The Rest Of The Story---The Burgular

I had several people ask for the rest of the story from my Insights on Mary. Here is the scoop.

I did not have a gun, but I did have hunting arrows. These are razor tips that go on the end of your arrow, like the photo. They are real razors, and bad news. I ran to my bedroom (I don't know why I did not run from the house. Like those idiots in the scary movies...I stayed in the house). I got an arrow and put a hunting tip on it. I then told the bad guy that I was armed and coming for him. I went one room at a time, turning on the lights and opening all the closets until I got to the room that I had seen him run into. I was honestly giving him time to leave...hopefully.

He ran out the back door. I did not chase him. (at least I was that smart).

Now looking back at this event. I was SO STUPID. Mr. Boy Wonder with the arrow. "Hey, I got an idea, lets take on a burgular in a fight to the death in the living room." Duhr.

Praise God that He loves stupid people.

Christmas Insights 5

Meeting Our Needs Before We Knew We Had Them

Christmas time is when we open our Bibles and look at one of the most incredible stories again. I hope that this year, my blog is helping some of you experience what I am experiencing and not just looking, but learning and gleaning new insights from this familiar story.

Last time, we looked at the wise men, and at how God leads those who want to follow. Let’s stay with that story for one more kinda cool insight. I want to begin at the point where the wise men see the star and are led to Jesus.

(Mat 2:9) After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

(Mat 2:10) When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

(Mat 2:11) After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Look at the gifts. I was once told that these signified the roles of Christ—although I cannot verify if that is true. However, it does sound neat. Anyway, these guys knew that they were going to visit a toddler, and they brought these gifts?

I think that they were expecting to find Jesus in a palace, not a small carpenter’s home with a poor family. They probably thought that their gifts, while they were good, would also fit right in with the rest of the decour so to speak. Instead, this would be like me giving a Crystal Chandelier to one of our Quechua friends in the Campo. They have no water, electricity, or sewage. Their home is a one room dung wall building. “Gee, thanks for the chandelier pastor Joe”.

But, they persevered and gave these palatial gifts to the poor family. After all, there were no Toys R Us nearby, whaddyagonna do?

After giving their gifts, they receive a supernatural sign, only this one is not a light in the sky, it is God in their dreams.

(Mat 2:12) And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

So, the plot thickens. Now they are probably sick to their stomachs, thinking that they could have led the very enemy of Jesus to Him. In their innocence, they had proclaimed His existence, His birthplace, and His age to the most dangerous man in the land. They had practically put Jesus’ head on a plate for Herod to consume. How do you think they felt? What was going on in their minds? This was such a big deal that GOD HIMSELF spoke to them. God had spoken to Mary through Gabriel. He had spoken to Joseph through an angel in a dream. But this says that they were warned BY GOD not to return to Herod.

The danger is real. It is imminent. Joseph had not been there the night before, but he had returned…maybe in time to see the Wise Men leave, maybe not. However, he arrives and hears the story of what happened hours before, and then looks at the gifts. It is time for bed, so the family of three hit the hay so to speak. Then.

(Mat 2:13) Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."

This is an emphatic command. It is a demand. It is an order from God Himself. Get out of bed and GO!!!

(Mat 2:14) So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.

Joseph wakes up, grabs his family and what little they can carry, and they take off in the middle of the night. Now put yourself in his shoes. They had set up home here in this small village. It made sense. No one there would know, except the priest himself, that Mary was pregnant before they were married. All the townspeople would know was that this nice young couple came in town for the census and liked it…so they stayed. Joseph had developed some relationships or connected with distant family in the village and was now living in a home, and working in the town. He had safety, security, and a future. It was a short walk to the Holy City. How much sense did that make? Let’s raise the Son of God within a stone’s throw of the City of God, we can take Him to the Temple. He can get to know the Priests. He is the most important man that has ever lived, and is being raised outside of the most important city. This is all good.

