chukwudi44:

f "my flesh is real food" was a metaphor, why did many of Jesus' disciples desert him?

John 6:53-55: Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them." . . . 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

It doesn't seem reasonable that a poetic image would drive away disciples.

OLAADEGBU:

Why Did He Come?

Why did Jesus come/ How could he achieve this restoration of our relationship with God? The third present the wise men brought gives us the answer. Myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. Jesus is the only man who has ever chosen to be born and he is one of the few who has chosen to die. He said that the entire reason for his coming was to die for us. He came 'to give his life as a ransom for many' (Mark 10:45).
The supreme reason for giving Christmas presents is to remind us of his gift to us - the most valuable and expensive gift ever given.

From what we know of crucifixion it was one of the cruelest forms of execution. Cicero described it as 'the most cruel and hideous of tortures'. Jesus would have been flogged with a whip of several strands of leather weighted with pieces of metal and bones. According to Eusebius, a third-century historian, 'The sufferer's veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews and bowels of the victim were opened to exposure.' Jesus was then forced to carry a six-foot cross beam until he collapsed. When he reached the site of execution, six-inch nails were hammered through his wrists and feet and he was nailed to the cross. He was left to hang for hours in excruciating pain. Yet, the New Testament makes it clear that there was something worse for Jesus than the physical and emotional pain; this was the spiritual anguish of being separated from God as he carried all our sins.

Why did he die?

Jesus said he died 'for' us. The word 'for' means 'instead of'. He did it because he loved us and did not want us to have to pay the penalty for all the things that we had done wrong. On the cross He was effectively saying, 'I will take all those things on myself.'

He did it for you and he did it for me. If you or I had been the only person in the world he would have done it for us. St. Paul wrote of 'the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me' (Galatians 2:20). It was out of love for us that he gave his life as a ransom.

The word 'ransom' comes from the slave market. A kind person might buy a slave and set him free - but first the ransom price had to be paid. Jesus paid, by his blood on the cross, the ransom price to set us free.

Freedom from what?

a) Freedom from guilt

Whether we feel guilty or not, we are all guilty before God because of the many times we have broken his laws in thought, word and deed. Just as when someone commits a crime there is a penalty to be paid, so there is a penalty for breaking God's law. 'The wages of sin is death' (Romans 6:23).

The result of the things we do wrong is spiritual death - being cut off from God eternally. We all deserve to suffer that penalty. On the cross Jesus took the penalty in our place so that we could be totally forgiven and our guilt could be taken away.

b) Freedom from addiction

Jesus said that 'everyone who sins is a slave to sin' (John 8:34). Jesus died to set us free from that slavery. On the cross, the power of this addiction was broken. Although we may still fall from time to time, the power of this addiction is broken when Jesus sets us free. That is why Jesus went on to say that 'if the Son sets you free you will be free indeed' (John 8:36).

c) Freedom from fear

Jesus came so that 'by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).

We need no longer fear death. Death is not the end for those whom Jesus has set free. Rather it is the gateway to heaven, where we will be free from even the presence of sin. When Jesus set us free from the fear of death, he also set us free from all other fears.

Freedom for what?

Jesus is no longer physically on earth but he has not left us alone. He has sent his Holy Spirit to be with us. When His Spirit comes to live within us, he gives us a new freedom.

a) Freedom to know God

The things which we do wrong cause a barrier between us and God: 'Your iniquities have separated you from your God' (Isaiah 59:2). When Jesus died on the cross he removed the barrier that existed between us and God. As a result he has made it possible for us to have a relationship with our Creator. We become his sons and daughters. The Spirit assures us of this relationship and he helps us to get to know God better. He helps us to pray and to understand God's word (the Bible).

b) Freedom to love

'We love because he first loved us' (1 John 4:19). As we look at the cross we understand God's love for us. When the Spirit of God comes to live within us we experience that love. As we do so we receive a new love for God and for other people. We are set free to live a life of love - a life centred around loving and serving Jesus and loving and serving other people rather than a life centred around ourselves.

c) Freedom to change

People sometimes say, 'You are what you are. You can't change.' The good news is that with the help of the Spirit we can change. The Holy Spirit gives us the freedom to live the sort of lives that deep down we have always wanted to live. St. Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control' (Galatians 5:22). When we ask the Spirit of God to come and live within us, these wonderful characteristics begin to grow in our lives. (To be continued....).

OLAADEGBU:

You should cease this opportunity to tell folks that Christ is the reason for the season and put Christ back into Christmas.

macof: Jesus was never the reason for Christmas.

Our Lord the Sun God was/is/will always be.

highyo: If there is nothing bad in celebrating christmas festival for christains, then there is noting bad if chistains celebrate, masqurade festival, yam festival, osun osogbo festival, amadioha festival, sango festival, Hindu festival, Yoga festival, Diana festival, queen of heaven festival, ogun festival, yemoja festival, islamic festival, and other demonic festival around the world, so that we can provoke God the more. ÜAfterall he is a merciful God

are you all blind? Cant you see all what these festival entails?

