THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT TO GIVE OR TO RECEIVE
If there was one Christmas gift that a godly parent or grandparent would want to receive, it would be to see all of his or her children and grandchildren walking in the John 14: 6 truths.
“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and THE TRUTH, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14: 6 NASB).”
“I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth (3 John 1:4 NASB).”
There are many things that can be the source of parental bragging rights, but in the life to come, all such accomplishments will prove to be meaningless if the same offspring should die, having never secured a relationship with the Lord (1).
Hell is going to be filled with many who trusted in their religious rituals, ceremonies, and good deeds to get them into Heaven (2). If such things did earn a ticket into Heaven, virtually everyone would have at least a little Heaven coming. Such verses as Matt. 7: 13, 14 and Rev. 20: 15 clearly teach otherwise.
Atheists and non-Christians can have great secular success, stable marriages, own great estates, produce educated, relatively well-behaved, productive, and professional children. They can engage in humanitarian and environmental projects, making the devil’s world a better place to live, for as long as it lasts.
But then what?
“For what does it profit a man to (have) gain(ed) the whole world, and (then) forfeit his soul (Mark 8: 36 NASB parentheses mine).”
Although God the Father desires that all men be saved (3), it is not something that will happen apart from one choosing to exercise the free will that he or she has been given to glorify God.
Being the offspring of a Christian does not make you one. Being born-again is the result of a choice that each soul MUST (4) make on,by, and for his/her own benefit. Rejection is a choice that results in eternal condemnation.
Matt. 7:14 teaches that only the minority (few) of each generation of Man finds the way(5) that leads to eternal life.
I believe that only a minority of those born again will identify and remain on the post salvation road of discipleship. The majority will be led away as the, “… worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful (Mark 4: 19 NASB).”
A united family attending Church and going through the motions, paints a pretty picture, but the reality of (6) tells a very different story.
“…for from now on (during the Church Age) five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three (7) Luke 12: 52 NASB),” even though they all were involved in the same “religious” activity!
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me… (Matt. 7: 21-23).”
Godly parents and grandparents can and should be a powerful source of influence, but as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
The principle of Mark 6: 4 teaches that it is among one’s family members and or where one is known on a personal level, that one’s attempts to evangelize and edify others will be least effective.
“Jesus said to them, “A prophet (spokesperson for God) is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household (Mark 6: 4 NASB parenthesis mine).”
Jesus lived in sinless perfection before the people of His upbringing, yet many were offended by the statements He made (8) at the beginning of His public ministry.
Our compromised effectiveness is due, in part, because people who know us best have seen our dark side in action.
God’s answers to our prayers regarding the salvation and or edification of family members might be to have all Hell break out in their personal lives, if that is what it might take for them to see the Light (9).
When praying for the evangelization and or edification of family members, I include a request that God show them as much mercy as He has shown me along the way.
Sharing the unadulterated Gospel Message is serious business. While a positive response assures the believer of eternal life (10), the same message assures an unbeliever of eternal condemnation (11) John 3: 18/ Rev. 20: 13, 15). From that moment on, the “nobody ever told me” excuse has been taken off the table.
To the extent that a born-again believer walks the walk as well as he or she talks the talk is what will draw the attention of those around us, providing him or her with the opportunity (when asked) to share his or her personal testimony.
Advancing disciples are told to be prepared for such opportunities (12).
To the extent that one fails to walk the walk the walk, his or her personal testimony and participation in the Great Commission (13) is compromised.
Trust me when I tell you, you can do a thousand good deeds that will go largely unnoticed, but what a professing follower of Christ does or fails to do in a moment of weakness will not go unnoticed. Satan, and those who do his bidding, will be right there to point out and to broadcast the areas of weakness in the life of an advancing disciple.
Followers of Christ (Christians), apart from God (14), can not save or edify anyone. Followers of Christ are merely communicators of truth, reinforced by the unspoken testimony of their daily lives.
For an unsaved soul, the unadulterated Gospel Message is the best Christmas gift that he\nor she could receive.
For a born-again believer, the next principle of Bible Doctrine that he or she needs to learn and apply is the best Christmas gift that he or she could receive.
I say this because it is when one has his or her spiritual act together, he or she will be equipped to make the best of life here on Earth, as will set the stage to experience a blessed eternity.
No one knows when he or she will have or has had the last opportunity to give or to receive the best Gift that Christmas has to offer. Eternity, for any one of us, could be only a heartbeat away.
In the meantime, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth (3 John 1: 4 NASB).”
(1) John 8:24 (2) Matt. 7: 21-23 (3) 1 Tim. 2: 4 (4) John 3: 5, 7 (5) John 14: 6 (6) Luke 12: 52/Matt. 7: 21-23 (7) Luke 12: 52 (8) Luke 4: 21, 28, 29 (9) John 8: 12 (10) John 3: 16 (11) John 3: 18/Rev. 20: 13, 15 (12) 1 Pet. 3: 15 (13) Matt. 28: 19,20 (14) John 15: 5 (15) Eph. 6: 11-17
If there was one Christmas gift that a godly parent or grandparent would want to receive, it would be to see all of his or her children and grandchildren walking in the John 14: 6 truths.
