Volume 11 Issue 12 - December 1996

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KING JESUS!

Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;" (2 Peter 1:12,13)

As I was contemplating what to communicate to you this Christmas Holiday, I felt impressed of the Lord to re-release our article from last year called, "The Birthday That Changed The World". The truths it contains are timeless and like the above Scripture suggests, even though you may have read this before, it is good to be reminded of the glory that was revealed from Heaven when God, through His Son Jesus, became a man and dwelt among us. So, as you celebrate with your family the birth of Immanuel, may you consider well the implications as they relate to you personally and to the world at large.

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 development for which we have all benefited from. Their names are enshrined in different nations and recorded in the annuls of history. And then, far above them all, there is the one who came as the Babe in the manger in Bethlehem, the Lord Jesus Christ. This one solitary life has done more to virtually change every aspect of human life for the better than all the combined efforts of mankind throughout the ages.

Everything that Jesus touched or continues to touch eventually becomes completely transformed. He touched time when He was born into this sin-soaked world nearly two thousand years ago. That birthday which we now call Christmas has utterly altered the manner in which we even measure time. The whole world now counts time as B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini). Unfortunately, we have multitudes that have gone to government sponsored schools and don’t recognize any more that Anno Domini means, "In the year of our Lord." No matter, because the bottom line is, the Lord must still have an acute sense of humor when you consider that every humanistic, socialistic, and atheistic letter written has to acknowledge the supremacy of Christ by virtue of just dating their propaganda.

The great tragedy though, concerning our Lord’s birth, is the fact that most people are woefully ignorant or have purposely chosen to discredit, revise, or devalue the awesome impact our Lord 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 Holiday season completely unaware of the commercialism, materialism, and sentimentalism that seeks to undermine and trivialize Jesus’ contribution to mankind. As a result, the depression that some will experience this Yuletide will not be confined to a 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. Many will be content to eat, drink, and be merry, completely oblivious to the true meaning of Christmas. Little realizing that the only source of goodness in the world that is available to them came through the birthday that changed the world.

Jesus described the Kingdom of Heaven as a mustard seed, which is tiny, in and of itself, but when fully grown, it provides shade and a resting place for the birds of the air to lodge in (Matthew 13:31,32). We must realize that this parable not only applies to individuals who embrace Christ as Lord, and experience the rigors of personal progressive sanctification, but it extends to include Christ’s progressive righteous rule in the earth. The marvel of the Incarnation is, despite the humble origins of a stinking stable, there are more than 1.8 billion professing believers in the Babe in the manger scattered throughout every nation on earth. Though the roots of Christianity were small and insignificant (120 in the upper room) there are multitudes whose life’s aim and sole devotion is to worship and serve the one whose birthday has changed the world.

Even a casual glance at history reveals that this devotion enraged emperors, military leaders, and would-be despots. For a season of time, these dictators would rise to great heights of power, breathing out threatenings against the Lord and His anointed, only to watch their ungodly influence and terror wane into utter oblivion as they perished in their rebellion. Many monarchs intoxicated with egotism persecuted God’s people, in a vain attempt to spread their abusive authority over the properties, lands, and the souls of men for whom Christ died to redeem. These tyrants not only included civil rulers but religious leaders as well. Intimidated by the Crown Rights of King Jesus, they both, at times, conspired to crush the advancement of God’s Kingdom. A Kingdom that not only set captive souls free from the ravages of sin, but eventually liberated people from political and religious tyranny as well.

The burning question that remains is, "Where are these despots today?" Granted, some are still with us, but most are rotting in their graves awaiting the Final Judgment from the Righteous King and Judge they in futility tried to overthrow. They have very few followers today. No one grovels at their feet in coerced worship. No one can personally serve them, tend to their fickle perversions, or await their bidding.

Not so with the Babe in the manger who grew to be a hard working carpenter in Nazareth. The Crucified and Risen Lord of Glory continues to receive worship, service, and an expanded base of followers daily. In fact, He is currently seated at the right hand of the Father far above all principalities, powers, thrones, and dominions. The word of God declares this is both visible in this present world and invisible relating to the world that is to come. It goes on to proclaim that He will sit there henceforth till His enemies are His footstool (Ephesians 1:21, Colossians 1:16, and Hebrews 10:12,13). Glory to God in the Highest!

Napoleon, who was no stranger to political and military conquest, once thought it would be amazing if a Roman Emperor could rule from the grave. He mistakenly equated that concept with Jesus. I say mistakenly because Jesus is not a dead man ruling from the grave. He is alive with resurrection power ruling from the Majesty on High.

This truth is in accordance with Daniel 7:14 which states, "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Napoleon went on to say, "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." Indeed, the Church truly does remain even as one wise man observed, "The Church is in a constant state of defeat that always outlives and outlasts her persecutors and enemies."

