Leaders in the faith would do well to research every tradition of Christmas and be prepared to defend their faith. Amen and amen. People need to know Christ is a living person, with a real birth, and we celebrate that.

Check out my own authored resources, which teach: I. The importance of Jewish evangelism as a part of the gospel message (Rom 1:16), II. The theological pay-off of a dispensational view of Scripture III. The simplicity of maturing Christians through the 5 Crowns of Reward Dr. Justin R. Woods Resources

Ron Rhodes is an excellent teacher and preacher of the Scripture. Look out for his books and online preaching and teaching. He will benefit your faith greatly. Rapture of the Church

See this important Link on the issue: Lordship Salvation This debate is about a critical issue, but it is not a debate about Jesus being Lord. Both sides of this issue agree that Jesus is Lord, and we are called to obey Christ because if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, the 5 Crowns of Reward. The problem is when pastors tell people that their disobedience is a sign that they were never saved in the first place. This teaching is false, and it is never found on the lips of any author in the Bible. When our ministry teaches a "Cross-'n-Crowns" ministry, we mean exactly that, the cross is our salvation that is never questioned. The moment faith is placed in that Cross, the resurrection belongs to you, and you are saved with an eternal love that never fades nor forsakes. The Crowns, however, are our planned rewards that may be abandoned by the believer. Therein lies the confusion of those "Lordship salvation" advocates: you don't lose salvation, but you may lose rewards. Why else would Jesus command us to never let anyone steal our crown (Rev 3:11)? But some will retort with Matthew's warning: "not everyone who says to me "Lord, Lord" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So what does that mean? Firstly, what is the circumstance of this passage? Its the entrance of the Kingdom, the era of the millennium. Secondly, this is not entrance into the Church, is it? The word "Church" is not anywhere near this passage because it is spoken to Israel, the Jewish people, entering the millennial reign of Christ when He sits on His "glorious throne" in the Jerusalem Temple. While the Church began in Acts 2 and will end its dispensation in Revelation 4, when we are rewarded the Crowns, the entrance of the Millennium is the Second Coming of Christ in Rev 19. The millennium occurs only after the stages of the first resurrection are completed (compare 1 Cor 15:23–24; Rev 4:1-10; 11:11-12; 20:4-7). The lesson of this post is this: never question the salvation established by the work of Christ, the cross. But always examine ourselves to see whether we are working toward our rewards because the 5 Crowns of Reward determine our Christian maturity.

We need faith that when we speak God's Word to others, the truth of the gospel in Scripture, that it will never return void one way or another but will go to work in the lives of them we speak it to. Jesus told us this is a season of sowing seeds, which is the Word of God: "the seed is the word of God" (Luke 8:11). Patience is the key to dealing with seeds. We sow them, and God gives the gain. What about those who reject the gospel? Let's keep in mind the object of their rejection--the seed itself. Now, for them to feel this rejection, they first must feel the presence of the seed, right? That's a seed you sowed. Keep in mind, there is no telling when they may accept that seed at some later point in life. When pressures hurt, when times are tough, when loneliness sets in, or other matters remind them of the solution you gave them, that seed. When we send God's Word to work in other's lives, when we share our faith and Scripture, we are rewarded the Crown of Rejoicing. Never let anyone talk you out of that practice. Never let anyone steal your crown (Rev 3:11). Make sure to stop the steal, hold to your crowns and the practices they point us to.