Should Christmas be Celebrated Or Rejected, You Decided

Jer 10:5. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good."
It seems to me that the Lord is telling us that these things are somewhat neutral in themselves, niether good nor bad.
That would leave the onus on us then to not use them for evil. For those who do use them as a Christmas decoration, in honor of the Christ child, there is no evil intent.
Thanks for sharing that passage Bro.tan.

Yup that's exactly right. The vain "ways of the heathen" in this passage is their belief that things created by God or made by men have any power to do either good or evil (which is actually what brotan seems to be advocating we believe?). For example: cutting down a tree, decorating it into a cross, fastening in your church? Fine. Believing that cross you made has some sort of supernatural power? You'd believe that in vain.
 
Just wondering what everyone thinks of Operation Christmas Child shoebox ministry then.
It uses Christmas as a way to spread the gospel to children using gifts inside shoeboxes. Sort of like Santa Claus. Except it's obvious those presents do not come from an imaginary man that lives on the North Pole. Only heathens would believe that.
 
Colossians 2:16-17........
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”

Rom. 14:5........... “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

These Scriptures make it clear that, for the Christian, Sabbath-keeping is a matter of spiritual freedom, not a command from God. Sabbath-keeping is an issue on which God’s Word instructs us not to judge each other. Sabbath-keeping is a matter about which each Christian needs to be fully convinced in his/her own mind.

The real problem here with Tan and other SDA the Sabbath-keeping debate is the concept that the Sabbath was the day of worship. Groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists hold that God requires the church service to be held on Saturday, the Sabbath day. That is not what the Sabbath command was.
The Sabbath command was to do no work on the Sabbath day. Nowhere in Scripture is the Sabbath day commanded to be the day of worship.

It has always amazed me how people can twist and add to the Word of God to make it say what THEY want it to say instead of just believing what it does say.



Amazing that you quote Colossians 2:16-17, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ

How can a Sunday person quote that verse, who keeps no laws nor the Sabbath day, which is on the seventh day of the week, nor Holy High days which refers to the new moon? Even Paul and others brothers kept the Lord's High Holy days after the death of Christ. Sunday people has nothing to do with that verse, in fact the Bible, that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements.

Now you can stroll up to verse 8 in Colossians...now that verse may fits you well... Let’s read it...2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Yep, like Easter, which is coming up, Sunday worship, Christmas, etc. Got nothing to do with Christ.

Then you quote Romans 14: 5 Like Paul have the authority to make changes in the word of God. Paul wouldn't make it in the kingdom it change the Lord Holy sabbath day. In fact Paul kept the Lord's sabbath day on the seventh day of the week and also the Gentiles!! The Apostle Paul understood this he knew and kept Gods law including the seventh day sabbath. Now lets take a look at; (Acts 13:13-15, 42, 44) (v.13) Now when Paul and his company loosed from Pa’-phus, they came to Per’-ga in Pam-phyl’-I-a: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. (v.14) But when they departed from Per’-ga, they came to An’-ti-och in Pi-sid’-I-a, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Paul went into the church (synagogue) on the sabbath day the seventh day not the first day (Sunday). (v.15) And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. (v.42) And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. The Gentiles didn’t asked Paul to come preach us something different next Sunday. They wanted Paul to preach to them the same thing that he taught the Jews, the next sabbath. Even the Gentiles knew that if they were going to serve the same God that Paul and the Jews (Israelites) served that they would have to serve him on the day that God had set up. (v.42) And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Not the next Sunday but the next sabbath.




 
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Thank God for "giving" us his Son, so that we would have life! Christmas is a time of giving, and remembering that it is always better to give than to receive.
 
Amazing that you quote Colossians 2:16-17, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ

How can a Sunday person quote that verse, who keeps no laws nor the Sabbath day, which is on the seventh day of the week, nor Holy High days which refers to the new moon? Even Paul and others brothers kept the Lord's High Holy days after the death of Christ. Sunday people has nothing to do with that verse, in fact the Bible, that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements.

Now you can stroll up to verse 8 in Colossians...now that verse may fits you well... Let’s read it...2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Yep, like Easter, which is coming up, Sunday worship, Christmas, etc. Got nothing to do with Christ.