Then, Joe has a dream. It is no mere dream, it is the angel again. He wakes up with adrenalin pumping.

You are in your house. It is a little after three in the morning. Suddenly, you wake up and know that you have about five minutes to get your family out and on the road or the bad guys will kill you all.

This scene happens over and over on the mission field. You have to be ready to go NOW. We can slightly relate to this, although without any fear of life. But we keep an evac pac on hand with money, passports, and other critical things. We must be ready to leave with a day’s notice…and with the reality of loosing every possession but life.

What do you do in this scenario? What would you take? You have to leave with your family now! You have no savings account. No credit cards. No network. Probably no horse, donkey, or carriage (a carpenter starting out would not have these things).

Look back at what he was told. Go to Egypt!

They have to flee in the night, right now. They are going to a place where they do not know anyone, have no possessions, no job, no relatives, and no real direction. They are fleeing, not traveling. Think of the horrid conditions of refugee camps all over the world where people have fled without anything in order to save their lives. This trip was a refugee flight. It was a race for life, and there was nothing on the other side of the finish line.

What did they use for money? How did they live there? Buy food? Pay for a home? Get established? How could Joseph, Jobless Joe, support his family in Egypt?

He had gold. He had frankincense. He had myrrh.

God met the need before Joseph knew that there was one.

He has done the same thing with us. Before you were born, Christ died for you. Before your first birth, God had provided the means for your second birth. Before you could comprehend what sin was, God had provided salvation from it.

This Christmas, do you know what you need? God does.

You need Jesus. And God has already given Him to you.

Joe

Christmas Insights 4

Seeing The Invisible

Let’s go back to our Christmas Play again. We watch it every year. Joe and Mary have experienced the angelic visions—those guys (in most plays they are girls) in the super white robes with the halo above their head have told them both that the Baby is Jesus. Joseph and Mary get married, and then head out to Bethlehem. On the way, Mary goes into labor and Joe goes into a panic. He has to find a way to get Mary off that Donkey! They find an innkeeper who permits the young couple to stay in the barn with the animals, having to barter the price over the screams of the lady in labor. The baby is born. Above the manger is a star shining down a beam of light into the manger and lighting up the scene. They wrap up the baby and place Him in a manger filled with straw, and suddenly visitors start to show up. First the shepherds and the drummer boy, who are quickly followed by the three Kings from the Orient with their procession and gifts. They all bow to the Newborn Messiah and worship Him.

Great story. Just wish it was in the Bible. :) I truly do not know why, but when we began to produce Nativity Plays, we felt that we had to write a screenplay that did not agree with the book. I think we should put in our bulletins, “adapted from the Bible”, produced by J.J. HOLMAN. (if you did not get that joke, don’t worry about it) In the above scenario, the only thing truly accurate was that the shepherds did come and find the baby wrapped up in cloths and in a manger.

Today we are going to look at the Three Kings from the Orient.

1. How many Kings were there?
2. Were there any Kings at all?
3. Where did they meet Jesus and offer gifts?
4. How old was Jesus at the time?
5. What was the star?


First of all, the easy stuff, then I want to see a pretty cool practical application. How many Kings? Don’t know because the Bible doesn’t say. There were three gifts mentioned, and we know that there was more than one person giving them…so we surmise three, but that is just a guess. Also, they were not Kings. They were philosophers and astronomers. They had seen something in the heavens and concluded that it had to be a sign from the Gods.

Now, where did they meet Jesus? It was NOT at the stable. Jesus was about two years old, and was at home with Mary while Joseph was gone somewhere when they arrived, but He returned the next day. He was probably working. It was in Bethlehem, but by this time Joseph had built or purchased or borrowed a home to live in with his young family. Look at the Bible.

