Christmas is over … or is it!

It comes once a year … and then it’s over. All the hype and hubbub … gifts exchanged, gifts returned.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way. What if we celebrated the birth of Christ all year long? What if we gave something away every day of the year … the spirit of Christmas 365 days a year. How might our lives change if we followed the plea of Christ for us to "love one another"?

You could hug someone tightly and tell them you love them; forgive an enemy, realizing that Jesus loves them the same as He loves you; decide not to carry a grudge.

Lessen your demands on others and demand more of yourself; take time to keep a promise; turn off the TV for an evening and talk.
Pray for someone who doesn’t even know you ; apologize if you are wrong; be kind and loving to an angry person.

Write to a friend you have not kept in touch with; take time to read to a child; hold the hand of someone with sorrow in their heart; listen more and talk less.

Encourage an elderly or sickly person; do not be afraid to love; keep a pleasant continence; let someone know that you appreciate them … all of these are gifts that need no wrapping, cost very little but are priceless in the lives of those around you. Let others see Christ in you.

Let’s make Christmas one long extended time of giving to others … and through the miracle of Christ Jesus … you will find that you have given yourself a gift as well.

Larry Abele - Editorial Team

… the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
Luke 2:1-10

Snow storms in Europe, flooding on the east coast of Canada, mud slides in California and grieving families embracing the casket of the son that served in Afghanistan. The list of grief and suffering could go on and on.

This last week has not been calm as some carols would suggest, in fact it has been hectic and confusing. The question comes to mind, "Where is God in all this pain suffering and confusion?" 



As I pondered this question I found myself thinking of Joseph, Mary, some shepherds and a tiny baby in a feed trough. Yes Jesus Christ/God with us in a animal feed trough!

As I think about the inconveniences and grief in the lives of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus on the first Christmas night and the Life that followed I am reminded of the fact that as in those day “God is with us today” I believe the Good News of Christmas is that God is with us in all of this incredible suffering and confusion.
The message of God to us at Christmas is, "In all of life I am with you.”
Think about that. God is in the midst of real life. When people are hungry, God is there. Where people are cold, God is there. Where people are hurting, God is there.

God did not come for those who feel righteous and worthy. God came to the hurting, the lonely, the hungry, the naked and the cold. In the inconvenient birth of the Son, God tells each one of us that we are the objects of his love. Through the birth, life and death of Jesus, God tells us, "I know what life is like and I will always be with you." 



Jesus shows us there is a way. He followed the will of God. He conquered sin and death. He gave us eternal hope … and it all began on a cold night in a stable after an inconvenient journey. 



God is with us. Jesus is here. The promise of Christmas is that Jesus will be with us always. No matter what happens in our lives. No matter what life throws in our path, Jesus is with us.

When life is good we thank Jesus for the blessings. When life is inconvenient and hard we thank Jesus for his presence. In Christ we find all of our joy. In Christ we find all of our peace. In Christ we find all of our hope. With this joy, this peace and this hope, we thank God. With this joy, this peace, and this hope we can turn to one another and say with new meaning and understanding, “Merry Christmas”.

Paul Weresch

A Candy Maker's Witness

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the church, and firmness of the promises of God.

The candy maker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our savior. It also represents the staff of the “Good Shepherd” with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray.

Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with red stripes. He used the three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Jesus on the Cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life, if only we put our faith and trust in Him.

Unfortunately, the candy became known as a Candy cane - a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time. But the meaning is still there for those who "have eyes to see and ears to hear". SundaySchoolNetwork.Com

Season of Surprises

The season we celebrate reminds us of the many surprises we have experienced during the Christmases past. Many of us go to great lengths to surprise those we love at this time of the year.

God loves to surprise us. Instead of coming into this world via Jerusalem or at least Rome, God chooses an insignificant little village named Bethlehem. The main actors surrounding the “Incarnation of God” are simple people! He loves to take the ordinary everyday experiences of life and make them a part of his incredible plans.

God's plan to save the world is being put into motion through Mary and Joseph, two people that are about as simple as you can get. Their ability had nothing to do with being a part of God's incredible plan, they just had to be willing to trust God and be ready to be a part of what God was about to do.

To a world filled with strife and war, Jesus was to be the prince of peace! To humanity that was shackled by sin, this God in human flesh was to become the savior and deliverer! To you and me, to whom God seemed faraway, Jesus the son of Mary became Immanuel-God with us. All of this has became possible through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ ... son of Mary born in Bethlehem ... who is the Son of God.

Let God surprise you today by giving you peace, the peace promised so long ago. Let God establish his Kingdom Rule in your Life by His grace gift; forgiveness of sin and life eternal. All you need to do is, in faith, receive the gift of grace by a simple request; “dear God I receive your forgiveness and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of my life”.

