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STATE MISSIONS: What Makes Jesus So Precious?
Paul White
Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ is more than a Christian holiday or a Christian festival. It is an opportunity to pause and give thanks for the love, hope and joy found in Jesus. As we exchange gifts with loved ones, it is out of remembrance of the gift God gave us in Jesus.
After Jesus was born, a small group of wise men visited Him. They recognized the kingship of Jesus and they “worshipped Him.” You, too, can offer up your worship and thanks to God through prayers this Christmas — prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of hope, love and joy.
While your Christmas this year might look different than in previous years, just remember the true meaning of Christmas doesn’t depend on the number of gifts under a tree or the type of food on your table. The message of Christmas doesn’t change if you are surrounded by family, missing loved ones for the first time or on your own. It is not affected by the house you live in or don’t live in.
God’s love is for everyone. You are not alone. You are loved, and you can feel hopeful and joyful. That is the true meaning of Christmas. If you haven’t accepted Him as your personal savior, I encourage you to do so at this time. While we do not have much, if any, control over the past, the future lies before us. Joy to the world, God has given us a way to enter into a relationship with Him. “And you will seek for Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).
Merry Christmas from our family to yours. (Paul and Vicki White)
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “We have had a busy week preparing for the Christmas celebration. On Wednesday, we rehearsed Christmas carols and the rest of the nights we were wrapping presents. Each night, different volunteers arrived with paper and tape, willing to work.
Thursday, we went to collect more gifts, the latter was 400, which we will not be able to wrap, but we will deliver them to the children of the community.
“Sunday night, the youth of our church came to visit us at our house for the already traditional Christmas socks party. We enjoyed studying the Word, playing games and eating. It was a good time of encouragement for them. We also managed to prepare 12 Christmas baskets full of groceries and buy winter clothes to share with some people we have identified that are in need of this type of support. We pray these families will remain grateful to God for His provision.
“On Monday, Dec. 19, we began to receive parents and guardians in the temple. After sharing the gospel and praying with them, we will deliver gifts for their children.
“We are taking advantage of all the opportunities the season brings us to impact the lives of church members and our community to share the gospel with them. Let us pray that various people may receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “From Sunday, Dec. 11 until Wednesday, Dec. 14, I was sick. But, thank God, I am now much better.
“Last Thursday, we had our last meeting with my Old Testament students. We enjoyed a time of fellowship and going through the whole timeline from Genesis to the return of Israel after 70 years of the Babylonian captivity to enter the 400-year period of silence.
“We had our Christmas service on Dec. 17, with food, fellowship, a gospel presentation and candle lighting. Our attendance was 33, and we had the presence of 2 visiting families and young people. It was a good opportunity to connect with new people.
“Sunday, Dec. 18, we were with our mother church, Chenal Valley Baptist Church, and enjoyed a united worship service. We heard the Word of God sung and the Word of God preached by Pastor Allen Morton.
“After the service, I was approached by a couple from our mother church to give us an offering for the project we have to support the newly arrived Venezuelan family in need. They had read about it in our Baptist Trumpet report. We will be giving a love offering this week to help cover the cost of clothing and Christmas gifts for their children. A thousand thanks to everyone who reads our reports, prays for us and supports us. To God be the glory!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin:Johnny Shew writes, “We had a great week at Faith Chapel! We had a wonderful time of worship Sunday morning. We had a really good number, with several of our members that had been out sick or traveling returning. Sadly though, some are still out sick. There are so many things going around right now, and we just are praying for healing and protection from the Lord.
“Friday night, we had a family/fellowship night with finger foods and desserts and had a great time. We had intended to sing carols and play games, but everyone was having such a good time just visiting with each other that turned out to be the main event.
“Sunday evening, we all went to our mother church, The Bridge, and had a baptism service for Lilly, who I told you about last week. It was extremely joyous! Then we joined them for their Christmas fellowship party, which was also a wonderful time. Two parties in one week! Woo-hoo! All kidding aside, there is nothing like Christian fellowship. It helps us to hold each other up, bear each other’s burdens and show the love of Jesus to those He has placed us with to serve.
“Thank you for your prayers for us, Faith Chapel, Flippin and the people here that we are trying to reach. Please continue as God is answering them.”
The Table, Springdale: Clinton Morris writes, “We had an amazing week. There were many meetings throughout the week with several people that are trying to figure out how they can help our church and a few that were just interested in attending the church.
“On Saturday, Drew and Kaley hosted our church Christmas party and potluck. It was a great time of fellowship. We had a guest visit from one of our church members that had moved out of state. We watched a funny Christmas movie, had amazing food, shared Christmas cookies, caroled to the neighbors, gave gifts and had games. My heart was full.
“One of the big things we did last year was to pray through the month of December. We decided to have several corporate moments of prayer through December. Our first one was Saturday, Dec. 17. My heart was so touched by the amazing prayers of these people at the Table. It was such an encouraging time of lifting up our needs to our Heavenly Father, and to hear the hearts of the other people who attended and participated. The prayer time went on for 40 minutes. I had originally thought it would not go as long since it was the first one. It was so beautiful! The Holy Spirit is moving among us.”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes “We enjoyed a great time of food and fun at our Christmas fellowship this week! “Over the last month, we have been studying the birth of our Savior and topped it off with dinner and trivia. Our congregation loves the trivia time, and it helps keep the Scripture fresh in our minds.
“We were able to secure some weekly speaking opportunities within our community at a local nursing home and an adult day center. We have really enjoyed sharing and being able to love on these residents. It also gives us a chance to minister to the staff. We are going to also continue speaking at local schools and look for speaking engagements when they arise.
“From our Faith Journey family to yours, Merry Christmas!”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “We were able to celebrate our first Christmas service on Sunday, with a record attendance for us — 31 people (12 people visited us for the first time). We are so amazed to see so many people hungry for God. Every week it is so beautiful to see families joining our mission.
There were 15 families from many Latin American countries who sang together the truths about what God did in Christ for His glory and for our good. Then the sermon was a reflection on Luke 2:1-14. We see that the most wonderful hymn of Christmas was the one that the angels sang to the shepherds and there is the purpose of Christmas in two words — glory and peace. At the end, we shared the Christmas dinner with typical dishes from different countries and gave gifts to each family and child.”
Epic Life, Pea Ridge: Jake McCandless writes, “We weren’t too loud, but we still got the boot from the city library’s community room. There is a rule that a church can’t hold its worship service in a city government building.
“So, our monthly worship gathering is now homeless. Surprisingly, we’re now in need of finding a place for our worship gathering and a ‘neutral’ meeting place. After meeting with Bro. Paul about some possible options, I shared the idea of getting a place with our group. I was so encouraged that they hesitated because our vision is focused on building neighborhood Connection Groups. That is still our focus, but we’re leaning toward the need for a visible ‘hub’ we can work out of as well. Pray as we take the steps forward with this.”