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What's it all about - this Christianity? is it a form of religion or a code of ethics? The words, 'religion' and 'ethics' are well wide of the mark when it comes to describing what it means to be a Christian. The word, 'life' is the word used by Jesus: "I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" ( John 10:10 ). Jesus did not say, "I have come that they might have religion (or ethics)." Jesus came to give us life - the life of God. When we have received this life from Him, we come to understand that being a Christian is about a personal relationship with God. It's not just a matter of following a certain code of religious or moral behaviour. This personal relationship with God is entirely bound up with Jesus Christ. Apart from him, there is no life. There is only the emptiness of life without God, in this world and in the world to come. With Jesus Christ, there is life - a life given b...

 * The Kingdom of God does not belong to this world (John 18:36). The Kingdom of God has come into this world (Mark 1:15). God's Kingdom cannot be identified with anything that belongs to this world. The church is not the Kingdom. The church is a signpost. It points us to the Kingdom. It is a sign that the Kingdom has broken into earthly existence.     * Jesus has come. The Kingdom has come. When Jesus says that the Kingdom is in the midst of us, He is speaking of His presence in our midst. Where Jesus is, there is the Kingdom. Jesus is the Kingdom.  * In Christ's first coming, the Kingdom has come. In His Second Coming, the Kingdom will come. Jesus teaches us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come." He is directing our attention to the coming Kingdom. In Jesus' first coming, there is a real coming of the Kingdom. There is also this message, "There is more to come." When we pray, "Thy Kingdom come", we are praying, "Lord, lead us on, from the pro...

Being a Christian isn’t something that we do for ourselves. It’s not something that we achieve in our own strength. When we learn about Jesus, we are drawn to Him. It’s the love of God that draws us to Jesus. God shows us how much He loves us. He shows us how much He wants to change us. He leads us to Jesus – “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).   Jesus is “the Way without which there is no going.” Without Jesus, we’re lost. Jesus finds us.   Jesus is “the Truth without which there is no knowing.” Without Jesus, we can’t make sense of our life. He shows us what our life is all about.   Jesus is “the Life without which there is no living.” Without Jesus, life seems empty. He gives us true and lasting joy.   How can Jesus bring these blessings to us? – He is our Saviour.

'Immanuel...God with us' (Matthew 1:23). Think of what this means! Here are some words to help you. 'He walked where I walked, He stood where I stand, He felt what I feel, He understands. He know my frailty, shared my humanity, tempted in every way, yet without sin. God with us, so close to us. God with us, 'Immanuel!'. Let your thoughts move on to the Cross - 'He died in my place that I might live'. Let your heart be filled with worship: 'Immanuel, O Immanuel, Bowed in awe I worship at your feet, and sing Immanuel, God is with us; Sharing my humanness, my shame, feeling my weakness, my pain, taking my punishment, my blame, Immanuel. And now my words cannot explain, all that my heart cannot contain, how great are the glories of Your Name, Immanuel' ( Mission Praise , 221,326).

In the summertime, it can get very hot. In the wintertime, it can get very cold. What about our spiritual temperature? Jesus had something to say about this – “most people’s love will grow cold’ (Matthew 24:12). Has the fire gone out? How long has it been since, in your heart, you said, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us … while He opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32)? Must we get colder as we get older? Can we not be raised from the ashes? Must we be overwhelmed by the spirit of evil? Cannot God restore in us the spirit of praise – “I will sing of the Lord’s great love for ever” (Psalm 89:1)? Some of you may not have worshipped God in His House for many years. Is it not time to make a new beginning with God? Do you want to begin again with God? Over the years, God has been speaking to you – but you have not listened to Him. God is still speaking to you. Are you listening to Him? The Lord has come to us – “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timoth...

'King of the Jews' (Matthew 2:2). Jesus came from the Jews. He came for 'all nations' (Matthew 28:19). He is the 'King of kings' (Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16). Here on earth, we are learning 'to worship Him' (Matthew 2:2). We are being prepared for heavenly worship (Revelation 7:9-12): 'Kings and queens and beggarmen, presidents and servants, the people of all nations, will gather on that day. We will kneel before the King. None will be observers. We will lift our voices. Together, we will say, "He is the King and He will reign forever. He is the King and we will sing His praise. The King of kings and Lord of lords forever, Jesus, He is the King. Hallelujah to the King, He is our salvation. Master of the universe, King of all creation"!' Let 'Jesus...take the highest honour'. Let us 'glorify the King of kings' ( Songs of Fellowship , 302, 590).

