Christmas? Easter? Halloween?

[cjwood]

hi britt,
if you will go towards the very end of ray's lof series #16-c, you will read where he writes about christmas and easter. that should give you a good idea about the matter.

claudia

[ez2u]

hello  i do not comment much on this site but i do read a lot here.  I have reared 6 children.  the first 3 we did celebrate alittle Christmas and Easter  but not Halloween  because we thought it was an evil holiday.  So much of our walk back then was very undevelope and ignorant of the Word void of deeper truths  but we had a desire  burning in us to serve Jesus Christ.   The second 3 children and my second husband we celebrated all holidays.  In our family we work very hard and very long hours  the few times we had as a whole family were nice and it is fond memories that we now carry in our hearts of a nice time together.  We did not worship any pagan gods that was not in our hearts.  The first 3 children  i have regrets  because of our religiousness beliefs  hurt them  and stole a bit of their childhood fun from them.  I remember, sadden now,  telling my 5 year old son there was no Santa Claus,  it hurt him so much he started crying and  told me there was to a Santa Claus.  It was the wrong thing for me to do  cruel in the name of religion.  These celebrations are here in our society, now i think balance is better and love and i know our Lord Jesus Christ will bring our Children and open their eyes to His truths.  I would never again hurt another child and tell them no you can not enjoy a holiday but I would not allow myself  to get caught up in a party spirit either.  Isn't what we need is balance and moderation in all things and what are we celebrating at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter and Halloween.  If you are a child  your favorite holiday will be Halloween because it is fun  does it have to vbe evil because someone else says its evil?  nonsense!  January 3 is an evil day there forth sleep all day that day and do not partake of that day.  Because i said it was an evil day?  This is my thinking  Christ came to set us Free  I do not participate in pagan worship in any thing and yes i do a moderate celebrate of holidays and know that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.  peggy

[mharrell08]

hello  i do not comment much on this site but i do read a lot here.  I have reared 6 children.  the first 3 we did celebrate alittle Christmas and Easter  but not Halloween  because we thought it was an evil holiday.  So much of our walk back then was very undevelope and ignorant of the Word void of deeper truths  but we had a desire  burning in us to serve Jesus Christ.   The second 3 children and my second husband we celebrated all holidays.  In our family we work very hard and very long hours  the few times we had as a whole family were nice and it is fond memories that we now carry in our hearts of a nice time together.  We did not worship any pagan gods that was not in our hearts.  The first 3 children  i have regrets  because of our religiousness beliefs  hurt them  and stole a bit of their childhood fun from them.  I remember, sadden now,  telling my 5 year old son there was no Santa Claus,  it hurt him so much he started crying and  told me there was to a Santa Claus.  It was the wrong thing for me to do  cruel in the name of religion.  These celebrations are here in our society, now i think balance is better and love and i know our Lord Jesus Christ will bring our Children and open their eyes to His truths.  I would never again hurt another child and tell them no you can not enjoy a holiday but I would not allow myself  to get caught up in a party spirit either.  Isn't what we need is balance and moderation in all things and what are we celebrating at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter and Halloween.  If you are a child  your favorite holiday will be Halloween because it is fun  does it have to vbe evil because someone else says its evil?  nonsense!  January 3 is an evil day there forth sleep all day that day and do not partake of that day.  Because i said it was an evil day?  This is my thinking  Christ came to set us Free  I do not participate in pagan worship in any thing and yes i do a moderate celebrate of holidays and know that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.  peggy

Hello Peggy,

Knowing that Christ is Lord of all and actually LIVING IN that truth is not one in the same. Christ was hated and despised by the world for walking in truth...why would we expect anything different? [Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you [1 John 3:13]

We are to rejoice in the Truth and abide in that Light...not mingle with the things of world. Do you honestly believe that the Lord will condemn you for telling your child the truth as opposed to 'a little white lie'? Was your intention to hurt your child or to educate them? The Lord takes us through great trials and tribulations in our lifetimes but they are for our benefit and spiritual growth...not to simply hurt us.

