Christmas 2012

Preparing For The Last Christmas!
By Stephen Baba Panya, Director of EMS
(This can also be accessed with other articles at www.emsofecwa.org)

In this spiritual and theologically muddled up world, where anything perceived to be negative is outrightly rejected, many believers seeing this topic would begin to ‘reject it in Jesus name’. Preparing for the Last Christmas would spoil the joy of celebration for many because it connotes saying bye to this world which many professed Christians, urged on by prosperity preaching, have unfortunately come to love with all their heart, soul and strength, instead of God. May God in His grace and mercy, restore the first love we had for Christ, when we first heard His pure undiluted gospel in Jesus name! In any case beloved of God, let your heart be at peace, the Last Christmas is not talking about your last Christmas celebration on earth ( although it could well be! ). The last Christmas is certainly not talking about your impending death ( I suspect a great relief for many!). However, the Last Christmas is about something much more serious .

Christmas is when we remember the coming of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ to this world and it is traditionally celebrated by most Christendom on the 25th of December of every year. The Last Christmas the world should be preparing for is not the traditional Christmas celebration of 25th December, it is the second coming of Christ Jesus and this can take place on, before or after 25th December 2012! Are you prepared? If you are, how prepared are your loved ones and others in the world?

The Last Christmas will be totally different from the First Christmas in so many ways. In the first Christmas, the Lord Jesus came into this world humbly, quietly, as a helpless Baby in Bethlehem under the care of His earthly parents. At the Last Christmas , the Lord Jesus shall come in power and glory, with the saints triumphant and His mighty angelic host. In the first Christmas, He came as the Sacrificial Lamb of God, to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins, that all those who believe in Him shall be saved from their sins and eternal death in hell fire when they die. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life ( John 3 :16). At the last Christmas, the Lord Jesus shall come as the Lord and Judge of this world, to seperate the sheep form the goats, believers in Him and non-believers in Him. Believers shall enter into eternal paradise to dwell with God for ever and ever in heaven, while unbelievers in Him shall be separated to eternal hell fire where they shall enter into unending pain, suffering and sorrow with the devil and his demons. For it is appointed unto man to die but once and after that comes judgment ( Hebrews 9:27).

The Last Christmas would therefore be a big celebration of abundant and unending bliss of life for true believers in Christ but unfortunately, it would be the beginning of eternal pain, suffering and sorrow for majority of the people of world today that have rejected the Lordship of Christ or are yet to hear about the first Christmas, that Christ came and died to save them from the sins.

As a watchman, God told prophet Ezekiel, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself( Ezek 33:7-9).

Those that have heard and rejected the gospel would account for themselves on that great day of judgment, but we believers as watchmen of God, are responsible for those that are yet to hear the gospel, or sufficiently enough to make a decision for or against Christ.

The end purpose of Missions is to help everyone in this world, both present and future generations if the Lord tarries, to prepare for the Last Christmas. As you celebrate Christmas this year, remember that many are yet to hear about the first Christmas. How then can they prepare for the Last Christmas? God has squarely placed this responsibility on us. Let us Pray, Let us Give and Let Us go to proclaim Jesus Saviour and Lord to the utmost part of the world. The Lord Jesus is the only hope of this earth. Missions is our God given responsibility. Let us therefore, by His grace and power , work together to prepare the people of this world for the Last Christmas, so that it would be a joyful celebration for as many as possible and not a day of pain, sorrow and gnashing of teeth. Have a blessed Christmas and New Year in Advance, if the Lord tarries!