WHY DO BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS SAY “MERRY CHRISTMAS”?

Psalm 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

With Understanding

Spurgeon – The Treasury Of David 

“Sing ye praises with understanding.” Sing a didactic Psalm. Sound doctrine praises God.

Sometimes we say things by rote, rather than with understanding.  

By Rote

If you do something by rote, you do it without thinking about it or understanding it properly, often because you have learned about it by repeating it many times.

Source:  https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/by+rote

Who taught us to say Merry Christmas? Was it the Holy Spirit? I don’t think so.

Consider the following…

“Christmas” is a shortened form of “Christ’s mass”. 

It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038 followed by the word Cristes-messe in 1131.

Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), “Messiah”, meaning “anointed”; and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. 

The form Christenmas was also historically used, but is now considered archaic and dialectal; it derives from Middle English Cristenmasse, literally “Christian mass”.

Source:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

The Mass

The Catholic Church believes that the Mass is exactly the same sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered on the Cross at Calvary.

Source:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(liturgy)

Transubstantiation

Transubstantiation is, according to the teachings of the Catholic Church, the change of substance or essence  by which the bread and wine offered in the sacrifice of the sacrament  of the Eucharist  during the Mass, become, in reality, the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

The Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharistic offering bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. The reaffirmation of this doctrine was expressed, using the word “transubstantiate”, by the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215. It was later challenged by various 15th century reformers — John Wycliffe in particular.

Source:  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(liturgy)

The Mass and Transubstantiation are both false doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.

Now add the word merry to all of that. 

Merry

1.  full of cheerfulness or gaiety; joyous indisposition or spirit:

2.  laughingly happy; mirthful; festively joyous; hilarious:

3.  Archaic. causing happiness; pleasant; delightful.

Source:  dictionary.com 

Christmas. Makes me think of these verses in Daniel chapter 3. 

“Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: Daniel 3:4-5

And these verses also…

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

MY HIDING PLACE

The Lord led me to stop celebrating Christmas quite a few years ago. I don’t remember exactly when but it has been a very long time. So what have I learned, and where am I at present in this whole Christmas thing. I’ve learned that as the years have gone by any desire I’ve had to conform is gone. At the same time the gap it creates with family members is still painful. But I can also say that the Lord has filled that gap and that is as it should be. Jesus first, Jesus only, Jesus my Savior, Jesus my Lord. Jesus my Hiding place.

Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

Psalm 27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Barnes:

The meaning here is, that God would admit him near to Himself; He would take care that he should be protected as if he were one of His own family; 

Isaiah 32:2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

MacLaren:

A refuge and a hiding-place from every storm – – adverse circumstances sweep upon us, and His mighty hand is put down there as a buckler, behind which we may hide and be safe. 

‘Rock of ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.’

Psalm 31:20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

Gill:

The presence of God is their protection, he himself is a wall of fire round about them.

Matthew Henry:

Let not any yield to unbelief, or think, under discouraging circumstances, that they are cut off from before the eyes of the Lord, and left to the pride of men. Lord, pardon our complaints and fears; increase our faith, patience, love, and gratitude; teach us to rejoice in tribulation and in hope. The deliverance of Christ, with the destruction of his enemies, ought to strengthen and comfort the hearts of believers under all their afflictions here below, that having suffered courageously with their Master, they may triumphantly enter into his joy and glory.

MacLaren:

Remember that Jesus Christ is the Hiding-place, and that to flee to Him for refuge is the condition of security, and all they who thus, from the snares of life, from its miseries, disappointments, and burdens, from the agitation of their own hearts, from the ebullition of their own passions, from the stings of their own conscience, or from other of the ills that flesh is heir to, make their hiding-place -by the simple act of faith in Jesus Christ – in the light of God’s face, are thereby safe for evermore.

FALSE PROPHECY, FALSE TEACHING

False prophecy, false teaching.

Have you embraced any of the teachings below (the list is partial)? Then you have embraced some portion of the false teachings of Dispensationalism, and my heart is grieved, for I at one time embraced them also, and I know that the Lord loves you and wants you to know the truth. 

The Secret Rapture

The “Left Behind” books and movies

The building of a third earthly temple in Jerusalem

The millennial one thousand year reign of Christ on earth in Jerusalem

The Jewish people are the apple of God’s eye

God will bless those who bless the Jewish people

Earthly Israel is the holy land

Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel

God has two separate plans, one for the church and one for Israel. 

The promises made to Israel are only for Israel, and are not fulfilled in Christ and the church.

The fable or myth of dispensational teaching was started in the 1800’s by a man named John Nelson Darby.

It was further promoted by another man named Cyrus I. Scofield and his Scofield Study Bible.

Man made.

and the cycle continues

of cleverly devised fables

a web of deception 

2 Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

fable

Strongs Concordance

a tale, i.e. fiction (“myth”):–fable.

***

fable

Merriam Webster

a fictitious narrative

***

myth

Merriam Webster 

an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true

*

Many of the saints have embraced this man made false teaching named Dispensationalism (without realizing it’s name or source) because that is what most Pastors are teaching in their churches. 

Many of the saints do not realize that the prophecy teachings they are being taught are part of a whole false theology called Dispensationalism.

Dispensational teaching is widespread in today’s church.

It is taught almost everywhere.

False teaching is dangerous.

Will we as Christians send our children to war, or go ourselves, whether it be in the U.S. military or in the Israeli military, and kill people because of false teachings regarding biblical prophecy?

Will we as Christians be complicit in hindering a peace process in the Middle East because of false teachings regarding biblical prophecy?

Will we as Christians have blood on our hands because of false teachings regarding biblical prophecy?

The Lord is not a respecter of persons.  The Lord will open His Word to anyone who desires to know truth.  

See also…DISPENSATIONALISM: A HERETICAL TEACHING

DELAYS ARE DANGEROUS

A post from 2012…

An urgent plea to evangelize before it’s too late.  (I found this testimony on the internet.)

“My dad died of a massive heart attack yesterday. I have talked to him a few times about Jesus and prayed for him since I was a young child.  A few months ago I showed him some videos about near death experiences involving heaven and hell.  I gently said dad you need to be saved – you know ask Jesus into your heart, please … I don’t want you to go there.  I don’t know if he listened or not but my heart is so broken and I feel deeply sad that I havn’t been more consistant with praying and trying to bring him to Jesus.  I am paying a huge price for thinking my dad would be around a lot longer than 54 years.  I only hope to tell others never to delay, if given the opportunity to tell anyone about Jesus, because we never know if it be our last.—Jenny on 7/23/10”

Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

Matthew Henry Commentary:

Many are startled by the word of God, who are not changed by it.

Many fear the consequences of sin, yet continue in the love and practice of sin.

In the affairs of our souls, delays are dangerous.

Felix put off this matter to a more convenient season, but we do not find that the more convenient season ever came.

Behold now is the accepted time; hear the voice of the Lord today.

He was in haste to turn from hearing the truth. Was any business more urgent than for him to reform his conduct, or more important than the salvation of his soul! Sinners often start up like a man roused from his sleep by a loud noise, but soon sink again into their usual drowsiness.

Be not deceived by occasional appearances of religion in ourselves or in others. Above all, let us not trifle with the word of God. Do we expect that as we advance in life our hearts will grow softer, or that the influence of the world will decline? Are we not at this moment in danger of being lost for ever? Now is the day of salvation; tomorrow may be too late.

THE SAINT MUST WALK ALONE – Tozer

“Always remember: you cannot carry a cross in company.” – Tozer

“No one is a friend to the man with a cross.” – Tozer

THE SAINT MUST WALK ALONE – Tozer