By Biblestudycompany.com Ric Joyner
We will state upfront that Christmas is not a biblical holiday. But it is not unbiblical to celebrate the birth of Christ. We should also not equalize Christmas with the advent of our Savior. The Old Testament prophesized over the birth of the Savior to come. The current secular traditions of Santa, with almost God-like qualities and manipulating kids to "further fantasize" a jolly old man who can give all children on earth toys and an "elf on the shelf" that watches how they behave, is unbiblical. Still, some feel it is acceptable to create a myth around Santa Claus while children are young. We disagree. It is always best to be honest with children about Santa. Giving presents at this time of the year is not wrong because the Magi gave Christ's family gifts in worship to the young boy Messiah, who helped the family with the expenses of fleeing to Egypt. Consumerism and greed are wrong and sinful, but only the Holy Spirit can lead you to that truth, and He knows your heart.
Frustration mounts as we approach this time of year in the Christmas season. Screams of "Christmas is pagan" escalate into a crescendo with arguments against Christmas on social media and by some bible teachers. Could this be a veiled attack on the Gospel in the name of "we don't want to be idolators"?
Let's take a look. Please reread these scriptures prayerfully as we begin our biblical study.
Matthew Chapters 1-2 highlights
"30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel."
Luke Chapters 1 and 2. Pay attention to what the angels say a couple of times: "Good news," translated as the same word… Gospel. The birth of Christ was good news for Jews because their long-awaited Messiah was finally here, and the prophecy was fulfilled. We write this paper 2,000 years later for Gentiles, grateful that the apostles preached the Gospel to us: Good news: Christ came as a child to break the back of sin and death and allowed us Gentiles an eternal "home" and become children of God! Gentiles are not part of the nation of Israel, but we are part of God's family! (Eph Chap 1-4) We celebrate the birth of Christ because of the Gospel!
Read John 1 for a view from heaven of why Christ came.
"9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the intention of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. We saw His glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him."
If it is, then are you a pagan for celebrating the Day of Christ's birth? The historical false proof that Christmas is pagan is thrown at you with overwhelming emotional authoritarianism. Is emotionalism based on biblical truth? How about historical facts? We know the origin of Christmas (birth of Christ) is biblical. The story of our Savior starts with His birth because the prophets mentioned He was coming. We suspect the anti-Christmas vehemence is agenda-driven. We ask this question because born-again believing Christians are not worshipping pagan deities by participating in the birth of Christ called Christmas today. I spoke to a Torah-keeping brother who said, "Yes, Christmas is pagan." I asked how that could be, and he shared, "When you put a present under the tree, you are 'bowing' down to the tree." I was stunned. The logic he displayed defied logic. Yeah, no. Worshipping a pagan deity requires one to engage the diety knowingly.
In our research, there were pagan celebrations that started around the time of 274 AD, but they appear to be in response to Christians in Rome celebrating the birth of Christ! We then ask what came first, the "chicken or the egg?" "However, it has also been argued that, on the contrary, Emperor Aurelian, who in 274 instituted the holiday of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, did so partly as an attempt to give a pagan significance to a date already important for Christians in Rome.[76]
Is the nearness of a pagan holiday make Christmas pagan? When I sift through the concerns of 'Christmas is pagan,' people, did you know there was a pagan holiday at this time? We will deal with this later, but does that make celebrating the birth of Christ pagan today? Let's ask another question: Is Hanukkah pagan? The answer is no. Yet, Hanukkah is square in the middle of this pagan holiday called Saturnalia. The true church pushed hard against these wicked holidays, and to assume born-again believers were participating in pagan festivals doesn't make much sense since Christians had to live outside of society for several hundred years because of severe persecution.
Calling Christmas pagan because of the nearness of the same period of a pagan holiday would be the same as calling Easter (the resurrection of Christ) and Passover pagan. The proximity does not work because a pagan spring festival may happen simultaneously.
We can confidently say that born-again believers would not have observed a pagan holiday and dishonored our Lord Jesus Christ, who rescued us from sin and death. Born-again believers do not participate in pagan rituals today, and Christmas is about the birth of Christ.
