The Greatest of All Messages from Heaven – Dispensational Publishing

The greatest of all messages from heaven—the coming of Christ to be born in Bethlehem’s manger—is now being celebrated once again by the world.

He was born in Bethlehem’s manger, He lived a perfect life, and then He died for our sins on the cross. Then He arose again to demonstrate that it was all true. Christ the Son of the living God and what He did for us on the cross—this should be message enough to bring the whole world to faith in the Savior.

But beguiled by the glitter, most people have no idea of the loving gift of God which is brought to the world in the coming of Jesus Christ. People hear the carols and exchange gifts, but few have ever heard of the absolutely free gift of salvation which comes by faith in the Lord Jesus.

“We are at a watershed of history. We are facing a time of new decisions, new ways of looking at things. The winds of change are everywhere.”

Could God be speaking to America in all of this? Certainly the lesson which we are to derive is that our human structures—government, military, financial, municipal—are not as secure as once they were thought. Indeed, the props which hold up our social structure could disappear as quickly as the World Trade Center.

It is possible that we are moving into the last days of history. We must be prepared for unusual opportunities and outreaches in these days. The pursuit of ordinary things must be set aside in our attempt to make a greater-than-ever impact upon society. More millions of people than ever in today’s world are now sensing the uncertainty of the things of time. This sense of uncertainty really spells opportunity for believing Christians. A world that is no longer confident in its existing props may be willing to listen to the message of eternal life which can be yet presented most forcibly by a cleansed and believing church.

It will therefore be necessary for every church, every Christian organization, to think in terms of pressing forward in a greater battle, a more challenging spiritual context than ever. Hostility may come from the world upon the church, but even this is but an expression of its own frustration. In the midst of it, we must press upon ourselves the question of being equal to the spacious opportunities, the wide privilege, the great need that is before us.

In the midst of all of these changes, the Word of God becomes more relevant and more foundational. God has often warned of instabilities in the last days, but has also promised special empowerment and spiritual opportunity. Will Christians be equal to the challenge of the next few years?

Thinking of this world, because we believe, what shall we then do? The Apostle Paul answers this question by saying,

We also believe and therefore speak. (2 Cor. 4:13)

Because of his faith, Paul became a speaker, a preacher, a promoter, a publisher of the gospel. In the same way, thoughtful believers of every generation became, in their time, intrepid promoters of the Word of God to the lost generation in the midst of which they lived.

In this, we have a lesson for our time. Today there are many voices lifted to the Christians, telling us what we should do because we believe the gospel. Some of these calls are worthy, but many are the voices of charlatans who call us merely to frenetic activity or pointless sacrifice on their behalf. Much time and substance is, therefore, wasted by believers on causes and activities which are senseless and bound to ultimately fail. None of us need make that mistake.

Because we believe, what are we then to do?

(Read Part 2)

Dr. Dave Breese (1926-2002) was an internationally known speaker, teacher and author. He founded the ministry of Christian Destiny in 1963, and through it proclaimed the gospel on weekly radio and television programs and in numerous books and booklets. In 1987, he also became the president and Bible teacher on The King Is Coming telecast, a role that he filled until his death in 2002. Other organizations that Dr. Breese served during his distinguished ministry career included Youth For Christ, Awana, Back to the Bible, National Religious Broadcasters and National Association of Evangelicals. A frequent conference speaker and a master at explaining the relevance of Bible prophecy, he was also known for his wisdom and wit. It is a great honor to include him as part of the inaugural class of Revived Classics authors for Dispensational Publishing House.

This article originally appeared in the December 2001 issue of Destiny Bulletin.
Copyright © 2001 Christian Destiny, Inc. All rights reserved.
The article is reprinted here by permission of Christian Destiny.
For more information regarding Christian Destiny, go to www.ChristianDestiny.org.