of
everything I need in life. I place my faith in You alone.
Neil Anderson”
I thank Dr. Neil Anderson for his work. It has been used by
the Lord to help me, and many others, to experience their freedom in Christ,
and I hope that today’s message will encourage you to be specific in what
you put your faith in and where you seek everything you need in life.
I’ll give you a hint it comes from God and His Word and is
fully realized when you put your faith in, and decide to follow, Jesus.So thank God it's Friday and keep walking
and talking with Him, as you continually put your faith in, and follow, Jesus.
For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By
John G. Kruis.
This
morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Church Discipline.
Revelation 2:14-16 (NLT2) 14 “But
I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching
is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel.
He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual
sin. 15 In
a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same
teaching. 16 Repent
of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the
sword of my mouth.
Today’s
verses fall under the eleventh point of our counseling reference guide
resource’s section on Church Discipline
11. Jesus rebukes the church
that does not discipline.
Today’s verses show us
that the Lord cares about what we listen to and that there will be consequences
for being “wrong” in what we believe if we don’t repent.
Historically, the Nicolaitans
may have taught a “syncretistic” Christianity, with elements of Judaism, paganism,
and occultism mixed in, where Christian theology and morality would have been
compromised – as one of Balam’s claim to fame was leading the nation of Israel
to intermingle with their pagan neighbors through sexual immorality and mixed
marriages.
The fact that Jesus says
He hates them (verse 15, NKJV) shows us that what we believe and what we do
matters and that we can’t be complicit with other religions or practice things
that go against God’s world.Regardless
of what we may profess to believe, what we allow ourselves to listen to and
what we do will reveal what we really put our faith in – and if that’s anything
other than Jesus and God’s Word – there may be hell to pay on judgement day as,
those who aren’t committed to follow Christ only will be told by Jesus – “I
never knew you”.
So be steadfast to know
what we believe, why we believe it, and don’t allow any outside influences to drive
you away from the Truth, The Way, and the Life – Jesus Christ.
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we are sharing from “God is in the Manger-
Reflections on Advent and Christmas” – By Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase Bonhoeffer’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for less than $10 at many sites.
God is in the Manger – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
ADVENT WEEK FOUR – INCARNATION
DAY
THREE
Christmas, Fulfilled Promise
Moses died on the mountain from which he was permitted to view from a
distance the promised land (Deut. 32:48–52). When the Bible speaks of God’s
promises, it’s a matter of life and death.… The language that reports this
ancient history is clear. Anyone who has seen God must die; the sinner dies
before the promise of God. Let’s understand what that means for us so close to
Christmas. The great promise of God—a promise that is infinitely more important
than the promise of the promised land—is supposed to be fulfilled at
Christmas.… The Bible is full of the proclamation that the great miracle has
happened as an act of God, without any human doing.… What happened? God had
seen the misery of the world and had come himself in order to help. Now he was
there, not as a mighty one, but in the obscurity of humanity, where there is
sinfulness, weakness, wretchedness, and misery in the world. That is where God
goes, and there he lets himself be found by everyone. And this proclamation
moves through the world anew, year after year, and again this year also comes
to us.
We all come with
different personal feelings to the Christmas festival. One comes with pure joy
as he looks forward to this day of rejoicing, of friendships renewed, and of
love.… Others look for a moment of peace under the Christmas tree, peace from
the pressures of daily work.… Others again approach Christmas with great
apprehension. It will be no festival of joy to them. Personal sorrow is painful
especially on this day for those whose loneliness is deepened at
Christmastime.… And despite it all, Christmas comes. Whether we wish it or not,
whether we are sure or not, we must hear the words once again: Christ the
Savior is here! The world that Christ comes to save is our fallen and lost
world. None other.
Sermon to a German-speaking church in Havana,
Cuba, December 21, 1930
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by
God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came
to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was
much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with
God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name
him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and
the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:26–33
DAY FOUR
The Great Turning Point of All Things
What kings and leaders of nations, philosophers and artists, founders
of religions and teachers of morals have tried in vain to do—that now happens
through a newborn child. Putting to shame the most powerful human efforts and
accomplishments, a child is placed here at the midpoint of world history—a
child born of human beings, a son given by God (Isa. 9:6). That is the mystery
of the redemption of the world; everything past and everything future is
encompassed here. The infinite mercy of the almighty God comes to us, descends
to us in the form of a child, his Son. That this child is born for us, this son
is given to us, that this human child and Son of God belongs to me, that I know
him, have him, love him, that I am his and he is mine—on this alone my life now
depends. A child has our life in his hands.…
How shall we deal with
such a child? Have our hands, soiled with daily toil, become too hard and too
proud to fold in prayer at the sight of this child? Has our head become too
full of serious thoughts … that we cannot bow our head in humility at the wonder
of this child? Can we not forget all our stress and struggles, our sense of
importance, and for once worship the child, as did the shepherds and the wise
men from the East, bowing before the divine child in the manger like children?
“The Government upon the Shoulders of the Child,”
Christmas 1940
What then are we to say about these things? If
God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave
him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who
will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to
condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right
hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
Romans 8:31–34
DAY FIVE
God Became a Child
Mighty God” (Isa.
9:6) is the name of this child. The child in the manger is none other than God
himself. Nothing greater can be said: God became a child. In the Jesus child of
Mary lives the almighty God. Wait a minute! Don’t speak; stop thinking! Stand still
before this statement! God became a child! Here he is, poor like us, miserable
and helpless like us, a person of flesh and blood like us, our brother. And yet
he is God; he is might. Where is the divinity, where is the might of the child?
In the divine love in which he became like us. His poverty in the manger is his
might. In the might of love he overcomes the chasm between God and humankind,
he overcomes sin and death, he forgives sin and awakens from the dead. Kneel
down before this miserable manger, before this child of poor people, and repeat
in faith the stammering words of the prophet: “Mighty God!” And he will be your
God and your might.
But now it is true
that in three days, Christmas will come once again. The great transformation
will once again happen. God would have it so. Out of the waiting, hoping,
longing world, a world will come in which the promise is given. All crying will
be stilled. No tears shall flow. No lonely sorrow shall afflict us anymore, or
threaten.
Sermon to a German-speaking church in
Havana, Cuba, December 21, 1930
And the Word became
flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a
father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