Conclusion. We will focus on the birth of Christ currently and not conflate the past to today.
"Certainly today, the mix of consumerism (AKA Santa Claus) can take people's eyes off Christ, but our job is to bring them back to the salvation message of the Gospel. Will you join us?" BSC.
Note: In our extensive research, we stumbled upon a Wikipedia article. We usually would bypass Wikipedia as higher education frowns on the use of Wikipedia; however, this article has stood the test of time (2001) and is updated continually, even in 2021. Once you dive into the article, you will see the extent and expanse of the research on Christmas.
"Got you, Biblestudycompany…see, Christmas is pagan". Well, no, and not so fast. This Wikipedia article on Christmas is excellent and thorough for a balanced perspective.
Here are some highlights:
"Christmas" is a shortened form of "Christ's mass." The word was recorded as Crīstesmæsse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131.[22] Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah," meaning "anointed";[23][24] and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.[25]”
"December 25 was the winter solstice date in the Roman calendar.[16][53] A late fourth-century sermon by Saint Augustine explains why this was a fitting day to celebrate Christ's nativity: "Hence it is that He was born on the Day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us chose the shortest Day, yet the one whence Light begins to increase." [54]
We conclude by the historical facts that the Roman Catholic Church did not exist at the beginning of Christian recognition of the birth of Christ.
"The Roman Emperor Constantine established himself as the head of the church around 313 A.D., which made this new "Christianity" the Roman Empire's official religion. The first actual Pope in Rome was probably Leo I (440-461 A.D.), although some claim that Gregory I was the first (Pope) (590-604 A.D.). This ungodly system eventually ushered in the darkest period known to man, called the "Dark Ages" (500-1500 A.D.). Through popes, bishops, and priests, Satan ruled Europe, and Biblical Christianity became illegal."
"And therefore, we should not celebrate the birth of Christ." We would say, "Tell that to the angels engaging the shepherds because heaven celebrated the birth of God's Son!" Luke 2:2-14
"And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
Note: the words Good News are translated from Greek
Original word: εὐαγγελίζω
Transliteration: euaggelizó
Definition (short): preach
Description (complete): to announce good news
Yep, evangelize during Christmas. There are hurting hearts at this time of the year, and many blindly celebrate a holiday not connected to Christ's birth. Let us help people relate it to Christ, our Savior.
If not Christmas, what should we celebrate instead? We should celebrate Hanukkah to return to our Jewish roots. Hanukkah was not part of the Gospel, and the birth of Christ IS part of the Gospel.
We encourage everyone everywhere to ask God whether one should participate in the celebration of the birth of Christ. We say YES! We can confidently push back on anti-Christmas and anti-birth of Christ people with correct historical and biblical facts.
During this time of the year, people are open to the Gospel for nearly one month. Do we let this opportunity slide through our fingers? In Matthew 28, our commission is to go and make disciples. To make a disciple, we must present the Gospel first. Will we waste our time arguing over the birth of Christ, whether it is pagan or not? To this, we say that people saying Christmas or the celebration of the birth of Christ is pagan are avoiding the Gospel! Why? Who in the spiritual realm attacks the Gospel and wants it destroyed? Satan. Think about this tidbit. Imagine a worldwide focus on Christmas, even in Buddhist countries. Why not present the Gospel at this time of the year? As Paul said, his focus was on getting people reconciled to God. (2Cor 5:18-21)
"15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." The Accuser is bound and determined to use people, even with good intentions, to stop the message of the Gospel of Salvation. We use the word accusation intentionally because people who celebrate traditional Christmas are called pagans. A severe charge but, fortunately, untrue.
God is a God of prophecy. He wants us to know what is coming. He answered His word and has "healing in His wings" to "reconcile us to God." There are no other holy books that contain prophetic words fulfilled!
Every Christmas season is a literal miracle that this holiday (holy Day) is focused worldwide on Jesus Christ, our Savior. Even the Wikipedia article acknowledges this undeniable fact.
Therefore, let us turn aside from the poor handling of scripture and agenda-driven history "facts" and focus on the birth of Christ and sharing the Good news of His coming to rescue us from our sin, thus giving us eternal life without works and fear in the blood of Christ!
