Hidden Story of Christmas Revealed

We all love Santa Claus, don't we? Especially if he gives gifts to us or our kids! But did you know that while this fun tradition is good in a sense, it has also concealed the truth behind Christmas to an extent. Christmas is not about Santa. It's about Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind. While the gifts that Santa gives to kids are perishable, the gift of salvation that God gives through Jesus is everlasting. Here are some interesting facts about Jesus and the Bible:

1. There are 332 prophecies in the Bible about Jesus Christ.
2. These include his virgin birth, his birthplace, how he was wrapped as a baby (in a white cloth meant to wrap dead bodies - 'Kafan' in Urdu - because he came to die for us), his sinless life, the exact day of his entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey, his death on the Cross, burial in a rich man's tomb, resurrection, ascension to Heaven and even his return for the battle at Armageddon.
3. All of these have come true so far. His return is expected too, as all other prophecies till the present time have been fulfilled.
4. The Bible contains 8,000 promises.
5. 27% of the Bible is prophetic - meaning, that 27% (8,352) of all (31,124) its verses give a total of 1,817 prophecies, all of which have come true so far.
6. The Bible predicted thousands of years ago that the nation of Israel would be re-established exactly on 14th May, 1948 and also that it would regain Jerusalem precisely in 1967.
7. The principle of quarantine to prevent the spread of contagious diseases was discovered from the Bible.
8. The Bible mentioned thousands of years ago, that the Earth is suspended in outer space - long before Columbus discovered this and Copernicus "formulated a heliocentric model of the universe which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center"!*
9. The Bible mentioned thousands of years ago, that the stars in space are innumerable, even though this was discovered by Galileo only a few centuries ago. Until then, people used to believe that there were only a thousand odd stars in the universe!
10. This same Bible says that all humans have sinned and fall short of God's glory. But as we ourselves sinned, we cannot pay the price required for the forgiveness of our sins. If we die in our sins, God would have no option but to send us to hell for eternity, because he is a just God (perfect judge). So if we were to get to Heaven where God lives, someone had to pay the price on our behalf. As no one else was worthy, God sent His only begotten Son Jesus as a human being, letting him die on the Cross to pay our penalty and then God raised him from the dead back to life, 3 days later. He has not died since then - he is alive and in Heaven right now. He ascended to Heaven 40 days after his resurrection from the dead.
11. God worked out this plan for our salvation because He is a just God, yet a loving God. He had to punish sin while leaving the way open for the sinner to be set free. And that salvation plan is found in Jesus.
12. Jesus is the only person in history so far who has met all the criteria required for a sacrificial Saviour: first-born male, without sin or defect, sacrificed on the Jewish 'Passover' festival day (Good Friday)...
13. The Bible also says that if you confess that you too have sinned, that you cannot save yourself and ask Jesus to save you, he will really save you (your spirit - atma - rooh). His blood will wash away your sin. All you need to do is pray a simple prayer for salvation with a true repentant heart, accepting him as your only Saviour and Lord. Click here to see what that prayer is.

* Source: Wikipedia

If you are to trust your family's future into the hands of an insurance company, which one would you choose - one that does not have any record of honouring any claim, or one which has honoured a claim in the past - just as it had promised? Of course, the latter! Now if you are to trust your eternal destiny into the hands of someone, then into whose hands would you trust it? Someone who has never come as a human being and understood your pain? Someone who died and you have never heard of them after that? Or into the hands of someone who died, rose again from the dead and has not died again - and thereby fulfilled hundreds of prophecies and promises? Again, of course the latter! 

Well, my friend, the only real historical person who fits in that category is Jesus Christ. I am not trying to convert your religion. Christianity is not a religion. Jesus' biggest enemies were the religious leaders of his day. It's not a question of "my god is bigger than your god" - it's a question of where you want to spend eternity. I urge you that you study the material I am linking to below, and thoughtfully consider praying the salvation prayer - knowing that you will be accountable before God for praying or not praying it. Jesus asked his followers only to preach the Gospel (Good News of forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God in Heaven - all for free!). He did not ask us to convert anybody.

So remember, God has given you a free volition. He has not given you the right to make the wrong choice, but He has given you the power to make the wrong choice or the correct choice. Just like how we have the power to abide by the law of the land or to break it, but we do not have the right to break it. So, then…

If you have doubts, rush to www.allaboutgod.com.

To learn more about the Bible, click here.

To pray the salvation prayer, click here.

God bless you…and have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Inscribed on the Palm of God's Hands

Go to one of the tourist locations around the world and you might spot enterprising folks offering to inscribe or write your name on a grain of rice. Those who have never read (or those who have forgotten) the verse above, might be excited to have their names printed on a grain of rice by a stranger - and pay for it. Even if it is really of no consequence at all!

"See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;" - Isaiah 49:16

God is in love with every one of us. In Hindu and Islamic marriages, a bride gets her hands and feet decorated with floral and other designs using henna. Somewhere within the design or pattern, she asks for the name of the person she loves so much to be drawn - her bridegroom's. Well, God loves us so much, that He has inscribed us on the palm of His own hands - the very hands of the Creator of the entire Universe! And not just on one hand, but on His hands - meaning both of them! O what a privilege to have our refuge in the hands of our Creator!

