Hope in the Face of All That is Contrary
The Christmas story is the story of hope — hope in the face of all that is contrary. Christmas time is a great time to use for the purpose of remembering, memorializing the fact, that when God says, “I will….”, then God will. He will move mountains, seas and people. In Josh. 2:11 the fact and realization is that our God is able to move anything or anyone in heaven or in earth to accomplish His purposes. He is able to move in the life of an obscure girl who had no credentials or evident reason for expecting to be part of an earth-shaking, history-shaping event. Her qualities and integrity (evidenced in the writings of both Matthew and Doctor Luke) helped to place her in the middle of the road where an unprecedented moving of God was progressing like a steamroller and changing history as man had known it. That change was taking place through a small handful of individuals and not through some large and varied political or
military movement. From all that we can find concerning this person called Mary, precious few people even knew of her qualities and integrity. It would seem that Jehovah was about the only One who saw and might very well have been the only One who noticed. And by the time she was discovered to be with child, she would have been disqualified by any who did happen to notice. Had it not been for dreams and angels intervening by Divine directive, her own husband would have done away with her.
When God promised Abraham a son it would appear that it was long deferred. Abraham most likely thought that the son which was promised was his immediate son. However, that promised Son was the One through whom the world would be blessed, the One who would be called the Christ. This Son of promise proved to be coming at the great distance of some 42 generations and about 2,000 years. Though it be long and arduous by our standards, God Jehovah is faithful in all and brings about detail for detail that which was foretold long before it was realized in this realm which we call reality. Delays do nothing to weaken the promise of God; for in what seem to us to be delays, our all-wise and provisional Father is preparing a people who will walk out His fulfillment rather than being caught unawares and overcome by His fulfillment. As we learn in the New Testament teaching of our Lord, the new wineskin must be prepared for the new wine or it shall burst and the wine and its value lost.
It is interesting to note M. Henry’s observation on this one point: “This son of David, and son of Abraham, who was to be the glory of his Father’s house, was born when the seed of Abraham was a despised people, recently become tributary to the Roman yoke, and when the house of David was buried in obscurity; for Christ was to be a root out of a dry ground.” From such a studious observation we could readily come to the conclusion that the performance and provision of our God comes when circumstances would place upon it the heaviest it has to offer. Ease and convenience are not the components or the ambiance of fulfillment. The Christmas story is the story of hope — hope in the face of all that is contrary.
Christmas Eve Communion
Christmas Eve Family Communion 2020 with
Marty, Kathy and Melissa.
Click on video below to watch.
Spent For His Glory
Kathy — Growing up on Abraham Avenue, Zacharias, Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary had no idea how they would fit in the plans of God and the history of man. Amid all their lessons in history and prophecy from the Torah, they had never pictured themselves as key players in the greatest story ever told. However, their lives were divinely positioned for the plans of God. God intends your life to be spent to His glory. (Jer.29:11)
Supernatural Birth
The birth of Jesus, Savior of the world, was announced in terms supernatural. The 
pronouncement & the experiences of those involved in the broadcast cannot be explained in mere natural terms. Not only did angels appear to Jewish shepherds but a heavenly phenomenon caught the attention of learned Gentile observers and drew them to the City of David to worship One whom they would hail as King of the Jews. (Acts 4:12, Amp) ”And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved.”
I was praying over a situation for which I have no answers and can do nothing about. As soon as I prayed I heard, “Now, let go of all of your ideas of how this thing needs to be worked out and let Me have it.” As we head into Christmas and a new year may we lay down every weight, worry, and preconceived idea of what the will of God should look like in our current situations, and leave it in the capable hands of the One Whose birth we are celebrating! Have a very Merry Christmas and may you find peace unspeakable in the decision to trust the One who already set us free. — Melissa Gabler
Christmas Eve Communion will be live tonight at 8:00pm Central Time USA on Marty Gabler’s Facebook page.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO MARTY’S FACEBOOK PAGE.
