CHRISTmas Blessing 2008

Merry Christmas Family and Friends,



Every December as we consider our family Christmas letter, we scan the year for a resounding theme. Some years the theme is obscured. Some years the theme is obvious. Increasingly, we’ve become convicted that Christ’s birthday and His significance should be the theme of any Christmas letter we send out. This year, we have on our hearts to share with you some of the blessings brought about by that babe in a manger and how His is the cradle that continues to rock the world. With so much confusion about Who Christ is and what a Christian is, and with so much bias as of late concerning people who follow Christ, we believe sharing the blessing of Christ and His followers in the world is the one thing needful.

Most of the following material is from the book entitled What if Jesus Had Never Been Born? By D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe – a most worthy read. *We hope everyone can enjoy this account in the delightful spirit of CHRISTmas.

Impact on the Value of Human Life

• Women. In ancient cultures, a wife was the property of her husband. Aristotle said that a woman was somewhere between a free man and a slave. In India, widows were voluntarily or involuntarily burned on their husbands’ funeral pyres. Christian missionaries were a major influence in stopping these century-old practices and ideas.
• Children. In the ancient world, for example in classical Rome or Greece, infanticide was not only legal, it was applauded. Killing a Roman was murder, but it was commonly held in Rome that killing one’s own children could be an act of beauty. Through a higher view of life, it was the early Christian church that ultimately brought an end to infanctide.
• Slavery. While it is true that committed Christians have owned slaves in history, it is also true that slavery was ended in great measure by Christian activists. For example, historians credit the British evangelical William Wilberforce as the primary force behind the ending of the international slave trade (which happened prior to the American Civil War). Two-thirds of the members of the American abolition society in 1835 were Christian ministers.
• Gladiators. A 5^th century monk, Telemachus is credited as being the pivotal force ending the gladiator spectacles.
• Cannibalism. Missionary followers of Jesus are credited with stopping cannibalism in many primitive societies.

Compassion and Mercy

Kennedy and Newcombe in their book detail the rise of charity in the name of Jesus over the centuries. This is in stark contrast to history before Jesus. Historians record that prior to Jesus, the ancient world left little trace of any organized charitable effort.

An important aspect to Jesus’ ministry was his emphasis on helping the neediest and lowliest in society. For example, his Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) is a classic illustration that is still part of our language today. While there are good charitable efforts outside of the name of Jesus, Kennedy and Newcombe argue that Christian charities stand out. They point to Mother Theresa, the Salvation Army, religious hospitals, and church supported soup kitchens and thrift shops in every community. Jesus has had such an enormous impact on charity that one wonders how different things would be if he had never been born.

The mythical character of Santa Claus points back to Christ. St. Nick unquestionably arose within the Christian tradition.

Education

From the beginning of Judaism, from which Christianity is derived, there was an emphasis on the written word. But the phenomenon of education for the masses has its roots in the Protestant Reformation.

In order to promote Bible literacy, Christians have been leaders in education. This trend was accelerated with the advent of the printing press at about the same time as the Protestant Reformation. Many of the world’s languages were first set to writing by Christian missionaries in order for people to read the Bible.

In America, the first law to require education of the masses was passed by the Puritans. The law was called "THE OLD DELUDER SATAN ACT." This name was a reference to the devil, who Christians believe gets his foothold into people’s lives because of their ignorance of Scripture.

For the first 200 years in America, children’s reading texts emphasized biblical literacy. The emphasis on literacy was so intense in colonial America, that John Quincy Adams said in the early 1800’s that the illiteracy rate was only 4/10^th of 1 percent. By comparison, it has been estimated that in America today, 40 million people are functionally illiterate.

