Colossians 2:16
"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--"
Do we really understand this verse? Is it possible we are using this verse incorrectly?
Perhaps if we take this verse to it's logical extreme through our human understanding we might see the problem with our understanding of it.
Let's ask the questions, "would we judge a Christian brother who wants to celebrate a black mass in the church of satan?"
Something to pray about, how much error can we allow in a brother or sister before we feel a need to warn them, that they are in to something that blasphemes God, no matter how much they tack the name of "Jesus" or "Christ" onto the end of the sentence to make the celebration acceptable.
We must understand that God cares "HOW" we honor Him.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Repentance a Change of Mind
Repentance is not turning around and going the other way as some have taught. It is however "changing our mind", desiring for God to change us.
When we know that it must be Christ Who changes us, then we will more fully trust Him with our character and cleansing.
Those who are attempting to change themselves and cleanse themselves will fight a losing battle and end up in serious pride.
When Christ changes us, then we have no reason to boast, it is how He worked in us. I can honestly say I have always failed when I have tried to discipline myself to be good. But when I chose prayer as my discipline, trusting Christ, then I would be changed never to return to the old.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Our job is to confess our sinfulness, ask for God to change us and to submit when He works. If we do not confess and we do not ask, then we have no reason to expect God to work in us and we have every reason to believe we have never been born again.
1 John 1:9 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Do you want a good relationship with a brother or sister, then we must be transparent, confessing and desiring to repair what is broken, by God's power, with Christ and with man.
James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Psalm 25:4-5 "Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."
James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
Notice in these verses, God is the One working in us! When we become born again, He saves and keeps us. He also works in us, through difficulties to clean out the impurities that are left in our fleshly nature. The more we submit as He speaks the more He will speak and the greater our growth.
If we refuse to listen to Him, He will stop speaking and we will not only stop growing but will regress in our walk.
1 Thessalonians 5:13-21 "14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil"
Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
God will not hear the prayers of those with a wrong heart.
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
When we know that it must be Christ Who changes us, then we will more fully trust Him with our character and cleansing.
Those who are attempting to change themselves and cleanse themselves will fight a losing battle and end up in serious pride.
When Christ changes us, then we have no reason to boast, it is how He worked in us. I can honestly say I have always failed when I have tried to discipline myself to be good. But when I chose prayer as my discipline, trusting Christ, then I would be changed never to return to the old.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Ephesians 2:10 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Our job is to confess our sinfulness, ask for God to change us and to submit when He works. If we do not confess and we do not ask, then we have no reason to expect God to work in us and we have every reason to believe we have never been born again.
1 John 1:9 "10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Do you want a good relationship with a brother or sister, then we must be transparent, confessing and desiring to repair what is broken, by God's power, with Christ and with man.
James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Psalm 25:4-5 "Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."
James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."
Notice in these verses, God is the One working in us! When we become born again, He saves and keeps us. He also works in us, through difficulties to clean out the impurities that are left in our fleshly nature. The more we submit as He speaks the more He will speak and the greater our growth.
If we refuse to listen to Him, He will stop speaking and we will not only stop growing but will regress in our walk.
1 Thessalonians 5:13-21 "14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances. 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil"
Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
God will not hear the prayers of those with a wrong heart.
James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Do Not Go Down To Egypt For Your Help
Egypt has always been a symbol of rebellion and sin, in the Biblical accounts.
Isaiah 30:1-5
"“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [a]make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who proceed down to Egypt
Without consulting [b]Me,
To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 “Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 “For their princes are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 “Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach."
We sought the advice of seculars in the raising of our children. We went down to Egypt for our counsel. They taught us to build up their pride through self esteem, exactly opposite of what our Lord taught. Sadly, nearly all the churches in the land, have adopted this philosophy that has devastated our families. We have never been as broken and impotent as we are right now, and getting worse all the time, while thinking we are doing fine.
Divorce and remarriage has been accepted as completely normal in spite of what God says about it. There are many who think as long as they are against abortion and other evils, they are alright with God, at the same time they are defying Him in many other ways, AND THEY DON'T SEE IT.
God wrote things to Israel in their rebellion, that apply to us today. The specific prophesy to them may not apply to us, but the principle of defying God brings about His chastisement for any nation that rebels against His principles, do apply to us..
