Some bits about Christmas that I've learned…

 

Some bits about Christmas that I've learned…

1) Jesus wasn't born in December, but more than likely in September. Pope Julius I chose December 25 for the Feast of the Nativity, which also happened to be the date which coincided with the pagan festival known as Saturnalia.

2) The stable where he was born may have been a cave and not the typical stable that we see in nativity scenes. And more than likely, the wooden manger that we see Him depicted in, was hewn stone.

3) The wise men (magi) weren't present on the night of Jesus' birth. The Bible does not mention their names, nor if there were three of them.

4) There is much pagan influence in the Christmas that is celebrated today.

5) None of the above really matters because the fact remains that Christmas for me is about a birthday celebration, celebrating the birth of the very Son of God—God's gift to mankind!

So…

♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window
Carols at the spinet
And we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
We need a little Christmas now♩ ♪ ♫ ♬

Have you received the greatest Christmas present ever? His name is Jesus. He freely gave His life, suffering death on a cross for you and your sins. But He's alive. He beat the grave and rose from the dead. He lives and desires that you come to Him, that you be saved through Him. That's the Good News. It's the message of Christmas. It began in a feeding trough 2000 years ago and as the church bells ring out at Christmastime so does the Good News of Jesus Christ, God's plan of salvation and gift to mankind.

Have you accepted God's free gift of salvation? He stands knocking at the door of your heart, desiring for you to let Him in.

In this increasingly darkening world we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. We need Jesus Christ. He remains our only hope. All the signs of the current times indicate that He's coming again soon. He's coming to make things right and bring judgement upon this decaying world. And He's coming to take with Him those who know Him, those who have trusted in His name.

Please, please, please…think upon these things that I've shared here. I'm praying for you.

Dave ❤

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

HIS BIRTH WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING…

“If Jesus had preached the same message
      that ministers preach today,
           He would never have been crucified.”
                —Leonard Ravenhill

For the most part preaching today is focused on feeling good about yourself and others. For the love of God, love for others, but a tragic disregard for the cross of Jesus Christ and its message.

JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS AND MINE! We are all sinners. In need of love and for loving others? Yes, but first and foremost we need to know the Source of that love, by accepting the Greatest Love, the love of God in His Son, Jesus. The love He displayed upon the Cross. The love displayed by the One who was sinless, who gave His life for us sinners.

It is impossible to separate Christ's love for us and His desire for us to love others, from the message of the Cross. In order to get to God we must go to the Cross, agreeing with God that we are sinners and accept His wonderful gift of salvation. It is only then when we discover what true, selfless, sacrificial love is all about.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16)

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

My prayer for this Christmas season is for all to see the reason for the birth of Jesus—for His life, His death and His resurrection. He promises eternal life both now and forever to all who believe.  

❤ Merry Christmas,

~~Dave

The Lord will provide!

Good question…

“What's crazier: 

Living and dying

for a cause you really believe in,

or just running with the rat race

until you die?”

 —Lee Strobel, "The Case for Christ"

Daniel and the lions den

~ ~ ~

WHAT IF…?

WHAT IF JESUS WERE TO COME VERY SOON? He could. There is so much pointing to this reality. Would you be ready? But what if He didn't come for months or years more? Or what if He never came during your lifetime. What does it matter? Your life could end today. Death claims the lives of all us... naturally or unnaturally. The question remains. Would you be ready to meet the Lord?

Get ready. Please. How? Go to Him. He's as close as your next breath. The God of the Universe stands at the door of your heart and knocks, desiring for you to answer, to respond to Him and His wonderful forgiveness through His Son, Jesus.

You're a sinner. I'm a sinner. We're all sinners in need of a forgiving God. And God so loved the world that He gave His one and only, unique Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

If you haven't accepted Christ as your own Savior and Lord then what are you waiting for, a sign? Look around you? The signs are everywhere.

"Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Sin is a very heavy burden to carry without the forgiveness of a loving God. And if you don't know Christ then you continue to carry that burden until you give it over to Him. One needs to repent. Repenting means that you agree with God that you are a sinner and you turn to Him for forgiveness.

