Just sharing.

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10 Good Christmas Trivia Questions and Answers



Here are 10 good Christmas trivia questions and answers for you to use.
Was Christmas observance ever illegal?
Yes it was. In England, Christmas was banned for a time by the Puritan Oliver Cromwell in 1649 who outlawed both Christmas carols and Christmas celebrations. This ban lasted until 1660. Even in the Colonies, it was illegal in Boston to observe Christmas from 1659 to 1681.

There were three wise men or magi? True or False?
False. The Bible doesn’t tell us how many wise men or magi came to bring gifts to Jesus. The Bible only tells us that they brought three different kinds of gifts and those gifts had special meaning (Matt 2:1-11). The gold was a customary offering or gift when visiting a king. The frankincense was burned in worship service as a fragrant pleasing to God and represented prayer but also worshiping God. The myrrh came from Arabia and was typically used in burials but sometimes it was mixed with wine and offered to those being crucified.
Did Christmas carols originate in churches?
No, Christmas carols were always sang outside and never sang inside the church until the 13th century when St. Francis of Assisi introduced the idea of bringing them into the church as part of the worship services.
Did the angels sing at Jesus’ birth? Do angels sing?
No, there is not Bible verse anywhere that says angels sing. They rejoice, they shout, and they speak, but never does it say they sing.


What does the word “noel” have to do with Christmas?
The word “noel” is derived from the French saying “Les bonnes nouvelles” and means “the good news” so the first noel was the good news of Jesus Christ being born as a King and later, becomes our Savior.
Who had the first Christmas tree?
According to church legend, Martin Luther (1483-1546) was so moved by the beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree that he brought home an evergreen tree and decorated it with candles to share the image with his children, so was he the first person to decorate a Christmas tree? No, we have no proof of that. Nobody knows who the first to use a Christmas tree was but it may have been the Germans who made the first artificial Christmas trees out of dyed goose feathers.

Was Jesus was born in a barn or stable?
Neither; the best biblical scholarship says that Jesus was probably in a cave where they also kept the animals at night.
Was Jesus born in December?
Even though Pope Julius I chose December 25 for the Feast of the Nativity, it seems improbable that Jesus was born in December, particularly on the 25th. When the shepherds heard the announcement of Jesus’ birth from the angels, they were still living in the fields as night (Luke 2:8), which would not be a good time of year to tend sheep and on top of that, to be out there in the middle of the night. Bible scholars believe Jesus was born in September and around 5-6 B.C.
What does the holly represent?
Even the world “holiday” is derived from “holy day” so “holly” is rooted in the word “holy.” The Christmas holly decoration represents Christ’s crown of thorns and the red berries, His very own blood.
Did Christmas stop a war?
Yes, Christmas did stop a war. It was World War One and a “Christmas Truce” was declared in 1914 between the British and the Germans. This began when troops on both sides took Christmas Eve off from the war and then began singing Christmas carols. Later, they came out to greet one another and shake hands while some even exchanged cigarettes as gifts.

Conclusion
I hope you can get some enjoyment out of these questions and answers about Christmas. There’s still a lot I don’t know but I do know the most important thing about Christmas. It’s where the Word of God was dwelling with God and becoming flesh (John 1) to live a sinless life to offer Himself as the once-and-for-all sacrifice (Rom 5, 10) for those who have repented and believed. If you believe in Him, you have eternal life (John 3:36a) but if you reject Him, you have the wrath of God abiding on you at this very moment (John 3:36b).

 

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By Faith In Christ Jesus Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. Romans 4:4,5 NIV _____________ It is he (Jesus) which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Acts 1042b,43 KJV _____________ Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 NASB

 

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“So she gleaned in the field until even.”

Ruth 2:17

Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears of corn, so must I go forth into the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear; her gains are little by little: so must I be content to search for single truths, if there be no greater plenty of them. Every ear helps to make a bundle, and every gospel lesson assists in making us wise unto salvation.

The gleaner keeps her eyes open: if she stumbled among the stubble in a dream, she would have no load to carry home rejoicingly at eventide. I must be watchful in religious exercises lest they become unprofitable to me; I fear I have lost much already — O that I may rightly estimate my opportunities, and glean with greater diligence. The gleaner stoops for all she finds, and so must I. High spirits criticize and object, but lowly minds glean and receive benefit. A humble heart is a great help towards profitably hearing the gospel. The engrafted soul-saving word is not received except with meekness. A stiff back makes a bad gleaner; down, master pride, thou art a vile robber, not to be endured for a moment.

