Jesus Christ is the Son of God

D. M. Stearns was preaching in Philadelphia. At the close of the service a stranger came up to him and said, "I don't like the way you spoke about the cross. I think that instead of emphasizing the death of Christ, it would be far better to preach Jesus, the teacher and example." Stearns replied, "If I presented Christ in that way, would you be willing to follow Him?" "I certainly would," said the stranger without hesitation. "All right then," said the preacher, "let's take the first step. He did no sin. Can you claim that for yourself?" The man looked confused and somewhat surprised. "Why, no," he said. "I acknowledge that I do sin." Stearns replied, "Then your greatest need is to have a Savior, not an example!

The basic truth of the Christian faith is the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Let us face the facts about this Christian claim.

First, there are supernatural declarations about the sonship of Jesus Christ. The angel proclaimed to Mary that the holy One who will be born from her will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus Christ when he was baptized by John the baptist and God the Father spoke from heaven, and proclaimed that Jesus Christ is His Son, with whom He is well pleased (Luke 3:21-22). Even the devil himself challenged Jesus Christ as the Son of God during his attempts of temptations (Luke 4:3, 9). The demons that Jesus Christ rebuked are wailing in recognition that He is the Son of God (Luke 4:41). Even Jesus Christ Himself know Himself as the Son of God in His parables (Luke 20:9-19) and during His trial before the elders (Luke 22:70).

There are also personal revelations about the sonship of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures. John the Baptist testified that Jesus Christ is God’s Chosen One (John 1:34). His disciples worshipped Him, claiming that indeed, He is the Son of God (Matthew 14:33). Simon Peter called Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:15-17). Paul claimed that God has revealed His Son, Jesus Christ, to him so he may preach Jesus Christ among the Gentiles (Galatians 1:16). John the Beloved wrote the he indeed knows that Jesus Christ is both the true God and the Son of God (1 John 5:20).

The knowledge of the sonship of Jesus Christ is also made true through the perception of faith. For whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony, and whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son (1 John 5:10). The Scriptures were written so that people may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing people may have life in His name (John 20:31:). And anyone who refuses Jesus Christ actually refuses both the testimonies of Him and the gift of eternal life (John 5:39-40). Ultimately, the blessings come to those who have not seen Jesus Christ yet believed in Him (John 20:27-29).

Jesus Christ is God’s unique Son.

Jesus Christ is not only God’s Son, He is God’s unique son. John 3:16 proclaims that Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son. God did not create any other Son or send any Son other than Jesus Christ Himself. Although it is true that the believers are also called sons of God by divine adoption (Galatians 3:26-27; Galatians 4:4-5; John 1:12-13). Yet there is only One begotten Son of God, and that is Jesus Christ. He is God’s unique Son. According to J. Rodman Williams, author of Renewal Theology, there is therefore a transcendence about Jesus Christ that goes beyond the highest of earthly designation. That means to say that we can place Jesus only on a level beyond this world. Jesus Christ is no ordinary human because He is the Son of God.

John 3:16 describe the manner by which God designated Jesus’ role in the world. This Scripture proclaim this very truth, that “He gave” His only begotten Son. It is plain to see that God can not give what He did not have. Jesus Christ therefore is the only Son from the Father. Jesus Christ is specifically, the pre-existing Son of God (John 1:3) and His personal bearer of His character and will (Hebrews 1:1-2). Hence, the Son of God, Jesus, who is also the Word in the Scripture (John 1:1), existed before all creation. This pre-existence of Jesus Christ should also be understood as eternal Exodus 3;14; John 8:58). There was never a time that Jesus Christ was not.

Jesus Christ as the Son of God is equal to the Father. His sonship, hence, does not imply subordination. Jesus Christ Himself called God His Father, making Himself equal with God (John 5:18; Philippians 2:6). Throughout the ministry of Jesus, this equality of Jesus Christ with the Father is apparent (John 5:21; John 6:40; John 6:44; John 6:54). Even so, the equality of Jesus with God the Father is illustrated in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19).

Jesus Christ as the Son of God is distinct from God the Father. John 1:1 strongly suggests a separate entity. Even while Jesus Christ existed with the Father from the very beginning (John 17:5; Revelations 22:13), Jesus Christ was separate entity from the Father (Luke 23:46). Therefore, the Son was eternally with the Father in His own uniqueness, distinctness, and personhood.