(Mat 2:1) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

(Mat 2:2) "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

(Mat 2:3) When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

(Mat 2:4) Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

(Mat 2:5) They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

(Mat 2:6) `AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.' "

(Mat 2:7) Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

They saw the star the night Jesus was born, then it disappeared, this is why in a few verses they are filled with joy when it appears again. How long ago was it?

(Mat 2:8) And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."

This word, “Child”, is not the same Greek word as baby. This would be equivalent to our word, “Toddler”, and referred to a young child of around two years of age. It is used consistently through the passage. Then, notice how old the children were that Herod had killed, the last verse…two years old and under.

(Mat 2:9) After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

(Mat 2:10) When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

(Mat 2:11) After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

There is no mention of Joseph here. They saw the Child, who was most likely asleep at this time of the night, and His mother. They worshipped Christ, then left.

(Mat 2:12) And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

That night, God tells them to not go back to Herod. So, they circumvent Jerusalem on the way home.

(Mat 2:13) Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."

After they have had their dream, woke up and gone home the next day, Joseph has come home. He hears all that has happened and sees the gifts, then they all go to bed that night. The angel appears to him in a dream and says to get out of town before sunup and run to Egypt.

(Mat 2:14) So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.

Joseph wakes up, grabs his family and what little they can carry, and they take off in the middle of the night.

(Mat 2:15) He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."

(Mat 2:16) Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.


So, here is how it happened. On the night that Jesus was born, there was a supernatural sign in the sky that God allowed a few wise men from real far off to see. They spent the next two years traveling in the direction of the ‘star’ that they had seen. Somehow, they had connected the dots and even though they lived a two years journey away, knew that it meant something to the Jews. They arrive in Jerusalem, discover that they are now seven miles from the two year old event. They must have still been somewhat discouraged, because there was an assumption being made. The baby was not recognized or known as the King, and had been born two years ago. How in the world would they know if He was in the village, and if so, how would they find Him? So..that night the star appeared again. They followed the star and went right to the house.


Now, I have an opinion about the star, and then we will see the application. I called this lesson, “Seeing The Invisible”. This title comes from what I believe about the star.

I do not think that the star was an actual cosmological star. I think it was the supernatural, spiritual glory of God. I actually think that there were only two groups of people in the world that saw this…the Shepherds and these wise men. I think that when the angelic host with the glory of the Lord all around them began to praise God in the Highest…this spiritual glory was seen by the shepherds…and by the wise men thousands of miles away. No one else.

Why do I think this? Well, a couple of reasons. What would happen in your town if in the middle of the night, in the sky, there was a light like the noon day sun (a Biblical description of God’s glory)? What would people do? Would 99% of the population of your town…and then again of all the surrounding towns, cities and villages…would 99.9% of the people simply ignore it? Yet this is what happened in this story. The shepherds saw the angel, the angels, and the glory of God…but nobody else seemed to know anything had happened. Only the shepherds went to find the baby, and they had to tell their story. No one said, “Oh yeah! I saw that light also!”

The wise men saw this ‘star’ (light in the night sky) and knew that it was a supernatural sign. They knew that it was sent from God. It was more than just a reading into the star chart…it made them take a two year journey.

But notice something else about the star. They saw it once, two years ago, then it vanished.

(Mat 2:2) "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

They were NOT following the star. They had seen it. Past tense. Look at what the King asked…’When did you see this star?”.

(Mat 2:7) Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

Why was the King having to ask this? Why hadn’t anyone in the entire realm seen the star? Why were there no reports of celestial signs in Jerusalem?

And, if the wise men were following the star…then why would Herod need their help finding Jesus? It would be like a grand opening of a mall or something where the spotlights are scanning the sky…only in reverse. Just follow the spotlight and kill the kid. No problem.

Only, no one in Jerusalem had seen the star two years ago, and there was no star in the sky right now. That is why the wise men had to…

(Mat 2:8) And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."

The king did not say, ‘Keep following the star’. He said to go and look for the kid. There was no star to follow. Then a miracle happens.