My prayer is that God’s Peace will be with you,

Paul

[For further information regarding Christmas you may read in your Bible: Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, Matthew 1:18-23, Luke2:1-18. Acts 16:30-34.]

For our United States friends ...

How to Pray for the Election

The midterm election is drawing near. Imagine the impact on these United States of America if every elected representative at every level of government in this nation was prayed for every day of the year! Imagine the impact on the quality of decisions made, on our communities and our land ... on each State, County and municipality.

We believe that every believer has the potential to transform the United States of America through the power of the Holy Spirit which is released in every prayer for this nation and it’s leaders.

How do we do it?

• Pray regularly for your elected representatives at every level. - Every prayer can be an invitation to the Holy Spirit to act in and through elected representatives according to the will and wisdom of God.
• Organize prayer events at your church.
• Ask individuals to volunteer to pray regularly for specific elected representatives so that every elected representative is prayed for every day of the year.
• If given an opportunity pray with your elected representatives remembering to:
a. Maintain strict confidentiality.
b. Respect their schedules: Be on time and keep meetings brief.
c. Focus on them and their needs.
d. Take no more than one other person to the meeting.
• Write to your elected representatives to let them know: that you are praying for them, that you encourage them as willing servants of the people

What to pray for the election

• That this election will serve God’s purposes for the United States of America
• That the United States of America will be a country whose elected leaders are
o individuals of integrity, discernment, grace, courage and conviction
o willing servants, people of vision, perseverance and character
• For wisdom, endurance and protection for candidates and their families
• That candidates will be filled with Integrity, courage, humility and grac
• That the Holy Spirit will guide and guard the thoughts and speech of candidate
• That every elector will cherish their right to vote, and that every elector will vote

What to pray for the nation

• Pray that the Holy Spirit will bring a spirit of individual and corporate repentance among Christians across our land
• Pray that Christians would have both grace and humility to demonstrate righteousness, justice, compassion and generosity
• Pray that United States of America will be a country that honors God
• Pray that United States of America will be a nation of diverse people accepting. forgiving, sharing and working together for a better United States of America
• Pray for the spiritual strength of the nation

So then, make a statement of (confess) your sins to one another, and say prayers for one another so that you may be made well. The prayer of a good man is full of power in its working. Jas 5:16

Paul Weresch

An Appeal for the family of Pastor Artur Suleimanov ...

Zina and Artur Suleimanov were pastors of Hosanna Church in Dagestan's capital city, Makhachkala

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Since the day those words were spoken by Jesus, many have followed that
commission given to us all ... and many have given their lives in the pursuit of that task. And, for every believer who has literally gone into the world of non-believers as well as seekers, many thousands have provided prayer and support for them.
Our brother in Christ, Pastor Artur Suleimanov, has Thursday, July 15, 2010 given the ultimate sacrifice in his attempt to reach the lost. Having been martyred in Dagestan in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia, he leaves behind, along with a successful ministry, a wife and children.

Christ will make sure that the work started by Pastor Artur will continue by raising up
another to fill his shoes. And, He will also take care of the surviving family, (wife and five children) by giving us ... those who stay behind to pray and support ... a chance to help that family with our love, prayers and financial support.

Out of your love for Christ and the Suleimanov family, will you please contribute
financially to that effort?

European Christian Missions is collecting the funds that will be delivered, in total,
directly to the family of Pastor Artur. You may send your contribution to:
European Christian Missions, P.O. Box 1006, Point Roberts, WA 98281.

Canadian friends may send their contributions to:
European Christian Missions, 5097-47A Ave., Delta, B.C. V4K4G5, Canada
Make your checks out to ECM and note: “For Suleimanov Family Support“

In His service,

Paul Weresch

Pastor and Friend Martyred ...

The North Caucasus region of Dagestan which borders Azerbaijan and Georgia has been a troubled area for some time. It is also the home of the largest Protestant church in an area that is only 2% Christian. The church, shepherded by Pastor Arthur Suleimanov, has been extremely successful in their work with drug addicts, prisons and other social ills of that region.

On Thursday, July 15, Pastor Suleimanov became one of the Pastors martyred in their work for Christ. I received this letter from Paul and Betty Weresch ...

Dear Friends,
Please pray for the Family and Churches led by Pastor Arthur Suleimanov. Pastor Arthur, as we called him, has been murdered in front of his Home this morning.

Betty and I are deeply moved by this tragedy. I spent some time with Arthur during my visit in Sochi last spring. We were praising God for the great work he and his congregation were doing in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan.