What the gleaner gathers she holds: if she dropped one ear to find another, the result of her day's work would be but scant; she is as careful to retain as to obtain, and so at last her gains are great. How often do I forget all that I hear; the second truth pushes the first out of my head, and so my reading and hearing end in much ado about nothing! Do I feel duly the importance of storing up the truth? A hungry belly makes the gleaner wise; if there be no corn in her hand, there will be no bread on her table; she labors under the sense of necessity, and hence her tread is nimble and her grasp is firm; I have even a greater necessity, Lord, help me to feel it, that it may urge me onward to glean in fields which yield so plenteous a reward to diligence.

 

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3 Reasons Why Forgiveness is a Good Plan for the Holidays




“This isn’t middle school anymore,” one of my ninth grade teachers used to say whenever someone complained about homework, “it’s not a bunch of warm fuzzies.” Neither is forgiveness, and for many of us the holidays can feel more like forgiveness boot camp than walking in a winter wonderland.

As our families disappoint once us again, old hurts flare up, and holiday shopping ends in shouting matches, forgiveness can like an assault to our humanity. Could God really ask us to stoop that low, to forgive that person?
For Jesus, forgiveness felt exactly like iron nails tearing into his wrists and leather whips ripping up his back. Whether it’s happening on a cross or over Christmas turkey, forgiveness is painful, but it’s also where we find God at his best and most beautiful.

God at his best and most beautiful
God doesn’t ask us to forgive because it’s the right thing to do. For God, forgiveness is personal, he does it his own sake. “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and remembers your sin no more.” (Isaiah 43:25, italics added).
God forgives us because it brings him joy to unclutter and unclog the space between us and him (Hebrew 12:2). He chooses to forget our sin because he wants to have a relationship with us that isn’t hindered by our severe underperformance—the hundred little ways we neglect and abuse him.

Three reasons to forgive over the holidays

When we look at the cross and see God’s approach to forgiveness, we find three reasons why forgiving is a good game plan for the holidays:

1. Forgiveness builds relationships

Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where family and friends always met up to our expectations? Where forgiveness was unnecessary? Unfortunately, that world isn’t a reality because you and I live in it.
Hurt and disappointment are guaranteed when it comes to family, so if we hope to have deep relationships with any of our family members, we need to go into the holidays prepared to forgive them for their underperformance. Without forgiveness, the holidays will devolve into blame and score-keeping, and we’ll be one step further from discovering how God can transform relationships.

2. Forgiveness frees us from bitterness

In some cases, the wounds inflicted on us are too severe to pursue a deeper relationship and maintaining healthy boundaries is the most we can hope for. Other times, the family members who hurt us may never ask for forgiveness. Even in these scenarios, forgiveness has the power to free us from bitterness.
As Jesus hung on the cross, he asked God to forgive the pharisees who were spitting at him, the soldiers gambling for his clothes. They were still in the act of murdering him, but Jesus didn’t wait for their repentance before asking God to forgive them.

Sometimes we refuse to forgive because we’re afraid that it will minimize the evil done to us, but this misunderstands what God calls us to. Biblical forgiveness sees the full depth of the trauma, but then entrusts it to God and believes that he will punish it, either in the death of Jesus or in torment of hell, and that one day we will experience total healing in the presence of God.
This hope—the belief that God’s justice and goodness are stronger than the evil inflicted on us—breaks the grip those acts of evil hold over our future. Only forgiveness empowered by the Holy Spirit can free us from hurt and bitterness, even as we stutter and halt towards it.

3. Forgiveness makes God’s visible

When someone makes a snide comment about the gift we bought, we get to build that family member’s future reality. We can build a world of karma and make them bear the consequences for their meanness by blasting them with icy silence, or we can usher in the supernatural world of grace.
In choosing forgiveness, we make the eternal realities of God—his forgiveness for our sin and how he refuses to hold it over us—tangible to our family member. We bring a bit of the kingdom into the present so that they can taste the goodness of God and catch a glimpse of what he’s got planned for when Jesus returns. Sure they don’t deserve it, but neither do we and God forgave us.
Forgiveness isn’t just about maintaining relationships and freeing ourselves from past hurt, it’s also a chance to join God in making him visible to our family members.

Better than a bunch of warm fuzzies
The holidays often remind us of how broken our families are and the pain we’d like to forget. It can be hard to believe the angels’ promise that Jesus will bring peace on earth, especially when Aunt Martha shatters the cease fire before the pumpkin pie is served. So when the conversation starts to heat up, lets remember the God we’re celebrating, and how he became a human to give us life, and teach us how to love. Forgiveness wasn’t a bunch of warm fuzzies for him, and it won’t be for us either this holiday season, but it is an ounce of glory.

 

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Rejoice in His Name! Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior! Psalm 65:4,5a NIV _______________ Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. Psalm 89:15,16 KJV _______________ Blessed are those who dwell in thy house, ever singing thy praise! For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:4,10-11 RSV _______________ God, Whose grace is all sufficient, be glorified! Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“But as he went.”

