He Didn’t Know It Was His Father!

By Pastor Vincent Imwensi

Part of my growing up years was in the village before I moved to the city. Life in the village was sometimes hard but there was a lot of fun too. Farm work was never easy but that was not all there was to it. We kids used to play around and have a lot of exciting things to do when we were not busy.

There is fun in village life too
I know that the moment those who grew up in the cities hear of the dirty looking children in the villages, they feel very fortunate and think everyone over there is suffering and about to die. But that is not always correct! Of course there is poverty in the villages and a lot of people live in utter depravity of basic needs.

Those who are better furnished should always think of helping those in the villages who are suffering and dying needlessly. But believe me, there is life in the village too. I mean people over there do have ways of enjoying their lives way beyond what those in the cities can imagine. At least, that was my experience.

I won’t ever forget this!
I remember this day, I and my friends (all of us in our early teens) were out playing in the moon light. At that point in time, the moon was yet to come to its full brightness so it was little dark but it was bright enough for us to play around.

Then not too far away from where we were playing, someone pointed his touch light at one of us. The touch light was so bright it was blinding to look straight into it. He focussed the touch light right onto the face of one of our playmates.

This colleague of mine started to rail abuses on the one pointing the light at him.
He said “Who do you think you are? You are stupid; you are an idiot, just wait for me, I am going to deal with you today, I am going to finish you …..” etc.

And he matched forward like an angry soldier straight towards the one pointing the light at him. And when he got very close to him, the person switched off his touch light and lo and behold, it was his father!

My friend screamed and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him!

We did not have the confusion of “Social Correctness” then
You’ve got to understand, at that time, children were raised to honour and respect their parents.

When your father is correcting or rebuking you, you bow your head in humble submission and take correction.You don’t answer back talk less of insulting your father like it is these days especially in the so called “civilized world”!

Oh well, at that time, nobody had corrupted us with the philosophy of “social correctness” whereby correcting your child is now called child abuse.

So my friend screamed and ran because he couldn’t imagine speaking to his father that way even though he was totally unaware that the light pointer was his father.

When I see the way some people cast the things relating to God behind their backs, I often think of that incidence. Do they realize whom they are snubbing, rejecting, insulting, blaspheming and ridiculing?

Have you ever thought of this?
For multitudes of people, as long as they can get on with their lives, God is totally irrelevant and their godless life styles bear witness to that.

At least, that is the way the majority here in London live and a lot of Americans and several millions around the world are also catching up on that too.

What will such people do the day they find out that the One they scorned and rejected; blasphemed and abused and did not want to associate with all their lifetime, is actually the originator and the owner of the life in them and the very breath in their nostrils?
And believe me, a day like that is coming.

Who told you there is no God?
A lot of people these days have convinced themselves that there is no God and for many others, they don’t want to even think about Him or have anything to do with Him, if at all He exists.

Thanks to Mr Charles Darwin and his cohorts, many of them do not believe they were created by God. As far as they are concerned, they are the product of evolution, which was a product of the big bang, which was a product of the fusion of some particles and atoms, which came out of nowhere!

And many find that more believable and acceptable than what the Bible has to say about the One who created all things! My friend, don’t let anyone deceive you, this world did not just happen and neither did you or your ancestors. God made all things.

Do you realize that the “Light Pointer” is your heavenly Father?
God in His love has been pointing His light at many people by sending their way the preaching of the saving gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But instead of accepting this wonderful gospel of God’s love and receiving the benefit of salvation, many are turning it down and turning against the Light Pointer. There are many people around the world today who get offended at the mere mention of God.

The gospel of Christ is clearly an offence to a lot of people; it irritates them and they do not hide their utter contempt and disregard for it.

I remember someone telling me some time ago that I was insulting his intelligence because I preached the gospel to him. Are you one of such people?

There will be nowhere to run or hide.
My friend could run away when he realized his error. Like I said, he screamed in horror and ran as fast as his legs could carry him when he discovered that the one he had insulted was his father.

