RENEW YOUR FAITH AT CHRISTMAS

But the angel said to them, "... I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." Luke 2:10 (NIV)

Knowing that Christmastime is God's chosen time teaches us that Christmas is the time for us to renew our faith.

We need not fear God because of the Good News of Christ's arrival; it is a Good News meant to "bring great joy to all people." (Luke 2:10 NLT)

What is the Good News?

• You matter to God: God knows everything about you -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- and He still loves you. He cares about you. He loves you more than you could ever know. God is for you, not against you.
• You are not an accident: Regardless of the circumstances of your birth, you were not the result of an accident. God has a plan and a purpose for your life. The only way you will find meaning and satisfaction is to discover God's purpose for your life and then to get right into the center of his will.

God sent Jesus so you could know what He's like. If God wanted to communicate to birds, He would have become a bird. If God had wanted to communicate to cows, He would have become a cow. If He wanted to communicate to dogs, He would have become a dog. But God wanted to relate to you and to me, so He became like us -- a human being.

The thing is this -- I don't have the foggiest idea of what it means to relate to something like 'The Force' -- some impersonal power in the sky. But when I see Jesus in human form, I can say, "That's what God's like. I can understand that."

This is why Christmas is not about a religion. You may be Catholic; you may be Jewish; you may be Presbyterian, or Buddhist, or Baptist, or Lutheran; I don't care what your religious background is, Jesus didn't come to give you religion. He came to give you a relationship.

Christmas is God saying, "I want to relate to you. I want you to know Me as much as I know you." That's joyful news. It's good news!

THE WORD MADE FLESH

Rev. James C. Matthews

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

John 1:14 is one of the most revealing scriptures in the Bible. It not only reveals God Himself having come as one of us, but a kingdom principle that God intends for us to live by. This principle simply stated is: Every word God speaks, He intends for it to be made flesh - or manifest! If this is true, and believers desire to see God's Word manifest in their lives, why is there so little manifestation taking place? It is not that the Word is impotent or insufficient. Far from it! The answer lies in our lack of understanding concerning the biblical principle and process by which God has ordained manifestation occur.

Many people have become frustrated, and even fainted, due to a lack of manifestation in their lives as it pertains to the Word of God. They hear and believe the Word of God, but are still waiting on the promises to manifest in their lives. We misunderstand what the Word of God is and how it manifests in our lives. Manifestation is really the revelation of what was there all the time - it just wasn't visible. Manifestation is a two part process that involves both God and man. God initiates the process by providing the spiritual substance of the thing, then man is responsible for doing what is necessary in the natural to prepare a place for it to manifest. Without both there will be no manifestation.

"Now faith (the Word of God) is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1, brackets added). This scripture reveals that God has provided the substance of all things we hope for through His Word. Our ability to see what we're hoping for is dependent upon a place being prepared in the natural.

This is more clearly seen in John 1:1 and John 1:14. It reads, "In the beginning was the word' ... 'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." The Word has been there all the time. However, when God decided to make His Word flesh or to manifest it, He had to find a "prepared place" (Mary's womb) for the Pre-existing Word to manifest itself. Man now could see what had been there from the beginning. We first receive a thing by our hearing before it can pass through our hands.

As I considered this revelation, the Holy Spirit revealed to me, there is so little manifestation in believers' lives because they do not understand that God provides for us by speaking to us. Every provision God has given man has come from His mouth. They continue to look for things at the mailbox, another person or through a job, when the authorized means of manifestation begin in the Word. God has done His part - He has given us His Word. We must receive and prepare to see what He has said.

I praise God for His Word that was made flesh! When we were helplessly lost and desperately indebted to sin, God sent His Word to be made flesh for us. The same Word that created all things (Hebrews 11:3, Colossians 1:16), became a man so that He could die for all men and pay a debt that we could not pay. I thank God that His Word became flesh! Even more so, I am glad that His Word has found a prepared place in me and become flesh!

MY SKIN FOR HIS

by Milan Ford

For the past fifteen years (perhaps even longer), I have struggled with the discoloration of my skin due to poor acne growing up. Like most young people growing up, acne was that distant cousin no one wanted around, but kept showing up uninvited and more often than not, with friends.

Like many young adults who are still recovering from skin scars from their adolescent years, I have just about tried every product in the book. Some have worked, most have not. As one particular dermatologist told me earlier this year (while I was standing in a grocery checkout line):

"It takes longer to heal from a scar than it does to actually make one."

Honestly, I didn't know whether to respond with "thank you" or "did I ask for your opinion" - it's amazing how your flaws (when visible to the public) have a way of constantly drawing someone else's diagnosis even when you haven't asked for it.

As a leader (and survivor of ministry) within the local church, my appearance is often something that has been a private prison for me. Despite the unconditional love of my wife and three children, there are still times when I shy away from taking some family photos, and when it comes to meeting with other leaders or friends, keeping eye contact remains a tall mountain to climb.

About a week or so ago, while standing in my bathroom, preparing to test yet another skin care product someone had recommended, I was reminded of this incredibly powerful passage of scripture found in John 1:1-5v:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was the life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Now skip down to the 14th verse:

And the Word became FLESH and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

I want to speak directly to everyone reading this today who may have a problem with the 'skin' that they find themselves in right now. Whether you are having a challenge regarding your weight, finding meaningful relationships, locating a new job, or perhaps just holding onto the job you have now...

...please do not allow your quest for personal improvement to cause you to lose sight of the glorious image our Father has provided us all through His Son, Jesus Christ.

I realize that your new year's resolution list is piling up yet again concerning some of the things you desire to change about yourself, but before you invest in yet another self-help product, be sure to spend the time necessary to embrace the fact that you have been uniquely fashioned 'in Christ' before the foundations of the world. Everything that you still deem to be 'dark' in your life cannot compare to the light that Christ desires to shine on us who believe.

This is not a time to hang your head down low or to live a life that is beneath what you are capable of. The time has come for you to exchange YOUR SKIN for HIS.

To know that despite our flaws, Christ came down, embraced our humanity, and now presents us as 'flawless' before an omnipotent God, should ignite within us all a fire that no one can extinguish.

So if you can excuse me, I'm running late for a photo shoot my wife scheduled for me!

Perhaps it's time you should schedule yours.