The Ultimate Christmas Gifts

"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Every year during Christmas, the world is reminded of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. On Christmas day, we exchange gifts in celebration of Christ's birth. In addition to laying down His life for our sins, are there other gifts Jesus gave to mankind? Through the precious sacrifice of His life, three extraordinary gifts were set in motion: Jesus became our Mediator between God and Man, the Holy Spirit began dwelling in the believers of Christ, and Jesus gave us the authority to use His name.

"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises" (Hebrews 8:6). Christ said in the Gospel of John that He is the only way; no man can go to the Father except through Him. A mediator is the middle person mediating between two other persons who are at enmity with each other. During the Old Covenant, ordinances had to be followed in order for the high priest to come into the presence of God. Under the New Covenant, Jesus became our mediator to God. The necessity of Jesus mediating on our behalf is explained very clearly in Hebrews, "Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them" (Hebrew 7:25). After the death of Christ, we no longer needed those ritualistic ordinances of the Old Testament. Jesus is the Everlasting High Priest who mediates with God on our behalf. Only through the atonement of His blood, can salvation be gained.

One of the most important gifts given after the death of Jesus Christ is the gift of Holy Spirit. Before ascending into Heaven, Jesus commanded His disciples not to leave Jerusalem until they received the Promise of the Father, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts1:8). The outpouring of this precious gift, recorded in Acts Chapter 2, is known as the Day of Pentecost. Immediately after the Apostles received the Holy Spirit, they were given the ability to speak in tongues and prophesy.

When instructing Christians not to defile the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, Apostle Paul posed a rhetorical question to the followers of Jesus, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own..." 1^st Cor. 6:19. The Holy Spirit dwells within Christians. According to the Dictionary of the Bible, "The Holy Spirit is God, a Person within the Godhead...but above all it is the Spirit that reproduces in man the moral character of God...though the Spirit is still an influence rather than a personality." For this reason, Christians must not give into sin, let alone sins (e.g., fornication and adultery) that are against your temple (body) because it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit who dwells in us (Ephesians 4:30).

After His amazing triumph over death, Jesus told His Apostles, "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19). Be it praying, rebuking, or casting out evil spirits, the name of Jesus is the authoritative tool during spiritual warfare. I'm sure you have heard, there is power in the name of Jesus. In my opinion, one should always remember to call on Him during a time of trouble, for Acts 4:12 unequivocally states, "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." The A.C.L.U. and other organizations have taken great strides to rid our society of Christmas, rip every visage of Jesus and the Bible. It makes one realize that there is something about the name of Jesus that elicits a reaction. "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2: 9-11). Though it may appear that the A.C.L.U and other organizations are succeeding in their immoral mission, but the bottom line is that one day in the future...every single person will have to bow at the name of Jesus.

Jesus, our Mediator, died and rose from the dead; His Father sent the Holy Spirit unto His followers; and Jesus' name, the name above all names, gives us the ability to stand against the raging storms of life. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12) During Christmas, please remember the gifts given through the death of Christ. Why should you stumble in darkness when you can follow the Light of the world who has proven that He loved you since the beginning of time? Come to know Jesus.