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Photo by Marcus Murphy / Pexels.com Psalm 119 teaches us that the word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. The message of the Bible is God’s amazing love for us, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. We know from John 3 that when one does that, the person has been born again. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. Romans 12 tells us that we are to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. The Bible is complete in explaining the Christian life — a life of love for God and for others which results in us doing for others, of esteeming others higher than ourselves, of sacrificing our wants to minister to the needs of others. Years ago, my daughter sent me an article, “Life’s five great lessons,” which reflects that spirit. Although at least a decade old, the article’s lessons are as relevant today as they have always been — and here they are: 1. No one is insignificant. During my second month of school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman at times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s. But how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before the class ended, one of the students asked if the last question would count toward our grade. “Absolutely,” the professor said. “In your life you will meet many people. All of them are significant. They deserve your attention, even if all you do is smile and say hello.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy . 2. Your kindness makes a greater impact than you might imagine. At 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing by the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in the conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by, and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: “Thank you for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.” Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole 3. Be a generous giver — not just with your money but with your time. In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old entered a coffee shop. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she quickly replied. The boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and four pennies. You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough to leave her a tip. 4. Look at obstacles as opportunities. In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. He hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the road clear. But no one did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along, carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant lay down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king — indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition. 5. Jesus laid down His life for us. Be willing to do that for others. Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz, who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. She saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and say, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in the bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale, and the smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked in a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?” Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor. He thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. You see, understanding and attitude, after all, is everything. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Chip Hutcheson has served as interim managing editor of the Western Recorder, interim communications director for KBC and now is content strategist for Kentucky Today. He has a journalism degree from the University of Kentucky, and was a community newspaper publisher for 41 years, retiring from that role when called into ministry at age 68. He left retirement to begin working at KBC in March 2019. He and his wife, Karen, are members of West Broadway Baptist Church in Louisville, and he does supply preaching and interim pastorates. #JANUARY25

God answered your prayers for someone to work alongside International Mission Board missionaries in a prison ministry in Lusaka, Zambia. He didn’t just send one Zambian believer. He sent three!  Meet Charity, Florence and Ivey. Their hearts broke when Kimberly Windham and Jane Thompson, IMB missionaries, told them about the spiritually lost women in this prison. Charity and Ivey said no one ever thinks about those in prison. They knew someone needed to encourage the prisoners.   Jane Thompson, IMB missionary (back row, left), joins her ministry partners for a joyful photo. Jane asked Southern Baptists to pray for Zambian women to work alongside her. God answered her prayers with these friends. (IMB Photo) “These women often feel that no one loves them, but they are not outcasts. God loves them,” Ivey said. “How will they know this if we do not go?”  The Baptist women and missionaries visit once a week, partnering with the prison chaplain. Thompson noted this prison is special in the fact that it is home to many who are mentally ill, have been abused or suffer from addictions. They receive care and counseling. The chaplain at the prison in Lusaka, Zambia asks for Southern Baptists to pray more will hear the good news, be discipled while in the prison and share it with their families. (IMB Photo) Many inmates dream about freedom, Florence explained. The ministry team teaches Bible stories and shares the gospel.  “Even when they feel incarcerated here, they can have freedom in Jesus Christ,” Florence said. “And some are responding. They accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They are free even when they are in prison.”  Charity pointed out the lessons go beyond the inmates but also apply to the guards, nurses and other workers at the prison. They hear the Bible stories and answer questions, too.  The Baptist women and prison chaplain ask for your continued prayers:  Pray for the hearts of female inmates to be open to the Holy Spirit. The goal is to introduce the gospel and disciple the women so they may take the Bible stories back to their villages upon release. Ask God to send someone to work with the male inmates on a regular basis. Pray for more Zambian believers to see these men and women as worthy of hearing the gospel and respond to God’s call to share with all peoples. The work of the IMB is sustained through faithful giving of Southern Baptists through the the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® and the  Cooperative Program . ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sue Sprenkle writes for the IMB. Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® is a registered trademark of Woman’s Missionary Union. #JANUARY25