1: glorifying satan.

2: all sinners also participate in celebration of all above mention festival

3: all this festival involve shedding of blood, of human and animals

4: the kingdom of darkness also celebrate it, and during that period, they ensure continuity in flowing of blood to their blood bank trough various accident

5: people charge high prices for things ( A course in the bible to charge high price for a grain)

6: sins also increases

7: High cost of transport ( curse ) most especially when travelling to east

8: Robbery increases

9: people sells their belongings all just to celebrate this pagan festival

10: people collect credit to celebrate this day

11: Many men will try to go to any length just to put a smile on their families face

na wa for this day

so christian in the house that celebrate this day, you still have some other festival to participate in, and also remember to tear away that part in the bible that said, WHAT RELATIONSHIP DOES A LIGHT HAS WITH DARKNESS

Also be ready to figure out in the bible where the saint ever celebrate birthday

Also remember to figure out where jesus instruct us to celebrate the day

you all need to beg God for forgiveness

plappville:

Put Him back? Was Christ the original figure/reason of christmas?

You cannot change the truth behind this festival by quoting scriptures.

OLAADEGBU::




You should cease this opportunity to tell folks that Christ is the reason for the season and put Christ back into Christmas. .

plappville:

This is the BITTER truth !!!!

seunlayi:

I thank God for giving me the privilege to know and be a member of DLCM. The message on Saturday actually opened my eyes to many things and has forced me to do more research on this issue of Christmas. I have decided to go back to my Bethel.

OLAADEGBU:

You believe that the Sun God is your Lord?

macof:

The Sun is everybody's Lord

Do u know wat you gain from the awesome power of the Sun God? It's not about worship but merely recognition

I expect u to understand that

OLAADEGBU:

"WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning!"

macof:

¿

macof: Jesus was never the reason for Christmas.

Our Lord the Sun God was/is/will always be.

OLAADEGBU:

You believe that the Sun God is your Lord?

truthislight:

Ma sis plapbaby, long long time no see, how are you and every every every ?

Its good to hear from you.

plappville:

Hello Mon frère/brother, Every at my end fine welwell. We thank Papa God for his blessings. Yes I ve not been punctual because I was expecting a great gift from God. Thank God, the gift arrived successfully. I hope you are fine too? Thanks for checking on....God bless.

OLAADEGBU:

WHY NOT?

So God offers us in Christ Jesus forgiveness, freedom and His Spirit to live within us. All this is a gift from God. When someone offers us a present we have a choice. We can either accept it, open it and enjoy it. Or else we can say, 'No thank you.' Sadly, many people make excuses for not accepting the gift which God offers.

Here are some of the excuses:

a) 'I have no need of God'

When people say this they usually mean that they are quite happy without God. What they fail to realise is that our greatest need is not 'happiness' but 'forgiveness'. It takes a very proud person to say that they have no need of forgiveness.

We all need forgiveness. Without it we are in serious trouble. For God is not only our loving Father; he is also a righteous judge. Either we accept what Jesus has done for us on the cross, or else one day we will pay the just penalty ourselves for the things we have done wrong.

b) 'There is too much to give up'

Sometimes, God puts his finger on something in our lives which we know is wrong and which we would have to give up if we want to enjoy this relationship with God through Jesus.

But we need to remember:-

God loves us.

He asks us only to give up things which do harm. If I saw some small children playing with a carving knife I would stop, not because I want to ruin their fun but because I do not want them to get hurt.

What we give up is nothing compared to what we receive. The cost of not becoming a Christian is far greater than the cost of becoming a Christian.

What we give up is nothing compared to what Jesus gave up when He died on the cross for us.

c) 'There must be a trap'

Understandably, people often find it hard to accept that there is anything free in this life. They think it all sounds too easy and that there must be some hidden trap. However, what they fail to realise is that although it is free for us, it was not free for Jesus. He paid for it with His own blood. It is easy for us, but it was not easy for Him.

d) 'I'm not good enough'

None of us is good enough. Nor can we ever make ourselves good enough for God. But that is why Jesus came. He made it possible for God to accept us just as we are, whatever we have done and however much of a mess we have made of our lives.

e) 'I could never keep up'

We are right to think that we could never keep it up. We cannot by ourselves, but the Spirit of God, who comes to live within us, gives us the power and the strength to keep going as Christians.

f) 'I'll do it later'

This is perhaps the most common excuse. Sometimes people say, 'I know it's true but I'm not ready.' They put it off. The longer we put it off the harder it becomes and the more we miss out. We never know whether we will get another opportunity. Speaking for myself, my only regret is that I did not accept the gift earlier.

(To be continued...).