Dear Reader, if you don't know what I am talking about, then probably you have not read the Bible. Read the Bible - it is the inspired Word of God. It tells you how much God loves you and that He has a plan for your life much more than simply living for weekends, occasional getaways and children's convocations and marriages. Draw near to Him - after all it's He who is your first relative. He conceived your beautiful baby face in His heart before your parents saw your face in the labour room, or even conceived you! He was with you always and now He wants you to be with Him forever into eternity, starting with your life here on Earth.

Road to Eternal Life...

Don't turn right…neither turn left…but head straight for this page by clicking the link:

Good News Friday

God bless you! And now go click the link above!!

Blood of Jesus Vs. Poison of Serpent...and Jesus Wins!

"…and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

A European in Australia had immuned himself against the deadly Australian Tiger Snake's poison. He thought he was immune to all types of snake venoms. One day a snake with another type of poison bit him and he died the following day. Such is the tragedy of many people. Even when it comes to sin, they think they are immune from its wages (consequences). But the Word of God shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35). They who sin shall surely die…unless they cleanse themselves with the antidote to the poison - the Blood of Jesus. The life of the flesh is in the blood. And the life given by the Spirit is because of the Blood…of Jesus Christ!

Just as snake venom can change human blood so that it is no longer life-sustaining; the blood of Jesus changes a sinner to a completely new creation through the working of the Holy Spirit. It gives eternal life to the one who accepts God's plan for their salvation. Learn how

Christian Persecuted: Have you ever been one?

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake." - Matthew 5:11

A couple of months ago, I had been to my native state of Gujarat, where I became - sort of - a Christian persecuted. I gave some gospel tracts to Hindus. Their response wasn't bad on my face. But when I came back to my hometown, I learned that there was a small verbal fight over the issue. I had given one tract to my relative's maid. First she asked for our pastor's phone number saying she wanted prayer. The next day though, her husband came and fought with my relatives. In fact, another relative of mine took my evangelism negatively and said that they could inform the police and get me arrested for trying to convert people's religion! A brother-in-Christ later advised me that on every tract, you should print words like "We are not trying to convert your religion. Jesus did not come to (start or) establish a religion. Whether to believe in this message or not is your decision."

Of course, Jesus says in the Bible that people would hate his followers. But what I found surprising was that this actually happens here in India even though we are a secular country. We aren't theocratic - Hindu like Nepal or Islamic like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia etc.

A missionary pastor later advised me to abstain from handing out gospel tracts in that state as people there think differently than people in my hometown. Missionary pastors really have it tough and often risk death when, ironically, they are really trying to set people free from the clutches of sin, sickness, death etc.

It would be interesting to learn if you have ever been a Christian persecuted for preaching the gospel (even soft persecution - like just handing out tracts or praying for people...). Share your experiences in the comments here. God bless you!

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Download Teachings on Biblical Healing

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." 3 John 1:2

Need healing for yourself or a loved one? Here are some good resources from Curry Blake, General Overseer of John G Lake Ministries...

(Scroll down on the page linked below, for instructions on how to get that material from Dropbox or Google Drive for free.)

http://2centseach.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/curry-blakes-teachings-available-to-download/

Give me your feedback. God bless you!

Which is your favourite book in the Bible?

It's a challenging question, isn't it? Maybe you can widen your choice to 3-4 books! One of my favourite books is the Gospel of John. It is really dramatic. "In the beginning was the Word....He came to His own and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children (sons) of God..." (John 1)

I love the Epistles. If the Gospels are the head of the New Testament, the Epistles are the heart, with Revelation being the spiritual feet that take you into the future. The Word of God really is like a cool or warm shower of of rain - depending on what the season is where you are at the time of reading it!

Do share what your favourite books of the Bible are and why.

If you wonder why I said which "books of the Bible" - is the Bible not 1 book...then you must read the blog post titled 10 Amazing Bible Facts You Must Know. Once you have read that post, head over straight to Good News Friday. It tells you about the love of Jesus for every single human being - no matter what religious background you have.

Jesus loves you and Good bless you!

How to Give up - How to Quit - Read on...

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." - John 8:36

They say "Never quit." "Never give up." In some cases, that's not true. It depends on what you want to or need to quit or give up. If you are a slave to smoking or drinking, then you need to quit - give up - that. You need to be set free. Many people who live in democracies are in bondage - to sin. Or they are captives of disease, depression etc. Are they really free? No...! They need to be set free. Here's how...

"Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." - John 8:36

The best way to be set free from sin is to repent of it before the true living God and ask Him to forgive you and restore you to what He wants you to be. Jesus Christ - the Son of God - wants to set you free today...now. All you need to do is ask him to forgive you and help you overcome your weaknesses. In saying this I assume that you are already a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. If you are not, then you need to become one. Click here to learn how to get born again. Once (or if already) you are a born-again believer, use the suggestion given earlier in this paragraph, exercise your authority in Jesus' name and choose to receive the freedom that is yours in Christ Jesus! Amen.

Click here to learn more about freedom from sickness

Does God allow sickness for His glory?

What is Good Friday?

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." - Luke 23:34

Today is Good Friday. Many people feel that it is a day of mourning. Actually, it is a day of rejoicing. It is the reason why Jesus Christ came into this world - to pay the penalty for every human being's sins by dying on a wooden Cross. And as he had predicted, he rose back to life on the 3rd day - or after 3 days. Anyone who believes in this, repents of their sins and turns their life over into Jesus' hands will be saved. That is a promise from God - one of the nearly 8,000 promises in the Bible.

Learn how you can be saved from going to hell

10 Amazing Bible Facts You Must Know