In Kibera, Kenya, about 82,000 one-room homes sit atop one another with scant plumbing. About 400,000 residents share 78 public latrines, and all water sources are contaminated. KIBERA, Kenya (BP) – Matt Beasley, lead pastor of Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., conducted global missions the two years he and his wife Valerie were International Mission Board church planters in Prague. “They refer to sharing the Gospel in Prague as plowing concrete,” he said of the architecturally rich Czech Republic capital that enjoys a vibrant economy. “I mean, people are very hardened, and their hearts are very hard against the Gospel.” Children who live in Kibera carry joy and hope of a better life, ministry leaders said. In stark contrast to luxurious Prague is Kibera, a poverty-stricken, overcrowded square mile slum in Nairobi, Kenya, with no permanent running water, scant electricity, no indoor bathrooms and no food preparation areas. About 82,000 households share 78 latrines that are emptied into the Ngong River. Families of four typically live on $26 a month, with many of them working in trades, operating small businesses, or working in neighboring communities in the service industry. Beasley found hearts ripe for the Gospel and inexplicably full of hope when he went on a mission trip to Kibera in September 2023 with The Bucket Ministry, an international clean water evangelistic outreach to communities with contaminated water supplies. “You’re romanticizing it if you say that the first thing you experienced was anything other than the smell,” Beasley said of Kibera. “It’s a constant reminder of the dire situation that many of them find themselves in – open and exposed wiring, water lines running through open sewage, the open sewage leaching into the water lines. “They live in complete, utter, abject poverty,” Beasley said, “but the hope of the Gospel has transformed their outlook on life.” Christopher Beth, a Southern Baptist whom Beasley pastored at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Greenville, Texas, hosted the trip to Kibera through The Bucket Ministry he founded in 2012 to provide both clean water and Living Water to communities in need around the world. In Kibera alone, where The Bucket Ministry completed its work in mid-December, the ministry’s 100 local missionaries shared the Gospel more than a half million times, heard 21,000 professions of faith and baptized 1,400 people over a five-year period, The Bucket Ministry told Baptist Press. Kentucky Pastor Matt Beasley, left, in Kibera with The Bucket Ministry Staff Pastor Matt Arnett. The ministry equips individual households with Sawyer PointOne water filters that last 20 years and are proven to reduce levels of E. coli and total coliform bacteria in drinking water by up to 99 percent. In turn, households agree to keep the filters clean and to allow indigenous ministers into their homes three times in the following months, ensuring the filters are properly maintained and building relationships that facilitate sharing the Gospel. No one needs to be convinced they need clean water, Beth said, but many simply don’t have access to it. The World Health Organization puts that number at 785 million internationally. “So when you’re able to deliver a simple solution for clean water, it immediately starts building relational equity with the recipients,” Beth said, “and you get to earn the right to share the Gospel and earn the right to disciple them.” When Beth encountered Kibera for the first time, he was paralyzed by the scene. Texas Pastor John Meador, far right, in Kibera with a team of pastors, workers and laymembers of his pastorate, Cross City Church in Euless. “This is going to be the closest thing that most of us in the Western world would think … hell looks like … except for the fire,” Beth said. “If I could be brutally honest, it terrified me. I did not really think that I could do anything. I mean, I’m just an ordinary person. “And God kept on bringing me back to this place. And finally, once we committed that we were going to serve this entire area, then He provided the resources. He provided the people, just like He said He would do.” Many of Beth’s fellow Southern Baptists are among those God provided to help, including not only Severns Valley Baptist Church, but also Cross City Baptist Church in Euless, Texas, where John Meador is lead pastor. Meador visited Kibera on the same mission trip as Beasley, and several teams from both churches have participated in the outreach there. Meador is impressed by the ministry’s efficiency in partnering with the Sawyer Products water filter company, its practices of partnering with stateside churches and training Indigenous ministers as local missionaries, and its encouragement of pastors in countries were the ministry serves. “But the process itself is so impressive to me because everybody needs water, of course,” Meador said. “And people come in and they look at what the water filter is, and they of course are already interested in getting that water filter, but there’s a certain amount of training that has to go on for them to use it well.” Christopher Beth and a recipient of a water filtration system. from The Bucket Ministry. The ministry provides the instruction necessary for households to use the filters, and the indigenous missionaries continue the work long after visiting missionaries are gone. Residents use the filters on water that runs from the tap when available, or is otherwise purchased from trucks. But Beth said tests show all water available in Kibera is contaminated without the use of filters. Today, every home in Kibera has a clean water filter. In the five years The Bucket Ministry worked in Kibera on the $4.8 million outreach, its missionaries and volunteers distributed 81,788 water filters attached to buckets, conducted 240,569 follow-up visits, taught 419,514 discipleship lessons and baptized 1,440 new converts among the 400,000 or so residents the ministry counted, according to numbers collected through the ministry’s mission mapping system. Meador saw living conditions similar to Kibera on the numerous mission trips he took to India during his pastorate at Woodland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., but conditions in India were not as dire. “Well, the, Gospel is what’s needed there,” Meador said of Kibera. “And when people have a lot of need and they’re at a crossroads in their life with need, then when you come to meet that need, they’re really willing to listen to why you’re there. And of course, the reason we’re there is because of Jesus and the Gospel. “That’s pretty big motivation for all of us.” Other Southern Baptist congregations supporting the ministry include Flint Baptist Church in Flint, Texas; Central Baptist Church in Crandall, Texas, and Crosspoint Community Church in Rockwall, Texas, among others. Beth founded The Bucket Ministry after accompanying his daughter on a mission trip to the Brazilian Amazon in 2012. “I saw things that I wasn’t prepared to see,” Beth said. Residents drank water from the Amazon River as a normal way of life, but because of the high infant mortality from waterborne diseases, delayed naming their children for two years after birth. “And I saw people that thought that diarrhea was normal, and that’s the way that you had to live,” he said. “And so I came back with this burden on my heart and started searching for solutions.” He stumbled upon the Sawyer water filter at a Dallas camping supply store, and his own family served as human guinea pigs, filtering and drinking otherwise untreated water from Lake Ray Hubbard for a week, and remaining well. “The owner of the company (Kurt Avery) is a believer. He’s a kingdom man, and he believes that the filter can end the world water crisis as well as advance the Gospel,” Beth said. “So we have identified this perfect partnership between us and Sawyer, that we use a product that they manufactured for camping and backpacking to reconcile people back to the Father and to deliver them with sustainable clean water over generations.” In addition to Kibera, The Bucket Ministry has provided clean water and The Living Water to the Kawangware and Athi River slums of Kenya, the Jenta slums of Nigeria, the Namatala slums of Uganda, the Nima slums of Ghana, and in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico. The Gospel ministry grows where it is planted. Kibera “churches are telling us that they’re growing,” Beth said. “They need more room in that area now because of all the new believers. So we’re seeing this as a point of revival for Africa, and we’re seeing ripples from that campaign going out further. “Our team of missionaries answered God’s call to serve their neighbors and because of that, lives have been changed both physically and spiritually. I’m in awe of how God continues to use ordinary people for His rescue mission.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer. #JANUARY25

