Living In The Light

1 John 1:5-10 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all.

So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts.

In our previous post we looked at the fact that Jesus really was "God With Us" and that is the only reason why we are still celebrating His arrival two thousand years later. In the verses that we are looking at today our focus changes from who Jesus is to who God is and how that should affect the way we live.

John tells us that God is light, most religions can agree with that statement, if you believe in God then you probably agree that He is pure and holy. There isn't any darkness at all in God, He is one hundred percent pure light, he is holy, pure and righteous. Besides being light God also gives us the light, He reveals the light of truth to us, and He gives us the light of salvation.

Does the fact that God is light have any implications for me?

Does it really matter how I live? When Jesus told his followers "You are my friends if you do what I command" He made it clear that there has to be some changes in the way that I live and that obedience is a necessary part of a relationship with Him. (John 15:14)

Romans 6:16-18 Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

We all have to decide who is going to be in control. We don't like the idea of being a slave but that's what the apostle Paul tells us we are. We don't get to change the fact that we are slaves but we do get to choose who we will be enslaved to.

Fellowship with God and living to please him is always characterized by walking in the light. We know that we have been saved for all of eternity but we can choose to step away from the light and stumble around in the dark when we refuse to live by God's Word.

I cannot live in the dark and expect it to be beneficial to me and I should not expect to enjoy God's company. I need to decide that my morals, my attitudes and my convictions are all going to be dictated by God's Word.

God With Us?

1 John 1:1-4 We proclaim to you the One who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw Him with our own eyes and touched Him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.

This One who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that He is the One who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then He was revealed to us.

We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.

If you are not a Christ follower then maybe you don't know why some people are. Maybe you don't understand why they call themselves Christian. Could Jesus really be that big of a deal? Why are people still insisting on celebrating his birthday?

John was one of the guys that spent all of his time with Jesus every day for three years. John tells us that he really knows the truth about Jesus and he wants to share it with us so that we can decide for ourselves. John is sure that if you consider the facts then you will realize that Jesus was not an ordinary man, he wasn't a madman and he wasn't a big fake.

John 20:30-31 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name.

John wants us to know that he had personal contact with Jesus, he saw what he did, he heard him teach and he touched a real physical body. John was there for the Sermon on the Mount, he was there when the demons obeyed his command and be looked on as Peter walked on the water with Jesus. John believed and he wished that his readers might have the same experience that he had so they would have the same belief, the same hope, and the same joy that he had.

John 1:1-4 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.

John's testimony tells us that Jesus is God and as God he has always existed, he took part in creation, he is the giver of our first life and he is the one that made eternal life possible. What an incredible thought to realize that Jesus was with God, he left heaven for us, he shared in our hurts and our struggles.

YOU NEED TO DECIDE

Matthew 16:15-17 Then He asked them, "But who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon son of John, because My Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.

John isn't the only one, all of the people that really knew the truth about Jesus would testify that he is God in a body. We all need to take the quiz that Jesus gave to his disciples.

Who do you say that Jesus is? Have you really checked out the facts objectively? Was God really with us?

Good News Of Great Joy

Luke 2:10-14 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

After Jesus was born, while he was still in the manger, an angel appeared to a group of shepherds. At that time, shepherds were not looked upon in a positive manner. They were considered unclean, and they were not considered viable witnesses in a court of law. Because of this, it’s important to note that the news of Jesus’ birth was given first to the lowliest of people.

This is a great truth, but there is a more important point that must be made. These shepherds were special. They were the keepers of sacrificial lambs. This is the reason that they were “in the fields nearby.” It is important to know this because Jesus, the Lamb of God, was born. Catch the significance of this statement:

"The keepers of the sacrificial lambs were the first ones to hear of the birth of Christ."

With the announcement of the birth, the angels burst into song, and the heavens opened to reveal their joy. The text gives the impression that the angels words were spoken:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.”

Even if they were, the cadence of this message had to have been melodious. The birth of Christ was unprecedented and heaven being visible from earth was amazingly rare.

However the message was vocalized, the news was the most significant news in history. The meaning of Christmas was explained throughout the heavenly hosts who praised God.

The shepherds could have sat back and thought, “Cool, we just saw angels.” They could have debated over the meaning of the words, or felt pride in being the ones who got to see the heavens opened up. They could have decided that their own sacrificial sheep were more important than the Lamb of God. But for them the news was a call to action.

“Let’s go to town, because we have to see what the angels have proclaimed.”

Their response gives us a clue as to how we can receive God’s good will. We must take action by personally responding to the Prince of Peace.

Who will you tell today the Good News?

