WHAT A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS

What a wonderful Christmas. This month the birthday of Jesus Christ was celebrated all over the world. Celebrated in various ways, in many languages, by people of all races. For a few hours many in the world  stopped talking of security breaches, street riots, police shootings and war. For a few hours they talked of peace on earth and good will toward men. Many people exchanged gifts and talked about the Prince of Peace. 

Imagine the scene in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. It was the night of nights, and yet it had begun as every other night had before. But it was to become the greatest, most significant night of history . This was the night when those who sat in darkness would see a great light. This was the night God brought into the world the One who is “the light of the world” John 8:12  Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."   May His light shine in your life in the upcoming year.  Looking back at  all that is associated with the Christmas season these days, we might have missed the real purpose of the season. Christmas is Christ! It’s all about Him-not us.

God’s Christmas gift to you has three qualitites that make it unique. First, it is the most expensive gift you’ll ever receive. It’s priceless, Jesus paid for it with his life. Second, it’s the only gift you’ll ever receive that will last forever. Finally, it is an extremely practical gift – one you’ll use every day for the rest of your life.

Nothing can ever match the gift God has given us in His Son. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15. Clearly, God’s willingness to send His Son to be our rescue is a gift that words cannot fully comprehend. This is the gift that we celebrate every Christmas – for Christ Himself is truly what matters most.

A great and meaningful tradition for Vicki and I is to gather with family around the table, next to the Christmas tree and listen as my 92 year old father in law reads the Christmas story. It is a gentle reminder that the reason we give gifts is not because the Magi brought gifts to the Christ-child. Rather, our gifts of love for one another are a reflection of God’s infinitely greater Gift of love to us. We are reminded of the many blessing in our lives and remember that Jesus  came with a purpose, He came to show us who God really is. He came to teach us how to live, walk and talk as spiritual people. But most importantly, He came so that we might have a full, intimate relationship with the Father He knew so well. Jesus’ job was to secure our salvation. That victory would cost Him His life.

Therefore, as we close our Christmas celebration let us remember the reason for the season and God’s incredible gift to each of us. I was reminded this year by a pastor here in Florida to write Jesus a letter and thank him for all he has done and to express to him exactly what He means to me.  We can all pause and review God’s grace and blessings in our lives. We should recommit to knowing and loving him better in preparation for the 2015. We need to give him our hearts our trust and our time, talent and treasure. We really haven’t given Him anything until we give Him ourselves. It's not to late, yes the opening of gifts may be behind us, but it is never to late to open the greatest gift in our lives, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

What gift will you give for the New Year?

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THE LOSS OF THE HARVEST

“The Harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” Jeremiah 8:20. This is one of the most haunting statements in the entire Bible.
Jeremiah was in the city of Jerusalem and he had been warning the nation of doom and disaster. Their cities would be destroyed; the people would be either killed or taken captive. Jeremiah warned the people that only God could deliver them from the armies of Babylon that were marching toward the city. But they did not listen. Instead they formed an alliance with Egypt to fight the Babylonians. But Babylon defeated Egypt and marched on Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and laid siege to the people. Now back in those days people lived within the walls of the city, and the crops were outside the walls. The army simply waited for the people to run out of food and surrender. All the people could do was watch the crops spoil, the harvest wither, the summer end, and say that there is no loss like the loss of the harvest.
Jesus refers to the harvest as winning souls for salvation and the inclusion into our church family. It is a fact that the fastest growing churches in America are not Christian. Among those that are expanding most rapidly are the Mormons, the Jehovah's witnesses, Muslims and various cults. Are we prepared to listen to the warnings? The reality is that for Christianity the harvest is passing globally, nationally and individually.
Christianity is in direct conflict with these other religions. The Muslim religion forces people into conversion, kills people or forces them into slavery. Christianity is a true religion of peace but make no mistake we are competing for the souls of people who have not selected a religion.
There is decay within the Christian faith, faith is fading and many are ignoring their responsibly to warn and point people to Jesus. Over half of everyone we run into is lost, and it is a growing population. Are we merely going to stand by and watch the loss?
There are people to reach and there is work to be done. One of the greatest dangers to the modern church is that the church doesn’t see soul winning as its most important work. Sadly most everything else comes before the work of reaching the lost with the Word of God.

