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“Share People's Redeemer Everywhere As Deliverer!" (S.P.R.E.A.D)”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

SCRIPTURE:
"After 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 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." (Luke 2:15-20)

Approach Question:
How have you handled a greatest event in your life?

Interpretations:
I asked myself the significance of the shepherd's statement, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened' 
In the Old Testament, we learn that the angels are messengers of God! Yet, the shepherds cannot yet fully grasp what is happening to call the GREATEST EVENT IN HISTORY a THING:  "Let's go to Bethlehem to see this thing that has happened".

I have a feeling the shepherds could not completely believe the angels until they saw the baby Jesus themselves. Without saying, 'let's go to Bethlehem to see the Savior born or to see Christ the Lord, they say 'let's go see this thing'.

There is a lot to say here because the shepherd's really may not have grasped the message of the angels in their heart. For all we know, they could have all been unbelievers without a knowledge of the Old Testament and prophecy.

This all changed when they chose to obey the angels, hurried off and saw Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. They sought after Jesus and found Jesus. Even as a baby, Jesus became personal to them now.

In v.17 we read 'when they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told about this child'.

The event was not a thing anymore to them but the birth of a Savior became reality to them. We are told that these shepherds now spread the word concerning what had been told about this child.

We are not told that they saw the baby Jesus and went back to their fields, saying "yeah, that's cool, we have work to do now" but they were engaged in EVANGELISM. This is the first instance of evangelism by humans that we see here in the New Testament.

This evangelism was not done by pastors or missionaries but ordinary shepherds who had a mundane and routine job to do every night.

What better persons to promote evangelism for the Kingdom of God than shepherds who would one day bow down to the Good Shepherd who said, 'I AM the Good Shepherd and I came to lay down my life for the sheep' (John 10)

What they saw and heard, they did not keep to themselves but spread the word. 

The cause-and-effect relationship shows the result of the shepherds evangelism is that 'all who heard were amazed.'

The shepherds belief in the Savior and their actions of spreading the news had ripple effects.

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life here. Many years ago, through a difficult time in my life, I started sharing 'problem-solution' poems calling them 'Christian Rap' to share Jesus with my coworkers who were African-American. I made them curious to see 'what this Indian person is writing rap'. By the Lord's grace, it changed lives. At the time, I was working at Giant Eagle and wanted to share Christ with all who would read. So, I started distributing a poem each day. Everyday, they wanted a new poem which I shared. One day, an African-American employee stops me and says, "Ramesh, I was planning on commiting suicide but I found 'Downing Depression' on the floor and read it with the prayer you had included. It saved my life. Thank you so much!" Today, I still see this person doing another job and he is full of joy and excitement. Jesus was shared with this person through the written word including principle promises from the Word of God. It changed the person's life.

Another person's life was changed online when I counseled her and shared with her 'Never Forsaken' poem. She gave her life to Christ then and there. Since it was done online, I never met her in person but years later she sends me a letter with a donation while I was working for IVCF stating, 'Because of you sharing Jesus with me, my husband is also a Christian now and I am pregnant with a child'

Another person wrote that through the devotionals I publish on this site, she gave her life to Christ accepting Him into her heart. Almost, in every instance, those that came to the Lord Jesus and had their lives changed started with the written word whether it was a Christian poem, written counsel, etc focusing on Christ.

Aftering losing a job recently that I had for 22 years, we had a lot of reflecting to do. Reflecting on how lives have been changed through the written word, my wife and I decided that we should do Pittsburgh Standard as a fulltime ministry sharing the love of Christ. Pastor Hugo would remind me what the Lord wants are those who have the FACT: Faithful, Available, Compatible, Teachable. We are depending on the Lord Jesus for funding to do fulltime as we raise funds.

Jesus can change lives whether we share him using the written word as I have done time after time or the spoken word as the shepherds used.

To share Jesus with others, I need not be a great orator like the Evangelist Billy Graham. I don't even need to have a title of pastor or missionary. As an ordinary person, I can share the Good News of Christ to those around me. When people heard the shepherds spread the news concerning what they learned about Jesus, they did not say to themselves, 'They are just ordinary shepherds, why should we listen to them'. On the contrary, the message of the shepherds changed lives. For 'all who heard were amazed'. Thank you Jesus. This excites me to know that the message of the Gospel and the sharing of Jesus can be done by anyone to change other people's lives. Through that process, our own lives are changed too. We see the shepherds were changed inside out when we read, "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

When I think about Christmas, my focus should not be on getting presents or gifts but spreading CHRISTMAS around for it is CHRIST MAS (Christ to the mass of people). Christ came to spread Himself around to the mass of humanity. The shepherds understood that and knew it started with them after the angel of the Lord had revealed the Good News to them.

