Christmas Day: A Day To Do Birthdays Right!!!

Praises to our Lord on this day (December 25th), the celebration of His birthday!

It amazes me how we would be greatly offended if on our birthdays those who say they love us and are our family and friends, gave gifts to others and not us. But we do this very thing to the Lord every year. Yet He kindly let’s us see our birthdays with the gifts and blessings to match.

Someone may say, "Yes, but how am I to give Jesus a birthday gift? How is that possible?"

May I suggest that since since we give gifts to persons in bodily form; that is, we present or have them presented to a person in or at a location where we and they can meet each other. Then it should follow that the Lord is given a gift in the same fashion. What is the body of Christ on earth? The local church -- the body of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, the Lord, who meet regularly together in fellowship and worship toward Him and live in obedience to His commands as set forth in His Holy Word, which is each week to be regularly proclaimed and taught by leaders called pastor-teachers (Ephesians 3:17-21; 4:10-13; 5:15-21, 30; Acts 1:8; 2:41-47; Hebrews 10:23-25; I Timothy 4:16; I Peter 5:2).

So then, why not present on Christmas Day the gift you would bring to the Lord, by giving it to Him in worship as a member of His body the local church where you worship.

What has been accepted is that we regularly and systematically buy gifts with the resources which the Lord has blessed us to have; from most places and persons that sell during this time of year to make merchandise and profit in the name of the very One of whom they aren't willing to even acknowledge on that day as the real reason for the season which they profit from. Then we turn around and do somewhat of a similiar thing as the persons and places of merchandise and profit. We give those gifts we purchase to persons of whom this day is not their birthday.

What we need to do on Christmas Day is give to the places that represent the Lord and His work. Starting with the local church, and then other parachurch minstries and charities. What would be right is to give gifts to our children and others as they should do with us as well...on one another's birthdays. For some their birthday is Christmas Day! All this means is that gifts should be given to Christ and to them. Why? It's their birthday!!!

Now let me ask this question: Which of us are really doing birthdays right????

A Danger to the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Co-belligerency by Ecumenism

I still find it a blatant disregard for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we should seek to be in a co-belligerency of any sort with anyone except in the first cause, and ultimacy of our responsibility as Christians, that being the spread of the gospel. Also, if this is done it ought to be with those who share our common faith. The gospel is always at stake when there is the unequally yoking of ourselves with unbelievers (II Corinthians 6:14).

We are not brothers and sister with unbelievers in Jesus Christ!! The kind of talk and those kind of statements such as: "we are brothers and sister" and “we must learn to live as brothers and sisters, or die together as fools” are not true or biblical. I just see the fact that the Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, as well as any other followers of the religions of this world are going to in their system of belief – do what they will to reach or proselytize converts to their system. So we as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ are within the system He has handed down in Scripture, to share the gospel with unbelievers that they might come to know HIM as the one true Lord and Saviour of all. These other religions do not share that sentiment. More so in the fact that they exist apart from any desire to surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord.

Ecumenism is becoming more and more a deception that is leading to the destruction of the message the Church of Jesus Christ has. It is my conviction that we should in the system that Jesus Christ has laid down in His Word; reach the masses of humanity with the liberating truth of the Gospel. After all that is what the other religious groups are going to do anyway within their own system. They and their beliefs are diametrically opposed to Biblical Christianity either way. Let them do what they are going to do, and we should do what we are going to do to reach humanity. But I don’t see that there is any need to lay down our standards and think that they are going to do the same and we should just throw our arms around them and their system and think that it will all work out.

The Apostle Paul warns us of this kind of strategy in Romans 16:17-18, “(17) I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. (18) For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people (NIV).”

Again in II Corinthians 11:12-15 he says, “(12) And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. (13) For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. (14) And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (15) So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds (ESV).”

So for me to be a fellow worker with such things that are contrary to Scripture and conscience is a sin and I cannot go against either.

"Living With A Giant: The Life of a Great Man of Faith"

I write this blog with a heart of gratitude to God in appreciation for the life and ministry of Dr. Robert H. Wilson, Sr., affectionately known by those who know him as "Dr. Bob!" He has just celebrated 76 years of the ministry in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. On November 22, 2009, The Baptist Ministers' Conference of Dallas, Texas along with many other accross the nation convened at Cornerstone Baptist Church of Christ (founded by Dr. Wilson in 1981) where Dr. Craig E. White is currently serving as pastor.

Dr. Wilson is currently Pastor Emeritus of Cornerstone Baptist Church of Christ. He began preaching at the age of 9, and pastored his first congregation in Columbia, South Carolina at 16. He has pastored congregations until he founded Cornerstone in 1981 and after 25 years of serving as Senior Pastor retired in 2006 at the age of 82. He has served in a myriad of areas including, the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. in which he provided illustrious leadership as Executive Director of the Foreign Mission Board and then the Congress of Christian Education. He is the proud husband of his wife of 64 years, Elise Wider Wilson, and father of Roberta Wilson Nicholson and Robert H. Wilson, Jr. He most enjoys time spent with his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

I am grateful to God for the life and ministry of Dr. Robert H. Wilson, Sr. For me like so many others across this nation he has been a mentor and friend. In the many years I have known him, which began by way of my local church association’s (Eastern 7th District Baptist Association) past moderator, Dr. M. L. Thomas. I must say that he has always been a giant among preachers of the 20th and 21st centuries.



My mind goes to the book by Warren Weirsbe entitled, "Living With the Giants: Lives of Great Men of the Faith", in which Weirsbe chose men of God/great preachers of the 17th -20th centuries as examples of faith to be emulated.


Well, I must dare to say the same is true of Dr. Robert H. Wilson, Sr. He is a man of God to be emulated as an example of genuine faith, anointed Biblical preaching, and godly shepherding as a pastor-teacher. I take a pun from Weirsbe with relation to the kind of giant we have in Dr. Wilson. Weirsbe says, "We are prone to be so fascinated with the latest religious fads and Christian celebrities that we forget that 'there were giants in the earth in those days...' Well, I would say we still have giants of a godly variety in the earth in our days, in the person of Dr. Robert H. Wilson!!!!!

Long may he live! And may all of his years be blessed!!!!

Prayer -- A Grace and A Lifestyle: To Be Ever Before Him

The reality of prayer for the believer and its long term effects is what many never consider. They would prefer the short term thrill, and miss the eternal rewards. What a travesty of Christian discipleship and practice!!!!

In Scripture prayer is totally a lifestyle (Philippians 4:6; Ephesians 6:18) and a grace (Psalm 145:18; Hebrews 4:16) given us by God to keep us ever before Him (I Kings 8:28-30).

May that grace dominate our lives. To be ever before Him!!!

May that lifestyle be the practice of our lives. To be ever before Him!!!

These two have a long term and eternal affect!