Now That Christmas Is Over

You looked forward to Christmas all year long. Now the celebration for this year is over.

It will be another 360 something days before you will have another chance to celebrate it again. That is if you are still alive.

Please don’t get me wrong there. I’m not suggesting that you would die before next year’s Christmas. But I’m not denying that the possibility exists for all of us.

Come to think of it, not everyone who celebrated Christmas last year’s Christmas was around to join in this year’s celebration. And as sure as the as the rising sun tomorrow, not everyone who celebrated this year’s Christmas will be alive to celebrate the coming year’s.

You know I’m not being a prophet of doom here. It is the sad reality of the life we found ourselves in: after all said and done, death is inevitable.

The Bible says, “There’s time for everything under the Sun.”

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance… Ecclesiastes 3:1-11.

Let’s take further exploration of the first part of the above quote:

A time to be born, a time to die

Jesus had the time He was born to this earth. He had the time He had to die as well. Gratefully He had the time to resurrect as well.

If you are reading this now, I know you had the time you were born; you had a beginning. Or don’t you have a birthday?

And if you had a beginning on this earth, you are also going to have an ending. It is called death – the way of all mankind.

Unlike when you were born when everyone jubilated, when you die, people will cry. I mean if you are not Adolf Hitler or anyone else in his mould, I don’t see why anyone should be glad when you die.

But whether anyone is sad or happy when you die, it would not really matter to you. What would matter would be how you have used your short life on earth to prepare for the eternity that death would be the doorway to.

If you have prepared well for eternity, death will be a gain to you. But if you have not, death will be a great loss to you. Regrettably, it will be too late by then to make amends.

But how can you prepare well for eternity?

To be honest, the answer is simpler than you think. It requires simple faith in Jesus Christ, the birth of whom we just celebrated and will continue to celebrate in the years ahead.

Think back a little to the Christmas story: a virgin gave birth to Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the whole world. (See Matthew 1:20-21).

You see, that’s why we celebrate Christmas every year: a Saviour was born to save us from our sins. In this Saviour lies the hope of all humanity. But it is sad that many are not seeing it that way.

Now that Christmas is over, the question I would like to ask you is this: do you have a personal relationship by faith with the Celebrant? By that I mean, have you accepted Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour?

If your answer is yes, I will advise you to nurture that relationship so closely that nothing will come between you and Him. You have His assurance that nothing can separate you from His love till you will get to meet Him face to face on the other side of this life.

On the other hand, if you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour, you have between now and the next Christmas to do so. Actually, no one can guarantee that you will be alive till the next Christmas. So that means NOW is the best chance you have to invite Jesus into your life.

Please wait no further, “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation” 2 Corrinthians 6:2.

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What do you say?

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The Greatest Birth Ever

Photo by Ben Mack on Pexels.com

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Updated: 3rd Dec. 2020.

He is God
But consented to become a man
Delivered of a virgin lady
So He could be the Saviour.

Taking on the nature of Man
He became flesh and blood.
But as He is the seed of the Holy Spirit
He wouldn’t inherit the sin-nature of man.

His birth was not a happenstance
But a fulfillment of divine prophecy
Part of Heaven’s grand design
To redeem mankind from depravity.

In a time like this, yearly
We celebrate the greatest birth ever
The Son of God, and the Son of man
Born to be the Saviour of the world.

Immanuel – God with us
Jesus – Saviour, King, Judge
Wonderful, Counsellor
The everlasting Father.

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©Copyright 2018|Victor Uyanwanne

All Hail the King Who Died to Redeem Us

His death brought salvation to mankind.
A Saviour like Him no one can ever find.
Without Him we would be forever lost.
With Him we overcame the devil’s worst.

They had Him despised and rejected.
But He refused to be utterly dejected.
They numbered Him amongst criminals.
And sent him to death terminals.