If only we could see people differently, really look into people’s hearts, we might be able to see the turmoil, fear, loneliness and desperation. Many people are lost and have no answers to their questions. There are people without hope. They need someone to see them as they really are and still love them enough to tell them about Jesus.
Without a relationship with Him, people are doomed and we need to remember that. There are people all around us who need Jesus; we need to do something about it. Surely we care about them and want to see them saved by grace. If we can see the harvest through God’s eyes, we will not be content to merely see it; we will want to work to see men saved. We need to be doing what we can while we can and leave the results with God knowing that our labor is never in vain.
Our country is filled with large churches, yet there are still people on our busy streets that are without hope and without God in this world. As a pastor in this community, my prayer is that people in our churches will pray and participate in this Harvest, reaching out to the lost. People all around the world need to hear the gospel.
God values each of us and He loves us. But if death came for us today, would we be ready? If not, we would face a certain judgment. That’s the last thing God wants to happen to us. That’s why He sent Jesus.
If we refuse to listen we can face something worse than going to hell. We can actually go to hell and take some else with us. But if we believe and share the good news we can experience something even better than going to heaven. We can go to heaven and take others with us.
Listen up! Put your ear to the ground, there is a thundering sound, Niagara Falls is ahead and the world is headed downstream in a straw basket. “Work while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work.”
There are people all around us and all over the world who are slipping out through the jaws of death into a Christless eternity. People who are lost need a champion, a rescuer, a Savior and they can find that and more in Jesus. Can we join hands for the harvest that people might come to Jesus?''
Please join us this Sunday at First Baptist Church. We meet Sunday mornings at 8:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. We are located at 700 Hardy Way.

For more information, transportation or to request prayer call 702-346- 7061 and please visit our website at fbcmesquite.com. 

Coming Home

What a wonderful thing coming home is! Many of us can remember being away from our families when we were in college or serving in the armed forces away from our parents, our spouse, our children, our church—from everything that has meaning to us and gives our life purpose. We longed for our loved ones, our home, and our friends.

And what a thrill coming home was! What a blessing that we were able to come home safe and sound. What a joy to have our loved ones meet us and run to us and for you to be able to hold them in your arms and kiss and hug them in real life—not through skype or a video.

Homecoming is one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. These are our loved ones and we care about them even if we are apart.

But there is another kind of homecoming and that is a homecoming to the church. Many people have attended church on and off through their lives then somehow just stopped going.

Maybe they have lost that feeling of homecoming to the Lord. They have lost contact with their church family and just been drifting. Sometime people don’t even notice it happing; maybe it started with just missing a Sunday or two. Or maybe just caught up in life or making a living, they have drifted away.

Moving to a new town like Mesquite is a great opportunity to reestablish the old connection. We might try a new church and find that we enjoy both the people and the message. Now is a good time to reunite with your church family. Many times it may not even be the church you grew up with. It could have a different name, some different services and maybe even some new songs.

But folks, as joyful and thrilling as it is to come home here on this earth, that’s NOTHING compared to the thrill believers will experience when they finally come to their REAL home. This week First Baptist Church will be talking about coming home to the place God is preparing for us—the place God is preparing for you and I. That place we usually call heaven.

What a day that will be when we see Jesus, and I look upon His face, The One who saved us by His grace; When He takes me by the hand and leads me through the
Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be.

The Love Of The Harvest

We all know the name Billy Graham. He has spoken publicly about Jesus Christ, and preached the gospel to more people than any person in human history. If anybody knows anything about the harvest, it is Billy Graham. He said; “The evangelistic harvest is always urgent. The destiny of men, and of nations, is always being decided. Every generation is strategic. We are not responsible for the past generation, and we cannot bear the full responsibility for the next one; but we do have our generation. God will hold us responsible as to how well we fulfill our responsibilities to this age, and take advantage of our opportunities.”

