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Two Interesting Facts About Jesus' Birth Place
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.
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?" Then look to Jesus for your answers.
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 totally atone for the sins of mankind. I hope and pray you have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins.
Please don't forget many years ago the Bread of Life, Jesus, and the Lamb of God, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem. This all happened 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 About These: Blessed are those who can give without remembering, and receive without forgetting. 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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John 1:4-5 - In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. NASB
The people in this world who will accept Jesus as the Light of the world will receive spiritual Light. Jesus will also give them spiritual Life. John 8:12 - Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." John 12:36 - "While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light." It is Christmas time and for many this is known as a time to give gifts. I would like to encourage all of my readers if you have not given yourself the gift of Life through Jesus Christ the Light of the world now is the time. (Contact me and I will be happy to share how you can accept the gift of eternal life from Jesus the Light of the world.) If you already have given yourself the gift of Life then by all means please share this gift with others and as you share remember this one thing.
One of the saddest things I have experienced in my life time is sharing the gospel with people and they would not allow the Light to shine into their life. I can remember equating this event to the lyrics of a song sung by the rock band known as the Eagles. The song was entitled "Already Gone" the lyrics are as follows: "Just remember this my girl when you look up in the sky You can see the stars and still not see the light, that's right." I have told numerous people about Jesus the Light but they were not able to comprehend what I was saying. In other words, I was not able to lead them out of the darkness and into the Light. They could see the stars but they couldn't see the Light, Jesus Christ the One who made the stars.
Also, it is my prayer that anyone you shine the Light on will be led out of the darkness and truly see the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. Think About These: We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. Life is 10% what you make it and 90% how you take it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Lk 2:7 - And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Gk - kataluma). NASU
Mk 14:14 - and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is My guest room (Gk - kataluma) in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' NASB
I have included the above two passages of scripture that use the same Greek word "kataluma". In the Luke passage it is interpreted "inn" and in the Mark passage it is interpreted "guest room". I believe the best translation would be "guest room" and if I am correct then there wasn't any "heartless innkeeper". So how did we get so far off the track? Kenneth E. Bailey in his book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, says, "an anonymous Christian wrote an expanded account of the birth of Jesus … and is called The Protoevangelium of James. This book is said to have been written 200 years after the birth of Jesus and is filled with imaginative details surrounding His birth. Much of the incorrect theology of the birth of Jesus and surrounding events has come from this non-canonical work.
In Luke 2:4 - Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,… All Joseph had to do was tell people of his lineage and that he was a descendant of King David and he and Mary would have been immediately welcomed into any person's home in Bethlehem, the city of King David. King David was and is a hero of theirs and to be able to say that one of his relatives is staying in your house would be considered a great honor. Another point is Joseph had been in Bethlehem days before Jesus was born. It didn't happen like the Christmas story when they arrive at night, find no room at the inn and immediately Mary gives birth to Jesus in a barn aka stable. Luke 2:6 says, "While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth". Who is the "they"? The "they" is Joseph and Mary. Where is "there"? The "there" in the above passage is Bethlehem. The culture that could be found in those days would be screaming "stay with us, stay with us". Joseph is a descendant of King David and Mary is pregnant. They would be welcomed in any home because of their ancestors and I believe they were. Houses in this day had a "guest room". The house they went to had a "guest room" and it was taken by someone but that doesn't mean they couldn't stay in the house. Mr. Bailey's book goes on to draw a layout of what a typical first century house would have looked like and how it wasn't uncommon for a house to have a place for their animals stay in as well (pg.29).
It wasn't uncommon for a house to be built so that at one end the livestock could be brought in and kept safe at night from theft or attacks from other wild animals. In the daylight they would be untied and taken outside.
Also, remember that Jesus' birth record we have been discussing is also recorded by Luke. The same man would use the same word if he were referencing a similar place. The Good Samaritan story found in Luke 10:34 - "…and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn,…" (Gk - pandocheion) and took care of him. The Good Samaritan brought the victim to an "inn" but Luke uses a different Greek word for this "inn". He uses the Greek word - "pandocheion". He doesn't use the Greek word "kataluma" that he used in referencing Jesus' birth place, but he uses "pandocheion" for a lodging place. My point is if there were no rooms in the lodging place "pandocheion" with the heartless innkeeper for Jesus to be born in then why didn't Luke use that word?
I am hoping you will see this Pump Up as a tool that says you are never too old to learn something new. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. KJV I hope you will continue to "study" God's Word and "rightly divide the word of truth". Think About These: Truth is not always popular, but it is always right. To hear truth and not accept it doesn't nullify it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 12:13, 15- Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." …Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." NASU
Instead Jesus warns them and us all about evil that is associated with greed. Jesus didn't come to settle financial matters between two brothers. Jesus came to lead men to God not lead men to wealth. Do you believe Jesus was successful in leading men to God? When we look at all the evil in this world we might have a tendency to believe Jesus wasn't successful in this endeavor as more people are on their way to hell than heaven. We must remember Jesus never said He was going to lead more people to God than satan was going to lead people to hell. In fact, He said just the opposite in Matt. 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Jesus specifically informs us that the way to life is narrow and "FEW" find it. If you are reading this Pump Up and you are on the narrow way you should scream "Hallelujah!" A smile should come on your face because you have found something that many people have missed. You are one of the FEW that has found the way to life.
Here is how it is stated in the book of Luke 19:10 - "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." This was Jesus' purpose and now that we are disciples of Jesus it has to be our purpose as well. We now have the privilege to inform others about what God and Jesus have accomplished for everyone who desires to be with God for all eternity. I like how Jesus wants us to put our life in correct perspective when He says, "for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Jesus is saying what we all know. Life is more than possessions. You're not going to take your possessions with you. We just watched people in NC lose everything because of the flooding that totally devastated many homes. The ones that survived all seemed to say the same thing. "We lost everything but our lives so we are fine." What will a person give in exchange for his or her life? The answer is every worldly possession. You can have it all. Just let me live to be with my family for another day. I have lived the life of a Christian man in hopes that my life would be an example to my children. I know we are all going to die and I would love for my children and grandchildren to follow me as I have followed Christ to Heaven.
We go to Heaven because we have been forgiven of our sins by God. It can't be made any clearer than in the book of Acts 2:38 - Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins ; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. When people ask me about baptizing them I always read to them this passage of scripture. It informs them that their repenting and be baptized does something for them. It brings them the forgiveness of their sins and the Holy Spirit now resides with in them. This is what Jesus was talking about in the book of John 3:5 when he said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. It is my prayer if you are reading this you will allow Jesus to lead you to a relationship with God the Father. Allow Him to accomplish His purpose of coming to earth by leading you to your Heavenly Father. I know He succeeded when He lead me to the straight and narrow pathway. I know I made the best decision of my life when I believed in Their plan to save mankind and entered through the small gate and on to the narrow way that leads to eternal life where our Heavenly Father resides. Think About This: God cares for people through people. I hope you will allow Him to use you today to care for those who are not on the narrow way. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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