Dear Friend,
Susan and I want to wish you a very blessed Christmas. We pray that just as the Christ child was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago to bring peace and reconciliation, that you would experience a new birth of His peace and love this year, in your life and family. Jesus Christ is the gift that keeps on giving. Be blessed during this Holy Season.
As I think about Christmas, the story of the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary captures my imagination. I am amazed by this young girl's response to the Word of the Lord as delivered by the angel. He came to her with an unfathomable promise:
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (Luke 1:31, KJV).
She was engaged, but was a virgin, had never known a man, and yet the angel said, "Thou shalt conceive. . ."
Have you ever heard a promise from God that seemed impossible, just too good to be true? "By His stripes you were healed." "Thou shalt be saved and thy house." "You shall find rest to your soul." Yes, perhaps it's a promise from the scriptures, or from the still small voice of the Holy Spirit-life-giving, hope-stirring words, something that otherwise just couldn't be.
The promise which Mary received brought change in the earth and blessing to humanity. Mary was not a goddess. She was very human, but she was blessed and favored by God. Her faith in the promise became a channel through which God could work, bringing redemption to mankind. She believed the promise of a divine Son and so fulfilled the plans and purposes of God. When she heard the Word from the angel, she asked a reasonable question:
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? (Luke 1:34, KJV).
How? How shall the impossible suddenly become possible? How will that hopeless situation turn around? How, really, does a miracle occur? What are the ingredients of such an event?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35, KJV).
Miracles are born by the power of Holy Ghost. It is God's Spirit that produces much-needed change in the earth. Where human effort falls far short, the Holy Ghost is well able to overshadow our lives and bring forth a "holy thing," a miraculous conception. The Holy Ghost is the agent of change. He is the One Who can create change. It is by His hand that miracles are precipitated in the earth.
The greatest miracle of all is that God could change a human heart through the New Birth. It is only the overshadowing of the power of the Highest that we can conceive Jesus Christ into our human spirit and receive the life and nature of God into our beings.
But yet there is a human side to receiving a miracle as well. There may be a promise and there may be power, but there must also be faith in the heart to receive what God is able and willing to do.
Mary was able to receive the Seed of Greatness. She heard the Word of the Lord and conceived it in her heart. She said "Yes" to the promise and received the Son of God by way of spiritual transaction. Listen to her response to Gabriel's proclamation:
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38, KJV).
The Living Bible says it this way, "May everything you said come true." Now, this is the attitude that you and I need to have concerning God's Word. May EVERYTHING that You said come true. Lord, may Your righteousness, holiness, glory and power be manifested in my life. May Jesus come forth in the earth through me. May a conception of the life of God take place in me as I receive your Holy Word into my being.
Mary's receptiveness was not limited to a faith formula. To her, this was not about manipulating God. Her faith was deeper than that. It involved a profound submission to the will of God. She opened herself to the will of God, calling herself the "handmaiden of the Lord." Likewise, as you and I surrender to God's will, we will find life-giving power working in our lives. True faith involves an inward surrender. It is only then that the Divine Seed can take root. May we all receive a miraculous conception of Jesus Christ this Christmas and in the exciting days of great opportunity ahead.
MINISTRY UPDATE
As I have been traveling to different places preaching the Word
of God, I continue to see the power of God's Word at work. I see
the wisdom of God manifested through the foolishness of preaching
and I understand more deeply the Lord's commission to us to "Go
ye into all the world and preach the Gospel. . ." Truly
the Gospel message is "the power of God unto salvation"
bringing change wherever it is preached with conviction and received
with joy. Here's a report from one of our recent meetings:
Thank you so much for coming to Buffalo
Community Assembly of God. I really appreciate your sensitivity
to God's voice. This was evident as you shared exactly what so
many of our people needed to hear about the healing power of God
and His desire that we come back to the Father's house. It was
also encouraging as a pastor to hear from one person after another
of how God had healed emotions and attitudes that had been wounded
for years. I was most blessed to see the response for salvation.
It is always exciting to see people respond to the voice of the
Holy Spirit. God bless and keep you as you continue to share
with hearts around the world the saving and healing grace of our
God.
Pastor Bill Hicks
Buffalo Community Assembly of God
Buffalo, Minnesota
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our mission to India in January 2007. We have added a 3-day Pastor's Conference to the itinerary along with the open air Gospel meetings. As one couple put it, "Great to join with you. The fields are ripe. The harvest season is here." Yes, it's harvest time! Pray for many people of all ages to come to know Christ and for pastors and Bible school students to understand the vision that God has for their nation. We all are and can be a part of the harvest in India and around the world. Let us go forth into the ripened fields together!
Forward,
Tom Shanklin