First some great news. A friend of H2H (who wishes to remain anonymous) is going to help us encourage donors by providing matching funds for all donations up to $50,000 made between Dec 1st of this year and December 31st of next year. That means if you give $25 a month, H2H receives $600 over the next year. Please pray about donating to support what we do at H2H. We need more stakeholders!
We are now less than two weeks from Christmas – a day that causes a wide variety of reactions from those who follow Jesus. I find it amusingly sad to receive, back to back, an e-mail telling me I must reject all things Christmas as it’s pagan, and a e-mail telling me that I should boycott stores that don’t use the word Christmas in their advertising. The poll on the left side of the H2H Front Page is showing this same mix with “A good opportunity to share Jesus” and “It’s pagan, we should avoid it.” running neck and neck and well ahead of the other choices.
Some links to other good Simple Church stuff around the web:
- This month CMA has posted several Neil Cole audio clips
- Keith Giles, aka subversive1, has discovered What I’m Really God At – and that it’s why God put him here. He asks if you know what you are good at?
- My snow-shovelling neighbour Maurice Smith decided to write about his summer in Hawaii this week in his Parousia Update. Actually, it’s the prefect to his next book about “The Least of These”, and it’s a challenging read.
Were you aware that you can comment on these e-letters on the web site? You will need to register, but it’s fairly painless, and to control spam your first comment will be held until it’s checked. Why not drop by and tell us how you feel about Christmas. Even better share how your Oikos seeks to show the love of Christ in this season – especially to the least of these.
Out of time! Seasons blessings,
Paul Byerly for the H2H team
.
Recent Stories:
Each week H2H publishes a story/article about simple church and/or living out our life in the Kingdom. Recent stories include:
- What Do You Do with Kids in a House Church? by Erik Fish
- Locksmith or fireman: Understanding the primary missionary task By Guy Muse
- The Gifted Teacher By Neil Cole
- Burgers and Jesus by Ross Rohde
Over 350 local house church groups listed on our map!
House2House is a donation supported ministry.
Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ
By Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola
Christians have made the gospel about so many things—things other than Christ. Religious concepts, ideas, doctrines, strategies, methods, techniques, programs, and formulas have all eclipsed the beauty, the glory, and the reality of the Lord Jesus Himself. On the whole, the Christian family today is starved for a real experience of the living Christ. We know a lot about our Lord, but we don’t know Him very well. We know a lot about trying to be like Jesus, but very little about living by His indwelling life. “Jesus Manifesto” presents a fresh unveiling of Jesus as not only Savior and Lord, but as so much more. It is a prophetic call to restore the supremacy and sovereignty of Christ in a world—and a church—that has lost sight of Him. Read this book and see your Lord like you’ve never seen Him before.
What’s With Paul & Women?
By Jon Zens
1 Timothy 2:11-12 has been used as a “clear” mandate to silence women in the church for over 1500 years. In What’s With Paul & Women? Jon Zens exposes the fallacies of this interpretation, and opens up the meaning of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 using insights gleaned from the Artemis-saturated Ephesian culture where Timothy was left to stand against false teaching (1:3). Going beyond 1 Timothy 2, this book covers the major issues in gender inequality with three Appendices: one on the Ephesian social world in which 1 Timothy was written, another on 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 and an extensive review of John Piper’s What’s the Difference? Manhood & Womanhood Defined According to the Bible. If 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 have puzzled you, What’s With Paul & Women? will help in your quest to discern the mind of the Lord as the gender debate continues.
All Dogs Go To Heaven Don’t They?
by Maurice Smith
In All Dogs Go to Heaven . . . Don’t They? Maurice Smith uses his extensive years of scholarship to tackle a complicated and difficult subject that affects all of us — what happens to people after death. He writes with humor and clarity to make the Biblical position very plain and to refute the theory that everyone will eventually end up in heaven — however attractive a concept that might be. I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about holding a Biblical position on the subject.” – Felicity Dale, author An Army of Ordinary People and co-author The Rabbit and The Elephant.
House2House
PO Box 229
Clayton, WA 99110-0229
House2House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree that many aspects of Christmas have pagan origins (including the date). Personally I avoid decorations and send New Year greetings rather than Christmas ones. But I don’t ask others to do what I do, for example I have Christmas fun with my grandchildren and give them presents. They would be so disappointed if I didn’t! And this time of year is often a good opportunity to answer people’s questions about Jesus.
But boycotting shops? No, why would I want to do that? Whether they use the word Christmas or not isn’t something I feel strongly about!
Let’s face it, we live in a pagan world. I don’t want to encourage that, but neither do I want to argue with people about it. Surely we are called to love the Lord, love one another, and love those around us. We can do no more and should do no less. And we should do it all year round!
.-= Chris Jefferies´s last blog ..SOCIETY – The London protests =-.
@Chris – You’re right, we do live in a pagan world (although some in the States have not admitted that fact).
If we who follow Christ avoid Christmas, how does that look to those who don’t know Him? Do they care about the distinctions we are drawing, or do they see it as one more reason to dismiss us as confused and irrelevant.
I’d rather use the seasons to show Christ like love. My bride and my 19 yo son will be taking a bunch of Christmas goodies to the folks working Christmas day at the EMS building two blocks from us. No huge “get saved” message, just recognition of what they do from three folks who follow Jesus. In a society where virtually everyone has heard the Gospel, what we need is not more preaching, but more examples.