INTRODUCTION

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! As the world gets all "wrapped" up in the preparations of the Christmas Season, it is very good to have you with us by way of this booklet, "Steps to the Stable & Beyond!" Our Scripture of focus is from Psalm 37—"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. (vs. 23) The Lord actually "orders," or directs, the steps of everyone, but that direction and leading presents us with a choice—go God's way, or go our own. Those who will allow their steps to be directed by the Holy Spirit are considered to be good and wise. Later in that very Psalm we are told, referring to the righteous and wise, "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide." (vs. 31)

You see, being a true Christian in this world is not just a matter of recognizing both good and evil, and doing our best to stay away from the latter. True Christianity is really a matter of allowing the Lord to rule your heart, which will then rule your life. The Scripture says clearly that Satan is the "prince of this world," and therefore, the systems of this world are under his auspices. (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) Now certainly the Lord still has ultimate control, but because human-kind, from Adam and Eve on, have decided to not follow in the Lord's steps, He has given the world and its ways into the hands of Satan—for the time being! The Bible tells us, "The whole world lieth in the evil one." (1 John 5:19 RV 1881) You can see that, can't you? Just consider some of this world's systems—politics, education, literature, science, art, law, commerce, music, etc. So many today say we are progressing in these areas, but in what direction is the "progress" going? Take, for example, the law—what began in purity on Mt. Sinai with the 10 Commandments, is now "legislating" all kinds of immorality. Even in the Church—years ago, the concept of foreign missions was often centered on the saving of souls, but now it is often not more than helping people to help themselves, with very little, if any, emphasis on the true gospel. There are not 10 or 15 different choices here—there is God's order and man's order; take your pick! Remember, "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15)

Yes, we need to broaden our view, and not just see blatant sin as the problem—the entire world and its order is also going to be used to draw us away from God's order. Watchman Nee once wrote, "Satan is utilizing the natural world, the men of the world, the things that are in the world, to head everything up eventually in the Kingdom of Anti-Christ." Praise God, though, because full salvation is evident in actually coming away from one order into another; from one kingdom into another; from even darkness into light. The true Christian operates from another source—the power of the Holy Spirit, no longer belonging to Satan's pattern of things. The true Christian is on a journey, with a heart set on God's heart and taking as the goal the eternal purposes of Christ. As we take each step to the stable, and even beyond, may we let our source be the Lord Himself. Have a very Blessed Christmas…and Beyond!!!