Serious about Christmas

One point I cannot emphasize enough is the covenant belong to the sons of God. They, being empowered by the life of Christ in them, are the only ones who can hear the words of the covenant and do them as we see in Jer 11:6 and in Mt 13:11-16. That is why Christ told them in Jn 15:15...ALL THINGS (concerning the new covenant) I have heard of my Father, I HAVE made known/ revealed unto you. Who is the you? Eph 3:10 tells us "that it might be (revealed unto) known BY THE CHURCH the manifold wisdom of God." On the other hand, the world gives xmas to anyone who want to observe it, whether they believe or not, whether they darken the door of the body of Christ, His church, or not. and in doing so gives them a false hope. Everyone wants a gift. The universal application of xmas goes back to its catholic origins. The gift is just a financial incentive.

 

Ok you want to ask how my Christmas traditions point to Christ?
Well for starters, during Christmas time my completely unsaved family gets together and when we come together for family dinner they give me the opportunity to pray, 2 years ago (I was away from home last year for Christmas), I took advantage of that time to preach a short message from the Bible about how his name is Jesus because he saves us from our sins, straight from the narrative of Matthew chapter 1, I also took advantage of the opportunity of giving gifts to give out Gospel books, in years before I gave bibles. Are you going to sit here and condemn me for that simply because I happened to do those things following certain Christmas traditions?

personally I just like the Christmas tree tradition because to me it reminds me of my childhood, and I give gifts simply out of cultural custom. just because some Pagans did certain customs with the wrong intentions does not make those actions sinful for me. But again like I said, if you want to condemn me for taking the opportunity of Christmas to witness to my friends, and if I happen to enjoy some of the customs then so be it. There are plenty of Christmas customs that I reject such as Santa, in my family also Christmas is excuse to get drunk, I reject that custom as well.

and BTW giving IS biblical, Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive, so if I want to take advantage of Christmas as an opportunity to give to my family members, to show them that I care about them, and to use it as a means to try to share Christ with them, who are you to declare that is sinful?

BTW you still never did adequately address Hannakuh, You seem to conveniently not deal with the fact that Hannakuh is nowhere commanded in the Bible, and yet Jesus observed it. That's right Jesus observed a holiday that isn't even commanded in the Bible. He observed a holiday that the Jews made to commemorate the miracle of the menorah burning, nowhere is it commanded but yet even Jesus observed it. But yet you say Christians can't do it for Christmas. and BTW no one knows for sure what day Jesus was born on anyway.

Your position is not logical and is self-defeating.

 

Rearrange the name God and what do you get?
Rearrange "lived" and what do you get?
Rearrange "serpent" and what do you get?
Rearrange "manger" and what do you get?

Silly reasoning!

 

You could have done ALL those things without the umbrella of a man made holy day. I Jn 4:1 tells us "Beloved, believe not every spirit but TRY THE SPIRITS whether they are of God." We reject the so called spirit of xmas because we do not believe it is of the Father but of men. We cannot find its pattern in the scriptures/covenant. Again, Christ says in addressing His body, the church, in Jn 15:15...ALL THINGS (of the new covenant) that I have heard (been instructed) of my Father, I HAVE MADE KNOWN unto you. He was instructing His people in the covenant ways of salvation that they might, by the Spirit of Christ in them, raise up and be raised up as the temple of the Lord. We see the same the Spirit of Christ in Cyrus in Ezra 1:2 when he says "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to BUILD (to do) him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah." He would do so with the help of the people of God with him who had the original pattern. We see this accomplished by Christ in Matt 16:18 when he says,... "Upon this ROCK, I WILL (I AM) build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." He built up his sure house (I Sam 2:35) in the pattern of ALL (new covenant) THINGS that had been told Him of the Father. The Spirit of Christ in Jeremiah 11:6 says, "The Lord said unto me, Proclaim ALL THESE WORDS (of the covenant) in the streets of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, HEAR ye the words of this covenant and DO THEM. The new covenant is the pattern and righteous instruction. James 1:22 says, "But be ye doers of the word (covenant) and not hears only." Matthew 7:24 says in the same line of reasoning, "Therefore whosoever shall HEAR the sayings of mine (new covenant) and DOETH them, I will liken him unto a wise man (Prov 10:8) which built (according to the covenant instructions) his house upon a rock (THE ROCK). Please show us the pattern/instructions of xmas in the covenant scriptures that we might HEAR AND DO them.

One of the problems with your ritual is that you seem quite satisfied to cast it into the world. How can you wish "merry xmas" to someone who has not experienced nor believed simply in the shed blood of Christ. How can they be happy in and rejoice about the shed blood of Christ when they have rejected it? Even if xmas was scriptural it would not belong to the world. Don't give them a false hope. Jer 9:6 says "for unto US (the body of Christ) a child is born, unto US a son is given." In Nehemiah 2:17-20, he rejects those in Jerusalem, not in the faith with them, in their offer to help rebuild Jerusalem. He tells them "Ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem." Do you think Moses would have let the Moabites help erect the tabernacle after he had received the charge of the Lord. Hebrews 5:8 says,"...as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He, that thou make ALL THINGS according to the pattern shewed the in the mount." Since you observe xmas, you should at least in your conviction tell them that what you observe cannot belong unto them because they do not have the Spirit of Christ to rightly build. The Holy Spirit is given to the church, Rev 2:7, 11,17,29 and Rev 3:1, 6, 13, 22 say, "He who hath an ear (Prov 10:8, Mt 7:24)) let him HEAR what the Spirit saith unto the CHURCHES. (That they might do). Xmas is a desolate teaching because there are no covenant instructions and therefore people can add to or take away whatever and say, It is of the Lord.