All but one of the first 123 colleges in colonial America were Christian institutions. While these universities have lost their Christian identities, it is interesting to read the founding statements of these schools. Harvard, for example, was founded on this statement: "Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life. John 17: "

Government of the People

While America’s constitutional government is not specifically Christian, it can be argued that its roots are taken from biblical doctrines. Here are just a few possible arguments in this regard:

• America’s first constitution was the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. The Puritan framers of this document required that each aspect of it be grounded in Scripture. Other constitutions to follow contained many similarities to this one.
• At least 50 of the 55 signers of the U.S. Constitution were orthodox Christians.
• There is no doubt that the concept of our Constitutional checks and balances system is a direct result of the biblical doctrine of the sinfulness of mankind. All of our founders understood the importance of this doctrine to the social order.
• America’s foundational idea of The Rule of Law rather than the authority of man traces back to the Old Testament, beginning with the Ten Commandments.
• The idea that all men are created equal as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence is a biblical doctrine.
• The notion of the sovereign authority of God (as mentioned in the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, all 50 state constitutions, our currency, etc.)--rather than the sovereignty of the state--is certainly biblical.
• The existence of moral absolutes (a biblical concept) is an important idea in our Declaration of Independence--specifically, self-evident truths and unalienable rights from the Creator.
• Many other aspects of our laws come directly from the Bible--for example the judicial, legislative and executive branches trace to Isaiah 33:22. Fair trials with witnesses have numerous Old and New Testament support.
• Regarding civil liberty, founding father John Adams (and others) emphasized 2 Corinthians 3:17 as the basis for American civil liberty. The slogan on the Liberty Bell is "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof" is from Leviticus 15:10. Kennedy and Newcombe argue that Jesus himself was the greatest civil libertarian of all time.

Science

Kennedy and Newcombe also argue that science has it roots in Christianity. They point out that other world religions may express a worldview of fatalism (everything is fatalistically determined) or of illusion (that the physical world is an illusion). Science could not have arisen from these worldviews.

Christianity on the other hand, is based on the notion that there exists a rational God who is the source of rational truth. This, they argue, gave rise to the possibility of scientific laws.

Evidence for this view is that nearly all the founders of modern science were Christians. These include men such as Keppler, Boyle, Pascal, Pasteur, Newton, etc.

Free Enterprise and the Work Ethic

Private property rights can be traced to the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:15, 17 (Thou shalt not steal,”Thou shalt not covet.")--as well as to other passages from the Old and New Testaments. Interestingly, there are over 700 references to money in the Bible!

It is noteworthy that Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations was written in 1776, the same year as the birth of America. But many historians credit theologian John Calvin from 200 years earlier as the person who is most responsible for putting together the principles that were always in the Bible into a system adapted by the American founders. For example, the biblical doctrines of self-reliance and self-denial are the foundation of the famous "Protestant work ethic." These doctrines are at the heart of our economic (and political) way of life.

A distinction can be made between biblical capitalism and evolutionary capitalism. The emphasis on biblical capitalism is on the importance of servanthood--a key teaching of Jesus. Evolutionary capitalism on the other hand relies solely on the survival of the fittest. America’s anti-trust laws are evidence that American capitalism emphasizes the former over the latter.

Anyone who doubts the relationship of biblical ideas to free enterprise need only to note the stark contrast with communism. Communism is specifically an atheistic system that relies on the non-biblical notion that all men are good (thus will work for the common good). But communism has been an abject economic failure.

Art, Music, Literature

The influence of Jesus on art, music, and literature is enormous. For example, the Christian faith has influenced literature in such Christian writers such as Dante, Chaucer, Donne, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, Dickens, Milton, etc.

Had Jesus never been born, music would likely sound very different from what we’re used to. There may never have developed the cantata, the concerto, or the symphony. Handel, Vivaldi, and Bach were Christians who worked to honor God with their work. Bach, for example, signed all his works with Soli Deo Gloria ("Solely to the glory of God").

Art has likewise been magnificently impacted by Jesus. While much modern art seems to debase the human spirit, classical Christian art tries to bring out the best of mankind--pointing us to a higher plane. This is certainly a tribute to Jesus.

And think of all the incredible architecture through the years. Especially noteworthy are the beautiful cathedrals in Europe.

Contrary Evidence

Kennedy and Newcombe address the criticism of some who point to atrocities in history committed in the name of Christianity--specifically the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem witch hunts, and anti-Semitism. The authors acknowledge the sinful nature of these events. But they argue that those who committed them were acting contrary to the teachings of Christ, who taught to love even your enemies! The blame for committing such acts should be placed on those who perverted Jesus’ teachings--not at the feet of the Prince of Peace!

