BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

B V O V : 2 3 babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" just isn't enough anymore. The truth is, if it was enough for the people back then (and it was!), it's enough for people today. Those were dark times. Joy had disappeared from the nation of Israel. As the Old Testament prophets wrote: "The vine is dried up and the fi g tree fails; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also...even all the trees of the fi eld are withered, so that joy has withered and fl ed away from the sons of men" (Joel 1:12, Amplifi ed Bible, Classic Edition). "Joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful fi eld" (Jeremiah 48:33). "All joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is banished and gone into captivity" (Isaiah 24:11, AMPC). A People In Mourning At that particular time in history, there was no joy and no peace. Terror and fear were the order of the day. The political system was exceedingly corrupt. King Herod was detested by the people. They abhorred his unparalleled deeds of reckless cruelty and bloodshed. Historians record that no woman's honor was safe, no man's life secure as long as Herod reigned. His suspicious nature drove him to murder anyone he considered a rival, including his wife, her mother and his own three sons. Even the Roman emperor (who was no paragon of virtue himself ) called Herod a "murderous old man," and said it was better to be Herod's pig than his son. Proverbs 29:2 says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." No doubt, people were mourning in Herod's day. It was then, during the darkest of times, that the angel of God appeared to the shepherds and said, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). When those words rang out, earth's atmosphere changed forever. A new government had been announced. A new Ruler was about to begin His reign. Isaiah's prophecy had been fulfi lled (Isaiah 9:6-7). He Is Still Immanuel That was the day the joy of The LORD was born in the earth. And, praise God, that joy is still with us today! I say that boldly even though 2,000 years have come and gone since Jesus was born. Why? Because the Bible says in Matthew 1:23, '"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us'" (New King James Version). God came to be with us in Jesus on the fi rst Christmas morning—and He is still with us in Him today. Even though Jesus died on the cross and bore our sins, even though He was raised again and ascended physically to be with the Father, Jesus is still here. Through the Person of the Holy Spirit, He is still on the earth, living in the hearts of everyone who receives Him as LORD of their lives. Jesus said, "lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). He also promised, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus is here to bring fullness of joy into our lives (John 17:13). He is here giving us the joy of The LORD, the greatest Christmas present anyone could ever imagine. So no matter how dark things may seem to be around us, we can Watch EMIC services with Pastors George & Terri on C H A N N E L with Pastors George & Terri on C H A N N E L Live services: Sun. 11 a.m. | Wed. 8 p.m. Replays: Sun. 10:30 p.m. & Sat. 2 a.m. Wed. midnight ET Watch Are you fellowshipping with Him—enjoying His presence and focusing on the wonder of what He has done within you?

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