The Ohio Independent Baptist, December 1965

0 ave By Allan Vine, pastor Fostoria Baptist Church The gift that God ha given are univer al. For our enjoyment He ha richly given the tin to greet us every new day, He has given us laughter to brighten our daily path, He has given u the ble ed companion hip of loved one and friend and in addition to all the e He has given u •the beauties of His univer e. All the e help contribute ,to the we]fare and h~ppine s of man. But a we approach the Chri tmas eason, we discover that Gad has a choice gift. Luke was made to write, • Fear not: for, behold, I brin,g you good jding of great joy, which hall be to all people. For unto you j born thi day an the city of David a Saviour, which i Chri~t the Lord.' Luke 2: 10-11. Why wa thi gift nece ary? He came into the world when midnight reigned in the heart of men. Man wa an alien from the commonwealth of God, walking in a cour e contrary to the will of God, in a path of tnan gr - .:)ion, eparated from God and Jacing eternal death and tood in need of thi gift whereby the Eternal One became the Incarnate One and in Hirn od found a ran "'Om for many. And o in the impending ilence of Judea' plain that night God gave to the wor]d Hi SLtpreme Gift the gift of Hi Son. 'For God so loved the world, that he gave hi only begotten Son, that who oever believeth in him !)hould not perish, but have everJa ting life., John 3: 16. But it eem through the pa ing year , in the drive of men ifor gain, jn their de ire for the thing that ati fy the a 1 ppetite-- of their ,body in a world that ha lost its fear of God, when Chri tma has become a time of holiday, feasting and fun, the true import of thi ea on ha been lo t Jor it hould be a time when we come before the pre ence of God to ·thank Hin1 for Hi Supreme Gift, the gift of life, the gift of Hi Son, Je u.-:- Chr·i t. Some few years back they were ome who eemed to en e thi los and we were made to hear the expre ion, "Let' put Chri t back into ChrJ tmas. " I wonder have each of us sought to give hri tma it true emphasi ? For you will ee from the text that the me age of hristmas i per- onalized. "I will bring YOU good tiding ... for unto YOU i born a Saviour.' So we are made to ee that Chri.-:- tma ha a per onal me age for each of u . J t tells u that God has provi(led in Hi Gift, hri tma ha a per onal me .:>aige for each of us. It tells us that God ha provided in Hi G i£t, a Saviot1r fron1 our ~ins. And a we hear the hri tma announcement it leave a great respons1b1lity at the door of our heart . You mu t either accept or reject God's gift. To refu e i to in ult God. To neglect i to refu e and with it bring t1pon yourself the Judgment of eternal death. To each of u~ who have faced thi personal deci ion and have received od's upfeme Gift a5 our Saviou r and Lord , hri tma al o ha a per onalized mes.')age for u . Remember the Wi e Men , who followed the tar and wh n they aw God's upreme gilt to men, they fell down and wor hipped Him and opened their trea ure and gave gifts tanto Hin1 . I tru t thi will be the attitude of our hearts a~ we commemorate the day when Go<l gave lo the world Hi uprcn1c ift. o you wor~hap Him? Do yot1 I ve Hin1 above '111 thers? Doe~ He have the preeminence in your life? l tru l each of you who read Lhes wortl\ have o,pcned your h art and extended out tl1e hand of faith and plaoed your tru\t in Jc U'\ hr1\t, i d'& u1,r 111e Gitt, and the world's aviour. And the11 witl1 ad ring heart we - Jaiin witl1 tl1e Ap tie J)aul, ... hanks be unto God for H1\ Un\peak.ablc Gift. " Ph ilip llr k ir1 1865 pent l1ri~t111as l~ve in 8 ethlchcn1. He aw tl1c iAlage r 111 ct1c }1ill idc. He aw the h~phcrds, the twinkling tar~ a11d a he aY-' the~c tl1i11g 11e relived i11 l1i n1ind the 11ighl whe11 G d gave His ' t1prcn1c JiJ t, Jic u liri t. I l1r f)' ars lat r fulfilling tile reqt1cst >f s 111c c l11ld1 e11 l<) rit ti . 111 a ng, }1c rc111e111l)c1cd 1t1is nigt1t, a11tl ,,vrote .. 0 l..,ittl "'I o 11 of J ct l I I e l1 e, 1," , e t an z a w }1 i c I 1 l'i a ) f : H v- 1 iJ nll)' h >\\.f ilt:11tl)' }} \A/Qlldf lJ gilt i gi eJ)! 10 inlJJ It l }1t1r11ar1 J1car ls I>) i11g 1 Ii i llctlVt:ll . ar , 1 a}' 11 ar H i c r11 i 11 g · l ut in tl1i v. rid i11 , }1 r 11 s ul v. 1 ill r" eiv fiir11 till , 11 r 11ris t 11 t r i11 . OHIO IND P NDE BAP IST About t he author Allan Vine w,1(, horn 1n (ila,gn, Slotland . and a, a ho Jllended the l-hnrch wher~ thr g reat preac:her Andrew Bonar wa... pa">tor. A I Lei corning to thi!'\ country he w:i, ,a ved and t.a I led to preach. For everal years he prepared to become a Pre byterian minister, but in his senior year of college he realized his convictions were Baptistic in nature and God opened door of ervice in Baptist churches. He has held churches in Georgia, New York, Illinoi a nd Indiana before coming to Ohio. God has been pleased to bless his radio ministry in these churches. Rev. and Mrs. Vine have two children ; Judith Ann, a fre hman i n high school and a son. Philip, who last yea r an wered the ca ll to preach . He i n ow in hi sophomore year in college. Hi wife. Kitty Sue. has been a faithful helpmate during the e years of mini try which now totals 25 yea rs. The couple will also celebrate 25 year of marriage this March . They are now in their fourth year at the Fo tor ia Bap ti t Church. God ha ble ed in many way their mini try there and the in- debtedne ha been reduced greatly. Your Fight Against Communism • • • . . . la ke on new mean ing when you support our dedicated mis ionarie. dlc1ily helping Ch ri tian brethren throughout the world who are !)Uffering the deva talion of war, di ea e, overpo pulation, and the ravage of n ature. They have nowhere to tum becau e of their Biblica l tand agai n t apo t a y and Cornmun– i m. They get no help from larger denomina– tional and government agencie . Your financial help i orely needed. A few dollar goe a long way in their teaching of the Word of God, bringing comfort , even u taining life itself, among tho e le fortunate than you. Any contribution , no matter how mall , \: ill be a ble ing to the e people. Write: Rev. James T. Shaw INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN RELIEF 801 Haddon Avenue Collingswood, New Jersey, 08108 USE BIBLE TRACTS By Evan g elist Paul J. Levin Wr ite for samples needed to Tracts are appeal 1ng in color, art ,ng. Ask for 0 The Gift" and Know. " Act Now' win souls and pr,nt– 'You Con BIBLE TRACTS, INC. Box 508-NB Waterloo, Iowa THE GAME OF TRIANGLES EXCITING NEW GAME EDUCATIONAL Played like Don,1noes v.,1th triangular pieces - A high scoring fun gan,e that all ages will enjoy playing Send $2.25 to AL-LO-Co. 22966 Cedar Point Rd. Cleveland, Ohio 44142 ] l : I 11 t1 rt lls l ll) illt1 tr. l , rti " l ll l ,rr II l{ . lli • lll \' 111h • l> I . I J tlt:: \\ fl 1'a1111 1 . 1n t 11 \ '· DECEMBER 1965 PAGE