"Where is Jesus in all of this?"

I was blessed by the Lord with an opportunity to speak on behalf of Him through His Word at the St. John's MTC Christmas Coffeehouse this past Friday, 12/26. God gave me such a boldness to speak for Him that day - praise Him!! I'm tellin' ya - not even six hours prior to the event, I was still unsure as to how to effectively present what I had put together. Content was coming together, but the remainder of the content, connections, and applications were still up in the air. But, God just literally told me to be quiet, focus in on Him, and let Him take care of all the details. He revealed Scripture to me in ways I had not seen before, solidifying everything. As the wise proverb says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). How true that is! Thanks, God.

So, I've placed my notes for the message below. It might seem a little haphazard, but hopefully it'll be easy to piece together:

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Merry Christmas, NOT Happy Holidays (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus [12/23]: a holiday for the "rest of us" popularized by Seinfeld's Frank Costanza) - Be proud and attest that assertion.
Notice how Christmas seems to be starting earlier each subsequent year (near Halloween now).
COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE HOLIDAY: Vacation time, Opening gifts, Family get-togethers, Pre-Christmas sales - 2 Black Fridays & 1 Cyber Monday (which is what draws people to Festivus)
Christmas in Japan (a traditionally Buddhist/Shinto nation) -> to promote goods and sales.
On the flip side, first public Christmas in Baghdad.
Multiple movie openings on Christmas Day:

1. Bedtime Stories (Adam Sandler)
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. The Spirit
4. Marley & Me
5. Valkyrie

Also, notice in previous Christmases the opening of a horror movie, without fail!

...Jesus in all of this?

So much talk about a Savior prior to His birth (via the prophets):

1. Isaiah 9:6-7
2. Isaiah 7:14-15
3. Isaiah 11:1-9
4. Zechariah 9:9

So much "hullabaloo" in the community when Jesus ministered and walked the earth:

1. Magi travelling thousands of miles from the East to see the newborn King
2. John the Baptist's proclamation (see Luke 3:16)
   
3. Crowds in the thousands following Jesus
4. Three-year ministry (crowds, Pharisees, Teachers of the Law, rich people, poor people)

But now, absolute silence about Jesus centuries after He ascended to heaven (You may argue that we talk about Jesus all the time at coffeehouse, praise nights, Sunday mornings at church, and the such. Great, but where else?)

Questions people ask nowadays are: Who is Jesus? What was Jesus? (As can be seen in the numerous Discovery Channel specials, such as "The Mystery of Jesus," "Decoding the Bible," "Bethlehem's Star," etc.)
The question should be: Where is Jesus?
To answer this, two people in the Bible provide one convincing answer.

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Paul - Acts 17:22-28

Paul's defenses of the Gospel against Felix, Festus, King Agrippa, the Sanhedrin, the Areopagus are like the trial portions of Law & Order episodes.
Paul spoke to the Areopagus like a skilled lawyer, making his case (recall the educated background of Paul).
vv. 27-28 -> All we need to do is turn and, lo and behold, He will be right there before us (He was there the whole time, right by your side.). (see also Revelation 3:20)
We live in Him! We move in Him! We have our being in Him! Every part and facet of us is enveloped in Him and by Him.

Jesus - John 14:8-11, 15-20

v. 8 -> Jesus actually answered Philip's request in the previous two verses, but his request should be our single-greatest request.
v. 10 -> Intimate relationship between Jesus & His Father. No relationship in history can match what is seen here. This puts into perspective (vividly clear) the agony that Jesus experienced in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, because of the pending separation He knew He would experience from His Father. If we have an intimate relationship with our Father, being separate from Him is not where we want to be. We long for the closeness.

** vv. 8-11 -> Dynamic relationship between Jesus & His Father
** vv. 15-20 -> Man's access to that dynamic relationship!

The Holy Spirit gives us access to that relationship. The sacrifice of Jesus tore the veil and we are not separate from our Father and His Son anymore. We are in Him, and He is in us! See where Jesus is now? He never left us our side. Barriers of sin and worldly desires cause blockages of view, but Jesus will never abandon the ones He love
"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:20

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"And the name of the city from that time on will be:
The LORD is There." -Ezekiel 48:35

Reflect on 2008, go forward confidently in 2009. Wherever you are, whatever you do, THE LORD IS THERE!

Immanuel = GOD is with us

A blessed Christmas to one and all!

Though Christmas day 2008 may have passed by chronologically, celebrate this special birthday every day for the rest of our lives. The fulfillment of a promise, the extent of a Father's love, the beginning of the greatest ministry of all time all came into realization in that stinky stable in Bethlehem. Praise the Lord!

"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this." -Isaiah 9:6-7

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
-Isaiah 11:1-9

"John [the Baptist] answered them all, 'I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.'" -Luke 3:16-17

Promise fulfilled. Proclaim it boldly! PTL!

Lovin' that liberation sensation!

At 1:45 in the afternoon today, I FINALLY finished all of the work for both of my semesters. Phew, talk about right until the bitter end! And, just like that, tomorrow is Christmas day. Normally, the buildup to the day is the most fun, filling me with much anticipation and allowing me to mull over the significances of these days. But, with work and school being so inundating until the very last possible moment, the schedule did not allow for such reflection time. I thank God for this timely, well-needed reprieve. He knew what I needed. My God supplies all my needs, according to His riches and glory. Now, I can set aside time to post here my journey through the Word (as if I hadn't set aside time thus far... ;) ). Before I realize it, this break will be over. So, I'm just going to enjoy each and every moment, rejuvenate, and live life in all its abundance, as Jesus would like me to do (see John 10:10).

Onward, forward, and upward!! PTL!

First public Christmas in Baghdad, Iraq

Christmas in Baghdad

The barriers are being broken down, friends. The love of Jesus cannot be stopped by political, regional, cultural borders. When people are released from oppression and tyranny, free people gravitate to Jesus, because it is a natural inclination. Now, of course, I'm not talking about immediate, 100% conversion there right now. Most people there probably see Christmas as a holiday for gifts and Santa Claus. But, the stage is set for the love of Jesus to do its work in that region. It only takes a spark to get a fire going.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -Matthew 28:19-20