Luke 8:42

Jesus is passing through the throng to the house of Jairus, to raise the ruler's dead daughter; but he is so profuse in goodness that he works another miracle while upon the road. While yet this rod of Aaron bears the blossom of an unaccomplished wonder, it yields the ripe almonds of a perfect work of mercy. It is enough for us, if we have some one purpose, straightway to go and accomplish it; it were imprudent to expend our energies by the way. Hastening to the rescue of a drowning friend, we cannot afford to exhaust our strength upon another in like danger. It is enough for a tree to yield one sort of fruit, and for a man to fulfill his own peculiar calling.

But our Master knows no limit of power or boundary of mission. He is so prolific of grace, that like the sun which shines as it rolls onward in its orbit, his path is radiant with lovingkindness. He is a swift arrow of love, which not only reaches its ordained target, but perfumes the air through which it flies. Virtue is evermore going out of Jesus, as sweet odors exhale from flowers; and it always will be emanating from him, as water from a sparkling fountain. What delightful encouragement this truth affords us! If our Lord is so ready to heal the sick and bless the needy, then, my soul, be not thou slow to put thyself in his way, that he may smile on thee.

Be not slack in asking, if he be so abundant in bestowing. Give earnest heed to his word now, and at all times, that Jesus may speak through it to thy heart. Where he is to be found there make thy resort, that thou mayst obtain his blessing. When he is present to heal, may he not heal thee? But surely he is present even now, for he always comes to hearts which need him. And dost not thou need him? Ah, he knows how much! Thou Son of David, turn thine eye and look upon the distress which is now before thee, and make thy suppliant whole.

 

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One Christmas Gift That Must Be “Regifted”




Recently, my pastor preached a Christmas season sermon on giving. As part of an illustration to emphasize a key point, he asked the congregation, by a show of hands, if anyone had ever “regifted” something they received. Well, as I scanned the congregation of hundreds, there was not a single hand raised.

Not one.
I mean really…There was not a single vegan in the church who received a “meat of the month club” gift card? And what about a rabid Washington Redskins fan who got a Dallas Cowboy’s tee shirt? Or a committed beach bum who got a pair of snow boots?
Truth be told, we have all regifted something. In fact, it happens so frequently that there are even rules for regifting.

Moreover, the term “regifter” officially was codified in the American lexicon by an episode of Seinfeld. In the episode, Elaine calls Dr. Tim Whatley a “regifter” after he gives Jerry Seinfeld a label-maker that was originally given to Whatley by Elaine. And then, of course, there is National Regifting Day, which is observed on the Thursday before Christmas.
Yet, despite all of this, especially at Christmas time, we are reluctant to admit that we regift. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it makes us seem ungrateful for what we receive. Maybe it’s the reality that someone who is supposed to know us well didn’t take the time to consider what we really need. Or maybe we feel a bit dishonest when we regift because we let the “regiftee” believe that we spent money on a gift that we got for free.

Alas, we suffer from “regifter guilt.”
But, as I pondered on our collective dilemma this Christmas season, it occurred to me that there was a gift given that was meant to be regifted. It’s Jesus Christ, the reason for the season, and the Gospel that his birth, life, and death embodied. Isaiah 9:6 reads, referring to Jesus: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Consider the practical and actionable implications of what Isaiah 9:6 is saying. Do you know someone who is trapped in a cycle of bad choices and poor decisions that are hurting them and others?

Well, there is one who is a Wonderful Counselor that you can give to them. And what about the person who was abandoned by a father that should have loved them? Wouldn’t an Everlasting Father be the perfect gift to heal their soul? Or what about someone who is facing a life threatening illness and longs for peace in the midst of this storm? Wouldn’t they want to unwrap the Prince of Peace this Christmas?
You see, as John 3:16 reminds us, God so loved the world, that He gave—for regifting—His only begotten Son so that whoever receives Him gets all that Isaiah 9:6 promises and more…eternal life. Who among us doesn’t want and need this?
So, let us joyfully regift the Savior of the world this Christmas. And let us pray that those who receive Him do likewise as well. Amen.

 

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Walk by the Spirit What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:24,25 NIV _______________ Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 6:6,14 KJV _______________ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 RSV _______________ If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. John 8:31b,32 NASB _______________ God, Whose grace is all sufficient, be glorified! Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands.”

Haggai 2:17

How destructive is the hail to the standing crops, beating out the precious grain upon the ground! How grateful ought we to be when the corn is spared so terrible a ruin! Let us offer unto the Lord thanksgiving. Even more to be dreaded are those mysterious destroyers—smut, bunt, rust, and mildew. These turn the ear into a mass of soot, or render it putrid, or dry up the grain, and all in a manner so beyond all human control that the farmer is compelled to cry, “This is the finger of God.”