Don't wait until it's too late. Come to Him now. "Today is the day of salvation!"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

One day, and perhaps one day soon, the Lord will call His Church, His Bride home…

An Urgent Message for Urgent Times...

I believe these are most urgent times. I believe the world is heading for the home stretch. The end of this age is upon us. Just take a moment and think of all that is transpiring around the globe. It should rattle you to the core. If it doesn't you should ask why.

We can ignore it and go about our business, continue to get caught up in the things of this world, or we can at least pause to consider that something is not right, that things aren't what they used to be, that there is an increasing presence of evil and disaster like never seen before in our lifetime.

I believe we are at the end and believe with all my heart that Jesus remains the Answer. He is salvation. Do you know Him? Don't say that you're a Baptist, a Methodist, an Episcopalian, a Catholic, an Orthodox or what have you. That doesn't matter in eternity. What matters is that your future destination is determined by what you do about Jesus Christ and Him only.

Do you know Him? Are you born again? Jesus, in speaking to Nicodemus said, "You must be born again... from above." Jesus came that we might have life. Life in Him and through Him. What that requires is that we must die to self and receive Him as our new life, our new birth. And in order to get there you first have to see yourself as in need of a savior.

About 33 years ago I was sitting in my living room reading the Gospel of John. Up till then I thought I was a Christian. After all, I wasn't Jewish, I thought, and I was brought up in a Christian church. But in reading the famous passage, John 3:16, it suddenly (God suddenly) hit me...

"For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten (one and only) Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

"...whoever believes in Him..."

For some reason the light went on and I became awakened to the fact that this Jesus and believing in Him is as personal as it gets. I finally realized that it's not enough to belong to a good church or be "brought up in the Christian faith." I must accept God's offer of salvation in His Son PERSONALLY.

It's not about being or becoming perfect. It's not about all the good deeds one does or doesn't do. It is all about Jesus Christ and Him crucified, dead, buried and rising from death. He is the "first fruit" of the promised resurrection for us, proving that through Him we too may have life, both now and forever.

"Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” — John 6:29

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." — John 17:3

So the question remains, "Do you know Him?

Don't wait any longer. Seek Him with all your heart while you can.

I'm praying for you.

— Dave

…

Wake Up Call

Every so often the Truth grabs me by the shirt collar and slaps me upside the head. I pray that God continue to keep me awake.

Some in Germany are more awake to what's happening in the US, and ultimately what's happening in the world, than most here in the US. Watch the video above for details.

You can dress a slave in all finery, satisfy his needs, but in the end he's still a slave. The US is a debtor nation, living on credit, money that doesn't exist. And we are slaves to this system created by a few. And so it is with the rest of the world.

It's time, way past time, to awaken to the truth. We can deny it, go around it, try to shove the monster back under the bed, but it remains true and very real. Things are getting nasty out there. Why do we think that civil unrest only happens in other countries, but could never happen in our own?

We are on the brink. We have reached a point of no return. It's time to change, not the country or the world, but yourself. It's time to change, to turn from the enslavement to this dying world, turn from a self-centered focused life, and turn to Jesus Christ, the Author of Life.

Jesus offers forgiveness, hope, freedom and eternal life. And He remains our only hope. I urge you, I plead for you, you who don't know Jesus, come to Him now. Don't wait until tomorrow. You may not have tomorrow.



I'm praying for you.


Dave

Do you see the signs?

The people missed their Messiah the first time He came. They were expecting someone else, someone more politically subversive, someone to cater to all their needs... like free lunches for life. But they weren't looking for a Savior.

Things really haven't changed much. Most today still reject their need for a Savior, but will follow someone for any other perks.

In the Luke verse above Jesus spoke of His first advent, the first time He came to give His life for the sins of the world. But He also spoke prophetically of the second time He would come. Today's signs are so evident that one would have to have his head buried in the sand not to see them.

Jesus is coming again. If you don't know Him as your Savior now, don't think you can wait until He comes for the second time. It will be too late then.

Now is the day of salvation.

Time Is Short. The world is crazy.