OLAADEGBU:


All He Wants For Christmas Is You


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as0Iy3oDUd8

OLAADEGBU:


What's so important about Christmas?

Why should people still be celebrating the birth of a baby born 2,000 years ago?

Why are so many people excited about Jesus?

Why do we need Him?

Why did He come?

Why did He die?

OLAADEGBU:


Let's start tackling important questions leading up to Christmas. Why do we even celebrate Christmas?

There is something almost magical about Christmas: children dream of Father Christmas and his fantasy sleigh, we picture Christmas trees, snowy scenes, filled up stockings, piles of presents and smiling families around the fire.

The reality is often not as perfect as we imagine. Some people go over the top at Christmas. The overcrowding on the streets and in the shops can lead to so-called 'Santa-Claustrophobia'.

Over-indulging takes its toll on family life. One nine year old boy wrote, "I know Christmas should be a religious time, but to me Christmas is a time for the necessities of life such as food, presents and booze." Another boy wrote, "After breakfast we go into the sitting-room. Dad comes in drunk with Mum's tights and an Indian hat on!" His teacher wrote in the margin, "Good old Dad!"

For some, there is a danger of over-spending - buying presents that others do not need with money they have not got. One little girl wrote to her granny, "Thank you very much for the nice gloves you sent me for Christmas. They were something I wanted - but not very much!"

Others can become over demanding. One doting father asked his small daughter well in advance what she would like for Christmas. Shyly she announced she would like a baby brother. To everyone's surprise and delight her mother returned from the hospital on Christmas Eve with a baby boy in her arms. When the father repeated the question next year, there was less hesitation. "If it wouldn't be too uncomfortable for Mummy, I would like a pony!"

But while some go over the top, others go under. For many, Christmas is one of the worst times of the year. Suicide rates go up, more people die from 'natural causes', marriages fall apart, psychiatrists' patients suffer regressions and family feuds begin.

One Mori poll suggested that there are three million family rows each Christmas. A newspaper article, headed, "Enough to drive you crackers", spoke of people cracking up at Christmas as a result of the pressure to be perfect. It reported that two psychologists, a psychotherapist and a counsellor were running a workshop entitled "Stress in the family: coping with Christmas". They said that part of its success seemed to be the chance it offered to get away from it all. The psychiatrist, Anthony Storr, in an article on depression at Christmas entitled, "Cheer up, it's soon over" had this final piece of advice: "Remember that Christmas, although recurrent, doesn't last for ever."

With all the magic, the stress and the hype of Christmas, are we missing the point? What is at the heart of Christmas? In the words of C.S. Lewis, at Christmas we remember the 'central event in the history of the earth - the very thing the whole story has been about'.

-- To be continued. Culled from "Why Christmas" by Nicky Gumbel.

OLAADEGBU:
One wonders what hymn the wise men sang on their journey to Bethlehem since it took them many months to reach their destination.  On their way they must have conversed, so let's see what would be the the top 7 things they said:

The top 7 things overheard on the Wise men's journey to Bethlehem:

7.  "Man, I'm starting to get a rush from this frankincense!"
6.  "You guys ever eat camel meat? I hear it tastes like goat."
5.  "You know, I used to go school with a girl called Beth Lehem."
4.  "What kind of name is Balthazar anyhow? Phoenician?"
3.  "Hey, does any of you know why MYRRH is spelt with a Y instead of a U?"
2.  "Okay, whose camel just spat?"

And the No. 1 thing overheard on the Wise Men's journey to Bethlehem was:

1.  "All this staring at a star while riding a camel is making me woozy."

-- J. John and Mark Stibbe

ichuka:


Compliments bro.

OLAADEGBU:


It was Christmas and the judge was in a merry mood as he asked the prisoner,

"What are you charged with?"

"Doing my Christmas shopping early," replied the defendant.

"That's no offence," said the judge.

"How early were you doing the shopping?"

"Before the store opened," answered the defendant.

OLAADEGBU:


Why Bother With Jesus?

When Jesus was born a group of highly intelligent philosophers thought he was worth bothering with. They stopped everything to take him three symbolic presents. The first was gold - a present fit for a king. The child in the manger was the King of kings and Lord of lords. God himself had come to live as part of our world. Too often Jesus has been obscured by Christmas. One man wrote to the Times: 'Sir: Failing to find any religious books in the bookshop, I asked an assistant for help. She showed me an inconspicuous handful of Bibles and prayer books, saying: "We have had to move them down to the bottom shelf because of Christmas"'.

But the point of Christmas is Jesus Christ. At Christmas we celebrate the birthday of the most important person who has ever lived. He is the centrepiece of our civilisation. After all, we call what happened before his birth 'BC' and what happened after 'AD'.

But How Do We Know It's True?

We can test the claims of Christianity because it is an historical faith. It is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our faith is based on firm historical evidence. To be continued....