Jim Bakker Show

Hello Everyone!

Each year about this time, I like to remind families how important it is to tell the Christmas story to our little ones.  Even the older ones love to hear the true Christmas story about the birth of Jesus.  The Christmas story is paraphrased below from the New Testament Books of Matthew and Luke in the Bible.  It will be told here in 4 parts.  Be sure you print them and keep them to read to the children at your family gathering this Christmas!

Love,

The Story of Baby Jesus

Part One

A long time ago, in the town of Nazareth, lived a young woman named Mary.  Mary did her chores, was kind to others, and loved God very much.  She was engaged to be married to Joseph, who was a carpenter.

One day, while Mary was at home cleaning her room, an angel suddenly appeared.  Before Mary could say anything the angel told Mary that she was favored by God, and that God was with her.

Mary was surprised.  She was trying not to be afraid, but she had never seen an angel before.  After all, Mary was just a regular lady like you or I.  Why was this angel visiting her?  What did the angel want?

The angel quickly tried to reassure Mary, “Do not be afraid!”  the angel said.  “God has found favor with you.  You will have a baby boy, and are to give him the name Jesus.”

Mary was confused, she was not yet married to Joseph, so how could she have a baby?  The angel thought that this might concern Mary so he said, “The Holy Spirit will perform a miracle, and because of this your baby will be called  the Son of God.”

To Mary’s surprise the angel had more exciting news;  “Even your cousin Elizabeth is going to have a son in her old age.  Many thought that she couldn’t have children, but she is already pregnant.  Nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she didn’t know what to say.  She realized that she was trembling, and knelt down.  When she was finally able to speak she said, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I hope everything you have said will come true.”

The angel then disappeared, and Mary was left alone.

Soon after, Joseph found out that Mary was going to have a baby.  Joseph was confused and upset by this. But an angel came to him in a dream and said, “Joseph do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.  The child Mary is going to have is God’s son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”

When Joseph woke up he remembered what the angel had said.  He knew that everything was okay, and he wasn’t upset anymore.

In those days the government decided that they should count everyone that lived in that area of the world.  So Joseph had to take Mary to his town, Bethlehem to register.

It took Mary and Joseph a long time to get to Bethlehem.  They didn’t have cars back then, so it probably took them a lot longer to get there.  This was very tiring for Mary because she was soon going to have a baby.

When they reached the town, all the hotels were full and there was nowhere that they could stay.  Finally, someone felt bad for them, and offered them a place to stay.

The Bible doesn’t say for sure where they stayed but most people think that they stayed in a small barn where animals were kept.  In any case, doesn’t it seem strange that Jesus, the King of the Jews wasn’t born in a fancy palace or even a hospital?

Mary and Joseph were thankful that they at least had a place to lay down.  It was warm, and there was plenty of straw to lay on.

That night an exciting, wonderful thing happened.  Mary and Joseph had a baby!  But it wasn’t just any baby, it was Baby Jesus!  The creator of the whole world, the King of Kings, the one who would save the world.

The little baby boy fell asleep in Mary’s arms and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger on some clean straw.

Mary and Joseph soon fell asleep, they were so glad to have this special baby join their family.

The Christmas Story – Part 2
The Christmas Story – Part 3
The Christmas Story – Part 4

This past year has been a year of escalation in violent storms.  In fact, records show that the number of thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes, has been rising rapidly for the last 30 years in this country.  There were about 60 natural disasters worldwide in 1980, compared to 247 events last year — a record.  (Source:  The New York Times “Climatewire”).

Didn’t Jesus say they would increase in frequency and intensity like birth pains?  Yes, He did!

Not long ago, the Lord gave me three instructions for the Revelation Days that we are in right now.  I believe they are for others as well.

First, He said to “be prepared.”

Jim and I talk a lot about  preparedness on the show.  We know that preparation is essential for us and we are trying to help others get prepared as well.  While we can only do our best, we understand that God is in control.  However, we do not use that as an excuse to avoid doing what we can to survive.  We will be as prepared as possible, while we trust God that His grace is sufficient for us.  We hope you will too.

The second instruction was “weather the storms.”

There’s a lot packed into that little statement.  While we can all get a good word picture from a ship tossed about on violent seas, weathering spiritual storms are just as important in these last days, and probably more so.
Have you noticed that the world is getting meaner, tougher, more violent, and just plain harsh?  It seems the culture of every continent is eroding with wave after wave of hate-filled human activity.  Movies, music and video games have degenerated into cesspools of violence and death.  Systematic desensitization to death and violence has been a major strategy of the evil one to corrupt the minds and spirits of our children.

We truly are entering a time that the Bible refers to in 2 Tim 3:1-5 (KJV): “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

It’s going to take a lot of God within us in the Last Days to keep our hearts and minds right when all manner of evil may be unleashed towards God’s people.  “Weathering the Storms” will most certainly mean weathering natural storms for which we can prepare by storing food and other essentials.

But, weathering the storms caused by an environment of wickedness can only be done by storing the Word of God within us.  The Word of God is the only thing that will cleanse your spirit and keep your heart and mind pure… especially when evil comes at you from every direction.

In the scripture we often use regarding orphans and widows, it would do us well to read all the way to end:   “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  James 1:27 NIV

The third thing the Lord spoke to me was to be ready to “clean up after the storm.”

When the Spring storms hit the middle of our nation, the devastation was so overwhelming that many people lost heart with the sheer immensity of it all.  There was loss of life and property and the areas where the storms hit were beaten and bruised beyond description.  The only way anything could be accomplished in the clean-up effort was a little at a time.

I watched as Jim and our teams went out to deliver food, water and other supplies to hurting people everywhere.  Relief comes when someone provides supplies and extends a hand to help and does whatever is needed.  The very beginning of restoration is cleanup.

Again, in the Last Days we need to be ready to minister to hurting people.  The Bible says that the Last Days is the “Harvestime.”  That means there will be a great harvest of souls coming into the Kingdom.  We need to be ready to help people when devastation hits, because they are not going to listen to you about your God if you can’t bring some kind of relief to them.

What we do from now on is critical and has eternal significance.  The Lord of Glory is about to return to set things in order, and we need to be looking for Him and listening to His Voice.  “Be prepared, weather the storms, and then clean up after the storms.”  That’s my instruction and I know there is love, care and concern from our Loving God in every word.  I hope you can receive them, too.