M&T Updates: Bare Bones

“I have seen your salvation which you have prepared for all people.”

Bare Bones!!

There are no pretty Christmas lights or tinsel, nor are there Christmas cards or Christmas trees nor Christmas decorations. There are no Christmas programs, Christmas carols or special events. There are no traditional Christmas meals or parties, nor Christmas baking. There are no Christmas recitations or manger scenes. No, there aren’t any stockings hung by the fireplace nor are there special bags of treats to hand out to the kids. It is just pretty much bare bones! The P believers simply meet on the dirt and under the trees, or in someone’s house or in the school. That’s right, they don’t have all the trappings of Christmas …BUT they’ve got the real deal. They’ve got the real stuff that counts. They’ve got the eternal truths that they’ve learned from the Holy Scriptures in their own language. So what do they have?

Check this out!

• They know that Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit
• They know that the eternal Son of God was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem as the prophet foretold
• They know that the news of Jesus’ birth was announced to shepherds who went to see the new-born babe
• They know that wise men came and offered Him gifts
• They know that the Son of God, who was named Jesus, lived a perfect life during his 33 years on earth.
• They know that He fully obeyed the law and pleased His Father in every way
• They know that He became the perfect sacrifice for the sin, that is the Lamb of God who adequately deals with sin
• They know that Jesus’ blood-death payment on the cross on Head-Bone Hill was totally sufficient to satisfy the justice of a holy God
• They know that He paid for all the sin of the world, leaving no debt left unpaid
• They know that when he said, “It is finished” (which in the Greek means, “Paid for in full”), that he totally finished paying the full sin debt
• They know that He was buried for three days in a tomb
• They know that after three days He rose again and interacted with many people
• They know that He returned to His glorious position in Heaven after completing His divine assignment
• They know He is coming again to take believers up to live forever in Heaven
• They know He will totally defeat Satan and his host

We praise the Lord for the nine village churches among this special nation and what our Lord has done in their lives.

Teresa and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate with the real stuff in mind. How blessed we are to know the eternal truths of this special time of year. May the fluff and tinsel of the season not overshadow the real deal!

Enjoy some of our family pix!

Rejoicing in Babe in the manger who is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Glory,
Merrill and Teresa