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rlcfchurch
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Joined: 2010/3/20
Posts: 82
Loveland, Colorado, USA

 "CHRISTMAS – CHRISTIAN OR PAGAN?" by Zac Poonen

Hadn't seen this week's Word for the Week by Zac posted yet. Very timely...

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Christmas – Christian or Pagan?

by Zac Poonen

Men are likened to sheep. And sheep have a tendency to follow the crowd without questioning. Jesus however came and taught us to examine everything by God's word. The Pharisees exalted human traditions. Jesus exalted God's word. Man was to live by every word that proceeded from God's mouth (Matt. 4:4).

The battle that Jesus was constantly engaged in with the Pharisees was the age-long battle of God's Word versus human traditions. In the church, we are engaged in the same battle today. God's word is the only light that we have on earth. And when God created light initially, He immediately separated it from the darkness. The darkness is both sin as well as human traditions. We also are called to separate both of these from the pure word of God, so that there is no mixture in the church.

Consider Christmas, which is celebrated by many as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Shopkeepers of all religions look forward to Christmas, for it is a time when they can make much profit. It is a commercial festival, not a spiritual one. Millions of rupees are spent on Christmas cards and gifts. Sales of alcoholic drinks go up at this time. And the traffic police in many countries are kept on their toes, for there are never so many accidents on the roads there, as during the Christmas season. More people go to hell through road accidents at this time, than at any other time of the year.

Is this really then the birthday of the Son of God, or of another 'Jesus'?

Let us look at God's Word first of all. The Bible tells us that there were shepherds with their sheep out in the fields of Judea, on the night that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The shepherds in Palestine did not keep their flocks out in the open fields at night after October and until February – the weather being both rainy and cold then. So the real Jesus must have been born sometime between March and September. December 25th then must be the birthday of “another Jesus” that has been foisted on an unsuspecting Christendom by Satan!

Further, even if we did know the exact date of Jesus' birth, the question would still be whether God intended His church to celebrate it. Mary, the mother of Jesus, would certainly have known the exact date of birth of Jesus. And she was with the apostles for many years after the day of Pentecost. Yet there is no mention anywhere of Jesus' date of birth. What does this show? Just this – that God deliberately hid the date of Jesus' birth, because He did not want the church to celebrate it.

How then did Christmas make its entry into Christendom? The answer is: In the same way that infant baptism, priestcraft and a host of other human traditions have made their entry – by the subtle working of Satan.

When the emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion of Rome in the 4th century, multitudes became Christian 'in name', without any change of heart. And they did not want to give up their tradition of celebrating the birthday of their sun-god on December 25th, when the sun which had gone down to the southern hemisphere began its return journey (the winter solstice).

The Encyclopaedia Britannica says this about the origin of Christmas:"December 25 was the Mithraic feast of the unconquered sun of Philocalus. Christmas customs are an evolution from times that long antedated the Christian period – a descent from seasonal, pagan, religious and national practices, hedged about with legend and tradition. The exact date and year of Christ's birth have never been satisfactorily settled; but when the fathers of the church in A.D. 440 decided upon a date to celebrate the event, they wisely (???) chose the day of the winter solstice which was firmly fixed in the minds of the people and which was their most important festival. As Christianity spread among the people of pagan lands, many of the practices of the winter solstice were blended with those of Christianity".

God's Word Or Man's Tradition?

Behind the celebration of Christmas lies the far more deadly principle of following a heathen tradition as a Christian festival, even when it has no foundation in God's Word. So strong is this power of tradition that many believers who follow the Scriptures in other areas still find it difficult to give up celebrating Christmas.

It is amazing that many believers are not willing to accept what even secular writers (like the authors of Encyclopaedia Britannica) understood clearly – that Christmas is basically a pagan festival. You can call a donkey a lion, but it is still a donkey. Changing the name does not make a festival Christian! There is no difference between Christmas and any other non-Christian religious festival.

Jesus was engaged in a constant battle with the Pharisees over this very issue – man's traditions versus God's Word. He faced more opposition for opposing the empty traditions of 'the fathers' than for preaching against sin. We shall find our experience to be the same, if we are as faithful as He was.