Then you quote Romans 14: 5 Like Paul have the authority to make changes in the word of God. Paul wouldn't make it in the kingdom it change the Lord Holy sabbath day. In fact Paul kept the Lord's sabbath day on the seventh day of the week and also the Gentiles!! The Apostle Paul understood this he knew and kept Gods law including the seventh day sabbath. Now lets take a look at; (Acts 13:13-15, 42, 44) (v.13) Now when Paul and his company loosed from Pa’-phus, they came to Per’-ga in Pam-phyl’-I-a: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. (v.14) But when they departed from Per’-ga, they came to An’-ti-och in Pi-sid’-I-a, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Paul went into the church (synagogue) on the sabbath day the seventh day not the first day (Sunday). (v.15) And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. (v.42) And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. The Gentiles didn’t asked Paul to come preach us something different next Sunday. They wanted Paul to preach to them the same thing that he taught the Jews, the next sabbath. Even the Gentiles knew that if they were going to serve the same God that Paul and the Jews (Israelites) served that they would have to serve him on the day that God had set up. (v.42) And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Not the next Sunday but the next sabbath.



You said..........
" Sunday people has nothing to do with that verse, in fact the Bible, that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements."

Now that is one of if not the most arrogant comments I have ever seen. YOU do all ..................
"those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements."

You are BRAGGING about your relationship with Christ.

May I remind you of Ephesians 2:8-9.........
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, SO THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST".

YOU are boasting!!!!!!

The fact is the verse I quoted have EVERYTHING to do with it. They say that people like you can not and should not JUDGE others as you are doing right now.

You said..........
"that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements."

That statement is dripping with arrogance and an attitude of superiority and pride. It show no humbleness what so ever and you should be ashamed of the comment as it speaks more to pride and prejudice than it does of Christianity.

If I were you I would ask the mods to delete the comment as it makes you look really bad.
 
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You said..........
" Sunday people has nothing to do with that verse, in fact the Bible, that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements."

Now that is one of if not the most arrogant comments I have ever seen. YOU do all ..................
"those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements."

You are BRAGGING about your relationship with Christ.

May I remind you of Ephesians 2:8-9.........
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, SO THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST".

YOU are boasting!!!!!!

The fact is the verse I quoted have EVERYTHING to do with it. They say that people like you can not and should not JUDGE others as you are doing right now.

You said..........
"that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements."

That statement is dripping with arrogance and an attitude of superiority and pride. It show no humbleness what so ever and you should be ashamed of the comment as it speaks more to pride and prejudice than it does of Christianity.

If I were you I would ask the mods to delete the comment as it makes you look really bad.


If anyone who took that respond as boasting, arrogance or bragging thats not in my heart nor the case, and you know it. I haven't judge anyone on these forums, I don't call people names like you call me. I teach the uncut word of God.
 
If anyone who took that respond as boasting, arrogance or bragging thats not in my heart nor the case, and you know it. I haven't judge anyone on these forums, I don't call people names like you call me. I teach the uncut word of God.

I took it exactly as YOU wrote it, no more no less. What I did was to copy and paste your own words.

Actually you did judge everyone by saying..............
" Sunday people has nothing to do with that verse, in fact the Bible, that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements"..
 
I took it exactly as YOU wrote it, no more no less. What I did was to copy and paste your own words.

Actually you did judge everyone by saying..............
" Sunday people has nothing to do with that verse, in fact the Bible, that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements"..
I took it exactly as YOU wrote it, no more no less. What I did was to copy and paste your own words.

Actually you did judge everyone by saying..............
" Sunday people has nothing to do with that verse, in fact the Bible, that verse is for people like me, who do all those things with belongs to God the father and Jesus Christ, like his commandments, Statutes and Judgements"..


I see no responds concerning these others things I post here. I'm talking about the people who have a problem with the Lord's commandments, Statutes and Judgements...which I believe you have a problem with...see...thats what this thing is really about.

Now you can stroll up to verse 8 in Colossians...now that verse may fits you well... Let’s read it...2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Yep, like Easter, which is coming up, Sunday worship, Christmas, etc. Got nothing to do with Christ.