(Mat 2:9) After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

The light in the sky was back! The star once more was in the sky…only more than that. It wasn’t a stationary light.

(Mat 2:9) After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

It was a start leading them. It had movement. They did not perceive a direction, like the North Star or the Southern Cross. This star actually moved ahead of them in such a way that they could follow it over a small seven mile journey. This is a pretty precise beam of light if it could lead them with such detail.

(Mat 2:9) After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

It took them to the exact house and shined down on it so they knew that they were there. But notice that no one else was seeing this. They were the only ones. Also, look at their response..

(Mat 2:10) When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

They knew that God was leading them. This was the same sign that they had seen and it thrilled them. But, there were no curious neighbors, no frightened villagers, no wide-eyed children, and no angry soldiers following the same spotlight. Why?

Because the wise men could see the spiritual. They could perceive the invisible. They could in this moment walk by faith and their faith had sight. I believe that for some reason, well the grace of God, He allowed this men to find the Savior and He led them to Jesus by this spiritual light of glory.

When you know Jesus, when you truly follow Him, then you too can began to see things…maybe not like this but you will begin to understand from a spiritual point of view, to see from spiritual perspective, to react from a spiritual desire, to live spiritually.

This Christmas, are you looking and walking by faith?

Joe

Christmas Insights 3

Encountering God

Go back to our Christmas story, and the typical church pageant or play that we enjoy at Christmas time. Here is a young lady named Mary. She is walking around doing whatever it is that young and holy girls did in that day, and BBBAAAAAMMMM, the Angel of the Lord, clothed in brilliant white and shining like the sun, with the voice of James Earl Jones (for those outside of North America think really deep bass notes), prophecies about what is going to happen.

Is that how you envision it? Is that how the play portrays it. By the way, a few years ago…I think in 2005 or 2006, a movie came out called “The Nativity Story”. While it does not stay true to the Bible…it is closer than any other I have seen. I highly recommend it.

Go back to the play. Is this what happened? Well. The part about the Angel appearing is accurate…but his appearance, voice, and basically everything else is screenplay not truth.

Let’s look at what happened.

(Luk 1:26) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,

(Luk 1:27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

(Luk 1:28) And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."


A young girl, who (based on history and culture not Bible) is probably in her mid teens is alone in the tiny home of her family. She is doing something, but no one else is in the house with her. She hears someone at the door, and a strange man enters the house, univited. This frightens her. Imagine for a moment that you are a 15 year old girl alone at home. You look up, and there is a man opening the door. He walks into the house. What would you do? What would you think?

When I was 16 years old, I went home at about 10:30 at night. No one else was home, nor would be. I knew that I was going to be there by myself for the weekend, due to the fact that my parents were out of town. I came home, and went immediately to the bathroom (TMI). As I came out of the bathroom, I saw a man run down the hall and into the living room.

Dude…I was so scared I could not spit. I was home alone and a stranger was in the house! (end of story…you have to make a comment on my blog to hear the rest).

Mary was frightened. She was not afraid because of the brilliant white clothes or the face shining. She was afraid of the uninvited stranger. Keep reading.

(Luk 1:28) And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."

(Luk 1:29) But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

Mary wasn’t freaked out by the appearance of a Heavenly Being. She was confused by the strange greeting. In Bolivia, everyone greets everyone else. Typically, you say, “How are you doing?”, and “Good Day”. Now, once more imagine that someone you have never met before, nor even seen in the small town that you live in where everyone knows everyone; in this setting a stranger walks uninvited into your home and says:

“Hello! You are chosen by God. He has favored you above all other people. God is with you”.

Truth time. I am a former pastor and currently a missionary. If someone walked up to me on the street and said this…forget about waking into my house…if you walked up to me and said, “Greetings Favored One. The Lord is with you.” I would think you were a nut case and seek to get as far from you as possible as soon as I could.

