Bethlehem Star

From our earliest memories of the Christmas story, we have heard of the magi who came to visit the Christ child, but what do we really know about them? Where did they come from? Why were they interested in a king born in Palestine? Who were they? There is a great deal of myth & mystery about them.

Psalms 19:1 - 4 (NLT) 1The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. 2Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. 3They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. 4Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

In the Book of Job, Chapter 9, Job credits God with creation of the stars and constellations:
(9) He is the Maker of the Bear [Ursa Major] and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.
And in Job Chapter 38, God makes much the same point. He, not man, is sovereign over the creation, particularly the constellations:
(31) "Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? (32) Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons...

God reveals Himself in many ways. One place to find God is in the stars. Astrology is often defined as the the study of the influences of the cosmos on life on earth. Astrology is dangerous and wrong spirited. The cosmos does not determine life of earth. However, God can declare His plans through the stars. Wikipedia states, "Astrology and astronomy were often indistinguishable before the modern era, with the desire for predictive and divinatory knowledge one of the primary motivating factors for astronomical observation. Astronomy began to diverge from astrology after a period of gradual separation from the Renaissance up until the 18th century. Eventually, astronomy distinguished itself as the scientific study of astronomical objects and phenomena without regard to the astrological meaning of these phenomena."

Christ followers should have no fear of science. In fact, I believe an unbiased view of science reinforces Bible truths. Bethlehemstar.net is a great source for more information concerning the Star of Bethlehem. Plan to be amazed. Give yourself plenty of time to peruse.

Merry Christmas,

Stan

Christmas Island

Christmas Island is a dot in the Indian Ocean, located 1600 miles north-west of Perth, Western Australia. Even though it is an Australian Territory, its closest neighbor is Java, 220 miles away. 63% of it is national park containing species of flora & fauna found nowhere else in the world! Probably the most noticeable local is the Red Crab with over 100 million of these vivid red creatures living on the forest floor.
Exploring the waters surrounding the island is an experience not to be missed. Myriads of tropical fish swim by in only a few feet of water, while a short distance away, divers can cruise the drop-off which plunges dramatically into the abyss. A person may even bump into one of the local spinner dolphins or at certain times of the year meet the majestic whaleshark!
Christmas is always an island; an island of hope in a world of despair, an island of love in a world of indifference, an island of giving in a self-centered world. The angelic host on the night of our Savior’s birth summoned all to come to Christmas Island!
Merry Christmas,
Stan

Why Christmas?

It was a bit surreal to see Christmas trees and decorations in a predominately Buddhist country, Thailand. It was wonderful and strange hearing Joy to the World in the shopping mall, knowing that most of the shoppers had no idea what the words meant. In the airport in Tokyo, Michelle and I heard a beautiful rendition of Silent Night. I am sure the savvy Japanese shop owners were trying to get the European and American travelers into a buying mood.
While in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Michelle and I attended a luncheon, organized by Todd and Julie Powers, for missionaries. I spoke to the group of about 50 missionaries, who are preaching the good news of Jesus Christ in several Asian countries. Many help orphans, others have Bible training schools, others teach English, some are Bible translators, etc. I am in awe of those who leave home and familiar culture to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. It was an honor to encourage them.
Many theologians today claim the efforts of these missionaries is a less than noble cause, even arrogant, judgmental and wrong. Many today profess that we should not change the beliefs of others. They claim that all roads lead to heaven, and all religions are wonderful. Because God loves everyone and Jesus died to save everyone, then no person will be sent to hell, according to this line of thinking. We should not be proselytizing those of other faiths, according to this theory.There are difficult questions to consider. What about those who never hear the gospel? Is this an argument for not preaching the gospel around the world? If a loving God will not send anyone to hell; if all roads lead to heaven, then why Christmas? Why did God send His Son into this world? If there is no need for a Savior, then why did Jesus suffer and die? If Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and others are sufficient ways to attain eternal life, then why Christmas?

Give Thanks

Psalms 95:1 - 7, "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand."

An outward look at creation makes me thankful. Who can gaze upon the wonders of this earth and not acknowledge God? When I see a beautiful sunrise or sunset, I am thankful. Sitting in the Rocky Mountains in Winter or Summer beholding the immense beauty, I am thankful. Seeing the thousands of stars littering the sky from the bush of Mozambique on a clear night, I am thankful. With my toes in the sand on any beach in the world, I am thankful. Looking with wonder and amazement at the balancing rocks or the great Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, I am thankful to the God of Creation.

