by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
Holy Spirit illuminated Christians live a life that says, “My hope is in Christ” and they affect generations to come. Matthew 2:1 says, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea… Magi from the east came to Jerusalem…” Who were these “Magi?” The Bible does not say much about these worshipers of Christ.
Extra-Biblical evidence found through Christian historians offers us clues that shed some light. These men were “Magi” (magos) and very likely have been Persian priests. By the time of Christ’s birth these Persian priests became almost exactly what the Levites were in Israel. They became teachers and instructors of the Persian kings and at this time period they were good men, who sought truth and great wisdom. These wise men were skilled in philosophy, medicine, and natural science. They were able to combine secular and religious aspects of knowledge and understanding.
The wise men’s interest in the Messiah may have arisen from contact with Jewish travelers in the east and from knowledge of the Old Testament. What we do know is that the Prophet Daniel had been taken to Babylon as a prisoner of war and as the results of his faithfulness to the Lord, God raised him and his friends to high political positions. (Daniel 4:48-49) We do know that Daniel was also raised to a place of political influence under the King of Persia after the Persians conquered Babylon. (Daniel 6:1-3)
The point is, a Godly man like Daniel and his friends were used by God in a place of captivity for 70 plus years to influence kings and other political positions. God still uses the life of Daniel to give guidance to the lives of Bible readers today. It is very possible that Godly influences had carried on down throughout the Eastern world, and their lives along with the Old Testament teachings had a guiding affect on the Magi.
Let the Holy Spirit place this truth in your spiritual hearts this Christmas season. The Magi may be regarded as the representation of the Gentile world.
Christians are like Daniel, they can live out “Christmas Hope,” which will have an affect on generations to come. Let your hope affect generations!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
There are eternal gifts for those who grasp the truths of Christmas with their hearts. Understanding those gifts and walking in the free grace by which these gifts come will completely change a person’s attitude toward the season which we now celebrate.
Most people including church attendees quote only part of the angel’s message from the Lord in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men…”
However, the Holy Spirit leads the Children of God to understand the rest of the verse, “…on whom His favor rests.” It is Christians with a heart after God who express a life that walk in the grace and mercy of God.
Pastor Rick Warren was 100% correct when he said, “You are going to find what you are looking for this Christmas.”
For those who have the heart of Pharaoh, He is going to give them that hard heart they so want. (Exodus 8:15; 9:15; 10:1,20,27; 11:1; 14:8; Joshua 11:20; 2 Chronicles 36:13) For those who want to believe the lies of those brought forth by the devil, the Lord will cause them to believe those lies. (2 Thessalonians 2:11; 2 Timothy 3:3-4)
However, there is something different for those who have the heart of David, after his sin was exposed by the prophet Nathan, who wrote, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:10-12) To these types of spiritual hearts God will cast His favor in great amounts. Those who have the favor of God upon their lives will live a life that expresses God’s forgiveness, peace of mind, and eternal life found in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit has this question for all today, “What will you find this Christmas? What will be the expression of your life for all to see?”
By surrendering your life over to the Lord and inviting Jesus Christ to be both Savior and Lord of your life, you can find true Christmas joy, peace and fellowship with God. Search and find the truth of Christmas!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
Christians depend upon the truths found in the Word of God and in the forgiveness that is given in Jesus’ name, this brings them a great peace. Psalm 119:165 says, “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” “Law” (torah) is used twenty-five times in Psalm 119 in parallel with various other words with the same meaning. The word in itself is an active verb meaning to love the instructions in a general way from the Lord. It means loving the ways, customs and directions from God as David so longed to know and love the Lord’s ways.
There are those who develop such close relationships in Christian marriages, with Christian parents, with friends, co-workers and spiritual overseers, that they long to be around these Christians for instruction and guidance in the Word of God. These Christians will deny themselves certain pleasures in life to prayerfully read and study the Word of God. They pray not only revelation of God’s Word, but illumination of the Word so they can have the Lord’s strength to live it out. These Christians find themselves getting victory over the flesh, overcoming the world, and exposing the lies of the devil. They find peace in the way they use the Lord’s provision, talents, and abilities He has given them. The guidance of the Holy Spirit as He illuminates the Word of God in their lives enables them to walk victoriously rather than stumbling over the temptations and in the trials of life.
The Holy Spirit wants Christians to know the joy of Christmas by becoming like Jesus, letting Him clear their hearts of any guilt, take their grief upon Himself, and free them from all that would keep them from a close fellowship with God. This is accomplished by prayerfully reading the Bible, through painstaking study of God’s Word so the Holy Spirit can bring to ablaze the truths found in the “law” (torah) of the Lord.
Join those who say in their hearts, “You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed. Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.” (Psalm 119:4-7) Find peace in the counsel of God’s Word!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
The Christ of Christmas wants all to have the gift of eternal life. Everyone is going to die someday. The Bible says, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27) Everyone who has ever been conceived in his mother’s womb has eternal existence. It is up to each individual to decide just where they are going to spend it. The choice is heaven or hell. The fact is everyone is going to spend more time on the other side of this life than is spent here. Some will live fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety and maybe even a 100 years on this side. The other side is forever.
