We’ve mostly looked at one prophecy or prediction about Jesus this week, about his virgin birth and being God in the flesh (incarnate).  But Jesus fit many other predictions as well, some of them relating to his birth.

He was born in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2.      But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2 ESV)

He was a refugee in Egypt.

Hosea 11:1 11 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

Together, they all form one picture.

The rightful king of Israel is God himself, he’s come to earth to fulfill the promise that Abraham’s descendents would bless the entire world.  Jesus is a descendent of Abraham and King David.  Jesus did this in dying for the entire world’s sins, and reigns now over his kingdom, which is coming in its fullness.

God has come to us, when we couldn’t get to him.

God has given us the gift of grace, when we have nothing to offer but thanks.

This is most challenging to religious people, because we can become accustomed to knowing about God at a distance, and the systems and codes we put in place for this all get thrown out when God shows up in person, and Knowing About God shifts to simply Knowing God.

Challenge: How can you and/or family focus on this central meaning of Christmas?  Advent is the traditional time for the time before Christmas when Christians prepare themselves to truly enter into the story.

We’ll provide some Advent resources here you might use for you or your family:

Reminder: We have a great Christmas event coming December 14th, 2013: The Original Christmas Party.  Hope you’re coming!

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - May 12, 2014

Monday - A New Idea - Pioneer Spirit

When did you first hear about life coaches? I hear about them all the time, but it’s a relatively new phenomenon. I had a terrible time finding its origins. A Google search reveals mostly ads. Searching through Huffington Post reveals article after article written by life coaches, but nothing about what that means. A search on Maclean’s, a reputable news source reveals mostly quotes from interviews with life coaches, and only two articles about the idea, including one about 25 year olds coaching each other through their “quarter life crisis”. This is when Millenials hit the workforce and find it’s not all they’d hoped for, and a lot of hard work. Some have decided to share these ideas with others for up to $70 an hour by becoming life coaches. In fact, a friend suddenly announced she was quitting her job and going to be a life coach. She tooks osme courses, but many don’t. More and more people taking on the title – pastors, bloggers, etc. as they find it’s something people want. The profession is not regulated – so anyone with advice to offer, good or bad, can call themselves a life coach, and if you’re willing to pay them, you can put your career and life in their hands. We do all need help – I meet with a mentor regularly, maybe you do too. We need doctors, psychologists, home inspectors, investment advisors, and so on. We need good advice. So how do you tell the difference? How do you know when you’re getting good guidance on your life’s mission? We regularly find that our little missions in life – to buy a house, to get a job, to be happy at work, etc. could benefit from some guidance. But we should be especially careful about the big mission – the reason God put you on this earth in the first place. That’s not one to take lightly. That’s what we’ll talk about this week – as Jesus’ followers were given a mission, and they weren’t going to be alone in doing it, they’d have the ultimate guide. Question: Who would be your ideal coach or guide in life? What could they do, say for you?

From Series: "Pioneer Story"

We read through the Book of Acts as a Pioneer Story for the church.

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