Christmas

Christmas Thought – 2019

/ RB May IV / Leave a comment

My thoughts turn to evangelization this year. As always, I am thinking not merely of Christ’s birth, but His life, death, and resurrection, or Christ’s complete work. The means, I am thinking of Christ’s paying the atonement for all the world (1Jn 2:2), and how I have been commissioned by Christ to go to all nations and make disciples. With all this put together it leads me to this evangelization.

With every holiday, I think of all the families getting together and how we all tell our families, “I love you.” Yet, we’re not willing to share the Gospel with them. This hypocrisy goes against why Christ came in the first place. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16–17 BOGV)

We should be loving our families in the same way God does, the same way Christ does. We should worry not about temporal peace, but the eternal destinies of our families, friends, and loved ones. Now, to be very clear, I am not saying we should pick fights at Christmas dinner. What I am saying is all year we should be trying to witness to our loved ones, not just during the holidays.

This is not a new message from me. It is something I’ve put forward before. Something we need to remember in this is the admittance of our imperfections. We need to not be hypocritical in our beliefs, but sincerely point to the relationship it is based on. When witnessing to our families and loved ones, we need to try to point out something better to believe in than religious dogmas.

Finally, we need to pray! Pray you will shine forth the light of Jesus into the life of your loved ones. This, really, is one of the more important things. We need to bring the message of Jesus and allow the work of the Holy Spirit to take place. This, truly, becomes a way for us to love people as Jesus does. Live people in such a way where we are willing to give up comfort for their salvation.

Shine the love of Christ!

Show people what Christmas means!

Merry Christmas, from Believe Better Ministries!

Christmas Thought – 2018

/ RB May IV / Leave a comment

My thoughts at this year consistently turn to my Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. This is common for many, but my thoughts turn not to His birth, but to His death, resurrection, and ascension. This mixed with the celebrations is where my heart stands. This is, now, my fourth “Christmas Thought” since I started this blog (which I did in March of 2012) and each time I’ve put effort into a Thought on Christmas the same truth comes back to me: Christmas is worthless without the end result!

I want to be clear: I am not saying His birth is worthless. What I am saying is the end result is what brings the value to His birth. This is where my mind sits. It also brings the important Gospel message out in my heart. I have come to understand something, regardless of its origin Christmas is important as it is a time in which the Gospel message is put forth by even secular media. It is a time when people are more receptive and open to the message of the Gospel.

It is a time for being with family and friends, yes of course, but let’s not forget to give His message during this time. Bring your family together. Call on His name, pray for your loved ones. Don’t forget we’ve all sinned (Romans 8:28) and no one is good (Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19; Romans 3:10). So, lift those closest to you to the Lord, and during this time of year, when so many are so receptive to the Gospel, bring it to the them. Tenderly, softly, give it to them just the way our Savior would.

The old, beautiful hymn “Softly and Tenderly” is how we want to call our families and friends to Jesus! Give them the beautiful message of the Gospel and pray. Remember the Lord will give you the words to say. Celebrate His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection, and the eternal life He has give us freely. This Christmas season make the time about more then just presents and food, make it about Him!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I truly hope your Christmas is merry and you have a blessed new year!

Christmas Thought – 2017

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Christmas is here again. My thoughts this year have been on relationships and the application of love in our Christian lives. I’ve been going over the passages of the “Greatest Commandment” in consideration of John’s teaching in 1 John. Writing about 1 John as I am, right now, I’ve been touched by John’s continued use of love. One verse really touched me as I went through 1 John:

“He who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”

(1 John 2:10 BOGV)

This verse impressed on me something I knew already, but had forgotten – or hadn’t gotten in my bones yet (as one of the Elders of the Willamette Bible Chapel says) – along the way. It brings to mind the conversation Jesus had about the “Greatest Commandment”. Jesus said the whole of the Old Testament (the Law and Prophets) depends on the love of God and love of our neighbors. In a clarifying parable we see in loving his neighbor the Samaritan took care of a person in need. At Christmas we are told it is better to give than receive and numerous other aphorisms of taking care of those around us.

What is one of the greatest ways we can take care of our neighbors? Taking care of their needs? Yes, of course, but what is, arguably, everyone’s biggest need? Eternal Salvation? So often, we get so caught up in Christmas we forget what makes it important and it’s not Jesus’ birth. (Muslims even believe in the virgin birth (Qur’an 3:47; 66:12) and yet miss the purpose of the miracle.) The importance of Christmas, and the virgin birth, comes from it being the first sign about Jesus.

