God enjoyed great success that first Christmas 2,000 years ago because He put together a willing team who worked together to get the Christ Child deposited in Bethlehem. He even made sure appropriate birth announcements were given. God used a team of willing servants and unsuspecting individuals to execute His plan of salvation for mankind.
Ø Herod plummeted the world into fear
Ø Shepherds gave the world glad tidings
Ø An innkeeper provided a makeshift birthing room
Ø A cousin offered a revelation
Ø A husband provided protection
Ø A city offered refuge
Ø Magi traveled a great distance with gifts
Ø Caesar issued a decree
The success of the Christmas story, a fortune 500 company, or a church/ministry that grows is the result of a team spirit. Friend, this must be intentional because it won’t happen by chance. A great team is built on three important factors: a God-given cause or purpose, an effective delivery system for communication, and a set of clearly understood and agreed upon core values. All three of these elements are clearly expressed by Matthew and Luke as they tell the message of Christ’s birth.
For years I have said we need three kinds of relationships in the body of Christ. If the church is to enjoy God’s blessing we need a Paul, a mentor who is building into our life weekly; a Barnabas, a peer who is walking alongside our life; and a Timothy, an understudy whose life we are building into. Do you have these people in your Christian life?
The story of Christmas is filled with all types of relationships that bless and build the body of Christ. We need each of them. This is not an exhaustive list, but it will get you started in understanding the value of this Body of Christ Christmas Contributors.
THE MAGI TEACH US THAT WE NEED SEEKERS.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)
They are affectionately called “magi” or “wisemen,” in the story. They come from the east. No names are given. No one is singled out. They came offering gifts and weren’t concerned about the cost, it was the value that motivated them. No one twisted their arms to come. Before ending up in Bethlehem they strolled through Jerusalem. The mountainous city at 3,000 ft. would not a be a walk in the park, but they were motivated to find the Savior. No effort would be wasted on the greatest journey of their life. That which is true of the magi applies to those who live all around us and are seeking a Savior.
The next person to be won to Christ by one of you in our church is sleeping off a hangover in Snohomish County jail today. This week, the next person won to Christ will hear the gavel drop that says, “Marriage dissolved.” They will break down and cry uncontrollably in the courtroom. The next person won to Christ is crossing the state line from California and moving into your neighbor’s house that just sold two months ago.
God has another assignment for you; you were made for winning people to Jesus. God is working in the world today. Find out what He is doing and become a part of it. He wants none to perish. We, you and I, are the end of the book of Acts. Jesus wants us to “Come to Him” and “Go for Him.” We should be doing both each week. If you will quit praying selfish prayers asking God to bless you and start working for God and representing His agenda you’ll not lack anything in this life.
If your neighbor had cancer and you had access to the cure, it would be criminal to keep the information to yourself. It would be equally criminal to rob people of learning how to have peace, prosperity, and purpose. The greatest gift you can give someone is your time and a little help for their journey with answers from God’s plan for their life. The only thing that is going to last forever is God’s purposes. Why not spend your efforts on those things that will last?
Our church needs three kinds of people in the body. First are those who have yet to find Christ. They may be living with a boyfriend. Still addicted to alcohol. Trying to wrestle with the existence of God. We need these people in our lives and in our church. It helps keep the importance of soul-winning in our spirit.
Next, we need those who are just learning to walk with the Savior. Infants in Christ taking their first steps with Jesus. People committed to saving their marriages. Those finding freedom daily from addictions. Many who regularly bring their friends to ministry events.
Finally, we need God-seasoned saints. People who have walked with God for many years. They know the end of the story. They are long past backsliding. They have wisdom and giftings that greatly contribute to the Body of Christ.
We must always have seekers in our ministry. We exist for people who have yet to find Christ. A church that only spends its ministry time and resources taking care of the saints will soon turn inward and passive. It will become a ministry with a mentality of, “What have you done for me lately?” Also, its people will soon become critical. When you sit on the sidelines the only role you can fill is that of critic. That is the fastest way to run off good pastors.
ELIZABETH REMINDS US THAT WE NEED SISTERS.
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zachariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:39
It is very easy to overlook this little side trip by Mary to the home of Elizabeth in the Christmas story. Why does Mary make such a journey? She hurries off for a 50-mile trip by the ancient means of land travel. Pregnant. Morning sickness. Unsure of the future. Fearful of having to explain her present day dilemna. When you include the journey that Mary is making, not a physical journey, but one of faith…it takes on new meaning.
