December 25th: Our Deliverer is Delivered

The Birth of Jesus    Luke 2:2-19

2 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,

    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

At last we have arrived!  We have followed the story of God’s love and the rescue of His people from the beginning of creation and at last we have come to the birth of our Savior.  

There is much that could be said about this last part in our journey to the stable and the manger where Jesus, our Savior would lay his sleeping little head, but the truth is, the story says all we need to know.  Jesus, this new shoot from the old stump of Jesse came to earth to live and love and give his life for the ones he loved so dearly, but first he would be born in Bethlehem, surrounded by animals and the love of his mother and father.  

Yes, there is time yet for Jesus to travel to the cross, but let’s wait a moment here at the manger and worship the newborn king. Like Mary, this Christmas may you slow down in the middle of the beauty, fun, family and craziness that our celebrations might bring, and may you pause, think on, and give thanks for our Savior and rescuer Jesus Christ.

Blessings on you this Christmas, sons and daughters of the King of Kings!

Discussion Questions: 

1. Why do we celebrate Christmas?

2. How can we celebrate Jesus with our whole lives?

Family Activity:  Decorate your ornament for Day 25 and take time to look at each ornament on your Jesse tree and remember where we came from as God’s people and give thanks for how God will use each of us to bring the message of rescue from our sins to a world in need of Jesus.

Prayer for the World: Pray that the Father will soon provide for us a trustworthy, local man or a family who can minister full-time among the people in “Warren County” where the rural communities we have prayed for are located.  

RSL 2014

December 24th: A Good Man

Joseph's Visit

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[h] quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[i] for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

    She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel,[j]

    which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.

Joseph of Nazareth was a carpenter.  Every day of his life, he would use his hands to shape and form something as rough and as hardened as wood into something useful or beautiful and new.  

Joseph was a good man.  That’s all we really know about him.  He was a carpenter and he was a good man, and he did what the Lord asked of him rather than what people expected from him.

When Mary became pregnant with the Son of God, people would not understand it.  They would look down on her and judge her as a woman without wisdom or worth.  They would give Joseph the option of running Mary out of town or even killing her for being pregnant with a child without being married.  Things could have turned out very, very badly for Mary…but Joseph was a good man.

Joseph was good and he listened to God.  He cared more for Mary and what God wanted than he did about his own pride and what people thought of him.  You see, before Mary could do her part in God’s plan to rescue the world, Joseph first had to rescue her.

And that is what Joseph did.  He rescued Mary from shame and death and gave her his name and his protection.  He married her and gave her the home,love and support she would need to get through the challenges ahead.

And just like he formed the wood in his workshop, Joseph would play a huge role in forming the life of Jesus. Everything that Jesus would learn about being a man, he would learn from his earthly father Joseph. Joseph was there behind the scenes, loving Jesus and helping to form him into the man that God would use to rescue His people.

Choosing to do the right thing is not always easy, but it is always the best thing. Choosing kindness over cruelty is always the right thing.  Choosing to listen instead of judging is always the right thing.  Choosing to help those who are helpless is always the right thing.  Choosing God’s way over our own pride is always the right thing.  Jesus would be the Son of God by birth and the son of a carpenter by the goodness of Joseph.  

Today may we each choose God’s way over our own way, just like Joseph.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some of the things that we read in this story that were good about Joseph?

2. Why do you think God chose a simple carpenter from a small town to be the earthly father of Jesus?

Family Activity:  Color your ornaments for day 24 (the hammer and the saw). Tonight, in the midst of excitement about gifts and things to come tonight, take time to love, and like Joseph, be good to one another.

Prayer for the World: Pray for the redemption of the Princely People who live in six small, rural communities about two hours from our (Josh and Betty’s) home.  Over the past two years roughly 100 of them have heard the full Gospel story from our team.  