Hosea 4:1-14
"Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel,
For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land,
Because there is no faithfulness or kindness
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.
They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes
Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,
And also the fish of the sea disappear.
4 Yet let no one find fault, and let none offer reproof;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5 So you will stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of My people
And direct their desire toward their iniquity.
9 And it will be, like people, like priest;
So I will punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat, but not have enough;
They will play the harlot, but not increase,
Because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.
11 Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,
And they have played the harlot, departing from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oak, poplar and terebinth,
Because their shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters play the harlot
And your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot
Or your brides when they commit adultery,
For the men themselves go apart with harlots
And offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are ruined"
God promised that one day Israel would repent and return to God. We see this happening right now, individual Jews within Israel are finding Christ. Israel will lose two thirds of her people in the tribulation, the one third remaining will become born again. Israel is the only nation of the world that will trust Christ, the entire nation. All other nations will remain pagan, with individuals within them that become born again. From reading the rest of the book of Hosea we see this.
As for us, now in the nation of America, we remain as a rebellious nation, seeking God in our own way, making Him anything we want Him to be. The use of the word "prayer" has been perverted to merely be whatever anyone wants it to be, it has no power because those who use it, do not know the God of the Bible, no matter what they may say. Their understanding of God has been perverted by all the false teachings we have espoused over the past 200 years.
Hosea 5:4
"Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not know the Lord."
America will not turn back to God, she is a pagan nation pretending to be "Christian." Our leaders are not what they claim, and our Christianity is not that of the Bible, but a watered down and perverted form of powerless religion.
Matthew 17:16-20
""I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."
We are a pretentious nation, we think as long as we speak good things, that by itself will make it be true. Many people are claiming things about themselves that are not only not true, but deceptive to others.
They say, "I am a good person", all the while living in adultery, teaching their children to love themselves more than God and doing whatever they want without consulting Him. Isaiah 30:1 (above)
There is only one hope for individual in our nation, and that is to repent from our sin, ask God to reveal truth to us and begin to obey what He tells us. We cannot do this without reading His Word the Bible, nor can reading the Bible be of any help if we are not praying for the understanding. It must be the Holy Spirit Who guides our thinking as we read.
Isaiah 30:1-5
"“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [a]make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who proceed down to Egypt
Without consulting [b]Me,
To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 “Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be your shame
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 “For their princes are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 “Everyone will be ashamed because of a people who cannot profit them,
Who are not for help or profit, but for shame and also for reproach."
We sought the advice of seculars in the raising of our children. We went down to Egypt for our counsel. They taught us to build up their pride through self esteem, exactly opposite of what our Lord taught. Sadly, nearly all the churches in the land, have adopted this philosophy that has devastated our families. We have never been as broken and impotent as we are right now, and getting worse all the time, while thinking we are doing fine.
Divorce and remarriage has been accepted as completely normal in spite of what God says about it. There are many who think as long as they are against abortion and other evils, they are alright with God, at the same time they are defying Him in many other ways, AND THEY DON'T SEE IT.
God wrote things to Israel in their rebellion, that apply to us today. The specific prophesy to them may not apply to us, but the principle of defying God brings about His chastisement for any nation that rebels against His principles, do apply to us..
Hosea 4:1-14
"Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel,
For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land,
Because there is no faithfulness or kindness
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.
They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes
Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,
And also the fish of the sea disappear.
4 Yet let no one find fault, and let none offer reproof;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5 So you will stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of My people
And direct their desire toward their iniquity.
9 And it will be, like people, like priest;
So I will punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat, but not have enough;
They will play the harlot, but not increase,
Because they have stopped giving heed to the Lord.
11 Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding.
12 My people consult their wooden idol, and their diviner’s wand informs them;
For a spirit of harlotry has led them astray,
And they have played the harlot, departing from their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the tops of the mountains
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oak, poplar and terebinth,
Because their shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters play the harlot
And your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot
Or your brides when they commit adultery,
For the men themselves go apart with harlots
And offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are ruined"
God promised that one day Israel would repent and return to God. We see this happening right now, individual Jews within Israel are finding Christ. Israel will lose two thirds of her people in the tribulation, the one third remaining will become born again. Israel is the only nation of the world that will trust Christ, the entire nation. All other nations will remain pagan, with individuals within them that become born again. From reading the rest of the book of Hosea we see this.