“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and THE TRUTH, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14: 6 NASB).”
“I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth (3 John 1:4 NASB).”
There are many things that can be the source of parental bragging rights, but in the life to come, all such accomplishments will prove to be meaningless if the same offspring should die, having never secured a relationship with the Lord (1).
Hell is going to be filled with many who trusted in their religious rituals, ceremonies, and good deeds to get them into Heaven (2). If such things did earn a ticket into Heaven, virtually everyone would have at least a little Heaven coming. Such verses as Matt. 7: 13, 14 and Rev. 20: 15 clearly teach otherwise.
Atheists and non-Christians can have great secular success, stable marriages, own great estates, produce educated, relatively well-behaved, productive, and professional children. They can engage in humanitarian and environmental projects, making the devil’s world a better place to live, for as long as it lasts.
But then what?
“For what does it profit a man to (have) gain(ed) the whole world, and (then) forfeit his soul (Mark 8: 36 NASB parentheses mine).”
Although God the Father desires that all men be saved (3), it is not something that will happen apart from one choosing to exercise the free will that he or she has been given to glorify God.
Being the offspring of a Christian does not make you one. Being born-again is the result of a choice that each soul MUST (4) make on,by, and for his/her own benefit. Rejection is a choice that results in eternal condemnation.
Matt. 7:14 teaches that only the minority (few) of each generation of Man finds the way(5) that leads to eternal life.
I believe that only a minority of those born again will identify and remain on the post salvation road of discipleship. The majority will be led away as the, “… worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful (Mark 4: 19 NASB).”
A united family attending Church and going through the motions, paints a pretty picture, but the reality of (6) tells a very different story.
“…for from now on (during the Church Age) five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three (7) Luke 12: 52 NASB),” even though they all were involved in the same “religious” activity!
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me… (Matt. 7: 21-23).”
Godly parents and grandparents can and should be a powerful source of influence, but as the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
The principle of Mark 6: 4 teaches that it is among one’s family members and or where one is known on a personal level, that one’s attempts to evangelize and edify others will be least effective.
“Jesus said to them, “A prophet (spokesperson for God) is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household (Mark 6: 4 NASB parenthesis mine).”
Jesus lived in sinless perfection before the people of His upbringing, yet many were offended by the statements He made (8) at the beginning of His public ministry.
Our compromised effectiveness is due, in part, because people who know us best have seen our dark side in action.
God’s answers to our prayers regarding the salvation and or edification of family members might be to have all Hell break out in their personal lives, if that is what it might take for them to see the Light (9).
When praying for the evangelization and or edification of family members, I include a request that God show them as much mercy as He has shown me along the way.
Sharing the unadulterated Gospel Message is serious business. While a positive response assures the believer of eternal life (10), the same message assures an unbeliever of eternal condemnation (11) John 3: 18/ Rev. 20: 13, 15). From that moment on, the “nobody ever told me” excuse has been taken off the table.
To the extent that a born-again believer walks the walk as well as he or she talks the talk is what will draw the attention of those around us, providing him or her with the opportunity (when asked) to share his or her personal testimony.
Advancing disciples are told to be prepared for such opportunities (12).
To the extent that one fails to walk the walk the walk, his or her personal testimony and participation in the Great Commission (13) is compromised.
Trust me when I tell you, you can do a thousand good deeds that will go largely unnoticed, but what a professing follower of Christ does or fails to do in a moment of weakness will not go unnoticed. Satan, and those who do his bidding, will be right there to point out and to broadcast the areas of weakness in the life of an advancing disciple.
Followers of Christ (Christians), apart from God (14), can not save or edify anyone. Followers of Christ are merely communicators of truth, reinforced by the unspoken testimony of their daily lives.
For an unsaved soul, the unadulterated Gospel Message is the best Christmas gift that he\nor she could receive.
For a born-again believer, the next principle of Bible Doctrine that he or she needs to learn and apply is the best Christmas gift that he or she could receive.
I say this because it is when one has his or her spiritual act together, he or she will be equipped to make the best of life here on Earth, as will set the stage to experience a blessed eternity.
No one knows when he or she will have or has had the last opportunity to give or to receive the best Gift that Christmas has to offer. Eternity, for any one of us, could be only a heartbeat away.
In the meantime, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth (3 John 1: 4 NASB).”
(1) John 8:24 (2) Matt. 7: 21-23 (3) 1 Tim. 2: 4 (4) John 3: 5, 7 (5) John 14: 6 (6) Luke 12: 52/Matt. 7: 21-23 (7) Luke 12: 52 (8) Luke 4: 21, 28, 29 (9) John 8: 12 (10) John 3: 16 (11) John 3: 18/Rev. 20: 13, 15 (12) 1 Pet. 3: 15 (13) Matt. 28: 19,20 (14) John 15: 5 (15) Eph. 6: 11-17