Innumerable minute fungi cause the mischief, and were it not for the goodness of God, the rider on the black horse would soon scatter famine over the land. Infinite mercy spares the food of men, but in view of the active agents which are ready to destroy the harvest, right wisely are we taught to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The curse is abroad; we have constant need of the blessing. When blight and mildew come they are chastisements from heaven, and men must learn to hear the rod, and him that hath appointed it.

Spiritually, mildew is no uncommon evil. When our work is most promising this blight appears. We hoped for many conversions, and lo! a general apathy, an abounding worldliness, or a cruel hardness of heart! There may be no open sin in those for whom we are laboring, but there is a deficiency of sincerity and decision sadly disappointing our desires. We learn from this our dependence upon the Lord, and the need of prayer that no blight may fall upon our work. Spiritual pride or sloth will soon bring upon us the dreadful evil, and only the Lord of the harvest can remove it. Mildew may even attack our own hearts, and shrivel our prayers and religious exercises. May it please the great Husbandman to avert so serious a calamity. Shine, blessed Sun of Righteousness, and drive the blights away.

 

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Advent and the Problem of Evil




Fleming Rutledge reminds us that Advent is not primarily about the baby Jesus. Rather its main emphasis is the Jesus who comes as the mighty judge who will set the world aright. That was the theme of John the Baptist: “He who is coming after me is mightier than I. . . . His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:11–12). Which relates Advent to the problem of evil.

Most attempts to answer the question how can a righteous God allow so much evil and suffering in the world? fall short, in my opinion, in two ways:

(1) They speculate about God apart from His incarnation in Christ. From a Christian perspective, you just can’t do that. Christ is how we know the Father. Apart from Christ, God will be terrifying. Also, approaching the problem of evil apart from Christ almost always concedes the assumption that the skeptics start from: That God is far above His creation, looking down on all of the suffering and evil that goes on and does nothing. The God of Christianity, though, is precisely the one who “has come down from heaven” (in the words of the Nicene Creed) to enter the human condition in all of its suffering and evil.

Not only was God “made flesh,” becoming fully human, He somehow on the Cross “bore our sins in his body” (1 Peter 2:24) [that is, took into Himself all our evil] and “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4) [that is, took into Himself all our suffering]. [Question: We hear a lot about how Jesus bore our sins. Why do we never hear much about how he also bore our griefs and sorrow?]

This God-in-the-flesh, so laden, died on that Cross to atone for the world’s evil and suffering. But then He rose again, making it possible for those who are “in Christ” by faith to also have new life. His resurrection heralds everyone’s resurrection at His second advent, in which He will judge the world, eradicate evil and suffering once and for all, and create a new heaven and a new earth that will have no trace of either.

(2) They fail to factor in eternity. Arguments trying to address the problem of evil often suggest that evil or the conditions of evil are necessary. They are dismissive of the seemingly naive or childish complaint, “but if God can do anything, why can’t he make it so nothing bad ever happens?” Those arguments about the requirements for human freedom and the like can indeed have a bearing on our temporal life here. But they are incomplete when they leave out our eternal existence after death. In that realm, God will “make it so that nothing bad ever happens.”

Our eternal life is a better gauge of our existence and God’s provisions for our lives than the few short years of our lives here on earth. We are here for three score years and ten, possibly a little more and possibly much less, but we will live in Heaven and on the New Earth for an infinite amount of time. Putting our temporal life next to our eternal life would be like putting a drop of water into the ocean. We might debate why the drop is contaminated, but the drop with its contamination is overwhelmed in the abundance of the ocean.

Looking at our lives now under the aspect of eternity may not solve the problem of evil entirely, but it gives a perspective that can be of great comfort to a suffering Christian. Furthermore, many of the cases that seem so problematic–why did those children die? why did God let those innocent people get killed?–have to do with death, and if death is mitigated by an afterlife that goes on forever, the examples can lose their force.

Furthermore, the Scripture speaks of the eternal joy that awaits us as somehow taking away the sorrow that we knew on earth. When Christ comes in His second advent and God establishes His people in the New Heaven and the New Earth, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

If we are honest, we should admit that when Christ comes to burn away everything that is evil and everything that causes suffering, we ourselves might not survive that purifying. We commit evil. We have caused others to suffer. We may be part of the chaff that “he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Therefore, John the Baptist’s Advent message is very appropriate: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).
But the Good News is that, as part of Christ making everything right, He first comes as that baby. He comes as our savior. He comes as the way for all of us “brood of vipers” to “flee from the wrath to come” (Matthew 3:7). He has made provision to save sinners. In His second advent, He will bring His work of eradicating evil and suffering to completion.

