A Life That Matters
| How Charlie Brown Almost Missed Christmas - #6503 |
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| A Word With You - Your Most Important Relationship |
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Download MP3 (right click to save) The little kid with the round head and the pitiful tree! He's become a regular part of America's Christmas. Our kids watched "The Charlie Brown Christmas" when they were little, and that thing's been around so long, now their kids love it and their parents never stopped loving it. We can all hear Charlie Brown's angst-ridden question ringing out above the Christmas mayhem, "Isn't there anybody who can tell me what Christmas is all about?" Enter blanket boy; Linus to the rescue. As he steps into the spotlight on that little stage, he turns the spotlight on Jesus. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord." But did you know that line almost didn't happen? I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How Charlie Brown Almost Missed Christmas." Charles Schulz, the creator of "Peanuts," was honestly under pressure to leave the Jesus part out of his first attempt at a TV special. But he stood his ground. He said, "If we don't do this, who will?" That's a little known story, but you know the rest is history. In our post-Christian culture, Linus' little speech about "to you is born a Savior" may be the only fragment of the Gospel some people have ever heard. But you don't have to be a prime-time TV producer to feel the pressure to not bring up Jesus. Most of us who've ever tried to live for Him have experienced that pressure. Oh, it's OK to talk about church, and family values, and even God. But Jesus is the problem. How many times in a spiritual conversation have we choked when we got to the name of Jesus? So it comes out "God" that we talk about, which allows the listener to think whatever "God" means to them. But Jesus, well, there's not much mistaking who He is. This should not come as a surprise. Satan has been trying to edit out Jesus for 2,000 years! The early disciples were hauled in by the same religious leaders who had arranged for the crucifixion of Jesus. You can understand having your knees knocking at that point. They were ordered to never again mention "The Name" in their preaching. The disciples response? They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 5:42 ). Why? Well, as it says in our word for today from the Word of God, in Acts 4:12 , "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name, no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Well, hell knows that. Heaven knows that, and we must never again choke on that name. He was not ashamed of me, how can I be ashamed of Him? The power, the salvation is in the name. No Jesus, no heaven. That's why our enemy can't stand to hear the Name. And that's why we can't afford to leave out Jesus. His Name is where the power is. His name is where the hope is. His name is where the heaven is. Many Christmases ago a cartoonist made a courageous choice and refused to edit the Name. This Christmas would be a good time for you to make that same choice. |
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Comments
That way, you don't have to even consider whether he exists or not, because he won't exist in you.
That way you can worship only one God, the God of Good, and ignore the God of Evil.
So Simple even a "cave man can do it!"
is not making God a liar. And what was said about Satan and God were all human beings, not Satan or God. God does not stick a tempter out there for you to overcome. What kind of game playing do you think God is? Now really! Jesus said to Love the Lord, thy God with all your heart..." and He did not say, And while you are at it, Hate Satan the same way.
You are right that I love to debate. It is how one gets to the truth that makes you free to speak with authority and not as the scribes...who wrote the scriptures!
Jesus often said: "You have heard it said, but I say unto you..." That is an example of thinking for yourself.
It is so easy to take the scriptures out of context as our friend Marvin likes to do.
The Scriptures were written by men that were led by the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Out of Context” as above would not do that in the least. Tell me what would?
In case you're wondering, taking the Scriptures out of context like you're doing means that you try to make the Bible say things it really doesn't say.
It means trying to make the Bible conform to your way of thinking.
It is better to let the Scriptures interpret themselves and study the Bible with the Holy Spirit's guidance instead of trying to interpret whay you want it to say.
All I know and believe is that God gave mortal man a message which they wrote down and is what is our Bible. I also believe that the Holy Spirit guided them, so there is no misinterpretati on of scripture except that people misinterpret it and try to make it line up with what they think it sould say.
You just contradicted yourself:
o there is no misinterpretati on of scripture except that people misinterpret it and try to make it line up with what they think it should say.
What you just said was that people misinterpret scripture. So how else would there be no misinterpretati on of scripture?
eye for an eye changed to forgive 70x7."
That is a progressive change for people who misinterpreted the Ways of God for their lives.