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Post by frienduff on May 3, 2021 13:22:38 GMT -5
If we lived on an island, and never heard of these celebrations, and with a sincere heart, we happen to make a celebration that remembers Jesus' birth, we would not be calling it Christmas, we would be calling it something like what the bible calls it, Jesus' birth, and most likely we would try to celebrate it as close as possible to his real birth. And even in remembering the resurrection of Jesus, and his death, we would not be calling it Easter, or Ishtar, in fact in the Lord's supper we are continuously remembering his death. It is not a hard thing to see, the bible says this: Exo 23:13 (13) And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, n either let it be heard out of thy mouth. We need a witness that is totally separate from paganism in every way, that way only the truth will be shown, and not mixing lies with the truth, or taking the Lord's name in vain. We need only the truth, no mixture at all, and I am all for celebrating the birth of Jesus, and his death and resurrection, but without mixture, in name, in practice, and in doing things God's way. God has made every day, but men have invented pagan celebrations, and Satan has brought about these things, as a counterfeit to God's ways , celebrations, and so on. It is well known that The sun god was said to be born on December 25th and it was purposefully chosen for this purpose, by the Roman Catholic church, there is no hiding this, all they did is mix paganism with the bible. And I had unbelievers come to me, wondering why people were observing Halloween, even Christmas, when it is known that there is paganism attached to these things. It is not as much of a witness, as we think it is, a better witness, is just to simply live out the gospel, because I have never seen a great witness with Christmas. Living out the gospel is the best witness, because in reality, you can have all the celebration you want, it will do nothing unless you live it out. Purity in every way should be the goal, and yes seeing things God's way should also be the goal, people who seek the truth, want to see things God's way. We are suppose to put on the mind of Christ, and not the mind of our own opinion. Unless a person has had their head in the sand, they know that the Catholics chose December 25 to celebrate Jesus' birth to coincide with a pagan holiday. They were trying to unite all the world religions. As a matter of fact, the Catholics do not believe Jesus was born on December 25.
It has been sometime since I found this information, but I think the source was Catholic, and they have Jesus' real birthday as taking place on August 12, 3758, which became August 12, 3 B.C. They also recognize that the day of Jesus' resurrection was April 28, 3791 or April 28, 31 A.D. They also are responsible for changing our calendars. They even have a day they have on record as being John The Baptist's birthday, and that is March 17, 3758 or March 17, 3 B.C. As such, if they believe this, why celebrate Jesus' birth and His resurrection on the days they do? We all know the answer to that question. I am not arguing about any of that.
With regard to "Mas," Watchful is right in saying that just means celebration, so Christ-Mas means to celebrate Christ. I hardly see that as taking His name in vain to use words that mean to celebrate Christ. At the same time, Catholics have a Mas everyday of the calendar year, and celebrate one saint or another on each day. That to me is problematic in that it reduces a celebration of Christ down to the level of just one of 365 different people. I still do not see this as using His name in vain or even doing anything out of malice, but I do see a possible issue.
Getting back to the actual birthday of Christ, let's say we were starting all over, and we had reason to believe that Jesus was indeed born on August 12. I have no reason to doubt it, because there is no reason for Catholics to give this date as accurate, when it proves they celebrate Jesus birth on the wrong calendar day. Would we consider a holiday celebrating Jesus birthday on that day? The same thing for the resurrection. Would we celebrate it each year on April 28 rather than Easter? Would that be better? I kind of think it would, and leave the paganism out of it.
Things will continue to go from bad to worse my friend . I know i have said this before , but the lambs are gonna have to gather in due time . What i say next might seem dangerous but one of us has to go get our sister from the uk . Unless God is gonna have us all end up on that continent . Due to the covid cow its not likely anyone is going to be able to fly . But if we can find a way to get a cheap motor boat . One of us can get up to alaska and its only about a ninety to hundred mile stretch till you hit the coast of the european continent . The way i see it , I had rather be blown up by a russian plane for trying to cross that channel , than to take that nasty vile shot . We should pray first on this . But know this , IN this world it wont be getting any better , only worse . I guess i better learn those russian hyms . That would be such a sight my friend . I wonder what the russian govt would say , Well we saw this man and he knew russian cause he was singing russian christain hyms . I get so tickled at the thought of it . But being serious , we will have to gather my friend . Covid , passports , and worse , DARPA has a CHIP JOHN . A CHIP . This is fast going in the direction it was foretold it would . Let us make no mistake , Darpa and other govts and the companies of the world dont gather for a presentation about a chip in the hand , UNLESS THEY KNOW ITS COMING . Its coming john . They can milk it right into the covid cow too . And that shot is total bad news so we cannot take it either .