Hearing the Call WASHINGTON D.C. — Greg Gibson had already planted one church in Washington, D.C., so he chuckled when his friend Clint Clifton called him three years ago and asked, “Do you think you have another church plant in you?” But the more Greg thought about Clint’s passing comment, the more he couldn’t get it off his mind. “God has always used moments like that through his people, where a seed gets planted in my heart that then starts to blossom and grow over time,” he shares. Mere months after that phone call, Clint Clifton was killed in a plane crash , and the Gibson family found themselves back in the D.C. area to attend his funeral. Sitting in a crowd of several hundred people who had been impacted by Clint’s life and ministry, Greg felt an overwhelming sense of void in the city he’d once called home. “Clint had an amazing gift set and influence in D.C. with his ability to come alongside planters and train, galvanize, and send them,” Greg reflects, “so by no means did I think there was any one person who could fill his shoes, but I knew that enough of us needed to carry the baton.” In the days that followed, the Gibson family began to feel an aching pull to return to D.C. to plant another church. So, the following summer, they packed yet another moving truck in Knoxville and moved back to the Monument City, expectant for what God would do next. Engaging the City The Gibson’s Sending Church , Foothills Church in Knoxville, knew the Gibsons as a church-planting family, and were excited to partner with them in ministry again. “When we moved here last August, I spent the first couple of months building a team doing a ton of personal evangelism and the ministry of invitation,” says Greg. The Gibsons opened their home for a weekly Bible study that grew to 50 people in a matter of months. Every Sunday evening, kids swarmed through their halls while adults gathered in the living room. “The Bible study became the net. We were inviting everyone into it, and then out of the Bible study, we built our core team,” Greg explains. “Church planting is a team sport. If you’re planting on your own, there’s going to be deficiencies and blind spots in the church early on, so the first step is always to build a team.” Making Disciples But building a team to plant a church in a fast-paced environment like D.C., where time is often the biggest premium in people’s lives, doesn’t come without its challenges. “It creates an interesting dynamic for churches and church planters, because people are ultimately going to give their time to something that will add value to their lives,” Greg observes. Nations Church faced that challenge head-on by offering a gospel-centered life purpose to the people they interacted with. As they introduced people in their city to God’s greater mission, they started to witness these goal-driven individuals get excited about the role they can play in expanding God’s kingdom. “We’re seeing a lot of people come into our orbit who are saying, ‘I once had a mission.I was once former military. I was once working in the State Department, or whatever it might be. But now I have a greater mission,’” shares Greg. Not long ago, Greg shared with one such individual a message like the one Clint Clifton relayed to him three years ago in that phone call that Greg still can’t get out of his head. “I shared with him that I could see him being an amazing church planter,” he says. “And since then, he has this transformed belief in himself, and we’ve started meeting together every week for pastoral development.” Planting a Church Today, Nations Church regularly sees 75 people engaged in weekly services and activities, which are held weekly at a middle school in Louden County. Much like the city of D.C., their church welcomes people from all over the world, including Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Korea, China, Columbia, Peru, and Vietnam. This summer, the church launched kids’ and student ministries to reach the next generation and started more life groups for adults. An entire family recently followed in believer’s baptism, and the church continues to grow. “Our vision is the reach the nations by loving our neighbors,” says Greg. Reaching the Nations In a city as diverse as Washington, D.C., reaching the nations is a mission that feels close to home. That’s why Nations Church regularly invites international pastors ministering to ethnic groups in D.C. to share about their ministries with the congregation. “If we can plant churches in Washington D.C., I think we can also plant churches with different ethnic groups in Washington, D.C., and then maybe God will allow us to plant churches and help catalyze church planting work in different places around the world,” Greg shares. Just weeks after their public launch this past March, the church commissioned and sent their first overseas missionary to Warsaw, Poland to work with Ukrainian refugees. “We want to be a multiplying church,” Greg says. “And our goal is to plant as many churches as God would allow locally and globally.” #JANUARY25

FLUSHING – Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the lights, the decorations, the family gatherings, the carols, and, of course, the presents! But if we’re honest, it’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement and miss the true reason for the season. This year, I’ve been reflecting on a simple but profound question: Who is this Child? The Bible speaks of a baby born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, and we say we celebrate His birth every Christmas. But how often do we pause and truly ask ourselves, Who is this Child? Isaiah 9:6 offers us an extraordinary description: “For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Have you ever stopped to reflect on the depth of these four titles and what they reveal about Jesus? Wonderful Counselor Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor, the one who guides us through every step of our lives. No matter what challenges we face—today or tomorrow—He is there to provide wisdom and direction. His guidance is not just good; it is perfect. When we feel lost or overwhelmed, we can trust that He knows the way and is eager to lead us. Mighty God Jesus is also our Mighty God. This is not just about strength; it’s about unmatched power and authority. He is mighty to save, mighty to deliver, and mighty to heal. Life can throw unimaginable difficulties our way, but Jesus is greater than anything we will ever face. With Him living in us, we, too, can overcome. His might assures us that no situation is too big for His intervention. Eternal Father As our Eternal Father, Jesus provides love, comfort, and care that far surpasses anything an earthly parent can offer. Perhaps you’ve been blessed with a wonderful earthly father who supported and encouraged you. Or maybe your experience has been very different. Regardless, Jesus is the Father we all long for—the one who holds us close, protects us, and provides for us in ways only He can. His love is constant, unwavering, and eternal. Prince of Peace