What do you think of when you think of Christmas? Family traditions? Decorations? Gift giving and receiving? When Hillsong Worship sings "When I Think Upon Christmas" they sing of the greatest gift of all time...Jesus, God with us, Savior of the world.

Let's take a close look at the accounts of the birth of Christ together.

On this week's episode I discuss:

Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:

• Read in context
• Compare and contrast
• Ask questions
  • What do I learn about God in this Scripture?
    • His character
    • His conduct
    • His concerns
• The wrong question, "What does it mean to me?"
• Getting rid of misconceptions about what is and is not in the Christmas story by reading it for ourselves in Scripture
• Not skipping the genealogy in Matthew 1
  • Episode 149
  • Knowing Faith Podcast - Jesus' Family Tree
• A wonderful book recommendation - “Asking the Right Questions” by Matthew Harmon
• Stopping to ponder the tragic details in history surrounding Christ’s birth because of the wise men's visit to King Herod
• How in Mark’s gospel the beginning of the good news isn’t Jesus’ birth at all, but his public ministry
• The common details in Luke’s account that we find in the traditional Christmas carols that we sing
• How John speaks of the beginning of creation where Jesus was present and through whom everything was made, but did not include details of His birth
• Contrast point - the birth of Christ is not included in all four gospels
• Comparison point - all four gospels refer to "the beginning" (in two, the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry, and in the others the beginning of creation and God's people)

Additional Resources

• Lyrics - Hillsong Worship
• Chords - Worship Together
• Spotify Link to "When I Think Upon Christmas" by Hillsong Worship

This Week's Challenge

Read the beginning of all four gospels for yourself. Read the account of the birth of Christ in context, not just small sections. Compare and contrast what you read from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. As you begin to ask questions while reading, be sure to start with comprehension questions, then God-centered questions before you jump to any sort of application questions. When you think upon Christmas this year, I pray that what God’s Word says about the birth of Christ would be one of the first things on your mind.

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