What can you and your family do to share the love of Christ with a hurting world this Christmas season? Here is one video that touches our hearts when we watch it.
Feel free to share the resources.
Melton, James. "The Plain Truth about the Roman Catholic Church." biblebelievers.com. Bible Baptist Publications, 1998. https://biblebelievers.com/jmelton/Catholic.html.
Wikipedia Contributors. "Christmas." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 31, 2001. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas.
———. "Christmas." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 31, 2001. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
William Federer: There is a Santa Claus - History of Saint Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions
by Amazon.com Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0965355748/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_QVM4MJF835RK35KMWAHR
Christmas has nothing to do with paganism: Red pen logic
Was December 25 the date of Christ's birth? The Greek Orthodox church thinks so.
Mike Winger on Christmas:
1. Is Christmas PAGAN? In defense of Christmas
3. Stop Twisting Jeremiah 10 Because It's Not About Christmas Trees
4. Alisa Childers on Christmas
5. For the extensive history of Christmas with the discussion of the dates for the birth of Christ, God Became Incarnate James Quiggle by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/149918669X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_AR6NEZ6XB0TPZ5N1VB90
6. The star of Bethlehem is an excellent movie on the astronomical view of the star. https://youtu.be/55VRdLnkvDw
Playlist of videos that will go step by step
Article On how to study the Bible from BSC step by step
Article by Dr. Baruch on how to study the Bible
Article on how numbers play a role in Bible Study
Blog article and podcast on how we learned to study the Bible with Dr. Baruch
See full post & commentsThis prayer is a guide and biblically based. All a person needs to do is cry out to God in their own words. If you are not sure how to pray, please use this as a guide.
To have a relationship with God versus religion, pray this prayer sincerely and in your own words.
Dear Heavenly Father, (Matt. 6:9) I want a relationship with You...not a religion. I come to You and open my heart. (John 3:16) I will be honest and sincere with You. (John 4) I am running my life and need Your help. (Matt. 6:10) I am made in Your image (Gen 1:26, 27), and I won't be happy until I am in a relationship with you. (Gen. 3) Most of my behavior does not please You. (Romans 3:23) I know I am a sinner, so please forgive my sins because of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who came to die for my sins. (John 3:16) His death on the cross is the punishment I should receive, but You were gracious to die in my place through Christ. By faith, I place all of my past, present, and future sins on Christ. I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior, and salvation is a gift! I know I cannot earn my way to heaven by being good through good works. (Eph. 2:8) You did this so I can be in a relationship with You on earth and for all eternity. (Romans 10:9-13) And I will forgive those who have sinned or hurt me because you have forgiven me. Take away any bitterness or resentment I carry toward You or other people. (Matt. 6:13-14) Please show and teach me how to live a praiseworthy life on earth to You starting today. (Matt. 6:33, Acts 9 and 10) I ask you to be in my heart, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:17. I know that You love me, Father, and I want to love You and that you have a purpose and plan for my life. I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Lord, because You gave me breath in my lungs and Savior, because you paid my sin debt. Please teach me to pray. (Matt. 6:9) Thank You, Jesus, for saving me to Yourself (Ex. 19:1-8) and making me a new person! (2 Cor. 5:17) In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!
Learn to grow at www.biblestudycompany.com, Grace Bible Church, and Christ Community Church.
See full post & commentsSo many times we read the Psalms but don't give much thought to praying through them.
The example King David is giving us, on how to have an honest relationship with the Lord during our failures and successes should be an inspiration to us all.
Please join us as we walk through this wonderful Psalm and pray it back to the Lord.
See full post & comments
How we learned to study with Dr. Baruch of Loveisrael.org
We are in our study of Exodus. This is a picture of our Christian life. You can take Exodus themes and trace them into the Gospels. Exodus is a book of redemption. And so are the gospels. Mary and I realized as we got to Exodus 4, that this is where we started to learn to study with Dr. Baruch. What are the steps? We prefer not to use formalized steps because too much of Christian teaching is based on "the 10 easy steps" of this or that. We can safely say that God isn't a "step". He is our Maker, Creator of the Universe and expects us to walk before Him with a commitment to His word and working with Him on our sin (Titus 2:11-12). He paid a horrible price to redeem us from our sin and our eternal death and we want to give back to Him our love and stop our former evil life. "If you love me you will obey My commandments". John 14:15. If we love Him we will obey. What do we do? Start to study the bible. John 1 says "The Word was made flesh"! We can be disciples if we follow Christ. We can then make the case that studying the bible is following Christ.