This is what was going on in the mind of Mary. This is how I know the angel looked normal. She wasn’t taken aback by his appearance…it was his words that threw her. What in the world is he talking about, who is he, and why is he in my house?

He answers her unspoken questions (remember, she pondered them, not stated them).

(Luk 1:30) The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

(Luk 1:31) "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

(Luk 1:32) "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

(Luk 1:33) and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."

Mary is listening to him, probably looking for a weapon or a way out while doing so. The angel proclaims that Mary is to be the mother of the Incarnate Lord. The angel then states the Scripture that this promise is based upon. The Bible has prophesied that someone, someday, somewhere will give birth to the Messiah. This man is telling Mary that she is the one. However, Mary has a pretty legitimate question.

(Luk 1:34) Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"

Mary is not arguing with the Bible. She knows the prophecy. She is just confused as to how she can be the one to fulfill it due to a very poignant fact…she has never had sex and therefore cannot be a mother.

However, at this point I want to see something. Mary was not denying that God was going to do this…nor even declaring that she could not be the one God was going to use. She was not debating her favored status, or the possible truth of the opening salutation. She was simply wanting to understand a little more.

(Luk 1:35) The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

God answered her question. It will be a miracle. He then went one step farther and revealed to her that He had already began to prepare her for this miracle by working another. He was going to make her pregnant before the time of pregnancy (sex), just as He has allowed her aunt to become pregnant after the time of pregnancy.

(Luk 1:36) "And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

(Luk 1:37) "For nothing will be impossible with God."

Now, what follows is what I believe is the most incredible statement of faith in all the Bible…in all of eternity. It is one that we should mimic.

(Luk 1:38) And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Mary had learned from childhood that God was going to use someone one day. That is just like us. We know that God uses people.

I believe that the hardest thing in the world for us to believe…is…

You know,

I can believe that God exists.
I can believe that God created the universe.
I can believe that God created and loves humanity.

I believe that the hardest thing in the world for us to believe…is…

I can believe that humanity…that I, sinned against God.
I can believe that God became a man.
I can believe that He lived a sinless life.
I can believe that He died on the cross as my own, my personal Savior and substitute for sin.
I can believe that on Calvary He forgave me.
I can believe that He rose from the dead.

I believe that the hardest thing in the world for us to believe…is…

I can believe that He is coming back to reign forever.
I can believe that He is going to use people as His instruments, and out of a love relationship with them, He is going to change the world.

I can believe all of this.

However, I believe that the hardest thing in the world for me to believe…is…

God can, will, and wants to use ME.

I can believe that God can, will and wants to use you.

But, the hardest thing for me to believe is that God can, will and wants to use ME.

Mary heard the truth of Scripture, and then heard that this verse applied to her. That God was going to use her to change the world. That she was the mother of the Messiah.

And she said, “Okay.”

What a statement of faith. God is going to use someone, why not me?

If it is of God, does it matter what I have to offer Him?

All things are possible…even using YOU!

Have you ever thought about being used on the Mission Field? God is going to use someone…why not you?

IN Jesus,

Joe

Insights From Christmas Part 2

Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover

This insight is really little less than a ‘correction’ for lack of a better word, to what we typically see at Christmas time.

Let me start off with a question.

When did Joseph find out Mary was expecting?

Here is the typical story:

The angel appears to Mary and she becomes pregnant. She is stressed out over how to tell Joseph, but she does. He freaks out, throws his carpentry tools around, and wants to leave her. God tells him to chill out.

Then there is a census from the Government and Joseph and Mary have to travel to Bethlehem. Mary has a basketball sized belly as she sidesaddles the donkey and Joseph walks beside her. They arrive in Bethlehem, but it is almost too late. Mary had her water break down the road in Jerusalem and the last several miles have been horrible. She has been having serious contractions on the back of a donkey while riding sidesaddle down an ancient trail. That sir, is no picnic.