A preacher once met a member of a cult who challenged his views about the deity of Christ. "You say that Jesus Christ is coequal with the eternal Father, but He cannot be, for no son is ever as old as the one who has begotten him." The minister thought for a moment and then replied, "You yourself have just called God the eternal Father. Have you ever thought that statement through? Don't you realize that God can only be the eternal Father if He has an eternal Son? If you would rethink your position in the light of the Scriptures, you would see that eternal Fatherhood demands eternal Sonship!"

Jesus Christ was Chosen to fulfill God’s plan.

God the Father personally spoke from Heaven and proclaimed that Jesus Christ is His chosen (Luke 9:35). He was God’s elect and chosen one. The Old Testament records that God also called the nation of Israel as His chosen one (Exodus 4:22-23; Deuteronomy 7:6). God has chosen Israel out of many nations.

As God called the nation of Israel as His son for a special purpose, He called Jesus Christ His chosen one to fulfill His wonderful plan. This wonderful plan is simply to fulfill His great love for Israel (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). God chose Israel because He loves Israel. God also expects Israel to love Him and be obedient to Him. Jesus Christ was chosen to stand between the people that He loves and the justice of the holiness that He possesses. Thus, Jesus Christ lives and dies as a lamb of sacrifice for the payment of sin of God’s people.

Consider that Jesus Christ will be born on Earth not to live as a frail human but to live a holy life as the Son of God (Luke 1:35). There is a special purpose, a divine plan for Jesus Christ’s life of holiness. A blameless, sinless, selfless sacrifice is needed to pay the penalty of sins (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:22). God the Father knows that only His Son Jesus, His beloved One, His chosen One can obey Him to the point of death (Philippians 2:8).

As Israel whom God the Father loves so much and chooses to be a holy nation failed Him, God knows that His Son Jesus Christ will not fail Him. God wants His plan for salvation to be fulfilled for all humanity. God chose His very own Son to fulfill that plan.

Jesus Christ is the personal embodiment of God.

John 1:1 did not only proclaim that the Word was with God, but it also emphasized that the Word was God Himself.

There are three biblical evidences that bear witness to the deity of Jesus Christ.

Firstly, Jesus Christ’s words and actions bear witness to His being God. Jesus Christ pronounced forgiveness of sins in many instances (Mark 2:5; John 8:10-11: 10; Mark 2:9): Jesus controlled the forces of nature (Matthew 14: 31, 33; Matthew 14: 18-21). Jesus Christ Himself declared that He is not only the Son of God, he is God Himself (John 10:30, 33).

Secondly, the titles given to Jesus Christ are evidences of His being divine. John the Baptist referred to Jesus Christ as Lord in Matthew 3:3 in reference to Isaiah 40:3. Simon Peter called Jesus Christ as Lord (Luke 5:8). Andrew called Jesus Christ as the Messiah (John 1:41). The Samaritan believers claimed that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world (John 4:42). Simon Peter called Jesus Christ the Holy One of God (John 6:69). Even the impure spirit recognized Jesus Christ as the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24). Billy Sunday, in a sermon, "Wonderful," quoted in The Real Billy Sunday the following reason why Jesus Christ has so many names: “There are two hundred and fifty-six (256) names given in the Bible for the Lord Jesus Christ, and I suppose this was because He was infinitely beyond all that any one name could express”.

Thirdly, NT scriptures directly identify Jesus Christ as God Himself. Other than John 1:1, we can also find evidences that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:18; John 20:28; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5-7). Colossians 2:9 says in Christ the fullness of God is represented, thus he is fully divine. Jesus Christ is described in Titus 2:13 as our great God and Savior.

To believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God is the foundation of Christian faith. This belief is far more than a matter of affirmation of the mind. Duane Litfin, in "Serving a Glorified Christ," from Preaching Today, wrote about John MacArthur's encounter with a man who went around California talking about how Jesus regularly appeared to him. One time he was telling John that Jesus had appeared to him that morning while he was shaving. John MacArthur asked, "What did you do?" He said, "I just kept on shaving." And John said, "Then that wasn't Jesus."