It is important for us to realize that 'EVANGELISM' began at Christmas. The angels news to the shepherds and the shepherds news to the people had positive ripple effects in so many lives.

I ask you now dear friend, why be the one to S.P.R.E.A.D the Good News of  Jesus this Christmas season?
Dear friend, it would be a shame if we celebrate the Christmas season without having told anyone about the Savior who came into this world to save the mass of people . That is what CHRISTMAS is about! Christ added to the mass of people so they can be saved one day.

Let us do the math and we get Christ + Mass = Christmas.

This Christmas season, if you have not shared Jesus with atleast one person, who does not know Jesus, through the written word or spoken word giving them the Word of God, it is not too late. Reveal to them the Good News offered through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The Christmas season as we know it is coming to an end but there are still days in this year of 2019 and the New Year of 2020 is coming. With Christ in our hearts, everyday can be Christmas.

The tendency of a lot of us can be to leave it to the pastors, priests, reverends, ministers, missionaries, etc to preach the Gospel and spread the Good News of the Salvation offered through Christ who came to 'ransom humanity from the bondage of sin and death'.

But, from the shepherds we learn that they took the initiative within their own profession and made a huge difference which is evidenced by:

"When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." (Luke 2:18, NIV)

They were not commissioned missionaries, pastors, priests, reverends, etc but lowly shepherds who went back to their profession with a joyful mindset after spreading the Good News of the Savior.

"The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." (Luke 2:20, NIV)

Friend, you too can use the profession you are in to make a huge difference in the lives of those you come across. You do not have to be an Evangelist like Billy Graham to spread the Good News of Christ to those who need the Lord for people need the Lord and you can be the One to show them the Lord.

God used shepherds to lead people to the Good Shepherd.
God used fisherman to fish for the souls of men.

We see the example of using a person's profession to spread the Good News of the Savior here:

True story of the Candy Cane (Dramatization to make the point)

Once upon a time in a land far away, there was an elderly gentleman who loved children so much and wanted to make them a candy where the message of the gospel can be presented too.

One Christmas morning, he decided to give all the children a striped candy. The children loved the candy and it's taste. However, they wanted to know how come the candy had a weird shape. This gave the elderly gentleman the opportunity to spread the gospel.

"You see children, this Christmas day I want you to remember the birth of the Savior who was born for you and me even as you eat this candy.  Let me tell you the meaning of the candy", replied the elderly gentleman.

The elderly gentleman started to tell the meaning. "I made this candy in the shape of a cane to represent the 'staff of a shepherd'. Jesus is your Good Shepherd and you all are his tender sheep. The 'staff' is used to lead/pull you all in the right direction if you go astray.

I coated it completely with a 'white color' to represent purity. You see Jesus had no sin but was perfect in everything he did.  Each of us did yucky things though and Jesus wanted to forgive us and deliver us from these yucky things so he came to earth to be our Savior.

I coated the 'white cane' with stripes of 'red color' to represent the blood of Jesus washing away all the yucky things we have done and make us pure. Jesus died for you and me to rescue us from all our yuckiness by becoming our Savior when we turn to Him and ask Him to forgive us from this yuckiness known as sin.

I also coated it with 'three thin stripes of red' to represent Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit represented in the Trinity: God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit.

Each time, you eat a candy cane, I wanted you to remember how much God loves you so much that He sent Jesus as a baby, born during Christmas to become your Savior one day and later give you His Holy Spirit to live in you and guide you everyday as He will become your Lord and Master when you ask Him to. He will be a good master who will love you and take care of you. Also, the shape of the cane gives you the first letter of the One who will become the Savior of the world: The letter 'J' for Jesus.

 This is the meaning of the candy cane in your hands and the gospel story." replied the elderly gentleman. Never forget that Jesus is the reason for the season and my gift of the candy cane to you represents the Good News of Christ. Amen!