They arrive, and find to their dismay that there is no room in any of the hotels. They can’t believe it! Finally, one inn-keeper who is somewhat kind but still pretty selfish, lets them borrow the stable and minutes after the baby is born, the star shines on them, the wise men come and offer gifts, and the little drummer boy drums.

What is wrong with this story?

Well….almost everything, and for the life of me I cannot figure out why we thought we had to change the story to fit our screenplay. I guess the story of the infinite and holy God taking the form of a single cell and then growing into a baby in order to live a finite life among sinful people before going to the cross and dying for the sins of the world was just not exciting enough?

We will look at what really happened between now and Christmas, but today let’s go back to that question.

When did Joseph find out that Mary was pregnant?

Most of us say that it was there in Galilee. It was not. Look at Luke’s story, focus on verse 5, I will put it in bold font.

(Luk 2:4) Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

(Luk 2:5) in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

(Luk 2:6) While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

(Luk 2:7) And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Did you see that? On the road to Bethlehem, Mary was already pregnant. We all know that, remember the basketball belly on the donkey? But look at what it says again. She was engaged to him. On the road to Bethlehem they were not yet married.

Now go to Matthew 1. I will once more bold the part to focus on.

(Mat 1:18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Mary is pregnant and only engaged. The engagement was a permanent contract that could only be broken by divorce. It was a legal relationship and was practically a marriage minus sex and living together.

(Mat 1:19) And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

We will come back to this after I make my point. He planned to send her away secretly.

(Mat 1:20) But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

(Mat 1:21) "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

(Mat 1:22) Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

(Mat 1:23) "BEHOLD , THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

(Mat 1:24) And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,

(Mat 1:25) but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Did you see that? Joseph is going to legally break the engagement in private to avoid disgracing Mary, but the Angel of the Lord tells him to marry her. So what does he do? Look back at verse 24.

“…Joseph awoke from his sleep…and took Mary as his wife.”

As soon as he discovered she was pregnant, God gave him a vision in a dream, supported that vision with Scripture, and followed it with a command. Marry her. Joseph got out of bed and went to the Priest to be married.

But…on the road to Bethlehem they were still engaged.


So…lets put the pieces together:

Mary hears from the Angel the Word of God, which the Angel supports with Scriptures and signs. She believes and becomes pregnant with Jesus. The part of the story we have not yet read shows that she immediately went to Judah and stayed with her Aunt Elizabeth (see last Insight) for three months. After John was born, she returns to Nazareth, so she is now in her fourth month. No one other than Elizabeth and John know that she is pregnant. She returns home to her family and her fiancée.

At this time the order went for everyone to go to Bethlehem. I do not know why, humanly speaking, but Mary went with Joseph, but she did. He does not yet know that she is pregnant--because the day after he found out he married her.

How could he not know? I remember when Denise became pregnant with our first son. She was 21 years old. She did not start wearing maternity clothes until she was in her sixth month. She was young, and her body was slow to change and slower still for others to see the change. She actually started wearing maternity clothes because she wanted to, not because she had to.

Mary was younger than Denise when she became pregnant…probably in her teens…and she wore the long, loose, flowing robe of the day. No one would be able to see that she was pregnant until she was very late in the pregnancy. I actually knew a girl when I was in High School that got pregnant and did not tell anyone until her 9th month! No one knew...they just thought she was putting on a little weight. Mary would have easily been able to hide her pregnancy until very late in the game.

They arrive in Bethlehem. Go back and look. The Bible says that “While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth”. She did not go into labor five hours away from the city and desperately find a stable. It was normal custom in those days for people to stay in stables and barns when there was a large event in the city. Think about all the places people stayed for the inauguration of President Obama. Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, a small town, and like many others they had to stay in whatever offered them shelter.

I believe it was in this cozy situation that Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant. She was unable to hide it any longer. So, he was going to break the engagement secretly to avoid giving her disgrace.

