Posted on 12/21/2016 8:03:51 AM PST by DouglasKC
In just eight days much of the world will celebrate and observe Christmas. In America alone 92% of the population will observe Christmas. This includes professing Christians as well as non-Christians. In fact 81% of people who are anything but Christian will also celebrate Christmas. This includes Muslims, atheists, Wiccans and various pagan earth cults.
I am part of the 8% who doesn't observe Christmas at all. Now the primary reason why I don't observe it is that I KNOW and BELIEVE that the Lord God has given us HIS days to observe and that these days have purpose and meaning. They ARE holy days. Days that are set apart for God's purpose. These days are listed in God's holy word in Leviticus chapter 23.
It's clear that Christmas falls OUTSIDE of God's commands AS DEFINED IN THE BIBLE, Christmas falls outside of God's world. It's NOT part of God's holy world IF we follow scripture.
There is the world of God. And there is the world system. There is holy....things of God. And there is worldly...things of the world.
Let's look at that point by turning to Leviticus chapter 10. In Leviticus chapter 10 the Lord is giving instructions to Aaron about how they, as a priesthood, are to treat God. In verse 3 the Lord says that anyone who comes near to God must regard God as holy. In verse 9 he tells the priests that they are not to drink any kind of alcohol when coming before the Lord...they need to have clear heads....this is serious business. And in verse 10 he tells them why.
Lev 10:10 that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean,
God wants his people when they come near to him, to be able to tell the difference between holy.....Godly things...and unholy...things that are not Godly.
There's a better English word for “Unholy”......and the New American Standard bible uses that word and I'll read that same word from that translation.
(NASB) and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean,
That word in English is “profane”. There is holy...God's world....and profane....worldly...things not holy.
Now in the greek versions of the old testament the word that is translated here as “unholy” or “profane” is the word “bebelos”. It's Strongs number G952 and it means to step over a threshold into a place where anyone is permitted. It springs from the notion that the temple, or the tabernacle, was a holy place....a place of God...and that outside of the temple, was a common place...a profane place...a worldly place.
In fact the English word “profane” comes from the latin word “Profanus” which literally means “outside of the temple.”
Now obviously we don't worship in temples as Christians. But the concept of God and his temple are still with us and is still applicable. Corinthians chapter 3 confirms that;
1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1Co 3:17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 1Co 3:18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
We are the temple of God. Individually and as a church. And God still has rules for holiness. There are holy things of God as defined by God in scripture. And we should hold on to and adhere to his instructions. But there are also things outside of the temple...behaviors, objects, attitudes and emotions that are not holy. That do NOT belong in the temple of God. That are OUTSIDE of the TEMPLE. And when we engage in those things we GO over the threshold of the temple. We go outside the temple. We PROFANE the temple of God.
So what does all this have to do with Christmas? Let's look at that by turning to 1 Timothy chapter 4.
1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
This is MUCH more latter then when Paul wrote it. These ARE the latter times and Paul tells us that there are some who are going to turn from the faith and be deceived and follow false doctrine. In verses 2 to 5 Paul lists some examples. In verse he says this:
1Ti 4:6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 1Ti 4:7 But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.
Look at verse 7. It says to reject “profane and old wives fables”. Let's analyze that. Profane as we've seen are things things outside the temple of God. The “old wives fables” denote stories or customs passed on from elders. Or the traditions passed on to younger by older. In that verse the world fables is the greek word “mythos” from which we derive the English word “myths”.
So we are to reject things traditional myths that fall outside of the temple of God. Doesn't this describe Christmas?
What the myths of Christmas? Santa Claus. Flying reindeer. Elves. Jesus born on December 25th. All myths. All fables. Christmas itself, the holiday, is NOT in the word of God. Anywhere. It is NOT a holy day of the Lord God. It is outside of the temple. Thus it is profane.
We need to look at one more scripture. Let's turn to Ezekiel chapter 22. In Ezekiel 22 Ezekiel is prophesying against a fallen Israel. An Israel, that much like America today, has rejected God and turned to idols. An Israel that has abandoned all morality. In verse 26 Ezekiel turns to religion...to the conduct of the priests who claim to be priests of God.
