That’s right!  Missions is right there in the Christmas story!  Check out the outline and the video of this message that includes some great stories from a North African country and what God is doing there!

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The Big Picture – Week 2

BIG IDEA: The big picture of Christmas is MISSIONS.

Matthew 2:12  “Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.’ 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.  4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, ‘Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?’ 5 ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they said, ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: 6  “And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,  are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,  for a ruler will come from you  who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.”’ 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.  8 Then he told them, ‘Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!’ 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.”

PERSPECTIVE ON THE WISEMEN

• Here’s what we know about the wise men…
• They saw. They came. They gave gifts. That’s it.
• Here’s the point. Here’s the BIG PICTURE.  The point is they weren’t Jews.

Psalm 86:9 “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.”

Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.”

• She calls persecution “a tax on our faith”.

• God offers you something free of charge that you can’t believe you are receiving.