In the meantime, Advent teaches us the spiritual virtue of Hope. Also, patience; that is, how to wait.
Christians who are suffering now can have consolation in Christ and in the kind of salvation that He has given them. “In the world you will have tribulation,” says Christ. “But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

 

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God is faithful "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:1,2 NIV _______________ For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:2-4 KJV _______________ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 RSV _______________ God, Whose grace is all sufficient, be glorified! Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?”

Numbers 32:6

Kindred has its obligations. The Reubenites and Gadites would have been unbrotherly if they had claimed the land which had been conquered, and had left the rest of the people to fight for their portions alone. We have received much by means of the efforts and sufferings of the saints in years gone by, and if we do not make some return to the church of Christ by giving her our best energies, we are unworthy to be enrolled in her ranks. Others are combating the errors of the age manfully, or excavating perishing ones from amid the ruins of the fall, and if we fold our hands in idleness we had need be warned, lest the curse of Meroz fall upon us.

The Master of the vineyard saith, “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” What is the idler's excuse? Personal service of Jesus becomes all the more the duty of all because it is cheerfully and abundantly rendered by some. The toils of devoted missionaries and fervent ministers shame us if we sit still in indolence. Shrinking from trial is the temptation of those who are at ease in Zion: they would fain escape the cross and yet wear the crown; to them the question for this evening's meditation is very applicable.

If the most precious are tried in the fire, are we to escape the crucible? If the diamond must be vexed upon the wheel, are we to be made perfect without suffering? Who hath commanded the wind to cease from blowing because our bark is on the deep? Why and wherefore should we be treated better than our Lord? The firstborn felt the rod, and why not the younger brethren? It is a cowardly pride which would choose a downy pillow and a silken couch for a soldier of the cross. Wiser far is he who, being first resigned to the divine will, groweth by the energy of grace to be pleased with it, and so learns to gather lilies at the cross foot, and, like Samson, to find honey in the lion.

 

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4 Types of Loneliness People Experience at Christmas






In an ideal world, everyone would truly celebrate the spirit of Christmas with the love and joy that it is meant to accompany it. But the reality is people are lonely at Christmas, and the holidays can exacerbate our isolation because it highlights the loneliness we’ve allowed to creep into our lives. Here are four types of loneliness people experience at Christmas:

1. Spiritual Loneliness. That’s the loneliness that happens in your soul when you’re separated from your Heavenly Father. We are created to know God, but too many people don’t. You can try and fill that void with money, power, accomplishment, pleasure, addiction, or even relationships, but the only thing large enough to fill the God-shaped void in your life is Jesus himself. If you’ve never given your life to Jesus, you can do that today. You can make things right by acknowledging that He has not been first in your life, by believing that Jesus was the Son of God, that he died for your sins and that he rose again, and by inviting God to live in you through His Holy Spirit. Jesus came and died and rose again so you can be reunited with your Heavenly Father!

2. Relational Loneliness. Sometimes we’re just lonely in our relational life. God said all the way back in Genesis 2 that it is not good for a person to be alone. Churches are designed to be much more than a building or a collection of programs and activities. Churches are a family. A lot of people live with their biological family nowhere nearby. Churches can’t force anyone to become best friends. But I can tell you from personal experience, having lived out of state from my parents and brother for the past almost 20 years, that if you lean into church, if you lean into community groups and if you’re intentional to do life with others, you’ll discover a spiritual family.

3. Personal Loneliness. What I mean by that is that for some of us, we’re isolated from other people not because we don’t like other people or other people don’t like us, but we’re isolated because of our bad choices, perhaps our addictions. We’re lonely because we’ve made an absolute mess out of our lives. If you’re there, you don’t just need friends, you need some help getting out of the hole you’ve dug for yourself. Find some type of freedom or recovery ministry that can help you overcome the issues in your life and you’ll discover your loneliness melting away.

4. No loneliness. If you’re not lonely, if life is good, congratulations! Thank God for the place of life that you’re in because not everyone is there. No loneliness shouldn’t be an opportunity for shame or guilt but an opportunity for thanksgiving for the people in your life and a challenge to look around and see who you can become family to. Don’t let anyone celebrate Christmas alone this year.

 

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Fear God - Avoid all extremes It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes. Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city. Ecclesiastes 7:18,19 NIV _______________ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 KJV _______________ Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted. Hebrews 2:17,18 RSV _______________ You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 NASB _______________ God, Whose grace is all sufficient, be glorified! Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.”