Eze 22:26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy (bebelos, PROFANE), nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
When we profane God we are putting God OUT of his temple. WE are NOT keeping him holy. Brethen, as Christians....and when we BECOME Christians....we have a duty and an obligation to God, to the Lord, to preserve HIS holiness. To recognize that there still are Godly standards of holy and profane. Our role as priests of God is to recognize God's holiness when we come before him and to discern that there are things that are NOT part of God's world, things that are NOT part of the temple of God. Brethren let us keep God and his temple holy.
Some say that Christmas brings out the best in us, but I don’t see that. What I do see is the pushing and shoving and groveling for inanimate stuff. I see people miffed, because they spent $X.00 on this one and ‘only got’ XYZ.
I see children frustrated, because a newly purchased toy doesn’t work right, or because they didn’t get what they wanted..
Some are angry and hurt because they didn’t get anything at all.
I see the focus on decorations, glitter, eye candy to go along with a ton of shoplifting and car/home break-ins.
I see huge credit card bills spent on ‘stuff’ and the interest that goes with it. Landlords and utilities companies don’t get paid so that their money can be spent on toys, parties and booze.
Giving good gifts to our children is something we as good parents do for them year round in one way or another. That’s not an extra goodness that comes out of us once a year.
Then there’s the suicide rate which tends to increase around this time of year.
Houses burn down due to the overload of lights on electrical sockets. We just had that happen 2 days ago on my street. :(
People can’t seem to celebrate Christmas without a pile of money. Christmas today is so far from a celebration of the giving of the savior as to not even remotely resemble that giving!
Just a little over 100 years ago, it was illegal to celebrate it in many states here in the US! Christians had more sense than to over indulge one’s own pride of all that is involved in selfishness. If indeed Christ is the reason for the season, why is the acquisition of stuff for ourselves the primary focus???
All it takes to ‘ruin someone’s Christmas’ is to break an ornament on the tree!
One day about 10 years ago, I decided to quit contributing to this worldly maddness. The ugliness of what man and marketers did to a day set aside to worship Messiah got to me, stood out like a sore thumb. I watched that worship of stuff replace what God had given, like a light was turned on inside my spirit, and I said....NO MORE. I’ve not regretted a minute of it.
Later, I found the God given Holy Days and I found that they are prophetic as well. Those are the Holy Days ‘Jesus’ participated in....after all, HE gave them if in deed he is God in the flesh! He gave the Sabbath to man, and indeed is Lord of the Sabbath!
I say “IF” he is God in the flesh, because to change those days when He set them forth is to deny his Lordship....unintentionally I’m sure....folks simply never think of it like that, because they are so wrapped up in human tradition. It was men who changed his Holy Days and did all they could to dissolve any Jewish influence ...including killing those early Christians who were in fact, Jews!
Jesus wants us to worship God in spirit and in truth. To do that, we have to look at the difference between what God set forth, and what man set forth, and return to what God set forth, because His is the way, the Truth and the Life. What has become tradition is NOT truth!
Jesus came to show us what that way is, to show us it’s possible, and to have a High Priest in Heaven to make intercession for us for when we err. Follow HIM. To repent is to turn from anything that contradicts what God set forth. What evil means to US can be very different from what it means to God.
Does God say don’t worship him on Sunday or any other day of the week? No. But he does request your presence on specific days that he set forth. Don’t neglect those. Worship him with all your might every day in all that you think, say and do, but be prepared to set down all of your burdens on those days designated by God as a Sabbath, and be prepared to give him that entire time.
He is after all, our Husband, and husbands DO demand one on one time alone with their wives! :D (If we are the bride of Christ)
One thing so many of us complain about is not having enough time to spend in worship and in the word. Strict adherence to Sabbath(s) gives you the God-given authority to tell the world to take a hike! If we can’t flavor the earth, how can we tread on scorpions? Overcome demons?
I’m sure some of us “8%” will be praying and are praying for those with a true heart for God and his ways to come forth. Born again if you will! :)
And for those with a true heart for our Savior, whose heart rises above the things of man, may you be especially blessed as you celebrate the forgiveness he provides through the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the High priest of Heaven, Y’shuah (His hebrew name).