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Post by frienduff on May 3, 2021 13:29:49 GMT -5
It's not necessary though brother, since God's kingdom is not of this world. The Kingdom of God is in heaven, but we represent it on earth.
IN truth there is only one way to represent that Kingdom . We must be walking JUST LIKE ITS KING DID . Learn that JESUS and learn all sound doctrine in that bible .
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Post by John on May 4, 2021 3:31:22 GMT -5
The Kingdom of God is in heaven, but we represent it on earth.
IN truth there is only one way to represent that Kingdom . We must be walking JUST LIKE ITS KING DID . Learn that JESUS and learn all sound doctrine in that bible .
That is true. We must walk as true disciples of Jesus wherever we abide in this world, which is what being separate is all about. We cannot literally remove ourselves from this fallen world system, but we can live like citizens of God's Kingdom in spite of it. We can choose to follow the Bible rather than men.
To me, things like Christmas and Easter are just a small part of the problem. The entire world system is corrupt. Sadly, the church has been corrupted by the world in more ways than we realize. I am fine with choosing not to celebrate Christmas and Easter, but then what? It cannot stop there. We have to look seriously at what the Bible says in all areas and see where we are not following it. People today make excuses for why we supposedly cannot do what it says in this area or that area, and are content with it, and even sometimes happy, because truth be told, there are areas they really do not want to follow scripture. They prefer the changes made by our society. I see this a lot when it comes to issues promoted by feminists. They like to attack portions of scripture, and say it goes back to a time when women were treated like chattel, meaning they do not accept what the Bible says in some places. It is not just feminists. Our society as a whole has moved away from God and they have chosen to do things their own way. If you want to make a stand by not celebrating holidays with pagan roots, it is a place to start, but it is only one.
Consider this. Look around at our society today, including the Christian Church. Compare it to what you read in the Bible and see how many areas we are not following it. If you think about it, take notes every time you see something that is different from the way we do things today. Then consider what it will take to move away from how people operate today to the way the Bible says we should operate. We can do something about this in our lives, even if the majority will not follow. We can choose to live like Kingdom citizens, even if Jesus has not returned yet to set up His Kingdom. It will take work on our parts, and at times will go against what the flesh wants, but we can do it.
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Post by John on May 4, 2021 3:38:21 GMT -5
Unless a person has had their head in the sand, they know that the Catholics chose December 25 to celebrate Jesus' birth to coincide with a pagan holiday. They were trying to unite all the world religions. As a matter of fact, the Catholics do not believe Jesus was born on December 25.
It has been sometime since I found this information, but I think the source was Catholic, and they have Jesus' real birthday as taking place on August 12, 3758, which became August 12, 3 B.C. They also recognize that the day of Jesus' resurrection was April 28, 3791 or April 28, 31 A.D. They also are responsible for changing our calendars. They even have a day they have on record as being John The Baptist's birthday, and that is March 17, 3758 or March 17, 3 B.C. As such, if they believe this, why celebrate Jesus' birth and His resurrection on the days they do? We all know the answer to that question. I am not arguing about any of that.
With regard to "Mas," Watchful is right in saying that just means celebration, so Christ-Mas means to celebrate Christ. I hardly see that as taking His name in vain to use words that mean to celebrate Christ. At the same time, Catholics have a Mas everyday of the calendar year, and celebrate one saint or another on each day. That to me is problematic in that it reduces a celebration of Christ down to the level of just one of 365 different people. I still do not see this as using His name in vain or even doing anything out of malice, but I do see a possible issue.
Getting back to the actual birthday of Christ, let's say we were starting all over, and we had reason to believe that Jesus was indeed born on August 12. I have no reason to doubt it, because there is no reason for Catholics to give this date as accurate, when it proves they celebrate Jesus birth on the wrong calendar day. Would we consider a holiday celebrating Jesus birthday on that day? The same thing for the resurrection. Would we celebrate it each year on April 28 rather than Easter? Would that be better? I kind of think it would, and leave the paganism out of it.