Not all who affirm that Jesus Christ is God has faith. Even the Enemy and the demons affirm that Jesus Christ is God. Recognizing Jesus Christ as the Son of God is a matter of recognition and trust of the heart. In fact, believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God brings about a change in our lives.

Why do believers give their tithes?

Why do believers give their tithes?

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3: 8-12)

Two men have ended up marooned on an island in the South Pacific. You can fill in the blanks as to how they got there. So they are on the clichéic deserted island, one palm tree, nothing to see but the ocean. One guy is in a complete panic, pacing back and forth, ranting about how they are going to die, hungry and alone, that nobody will stumble on them until they are nothing but bones. The other guy is sitting under the tree snoozing. Finally the first man can't stand it anymore and he demands "What's wrong with you, don't you understand the situation?" To which the reply came "Sure I do, we are stranded on this island hundreds of miles from anywhere" "Well aren't you worried?" "Nope" came the reply "I make $10,000.00 a week." The first guy was at a complete loss, "What does that have to do with anything, you have no access to the money and no place to spend it if you did."  To which the second guy replied "No you don't understand, I make $10,000.00 a week and I give my tithe every Sunday. Surely,  my pastor will find me."

What is tithe? Is there a difference between a tithe and an offering? Why should I tithe? How much should I tithe? What if I do not tithe?

Let us first take a look at the Genesis account of tithing in the Old Testament.

Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:1-7)

Here in the account of the beginning of humankind, the offering of one’s best produce or flock unto the Lord has long been established. There was no Law to govern this offering, wasn’t there?

After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.” (Genesis 14: 17-24)

Verse 20 of this Scripture particularly described what Abram did for Mechizedek, both king of Salem and a priest.Abram gave the priest a tenth of everything he has. Tithe is a giving that represents a tenth of Abram’s asset, not his income. He offered to Melchizedek, the priest, a tenth of everything he has, not just what he had for the moment.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” Genesis 28: 20-22:

Jacob, after his visionary dream, promised God to give his tithe. Notice that it was not commanded of him to do so. So the giving of tithe was not a commandment in the days of Adam, and Cain and Abel, and Noah and Abraham and Jacob. So why did they tithe?

They tithed because they knew the Lord.

Some people argue that tithing was practiced in the Old Testament, but not required in the New Testament Church, and even the Bible is mostly silent about it.

But the Bible is not silent about tithe or tithing.

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners,the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. (Deuteronomy 14:22-29)

Tithing is a part of the Mosaic Law that the chosen people of God should follow. Therefore, it is Biblical, it is scriptural and it is imperative in the eyes of God that His people give Him tithe.

“‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution.If anyone does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.’”These are the commands the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai for the Israelites. (Leviticus 27:30-34)

Tithe is a commandment of the Lord for His people. That is why God took it against His people for not giving their tithe. God has a biting accusation against His people for robbing Him through their tithes and offering (Malachi 3:8).

Even Jesus Christ Himself emphasized tithing as our obligation (Mark 12: 13-17; Matthew 22:15-22). Jesus Christ agrees that the believers should pay their imperial taxes to the government, but they should also pay their tithes to God. This is very interesting but we are excited about the tax season, simply because we can anticipate for our tax refund. There is a portion from the money that we paid the state and the country as our tax that goes back to us. If we give our tithe to God, faithfully, do we also expect something from God as well? The reason that we receive our tax refund is that we faithfully declare our taxable income. But do we receive God’s refund because we faithfully declare our tithe to Him?

Tithe is not merely money or collection (Leviticus 27:30). A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. God looks at our tithe as holy. It is consecrated unto Himself. It is never a trivial or a trifle thing to Him. That is why, this commandment brings along with it abundance as a promise.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones told a story about a farmer who went into the house one day to tell his wife and family some good news. "The cow just gave birth to twin calves, one red and one white," he said. He continued, "We must dedicate one of these calves to the Lord. We will bring them up together, and when the time comes, we will sell one and keep the proceeds and we will sell the other and give the proceeds to the Lord’s work." His wife asked him which calf would he dedicate to the Lord. "There's no need to bother about that now," he replied, "we'll treat them both in the same way and when the time comes, we'll do as I say." A few days later, he entered the kitchen looking unhappy. "What happened?" his wife asked. "I have bad news," he replied, "The Lord’s calf is dead." "Wait," said his wife, " you didn't decide which calf was the Lord’s, did you." "Yes" he said," I decided it was the white one, and the white one died. Then he sobbed like a child, and one more time informed his wife that the Lord’s calf is dead."