Our podcast is about the "steps" or the actions we take in our study. A synopsis is; we study before referring to any commentary. Then we check with Dr. Baruch in biblestudycompany.com videos and compare our "try" with his knowledge. We then make adjustments in our study and growth. Rinse and repeat. Join Ric and Mary Joyner of Podcast for Pewsitters to find out the steps of how we study with Dr. Baruch. Please share.
For a link to the steps article go here: https://biblestudycompany.com/files/Howtostudythebible2.pdf
For Search Engines: There are many bible verses about love, and there are many bible verse of the day programs. The holy bible provides these remarkable bible commentary. Bible Study and online bible study are available at biblestudycompany.com. Bible verses of faith are of interest as well. Even bible verses about hope are helpful. Bible verses about women are encouraging. Read the Bible online with biblestudycompany.com. We will all do better when love is patient love is kind. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me in times of trouble. With daily bible devotions, I grow. The gifts of the holy spirit are for every day. Online bible study is so helpful. biblestudycompany is a free online bible. With so many books of the bible, I can grow. We love inspirational bible verses in daily Bible reading.
See full post & commentsIn Exodus 4 PT 2, God is on the move to fulfill His plans and purposes. Moses is in dialogue with the Lord, which is prayer. Moses is in the process of rejecting God's word, and the Lord gets angry. Why? This is because of unbelief. Not trusting all of our future outcomes on God Almighty. Unbelief is the opposite of faith, which is obedience to God's word. Unbelief is rejecting God's words, and thus the great things He has for our lives. "Wait," you say: "Podcast for Pewsitters, Moses was being asked to take on the most powerful person and nation on the planet." Yep, this is the same as Christ asking us to take up our cross daily (well sort of but not as dramatic) and put our will and desires aside. Can we? No. Not unless we get help from God, Who, by the way, is the Creator of the Universe (let that sink in). So will we ask Him for His power? Will we respond? If we are being honest with God, we could pray, "Lord, I am so scared, and I think I will fail you." We believe God loves those kinds of sincere dialogue. We even had one ourselves. "Lord, I can't follow you...I tried and failed..." Good, that you failed in your own strength. Now try using His power! Grace is the saving power of Christ, and the Holy Spirit will teach us away from everything ungodly. Titus 2:11-12 When we are moving away from ungodliness and being obedient to God's word we are in grace. What is our willingness to obey God, and be in honest prayer? If Moses struggled with obedience, you will too. Be encouraged. He will help us!
For Search Engines: There are many bible verses about love, and there are many bible verse of the day programs. The holy bible provides these remarkable bible commentary. Bible Study and online bible study are available at biblestudycompany.com. Bible verses of faith are of interest as well. Even bible verses about hope are helpful. Bible verses about women are encouraging. Read the Bible online with biblestudycompany.com. We will all do better when love is patient love is kind. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me in times of trouble. With daily bible devotions, I grow. The gifts of the holy spirit are for every day. Online bible study is so helpful. biblestudycompany is a free online bible. With so many books of the bible, I can grow. We love inspirational bible verses in daily Bible reading.
See full post & commentsEver wonder what happens when we die? Dr. Baruch of Loveisrael.org gives a scriptural defense of what happens when we die. Here is the video.
It will either comfort you or cause you alarm. If you are alarmed because you are not sure where you will spend eternality then do this:
Take the 10 commandments Exodus 20 and read them back to the Lord. How do you stack up? Have you lied? Yes. Have you made God into your own image? Have you lusted after anyone? Yes. You committed adultery in your heart Christ said. Have you spoken evil about someone? This is called murdering someone in your heart. You are a sinner like the rest of us. And the wages of sin is death. Eternal death. But we have hope in what Christ did on the cross for us. He took the punishment we should have experienced. So place your sins on Him and turn away from your sin but ask God to help you to change. Here is a video on whether you are good enough to get into heaven. We all think we are good people. But whose standard are we deciding by?