I see it too - but I won't throw out the Baby with the bathwater.
Does God say don’t worship him on Sunday or any other day of the week? No. But he does request your presence on specific days that he set forth. Don’t neglect those. Worship him with all your might every day in all that you think, say and do
Consider it done.
A blessed Christmas to you!
Christ expected his followers to abide by His father’s commandments, if they love him... “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it Holy”
Which day did Christ consider “the Sabbath Day?” ;))
There’s no “false dilemma” involved. What there is is a reductio ad absurdum. Which is a valid form of argument.
Five bucks says the Messiah has spent a lot of time decorating Christmas trees, but noone recognized him.
Validation is in the eyes of the beholder.
Look up “reductio ad absurdum” in any Logic textbook.
This is not a subjective matter.
If you wish to brand yourself as intellectually dishonest, just keep claiming that a perfectly valid form of argument is “in the eye of the beholder.”
It has no place in a religious discussion where we are given clear instructions and examples of what our actions should be.
Acts 4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
What you say is correct...Way back when, Constantine brought religion and paganism together so he could rule over both factions without constant fighting...And with the power and might of Rome, there wasn't much that was going to change that rule and practice over the Centuries...
Jesus was not born during the Winter Solstice and we are never encouraged to celebrate the birth of Jesus...It's unfortunate I suppose that somewhere after the fall of Rome's power that some large church did not decide to have a holiday for the celebration of the birth of Jesus sometime in the fall without the trees and festivities and other pagan junk...
The consolation we can have is that while Jesus is likely shaking his head as he watches us we are conforted knowing we are not under the law but under grace...
During the Judgment Seat of Christ the record of these activities we do will be burned and not be part of our record presented before God...
Where in the Scripture are we instructed to be IRRATIONAL? E.g., to contradict ourselves? (Being irrational or illogical is just another name for contradicting oneself.)
None of which has anything to do with anything. Clearly, your mind is chaotic.
In 1 Kings chapter 12 the sins of King Jeroboam included introducing idolatrous imagery into the worship of God (1 Kings 12:28) AND deciding that he would create his own feast days to keep instead of the Lords (1 Kings 12:32).
Also I quoted this in the article:
Eze_22:26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
"Sabbaths" also include annual sabbaths, holy days, listed in Leviticus 23. These were priests of Israel who refused to keep the holy days of the Lord. There are many other examples of the Lord lamenting those who profane his sabbaths.
The Lord Jesus Christ created and kept these holy days. Yet many Christians, who claim to be a "holy priesthood, have completely disregarded the holy days of the Lord and have substituted their own.
So yes, we should worship the Lord every day. But again the Lord staked out specific holy days that he expects his followers to guard and observe.
You're missing the point. If God had said "Thou shalt use Windows 10" and we use Windows 8 or Apple then we'd be guilty of disobeying God.
When God says "Observe these days" and we observe different days we're guilty of disobeying God.
You left out the "N".... :-)
That's part of the reason for His holy days. He's got it covered. There was no reason to make up days.
He did not send him to condemn the world, he sent him to save the world.
Certainly. And one of those ways is to live the truth...to see the light...
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh 3:20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
Joh 3:21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Why did Jesus eat and drink with sinners?
Don’t you ever think that your church doctrine robs from the grace of Christ?
Most Christian not only celebrate Christmas as a time to take joy in Jesus’ coming but to also shine that light you speak of as a means of pointing to Christ so that those can know the reason for the joy.
I would not mind attending those Holy Days that your church practices but, I am probably just considered a filthy heathen pagan by your church as a Lutheran, I’m just plain too perverted by the world.
Will you win any converts here?
Have just come here to troll as one of great piety to feel good about your lack of sinning, or the forgiveness of sin in the saving by Christ’ blood?
What is your motivation? Why do you think it will work?
I believe you are a saved, do you believe that I am. I know I am per the testimony of the Holy Spirit in my heart.
God Bless you. Not trying to offend, I just have what I consider questions.
I sure did. I made an error. Mark this down in history, folks. :o)
Thanks for pointing it out. It will happen again and it's good for me to know that I can make them every ten years or so.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours!
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