Finally, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. True peace—the kind that surpasses all understanding—comes only through Him. The world offers temporary peace, a fleeting calm that fades as difficulties arise. But the peace Jesus gives endures. It sustains us in hard times, reminding us that we are not alone and that He is in control. His peace doesn’t depend on our circumstances; it flows from His presence in our lives. Reflecting on the Child Christmas is a   time to reflect on who this Child truly is and what He means to you personally. His birth was not just a historical event; the moment of Emmanuel where God came to dwell among us, offering salvation, hope, and eternal life. How do you need to see Him this Christmas? Do you need a Wonderful Counselor to guide you, a Mighty God to strengthen you, an Eternal Father to comfort you, or a Prince of Peace to calm your heart? The beauty of Jesus is that He is all these things and more—if you will trust Him. This Christmas let’s not rush past the manger without taking a moment to ponder its significance. Let’s slow down and worship the One who came to change our lives forever. Jesus is not just a baby in a nativity scene; He is our Savior, our King, and the answer to every need we face. So, who is this Child? He is everything we could ever hope for, and so much more. May you experience the fullness of His love and presence this Christmas season. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Starting in 2025, Ed Emmerling will serve as the Executive Director of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM). Ed was privileged to be the pastor of Westside Church Flushing since 2002. Ed and his wife Reneé have 4 children and 5 grandchildren.  #DECEMBER24

SHELBY TOWNSHIP – I love reading about the birth of Jesus every year as the Christmas season rolls around. If I am not careful, I can read through the events of Jesus’ birth quickly and move on to the next thing on my busy holiday “to-do” list. There are so many treasures to find in the Bible when we slow down and take time for God to speak to us through His Word.   I love the beginning of the first chapter of Luke. We see two very similar stories that Luke writes about, yet two very different responses.   In Luke 1:13-17 (NIV) we read about an angel visiting Zechariah. Luke writes, But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”   Elizabeth and Zechariah had faithfully prayed for a child through the years, and the Bible says in Luke 1:7 “ that Elizabeth was barren and they were both well along in years.”     Zechariah responds to the angel of the Lord with a question that revealed his unbelief. In Luke 1:18 (NIV) , Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”   Instead of looking to God and believing He could do the impossible, Zechariah’s question showed that he was looking at human limitations when God is a limitless God! Zechariah needed a sign that the angel was from God. He was looking for assurance, rather than putting his faith and trust in God. Since Zechariah responded in unbelief, the Lord closed his mouth and he was unable to speak until his son John was born.   As we continue to read in Luke 1, we read about Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel.   In Luke 1:28-33 (NIV), Luke writes, The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”   Mary responded to Gabriel with a question that revealed her heart. “ How will this be,  Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”   Mary’s response showed that even though she knew what  would happen, she just didn’t know how  it would happen. Her question showed her faith, not unbelief. She was wondering how a virgin can physically give birth? She wasn’t questioning if it was possible, she just wanted to know how it was going to happen.   Mary responds in Luke 1:38, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”   Mary’s response showed her heart of surrender. She trusted the word that came from the Lord, and she gave herself fully to God’s plan.   I long to have a heart of surrender like Mary, but more often than I care to admit, I am more like Zechariah. Recently, the Lord spoke something to me, but I didn’t see it unfold in the time frame I thought it should; therefore, I allowed fear to creep in. I began to take the situation into my hands and started to change plans. Thankfully, one day as I was reading in 2 Chronicles, God revealed to me where I wasn’t trusting Him. I confessed my sin, and told God from that point forward I would trust Him in that situation. You know what? He showed up and everything worked out the way He told me it would!   How do you respond when God speaks something in your life? Are you like Zechariah and question if it is possible? Do you constantly ask God for a sign to be sure it is Him? Or do you respond like Mary, fully surrendered to do the work of the Lord. Do you know Him well enough to recognize His voice and trust His ways?   I invite you to pray the following prayer of surrender as you yield to God’s plan in your life.   Father God,   Thank you for loving me despite my faults and lack of trust. God, I want my heart to be fully surrendered to you. I confess that often I ask for a sign of confirmation or I question the things you speak over me. I believe, Lord, but help my unbelief! Show me where I struggle to trust you and build my faith. I pray that as I learn to discern your voice, I will be courageous and obey what you are asking me to do. Lord, I want my life to matter for you and for eternity. Amen ABOUT THE AUTHOR Karen is married to Scott Blanchard, pastor of Lakepointe Church, and moved from Florida to Michigan in the summer of 2009 to plant Lakepointe Church in Shelby Township. She enjoys mentoring and discipling women and also leads women’s life groups through her church. She is passionate about helping women find their purpose in who God created them to be. She is on staff at Lakepointe Church and loves being part of what God is doing in the Metro Detroit area! #DECEMBER24

Many spiritual topics that captivate the global church are often ignored in the American church today to our detriment. It’s easy for us to focus on the needs of our own churches. After all, this is where and to whom God has called us to serve. Yet, God’s design is for us to contribute to and benefit from the global church. In September 2024, 5,000 believers from more than 200 countries gathered in South Korea for a week of exhortation, collaboration, worship, and prayer at The Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. The participants included many believers who represent Christ in their workplace in addition to church and ministry leaders. The Bible teaching and discussions were robust. This was a diverse gathering, so the teaching and writing did not match any denomination perfectly. But this group was intentionally biblical and gospel focused. We share many areas of ministry focus with the global church. But it’s striking how many topics captivate the global church that many in the American church ignore today. Here are five of those points of emphasis. 1. The importance of the Holy Spirit In the same way Jesus’s followers waited in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit, the global church points to the importance of waiting for the Holy Spirit today. In America, we’re quick to pursue our mission in our own strength. Yet the mission is not possible without proclamation that is faithful to Scripture and affirmation of the role of the Holy Spirit. Our theology may say one thing, but our behavior is often more focused on our work and our plans than God’s presence. