MIND OF CHRIST MINISTRIES, INC.
PASTOR THOMAS E. OGLESBY
P.O. BOX85
NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY 07110
Website: mindofchristministries.net
Phone: 973-818-2750
E-mail: mindofchrist@verizon.net
December2021
Merry Christmas Merry Christmas
“The Birth of Jesus Christ”
Dear Believer(s):
Jesus Christ’s Birth was God’s Gift to all mankind, to save us from sin. God sent Jesus to Earth, so that after his Birth, Death, and Resurrection, His Spirit would live within us by the process of the Holy Spirit.
Now Mary was engaged to Joseph but before they were married, she found out she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. She told Joseph and he did not believe her. Joseph was a man who always did what was right. Now Joseph was not responsible for Mary’s pregnancy. In Deuteronomy 24: 1,“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her and it came to pass that she found no favor in his eyes, because he hath, found some uncleanness in her: let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand and send her out of his house.” But Mary and Joseph were not married. Joseph being a just man or the Bible says, “Joseph was a man who always did what was right.” Joseph did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately. While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendent of David do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.” (Matthew 1:20) Jesus was born of a virgin “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.”(Matthew 1:23)
The virgin birth overwhelms man’s naturalor mental mind. Man has great difficulty inunderstanding God’s process and purpose of such an unusual event. Why is the virgin birth so important? It shows the power, wisdom, and love of God. It was necessary that Christ be sinless. In order to satisfy divine justice, a pure and sinless sacrifice had to be made for our sins. “And being made perfect He became the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey Him.” (Hebrews 5:9) Jesus had to be both human and divine yet be sinless. Sin was charged to Adam and through the paternal side of the race it is legally descended to all men, and women. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Christ could not have had a human father because His humanity would have been tainted by original sin. It was necessary that He be virgin born. He was the Son of God by His virgin birth and the Son of man by His earthly mother. These two natures blend into one, so He was not God and man but God-man.
Jesus was born of God and Woman. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary, with no earthly Father to taint His blood with sin. “And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”(Luke 1:35) Jesus was born to deliver us from sin. Jesus is the Savior of the world. Because of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, we are free from sin, saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”(Acts 1:8) The Bible says, “ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: Because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
The Holy Spirit is in you. Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is Jesus. The Holy Spirit within you is God. God’s spirit lives within you. “Not by Might, nor by power, But by my spirit, saith the Lord of Host.” (Zechariah 4:6) Look what it says in, (Isaiah 61:1-3 KJV)“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”
Jesus’ birth that we celebrate at Christmas is God’s greatest gift to man. It enables God to live within us. It’s by God’s Spirit that lives within us that makes us overcomers. God’s spirit enables us to rise up and take authority over the evil spirits that combat us. “Greater is the Spirit of God that is in us, than any evil spirit in the world.” We can overcome sickness, financial problems, and family problems.We can overcome job problems, problems in relationships, problems with our children, and problems in our marriages. We can overcome problems with our churchesand problems within our communities. We can overcome problems in our nation, and in the world. We can even overcome the problem of death. We will live forever thanks to Jesus Christ.
Have you received the power of the Holy Spirit? It’s not the power of your mind! It’s not the power of your strength; it’s not the power of your position, your money or anything else. It is the power of God. All these other things will fail. But God’s power is forever. Jesus said “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20) Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.”(John 14:6)
During this holiday season let us not forget its real meaning. Let us share the joy and peace of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born for you and me. He was born that we might have an abundant life in Him.
This is the time to touch someone with His almighty love. The greatest gift that you can give is to lead an unsaved person to Christ. Why not make this a goal for an unsaved person you know. Give them the opportunity to experience Jesus in their life. We give many gifts during the holiday season. Why not give the gift of eternal life! You can be responsible for God using you to bring light into a heart of darkness. Tell someone who is broken hearted, troubled and at the point of giving up, tell them about the birth of Jesus and what it can mean to them.
Let the Holy Spirit lead you, by being obedient to God. God wants all Christians to tell everyone about the birth of His Son. Born of God and a virgin, born that we might be freed of our sins, born that God might live in each of us, born that love would overpower evil and born that we might love again.
My prayer is that every household will experience the anointing of Jesus Christ during the holiday season. May your homes and lives be filled with a season of joy, peace, love and giving.
Let me remind each of you that this is a season of giving to God. Give to the work of God and give to the poor and needy. I thank you in advance for your giving to this ministry. I know that you will be blessed, because you are sowing into good ground. Thank you for your financial support and prayers throughout the past year.
If you have a special prayer request, write, call, or e-mail it today. There are many people who are hurting, sick, and going through many types of difficulties. Do not forget to help them. You can help them by writing and requesting prayer for that person. As your prayer partner, I will lift up their burden and your needs before God. There is power in prayer. Let us agree together according to Matthew 18: 18-19.“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”
Send in your prayer requests today. If you have a great testimony you would like to share, send it to me so I can praise God with you! God is performing miracles every day.
Let us pray together; “Father, we thank you for the birth of Your Son. We thank You for the joy, peace, love, and happiness He brings. Let those of us who know Him present Him to the world during this time of celebration.Lord, lead us to give freely.Let others see the power of Christ in us. Let Your love and anointing be felt in our homes. Let us rejoice and give thanks because of our Savior’s birth. We pray for the lonely, the needy, the forgotten, the sick, the broken hearted, and all those whom You need to touch. We thank You for the miraclesYou have performed,and we look forward to serving and pleasing You. Let our spirits be connected with Yours, to bring the true understanding of the celebration of Christmas. We thank You God, as we pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!”
As in previous years, I want to caution Believers how the devil uses the time leading up to, during, and after the Holiday Season to steal, kill, and destroy. The devil is able to do this because so many people seem to lose their focus on God. They instead concentrate more on the things of the world rather than godly things. Let’s be sure to eliminate as much as we can, rushing, stress, extreme pressure situations, and financial pitfalls. We can do this by godly planning and seeking God’s guidance during these times. Please do not put yourself under intense pressure by rushing and being impatient. Please follow all necessary health guidelines and use the wisdom of God concerning the coronavirus.
It’s sad but it is true. Large numbers of individuals will not live to see the New Year. They will be killed by the devices of satan. During the Holiday Season we experience more killings, robberies, and scams by crooks to steal from us. We experience more fires, suicides, and accidents of all types. Individuals experience heart attacks, and other health problems. We see a large increase in bitter family disagreements, and temper explosions which lead to physical and mental harm. The coronavirus also adds to the problems we are facing.
I will be in a Special Time of Prayer on Christmas Morning, please send your most urgent prayer requests. I am believing God to perform mighty miracles before the year ends.
With Joy, Peace, Hope, & Love
Thomas Oglesby& Family
Pastor Thomas Oglesby & Family