This prayer is a guide and biblically based. All a person needs to do is cry out to God in their own words. If you are not sure how to pray, please use this as a guide.
To have a relationship with God versus religion, pray this prayer sincerely and in your own words.
Dear Heavenly Father, (Matt. 6:9) I want a relationship with You...not a religion. I come to You and open my heart. (John 3:16) I will be honest and sincere with You. (John 4) I am running my life and need Your help. (Matt. 6:10) I am made in Your image (Gen 1:26, 27), and I won't be happy until I am in a relationship with you. (Gen. 3) Most of my behavior does not please You. (Romans 3:23) I know I am a sinner, so please forgive my sins because of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who came to die for my sins. (John 3:16) His death on the cross is the punishment I should receive, but You were gracious to die in my place through Christ. By faith, I place all of my past, present, and future sins on Christ. I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior, and salvation is a gift! I know I cannot earn my way to heaven by being good through good works. (Eph. 2:8) You did this so I can be in a relationship with You on earth and for all eternity. (Romans 10:9-13) And I will forgive those who have sinned or hurt me because you have forgiven me. Take away any bitterness or resentment I carry toward You or other people. (Matt. 6:13-14) Please show and teach me how to live a praiseworthy life on earth to You starting today. (Matt. 6:33, Acts 9 and 10) I ask you to be in my heart, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:17. I know that You love me, Father, and I want to love You and that you have a purpose and plan for my life. I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Lord, because You gave me breath in my lungs and Savior, because you paid my sin debt. Please teach me to pray. (Matt. 6:9) Thank You, Jesus, for saving me to Yourself (Ex. 19:1-8) and making me a new person! (2 Cor. 5:17) In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!
Learn to grow at www.biblestudycompany.com, Grace Bible Church, and Christ Community Church.
See full post & commentsExodus Chapter 4 Part 1 Are you an honest person?
Why do we need to study the Bible? Because God has given us the Word of God to reveal Himself to us. We discuss this fact in this podcast for pewsitters. God is outside space and time. How can we, a created being for God's purposes, understand a God, Who can create the universe by speaking it into existence? Through the Bible. WOW think about that! Isn't that truth exciting? Let's ask more questions.
Are we experiencing revelation in your bible study? Several questions we must ask ourselves.
If you are not in God's word, you can trick yourself into believing what you are doing or changing in your life is according to what God wants, but maybe our motives and maybe what WE desire vs. what God desires. Is this the way God wants us to approach the Bible? No.
We will see several progressions of Moses that we can apply to our life:
Thus, honesty to God, to ourselves and others, is paramount in our life. Psalm 32 discusses deceit in the context of sin. Blessed are those whose sin is covered!
We are made in the image of God. We reflect His righteousness out to the world. But where do we get His righteousness? From Him, and the Bible. How do we line up with the plans and purposes of God?
Do you ask questions of God from the Bible, or do you question God? Big difference.
When we line up with God's plans and purposes such as Moses in Exodus 4, we will have revelation from God. So how soon do you want to do this, and what will it cost you?
We are: An online study Bible with a social media community
Our mission: Studying Scripture to live a praiseworthy life
Our vision: That a “Company” of believers are studying Scripture to live a praiseworthy life
Our Hope: That Pew-sitters move to disciple and then to disciple teachers bearing fruit for Christ
For Search Engines: There are many bible verses about love, and there are many bible verse of the day programs. The holy bible provides these remarkable bible commentary. Bible Study and online bible study are available at biblestudycompany.com. Bible verses of faith are of interest as well. Even bible verses about hope are helpful. Bible verses about women are encouraging. Read the Bible online with biblestudycompany.com. We will all do better when love is patient love is kind. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me in times of trouble. With daily bible devotions, I grow. The gifts of the holy spirit are for every day. Online bible study is so helpful. biblestudycompany is a free online bible. With so many books of the bible, I can grow. We love inspirational bible verses in daily Bible reading.
