Luke 2:15 -16 - When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger."  NASU
 
I send this Pump Up out every year at this time for all my new subscribers. I have made some updates to it this year. May you have a very Merry Christmas.

• The Meaning of Bethlehem

Most Christians probably know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Some have incorrectly thought He was born in Jerusalem or Nazareth, but it was Bethlehem.

What some may not know is the meaning of Bethlehem. It means "house of bread."
 
Jesus was the Bread of Life or the Bread of God that came from the "house of bread" to give spiritual life to the world. 

John 6:33 - "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."  

John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.  

John 6:41 - So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 

John 6:48 - "I am the bread of life."  

John 6:51 - "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  
 
Jesus was and is the Bread of Life. If you are spiritually hungry Jesus is the One who can take away all of your hunger pains. If you have been wondering - "What is my purpose in life?" Then look to Jesus for your answers. I did and have never regretted looking to Him for guidance in this life.

• The Sheep of Bethlehem

Bethlehem was five miles from Jerusalem. The sheep which grazed on the hills of Bethlehem would one day be sacrificed in Jerusalem. 
 
The sheep were offered on the altar were special as they were sheep without a blemish.
 
When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said this about Him. 
 
John 1:29 - The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John saw Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and this Lamb was born in Bethlehem where a lot of other lambs were born and would sacrifice their blood. But only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, could atone for the sins of mankind.  
 
I hope and pray you have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins.

• Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and please don't forget that many years ago the Bread of Life, Jesus, and the Lamb of God, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem so that we could be fed spiritually and our sins could be atoned for by the Blood of the Lamb, which is Jesus.

What greater gift could anyone receive?
 
Truly, Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving.

Think on This:

Jesus is the reason for the season.
 
The Christmas season is only as meaningful as we make it.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
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Jn 5:36 - "… the very works that I do — testify about Me,…"    NASU 
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• The Works Of Jesus 

In our text above Jesus said the works that He did testified about Him. He was given a job by His Father and He accomplished it. Therefore, the accomplished works of Jesus stated clearly what kind of person He was.
 
John the Baptist was in prison and he is having some doubts about Jesus being the Messiah so he sends some of his men to ask Jesus if He were the One that was to come or should they be looking for another.
 
Jesus gives them this answer in Luke 7:22-23 - And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed , and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM."  NASU
 
Oh yeah, He is the One all right because Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be doing exactly what Jesus said He has been doing. 

• The Works Of You 

What would your works say about you?
 
I was at the bedside of a man who was going in for some major heart surgery. When we were all alone he confessed to me that he had not been living his life correctly and he would like to have a second chance to make things right at home, at work and most importantly with the Lord.
 
I prayed that he would come through his surgery successfully and that the Lord would allow him time to change his legacy.
 
I learned something really important from that brother that day and it was when you are faced with the possibility that you might die you really want to arrange your life according to those things which are really important. 

• What Is Really Important To You? 

As you read this Pump Up and with no one else around answer this question, "What is really important to you? Now do some introspection of yourself and can you say that your works testify that what you're doing matches what you think is important?
 
If you said, "My family, my job or the Lord is important to me." Then your works should be your proof that your family, job or the Lord is really important to you.
 
Don't say that something is important to you and then have no works to support your statement because that will make you a hypocrite and that is certainly not what you're interested in accomplishing.

It was really important for Jesus to stay focused on His goals and we see Him doing exactly that staying focused on His purpose for coming to earth. That is why He says that His works testify about Him.
 
So ask yourself this question: "What do your works say about you?"
 
Think on These:
 
The plain fact is that human beings are happy only when they are striving for something worthwhile.
 
This will be a better world when the power of love replaces the love of power.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

Matt 27:50 -51 - And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.  NASU 
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• My Opinion 

It was a common Jewish custom to tear one's clothing when expressing grief over the loss of a loved one. This can be seen very clear when Jacob is deceived into believing his son Joseph has been killed by a wild animal.
 
Gen. 37:33-34 - Then he examined it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!" So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.  NASU
 
David also tears his clothes when he receives news of the death or King Saul and his son Jonathan.
 
2 Sam. 1:11-12 - Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
 
My Opinion is: When God tore the veil in the temple He was tearing His garment to display His grief over the death of His Son.
 
For my readers that may not be familiar with the temple and veil let me explain: the temple was divided into two parts the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.
 
What separated these two parts was the Veil. The only person allowed in the Holy of Holies was the High Priest and he would only go in there on the Day of Atonement.
 
Now the Veil has been torn and we have access to the Father through Jesus Christ His Son and not one day a year but everyday of the year we have access to Him. 

• Torn Veil 

As the Jewish people would tear their clothes to show their grief and sadness over the loss of their loved one so God tore the Veil to show His grief over the loss of life of His Son, Jesus.
 
It has also been said that the tearing of a garment at the time of death is a reminder that the body has been torn away from the spirit.
 
The spirit is now alive with God.
 
What better thought for us to dwell upon as we approach Resurrection Sunday.
 
Jesus is with the Heavenly Father and so can we be with them.
 
When we die we can go to Heaven as long as we have confessed Jesus to be our Savior and Lord, repented of our sins and been immersed into Christ through baptism.
 
It is my  prayer you will make sure you have taken care of this very important decision.
 
Think About These:
 
When we die we leave behind us all that we have and take with us all that we are.
 
The nearer the time comes for our departure from this life, the greater our regret for wasting so much of it.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word