BECOME A STAR

Recently while reading the account of the birth of Jesus in (Matt 2:1-2) where the wise men from the East had followed a star to find the new King of he Jews, I had a certain thought. We should all strive to become a star that might lead someone to Jesus! In (Dan 12:3) we read "Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever". When we think of someone becoming a star today, most likely we think of some famous personality who has become well known through their public appearances. We might never become that sort of a star, who is considered as such by the world, but we are not of the world!

A star is meant to be seen in the heavens, and Paul tells us in (Eph 2:4-7) that God has seated us in heavenly places in Christ, so He can point to us as examples for others to follow. Of course he was speaking of our spiritual standing, but the world should be able to see a difference in our behavior as followers of Jesus! We are told by Jesus to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven". (Matt 5:20) We know that not all stars shine forth with the same brightness, but they each have their place in the heavens, and God calls them all by name!

So each of us can become a "star" in this sense, and let our little light shine, as the chorus we learned in Sunday School tells us. Paul has a good word for us along the same lines in (Phil 2:12-15), where we are encouraged to be "bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people". As the world gets darker, we should shine forth even brighter! (Isa 60: 1-3). Even the light from a small candle can be easily seen in a dark room. So let us be encouraged in these days of great spiritual darkness, when the dark works of Satan are being displayed everywhere, even in some churches. It seems that the old fashioned gospel that tells people they are sinners in need of a Savior, has been replaced in many circles with a different gospel. This new so-called gospel in "man centered", instead of being "God centered" and tells people only what they want to hear, and not what they need to hear! ( 2 Tim 4:3-4) May God forgive us for our sin of keeping our light hidden, and start to become a "star" that will clearly point the way to Jesus as the only Savior from sin!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH

According to (Eph 1:3-8) we all had our beginning in the love of God our Creator, long before we were ever conceived in our mother's womb. So that's where the real miracle began, in the loving heart of God! Most of us know a bit about how our physical life came about, by the joining of a sperm from our father with the egg in our mothers womb. Then from this small beginning, the miracle of birth continued until some 9 months later we emerged from the temporary safety of our mother's womb, into the light of day. This day of our birth was duly recorded and has been celebrated in some way every year since then! This is the brief description of how the "natural physical" birth of each one of us human beings came about. But we know from scripture that we were all born with something missing! This missing ingredient was a "spiritual" life, in (Eph 2:1-3) Paul makes it clear that we are all born into this world as little "sinners", with a sinful nature inherited from Adam. But thank God that Paul continues "But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead (it is only by God's grace that you have been saved). (Eph 2:4-5) This "spiritual birth" is also very much a miracle birth, as outlined by Jesus to a very religious man, as recorded in (John 3: 1-8). We see that Nicodemus was a religious leader from the Jewish denomination known as the Pharisees. This was a very strict group, that could be compared to any of our Conservative Evangelical Denominations of today, who adhered strictly to the scriptures of the day. Jesus made it clear that being a leader in the Pharisee Party was not good enough, but that Nicodemus must be "born again"! This requirement for knowing God, and becoming part of His forever family, has never changed since that time. Joining some church will not make you a Christian. There is only one way to become a true Christian, or a follower of Jesus, and that is by way of the "new birth". Some churches have developed different forms or traditions whereby people can become members of that particular church, but this must not be confused with actually becoming a member of God's family. There is only one way to enter the family of God, and that is by confessing our sins and receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. Jesus makes this fact clear in (John 14:6), when He declared "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me". There is no way around this statement of Jesus, and it requires a "miracle of the new birth" to make it real!!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp

SIGNS AND WONDERS

We are hearing much about signs and wonders lately in the area of supernatural appearances of gold flecks on hands or clothing, oil or blood spots on peoples hands, gold fillings in teeth etc. I have looked into scripture to see what I could find about this topic, and found more than I expected. In (Dan 4:2-3) we read "I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how powerful are His wonders! His Kingdom will last forever, His rule through all generations". These words were part of a message from King Nebuchadnezzar to the people of his kingdom. Then in (Heb 2:4) we read "And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever He chose". Actually we find many places in the NT where God performed miracles and supernatural signs in the ministry of Jesus and His followers.

It is important to point out that God always had a purpose or reason behind every miracle that He performed by His supernatural power. It is also important to point out that not all supernatural signs are necessarily caused by God. In the book of Exodus we see where both Moses and Pharaoh's magicians were able to perform miracles. In various NT passages we see miraculous signs and wonders performed by Jesus and His followers, as well as by Satan's followers. So we see there have always been a mixture of genuine supernatural signs, and at the same time there could be counterfeit miracles and signs! This is still the case today, and a brief study of church history will reveal that most revivals of God's power were accompanied by a corresponding move of satanic signs and wonders. Therefore we need to be cautious and ask God for discernment to know the difference between the real and the counterfeit. God has never been in the business of entertaining Christians! Much of what we see in church circles today is more "entertainment" than it is ministry. Paul warns us in (2 Cor 11:12-15) to expect false prophets and "deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ". Satan can come as an "angel of light" to deceive believers and keep them from enjoying the genuine miracles and signs and wonders sent from God to edify the Body of Christ! So let's pray and trust the Holy Spirit to keep us from being deceived in these matters! Paul gives a good word of advice in (Gal 5:16) "So I say let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature graves"!!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp