ONE = UNITY

Download MP3  
 

Paul makes this unifying statement in Ephesians 4: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6 NAU). In verse 3 Paul urged that we “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

We are already unified. But how? Some are in that organization or church group and some are in this. But we all have ONE God and Father who is over all, in all and through all!

What if a husband and wife had 8 children? Suppose the children all grew to maturity when the parents died. All the siblings fought over the inheritance and split apart with anger and hostility not speaking to one another and not ever seeing one another. Are they still blood relatives? Do they have the same DNA? Did they all come from the same father and mother? No matter how many miles separated them or how many issues divided them, they are still all members of the same (one) family. That is a fact.

So how could Paul make the statement that we are unified and we need to preserve it? He already knew from the other apostles about the unity of Christ and the Father. And because God the Father and Jesus Christ are one (John 10:30), this unity becomes the basis of our unity with them: “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3 NAU). This is the basis of our fellowship with each other. It makes us one (John 17:11). Remember that the Son does the will of the Father (John 4:34) and has received the powers even of judgment.

The Son obeys the Father's will and has received a command from the Father that concerns His death and resurrection and He willingly lays down His own life (John 10:18). Because the Son obeys we must realize that to remain in Jesus or in the Father we also must be obedient in a spirit of love. Jesus said, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love (John 15:10 NAS).

Loving one another is the way to remain in His love. “No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:12 NAS). Also we read, “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” 1 John 4:16 NAU).

When we are unified with God and His Son we bear fruit. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Being in unity with God and His Son also helps us to escape the pollutions of the world and its lusts. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (I John 2:16-17 NAS).

It is the unity of the Father and Son and our unity with them that prevents anyone or anything from snatching us away from their love. “For I am convinced that neither death, no life, no angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, no height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39 NAS).

God's love is in Christ and expressed through Christ. When we are in unity with them we abide in His love. Thus we abide in both the Father and the Son. And as long as we choose to abide in the Father and the Son no person or power can take us away from them. This is true of each one of us individually and it is true of all of us (the Body of Christ) collectively! That’s why the gates of Hades cannot prevail against Christ’s church!

Praise be to God for the unity we have in the Father and the Son and for the everlasting love and commitment to us.

--- David L. Antion for Guardian Ministries

Reasons For Our Joy

Download MP3  
 

We know we are to have joy in God and in our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said He would give us His joy (John 15:11). “As for me, I will be glad in the LORD” (Psa. 104:34). “Let the heart of those who seek the LORD, be glad” (Ps. 105:3).

We are to rejoice always (1Thes. 5:16-18). But, what is it that gives us joy in the LORD? What reasons do we have for being joyous? Here are a few:

1. God Loves Us: Jer. 31:3 “…I have loved you with an everlasting love…” Think of it. There has never been a time when God did not love us. His love for us is everlasting! He loves us so much that He gave His Son for us (John 3:16). Jesus said that the “Father himself loves you…” And nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:39). God loves us just like He loves His Son, Jesus, because we love Jesus (John 17:23).

But here is what some of us do. When things don’t go our way or trouble comes to us we think like immature children and begin to doubt God’s love. It goes like this: “I just got a raise in pay – God really loves me.” Or: “I just got laid off. I wonder if God loves me anymore.” God’s love does not vary with circumstances. Yes, He knows what is happening to you You must know that He loves you – unconditionally and in all circumstances!!

2. God Has Forgiven Us: He casts our sins into the depths of the sea and removes them as far as east from west. He has given us forgiveness of sins and He does so continuously (Col. 1:14; 1John 1:9). If you cannot forgive yourself, please do not lay that blame at God’s mercy seat. He has forgiven you when you repent and ask for it. You must take the next step of faith and believe it and let you past go!

3. God is NOT Ashamed of Us: Did you ever have someone say, “I’m ashamed of you”? But now our God and Savior. Jesus is not ashamed to call us “brethren” (Heb. 2:11) and God is not ashamed to be called our God (Heb. 11:16). On our side, how many times have we been ashamed of God and His ways. God may not be ashamed of you but are you ashamed of Him??

4. God Accepts Us: People strive to be accepted. They eagerly wait for admission into country clubs, and service organizations. They want to be accepted and approved of by most of the people they know. But the Bible tells us that we are God’s children and Christ’s brothers and friends (John 1:12; 15:15). He owns us and has adopted us as His children (Eph. 1:5). We are complete in Him (Col. 2:10). We also must accept Him as our ruler, Lord and Master. For as many as received Him to them He gave the right to be the children of God (John 1:12).

5. God Is Pleased With Us: Let’s face it, in the human realm, not everyone is pleased with us. But God takes pleasure in His people (Ps. 149:4). He always has good thoughts toward us not evil ones (Jer. 29:11). He is so pleased with us that He wants to make His home with us (John 14:23).