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of people within our churches and among those who are not yet followers of Christ. “Coram Deo” is a Latin term for the presence of God. Our goal should be to constantly live in the presence of God. We are not just asking the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of others, God has called us to constantly rest in His presence and ask, “What should I do?” When this takes place, it’s common for it to prompt personal and corporate repentance and seeking forgiveness from others. In the words of Bishop Efraim Tendero, CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance, “We need to revise the view of Jesus’s presence from mere security to inculcate accountability.” In God’s presence, we have no secrets. Spiritual disciplines can help us step into God’s presence. Such habits can draw us to listen to God and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. This is far different than what global leaders observe in our western cerebral ecclesiology. 2. The need for prayer Similar to the emphasis on the Holy Spirit is the frequent dependence on prayer heard throughout the global church. A believer in Hong Kong prayed for her coworkers only to find them coming to her with questions and seeking spiritual guidance. A believer in Iran prayed and fasted for two months before she was called to a place six hours away where she found people hungry for the Lord. S.D. Gordon, a devotional writer in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th century wrote, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” Starting with prayer demonstrates the humility of saying, “We can’t, but God can.” The growth of the church in South Korea and the large number of international missionaries they send to reach the nations coincides with a high value they have placed on prayer. It’s common for their churches to have early morning prayer meetings every weekday. A Korean missionary in Madagascar frequently spends his Saturday mornings—the one day with no prayer meeting—prayer walking his city. This heart for seeking God’s heart drives the mission. Ronaldo Lidorio, missionary to peoples in the Amazon, pointed out, “It is impossible to accomplish mission without courage.” That courage comes from God, not training, knowledge, or experience. We need to pray often, asking God for courage to share and live out the gospel. “We are not called to pray. We are called to a life of prayer,” said Lidorio. 3. Our role in facing injustice Lidorio also pointed to the reality that “because the gospel is countercultural, it finds injustice.” As believers uncover and begin to address this injustice, they face opposition and persecution. The question is not whether there is injustice in our world today. It’s rampant. The question is not whether God cares about injustice. He does. The question is whether we as believers are engaging with the people and problems in our community to make a difference in the name of the gospel. The global church assumes the problems in your context are problems believers are actively seeking to make a difference in. That brokenness is not just a context for ministry. Rather, proclaiming the gospel while displaying love for the broken is integral to the mission. Believers seek to impact spiritual, mental, and physical brokenness in the workplace, in the community, in politics, and in the environment. When someone raises an issue of injustice in America, Christians are quick to point out when it’s not our fault. Instead of this more self-focused response, we would better reflect Christ’s compassion if we saw local issues and asked, “How can I help?” 4. How to stand with those facing persecution Scripture tells Christians to expect suffering because of their faith. One reason American Christians experience little suffering is because we’re not radical. Christ’s teachings are radical. They go against human instinct to claim and protect “what’s mine.” They put others first. If we engage in areas of injustice, we’ll suffer for it. Indeed, Americans have a high level of religious freedom enshrined in our Constitution, but contrary to what many in our culture may think, this freedom is both the freedom to gather and to scatter, spreading the Word and will of God in our communities. As we engage in going into our communities to declare and display the gospel, there will be resistance to this message. But such resistance will likely still pale in comparison to that experienced in many places in the world. What can we do? Being informed is an important part of embracing the global church. Praying for believers experiencing persecution is a tangible way to help. A church in Madagascar has a weekly prayer meeting for the persecuted church. A believer in Singapore attends a regular prayer meeting for Muslim background believers who often face family and community rejection when they identify with Christ. America still has power and influence in the world. Asking our government to pressure other governments to give their citizens religious freedom is another tangible way to seek to transform society. 5. Our need for the global church Standing together with the global church and its persecutions could be nurtured as a spiritual discipline. Doing so draws us closer to God and His activity around the world even in adversity. Jesus Christ is the head of His Church. This includes believers in all places. As members of Christ’s body, we are designed to identify with the global church, learn from each other, share with each other, and be in relationship with each other. The Bible describes us as being one bride and one body. We need other churches around the world in the same way your church needs each member. This doesn’t mean we know about every church, stay up to speed on every hardship, nor invest in every cause. But it does mean our local churches work best when they’re seeking to be relationally connected with parts of God’s global church. There are burdens among global churches that your church is equipped to bear. There is good news among global churches that your church can celebrate . Hopefully these five insights from the global church can improve our faithfulness where God has placed us to serve. For permission to republish this article, contact  Marissa Postell Sullivan . ABOUT THE AUTHOR Scott McConnell is the executive director of Lifeway Research. #DECEMBER24

ISAAN, THAILAND – Noei was a housekeeper for an International Mission Board worker in Bangkok, Thailand, for many years when she accepted Christ as her Savior.  She became a trusted assistant in ministry, not just a housekeeper, but when she retired and moved back to her home in rural Isaan, she lost touch with Christianity.  Less than 1 percent of Isaan is Christian, and Noei and her husband, Seri, prayed for God to send a shepherd to look after them. That was 10 years ago. They forgot about the prayer and became entrenched in Buddhist culture again.  God didn’t forget the prayer, though. He arranged for a Korean-born man to meet a Korean born woman in the U.S. and travel to Isaan as IMB workers in 2021. When Joshua and Sarah Jung found Noei and Seri, they had Buddhist statues in their home and were wearing Buddhist necklaces. “We told her, ‘God still loves you. God is still waiting for you. He wants you to come back,’” Joshua recounted. Noei wasn’t ready to live for Jesus again, but she was willing to attend Bible study with the young missionaries.  One day, she was in a motorcycle accident but was unharmed. That was enough to convince her God still had plans for her, and soon both Noei and Seri were serving the Lord again, now with a shepherd in Isaan.  