The present Christmas season is surrounded with controversy. The question kept ever before us is: Do we dare say Merry Christmas for fear of offending someone? Well, heaven literally and truly came down and the Divine literally and truly became flesh when Jesus was born in a stable and placed in that manger in the little town of Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.

While it is true that we do not know exactly when Jesus was born, December 25 is the date that our culture long ago began to honor our Lord and Savior for His birth. For that reason, this is the time of year that the vast majority of Americans give thought to Him. Now the secular forces of our culture want to take even that away from the people.

As Christians, we are to remember the Lord every first day of the week as we participate in the Lord's Supper. (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17-32) There we commemorate His death for our sins, we proclaim our faith in Him as we wait for His return, and we examine our hearts in relationship to His body, the church. Yet, long before there was a cross, there was a manger. Though we are not commanded to formally celebrate His birth, that does not mean that we should forget it, even at Christmas time. The cross would not have taken place apart from the so-called "first Christmas."

So, if indeed you remember Christ this Christmas, remember that He was not born to remain a child wrapped in swaddling clothes laying in a manger. He was born to become our Savior by dying on a cross and to be the Lord of our lives (Luke 2:11). The message of the manger must always point people to the cross – the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The important thing is that He was born and that He died for our sins. We’re not worshiping a helpless infant lying in a manger. We’re worshiping a risen and exalted Christ who has all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).

May we never forget that no matter how the world may treat us, we know who is Lord.

Merry Christmas to all of you and God bless.

Robert Prater

Too often the tendency of some modern Christians is like that of our ancient brothers who received the epistle known as “Hebrews” in our New Testaments. These folks had not grown in their relationship with Christ (5:12-14); they were weak (12:12-13), were beginning to forsake the assembly (10:25); had become sluggish in their religious activities (6:12); and were on the verge of falling completely away from the Lord (2:1; 3:12; 6:1-8).

Does this describe you? Perhaps you should ask yourself a few questions to see if you are in danger of falling from grace. First, are you as active in the Lord’s work as you once were? Second, do you read the Scriptures and pray to God as much as you did in the past? Third, do you attend less than you did in previous years? Fourth, do you feel closer to the Lord today than you did in the past?

Now keep in mind the overall purpose of Hebrews is described as a “word of exhortation.” (Hebrews 13:22) The writer of Hebrews was encouraging them like a coach, pressing them to press on. Yes they needed to be warned about the danger of falling away, but they also needed to be encouraged. Because these Jewish Christians had been very faithful and zealous at one point in the past (6:10; 10:32-34). He was confident they could do better spiritually than they were doing (6:9).
Their perseverance is one of the things that accompany salvation.

Friend, if you are not where you once were.... then you have moved in the wrong direction like the ancient Hebrew Christians. The warning of the Hebrew’s writer still holds true. When we are discouraged as the Hebrew Christians were discouraged we can easily become sluggish. Yet don’t be discouraged into giving up on Jesus! Remain in faithful service to the Lord. God hasn’t forgotten about you! Be passionate about hanging on to your faith.

Robert

Happy Thanksgiving!!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV) Yikes! "In all circumstances"? Don't skip the prepositions here — "in everything" or "in all circumstances"......"with thanksgiving…" — what we don't see is "be thankful for everything." The difference is profound. Can we learn to give thanks in every thing and for everything?

While we may never be grateful for certain painful experiences and circumstances in life, we can still be grateful during them. We can still pray with a thankful heart. Why? Because our hope is not in the potential answers to our prayers. Our hope is in the God to whom we pray! In Him we trust. He has given us life itself — freedom, salvation, grace, mercy. He chose us to be His children. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1). Who can't be thankful for that?

The bottom line is that thankfulness is an attitude that we can and must develop. Why are so many not thankful? Many reasons. Perhaps because we think of what we want and do not know how to evaluate or continue to be thankful for what we have received and currently have. We compare themselves with others and feel slighted. It might be good to be thankful that we do NOT have some things we do not want! We should count our own blessings, not those of others. Oh let's be more thankful for how God has blessed us!

My dear friends, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I hope you enjoy the time spent with family and friends

God bless,

Robert Prater

"I Knew You'd Come"

As the old saying goes, "Charity begins at home." Jesus told the apostles in Luke 24:47 to share the good news of the gospel “beginning at Jerusalem,” and then ultimately to the ends of the earth. Jerusalem was the "home town" or the "local community" of the early church. Jesus always wants His church to begin at home, right where we live.