Psalm 72:19

This is a large petition. To intercede for a whole city needs a stretch of faith, and there are times when a prayer for one man is enough to stagger us. But how far-reaching was the psalmist's dying intercession! How comprehensive! How sublime! “Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.” It doth not exempt a single country however crushed by the foot of superstition; it doth not exclude a single nation however barbarous. For the cannibal as well as for the civilized, for all climes and races this prayer is uttered: the whole circle of the earth it encompasses, and omits no son of Adam.

We must be up and doing for our Master, or we cannot honestly offer such a prayer. The petition is not asked with a sincere heart unless we endeavor, as God shall help us, to extend the kingdom of our Master. Are there not some who neglect both to plead and to labour? Reader, is it your prayer? Turn your eyes to Calvary. Behold the Lord of Life nailed to a cross, with the thorn-crown about his brow, with bleeding head, and hands, and feet. What! can you look upon this miracle of miracles, the death of the Son of God, without feeling within your bosom a marvelous adoration that language never can express?

And when you feel the blood applied to your conscience, and know that he has blotted out your sins, you are not a man unless you start from your knees and cry, “Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.” Can you bow before the Crucified in loving homage, and not wish to see your Monarch master of the world? Out on you if you can pretend to love your Prince, and desire not to see him the universal ruler. Your piety is worthless unless it leads you to wish that the same mercy which has been extended to you may bless the whole world. Lord, it is harvest-time, put in thy sickle and reap.

 

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How These 8 Things Will Change The Way You Approach Christmas



As Christmas nears, I find myself wondering what it must have been like to be Joseph (Jesus’ stepfather). Understanding this is nothing short of the greatest wisdom available for men. How These 8 Things Will Change The Way You Approach Christmas!
There are lots of books and bible teachings about Christmas. Most of them have to do with Jesus himself and rightfully so. Then you have some teaching where Mary (Jesus’ mom) is highlighted. But I don’t know of many books or bible teachings where Joseph was the center of the teaching. And so as Christmas day is just days away, I want to look at Christmas from the eyes of a man. And today it is all about Joseph, the man, the father and the husband.

I. The Scene – Approach Christmas
I’ll set the scene now; Joseph’s heart was full of anticipation over his recent engagement to Mary. He had to be daydreaming and thinking about what his life would be like, and he was, no doubt, optimistic about his future. Little did he know that God had other plans and that the first Christmas would get in his way.
The bible does not tell us how Joseph came to notice MARY’S condition. I wonder, did she tell him from the start? Did she begin to show and have to explain it to him or did he even give her a chance to explain? And, suppose he did. How in the world was he going to believe something as far fetched as the actual truth?
“An angel appeared to you?” Joseph may have asked, “Angels do that all the time, don’t they?” He would have been sarcastic about it, “Come on, Mary. You’ve driven a knife through my heart. Don’t add insult to injury by lying to me!”

II. Hindsight is 20/20 – Approach Christmas
Hindsight is 20/20 they say and so you and I both know that Mary was telling the truth. Nevertheless, I can only imagine how bad Mary felt when her husband-to-be didn’t believe her and now didn’t trust her. But, I don’t want to focus on Mary since this post is written for men and about men. I want to look at all of this from Joseph’s point of view. Can you imagine how crushed he felt that Mary would betray him this way (At least he thought she did, what other logical explanation is there)?

If you put yourself in his shoes, this had to be a huge disappointment! Once Joseph thought Mary was unfaithful, it must have given him the unwelcome effect of leaving him feeling inadequate. This is what must have been going through his mind: “Wasn’t my love enough for her? I guess not, and what does that say about me”? He may also have lost the ability to trust not only Mary but anyone, at least for a time. He might have asked himself, How can I ever love again? How can I possibly risk another broken heart?
III. A Good Man – Approach Christmas
Whatever Joseph was feeling – and we don’t know, do we? Because the text doesn’t tell us – but whatever it was, we know that he was a righteous man. Even though, in his mind, he had been dealt this dreadful blow, even though the foundations of his world had been shaken, even though he had been hurt and hurt deeply, he didn’t seek to retaliate. Mary had wounded him; he wouldn’t do the same to her.
In fact, Matthew tells us that he “was unwilling to expose her to public disgrace.” So, he “planned to dismiss her quietly.” It was a noble thing. Back in those days, an engagement was as binding as a marriage, and he would have been within his rights to drag Mary through an ugly and mean-spirited divorce. He could have ruined her for life. But he didn’t. Instead, he was willing to make it easy on her, as easy as he could make it.