Do we treat our tithe as holy unto the Lord? Do we give our tithe in full reverence and obedience unto the Lord?

Tithes and offerings

A tithe is a specific tenth of one’s assets while an offering is any amount that one wants to share with the Lord’s work. Tithe can be your weekly income, your your yearly accumulated treasures or assets. It can be paid weekly, monthly, or yearly. Tithe is a representative amount.

Offering, on the other hand, is not a representative amount. And while tithe is the result of one’s obedience to God, offering is a result of one’s love to God. If the money belongs to you, then you can give a part of it as your offering. If the money does not belong to you, then you can give it as a tithe.

Do we ever try to look at our bank account? our paycheck? Have we ever considered looking at our income and ask ourselves which is ours and which is not ours (Leviticus 27:30)?  If we keep what is ours, then we deserve it. If we keep what is not ours, then we are robbers, we are thieves (Malachi 3:8).

Giving our tithes

We give our tithe because we trust in God. Trusting God means surrendering our live to Him, and that includes surrendering our treasures to Him. Do we surrender our treasures to God?

It was pentecost Sunday. As the congregation filed into church, the ushers handed each person a bright red carnation to symbolize the festive spirit of the day. The people listened attentively to the reading of the Pentecost story from the Book of Acts about how the disciples had heard “what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven”; about how the Holy Spirit had appeared “like tongues of fire.” Then came the sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon us,” the preacher began. A woman sitting in the first per, shouted “Like the powerful wind from heaven!” Then she threw one of the red carnations toward the altar. It appears that this woman was indeed consumed by the powerful Spirit of God in her worship. The preacher began again: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon us.” The same woman’s voice rang out again, “Like the tongues of fire, the tongues of fire!” Again, she threw a red carnation toward the altar. The second time, she showed that the consuming fire of the Spirit of God had enveloped her worshiping being. Then preacher looked straight at her and said, “Now Sister, throw your pocketbook to the altar.” To which the woman replied, “Preacher, you have just calmed the wind and put out the fire.”

We may be like this woman who is on fire with our service and worship and adoration and praise to our God. But when it comes to tithing as obedience to God, we are cold, our spirit to worship is suddenly splashed with the cold water of despair, and our enthusiasm and our fervor to follow Him to the very end, suddenly dies down, like a limping kite that dives straight down to the ground. How are we in our tithes to the Lord? Do we obey God in our tithing?

Obeying God means that we follow what He wants us to do with our lives, including our treasures (Malachi 3:10). God requires us to give Him our tithe because He wants to bless us. But instead of being hopeful to the promise, we are in fact threatened.

How much to tithe?

W.A. Criswell tells of an ambitious young man who told his pastor he’d promised God a tithe of his income. They prayed for God to bless his career. At that time he was making $40.00 per week and tithing $4.00. In a few years his income increased and he was tithing $500.00 per week. He called on the pastor to see if he could be released from his tithing promise, it was too costly now. The pastor replied, "I don’t see how you can be released from your promise, but we can ask God to reduce your income back to $40.00 a week, then you’d have no problem tithing $4.00 at all."

Tithe is merely a tenth of your treasures. Once can do some simple Math here. If you earned $100 this week, then your tithe this Sunday is $10. If you earned $200 this week, then your tithe this Sunday is $20. If you earned $500 this week, then your tithe this Sunday is $50. If you earned $1000 this week, then your tithe this Sunday is $100. If you earned $2000 this week, then your tithe this Sunday is $200.

You can give your tithe either weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Some people give their tithe yearly. It depends on the nature of your job or your practice. What is important is that you give to the Lord what belongs to Him. It is important that give your tithe according to your conviction.

What if the Lord tells me to give 11% or 15% or 50%? Tithing is obedience. It is never a compromise. The church is an organization, and a lot of people believe that they should not give their tithe because it will go to the Pastor anyway! The tithe belongs to the Lord and to His work. It does not belong to the Pastor.