As for us, now in the nation of America, we remain as a rebellious nation, seeking God in our own way, making Him anything we want Him to be. The use of the word "prayer" has been perverted to merely be whatever anyone wants it to be, it has no power because those who use it, do not know the God of the Bible, no matter what they may say. Their understanding of God has been perverted by all the false teachings we have espoused over the past 200 years.
Hosea 5:4
"Their deeds will not allow them To return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, And they do not know the Lord."
America will not turn back to God, she is a pagan nation pretending to be "Christian." Our leaders are not what they claim, and our Christianity is not that of the Bible, but a watered down and perverted form of powerless religion.
Matthew 17:16-20
""I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him." And Jesus answered and said, "You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me." And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."
We are a pretentious nation, we think as long as we speak good things, that by itself will make it be true. Many people are claiming things about themselves that are not only not true, but deceptive to others.
They say, "I am a good person", all the while living in adultery, teaching their children to love themselves more than God and doing whatever they want without consulting Him. Isaiah 30:1 (above)
There is only one hope for individual in our nation, and that is to repent from our sin, ask God to reveal truth to us and begin to obey what He tells us. We cannot do this without reading His Word the Bible, nor can reading the Bible be of any help if we are not praying for the understanding. It must be the Holy Spirit Who guides our thinking as we read.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Pretense is Sin!
http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/why_are_christians_hypocrites.html
Pretense is a sin. When we choose to see things a certain way to enhance our own life, refusing to look at the truth of a matter, we are sinning.
Pretending is a form of lying. We can escape responsibility, we can make something look alright to be able to indulge, all the while leading someone else into a lie, deceiving them.
As believers we should always be willing to admit truth and speak it no matter what it brings. When we admit the truth about a matter, we can grow in holiness and move toward a closer relationship with Christ and with others.
When we pretend we do not grow, but as time progresses and we get older, we regress in our walk, becoming impotent in our witness, even encouraging sin in others.
Pretense is a sin. When we choose to see things a certain way to enhance our own life, refusing to look at the truth of a matter, we are sinning.
Pretending is a form of lying. We can escape responsibility, we can make something look alright to be able to indulge, all the while leading someone else into a lie, deceiving them.
As believers we should always be willing to admit truth and speak it no matter what it brings. When we admit the truth about a matter, we can grow in holiness and move toward a closer relationship with Christ and with others.
When we pretend we do not grow, but as time progresses and we get older, we regress in our walk, becoming impotent in our witness, even encouraging sin in others.
Not Our Flesh But His Power
As the children of God we should be continually asking Him to make us what He wants us to be. He tells us in His Word, but if we are thinking with our own mind rather than with the mind of Christ, our mind will pervert what we read. We need to be asking God to show us His way, removing from our thinking anything that is fleshly or worldly.
Are we willing to reject and discard anything that we were taught to follow Christ. Much of what we were taught as children is false and even satanic.
God will answer our prayers for Him to change us if we want it. Those who depend on their own fleshly strength will fail.
Ephesians 2:10 "
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
James 1:5 " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
Psalm 28:7 " The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him."
Are we willing to reject and discard anything that we were taught to follow Christ. Much of what we were taught as children is false and even satanic.
God will answer our prayers for Him to change us if we want it. Those who depend on their own fleshly strength will fail.
Ephesians 2:10 "
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
James 1:5 " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
Psalm 28:7 " The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him."
Monday, December 22, 2014
God's Way or Your Way?
I continue to be surprised at some of the things believers will defend, while not realizing those things are not Biblical or productive to a closer walk with Jesus Christ. These unBiblical things are detrimental to spiritual growth and oriented toward the emotional senses. When we focus on the emotion, more than truth we tend to error, missing God's blessing of intimacy with Him.
When we seek God, asking Him to show us truth, there should be many things that we abandon as we discover the heart of God.
Years ago I began praying that the Lord would remove from my thinking anything that is not Biblical truth, things that are merely human tradition that we have been led to believe were essential to our Christianity, but in fact deter us from a close relationship with Him.
