Epaggelia

According to an ancient legend in Lystra Greece, two gods, Hermes and Zeus, had once visited their city with a promise to return. When the Apostle Paul and Barnabas arrived doing miracles, some of the people were certain that those gods had come back. With patience and confidence, Paul let them know that no mythical gods had bestowed goodness on Lystra, but it was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who had blessed their land – as a testimony of the very real Spirit of Christ in their midst all along. Today, most people in our society believe in the spirit of Christmas, instead of the Spirit of Christ. It was Christ, that God The Father of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob promised to us. It was Christ in God that fulfilled that promise. Therefore, Christmas is here and we are thankful ! We are thankful for a real God that keeps real promises, because He really came and made another promise to come again. The Lord’s brother, James wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). How many good & perfect gifts have you received in past Christmas mornings? God just keeps on giving and giving, He is good all the time, Christmas or no Christmas. God didn’t promise us Christmas, but He did promise us His Son. Thank God, He keeps His promises, and gave us His Spirit of Promise, (Galatians 3:14).

God had made many promises in His work with us throughout the ages past. The most important promise for us, is that He would come to live with us in our heart. Read Matthew 28:18-20 & Romans 5:1-6:14 to understand how He made the promise and keeps it. Our God is both powerful and loving to do this for us.

God is Love, He is Spirit and He is The Father of Jesus Christ. Every true Christian learns that He is the best Father, they could ever ask for. Better than the wildest dream of any child, dreaming about Father Christmas! The Apostle Paul says, “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba, Father!” (Rom. 8:15) God is our Father, and he is best at giving us what we really need. God is good all the time and He gives us The Spirit of Christ. His Spirit pours out His love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5) This helps us discover His love and learn about how much better He is than any other kind of Father. We can emulate and experience and share His love. We become true lovers. God takes this picture to it’s greatest height, when He compares Christians to the Bride of Christ in Eph. 5:30-32 & Rev. 21 –22. Spiritually we become lovers of God and for love, there is no limit! His wisdom and His word helps us value Him above everything and everybody in this world. A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver. God has given us an indescribable gift in Jesus Christ. Please read 2Cor. 9:8-15. The more we learn about this and grow in faith, the more we discover his innumerable gifts for here and into eternity.