Then you quote Romans 14: 5 Like Paul have the authority to make changes in the word of God. Paul wouldn't make it in the kingdom it change the Lord Holy sabbath day. In fact Paul kept the Lord's sabbath day on the seventh day of the week and also the Gentiles!! The Apostle Paul understood this he knew and kept Gods law including the seventh day sabbath. Now lets take a look at; (Acts 13:13-15, 42,44) (v.13) Now when Paul and his company loosed from Pa’-phus, they came to Per’-ga in Pam-phyl’-I-a: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. (v.14) But when they departed from Per’-ga, they came to An’-ti-och in Pi-sid’-I-a, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Paul went into the church (synagogue) on the sabbath day the seventh day not the first day (Sunday). (v.15) And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. (v.42) And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. The Gentiles didn’t asked Paul to come preach us something different next Sunday. They wanted Paul to preach to them the same thing that he taught the Jews, the next sabbath. Even the Gentiles knew that if they were going to serve the same God that Paul and the Jews (Israelites) served that they would have to serve him on the day that God had set up. (v.42) And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Not the next Sunday but the next sabbath.
 
Now you can stroll up to verse 8 in Colossians...now that verse may fits you well... Let’s read it...2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Yep, like Easter, which is coming up, Sunday worship, Christmas, etc. Got nothing to do with Christ.

The philosophy of man, the vanity of man, the deceit of man and the tradition of man is the claim that created things are anything other than just created things. This is not a conversation about whether we have "permission" to "celebrate" Christmas, etc. It's about simply observing that "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise" (you referred to Christmas as "foolishness" before). If we observe that Christmas, whatever its origins may be, has been chosen by the Spirit to accomplish His work, are we really going to quote scripture at Him to tell Him He's not allowed to do that? Really? If the way we read scripture is causing us to think of what God has made clean as "sin," perhaps it's time to take a second look at the way we're reading scripture: Acts 10 :15, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common."

Remember the story of Joseph? It's like people here keep telling you, "Look at the great work God is doing in Egypt, providing for people during famine and saving so many lives," but you keep saying, "No way, God wouldn't do that. Look at your history books. Selling people into slavery is wrong, and God would never transform a such an evil plan made by men into His own plan to do good in the world..." Who would look at God's work through Joseph and call it "of man" and "slavery" just because of how it began? I challenge you then to stop looking at Christmas as "worshiping idols" just because of how you believe it began, and simply observe the power of God to transform men's vanity, deceit, philosophy and traditions into something He can use to do His work in the world. You don't have to "accept" or "reject" Christmas at all (to answer the title in the thread), but I do challenge you to simply observe that God is doing His work through Christmas (And Easter. And yes, what you call "Sunday worship" too), and then it's up to you whether or not you want to be a part of that work, but I have a strong suspicion that God will continue doing His work in the way He sees fit, with or without our blessing or permission.
 
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I see no responds concerning these others things I post here. I'm talking about the people who have a problem with the Lord's commandments, Statutes and Judgements...which I believe you have a problem with...see...thats what this thing is really about.

Now you can stroll up to verse 8 in Colossians...now that verse may fits you well... Let’s read it...2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Yep, like Easter, which is coming up, Sunday worship, Christmas, etc. Got nothing to do with Christ.

Then you quote Romans 14: 5 Like Paul have the authority to make changes in the word of God. Paul wouldn't make it in the kingdom it change the Lord Holy sabbath day. In fact Paul kept the Lord's sabbath day on the seventh day of the week and also the Gentiles!! The Apostle Paul understood this he knew and kept Gods law including the seventh day sabbath. Now lets take a look at; (Acts 13:13-15, 42,44) (v.13) Now when Paul and his company loosed from Pa’-phus, they came to Per’-ga in Pam-phyl’-I-a: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. (v.14) But when they departed from Per’-ga, they came to An’-ti-och in Pi-sid’-I-a, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. Paul went into the church (synagogue) on the sabbath day the seventh day not the first day (Sunday). (v.15) And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. (v.42) And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. The Gentiles didn’t asked Paul to come preach us something different next Sunday. They wanted Paul to preach to them the same thing that he taught the Jews, the next sabbath. Even the Gentiles knew that if they were going to serve the same God that Paul and the Jews (Israelites) served that they would have to serve him on the day that God had set up. (v.42) And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Not the next Sunday but the next sabbath.

