Jesus Christ was so important that His birth divides time. Our common calendar divides time at the birth of Jesus Christ. For example, dates occurring after the birth of Jesus Christ are followed by the letters A.D., meaning Anno Domini, which is Latin for "in the year of our Lord." The dates before the birth of Jesus Christ are dated B.C., meaning "Before Christ."
Jesus Christ is so important that the secular world is putting forth an effort to eradicate knowledge of Jesus Christ. AD is being replaced with CE meaning the "Common Era" rather than AD "the year of our Lord." BC is being replaced with BCE meaning "Before the Common Era" to do away BC "Before Christ" and thus do away with all reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is so important that the national holiday, Easter, celebrates the event of His resurrection from the dead. This celebrates the finished work of Jesus Christ, He died for the sins of the world and rose again and ascended into heaven presently sitting on the right hand of God to make intercession for those that are His. This resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred on Sunday and was recognized by the Church at that time and today as a day of worship and rest.
Jesus Christ is so important that the Bible, authored by God the Holy Spirit, has been translated into more than 2,000 languages. This book is also one of the best selling books of all time. It is a book that many in the secular world have attempted to destroy or discredit but without success and the secular world continues their assault today. Jesus Christ was so important that even shepherds abandoned their flocks in the field and went to see Jesus Christ the child.
Today, the secular world wants to eradicate the name of Jesus Christ from their knowledge. This is part of the reason for the removal of the name of Jesus Christ from all public display and places. Christ would have all mankind to have salvation, including secularists, but He will not force their decision and He will not strive indefinitely with those who reject Him. "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done." (Romans 1:28)
The name of Jesus Christ was so important and feared that a king attempted to have Him killed. The children in an entire city were killed in an attempt to kill this one child named Jesus Christ. Matthew writes, "When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men to kill all the children in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men." (Matthew 2:16) Today the secular world persecutes the followers of Jesus Christ even as these same Christian followers seek the salvation of their persecutors.
The secularists of today can't kill Jesus Christ but world wide they kill and persecute the followers of Jesus Christ. Even so, the secularists and others who reject Christ will eventually acknowledge Jesus Christ. The Bible says "that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11) Jesus spoke of both those who confess Him and those who deny Him, "Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven." (Matthew 10:32-33)
The birth of Jesus Christ is so important that it is celebrated as a holiday called Christmas. For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus Christ is the greatest gift the world has ever received and secularists desire to reject that gift and replace it with the gifts of the world. The Birth of Christ is the only holiday in the USA that is so important the secular world wants it to be called "Holiday" rather than the real name of the event, "Christmas."
Jesus Christ is so important the secular world ignores the Christmas event which celebrates God's gift of His Son Jesus Christ to all humanity. This is not only the greatest gift humanity can receive but the only gift that can give anyone eternal life and the only gift that can provide fulfillment and bring peace and joy to life on this earth. The gift of God's Son Jesus Christ was the first Christmas gift. Yet, the secular world would have the knowledge of Jesus Christ, God's gift to humanity, eradicated from all areas of life.
Jesus is so important that secularists try to eradicate the entire Christian basis for the Christmas season. The holiday we celebrate at Christmas is to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ who came to save the world from sin and hell. God gave humanity the first Christmas gift, His son, and thereby provided a way to eternal life in heaven. When we understand this we see that the reason for the season is Jesus Christ and those He came to save.
The Christmas season forces the world to consider some serious questions: Who was Jesus? Why did He come to earth? Why did He willfully die on the cross? Etc . . . Jesus Christ is so important the secular world would rather not be reminded of those questions which reminds them of their sin and therefore their need to change Christmas to a "Holiday," a holiday without Jesus Christ or symbols that remind them of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is so important that His is the only name the secular world doesn't want used in prayer. One can say a prayer and address God or Allah or whoever, but the secular world doesn't want one praying in the name of Jesus. Yet the Bible says, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13) Do we want our prayers answered or not? Clearly, our prayers must be in the name of Jesus if we are to expect an answer to them. Timothy wrote, "For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God's purpose at his appointed time." (1Timothy 2:5-6) The secular world would have the followers of Jesus Christ pray worthless prayers, and unfortunately some do.
