The True Meaning Of Christmas

The True Meaning Of Christmas

At our YACG Christmas party last night at the residence of our dear Pastor Micky, amidst good food, great company and cheerful singing, we also had the privilege of hearing him give us a short message on the true meaning of Christmas.

The world today celebrates Christmas for many things – Santa Claus, Food, Gifts, Christmas trees, Shopping, Caroling and Snowmen. However the true story of Christmas is not about all those things, good and fun though they may be. The true story all starts with a little baby in manger, but he is not just any little baby. He is God’s Son…….

For God so loved the world that He gave us His one and only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him would not perish but have eternal life. As Christians, we first of all celebrate Christmas because of love.  The awesome and mighty God, who created our whole universe, and countless galaxies across the heavens, was willing to sacrifice His only Son because of all of us, both you and me. We love because He first loved us, and as we celebrate Christmas, let us remember to love God’s Son, our Lord Jesus.

Secondly, we celebrate Christmas because of Hope. Today’s life is filled with despair. The newspapers are filled everyday with stories of war and disaster, crime and misery. It is easy to lose hope and reason for life. Even superstars of international fame have been found to commit suicide in a state of hopelessness despite having achieved everything one could wish for in the eyes of others. Yet as we celebrate Christmas, we remember again our hope in Jesus, which is the foundation of our life, our purpose for living. We see that our life on earth is only a temporary thing, but we eagerly hope for our future eternal life in heaven which we have because of our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Finally, we celebrate Christmas because of Joy. Because God loved us and sent His Son for us for the forgiveness of our sins, we have a living hope and because of this, we have great joy. So let us rejoice this Christmas in honor of the wonderful God who loved us and His Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us and is raised to life, and now gives life and forgiveness to whoever receives Him.

God bless,

Jason

Four Classes At Christmas

Four Classes At Christmas

On Christmas day, CDC had the distinct privilege of inviting one of their favorite guest speakers, Reverend Lai Mooi Him to give the Christmas message. In an interesting and unique approach, the dear Reverend chose to focus on four distinct classes of people who were actually there when Christmas first happened.

The Innkeeper

Joseph and his wife Mary looked high and low in all Bethlehem that night, but there was no room at all in sight. Finally, the “best” one innkeeper could offer them was the dirty, old manger where Christ was born that not-so-silent night. At the time of the census, where everyone was required to go back to his hometown to register, the inns would have been packed with guests, with every nook and cranny filled as much as possible. It was a very busy time for the innkeeper, and he had no time to have more than a little glimmer of compassion for a distressed mother who was about to give birth at anytime…. Christmas is a busy time, a time for shopping, parties, activities and even making money for some-yet in all our hustle and bustle, we must ask ourselves: have we lost our focus?

Have we forgotten what Christmas is all about? Are we too busy for Jesus?

The Shepherds

In those days, shepherds were deemed to be of little repute, people of the lowest class, even deemed hardly proper people at all. They kept to themselves and their flock by night. Humbly and patiently, they would sit by the quiet night, enjoying the night breeze and the vastness of the skies. However, that night, they were absolutely terrified, for the night skies was suddenly filled with angels everywhere, proclaiming the birth of the Savior of the World! The shepherds believed the angels and went to see the babe Jesus where they bowed down and worshipped Him, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Unlike the busy innkeeper, the shepherds were humble and patient, they had time for the Lord… Let us learn then to be humble and patient, and make time to spend with the Lord, and His favor will certainly follow us - like the poor shepherds who became most privileged of people that faithful night.

The Wise Men

From far, far away in the East, the Wise Men had perceived through the study of the stars, that a great King would appear in the West. For thousands upon thousands of miles, they persevered through desert and mountain to seek out He that would be Savior of the World. In their pursuit of the truth, they were willing to endure great hardship, and when they finally found the baby Jesus, offered costly sacrifices of gold and myrrh and frankincense. And they went away rejoicing…. These men were not Jews, but they were seekers, and because they did not give up, they finally found the truth……. Let us ask ourselves, are we seeking Jesus today? His Word promises that if we seek God with all our heart and soul, we will certainly find Him!

The Religious Leaders

The Chief Priests and Teachers of the law were with King Herod when the Wise Men arrived, and they could even tell them from Scripture where they could find the Messiah, in Bethlehem! But amazingly, they did not go for themselves! They knew all the answers, they knew the Scriptures, but they did not go, they did not need Jesus……… In their own eyes, they were the elite of the people, and did not need salvation from any Messiah. They were proud, and self-sufficient, they deemed themselves worthy on their own. Sometimes, we too in Church today can become like that- we pay our tithes, serve in so many areas, and do so many good deeds. We can easily become proud and think we are Ok and unwittingly, we do not realize that we live and think as though we do not need Jesus.

In conclusion, let us heed the warnings and examples of the four classes. Let us not be too busy for Jesus like the Innkeeper, or too proud and self-sufficient for Jesus like the Religious Leaders. Instead, let us be humble and patient like the Shepherds, and truly seek Jesus from the bottom of our heart like the Wise Men. Let us always remember and focus on the true meaning of Christmas always, for without Christ, there is certainly no Christmas.....

Christmas

Christmas

This Christmas Eve at CDC, we had the privilege of Reverend Dr Tan Kim Sai give the message on Christmas.

Today, Christmas is a time of celebration – exchanging of gifts, shopping, food, entertainment and Santa Claus. Carols fill the air, and beautiful voices sing great songs, and everyone indeed, has a general feel good mood. Here and there, we catch odd nativity scenes, a baby in a manger, a virgin mother, singing angels, humble shepherds, a bright star and three wise kings of Orient old. But what is Christmas about actually?