What if I do not tithe?

The apostle Paul teaches that God ordained the tithe system as the method of supporting the ministry (1 Corinthians 9:7-12). That is why it takes love, and obedience to give to the Lord. Unless we love the Lord we can never give to the Lord. Unless we obey the Lord, we can never give to the Lord. So if we do not tithe, then we do not love the Lord. So if we do not tithe, then we do not obey the Lord. This is plain and simple religion.

Richard Wurmbrand of Tortured for Christ said that when in prison they tithed! “When we were given one slice of bread a week and dirty soup every day, we decided we would faithfully “tithe” even that. Every tenth week we took the slice of bread and gave it to the weaker brethren as our “tithe” to the Master.”

Regardless of where we are, and where we can offer our tithe, we can faithfully give the portion that belongs to the Lord.

Tithing is a command with a promise (Malachi 3:10). What is the promise? It is a promise of God meeting all your needs. It is not a promise of prosperity. It is a challenge of trust in our God. For if we do not give our tithe, then we do not trust God. If we do not give our tithe, then we rob God of what belongs to Him.

The Lord loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Tithing or offering is never a burden to the believers who love the Lord.

In Bits & Pieces, February 4, 1993, a mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church. "Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself," she told the girl. When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given. "Well," said the little girl, "I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I'd be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did."

Let us not be like the little girl whose joys was about keeping a bigger amount of money. Let us be cheerful givers of what really belongs to the Lord.

Are we ready to give our full tithe to Him today in full obedience to His command. Do we find His promise in Malachi 3:10? Or are we still Malachi threatened?

What are the Benefits of Prayer?

What are the Benefits of Prayer?

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Praying is the act of worship and communion with God. Although popularly seen as a means of asking something from God, praying actually brings benefits to the believers that we sometimes are not aware of. Some of these benefits are obvious while some others are less obvious.

Praying strengthens our relationship with God the Father.

Praying to God is actually obedience to the will of God in our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). God wills that we pray continually, be joyful and grateful always in our lives. Continuing, constant praying builds our relationship with the Father because we spend time with Him. Remember our relationship with other people? In the same way as we become closer to each other when we spend time with each other, then our relationship with our Father in heaven is strengthened because we spent time with Him in prayer.

Praying taps on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Revivals are birthed in prayer (Acts 4:31-33; Acts 2:1-4). As the people of God prays, the Holy Spirit acts upon the prayer for power, boldness, encouragement.

Praying causes heaven to open.

Isaiah was praying for the Lord to rend the heavens, to tear open the heavens (Isaiah 64:1-2). This is the prayer of the prophet’s heart as he laments in prayer and petition to God. When we pray, we bring to God’s attention our faith in what He has in store for us. Our blessings, our spiritual gifts, our spiritual treasures are in Heaven. We can ask God in prayer to open the Heavens so we can receive these spiritual blessings. Praying is actually touching heaven when our knees are touching the floor.

Praying brings physical and spiritual healing.

Bringing our sick body to God in prayer is physical healing (James 5:14-16). Confessing our sin is spiritual healing (Psalm 32:4-5). In praying, we affirm our faith in our God who can heal us both our physical and spiritual illness. When we feel our body is sick, we come to the God in prayer. When we seek forgiveness, we also come to God in prayer (1 John 1:9)

Praying helps us overcome temptation.

Temptation is a solicitation of the passions; enticements to evil proceeding from the prospect of pleasure or advantage. Since temptation tugs at our passions, our flesh is always weak in terms of resisting it (Matthew 26:41). It is therefore important for us to realize that whenever we are tempted by flattery, by offering of pleasure or advantage, or prospect of good despite evil, then our only resort is to pray. This suggestion is biblical (Luke 22:40).

Praying delivers us from difficult circumstances.

Every time we connect with God in prayer, we are praising Him because we are acknowledging our need to set our burdens on His strong shoulders (Isaiah 25:4). It is difficult to meet the expectations of Scripture regarding prayer whenever we are in difficult circumstances. When we are in a difficult situation, we fail to pray with thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6). When the situation we’ve prayed about for so long is only getting worse. But God’s word encourages us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) When waves of grief knock us over, pull us down, and hold us under, we pray without ceasing. When disappointment and anger over dashed plans and failed relationships consume our thoughts and our unquiet hearts, we seek energy from prayer. When praying, we can be delivered from the darkest part of the storm, He is there as a stronghold to keep us standing against the crashing waves and raging winds. A man on his knees in prayer can stand before any tragedy.