December 23: Mary's Willing Heart

Luke 1:26-38  The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you![d]”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[e] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.[f]”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

“The Lord is with you!”  Have you ever noticed that those are the first five words the Angel tells Mary after he says hello? Those words were very carefully chosen by the Lord.  Even before God wanted Mary to know that she needn’t be afraid, He wanted Mary to know that her God was with her.  You see, to a young Jewish girl, those words would have spoken to the very heart, the very center, the very truth of who she was.  She was God’s child and her Heavenly father was with her.  

Those five words connected her with all of the rescuers in all of the stories of her people that she had been told her whole life. To find God’s favor and to know that God was with her in that moment was like a string that tied Mary’s life to the lives of those such as Abraham, Moses, Ruth and King David and it reminded her that she was part of the promise for the people of God.  It was a reminder of who God is and who Mary was…chosen, loved and set apart.

You see, before God told Mary what He wanted her to do, before she knew her part in the story of God’s greatest rescue of God’s people, he wanted her to know that He was with her, and knew her. She was no stranger, He had been walking by her side her whole life.

And then the angel told Mary what her very special part in God’s story would be.  She would be the mother of the promised rescuer of the people of Israel. He would be their King and there will no end to his power and love for his people.

But first, Mary had to say yes.  You see when God wants us to be part of His plan, we have to say yes first. We are not God’s little robots that God programs to do exactly what He wants us to do. No, God wants us to choose to love him and choose to serve him.  And when Mary’s moment came, she said yes. She said yes to becoming God’s servant and to being ready to do exactly what God had called her to do in his plan to rescue his children once and for all time.

Mary said yes to her part in God’s big plan of rescue and love for his people and God has a special part in his plan for you too. Will you say yes?

Discussion Questions:

1.  How do you think Mary felt when the Angel told her about God’s plan for her life and her people?

2.  Why do you think God wants us to say “yes” to His plan for our lives instead of making us do what He wants?

Family Activity:  Color your ornament for day 23. God has a purpose and a plan for our lives, not just when we grow up, but right now as well. Talk about the things that you think God wants you to say yes to in his plan for you right now.

Prayer for the World: Pray for our teammates today-

Lynn is a 27-year old college junior who came to faith one and a half years ago.  She’s very smart and has a deep longing to see her people enjoy God’s grace.  Her father is deceased and her mother has deep convictions in the majority faith.  

Pray for Rebecca, our teammate who is pursuing a master’s in the performing arts at a prestigious local university.  She’s a talented musician and evangelist.  We pray regularly that the Father will provide she and Lynn with great husbands at just the right time.  

December 22: Be Prepared

Luke 1:5-17

5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week…11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.[b] 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,[c] and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

Prepare the way for the Lord!  What in the world does that mean?  It means that the things that you say and do can help those who do not know Jesus be ready when he calls them to give their hearts, minds and lives to Him.

John was born to Zachariah and Elizabeth, who were too old in the world’s eyes to have kids.  But God’s ways are not our ways, and doing the extraordinary is an ordinary day’s work for our Savior! So Elizabeth and Zachariah were blessed for their goodness and devotion to God by having a child, and not an ordinary child, no God’s plan for their child would be to prepare the hearts and minds of God’s people for Jesus to rescue them. John’s whole life was meant to prepare the way for the Lord.

Just like John, the way we live our lives helps to prepare others for the Lord.  Sometimes that is through the words that we say and by our simple every day actions like being nice to others even when we don’t feel like it or are having a tough day ourselves.  

But other times, we prepare the way for the Lord by meeting the physical needs of others.  Sometimes a hot meal means more to a hungry person than all the words from the Bible that you could share with them. You may not always get to share the gospel with those that God calls you to help, but many times simply meeting the physical needs of someone, can help their hearts and minds to become ready to hear the message of God’s rescue.  Simply knowing that you care by your actions and not always by your words is the best way to speak to some people’s hearts.There are things today that we all can do to meet the physical needs of others so that Jesus can meet their need for rescue from their sins.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do we sometimes need to meet a person’s physical needs before we can help them know about the love of Jesus?

2. How can God use your hands and feet today to help meet the physical needs of the people you know.

Family Activity:  Color your ornament for day 22.  Christmas is a great time to prepare our hearts for Jesus.  Take some time as a family to talk about the things that make you excited about Christmas.  Maybe it’s the food, family, decorations or presents. (It’s okay to get excited about these things too!) These How do these things help your heart prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus? 

