Come to the manger, there to see

Jesus the Christ, our Lord

Come see the babe, the newborn King

The Savior of all the World 

It happened there so long ago

In Bethlehem far, far away

The King promised from ancient times

Mary’s child was laid in the hay

A new star in heaven to light the way

For all to come and see

And very wise men who watched for the day

Brought presents for the infant King

Come to the manger, there to see

Jesus the Christ, our Lord

Come see the babe, the newborn King

The Savior of all the World 

He grew and He taught of peace and love

And forgiveness from all our sin

He beckons you from heaven above

Oh, please won’t you let Him in?

The babe who was born so long ago

He suffered for you and for me

In the garden He bled from every pore

And then He was hung on a tree

So, come to the manger, there to see

Jesus the Christ, your Lord

Come see the babe who died for you

And listen to all His words

Yes, come know the Babe of Bethlehem

Your Savior, your God, your King

By Jay Young  © 2008 Young4vr Music

If you’re in Southern Nevada, it’s relatively easy for Jay to speak and sing for your group. If you’re elsewhere, travel arrangements will need to be provided.

Please contact Jay – either through this site’s Contact Jay section or by adding a comment below – to make your request.

I think each of us will face a time of difficulty that will test where we stand. Whether we rely on our own light will in large part determine if we see our tests as a challenge to see how good God is, or whether we will be just be found worthy of His good gifts.

The scriptures and history of God’s kingdom are replete with examples of believers struggling to keep a grip on their spirituality in the face of temporal challenges. Many have faces a crisis of faith for things such as:

• Hard economic times
• Sexual improprieties of every type and severity
• The loss of a loved one
• Difficulties in familial or other close relationships
• An inequity having its genesis in any number of sources
• Injustice being dealt upon them
• Breach of a trust
• Insensitivity of a church leader
• Illness

If we believe what is found in holy writ, we should be prepared for rough times between now and Christ’s second coming. There will likely never be a time when we will know more peace than we know today. We are each therefore likely to face a crisis of a temporal nature that may test our spiritual world.

If we find ourselves in a temporal crisis, will we experience a corresponding spiritual crisis as well? We cannot live on borrowed light, or we will fall. We must have our own witness that God lives and Jesus is his son and the savior of the world.

But what is it that we know? We can know what is whispered to our spirit by the Spirit of God. If God himself sends his “spirit of truth” teach us, need we any more of a witness? Do we rely on what God has given us when we are walking down a path of peril and temporal challenge? Do we remember that it is after the trial of our faith that we will be blessed? Just last year, my wife and I finally began to understand some challenges we faced in the late 1980s. That was 20 years ago! We didn’t know why the Lord was leading us down a certain path; we only trusted in his will and understood that as long as we walked that path with Him, we would end up where we should be. Yet, it is only now that we see how His hand was leading us.

Too many people today look at a crisis of a temporal nature as a test of whether God has abandoned us rather than a test of whether we as His children will abandon Him. In this way, we are far from different from our brothers and sisters, the children of Israel. They are a constant reminder of a people fixated on testing God’s greatness by temporal problems. When the Israelites lacked food, they questioned whether Jehovah was a mighty God. God provided them with manna. When the Israelites were thirsty, they complained that Moses and his God had led them into the desert without water. Moses smote a rock and the Israelites drank. When the Israelites thought Moses was on Mt. Sinai longer than they thought was necessary, they replaced Jehovah with their own god. They seemed incapable of understanding that they were the ones being tested, not the great Jehovah. But are we any different?

Don’t we, in times of trouble, sit back and wonder how God could allow us to endure this particular challenge? In contrast, I have heard it said by a friend that man cannot do anything to take away his testimony, as no man gave him the testimony – God did. So, when we face those crises, do we hearken back to those times when we heard the whisperings of the spirit and stand in awe of God’s mighty hand?

If the Lord sends His spirit to you in the middle of a prayer, while you are listening to a talk or a song, or when you are studying the scriptures, he is sending you a simple, two word message – “it’s true.” Christ promised His apostles that after He was gone, He would send another comforter who would testify of truth. Hasn’t that Spirit of Truth spoken peace to your mind in times of quiet contemplation? Haven’t you felt of his Spirit guiding you on your path? Haven’t you heard that “still small voice” spoken of in 2nd Kings chapter 19? Indeed, what greater witness do we need than one from God himself? When we feel that spirit, we must cling to it as a precious witness from God.

