Letters to Lonely Hearts: Advent Encouragement of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love
Breath Beads is supporting Uncharted International with the advent project this year. Uncharted International focuses on the persecuted church in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and beyond. Their goal is to reach the unreached who have no access to the Gospel and support the local Christian converts in the Jewish and Muslim communities who are persecuted for their faith in Christ. Breath Beads is drawn to their support with a financial tithe of advent proceeds, prayer, and letters of hope to the lone Christians in these communities. The arrival of Jesus celebrated during advent is what changed the lives of these brave believers. They risk it all to bring the Good News, the joy, and the light of Christ to a dark world. Thank you for joining with us in financial support by participating in the advent project, would you also join with us in praying for these believers?
“Inhale: Let their light shine
Exhale: Bringing salvation to all”
“Inhale: Bless their beautiful feet
Exhale: Let the people hear & believe”
“Inhale: Holy Spirit come
Exhale: Fill them with power”
“Inhale: Boldness in declaring Your glory
Exhale: Perform marvelous deeds among them”
Good Tidings of Hope
To our brothers and sisters in Christ,
Wherever the Lord may have you in this season, we wish you Good Tidings of HOPE to hold in your hearts. As believers affiliated with Uncharted, you are a city on a hill, a light in the darkness. May you have the strength to continue burning brightly for the Good News of Jesus Christ our Lord.
I write to you in December, a season in which the Church reflects on adventus, the coming, of Jesus Christ our King and Savior of the world. Your mission as a believer living in a dark neighborhood as been close to my heart in this time. It is because of His coming, His deliverance, which changed the course of humanity, has also changed your life as you risk it all for these truths.
Jesus’ birth delivered Hope for the people. He came to our rescue. He redeemed us from the ugliness of our sinful condition and He sat down to rule and reign at the right hand of God over the Kingdom. He sealed us with His promised Spirit: a guarantee of our inheritance. And this is HOPE we cling to on this side of heaven.
As we await the second adventus, the return of Jesus Christ, we are encouraged this seal of promise. By His Spirit living in us, we are lavishly blessed with His Presence, His power, His help, and His counsel of truth. Beloved believers, I pray you are filled with a double portion of His Spirit. May His HOPE abound in your hearts. Know that the Church stands with you in your mission to be a light carrying the Good News of Jesus to all. We stand with you, with our eyes on heaven in the promised HOPE of His return. We look forward to the restoration and newness of the Kingdom of God fully realized here on earth. Let us continue in doing good that more may join in our HOPE.
May you be blessed and filled by His Spirit. Let your light shine.In His strength,
Mac
“Inhale: Filled with Your Spirit
Exhale: Let Your light shine”
Good Tidings of Peace
To our brothers and sisters in Christ,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! The heavenly declaration of the angels announced peace on earth with adventus, the coming arrival of Jesus Christ in the world.
Before Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came to the earth, the world was under a very different ruler. The prince of the power of the air, Satan, governed with more authority and dominion. Under the enemy’s authority, we were allowed to wander in a state of sinfulness: bowing to the cravings of the flesh and fulfilling the passionate desires of the body. We walked in the darkness, like a ship without a captain being tossed to and fro by the waves of the world. Under these conditions we were destined for destruction.
But with the Adventus of Jesus, the birth of the Prince of Peace, came a new dawn that broke the course of darkness and death. He came for the those who were far off, the strangers, and aliens of God’s Presence. He came as a light from heaven to make a path for us to walk in. He lead the way in making peace, by making the necessary payment for our destructive behaviors. He came as one of us, as a baby, to grow into a man and make His way to the cross. And as the crown of thorns was placed upon his head, he knew he was fulfilling his royal calling as the Prince of Peace. His life paid the price of our wrong and ruinous behavior to make peace with God and restore our privilege of enjoying His Presence.
On this side of heaven, if you still feel far off or alienated, remember, Christ has come. He calls you a fellow citizen and member of the household of God. You are now a child of light, given a course to walk that is prepared with good works by Christ. With Jesus as the cornerstone, together as the church, we are building together the dwelling place of God. We are hosting the Presence of His Spirit.
May you be strengthened and brought near to His Presence. Walk boldly in the light,
Mac
“Inhale: I am brought near
Exhale: Walking in the light”
Good Tidings of Joy
To the beloved friends of Jesus,
I pray the joy found in Jesus unites our hearts this Advent season. Let us reflect upon what the angel of the Lord who appeared to the shepherds on that glorious night and said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people...”
“Great joy for all the people,” wow what an incredible gift. As a friend of Jesus, hold this joy as a personal message that came for just for you. A message so personal, yet meant for every man, woman, and child. An invitation sent to every race, religion, and creed to know the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. He came for all the people: good, bad, and evil. Yet, as Jesus would later say, “Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone (Mark 10:18 AMP). And this is where the good news brings really great joy.
None of us are good, we are all under the curse of sin, but God wanted us anyway. Out of perfect love, He sent His good Son to break the curse of sin and death! A Savior for all the people! Over the years, many have taken offense to this plan of salvation that one God made one way for all people. Countless believers, perhaps even you, have been criticized, excluded, shamed, and broken because of this Good News.
Like a present that must be accepted and opened, the message is an invitation that many will reject. While God invites all his beloved children, some may not respond, and that is their choice. For without choice, what would love be? We hold the candle of hope in prayer for those who reject this way, asking that their hearts be opened to the Good News.
Let the great joy of love’s rescue shine brightly in your heart this season. “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:28-29 NLT).
Holding hope and spreading joy together with you,
Mac
“Inhale: Captivated with great joy
Exhale: A light to the world”
Good Tidings of Love
Dear believers,
As we enter the final week of Advent, we focus on the theme of love, marking the grand finale in our preparation and reflection on the coming of Jesus for His Christmas birthday. Love is the beautiful apex of advent because it’s so active. It is the fuel for why we do all the things we do as Christians.
Love is why we sing, the reason we give, and the motive for sacrifice. We do hard things in the name of Jesus because of love. 1 John 4:10 says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” God sent his Presence. Remember, after the fall of sin, we broke love and God’s physical, intimate Presence had to be removed. But in this great love story, He came back. Love came down. The Presence of God came to rescue us from the separation caused by sin and restore our intimacy.
We know love because Jesus showed us. Love fights for restoration, love is patient and persistent, and love reunites. Love is so active. 1 John continues in the next verse, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
Let us continue in doing hard things fueled by love to show God to the world. His Presence is still with you, the fire of the Holy Spirit burning bright in your soul. As the season of Advent often uses candles to reflect upon the themes of the season, I see the candle of love as Jesus representing the center wick, the resting place for the flame of the Spirit, and love as the surrounding wax providing fuel for the light.
God is with us! Enjoy the warmth of His presence as you carry the light into the world,
Mac
“Inhale: Carrying the light of love
Exhale: Your Presence within ”