Prayer for the World: Pray that our (Josh and Betty’s) team would find favor among local Christians and receive many invitations to train them in simple evangelism, discipleship, and church planting tools.  We’d love to hold a training event at least four times a year.   

December 21: A Stand Up Gal

Esther Takes a Stand

8 Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. 9 If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks[c] of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”

10 The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.”

13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Esther was young, beautiful, and adored by King Xerxes. But this young queen was never truly comfortable with palace life because she was never being completely herself.  She was hiding her true identity from everyone around her.  The truth was that Esther was a Jew and the Jewish people did not bow down to any king other than the King of Kings, their God.  To be Jewish was to be set apart and different.  You were an outsider.  But this beautiful outsider had managed to win the King’s heart and a home in the palace.

Haman was a rich ruler and used to having his way.  He served Xerxes and was in charge of the nobles of the region. Haman thought himself to be a very important man, but when Esther’s Uncle Mordecai wouldn’t bow down when Haman walked by, Haman was furious!  How could this nobody, this outsider, this Jew, think himself better than mighty Haman?

So, to get revenge on Mordecai, Haman convinced the King that the Jewish people were trouble makers and should be killed.  The King agreed to this and the fates of the Jewish people were sealed…or so it seemed.

But just when things got tough, Mordecai sent Esther a message reminding her of who she was and urging her to stand up for her people.  He told Esther that perhaps this was why she was so beloved by the King. Perhaps she was meant to use her position as queen to save her people. Could God use Esther to rescue her people?  Yes!  

Esther was brave enough to do what was right, even though it could have cost her life.  In the end, Esther’s people were saved and Haman got the same punishment he was planning for Mordecai, but only because Esther recognized her “moment” from God.

Sometimes you just know its your moment.  You know that weird nervousness in your stomach and a the little angry feeling that you get sometimes when you see other people being treated unfairly?  That feeling is God’s way of nudging you into doing the right thing for someone who can’t stand up for themselves.  In Micah 6:8 the Bible tells us that God requires us to “Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.”  Justice is doing what is fair and right and mercy is showing kindness and compassion for those who cannot help themselves.  So, in other words God thinks it is really important for us to be fair and help others.

It is a terrible thing when people treat others with violence, disrespect, or unjustly, but an even greater evil is when the people of God do nothing when they see these things happening.  Part of doing justly is speaking up when you see others being hurt physically or emotionally and standing with others who are standing up for mercy and justice.  Super heroes are great fun to watch on TV and read about but they aren’t real.  What is real is the hurt and need of God’s people. Could God be using you be someone’s rescuer today?

Discussion Questions:

1.  Sometimes, in order for others to have what they need to live, those with more need to live more simply.  What does that mean to you?

2.  Have you ever had a “moment” from God when you knew you needed to step up and stand up for someone else?

Family Activity:  Color your ornament for day 21 and together discuss how your family might be able to live more simply in order to stand up for and find justice for others.

Prayer for the World: Pray that the Spirit would bring our team men in their late 20s and 30s who are mature socially, grounded in their faith, and own a vision for making Habakkuk 2:14 a reality in our province.

December 20th: Swallowed Whole

Jonah 1:11-17

11 And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”

12 “Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”

13 Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”

15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! 16 The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.

17 [a]Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

What do you have to do to be swallowed by a big fish?  You run from God.  Jonah did not want to go to the miserable, lawless city of Ninevah and tell the sinful, wild and unashamed people there that God was angry with them and they had better ask for forgiveness.  He thought that would be a pretty unpopular message to bring to a not-so-friendly place.  He didn’t want to be around those people, much less preach to them, so he went the opposite way. He said “no way” to Ninevah and ran from what God had called him to do. So he was swallowed by a great big fish and you will be to if you don’t listen to God.