Eating the original candy cane makes it that much more exciting and special to me because of the meaning behind the candy cane!

This Christmas season no matter what our profession, let us take the time to spread the message of true love, joy, peace, and hope that can be found only in the Savior. Christmas can just become a thing to us if we get so bogged down with our jobs and the duties we have to do rather than taking the time to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

My prayer is that each one of you will remember our Lord and Savior during this Christmas season and spread the love of Jesus Christ the remaining days of 2019 and in the coming days of 2020!

May you be touched by the Lord's presence and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ as you yourself bask in the loving Arms of love of our Savior. We cannot give anything or spread the Good News of Christ unless we have personally seen and experienced His love in our own life.

We will only be excited to share or spread any news if it makes an impact in our own life for that is human tendency so may you be impacted by Jesus Christ in your own life that you cannot keep Jesus to yourself but have the urge and desire to keep spreading Jesus.

May you all continue to have a MERRY CHRISTMAS SEASON and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

"Share People's Redeemer Everywhere As Deliverer!" (S.P.R.E.A.D)/"Why be the one to S.P.R.E.A.D the Good News of Jesus this Christmas season?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you so much your birth is so special because you were born to a virgin girl who is your blessed mother Mary, with the purpose to die for me and redeem my life from the bondage of sin and death one day. Later, you came back to life to save me. Christmas is a time of hope because you came to be our Savior. Thank you so much Jesus! I am sorry Lord when I have become too preoccupied with getting presents, etc that I fail to sit at your feet and spend time with you on your birthday. I am sorry when I do not give myself completely to you. Lord, we know when we give others gifts, it is like giving you gifts. Yet, many times we can be bogged down with presents and miss spreading you around. For that we are really sorry Lord.  I pray we would always remember the reason for this season is your birth. Thank you so much Jesus! Please Jesus give us boldness to tell others about you as the Shepherds did because you have the power to save all of us and be a light in our lives. Thank you so much Jesus! Thank you Lord for hearing us and answering us. I pray for all those who are suffering this season that you Oh Lord would send your healing in their lives. Whether they are suffering from a physical ailment, emotional, psychological, or even a financial struggle, please Lord be with them and help them experience the joy of this season. Thank you Lord we can celebrate your birth because you are Savior now and forever as we give our lives to thee. This Christmas season we give ourselves to thee as a present to you. We want to make you really happy for your birthday and always. Please help us Father God to bring you happiness. Thank you Lord and thank you Lord for the elderly gentleman who spread the Gospel through a candy cane. Thank you Lord that you can use anything you want for your honor and glory. Use us in our profession to spread the Good News of your Eternal Salvation and Redemption. Thank you so much Jesus. We lift all these things to you. In Your Name We Pray Jesus, thanking you and praising you for everything! Amen!

Express Your View

 Matt 1:3,5-6, Luke 1:26-27: "What does God do about your G.E.N.E.A.L.O.G.Y in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 09, 19, 06:19 a.m.)

Matt 1:18-19: "How has your L.O.V.E influenced others in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 10, 19, 04:15 a.m.)

Matt 1:20: "What has a D.R.E.A.M revealed to you in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 11, 19, 09:23 a.m.)

Matt 1:20: "Why expect a M.I.R.A.C.L.E this season?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 13, 19, 10:11 a.m.)

Matt 1:21: "What significance do you give a N.A.M.E in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 17, 19, 10:57 a.m.)

Matt 1:21: "Who are you depending on to S.A.V.E you?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 18, 19, 10:11 a.m.)

Matt 1:21-22: "How can P.R.O.P.H.E.C.Y make you believe in Jesus?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 19, 19, 09:36 a.m.)

Matt 1:22-23: "What does I.M.M.A.N.U.E.L mean to you?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 20, 19, 09:10 a.m.)

Matt 1:24: "Whose C.O.M.M.A.N.D.S do you obey in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 21, 19, 09:43 a.m.)

Matt 1:25: "In what outcome will you give C.R.E.D.I.T to the Lord in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 23, 19, 10:02 a.m.)

Luke 1:31-33: "What K.I.N.G.D.O.M will you be part of  in life?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 24, 19, 09:38 a.m.)

Luke 2:8-14: "How do you relate to the S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D.S this Christmas season?"By Ramesh C. Reddy (Dec 25, 19, 09:24 a.m.)