'A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord' (Luke 2:11). The Name, 'Jesus', means 'Saviour' (Matthew 1:21). Focus your thoughts on Him: The Lord Jesus Christ . Here is a prayer to help you make your response to Him: 'Lord Jesus Christ, You have come to us, You are one with us, Mary's Son. Cleansing our souls from all their sin, pouring your love and goodness in; Jesus, our love for You we sing, Living Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, You have come to us, born as one of us, Mary's Son. Led out to die on Calvary, risen from death to set us free, Living Lord Jesus, help us see You are Lord. Lord Jesus Christ, we would come to You, live our lives for You, Son of God. All Your commands we know are true, Your many gifts will make us new, into our lives Your power breaks through, Living Lord' ( Mission Praise , 435).

Bethlehem was a 'little town'. Humanly speaking, it did not have any great importance. Its importance is derived from the fact that it was the birth place of our Saviour. when we think of Bethlehem, we do not think so much of the place as the Saviour who was born there. Herod says that he wants to go to Bethlehem to worship Jesus (Matthew 2:8). Satan was speaking through Herod. Satan 'comes only to steal and kill and destroy'. Christ comes to give 'life...to the full' (John 10:10). As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Herod was not a worshipper of Christ but a servant of Satan. The wise men worship Jesus, then they return to their own country. Their whole purpose was to point away from themselves to Jesus.

No ordinary child! Jesus would be special - very special! This was the message the angel brought to Mary - 'He will be great...the Son of the Most High...the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God' (Luke 1:32,35). We celebrate the birth of a child. How much more should we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ! 'Come on and celebrate! His gift of love we will celebrate - the Son of God who loved us and gave us life' ( Mission Praise , 99). God is calling us to worship His Son, our Saviour. Let Jesus be the centre of your attention. No one else must compete with Him. 'O come let us adore Him...For He alone is worthy...We'll give Him all the glory...Christ the Lord' ( Mission Praise , 490). He is more than 'a lovely baby - much more than that! He is our wonderful Saviour!

 Being a Christian isn’t something that we do for ourselves. It’s not something that we achieve in our own strength. When we learn about Jesus, we are drawn to Him. It’s the love of God that draws us to Jesus. God shows us how much He loves us. He shows us how much He wants to change us. He leads us to Jesus – “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).   Jesus is “the Way without which there is no going.” Without Jesus, we’re lost. Jesus finds us.   Jesus is “the Truth without which there is no knowing.” Without Jesus, we can’t make sense of our life. He shows us what our life is all about.   Jesus is “the Life without which there is no living.” Without Jesus, life seems empty. He gives us true and lasting joy.   How can Jesus bring these blessings to us? – He is our Saviour.

God has given us ‘a new Name’. It is ‘the Name which is above every name’, the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ ( Isaiah 62:2 ; Philippians 2:9-11 ).

The shepherds and the wise men seem so different from us! Everything seems so long ago and so far away! Are they really any different from us? Can we dare to forget the lessons we learn from the shepherds and the wise men? Some may say, 'It was different back then. Life was so simple. Now, there are so many distractions. There are so many other things for us to do'. Listen to this kind of talk, and you are listening to the voice of Satan! The devil will fill our lives with all kinds of things. He will keep us so busy that we forget all about worshipping Jesus! More than ever before - in our world of so many distractions - we need to learn from the wise men and the worshipping shepherds. Make time to 'worship Jesus' (Matthew 2:2). There is nothing more important than this - 'glorifying and praising God' (Luke 2:20).

Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He is the Beginning. He is also the End (John 1:1-3; Revelation 21:6). He is 'the Word...made flesh. 'We have seen His glory' (John 1:14). This is only the beginning. When He returns, we shall see His glory - 'we shall see Him as He is' (1 John 3:2). From Him, there is creation (John 1:1-3). From Him, there is salvation (John 1:12-13). In Him, we receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 1:29,32-34). He is the Word of God, the Lamb of God and the Son of God (John 1:1,29,34). When we look at Jesus Christ, we see God - 'the Word was God' (John 1:1), 'No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known' (John 1:18). Do you want to know what God is like? - Look at Jesus (John 14:9). What do we see when we look at Him? - 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29).

The birth of Christ is a fulfilment of prophecy: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel' (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14). Christ is 'God with us'. He was born through the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18,20). He is still 'God with us', when we are 'born of the Spirit' (John 3:5). Some people do not believe what the Bible says here. They do not like the idea of a 'virgin birth'. The Bible gives no encouragement to such unbelief. Matthew simply says, 'This is the way it happened' (Matthew 1:18). In view of the amazing thing God was doing - sending His Son to be the Saviour of the world - why should we doubt that God took things out of man's hands and worked in His own miraculous way? We rejoice not only in the miracle but also in its saving purpose: 'He will save His people from their sins' (Matthew 1:21).

