Volume 10 Issue 12 - December 1995 The Birthday That Changed The World "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds, but wine'' it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." (Matthew 13:31,32) When one surveys the spectrum of human existence, the countless billions of souls that have appeared upon the stage of civilization, there is no doubt, there are a few who have distinguished themselves in this world. Some of them have even made a lasting contribution in one department of human learning or in one aspect of human life for which we have all benefited from. Their names are enshrined in different nations and recorded in the annuls of human history. And then, far above them all, there is the Babe in the manger, the Lord Jesus Christ, That one solitary life that has virtually changed every aspect of human life. Everything that Jesus touched or continues to touch eventually becomes completely transformed. He touched time when He was born into this world. He had a birthday that we are about to celebrate and that birthday has utterly altered the way we measure time. Now, the whole world counts time as Before Christ (B.C.) and (A.D.). Unfortunately, in most cases, we have multitudes who are victims of governmental public education that don't recognize any more that A.D. means Anno Domini, "In the year of our Lord. " The Lord must have a powerful sense of humor when you consider that every humanistic, socialistic, and atheistic letter or writing has to acknowledge the supremacy of Christ by virtue of just dating their propaganda. The great tragedy though, concerning our Lord's birthday, is that most people are woefully ignorant or have purposely chosen to discredit, revise, or devalue the awesome impact Jesus has had upon civilization and world history. They will merrily sing about Santa Clause, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and Frosty the Snow Man this season unaware of the commercialism that seeks to distract and trivialize Jesus' contribution to mankind. As a result, the depression that some will experience this Yuletide will not be due to lack of money, family, or friends to celebrate with, but due to the fact they have forgotten the Babe in the manger to whom they owe so much. People will be eating, drinking, and making merry, completely oblivious to the truth that the only source of goodness in the world that has come to them, came through the birthday that changed the world. Jesus said that the Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which is tiny in and of itself, when fully grown though, it provides shade and a resting place for many birds. This parable certainly applies to us as individuals who embrace Christ as Lord, but it also extends and applies to Christ's slow progressive rule in the world. Despite the humble origins of a stinking stable and though Christianity's roots were small and insignificant, today, there are more than 1.8 billion professing believers scattered throughout every nation on earth. There are currently tens of millions whose life's aim and sole devotion is to worship and serve Him alone. Through out church history, this devotion to King Jesus, enraged Emperors, Governors, and military leaders. For a season of time, these despots would rise to great heights of power, breathing out threatenings against the Lord and His anointed only to die and see their influence and terror wane into complete oblivion. Monarchs, intoxicated with egotism, persecuted God's people in order to retain their abusive authority over the properties, lands, and souls of men. Civil and Religious leaders alike, intimidated by the Crown Rights of King Jesus, conspired to crush the advancement of God's Kingdom that not only set captive souls free from the ravages of sin, but eventually liberated people from political and religious tyranny as well. These would be dictators today are now rotting in their sepulchers, with their souls awaiting the Final Judgment. They have no followers today. No one worships them. No one serves them, tends to their needs, or awaits their bidding. Not so with Jesus! The Crucified and Risen Lord of Glory continues to receive worship, service, and an expanded base of followers daily. He is currently seated at the right hand of God the Father far above all principalities, powers, thrones, and dominions, both visible and invisible, waiting henceforth till His enemies be made His footstool (Colossians 1:16 and Hebrews 10:12,13). In fact, Napoleon, who was no stranger to political and military power, thought it would be amazing if a Roman Emperor could rule from the grave, and yet he mistakenly thought that is what Jesus has been doing. I say mistakenly because Jesus is not dead, He's alive and full of power. Napoleon continued, "I search in vain in history to find the similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel ... nations pass away, thrones crumble, but the Church remains. " Christianity's 's Impact On World History Following the example left by their Lord and Master, the Church worked to implement the true "New World Order" of God's Kingdom that Christ ushered in. As a result, history confirms the fact that the Church is by far the undisputed champion that has made more changes on earth for the good of mankind than any other institution, movement, or force in history. The following is just a few highlights of the Church's positive contributions through the centuries. Human sacrifice was a religious rite practiced in every country, by every religion until Christianity appeared. Until then, humanity sought to assuage universal feelings of guilt through the sacrifices of innocent children, women, and men. After Jesus-the Final Sacrifice-appeared, individual rights and of course, responsibilities were held to be God's common grace and gifts to mankind. It was the Judeo-Christian world view that laid the foundation for protection of individuals, secured land and chattel property rights, restrained the power of kings and judges by decentralizing their power and authority, produced the highest standards of justice which included rights for those accused of a crime, plus just punishment of criminals, and compensation of victims. 1) Hospitals, which essentially began during the Middle Ages. 2) Universities, which also began during the Middle Ages. In addition, most of the world's greatest universities were started by Christians for Christians purposes. 