But when we come face to face with God, there will be nowhere to run.
Also, he did not know that it was his father that was pointing the light at him. If someone had told him who the light pointer was, he would never had behaved that way – so his misdemeanour in this case is very excusable.

But what excuse will those who turn down God’s love have? They cannot say they did not know because faithful preachers of the gospel leave no one in doubt that what they are preaching is God’s message based on His word.

Having turned down God’s love on purpose, I wonder what case anyone will have in his/her defence the day he or she stands before God.

Don’t make that mistake:
Choose God’s love, not His judgment
Yes dear friend, don’t make the mistake of rejecting the light of God’s word and His love for you. Reading this blog is part of God’s effort to reach you with His light.

God loves you and He wants you to spend eternity with Him in glory when you leave this world. But for that to happen, your sins need to be forgiven while you are still alive and your soul needs to be saved.

God sent us a Saviour in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who came to this world and died to pay for our sins. Each one of us has to decide whether to accept Him as our Saviour and receive God’s salvation or reject Him and die in our sins.

Those who reject God’s love and live as though He is irrelevant will stand before Him face to face one day and you can be sure of one thing – it is not going to be funny.

Why not turn your life over to the Lord Jesus Christ today? If you’d like to do so, click here for help.

Posted in Salvation | 7 Comments »

The Dilemma Of Love – (part 2)

Love Beyond The Romantic

by Pastor Vincent Imwensi

(Continued from part 1)

An anchor in the storm
It is not only sexual unfaithfulness that tears love apart. More often than not, it has to do with the storms of life. They come to everyone in one form or the other. It is only those relationships that weather the storm that live to tell the story.

I can truly testify that if it had not been for God in our marriage, the whole thing would have been long done for. In fact, right from the time of courtship before we got married, there were already hostile winds that threatened to put an end to our relationship. Many marriages and relationships that have crumbled did not experience half the turbulence that ours has gone through and it is stronger than ever before. The secret? God and His word!


Why then do Christian marriages fail?
There is no denying the fact that many Christian marriages are ending in divorce nowadays including those of gospel ministers but that does not diminish the veracity of what I am sharing with you.

I admit that challenges differ from one marriage to another but the truth remains that if both couples in a Christian marriage will do what God says to do, that marriage will not break come hell or high waters. Don’t forget that it is one thing to know and it is another thing to do. The benefit belongs to those who know and do rather than those who know but fail to do (for whatever reasons).

Show me one Christian marriage (anywhere for that matter) where the husband loves his wife like God commands in His word and the wife totally submits to her husband like God says a wife should do, which ended in a divorce. You are not likely going to find any.
But unfortunately, these days, human wisdom and philosophical ideologies have been brought in to replace or “fine-tune” the word of God, and that is why the unthinkable is now happening in the church.

A big Mistake
I am surprised to find out that so many people don’t want to involve God in their relationships including some so called Christians. For a lot of people, it is ok to acknowledge God in their relationship but only to a certain extent. Some tend to think that a deeper commitment to God will ruin their marriage and family life. Nothing can be further from the truth.

I have seen people fight hard to keep their spouses away from churches especially those ones where true-hearted commitment to the things of God is emphasized.
If you are wise, you will be the one dragging your reluctant spouse to church (I mean a living church).
There is no better source of the wisdom, understanding and positive godly influence needed to keep your love protected from countless vices than a good church.

Love beyond the romantic
Let me quickly point out that romantic love is not the only type of love. There is also the love between friends and family members. It is called phillia love.

But the greatest love of all is the unconditional love of God called agape in the Bible. This is the love with which God loves everyone of us (good or bad). And that is why He continues to pour His blessings upon the ungodly who snub Him as well as the God-fearing who keep His word and do His will.