How could he have done this in the small town of Nazareth? Everyone knew everyone else’s business. There was no way he could protect her from shame and disgrace, or divorce her privately or secretly. However, in Bethlehem no one knew her and very few knew him. Joseph could go to the priest, break off the engagement, and then send Mary back to Elizabeth or someone else.

But God appeared to Him and he obeyed. He awoke from His dream and took Mary to be His wife….right then and there. Matthew says this….and Luke says that it wasn’t before they were on the road to Bethlehem.

Okay…now so what?

You can’t judge a book by its cover. Joseph had every right to feel betrayed, lied to and used. Mary was pregnant and he knew two things.

1. You don’t get pregnant without having sex, and

2. He had not had sex.

He forgot the third and most important thing. God is at work in the world, and He does amazing things. Joseph did not even consider any other option that what His eyes were telling him.

We are to walk by faith, and not by sight. So…the lesson today? Two things: One—why change the story? I think the original history is way better than ‘based on a true story’ like most of our nativity plays are. Two—seek truth from God and His Word…not how you feel or what you think. God may just be doing something incredible.

IN Jesus,

Joe

Insights From Christmas Part 1

Tired Of Waiting

I was reading the Bible the other day, and a verse jumped out at me.

(Luk 1:13) But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.


A pretty cool thought occurred to me, one that I once had while preaching this very passage. Look back at what the angel said. “Your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son…”

Okay, that’s cool, but so what? Zach and Liz had asked God for a baby, God heard them and said, “Sure deal.”

So what? Stuff like this happens all the time.

Well…let’s think about it, and I will ask a question to stimulate your thought.

When do you think Zacharias had prayed this prayer that he was now being told was being answered with a ‘Yes’?

When was the last time Zach had asked for a son?

What prayer was God talking about?

Lets think about the context for a moment. In this culture, marriages occurred in early age, and children were considered a blessing. Birth control was unheard of. Children were a blessing. They were a retirement plan. They were a sign of God’s favor. They were social security. Every family wanted a bunch of them. Zach and Liz were probably married before she was 18 years old. The Bible emphasizes that they were righteous, and he was even a priest. They were a young couple, living for God and excited about what was going to happen in their lives. They could not wait till Zach Jr. and Little Liz appeared on the scene, soon to be followed by 7-8 other little kiddos. After all, everyone knew that children were the blessing of God and proof that you loved Him.

The first few months went by and Liz wasn’t pregnant. Then the months turned into a year, and the young couple probably began to pray. People were asking about a child, and constantly expecting her to be expecting.

The year became two. Now they were hurting. I have known many couples who discovered, after years of trying, that they were infertile. The pain cannot be understood by someone who has not experienced it. Add to this truth, that in this culture, the lack of children was a curse. In this society where children were known to be a blessing, an unfortunate by-product of this truth had come to pass. An open womb was a blessing, a closed womb was a sign of hidden sin. People began to talk.

By now, the couple had been married a few years, and every month there was a reminder of the silence of heaven. The stained truth that they still would not have a child. They were heartbroken. They fasted and prayed…nothing came in answer to their prayer other than another few days of sadness. They began to dread the end of the month, and felt their hope slowly becoming dread. Anger and disappointment, blame and questioning became the norm at least once a month.

The months had become years, and the years decades.

At what point do you think that they stopped asking for a child? After 5 years? 10 years? 30 years?

Now, Elizabeth has passed through menopause. We do not know exactly how old she was, but three times it is stressed that she was way too old to have kids. Not only that, but she was so old, that her pregnancy was used as the sign, the miracle that God gave to Mary to prove He could do anything!

I don’t know about you…but I probably would have stopped praying after year 2 or 3. I know for sure that after 10 years, after 120 failures or disappointments, I would have KNOWN that it was God’s will for me to not have kids.

