By David Chancey
davidchancey.com
Christmastime is here. What are you doing to lead your church or small group/Bible study to maximize the Christmas season? Will we have just another Christmas, or are we intentionally and strategically planning for gospel impact?
We cannot assume everyone knows what Christmas is about. Several years ago a study conducted by Lifeway Research revealed 91% of Americans celebrate Christmas, including atheists, agnostics, individuals claiming other religions and people designating no religious preference. Many celebrate the season but not necessarily the Savior. They have yet to meet Jesus.
Here are some ways to maximize the season as a gospel opportunity:
People are more open to invitations to worship at Christmas than any other time of year except Easter. Study after study shows that if we invite, many will attend. Another Lifeway Research study presented respondents with nine “life moments” and asked, “Have you ever been more open to consider matters of faith during any of the following times in your life?”
Of the nine options, “During the Christmas holiday season” received the highest response. When the gospel is presented and participants have a chance to respond, many will receive Jesus.
Christmas is a time to celebrate the truth that the Father sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Joyfully sing carols, play the music enthusiastically and tell the story of Jesus clearly and simply. Every Sunday is a celebration, but worship rises to a different dynamic during the Christmas season. Prayerfully plan meaningful worship experiences.
Christmas presents a platform to share good news in a bad news world. People are fatigued by wars, politics, hurricanes and other tragedies. Let’s remind them the gospel is good news.
Christmas gives opportunities to share encouragement and comfort. Not everyone is excited about this season. Some are facing their first Christmas without a loved one; some have had a hard year; some are dealing with serious illness. The first Christmas also was tough for many. Many families lost their child as King Herod ordered the slaying of every male under age 2 when he heard about the newborn King.
Christmas reminds us of God’s perfect plan and perfect timing. We need reminding that God’s ways are not our ways and His ways are often mysterious. Joseph did not understand what was happening with Mary, but he obeyed anyway (Matt. 1:20, 24). God’s timing is always perfect (Gal. 4:4–7).
Christmas can be a time to build corporate unity. The church needs the spiritual enrichment, focus and unity Christmas worship brings. Focus solely on the Advent season.
Christmas gives a timely opportunity to teach and reinforce basic theology: The virgin birth, the incarnation, God’s faithfulness to keep His promises, God’s sovereignty, God’s presence (God with us), man’s condition that necessitated Jesus’ coming, God’s Gift (John 3:16), the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus’ coming again.
EDITOR’S NOTE — David L. Chancey lives in Georgia and is author of “The Most Wonderful News You Can Hear: Proclaiming Glad Tidings at Christmas.”
Letters to the Editor
In recent weeks as we experienced lives being put back together in so many ways around Tampa, I was struck by something I took for granted previously — the sand.
Following the recent hurricane, sand could be found
everywhere. It was inside homes, on the streets, in cars, inside kitchen cabinets, in and around pools, and the list goes on.
As per city regulations, the sand was collected and not allowed back on the beaches until it went through a cleaning procedure.
I decided to name it the “living sand” because the multiple machines traveling up and down the towns are uncovering people’s lives from the sand: photos, favorite toys and other personal items.
Who would have thought of sand as having so many stories to tell?
And then more stories surface from the people coming to pick up tree limbs and other debris such as furniture once used by families from all parts of life now piled up ready to be hauled off. So many stories stopped in time with nature taking its toll.
As I interacted with the numerous volunteers and power crews working to help our neighborhoods, I noticed how kind
everyone was. I tried to help them by taking them water and thanking them.
When I saw the yellow shirts from the Baptist Disaster Relief group from Kentucky, I smiled knowing the DR story all too well thanks to the consistent coverage provided by The Baptist Paper print newspaper and other state Baptist newspapers like The Alabama Baptist and Tennessee’s Baptist and Reflector.
Thank you for what you do to keep us informed and to share how God is working through His people in the everyday moments as well as when nature does its worst.
Pam Holt
Tampa, Florida
The National Day of Prayer theme for 2024 is Lift Up the Word — Light Up the World.
To end the year ahead of Christmas, will you please share this prayer with your prayer team and with the persecuted Church in China, to Light Up China on Christmas Day?