A long time ago in Bethlehem, so the Holy Bible says, Mary’s boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day! And this is why we celebrate:- Jesus Christ, the Savior of the whole world, was born on this very day!

Reverend Tan exhorts us with all his passion: Know Jesus Christ! The Word of God says that all things were created by Him and for Him, and in Him all things hold together! Jesus Christ is the reason we have hope today, for He is the only one who is able to save us. He said “I am the resurrection and the life! No one comes to the Father except through me!” He stands at the door of each of our hearts and knocks, bidding that we invite Him in and be with us forever! He is the Son of God, Lord of all the angels, and there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. Scripture spoke of His first coming long before He came, and Scripture speaks of His second coming, when He will restore all things and make all things new!

The first two groups of people who saw this marvelous child were shepherds, and kings of the East. Jesus Christ is our Great Shepherd today, and also our mighty King of Heaven and Earth! He calls to us “Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest!” and He promises “No one who comes to me will I turn away”. With open arms, our Lord Jesus speaks, on Christmas Day and also every day, “Come and know me, and receive my salvation!”

May the Lord Jesus indeed draw us close to Him, and enable to know Him as He is, Great as a Lion, Humble as a Lamb, Lord of all Creation, Savior of all Mankind! Joy to the world indeed, for the Lord is come!

God bless,

Jason

A Special Christmas Message

This Sunday, as we celebrated our Christmas Service, we were privileged at CDC to have brother Ooi Chin Aik share a special Christmas Message.

Christmas is a time of gifts, and brother Ooi began by sharing how the greatest gift he ever received was Jesus, when he was aged just 10. His second greatest gift, he proudly declared was his China-born wife, who sang a lovely song in Mandarin which explained the meaning of Christmas.

In today’s world, we live in very uncertain times. Most of us are fearful of what 2009 will bring with the bleak economic outlook and global climatic changes casting a shadow over the whole earth. In recent times, we have indeed seen terrible earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, and the like. In our own home, we saw the tragedy of the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide and also the heroism of a veterinary surgeon, a mother who risked her life and lost it because of her love for her son. God is love, and because He made us in His image, all of us have the capacity to love, to sacrifice one’s self for another, just like the mother did for her son.

Brother Ooi shared how he recently went on a mission trip to Beijing in spring time, where the weather is normally cool and pleasant. However, this April, it was incredibly cold. Moving up North to Han Ping, where it is normally always cold, it was amazingly as hot as Malaysia. Indeed, the world changes and food production is threatened, and millions are endangered. The basic problem of the world is the problem of humanity, who is literally developing itself out of existence. When we break God’s physical laws, we have to suffer physical consequences.

Each one is special, being made in God’s image and God gave to each one of us a soul. A soul is so precious that Jesus said “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul?” Just like the mother went to save her child because of her love, God sent Jesus to save us because He is love.

The name Jesus was not given by men, but the angels declared it from Heaven on that Christmas starry night. Jesus means “He will save his people from their sins”. All of us are lost and without God, we have no reference point, no true purpose in life. Jesus said “I have come to seek and save the lost”. Christmas is about the seeking love of God, about God seeking His creation - us.

The gift of God’s Son Jesus Christ is the gift of eternal life, life that will live forever, ad abundant life, life that is joyful and fulfilling in every way. Jesus loves you. Some of us have fear for we are human, and many of us are anxious, but Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you and your family. God has given Jesus to you and for you. Jesus is the gift above all gifts, the blessing above all blessings.

In a garden party in a bug house, brother Ooi spoke to a couple who were anxious and worried. The husband had three children and was really afraid of losing his job. Brother Ooi encouraged them: God hears prayer. He understands. He knows what you are going through, and God is the God of grace. If we humble ourselves, God will give us grace. A lot of things in life come to us when we are prepare to humble ourselves before God. Though we are lost, God can help us. God says “Cast your cares upon me”.

Life is not about money. No matter the years of our life, God is there to receive us, and that is what matters. Halfway through a seafood dinner, brother Ooi received an urgent SMS requiring prayer for a man who had a tumor and his heartbeat was faltering. They all stopped eating and began to pray fervently for the man. Praise God, the man made it through, and even met them the next day. The doctors told the man that he had no hope but he believed, and is still alive today. God is not limited by the physical laws of science. God is a God of miracles. Nothing is too difficult for God! The birth of Jesus is a miracle, for the baby Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. God is able to wash away our sins. Though they are scarlet, we shall be white as snow.

The greatest demonstration of love is when Jesus died on the cross for the world. As a young boy at the age of eight, brother Ooi was fearful of death, for his best friend had suddenly died in a fire. But Jesus was born so that we never need to die. He said “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and he who lives and believes in me will never die”. At 10 years old, brother Ooi asked Jesus into his heart, and he felt a deep sense of peace. God loves me, and He loves you. In Jesus, we will receive eternal life, joy, peace, and the precious gift of the Holy Spirit. Whenever we fear, we only need to look to Jesus, and peace floods back in from the Prince of Peace.

Come 2009, Jesus says “Fear not, for I am with you.” When we receive Jesus, all other blessings from God will follows…

This Christmas, if anyone would wish to receive this precious gift, the gift of Jesus, the gift of eternal life, he need only pray honestly to Jesus “Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for me so that I may be forgiven. I ask You Lord Jesus to come into my life and my Lord and Savior. I receive Your Holy Spirit. Lead me always in Your ways. In Jesus name, Amen.”