Darrow Miller and Friends

Joy to the World!

Lately, I have been reflecting on this Advent season.  Those who have bowed to Christ as Lord and Savior know that we are celebrating the birth of the Messiah, the Consolation of Israel.  This Jesus is not merely my personal Savior, as we in the modern church are so fond of emphasizing, but He is the Creator of the universe, He is the Lord of men and nations.  The Psalmist reminds us that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).  Isaac Watts’ wonderful Christmas Carol, Joy to the World, reminds us that the Christ came not only to “save souls,” but to bless nations.  In the fourth stanza he writes:

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love . . .

The West has tragically, through our explosion and exportation of atheistic and materialistic culture, reduced, or rather de-formed, Christmas into one massive consumer holiday.  Spend, spend, spend!  Get, get, get!

Sadly, this Christmas the world economic order is on the verge of collapse.  The poor are finding it harder to afford food.  American automakers, once the pride of American ingenuity and economic might, are on the verge of bankruptcy.  The nations of Europe no longer know who they are; they place their roots in Atheistic “enlightenment.”  The United States is rapidly forgetting that “blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

Why is this so?  Because “enlightened” men say “there is no God in the universe!”  But in reality there is a God in the Universe.  He reigns through truth and grace.  His laws and ordinances, when sought, understood, and obeyed provide a natural order that leads to the blessing of the nation.

So as we celebrate Christmas this year, let’s remember from whence Christmas has come, from the celebration of the birth of Christ, not only the Savior of men, but the Lord of the universe and of nations.  It is again time for nations to prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love!

-Darrow L. Miller

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About 
Darrow is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 30 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women. From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International (now FH association), and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO. In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies, and missions in the United States, Israel, and Switzerland. Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books, including Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture (YWAM Publishing, 1998), Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women for Building Healthy Cultures (InterVarsity Press, 2008), LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day (YWAM, 2009), Rethinking Social Justice: Restoring Biblical Compassion (YWAM, 2015), and more. These resources along with links to free e-books, podcasts, online training programs and more can be found at Disciple Nations Alliance (https://disciplenations.org).
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