THE CHURCH TRIUMPHANT!

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)

Historically, the Christian Fathers defined the Body of Christ by placing the Church into two distinct categories: 1) The Church Triumphant, the faithful believers who have already run their lap of the race and now reside in Heaven, and

2) The Church Militant, the army of the Lord of Hosts who are alive today, laboring to advance God’s Kingdom on the earth. The First, The Church Triumphant, describes the Saints, Martyrs, and Faithful Brethren who preceded us. These are the great cloud of witnesses that the Hebrew passage describes. They are the ones who have exercised the patience of the saints, that kept the commandments of God, and held fast to the testimony and faith of Jesus Christ their Lord in spite of overwhelming opposition, persecution, and martyrdom. (Revelation14:12). Revelation 14:13 goes on to describe their blessed reward, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works follow them." Like Paul, they too, share the same testimony, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness...(2 Timothy 4:7,8).

It was this Church Triumphant that diligently followed the sacrificial example left by their Lord and Master causing pagan nation after pagan nation to fall before the cross of Christ. The simple reason being, The Church Triumphant was willing to pick up that cross, deny themselves, and give their lives as a drink offering to be poured out in service to their King. As a result, history confirms the fact that the Church, both The Triumphant and Militant, was, is, and always will be the undisputed champion for benevolence on this earth. No other institution, movement, or force has made more glorious changes for the betterment of mankind than the Church of Jesus Christ. The following is just a few highlights of the Church’s positive contributions through the centuries.

Human sacrifice was a common religious rite practiced by every nation, by every religion, before Christianity appeared. Until then, humanity sought to assuage their universal feelings of guilt and to appease the superstitions of their false idols by sacrificing innocent children, women, and men upon pagan altars. After Jesus, "The Final Sacrifice", came the Church, armed with God’s word, confronted this great evil and overcame it with the transforming power of the Gospel.

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 for victims of crime.

It was the Church, filled with compassion for the sick, that created the Hospital. It was the Church who was concerned about the illiterate and their inability to read the Scriptures.

This gave birth to schools and universities that raised the literacy standards and provided public education for the masses. In the business arena, it was the Church that raised the standard of the work ethic that promoted capitalism and the free market enterprise we now enjoy. The Church is primarily responsible for establishing the representative form of government, particularly, as witnessed in the American experiment. She also founded the concept of "separation of political powers" based upon her understanding of the corrupt fallen nature of man through sin.

Among her other major accomplishments, the Church is responsible for the abolition of slavery, both in antiquity and modern times, the discovery of the new world by Columbus, the elevation of the common man, plus, the elevation of women (contrary to the feminist doctrine purported today). It was the Church who developed the Good Samaritan ethic manifested through charity and benevolence. It was the Church who had the boldness to condemn adultery, homosexuality, and other sexual perversities that has spared many individuals and society at large the heartache, misery, and pain associated with these depraved behaviors. The Church is the one who has championed the sanctity of human life, civilized many primitive cultures, and codified to writing many of the world’s languages. In the field of the arts, the Church is the one who developed many of the different art, music, and dramatic forms. In fact, from the Church many of the greatest works of art found their inspiration. Finally, it is the Church who has been used by God to transform societies by turning people from debilitating liabilities into beneficial assets. The simple, but profound reason for this comes down to one important truth, the Gospel is the only power capable of bringing the eternal salvation of God upon the souls of men.

The last one mentioned, the salvation of souls, is without question the unique and primary purpose 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 lives, but also sacrificed (in some cases their very lives) to incorporate them into their public lives as well.

The awesome wonderful truth this Christmas is the rightful King was born and the world will never again be the same. When Jesus Christ took upon Himself the form of a man, He imbued us with a dignity and value that had never been dreamed possible before.

Most of you are familiar with the holiday classic, "It’s a Wonderful Life", where the character George Bailey, 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 summarizes the awesome truth presented in this article. The main point the film convincingly conveys is the idea that each person’s life has an impact on someone else. Had a certain person never been born, there would be gaping holes in life left by their absence. Do we even dare to consider or even try to comprehend what life would be like today, if there was no such thing as Christmas? No birth of our glorious Savior to rescue us from our sins? Had Jesus never been born, not only would we more than likely be destined to eternal damnation, but the godless void in this world would have produced a canyon that the universe itself could not contain. That’s why Christ’s influence is immeasurable and that’s why we should celebrate with all our hearts the birthday that not only changed our lives, but the entire world as well. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR FROM ELIJAH MINISTRIES AND THE ENTIRE THOMAS TRIBE!

IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,

Rusty Lee Thomas