A prayer for boldness:
Heavenly Father, we pray that You will stretch out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus, to Light Up China on Christmas Day with the Light of Christ to the 1.3 billion who live in spiritual darkness, and do not know Him. We also pray the news of these notable miracles by You will spread throughout China in every tribe, province, city and municipality — to give the persecuted church in China boldness to preach the gospel with the Christmas Story, for a great China harvest.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Acts 4:16; 29–31
Harry Gibbons
Seattle, Washington
ChinaChristmasHarvest.com
“The memories and history of this building are something we all cherish,” said Ricky Sowell, pastor of First Baptist Church Abbeville, near Dothan, Alabama. “But we must remember that this building was not the church. This building was the place the church gathered. The people of God are still here and more importantly Jesus still reigns on His throne. So we are hurt because the place we loved to gather is gone, but we worship because God isn’t done with us yet.”
“In the last few decades, Christians have been obsessed with the what of politics: what candidates, what parties and what policies. Those do matter, but I don’t think there will be Christian agreement on those things,” said Daryn Henry, associate professor of Christian studies at the University of Virginia. “But there is a Christian consensus on a way of being in the world that comes out of the shape of the New Testament. Focusing initially on the fruit of the Spirit is a way to reorient and re-center around a way of being in the American political sphere that should be common to Christians who read Galatians. It’s not about whether certain policies and trends are right or wrong, or whether I need to be related to this party or that candidate. It’s about Christian faithfulness — about having characters of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
“God will always be our wonderful and perfect Counselor, but two things can be true — you can love and follow Jesus and still struggle with mental health. Just as Jesus and the gospel are for everyone, therapy is for everyone,” said Katherine Smith, a licensed counselor with Living Well Counseling.
“I am no theologian. I am not a pastor or even a preacher, but I am a forgiven man,” writes Duane “Dog” Chapman in his book “Nine Lives and Counting: A Bounty Hunter’s Journey to Faith, Hope and Redemption.” “Once you confess sin and ask God to forgive you, it’s over. Done. Not guilty. This Dog’s been pardoned!”
While the Bible does not teach that we are born again because of good works, it does emphasize that life change is the greatest evidence that a person truly knows God.
Remaining in sin while following Jesus is much like remaining in a tempestuous sea with hopes of not drowning. Thus, the way of the cross is forsaking our old way of life, along with its wicked encumbrances, in order to follow the path of holiness. Just as earthly children inherit the nature and characteristics of their earthly parents, Christians will necessarily become more like our heavenly Father who is holy and righteous.
Those who are outside of Christ are by nature children of wrath who continually indulge in the desires of the flesh (Eph. 2:3). But those who experience salvation by grace through faith become partakers of a divine nature whereby we escape the corruption of this world (2 Pet. 1:4).
All of this simply means that because God is holy, if we are pursuing Him, we too will become more and more holy. No wonder Jesus admonished us to let our light shine before others so that they will see our good works, dare I say our holy lives, and glorify our Father in heaven who is also holy (Matt. 5:16).
Pastor Adam B. Dooley
Englewood Baptist Church
Jackson, Tennessee
When trouble comes you need a refuge. A refuge is “a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger or trouble.” Can you honestly say, “God is my refuge?” (Ps. 46:1–11).
Franklin L. Kirksey
Robertsdale, Alabama
There are four primary unhealthy relationships which may exist between churches and pastors:
- The pastor is the professional and the members are simply amateurs. 2. The pastor is a slave driver and the members are slaves. 3. The pastor is the performer and the members are merely spectators. 4. The pastor is number one and the members are number two — or less.
There are four primary healthy relationships which may exist between churches and pastors:
- Both churches and pastors hold one another in high regard. 2. Both churches and pastors have mutual expectations of one another — a spiritually developing life, love and compassion for people, determination to have meaningful interpersonal relationships, etc. 3. Mutual support — not to him/them but with and for him/them. 4. Mutual service — the body of Christ respecting each other and working together to accomplish the ministry of Christ in our particular setting and beyond, with supreme allegiance given to the Head.
Morris Murray Jr.
Jasper, Alabama