At this moment more people on planet earth are lost and without Christ than ever before in human history. This world is ripe for the taking.  The opportunity for missions, evangelism and soul- winning is unprecedented. There are more open doors in more countries to preach the gospel than ever before. Here in America, the economy, crime, drugs, politics, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, the breakup of the family, have all combined to give us the most depressed, discouraged, disillusioned culture in our nation's history. The question is not ''is there an opportunity?'' But ''will we seize the opportunity?''

Jesus never failed to seize every opportunity to be a part of the harvest. He met a woman at a well, and seized the opportunity to bring that woman into the kingdom of God. He did it to teach us that there are men and women at wells everywhere, thirsty for living water, and just waiting for someone to take that opportunity to give them that living water and to satisfy their thirst for all eternity.

Jesus makes it clear that around us is a continual harvest that waits to be reaped. Look around. You will find people ready to hear God’s Word

Now the only way you will ever get excited about the harvest is if two things happen: you've got to see the possibility of the harvest; and

you’ve got to seize the opportunity to participate in the harvest.

Mark 4:35 it says; 'there are still four months and then comes the harvest but, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, they are already white for harvest!” Now normally, it took four months from the time of the end of sowing, to the beginning of reaping. But Jesus said the harvest is always now.

It is later than it's ever been when it comes to the harvest. The fields are white, and if the harvest is not gathered, the fruit will spoil. The problem was not the ripeness of the fields; it was the blindness of the farmers. That is why Jesus said, ''lift up your eyes and look at the fields.''

Did you know that there are ten times as many people living today who have never heard the gospel, as the entire population of the world was when Jesus made that statement? There are six billion people on planet earth today, and at least four billion have never had an opportunity to respond to the gospel.

So why should we be a part of the harvest? John 4:36 says “The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!”

Jesus said this fruit is ''for eternal life.'' Every time you share the gospel and someone receives Jesus Christ, you have put into God's storehouse eternal fruit. It is imperishable. It cannot be spoiled by time, it is incorruptible. This is fruit that lasts forever.

If someone were to offer you a thousand dollars for every person you reach for Christ, would you make more of an effort than you do now when the reward is an eternal crown?

You may not always see the harvest but you just keep sowing the seed because God rewards both the one who sows and the one who reaps.

I would like to ask you a question. I hope it won't offend you, but tell me, if you were to die today, where would you be in eternity? The Bible says it will either be in hell or in heaven, one of the two. Think about it, would you please?

As pastor of First Baptist Church, I beg you fall in love with Jesus and get a burning love for the harvest. But to do that you've got to lift up your eyes and see the fields are indeed ripe for the harvest. Folks, there are prospects everywhere. The fields are white for harvest.

Joy In Fellowship

In a church family people share the Joy of Fellowship together, whether in a small group environment, Sunday morning Bible Study, Sunday night movie nights, potluck dinners or Sunday morning celebration.  Members have a sense of belonging, of being connected with people. Knowing that if they don’t show up, someone will notice, knowing that people care if you show up or not.

 “A community is a group of people who matter to you, and to whom you matter.” And a church should be like a community, a group of people united to one another by their union to Christ and their love for one another.  “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed, if one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

We need one another. It’s as simple as that. We need one another for encouragement when we stumble, for mutual protection when we’re being attacked, for strength when we’re under stress.

Members know what it takes to have joy and fellowship in most situations. They know what to do, they just don’t do it? Why would someone not want to be a part of the joy of fellowship?  The Bible says in Hebrews 12:14; “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; see to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

Like a small root that grows into a great tree, bitterness springs up in hearts and overshadows even the deepest relationships. A poisonous root of bitterness comes when some allow disappointment to grow into resentment, or when they nurse grudges over past hurts. Bitterness brings with it jealousy, dissension and immorality. This bitterness can be devastating. “Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die” The other person continues their life, and may be happy and content, and never even think about you, but because you hold bitterness for them, they continue to control your life.