And yet…what did the angel say? “Your prayer has been heard…”

I am giving Zach the benefit of the doubt and assuming that he prayed faithfully for 25 years. However, that means it was 25 years ago since his last prayer! He had not only quit praying, he had also given up hope and lost his faith….when the angel said the answer was a yes, Zach argued with him about it. Not only had God said “No” hundreds of times…now it was impossible to receive a “Yes”.

But what Zach did not know was that God had heard him….over 50 years ago God had heard him. Only God had a greater plan in mind. God wanted to give them a son, but not just any son. God was going to give them the greatest man to ever live apart from Christ, the fulfillment of prophecy, and use them as a divine sign of omnipotence.

God was going to use their story and record it for all eternity.

But all they felt was silence.

Are you tired of waiting? Have you been praying for something that you feel is indeed in the will of God, but it is not happening? Are you wanting to give up?

Zach can teach us that not only does God answer prayer…He exceeds our expectations and surpasses our hopes…IN HIS TIME.

This Christmas, how about renewing your faith, restoring your hope, and trusting in Him to meet your needs?

IN Jesus,
Joe

Year End Blessings And More Than Blessings

We have a family in the States that used to support us with a large gift each month. Then, unfortunately, the husband lost his job. He wrote us a letter explaining his circumstances and expressing his sorrow at having to stop giving. We felt and understand his pain and sorrow, and grieved over the stress in his family and life due to this event. I too have been laid off and know not only the financial hardship, but the emotional pain this causes a husband and father.

Sadly, this story has been repeated hundreds of times across the mission field in the last year, and thousands of times throughout mission history. We fully understand and God provides for us through other means. But, my friend’s story does not end here. I honestly feel like Jesus must have when He saw the Centurion’s faith and declared, “I have not seen faith like this in all of Israel.” Our friend just sent us an email, last month. Here is what it said.

"I wanted to tell you that I was recently offered a part time position with a Christian Ministry. And we will begin supporting you again, asap. I am putting my financials together and will get on board with supporting you again right away."

Did you see that? He has been unemployed for some time, and now is working part time for a Christian ministry…but what is his priority? He will begin supporting us again asap. What a commendation of his priorities in life. Not giving us money, but making sure that supporting the work of God is a priority in his life. (Although the giving us part is cool too).

In a time of economic hardship, we almost always stop our giving before we stop our spending. I believe that compounds the hardship. God blesses us as we give, not as we spend. My friend understands not only the purpose of money, but the principle of giving. It humbles me to watch him obey God.

I called this article Year End Blessings And More Than Blessings. Here is why. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

We want you to be more blessed! That is not a tongue in cheek, sarcastic play. I truly believe the Bible and when it says that it is more blessed to give than to receive, that is a declaration of truth!

Here is how it works, according to God. Now, if you asked me—from my perspective—it would seem that God has it backwards…but isn’t so much of the Bible contrary to what we actually think? A leader is the servant of all and the greatest is the least. Humble yourself to be exalted. The first shall be last. The most important thing you can do in eternity is…nothing because Jesus did it all. So, here is what God says.

We receive money from you and are blessed.
You give money to us and are more blessed.

So...if you are thinking of a year end gift, a Christmas gift, or a project for your church or homeschool group, I know of a God Honoring, Christ Centered, Spirit Led, and Bible Believing ministry you can send money to! If you have not been thinking of giving, then let me challenge you to pray about it. Christmas is a time when giving is on our mind, so why not give to the Lord by giving to His mission work around the world? Let us bless you by receiving your gift this Christmas season!

To see how to give through SIM, check out this link.

http://holmanfamily.org/8.html

If you desire to give money to us personally, without a tax deduction, email us and we can give you the address of Denise's parents...they can deposit things in our account.

If you want to mail us something, please see Denise's blog on this:

http://theholmansinbolivia.blogspot.com/2007/07/about-getting-packages.html

So, in advance of being blessed by you....GOD BLESS YOU!!!

Joe