Christ was indeed in the temple during the feast of Dedication.
Someone must have light in order to cleanse a vessel/offering so it can be dedicated unto the Lord. Christ was in reality, there to show them that He was THAT TRUE light (JN 1:9) and by his blood He would cleanse his temple (His people, the body of Christ) before he dedicated it to the Father. Ephesians 5:6 says, "that He might sanctify and cleanse it with washing of water by the word (new covenant). The light of the menorah, a type and shadow of Christ being the light of the tabernacle, and the feast of dedication a type and shadow of the work of Christ for his people was ALL accomplished in Christ. They, along with the other feasts, types and shadows, are done away in Christ. They are observed no more. I Cor 13 ;11 says, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man (fully formed in Christ), I put away childish (foolish) things. (types and shadow that cannot save).

My intent is in no way to condemn you, but I as a watchman, am commanded to declare not only to you, but to my Baptist brethren, ALL THE WORDS of this covenant.

By the authority and unity of the body of Christ at Monarch.

 

Also unto as many as will/can hear/who hath an ear..

 

That is because most of the west is Catholic.

 

Even the name is blasphemous. A mass for Christ. The mass is a blaspemous fable and a dangerous deceit. (Church of England 39 Articles)

Spurgeon on Psalm 81: (Treasury of David)
EXPOSITION

Verse 4. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. It was a precept binding upon all the tribes that a sacred season should be set apart to commemorate the Lord's mercy; and truly it was but the Lord's due, he had a right and a claim to such special homage. When it can be proved that the observance of Christmas, Whitsuntide, and other Popish festivals was ever instituted by a divine statute, we also will attend to them, but not till then. It is as much our duty to reject the traditions of men, as to observe the ordinances of the Lord. We ask concerning every rite and rubric, "Is this a law of the God of Jacob?" and if it be not clearly so, it is of no authority with us, who walk in Christian liberty.


HINTS FOR PASTORS AND LAYPERSONS

Verse 4. The rule of ordinances and worship; pleas for going beyond it; instances in various churches; the sin and danger of such will worship.

 

Brother Kent,

Your post describes the true liberty in Christ that we have. Our Baptist forefathers wanted to be able to worship as they believed in unity as a body of Christ, free from the deadly persecution of the isms. The belief that one has the liberty to believe as one wants and not to seek to be of one mind and one accord in truth with the brethren is foreign to covenant doctrine. Even Christ prayed for the unity of his brethren when He says in John 17:21 "That they all may be one: as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they all may be ONE in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." The false liberty being taught that one can stay at home, and read his bible and watch TV preachers is a terrible bondage and deadly to the body of Christ. Romans 4:16 say we are SERVANTS of righteousness. Our labor is the building up/edifying of the body of Christ, the kingdom of God, not trying to destroy it by individuality.

Ephesians 3:10 says that "it might be known BY THE CHURCH the manifold wisdom of God" Who will instruct it but the Holy Spirit/comforter promised to it by her Husband, Christ. The scriptures truly shows us that is where the Godhead dwell with us as a people/nation.

 

Rearrange "David Kent" and you get the "Advent Kid"!

 

Bro Mouse,

No doubt Christ is the greatest gift of all.

God didn't come down the stairs on xmas day with the child. The date is part of the debate and the Mary had already been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, the Child already in her womb for 9 months . Your statement is just another feel good/fantasy that is unscriptural. Caution my brother.

 

. I am new to the board do not know where some are coming from and needed a clarification. I figured if you believe in xmas you might also believe the stairway from heaven thing.

 

It may have been, but the mass is a sacrifice. A so called "unbloody sacrifice" Where the consecrated 'host' is worhipped as god. Nothing to do with Christ. In French it is 'messe.'

 

Tertullian said the pagans were faithful to their festivals.

On the press rteview last night on Sky News, one report that they commented on was that the post office should stop religious views on Chrisdtmas stamps as they only accounted to 40% of the Christmas stamps sold.

One of the reviewers, a journalist, said he wasn't surprised it was only 40% as when he went into his local PO he could not find any stamps in the machines with religious images but plenty with holly, snowmen, snow scenes etc. He went to the counter and asked if they had stamps with religious scenes, and the counter asssistant said they probably had some out at the back.

That seems to me to be pagans being faithful to ther festival and trying to keep Christians out.

Catholics have crucifxw with their christ on the croos. Our Christ died, rose again and ascended into heaven.

The christ of Xmas is an eternal baby, our Christ is as above.

PS the reviewer pointed out that his experience was only in his local Post Office and may not be the same in others.