December, 2022 | THE BIBLE VIEW

The BIBLE VIEW #890 — Christian Example

In This Issue:
It Could Have Been Me
A Child of God Should Be…
I Am A Soldier

Volume: 890 January 1, 20239
Theme: Christian Example

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It Could Have Been Me
Bill Brinkworth

Thank you, Lord. I am grateful for your mercy, love, and all the “second, third… hundredth…” chances you have given me.

I was saved. So many had the opportunity, did not trust Christ as their Saviour, and sooner than they expected, they died. As far as anyone knows, they are in Hell! It could be me that died lost!
I did many terrible things, and many horrible events happened to me, but I did not die. It could have been me that perished because of my foolishness! God protected me so that I could get saved and serve Him. So many did fewer dumb things than I did and perished.
I am glad after I got saved that I took my salvation seriously. I studied the Bible, attended church, did my best to obey what God showed me to do, and served Him with all my heart. So many also got saved, did nothing for the Lord, died, and now they must surely be regretting their mistakes.
I am overwhelmed that God gave me opportunities and used me to do His will. There are many more intelligent, talented people that could have done so much for Him but did not. They wasted much of their life when they could have done great things for the Lord and society. It could have been me that was useless to the cause of Christ.
I am so appreciative that I learned proper biblical doctrines. God allowed me to have excellent Bible preachers, teachers, and friends. So many, brighter than I, believed unbiblical teachings, followed the wrong doctrines and did not please the Lord. Because of their ignorance of His truths, they were, often unknowingly, disobedient to His Word. It could have been me that followed the wrong Spirit and false teachings.

My realizations are not meant as boastings. I recall that God even used a donkey to do His bidding by talking to a man of God (Number 22:28). So, if He can use a donkey, He can certainly use me. We both were willing, and you?

“He that turneth from the road to rescue another, turneth toward his goal; he shall arrive by the footpath of mercy; God will be his guide.” — Henry VanDyke

A Child of God Should Be…
Bill Brinkworth

Christians are often the only source the unsaved see that glorifies our God, His will, and His way. Godly men and women should represent Him by living differently than those not born again.

Here, in this study on the “man of God,” men, and in most cases women, can see how their lifestyle should be. A saved person should be:

A Christ-like example.
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” I Timothy 6:11
“That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” II Timothy 3:17

A blessing to others, as was Moses.
“And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.” Deuteronomy 33:1

A praying person and a leader, as was Moses.
“A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.” Psalm 90:1
“Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:17

Honorable, knows the mind of God, is known from afar, and someone to go to when there’s a problem, as was Samuel.
“And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.” I Samuel 9:6

Able to “hear” and be obedient to God, as was a man of God during Jeroboam’s day.
“And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.” I King 13:1
“The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.” I King 13:5

Speaks and knows the truth, as did Elijah.
“And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.” I Kings 17:24

Speaks for God.
“And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” I Kings 20:28

Trusts God, as did Elijah.
“And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty… 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight….” II Kings 1:10-14

Obeys God’s commandments (“law”), as did Solomon.
“And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.” II Chronicles 8:14

Able to discern what to do in many situations.
“But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.” II Chronicles 25:7

Chastised by the Lord when necessary.
“And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.” I Kings 13:26

“If you want your neighbor to see what the Christ spirit will do for him, let him see what it has done for you.” — H. Beecher

I Am A Soldier
Author Unknown

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” II Timothy 2:3

I am a soldier in the army of my God. The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, prayer, and God’s Word are my weapons of warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in His army, and I have enlisted for eternity. I will either retire at the rapture or die in His army, but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or be pushed out. I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there. If He needs me in the Sunday school to teach the children or work with the youth, if He needs me to work with the adults, He can use me because I am there.

I am a soldier! I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up, or pepped up. I am a soldier!

No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me. I am a soldier! I’m not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom. No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, coddled, cradled, cared for, or be catered to. I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around, and I cannot be discouraged enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing. If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead. If I win, my God is the reason, and He will continue to supply all my needs.

I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ. The devil cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me, and Hell cannot handle me. I am a soldier! Even death cannot destroy me.

When my commander calls me from His battlefield, He will promote me to captain and then allow me to rule with Him. I am a soldier in His army, and I am marching and claiming the victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a soldier marching Heaven bound. Here I stand! Will you stand with me?