He took on the journey with sheer courage
The soldiers paid him a mocking homage.
He carried the cross and paid the price.
Giving His life for the ultimate sacrifice.

They put Him in a very cold grave
With armed soldiers strong and brave
To stay there and take watch over…
The devil thought it was all over.

But on the very third day
An angel rolled the stone away
And in that same glorious hour
He arose from death with power

He overcame the power of hell
Now rings the victory bell.
All hail King Jesus
Who died to redeem us.

©Copyright 2018 | Victor Uyanwanne

What If Christians Stop Celebrating Christmas?

Christmas is celebrated in most parts of the world every year in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour.

Yes, Jesus was born to save the world from sin. By all means, this ought to be the reason for the season of Christmas. But it is hardly so in some places.

Many people celebrate Christmas without having acknowledged Christ as their Saviour. To them Christmas is just a holiday. They eat. They drink. They party. They buy and sell.

They do everything else but they do not care about having a personal relationship with the Person they are celebrating His birthday.

On the other hand, some people have argued that:

• The celebration of Christmas has a heathen origin;
• It was not commanded by Jesus to be celebrated;
• It has been fully commercialised;
• Materialism takes a better hold of people during Christmas…

The above observations may be correct. But do you know that even if all Christians stopped celebrating Christmas today, Heaven will not fall?

Please don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas, I have been celebrating it since I was a child and I will continue to celebrate it for the rest of my life.

But I’m just saying that as significant as the celebration of Christmas is in Christianity, it doesn’t mean that our true essence as Christians would be lost if we stopped celebrating it.

What if Christians stopped celebrating Christmas?

• It will not change the fact that a Saviour, Jesus was born at a point in time in history;
• Celebration of Christmas is not a criteria to enter the kingdom of God;
• We can still spread the gospel of the kingdom without Christmas;
• Not celebrating it will not reduce the power of the gospel to save;
• Sinners will still be won to Christ;
• We will not be offending God by not celebrating.

I could go on and on with the list but I believe you’ve got my point already. So what do you think would happen if as Christians we should stop celebrating Christians?

Remembering The Purpose Of Christmas

Every year at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Some people say we are not sure of His date of birth. “Definitely not 25 December” they say.

It is true we can’t be sure about the date. But there is something we can be sure about: A Saviour was born at a point in time in history.

This is no fiction. No fabrication. No figment of man’s imagination as some people suggest. It was a recorded historical event orchestrated by the finger of God.

Jesus was born. And He was born with a purpose. His purpose was announced before He was born. An angel of God had announced to Joseph,

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

That is it! The purpose of Christ’s birth was to save us from our sins. That’s the reason we celebrate His Birth. That is the reason for Christmas!

That tells me that if your sins have not been forgiven – or better still, if you have not received the forgiveness of your sins – by giving your life to Jesus Christ, the purpose of Christmas has not been fulfilled in your life.

As the saying goes, “If the purpose of something is not known, abuse is inevitable.” That seems to be the case with Christmas; many people are celebrating without knowing the essence of it. As a result, they end up abusing it.

I used to be like that. For many years, I looked forward to Christmas for some other reasons other than the birth of a Saviour. But once I got born again, I began to understand the real essence of Christmas. 

The real essence of Christmas is not the beautiful carol we hear or sing, not the ambience, the special shoppings, the fanfare, the feasting, and all other kinds of activities we enjoy during the season. The real essence of Christmas is found in the original purpose: Jesus was born to save the world.

Christmas is a celebration of love. The love of God to the world in sending a Saviour to die for us. That popular Bible verse says,

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

So as you celebrate, do not forget the real purpose of Christmas.

 

©Copyright 2017 | Victor Uyanwanne

​Jesus: 8 Special Things About The Baby That Changed The World.

Photo credit: pinterest.com

The birth of baby Jesus was not an ordinary event. In His birth, divinity became humanity. It was the beginning of the unfolding of the grandest heavenly agenda in bringing salvation to mankind.

