Answered Prayer

A young man had been to Wednesday Night Bible Study. The
Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the
Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder,
'Does God still speak to people?'

After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and
pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones
talked about how God had led them in different ways.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving
home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, 'God...If
you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will
do my best to obey.'

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the
strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook
his head and said out loud, 'God is that you?' He didn't get
a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought,
buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and
how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel
ran to Eli. 'Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the
milk.' It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He
could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon
of milk and started off toward home.

As he passed Seventh Street , he again felt the urge, 'Turn down
that street.' This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the
intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh
Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed
down Seventh.

Half jokingly, he said out loud, 'Okay, God, I will.'

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should
stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a
semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't
the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed
and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already
in bed.

Again, he sensed something, 'Go and give the milk to the people
in the house across the street.' The young man looked at the
house. It was dark, and it looked like the people were either
gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door
and then sat back in the car seat. 'Lord, this is insane.
Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going
to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should
go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door, 'Okay God,
if this is you, I will go to the door, and I will give them the
milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want
to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if
they don't answer right away, I am out of here.'

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some
noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, 'Who is it? What do you
want?' Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked
like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face
and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on
his doorstep. 'What is it?'

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought
this to you.' The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.
Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward
the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby
was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face. The man
began speaking and half crying, 'We were just praying. We had
some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't
have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God
to show me how to get some milk.'

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel
with some. Are you an Angel?'

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the
money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and
walked back toward his car with tears streaming down his face.
He knew that God still answers prayers.

The Coming of the Messiah

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census
should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the
first census that took place while Quirinius was governor
of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged
to the house and line of David. He went there to register
with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was
expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for
the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a
son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby,
keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord
appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be
afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all
the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born
to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you:
You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with
the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on
whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the
shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and
see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us
about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby,
who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they
spread the word concerning what had been told them about this
child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds
said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and
pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen,
which were just as they had been told.
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was
named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had
been conceived.

When the time of their purification according to the Law of
Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the
Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"),
and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law
of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was
righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed
to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had
seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the
temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do
for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in
his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your
servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which
you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for
revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about
him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:
"This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many
in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that
the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will
pierce your own soul too."

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of
the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her
husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow
until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but
worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them
at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the
child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of
Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of
the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon him.

Christians and the Rapture

I really don't understand Christians who are uninformed
about the catching up of the Church to be with the Lord.
Do they read the Bible? It is strange to hear someone
say that they "love the Lord" and observe that they have
no desire to spend time with Him!

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and
this mortal must put on immortality.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this
we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive
and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means
precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.