Romans 6:23 says, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) The Devil is a paymaster and he will make sure you suffer the consequences of sin. Those wages are death, and eternal separation from God. Through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit Christians enjoy the gift of eternal life in heaven.
Christianity is not the stage that someone has reached but always the direction of life that a saved man is heading. Instead of living a life that is bondage to sin, it is a life reaching out to and obtaining righteousness. It is a life fed by the Word of God and Illuminated by the Holy Spirit. A man’s talents, abilities, possessions and Holy Spirit gifts are spent for the glory of God, and not on self and the accumulation of worldly wealth.
There was a poor drunkard who awakened one morning in a strange kind of bed. He felt something near him that was warm and soft, which was much different from his usual sleeping place in an alley somewhere. Finally it dawned on him that he was in a stable lying right beside a cow. He heard those familiar Christmas bells that rang every year on Christmas morning. He realized that he had spent Christmas Eve night in a stable. His thoughts turned to that story of Christ being born in a stable and at that moment chose to get down on his knees and invite Jesus into his life and heart. He chose to receive the gift of free forgiveness, a Savior who could understand and minister to him right were he was in life. He found Christ at Christmas and immediately determined to live for the Lord, a changed life sold out to Jesus Christ and His will. Live for the sake of Christ!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
There are many benefits for those who grasp the truths of Christmas, one being forgiveness. Acts 10:43 says, “All the prophets testify about [Jesus] that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
A little boy wrote Santa Claus saying, “Dear Santa, there are three boys who live in our home. Jeffery is two and he is good some of the time. David is four and he is good some of the time. Norman is seven and he is good all the time, I am Norman.” (Rick Warren, Christmas Message)
The Bible tells one truth that must be grasped there are no Normans in this world. If we could tap into the brains of Christians and recall all they thought and did this last year and project it upon our big screen there would be some extremely embarrassed Christians. There are no Normans in this world. Thus, even today we are in great need of God’s forgiveness and mercy, both available in Jesus’ Name.
A Christmas card sent to Pastor Rick Warren said, “If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness so He sent a Savior.” The greatest need for all of mankind is forgiveness and the greatest need for Christians is the continued forgiveness that can be found in Jesus’ Name.
“Forgiveness” (apheseoes) in Acts 10:43 means to release one’s sins from the sinner. This required Jesus’ coming as man so the sins of the world could be cast upon Him. Thus He can take the punishment of sin upon Himself. He did this because His Father sent Him, and He came voluntarily. The reason this forgiveness needs to be a continual forgiveness is because the children of God are not delivered from the presence of sin when they get saved. Thus, Christians will slip into sin. However, sin will not have dominion over them because the Holy Spirit will convict them of sin and draw them to repentance. In Jesus’ Name they will be forgiven. Let Christ’s forgiveness benefit you!
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 30, 2016 | Christmas
Christmas is the time of the year when many cling to those church traditions of the birth of Christ. Luke writes of a time when God used those outside the conjecture of man, the church structure to bear witness of the birth of Jesus Christ. Humanly thinking, Jesus being the King of kings, one would think He would be born to royalty. Jesus being the King of the Jews, one might look for Him to be born in the holy city, Jerusalem, not Bethlehem, and surely, not born in a stable and laid in a manger.
There is much debate, speculation and misrepresentation about the birth of Christ. Grasping the Biblical truths will help you proclaim the birth of Christ like that of the shepherds. The Bible says, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ [the Messiah] the Lord.'” (Luke 2:8-11)
First: These shepherds were men who can grasp the things of God in their mind and hearts with a servants attitude. In the written account of the public proclamation of the birth of Christ we read, “…When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” (Luke 2:15-16) Life application for us – “Christians, who stir themselves up to be about their business for the Lord in their callings are able to receive divine revelations from the Lord as long as they know Him, love Him and are willing to obey His Word.” Second: Not only did their spiritual hearts enable them to get divine revelation, they were enlisted into His service. The Bible says, “When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2: 17-18) Many call the shepherds the first evangelist, they were not ashamed of the Gospel, not allowing it to be watered down with religious slogans or over shadowed by the issues of the day, but proclaimed what the angles had told them, “The Messiah has been born.”
One way of understanding Scripture is to take a look it from the time of which it was written. We do know that flocks owned by Temple authorities raised unblemished lambs for sacrifices in the Temple. These flocks were pastured near Bethlehem. It is not out of reason to think that the shepherds, the Angel of the Lord spoke to, over-saw the Temple flocks from were the sacrificial lambs were chosen. If that be the case, what a lovely thing for the Lord to have allowed these shepherds to be the first to see the lamb of God, Jesus in the manger, Who was born to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.
When focusing on Jesus being the reason for the Christmas season, one has to ask; What was in the hearts of the preachers and teachers of Jesus’ day, that kept them out of the loop of such an heavenly announcement. What viewpoint had such a control over governmental affairs that excluded them from hearing the public proclamation of the birth of the King of kings of Whom all will someday bow their knee too. One has to ask, “Do I have the heart of the shepherds?” One whom God could trust with the public proclamation, God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ was born on that first Christmas day.
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