Jesus was not an ordinary man that lived. He was the God-incarnate. As we celebrate His birth at Christmas, let’s remember some of the things about the baby or the man Jesus that changed the world.

Here are 8 special things about Jesus that rewrote the history of the world:

1. Jesus’ miraculous conception by a virgin.

Mary the mother of Jesus was a virgin when she got pregnant with baby Jesus.

The conception of Jesus did not take the usual union of the male sperm with the female ova. He was supernaturally conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit of God. This is the most unique conception in the history of mankind.

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35.

2. His conception by a virgin and birth were undeniable  fulfillment of Prophecies.

The birth of Jesus Christ by a virgin was not a chance occurrence. It was a miraculous event in fulfillment of a divine prophecy given several years before He was born.

Notable Prophet Isaiah had spoken well ahead of time:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14.

3. Jesus got His name several centuries before He was born.

Not only was the virgin birth of Jesus prophesied, His name, Immanuel (Hebrew) or Emmanuel (Roman) was also revealed long before He was born. As Prophet Isaiah stated, “…The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

“God with us,” that’s the meaning of Emmanuel. God had to take on the form of man, to be with man to be able to save mankind. Hence Jesus had to be born on Earth like a baby.

When it was time for the fulfillment of the promise, an angel announced to the ‘highly favoured’ Mary, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS” Luke 1:31.

Jesus is Saviour. His name revealed His purpose: to save the world from sin. An angel also later confirmed the Isaiah prophecy to Jesus’ would-be-earthly-father, Joseph, saying:

And she  shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” Matthew 1:21.

Apostle Matthew further educates us saying, “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:22-23.

4. He wasn’t born to earthly royalty, but angels heralded His birth.

Apart from the divine promise of Jesus’ birth, angels announced His birth when it took place.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:9-11.

5. The birth of Jesus is the proof of God’s love for the world. 

God gave His Son to the world to show that He loves the world. As recorded in the gospel according to John,

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

6. Jesus was born to die.

Jesus was born to be the Saviour of the world. To be Saviour He had to die for the sins of the world. At Christmas, we celebrate His birth and at Easter, His death and resurrection.

Speaking about His then impending death, Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him….” Matthew 26:24a.

What was written about Jesus in this regard? The New Living Translation of the same verse makes it clear:

For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago…

Babies are born to fulfill their purposes in their lifetime. But it was in Jesus’ death and resurrection that He fulfilled the ultimate purpose of His birth – the redemption of mankind.

“In order to save the world, Jesus had to die for it. He came and lived the perfect life and then died the death we should have died. The true meaning of Christmas is that Jesus was born to die. Because He was crucified and then rose from the dead, forgiveness of sin and assurance of heaven is now offered to all who believe” (John 1:12) –  Richard Dehaan.

7. Jesus is the only man in history with the complete tripartite cycle of birth, death and resurrection.

Men are born, they live, they die and they remain dead. But Jesus was born, He lived, He died and resurrected. He is alive forevermore.

The living Jesus proclaims:

I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Rev. 1:18.

8. He is the only one giving eternal life to anyone who believes in Him.

The baby Jesus that was born by a virgin, Mary, lived and died but resurrected. He is alive forevermore giving eternal life to all that comes to Him.

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand. John 10:28.

Jesus was more than a baby. He is the God-incarnate. As the Saviour of the world, in Him lies the eternal hope of mankind. Remember that as you celebrate this Christmas.

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©CopyRight 2016 | Victor Uyanwanne

IT IS CHRISTMAS

It is Christmas
The day we celebrate the greatest birth
The birth of a Saviour
The Saviour sent from God
The God of mercy and love
The love that is true and unconditional
Unconditional because we didn’t deserve it

Yes undeserved, but freely given
Given to all who will receive in faith
Faith in the born Saviour we celebrate Today
Not just today, but
Everyday for the rest of our lives.

Merry Christmas to you.