Things will continue to go from bad to worse my friend . I know i have said this before , but the lambs are gonna have to gather in due time . What i say next might seem dangerous but one of us has to go get our sister from the uk . Unless God is gonna have us all end up on that continent . Due to the covid cow its not likely anyone is going to be able to fly . But if we can find a way to get a cheap motor boat . One of us can get up to alaska and its only about a ninety to hundred mile stretch till you hit the coast of the european continent . The way i see it , I had rather be blown up by a russian plane for trying to cross that channel , than to take that nasty vile shot . We should pray first on this . But know this , IN this world it wont be getting any better , only worse . I guess i better learn those russian hyms . That would be such a sight my friend . I wonder what the russian govt would say , Well we saw this man and he knew russian cause he was singing russian christain hyms . I get so tickled at the thought of it . But being serious , we will have to gather my friend . Covid , passports , and worse , DARPA has a CHIP JOHN . A CHIP . This is fast going in the direction it was foretold it would . Let us make no mistake , Darpa and other govts and the companies of the world dont gather for a presentation about a chip in the hand , UNLESS THEY KNOW ITS COMING . Its coming john . They can milk it right into the covid cow too . And that shot is total bad news so we cannot take it either . When the Lord wants something done, He opens up a way. If God wants this group to all gather in the same location, He will give us a means to make it happen without getting blown up by Russians or anyone else. Pray about it and see if that is what God wants, and watch and see what happens. I have been bad about trying to make things happen on my own, and that usually fails, but when God is really in something, He works it out. So far, He has not given me a means to gather in the same physical location, but has shown me that no matter where we are, we can still separate ourselves unto Him. Things could change, and quickly, and a door may open up where none exists today. Keep praying about this and see what happens. I would love to be able to just escape all this mess, like people did in "Atlas Shrugged," where they dropped out of the corrupt society and started new, but that is science-fiction. We would need a real location to gather. I am open to this, but God has to make a way, like He did for the children of Israel. Pray, seek, and stand back and see the salvation of the Lord. Let His will be done.
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Post by watchful on May 4, 2021 8:51:36 GMT -5
Mercy me, my advice given in all gravity for you folks is that you would need to first enquire of the Lord and make sure you receive a clear answer from Him on a scheme this grandiose. Make sure you know in your heart whether something is actually in fact His instruction and will, and that way you would be able to proceed in faith, and not with a we'll see kind of approach with something so major. As well as seek discernment from others...a war is won by many counsellors.
The Lord is well able to help His children in a difficulty, make provision and arrange connections and divine appointments with believers closer to home if need be...He can make a way when there doesn't appear to be any. He knows the end from the beginning and has already gone before us and made provision and made the way in every necessity according to His will...so that what is being proposed may not even be necessary. And worry not for the morrow...His provision is for today, whatever today brings.
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Post by Giller on May 4, 2021 8:59:12 GMT -5
That is true. We must walk as true disciples of Jesus wherever we abide in this world, which is what being separate is all about. We cannot literally remove ourselves from this fallen world system, but we can live like citizens of God's Kingdom in spite of it. We can choose to follow the Bible rather than men.
To me, things like Christmas and Easter are just a small part of the problem. The entire world system is corrupt. Sadly, the church has been corrupted by the world in more ways than we realize. I am fine with choosing not to celebrate Christmas and Easter, but then what? It cannot stop there. We have to look seriously at what the Bible says in all areas and see where we are not following it. People today make excuses for why we supposedly cannot do what it says in this area or that area, and are content with it, and even sometimes happy, because truth be told, there are areas they really do not want to follow scripture. They prefer the changes made by our society. I see this a lot when it comes to issues promoted by feminists. They like to attack portions of scripture, and say it goes back to a time when women were treated like chattel, meaning they do not accept what the Bible says in some places. It is not just feminists. Our society as a whole has moved away from God and they have chosen to do things their own way. If you want to make a stand by not celebrating holidays with pagan roots, it is a place to start, but it is only one.
Consider this. Look around at our society today, including the Christian Church. Compare it to what you read in the Bible and see how many areas we are not following it. If you think about it, take notes every time you see something that is different from the way we do things today. Then consider what it will take to move away from how people operate today to the way the Bible says we should operate. We can do something about this in our lives, even if the majority will not follow. We can choose to live like Kingdom citizens, even if Jesus has not returned yet to set up His Kingdom. It will take work on our parts, and at times will go against what the flesh wants, but we can do it.