 
Love was the reason He died

 

See how the Bible puts it:
“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him (i.e. Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us all”(1)
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”(2)
“This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins”(3)

We are all in need of God’s love (whether we know it or not). And I am happy to let you know dear friend that God loves you irrespective of who you are and what you have done right or wrong.

To express His love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to this world in order to pay the penalty for your sins. He died a horrible death on the cross after an unimaginable torture to pay that price for us – all because of God’s love for you and I.

Rejected or betrayed love
I think one of the most painful ordeals to the human heart is rejected or betrayed love. Have you ever loved somebody and they turned down your love? Have you ever loved somebody and they betrayed your love? How does it feel?

If you’ve never had that experience, you don’t need to go far to find out. Just check out some newspapers, magazines or watch some documentaries. Read the heart rending accounts of people whose lovers betrayed their love, listen to the sad tales behind many broken marriages and relationships, find out the truth behind many “crimes of passion” (like they call it) – and you will realize how painful it is.

I am sure you’ve heard the word “broken-hearted” before. It can be caused by a number of things but nothing breaks the heart like betrayed or rejected love.

Don’t reject God’s love for you!
How do you think God feels when His love is rejected the way so many people are doing today?
Rejecting the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is tantamount to rejecting the love of God for your soul. It is not that God is forcing anyone to accept His love – the choice is ours whether to accept or reject His wonderful and underserved love.

But whatever type of love it is, they all have something in common – the capacity to generate so much good when properly received and handled as well as the capacity to do the very opposite when rejected, betrayed or spurned. Many a family feud is caused by “soured love.”

Rejecting God’s love in particular, has eternal repercussions and hence the Bible asks: How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation in Christ Jesus?(4)
Here, it is talking about escaping God’s coming judgment.

Don’t let God’s love for you to turn sour.
Open your heart and embrace His wonderful love by receiving the free salvation that God is offering you in Christ Jesus. Why not do it today? Click here for more help.

(Reerences: (1)Isaiah 53:6 (2)John 3:16 (3)1John 4:10 (4)Hebrews 2:3)

Posted in Love and Sex | 288 Comments »

The Dilemma Of Love – (part 1)

by Pastor Vincent Imwensi

Love is a beautiful thing
Have you ever been in love? I mean romantic love with someone of the opposite sex? I am not talking of infatuation and lust but real sincere love. If you have, you will agree with me that it is a wonderful thing.

To truly love somebody who also loves you with the same or greater intensity is one of the most beautiful experiences known to man. It fills your life with sunshine, your heart with gladness and your mouth with laughter. In fact, it adds meaning to life and makes it worth living.

 I know what it means
By God’s grace, I became a born again Christian early in my life and so the Bible became “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. As a result, I did not dabble much into the quagmire of youthful lusts with all the pains, hurts, heartaches and regrets that often go with it. I saw what happened to some of my colleagues and friends who went out to experiment.

It was not that I did not find the opposite sex attractive or that I was never tempted – of course I was! But I understood from God’s word that I needed to wait until I was ready for true love before venturing into it.

So I waited patiently (while concentrating on my studies) until I was ready to get married and that was when I opened the door. Prayerfully, I went out searching and I found. Yes, I fell in love with someone really special and married my sweetheart.

It has been a number of years since then (well over ten years) and today, we are happier together than we’ve ever been – and I mean that.

To be honest with you, it has not always been a smooth ride. There have been times when it was all so sweet, but also there have been many troubled times when things were rough, when the violent and ugly winds of life’s realities threatened to blow us apart. So I am not a total novice in this department, I have learnt one or two things.

Like a jigsaw puzzle
There is perhaps no other subject on earth today, other than love, which has within it the capacity to generate a combination of opposing extremes.

It can provoke the greatest excitement as well as the deepest disappointment; it can produce sweetness as well as bitterness, goodness as well as wickedness, kindness as well as cruelty, gentleness as well as violence, happiness as well as heartaches …. etc.

