December 12 Family Christmas Questions / Advent Study
Here are the next questions for your family Christmas Study or Advent Study. They are followed by a creative idea on keeping Christ in your family Christmas. One great benefit of doing this with your family is that it will become a tradition which transcends the Advent Season whereby you do a short daily Bible study as a family at every meal throughout the year. Answer each question True or False. According to the Bible…
16) _____ The Christmas Revelation relates the birth of two babies.
17) _____ In the Christmas Revelation, the first appearance of an angel is to Mary.
18) _____ The Angel appeared to Mary at the time of the Immaculate Conception by the Holy Spirit
19) _____ The Angel appeared to Mary and Joseph on the same evening.
Keeping Christ In Christmas - Family and Personal Humanitarian Events. In America both Thanksgiving and Christmas are times of great outpouring of humanitarian service in both the church and the secular world. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach your children great truths of Scripture in terms of witnessing and outreach as well as practicing them on a personal basis. In Matthew 5:16 Jesus taught His disciples, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” We have chosen though to not participate in humanitarian ventures where we cannot share Christ and ask for a decision. This is for three reasons…
First, once a policy has been set that you cannot openly share Christ and ask for a decision, you as a Christian are in sin if you submit willingly to such a policy. Both Christ and the Apostles were very clear on this issue – Jesus - Mark 8:38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Romans 1:16 “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
Secondly it is blatantly dishonest to do a good work and not share Christ. The only reason you are able to do good works is because of your salvation and the only purpose of doing good works is the glory of God. God the Holy Spirit clearly teaches in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” The only Biblical options presented in Scriptures when the gospel is forbidden is persecution, imprisonment or death.
Lastly we do these good works to teach our Children Biblical truths. This is not accomplished by warning them beforehand to not mention Jesus and to be careful not to bring anyone into a decision point concerning the eternal destiny of their soul. “We are all going to the soup kitchen to feed the poor because of Jesus but be careful not to tell anyone about Jesus nor lead them to salvation, we are keeping this secret.”
This Christmas by all means engage in good deeds but do so for the purpose of the glory of God and the salvation of the souls of men. By no means submit to satan’s prohibition when it comes to the sharing of the gospel of Christ.
The Answers to today’s Advent Questions -
16. T - Luke 1:5 - 17, 26 -38 (The Christmas Revelation relates the birth of two babies.) The birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus Christ.
17. F - Luke 1:8 - 14 (In the Christmas Revelation, the first appearance of an angel is to Mary.) The Angel Gabriel first appears to Zacharias in the temple.
18. F - Luke 1:34 & 35 (The Angel appeared to Mary at the time of the Immaculate Conception by the Holy Spirit.) The Angel appeared to Mary and it was only later that she actually conceived of the Holy Spirit. (“the Holy Spirit will come upon you” ) There is no record of how this (the conception) happened or if Mary was even aware of its occurrence at the time. The popular media depictions of a light or other visible presence at the time of the Immaculate Conception are pure fabrication. Although not simultaneous with the visitation by the Angel, Mary’s immaculate conception was evidently a short time after the Angel appeared because the pregnancy had time to become noticeable before Mary’s wedding to Joseph..
19. F - Matthew 1:18-24 (The Angel appeared to Mary and Joseph on the same evening.) The Angel appeared to Mary before her conception. It was after this that she conceived of the Holy Spirit.(Matthew 1:18 “the Holy Spirit will come upon you”). Enough time then passed for her pregnancy to become known to Joseph (Matthew 1:19) and the families. It was at this time that Joseph determined to put her away. Then and only then, did the Angel appear to Joseph.
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