IV. Sleepless Nights – Approach Christmas
I’m guessing that he may have had trouble going to sleep at night. You know how it is when your mind is spinning and you can’t quit think about how you got where you are and what you’re going to do now. Joseph’s life had been interrupted – which, I suppose, is an understatement. This isn’t how he had planned things to go at all. He had always been careful. He was known for his sound judgment. How could he have gone so wrong? With these thoughts churning in his brain, he finally drifted off to sleep.
But even his sleep was interrupted. He was awakened by a dream. Nothing unusual about that, but this was an unusual dream. No “visions of sugarplums” dancing in his head! His vision was of something much more frightening: he saw an angel, and the angel called him by name. Joseph, he said, do not be afraid. Joseph, your fears are unfounded. The baby that Mary is carrying is from the Holy Spirit.

V. Interruptions – Approach Christmas
Now, think about that. Not only had Joseph’s life been interrupted and not only had his sleep been interrupted, but now his apprehensions had been interrupted as well.
His:

• Disappointment – interrupted.
• Suspicions – interrupted.
• Discouragement – interrupted.
• Shame – interrupted.

That’s what the message of Christmas does. It interrupts the pain of living – no matter how intense it may be – and it tells you that there is ultimately no reason to be afraid.
Why not? Because the baby in Mary’s womb is Emmanuel, God with us. He is God’s affidavit in the flesh that you will never have to face any difficulty alone. God will be with you.

VI. God’s Word – Approach Christmas
Over and over in the Scriptures, God assures us of this. In Isaiah 43, he says to you, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” I will be with you, he says. I will be with you.
That’s Isaiah forty-three, in which God speaks to us. In Psalm twenty-three we speak to him, and what is it that we say? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Why? Because there’s no evil to fear? Not on your life. In the valley of the shadow of death? There’s evil all around. Isn’t there? The reason we do not fear it is…what? What do we say? “I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.”

VII. God is With Us – Approach Christmas
God is with us, and that changes the landscape of any disruption. What is it that this Christmas brings to mind that you had rather not think about? Perhaps it is a loss that you have endured over the past year. Or a setback of some kind. A financial reversal. A scary diagnosis. A broken heart. A lost love. A shameful memory. Some sin that has overtaken you.
Christmas interrupts the unraveling of your life. Your fears, like Joseph’s, are unfounded, and for the same reason: The child in Mary’s womb! You are to name him Jesus, the angel said. Why Jesus? Because of what it means. And what does it mean? It means “the Lord saves.” He saves his people, the angel said. And that means he saves you.
His birth, you see, arrests the disintegration, the demoralizing depreciation of your life that you think you’re helplessly witnessing. The news of Christmas suspends the erosion of your hope and gives you new cause for joy.

VIII. That First Christmas – Approach Christmas
Joseph’s sleep had been interrupted by the news of that first Christmas, but we don’t see him rolling over in bed to go back to sleep. No. What do we see? We see him dressing as fast as he could. We see him running, unable to contain his joy – running to Mary to tell her how happy he is now that he knows the truth.
If you think your life as it is now is without hope, you’re believing a lie. The truth is, God is with you. And when God is with you, there’s always hope. Don’t be surprised then if Christmas interrupts the ache within you. It’s been doing that for some two thousand years.

 

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Wisdom will save you Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse, It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, Proverbs 2:12,16 NIV _______________ Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33 KJV _______________ But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14 RSV _______________ And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her. Ecclesiastes 7:26 NASB _______________ God, Whose grace is all sufficient, be glorified! Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Satan hindered us.”

1 Thessalonians 2:18

Since the first hour in which goodness came into conflict with evil, it has never ceased to be true in spiritual experience, that Satan hinders us. From all points of the compass, all along the line of battle, in the vanguard and in the rear, at the dawn of day and in the midnight hour, Satan hinders us. If we toil in the field, he seeks to break the ploughshare; if we build the wall, he labours to cast down the stones; if we would serve God in suffering or in conflict — everywhere Satan hinders us.

He hinders us when we are first coming to Jesus Christ. Fierce conflicts we had with Satan when we first looked to the cross and lived. Now that we are saved, he endeavours to hinder the completeness of our personal character. You may be congratulating yourself, “I have hitherto walked consistently; no man can challenge my integrity.” Beware of boasting, for your virtue will yet be tried; Satan will direct his engines against that very virtue for which you are the most famous. If you have been hitherto a firm believer, your faith will ere long be attacked; if you have been meek as Moses, expect to be tempted to speak unadvisedly with your lips. The birds will peck at your ripest fruit, and the wild boar will dash his tusks at your choicest vines.

Satan is sure to hinder us when we are earnest in prayer. He checks our importunity, and weakens our faith in order that, if possible, we may miss the blessing. Nor is Satan less vigilant in obstructing Christian effort. There was never a revival of religion without a revival of his opposition. As soon as Ezra and Nehemiah begin to labour, Sanballat and Tobiah are stirred up to hinder them. What then? We are not alarmed because Satan hindereth us, for it is a proof that we are on the Lord's side, and are doing the Lord's work, and in his strength we shall win the victory, and triumph over our adversary.