Fitting in the Plans of God
Growing up on Abraham Avenue, Zacharias, Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary had no idea how they would fit in the plans of God & the history of man. Amid all their lessons in history & prophecy from the Torah, they had never pictured themselves as key players in the greatest story ever told. However, their lives were divinely positioned for the plans of God. God intends your life to be spent to His glory. (Jer29:11) — Kathy G
The Season of Rejoicing in His Names
As the people of God assemble today may all ye faithful come, assemble today and be joyful and triumphant as we adore Him: CHRIST THE LORD, JESUS, KING OF THE JEWS, SON OF THE MOST HIGH, THE HOLY CHILD, SON OF GOD, GOD MY SAVIOR. (Luke Chapter One) We will be joyful in considering His names and titles and all their implications for Israel, for us and for the nations as were Gabriel and Mary. Let us give voice to those names and titles today with expressions of hope.
Christmas is the Story of Hope
The Christmas story is the story of hope — hope in the face of all that is contrary. Christmas time is a great time to use for the purpose of remembering, memorializing the fact, that when God says, “I will….”, then God will. He will move mountains, seas and people. In Josh. 2:11 the fact and realization is that our God is able to move anything or anyone in heaven or in earth to accomplish His purposes. He is able to move in the life of an obscure girl who had no credentials or evident reason for expecting to be part of an earth-shaking, history-shaping event. Her qualities and integrity (evidenced in the writings of both Matthew and Doctor Luke) helped to place her in the middle of the road where an unprecedented moving of God was progressing like a steamroller and changing history as man had known it. That change was taking place through a small handful of individuals and not through some large and varied political or military movement. From all that we can find concerning this person called Mary, precious few people even knew of her qualities and integrity. It would seem that Jehovah was about the only One who saw and might very well have been the only One who noticed. And by the time she was discovered to be with child, she would have been disqualified by any who did happen to notice. Had it not been for dreams and angels intervening by Divine directive, her own husband would have done away with her.
When God promised Abraham a son it would appear that it was long deferred. Abraham most likely thought that the son which was promised was his immediate son. However, that promised Son was the One through whom the world would be blessed, the One who would be called the Christ. This Son of promise proved to be coming at the great distance of some 42 generations and about 2,000 years. Though it be long and arduous by our standards, God Jehovah is faithful in all and brings about detail for detail that which was foretold long before it was realized in this realm which we call reality. Delays do nothing to weaken the promise of God; for in what seem to us to be delays, our all-wise and provisional Father is preparing a people who will walk out His fulfillment rather than being caught unawares and overcome by His fulfillment. As we learn in the New Testament teaching of our Lord, the new wineskin must be prepared for the new wine or it shall burst and the wine and its value lost.
It is interesting to note M. Henry’s observation on this one point: “This son of David, and son of Abraham, who was to be the glory of his Father’s house, was born when the seed of Abraham was a despised people, recently become tributary to the Roman yoke, and when the house of David was buried in obscurity; for Christ was to be a root out of a dry ground.” From such a studious observation we could readily come to the conclusion that the performance and provision of our God comes when circumstances would place upon it the heaviest it has to offer. Ease and convenience are not the components or the ambiance of fulfillment. The Christmas story is the story of hope — hope in the face of all that is contrary.
He has Provided us a King
As the people of God assemble today, may they rejoice in the God of their salvation for He has provided us a King who rules in righteousness (Isa.32:1). May they practice the wisdom of seeking Him. “…Three wise men came from country far; To seek for a king was their intent…” “Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.”
“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you; He is [uncompromisingly] just and having salvation [triumphant and victorious], patient, meek, lowly, and riding on a donkey, upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zech.9:9, Amp)
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Kathy, Melissa and I invite you to join us live on Christmas Eve at 8:15pm Central Time for our annual family Christmas Eve Communion. We will be streaming live from our living room on Marty Gabler’s Facebook page reading the Word, singing, worshipping and taking communion. Join us live on Christmas Eve.
Extraordinary All Year Long
The Christmas events were extraordinary. Angels were active and interactive with the characters in the event. Persons of high rank got personally 
involved at great expense. Individuals of lowly birth and lowly means played as important a role as those of higher caste. Divine intervention and protection and wisdom kept the characters in pace and in place. Signs and wonders served to help the characters get into position at just the right time to be supply for Mary and Joseph and the Little One they were privileged to raise up for the saving of a nation.
