The birth of Jesus Christ is an undeniable historical event. Though Christ’s birth, in itself, is undeniable, His sinlessness is often brought into question. So, was Jesus born sinless? And if He was born sinless, how is that possible? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the answer in our video, Was Jesus Born Without Sin?
Hebrews 4:15 1 John 3:5 Genesis 3:6-7 Romans 5:12 Genesis 5:3 1 Corinthians 15:45 Luke 1:34-35 Genesis 3:15 Romans 3:21-25 1 Timothy 2:14 Luke 4:1 Hebrews 4:14-16 1 Timothy 2:5-6
How Was Jesus Born Without Sin?
The Birth of Jesus Christ
How was Jesus born sinless? Jesus was able to be born without sin because Jesus was born to a virgin and He was conceived from the Holy Spirit.
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”
Luke 1:34-35
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4–8
At Christmas time, there are community outreaches to get involved in that will give you the opportunity to give back. Why is this so important? Because the body of Christ builds up, not tears down. The body of Christ unites; it does not divide. The body of Christ encourages it does not discourage. Because we operate in love, and love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.
And when would be a better time to start reaching out to others and bettering your community than Christmas? Because Christmas is a time for helping those in our community who are in need. Churches are filled with those who don’t have enough. They barely make ends meet.
I understand that there are scam artists out there. But even if we’re scammed 9 out 10 times, we’ve still helped the one. Isn’t that the point of leaving the 99? Isn’t that the beautiful, self-sacrificing, reckless love that saved us? If we could all love as Christ does, the world would be a much better place.
We’ve all heard the phrase, the Immaculate Conception. In fact, we’ve probably used it in a sentence or even an argument, but do we really know what it is? According to the Catholic belief, Mary was born without sin, but is this true? Was Mary kept from sin because God favored her? Does Romans 3:23 have exceptions, including Mary? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the truth behind these claims in her video, The Immaculate Conception.
Luke 1:28-33 Esther 4:13-14 Romans 3:23 Romans 1:20 Luke 1:46-47 Acts 4:12
The Immaculate Conception
The Birth of Christ Foretold (AKA the Call of Mary)
According to the Catholic belief, the Immaculate Conception is plain in Gabriel’s message to Mary. The problem with that is that Gabriel never once says that Mary was kept from sin from the point of her conception. He never even hints at this.
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Luke 1:26-33
Was Mary without sin?
According to the Catholic belief, the Immaculate Conception of Mary made her an exception to Romans 3:23.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23
The problem here is that Paul, influenced by the Holy Spirit, doesn’t say some or most; he writes that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Mary herself acknowledges this in Luke 1:47.
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
Luke 1:46-47
I personally believe that this idea of the Immaculate Conception was born out of the Catholic’s desire to elevate Mary from regular human to divine mother.
Christmas time has become a hectic time of shopping, lights, and decorating. Often times it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of everything that we forget the true meaning of Christmas. We forget that Christmas is the season of giving and rejoicing for Christ (our ultimate Christmas gift) came 2000 years ago to give us the hope of Salvation in Him. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he dives deeper into the true meaning of the Christmas season in his message, ‘Tis The Season: Christmas is Giving.
Matthew 1:18–23 Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah 9:6–7 2 Corinthians 8:3–5 Proverbs 11:30b Luke 10:41b–42 John 3:16 John 10:27–30 Romans 8:31–39 1 Corinthians 13:4–8
Christmas is Giving
Why Do We Give At Christmas?
At Christmas time we give gifts because God gave the ultimate gift of His Son Jesus 2,000 years ago. The wise men continued this tradition when they brought the gifts of Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh. We continue this tradition today by giving gifts to our loved ones.
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
11 And going into the house, they (the wise men) saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11
The Gift of Christ
Jesus was the ultimate Christmas gift. God set the standard for giving when He gave His one and only Son that we might have Salvation in Him. This Christmas season, remember that giving is more than just physical gifts, for God gave more than just something bought in a store.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ~ Matthew 1:18
Notice, the angel told Joseph that the child that was conceived in her was from the Holy Spirit and not by the Holy Spirit. There was no actual sexual contact there as in Greek Mythology when the gods would come down and procreate with human women to produce children.
Jesus always was and will always be. He existed as the Word of God from eternity past, but when Mary was found to be with child, that Word became flesh or became a human being, as John’s Gospel declares.
We don’t serve a half-man, half-god. We don’t serve a demi-god. We don’t serve a man who became God. We serve the one and only true God who became flesh. Who came to earth as a baby that He might live as a man and overcome as a man so that we can then overcome through Him. Our God is unlike any other god. He is the God of gods. The King of kings. The LORD of lords. There is none like Him.