John 8:32  ...the truth shall make you free

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life...

1 Cor 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth

2 Cor 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord...

Matt 25:32  ...he [Son of Man; Christ] shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

The Lord has set us free from the lusts and desires of the world but whenever times get tough, we tend to want to go back to what's 'comfortable'. Those are the times to look to the Lord the most. When our family is upset with us for walking in the truth, when our friends shun us for leaving their churches and heretical teachings, when THE WHOLE WORLD is against us for abiding in the truth of a Sovereign God who is Lord of all and reconciling all unto Himself.

Prov 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

1 John 2:16  For ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is NOT OF THE FATHER, but is of the world


Marques

[aqrinc]

Hello Peggy,

Knowing that Christ is Lord of all and actually LIVING IN that truth is not one in the same. Christ was hated and despised by the world for walking in truth...why would we expect anything different? [Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you [1 John 3:13]

We are to rejoice in the Truth and abide in that Light...not mingle with the things of world. Do you honestly believe that the Lord will condemn you for telling your child the truth as opposed to 'a little white lie'? Was your intention to hurt your child or to educate them? The Lord takes us through great trials and tribulations in our lifetimes but they are for our benefit and spiritual growth...not to simply hurt us.

John 8:32  ...the truth shall make you free

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life...

1 Cor 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth

2 Cor 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord...

Matt 25:32  ...he [Son of Man; Christ] shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

The Lord has set us free from the lusts and desires of the world but whenever times get tough, we tend to want to go back to what's 'comfortable'. Those are the times to look to the Lord the most. When our family is upset with us for walking in the truth, when our friends shun us for leaving their churches and heretical teachings, when THE WHOLE WORLD is against us for abiding in the truth of a Sovereign God who is Lord of all and reconciling all unto Himself.

Prov 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

1 John 2:16  For ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is NOT OF THE FATHER, but is of the world


Marques

Marques,

You are so right on with those Scriptures. Just because we are in the world, does not mean we are to be still of the world. If we hold back from telling our loved ones the truth just to not hurt their feelings. When will it cross over into rank paganism and be back in the world for us. Here is an OT Scripture that we need to take heed:

Exo 34: 10-17
10  The LORD said to Moses, "I now make a covenant with the people of Israel. In their presence I will do great things such as have never been done anywhere on earth among any of the nations. All the people will see what great things I, the LORD, can do, because I am going to do an awesome thing for you.
11  Obey the laws that I am giving you today. I will drive out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, as you advance.
12  Do not make any treaties with the people of the country into which you are going, because this could be a fatal trap for you.
13  Instead, tear down their altars, destroy their sacred pillars, and cut down their symbols of the goddess Asherah.
14  "Do not worship any other god, because I, the LORD, tolerate no rivals.
15  Do not make any treaties with the people of the country, because when they worship their pagan gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you to join them, and you will be tempted to eat the food they offer to their gods.
16  Your sons might marry those foreign women, who would lead them to be unfaithful to me and to worship their pagan gods.
17  "Do not make gods of metal and worship them.

More NT Scripture same theme. There are hundreds of these Scriptures that do not deviate from this theme even once.

Joh 15: 16-20
16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
17  These things I command you, that ye love one another.
18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

george

[britt]

Saladking-

Personally, I don't think we should get to legalistic.
Life is difficult enough for all of us.
Don't do this. Do that. don't touch. Don't celebrate this pagan festival etc.  Be so very careful to be absolutely upright in every little thing.  I couldn't be bothered before seeing the truth, and I also can't be bothered now being so particular about what might be sinning too much etc.
Get what I mean?

I couldn't agree more. It sounds alot like the......Pharisees?

Dave-Do we recognize that we have received one gracious gift after another?  Are we thankful for the gifts we have received?  Do these gifts include friends and family and a respite from work?  Aren't all those gifts inferior to the grace and Truth that came to us in Him?

Is He still tabernacling with us?  Is He now tabernacling in us?  Do we need reminders of that?  Doesn't Grace remind us of that?  If not, why not?

