JOY! Magazine December 2015

My articles in the previous few JOY! Magazines, have been examining a very important question, “What is the undeniable evidence of a person who truly knows God and is known by Him?” In this issue, I will examine the true mark of knowing the Lord: unconditional obedience. Obedience is evidence of a relationship Many assume wrongly that because they attend church, read their Bibles, pray now and again, pay tithes and are even using the gifts of the Spirit (like healing the sick, or prophesying and casting out demons), that they know God and are known by Him. However, Scripture makes it clear that this alone is no evidence that we do know the Lord and are known by Him. Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,…

Heavenly Father, Creator of life, the only true living God, we pray in the Name of Jesus, the Saviour and Redeemer. We pray in fear and awe of You, in reverence and with thanksgiving for Your Holy Spirit, the Resurrection Life! We praise You that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank You that You are so much bigger than our minds can begin to conceive. Thank You that You alone are perfect. Before You formed each one of us in the womb, You knew and approved us; You set us apart and consecrated us. You have plans for all of us - thoughts and plans for welfare and peace. We pray for the following in this issue: • Christmas: Thank You Lord Jesus for humbling Yourself to live among us…

Congratulations Your celebration issue is wonderful! The front cover, with all the photos of previous issues, brings back many memories. Actually, I don’t throw away any of my copies, so I’m pleased to have others to bless with the unsold copies we are able to collect. It was wonderful to read the testimonies of the regular contributors and to see photos of their families. It makes one cry to see the photos of the refugees; such a sad world we live in now. I found Peter Hammond’s review of Habbakuk excellent; the contrast [that he highlighted] in each chapter was very uplifting. God is still in control, although there is so much wickedness and cruelty, a Day of Judgement is coming when we’ll all give an account of our lives.…

In the Christmas story, the inn-keeper gets a bad rap. He is presented as a man who was indifferent to this needy couple who were about to give birth to a baby, and no ordinary baby, but the long-awaited Messiah. But how was he to know? The Heavenly angels never appeared to him singing, “Glory to God in the highest!”Nor did he see a special sign in the sky to indicate that something was afoot. Would you have missed Jesus? Mary and Joseph arrived at his inn. Normally he would welcome new guests as they would improve his profits. But this was peak season. And “there was no room for them in the inn.” Imagine, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was about to be born in his…

Have you ever wondered what the Christmas Carol, 12 Days Of Christmas, means? What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge that won’t come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? From 1558 until 1829, many Christians in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. 1. The ‘partridge in a pear tree’ was Jesus Christ 2. ‘Two turtle doves’ were the Old and New Testaments 3. ‘Three French hens’…

1. Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices. 2. Despite the tale of three wise men paying homage to baby Jesus, the Bible never gives a number. 3. Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing - toasting neighbours to a long life. 4. Carols weren’t sung in churches until they were introduced by St Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. 5. Hanging stockings out comes from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes packed with food for St Nicholas’ donkeys. He would leave small gifts in return. 6. Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe. 7. The word ‘Noel’ derives from the French expression “les bonnes nouvelles” or “the good news”. 8. Jesus was probably born…