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Author
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Topic: What do you think of this article?
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Salti
unregistered
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posted
Wintercrow I agree with you for the most part.
AbidinginHim You are correct as to those backgrounds for the tree and the candy cane. I don't believe it is wrong to do these things...However, I believe it is very wrong to corrupt ANY day by honoring things contrary to scripture.
Hannahgirl, I dont believe that honoring Christ on any day is adding to scripture. We celebrate a holiday called "thanksgiving" which certainly isnt a Biblical holiday. People choose to celebrate it differently. But to me, this is a time to honor the Lord and give thanks for all He has done for us. Not that we should not honor Him and give thanks every day.. but this is a good time of reflection as well especially since many people are off of work and can be with their family. There is nothing in scripture regarding thanksgiving..but I dont believe you would say it is wrong to celebrate it.
Every day, we as believers must choose between the ways of the world and the way of the Lord. We can either choose to totally sparate ourselves as monks do or we can use each opportunity for the glory of God.
Does it honor Him more to denounce these days and do nothing or to make it a special time to honor Him despite what the rest of the world honors?
In all things, it is a matter of prayer and of doing as the Lord leads. Do all things unto Him.
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Hannahgirl
Advanced Member
Member # 756
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posted
May I just say that ledgends and Symbols that are NOT in the WORD .....ARE NOT FROM GOD.
HE SAID NOT TO ADD ONE THING OR TAKE AWAY ONE THING AWAY.
Traditions and symbols of men are just that ....OF MEN.
I saw my own church put a Christmas tree in FRONT OF THE CROSS for the CHRISTMAS PROGRAM...GOD HAVE MERCY ON OUR SOULS.
GOD provides OPPORTUNITIES ALL THE TIME....EVERYDAY. EVERYDAY should be Christmas to a Christian.
IT'S TIME FOR US TO PURIFY OURSELVES AS CHRIST COMMANDED US TO.....and not to become POLLUTED BY THE WORLD, I believe is what HE said. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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God's Best Blessings to you all, Hannahgirl (His handmaid)
"The power of life and death are in the TONGUE".
Posts: 224 | From: The South | Registered: Dec 2002
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abidinginhim
Advanced Member
Member # 620
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posted
One of my clients shared these with me today...
The legend of the Evergreen Tree
Because it stays green all through the year, the evergreen tree is symbolic of the eternal life offered to us through faith in Christ. The treetop points up to heaven. A star signifies the star which guided the Wise men to Bethlehem. The lights represent Christ, the "Light of the World." Gifts beneath the tree are representative of God's gift of his only begotten son, who brings Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.
The Candy Cane
According to legend, a candymaker wanted to invent candy that was a witness to Christ. First, he used a hard candy because Christ is the rock of ages. This hard candy was shaped so that it would resemble a "J" for Jesus, or turned upside down, a shepherd's staff. He made it white to represent the purity of Christ.
A red strip was added, representing the blood Christ shed for the sins of the world. The three thinner stripes represent the strips He received on our behalf when the Roman soldiers whipped Him.
The peppermint flavor is similar to hyssop, used in the OT for purification and sacrifice. Jesus is the pure lamb of God, who came as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Share the legend and celebrate the Christ.
This week a woman rededicated her life to the Lord because the pregnancy center provided Christmas presents for her baby.
Taking back what the world has tried to make ugly...
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It's All About Him!
Posts: 137 | From: The Mountains of NC | Registered: Nov 2002
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winter_crow
First Post
Member # 752
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posted
I think that Christmas is the prime time of the year to witness to people...it's easy since many people only darken the church door once a year.
Our current holidays (ie.Christmas, Easter and Halloween) were all once pagan holidays but instead of retreating from them our ancestors claimed them for Christ and changed the course of both the holiday and history.
I often hear of Christians complaining about how society is taking God out of the schools, courts and even our history, yet now we have Christians wanting to take God out of the few places he is still accepted in in modern society.
Instead of cursing the darkness our ancestors lit a candle and now it seems many Christians want to blow that out.
I think we need to emphasize the Christian aspect of Christmas, Easter and Reformation Day even more than we have in the past.
Christmas is the one time of year that almost everyone listens to hymns, displays scenes depicting a Biblical story (the Nativity) and at least considers going to church. In these times we would be doing a disservice to the lost to ignore or get our noses out of joint about the holiday.
We need to retake this holiday for God and we can start by targeting our Christmas Eve services as opportunities to share the Gospel both from the pulpit and on a one to one basis. We can also set an example for the people who run around and get stressed out shopping during the holidays by keeping it simple and keeping it focused on Jesus.
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"A church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints"
Posts: 1 | From: Canada | Registered: Dec 2002
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Hannahgirl
unregistered
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posted
I think it is a very good article, and I have been very, very convicted about Christmas and all that goes with it.
1. We do not know when Christ's Birthday was....(maybe that's why He didn't tell us, so we wouldn't do this hoopla)
2. The story is in the WORD, but not the CELEBRATION of it....so why are we doing it ?
3. Santa: satan....the antichrist spirit and a BIG LIE. Christ told us NOT TO LIE.
4. Gluttony, money, materialism, stress, and the list goes on...leads to a lot of unhappiness and anxiety. Lots of SIN involved too. Many IDOLS.
5. THE CHRISTMAS TREE:
Below is Jeremiah 10:1-10:
This is what the LORD says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them.
3. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter.
5 Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good."
6 No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.
7 Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.
8 They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols.
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple-- all made by skilled workers.
10 But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.
6. If the bottom line is God's Word, and it's not in there, then why are we doing this....HE DID NOT TELL US TO.
7. These customs were adopted from the Pagan's who worshipped the SUN, NOT GOD.
![[fie]](graemlins/fie.gif)
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Yochanan
Advanced Member
Member # 13
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posted
IT'S GREAT!!!
And you know, if the Messiah was sacrificed on THE Feast of Passover, and arose on THE Feast of Firstfruits, and the Holy Spirit was given on THE Feast of Pentecost, ... why should we think that the final trumpet to call the saints home will be on just ANY day other than THE Festival of Trumpets, otherwise known as Rosh HaShanah, commonly called the Jewish New Year???
http://webbpage.topcities.com/trump.html#100
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Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with [my] whole heart. (Ps. 119:34)
Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
Posts: 61 | From: Rising Star, The Republic of Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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Publisher
Community Member
Member # 629
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posted
Check out this article on Christmas:
It is the one entitled "God's Holy Days" by Mertyl Mitchell.
It is at www.christiantoolchest.com
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Please check out my webzine and tell me what you think.
www.christiantoolchest.com
If you like it, take advantage of the FREE subscription. It helps me to estimate my readership.
Posts: 14 | From: Boulder, Colorado | Registered: Nov 2002
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