Thank you for that.

Peggy-

hello  i do not comment much on this site but i do read a lot here.  I have reared 6 children.  the first 3 we did celebrate alittle Christmas and Easter  but not Halloween  because we thought it was an evil holiday.  So much of our walk back then was very undevelope and ignorant of the Word void of deeper truths  but we had a desire  burning in us to serve Jesus Christ.   The second 3 children and my second husband we celebrated all holidays.  In our family we work very hard and very long hours  the few times we had as a whole family were nice and it is fond memories that we now carry in our hearts of a nice time together.  We did not worship any pagan gods that was not in our hearts.  The first 3 children  i have regrets  because of our religiousness beliefs  hurt them  and stole a bit of their childhood fun from them.  I remember, sadden now,  telling my 5 year old son there was no Santa Claus,  it hurt him so much he started crying and  told me there was to a Santa Claus.  It was the wrong thing for me to do  cruel in the name of religion.  These celebrations are here in our society, now i think balance is better and love and i know our Lord Jesus Christ will bring our Children and open their eyes to His truths.  I would never again hurt another child and tell them no you can not enjoy a holiday but I would not allow myself  to get caught up in a party spirit either.  Isn't what we need is balance and moderation in all things and what are we celebrating at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter and Halloween.  If you are a child  your favorite holiday will be Halloween because it is fun  does it have to vbe evil because someone else says its evil?  nonsense!  January 3 is an evil day there forth sleep all day that day and do not partake of that day.  Because i said it was an evil day?  This is my thinking  Christ came to set us Free  I do not participate in pagan worship in any thing and yes i do a moderate celebrate of holidays and know that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.  peggy

Peggy! Thank you for being God's mouthpiece. This is the wisdom I was looking for when I posted this topic. I hope some of the other's will read over this again and think about what you have said. This is 6 child post. Now that's experience talking!

There are a couple of things I'd like to mention.

MATTHEW 7:11 If you then, being evil,know how to give GOOD GIFTS to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give what is good to those who ask him! Why would jesus use that as his parable? In my opinion, was this something they all could relate too? I understand spiritually what he ment. But, I don't believe Jesus was talking about daily food and water here. Could he have meant gifts as in presents? Why were they giving gifts? It is obvious they celebrated events and birthdays like we do in different cultures today perhaps. Just something to ponder on.

Then we have Jesus at the wedding celebration at Cana. I'm sure they had silly rituals like we do today but, Jesus was there! He obviously enjoyed going to celebrations. Then he performs his first miracle using bowls that were for cermonial clensing, or carnal bunk! you might say. What does he do? He makes wine. What kind of wine? The best wine. What is the best wine? The kind with the most alcohol content. Six stone water pots full. It was party time at that wedding!

Then there are the passover feast which celebrate the escape of Egypt, which includes lot's of wine drinking. This would be labled as carnal by today's standards as well.

I have come to a personal conclusion for when I have children one day. At Christmas I'm going to explain the reason for the season, then I'm going to put a big red suit on, stuff a big pillow under my shirt, and HO! HO! HO! while I am spoiling my kids. Then at Easter, I'm going to host a giant easter egg hunt for the entire family. I will do all this with no fear from God. Why?

Because right out of 1Samuel 16:7 we have out of God's own mouth "The lord looks at the heart." Don't we think our all knowing God is wise enough to see that I'm not worshiping a fertility god. Will God understand my motives? Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, BUT THE LORD WEIGHS THE MOTIVES.

Psalm 103:13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,So the Lord has compassion on those that fear him.

Britt      

[mharrell08]

And there we have it...this topic has pretty much come full circle.

A member asked a question when their mind was already made up. The initial question was not to seek sound counsel...only to find one or more members who agreed to ease their conscience.

No one can flat-out tell anyone exactly how to live their life...only refer to the Word of God and what we have learned from Ray's teachings. If a member disagrees, no need to keep going back and forth which is where this is headed. Everyone states the want the truth...up until they hear it.



Marques