 

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The Season of Giving



This time of the year is all about giving, but for some, it’s more about getting, but the greatest gift ever given is often overlooked.
Getting by Losing
For the world in general, the Christmas season is the most giving time of the year. For corporations, it is no doubt the same thing, however, their year-end donations are more tax write-offs than anything benevolent because they use it as a way of reducing their company’s tax liability and it is a lot more common than you might think. The tax structure, and the way the tax laws are written actually make it easier for some business’s to lose money on certain ventures or in certain divisions so they can gain profits by reducing their tax liability. This is actually encouraged by the way the tax laws are written and the plethora of tax loop holes that are so easy to jump through. One company I did a cost-analysis for years ago has a division that they intentionally want to lose money. In other words, they want to lose money because the loss is then subtracted from the company’s profit tax, but this is only a small part of problem of the skyrocketing national debt.

What the Govern-ment
None of us can run our household’s in the way the government does…spending more than they take in, but that’s just what some businesses do, and what happens? They give us the business. People use tax deductions, for the most part, in legitimate ways, like for children or home-related expenses, but some companies, politicians and even some city governments use deductions for what they did not legitimately deserve. For example, it’s outrageous to me that a company purposely loses money in one of its subsidiaries or divisions to make money by reducing their tax loads.

A household cannot operate that way, so in a way, they encourage losses in some areas so that they can deduct these losses from their tax liability. This is akin to stealing funds from legitimate social needs that the government should be using for purposes like Women With Infants and Children (WIC) and food stamps (via the SRS), which are declared emergencies, but businesses using tax write-off’s to make more money isn’t what the “govern-meant!”
The Greatest Givers
The greatest givers remain the private citizens. They are by far the most altruistic. And Americans in general give nearly twice as much, per capita, than any other nation on earth. Yes, they too get tax reductions from giving, but by and large, theirs are legitimate. Many times people give to charitable organizations and their donations have a direct impact and effect at the point of service. This is actually where the needs are the greatest. This is taking it to the streets, the shelters, the shut-ins…those who are deemed expendable or unimportant by most of society. The elderly are seen as a debit to companies, corporations (as in retirees), and society in general, but to many ordinary Americans, they are the ones most deserving of help.


Who Cares?
There was no one more cynical about the citizen than economist Arthur Brooks. For example, he was convinced that Christians were probably the stingiest givers of all, so a few years ago Brooks launched a three year research project and concluded that he was dead wrong. His findings were published in his book “Who Really Cares?” and they were totally the opposite of what he went out to prove or what he expected.

After his research was completed, Mr. Brooks totally changed his mind. He found out that the richest among us gave the least proportionately, and the poorest among us give proportionally the most. Based upon Brooks’ findings, giant companies and CEO’s gave absolutely the least, in proportion to their income. The poorest 15% of society gave the most, again in proportion to their income. He also found that people of faith are 38% more likely to give to charity, 52% more inclined to do volunteer work, and 3 & ½ times more likely to donate than the general public at large. Christians and the lowest 15% of the economic ladder were 57% more likely to help a homeless person.

Researching Charities
Before you give, I would recommend that you do your homework and research any charitable organization before you give, since there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing. For example, I have found that Action Against Hunger is one of the most highly rated based upon needs for children where they put nearly 94% of collected funds at the point of service. In this case, that’s food in the mouths of hungry children. Salvation Army is also one of the most efficient in providing help. The citizens who directly impact their own community by volunteering or giving donations are more likely to make a difference in people’s lives.

There are fewer middle men, and this means more funds at the direct point of need. Even giving of yourself, holding the door open for someone, smiling at the clerk, giving generous tips at the restaurant, all create that positive, ripple effect of good will and cheer, and contrary to conventional thinking, the giver actually receives more than the recipient. To give of yourself and of your money does more for the giver than the person receiving the gift, so it is true that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

Season of Giving
Since it is the season of giving, please give to a charity that you trust and know, and one that directly impacts our world…particularly those with the greatest needs. Let me put it this way:
When those who have the most,
give less than those not rich.
They rob themselves of precious things,
and those who are not rich.
The giver knows such fine returns,
than those who want for more.
And when they give they do receive,
more than they sent the poor.

Conclusion
Who gave the most? Clearly, Jesus gave the absolute most. What more can you give than your own life? Jesus said, “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45), which proves that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

 

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May Grace and Peace Be Yours Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father Galatians 1:3,4 NIV _______________ I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:14-17 KJV _______________ For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4,5 RSV _______________ God, Whose grace is all sufficient, be glorified! Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.