We as the church of Jesus Christ should always desire to bring the good news of Jesus to our community, but not only the message of His love, but also we need a great passion to show His love. We must always remember that people will not care how much we know, until they know how much we care. I know that sound doctrine is important. I believe we should earnestly contend for the faith. I believe we must enter the straight gate and walk the narrow path, and that we should count the cost. But none of those things will amount to anything if there is no love. (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3) Love is the key that opens the hearts of the most hardened sinners. Love is the key to evangelism and outreach.

We must desire as the body of Christ to be known as a church that not only says "God loves you", but one that actually shows it by our actions. We need to do this on a personal level, but also on a church level through our various outreach efforts. I'm thankful for Central's upcoming “Warmth from the Heart” coat giveaway this Saturday. We seek to bring God's love to our community in real ways, opening the door to share the wonderful message of Christ. They may not be impressed with our Savior at first, but they will remember who really cared and who had the courage to get involved in the difficulties of their lives. Then, they become more interested in the One who motivates us to act, and we have an opportunity to tell them of His saving message.

The story is told about during a time of combat, a young soldier asked his commanding officer if he could rescue one of his comrades who was severely wounded. The officer narrowed his eyes and stood a while in thought, and then said, "I´ll give you permission, but it´s not worth it. Your friend is probably dead, and you´ll be putting your own life at risk."

Feeling the responsibility for his friend, the young soldier saluted and then proceeded on his way, dodging bullets as he ran, and managing to get to his friend. He hoisted him over his shoulder, and quickly brought him back to the trench.

The officer inspected the wounded soldier and then shook his head with grief. "Your friend´s dead." He looked at the young man and saw a red spot on his shirt and added, "And you´re wounded. I told you it wouldn´t be worth it."

The young soldier looked into his officer´s eyes with confidence and answered, "It was worth it, Sir." "What do you mean worth it? You´re wounded and it was all for nothing." "No, sir. It was worth it because when I knelt down beside him he said to me, ´I knew you´d come.´

Friends let’s be known as a Christian community of people who care and come to those in need. We have no agenda other than showing and sharing the love of Christ. Does service call us to help our neighbor, yes! Service is calling us. We need only to open our eyes and ears and then just maybe we might hear those around us in this community calling out to us: “I knew you’d come.”

God bless,
Robert Prater

"The Least of these of Mine"

In the song “Jesus Let us Come to Know You” there is a line that says, “Let us see you to face to face.” This is not just a song, but a prayer to be prayed as we sing. But if we sincerely prayed to see Jesus face to face, would we recognize Him? All of us have preconceived notions of what Jesus looks like, don’t we? We picture Him with long, flowing, brown hair, a beard and blue eyes. We see Him as someone who is either really muscular or scrawny and thin who wears a robe with a sash. Perhaps we get these images of Him because of the artwork and movies that have tried to portray what Jesus would look like. But those are images that the artists and filmmakers make Jesus look like back when He was walking the earth.

What do you think Jesus would like today? Maybe the question is all wrong. Perhaps instead of focusing on what Jesus would look like, we should be asking who Jesus would look like. After all, the song above isn’t praying to know the material things of Jesus; rather, it’s a prayer to know the person of Jesus.

In scripture, the idea of knowing God or knowing Jesus has to do with being in a personal, intimate relationship with Him. So, if we are going to pray to know Jesus, we are praying to know a who, not a what. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus tells a story of two kinds of people. The first group are the ones who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, invited in strangers, clothed the naked, looked after the sick and visited the prisoners, while the second group did none of this. To the former, Jesus blesses them with eternal salvation, while the latter are sent to eternal punishment. Both of these groups had no idea who they were helping or not helping when it came to the hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers, sick, and imprisoned, and they especially didn’t realize that they would see Jesus in people like this, as they both ask, “When did we see you?” However, the fate of these groups was determined by what they did for them because, as Jesus said, “Whatever you did (or did not do) for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

I believe that, for our prayer to know Jesus, we must be able to see Jesus in the “least of these,” fully realizing that when we look into the eyes of these people, we are looking into the eyes of Jesus. He may be the person holding the “Will work for food” sign on the side of the road, or the family who needs a bag of groceries or a tank of gas, or the sick person laying in the hospital bed, or just maybe the lonely widow down the street in need. Whoever it is or whatever the circumstance may be, let’s not allow our preconceived notions of what Jesus would look like keep us from seeing Him in the “least of these” because, after all, whatever we do or don’t do for “one of the least of these”, we are doing for Jesus.

May we pray to know Jesus, but realize that we may find Him in people we would least expect.

