CHRISTMAS--MORE THAN GOD 'WITH' US !!!

Christmas is the time of year to rediscover the meaning of the one and only "Emmanuel" of God, Jesus Christ. Emmanuel means 'God With Us'. But it means much more than that. We shall see. The Christmas story tells us that the WORD stepped out of eternity and became one of us, a fully human being. This WORD had always been with God and WAS God. ( John 1:1-4). John tells us that He was the originator of Creation, of Life, of everything.(As does Paul. Colossians 1:15-17).

The name "Emmanuel" actually means , God with us. But Jesus' coming in the flesh did much more than just dwell with humans. He became one of us, became one WITH us and became One IN us. IN US !!! And us IN Him. He makes this clear in John 14:20 when He says that we will know that He is in the Father, the Father is in Him and He is in us. In John 17:20-26, He phrases it this way, " that He and the Father will be in us and that He himself will be IN us."

Paul says it this way in Colossians3:4, " that when Christ who IS your life appears." The physical life we all have now in the fallenness of Adam is only temporary. Jesus enters into all of us and gives us His life and that life is ETERNAL. ( I Corinthians 15:22).

Jesus is the SOURCE of life. If He is not present inside of a living organism to give life, that organism is not alive but dead. He is life. John 1:4. ( Note: All things are sustained or upheld by Jesus Christ.)

Christmas is much more than shepherds, wise men, camels, and Santa. It is about EMMANUEL. God with us. God one of us. God IN us. AND, We IN Him. And He is there within us permanently with no possibility of being separated from us ever. Romans 8.

Finally, Paul calls all of this the greatest secret of the ages. The greatest mystery of all of humanity. He calls it a GLORIOUS truth. It is in Colossians 1:26-27. "Christ IN you the hope of Glory." AND, AND, AND, it applies to EVERYONE. EVERYONE!!!
See verse 28 of Colossians 1. God simply loves all of His creation and has saved and redeemed and reconciled it in Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:20. The KEY for us is will be believe?

Christmas is for the whole world because Emmanuel is FOR the whole world. All who ever lived.( John 3:16-17; I John 2:2.)

Maybe now you can more clearly than ever before, " BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD". (John 1:29)

Blessings, and Merry Christmas!

Paul

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DAMN RIGHT ! HELL YES ! REALLY ?

Minds can be so made up over a subject that it is almost impossible to get through to them with anything that changes one's perspective. Take the concept of Hell. "I believe in an ever burning torturing fire to punish wickedly bad people who may not ever have heard the name Jesus Christ FOREVER. Damnit!" My grandmother and my mother taught me this which they learned in Sunday school at their local protestant church and I am not going to change their professional theology when it comes to Hell.

I read Lazarus and the Rich man and about worms that die not and Lakes of fire and brimstone and I KNOW WHEREOF I SPEAK. Don't confuse me with the facts of history, language, or the pagan concepts of Plato and other pagan philosophers who INVENTED the concept of a torturing firey Hell, because I am not listening. Damnit!

"I know all I need to know about Heaven and Hell and that is that."

Have you ever talked to someone in this closed frame of mind? Some just will not let go of the Hell they love so much. Rather than go into the details of Hell and where our Western Theological approach to it came from I will just refer you to a couple of Theological explanations I will send to you if you ask. ( I don't want your money or anything else!)

Ask for "Lazarus and the Rich Man" paper. Amazing. It has NOTHING to do with "fire".

Ask for the "Package" on Hell.

These will open your eyes as nothing else would.

God is Love and He loves you. You are the child of His He always wanted!!! He took care of you in the Life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Believe it.

Ask for the articles I mentioned above at: Paul.Kurts@wcg.org

Blessings,

Pastor Paul
www.newlifewcg.org