“Loyalty that will do anything, that will endure anything, that will make the whole being consecrate to Him, is what Christ wants. Anything else is not worthy of Him. — Burdett Hart

The BIBLE VIEW#889 — Christian Examples

In This Issue:
Wet Wood
The Keeper’s Light
Gone and Missed
Bad Choice
Start Doing

Volume: 889 December 19, 2022
Theme: Christian Example

Wet Wood
Bill Brinkworth

Like many, we try to avoid using the house furnace to heat our house in the winter and try to heat it as much as possible with our wood stove.

Every summer, I cut, split, and stack wood for winter’s use. In the cold months, I use the oak that was split back in July. It burns hot, starts quickly, and does a wonderful job of heating the house. It seems, however, that I never split enough.

In early fall, I continue to split more, but it has not dried enough when I use it in December or January. Yes, it burns, but the heat is half as much as seasoned wood produces. It needs more attention, or it will go out. As it burns, it is not hard to hear the water still in the wood, bubbling and sizzling.

As I was burning the wetter wood at the end of this season, I thought about how much it was like many Christians. Because of their involvement in sin, lack of spiritual growth, or decisions to not give their utmost to the Highest, they never totally achieve God’s full potential for them.

Yes, they had gotten saved, but that is about where it ends. Unfaithfully, they attend church or start reading their Bible, but soon their attempts fizzle out. If someone visits them, they may go to church that one time.

It seems they are high-maintenance Christians. They require a lot of attention to keep living the way they should. They’re like the wet wood; they do not burn hot for the Lord. They constantly need “stoking.”

Like the sap-soaked green wood, it will not be long until their little light flickers out. They will not lose their salvation, but it will not be long until their church pew is empty, or they will be one of the countless that are saved but not doing anything with their salvation.

What a waste of a precious, spiritual life they are. God had such grand plans for them. It is a shame their light is close to flickering out; if they would only “dry out.” No one can do it for them. They have to do it for themselves.

They must decide on whom they will serve and how fervently. It is they that have to obey the commands God has already laid on their hearts through reading Scripture or convictions laid there from a Sunday sermon. The choice must be theirs. This world desperately needs seasoned, mature Christians to warm this dying, cold world with fervent, godly heat!

“To walk on water, you first have to get out of the boat!.” — Author Unknown

The Keeper’s Light
Author Unknown

A traveler once, visiting the lighthouse at Calais, said to the keeper, “What if one of your lights should go out at night?”

“Never. Impossible!” the lighthouse keeper cried. “Sir, yonder are ships sailing to all parts of the world. If tonight one of my burners were out, in six months, I will hear from America, or India, saying that on such a night the lights at Calais lighthouse gave no warning, and some vessel had been wrecked. Ah, sir! Sometimes I feel, when I look upon my lights, as if the eyes of the entire world were fixed upon me. Go out! Burn dim! Never! Impossible!”

What a lesson to the Christian! It is not just good intentions that make the Christian a spiritual lighthouse for the world. Let then his example be full, bright, and clear. The moment he neglects it, and leaves his “lamps” untrimmed, some poor soul, struggling amid the waves of temptation, will be dashed upon the rocks of destruction for lack of a good, Christian testimony to draw them to safety.

“If you want your neighbor to see what the Christ spirit will do for him, let him see what it has done for you.” — H. Beecher

Gone and Missed
T. Cuyler – edited

We missed him when he was gone. When he went home to Glory, he left something more than a tomb behind him. He left a goodly heritage of holy deeds. There is a fragrant perfume yet lingering about his precious memory; a trail of light that followed his luminous pathway has not yet died away from his saddened disappearance from this earth.

He was a legible Christian. There was no mistaking him. He never stood upon debatable ground. He never required one to search the church records to see if he was only a professor of “religion.” We felt and saw his “religion.”

You might have followed him by the fragrance of his Christ-like deeds of well-doing. You might enter the house of sorrow and see that he had been there by the weeping eyes once more dried and the broken hearts he encouraged. You might enter an abode of poverty and know that he had been there by the plentiful stores he had left behind. If you saw a group of children gathered by the wayside, you might have conjectured that he was there already giving out packages of little booklets and New Testaments. We all felt him in every good enterprise: in the prayer circle, Sunday school, and church. His mark was left pretty much everywhere.

But now there is a great blank in our meetings and gatherings. We wait in vain for his beseeching, tremulous voice that well we knew had the ear and heart of God. The teachers’ prayer meeting is not the same now that he is gone. The little Bible class that met at Widow Mear’s house is now without a shepherd.