Nothing can build as well as love does and yet nothing can destroy more than love when it turns sour. It can bring two total strangers into oneness and bond them together in beautiful harmony but also, it can tear apart bosom friends and make them unforgiving enemies.

It can beam the light of hope and lift up the downcast into a high euphoria of bliss but at the same time, if not handled properly, it can wipe the smile off the face of the happiest person and cast his soul down into the pool of deep despair.

Those who don’t have it wish for it but those who mishandle it wish they never had it. Love is something you can’t satisfactorily live without.

Life without love (not necessarily romantic love) is like an empty shell. But when violated, love can turn into something you want to run from. What a dilemma indeed!

What went wrong with love?
Something is not right somewhere about this love thing. How can the very thing that is supposed to yield so much fulfillment, joy and happiness become the root cause of so much bitterness, wickedness, disappointment and sadness?
Do you know how many people each year pull the trigger or stab with a cruel knife to kill the one they are supposed to love most dearly?

Many reasons may be advanced for this but I believe that the chief cause of love dilemma is because God is left out of it.

Love between man and woman (romantic love) was God’s idea, to begin with. It was God who said it was not good for man to be alone and He created the woman as a result (Gen.2:18-25).

When Adam set his eyes on Eve, it was love at first sight. He was so excited that he constructed a poem right on the spot –
“…This is now bone of my bones,
and flesh of my flesh:
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall be one flesh…”

And that melody of love and sweet harmony between Adam and his wife continued until man fell out with God through disobedience.
Sorry if you do not believe the Bible but I do.

It still works today
Letting God into your life and basing your marriage or relationship on His word is the best antidote against “love decay” and the best tonic that can protect your love and keep your love life from turning sour.

Hacking your spouse’s telephone conversations, probing every unfamiliar number that you find on their phone bills or even hiring private detectives to stalk them will not safeguard your love. Look around and you will see that this is true. In fact, more than likely, these actions will bring in the divorce lawyers quicker than anything else.

The reason I don’t cheat on my wife
By God’s grace, I do not cheat on my wife and I am not about to do so. In fact, the mere thought of it is offensive to me.

That is not to say that I am better or stronger than anyone else – not at all.
If you must know, the reason is NOT because I am a disciplined man (with plenty of self-control) or that I do not feel tempted by the opposite sex or that I hold a responsible position as a Pastor or that my wife is so flawless that she doesn’t do things that I hate sometimes or that I don’t want to hurt her feelings – none of those.

Of course, I would hate to purposely do anything that will hurt her feelings but there is a way a man’s weakness can get hold of him that he ends up doing weird things without caring about who gets hurt and who doesn’t. That is the naked truth.

The reason I don’t cheat on my wife is because of my relationship with God through faith in Christ Jesus. To me, this is a very real thing. This relationship has brought into my life the fear of God, the ability to overcome temptations and personal weaknesses as well as the consciousness of His indwelling presence.

Even behind closed doors in a remote hotel, God’s presence is there. How can you then do what He calls abomination right before His watching eyes? Such a wonderful consciousness makes it hard to do some ugly stuff. Every truly born again Christian committed to walking with God can testify to these blessed realities in their lives.

You don’t know what you are missing!
People don’t know what they miss when they live their lives based on their own humanistic ideologies without God. A living relationship with the almighty God is not only life-changing, it is exciting and with many advantages including where love is concerned.

I am not talking of dead religiosity here – I am talking of a living relationship with God (by faith in Christ Jesus) that satisfies the deep longings of the human soul.

Dear friend, you need Him more than you do realize and I invite you to open the door of your heart and enter into a wonderful relationship with God. He loves you!  Click here to find out how.

Posted in Love and Sex | 2 Comments »

Why Did The American President
Forget To Thank God
(On Thanksgiving Day) – Or Did He?

By Pastor Vincent Imwensi

I am not a political commentator or analyst but just like anyone else, I do contemplate on issues around me.