My cousin reminded me a couple of weeks ago of the marvelous example of Caleb from the Old Testament. Caleb understood that we must always rely upon the testimony of God when we are facing a temporal challenge. When the Israelites had been in the desert for two years, they arrived at the borders of the land of Canaan, near Hebron. Moses chose one person from each tribe to serve as a spy. Caleb was chosen to represent the tribe of Judah. He was 40 years old at the time. Moses asked the spies to report about three things: first, whether the land was fertile; second, whether the people were strong or weak; and third, whether the cities were fortified or merely ten cities.

The twelve spies went into the mountainous region of Hebron. They gathered fruits, viewed the cities and their inhabitants, then came back to report to Moses. Caleb and Joshua gave their report, bringing grapes so large they had to be tied to a staff carried by two men. They reported that the land “flowereth with milk and honey,” that the people were strong, and that the cities fortified. Notwithstanding this intelligence, Caleb urged Moses to immediately enter the land and take it, as it was promised to them by Jehovah. Caleb said (paraphrasing) “this land is ours, and the Lord delights in Israel and will give them his reward.” The Lord, said Caleb, will be with us; we therefore need not fear the enemy.

The other ten spies gave a similar report, but a vastly different recommendation. They reported that the Canaanites were stronger than the Israelites, that their cities were fortified, and that the men of the land were giants. In fact, they reported that the Israelites were like grasshoppers compared to these giants. Their recommendation was to stone Caleb for suggesting that Israel attempt to take the land.

That night, all of Israel wept through the night. They met and decided they should choose a new leader and go back to Egypt. They said it would be better for them to give themselves up as slaves than to have to fight for their freedom and gain the Land of Promise as God’s reward. Well, we all know what happened next. The Lord scourged the ten deceitful spies, and caused Israel to march around the desert for the next forty-five years until that generation had died off.

The scriptures record, however, that of that estimated generation of two million people, only Caleb and Joshua were worthy to enter the Promised Land. Caleb is labeled as one who was “wholly” faithful and obedient to the Lord. Because of his faithfulness, the Lord had promised Caleb that he would receive for his reward, all of the land of Hebron, the mountainous area where he served as a spy forty years earlier. When Caleb was finally given this reward, he remarked that the giants still lived there, but that he knew the Lord would make him strong and together they would conquer those giants. Now, remember that Caleb was 85 years old by now!

Joshua 14:11-12 reads: “And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain!!” Caleb said I don’t care that there are giant inhabiting my mountain, it is my reward promised by Jehovah. It is my land of milk and honey. It is my Promised Land. The Lord said he would give it to me and I do not doubt him. Therefore, together, He and I will take the land.

Now these giants were the ancestors of the likes of Goliath, who the scholars say stood about nine and one-half feet tall! I can just imagine how foolish Caleb must have looked (to worldly eyes) as an eighty-five year old man fighting an entire army of Goliaths. Yet, what happened to those giants? Caleb and the Lord conquered them one by one until the Caleb could live there free from molestation.

What was Caleb’s secret? He constantly referred back to his fundamental knowledge taught to him by the Ruach Elohim [2], or the Spirit of God. Since he knew that Jehovah was God, it did not matter what God asked him to do, he would do it in faith. Even while the rest of Israel refused to reflect on any testimony they had gained and saw their trials as a test of God’s goodness not their own, Caleb was steadfast. He did not live on borrowed light, but stood on his own.

The Lord has promised each of us a “Promised Land” flowing with milk and honey as a reward for our belief in Him. That Promised Land is one of celestial glory. But are there times when we focus more on the giants in front of us than the promise of our reward or on the testimony whispered to our Spirits by the Ruach Elohim? Here are some of our modern day Giants:

The scriptures are very big books written in a form of language that is hard to understand. That is a giant.

We don’t have time to devote to family, scripture study, or prayer because we are busy building a career, taking kids a million different directions, etc. That is a giant.

We don’t think we earn enough money to pay our tithes to the Lord. That is a giant.

Nobody is friendly to us at church. That is a giant.

I am suffering a hardship when I have been a much more valiant Christian than my neighbor, who is thriving. That is a giant.

Sexual images and other content are pleasing to the eye and to the mind. That is a giant.

Those whom I love had abandoned me. That is a giant.

Will we see these temporal tests or giants as a test of how good God is, or will we be like Caleb, who was “wholly” obedient to the Lord because he rested on the sure knowledge from God himself that we are not alone? Will we, when facing our giants, prefer to go back to being a slave to sin rather than fight for freedom in our Land of Promise? Will we walk down the path not knowing for certain where it will lead, but knowing that it will lead to God, who walks with us? When the Lord speaks to our spirit and says “it’s true,” that should be the end of the debate. What greater witness do we need than from God himself? We should say, as Caleb did, “give me that mountain!” Yet only Caleb and Joshua, from all of the men and women of their generation, ever walked freely in the land of Canaan.