If you should face such a situation, consider letting go of something that is holding you back from the true Joy of Fellowship that God desires for each and every one of us.

Bitterness has been medically linked to glandular problems, high blood pressure, cardiac disorders, ulcers, and even insanity. One leading psychiatrist wrote, “90% of all people in insane asylums could be released immediately if they would learn how to forgive, or how to be forgiven.”

In Christian love, build a bridge and get over it! Don’t remain a prisoner of bitterness. Forgiveness is offered, take it and put the joy back in your fellowship, the Fellowship that can be found as a member of a church family. If you haven’t been to a church lately give it a try. Those that belong already know what I mean.

CHANGE OF HEART

 God’s promises in the Old Testament were generally, “If you obey me I will bless you.” The condition for blessing was often obedience – or what we would call “good works.” The New Testament, or New Covenant, is different. God’s promises are based on the condition of faith, if I will only trust God He will bless me. 

The old covenant was the covenant of law between God and the tribes of Israel. The new covenant is one of grace—Christ's offer to forgive our sins and bring us to God through his sacrificial death.

In Hebrews 8:10 it says; “This is the covenant I will make… declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

This covenant is new in that it offers a new way to forgiveness, not through animal sacrifice but through faith and a change of heart.

Today we want to give attention to our hearts. Have you ever sensed that you needed what we often call a change of heart? It’s one thing to change our mind, but it’s quite another to have a change of heart.

 If our heart is not changed, following God's rules will be unpleasant and difficult. Some might even rebel against being told how to live. With a new heart, we find that serving God can become our greatest joy. Under God's new covenant, God's law is inside us. It is no longer an external set of rules and principles. The Holy Spirit reminds us of Christ's words, activates our conscience, influences our motives and desires. Doing God's work is something we do with our heart and our mind.

So if you think you may need a change of heart, or maybe you are finding that you cannot find peace or any comfort in your life, why not consider a change of heart? God does work from the inside out, not from the outside in. The one big thing that Jesus does when He is invited into a person’s life is to give him or her new heart.

To find how you might invite Jesus into your heart you can join us at First Baptist Church. Sunday services are 8:00 am and 10:45am; located at 700 Hardy Way. We are right next door to the new police station. For more information, please visit our website at www.fbcmesquite.com.

Don’t Walk Away

What is our natural response to a difficult situation or circumstance? Do we run away or face it? Do we worry or trust God?

Sadly, many folks today are walking, or in some cases, running away from God. Jonah ran from God as a believer and also the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-20 rebelled and wanted to be free to live as he pleased. He demanded his inheritance, packed his bags and moved to a distant land. Like the father of the prodigal son, our heavenly Father will not force us to remain with Him. If we ignore His guidance and insist on following an ungodly path, He'll let us go our own way.
 Poor choices can result in lifelong regrets, but they don't have to dictate our future. The heavenly Father will welcome us with great joy and love when we repent and turn back to Him.

Many believers have walked away from God But He has not moved—they have.

Don’t walk away or become discouraged. God's love offers hope for us as we face disappointment and rejection here on earth. Hope doesn’t come easily and it doesn’t last long if it’s based solely on circumstances. When things are going well in our lives, hope bubbles up and lingers. But when tough times come, our sense of hope fades away and sometimes disappears. The biblical idea of hope is different. True hope doesn’t depend on whether things go our way or don’t go our way; hope that lasts for eternity is found in a relationship with Christ the Savior. No matter how the ups and downs of life go for us as believers, we have a hope that is secure.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”. John 3:16-17

The bottom line is this: God loves all of us, regardless of our history. And there is a huge difference between conviction and condemnation. God convicts and that leads us to repentance, but the devil condemns, and that leads to a life of guilt.

We have all done things for which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Don't dwell on your past. Instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with him now. Realize that you are forgiven, and then move on to a life of faith and obedience. Look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because of your hope in Christ.