THEME:
Christmas is about the unexpected arrival of Messiah. When we understand why Jesus came, the vast number of unreached people-groups becomes unacceptable. We can’t just go on as if they don’t matter. Many will live and die and never know about the cross. We need to get busy because the gospel is only good news when it gets there in time.
KEY SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 1:18-25
3.4 billion people have never heard the name of Jesus
Matthew 1:18-25
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. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
John 1:29
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
The Timothy Initiative Proposal for Ridgewood Church:
Plant 140 churches in 2024 in honor of our 140th anniversary
Plant 500 churches in the next 5 years in order to make a gospel impact
The total cost per church plant: $400!
Matthew 1:21
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Please Pray Over the Holidays:
About the proposed church planting idea in Togo, Africa
About the possibility of Ridgewood becoming a west-metro campus for Cities Cop Church