With all the craziness in the world these days between threats of global war and economic collapse, extreme weather, volcanic and earthquake activity and just plain evil that appears to be on the rise I keep hearing the words, "Get busy reaching the lost."

The world is in trouble. Political leaders continue to prove that they cannot provide the answers to solve the woes of the world. Governments are proving to be less and less trustworthy in protecting us and our freedoms. And sadly most are numb to these facts.

Time is running out. It's time to wake up to the fact that there remains but only one Hope. And that is Jesus Christ. He's always been our only hope.

The woes of the world have always been based on one thing. Sin. This is a fallen world. Not how God intended it, but because of free will that He gave mankind man chose to revolt against Him and His creation. We are all broken as a result. Broken in our relationship towards Him and towards one another.

The fix?

The Cross.

You know the verse: John 3:16. God's eternal plan for saving us from the penalty of sin and saving us from ourselves.

Jesus died for your sins and mine because God so loved the world and He desires that none of us should perish but live forever with Him. He loves so incredibly. If you're not sure about that look again to the cross that He died upon. Look at His arms stretched open wide as if saying, "I love you this much! Come to Me!"

Time is short. Things are not getting better. This world is winding down and getting ready to collapse on itself. If you're not convinced this is true then you may not be living on the same planet that I am.

Time is short. If you don't know Jesus now's a good time to know Him. "Today is the day of salvation."

If you do know Him I urge you to get busy reaching the lost. Talk to people about Him and God's wonderful gift of salvation. It's not easy. Those closest to us seem to be the hardest to reach, but share anyway, because Jesus indeed is their only Hope.

His peace to us.

Dave

TC’s Warning

Tim echoes my sentiments. I believe we are quickly heading to the end of this age.
You can no longer deny the signs of the times. Things aren't right.
The world is growing darker. I pray you consider these words...

* * *

TC’s Warning ~  by Tim Cameron

TC sat pondering at his desk in the quiet of his bedroom, having just finished spending
time alone with God. Pen and paper in hand, he began writing…

Dear family and friends,

    I am writing this letter because I love you and feel the need to share this critical message. Almost all of you know that I’ve had my share of shortcomings and many of you have been there to experience a lot of my personal ups and downs. So you have to know that this is not coming to you from any other angle other than straight from my heart. Life has been very different for me since I became a Christian.   

    First of all, I hope all of you know that I love Jesus Christ. He means everything to me. But in saying that, let me say I truly believe the only reason why the apostle Paul said he was the “chief of all sinners” was because TC hadn’t been born yet. Some of you would be very fair to say, “TC is a hypocrite!” and with that I totally understand. Again, I have fallen short many, many times and feel so unworthy to write this letter. But at the same time, I feel very compelled to reach out.   

    As many of you already know, I believe that these are the end-times we are living in. (If you’ve never heard me say that before it’s only because of my timidity, and hence this letter.) Many would scoff and say, “Where is the promise of His coming? It’s been said for 2000 years.” But in the Bible, Peter warned that those words and beliefs would be a sign that the Lord’s coming is very near. Peter said, “In the last days, scoffers would arise,” saying the very same thing.

    You might also say, “No man knows the day or the hour,” but Jesus also said this: “How is it you can look to the sky and know a storm is coming but yet you can’t discern the signs of the times?”

    True, no man knows the exact hour Jesus will call his church home, but Jesus Himself said we would or should know the season.

    What are the signs to look for?

    I’m all about keeping this real, keeping it simple. Number one: Jesus told us that when the fig tree (Israel) blossomed in the desert, THAT generation would not pass away. Before 1948 there was a time Israel ceased to exist as a nation. Up until that time I can understand how there were those who believed that the church had “replaced” Israel. But once the rebirth of modern Israel took place in 1948, I have to believe that anyone who had a Bible and studied it would have considered that a monumental wake-up call!

    Jesus said Israel’s rebirth would happen and that it would be a major signal that the end of the age (Church Age) was at hand and that “the time of the gentiles” was being fulfilled. The prophet Daniel said (of this same time in history), that things would change in a major way in relation to how people traveled and there would be a dramatic increase in knowledge.

