The Great Cosmic Conflict

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A Perfect Christmas Story

A Christmas message from the Family Research Council

In Thy Dark Streets Shineth


Christmas is the time when Heaven and Nature sing. And it's the time for us
to reflect on the greatest gift of all-the gift of new life in Christ. We
often read of the humble stable in which our Savior was born. It was indeed a
rude, unfinished place. We might think it strange for the King of Kings to be
born in a lowly habitation for animals.
But how wise. In those long ago times, princes born in palaces often
succumbed to pneumonia and other childhood diseases. Surrounded by mirrors,
marble, and gold, those splendid palaces were invaded by cold. He who made
the stars and the beasts knew that a stable was warm and sheltering. It was
the perfect place to bring a newborn babe wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The heavenly host of Angels sang Hallelujah and praised Peace on Earth,
Goodwill to Men. That was what brought simple shepherds to the stable. We see
here the lowliest in society having the Good News preached to them before it
is revealed to the high and mighty of the world. These shepherds are the ones
who must labor outside through the cold nights. They are the ones who must
protect their flocks of sheep from ravening wolves. They are tough, almost
hardened men -- and yet they are the ones who most need the message of new
birth that is brought to them from the dark streets of the little town of
Bethlehem.
Soon, the scene changes, to a royal palace. Scripture tells us that Wise Men
come from the East. They have read of the coming of the Messiah. They have
read of the King of the Jews who is to be born of a Virgin. They know that a
Star will lead them. When they arrive in Jerusalem, these great men are
received with all courtesy in the palace of Herod the Great. Surely, they
think, this king who now rules over the Jews will want to join them in
worshipping the Child. Their careful study of Scripture and their searching
the night skies tells them this Child will be the Lord's anointed and
appointed One. King Herod is well practiced in the arts of deception. Surely,
he tells these Magi, he yearns to join them. If they will but locate the
place where the Child lives and come back to his palace, he will join them on
bended knee.
These Wise Men follow the Star and approach the place where the young child
lives, protected by His mother and her husband, Joseph the Carpenter. The
Magi present their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Surely the Christ
Child is the only child being raised in a carpenter's cottage, then or now,
who receives such precious gifts. The Magi will not divulge the Child's
whereabouts to Herod the King. They have been warned in a dream of Herod's
treachery. They slip away without notice and return to their own country.
The Gospel of Matthew tells us "Herod was exceeding wroth." And his murderous
wrath was wreaked on the thousands of Innocents, children two and under, who
dwelt in the region. Herod orders them all slaughtered. But it is too late
for Herod's homicidal rage to achieve his cruel design. Alerted by an Angel,
Joseph has taken Mary and the infant Jesus to safety in Egypt.
We see in this timeless story the wickedness of a government that does not
safeguard the smallest and most vulnerable of those who live under its rule.
Instead, Herod uses his great power to search and destroy. We are meant to
recognize this royal mandate as a singularly evil act whose shame is recorded
forever in the Bible story.
The Flight into Egypt, too, has great meaning for us. Our Heavenly Father
might have sent a fiery chariot to spirit the infant Jesus away. He might
have sent a great Fish. He might have parted the waters to let Joseph, Mary,
and Jesus walk to safety, even as He did for Moses and the Children of
Israel. But He did not. He sent instead a mother, her husband -- a married
couple -- and a donkey. It was thus that the Savior of the World was carried
to safety.
The Christmas story is a story for our time and for all time. It tells of the
birth of our Savior. Its timeless elements speak as well of the sanctity of
life, the protective role of marriage, and the vital place of worship in
achieving the heavenly goal of Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.
Written by FRC Senior Fellow Bob Morrison

Thanksgiving Love

Reading from the Book of Psalm 13:5-6

⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. ⁶ I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Thankfulness, not only for the good things we still have, but also for the adversity and the troubled times we face ahead. Are you willing to say what David said in Psalm 13 verse 5, and sing a song of thankfulness in verse 6?

The world thinks it's "entitled" to much. As Christians, we know God doesn't owe us anything, quite the opposite in fact. Yet because of His abundant grace, He loves us. And the truth is... that's a lot to be thankful for. In fact, it's everything.

When we go through hard times and find ourselves wandering around in our own personal wilderness, we have an opportunity to pause and give thanks for what God is doing in our lives. If we are struggling, that means God is using us in His grand vision. He has a greater good in mind. And, like the Pilgrims, we should remember that joy is found even in the hard times. During our moments of pain and suffering, our response should be cries of thanksgiving, if for no other reason than because God loves us.

Make it the best Thanksgiving ever by remembering just how much you have. Count your blessings and share that spirit with everyone around you. Have a Thanksgiving Love.

Don't Touch That Word!

Reading from the Book of Jude 1:3-7, 2 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 22:18,19

^Jude1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. ⁴ For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵ I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.   ⁶ And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.  ⁷ Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The book of Jude tells Bible-believing Christians to hold on to God’s Word and not seek to change or “breathe new life” into it: This is a grave spiritual error to do so. It warns believers against false teaching and provides a helpful list of characteristics of false teachers and false teaching.