The more I read the word of God and the more I seek His face, the more things I find that have been human tradition, having little to do with a born again believer and how we should be living our lives.
Our Christian culture has been burdened down with many traditions of men that were not only, not endorsed by God, but take us away from Him.
Mark 7:8 ""Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."
Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."
Mark 7:1-13
"7 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem,
2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed.
3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders;
4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)
5 The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?”
6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.
7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”
9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’;
11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’
12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother;
13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."
The dishonoring of father and mother is only one way we dishonor God through our traditions. The most devastating way we have dishonored God is in the matter of the holidays, adding man made traditions and pagan worship practices, to the worship of our God, is an abomination to Him.
Christ gave us the model for worship in the Lord's Supper and in the way He taught us to pray. There is no need for anything to be added to what He told us. We add, because we like our own way better, it tickles the senses and brings about good feelings for us, but is a stench in the nostrils of God.
When we honor the ways of the pagans by adopting some of their traditions as our own, we have nullified the worship of God, relegating it to the level of the pagans. Bringing down His worship, rather than lifting it up, by obedience to what He told us to do.
Amos 5:18-24: "Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord,
For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be darkness and not light;
19 As when a man flees from a lion
And a bear meets him,
Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall
And a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.
23 “Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 “But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
God told us how to pray:
Matthew 6:9-13 "9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’"
When we are grateful to God alone, when we desire to be delivered from evil and when we desire His will in our lives, we will grow in holiness. We will not grow and we will regress when we mix paganism with the principles of God. Always this ends up negating God's message and our witness.
God told us what to celebrate:
Luke 22:19 "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
The Lord instructed us to hate the way of the pagans through the description of His mind toward their practices. No where in the Word do we see the Lord instructing us to celebrate anything other than His Feast day, the Lord's Supper and it was to be done whenever we come together, not once a year or once a month. His feast day was a demonstration of the fulfilled prophecy of His death, burial and resurrection. Man added "Christmas" with all it's pagan trappings, honoring the Catholic mass with it's veneration of a false god "santa." Man added "Easter" with all of it's pagan practices, honoring the goddess of fertility.
Even those who say they only focus on Christ on that day, cannot deny that they are participating in the celebration of the pagans by celebrating their holidays with them while even using their paganistic titles "Christmas and Easter. The Christian witness is destroyed when we participate in these abominations.
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
"23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world."
Please pray and ask God: "Does it honor Him to "Christianize" pagan holidays"?
Deuteronomy 12:1-5
"12 “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.
2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
3 You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.
4 You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God.
5 But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come."
You may say, "we are under grace now we are not bound to the old testament commandments." OH, do we not see the heart of God in these commandments. Why would we want to practice something God hates. He has not removed His hatred for the ways of the pagans. He has not endorsed an attitude of believers to do anything they want any way they choose. Do we care about the heart of God?
When our focus is on our "freedom" then we have an attitude problem. Our focus ought to be, "what shall I do that pleases God." We sin when we focus on what we think we can get away with, yes it is called sin. We honor God when we seek His Will His Way.
1 Corinthians 10:23
"All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify."
1 Peter 2:16
"Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God."
I remember chastising my children when I had given them a task to do, taught them how I wanted it done and they did it their own way. It is not helpful or kind to our parent or even employers if we get a job done but neglect to please the one who is the authority.
God cares "How" we do things, we forget this because our culture has taught us that if we did it, we were good for just the doing of it, no matter whether we did it the right way or not. This is lazy to say the least. God cares about the details and the excellence. He knows we will not be perfect, but also knows whether we care about His heart or whether we are just doing enough to get by without concern over pleasing Him. A parent knows this too!
As the Hebrew teacher said: "love is an action word, without the action, there is no love." The Hebrew word for "love", has two facets, one that we love by doing and the other that we love by withholding help. Both involve making a choice to do what is best for others and what honors God.
Perhaps we should be asking God what honors Him, rather than using phrases like "I am free in Christ to do what "I" want.
When we seek God, asking Him to show us truth, there should be many things that we abandon as we discover the heart of God.