It was a little time since a long procession wound its way, with many weeping eyes out of the village churchyard. That grave, beside which you may sometimes see an aged woman in black bending over it, had a stone with a touching date engraved on it. It reads, “aged twenty-four years.” His slight form and boyish expression made him look younger than that, but his testimony and work for the Lord surpassed most of those that were older than 60 years.

When it is our time to go to Glory, will we leave such a testimony behind?

“The path may lead, but examples draw.” — H. G. Bohn

Bad Choice
F. W. Robertson- edited

Lot chose wisely by the world’s standards. Well, if this world be all, he got rich soil, became a prince, and had kings for neighbors. It was nothing to Lot that “the men of the land were sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” It was more important to him that the land was well-watered everywhere.

But his wife became addicted to her city’s glitter and enticements, and his children were tainted with ineradicable corruption. Warnings from God finally got him and his family to leave. All they gained for their time in that community was left behind. It was a wasted time for Lot and his family.

Lot’s wife looked back with lingering regret upon their splendid home and was turned into encrusting salt. His children carried with them into a new life the plague-spot of sin they “caught” from their exposure while living in the city devoted to wicked living. All that he had built in their life in Sodom was buried by the wrath of God. The remainder of his life was spent in shame. He did not make a good choice of friends and lifestyle after all.

“Where one man reads the Bible, a hundred read you and me.” — D. L. Moody

Start Doing
Harry Todd

He that goes forth weeping,
Bearing precious seed.
Shall doubtless come rejoicing,
Bringing sheaves, indeed.

But too many Christians
Are standing idle today,
Telling others to take it easy
Instead of telling them “The Way.”

Christ commands us, “Go,”
And the rich man in Hell
Still echoes, “I have five brethren,
Won’t someone go and tell!”

James said to be not only hearers,
But be ye doers too,
You’ve heard many times,
When are you going to do?

We are saved to serve;
There is a job to do,
A few are serving Christ,
What excuse have you?

Christ is coming soon,
To catch His bride away.
Now it is the time to work,
Christians, start today!

The BIBLE VIEW #888 — Faith

In This Issue:
Faith
Examples of Biblical Faith
Christ, Our Guide

Volume: 888 December 12, 2022
Theme: Faith

Faith
Bill Brinkworth

What Is Faith? Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines faith as ”…the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on His authority ad veracity… the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Simple belief of the scriptures….”
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Have faith in God. He is reliable and trustworthy! Reliance on His help and commandments is essential in letting Him lead and guide one’s life.
“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” Mark 11:22
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Heb. 11:6

Have faith in God’s son, Jesus.
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2 Also: Rom. 3:22.

Faith in Christ can have one’s sins forgiven.
“And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” Luke 5:20

Faith is essential for salvation!
“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” I Cor. 15:14
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Ephesians 2:8 Also: Romans 3:28, I Corinthians 15:17, I John 5:4.

Not having faith is a sin!
“And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23

Some have a replacement for living by faith. They trust in themselves. That “trust” is a “work,” and working one’s way to Heaven is an impossibility and is a sin!
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” I Timothy 6:10

Since faith in Christ’s work on the cross saves us, not having faith we can have salvation, or we can lose the “gift” is sin!
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 Also: I Timothy 4:1.

One proof of our salvation is our change in our faith and the spiritual fruit it produces!
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17
“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:20 Also: Gal 2:20, 5:22.

We are to live by faith during this “church age.” We are not to live by sight as in the Old Testament. That is where the cults, relying on seeing miraculous proofs of their salvation, are wrong!
“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” II Corinthians 5:7
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” II Timothy 2:22: Also: Gal 2:20, 3:11, Eph. 6:16, I Thessalonians 5:8, I Tim. 6:12, II Tim. 4:7, Hebrews 10:38.

Have faith that God will meet your needs.
“Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” Mat. 6:30

A blessing from living by faith is that God will give one an understanding of His plans and workings. His will shall be revealed to those who trust Him.
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Heb. 11:3

“If you have no joy, there has to be a leak in your faith somewhere.” H. Beecher

Examples of Biblical Faith
Bill Brinkworth

A centurion had faith that the words of Christ were sufficient to heal.
“When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” Mat. 8:10

Disease with an issue of blood. A woman had faith that if she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. She did touch it and was healed!
“But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Mat. 9:22

Equipped with only faith, a woman came to Jesus to remove a possessing devil from her daughter. Because of her reliance and trust on Him, her daughter was made whole.
“Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.” Mat. 15:28

Disciples let fear control them and did not believe God would protect them from harm. If they had faith, they could have asked God to deliver them from their dilemma, as we can when we face “storms.”
“And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Mat. 8:26