The prompting of Gabriel back in Luke 1: 36, “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age,” seems enough motivation to send Mary scurrying off on a 3 or 4 day journey. Mary has received a Holy Spirit-inspired conception, and Elizabeth has received a Holy Spirit-inspired revelation of a wonder in the making.
Now listen to what I am about to say: It was God who was about to show Mary, through Elizabeth’s intuition, that yes, someone does understand what is happening. We see this in Luke 1:41; “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
To explain the revelation God had given her about Mary’s supernatural pregnancy and it’s sources, Elizabeth proclaims: “As soon as I heard your voice, the baby inside me leaped.” The child that was destined to point the world to the Savior’s arrival had already begun to fulfill his destiny. For later it would be John the Baptist who would say: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
Long before Mary could sit down and explain the circumstances of her pregnancy, God was already letting Elizabeth in on His plan. As Mary approaches Ein Karem, the home of John the Baptist, she struggles with how to explain what has happened. “Who will believe me?” she wonders. From Heaven the answer was already being delivered and dropped off as a letter of congratulations. Mary had come to Elizabeth for refuge and Elizabeth was already rendering insight and revelation long before Mary could open her mouth.
In the Body of Christ, we all need Elizabeths who show us that God can make people understand even the miraculous. When you find it hard to understand what God is doing through His Sovereignty, He is faithful to deliver brothers and sisters who can help make sense of the senseless. During the hard to understand circumstances of life, God wants to relieve you of the burden to describe the indescrible or explain the unexplainable. Life is filled with those mysteries. God wants to use His people to deliver readymade revelations from Heaven.
SHEPHERDS SHOW US THAT WE NEED SERVANTS.
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. Luke 2:8
Let’s look at some shepherds that never slept that Christmas night. They were common laborers, simple in life and rustic in nature. Unshaven, uneducated, village people who lived close to the earth, soil, rain, and wind. No university degrees hung in their stables. This does not mean they were not wise. They were certainly wiser than Herod. They made it to the Nativity along with some magi.
These shepherds were experts in growth. Growing cycles were their business. They were educated in farms, sheepfolds, sheering, work ethic, and, most of all, mangers. They were deeply committed to family and faith and had a heart for spiritual matters. For it was a shepherd boy named David that God used mightily to deliver His people from the Philistines.
Luke 2:8 tells us, “There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.” (KJV) Jesus came while the world slept. Like an army moving under cover of night in order to take the enemy by surprise, God slipped onto the world scene unoticed. He didn’t come with Heaven’s heavyweights. He didn’t bring all the firepower of the universe to blow sin out of the water. He came with a servant’s heart. Philippians 2:7 says, “He emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant.” It was to earth’s shepherd servants that Heaven’s greatest servant, Jesus Christ, was introduced.
Into the calloused hands of common laborers, the news of the ages fell like snow on a moutain pass. Why did God need the shepherds? Shepherds are committed to focusing on others, not themselves. Those gunny sack shepherds in Bethlehem remind us how to be God’s modern day servants. So how do I pull this off in a self-centered world? Apply these three servant principles and one day you’ll hear, “Well, done good and faithful servant.”
1. God’s servant’s are commited to stewardship, not ownership. They are satisfied with being faithful rather than being famous. True biblical servants understand that God owns it all.
2. God’s servants love to bless others. That is what they are created for. God’s servants are always looking for opportunities to meet a need. You’ll never meet needs if you can’t see them. Do you want to know if you have a servant’s heart? Observe your attitude when people treat you like a servant. Some servants spend all their time complaining and commenting about the injustice they are going through or the unfairness of some issue while they cloak their love for God in serving. Serve. Keep quiet. Do it with gladness. Then you’ll be rewarded by your Father in Heaven.
3. God’s servants don’t care who gets the credit. The reason servants don’t care who gets the credit is they are not interested in drawing any attention to themselves. They don’t promote themselves. If they are recognized, they properly give God the glory and don’t get distracted.
As Rick Warren says, “There are 750 Halls of Fame in America and 450 Who’s Who Publications, but you won’t find many real servants in those places. Noteriety means nothing to real servants because they know the difference between prominence and significance.” (1) You are never more like God than when you serve.
HEROD CAUSES US TO REALIZE THAT WE NEED STRUGGLERS.
13c“Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” Matthew 2:13c
Herod was Rome’s puppet to keep peace in Jerusalem. It was said, “It was better to be Herod’s pig than his relative.” He had an insatiable appetite for murder and construction. He killed most of his relatives and yet engaged in some of the most incredible construction projects in Israel.