The Jungs were sent to serve through the IMB in Thailand by Hanmaum International Baptist Church, a Korean congregation in Fort Worth. The church prays for them at weekly prayer gatherings and individual members provide financial support and encouragement.  Joshua was himself involved in a motorcycle accident in Korea when he was 5 years old, and he was seriously injured. His mother, a nominal Christian at the time, prayed God would spare her son. If He would, she would offer him as a missionary someday. She didn’t share that prayer with Joshua until he was preparing for ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. “She hid that prayer from me for many years,” Joshua said. “Also, she probably forgot about it. After that day, she told God she wanted me to become a rich person who could support missionaries. That was her second prayer. I guess God listened to the first prayer. God called me to the mission field.” Isaan, where the Jungs serve, covers about one-third of Thailand – about 21 million people. The population is largely uneducated and very poor.  “There is a saying that to be a Thai is to be a Buddhist,” Joshua said.  Missionaries can freely share the Gospel there, he said, but hearts are hard toward Jesus.  “They turn their backs and get very harsh with their family who want to become a Christian,” he said. “We teach children English and Bible stories, and some of the kids want to become a Christian. Once they become a Christian, their grandparents stop sending the children. That happened to us many times.” It’s the grandparents in charge of the children, he said, because the parents often have left for Bangkok, Chiang Mai or another country in search of work. That makes the population of Isaan very old and very young. “Isaan is a very, very hard place. When we share the gospel and ask if they’ve heard about Jesus Christ, they’ve never heard the name of Jesus.” –Joshua Jung One way the IMB team makes inroads in the unreached, unengaged people group there is through a sewing ministry founded many years ago in Bangkok. Now in the rural regions, the missionaries teach women to sew dolls at home to earn a small income. Each person who is taught to sew also is taught the Bible.  Another way of gaining access is through an eyeglasses ministry. The missionaries travel to villages handing out eyeglasses, and each person who receives glasses hears the Gospel. “Through that we make connections,” Joshua said.  Because Buddhism is so prevalent in Thailand, holidays are Buddhist holidays, funerals are held at Buddhist temples, and ceremonies are Buddhist ceremonies, he said. Helping people leave that culture and follow Christ is a monumental task, and churches are key in grouping believers together for support.  The Jungs focus on church planting, and on Sundays he preaches in a small group in Isaan. Sarah, who recently underwent radiation therapy in Bangkok for early-stage breast cancer, takes turns with other members of their team leading Bible study with the sewing ministry.  “Isaan is a very, very hard place,” Joshua said. “When we share the Gospel and ask if they’ve heard about Jesus Christ, they’ve never heard the name of Jesus. A lot of missionaries who come here have a very hard time. Pray for the Isaan people so whenever they hear the Gospel their hearts will be open. “Pray for our team. It’s a large area, the largest in Thailand, and we only have [a small number of workers]. Pray that God will send workers and raise up local leaders.” This article originally appeared in the Southern Baptist TEXAN . ABOUT THE AUTHOR Erin Roach is a correspondent for the Southern Baptist TEXAN . #DECEMBER24

WESTLAND – As we go through our daily lives, we all face trials and challenges. Most times, we try to take care of things on our own. We should only be relying on the Lord to handle our obstacles. I can speak on my own experiences. Every time I try to take charge of a situation it seems that it never works out in the way that I feel it is supposed to. The Lord is gracious enough to give us free will and he lets us mess up and then he cleans up our mess for us time and time again. Philippians 4:6-7 says “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. CSB”. God promises us peace from everything in this sinful world. All he asks us to do is pray to him and he will grant our request. But is that so hard for us to do? Sometimes we put so many other things before God and we forget who the head of our lives is and who gives us that peace that surpasses all understanding. Our spouse won’t give us peace when we are dealing with depression, our children won’t give us peace from the grief of a lost loved one, and our parents, friends and co-workers won’t give us peace from a past abusive relationship that we still have buried deep in our hearts from the past. Jesus Christ is the only peace that we need. There have been so many days that I have felt nothing but joy in my heart even though there is a storm going on outside in my life, that joy and peace is only because I have grown to develop a relationship with Jesus. I have not always had peace, and yes! In the past I have looked to people and materialistic things I thought would bring me peace and happiness, but that feeling only lasts a short time.   To start feeling some peace in your life your first step would be to start praying to God. He wants to hear from you. Even though he has already ordered your steps and has your ultimate plan written down, he still wants to hear from you. He wants to know that you are committed to him. Ask God to open your heart to get a better understanding of his word. Thank the Lord for all the blessings that he gives to you, because we forget so many times of all that he does for us. Don’t forget to give him praise. Worshiping the Lord through song and hymns, just praising God for his goodness will surely bring peace to your spirit. Remember this Scripture John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the World gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.” The Lord is with us every step of the way. We are never alone in this world of calamity. With all the stress of life just know that His peace is enough. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jessica Wimberly is the 1st Lady of One Mission Church in Westland Michigan. Jessica and Pastor Antonio have 4 children, Savanah 18, Antonio ll 11, Alexandria 1, and Anthony 7 months. Jessica is the Director of the Children’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, and Assists with the Media Ministry at One Mission Church. A nurse by profession, loves art and spending lots of time with her family. Outside of family time, she enjoys arts and crafts, writing, fellowship with her church family, and helping seniors in the community. #DECEMBER24