Let us do far more than delight in the extraordinary events of the Christmas Advent. Let us consider them as that which was initiated to become the ordinary, all year long, for those who would embrace this Extraordinary One born in such an extraordinary way.
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.” (Lk 2:20, Amp)
God Working Behind the Scenes
Waiting on God involves continuing to do what we were born to do instead of deciding to be still and silent in a puddle of disappointment. For the record, I did get past my disinclination to encourage people like Marty had asked me to that Sunday morning and, before midnight, I got two phone calls with reports of undeniable supernatural interventions. I did not hear about them before Christmas like I had prayed, but both had happened the week before Christmas! One was financial and one was a granddaughter coming to an incredible God-turn in her life. I remembered the word of wisdom that started the financial miracle and I knew about that grandmother’s prayer vigil for that particular granddaughter. So, I realized before either miracle, there had been a “working of miracles” behind the scenes before anyone saw the actual miracle.
(This is the eighth excerpt from Kathy Gabler’s article “Christmas Miracles“ taken from Volume 20 Issue 6 of SEEC Magazine.)
Miracles Can Require Perseverance
Miracles can require perseverance. The woman with the issue of blood had at least five justifiable reasons to give up and die: her culture, her gender, her strength, her experience and the odds against success in actually reaching Jesus, but she pushed on. Her moment of relief was only one part of that miracle.
Someone Else’s Christmas Miracles
Last December, Marty was preparing to speak on Sunday. Saturday night, he walked out of his office and said, “Before I start tomorrow, why don’t you encourage the people along the lines of how you have been praying for miracles in this Christmas season.” I nodded like a sweet, obliging 
helpmate, not wanting to infect him with any “badditude” during his preparation. One of the ways I sometimes demonstrate mercy is by not saying everything I’m thinking. (Some folks reading this article can probably appreciate that more than others.) As he walked back to his office, I continued thinking, “I’m not caught up in a forward momentum over that particular prayer this day after Christmas!” Yes, it was still the season, but God had missed my deadlines for those prayers. I wasn’t in a throw-down fit over that, but I was in a sit-down, back to the drawing board discouragement. I mumbled to the Lord that I hadn’t seen a miracle in the Christmas season in any of the targets in my scope. I even added, “But Lord, I’m still willing to rejoice over anybody’s miracle, my Church of Christ friend’s or my Lutheran friend’s or even a Democrat’s!
(This is the first excerpt from Kathy Gabler’s article “Christmas Miracles“. More excerpts will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.)
The Christmas Story is the Story of Hope
The Christmas story is the story of hope — hope in the face of all that is contrary.
Christmas time is a great time to use for the purpose of remembering, memorializing the fact, that when God says, “I will….”, then God will. He will move mountains, seas and people. In Josh. 2:11 the fact and realization is that our God is able to move anything or anyone in heaven or in earth to accomplish His purposes. He is able to move in the life of an obscure girl who had no credentials or evident reason for expecting to be part of an earth-shaking, history-shaping event. Her qualities and integrity (evidenced in the writings of both Matthew and Doctor Luke) helped to place her in the middle of the road where an unprecedented moving of God was progressing like a steamroller and changing history as man had known it. That change 
was taking place through a small handful of individuals and not through some large and varied political or military movement. From all that we can find concerning this person called Mary, precious few people even knew of her qualities and integrity. It would seem that Jehovah was about the only One who saw and might very well have been the only One who noticed. And by the time she was discovered to be with child, she would have been disqualified by any who did happen to notice. Had it not been for dreams and angels intervening by Divine directive, her own husband would have done away with her.