I know, independent of any college study, debate, archeological or DNA evidence, that there is a God in Heaven. I know this through the Spirit of Truth. I know that he loves you and me enough to send his Son, the promised Messiah, even Jesus Christ. Does any of the rest even matter? We can run in fear of our giants and return to being slaves of sin, or we can be like Caleb. I say, “Give me this Mountain!!!”

References
[1] Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball [Bookcraft, 1967], p. 450.
[2] Hebrew title for the Spirit of God

I saw a special on PBS the other night on the tower collapse from an engineering standpoint. The video seemed so surreal even now. But it is a reality; a part of our makeup. A part of our history. Its events must shape a part of who we are as a people and how we view the world. I am saddened when I think that my children will always live in a world deprived of the innocence we believed we had on 9.10.01

I hope we remember those who innocently gave their lives that day as a perhaps unwilling vicarious sacrifice on behalf of a nation targeted by hatred and a skewed world view. I hope we remember those first responders and others who willingly gave their efforts probably knowing they were risking their lives that day in attempts to save others. I hope we remember the resolve of those on the Pentagon-targeted plane. I hope we remember that the threat to our way of life and the desire to wipe out our nation and the Judeo-Christian traditions are as real today as they were on 9.10.01 I hope we remember the efforts and sacrifices of the men and women, fathers and mothers, children, friends, and brothers and sisters who have since fought in distant lands and here at home to secure our freedoms and protect us from further attack within our borders.

I know I am rambling. Sometimes, I just need to let it out, and crying at the office isn’t that cool anymore. I think it was OK on 9.11.01, though.

Born of lower nobility in 1320 A.D. near Yorkshire, England where the people of his time spoke an English dialect with a distinct German impress, John Wycliffe never learned Greek, but was a close student of Latin. Wycliffe was ousted from Canterbury Hall (which later merged with Christ Church College at Oxford) for his training with Archbishop Islip to reform the abuses and false teachings of the Church. His appeal to the Pope Urban V was rebuffed, and the Vatican bribed the King in order to gain his action in sustaining the appeal against Wycliffe.

Wycliffe lived in a time when the Church strictly and violently enforced its mandate that the Bible was not meant to be read by the average person and was not to be translated from the Latin Vulgate into English. Wycliffe long believed, however, that every English-speaking Christian should have access to the Word of God in his own language. Members of French nobility were allowed by Rome to possess bibles in French, but the Pope bitterly opposed any translation into English, and opposed giving access to the commoner. Later, even his brethren of the cloth were given to say that “the jewel of the clergy has become the toy of the laity.”

Although others had translated portions of the Bible into English, Wycliffe was the first to translate the entire Bible into English. While some consider Wycliffe to have been a pre-Reformation Christian, his translation, together with his fight against Rome’s abuses and false teachings earned him the moniker “Morning Star of the Reformation.”

He said of his efforts to translate the Bible, “[this table is where] I sit not only by day, but often far into the night. Just a few lines only will sometimes cost me hours and days of study before I can satisfy myself as to the correct rendering. … If God spare my life another year, I hope to put the entire Bible in English into the hands of the copyists.” Wycliffe’s Bible, with its simple and direct language, was intended for commoners, and not as a scholarly interpretation. He wanted the Word to be understood.

Wycliffe was persecuted for his work, but was not killed by the Church. The Church did, however, expel Wycliffe from his teaching position at Oxford, and 44 years after he died, the Pope ordered his bones exhumed and burned. Wycliffe was a forerunner to other great reformers like Martin Luther, and translators like William Tyndale, who brought us the beautiful prose of the modern Bible from the Hebrew and Greek. His name should be revered by all Christians for his efforts to gain access to holy writ for every believer.

A couple of years ago, a friend recommended to me one of the most profound books I have ever read: John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come. I was immediately and singularly struck by the true commentary from this piece of fiction on the human condition as a Christian wandering through this life in search of the Celestial City. It spoke truly to the struggles of our journey like no book I had read before or since. I immediately became a fan and have purchased many copies of the book and the audio CDs as gifts for friends. Next to the scriptures and James Talmage’s Jesus the Christ, I hold its teachings as dear as any book I have ever read.

John Bunyan was born in England in 1628. The son of a tinker, he had only 2-4 years of formal education. He married a poor but pious woman. Bunyan was baptized into the Baptist church in 1653 thanks to the only items in his wife’s dowry — two books on Christianity — and shortly thereafter became a deacon in the church. This was a dangerous time in which to be a believer in Christ who did not agree with Rome and/or the King. Bunyan was thrice imprisoned (once for over twelve years) for his refusal to cease preaching the good word of God publicly. Bunyan is thought to have written The Pilgrim’s Progress while in prison.