God's Word alone is our guide and not the example of even godly men in those areas where they do not follow the Word of God. "Let God be found true even though every man be found a liar" (Rom.3:4).

For example: David was a man after God's own heart. Yet, for forty years, he permitted the Israelites to worship Moses' bronze serpent without realising that this was an abomination to God. He did not have light even on such obvious idolatry. It was a much lesser king, Hezekiah, who was given light to expose and destroy this idolatrous practice (2 Kings 18:1-4). So while we can follow godly men in the saintliness of their lives, we must not follow them in their lack of light on human traditions. Our safety lies in simply following the teaching of God's Word and in not adding to, or subtracting from it.

True spirituality is to follow Jesus in all aspects of life. This involves primarily a taking up of the cross and obeying God's word in the power of the Holy Spirit in daily life. It also involves a forsaking of all human traditions that are not found in the New Testament. God desires a pure testimony in every place - a church that is not only free from all sin, but also free from all Babylonian traditions.

However, since December 25th is usually a holiday for everyone and the days around it are also holidays for schools, many use this period for end-of-the-year family re-unions – which is a very good thing.

And further: Since some people attend church-services only once a year, on December 25th, it is good for churches to have services on that date, so that they can preach the gospel to such people and explain to them why Jesus came to earth: To save us from our sins.

But to celebrate December 25th as the birthday of Jesus would be a continuing of the pagan celebration of the birthday of the sun-god.

True believers are actually thankful every day of their lives that Jesus was born – and not just on one day in the year.

In conclusion: It is important to remember that we do not become spiritual merely by not celebrating Christmas. And those who celebrate Christmas are not necessarily carnal.

Spiritual people are those who follow Jesus along the way of daily self-denial and the daily infilling of the Holy Spirit – whether they celebrate Christmas or not.

So when we meet believers who celebrate Christmas, we must be gracious enough to consider that they may be ignorant of its pagan origin. So they are not sinning in any way when they celebrate it. On the other hand, we will be sinning, if we judge them.

“Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Rom.14:4,5).

And that is the last word – and the best word – on this subject.
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_________________
River of Life Christian Fellowship (rlcf.church)

 2016/12/13 12:24Profile
proudpapa
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Joined: 2012/5/13
Posts: 2936


 Re: "CHRISTMAS – CHRISTIAN OR PAGAN?" by Zac Poonen

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.

 2016/12/13 14:36Profile
TMK
Member



Joined: 2012/2/8
Posts: 6650
NC, USA

 Re:

Merry non-Christmas Zac.


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Todd

 2016/12/13 16:26Profile
MrBillPro
Member



Joined: 2005/2/24
Posts: 3422
Texas

 Re:

These threads should just not be allowed, all they end up doing is causing strife. Makes you wonder why folks post these threads to begin with, they don't change anyone from celebrating Christmas they way they choose, what's the point?


_________________
Bill

 2016/12/13 17:12Profile
TMK
Member



Joined: 2012/2/8
Posts: 6650
NC, USA

 Re:

Like I said in the other thread the only American christians I know of that don't celebrate Christmas are on this forum.

It just seems awfully pretentious for someone to suggest that 95% of his brothers and sisters are a bunch of sinners for celebrating Christmas.

I guess the jehovahs witnesses are on the money.


_________________
Todd

 2016/12/13 18:38Profile
Sree
Member



Joined: 2011/8/20
Posts: 1953


 Re:

I believe there are 4 types of Christians,

1. People who celebrate Christmas believing that Dec 25th is the actual birthday of Jesus.

2. People who celebrate Christmas and judge others who do not.

3. People who do not celebrate Christmas as they consider it as a heathen tradition. They also judge others who celebrate Christmas as carnal.

4. People who do not celebrate and also do not judge who celebrate it.

This article addresses all the top 3 types of Christians. I think the worse of them all is type 3 as stated by this article. The best place to be is type 4.