When God promised Abraham a son it would appear that it was long deferred. Abraham most likely thought that the son which was promised was his immediate son. However, that promised Son was the One through whom the world would be blessed, the One who would be called the Christ. This Son of promise proved to be coming at the great distance of some 42 generations and about 2,000 years. Though it be long and arduous by our standards, God Jehovah is faithful in all and brings about detail for detail that which was foretold long before it was realized in this realm which we call reality. Delays do nothing to weaken the promise of God; for in what seem to us to be delays, our all-wise and provisional Father is preparing a people who will walk out His fulfillment rather than being caught unawares and overcome by His fulfillment. As we learn in the New Testament teaching of our Lord, the new wineskin must be prepared for the new wine or it shall burst and the wine and its value lost.
It is interesting to note Henry’s observation on this one point: “This son of David, and son of Abraham, who was to be the glory of his Father’s house, was born when the seed of Abraham was a despised people, recently become tributary to the Roman yoke, and when the house of David was buried in obscurity; for Christ was to be a root out of a dry ground.” From such a studious observation we could readily come to the conclusion that the performance and provision of our God comes when circumstances would place upon it the heaviest it has to offer. Ease and convenience are not the components or the ambiance of fulfillment. The Christmas story is the story of hope — hope in the face of all that is contrary.
CONCLUSION
The great majority of us who follow Christ Jesus might more easily identify with Mary than with that illustrious band that sought Him out in the city of David when He became the incarnate Christ. Our coming to Him may not have included such wonders and phenomena as shining stars; and what we brought to Him when we came likely didn’t sum up to near the total of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But we have come and we have place with Him and He is just as involved in getting us to fulfillment of purpose as He was concerning Mary.
(This is the last of four excerpts from Marty’s article “Wisemen, A Star and Somebody’s Daughter“ which was published in SEEC Magazine [Marty and Kathy’s ministry magazine].)
Marty Gabler will be giving declarations for 2016
at Grace International Church on Sunday 12-27-15.
Info and location: http://www.graceic.org
The Star of Bethlehem
THE STAR
An ingredient which has, for centuries, caused no small stir among Christian and non-Christian alike is the miraculous appearance of a star that directed the three wise men to the Christ child. Of all the factors in this hallowed story, the star would probably be considered as the foremost factor outstanding. The record of Matthew gives the report of what the wise men saw when they inquired of the Christ child’s whereabouts. “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.” (Matt 2:2, NAS) From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia we learn that in the year 1572 a new star appeared in the constellation Cassiopeia. At its brightest it outshone Venus and was visible in the daylight, and though it gradually declined in splendor it was not lost to sight until after 16 months. There have been other instances of outbursts of short-lived bright stars, and in the annals of the years 1265 and 952 some brief notices have been found which may have referred to objects of this 
class, but more probably described comets. The guess was then hazarded that these three events might all refer to the same object; that the star in Cassiopeia might be a “variable” star, bursting into brilliancy about every 350 years or so.
After a studied argument the conclusion is that there is no reason to suppose that the star of 1572 had ever appeared before that date or will ever appear again. The study brings its writers to be perfectly sure that it could not have been the star of Bethlehem, for Cassiopeia is a northern constellation, and the wise men in their journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem had Cassiopeia and all her stars behind their back.
The appearance of an unexpected star was recorded by Roman scholars as an omen of a remarkable event. They record the appearances of stars and comets in relationship to the birth or death of a number of important historical characters. Some argue that the Magi of the Christmas story believed the Christmas star to be the sign of the birth of a long-expected Prince. Barnes informs us that it is possible that they had been led to this belief by the prophecy of Balaam (Num. 24:17), “There shall come a star out of Jacob.”
There is no direct evidence of scripture as to what this star exactly was. Barnes also believes that the phenomenon was the same “glory of the Lord” that “shone round about” the shepherds in Lk 2:9. He purports that the light might have been visible from afar, and might have been seen by the wise men in the East.
A matter of some interest, which has been respectfully held throughout the centuries, is a legend reportedly still current in Palestine. It is of an actual star which was believed to have been observed by the Magi. The well in the legend is shown to tourists today as the well in which the wise men saw the star the second time in the form of a reflection.
It is said that when they had reached Bethlehem, apparently nearly at mid-day, one of them went to the well of the inn in order to draw water. Looking down into the well he saw the star reflected from the surface of the water and knew that it must be directly overhead. Its re-observation under such unusual circumstances would be a sufficient assurance to the Magi that they had reached the right place, and inquiry in the inn would soon inform them of the visit of the shepherds, and of the angelic message which had told them where to find the babe.
