Silent Night

"Silently, How Silently His Wondrous Gift is Given....So God Imparts to Human Hearts the Wonders of His Heaven"
You probably recognize the title of this post as being from the lyrics of Silent Night. This phrase is my favorite line in the entire song. Yes, we can celebrate Jesus' birth at Christmas, however, the true meaning of Christ's coming is that God would shortly be leaving the Holy of Holies in the Temple and moving His residence into the hearts of those who, in humbleness, would receive Him into their hearts. 1 Corinthians 6:19 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price."

Christmas takes place in each of us the hour we first believe, no matter what time of the year it is. Christ is born into our hearts just as He was born into the world 2010 (give or take a few) years ago. We instantly are given the Holy Spirit as He comes into our dead to God hearts and makes our hearts alive to God. The Bible uses the word quickens similarly to the life giving force an expectant mother senses when her baby is felt moving around and kicking inside. We experience "God in us our hope of Glory." Colossians 1:27 "God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

We are born into God’s Family. This is where the phrase born again comes from. “You have been regenerated [born again], not from a mortal origin [seed, sperm], but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God (1 Peter 1:23).” We were once born of human sperm; now we are born of the spirit of God. We are born a second time, thus born again.

Christmas took place inside of me personally when I was born again. The day before, God was not even on my radar. The next day all I knew was something unbelievably wonderful had happened. I was filled with joy and excitement about God. I wanted to know everything I could about Him and how to let Christ live His resurrected life in me. There was a complete paradigm shift in my heart.

We are given many presents from God at this personal Christmas of ours. At the moment we are born again we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. “In Him, we also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of our salvation having also believed, we were sealed in Him [Christ] with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory (2 Corinthians 1:22, New American Standard version).” Like a child whose hand is stamped as he pays for his ticket to the carnival, we too are stamped. The child can freely go out and come back through the gate because he has the official carnival stamp that indicates he paid for his ticket.

Jesus paid for our ticket on the cross. That payment gets us through the gate and into the Father’s throne room during our life here on earth and later into heaven when we die. The child’s stamp will wash off, but the Holy Spirit’s stamp is permanent and can never be removed. This gift lasts an eternity.

Additional gifts are given. God cannot seal us with His Holy Spirit until our temples are cleansed, so He cleanses our temples for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “God made Jesus [who did measure up to God’s perfection] who knew no sin, to become SIN on our behalf (who would never be able to measure up and would always be inadequate in ourselves) so that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in Christ Jesus.” (Underline mine). This is called The Great Exchange.

What a transaction! Jesus takes our sins on Himself and we get His righteousness. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, we now measure up just like Jesus measures up, but not because of anything we do. Our acceptance is based on what God the Father did through His Son for us.

But this is not all that happens to us on our personal Christmas day. Not only is Christ in us but we are in Christ. More than 140 passages use the similar phrases in Christ, in Him, in Whom, and through Him. For every one verse that tells us Christ is in us, there are ten verses that say we are in Christ. Some examples:

Ephesians 1:7--In Him we have (present tense) redemption [deliverance and salvation] through His blood, the remission [forgiveness] of our offences, in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor.

Romans 8:1--There is therefore NOW (present tense) no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

I Corinthians 1:2--To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who HAVE BEEN (past tense) sanctified in Christ, saints by calling with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

These verses are only samples of the 140 other gifts we have already been given. These verses say we have salvation and forgiveness of sins. These gifts are God's grace! And God will never ever condemn us. God has already given us (past tense) everything that pertains to our being Godly and everything (present tense) that pertains to life. We are sanctified in Christ. We are saints.

Since we are now in God’s family, He considers us His children just as He does His Son Jesus. What a position of honor God has given us in Christ! As His children we call Him Abba. “For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the Spirit of adoption [the Holy Spirit] whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:15-17).”

The word Abba suggests familial intimacy. In English it means papa or daddy. This kind of intimacy with God was unheard of and a stumbling block to the Jews. They did not, and some still do not, write out the word God as we do. They would have written G_ _. No other religion purports such an intimacy with their God! The verse goes on to validate that we are not only children of God but joint-heirs with Christ. Everything that Jesus inherits from His Father now belongs to us also. We are not part of the Trinity, but God provided a way for each of us to have a connected, intimate relationship with Him just as Jesus has a connected, intimate relationship with Him.