God is in control! Jesus was born at Bethlehem - Long before it happened, God had it planned (Luke 2:1-7; Micah 5:2-3). As we approach Christ's Return, God still has His plan. He is still in control. The birth of Christ is not merely an event from the past. It is also a message for the future. We look back so that we can move forward. We are fearful about many things. 'What's the world coming to?', we ask. God turns our question on its head: 'Christ is coming to the world'. From His first coming, we look on to His Second Coming - He 'will come to all the people' (Luke 2:10): 'Every eye will see Him' (Revelation 1:7). His Return invites us to ask another question: 'When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?' (18:8). For you, is it still 'before Christ'? Let the 'new age' begin: Let Christ be 'born this day' (Luke 2:11) - in your heart!

God is calling us to walk in the light with Him. * He’s calling us to walk with Him in the light of His love . Go back to Genesis 1:3 – “Let there be light, and there was light.” Go back beyond the created light. Go back to the eternal God – “In the beginning, God” (Genesis 1:1). What do we find when we go back to the eternal God. We find love, eternal love:  “He has loved us with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). This is light of God’s love. * He’s calling us to walk with Him in the light of His Word . What is it that brings us out of darkness and into light? It’s the light of God’s Word – “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). * He’s calling us to walk with Him in the light of His Son . What a great Saviour we have! Jesus is His Name. He is “the Light of the world” (John 8:12). Let us walk with Jesus – in the light of God’s love, in the light of God’s Word. * He’s calling us to walk with God in the light of His Kin...

“He must increase, but I must decrease” ( John 3:30 ). One ministry was about to end. Another ministry was about to begin. The second ministry would be greater than the first ministry. - The first ministry was the ministry of John the Baptist. - The second ministry was the ministry of Jesus the Saviour. What a difference there is between a Baptist and the Saviour. Plenty of people can baptize. Only one can save – Jesus. “He must increase, but I must decrease” ( John 3:30 ). This is an abiding principle of the Christian life. The servant must decrease. The Saviour must increase. There must be less of self, and more of Christ. We must learn to focus on Christ as the very centre of our faith and life, our worship and witness. We will receive blessing from our Saviour, as we learn to keep Him at the centre of every part of our life. “No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven” ( John 3:27 ). What does the servant of the Lord brin...

Jesus is tired. He rests at the well. A woman comes along … Out of this very ordinary situation comes a great opportunity to speak of spiritual truth. Jesus doesn’t barge in like a bull in a china shop. He makes an intriguing comment about “living water” (John 4:10), and, then, He waits for the woman’s reply. She asks Him to explain what He means (John 4:11-12). She asks. Jesus answers. His answer is a call to faith. He doesn’t start pleading with the woman – putting pressure on her. He gives a general answer to her question. His answer leads to her next question, “Sir, give me this water … ” (John 4:15). The woman recognizes the uniqueness of “this water.” Jesus is speaking about something different. She’s still confused. She’s doesn’t understand what He’s talking about – but she wants to understand. Suddenly, Jesus changes the direction of the conversation. He asks her to go and get her “husband” (John 4:16). What’s going on here? What’s this all about? Jesu...

What is to be our attitude to the Sabbath? The best way to develop a proper attitude, a Christian attitude, to the Sabbath is to look, first of all, at Jesus' attitude to the Sabbath. In a very real sense, the specific question, "What is to be my attitude to the Sabbath?" is included in the broader question, "What is to be my attitude to Jesus?" As we look Jesus' attitude to the Sabbath, with a view to answering the question, "What is to be my attitude to the Sabbath?", we notice two key features. There is Someone greater than the Sabbath - Jesus ( John 5:18 ). this is the dividing line between a disciple and a Pharisee. A disciple comes to the Saviour. A Pharisee, with all his Sabbath-keeping, does not acknowledge his need of the Saviour. Jesus viewed His whole life as holy to God and wholly to God ( John 5:17 ) for service. From these two observations about Jesus, we note five further principles concerning the place of the Sabbath in...

Let's begin with who Jesus is, and then move on to what He does for us. (1) "The Word was God ... The Word became flesh" ( John 1:1 ,  14 ). This is what the Bible teaches us about who Jesus was - He was God - and who He became - He became man. The Bible doesn't say that (a) Jesus was man, but not God; (b) Jesus was God, but not man; (c) Jesus was neither God nor man. Jesus is truly God and truly man. He's fully God and fully man. The Bible doesn't say that the man, Jesus, was elevated to the status of God in the eyes of His followers who believed in Him. The Gospel begins with "the Word was God", and then goes on to say, "The Word became flesh." (2) "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father" ( John 14:9 ). Many say, "How can a man be God?" That is a wrong question to ask! What we should ask is this: "Can God become a man?" When we ask this question in the light of the Bible's teaching ...