Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

requirements. She and Joseph, her fiancé, were of the lineage and house of David—a requirement for the Messiah (v. 27). Their tribal roots were the tribe of Judah, a second requirement (Gen. 49:10). Their ancestral town was Bethlehem, the location where the prophet Micah predicted the Messiah would be born (Mic. 5:2). At the time, Mary was from Nazareth, a tiny town in Galilee. This fulfilled a fourth prediction, that a light for the Gentiles would come from Galilee (Isa. 9:1–2). The ancient Hebrew prophet also said that this light would come from Naphtali. It is not coincidence that the town of Nazareth is in the tribal region of Naphtali, as Nazareth would be the town where Christ would be raised by Mary and Joseph. The tribal area also covered the area around the Sea of Galilee, where Christ performed many of His miracles, in Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida. Mary was at the right place and the right time and had the correct ancestral background to be the mother of Christ! This question of favor often perplexes ministers. In ministry, some build much larger congregations than others, yet the smaller ministries are just as effective, if not better, pulpit preachers than some with large congregations. I have heard television ministers with large ministries who preach as simply as the average Sunday school teacher, yet they are reaching millions. Some teachers in small town USA have a gift of communication and knowledge, far exceeding television teachers, yet few people are present in the Sunday morning classroom to experience this teacher’s ministry.