Since Bro.tan has consistently refrained from responding to any of my posts addressing him, (did i miss one?) I am going to refer to him in the third person only.
At the risk of pointing out that which is obvious to most, it seems Bro.tan has not picked up on the simple truth that when Paul wanted to preach the gospel to the Jews, he chose to pick a time and a place when they would all be gathered to gether ..ie in a Synagogue, on the Sabbath day. Would there have been a better time and place?
Apparently he has not connected all the dots properly and thinks that because Paul preached in a Synagogue on the Sabbath, that is some sort of endorsement of Sabbath day worship andat the same time a denouncement of first day of the week (Sunday) worship.
I wonder how many Jews would have heard Paul preach the gospel if he had instead, gone out of the city limits and preached to the stars at midnight?
Yet Paul also preached the gospel in Athens - Greece, and we are not told he did so on the Sabbath day..indeed the account seems to favour a different day of the week and / or more that one day, since no mention of the Sabbath is made, indeed in a Gentile country in those days the Sabbath had no meaning or relevance.....read on..

Act 17:21. Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Act 17:22. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
Act 17:23. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
also,
1Co 16:1. Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.
1Co 16:2. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
Now I would suggest that unless the first day of the week was payday, then there was something else significant about that day and Paul saw it as the best time to collect gift money.
It was a day when all the saints would be gathered together and their gifts could be collected (and stored) for when Paul was to arrive.
Bro.tan should remember that these were Gentile Christians and were not bound by any prohibition of work on the Sabbath day. In other words if they met on the Sabbath day for worship thay could have collected gift money without the penalty of being stoned to death..
In fact after the Apostles met in Jerusalem and discussed the matter of the growing numbers of Gentiles being saved, they wrote as follows::
Act 15:28. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
Act 15:29. that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
Wow, notice how there is absolutely no mention of the Sabbath.

It saddens me when someone takes Scripture and fails to understand what is really being said, and why that Scripture record has been passed down to us through the ages.
But alas....
 
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Since Bro.tan has consistently refrained from responding to any of my posts addressing him, (did i miss one?) I am going to refer to him in the third person only.
At the risk of pointing out that which is obvious to most, it seems Bro.tan has not picked up on the simple truth that when Paul wanted to preach the gospel to the Jews, he chose to pick a time and a place when they would all be gathered to gether ..ie in a Synagogue, on the Sabbath day. Would there have been a better time and place?
Apparently he has not connected all the dots properly and thinks that because Paul preached in a Synagogue on the Sabbath, that is some sort of endorsement of Sabbath day worship andat the same time a denouncement of first day of the week (Sunday) worship.
I wonder how many Jews would have heard Paul preach the gospel if he had instead, gone out of the city limits and preached to the stars at midnight?
Yet Paul also preached the gospel in Athens - Greece, and we are not told he did so on the Sabbath day..indeed the account seems to favour a different day of the week and / or more that one day, since no mention of the Sabbath is made, indeed in a Gentile country in those days the Sabbath had no meaning or relevance.....read on..

Act 17:21. Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Act 17:22. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
Act 17:23. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
also,
1Co 16:1. Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.
1Co 16:2. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
Now I would suggest that unless the first day of the week was payday, then there was something else significant about that day and Paul saw it as the best time to collect gift money.
It was a day when all the saints would be gathered together and their gifts could be collected (and stored) for when Paul was to arrive.
Bro.tan should remember that these were Gentile Christians and were not bound by any prohibition of work on the Sabbath day. In other words if they met on the Sabbath day for worship thay could have collected gift money without the penalty of being stoned to death..
In fact after the Apostles met in Jerusalem and discussed the matter of the growing numbers of Gentiles being saved, they wrote as follows::
Act 15:28. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
Act 15:29. that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
Wow, notice how there is absolutely no mention of the Sabbath.

It saddens me when someone takes Scripture and fails to understand what is really being said, and why that Scripture record has been passed down to us through the ages.
But alas....

Correct and what saddens me even more than that is when someone purposefully twists the Scriptures to make them say what they what them to say.
 
The philosophy of man, the vanity of man, the deceit of man and the tradition of man is the claim that created things are anything other than just created things. This is not a conversation about whether we have "permission" to "celebrate" Christmas, etc. It's about simply observing that "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise" (you referred to Christmas as "foolishness" before). If we observe that Christmas, whatever its origins may be, has been chosen by the Spirit to accomplish His work, are we really going to quote scripture at Him to tell Him He's not allowed to do that? Really? If the way we read scripture is causing us to think of what God has made clean as "sin," perhaps it's time to take a second look at the way we're reading scripture: Acts 10 :15, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common."

