We are preparing for our yearly Christmas program Herald the News and would like to extend an invitation for all to attend.

LOCATION INFO

The program will take place at Berean Baptist Church at 455 Linden Avenue, Kamloops, BC at 7 PM on Dec. 16, 11. Our phone number is 250.554.8001 To email us please use the form on our contact page.

VENUE

There will be traditional Christmas hymn singing, choral singing, a Christmas play and a scriptural explanation of the good news Christ came to bring.

Preregistration is now open for Vacation Bible School and we highly encourage that you register in advance if you plan to bring your children to VBS. While not mandatory preregistration helps us in preparing for your child’s VBS. Last year we had twice as many children come as had preregistered and it did provide some challenges. Click here to download our .pdf file registration form. Each child will need their own registration form.

We were happy to host the Crown College Western Quartet from Powell, TN June 16. The group sang a number of songs and one of the young men brought a message about faith.

If you would like to learn more about this group you can visit their Facebook page.

There are a number of Bible programs available. Some are free and some are reasonably priced.

An example of a free Biblical tools is E Sword. This program has been around since April 2000 going through many updates since that time. E Sword’s programmer, Rick Meyers has put a great deal of work into this program and it is a very useful and usable tool.

In addition to the E Sword program Rick Meyers has created E Sword live which has a free online version of the program on the web that can be used without downloading any software. E Sword Live also works well on an iPhone and and iPad but requires an internet connection. As of this time, there is not a E Sword Application for iPhones or iPads.

One of the best Bible programs available is Sword Searcher. What makes the program so great is that it has a number of commentaries and add on modules that are not available with the other Bible programs. The regular price for Sword Search at the time of this article is $59.95 but it does have a 30 day trial period. The one downside of this program is that it is only available for the PC platform but many who use Apple platforms run Parallels a Windows emulator on which they can load the Windows programs such as Sword Searcher.

If a person is looking for a free Bible app for iPhone or iPad the Blue Letter Bible is a great app. In addition to having the searchable Bible text it has an interlinear, select commentaries, the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and other features.

Another iPhone/iPad Bible app that is apparently popular is BibleScope. The cost of this app is $3.99

Please note that each of these programs can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate hyperlinked logos on this page.

While last year we were addressing foundational concepts. This year we are planning, Lord willing, to add to that foundation in the areas of faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. These character traits ought to exemplify the life of every believer. In time I aim to do an article on each of these qualities.

Our goal was to show the real reason why we celebrate Christmas. Too often we get caught up in the commercialism of the Christmas season and forget that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ where God came down in the body of a human for thirty-three years to “draw all men” unto Him (John 12:32) by His death, burial and resurrection. Christ is the only One who can bring peace to this world and to each heart when they repent of their sin and trust Christ as their personal Savior. To understand more about salvation please go here for a more detailed explanation.

As we approach Christmas I am reminded for the “reason for the season.” Christmas is not about Santa Claus or presents. Christmas is the time of year that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Some may legitimately point out that it is most probable that Christ was not actually born on Christmas day but that He was born sometime in the spring season. Since we do not know exactly when Christ was born many have chosen to use Christmas as the day we focus our celebrations of His birth. Christians ought to celebrate the birth of Christ every day of the year but it is nice to have a particular day we use to reflect the free gift God sent to us in the form of Jesus Christ. We may exchange gifts at this time to share with others and to symbolize the gift God gave us but these earthly gifts are not our main focus.

Regarding the celebration of Christmas we have the prophecy of Isaiah hundreds of years before the actual birth of Christ telling about the birth of Christ and the language he used is quite celebratory. There is also the occasion of the angels announcing the birth of Christ to the shepherds. We read in Luke 2:9-14 “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. [2:10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. [2:11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. [2:12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. [2:13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, [2:14] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Those angels were certainly celebrating the birth of Christ.

I hope you have a great Christmas season and draw closer to Jesus Christ and have a great time with family. If you have never trusted Christ as your Personal Saviour I would encourage you to read more about the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for your sins and the sins of the whole world and how you can be made right with God and be assured a place in Heaven.