The “faith chapter” in Hebrews 11 reminds readers of Old Testament saints that had faith:
Abel: Hebrews 11:4
Enoch: Heb. 11:5
Noah: Heb. 11:7
Abraham: Heb. 11:8-9, 17
Sarah: Heb. 11:11
Isaac: Heb. 11:20
Jacob: Heb. 11:21
Joseph: Heb. 11:22
Moses: Heb. 11:23-24, 27, 28
Israel: Heb. 11:29-30
Rahab: Heb. 11:31

Those Old Testament saints and many more overcame challenges and impossibilities by faith in their great God. They stepped out blindly trusting Him, and He did the “impossible.” Will you also step out by faith and trust God when you face tragedies, terrors, and temptations?

“Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees
And looks to God alone,
Laughs at impossibilities
And cries, ‘It shall be done!’” — Charles Wesley

Christ, Our Guide
C. H. Spurgeon

When Mr. Andrew Fuller was going to preach one day, he rode to the meeting on his horse. There had been a lot of rain, and the rivers were very swollen. He got to one river, which he had to cross. He looked at it and feared the strong current as he did not know its depth.

A farmer, who happened to be standing by, said, “It is all right, Mr. Fuller. You will get through it all right, sir. The horse will keep its feet.”

Mr. Fuller went in, and the water got up to the girth and then up to the saddle. The preacher began to get uncomfortably wet. Mr. Fuller thought he had better turn around, and he was going to do so when the same farmer shouted, “Go on, Mr. Fuller. Go on. I know it is all right.”

Mr. Fuller replied, “Then I will go on. I will go by faith.”

Now, sinner, it is like that with you. You think that your sins are too deep and that Christ will never be able to carry you over them. However, I say to you, “It is all right, sinner. Trust Jesus, and he will carry you through Hell itself if it were needful and possible. If you had all the sins of all the men that have ever lived, and they were all yours, if you trusted him, Jesus Christ would carry you through the current of all that sin. It is alright, man! Only trust Christ. The river may be deep, but Christ’s love is deeper still. It is all right, man!

Do not let the devil make you doubt my Lord and Master. Satan is a liar from the beginning and the father of lies, but my Master is faithful and true. Rest on him, and it is alright. Herein lies the supreme consolation of this earthly life.”

“When a train goes through a dark tunnel, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through safely. Trust God today, no matter how dark your situation. God says, ‘You are coming out’!” — C. H. Spurgeon

The BIBLE VIEW #887 — Christmas

In This Issue:
Was Jesus Born on December 25?
An Opportune Time
Jesus Came Anyway
The First and Last Time He Comes

Volume: 887 December 5, 2022
Theme: Christmas

Was Jesus Born on December 25?
Rev. Alexander Hislop

Many Christian holidays have their true meanings, and even the time they occurred altered by false religion’s influence. Christmas, unfortunately, is one of those days. Although Christ was definitely born on this Earth, and all the Bible says about Him is true, false religions and their effort to get people to accept their false teachings successfully merged their doctrines with those of Christianity.

Here is some of the history behind how December 25th was adopted to be the day of Christ’s birth, according to Rev. Alexander Hislop’s The Two Babylons:

“ … The festivals of [Catholic] Rome are innumerable, but five of the most important may be singled out for elucidation: Christmas day, Lady day, Easter, the Nativity of St. John, and the Feast of the Assumption. Each and all of these can be proved to be Babylonian. And first, as to the festival in honour of the birth of Christ, or Christmas.

“… How comes it that the festival was connected with the 25th of December? There is not a word in the Scriptures about the precise day of His birth or the time of the year when He was born. What is recorded there implies that at what time His birth took place, it couldnot have been on the 25th of December.

“… At the time that the angel announced His birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were feeding their flocks by night in the open fields. Now, no doubt, the climate of Palestine is not so severe as the climate of this country; but even there, though the heat of the day be considerable, the cold of the night, from December to February, is very piercing and it was not the custom for the shepherds of Judea to watch their flocks in the open fields laterthan about the end of October. It is in the last degree incredible that the birth of Christ could have taken place at the end of December.