And so when it hit the headlines two months ago that the American President made a speech on the national Thanksgiving day (November 24th, 2011) without mentioning God – talk less of thanking Him, it was a matter for concern not only to me, but to many people across the world.

He thanked military personnel, service men and women, pilgrims, pioneers and patriots, cooks, as well as family, community, country and all Americans – but not God! That touched my heart.

Let’s Not Pretend About It

Someone may say that was last year and it is a forgotten issue but I say no! Why? Because the reasons behind what the President did (or did not do) in that speech are still there and they won’t go away by pretending they are not there. There are serious implications in that.

I am not an American but since America has come to be regarded by many people (rightly or wrongly) as the biggest Christian nation on earth right now, such an act provokes some serious thinking in the minds of God-minded people around the world.

This Is Not A Criticism

I am not one of those who like to criticize those in authority. In accordance with the word of God, I endeavour not to speak evil of those in positions of authority. What I owe them is not criticism but respect, prayer and obedience in righteousness.

There are several people who spend a lot of time blaming leadership for their woes. While certain problems are caused by leadership blunders, most of the time the people have more to do with the problem they are complaining about than those in leadership.

There are even those who have made a career out of criticism, fault-finding and finger pointing at those in authority. I detest and hate it. Therefore, the purpose of this writing is not fault finding and criticism – it is to bring certain truth to light.

Who Is Behind America’s Greatness?

America is a great nation and even though there are some people and nations that are ill disposed towards America and Americans, there are many that love America and Americans.
In fact, in many parts of Africa, merely saying that you are from America confers immediate respect on you. Is it any wonder that it is the lifelong dream of many in different parts of the world to migrate to America?

But what or who made America great? Some think it is their clever politicians, or their strong military or their inventors or their industrialists. But it is none of these. Other nations are equally endowed and in some cases, even more. Don’t tell me that the Americans are smarter than the British or the Russians!

I believe that the greatness of America derives from God. Without Him, every human effort, skill, training or experience will come to naught.

The Americans Know Their History Better Than Anyone Else

The American people are intelligent, well read and well-schooled – so I believe they know their history better than anyone else. I am sure they know how the whole idea of a day of national Thanksgiving came about. So turning it into something else is not the doing of one person.

In fact, if we were to postulate that they have forgotten what the national day of Thanksgiving is all about,  their President certainly did not.

A Little Bit Of History:

 

Thanksgiving Day Was Intended To Thank God

As far as I understand, the whole idea was to thank the Almighty God for His bountiful blessings upon the nation and its citizens.

The Pilgrims started it in 1621 and the reason was to thank God. It is said that it was a tradition they brought with them from England where the idea also was to thank God for His gracious providence and provision.

Then on October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation establishing the last Thursday in the month of November as a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise” to God … (well, it has since been amended to the fourth Thursday in November).

That God was the object of this Thanksgiving celebration is eloquently expressed in that declaration. After enumerating so many blessings that God had brought upon the nation including that of protection, preservation, provision, prosperity and so on, he said:

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People.

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens”

You can see that the idea was NOT to thank one another but God.

How the whole thing now turned around such that it is all about thanking men instead of God – to the point that He doesn’t even deserve a mention in the President’s Thanksgiving speech, is difficult to understand.

The President Did Not Forget And It Was Not A Mistake

I believe he did not forget that he is supposed to thank God, it was not a mistake that he did not do it, instead, it was a deliberate omission.

Take a look at the American president and you will see that he is smart, clever and intelligent – don’t expect him to forget something like that!

Moreover, do you know how many times that speech was rehearsed and cross examined before it was broadcast? He was simply playing safe – saying what is agreeable to most Americans nowadays and not likely to ruffle many feathers.

In politics, you have to dance to the drum beat of those that put you in power otherwise, if they cannot impeach you before the completion of your tenure, they will not vote for you in the next election.

Don’t Blame The President – Ask The People

I know that many people are quick to pin the blame of the president but in reality, he is not to blame – ask the people what happened to their relationship with God.