Jesus is so important that the secular world won't admit there is intelligence behind all design for fear of acknowledging Jesus Christ. Many of those who oppose intelligent design say that evolution is compatible with religion. Their biblical illiteracy keeps them from seeing that evolution contradicts clear biblical teaching. Yet Christian students are made to deny their religious belief and recite evolutionary theory as a fact, thus interfering in the free exercise of religion which is prohibited by the first amendment. Public school isn't the place to teach religion but it appears that any religion can be taught in our schools except Christianity and anything can be taught that will attempt to refute Christianity. This is another example of the desire to remove Christ from our knowledge.
Jesus Christ is so important that the secular world is attemptiing to eradicate the name of Jesus Christ from public schools. Charles Haynes writing in USA Today stated that the schools of today are more respectful of religion than ever before, with many textbooks directly addressing various religions. What Charles Haynes and others don't mention is that it isn't the various religions the secularists in our school system want to keep out of schools, it is Jesus Christ and Christianity. Just look around and you will find that schools are not friendly to Christianity. Our school systems have changed the Christmas break to the "Winter break," Christmas trees to "holiday trees," and/or "magic trees," Christmas songs to secular songs, and some are now forbidding Christmas colors in a never ending attack on Jesus Christ and His followers.
Jesus Christ is so important that no one can enter into heaven except through Him. The apostle Luke writing of Jesus said in the book of Acts, "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12) Unlike the secular world, Jesus Christ has provided for the eternal future of those who accept Him.
Jesus Christ is so important that His name is flourishing around the world in spite of secularism. Throngs are attending meetings and coming to know Jesus Christ in places like China, Indonesia, Africa, Russia, and, progress is even being made in the Middle East. Jesus Christ provides HOPE and FREEDOM and PEACE in the hearts and lives of millions.
Jesus Christ is so important that the secular world ignores His history in schools. Jesus Christ has more historical references than many of the historical figures studied today in schools. In addition there are over 300 prophesies given in the Old Testament regarding the birth of Jesus Christ. The majority of these prophesies have already been fulfilled and all have came true without fail. No other person or book has equaled that record.
Jesus Christ was so important the authorities in Jesus' day tried desperately to eradicate His name and discourage His followers from teaching about Him, yet the name of Jesus flourished all the more because of it. Today, the same thing is happening. Although the courts and many retailers are trying to eradicate the name of Jesus Christ, there is a backlash going on in this country that the media fails to understand.
As we have seen, the secular world is declaring the importance of Jesus Christ daily. Should you not look at this Jesus and see the truth of His importance? For 2000 years the world has attempted to eradicate His name. Why is He so important in every generation? No other individual in the history of humanity has had such an impact.
Who is this Jesus? Why is Jesus so important? Why was He here? Is He really God? These questions and more are brought to mind every Christmas as Christians celebrate His arrival into this world and secularists do all in their power to remove His name from the public square. Christ loves and died for all humanity and humanity must now make a decision to either reject Him or accept Him.
The ONLY decision left to be made is which side do you choose to be on - the side of Jesus or the side of Satan. God has already judged all of us and placed each of us on the side of Satan but each of us has an opportunity to change that by making our own choice. If you fail to choose, or if you CHOOSE the god of this world (Satan) and all that it offers, then you are CHOOSING hell. If, however, you CHOOSE Jesus Christ, you are CHOOSING eternal life in heaven. Please remember that the final chapter of history has already been written and Jesus Christ is the victor.
If you would like to make the decision for heaven and Jesus, it is as easy as:
1. Face the fact that your sin has separated you from the God who loves you.
2. Turn away from all your sin (repent) and
A: believe (or trust) that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin and
B: believe that He rose again on the third day in victory over death and sin.
3. Ask Jesus to come into your life, take control of it, forgive your sin and make you a child of God. You might pray something similar to this:
Father in Heaven,
I know that I am a sinner and I need your forgiveness. I am asking you to come into my life and be my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please take control of my life and help me to learn more about You.
I pray in the name of Jesus - Amen.
"For he says, I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you. Look, now is the acceptable time look, now is the day of salvation!" (11 Corinthians 6:2 KJV)
All scripture quotes used with permission of the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved. |