    For thousands of years travel was with horses, donkeys and camels but then, boom—in the same century of Israel’s rebirth we see the crazy changes in travel. You can literally ship packages around the world in three days and can talk instantly globally through text, tweet or chat. Has knowledge increased? Satellite TV’s in SUVS with GPS talking to you while you listen to a song just downloaded seconds ago via iTunes from the UK...need I say more?

    Okay, just a couple of other things that the Bible says to look for: A global depression, growing escalation of hatred toward Israel; trying to divide her land, wars and rumors of wars (war on terrorism, North Korea-South Korea, India-Pakistan, Israel-Hamas, Iran threatening to blow Israel off the map), days of rage, people running everywhere (to and fro), love waxing cold, earthquakes in diverse places, greed on a major scale, a world gone mad, and days like Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah.

    The Bible says that at some point the whole world will cry out for a man to step on the scene and save them, a man who will later prove to be the prophesied Antichrist—a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This plea for help will start with two major issues: The economy and Israel. Right now, you all can testify that everyone is looking for answers, not just here in America but worldwide. People are saying to themselves, “Someone please bring relief.” I am sure you all have watched over the last few years the mounting violence in around the world. When has there ever been such a global cry for peace?

   So what is the reason for my letter? Jesus said a time would come when He would shout, “Come up here!” And millions of His people would be caught up to meet Him in the air and taken to heaven. Can you imagine that? He said all those who are born-again believers will be changed from mortal to immortal bodies in the blink of an eye or in the “twinkling of an eye.” THAT FAST.

    Please stop and think about that for a minute - the panic, the heartbreak - is unimaginable and indescribable, but please try and imagine. Not long after the moment Christ removes His church, a seven-year countdown will begin. Anyone still here on earth will be left to face a time called Jacob’s Trouble or the Tribulation period. It will be a time that could easily be called the Perfect Storm. All of Satan’s fury and God’s wrath will be unleashed upon those still here.

    Those who survive will have been divided into two camps—those who have pledged allegiance to Jesus Christ (after the Rapture), and those who have aligned themselves with mankind and Satan himself. If you align yourself with Jesus, you will suffer martyrdom for your decision. If you choose mankind, you will suffer eternal damnation. Either way, you will die for your decision.

    You might be thinking I’m being overly dramatic. I can’t even begin to be dramatic enough to warn you of what is soon to come. I wish I could.

    Think back to Hurricane Katrina. Suppose I was the weatherman and I knew it was coming and the eye was for sure to hit the town you live in. But rather than offending you, or for the sake of being politically correct, I chose to keep the “warning” to myself, and because I did, you were blindsided by the storm and lost your life. What kind of person or weatherman would I be?

    According to my faith, there is coming a storm upon this earth that will leave no person untouched by catastrophe. Your ONLY hope to escape is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, by being born-again by the Spirit of God. If you will believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ has died and rose from the grave, you will be saved!

    Please, if you are reading this letter, do just that—believe in Jesus and confess him!

    Jesus said this: “If you will confess me before men, I will confess you to my Father. But if you deny me before men, I will deny you before my Father.”

    In closing, please let me restate that I am no better than anyone. Not at all! But I CARE ABOUT YOU. Please hear this letter for what it is. I don’t want you to be caught in the most horrific storm this world has ever seen. A seven-year storm is coming, as sure as death and taxes. Please, REPENT if you haven’t already. Make Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life. I am begging you! His wrath will soon be poured out.

    Let me just say this again, I love you all. If this hurts or offends you, I’m sorry. I’d rather hurt and offend you and have you HEAR this message and make sure you KNOW it rather than to stay fearfully quiet. I wouldn’t want you to someday stand before God and have Him tell you that you didn’t make it because TC cared more about his own pride than he cared for you!”

   TC closed his notepad and prayed, “Father, I have tried to do as I felt you leading me.
I have written this letter of warning in your name. Please Lord, bless this letter and
convict all my friends and family to hear its urgent message. For your glory and purpose
in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

~ Tim Cameron

http://raptureready.com/soap2/cameron43.html