To The Prodigals!

I have a word for all of the prodigals out there who have abandoned their father’s house, oversight and authority because your father did not do what you wanted him to do.

You can continue to justify your rebellion but living in a pig pen like the younger brother in Luke 15, or in Haran in Genesis 11 and 12, is not where God called you to live, mature and fulfill your divine purpose.

The younger brother in Luke’s account of the prodigal son made a decision to take his inheritance and do his own thing. The father loved his son so much he accommodated his desire to live independently from, and in defiance of his father.

Abram on the other hand, partially obeyed his future heavenly father by leaving the land of his upbringing and embarked on arriving in the land of promise, only to decide to take family with him that God said to leave behind. In addition, instead of taking the tougher road to Canaan he took the expedient and more comforting path along the Euphrates River. Instead of settling in the land of promise he settled in the land of compromise.

The younger son ended up in a pig pen eating the food of fools and foolish behavior, having spent all the father gave him for free. He came to his senses on his own and decided living under his father’s governance was better than begging for bread.

Abram found himself in a totally different set of circumstances in Haran. Haran in the natural was a place of great blessing and prosperity. Haran means scorched place. You can prosper naturally in Haran but spiritually you will dry up.

Abram did not decide to finally leave Haran on his own. God spoke to him a second time while in Haran and told him to move to where He called him to go.

Hey prodigal, where are you?

Hey prodigal, are you in Haran or in a pig pen?

Hey prodigal, are you ready to come to your senses and move back to your father’s house or is God speaking to you to get to where He called you to be?

He is speaking to you in this blog!

I am writing to prodigals in general but specifically to those who God has called to Bethel Church in beautiful Brunswick, and the glorious Golden Isles of Georgia.

You father is waiting for your arrival so that he can place a ring on your finger, a robe on your back, and sandals on your feet and have a party celebrating your return to righteous living and your rightful place in the family of God.

What are you waiting for?

Keep HIS Faith! Keep HIS Passion! Keep HIS Purposes!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury, DMin

A Hisstorymaker

The Complete Meaning Of Christmas – Part 1

Many people only know the Christmas story as an event where God came to earth in the Person of a newborn Babe. This is only the beginning of the Christmas story.

Why did the Baby Jesus come? This blog may not answer every question people may have about this event including this specific question. What I hope this blog will do is cause you to pause and begin to ask yourself how the arrival of a Baby in Bethlehem nearly 2000 years ago has affected your life.

I have purposefully made some strong statements to start this blog off. We will look at some Scripture and there will be additional questions for you to ponder as well.

I really hope you enjoy and benefit from this blog!

I usually include the text of all the Scripture references I use to make it easier for you the reader to follow what I am saying. You will also find Scripture text in quotations without the “address”. To keep this blog, which will be at least in two parts, “short” – I hope you will look up the references yourself. This will actually help you to learn and retain this material.

If you are really adventurous you can research Scripture that pertains to the statements that I make in this blog that do not have Scripture references attached to them.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter.

It is the glory of kings to search out a matter.”

[Proverbs 25:2]

If you have questions I would love the opportunity to answer them for you. If you would like to watch the video podcast of this message, or any of our messages at Bethel Church in beautiful Brunswick, GA you can find them on our YouTube page [Bethel By The Sea], our Facebook page [Bethel Church Brunswick, GA] or our website [bethelbythesea.org].

Here we go!

The manger of Jesus the Christ is only relevant because of the life and maturing of Jesus!

The life and maturing of Jesus the Christ is only relevant because of the ministry of Jesus!

The ministry of Jesus the Christ is only relevant because of the Cross! Jesus handed out the benefits [all that salvation offers – Psalm 103:1-6] of the Cross before His payment on the Cross was carried out!

The Cross of Jesus the Christ is only relevant because of the resurrection and empty tomb of Jesus!

The resurrection and empty tomb of Jesus the Christ is only relevant because of the ascension of Jesus where He sits at the right hand of Power and Authority!

The ascension of Jesus the Christ is only relevant because of the coronation of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of Lords!

The coronation of Jesus the Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords is only relevant because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the the blood bought believers of Jesus!

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the blood bought believers of Jesus the Christ is only relevant because without the baptism of the Holy Spirit on each generation of blood bought believers of Jesus, the Christianity that Jesus the Christ began 2000 years ago is reduced to human effort, intelligence and ingenuity!

Christianity is only Biblical Christianity when blood bought believers choose to obey the Head of Christianity and “do not leave Jerusalem until they receive the Promise of the Father and are endued with Power from on high.”

Our Jerusalem is the place where we were born again. It is our place of origin in The Faith “passed down once and for all to the saints”. If you have moved away from your personal “Jerusalem” and have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit then you can make the place you are reading this blog the place you receive this tremendous Promise of the Father.

Christianity was not launched in the manger – the manger is very important!

Christianity was not launched at the Cross – Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world – The Cross is VERY important!

Christianity was not launched in the upper room where the first blood bought believers “received the Holy Spirit” and were born again – We must be born again!

Christianity was not launched at the ascension of Jesus – we have already seen the ascension is very important!

Christianity was launched at two very specific events!

The first event – the water baptism of Jesus the Christ at the river Jordan. Jesus entered those waters as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. He came up from beneath those waters and heaven opened and the Spirit of God anointed Him with power. It was here that the voice of God was heard saying – “This is My Son in whom I am well pleased.”

At this event God the Father announced the unveiling of the prototype Christian. God   the Father was pleased with Jesus the Babe in the manger. God the Father was pleased with Jesus the young boy who submitted to His parents. God the Father was pleased with Jesus the young man who carried on His father Joseph’s carpentry business. God the Father was pleased with Jesus the moral and ethical human. But Christianity is NOT Jesus-i-anity. It is Christ-i-anity!

A Christian is a person that is in right relationship with the Father [no sin blocking the relationship] and who is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The second event – Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the corporate Body of blood bought believers. Blood bought believers of Jesus the Christ are the present tense Body of Jesus and Paul the Apostle calls the resurrected and glorified Jesus the “Head of the Body, the Church.”

I believe this event fulfills not just Joel’s prophecy in chapter two but also Psalm 133 where the Psalmist said,

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forever.”

Oil was used to anoint kings and priests in the Old Testament. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of  lords. He was anointed with oil when He arrived at the right hand of the Father at His ascension.

Acts chapter two reveals the unifying influence of the Holy Spirit baptism and how effective it is in evangelism. It is interesting to me how the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a divisive event in our modern compromised Christian culture.

I will end Part 1 of this blog here. Part 2 will reveal the importance of the maturing of the Babe and  maturity’s importance in our lives as well.

For those who are interested you can follow me on Twitter and on Facebook and this blog page.

Twitter – @DrKevinMDrury

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kevin-Drury-Ministries/156473711075091

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If you would like to contribute financially to Bethel Church there is a Paypal link on our website.

If you would like to contribute financially to my itinerate ministry you can mail it to 164 Cypress Run Drive, Brunswick, Ga 31520 C/O Hisstorymakers Ministries, Inc.

Merry Christmas and may this Christmas bring you everything God intended for you to receive when He sent His only begotten Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, on that wonderful first Christmas 2000 years ago.

For HIS Glory!

Dr. Kevin M. Drury

A Hisstorymaker