However, it should also be mentioned that many historians say that Christians have gotten a bad rap from the above events. For example, it can be said that all of the Crusades were defensive in nature--in the same way that one can accurately say that America's current War on Terrorism is defensive in nature. America is responding to an unprovoked attack first made upon us. Our goal in this war is simply to protect our citizens and our property. This is the same thing that the Christian Crusaders were doing, acting in self-defense against aggressors.

And in the case of the Inquisition, Kennedy has stated that he is convinced that the people leading the Inquisition were not Christians at all. (Jesus Himself stated in Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven….”) In every case in which Christians are blamed for violence, a closer look largely exonerates Christians."

Further, they point out that when Christian restraints have been removed from a society, the atrocities are magnified many times over. For example, the regimes of Hitler, Mao, Stalin, and Pol Pot were essentially atheistic bloodbaths. These twentieth century despots alone account for well over 100 million murders. The evidence is strong that when the restraining influence of Christianity has been removed from a country or culture, unmitigated disaster will naturally follow. As admitted by existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, "[Without God] all activities are equivalent."*

We pray you were blessed by reading just some of the beautiful fruit and sweet aroma of the Body of Christ marching through time in His honor and His name. May we continue to look well to the interests of our King and continue loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Kurt, Jill, Dakota, Dylan, Nicholas, and Pippin-the-Pooper (dog)

*taken from - http://www.faithfacts.org/christ-and-the-culture/The-Impact-of-Christianity

© Charles and Cindy Meek

CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

Why Is It So Important to Understand Conversion?





The above clip is from a WordPictures series called: How God Converts The Human Soul

It is an incredible teaching on the sovereignty of God's electing, amazing grace.

"EVERY CHRISTIAN IS EITHER A MISSIONARY OR AN IMPOSTOR."

~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon ~

With Christmas coming up, we are in the throws of planning our annual Family Christmas Outreach party. This is a party we've had since our oldest was 2 years old...that's 13 years! WoW!

We started this party in order to include entire families in celebrating the real meaning of Christmas. We were new to Phoenix, and didn't know very many people. We invited anyone who had little kids and who would smile back at us! My parents flew to Arizona to help. We had 24 people that first year - mostly children under 5. My dad was a good sport and dressed up as Santa and when we returned home from neighborhood caroling 'Jesus songs', he bound down the stairway and gathered the children around him and explained Christmas is about Jesus. He read aloud The Legend of the Candy Cane. Beautiful memories....

Through the years, we've refined the party to be evangelistic both towards our guests (specifically invite Christians and non-Christians and give the gospel) and towards the neighbors we carol for. During the party, the children are read several Christmas stories like: The Tale of Three Trees, The Legend of the Candy Cane, and The Pine Tree Parable. They make a Christmas tree ornament comprised of three long nails bound with crimson raffia to place on the tree to remind everyone that Christmas means absolutely nothing without Easter. We have the children make extra tree ornaments so we have one to give each family who allows us to sing carols to them. They assemble 'gift bags' for the homes we sing for - a biblical gospel tract, the tree ornament, and a book (last year, it was Lee Strobel's The Case for Christmas).

Each party guest family was given a copy of Mark Cahill's book One Heartbeat Away last year. I was thrilled to be able to purchase an 18 book box of discounted books from Mark Cahill Ministries and they arrived in record time the day before our party. Christian was encouraged to read the book and promise to pass it on to someone who needed Jesus in the months to come. Non-Christian was encouraged to read it. A wonderful book.

This year, just two days ago actually, I got an e-newsletter from Mark Cahill Ministries. He stated he realized times were financially tight this year and wanted to let everyone know he had discounted his One Heartbeat Away box of 18 at an even greater discount. Also, he was offering a box of 42 books for only $200.00 and free shipping. Christmas is a perfect time to share the gift of Jesus! Oh, how I wanted to purchase that box of 42 books!

Had it been last year, I wouldn't have thought twice about making the purchase; but 2008 is different. Our economy is fragile. Our family portfolio is radically different than it was last year. We have two mortgages and have yet to sell our little house on Tee Time. We lost much with the stock market crash over the past months. As much as I wanted to be able to purchase these great evangelism tools, I knew I could not. Not this year.