Arthur was one of the pastors that was successfully reaching the people of this region with the Gospel of Christ. It is always a great loss when we see a great witness like that of Pastor Arthur silenced, however we are comforted with the words out of the letter to the Hebrew Christians (Heb. 11:4) "…he (Abel) being dead yet speaketh..."

Pastor Arthur has gone to be with the Lord and he is rejoicing in his presence, now it is we who need to pick up the challenge and redouble our efforts to proclaim the Gospel of Grace and peace to our World, a word that is filled with hatred bigotry and strife.

We will continue to prayerfully support the churches in the North Caucasus, please pray for us as we minister to the Church leadership of this troubled part of the world.
Betty and Paul

As officials attempt to identify the murderer, we must remember the words of Jesus who prophesied to the Church in Matthew 24:9: "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake."

We are not to be loved and accepted by the world, if we are then we are not loving God in the correct manner. Jesus said " Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets." (Luke 6:26).

As we mourn the passing of another of Christ’s soldiers, let us also be encouraged by the fact that Christ is with us … providing the strength to carry on … delivering the Good News to a broken world.

Larry Abele – Editorial Team

He Is Risen!

Look in your Bible and you will find the account in all four gospels.

Mary went to the tomb in which Jesus had been laid and discovered that He was not there.

What a shock that must have been, how heart wrenching … she had not only witnessed the tragic death of her beloved teacher … but then had been deprived of serving him in his death! Imagine the agony she must have felt. The depth of her sorrow.

But then the angels appeared to her and said,

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen!"

If she had found him there in that tomb, we would today be worshipping another dead prophet. However, that one phrase changed everything. "He is not here … He is risen!"

We serve a living God … a Savior … a Father … a Friend.

And because He lives, we who believe in Him shall live also. Because the tomb is empty, Christians around the world fill churches to praise Him and thank Him for His selfless act. Because the tomb is empty, we have hope in the future and guidance in the present. We are not alone!

Let the spirit of Easter live in your heart the rest of your life on this earth ... He Is Risen!

Larry Abele - Editorial Team

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples ..."

An earthquake matching the power of several nuclear bombs struck the island nation of Haiti about 5:00 PM, Tuesday, January 12th. According to the U.S. Geological Survey report, the quake was centered about 10 Miles southwest of Port-au-Prince and reached a magnitude of 7.0.

The Red Cross has estimated that about 3 million people, amounting to one-third of Haiti’s entire population, have been affected by the quake. Although it is too early to tell, some officials feel that 50,000 to 100,000 people have lost their lives. Haiti is the most impoverished nation of the Western Hemisphere and this quake has dealt them a tremendous blow.

Those are the hard details to date that you will see on various news outlets. However, the final and most important detail of all is … that every one of those people affected by this catastrophe are individually and unqualifiedly loved by Jesus Christ!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son ..."

The people of the world (the world includes Haiti) are our brothers and sisters and we have been commissioned, by our God, to love them as He loves us. John explains it very well in 1 John 4:9-11:

This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about — not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. (from THE MESSAGE)

Our first task of love is to drop to our knees and pray for these people. Not just pray, my friends, but PRAY! Pray without ceasing. "The hospitals cannot handle all these victims," said Louis-Gerard Gilles, a doctor and former senator. "Haiti needs to pray. We all need to pray together."

Secondly, we must do what we physically can to help these people. Officials who are close to the situation recommend that the greatest thing you can do is to send cash to your favorite relief agency. Nearly every one of them have gotten on the band wagon and have well developed programs to deal with disaster.

Jesus said it … "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Let's all show ourselves as disciples and love our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Larry Abele - Editorial Team

In the Fullness of Time ...

January 2010 … a new year … another chance … a fresh start … a time to reflect … a time to resolve. We are constantly measuring and labeling blocks of time. We make plans involving time ... resolving to do this and to do that.

But, how could we not be interested in time. We are created in the image of the Great Timekeeper … our God! He tells us in His word that time is important.

He laid out for us His entire creative process measured in days (Genesis 1:1 – 2:3). He could have done it instantly … why didn’t He? Because He wanted to teach us His normal way of working … through a process.

He eloquently and poetically tells us in Ecclesiastes 3 that "there is a time for everything", again, part of a process.

He tells us in Revelation 21 that a new heaven and a new earth are coming. God is in the process of making all things new.

But the ultimate loving process of God for us is laid out in Galatians 4:4-7:

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

God has a plan for all of us involving redemption, restoration, reconciliation and adoption. In God’s time, his plan will be accomplished.

He will be back at precisely the right time. And what should our job be in all of this? Our resolution for 2010? Be ready. Accept what your God has done for you. Believe! Christians are born anew in an instant and through a lifetime process, God makes them new.

Remember, God has a plan for you … it will all work out … "in the fullness of time".

Larry Abele – Editorial Team