An outward look at the world makes be thankful to be a Christ follower. If the 6.5 billion people of earth were reduced to a village of 100 people, 60 would come from Asia, 14 from Africa, 11 from Europe, 8 from North America, 6 from South America and 1 from Australia and Oceania. 34 world be Christians, 18 Muslims, 16 non-religious/athiests, 15 Hindus, 5 Buddhists and 12 others. The majority of the starving and illiterate people in that village would come from the countries with the least amount of Christians. Most of the wealth would belong to those from the predominately Christian nations. I am thankful to be a Christ follower, because He takes care of His followers much better than the other "gods."

An outward look at salvation causes me to be thankful. I realize that I cannot save myself. My sins have separated me from God. I have been given the gift of eternal life through my belief in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. God loved me, before I loved Him.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Stan

Word of Faith

Romans 10:6 - 8 (NASB) 6But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching...

Faith speaks. Unspoken faith is incomplete, and will not produce desired results. Faith believes God and parrots what God has said. Faith will not speak what is contrary to God's Word. So we read the instruction, "Do not say..."
"Who will ascend into heaven?" Many try to get prayers answered by becoming spiritual enough. Many believe that God only hears the super-saints, like Billy Graham or their beloved and gentle Grandma. This is based on a mentality of works righteousness. This begs the question, "How spiritual must I be to get a response from God." Our righteousness is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He became a curse, so we could become righteous. According to James 5:16, the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective.
"Who will descend into the abyss?" Others try to move God through brokenness and suffering. Debasement of self does not gain access to the throne of God. Our access in gained for us through the finished work of Christ We therefore can boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus Christ suffered for us, so we can be righteous.

"What does it (faith) say?" 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart'—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching..." Your answer is near you—in your mouth and in your heart. You do not have to climb up to heaven or lower yourself into hell to find your answer. Your answer will come through the word of faith that we preach (speak). Jesus said, "You will have whatever you say," in Mark 11:23.

Faith is conceived in the heart and given life through words spoken (mouth). Confession is not just a religious exercise. Confession here speaks of our daily conversation. Your faith will never go farther than your confession. You will never possess more than your confession. Jesus Christ is the High Priest of our confession (Hebrews 3:1).

Let's learn to say what God has said, and not say anything contrary to His Word.

Complain Easy, Solution Harder

I came across these thoughts on churchinverted.com from Saturday, October 27, 2007 titled, The Dead Horse, "There are still blogs out there that primarily devote their energies to deconstructing American churches. These missed the boat long ago as everyone else has since moved onto solutions. There is always still room for identifying issues, but still dwelling primarily on these is now beating a horse that was dead long ago. Its past time to begin focusing our collective energies on not thinking church is inverted from what it should be, and instead focusing on what will flip it. For example: you say that service is irrelevant, but what does church have that is MORE relevant? Let's find those areas and exploit our strengths."

I agree. It is past time to criticism the church. It is time to do something about it. Complainining is easy, finding solutions is harder. You and I can't abandon church, it is God's answer to the "gates of hell."

I'll offer one solution today. Church is bad when it is something one attends. Church is awesome when it becomes something one does. I often tell my children, if you have the opportunity to watch something or to do something, do something. Church is something we do. If you want to fix your church, do something. Help someone. Teach someone. Serve, invite, and give. You don't even need special permission or a specific call. Jesus already said, "Go." On what further instruction are you waiting?"

The harvest is still great, and the laborers few. What you can do, you must. To see a need that I can fill, while doing nothing is sin. I can't fix the whole entire church world, but I can repent and get myself on the right track. Let's stop complaining, and get busy doing something.

Peace,
Stan

Jesus' Message to the Church

In Revelation 2 & 3, we have the only words of Jesus to the church. We have just studied these 7 messages that Jesus spoke to 7 individual churches in Asia Minor.

Here is what I believe Jesus would say to Cornerstone Church:

Compliment
From Thyatira (Rev 2:19), “I know your works, love, service, faith, and patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.”

Criticism
From the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:19), “…the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in are choking out the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

Instruction
From Philadelphia (Rev 3:8), “See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

Warning
From Laodicea (Rev 3:20), “Remain faithful, and keep a place set for Me at your table. If you have gotten too busy for Me, then repent and let Me back into your house. Let’s share meals again together.”

Promise to over comers
From Ephesus (Rev 2:7), “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

Just some thoughts I am having today.

Peace,

Stan