Oh there is a lot of areas that God wants us to be separate in, no doubt, so I would agree with basically everything you said here, except I think that the Easter etc, issue is bigger than what we think, a little leaven leavens a whole lump, one thing leads to another. But yes there are many areas. There is the issue of the conscience via the meats issue in Corinthians, which meats is just meats, but there are perimeters to these issues, not everything falls under these issues, if God says thou shalt not kill, you can try to justify it all you want, God's word remains the same. And then there are certain things that are neutral in and of itself, to were some might consider a certain thing a sin to them, which is not to someone else, but even in this there are perimeters, and you can go too far. And concerning the issue of mixing the holy with the unholy, that is what it is, it is wrong to God, and one can try to justify it all they want in their conscience, it is still wrong. When we become born again, there are things we do not yet see, in the realm of it being right or wrong, but even throughout all our life, God is always revealing, and drawing us closer to him, and changing us. We have to be careful how we use this conscience issue to justify things, because some things are just not justifiable, that is why we really do need to seek God's face, and see things God's way, and why would we not seek this?? I do not buy the argument of (for the most part), well this means this to me, therefore it is, but some issues you really have to dig deeper, because we can easily deceive ourselves, we have to remember that we are not the standard, the word is. Just giving reminders here.
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Post by John on May 4, 2021 9:04:38 GMT -5
Mercy me, my advice given in all gravity for you folks is that you would need to first enquire of the Lord and make sure you receive a clear answer from Him on a scheme this grandiose. Make sure you know in your heart whether something is actually in fact His instruction and will, and that way you would be able to proceed in faith, and not with a we'll see kind of approach with something so major. As well as seek discernment from others...a war is won by many counsellors. The Lord is well able to help His children in a difficulty, make provision and arrange connections and divine appointments with believers closer to home if need be...He can make a way when there doesn't appear to be any. He knows the end from the beginning and has already gone before us and made provision and made the way in every necessity according to His will...so that what is being proposed may not even be necessary. And worry not for the morrow...His provision is for today, whatever today brings. With regard to what I feel confident about, it is to separate from this ungodly and illegitimate government in America, if not literally, at least to separate my home. Beyond that, and promoting Kingdom living, I am not sure. That is why I suggested those seeking to relocate pray till the Lord makes His will plain to see and opens up a door.
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Post by watchful on May 4, 2021 9:59:59 GMT -5
Mercy me, my advice given in all gravity for you folks is that you would need to first enquire of the Lord and make sure you receive a clear answer from Him on a scheme this grandiose. Make sure you know in your heart whether something is actually in fact His instruction and will, and that way you would be able to proceed in faith, and not with a we'll see kind of approach with something so major. As well as seek discernment from others...a war is won by many counsellors. The Lord is well able to help His children in a difficulty, make provision and arrange connections and divine appointments with believers closer to home if need be...He can make a way when there doesn't appear to be any. He knows the end from the beginning and has already gone before us and made provision and made the way in every necessity according to His will...so that what is being proposed may not even be necessary. And worry not for the morrow...His provision is for today, whatever today brings. With regard to what I feel confident about, it is to separate from this ungodly and illegitimate government in America, if not literally, at least to separate my home. Beyond that, and promoting Kingdom living, I am not sure. That is why I suggested those seeking to relocate pray till the Lord makes His will plain to see and opens up a door.
I was responding to frienduff's plan for the most part, actually. But with regard to the idea of separating from one's nation and government, we are already separate in Christ and citizens of His kingdom which is not of this world. But we are instructed to submit to the governing authorities and pay taxes and give honour to who honour is due. It is difficult watching how things are declining in western society in our lifetime, but I believe we can take comfort as well as instruction from how the early church lived and dealt with the pagan society they lived in. Christians everywhere around the world are living among the heathen and under heathen governments and even being sent by God to those countries to live there in order to spread the gospel.
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Post by frienduff on May 4, 2021 12:53:03 GMT -5
Let the glorious Lord be praised . Let us honor the Lord in all we do and say .
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Post by John on May 5, 2021 2:04:39 GMT -5
With regard to what I feel confident about, it is to separate from this ungodly and illegitimate government in America, if not literally, at least to separate my home. Beyond that, and promoting Kingdom living, I am not sure. That is why I suggested those seeking to relocate pray till the Lord makes His will plain to see and opens up a door.