PLYMOUTH – I have always struggled with giving gifts during the Christmas season. It’s not that I don’t want or love to give gifts, because I do. I get such great joy and satisfaction from the act of giving. My struggle is with focusing on a gift and making sure it reflects my love for the individual and it is something they will truly appreciate. I learned years ago that buying gifts for Sabrina could turn into a mine field of catastrophic consequences if wrong steps were taken. I no longer buy her lingerie or underwear because what I like and what she will wear are not even close to the realm of reality. She loves jewelry and I love to see her enjoy it, but what she really wants and what my bank account can sustain don’t balance. Also, I never gift her with clothing. It never fits. If it is too small or too large, the resulting reactions are not good. Trust me! Don’t attempt this. Of course, most of what I have said about gifts for the love of my life were in jest. I have lived with her long enough to know her and that which brings joy to her life, and I do my best to provide that. Gifts are more a matter of expressing and sharing love and appreciation than exchanging material objects. During the past ten years that Sabrina and I have had the joy to do ministry here in this marvelous place called Michigan, we have been more than privileged and blessed to be gifted with so much. We have been gifted to work alongside some of the most precious people we have ever encountered. Tony and Jamie Lynn were two jewels dropped into our hearts that will always adorn and sparkle within our lives and our memories for the rest of our years. Mike and Shar Durbin became forever friends as well and continue to be exemplary encouragers. These two couples comprised the heart of our ministry team. The list of those with whom I worked side by side in those early days will forever be written on our hearts. Anne Glissman, Yolanda Chapa, and Nancy Spears were my first “angels at the East of Eden,” protecting and providing counsel and care. I would have been lost without them. I will forever be thankful for Mick and Jackie Schatz for leaving the warmth of the South to live in the fridged North to take the reins of our retreat and conference center at Bambi Lake. So many others have joined hands with us to help “punch holes in the darkness”, but if I tried to list them all I would surely omit someone. So please know that if you have not been named, you have been so loved and appreciated. The fact is you are our gifts. Gifts that will forever be treasured and loved. Gifts that came from your hearts and a heart for our Lord. Gifts that will not be forgotten when this “season” of life has passed, but will last for eternity. This year Sabrina and I will receive many gifts, but none will ever surpass that which has been given to us by the sweet saints of Michigan. THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tim Patterson is Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Elected unanimously in May of 2015, Patterson formerly served for 9 years as pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. He also served as trustee chair and national mobilizer for the North American Mission Board. #DECEMBER24

Back Then   PLYMOUTH – One-color aluminum Christmas trees were the rage when I grew up in the mid-1900s! After Thanksgiving, smudged boxes filled with stainless steel rods wrapped in aluminum curled and twisted, make-believe pine tree needles were brought from the attic into the living room. Printed directions explained how to insert the tree’s limbs into a single vertical pole with the long limbs at the bottom and the short limbs at the top to copy a typical pine tree in the forest. Looking back, I remember my cousins and I inserting the limbs randomly, trying to create a monster of a tree with no symmetry. Our parents would allow the Frankenstein creation for a few minutes before forcing us to follow the recommended pattern written on the box. Only after the limbs were correct were we allowed to hang ornaments.   Glass Balls   My mother and my aunts circulated among themselves single-color collections of glass ornaments. The exchange added an annual pinch of variety to each home. One year, my mother would have us suspend clear balls; the second would be red, and the third would be blue until the rotation started again. Back then, uniformity was a shared and relentless obligation when it came to trimming the tree!   Color Wheel   The most exciting moment would arrive after the one-color tree and one-color ornaments were displayed. Our parents would pull out the famously loved, motorized, spinning color wheel of red, green, gold, and blue from another grungy box. They would carefully place the color wheel far enough from the tree and paper-covered gifts not to melt the aluminum tinsel or scorch the gift wrapping. The 150-watt bulb provided enough heat that I think I can recall one of my sisters and me laying near the radiating heat, oohing over the four-color changes until we felt ourselves falling into a tired trance, after which we would stagger to bed to fall asleep with dreams of Christmas Day.   Now   Today, decorating for Christmas is much different in most homes than in the 1960s. The season is filled with endless color, texture, and self-expression! For example, one of the annual traditions we started after our marriage, and especially when each of our children was born, was for each family member to buy a unique ornament representing a milestone, an interest, or a moment of personal history in that person’s life. Our tree was filled with the stories of five individuals from one family. The number of new ornaments grew by five each year until our three children reached adulthood. Upon leaving our home for careers, university, or marriage, our children would take their boxes of ornaments into their new adventure. Strikingly, our Christmas tree would be 18-20 ornaments emptier because a new tree elsewhere told the history of someone we loved, which brought us joy. Current Trends   Good news worth mentioning at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s is that church planting now resembles the diversity of today’s Christmas trees more than ever. As the language/ethnic church planting catalyst for the Send Network assigned to Michigan, I want to share three exciting trends we can share with one another over the holidays.    Increasing diversity Cross-cultural opportunities Next generation progress    Increasing Diversity   This year, the Send Network announced that in 2023, Southern Baptist churches planted 652 new churches across Canada, the United States, and its territories. Of the church plants, 61% identified as non-Anglo, meaning their language or ethnic expression is something other than American or English. In 2023, Send Network also reported that 122 existing churches opted to affiliate with Southern Baptists, and 66 new church campuses were started for a grand total of 840 new congregations in the SBC in 2023, some of which were also non-Anglo. A new trend!   We are experiencing the fulfillment of what the Lord promised thousands of years ago to a ninety-nine-year-old Abraham in Genesis 17:4-5. “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.”   As people from other nations continue to move to the United States for security, education, and advancement, we can expect an increasing diversity in our neighborhoods and churches.   A Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s Prayer: Let’s celebrate the Lord’s promises and his passion for the nations because it includes us, those we love, and those we don’t yet know.   Cross-cultural Opportunities Church members in North America no longer need passports to share in cross-cultural experiences. Occasional one-day road trips or regular incursions into ministries of another language or ethnic group are just around the corner from our homes. Passports and airline tickets are not required; however, behaving like Jesus, Peter, or Paul is needed.   John 4:4 describes Jesus Christ before he meets with the Samaritan woman at the well: “And he had to pass through Samaria.” Christ’s obligation was not a logistical arrangement but a divine compulsion. We must let that divine compulsion take hold of us, moving us as the Lord desires.   