Praying brings about growth.

When we pray, we find growth in our spiritual life (Acts 6:6-7). We discover how we freely express our frustration, how we allow our tears to flow, how we let the Lord know that we are angry at something or someone, and we find that we have grown from our lowly status into a stronger person. A praying person is a spiritually growing person.The apostles and church leaders during the NT times have experienced that when they are prayed for, the work of the Lord flourished. The faith of the church increases with fervent prayers.

Praying releases workers for the ministry.

The church finds its power in praying for people that the Lord will raise up and call for the work (Acts 14:23-24). In the history of the church of Jesus Christ, we see that prayers raise up mighty men and women who offer their lives for the gospel. The lives of John and Charles Wesley are classic examples of lives dedicated to the work of the Lord through the praying apron of their Mom, Susana Wesley. Constant praying leads to victories, victories in our personal lives, victories in the church (Acts 1:24-26)!

Praying redirects the focus of our lives.

For some of us, whose operating on a very busy schedule, we choose to direct our focus in our lives. Some of us choose to be prayer warriors, some of us choose to pray for families, some of us choose to pray for the sick. Whatever is our choice, we are directing the focus of our lives to what the Lord wills in us (Acts 6:1-4). When we need guidance, we turn to prayer for the Lord’s wisdom. When we are weak, we turn to prayer for strength and comfort. When we are dejected, we turn to prayer for meaning and direction. When we need a change of heart, we turn to prayer for the Lord’s fresh touch. It is praying that we switch the focus from our fleshly shortcomings to a divine strength.

Praying results to good works.

Paul prayed for the Colossian believers to live life worthy of the Lord. This life is a life of good works (Colossians 1:9-12). Good works result from prayers, and they are the means to a godly end (2 Corinthians 1:10-11). It is through praying that we expect good work to result through our lives. It is also through praying that we expect good work to flourish among the brethren and among the leadership of the church.

Have we experienced these benefits of praying to God?

J. K. Johnson wrote a story in Why Christians Sin (Discovery House, 1992) about a small town that had historically been "dry", but then a local businessman decided to build a tavern. A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. It just so happened that shortly thereafter, lightning struck the bar and burned it to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible, but the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not responsible. The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated t hat "no matter how this cased come out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not." 

