A CASE FOR CHRISTMAS!

Well it is that time of the year again…it’s Christmas time. This is my most favorite time of the year for many reasons.  Christmas represents the first part of the greatest story ever told—the birth of Jesus—God, born of a virgin, coming in the form of a man as a gift for the salvation of the world.  The great King of Heaven seated in majesty and glory, chose to leave Heaven to be born in a manger, because of His passionate love for humanity, as John 3:16 states:

 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever should believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting Life.”

I will never forget the year I got saved and asked Jesus to become the Lord of my life; the whole world looked very different to my eyes, it was as if I had never seen a tree before, or clouds or the stars.  I distinctly remember my first Christmas; I went for a walk one night, and as I was looking up at the stars, feeling the wonderful awe and majesty of the season, I started to sing O Holy Night…and I started to weep, I guess it was the incredible anointing on the song, but I wept also because I had sung that song from I was a little child…all my life I had been singing this song, and had never understood or felt the full impact of what those words meant until that moment!

O Holy Night, is my most favorite Christmas Carol; after 24 years of being saved the words still move me to tears, especially the line that says, “long lay the world in sin and error pining till He appeared, and the soul felt its worth.”  By experiencing the love of God, the soul felt its worth, and value!  That the King of Heaven would come for me, would pay the price of His Blood for me…this soul felt its worth!

That’s what Christmas means to me—that a King loved me so much, that He gave His Life as a ransom for me and saved me for all eternity….and that one day I will see Him face to face and thank Him and be with Him forever. Jesus came to planet Earth to give His Life as a ransom for all, for me, and for you, giving value to the souls of humanity. I am also moved by the hope for all embedded in Matthew 4:15:

\”THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES—THE PEOPLE WHO SAT IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT, AND UPON THOSE WHO SAT IN THE REGION AND SHADOW OF DEATH… LIGHT HAS DAWNED.\”

This Jewish King came not only for Israel but also for the Gentiles—for the world, a Light has dawned…for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.

I know that there are many viewpoints regarding Christmas, and many have tried to convince me that it is demonic.  But, for me, the sense of God’s Presence and love for humanity, hovers over the season, despite satan’s attempts to corrupt it with shopping, Santa and arguments.

People can get so caught up in arguing about the date December 25^th, but for me, it has nothing to do with a date…I thank God that He has given us a whole season of about 6 weeks, to tell the world about the greatest story of all time…that we have been given a Gift of eternal destiny in Glory with our beautiful King!  In light of this what does it matter about the date!

Satan hates Christmas and has been fighting to eliminate IT FOR SOME TIME now, Why? For one reason:  HE WANTS TO ELIMINATE THE STORY. For another, HE HATES CHRIST… his plan is to mark a big X through the Name Christ, and to distract from the story in any way he can!

Many of God’s people debate about the root of Christmas and about the correct date of Jesus’s birth, completely missing the gift we have been given by God in Christmas—to tell the Story and spread the love of God.

My thought on these two issues are that we will never have an accurate date of the birth of Christ with certainty, God did not give us the date in His Word, on purpose.  I believe the date matters little! Lives coming into the awareness of Immanuel—God with us, does matter.

As at no other time of the year, at Christmas, God’s Presence, Mercy and Love can be clearly felt, hovering over the planet, bringing Joy, bringing families together, and reconciling relationships. At Christmas time, people for a short season take the focus off themselves and spend time thinking about others and their needs—people become givers, they become a little like Christ and give gifts…spending time thinking about what a friend or a loved would like or needs.

At Christmas people give to the poor, to children living in lack without hope, some help to serve the poor and the homeless, taking on God’s heart for a season!  At Christmas, as at no other time, Joy is in the air…joyful songs proclaiming the King’s story and glory are sung, heralded throughout shopping malls and stores, played over the airwaves on radios and TVs.

At Christmas, for the Great occasion of the birth of Jesus, God fills the air with songs of Glory such as O Holy Night, Hark the Herald angels Sing, Joy to the World, Silent Night, Mary did you Know, O Come Emmanuel, O Come all ye Faithful, Angels we have heard on High…. these famous songs were all inspired by the Holy Spirit for Christmas to glorify the King!  Even secular Christmas songs are mostly about Joy and Hope and Love!

At Christmas God has given a season of time with the greatest opportunity for the world to hear the Greatest Story they would not have otherwise heard.  At Christmas people who don’t normally go to church or know Christ—go to church and they Hear the Story. 

At Christmas the atmosphere is magical and ripe for the Story as Angels flood the Earth to minister and draw people to the Good News. Christmas creates the greatest evangelistic opportunities to tell others about the Love of Christ—why would we want to get rid of it? Why would we want to agree with satan’s plan?

Let us rather fight for Christmas, a season I fully believe was given to humanity By God in His Mercy.  Let us fight to keep Christ in Christmas and to take every opportunity to say Merry Christmas to someone and God bless you!

Let us make this a season to show love, patience and kindness to others, rather than hate and fighting and debating about things, that really don’t matter!  Let us use this time to show Christ to each other and the world!  Let us give gifts of kindness to others! When we give a gift to someone, we are actually giving to God…we become a little bit like God for a moment—the Giver of every good gift!

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”  James1:17   

I believe that darkness and hate is trying to overcome the world right now, but I don’t think God is going to let that happen just yet! Societies and nations have sunk into gross darkness before, over History and God moved to restore and to turn things around.  It is not impossible for God!  With one move of the Holy Spirit, with one great Awakening, God can change history!  He has done it before and He can do it again.

God will do it again! Why? Because He has a massive harvest of souls to bring into the kingdom of God, into His family.  Let us take the opportunity given to us this Christmas and others to come to begin to gather them in!

Good things are about to break forth!  Don’t give in to discouragement and hopelessness!  Showers of blessings are about to fall on mankind from our Great and Merciful Father. The time of judgment is not yet! He will come to save us…that is what He does…that is who is is…He is the Savior!

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year

God Bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you!

Faith & Frank