Saturday, December 18, 2010

Christmas 2010 card

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zh-yR0pbmU

It seems like such a short time ago, yet in reality was at least 40 yrs ago when I first noticed the worlds attempt to destroy the memory of the day when PEACE began.

It started as best as I remember with a magazine article announcing to the world that God was dead.

Then seemingly just a short time later the Secular Humanist agenda began a well thought out and patient campaign to modernize the Christmas message and to market it to a generation who was beginning to fall away from the only truth that is unchanging, that truth of God coming in the form of man in the body of Christ Jesus .

It all started with an “X” the universal symbol that means no, or stop, or cease.

Innocent enough at first, yet unrelenting in its effort to change the mind of the world in its belief in the birth of a Savior of all who would only accept Him in faith.

The “X” was despised by some, yet embraced by so many, and was more evident as the years went by.

A few Christmases after the “X” appeared, the greeting was changed to “ Happy Holidays” and again went unchallenged by most who claimed to have met the child who was born in a manger, as all of Heaven rejoiced.

Consumerism was in full drive by now and there was no end to the amount of things that the world made us lust for, with the full result becoming disappointment and discouragement to far too many who could not afford to purchase all that the world insisted that we should.

Happiness seemingly must be measured by the amount of things that we can either give or receive.

It is now December 18 2010, and in my little city, of approximately 10000 folks, I have been told Merry Christmas by only 2 people and one of them only after I initiated the greeting.
A few days back it dawned on me that the greeting had almost disappeared in the streets and market place.


After searching storefronts and businesses along with Churches and ministries, I have seen only two places among 100s of possibilities where Christmas is mentioned. Mostly for the first time that I can remember the places of businesses and Churches have undecorated windows and properties, and if they are decorated it is with only candy canes, snowmen, and the like.


Whenever the greeting “Happy Holidays” is given to me, I have begun to respond by looking the greeter squarely in the eye and asking them “Which one?”

It is humorous to see the quizzical looks and stuttering tongues as they try to respond, as they apparently have overlooked the day of Christmas, that we are approaching.

Christmas to many has been forgotten or at least overlooked as our culture has been driven to other concerns.

The Bible tells us without doubt that there would be a time when humanity would fall away from truth, (2 Timothy 2:4) and would follow the lies of the world.

The same Bible tells us of a story that we as Christians have not put into application often enough.

In the book of Acts ch 3 is a story of a man who is reading the story of the Savior to come and cannot understand its full meaning until it is explained to him by someone who has knowledge of the gift.

The same Bible has many eyewitness accounts of the child that was born fully God and fully man.

It does not however give us His exact birthday, and thus it is that we have chosen a day from our calendar to celebrate His birth, the exactness is unimportant the memory of the event is what matters.

Here are a few words from the Bible that tells us who was born on that day that the world wants to “X” out.

John 3:16 tells us “That God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, and that whoever believes in Him that was sent, would not perish but would inherit eternal life.”

Isaiah the prophet wrote in ch 9 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

He had foreknowledge of the day that peace would be realized.

In ch 2 of Matthew we see that the "wisemen" learned of him through a diligent study of scripture, and were questioned about their knowledge by the unlearned, yet the same scriptures are not often read by organizations who have changed the meaning of Christmas to a time to garner a larger offering to further the agenda of builders of buildings and not of builders of a heavenly kingdom.

In the 2 chapter of Luke we see the Heavenly armies of Angels declaring that Peace was now birthed and available to all men.

The disciple Peter made this statement regarding whom the baby of Christmas had become, Matthew 16:16thou art the Christ the son of the Living God.”

Pilate the earthly judge of record, stated that “I bring this man to you and declare that I find no fault in Him.” John 19:4

Pilates wife declared Jesus a just man.

Judas after betraying Him to his murderers, declared Him as innocent.

The Centurion who was in charge of civil order at the execution site, “The Cross” stated that “truly this was the son of God.”

Thomas, who doubted for so long, realized the truth and named Jesus as my Lord and my God. John 20:28

The Apostle Paul was so captivated by Jesus that he wrote “Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

In the book of Luke ch 3 is that account written “ And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”

He is born, it is well evidenced.
He is not a myth.


He is not a liar, nor are those who witnessed his birth, his life, his death, or his resurrection.

He is coming again, please know that it may be very soon.

Christmas is here again.

Will you shun the Progressive Humanist desire to place an “X” over the name above all names.
We celebrate the birth of Peace, and of Hope
.

Merry Christmas from d2lifeministries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zh-yR0pbmU