Why do Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

          For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
          The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an essential truth in the Christian faith. In fact, it lays the foundation of our faith. As Paul delivers this message, “ If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:14), the resurrection of Jesus Christ laid down the substance of its significance. For if Jesus Christ was not raised from the dead, then our faith is baseless and futile.
          As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, we are faced with the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because the validity of our faith is based on His resurrection from the dead, establishing the actuality of the event is the triumph of Christianity. What then are the truths of the resurrection that we can solidly base our faith on?
          Witness of the Scriptures. The gospel books all agree to the event of the stone rolled away, the grave made empty, and the angelic news proclaimed to the disciples. All four gospel books proclaimed that Jesus Christ was risen (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20)! All books also record the announcement by the angels, and the appearance of the resurrected Jesus to a number of the disciples, to certain women, and to the disciples on the road, and on different occasions, to the eleven apostles. Even the book of Acts stands to the event of Jesus Christ’s appearance to the disciples with infallible, convincing, and decisive proofs forty days after (Acts 1:3). Even the replacement of the 12th disciple was made for the purpose of witness to His resurrection (Acts 1:22), and with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:33). Paul, whose life was a total turnabout because of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, proclaimed that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Acts 13:30) and he lived until his last breath preaching Jesus Christ and His resurrection (Acts 17:18).
          Eyewitness Accounts. The account of numerous witnesses serves as a very strong evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. During biblical times, establishing a truthful account should be accomplished by two or three witnesses to the claim, and all three witnesses must agree among each other (Deuteronomy 19:15). Even Paul requires that every Scripture be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses (2 Corinthians 13:1). These collaborating, cooperating, and corresponding testimonies are essential in establishing the truth through witnesses’ account. As eyewitness accounts were considered highly in establishing the veracity of truth being advanced, the resurrection of Jesus Christ had been substantially established when Paul spoke of the risen Jesus Christ’s appearance to over 500 people at one time, adding that most of them are still alive (1 Corinthians 15:6). With such number of people who stood as witnesses to the resurrection, it is unlikely that these number of people were simply misled of such an important event in human history.
          Transformed Lives of the Disciples. When Jesus Christ appeared to the disciples at various occasions, He fulfilled the prophecy of His death and resurrection (John 2:19, Matthew 26:61, Mark 14:58), proved His resurrection power (2 Corinthians 13:4; 1 Timothy 3:16), and fulfilled His promise to send the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; Luke 24:49). These events that proved once and for all that Jesus Christ was risen and is alive, caused the disciples to be more bold and courageous in proclaiming His message of love and salvation to the very ends of the Earth. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the grave, His disciples would have cowered in fear and the Church would not have prospered. But what caused the surge of courage even unto death and boldness over disillusionment, cowardice, fear and unbelief was the confidence in the actual sight and experience of Jesus Christ in His glorified flesh! The event of the resurrection was not a product of the disciples’ imagination and disenchantment. It was, in fact, the building up of a courageous faith in Jesus Christ’s unmistakable resurrected appearance. Andrew and Bartholomew, as well as James, son of Alpheus, Matthew, Philip and Simon were crucified. Peter was crucified upside down. James, brother of Jesus, was stoned. James, son of Zebedee, was killed by the sword. Thaddeus was killed by arrows and Thomas died of a spear thrust. Who would be willing to die for a lie about their risen Lord and Savior?
          Ease of Disproof. The soldiers who stood watch outside the tomb of Jesus were bribed by the chief priests to spread the rumor that Jesus Christ’s disciples stole His body while they were sleeping (Matthew 28:12-14). If the rumor were true, the soldiers, the chief priests, and the enemies of Jesus could have run after the disciples and showed the proof of his actual dead body. It is true that an actual corpse on the grave could have destroyed the whole essence of Christianity. But there was no record ever written as to the search for the missing corpse of Jesus Christ. It was, in fact, very easy for the enemies of Christianity to show Jesus Christ’s corpse. After all, His disciples were still in hiding in fear for their lives (Mark 14:50, Matthew 26:56, John 20:19), so they are incapable of concocting a good idea of a secure place to hide the corpse of Jesus Christ. The sight of Jesus’ resurrected body was claimed by hundreds of witnesses, and to disprove the claim needed the proof of the habeas corpus. None ever cared to produce a disproof.
           Survival of Christianity. The basis of Christian faith would have remained an illusion or a lie had Jesus Christ remained in the grave. If the disciples were wrong about what they had witnessed, heard and received, then the Christian faith would have been established on wishful thinking and fantasy, falsehood and disillusionment. But century after century, persecution from one monarchy to another, from Nero to Domitian, from Trajan and Adrian to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, from Maximus and Decius, from Valerian to Aurelian and Diocletian, with thousands and thousands of modern day Christians persecuted in North Korea, Somalia and Iraq, to Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan, the church of Jesus Christ survives and continues to proclaim the gospel of love, compassion, salvation, and the practice of turning the other cheek. Despite the Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ, the church of Jesus Christ around the world nearly quadrupled in the last 100 years, from about 600 million in 1920 to more than 2 billion in 2010. That is almost ⅓ of the present world population! Christians in areas with severe religious restrictions pay a heavy price for their faith. Suffering from verbal harassment to hostile feelings, attitudes and actions, beatings, physical torture, confinement, isolation, rape, severe punishment, imprisonment, slavery, discrimination in education and employment, and even death, are just a few examples of the persecution that the Christian church experiences on a daily basis. Yet the church survives through the power of the risen Lord (Psalm 46:10, 2 Corinthians 12:10)!

Christmas is Central to God’s Plan

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 (John 3:16).

Christmas is central to God’s plan. This is literal since Christmas came in between God’s creation and God’s kingdom to come.

This Christmas day, do we think about Christmas as part of God’s wonderful plan for us? In Ephesians 1:3-10, Paul wrote this fitting message of understanding God’s plan for you and me: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace,which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Do we then understand God’s plan for us? 