Actually, you probably won’t be swallowed by a whale or a ginormous fish but you can expect for your peace to be swallowed up.  We cannot have true peace unless it is through God, and we can’t expect to receive God’s peace if we are running from Him.  But just like Moses and Jonah, we cannot outrun God’s love.  It finds us and reminds us that we are God’s child and God has called us to do great things for him.  And no, they will not always be the most popular things, but God wants us to be successful when we go in the name of Jesus, so just like he did with Jonah and prepared the people’s hearts to repent when they heard God’s message for Ninevah, God will prepare the hearts of the people you are called to share with as well.

Don’t be afraid. God is with you. He will rescue you as you carry his message of salvation and rescue to others.  Oh, and whatever you do…don’t run!

Discussion Questions:

1. What did God have to teach the sailors on the ship with Jonah about God’s power?

2. What is a place that you wouldn’t want to be called to carry God’s message?

3. Have you ever gotten that funny feeling that God wanted you to do something and you didn’t want to do it?  What did you do?

Family Activity: Color the ornament for day 19 (the fish).  Write down a person that God is calling you to love and share his rescue with.  Starting tonight, pray for that person every night until Christmas and write down how you think God might use you to share his salvation with them.

Prayer for the World: Pray for Pastor Taylor.  He is familiar with evangelism and church planting methods that encourage rapid Kingdom expansion.  Pray that he’ll be so distressed by the poor rate of Kingdom growth in his province that he’ll jettison methods and concepts that will never produce a harvest that’s consistent with the Father’s heart.  (Acts. 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:1)

December 19: An Uncomfortable Den

Daniel 6:16-27

16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”

17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.

19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. 20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”

21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.

24 Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.

25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:

“Peace and prosperity to you!

26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.

For he is the living God,

    and he will endure forever.

His kingdom will never be destroyed,

    and his rule will never end.

27 He rescues and saves his people;

    he performs miraculous signs and wonders

    in the heavens and on earth.

He has rescued Daniel

    from the power of the lions.”

Trust. Five little letters that are so hard to do when it really counts.  We trust our bus drivers to get us to school safely, trust our parents and guardian to give us food to eat and clothes to wear.  We even trust that our teachers know what they are talking about and will teach us what we need to know.  But truly trusting God is a little harder because…well, we can’t see God.  We follow God’s word,try to be obedient and pray and then we have to TRUST that our God whom we cannot see will come through for us in our time of need.

Although we cannot see God as we see our friends and family, we can know and trust God because of these stories like this one about Daniel.  In Daniel’s story, some important people in the government are angry because the king trusts Daniel more than the king trusts them and the king gives Daniel really important jobs to do.  You see Daniel had trusted and followed God all of his life.  From the food he ate, to the time he gave God in prayer, Daniel’s life was lived in service to God.  And when Daniel served God, he was blessed and people noticed it because he was successful in the things that he was given to do.  The only thing that Daniel wasn’t successful in was worshipping anyone or anything other than the God of Israel.

And when Daniel refused to stop praying and worship the king instead, it got him in trouble.  Actually it God him thrown into a pit with a family of lions.  But Daniel trusted in God and God came through for him.  God locked the jaws and calmed the paws of the lions during Daniels night in their family den and in the morning, when the king saw that Daniel was still alive, Daniel’s trust in God was proven to be right before and whole kingdom of people.  The king would now worship with Daniel rather than being worshipped himself.

Even though we can’t see God we can trust that he is there because Jesus told us “be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  There is something in life that is just too big, to wonderful, to powerful to be seen by our two little eyes and that is God.  So we trust that Jesus is not a liar and He really is with us and he really will come through for us in our time of need just like he did for Daniel.  Walk by faith and not by sight.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think it is hard to just trust God sometimes?

2. What does it mean to “walk by faith and not by sight?

Family Activity:  Color your ornament for day 18.  Talk about ways that you know God is near even when you can’t see God with your eyes.

Prayer for the World: Pray for Pastor Steven who shepherds a local Baptist congregation.  He’s a respected leader on the associational level.  Pray that he’ll catch a vision for Great Commission work that facilitates rather than hinders the planting of new congregations.