After all, when in 1939 President Franklin Roosevelt changed the Thanksgiving day to the 3rd Thursday of the month of November instead of the last, there was a great public outcry (oh well, because of the financial implications).

And that was why in 1941, by an act of Congressional Joint Resolution, the 4th Thursday of November was set as a national day of Thanksgiving and it has been so ever since.

How many Americans are concerned that on a day set aside to thank God for His goodness to the nation, His name was not even mentioned in the president’s Thanksgiving speech talk less of thanking Him?

What do you think the reaction will be in the Congress right now, if someone was to complain that God was not mentioned (in the President’s Thanksgiving speech) talk less of being thanked? I believe that person will be booed and told to shut up. So don’t tell me the president is to blame!

What Happened To “God’s Own Country”?

Although this phrase has been jokingly used for different nations (including America), it seems to be more true of America because of the abundant blessings and prosperity upon that nation, their open heartedness towards the gospel of Christ (in the past) and their public acknowledgement of the God of the Bible – that is, until more recent years.

Once upon a time, most American presidents were not ashamed to acknowledge their faith in the living God publicly. Till today, the American motto is “In God We Trust” and it is printed on their currency. But all that is now changing.

And I won’t be surprised if a group of politically correct intellectuals and politicians are hard at work to scrap that motto and replace it with something else. Is this still “God’s own country”? Well, I don’t know.

God Deserves More Than A “Mention” In America.

What some complained about in the President’s Thanksgiving speech was that he did not “mention” God – not that he did not thank God for His goodness to the nation.

If he had sprinkled a careless and politically correct “God bless America” on his thanksgiving speech,(as has been done in previous years), many would have been content.

Mind you, saying “God bless America” in a Thanksgiving speech, is not the same thing as thanking God for His goodness to the nation, yet many would have been ok with that – at least he mentioned God! How else can you define superficiality and lip service?

It was even better he didn’t do it at all than being hypocritical about it.

What Evil Has God Done To America?

At last, some smart politicians, opinion leaders, intellectuals and liberalists have eventually come to see that public acknowledgment of the living God is not healthy for the nation: it is offensive, injurious, divisive and unprofitable.

Praying in public places has been banned in schools and public places, it is now forbidden to hang the Ten Commandments in public buildings in most of the States (if not all).

It has become politically incorrect to acknowledge Christmas in America – (it is now called the “Holidays” to strip the season of its association with “Christ” which many Americans now find offensive).

In fact, during this last Christmas, (25th December, 2011) several people in America took to the streets on Christmas day (it was in the news) to protest against Christmas symbols in public places such as the Nativity scene and Christmas trees. Can you imagine that? What evil has Christ done to America? Has God not been good to that country – well, you judge.

Some Changes Can Lead To  Downfall.

Any river that forgets (or that is cut off from) its source will soon dry up irrespective of how much water pours into it from other sources.

Change is a good thing and making changes is often part of making progress but that is on the ground that the change is a positive one.

There are changes that lead to downfall instead of elevation, demotion instead of promotion, failure instead of success, poverty instead of prosperity and retrogression instead of progress. So there are some changes never to make.

Any change by which any people move away from God instead drawing closer to Him is a bad change and it always leads downwards. Read the accounts of the nation of Israel in the Bible and you will see a vivid illustration of this.

A Call To Repentance

What I have highlighted in this article is not about Americans alone. Many nations are forgetting God and some even boast about it.

As you read this article, I want to ask you dear friend, does God have a place in your life? Or are you among the many millions (if not billions) of humanity to whom God is irrelevant? But He still owns the breadth in your nostril and when you leave this world you will stand before Him to give account of your life on earth – believe it or not.

Now is the time to turn to Him. He loves you and cares about you. He wants you to come into a personal relationship with Him. Click here to find out how.