Remember the story of Joseph? It's like people here keep telling you, "Look at the great work God is doing in Egypt, providing for people during famine and saving so many lives," but you keep saying, "No way, God wouldn't do that. Look at your history books. Selling people into slavery is wrong, and God would never transform a such an evil plan made by men into His own plan to do good in the world..." Who would look at God's work through Joseph and call it "of man" and "slavery" just because of how it began? I challenge you then to stop looking at Christmas as "worshiping idols" just because of how you believe it began, and simply observe the power of God to transform men's vanity, deceit, philosophy and traditions into something He can use to do His work in the world. You don't have to "accept" or "reject" Christmas at all (to answer the title in the thread), but I do challenge you to simply observe that God is doing His work through Christmas (And Easter. And yes, what you call "Sunday worship" too), and then it's up to you whether or not you want to be a part of that work, but I have a strong suspicion that God will continue doing His work in the way He sees fit, with or without our blessing or permission.

Excellent response!
 
The philosophy of man, the vanity of man, the deceit of man and the tradition of man is the claim that created things are anything other than just created things. This is not a conversation about whether we have "permission" to "celebrate" Christmas, etc. It's about simply observing that "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise" (you referred to Christmas as "foolishness" before). If we observe that Christmas, whatever its origins may be, has been chosen by the Spirit to accomplish His work, are we really going to quote scripture at Him to tell Him He's not allowed to do that? Really? If the way we read scripture is causing us to think of what God has made clean as "sin," perhaps it's time to take a second look at the way we're reading scripture: Acts 10 :15, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common."

Remember the story of Joseph? It's like people here keep telling you, "Look at the great work God is doing in Egypt, providing for people during famine and saving so many lives," but you keep saying, "No way, God wouldn't do that. Look at your history books. Selling people into slavery is wrong, and God would never transform a such an evil plan made by men into His own plan to do good in the world..." Who would look at God's work through Joseph and call it "of man" and "slavery" just because of how it began? I challenge you then to stop looking at Christmas as "worshiping idols" just because of how you believe it began, and simply observe the power of God to transform men's vanity, deceit, philosophy and traditions into something He can use to do His work in the world. You don't have to "accept" or "reject" Christmas at all (to answer the title in the thread), but I do challenge you to simply observe that God is doing His work through Christmas (And Easter. And yes, what you call "Sunday worship" too), and then it's up to you whether or not you want to be a part of that work, but I have a strong suspicion that God will continue doing His work in the way He sees fit, with or without our blessing or permission.

Lets take a close look at what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11: 2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. This is what going on today, people dealing with other tradition thats not of God (Jesus) and not of the gospel that was preach. The Prophets the apostles nor Jesus dealt with pagan religion such as...going to church on Sunday, Easter, Christmas, Lent, ash wednesday, etc...All those thing are dealing with another God. Paul says in (2Cor.11:13-15) For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. (v.14) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (v.15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

I agree with Act 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time,What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. Understand what you read here. How does God cleanse people...through his word.
If you truly love God, then you will obey "Every word" that proceeds out of his mouth (Matthew 4:4). Baptism is one of those words. In order to be baptized, certain events must take place: You must give up a lifestyle where sin has dominion, (ruler ship) over you. Sin according to 1 John 3:4, Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression (breaking) of the law. You must be taught "The Word", before you can adhere to God's commandments (judgments\statues). These laws are found in the Holy Bible; beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation. You must believe what the bible says and finally, you must confess that Jesus is Lord. Once this has been accomplished, you are qualified to be baptized in the name of Jesus.
 
Since Bro.tan has consistently refrained from responding to any of my posts addressing him, (did i miss one?) I am going to refer to him in the third person only.
At the risk of pointing out that which is obvious to most, it seems Bro.tan has not picked up on the simple truth that when Paul wanted to preach the gospel to the Jews, he chose to pick a time and a place when they would all be gathered to gether ..ie in a Synagogue, on the Sabbath day. Would there have been a better time and place?
Apparently he has not connected all the dots properly and thinks that because Paul preached in a Synagogue on the Sabbath, that is some sort of endorsement of Sabbath day worship andat the same time a denouncement of first day of the week (Sunday) worship.
I wonder how many Jews would have heard Paul preach the gospel if he had instead, gone out of the city limits and preached to the stars at midnight?
Yet Paul also preached the gospel in Athens - Greece, and we are not told he did so on the Sabbath day..indeed the account seems to favour a different day of the week and / or more that one day, since no mention of the Sabbath is made, indeed in a Gentile country in those days the Sabbath had no meaning or relevance.....read on..

