church newsletter december2011

AND HAPPY NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE FROM THE NEWSLETTER EDITORIAL TEAM.

THANKS FOR READING 3 4

When I was younger I use to think the point of Christmas was celebrating the birth of Christ until I grew older and found out that Jesus Christ was not born on Christmas day! This led me to start asking the question: “What is the point of Christmas?”A mature Christian told me that they didn’t see the celebra-tion of a pagan festival as something to run away from but rather they con-sidered it an opportunity to preach the gospel.

We should celebrate the coming of our Lord at all times but Christmas does indeed present a great opportunity. How are you using this opportunity? Are you just using Christmas as a time to relax, spend extravagantly, and get into debt, or are you using this time wisely?

ChristmasChristmas also reminds us that the year is coming to an end and anyone who desires personal development and improvement must reflect on the past year. What mistakes did you make? What did you do right? What did you achieve? How can 2012 be better?

What is the point of

Christmas?

Waiting is one thing that can be difficult, be it waiting for a bus, waiting for a plumber or an important phone call. We have a preconceived time when we be-lieve certain things should happen and when they don’t, we become impatient. It doesn’t get any easier when it comes to waiting on God.

The Season of ‘Dip’ is when the Ever-Present God seems so far away! It’s like we prayerfully wait and still nothing….a job, a spouse, a child or we are devotedly serving God, then a sudden loss…a loved one, our health, a promotion. We begin to question everything we stood for and ask “Lord, why?” “Lord, how long?” “Lord, what else should I do?” “How much longer do I need to wait?” Like the Psalmist, we become disheartened because it looks like all those who don’t believe seem to have things going well for them.

GodGod uses this season to test us, not just our faith but our very substance. It is the time where God exposes who we truly are! Are we serving Him for what He gives us or for the fact that He is GOD? It is the season where our faithfulness to Him doesn’t seem to have any earthly benefit. What are we to do? We carry on, we hold on, we persevere; we trust and believe that no matter what, He would some-how come through for us.

It is said that diamond is formed when pressure is applied to coal over a period of time. The Season of ‘Dip’ does to us and our relationship with God what nothing else can do. We become refined, solid and firm in our conviction. All those who walked intimately with God in the Bible experienced this season - Abraham, David, Job, Paul etc. All Christians must go through this season for necessary spiri-tual Refinement.

The Season of ‘Dip’