Several years ago, there was a Gallup poll taken where Americans were asked ‘who do you think Jesus is?" Here are the results: 70% of those interviewed said Jesus was not just another man. 42% stated Jesus was God among men. 27% felt Jesus was only human but divinely called. 9% states Jesus was divine because he embodied the best of humanity. Along with that it was discovered that 81% of Americans consider themselves to be Christians (Gallup Poll, 1983.) … even considering the results of this survey! So, who...
Through the shepherds comes the meaning of the most significant event in cosmic history! The meaning is ‘peace’—God’s peace, shalom, blessedness, fullness. This is the message from the angels to the shepherds … and from the shepherds to us, tonight. Christ’s coming means ‘peace.’ Not the abolition of war, necessarily, but a different kind of peace—a peace that only God can give us. Jews in Israel, even today, still greet each other with ‘shalom’ (peace). You could offer no better wish to anyone than … ‘shalom.’ So, as we begin...
Zechariah finally got it! It was more than just a miraculous birth to an elderly couple. It was more than just God being good to Zechariah and Elizabeth, rewarding them for their righteousness. It was a plan that would involve their son—a plan for the salvation of the world… Listen to our Bible story for today—this part of the Christmas story, the story of ‘the other nativity’… “The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard how...
Have you thought about friendship lately? It’s one of those important aspects of life that I think about quite a bit, especially during this time of the year. It’s during times of the year like this—times when we feel loneliness just a little bit deeper, times when we feel hurt just a little more severely, times when we feel loss in a very profound way—that we really need true friends. But, what is a true friend? In a survey of more than 40,000 Americans these qualities were most valued in...
Mary had the little Lamb, who lived before His birth; self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth. (Micah 5:2) Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall, virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall. (Isaiah 7:14) Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God; everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod. (John 6:38) Mary had the little Lamb, crucified on the tree the rejected Son of God, He died to set men free. (1 Peter 1:18) Mary had...
How aware are YOU … of God’s presence during this very special season that we’re in? Here’s something that may be telling: What do you do personally in preparation for Christmas? Here’s Jane’s and my list… Shop for those who’ve given me their Christmas lists… Update the annual Christmas card list… Write my annual Christmas letter to both family & churches… Get the outside decorations put up while the weather’s still mild… Begin to sort through the inside decorations to see what’s still useable … and what might need to...
Hebrews 10:23 (TEV) tells us: “Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise.” Do you believe that today … that you can trust God to keep his promises? It’s been said that God’s promises are dated in heaven. And since we know only ‘in part,’ as the Bible says (I Cor. 13:12), we don’t always know when those promises will be fulfilled. But, we do know this: God will keep them! Folks, suppose a wealthy person gave you a...
I don’t know if you’ve thought much, lately, about the idea of ‘devotion’ or not … but I sure have. The Bible, in Luke 7 (36-38), talks about ‘tears of devotion’-the story of a Pharisee who invited Jesus over to his house to have dinner with him, which he did. The story tells us that in that town, there was a woman who lived a sinful life (though we’re not told what her sins were). She heard Jesus was in town, so she came to the Pharisees house and brought...
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV) by Rom A. Pegram (11/8/09) As we begin a 3 week series of messages, during this month of stewardship, I want to thank Pastor Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg Church for his obedience in writing down some biblical principles of stewardship—so that both pastors and congregations can continue to learn … and grow … and be better stewards in all that we do. I’ve learned a lot from him; I pray that you will, too. Let me begin here: There was an old mountaineer had lived a...
Giving to God in Gratitude for God’s Blessings by David Busker (11/1/09) Based on: Matthew 25:14-30 Imagine how money affects you? Money is a subject with which most of us struggle. For some it is lack of money. For some it is the desire for money. For some it is wrong use of money. For some it is poor investment of money. A man named stumpy illustrates how money affects people. Stumpy and his wife Martha went to the state fair every year and every year when Stumpy saw the antique...