The book is an allegory of a traveler named, appropriately enough, Christian. Christian begins his journey as an unsure believer, leaving behind his family (whom he begs to join him on his Journey, but to no avail) and home in the City of Destruction (earth) in search of the Celestial City (heaven). The book follows Christian as he struggles while traveling under the weight of all his worldly sorrows (sins) on his back, and as he attempts to find and stay on the straight and narrow King’s Highway.

Christian is joined by a host of characters whom we might recognize from their recurring roles in our own journey along this same path. He is met by Evangelist, a man who shows Christian the correct path to the Celestial City and shows Christian a book (the Bible) to help along the way. Other characters who seek alternatively to assist or dissuade Christian in his journey include Obstinate, Pliable, Help, Mr. Wordly Wiseman, Goodwill, Beelzebub, The Interpreter, Shining Ones, Formalist, Hypocrisy, Mistrust, Watchful, Discretion, Apollyon, Piety, Prudence, Faithful, Wanton, Adam the First, Moses, Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, Pride of Life, Talkative, Envy, Superstition, Hopeful, Despair, Knowledge, Experience, Ignorance, The Flatterer, and Athiest.

It is easy to for me to see why The Pilgrim’s Progress was, during the 1800s, the second best-selling book in Europe – the first being the Holy Bible. I recommend it to any Christian who is himself in search of the Celestial City. It may change the way you see the landscape around you and help you to stay on the King’s straight and narrow.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not shouting “I’m clean livin’“
I’m whispering “I was lost, Now I’m found and forgiven.”

When I say… “I am a Christian” I don’t speak of this with pride.
I’m confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not trying to be strong.
I’m professing that I’m weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not bragging of success.
I’m admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say… “I am a Christian” I’m not holier than thou,
I’m just a simple sinner Who received God’s good grace, somehow!

Amen, Sister Wimmer

To borrow a line from a Larnelle Harris song, “I’ve just seen Jesus.” I have often mused upon the prospect of actually meeting my Savior. I have thought of the shame for my many weaknesses, the unspeakable gratitude for His grace and mercy, and the peace I feel from His spirit. I have imagined how I would worship Him; how I would kiss His feet. I have dreamt of caressing the wounds in His hands, wrists, feet, and side. I have imagined all of the questions I could ask Him about His great plan of salvation, of the power through which He created the Earth and all things that are in it, and of various points of doctrine that (unfortunately) have created divisions, strife, and even enemies among Christendom.

I saw Jesus face to face last Friday night. No, I am not claiming to have received a heavenly vision. Rather, I experienced a very real and vivid dream in the night. The meeting was short on both time and on words. I first saw his face, which radiated love. He beckoned me to come to him, and before I knew it, he had come to me. The Messiah embraced me in a long, warm, and gentle hug. As he held me close to Him, He said simply, “I Love You” and I knew . . .I felt . . . I experienced . . . that He meant it. Suddenly, all of those feelings of shame for my weaknesses, the multitude of questions I thought I would want to ask Him, and every other desire other than to Love Him the way He loves me simply went away. I no longer had the need for any of that. I knew beyond doubt that He was who He claimed to be, and that He loved me. Nothing else really mattered then, and nothing else really matters now. I am secure in the things that matter most . . . that He is and was the promised Messiah, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Alpha and the Omega, my personal Redeemer and Savior. And and AND!!! He loves me. I have learned that I don’t need more security than that. Everything else that we learn in the scriptures or argue about between denominations is secondary to that simple truth. I love the following Hymn, as it reminds me of the peace brought through the Atonement of Christ.

I Know that My Redeemer Lives
By: Samuel Medley

I know that my Redeemer lives!
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living head!

He lives triumphant from the grave;
He lives eternally to save;
He lives exalted, throned above;
He lives to rule his Church in love.

He lives to grant me rich supply;
He lives to guide me with his eye;
He lives to comfort me when faint;
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears;
He lives to wipe away my tears;
He lives to calm my troubled heart;
He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives to bless me with his love;
He lives to plead for me above;
He lives my hungry soul to feed;
He lives to help in time of need.

He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly friend;
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King!

He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death;
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to his name!
He lives, my savior, still the same;
What joy this blest assurance gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!

So I, like Job, will see my Redeemer in the flesh. Until then, I will treasure my meeting with Him in my mind that taught me so much about the power of His love. May you also know of His grace and goodness in your life.

Jay

FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED

I am a part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed.” The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love with patience, live by prayer and labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed.”