It is a great honor and responsibility to be the pastor of Good News at Noon in Gainesville, GA.
Our mission is to feed the hungry, shelter men, minister to the neighborhood individuals, family and children. Above all we are a gospel ministry. Very often you will see the slogan #LiftJesusUp associated with Good News at Noon. This was the message the evangelist who led our late founder Gene Beckstein to Christ shared with him as “Mr. B.” received Christ for salvation. Mr. B shared in word and deed by feeding, clothing giving shelter and sharing the gospel.
This Christmas season we have had several men respond to the message of salvation. It is the Lord’s doing as people have received daily messages of hope from over fourteen preachers. On our chapel staff.
In this Christmas season I have stressed in my preaching that Christ was born to an unwed mother and put out in the barnyard to be born. With the smell of manure in the air the King of Glory was turned out to be born around animals by relatives who descended on Bethlehem as they fulfilled the census for all relatives of David as members of the tribe of Judah. Jesus Christ fully God and now fully man was born and turned away. He left a throne in heaven to save the world and was wrapped in “swaddling clothes. Swaddling clothes is a Bible word for rags.
He was born to die but also to live.
Romans 5:10 “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
He had a challenging birth, a challenging life free from the curse of sin. He died on the cross to pay the sin debt we all owe. He graciously offers us pardon for sins, peace with God, citizenship in heaven and a brother – Jesus Christ.
This is the greatest news. While preparing to enter service last week last week I was verbally assaulted by someone in the congregation with complaints that were all
non-gospel issues. This was to me an aversion on the worship of God and the success of the offer of salvation. Several men responded to our night’s preacher Tim Leach. Today I preached about Christ, Christmas and the gospel. The Holy Spirit has stirred many hearts in our ministry lately. As soon as the service was over I waited to talk to people about Jesus. A man in bad physical condition made a statement with a “gotcha” question hidden in his conversation. He said “You seem to be Bible man.” Next, he turned on me. “Why are there so many pagan symbols here like this Christmas tree?” The man was destitute and has addiction problems. His life was in shambles. We have our ministry to the needy and scores of Christians in this town throwing out a life-line. There are services and gospel ministries for him. What did he see as his spiritual problem? We had a Christmas tree.
I quickly turned to conversation to Christ, but no he wanted to spread misguided religious babble when our mission is to share the saving gospel.
Christmas is our story. The gospel saves by the child with no sin who was born to a virgin, lived a perfect life and died for us, rose from the dead victoriously, and who sent THE Holy Spirit to turn us. To the gift of salvation.
It is Christmas. Be encouraged from our Savior. We will have opposition but trust in our Savior.
Christmas, understand it as part of the gospel and share it.
