December 2011 President's Letter

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Greetings,                                                                                                                                            
As John Walvoord, former Dallas Seminary president, used to say, “When you celebrate Thanksgiving you know that Christmas is not far off.” Well, Christmas is right around the corner. It is more than the holiday season or a winter break. It is Christmas, and aren’t we glad it is so! Many churches and most Christians will read, hear or see the Christmas story spoken or acted out this season reminding them of the incarnation. God has always sought to communicate to the world. The book of Hebrews tells us that God has spoken to the fathers through the prophets in many ways but in these last days He has spoken to us “in Son”. (Hebrews 1) 
God is the communicating creator to His people. He has used the informational approach through the prophets as well as the impositional approach through the Law. He has also used the inspirational approach via the many miracles in both the Old Testament and New Testament. But in these last days He has spoken to us with the incarnational approach, through His Son. But that little baby was no ordinary little baby.
The author of Hebrews explains through three clauses the greatness of the Christ of Christmas.
▪The son is the one “who is the inheritor (the heir) of all things”.  (Hebrews 1:2a)  Look as far as you can out into the sky, add a telescope and all that you see - over 100 million galaxies bigger than ours - all of it is His.
▪ He is the creator of all things since, “whom also made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:2b). This is similar to John 1:1-3; 14 and Colossians 1:15-20.
▪ Perhaps most significant of all is that He occupies the supreme position of all authority, being very God of very God. (Hebrews 1:3-4).
The author of Hebrews declares to us that:
▪ The Son is the Revealer of God, “who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.
▪ He is also the Sustainer of the world as He “upholds all things by the word of His power.”  
▪ But most importantly for us is that He is also the Mediator for Man. “Having made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.”  
As Saint Anselm said, “Jesus did not come out of curiosity or out of some personal need. The father sent him on an errand of mercy solely to accomplish our redemption.”  And that is the Christmas message which we freely proclaim. That little baby was no ordinary little baby. He is the one, as Isaiah declared over 700 years before the birth of the baby Jesus, whose name will be called Immanuel - God with us.
And so we proclaim that purification and propitiation has been prepared, and as such eternal life is free for all those who believe in Jesus, the name above every name, and the only name by which a man or a woman, boy or girl can be saved.  Let us make sure that in our preaching and proclaiming that we preach not what this age wants, but what it needs; not what it will reward, but what without which it cannot be saved.

Serving Him with you
Until He comes for us,

Fred Chay
President, FGA

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