First, God desires for us to live a blameless and holy life (1 Thessalonians 3:13). A holy life is a life of Christlikeness. We do not only live our lives on our own but on behalf of Christ Himself. Such life reflects not the human weaknesses and fleshly will, but the mind, the heart, and the representation of Jesus Christ. 

God’s wants to include us in His family through Jesus Christ (John 1:12). God wants us to enjoy the fellowship of a family in Heaven, with Jesus Christ as both our Savior King, and co-heir of the kingdom of God.

God wills that we all be redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:22). The holiness of God does not agree with the unrighteousness, wickedness and disobedience of humankind. There has to be a payment of debt. The blood of the lamb is the payment of sin for ancient Israel. But for all the world, the blood of the Lamb of God, His own choosing, His own Son Jesus Christ, is the only payment enough for a one time remission. 

He plans that we know His will in everything that we do (Matthew 7:21). God wants to direct our lives into the path of righteousness and Christlikeness. He wants us to follow His will in our lives. That obedience to receive Christ and to follow the Father’s will is a doorstep to eternal life.

He plans that we belong to Him in all eternity (1 Corinthians 15:53). God wants to build His eternal family, that is why He created Heaven as His abode (Matthew 5:16) and Jesus Christ prepared the mansions in Heaven (John 14:2).

In Jeremiah 29:11, God expressed His perfect plan for us when he sent this message through the weeping prophet, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God’s plan is for our good. How then do we achieve God’s plan for a blameless and holy life? His plan for adoption and redemption? I came across a card many years ago that says “God my Father does not intend me to be rich or famous, He only intends me to be His child.”

God’s original and perfect plan was to create a world, a paradise where His will reigns in the hearts of humankind. But because God gave humans their own will, the will to obey and the will to serve Him, humans chose their own to disobey and to serve themselves rather than God. Humans have ever since wanted themselves to be the gods of this world. Because of this human will, sin entered the world. Because of disobedience, humans are totally lost.

But God has in mind, as part of His plan, a redemptive move for humans who He loves. Christmas. 

Christmas is a celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth. Its word origin is derived from the Latin “Christus” and Greek “Christos”, which refers to the Messiah (John 14:6), and the Old English suffix “maesse”, which means festival, feast day or a mass. Christmas, even when a lot of people believe that it does not have a biblical history, is for us a celebration of Christ.

Jesus is the promised Messiah (John 4:25-26; Mark 14:60-62). He has to be born in human form in order to fulfill God’s plan of redemption (Hebrews 10:4). He was born a human from a human parent through the divine act of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18). He has to be human in order to serve the ultimate sacrifice for the payment of sin (John 15:13).

While living on earth, Jesus Christ showed us God the Father (John 14:8), and exercised the model of compassion (Matthew 9:36), love (Luke 6:27-36), sacrifice (John 15:13), forgiveness (Luke 23:33-35) and tolerance (2 Corinthians 5:19). Ultimately, he showed to us picture of total obedience to the will of God, the Father (Luke 22:42).

We celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ with the same fervor as we also celebrate Holy Friday as His death and sacrifice on the Cross. We celebrate Christmas during this season but we also connect the celebration to Easter Sunday when we celebrate His resurrection from death. Central to the plan of God between His creation and His coming Kingdom is the birth, the life, and the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order to fulfil God’s ultimate plan for humankind, Jesus Christ has to be born in human flesh. He is in fact, never an apparition or a ghost to everyone who believes and will believe in Him. He is God in human form.

Christmas has to happen in order to bridge that loss during the creation when sin  entered. With the birth of Jesus Christ, humans earned the hope of salvation, of redemption, and of eternal life in heaven. With the birth of Jesus Christ in human form, we now have a Savior, a Redeemer, and King. Christmas reminds us that Jesus Christ alone can bridge us back to the Father, back to His original plan, and back to His great plan of life in Heaven.

So when we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate Jesus Christ who is God’s perfect gift for eternity. Our Christmas is not measured by the presents we received, or a lavish feast that we prepare. Our Christmas is measured on how we give love, spread the good news of salvation, and how we seek to obey God’s will in our lives. Our Christmas is measured on how well we define our lives according to the plan of God.