Just think of the wonderful things that can cause you to REJOICE and be filled with JOY and GLADNESS. God loves you. You may know many people who do not love you. But God does! There are people who will never forgive you for you mistakes. But God does! There are people who might be ashamed of you or ashamed to be with you. But God isn’t! There may be some people who have rejected you. But God accepts you! And many times in this life there are people who are not pleased with us. But God is!

These are some reasons to REJOICE and be filled with JOY!

– David L. Antion for Guardian Ministries

How We Got Christmas

There is no doubt that the birth of Jesus Christ is part of the Gospel story. There are complimentary accounts in two of the Gospels – Matthew and Luke. The story of Christ’s birth is both thrilling and interesting.

The nativity stories are filled with uplifting and important spiritual understanding. So, why not celebrate Christmas?

As important as the story of Christ’s birth is, it is mentioned in only two of the four gospels. Whereas the crucifixion is mentioned in all four Gospels. Furthermore, even in Matthew and Luke where the story of Christ’s birth is detailed, there is no further mention of His birth again in either of these Gospels..

How did the birth of Christ become celebrated? How did Christmas come to be a major holiday in what is called “Christianity”?

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia the word for Christmas was Cristes Maesse, Mass of Christ, in Old English. This phrase was first used in 1038 A.D. Furthermore the Encyclopedia states “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church.” Early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian and Origen omit Christmas from their lists of church feasts. Origen, disgusted with the birthday celebrations of high Roman officials, commented that “in the Scriptures sinners alone, not saints, celebrate their birthday.”

In the third century (200’s A.D.) some theologians in Egypt began to be curious and tried to find out not only the year but also the day of Christ’s birth. Nearly every month of the year was proposed with several dates.

The Gospels themselves are of almost no help in determining the day or month of Christ’s birth. Some have tied it to the Feast of Tabernacles, as did Professor Lightfoot. Some used Zacharius’ order of temple service -- being the 8th order -- to calculate that Christ’s birth was somewhere between October 2-9.

But it was the “well known solar feast of Natalis Invicti (the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) that is responsible for the December 25th date. It was the birthday of the Sun God. Many hailed it as the day the Sun was born and thus they merely had to change it to the day the Son of God was born. Tertullian tried to fight against this adoption of a pagan day of sun worship by stating that Sol was not the Christian’s God. Augustine and even Pope Leo I bitterly said it was heretical to identify Christ with Sol (Sun).

But it was Emperor Constantine, a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed, who did the trick. During his reign Rome’s official religion was sun worship – the cult of Sol Invictus or the Invincible Sun. Unfortunately for him a growing religious turmoil was gripping Rome. Three centuries after His crucifixion, Jesus’ followers multiplied exponentially. Christians and pagans were warring to such proportions that it threatened to tear Rome apart.

Constantine decided something had to be done. In 325 A.D. he decided to unify Rome under a single religion – Christianity. Historians marvel at the brilliance with which Constantine converted the sun-worshipping pagans to Christianity. By blending pagan symbols, dates, and rituals into the expanding Christian tradition, Constantine created a hybrid religion that was acceptable to both pagans and professing Christians alike.

The vestiges of pagan religion in Christian zymology are undeniable. Egyptian sun disks became the halos of Catholic saints. Pictures of Isis nursing her miraculously conceived son, Horus, became the blueprint for modern images of the Virgin Mary nursing baby Jesus. Virtually all elements of the Catholic ritual – the miter, the altar, the doxology, and the communion – the act of God-eating—were taken directly from earlier page mystery religions.

The pre-Christian god, Mirthras – called the Son of God and the Light of the World – was born on December 25. December 25 is also the birthday of Osiris, Adonis, and Dionysus – all pagan deities! A book documenting this is titled, 4000 years of Christmas.

Originally Christianity honored the 7th day Sabbath – Saturday. But Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagans’ veneration day of the sun. To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly worship day – Sunday! The average person does not understand or care.

Our Behavior:
In time past, many members of the Churches of God who understood the pagan origins of Christmas became intolerant of relatives and other people who celebrated Christmas. It became a badge of righteousness to condemn others – their homes, their Christmas trees, their presents, and their music.

In fact, many became so disgusted with anything to do with Christmas that they transferred that disgust over to Christ’s birth. Thus, the early chapters in Matthew and Luke were very much omitted from sermons and Bible readings for members of the Churches of God.

There are many fine and sincere people who observe Christmas. Some of them may be your own relatives. Many Church of God members become upset and harsh to someone who so much as wishes them a “merry Christmas.” They feel a duty to rebuke this person or explain the pagan origins of the celebration to people who neither want nor are ready to hear it.

Most Church of God members don’t have a tree or decorate their homes. They do not celebrate Christmas but they can and should appreciate and understand the wonderful meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ. They should not shrink from loving others who do observe Christmas.

It is a personal decision how you handle or deal with people who observe Christmas. Each of us has to decide how to approach mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons or daughters in order to be a light to them and at the same time respect the fact that they just don’t see things as we do.

Whatever you do should be done according to your own conscience. But don’t judge others in how they decide in their consciences to handle their relatives.