There is stability in our lives when we have experienced our very own personal experiential Christmas. What God gifts us with cannot ever be taken away from us. We take personally the foundational truth that cannot be shaken, “I am a child of God.” We might be a child of God who happens to be in financial trouble this Christmas, or are having relational difficulties. Regardless of what is going on externally, remember during this Christmas season, you are gifted with a true identity which comes from our Father. It is when our identity is based on who God says we are that we can begin to experience emotional security in our frazzled, exhausted world. Merry Christmas

THE QUESTION OF "HOW TO…”

I am a practical person, maybe to a fault. I love to discuss theoretical issues, yet when all is said and done, I want to know how to live out what was discussed. A Sunday School teacher of mine once said, "Exhortation without explanation leads to frustration." He was expressing his feelings regarding a teacher or a pastor who spends his time urging us to be or do something the Bible tells us, such as, "Do not provoke your children to anger (Ephesians 6:4)” without giving us the biblical information of how to do that. My teacher knew frustration would set in as we tried to live up to the exhortation. As I have found in working with hundreds of people when you try and fail, you more than likely will judge yourself. Judging yourself, as I have stated before, leads to depression, a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness.

I am more interested in the how to of my faith. So when I read my Bible I am looking for the how to. For me the four Gospels seem to be more the exhortation part of the equation while the Epistles seem to be the explanation or the how to of our faith. Jesus had a lot to say about how we should live. One of His bottom line messages is "You are to be perfect as my Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48).” Oh my, how is that possible? How can I do that?

It is my belief that since Jesus came to live out the law for us, He regularly pointed out the legal requirement for fellowship with God: perfection. Yet He knew we could not do this. I believe He was giving the people the opportunity to exclaim, "We cannot do this, Lord. We need a savior." Then in response He would tell them He would do it for them by living a perfect life and taking their punishment for not being able to be perfect. All for the purpose of opening a way for us to become, not just creations of God, but children of God with all the rights and privileges that Jesus has (Ephesians 2: 4-6).

One example of a man who wanted to know the "how to" was the Pharisee, Nicodemus. He slipped in to see Jesus in the middle of the night to ask questions. Jesus told him you must be born again. Nicodemus asked "How can a person be born again?" We, like Nicodemus, might ask Jesus, "How can I be perfect? I know I am not perfect as a Christian?"

Colossians 3:3 states, "You have died and your life is now hidden in Christ." The old you is dead that part of you that kicks against God's will. That part of you that could care less about what God wants for your life. That part of you who desires to live outside of God's will. As children of God we will of course experience these attitudes from time to time, but when we do we will desire with all our heart not to express these attitudes anymore. We will live with a desire to be the person God created us to be. This attitude change will be a sign that you are in Christ.

Now Colossians 3:3 is either true or not true. We have died and our lives are now hidden in Christ. Know that each verse that says, "Christ in you, the hope of Glory;”(Colossians 1:26-27) there are 10 verses that say you are now "in Christ." Colossians 3 also says you are hidden "in Christ." Because I am hidden in Christ, I know I am concealed and protected inside the God of this universe. In this hidden place I am loved. Jesus encourages me, guides me, corrects me, and fellowships with me. Even when chaos reigns in my daily world I see myself nestled away from the harshness, confusion, and evil of this world. Jesus does the warfare. He is on the front line living His perfect resurrected life in and through me. This is how we live a perfect life: we take God's word that Jesus will live it for us. Christ in me lives out that life while at the same time my earthly miss steps are covered and forgiven by the blood of Jesus.

What might hidden in Christ mean to you personally? How might the phrase hidden in Christ comfort you? Some synonyms for hidden are concealed, out of sight, veiled, and invisible.

Christianity vs. the Christian

Believe it or not there is a difference between Christianity and Christians.
Christianity is the full account of the life and works of Jesus Christ. Jesus emptied Himself of any Godly powers while here on earth. This is called gnosis (Philippians 2:7). He operated not as God but as you and I operate, as humans. Jesus was tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning (Hebrews 4:15). Thus Jesus was perfect in all ways for us.

