He knew the right gift.

As Luke tells us the stories involving the birth of Jesus, he wants to evoke the same kind of sensations we feel when we step outside of a hot and suffocating office and into a cold December morning, and drink in a fresh, invigorating, breath of clean air.

At the coming of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God — one of the key promises of the New Covenant — burst on the scene like a breath of fresh air. His presence was everywhere. The Spirit came with power and conceived Jesus in the womb of Mary.

• The Spirit was present with John the Baptist from his mother's womb, so John leaped for joy inside his mother's womb when the newly pregnant Mary came to see her. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth affirmed Mary's faith and praised God.
• The Spirit broke Gabriel's imposed silence of Zechariah and inspired the old priest's great proclamation of praise and joy.
• The Spirit lead, convinced, and inspired Simeon to meet and praise God's Messiah, baby Jesus, in the Temple.
• The Spirit came upon Jesus and empowered him for his ministry.

 The weather had definitely changed!This Breeze from heaven's grace started everything!

Luke helps us feel the cool breeze of God's refreshing Spirit as He wafts His way through the hearts of God's people. The Old Testament prophets had spoken of this special time: God's Holy Wind, his Powerful Breath, his Comforting Spirit would blow through God's holy people and begin a new day, a new age, and the New Covenant. (The word spirit, breath, and wind are all translated by one key word in both Hebrew and Greek.) Luke wants us to know God's refreshing Breeze has begun to blow!

This Breeze was for all who became children of God (Acts 2:38-39; Acts 5:32; Romans 8:1-16).

This Breath of God was poured out by Jesus upon all who became Christians (Acts 2:33; Titus 3:3-7), born of water and Spirit (Acts 2:38; John 3:3-7). The presence of this Wind insured that everything would be different and refreshingly new (Acts 3:18-19; Acts 5:22). Most importantly, this change in the weather assured us that we could be changed as well
(Acts 2:38-39;Acts 9:17-22; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11;1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

So as we gather around and tell stories of baby Jesus, wise men from the East, shepherds in their fields, mean old Herod in his palace, and a long journey for a couple expecting their first baby, let's not forget the weather! You see, God sent one glorious new air mass, pushed through by his mighty, refreshing, and Holy Wind. This Breeze from heaven's grace started the events that gave Mary a baby and changed everything for you and me!

So while Bing Crosby may have dreamed of a white Christmas, God preferred to send his refreshing, mighty, holy Wind, the Breath of Heaven, and brought us new life and fresh hope.

It's almost Christmas Eve. It's almost time. Enjoy the gift.Celebrate the breath of Heaven our loving Father sent us on Christmas.

Heaven's Light Shines into This!!

We live in a world of light, darkness, and shadows. This is the inescapable reality of our physical world. We may experience only one of these, but the other two are closer companions than we often realize. We also live an existence of goodness, evil, and uncertainty. We can experience one of these in its overwhelming pervasiveness, but the other two are usually nearby battling to be the supreme influence over our lives. 

But God is light, perfection and goodness:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

And Jesus is God's most perfect gift! That's why Matthew sees prophecy declaring Jesus' arrival:

The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Matthew 4:16).

But was that darkness — the spiritual evil and uncertainty and those shifting shadows of the spiritual world — real or was it simply religious metaphor, hyperbole, and religious fear mongering to manipulate superstitious people? 

Yes, the darkness was real. Jesus confronted it at every stage of his journey. From Herod's determination to murder him as a baby (Matthew 2:1-18), to his battle with the demons who took over the man we know as Legion (Mark 5:1-20), to his attack by the religious leaders in the Temple (Luke 22:53), to his betrayal by Judas (John 13:2-30), and through his time on the Cross (Matthew 27:45). 

Yet all that the evil one threw at Jesus failed. Darkness was defeated. Darkness could not extinguish the light of God in the face of Jesus:

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it (John 1:5).

Is that darkness real in our lives?

O yes! We see it in a million different ways in the brutality, evil, unfairness, brokenness, death, disease, disasters, exploitation, abuse, and violence that mar our world and invade our lives. That same darkness comes for us. It's knocking at our door and it desires to have us. Paul describes it this way:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).

Heaven's light shines into this darkness and drives it away!

This is why Jesus came: to bring light, to cast out the darkness, and to drive away the shadows. The baby proclaimed by angels, welcomed by Shepherds, and worshiped by Magi from the east brought God's light to all of us caught in darkness. Paul gave this promise to those of us who recognize this baby in the manger as our Savior:

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).

So what do we do with this Savior, this grace, this light from heaven?

We receive it, we live in it, and we celebrate it. Most of all, we share that light! We are "the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference" he has made in our lives (1 Peter 2:9). 

We live in a world of light, darkness, and shadows. Yet this child in the manger and this man on Golgotha's cross is also our Lord who left behind an empty tomb and ended darkness' reign over our lives. So no matter where you are or what is going on in your life, realize that God sent Jesus so we could know that heaven's light shines into this darkness and drives it away! 

Take time out and watch this video: 

http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/21215/Heavens-Light-Shines

Have a very blessed 3rd week of Advent!:) 

Like a Thief in the Night..

Forty days after being raised from the dead, Jesus Christ was taken to heaven. At that time, his followers were told, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) Christians have been waiting for His return ever since.

Some people think they have figured out exactly when that will be. You may have seen the billboards along the side of the road. I don’t question the sincerity of the people who put those signs up, but I’m convinced they’re wrong.

Years ago, a man of God felt the need to comfort some of his friends. People around them were talking about the timing of the end of the world, and he wanted to reassure them that the rumours they were hearing were not true. This man, named Paul, wrote: “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2)

Paul had just written to these believers about Jesus’ return, but he didn’t want them worrying about when that would be. He didn’t want them trying to calculate dates nor decipher times. So he tells them: It will be like a thief in the night.

There will be no billboards along the highway. There will be no Mayan calendars announcing the end of the world. Just as thieves arrive unexpectedly, Jesus will return without warning.

For early Christians, the idea that their Lord was coming back was an exciting one. They wanted to be prepared when He came. In that same letter, Paul said, “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6) If we’re awake, we won’t be surprised by a thief in the night.

We should be watching. There should be an expectant edge to our lives, as we wait for the day when our hopes are realized. We don’t know if that will be today or a thousand years from now. But we know that it will be a wonderful time for those longing to see Jesus. As Paul wrote to his friend Timothy: “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Jesus is coming back. We don’t know when. But we know it will be a great day.

- Story by Tim Archer
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As the year 2011 comes to an end, I find myself wondering where this year went. What good did I do that was worth talking about? Am i prepared to see 2012 and all that it brings?

For the first time in 23 years of my life, I think I’m actually scared of the New Year approaching. Why? Because this past year has been nothing short of a reality check for me and because I’ve come to learn the truth, and when you know the truth, it’s so hard to ignore it!

Yes, this New Year’s Eve will still be a time where I will joyfully shout out “Happy New Year" just like I’ve done at every New Year’s Eve gone by. Though at the back of mind, I’m quite sure I’ll be thinking of the little few days I have left before Jesus comes back to this world.

I’m going to make every day count going forward. I want to welcome Jesus with not only my arms but with my heart wide open too!  I hope you’re with me! :)




Olivia Pereira
HSI Media
olivia.hsimt@gmail.com