Years ago I began praying that the Lord would remove from my thinking anything that is not Biblical truth, things that are merely human tradition that we have been led to believe were essential to our Christianity, but in fact deter us from a close relationship with Him.
The more I read the word of God and the more I seek His face, the more things I find that have been human tradition, having little to do with a born again believer and how we should be living our lives.
Our Christian culture has been burdened down with many traditions of men that were not only, not endorsed by God, but take us away from Him.
Mark 7:8 ""Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."
Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ."
Mark 7:1-13
"7 The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem,
2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed.
3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders;
4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)
5 The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?”
6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.
7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”
9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to be put to death’;
11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’
12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother;
13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."
The dishonoring of father and mother is only one way we dishonor God through our traditions. The most devastating way we have dishonored God is in the matter of the holidays, adding man made traditions and pagan worship practices, to the worship of our God, is an abomination to Him.
Christ gave us the model for worship in the Lord's Supper and in the way He taught us to pray. There is no need for anything to be added to what He told us. We add, because we like our own way better, it tickles the senses and brings about good feelings for us, but is a stench in the nostrils of God.
When we honor the ways of the pagans by adopting some of their traditions as our own, we have nullified the worship of God, relegating it to the level of the pagans. Bringing down His worship, rather than lifting it up, by obedience to what He told us to do.
Amos 5:18-24: "Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord,
For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you?
It will be darkness and not light;
19 As when a man flees from a lion
And a bear meets him,
Or goes home, leans his hand against the wall
And a snake bites him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light,
Even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.
23 “Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 “But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
God told us how to pray:
Matthew 6:9-13 "9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’"
When we are grateful to God alone, when we desire to be delivered from evil and when we desire His will in our lives, we will grow in holiness. We will not grow and we will regress when we mix paganism with the principles of God. Always this ends up negating God's message and our witness.
God told us what to celebrate:
Luke 22:19 "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
The Lord instructed us to hate the way of the pagans through the description of His mind toward their practices. No where in the Word do we see the Lord instructing us to celebrate anything other than His Feast day, the Lord's Supper and it was to be done whenever we come together, not once a year or once a month. His feast day was a demonstration of the fulfilled prophecy of His death, burial and resurrection. Man added "Christmas" with all it's pagan trappings, honoring the Catholic mass with it's veneration of a false god "santa." Man added "Easter" with all of it's pagan practices, honoring the goddess of fertility.
Even those who say they only focus on Christ on that day, cannot deny that they are participating in the celebration of the pagans by celebrating their holidays with them while even using their paganistic titles "Christmas and Easter. The Christian witness is destroyed when we participate in these abominations.
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
"23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world."
Please pray and ask God: "Does it honor Him to "Christianize" pagan holidays"?
Deuteronomy 12:1-5
"12 “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth.
2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
3 You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place.
4 You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God.
5 But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come."
You may say, "we are under grace now we are not bound to the old testament commandments." OH, do we not see the heart of God in these commandments. Why would we want to practice something God hates. He has not removed His hatred for the ways of the pagans. He has not endorsed an attitude of believers to do anything they want any way they choose. Do we care about the heart of God?
When our focus is on our "freedom" then we have an attitude problem. Our focus ought to be, "what shall I do that pleases God." We sin when we focus on what we think we can get away with, yes it is called sin. We honor God when we seek His Will His Way.
1 Corinthians 10:23
"All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify."
1 Peter 2:16
"Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God."
I remember chastising my children when I had given them a task to do, taught them how I wanted it done and they did it their own way. It is not helpful or kind to our parent or even employers if we get a job done but neglect to please the one who is the authority.
God cares "How" we do things, we forget this because our culture has taught us that if we did it, we were good for just the doing of it, no matter whether we did it the right way or not. This is lazy to say the least. God cares about the details and the excellence. He knows we will not be perfect, but also knows whether we care about His heart or whether we are just doing enough to get by without concern over pleasing Him. A parent knows this too!
As the Hebrew teacher said: "love is an action word, without the action, there is no love." The Hebrew word for "love", has two facets, one that we love by doing and the other that we love by withholding help. Both involve making a choice to do what is best for others and what honors God.
Perhaps we should be asking God what honors Him, rather than using phrases like "I am free in Christ to do what "I" want.
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