By Dr T Lunkim
Introduction: The world knows that Christmas is Christian Feast, celebrating on December 25 by majority Christians, and on January 7, by Eastern Orthodox Church every year, commemorating the birth day of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
The differing days of celebration does not matter so much; because the celebration began centuries after, therefore either of the two days might not be the exact day on which Jesus was born. The churches, then, fixed the days of their convenience.
Christmas message: I want to share the message of Christmas briefly as written in the Bible, read and proclaimed by all.
1. One and all should be perfectly clear that Man is created in the likeness of God as recorded in the Bible. This means man represents God, to overseeing all the creation, acting as Ambassador of God. His identity is that man has been given the Spirit of God, by breathing the Spirit in and through man's nostrils. What God says is recorded in the Bible, Gen. 2:7 ‘Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.’ That means that man is created in the image (likeness) of God having the life (Spirit) of God in him.
2. Very sadly, man disobeyed God, therefore God has taken out His Spirit (life) from the disobedient man and wherefrom man became spiritually dead, and physically he has a limited number of years to live on this planet earth. The Bible says (Gen. 6:3), ‘‘Then the LORD said, ‘My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years’.
Every one, descended from the progenitor Adam of humankind, keeps longing for God in times of need. The result is the invention and multiplication of religions worldwide. But none of these Religions have ever satisfied human longings for an Almighty God. Man cannot find God, and continues searching for God, making idols and by means of which to worship the unseen God.
3. The birth of Jesus Christ is the visible demonstration of God's love for fallen man, to give back His Spirit, on the condition of man's faith in the Lord Jesus as the Son of the living, loving God.
The Bible records, ‘‘And the Angel said to them, be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:10,11). The birth of Jesus is a great joy to all humankind, because God has broken the partisan wall between him and sinful man, in order to give back the Spirit (life) of God, who was taken out of man on account of man's disobedience. The joy is that whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of the living, loving God, the Spirit (life) of God be given back, and the believer is counted as the child of God. To demonstrate God's gift of the Spirit, Christians give gifts to each other symbolically here and now on Christmas day.
Jesus Christ came to this planet earth to give back the Spirit (life) of God to the believers. After completing all assigned duties, including his death and resurrection, Jesus came to his disciples (believers) and his gift of the Spirit has been recorded in John 20:22, read, ‘‘And when he said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. Herein those who believed and given the Spirit (life) of God become the children of God, and the Angels of God protect them continually until their physical death comes; and when dying, their physically dead bodies remain waiting for their resurrection at the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ. The good news is believers live forever with God.
When all this is complete the believers will celebrate the real Christmas Feast with God in heaven as read in the Bible (Rev. 19:9b) ‘‘Happy are those who have been invited to the wedding-feast of the Lamb.’’ The feast is anticipated now on earth by celebrating Christmas Feast every year by all believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. May the Spirit of God enter into the longing hearts of humankind on this Christmas Day, December 25, 2007. Amen
The Sangai Express
Introduction: The world knows that Christmas is Christian Feast, celebrating on December 25 by majority Christians, and on January 7, by Eastern Orthodox Church every year, commemorating the birth day of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
The differing days of celebration does not matter so much; because the celebration began centuries after, therefore either of the two days might not be the exact day on which Jesus was born. The churches, then, fixed the days of their convenience.
Christmas message: I want to share the message of Christmas briefly as written in the Bible, read and proclaimed by all.
1. One and all should be perfectly clear that Man is created in the likeness of God as recorded in the Bible. This means man represents God, to overseeing all the creation, acting as Ambassador of God. His identity is that man has been given the Spirit of God, by breathing the Spirit in and through man's nostrils. What God says is recorded in the Bible, Gen. 2:7 ‘Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.’ That means that man is created in the image (likeness) of God having the life (Spirit) of God in him.
2. Very sadly, man disobeyed God, therefore God has taken out His Spirit (life) from the disobedient man and wherefrom man became spiritually dead, and physically he has a limited number of years to live on this planet earth. The Bible says (Gen. 6:3), ‘‘Then the LORD said, ‘My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years’.
Every one, descended from the progenitor Adam of humankind, keeps longing for God in times of need. The result is the invention and multiplication of religions worldwide. But none of these Religions have ever satisfied human longings for an Almighty God. Man cannot find God, and continues searching for God, making idols and by means of which to worship the unseen God.
3. The birth of Jesus Christ is the visible demonstration of God's love for fallen man, to give back His Spirit, on the condition of man's faith in the Lord Jesus as the Son of the living, loving God.
The Bible records, ‘‘And the Angel said to them, be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:10,11). The birth of Jesus is a great joy to all humankind, because God has broken the partisan wall between him and sinful man, in order to give back the Spirit (life) of God, who was taken out of man on account of man's disobedience. The joy is that whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of the living, loving God, the Spirit (life) of God be given back, and the believer is counted as the child of God. To demonstrate God's gift of the Spirit, Christians give gifts to each other symbolically here and now on Christmas day.
Jesus Christ came to this planet earth to give back the Spirit (life) of God to the believers. After completing all assigned duties, including his death and resurrection, Jesus came to his disciples (believers) and his gift of the Spirit has been recorded in John 20:22, read, ‘‘And when he said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’. Herein those who believed and given the Spirit (life) of God become the children of God, and the Angels of God protect them continually until their physical death comes; and when dying, their physically dead bodies remain waiting for their resurrection at the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ. The good news is believers live forever with God.
When all this is complete the believers will celebrate the real Christmas Feast with God in heaven as read in the Bible (Rev. 19:9b) ‘‘Happy are those who have been invited to the wedding-feast of the Lamb.’’ The feast is anticipated now on earth by celebrating Christmas Feast every year by all believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. May the Spirit of God enter into the longing hearts of humankind on this Christmas Day, December 25, 2007. Amen
The Sangai Express
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