Fri Dec 20, 2013

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2013

Spiritual Baptist Archdiocese

St Vincent and the Grenadines

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Almost everyone enjoys receiving gifts; and not just at Christmas. The wealthy, as well as the poor, are intrigued by receiving gifts from someone they love or respect!{{more}}

Children love receiving gifts from their parents and grandparents. They also like giving gifts like little notes, cards and other artistic creations they have made!

Giving is important because of the effort, love and time it takes to make or purchase an appropriate gift. And in wrapping, mailing or delivering it!

There is usually a lot of love wrapped up with gift giving! It’s easy for children to express their love, but harder for some adults. That’s where the gift giving helps them!

Some of us enjoy giving even more than receiving. We rejoice in our ability to create little blessings in people’s lives, by the things we are able to do for them!

Unfortunately, there are those who are selfish, greedy and envious of others! Some of the most envious people I have met are those who seemingly have everything. Yet, they envy what little someone has!

Why is this, we may ask; and, what makes people act so differently?

The Bible speaks about the old nature and the new nature; the old man and the new man; the old lifestyle and the new lifestyle!

The prophet Jeremiah gets to the heart of the matter when he wrote: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9)

Jesus spoke about the sinfulness of the heart of man and identified the corrupt fruit emanating from such a heart. It’s not very pretty!

“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” (Matt. 15:19)

But the heart can be changed by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The Bible says: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them.” (Ezek. 36:26-27)

The Bible states: “Therefore if any man (person) be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away behold all things become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

St Paul was referring to Jesus Christ when he stated, Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift; and, it is this same Jesus Christ, the desire of all nations, that Haggai prophesied should come! (Hag. 2:7)

The Bible says “For God so loved the world that HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN – ONE AND ONLY – SON, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Our gracious Heavenly Father has given us so much. After giving His Son to die for our sins, HE GAVE US THE HOLY SPIRIT to empower the Church. And the gifts of the Spirit are still available for us today!

Who or what we fear determines what we do and how we live. Whether it’s fear of rejection, criticism, mockery, conflict, hatred, loneliness, unemployment, poverty, a loss of status – whatever we do determines the end factor.

Let us remember the poor, sick, sinful, orphaned and disadvantaged, with our prayers and financial gifts. Help support this ministry and others which proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Jesus said: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38)

Have a joyous Christmas and remember it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)

SHALOM!

+Frank

Archbishop and Primate