I was responding to frienduff's plan for the most part, actually. But with regard to the idea of separating from one's nation and government, we are already separate in Christ and citizens of His kingdom which is not of this world. But we are instructed to submit to the governing authorities and pay taxes and give honour to who honour is due. It is difficult watching how things are declining in western society in our lifetime, but I believe we can take comfort as well as instruction from how the early church lived and dealt with the pagan society they lived in. Christians everywhere around the world are living among the heathen and under heathen governments and even being sent by God to those countries to live there in order to spread the gospel. The current government in the USA is not legitimate. The current President and Vice President were not elected in a legitimate manner, not only based on number of votes, but the entire election was unconstitutional because the Constitution states that the only ones who are allowed to change the way the vote is handles is the State Legislature, not the Governor and Secretary of State. Yes, we are to submit to governing authorities when they are not telling us to do thing contrary to God's laws, and if we fail to do that, we will have consequences. I certainly plan to pay my taxes and work to get along as best I can, but I have chosen to secede from the nation and live as though I am in my own independent country. I recognize it is not going to be recognized, but that is not the point. I will not be a partaker with the evil deeds of the United States. They have not had a legitimate government since January 20, 2021. My full allegiance is to the Kingdom of God, and my home is no longer part of the USA, but is under the control of the Kingdom of God. I refuse to play along with the legitimacy of sham elections where they are conducted in an unconstitutional manner and the loser takes over. If the illegitimate rulers are removed, I will consider becoming part of the USA again.
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Post by watchful on May 5, 2021 5:16:37 GMT -5
I was responding to frienduff's plan for the most part, actually. But with regard to the idea of separating from one's nation and government, we are already separate in Christ and citizens of His kingdom which is not of this world. But we are instructed to submit to the governing authorities and pay taxes and give honour to who honour is due. It is difficult watching how things are declining in western society in our lifetime, but I believe we can take comfort as well as instruction from how the early church lived and dealt with the pagan society they lived in. Christians everywhere around the world are living among the heathen and under heathen governments and even being sent by God to those countries to live there in order to spread the gospel. The current government in the USA is not legitimate. The current President and Vice President were not elected in a legitimate manner, not only based on number of votes, but the entire election was unconstitutional because the Constitution states that the only ones who are allowed to change the way the vote is handles is the State Legislature, not the Governor and Secretary of State. Yes, we are to submit to governing authorities when they are not telling us to do thing contrary to God's laws, and if we fail to do that, we will have consequences. I certainly plan to pay my taxes and work to get along as best I can, but I have chosen to secede from the nation and live as though I am in my own independent country. I recognize it is not going to be recognized, but that is not the point. I will not be a partaker with the evil deeds of the United States. They have not had a legitimate government since January 20, 2021. My full allegiance is to the Kingdom of God, and my home is no longer part of the USA, but is under the control of the Kingdom of God. I refuse to play along with the legitimacy of sham elections where they are conducted in an unconstitutional manner and the loser takes over. If the illegitimate rulers are removed, I will consider becoming part of the USA again.
Well brother, we are just to think of ourselves like strangers passing through a strange land. Expect the world and its governments will keep on doing what they have always done, doing what seemeth right to them, until Jesus comes. And no, we don't partake of any of their evil deeds, amen. I find this Psalm a great comfort when I see evil appearing to flourish and getting away with things that should not be done: Psa 37:1-3 [ ] Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed...
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Post by frienduff on May 5, 2021 8:20:10 GMT -5
The govts and nations of the world will only continue to wax worse and worse , decieving and being decieved . We must simply cling to Christ and be faithful to our LORD even unto death . Trust in the LORD and do good . Exhorting one another daily and having all our HOPE in Christ as we wait patiently for HIS coming . That other go spell is abounding more and more now . And that we must be no partaker of it . WE must expose it and point only to Christ . As Christ told the first ones we must continue in the same . SOme of HIS last words , GO YE into all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father , Son and Holy Ghost , TEACHING THEM to OBSERVE , TO DO , all things i have taught you . Many denominations are now in dire trouble . And we must continue IN CHRIST , in the gospel , holding fast our profession to the end . Teaching and reminding all to be hearers and doers of all things He did teach . This original gospel is being fast replaced with a false all inclusive one . And we must not be partakers of its evil deeds . Go out faithful to CHRIST and our end shall be good .
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Post by Giller on May 5, 2021 9:20:08 GMT -5
Isa 55:6-9 (6) Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. (9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Now in verse 7, it may be talking about the wicked forsaking his way and thoughts, but nevertheless, even as Christians, there are still things that have to change in our lives, and ways and thoughts that have to be totally forsaken, and in the New testament, it says to cast down imaginations that exalteth itself above the knowledge of God.
And then in verse 8 it starts with the word "for".
For means because of, or as a result of.
And God's thoughts are higher than man's thoughts therefore any thought that does not line up to the bible, and is contrary to it, has to be forsaken.
God says this about forsaking thoughts, so man made opinions are not important to God, it is his ways that are important.
We have to realize that his ways are much, much higher than our ways, and if one of his ways seems not to make sense to you, receive it anyways, and somewhere down the road he may give the understanding.