Acts 10:34-35 reveals how the Lord radically rearranged Peter’s convictions when he looked upon a gathering of strangers with backgrounds different from his own as they took their next step toward the Lord. In the unfamiliar situation, Peter said, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”   Acts 17 contrasts two ways Paul shared one Gospel among two groups: the Bereans researched and reflected on Scripture after hearing Paul, whereas the Athenians reclined in the shadows of idols that cluttered the city while having never-ending conversations after listening to Paul’s message.   School classrooms, friendly connections, sporting contests, and workplace conversations are daily occasions to exchange ideas and deepen relationships.   A Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s Prayer: Let’s rejoice because the Lord inserts divine appointments to express his love to others who we think stumbled into our lives.   Next Generation Progress   As the youngest adults explore careers, universities, and marriage, they are often interested in mingling with others from different backgrounds. The distinctions between language and ethnicity appear to be minor or even irrelevant considerations to newcomers into adulthood. What were once considered barriers to relationships have become bridges for exploration.   Diversity has become the new norm. Adults work online with corporate teammates on the other side of the world through one shared language. University students can research materials from other countries because translation apps on devices instantly unlock documents, websites, videos, and audio recordings. Sources of knowledge and opinion have exponentially grown!   We are living in the greatest revolution of change that has ever existed. Previous generations must support the new adults who are spiritually stretching and leaning into their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nostalgia over the past must not keep God-driven endeavors out of reach from this new revival generation.   The closing words in the unexpected prayer found in Ephesians 3:20-21 describe the holy anticipation I feel each morning when I rise to pray for myself, my family, my friends, my ministry, and those I do not know throughout the world who need Jesus. That expectation grows with each word like a crescendo saying,  “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Do you see and hear the phrase “all generations?”  We have a lot for which we can give thanks.   A Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s Prayer: Let’s praise the Lord because he uses each new generation to do far more than we could ask or think.   ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Tony L. Lynn is the Send Network Director for Michigan and the Language/Ethnic Church Planting Catalyst. Before coming on staff at the BSCM, Tony served as a lead pastor in Michigan churches and as an international missionary, along with his wife Jamie, in the Niger Republic, France, and Canada. #DECEMBER24

WINDSOR, ONTARIO – Have you read the fascinating story of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah ? According to one source, on Saturday, August 22, 1741, Charles Jennens brought a scrapbook with him to Handel’s small study. “Here is a collection called The Messiah ,” he said. “Can you make an entertainment out of it?” As soon as Jennens had left, the master started reading the text he had received. The words, Handel noticed, were all taken from the Scriptures; but in arranging the quotations, the master felt, Jennens had outdone himself. The words seemed to sing by themselves. Handel started writing at once. He wrote so fast that the ink had scarcely dried on one page before he started another. The score was covered with splotches, but Handel did not notice them. He forgot the whole world around him. “Whether I was in my body or out of my body as I wrote The Messiah ,” Handel said later, “I know not.” For twenty-four days he remained in the little front room on the first floor of his house near Hanover Square in London, setting down thousands of notes to Jennens’ biblical excerpts. At regular intervals Handel’s servant brought him food, but the master left it untouched.  Sometimes the servant stood in silent wonder as Handel’s tears fell on a page and mingled with the ink while he penned his notes. Once the servant found the Master sobbing with emotion.  He had just finished the “Hallelujah Chorus.” The main theme of this famous chorus is a direct quote from the King James Version of Revelation 19:6: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”   Does a Christmas season ever pass that isn’t adorned with the magnificent melody of Handel’s masterpiece? Rising to a majestic crescendo in churches and concert halls, the glorious harmony of “hallelujahs” rings forth from enthusiastic carolers everywhere. Yet, oddly enough, if you were to ask most people what the title Messiah  actually means, they wouldn’t have a clue. The Greek word for Christ is a translation of the Hebrew term mashiach , meaning Messiah.  Simply put, Christ and Messiah are synonymous terms, and they share a common definition -- “the Anointed One.” We can uncover still more about the meaning of mashiach  by also examining its theological implications. First, an anointing proclaimed that someone was authorized to serve the Lord in a position of great honor and responsibility. Second, though the anointing ceremony may have been physically performed by a priest or a prophet, biblical writers often referred to God as the true anointing agent (see 1 Samuel 10:1). Third, divine enablement accompanied mashiach .  “The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon” both Saul and David in connection with their anointing (1 Samuel 16:13; see also 10:6). And fourth, though many were anointed, only one would be the Anointed One, mashiach , through whom the destiny of the nation of Israel was to be fulfilled. All through Old Testament history, Israel anxiously awaited the arrival of the Messiah, the Anointed One whom they believed would immediately establish God’s rule on earth forever.  We acknowledge Him as the Anointed One We often speak of Jesus Christ as if Christ were his second name. But as we have seen, it’s really a title, a description. Jesus is the Christ, and when we acknowledge him in our hearts as Messiah, we claim Him to be the Anointed One. There is no other. He alone is the fulfillment of God’s promised Redeemer, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end and everything in between! We declare our search has ended We also declare that our search for any and all other so-called messiahs has ended. When Jesus asked His disciples if they wanted to leave him, Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:68-69). For the disciples, the search was over. They had found the Messiah.  And we affirm this same truth each time we call him Christ. We announce that He is our satisfaction Finally, we announce that He alone provides us with all we need for lasting peace and satisfaction. No one can lift you from the deepest despair like Christ. As Corrie ten Boom’s sister Betsie put it, “There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still.” That’s Messiah. Hallelujah! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Garth Leno is the Pastor/Planter Care Specialist with the BSCM. He serves in a similar role with the Canadian National Baptist Convention, and he is the founding pastor of The Gathering Church in Windsor, Ontario, a church he planted with his wife, Patty, and a few of their friends. #DECEMBER24