False teachers are ungodly, they want to use God's grace as an opportunity for disobedience, and they deny Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. They reject authority and look down on what they do not understand. They are like clouds without water and trees without fruit. Futhermore they grumble and complain, allow their emotions and passions to control them, brag about themselves, and flatter people in manipulative ways so they can get what they want and cause division.

But Jude knows that false teachers will not succeed and he urges believers to "contend for the faith" to fight for what we know is true. To do that, we are instructed to build ourselves up on our most holy faith, to make progress, to rise higher and higher, praying in the Holy Spirit, and to guard and keep ourselves in the love of God. Expect and patiently wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which will bring us unto life eternal.
We must do our part, and then trust God to keep us from stumbling or slipping as He enables us to continue walking in truth.

^{2 Timothy 3:16} All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The Bible is God’s Word, not humanity’s. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. The word “inspiration”, theopneustos in Greek, literally means “God breathed.” It is God that breathes His Spirit into the Bible, not any person. Through written by men, all of scripture is divinly inspired and it is our authority and rule for faith and life. The Lord Jesus Christ made it clear that changing the words of the Bible was a sin that would not be taken lightly. This is made clear in the stark warning given at the end of the Book of Revelation.

^{Revelation 22:18} For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Every person, with no exceptions, will one day stand before God and give an account of his life. Jesus will come for us when we least expect it. I want to encourage you to contend for the faith, and "don't touch that Word!"

Dump The Garbage!

Reading from the Book of Colossians 2:6-14

^{Colossians 2:6} So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. ⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Do you know, do you understand, that there is a fullness in God that you can walk in, that you can live in? The world cannot give you this fullness, for it is foreign to the world and the things of the world. It is a fullness of grace, a fullness of mercy, a fullness of power, a fullness of God that can only be found when you die to the world and its influences and live totally in our Lord and Savior.
Religion cannot give you this fullness, for it is foreign to religion and the things of religion. It is found only in union with God, in complete intimacy and union, not at all to be found in religion's rules and regulations, its laws and demands. Fullness is found in a personal relationship with a person, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Christ "within and among" us is the hope of glory. You and I can only realize and experience the glory of God in our lives because Christ is in us. He is our hope of seeing better things.


As the children of God, we have a blood-bought right to experience the best God has planned for us. Satan furiously fights the plan of God in each of our lives, and his primary weapon is deception. When we are decieved, we believe something that is not true. Even tho it is not true, it seems true to us because that is what we believe.

Much of the time we feel defeated as we look at ourselves and our lack of ability. What we need to do is remember that Christ in us is our hope of realizing the glory. He keeps us encouraged enough to press on towards better things. We limit ourselves when we look to ourselves alone and fail to see Jesus.


Isn't it time to take out the garbage? It truly is time to dump the garbage of the world and the garbage of religion. It is your ruin, not your help. When we give ourselves to God and the fullness of Christ, we leave our old life behind. Or, as I like to say, "Dump the Garbage".

A Still, Small Voice

Reading from the Book of 1Samuel 3:1-10

1Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. ² And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; ³ And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; ⁴ That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. ⁵ And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. ⁶ And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. ⁸ And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. ⁹ Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ¹⁰ And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

When God started calling to Samuel, Samuel thought that his master, Eli, was speaking to him. Both times Eli said to Samuel, "I did not call you." After this happened a third time, Eli finally realized God was calling Samuel. God spoke to Samuel in a voice that was familiar to him so that he would not be frightened.

When God speaks to us, He does not usually boom from heaven. Often He speaks to us through what His Word calls "a still, small voice" that comes from our inner man (our conscience). In such situations we may think we are talking to ourselves, but God's words in our spirit are always filled with a wisdom that we could never have on our own.

God speaks to us in many different ways. Many people think they do not hear from God because they are looking for some kind of supernatural manifestation that is not likely to happen. God speaks to our hearts. God also speaks through wisdom and common sense. He does not lead us to do foolish things. He speaks to us through His Word and never tells us to do things that go against His Word. He speaks to us through other people and even our circumstances.

I encourage you to begin to ask God to speak to you and then listen to His voice. He has so many good things to say to you. Listen to His still, small voice.

My Friends...

Reading from the Book 1Samuel 18:1-4

1Samuel 18:1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ² And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. ³ Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴ And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. ⁵ And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

David and Jonathan were truly great friends to one another. Do you have a great friend, someone that you love as much as you love your own life? Thank God for that person today.

Father God, I do not know all the challenges my friends have, but You know everything! I hear silence, You hear their prayers. I see their laughter, You see their tears. I see what they give, You see what has been taken from them. I see their beautiful appearance, You see the scars in their soul. I experience their faith, You know their doubts. My prayer for them God is that you hear every single prayer and meet them at their need. Thank you Father. Amen