Jan 272016
 
bible key

Christians And Christmas
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (1 Cor. 10:26).

It is often said that Christians should avoid Christmas and Easter because they have historical connections to pagan rituals. However, because 1 Cor. 8-10 tell us that it is OK to eat the meat that pagans have sacrificed to demons, it naturally follows that whatever the pagans have done in any other ritual should not influence us either.

Regarding the meat sacrificed to idols –

  • 1 Cor. 8:8-9 say that we have freedom to choose whether or not to eat this meat because “food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do”.
  • Also, 1 Cor. 10:25-26 say, “eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it”.

These verses quite clearly tell us that we are free to eat the meat that the pagans have sacrificed, however, a letter to the Gentiles seems to contradict this, telling them “to abstain from food polluted by idols” (Acts 15:19-21). The reason for this letter was to keep the peace with the Jewish Christians who, all their lives, had been under the law of Moses as v.21 tells us: “For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath”. The Jews had always followed the law of Moses, eating the meat which they had sacrificed on the Temple altar in worship to God. For this reason, they thought that if they ate the meat that the pagans had sacrificed to idols then they would be participating in the worship of pagan gods but Paul said that meat and idols are nothing (1 Cor. 10:18-19).

Eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols by other people is no problem. The person who eats this meat is simply having a meal but the pagan who personally offers up this sacrifice is worshipping demons (1 Cor. 10:20-21) just as the Jew who personally sacrificed on the Temple altar was worshipping God.

The apparent contradiction is further cleared up by 1 Cor. 8:4-13 and 1 Cor. 10:27-33 which tell us that we should not eat sacrificed meat if it upsets the conscience of a weak brother. 1 Cor. 8 says that stronger Christians, having the knowledge that idols are nothing, knew they had the freedom to eat this meat (vs.4-9). However, if a weak brother without this knowledge saw a stronger brother eating it then he may be led to think that he is taking part in sacrificing to idols and be encouraged towards idolatry; his conscience would become defiled (v.7) and he would be destroyed (v.11). For this reason, this meat should not be eaten in front of weaker believers as it can cause them to fall. Even though the meat is nothing but food to stronger believers, it may a stumbling block to the weak so we should avoid eating it in their presence (vs.9-13). So, the instruction not to eat meat sacrificed to idols, in (Acts 15:19-21, is for the sake of weaker Christians and does not contradict the verses which tell us that we have freedom to eat it (1 Cor. 8:4-9 and 1 Cor. 10:27-30).

So, regarding Christmas and Easter, it can be seen that what the pagans have done in the past, or are doing today, should not influence us and we should not fear these celebrations any more than we fear eating meat that others have sacrificed to idols. Celebrating Jesus’ birth and death by having a Christmas tree or an Easter egg is not participating with demons despite anything the pagans may have done throughout history. Christmas trees, like idols, are dead things; they are nothing.

Regarding Isa. 44:12-20 and Jer. 10:3-5, these verses have nothing to do with worshipping under trees; they merely talk about idols made from the wood of trees and men bowing down to blocks of wood. The issue is not about trees but about worshipping idols which happen to be made from trees.

From these passages, two things are clear –
(1) We have the freedom to choose in these matters and
(2) We should not allow our choices to cause a believer to stumble.

Rom. 14 tells us that nothing, including a Christmas tree, is unclean in itself but if someone regards something as unclean then it is unclean to him so he should avoid it. Also, this chapter tells us not to judge one another regarding eating, drinking or sacred days and rather than judge in these matters we should seek to be loving and peaceful. So, instead of being divisive over these disputable matters, v.22 says, “whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God”.

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The video of “Christians And Christmas” can be seen on YouTube at-
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Mick Alexander
[email protected]
http://www.ChristianIssues.biz

Dec 292015
 

 

This is also known as animism or the universal religion of Africa. In fact also quite common factors within  many other religions, such as catholicism,  buddhism and many others including ancient civilisations.  Very prevalent amongst Africans, and a core with the witchcraft doctors, also called sangomas. The interesting thing is the evil similarities that are masked into the religions.

The foundation belief is to be able to communicate with the dead, whether in the same families or outside of, and is a fear based religious aspect to be able to communicate with ‘god’, many assuming it to be God, the creator and knowingly (or -unknowingly believing), it is actually a direct form of satanic worship and communication with demons from the devil.  The more I see of this religion the more I hate it. It breeds hate, suspicion and fear. There is nothing ennobling about it. The worshipers are truly slaves.

The Bible is uncompromising in its condemnation of ancestor worship and all the ceremonies that go with it. I have been surprised to see how often this false religion is condemned in the Bible. Some passages which we have typed out and duplicated for use in teaching on this subject are: Deuteronomy 20:2-6; Matthew 4:10; Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 22:8-9; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6; 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:9-15; and Isaiah 8:19-20. There are many other passages which show that the dead have nothing to do with the living.

Second, nowhere in the Bible are we told that the dead act as intermediaries between God and man. But we are told that Jesus Christ was given that role. He was born, lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, buried in a grave, resurrected by God, seen by a multitude of witnesses, ascended into heaven, and sits now at the right hand of the Father where He intercedes on the behalf of those who have placed their faith and trust in Him (Acts 26:23; Romans 1:2-5; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 1:3-4). There is only one Mediator between God and man, and that is God’s Son, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 8:6, 9:15, 12:24). Only Christ can fill that role.

The Bible tells us in Exodus 20:3-6 that we are not to worship any god other than the Lord God. Furthermore, since diviners and sorcerers were thought to be able to contact the dead, they were also expressly forbidden by God (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:32, 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:10-11; 1 Samuel 28:3; Jeremiah 27:9-10).

Know this is the truth from GODs word, the holy bible. GOD teaches if you die unsaved you are dead forever, if you die saved by Jesus Christ then you are asleep until the resurrection on judgement day. If you or anyone ‘speaks’ to the dead (ancestors) you or anyone speaks to demons from the devil, it is pure EVIL.

 Satan has always sought to supplant God, and he uses lies about worshipping other gods and even ancestors to try to lead people away from the truth of God’s existence. Ancestor worship is wrong because it goes against God’s specific warnings about such worship, and it seeks to replace Jesus Christ as the Divine Mediator between God and mankind.

 GOD tells in simplest terms ‘You cannot serve God and the devil (manmmon)‘ 

Luk_16:13  No servant is able to serve two lords; for either he will hate the one, and he will love the other; or he will cling to one, and he will despise the other. You are unable to serve God and mammon.

It is truly do you serve the only living GOD or do you follow traditions of men,  led by satan… it is a choice of life or death ….   and trusting the lie that as African christian you can follow both is against GOD, you choose wisely NOW.

Understand carefully that ALL religions are made by man for men, for power, for control and wealth… and ruled by the devil also called satan