God bless
Robert Prater

UKRAINE REPORT

Let me briefly give a report and summary on my recent mission trip to Ukraine (October 12-22). The primary focus of this trip was a three day seminar conducted and hosted by the church in Kramatorsk from Thursday through Saturday. There were around 60 Ukrainians in regular attendance over the course of this three day event. Some preachers traveled great distances. Two men had train trips of nearly 24 hours. The theme for the seminar was The Gospel of John. I had the privilege of teaching four classes during the seminar, as well as preaching on Sunday (the 18th) at the Artemovsk congregation. At the end of each day, there was an open forum where attendants were encouraged to write out Bible questions to be answered each day. The question and answer sessions were lively and thoughtful. I enjoyed them immensely.

Now, this particular mission effort in the Ukraine is a work supported and overseen by the South College Church of Christ in Tahlequah, and coordinated and lead by David Deffenbaugh, who has been associated with mission work in the Ukraine since 1994. Trip was special for the Tahlequah congregation and these Christians in Ukraine because they celebrated the 10th anniversary of the congregations at Artemovsk and Konstantinovka. From those beginning ten years ago, additional congregations have been planted in Soledar, Chasov-Yar, and Minkovka. These years have not always been smooth sailing, but these congregations all are doing well and are stable and are growing numerically.

Now before the seminar began, on Wednesday morning (the 14th) we were able to visit an orphanage and boarding school in Konstantinovka which is supported by the congregation there. Later that afternoon en route to Kramatorsk, we enjoyed a wonderful visit with the Konstantinovka congregation for their mid-week Bible studies. The Sunday following the seminar we enjoyed a joint worship service of the Artemovsk, Chasov-Yar, and Soledar congregations. What a great encouragement to be with all these brethren and share in our praise of God in song, communion, giving, prayer and the word. I was privileged to be one of three preachers who spoke that day! Later that afternoon we were able to have a very eye-opening experience and visit of a “Mission of Mercy” rehab house that one of the local Ukrainian preachers has undertaken for service and outreach in a town near Artemovsk.

On Monday the next day, we were able to visit the church in the village of Minkovka where we also visited a hospital and nursing home. We conducted a devotional service and visited and encouraged those who live at this facility. Also during these few days we were able to enjoy some extended visits with the local preachers from these Ukrainian congregations which are supported by the Tahlequah congregation. These were meaningful and enjoyable discussions. I was truly inspired and encouraged at the continued commitment and devotion of these men.

Finally, on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday before we came home, we were able to do some incredible sightseeing and visit some very beautiful historical locations in Donetsk (city of one million near Kramatorsk) and Kiev (the capital city of Ukraine with a population of over four million).

It is my hope and prayer that much good was done during this trip, many seeds were sown, brethren were encouraged and strengthened. Again, I want to thank the Central congregation for their support and prayers, and especially the elders for allowing me to be away. I want to thank all those who taught classes and preached during my absence. I plan to give a more extensision report on Wednesday evening, November 4.

God bless,

Robert Prater

On Mission–Ukraine

Monday, October 12 is my scheduled departure to go to the Ukraine. I’ll be joining a small group of preachers and other church members lead by David Deffenbaugh, preacher at South College congregation from Tahlequah (this particularly mission effort in the Ukraine is a work overseen by the church in Tahlequah). David has been has been involved in mission work in Ukraine since 1994. The thrust of this trip will be a three day seminar located in the city of Kramatorsk, a province of Donetsk.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Ukraine, it was once a part of the USSR, and is bordered by Russia, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. Until about 1986, it was almost impossible to spread the Gospel throughout the country without some type of persecution. Over time, the Iron Curtain was brought down and slowly but surely the Gospel of Jesus Christ began to spread throughout it. There have been over 60 congregations of the Lord’s church established in this country.

The seminar will focus on the Gospel of John and will be especially helpful for preachers, teachers, and church leaders as well as evangelistic in nature. I will be teaching four classes. In addition, we will be working to provide support, encouragement and training to native preachers and church leaders at congregations in Konstantinovka and Artemovsk. We will also have the opportunity to visit an orphanage and kindergarten center and a public school in Minkovka. This will be a packed ten days.

Needless to say, I am very excited, nervous and anxious about this trip. I am obviously apprehensive about leaving my wife and three children during this time. This will be my first time to cross the Atlantic. It will be my first experience working with a translator. The only other time I’ve been out of the US was on campaign while I was at Harding over nine years ago. I was only a very small “role player” in that mission trip. No speaking or anything like that. But I am very excited about sharing lessons from the gospel of John with these brethren and also ministering to children in the orphanage.

I solicit your prayers while I’m on the trip not only for my safety and for my family while I’m away from them, but for success in the efforts that have been planned, and for God to use while we are there to His greatest glory. My scheduled return is late Thursday evening, October 22. I will very much look forward to giving you a report of this mission trip.

For Christ,
Robert Prater