12.22.08

Posted in Uncategorized at 10:07 am by jeff@dlaog.com

Merry Christmas! 

I just want to give a simple picture story of the gospel, why Jesus came.

Baby Jesus null Jesus on Cross Arrow Risen Savior He's Coming Back!

12.17.08

Posted in Uncategorized at 10:19 am by jeff@dlaog.com

As I said last week, the time that Jesus was born in was a trying time, a time full of religious opinion and a strong outward show, but strangely devoid of reality.  The era of the prophets had ended some 400 years beforehand.  Yes, the Maccabean revolt was still in peoples memory, the miracle of Hanukkah (also called the Festival of Lights, because: When the Maccabees came to rededicate the Temple, they found only one flask of oil with which to light the Menorah. This small flask lasted for eight days. In order to commemorate this miracle, we light a Menorah for the eight days of Chanukah.) showed that God was still among them, but many people wondered where God was as to the current political state they found themselves in.  I dare say that we are in a similar situation in many ways. Things are bleak, times are dark, many are wondering and asking why God let this (fill in your blank here) happen.

Many people in our churches across our nation have “… a form of godliness but denying its power…” (2 Tim. 3:5 NKJV).  An outer conformity without the inward reality, a dedication to appearance and protocol that far exceeds anything specifically stated in scripture, in the same manner and tradition of the historical enemies of Christ, the Pharisees and the Sadducees.   It seems that the focus has left the Christ-child, and drifted into so many other things at such a slow rate that we failed to notice until the drift was so distinct that it might be impossible to fully correct.  Today we are told that the use of the word “Christmas” to be considered intolerant, bigoted and offensive, while signs such as what is now at Washington State’s Capitol building which reads in part “There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.” is considered to be a breakthrough in tolerance and free speech.  We never even noticed the drift until the very name of our Holiday became profane.

Amid the holiday hustle and bustle, it is so easy to lose ourselves in the moment of the season.  In yesteryear, amid the holiday hustle and bustle, newspaper articles would look a lot as described by Bing Crosby so well in “Silver Bells,” and the decorations and trappings as described in “It’s Beginning to Look A lot like Christmas,” while today, society seems to be tripping over its feet, doing its best to celebrate a non-descript, non-traditional, non-offensive festive season of your own personal choosing, so long as the longest-standing tradition is not named, for fear of offending the minority that do not celebrate the un-named, bigoted, narrow-minded, intolerant religion’s special day.  I guess I don’t so much have a problem with doing my best not to offend folks, but I’ve been around long enough now to know that it is impossible to please everybody.  Not going to happen, no matter how hard I try.  I’m totally against racism, bigotry of any form, close-minded intolerance.  But when it goes beyond that to a denial of fact, I have a problem with that.  You see, angels don’t show up for a non-descript, generic holiday during the winter.  They showed up for the birth of Jesus, the Son of the Living God.  The showed up for the birth of the Word, the unveiling of the mystery the prophets had foretold. 

I want to encourage everyone to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  It was to purchase our salvation that He came in the first place.  He is truly worthy of our loudest praise!