So be encouraged today. You don’t overcome on your own strength, but through the strength of Almighty God who paved the way.
In John 14:28, Jesus declares that He must return to His Father for His Father is greater than Him. This single verse records Jesus declaring the Father to be greater than He seems to completely destroy the Trinity argument since Jesus would be beneath the Father, which would mean He isn’t equal to God. Is that what Jesus was saying? Is the Father greater than Jesus? If so, is Jesus God, or is He just a man? Does that then mean that there is no Trinity? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to explain Jesus’ words, “The Father is Greater Than I” in John 14:28.
John 14:28 John 8:28-29 John 8:54 Matthew 24:35-36 1 Corinthians 14:33 Mark 4:10-12 2 Corinthians 3:14 John 1 Genesis 1:1 Genesis 1:26-27 Deuteronomy 6:4 Matthew 12:29-30 James 2:19 Hebrews 5:11-14 Philippians 2:5-11 Revelation 2:8 Revelation 3:7 Revelation 22:12-13 Revelation 5:5-6 Revelation 5:1-5 Acts 4:11-12 Revelation 19:11-13 John 1:14
More On ‘The Father is Greater Than I’
They Have Different Roles:
While only the Father knows the day or hour of the return of the Son of Man, Jesus also has things that only He knows.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:11-12
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Revelation 19:11-16
Jesus’ Authority:
Jesus speaks differently about Himself after the resurrection. He no longer claims that ‘The Father is Greater Than I,’ instead He claims He is the Alpha and the Omega with all authority in heaven and on earth.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18
5 And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
There is a way that seems right to us, but it leads to death. When we go based solely on our own feelings and on our own thoughts and opinions, instead of going based solely on Scripture, we veer off the path that God has set before us. We miss the Truth that sets us free. We miss the path to everlasting life. Sometimes preconceived ideas keep us from getting to the next level. We stop asking questions like: Are we called to be holy? Is God the only one who is holy? Can Christians be holy? How do I be a good Christian? What does it mean to be a Christian? Do I have to change for God? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the Truth in his message, Striving For Holiness.
Are we called to be holy? Is God the only one who is holy? Can Christians be holy? How do I be a good Christian? What does it mean to be a Christian?
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
Ephesians 5:25-28
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:13-16
Do I have to change for God?
We are called to be a new creation in Christ Jesus that we might have the chance to strive for holiness as Christ is holy.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. ~ Psalms 50:14–15
If we are thankful and express our thanks and we perform our vows, God said we can call upon Him in the day of trouble, and what? And He will deliver you, and you, in turn, will glorify Him. God wants to be glorified, but He also wants to bless you. He wants to heal you.
Are you in a day of trouble? Your trouble could be medical issues. You might have gotten a bad report from your doctor. I declare to you right now that Jesus paid for our healing with the stripes on His back. The word of God declares that “By His stripes, you are healed!”
So, receive your healing right now! Declare it over your life! Then thank Him for the healing and believe that you are healed in Jesus’ name. Don’t allow doubt to sneak in and keep you from your healing. Thank God for your healing until you receive it. Speak the things that are not as if they were.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Declare Your Thanksgiving.
In our society today, it can be difficult to find something to be thankful for. With sin running rampant and selfish actions causing harm to so many, being thankful or grateful seems to be at the bottom of so many’s to-do lists. And from the surface, it makes sense, but is that what God had in mind for us? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he explains God’s true desire for all of our lives in his Thanksgiving Day message, Thankful and Grateful.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!
Psalms 100:4
21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 1:21
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Statistics on Thanksgiving
Being thankful or grateful can improve:
Your relationships
Your physical health
Your mental and emotional health
And cause your employees to work harder without any further incentives
In 1947, Roswell Army Air Field officers allegedly recovered United States Army Air Forces balloon debris from a ranch near Corona, New Mexico, while others believe that the debris involved a flying saucer. This is still believed by many people to this day who are all deemed conspiracy theorists. Prior to recent years, these conspiracists were deemed as crazy, and it was insane to believe in such a thing as aliens. Today, things have changed. It’s no longer crazy to believe in aliens; it’s now narcissistic to believe that earth is the only planet with life. Why have things changed? Is there actual proof of aliens? What about in the Bible? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he searches through the Bible for answers in his video, Church Under Attack Pt. 5: The Alien Agenda?
Psalms 14:1
The Alien Agenda
Aliens in the Bible
Aliens are not mentioned once in the Bible. In fact, aliens are not even hinted at in the Bible. So, why wouldn’t God mention aliens in the Bible if they are real and have the potential to be a threat to us?
10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