If we may accept this legend we may take the star as having been what astronomers know as a “new” or “temporary” star, like that of 1572. When the Magi first saw it, and in consequence set out upon their journey, it may have been an evening star and thus, being seen only in the west shortly after sunset, it would appear, evening after evening, to point them their way to Judaea. As they journeyed in that direction it probably faded as temporary stars in general quickly do. At the same time it would have drawn nearer and nearer to the sun, until it was lost in its rays by the time they reached Jerusalem, when they would seem to have lost sight of it altogether. Having thus lost it, they would naturally not expect to see it again until it had drawn away from the sun on the other side, and been detected as a morning star in the east before sunrise; they would not expect to discover it in the daytime. (Information taken from ISBE)
It would have been nice if just one more scripture could have been included which would have solved all our conjectures about the much debated star. As some have noted, that scripture was probably not included in the scriptural narrative so that the importance of the star would not exceed its intention. The star was not given as the great focal point of the story but rather it was given as a guide in helping to find Him who is THE Focal Point. One has commented that the Scriptures were not written to instruct us in astronomy, or in any of the physical sciences, but that we might have life eternal through Christ our Lord (Jn 17:3).
(This is the second of four excerpts from Marty’s article “Wisemen, A Star and Somebody’s Daughter“ which was published in SEEC Magazine [Marty and Kathy’s ministry magazine].)
The Wise Seek to Worship Him
WISE MEN
The birth of Jesus who is the Savior of the world was announced to the world in terms supernatural. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, KJV) The means of pronouncement and the observances 
and experiences of those involved in the broadcast cannot be explained in mere natural terms. Not only did angels appear to Jewish shepherds but a heavenly phenomenon, that caught the attention of learned Gentile observers, was used to draw those Gentiles to the City of David to worship One whom they would hail as King of the Jews. They were able to predict our Lord’s birth and have been numbered among His earliest worshippers (the gifts themselves an act and type of worship).
Concerning the gold, frankincense, and myrrh, Adam Clarke comments: “Some will have these gifts to be emblematic of the Divinity, regal office, and manhood of Christ. They offered him incense as their God; gold as their king; and myrrh, as united to a human body, subject to suffering and death. The gold was probably a very providential supply, as on it, it is likely, they subsisted while in Egypt.”
The so-called Magi were evidently important persons in their own right. If Herodotus is correct, these men were Medes and were of the learned and priestly caste among the followers of Zoroaster. That would have made them worshippers of only one God and they would have, therefore, rejected polytheism and idolatry. “The simple creed and high morality, which Zoroastrianism in its purest form professed, were well adapted to prepare its faithful disciples to receive a further revelation, and we may reasonably believe that the wise men who had been thus guided to worship the new-born king of the Jews had been faithful to the light afforded to them, for ‘in every nation he that feareth Him (God), and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to Him’ Acts 10:35 (E.W. Maunder, ISBE). Egyptian pharaohs and Babylonian and Medo-Persian monarchs surrounded themselves with wise men. “Originating from the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, the Magi were religious priests, Chaldeans, physicians, philosophers, astronomers, astrologers, soothsayers, in short, the brain trust of their kingdom.” (Tom Stewart, What Saith the Scripture?) Such are those who were seeking to worship the King of the Jews.
(This is the first of four excerpts from Marty’s article “Wisemen, A Star and Somebody’s Daughter“ which was published in SEEC Magazine [Marty and Kathy’s ministry magazine].)
Born To You This Day
Jesus was born on a REAL DAY in REAL HISTORY (“For there is BORN TO YOU THIS DAY” ) and is relevant to man’s needs and man’s cries today in the real world. He was born as The Answer and no one else and nothing else will meet the need within us nor will anything else fulfill us. He was “born to” us to be our “all in all” (Eph 1:23) and the world around us will benefit.
“Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 FOR THERE IS BORN TO YOU THIS DAY in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk.2:10-11, NKJV)
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