Why would Jesus have to come to earth to be perfect in all ways for us?
First you must know God is love (1John 4:16). Love desires fellowship, connection, bonding. God who is perfect in all ways is referred to as a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). If we were to step into His presence with all of our imperfections (sins), we would literally be toast. This leaves us with no way to connect with God. This love God, however, made a way for us to connect with Him. That way is through His perfect son.

Secondly, we already know, yet we must take seriously, that we are imperfect (sinners). The great forefathers of us all, Adam and Eve, were created to live and walk in perfect harmony with God forever. We do not know how long the three of them walked in perfect harmony, yet we do know they eventually transgressed the one and only boundary set by God. They ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned them that “in the day you eat of this fruit you will surely die.” Now we need to understand what the word die means. It means to be cut off from "Life" - the life flowing connection to God.

Prior to that day Adam and Eve had no knowledge of good or evil. They were innocent children, so to speak, enjoying life, enjoying God with no cares or foreboding conscience+ to hound them. They were free of all restrictions but one. They eventually caved in to that one restriction. They ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and then they had to live with that knowledge. That knowledge is repressive and heavy to live under- knowing that the world, the people of earth, and even yourself, are not as you should be or could be. Our conscience can and does harass us, judge us, and condemn us. We lie, steal, cheat, manipulate, puff ourselves up believing we are better than others, murder, embezzle, gossip, stir up trouble and on and on.

So what did God do about our disconnection from Him? When the perfect "Jesus" was crucified on the cross, Romans (2 Corinthians 5:21) tells us, "He (Jesus) who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus." Prior to the moment of Jesus' death, Jesus literally became sin for every person who ever lived or was to live. He took your sins, my sins, everyone's' sins onto Himself. His Father departed from that sin and Jesus cried out, "Why oh why have you forsaken me (Mark 15:34).” At this very same moment all of us people - past, present, and future - were given Jesus' righteousness. We call this the Great Exchange. Jesus got our sins. We got His righteousness.

Now we are free to have an intimate relationship with God again. Why? Because of Jesus' sacrifice for us we are not only forgiven, but no longer judged. We are the children of God, loved and accepted in the beloved. All anyone has to do to have this relationship with God is to desire to have a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then ask and accept this free gift God in Christ has already prepared for you and He will give it all to you.

What is the truth about those of us who do accept and ask to have a relationship with God; those of us who are called Christians? Having a relationship with God is like the beginning of a new marriage. We come into this new relationship with all of our family of origin baggage. A teacher once said, "If you are squirrely the day before you ask Christ into your life then you are squirrely the day after you ask Christ into your life.”

Christians are in process from the day they become believers until the day they die. We never reach perfection this side of Heaven. We screw up every day and sin in a many diverse ways. People look at us and think, "You tell us you are a Christian. Aren't you supposed to be perfect, no longer sinners? You project to us (the non-Christian) that you are better than we are because you are so very perfect and we are the sinners, but I see your imperfections. You are nothing but a hypocrite."

I will admit that this is the way many Christians conduct themselves. It breaks my heart. They are sinning when this is their attitude. This way of being is not God's desire for us. Mature Christians know if it were not for Jesus they would have zero reason to have a relationship with God. Mature Christians know it is only because of God's grace that we can say, "I am loved. I am accepted by God not because of anything I did or could do. My acceptance is totally dependent on God's merciful grace.” We know we have nothing to offer God. We operate out of humility due to this knowledge, not arrogance. This is the heart of a true Christian. I am broken and God is fixing me. Thank you Lord for doing what I cannot do for myself.).”

I often say I live at the first step of AA. Some of the additional steps are slightly modified for Christian purposes. This is the outline of where we start as Christians and where we are headed as Christians. "God who began a good work in us will complete it (Philippians 1:6).

• Step 1- I admit I am powerless over my (sin) addiction- that my life has become unmanageable (in some particular area de jour)
• Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves (Jesus Christ )could restore us to sanity
• Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God
• Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
• Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs
• Step 6 - Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character

• Step 7 - Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings

  Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them a
• Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or othe
• Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted i
• Step 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge  of God's will for us and the power to carry that out
• Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other (sin) addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs