Date: 12/26/2022

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to Him be the Glory and to the Holy Ghost. This month’s key phrase is: THE WONDERFUL GIFT FROM GOD.

Saint and friends, God gave us a gift-Jesus! He is the gift of God that just keeps giving and giving and giving. What is the  gift of the  Holy Ghost doing in your life? When we read that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit played a dominant role throughout Jesus’ ministry. And this is, in part, what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah. To be clear, being the incarnate Word of God does not make Jesus the Messiah-the Spirit does. When Jesus started his ministry, he was filled with the Spirit at his baptism. Afterward, he affirms Isaiah’s prophecy that “the Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor” (Luke 4:18). As the Messiah (the anointed one), Jesus ministered “filled with the Holy Spirit’s power” (Luke 4:14). And long before his public ministry, we are reminded of this fact in Jesus’ conception.

What do I value in life more than my salvation? Only my relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. When we are born again, it is the gift of God. ^“ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”: (Ephesians 2:8) “But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.” (Acts 8:20) Peter was talking to Simon in Acts 8:20, Simon had witnessed the people in Samaria when they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Simon was so excited that he wanted to pay for that power. Then Peter told him, “your money perishes with you because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money. The Holy Ghost is the gift of God as much as Jesus is. He is to be treasured, not shunned. We should all desire the Holy Ghost being poured into us as much as we desire salvation.  Christmas is much more about the birth of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Ghost  than presents under the tree. Luke 11:13 tells us, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him”?

The biblical stories of Jesus’ birth aren’t there just to tell us about how Jesus happened to come into the world. They are there to remind us of Jesus identity. As the angels told the shepherds, Jesus was not just any baby; he is “the Savior, yes, the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:11). “The Spirit is central to both who Christ is and what he did.”  The Holy Ghost enabled the incarnation of the Son of God, and the Holy Ghost-empowered Messiah came to bring redemption to the Israelites, and even for the whole world. Likewise, the Holy Ghost  is central to both Christian identity and action. The Holy Ghost gives believers new life, making them children of God. And the Holy Ghost anoints Christians to continue in the Spirit-empowered ministry of Jesus.

On this Christmas Day when your natural gifts may be limited, know that your spiritual gifts are yours for the asking! Through the power of the Holy Ghost believers are saved, filled, sealed, and sanctified. The Holy Ghost reveals God’s thoughts, teaches, and guides believers into all truth, including knowledge of what is to come. The Holy Ghost also helps Christians in their weakness and intercedes for them. I truly pray that you and your family will stay safe, celebrate responsibly, and enjoy each other in the Lord! Wonderful Jesus! Because “…with God all things are possible”. Matthew 19:26

In His Service,

Bishop Dr. Calvin Worthem

General Chief Overseer/Senior Bishop