Posted in Burning Issues | 267 Comments »

CHRISTMAS – Celebrating Without The Celebrant

by Pastor Vincent Imwensi

How would you like it to be your birthday and people gather to celebrate it but decide not to allow you into the party? You are locked out and in fact the mere mention of your name, offend some of the celebrants – how would you like that?

Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? But that is how a lot of people treat the One whose birth they celebrate during Christmas!

Do you realise that Christmas is actually somebody’s birthday? Yes, it is Jesus Christ’s birthday. Christmas is actually named after Him. Take “Christ” away from “CHRISTmas” and you will see that what is left (“mas”) doesn’t make sense.

Subtle Denials

Yet if you look around, you will see the many subtle ways in which so many people are seeking to take Christ out of Christmas.

For instance, in the United States of America, this season used to be the Christmas season but now that has been changed to the holiday season and the greeting is now “happy holidays” instead of “merry Christmas”.
Why? Because “Christmas” reminds people of Christ and refers to Him (which may offend some people) but “holiday” takes people’s minds away from Him to something totally different. And yet, Christ is the reason for the season.

Maybe it is not politically correct to say “merry Christmas” in nation whose motto is “In God We Trust”. Oh well, who knows, maybe it is not the God of the bible they are referring to after all. To my own mind, this is a crying shame and it is unfortunate.

Even here in London (United Kingdom), you can see the same subtle denial going on in different ways. There used to be Christmas music and songs in the air everywhere you go during the Christmas season. But now it has turned to “silent Christmas”.

Go to the shops, you will see people, busy as bees, buying all sorts for Christmas but not a single word is being said about the One who is the reason for Christmas – Christmas songs are no more.

In fact, in many shops and super malls, you don’t even see Christmas greetings anywhere!
And yet someone said to me not long ago that the United Kingdom is a “Christian nation”. Hahaha …. really?

The Date Argument
Of course there are people who take great pains and go to great lengths to try to prove that Jesus Christ was not born on the 25th of December. They may or may not be right but that is not the point.

What we celebrate is the very fact that He was born into this world and somehow, the 25th of December has become the preferred day in which His birth is celebrated all over the world.

We are familiar with a situation where somebody’s birthday may be on a Monday but he may not celebrate it until the following Saturday. Is it therefore less of a birthday because he did not mark it on Monday? Of course not.

Therefore Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the reason for the season.

Jesus Christ – The Gift Of God’s Love

Who is this Jesus Christ and why does the whole world stop to mark His birthday?

The Bible provides clear answers to this question:

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” – Luke 2:11

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” John 14:6

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” Acts 4:12

Jesus Christ is God’s gift of love to a lost and suffering humanity. In Him is our salvation, peace, forgiveness, freedom from sin and it’s consequences, divine favour and the hope of everlasting life. Without Him, we are lost in sin and without hope for all eternity.

He is the greatest gift ever known to man. Haven’t you noticed that during Christmas people give gifts (or presents)? It is because Christmas is about the gift of God – the gift of His love to us in the person of Jesus Christ, the Saviour.

But for any gift offered to you to become yours, you have to receive or accept it. In the same way, to realise the benefit of the greatest gift of Christmas (Jesus Christ), you have to receive Him as your personal Saviour and Lord by a simple act of faith.

Let Him In And Celebrate This Christmas With The Celebrant

So as you prepare for this Christmas, here is a key question: are you going to be celebrating with the Celebrant or without the Celebrant?

He says in His word “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” – Rev.3:20

Here, He is talking about the door of your heart. Will you open to Him today? If you would like to do that, here is a simple prayer to help you:

All Mighty God, I thank you for the gift of your love – Jesus Christ. Today, I open the door of my heart and invite Jesus Christ into my heart to be my Saviour and Lord.

I repent of my sins and ask you to please forgive me. By faith, I welcome Jesus Christ into my life right now and I receive the gift of eternal life, in Jesus’ name, amen.

If you prayed the above prayer committing your life to Christ, I say congratulations. Now you will see the difference it makes when you celebrate Christmas with the Celebrant – Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

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