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Sreeram

 2016/12/13 19:18Profile
sermonindex
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Joined: 2002/12/11
Posts: 39795
Canada

Online!
 Re:

Quote:
So when we meet believers who celebrate Christmas, we must be gracious enough to consider that they may be ignorant of its pagan origin. So they are not sinning in any way when they celebrate it. On the other hand, we will be sinning, if we judge them.

“Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Rom.14:4,5).



As brother Sreeram has said well no matter our position we should not judge or use sarcasm or any type of belittlement to others in the body of Christ. this is absolutely a secondary issue and should not hinder fellowship with others in anyway.

I have slowly gone from a position of practicing christmas to not celebrating any day in the entire year, including new years! And now I am starting to see the value in the Church calendar and from my little research to say all these things are pagan at times stretches the truth at times to make that fit.

Most believers (over 90%) celebrate christmas in some way. I would advocate these brethren to deeply use the time of year to ponder on the depth of the incarnation, death and resurrection of the Lord, allow these truths to change you, change the way you daily live.

I respect brother Zac Poonen greatly and at this point I do not fully agree 100% on this topic but that does not hinder me to receive full-heartily teachings from this brother on all other areas.


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2016/12/13 19:34Profile
TMK
Member



Joined: 2012/2/8
Posts: 6650
NC, USA

 Re:

Greg I appreciate your position.

Christmas is so ingrained in our society, and in Christianity, that it is not really practicable as a Christian to simply ignore it.

I certainly don't care if someone doesn't celebrate Christmas. I just don't personally know anyone who fits this description.


_________________
Todd

 2016/12/13 20:01Profile
dfella
Member



Joined: 2010/7/9
Posts: 295
Canton, Michigan

 Re:

Rlcfchurch:

I am a white male in Michigan and am a member at Little Flock Christian Fellowship which is primarily an Indian Church and am familiar with RLCF as a brother at our church, Johnny Chandra’s brother and mother attend your church.

Anyway, thanks for posting this teaching about Christmas on SI and agree we need a balance which Zac’s teaching wisely and clearly points out. I want to ask for prayer for Little Flock as our Christmas outreach is this Saturday and we do it not to celebrate Christmas, but Jesus Christ, and to use this platform to preach the gospel to the unsaved as we all invite family, friends, neighbors, and co workers to come and hear about the fact they need to know Jesus personally.

So please pray specifically for this program and for a Indian couple which my brother in law works with the husband and their names are Raghu and Preema. They are Hindu but Tom has been sharing the gospel with Raghu for 16 years. Well a week or so ago Jesus appeared to Preema in a dream! and told her to come to Him. She woke Raghu and said he had to get up so they could pray together in the middle of the night. Raghu then came to work next morning and told Tom what happened. I told Tom to invite them to Christmas Outreach and they said they would be interested.

I am reminded of these scriptures:

1 Corinthians 9:18-23 KJV (18) What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. (19) For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. (20) And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; (21) To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. (22) To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (23) And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Philippians 1:14-18 KJV (14) And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (15) Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: (16) The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: (17) But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. (18) What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

December 25th is no different than any of the other 364 days in the year if you are free in Christ. Being salt and light should have no boundaries regardless of what people celebrate or not.

I personally do not celebrate Christmas its just like any other day to me but my wife does to a degree as well as our family and friends. I just take whatever opportunity the Lord provides to lift up the name of Jesus and trust me it works.


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David Fella

 2016/12/13 21:30Profile
joliboy11
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Joined: 2011/9/16
Posts: 208
Philippines

 Re: "CHRISTMAS – CHRISTIAN OR PAGAN?" by Zac Poonen

For those who will take part of Christmas,

how should we do anyway?

celebrate it as birth of Christ?

what about, "Christmas parties", where there is lascivious dancing, singing of secular songs, and drinking beer in moderation. This is my struggle with my company who celebrate it that way even though an opening prayer is included..

how should I respond?

as for I now, I don't join if there are such activities, my conscience troubles me to call it Christmas party,

I know what mother's day and new year celebrates, I wonder how other defines Christmas if it is not the birth of Christ, what do they celebrate anyway?



 2016/12/13 23:44Profile





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