3) Literacy and education for the masses. 4) Capitalism and free-enterprise. 5) Representative government, particularly, as it has been seen in the American experiment. 6) The separation of political powers. 7) Civil liberties. 8) The abolition of slavery, both in antiquity and modern times. 9) Modern science. 10) The discovery of the New World by Columbus. 1 1) The elevation of women. 12) Benevolence and charity, the good Samaritan ethic. 13) Higher standards of justice. 14) The elevation of the common man. 15) The condemnation of adultery, homosexuality, and other sexual perversions. This has to helped to preserve the human race, and spared many from the heartache 16) High regard for human life. 17) The civilizing of many barbarian and primitive cultures. 18) The codifying and setting to writing of many of the world's languages. 19) Greater development of art and music. The inspiration for the greatest works of art. 20) The countless changed lives transformed from liabilities into assets for the betterment of society because of the gospel. 21) The eternal salvation of countless souls! The last one mentioned, the salvation of souls, is without question the primary goal of Christianity. All the other benefits listed are basically just by-products wrought by diligent Christians who not only applied the principles of God's word into their own private daily lives but also sacrificed (in some cases their very lives) to incorporate them into their public lives as well. The awesome wonderful truth is the King is born and this world will never be the same again. When Jesus Christ took upon Himself the form of a man, He imbued mankind with a dignity and inherent value that had never been dreamed of before. Most of you are familiar with the holiday film classic, It's a Wonderful Life, wherein the character played by Jimmy Stewart gets a chance to see what life would be like had he never been born. In many ways this terrific movie directed by Frank Capra brings to light the awesome truth presented in this article. The main point of the film is that each person's life has an impact on someone else's life. Had they never been born, there would be gaping holes left by there absence. Could we even comprehend what life would be like today, if there was no Christmas, no birth of the Savior to rescue us from our sins. Had Jesus never been born, not only would we be destined to eternal damnation with no avenue of escape, but the godless void in the world would have produced a canyon that the universe itself couldn't contain. That's why Christ's influence on the world is immeasurable and that's why we should celebrate with all our hearts the birthday that changed the world. It's A Boy "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. " (Psalms 127:3-5) Praise the Lord, the Thomas tribe continues to expand. Liz and I are the proud blessed parents of Micah Samuel Thomas. He was the biggest baby in the nursery, weighing in at eight pounds, fourteen and a half ounces and twenty one inches long. He was born at 5:27p.m. on November 22, 1995. Everything went well with no complications. Liz did tear a little bit due to the doctor's prompting to push, but besides that, both mother and child are recuperating just fine. I want to thank all who called and prayed for my wife and child during this somewhat trying time. Your prayers were answered and we are so very grateful to you and of course, to our blessed Lord who brought us safely through. A special thanks goes to Ron and Ronda Mackey, Randy Minton, and the Exline family for their loving caring support for my family and this ministry. A few have asked if this will be our last child. The Scripture declares, "happy is the man that hath his quiver full. " Thus far, we haven't started to quiver with the advent of our sixth child. We do hope to rest a couple of years though to help Liz regain some strength, muscle tone, and yes, even some sanity due to the overwhelming fact that she is still married to me. Again, thank you kindly for your concern, prayers, and financial support. May you experience a memorable Christmas this holiday season and have a prosperous and healthy New Year! We love you all in Jesus name ! Jesus Is The Standard "When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall. " (Proverbs 29:16) Jesus Is The
Standard, Roe Memorial Rescue The battle for the lives of precious baby boys and girls in their mother's wombs is being won as the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being taken to the streets. The good news is, there is evidence, the heart of our nation is beginning to change. Abortions are at their lowest level since 1976. There are 527 fewer abortion mills than there were in 1986. Only 11% of the medical training centers teach the child-killing procedure-down from 56% in 1987. There are fewer abortionists applying their grisly trade. Those abortionists still shedding innocent blood are getting older, leaving no young doctors to replace them. Teen pregnancy rates dropped 2% in 1993 and 2% more in 1994. The hearts of the fathers are turning to the children and the hearts of children are turning back to their fathers. Praise God! The Cultural Transformation is on and we must not let up, give up, or shut up till this murderous spirit that has defiled our land is driven back to hell from whence it came. The heart of our nation is turning back toward God as we recognize that are society is drowning in a sea of blood, violence, and mayhem that the abortion ideology helped spawn. The bottom line is, the Lord promised in Psalms 12: 5, "For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. " The abortion industry is defenseless as God arises in the midst of His people to vanquish this evil foe arrayed against His little image bearers. Come join Flip Benham, Norma McCorvey, and Dr. Alan Keyes and Christians throughout our nation as we allow our theology to become biography in the streets of Dallas. Once or twice in a century a issue arises so far reaching in its consequences ad so deep in its foundation, that it requires every person to take a stand. Abortion is such an issue! For more information contact Operation Rescue National. IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE, Rusty Lee Thomas |