Why was Christ Manifested?

 Text:  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).

 Why Christ came…

1.)  To manifest the righteousness of God without the law, even the righteousness of Gods which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe (Romans 3:21-22).

2.)  To let us live through him (1 John 4:9).

3.)  To be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).

4.)  To take away our sins (1 John 3:5)

5.)  To destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

6.)  To grant us fellowship with the Father and with his Son (1 John 1:3).

7.)  To fulfill the promise God made before the world began: the hope of eternal life, as revealed by the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Titus 1:1-3).

8.)  To reveal the mystery kept secret since the world began, but is now made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith (Romans 16:25-26).

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;

That we might be made the righteousness of God in him!

(2 Corinthians 5:21)

Merry Christmas!

I have the privilege of preaching revival services at the Community Bible Church in Camden, SC. Pastor Jerry Peacock has opened this door every year that I have been traveling for our Lord Jesus Christ. I look forward to being with him once again.

Pastor David Cooper has asked me to preach their Homecoming on Sunday, July 21st, at Bible Baptist Church, Marietta, GA. He is also hosting a Baptist Heritage Conference that will run through Wednesday evening, July 24th. I look forward to the Homecoming services, as well as preaching several times during the conference days. You can contact the church for details.

Pastor Ronnie Waters has opened his pulpit for a Revival Meeting, Sunday, April 21st through Wednesday, April 24th. I look forward to being with Brother Waters once again. He and his dear wife are precious saints of God. Pray that I can be a help and a blessing to his congregation during these days.

Pastor Bill Vaughn and Highland Baptist Church will host the Sandhills Jubilee! A great meeting. Preaching every morning and evening. If you can come and be a part of this event, you will be blessed!

Tabernacle Baptist College is a ministry of Tabernacle Baptist Church, Greenville, SC. The Alumni meeting will begin in the Chapel on Monday, March 4th, at 2 p.m. Preachers will be called from among the alumni attending. The college has asked each alumnus to limit his preaching to 15 minutes, to allow for more speakers. Monday’s session will run to around 5 p.m. There is an evening service in the church auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m.

Tuesday is the main day, with sessions starting at 9 am in the chapel. They will break for lunch between noon and 2 pm. From 2 to 5, there will be a special Ladies Meeting. Preaching will resume in the chapel at 2 pm. An Alumni Business Meeting will be conducted around 4:30 pm. The college hosts an Alumni Banquet at 5 pm. The evening service begins at 7 pm.

On Wednesday morning, March 6th, at 9 am, all who wish to attend are invited to a dutch-breakfast (pay for your own) as a great time to say “good-bye” for a while. You can learn which restaurant by contacting the church or college offices.

Pastor Steve Lindsey has invited me to return for the December 2023 Mission Conference, held annually, at Blessed Hope Baptist Church, Alvarado, TX. The services this December of 2022 were a blessing to me. I appreciate the open door to preach each evening, as well as on opening Sunday morning. The many missionaries were a challenge and a blessing. Their lives challenged me to do more for our Lord and Saviour; and, their testimonies and messages thriledl the heart. I look forward to the coming Mission Conference, 2023.

Pastor Jerry Peacock, pastor of Community Bible Church, has opened his pulpit for a meeting, beginning Sunday, September 17th. Two services on Sunday, and evening services Monday thru Wednesday. All evening services will begin at 7 p.m. Community Bible Church in located in Camden, SC.

On April 21st of this year, I was preparing to travel to Blakely, GA, to start a four-day meeting on Sunday, April 23rd. That evening (the 21st), while moving a few things from the car to the house, I became nauseated. I found myself leaning against the garage, spitting up what fluid came to my mouth into a flower container near the entrance. After five minutes or so, it subsided, and I carried a few more things into the house.

When I neared the kitchen on my way back to the garage, it was as if an audible voice told me to sit down. I grabbed the closest chair and sat down at the table. My wife told me later that I was gasping for breathe. She took my blood pressure (180/100), gave me an aspirin and called our youngest son, a physician at a local hospital who was, fortunately, home at the time.

He came over immediately. After using an Apple watch to check my heart beat, he convinced me that I needed a full EKG before leaving town that next morning. I agreed. Vickie and I went to the emergency room at Hillcrest about 7 p.m. that evening.

Their initial blood work showed that my heart was under stress. They knew due to the presence of cardiac enzymes. We had to wait three more hours and have the test run again to know if the enzymes were increasing or decreasing. Their increase meant I was in the process of a heart attack.

By 4 a.m., I had been transferred to Prisma and in a room. That same morning, I underwent a cardiac catheterization. It was then that they discovered my four blockages. The doctor performing the procedure later told me he had to back out, knowing I needed by-pass surgery. He did say that, if I chose, he could try to place a shunt in the worst of the blockages, but that it would most likely not hold. I opted for the by-pass.

They kept me in the hospital, stabilized, until they could perform the surgery. The operation was Tuesday morning, April 25th. One week in ICU, one week in rehabilitation and then home. Tuesday, June 20th, marks the 8th week completed since the surgery. I am feeling stronger every day.

Doctors tell me it takes 12 weeks for the sternum to mend completely, on average. That does not mean I will be at full strength by then, but God knows. Anything is possible, with the Lord!

Thank you for your prayers I cannot express proper gratitude to so many who were there when I needed them. The doctors, nurses and staff were all amazing. If the Lord had not brought Vickie into my life, I would have slept that feeling off that Friday night and headed to south Georgia, where, no doubt, I would have suffered a major heart attack.

The Lord does work in mysterious ways. Through Vickie and our marriage, her youngest son becomes my youngest son; and God used him to set all else in motion by persisting on a full EKG..

God has extended my days, and I give him the praise!