ADVENT DAY 4 (I Am United With Christ): Animation Initiative Reaches Missions

As He concluded His Great Commission to the Church, Jesus said that He would be with us always. The Bible tells us that our Lord will never leave nor forsake us. And, as He prepared to leave this earth and ascend into heaven, Acts 1 tells us:
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Jesus is our Immanuel - God with us.  We are united with Him.  Jesus lives in our hearts and we have access to the Holy Spirit's power.  So, we now have to consider what we are going to do with what He has provided for us.  We can walk through life trying to live according to our own strength, or live on a level that is less than what God has in store. Or, we can allow the Spirit to take us to places that we cannot even imagine.  Because we are united with Christ. 

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Welcome into Day 4 of our 25-day Faith Radio Advent Guide, entitled, "Because of Jesus."  We stand on the cornerstone of the cross where Jesus died and the empty tomb from which Jesus was raised.  And, because of His life, we have new life in Him, which has enormous implications.

Today, we emphasize the theme, "I Am United With Christ." The accompanying Scripture is found in Matthew 1:23, which is found in this passage, which includes the words of the angel who appeared to Joseph, saying...
(20b) "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

God is with us - Immanuel.  The living Lord lives in our hearts.

And, that is a message that is being spread far and wide through something started by two friends from college, according to CBN.com, which reports:

During their college days, long-time friends Tim Mackie and Jon Collins would kick around ideas on how to get more people to read the Bible and understand it better.

The result was a Bible animation experiment called BibleProject, and it was only two videos, posted online in 2014 for their friends.

The article says:

After attending Bible college together, Jon served as a pastor before beginning a career making explainer videos for large companies. Tim got his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Jewish studies, becoming a pastor and seminary professor. Then they decided to combine Tim's Bible knowledge and Jon's creative abilities, and BibleProject was born.

How does it work?  Here's a little insight, according to CBN:

BibleProject seeks to help those who only see the Bible as a collection of inspirational quotes. It takes on those difficult passages in the Bible that many Christians tend to avoid because they seem to be confusing or disturbing.

Michael McDonald of BibleProject is quoted as saying: "It's pretty neat to see kids from like the age of ten who are even writing in saying just how engaged they are in the Scriptures. And then we've got like 85-year-old folks that are writing and saying, 'I thought this one was for my grandkids. At 85, I never thought I would go back and read the Bible with new eyes.'"

According to the article, in fewer than 10 years, "BibleProject has created over 180 videos and 350 podcast episodes over the internet, with over 620 million views in over 200 countries, and over five million subscribers worldwide, even offering seminary-level classes."

The content is available in 56 languages, and is reportedly having an impact on the Muslim world. 

Collins relates, "One thing we think God is doing is that He's helping people see the Bible as a really important part of their life. And what we think our contribution to that is, is helping people see the Bible through this paradigm of Biblical theology, where you appreciate the Bible and its literary design and you understand the Bible as a story and you see how the story leads to Jesus."

The message is unchanging, but the methodology can change because of obedience, creativity, and technology.  And, there is fruit - the Word is going forth, and as Isaiah tells us, the Word does not return void. 

Our theme today is that "I Am United With Christ." Matthew 1 emphasizes that He would be called, "Immanuel," which means "God with Us."  The world today needs to grasp that.  We can consider what our contribution will be - day by day, in partnership with the Savior who lives within us. 

Because of our knowledge that He is with us and we are united with Him, we can reflect our dependence on Christ, testifying that our Savior is alive in us!