LIVE ON FACEBOOK

Instead of services on Sunday morning watch for us on Grace Falls Facebook for a Live Christmas Day devotion from Pastor Buff McNickle. We pray that it encourages you and that you and your family will have a blessed Christmas

Our Wish List

We hope that you are enjoying the Christmas season and keeping your focus on the real reason for the celebration.

Just about everybody is out shopping for somebody that has given them a wish list. At Grace Falls we have a wish list as well. Things that we need to help us to continue to make a difference in the lives of the people that we touch each day.

Grace Falls Wish List:

• New computer workstation for office
• Awnings that cover windows and help with cooling our building are damaged beyond repair and need to be replaced
• More tables for our gathering and seating options
• Purchase VBS material and Bible Study materials for 2017
• Flooring for our Gathering area and tile for the shower room
• New monthly supporters

Our number one wish is for new monthly supporters. We are losing some big sources of support this year and we need to have new ministry partners that will step up with monthly contributions to help us with ministry, discipleship and operations cost.

Will you consider partnering with us?

If you would like to make a year end financial contribution there are several easy and convenient ways to make a one time gift or set-up a recurring contribution.

Give by Mail

Make your check payable to Grace Falls Church and send it to:

[box title=""][icon id="envelope"]  Grace Falls Church 306 N. Shore Rd. Absecon, NJ 08201 [/box]

Text To Give

Our newest way for you to give is quick, easy and secure. All you need to do is text the amount you would like to donate to Grace Falls Church to 609-900-7771

As an example: For a $10 donation you would send the number 10 to the phone number 609-900-7771

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Give Online

For convenient online giving visit our secure donation website. Indicate the donation amount of your choice, how often you want to give and your payment method. Click to confirm and you are all set. [box title=""][icon id="gift"]   Click To Give Online [/box]

Give by Automatic Bill Pay

Automatic Bill Pay is a great way to give regularly and consistently to Grace Falls Church. In addition, it eliminates the transaction and credit card fees! That means 100% of your donation goes to fund the operation and mission of Grace Falls.

Use your bank's online bill pay service to set up your donation from your checking or savings account and schedule recurring or a one-time gift. Use your name and phone number as your account number and use the following address as the payee address:

[box title=""][icon id="gift"]  Grace Falls Church 306 N. Shore Rd. Absecon, NJ 08201[/box]

Extravagant Love

John 10:1-5 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

Its amazing what extent people will go to each holiday season to get the hot gift of the year. This years must have gift happens to be Hatchimal. If you don’t have kids then you probably have no idea what they are.

It’s a toy that lives in an egg and when kids show it attention, it cracks open and a furry toy pops out that can learn basic commands. Who knew that this toy would be the must have of the season. Definitely not the makers of them because they have had to ramp up production and want be able to supply the demand until early 2017.

People bought them up at retail price at $60 and now they go for $130 to as much as $500. Crazy what people will do for the ones they love. I know we can read this and think we would never…but we all have done things that people on the outside might say is crazy but to do for those we love…we don’t even think twice.

Today I am thinking about the love a shepherd has for his sheep. The lengths that He would go to care for and protect them and the way that the sheep respond to only him. This is why that babe that came many Christmases ago is so important to us today. It reminds of how far love will go to reach the people they love.

I guess we can learn something from a Hatchimal this year. Remember I said that the kids never get the toy unless they take the time to give it some attention. I pray that you don’t get so wrapped up in all the season has to offer and forget to give the ONE GIFT that really matters the attention He deserves.

Just know that if you do neglect the ONE GIFT that matters then you will never know the true joy it might bring.

LIVE ON FACEBOOK

Instead of services on Sunday morning watch for us on Grace Falls Facebook for a Live Christmas Day devotion from Pastor Buff McNickle. We pray that it encourages you and that you and your family will have a blessed Christmas

Finding Peace This Christmas

Luke 2:1-7 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Ever been to Natchez Mississippi? I would guess not many of you have. Did you know that this small community of only 16,000 people has produced 21 players in the NBA and NFL in the last 50 years. That is more than any other city in US based on population. Crazy how so many athletes can come out of such a small and in many ways insignificant town.

Yet, isn’t that similar to Bethlehem? Who would have thought that the one who would save the people from their sins would come from this little town. I know that the prophet had prophesied it and I know that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob always keeps His promises. But, Bethlehem, really? Yes, really, and this son of Bethlehem would bring us peace.

Do you know peace today? Are the relationships in your life marked by peace? Is your heart ruled by peace or chaos and pain? Jesus came to give us peace.

LIVE ON FACEBOOK

Instead of services on Sunday morning watch for us on Grace Falls Facebook for a Live Christmas Day devotion from Pastor Buff McNickle. We pray that it encourages you and that you and your family will have a blessed Christmas