“… the celebrated Joseph Mede pronounces a very decisive opinion to the same effect. … At the birth of Christ, every woman and child was to go to be taxed at the city whereto they belonged, whither some had long journeys, but the middle of winter was not fitting for such a business, especially for women with child, and children to travel in. Therefore, Christ could not be born in the depth of winter. Again, at the time of Christ’s birth, the shepherds lay abroad watching with their flocks in the nighttime; but this was not likely to be in the middle of winter. And if any shall think the winter wind was not so extreme in these parts, let him remember the words of Christ in the Gospel, ‘… pray ye that your flight be not in the winter … (Mat. 24:20)’. If the winter was so bad a time to flee in, it seems no fit time for shepherds to lie in the fields, and women and children to travel in.”

“… Indeed, it is admitted by the most learned and candid writers of all parties that the day of our Lord’s birth cannot be determined and that within the Christian churchno such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and that not until the fourth century did it gain much observance.

“… How did the Romish Church fix December the 25th as Christmas day? Why, thus:

Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the part of Christians to meet paganism halfway was very early developed, and we find Tertullian, even in his day, about the year 230 AD, bitterly lamenting the inconsistency of the disciples of Christ in this respect and contrasting it with the strict fidelity of the pagans to their own superstition.

“… Upright men strive to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts, the apostasy went on, until the church, with the exception of a small remnant, was submerged under pagan superstition. That Christmas was originally a pagan festival is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin.

“Also, in Egypt, the son of Isis was born at this very time, ‘about the time of the winter solstice. The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves — Yule-day — proves at once its pagan and Babylonian origin. ‘Yule’ is the Chaldean name for an ‘infant’ or ‘little child’; and as the 25^th of December was called by pagan Anglo-Saxons, ‘Yule-day’, or the ‘Child’s day.’ The night that preceded it became known as ‘Mother-night,’ long before (380–362 BC) they came in contact with Christianity. This sufficiently proves the real reason December 25 was selected.”

“Christmas is a time for ‘giving up’ sin, bad habits, and selfish pleasures. Christmas is a time for ‘giving in,’ surrendering to Christ and accepting Him as King. Christmas is a time for ‘giving out,’ real giving and not swapping.”
Author Unknown

An Opportune Time
Oliver B. Greene

Christmas is a depressing time for many people. An article written by a director of the California Department of Mental Hygiene warned, “The Christmas season is marked by greater emotional stress and more acts of violence than at any other time of the year.”

Christmas is an excuse to get drunk, have a party, get something, give a little, leave work, get out of school, spend money, overeat, and all other excesses. But, for the real church, Christmas is an excuse for us to exalt Jesus Christ in the face of a world that is at least tuned into His name.

“The message of Christmas is that the visible material world is bound to the invisible, spiritual world.” — Author Unknown

Jesus Came Anyway
Oliver B. Greene

Sherwood Wirt captured the mood of that first Christmas in this description, which he wrote in a Christmas card: “The people of that time were being heavily taxed and faced every prospect of a sharp increase to cover expanding military expenses. The threat of world domination by a cruel, ungodly, power-intoxicated band of men was ever just below the threshold of consciousness. Moral deterioration had corrupted the upper levels of society and was moving rapidly into the broad base of the populace. Intense nationalistic feeling was clashing openly with new and sinister forms of imperialism. Conformity was the spirit of the age. Government handouts were being used with increasing lavishness to keep the population from rising up and throwing out the leaders. Interest rates were spiraling upward in the midst of an inflated economy. External religious observances were considered a political asset, and abnormal emphasis was placed on sports and athletic competition. Racial tensions were at the breaking point.”

In such a time, and amid such a people, a child was born to a couple who had just signed up for a fresh round of taxation and were soon to become political exiles. The child born was called, among other things, Immanuel, God with us.

“Selfishness makes Christmas a burden; love makes it a delight.”

The First and Last Time He Comes
Oliver B. Greene

The Lord Jesus Christ, whom we exalt especially at Christmas, is not just a baby in a manger. He is not a character in a children’s story. He is far more.

The first time He came, He came veiled in the form of a child. The next time He comes, and we believe it will be soon, He will come unveiled, and it will be abundantly and immediately clear to all the world just who He is.
The first time He came, a star marked His arrival. The next time He comes, the whole heavens will roll up like a scroll, and all the stars will fall out of the sky, and He will light it.
The first time He came, wise men and shepherds brought Him gifts. The next time He comes, He will bring rewards for His own.
The first time He came, there was no room for Him. The next time He comes, the whole world will not be able to contain His glory.
The first time He came, only a few attended His arrival — some. The next time He comes, every eye shall see Him.
The first time He came as a baby. Soon He will come as Sovereign King and Lord.

“The hinge of history is on the door of a Bethlehem stable.”
— Ralph W. Stockman