See full post & comments
Why Christmas is so important.
by Ric and Mary Joyner
The new baby lay in the manger. Mary knew and Joseph knew that the King of the Universe, Maker of heaven and earth, and yes, Creator God was lying helpless as a baby, like all people born into the world. They named Him Y'Shua, aka Joshua. God is with us...Come to save us.
As the night grew colder in the Israel *winter, the hay grew warmer. The rumble of many feet hurrying toward Joseph and Mary caused some concern to the new mother and father. Just then shepherds burst into the stable and shouted and pointed all at once: "Just as the angel said there would be a baby, "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Their conversation shouts all blended into one loud joyful noise. As the shepherds marveled at the "sign" given by God, Mary also remembered her "sign." She reverently recalled what the angel told her, "The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, and for that reason, the holy Child shall be called the Son of God."
As the shepherds continued to share what they saw to the new parents, Joseph thought back to discovering Mary being pregnant and the angel said to him, "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
The shepherds exploded into praise to God, singing psalms as they saw the presence of God in a baby. Mary and Joseph looked at each other with grateful worship toward God. God orchestrated confirmation of their angelic signs, which so many months before, led them to this stable, and their Messiah being born.
The Anointed one from God IS HERE. HE WAS FORETOLD, and now HE IS WITH US!
No one in the stable could fathom the future or the questions to ask. But in 2019, since we know the story ending, let's ask some questions. Why did the King of the Universe come in such a poor state? Answer: To show that we need nothing from this world expect dependence on God, and He will give us all we need if we seek His Kingdom rulership in our lives. Our home is not this world but with Him. Matthew 6:33
Lord, why did you make Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem? Answer: To fulfill prophecy. And to involve the whole world in His birth even though the world did not know. But today, the world does know. Our God is in control of everything. Micah 5:2
He was born in Bethlehem. Hebrew for "House of Bread." He is our bread from heaven. Just as Joseph saved the world with bread by God's power, Christ came to save us with Himself the true bread from heaven. John 6:35
He came to save us by conquering our real enemy, sin. Sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59:2 The wages of sin is physical and eternal death. Romans 3:23
As He approached the cross, carrying our sins, the Lord Jesus Christ must have thought of each one of us. Our sins are piling up each day by what we say and do. Christ came to save us from this "sin debt." Our sin debt is why we need a savior. Let us take our sin and put it on the Savior and thank Him. Because He forgave us, so now let us generously forgive others. Now we can go and sin no more based on His power in us. How? He is the word of God come in the flesh for us. Let's study His word starting today as a grateful gift to Him with a thankful heart.
As Christmas Day dawns, remember the Angel visitations and the Glory of God singing into the night for the whole earth. Let us celebrate with the heavenly host our Savior's birth. God has come to save.
**We don't know exactly when Christ was born. It could have been fall or early spring or winter. Either way, it was when sheep could be in a field without crops and that includes the winter.
See full post & commentsWe are starting a new channel list for worshipping God using the Psalms. David was anointed King of Israel because he was a man after God's own heart. This comment about David was made by God. So how do we become a person after God's heart? Learning to worship in tough times. Pray through the psalms with us. Join us for these videos.
See full post & commentsMP3 Download only http://bit.ly/2RKnmw0
Are we reading God's word to know ABOUT him or to KNOW him? When we love someone, we spend time with them. Our Bible helps us get to know God by asking Him to reveal His purposes to us. God's Word is what created us and sustains us. In Exodus 3 Part 4, Moses is confronted by God to carry out His will, to free the people enslaved in Egypt. God is literally revealing himself to Moses through a "image of a man" in a burning bush. This is the same for us today. We are to be in the image of God, reflecting his Character. How do we do this? First serve the Lord, make him our priority, study His word with the depth and reverence it deserves. Then when he says go, GO!
Christ came to earth for us, so we could physically see how God would act in a human body. Do we understand this truth? Are we willing to now turn our hearts and lives over to him at the foot of the cross? Are we willing to approach the Word of God in a way that would deepen our relationship with our Creator? We must know that the Word of God is our lifeline to our Christian walk here on earth. Our born-again experience doesn't end with giving our hearts to Christ and repenting. It is just the beginning of an awakened Spirit that can now experience revelation and understanding where we couldn't before. It is the very thing that changes us from the inside out. Our eyes are then open to the reality that redemption is possible through our Savior Christ and our desire to Obey and Serve him comes from pure gratitude and LOVE!
