Jesus Christ is Born - #441 - JCSM's Weekly Devotions

Hello!

I hope you had a great week and weekend.

Are you ready for Christmas? It's almost here. We pray that you have a great week and find all the special gifts you need for your loved ones.

On Saturday, JCSM had its yearly board meeting and it went very well. Please pray for God's blessings on our board. They are a blessing to us.

Please pray for me as I finish the 4th edition of my book. It has to be finished for release by January 1, 2006. Each year, I rebut all of the alleged Bible errors that The Skeptic's Annotated Bible can find. There are approximately 100 new assertions in 2005; bringing my total number of answers/rebuttals to over 4,000. See http://skepticsannotatedbible.org for more details.

On May 5th, I will receive my Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Louisiana Baptist University. It will be the result of years of work, a lengthy dissertation, numerous courses and tests, and plenty of reading and writing papers. Please pray that I do well in my remaining 2 courses. Plus, please pray that I have wisdom as I decide whether or not I should travel to Louisiana for graduation.

On November 12, 2003, I was awarded a Th.D. (Doctor of Theology) degree by Shepherd Bible College for writing my book (The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained). Although this is usually an academic degree, it was given to me for my work in apologetics. No courses or tests were taken and no money was paid. Consequently, I felt honored and, on occasion, I started using the title "Dr."

In recent months, I've become more and more skeptical about Shepherd Bible College and its President. I've read very damaging things from some critics and SBC and President Dennis Tio have refused to provide answers. Therefore, I have sent this degree back. I cannot keep this sort of "honorary degree" from an institution with some serious credibility concerns.

Please pray for SBC and Dennis Tio. I don't mention the things above to slander, but to inform and explain. I've removed "Dr." from the JCSM web site and my emails and I will not use the title again until I earn my Ph.D. in May.

Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the Word of the Week, a faith-builder from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained," and the Quotes of the Week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason Gastrich

JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"Jesus Christ is Born"

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

Matthew 1:18-25 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.' Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus."

Luke 1:26-35 "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!' But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.' Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?' And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

Insight: Don't forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. In a day and age where many are opting to celebrate "Holiday," we can't forget about Jesus Christ and His birth. Recall what He has done for you and what He has promised to do.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, let us always be mindful of You. Thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to Earth. Let us remember Him and His perfect example for us. Thank you for your great mercy and patience. Thank you for your amazing grace. Bless us and give us joy, peace, love, and meekness. You are a good God and there is no other like You. Thank you for Christmas. Bless those that do not have much. Help those that have a lot to be generous. In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

United States Court of Appeals - 7th Circuit 1992, in the case of Doe v. Small, 964 F.2d 611, 618 (7th Cir. 1992), stated:

"The Supreme Court has refused to find the Establishment Clause to be a sufficiently compelling interest to exclude private religious speech even from a limited public forum created by the government."

¹ 1992. Doe v. Small, 964 F.2d 611, 618 (7th Cir. 1992). Jay Sekulow, Letter to Mayors (Virginia Beach, VA: American Center for Law and Justice, November 17, 1992), p. 1.

If you'd like to see more quotes from those that framed and founded America, please click here: http://jcsm.org/AmericasFounders/.

A Moment of Introspection

Take some time to reflect on Jesus Christ and His birth. He is the reason for the season!

JCSM's Challenge

Send some Christmas cards to unbelievers. This is your perfect opportunity to encourage them to trust in Jesus Christ.

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

Word of the Week

almah (Hebrew, see Isaiah 7:14): damsel, maid, virgin

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 44:20, 22 - In these verses, Benjamin is an infant -- a "little one," a "lad, a "child." Yet just a little while later (46:8, 21) when Jacob's clan migrates to Egypt, Benjamin is a grown man with ten sons.

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:

These Hebrew words were already discussed. They could easily have been interpreted "servant, short one, young man," etc.

Genesis 46:8 - doesn't mention Benjamin. Genesis 46:21 only mentions he has ten sons. It doesn't say when they were conceived.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich. This book is on CD and explains over 3,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org. There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

Quotes of the Week

There are no new quotes this week, but we have thousands in our archive! Visit http://quotes.jcsm.org. Plus, if you'd like to read a new quote every day, please go to http://jcsm.org/Wisdom.htm and bookmark it!

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