I shared this a good while back, but the urgency returns every year at this time…
I hope the following sheds some light on a 2,000 year old mystery…
How far and to what lengths would you go for…
– A one in five chance to win the lottery?
– A shot at saving the life of a loved one?
– The opportunity to bring peace to a strained relationship?
– Assurance of your eternal destiny?
– A Klondike bar?
Surely you’d at least…
– Pay ten dollars (the price of an average movie ticket)
– Tell someone about a possible cure for an ailment they are suffering from.
– Work a few hours
– Show up for one meeting
– Bring it up in conversation
Probably a whole lot more, but my guess is that most of us would at least do something! Except for the Klondike bar.
That’s why one of the greatest mysteries in all the Bible has to be why did nearly all the religious scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, zealots, priests, and religious leaders of every stripe and feather chose to do NOTHING about the single most important piece of news in all of history—the arrival of their long awaited Messiah. The time was right, all the prophecies had converged, and most of all—the location was a mere 6 MILES AWAY from where they were all huddled with their scrolls and religious relics.
But history tells us none of them budged. They never began the journey to Bethlehem. There’s no indication they even thought about going—which amounts to this…
We can spend our entire lives…
- hoping for something
- preparing for it
- longing for it
- studying it
- expecting it
- teaching it
- predicting it
And yet completely MISS IT!
In fact, this Christmas (and every preceding one) millions all around the world will do just that. Ask most people what their most anticipated holiday of the year is, their favorite time of the entire twelve month calendar, and nearly all will tell you it’s Christmas. Nevertheless, most of those people will never encounter the God for whom the holiday is named after—CHRISTmas.
Don’t let that be you.
And don’t let that be the story of any of those you care about!
This Christmas I feel a greater urgency than ever—it’s the first Christmas in 20 years that I am not preaching—not giving the gospel to a packed house of those who do not yet know Jesus as Lord and Savior. So I will be doing the next best thing. I will be inviting people to join us at Elevation Church to hear my friend Steven Furtick bring the Christmas message.
Why Elevation?
Because Steven gets it. He has the exact same heart when it comes to this opportunity for the great harvest. I know he will share the gospel and I know God will show up.
Bottomline…Instead of just lighting some candles and offering up a “lovely opportunity to sing a few Christmas Carols”—Elevation is getting ready to give the Savior the only thing He really wants for Christmas—sons and daughters returning home to Jesus!