Have you ever noticed that everyone who comes into your life these days seems to have nothing but struggles? Do you realize that this is by God’s design? God wants you to help people learn that He transforms us through trouble. Nobody gets off the hook of life’s problems and dilemmas. In life you’re either headed for a storm, going through a storm, or coming out of a storm. Some storms may be big and intense. Others may hardly register on the richter scale of reality. But each one is important to God in His plan to make you like Jesus.
Do you realize that you grow in Christ through applying His Word and winning over tribulations and temptations? James tells us to “Consider it all joy, when you encounter various trials.” (James 1:2) The word for various is the same word for Joseph’s multi-colored coat (see Genesis 37:3). For each of us the trial is tailor-made for God’s plan for our life. God could have kept Peter out of prison, let the nation of Israel enter the Promised land in year one, or kept Daniel out of the lion’s den – but He had a better plan.
Let’s go to one of the most comforting scriptures in the Bible when it comes to struggles, Romans 8:28-29. Now be careful, there is more nonsense taught per square inch about these verses than almost any other in the Bible. Please don’t misread the text. Disney says - God causes everything and everybody to live happy ever after. Mc Donald’s says - God causes everything and everybody to have it their way. A clear and right interpretation and application will not only set you free but set you up for success.
WE KNOW: Our confidence is not in the roll of the dice, “Peter Pan” Christianity, or wishing upon a star. Our confidence is in God’s eternal and unshakeable Word.
THAT GOD CAUSES: Greenspan doesn’t determine your future. You are not some random person floating directionless through the universe. The words chance, fate, and luck should be whited out of your dictionary the minute you get home. God is in control! His word is our confidence. He is in control.
EVERYTHING: God is at work in every aspect of your life. He is involved in your debt and the death of a loved one. He working in your relationships and recreation. God is a part of your sex as well as your sin. Nothing escapes His interest and involvement. He cares equally about your blessings and burdens, your blisters and blemishes, and even your bipolar and bypass. At Calvary He showed His care for everything.
TO WORK TOGETHER: You and I cannot see how each event in our life fits together. But there is One who does, and His name if Jehovah. He has looked down the tunnel of eternity and aligned all the events of your life up to sequentially and dependently fit together. No individual event in your life is capable of standing alone; it fits into a larger plan. The loss of a job is the finding of Christ, an incurable disease is the restoration of a relationship, an auto accident is a wake–up call to procrastination. A missed turn, a smashed thumb, or a flat tire can be difficult events that God works together for your good.
FOR THE GOOD: This does not say that everything is good. It says that God can extract good from any event in life. No story provides more evidence for this truth than that of Joseph in Genesis 50:19-20: “But Joseph said to them, ‘do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’”
When you are chased down by the troubles of life and find yourself in a problematic cul-de-sac, remember two things: 1 - God can deliver, and 2 - don’t ask “why me?” Ask God, “What do you want and how can I learn?”
JESUS REVEALS TO US THAT WE NEED A SAVIOR.
21She will give birth to a son and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
Turn with me to Romans 8:31 and let’s slowly read this verse not usually associated with Christmas: If God is for us, who can be against us?
All of us need a Savior. God is for you. The release of the miraculous starts with God. Let’s focus on the first 4 words. Say them with me slowly several times:
God is for us,
God is for us,
God is for us!
God is for you, friend. Your boss may have mistreated you. Your teacher that you returned to years later may have forgotten you. Your pastor may have missed you in the crowd at the holidays. Wrapped up in every need you have this holiday is the maker of miracles-God Himself!
God is for you - not maybe, not will be, not was, God is! He is for you today! Right now. As you listen to this message. As you drive home today. As you sit alone this holiday season. As you fight back the tears because the loss of a loved one, loss of a baby, loss of a business.
God will never be closer to you than He is right now. His love and loyalty will not increase because of some great spiritual act of service or sacrifice.
God is for you. Look in your high school annual, that’s Him in the back row. Smiling. Hair neatly parted.
God is for you. In the royal halls of His heavenly residence hangs a calendar with your birthday marked, and there sits a directory with your number. He’s got your e-mail in his Palm Pilot ready to make contact.
God is for you. Look into the stands. That’s Him holding up the sign with your name on it. That’s His voice rising above the screams of thousands of fans. Did you just get called for a penalty? Did you just experience a career-ending injury? Were you just knocked unconscious? The first to run to your side, to your aid, is God.
End Notes
(1) Rick Warren. Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids Michigan. 2002, pg. 263.