I was sad. I really wanted to be able to give One Heartbeat Away to each of the homes on our culdesac this year as we carol. Last year it was The Case for Christmas; this year, I had hoped to give out something that presented answers to skeptics as well as a forthrightly biblical gospel. I was sad it looked like this was not to be... "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord." I asked God to help me think of something significant to give to our guests and to the homes in our neighborhood.

A few short hours later, our doorbell rang. I went to the door to see the delivery truck pull away. I looked down on the porch to see a large box of, what I assumed to be, medical supplies for our youngest son. I bent down to pick up what I expected to be a light box, and to my surprise, it was incredibly heavy. I turned it over to read the shipping label:

To - Jill Grier

From - Mark Cahill Ministries

"OH MY! THERE HAS BEEN A MISTAKE! I'VE NOT ORDERED ANYTHING FROM MARK CAHILL MINISTIRES! Shipping this box back will cost an arm and a leg. We can't keep this - we can't afford to pay for it."

I set the heavy box on our kitchen table and opened it up. Atop the supplies, was a folded piece of paper with 'My gift to you' printed on the top. I picked it up and set it aside to see what was in the box. It was the box of 42 books I had wanted to purchase earlier that morning. The 42 books plus two of his teaching DVD's valued at an additional $40.00. Lukewarm No More and Pride Goes Before Destruction. I didn't know what to think. I had not ordered this. I hadn't even known about it until that very morning....

I called the boys to the kitchen to show them the box of books and the two DVD's and ask them if they knew how it came to us. Nicholas suggested it might have been Dad who ordered it. I assured him Dad doesn't order books. Dakota suggested I read the folded paper I had set on the table. (Good idea!)

I read the note on the outside aloud: My Gift To You

I opened up the invoice and began to cry. It listed the materials included in the box and had a personal note at the bottom. It read:

"Hey Jill, Please take these as a gift from the ministry. Pray over them and get them into the right hands during the Christmas season.

Lost people all around you. Don't let them get away!

Mark"

You see, about 6 months ago, I woke with a pressing urgency to write Mark Cahill a letter of appreciation for his passion and his ministry. I felt led to share with him how we had used his One Heartbeat Away book for our Family Christmas party outreach last December. I felt like God wanted him to learn how a family was using his book and how much we appreciated his truth-filled writing. I told him I believed his book to be one of the best evangelistic tools I've seen because it combines apologetics and answers to the skeptics and uses the Law to prepare the soil of the heart to hear the good news of the gospel. I told him this book was a perfect blend of Ravi Zacharias, Josh McDowell, and Ray Comfort - all in one.

I mailed the letter with the US Postal service and didn't give it another thought. I didn't really expect him to read it. I just felt like it was a letter God wanted me to write and send.

I think Mark read my letter. I can't imagine why else he would have sent me a box of evangelism books free of charge.

I PRAISE GOD FOR PROMPTING ME TO WRITE THAT LETTER. I PRAISE GOD FOR MARK CAHILL AND FOR HIS OBEDIENCE TO GOD'S PROMPTING HIM TO SEND US BOOKS TO GIVE OUT THIS CHRISTMAS. I am humbled to know God had this in motion even before I knew about this special deal on this larger box of books. Humbled to know God cares about our little Family Christmas party outreach. Humbled He would orchestrate such a surprise to encourage me that He cares and He will provide even our wants. I love God's timing. I was so sad yesterday knowing this year we couldn't afford to do our Christmas party outreach like I wanted.

I am writing this down so I don't forget. So my children will know the praiseworthy deeds of my God. So the children yet to be born will know God's providential and faithful hand in my life.

I LOVE YOU JESUS!

I am so thankful You show yourself to Me. Please help me be faithful! Please help me to walk worthy. Please make sure these truth-filled books make it into the hands of those You want to read it - and be transformed by it. Please Lord, if I may ask, let my children see fruit of these books given as gifts this year. They so need to be encouraged. I so need to be encouraged. Even now, please be preparing the hearts and minds of those who get the gift of this book. Protect us from evil. Protect us from fear. Help us reflect your beauty this Christmastime. Help us love in word and in deed. Help me be winsome. Help me be a sweet aroma. Help me glorify you.

Thank You Jesus!

Thank you Mark Cahill!