Often times we just rationalize God's word, rather than giving ourselves over to this part of his word or not.
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Post by Giller on May 5, 2021 10:19:08 GMT -5
The truth of a thing matters, and what it truly points to matters, but often times, men and women, will opt towards a definition that fits their narrative, just because they just simply want to keep the thing, rather than being careful how they treat words, or even God's name.
And they can even be revealed the truth of a thing, yet opt for the narrative they have formed in their mind, and if that is the motivation, that is not a good motive.
We can easily deceive ourselves, and I would rather side on the way of caution, rather than have any amount of carelessness.
Eph 5:15-17 (15) See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, (16) Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Col 4:5 (5) Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
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Post by watchful on May 5, 2021 11:23:58 GMT -5
That is true. We must walk as true disciples of Jesus wherever we abide in this world, which is what being separate is all about. We cannot literally remove ourselves from this fallen world system, but we can live like citizens of God's Kingdom in spite of it. We can choose to follow the Bible rather than men.
To me, things like Christmas and Easter are just a small part of the problem. The entire world system is corrupt. Sadly, the church has been corrupted by the world in more ways than we realize. I am fine with choosing not to celebrate Christmas and Easter, but then what? It cannot stop there. We have to look seriously at what the Bible says in all areas and see where we are not following it. People today make excuses for why we supposedly cannot do what it says in this area or that area, and are content with it, and even sometimes happy, because truth be told, there are areas they really do not want to follow scripture. They prefer the changes made by our society. I see this a lot when it comes to issues promoted by feminists. They like to attack portions of scripture, and say it goes back to a time when women were treated like chattel, meaning they do not accept what the Bible says in some places. It is not just feminists. Our society as a whole has moved away from God and they have chosen to do things their own way. If you want to make a stand by not celebrating holidays with pagan roots, it is a place to start, but it is only one.
Consider this. Look around at our society today, including the Christian Church. Compare it to what you read in the Bible and see how many areas we are not following it. If you think about it, take notes every time you see something that is different from the way we do things today. Then consider what it will take to move away from how people operate today to the way the Bible says we should operate. We can do something about this in our lives, even if the majority will not follow. We can choose to live like Kingdom citizens, even if Jesus has not returned yet to set up His Kingdom. It will take work on our parts, and at times will go against what the flesh wants, but we can do it.
Oh there is a lot of areas that God wants us to be separate in, no doubt, so I would agree with basically everything you said here, except I think that the Easter etc, issue is bigger than what we think, a little leaven leavens a whole lump, one thing leads to another. But yes there are many areas. There is the issue of the conscience via the meats issue in Corinthians, which meats is just meats, but there are perimeters to these issues, not everything falls under these issues, if God says thou shalt not kill, you can try to justify it all you want, God's word remains the same. And then there are certain things that are neutral in and of itself, to were some might consider a certain thing a sin to them, which is not to someone else, but even in this there are perimeters, and you can go too far. And concerning the issue of mixing the holy with the unholy, that is what it is, it is wrong to God, and one can try to justify it all they want in their conscience, it is still wrong. When we become born again, there are things we do not yet see, in the realm of it being right or wrong, but even throughout all our life, God is always revealing, and drawing us closer to him, and changing us. We have to be careful how we use this conscience issue to justify things, because some things are just not justifiable, that is why we really do need to seek God's face, and see things God's way, and why would we not seek this?? I do not buy the argument of (for the most part), well this means this to me, therefore it is, but some issues you really have to dig deeper, because we can easily deceive ourselves, we have to remember that we are not the standard, the word is. Just giving reminders here. I understand and am not disagreeing in principle, just that I don't think it's necessary to make a rule about completely avoiding any kind of involvement with those holidays. When I was seeking the Lord about these questions, He had me to stop having a Christmas tree (because it can be an idol). Also I stopped buying chocolate bunnies and eggs for the kids when they were young, because of the fertility symbolism, just bought other kinds of chocolate and candy instead. Right now I consider Christmas and Easter to be just a secular tradition for most people, like we might attend a graduation party or retirement or birthday celebration with unbelievers, or hold one ourselves. There is nothing nefarious about it and God doesn't forbid simple enjoyments like that, as long as we are temperate and not being self-indulgent. Jesus attended weddings and ate and drank with sinners. The day might come when something unGodly moves into the vacuum though....I wouldn't be surprised if Christmas were to merge with other pagan holidays at some point, and they call it a Coexist party...in a case like that of course I would give it a skip.
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