For Search Engines: There are many bible verses about love, and there are many bible verse of the day programs. The holy bible provides these remarkable bible commentary. Bible Study and online bible study are available at biblestudycompany.com. Bible verses of faith are of interest as well. Even bible verses about hope are helpful. Bible verses about women are encouraging. Read the Bible online with biblestudycompany.com. We will all do better when love is patient love is kind. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me in times of trouble. With daily bible devotions, I grow. The gifts of the holy spirit are for every day. Online bible study is so helpful. biblestudycompany is a free online bible. With so many books of the bible, I can grow. We love inspirational bible verses in daily Bible reading.
See full post & commentsDoes worshiping God include dealing with our sins? Exodus 30 and 31
Most scholars believe the tabernacle in the wilderness is a pattern of worship. Mary and Ric take their husband and wife bible study of Exodus and discuss how the tabernacle in the wilderness is a pattern to be in God's house. All of us should long to be wherever God resides. Numbers 12 shows us that God spoke to Moses face to face. And Moses was part of God's household. WOW. Moses was obedient to God's word. He demonstrated faith by acting on it. We can study to obey God's word. We have the whole bible. Moses just began to start to write it! Now let us be a part of God's household...by being one who obeys.
The tabernacle gives us a pattern of God's plan to become close to Him. We cannot worship any way we wish and hope to be part of God's household. We must always be willing to deal with our sin. How do we know we sin? God wants to reveal our hearts to us through the application of God's word.
God was so serious about dwelling with the children of Israel; He had two lambs slain each day so that in the morning and evening, we could put our sin on the lamb, knowing God was covering us with the "blood of the lamb" for the day. So we begin our worship by accepting the sacrifice of the lamb and repenting of our sin.
In the video portion of this Podcast, Ric diagrams the tabernacle and shows it is laid out like a house. God's house and His rules. But our sin must be dealt with IN OUR HEARTS and with HIS HELP. The pattern in the tabernacle shows us instructions on how to worship God if we ask God for His assistance to understand.
We then turn the chapter to Exodus 31, and God is speaking to Moses to select a man who is the son of... and the grandson of...In these names of men, we think the Holy Spirit is showing us the character of the man who would build the tabernacle by being filled with the Holy Spirit. We are filled the same way TO CARRY OUT GOD's will and Kingdom. Bezalel's name showed he wanted to be in the shadow of God. Do we?
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In whose shoes are we walking? God's shoes or our shoes? His will or our will? This is crucial for us to note. Why? Moses engaged the Egyptians in Exodus 2 in his strength or his shoes, not God's will. An Egyptian died as a result. And Moses fled Egypt. Why? The 40 years Moses was in the wilderness was a preparation time, as much for Moses, as for the Hebrews. God wants to prepare us for service in His Kingdom. This "wilderness experience" of depending on God is especially true in the times we are currently living. Will we submit to His word before circumstances get beyond our control? Shall we turn to God now for help knowing His word, so we become prepared for the times ahead? We can obey the Scripture by putting our hearts up against the Word of God, as Moses is now doing in Exodus 3 Part 3. Moses' choices changed him, and our choices to be in God's will change us as well. Can we see that obedience to God's revelation in His Word will give us power? Why? We are operating for His purposes and glory...not our own.
Here is a crucial bible study principle. We are not Moses. Thus we cannot live the way Moses lived. But is this a correct point of view? No. The Holy Spirit is using the story of Moses to show us that we each have choices as Moses did. Moses's hard-earned lessons are ours if we receive them into our lives by asking the constant questions: "Lord, open my eyes, I want to obey you. How can I respond to You correctly?" The Lord will answer this prayer. When we approach Scripture, we can have this attitude.
The revelation of the Lord will change our life like it did Moses. We can learn Moses' lessons. The goal of the Holy Spirit is for us to line up with God's plans and revelation. But be prepared, it means we will be changed! You will go on a journey with God.
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