WHAT WILL HAPPEN THIS YEAR?

Revelation 13:8 (NIV)
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

As we begin a brand new year, we have before us 365 days filled with opportunity. I don’t know what this year will bring. It could be the year of our Lord’s return for His Church. It will be a year of growth. As we step out in faith, I believe that God will do great things in our church. A few weeks ago, I mentioned the West Point maxim which I believe fits what the Scriptures have to speak to us. It states the following:

Excellence Can Be Attained If You…

Risk More Than Others Think Is Safe;

Care More Than Others Think Is Wise;

Dream More Than Others Think Is Practical;

Expect More Than Others Think Is Possible.

I actually think that spells out in human terms what God wants to see happen at St. Paul. We have some exciting days ahead as we begin our next semester of Small Groups. You need to be a part of our groups. Sign-ups begin in January.

The Lamb Slain from the Creation of the World

As I write this, think about the way that God planned redemption even before world was created. A few years ago, I preached a series of messages entitled “Mysteries of the Bible” in which one of the messages related to the star of Bethlehem. I recently watched a very interesting DVD entitled “The Star of Bethlehem.” Its general conclusion was the same as mine and in it the speaker had made a study of the heavens at the time of Jesus’ birth. I tend to believe that God put the message of the Gospel in the stars which was later perverted by the pagans and astrologers. Interestingly, the DVD concluded as I believe that it was very rare conjunction of the planet Jupiter (king planet) and star Regulus (crown) which was in the constellation Leo (lion symbol of tribe of Judah and of the kings of Israel). Current astronomy software shows this occurred in 3 B.C. (See sermon “The Star of Bethlehem” in sermon booklet “Mysteries of the Bible.”)

Rick Larson, the individual who studied and presents this information, has put together some really amazing information. He goes beyond the birth of Jesus to look at the death of Christ and the signs in the heavens. By looking at Scripture and other historical documentation, he is able to conclude that the crucifixion occurred on April 3, 33 A.D. Then, he checked out the astronomy events on the software, and it was amazing. A total lunar eclipse began to occur at the very hour of Christ’s death (3 P.M.) which were once called a “blood moon”. It wouldn’t have been observable until later in the evening but began to occur at 3 PM if it could have been seen. Now, a total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth directly blocks the light of the Sun from the Moon (so they are in a straight line). However, Larson then puts the observer on the Moon during the time of this total Eclipse so that one could see the Earth blocking out the light of the Sun. So, the picture on the astronomy software shows at the hour Jesus died the sun is blocked out. Then, he shows the background of the stars in the sky. At that moment the Sun, Earth, and Moon all in alignment are located in Aries, the slain Ram, in fact, the software shows Earth to be lined up right over the heart of Aries.

What Does It Mean?

It means that God has everything in control, that from the very beginning, He set the universe in motion to provide the signs which would be in place whenever Jesus was born and when He would die. Therefore, He has set the time for the return of our Lord. Perhaps it will be this year. We just need to always be ready.

Here’s the major point I wish to make here and that is the times and the seasons belong to Him. This year could be our season that God has for us at St. Paul. It is our year to grow by winning people to Christ. It is our year to grow up spiritually in Christ. It is our year to step out so that God will use us to accomplish great things in Midland. Remember God will be with us if we…

Risk More Than Others Think Is Safe;

Care More Than Others Think Is Wise;

Dream More Than Others Think Is Practical;

Expect More Than Others Think Is Possible.

Christmas Offering

Don’t forget our Christmas offering. We set a goal of $15,000 for three special areas of ministry—youth, evangelism, and missions. Those who were present at Messiah’s Cozy Coffeehouse saw the remodeling the youth have been doing with the purpose of reaching their friends. In the area of evangelism, it takes some funds to reach out, send out mailings to invite, and to assimilate our guests into the church body. We have plans to make Easter as big as we can each year in making every effort to touch as many in Midland as possible. Finally, missions is the very heart of God as we strive to bring good news to people that have never heard. Our missions giving touches people here and overseas. Thanks so much for what you have already given as we are continuing to move toward our goal.

Small Groups

Watch for our upcoming Small Groups sign-ups in January. We will have all new groups and topics this semester. The topics are exciting as there has been mention of areas of interest such as prophecy, the Holy Spirit, and a group especially for men. You should sign up for a group. Why? 1. You will grow spiritually. 2. You will develop deeper friendships. 3. You will help others grow and make an impact upon their lives. If you want your life to count and be significant, a small group can help you accomplish that. Group sign-up is January 8 until groups start the week of February 12.