We should be using it as a means of pointing our friends, family, and neighbors to Jesus, and His work on the cross. Through this we show love for others and are able to show we remain in the light. Keep this in mind through your celebrations this year. Celebrate Jesus, not just for the miraculous conception and birth, but for Him setting us free from sin and condemnation.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a blessed and wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas Thought – 2016

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Christmas has come upon us again. As people begin the celebration of this season, whether they are celebrating one form or another, many people ask “What’s the reason for the season?” Personally, I don’t celebrate what is traditionally considered “Christmas”, but I typically end up celebrating “Easter” twice a year. To me Christmas is and what it stands for (the birth of Christ) doesn’t have very much meaning.

I do not mean Christ’s birth is meaningless, I only mean His birth only has meaning if He did what the Gospels say He did. This is true across religions even. Muslims believe in the virgin birth, they believe in His miracles, and in fact they ascribe more powers to Jesus then do the Gospels. They do not, however, believe in His death and resurrection, which makes His birth meaningless to them except as a story of mythic proportions. Easter, or the event we celebrate at Easter, is the only thing which brings purpose to Jesus’ birth.

As far as importance goes we also can look at the New Testament for dates. The NT is very clear on the day in which Jesus was crucified, but it doesn’t give the slightest clue as to when He was born (except for it wasn’t winter). This points us to the importance of events. Something else which allows us to see importance is how often are the events repeated across the four Gospels. The traditional Christmas story is only put down in two of the four Gospels, but the death and resurrection is written about in all four Gospels. (By this logic Christ’s ministry and the events which took place during His ministry are more important than His birth.)

So as you celebrate Christmas take a moment to reflect on the reason for the season, and note it is not Christ’s birth which makes it so important, but what He did for us which does so. I hope you all have a merry Christmas this year.

Christmas Thought – 2015

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Today is the day to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Christmas really is a weird time. It was chosen by the Roman Catholic Church to bring in all the pagans who were already practicing a festival on that day. So as we all know Jesus wasn’t really born on Christmas day. It really is as good a day to celebrate as any other, arbitrary, day.

But putting aside all this for a second I look at Christmas for Christmas’ sake. What is the purpose of Christmas? In all honesty I grew up in a household that, although Christian, did not celebrate Christmas. (No, we were not JWs.) So as something that I do celebrate now with my wife and daughter, I have to ask that question. In today’s Christianity what purpose does Christmas have?

Sadly, for a lot of people, it means they go to church (for the first time since Easter) hear all about the virgin birth and (maybe) a gospel message, then they go home. Later on Christmas day they open presents they’ve been worked all year to buy. In this hypothetical person’s life consumerism has obviously taken the lead in Christmas. Is this what Christmas is about? Blatant and unabated consumerism? For others it is all about balancing out their imaginary scales of right and wrong, the scales of karma, if you will. Volunteering, baking, helping others, giving gifts (consumerism again), and spending time (read putting up with) family top the list of things that add positive karma.

Is any of that Christmas? Pastors over the years have come up with many great sermons as to the “Biblical Christmas” or the “Message of Christmas” but I ask you to find in the Bible where it actually talks about Christmas. Yes the “Christmas Story” is there at or near the beginning of three of the four Gospels, but that is missing the point. The Bible is silent on all of our holidays.

Christmas’ purpose? We can read in Matthew of His birth and the visit of the wise men (which was not on the day of His birth). We can read another account of His birth and the visit of the shepherds (which disproves a winter date) in Luke. But these do not readily point out the purpose of Christmas. I think the Gospel that has a “Christmas Story” that points out its purpose the best is John’s Gospel. In the prologue to John’s Gospel (John 1:1–18) John gives a summary of the whole Gospel.

John shows us how God came to earth to take away the sin of the world and allow believers to become children of God. Some have said that the Gospel of John does not have a Christmas story, much like the Gospel of Mark. I, however, think it has one of the most complete Christmas stories, without having to read the whole Gospel through to figure it out. It even mentions His birth (“And the Word became flesh” verse 14).

We briefly touched on its purpose, but really Christmas has no meaning without the cross and resurrection. Jesus could have come all the same way He did and without the cross and resurrection it would mean nothing. That is what I am remembering this Christmas season and I hope you will too. As you spend time with family and give and receive gifts I pray you will remember Christmas’ purpose. That all the sin of the whole world was taken away once and for all and whoever believes in Jesus as their savior will have eternal life.

Merry Christmas Everyone!