For the majority of the nation of Israel, the birth of Christ made no impact. For some Jewish families from the first century, it was the worst day of their lives. And to a select few, the birth of Christ was life changing. Who were the select few whose lives were turned upside down by […]
christmas
Christmas 2012 – Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus and A Savior for our Sins (pt1 of 3)
Background of Christmas Merry Christmas! It’s a cozy group. The college students are away. Some familiar faces are back for the break, like Peter. It’s good to have you, brother. I have a two-part series about the meaning of Christmas. For today, I am going to explain a bit about the traditions surrounding Christmas and […]
Christmas 2011: Worship – Matthew 2:1–12 (pt2 of 3)
How did it come to pass that Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Let’s read Luke 2:1-7. Luke 2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) So what’s the […]
Christmas 2011: Worship – Matthew 2:1–12 (pt1 of 3)
Merry Christmas! I can’t believe it’s already the end of the year. Didn’t this year just fly by? It felt like just yesterday when I was kneeling right there and I was being prayed over during my ordination. That was in February. My parents were here, and other family members-Chris, Carolyn, Warren, David. Today is […]
Revelation 12: Why Are There So Many Scrooges During Christmas? (Part 4 of 4)
Third, we triumph by the word of our testimony without shrinking from death. Rev 12:11 – They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. What does it mean to triumph by the word […]
Revelation 12: Why Are There So Many Scrooges During Christmas? (Part 3 of 4)
What about the spiritual reality? Here in Revelation, we get to put our spiritual night vision goggles and we see a deeper spiritual message. Let’s read Rev 12:4 starting from the second half of that verse — Rev 12:4 – 4 …The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, […]