Act 17:21. Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Act 17:22. So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
Act 17:23. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
also,
1Co 16:1. Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.
1Co 16:2. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
Now I would suggest that unless the first day of the week was payday, then there was something else significant about that day and Paul saw it as the best time to collect gift money.
It was a day when all the saints would be gathered together and their gifts could be collected (and stored) for when Paul was to arrive.
Bro.tan should remember that these were Gentile Christians and were not bound by any prohibition of work on the Sabbath day. In other words if they met on the Sabbath day for worship thay could have collected gift money without the penalty of being stoned to death..
In fact after the Apostles met in Jerusalem and discussed the matter of the growing numbers of Gentiles being saved, they wrote as follows::
Act 15:28. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
Act 15:29. that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell."
Wow, notice how there is absolutely no mention of the Sabbath.

It saddens me when someone takes Scripture and fails to understand what is really being said, and why that Scripture record has been passed down to us through the ages.
But alas....

It shouldn't sadden you at all, I'm the one it should sadden. I understand there where situation the apostles had to deal with concerning this gospel dealing the Gentiles, even somes in cases the other brethren. Understand that
many professing Christians are willing to acknowledge that the other nine commandments should be kept in some way today, but reject and refuse to literally obey just one commandment, the fourth! The Sabbath command is a crucial test of obedience, for it identifies those who have surrendered to God and are striving to obey all of His commandments. Even others lacking knowledge will say that we keep the first day of the week because Christ rose on that day or that the apostle Paul broke bread on the first day. No, Christ did not rise on Sunday that is yet another doctrine of the devil and I can prove that out of your bible without a shadow of doubt. And every day that Paul ate he broke bread what does that have to do with the Sabbath day. And as much as people try and make it seem, Paul writings in no way contradicts any writing of Jesus or the other disciple or apostles.

The Lord had Peter to warn you regarding some of the writing of Paul: (2 Peter 3:15-16) (v.15) “even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;” (v.16) As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. You need to have some pretty good understanding of the entire bible when you start to deal with Paul’s writing or you could get tied in knots. People are always saying “but Paul said” well Paul said this to: (1Cor.1:13) Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? If you are confused regarding a subject in the bible go and see what your Master has to say about the matter.

Now if Jesus is our master then we should follow His steps. Peter says in (1 Peter 2:21) For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: And remember that Jesus is the captain of our salvation. So let’s see our captain lead by example. Look what Jesus did in (Luke 4:14-16) (v.14) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. (v.15) And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. (v.16) And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue (the church) on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

Jesus regularly attended religious services on the Sabbath day on the seventh day of the week "as His custom was". He obeyed His own command to meet (holy convocation) every Sabbath day.
 
Now if Jesus is our master then we should follow His steps. Peter says in (1 Peter 2:21) For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: And remember that Jesus is the captain of our salvation. So let’s see our captain lead by example. Look what Jesus did in (Luke 4:14-16) (v.14) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee:
And have you returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee? I see you have bolded part of the text, so you must want to emphasize it. Have you followed the example as the bolded texts say? Have you followed in His steps as emphasized by the texts you have bolded? No, you have not.
What I am reading from you is that you have introduced a red herring. You should try to remain focused.
Paul preached to the Jews in synagogues on the Sabbath because that is where the Jews congregated....not in the car park of the local hamburger joint....get it? If you want to speak to a gathering of Jews, where and when do you think this might happen?
Take a close look at the calendar Saturday is still positioned as the seventh day and Sunday is still positioned as the first day of the week. Most people work Monday to Friday (admittedly this is not true for everyone) But for those who do, how can you sit in judgment and say that they do not keep the Sabbath? And if they do keep the Sabbath as a day of rest as the commandment requires, how is it that you see it as sin if they also worship the Lord on the first day of the week? Are you in a position to ration the amount of worship the Lord receives?
 
Now Bro.tan raises (frequently) the matter of the Sabbath. Perhaps he should look at the commandment afresh:
Exo 20:9. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,
Exo 20:10. but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.
Exo 20:11. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Consider the plight of those who work in an industry that closes its doors on Saturday and Sunday.
Bro.tan and his ilk might well gather together on the Sabbath day for worship, but what are they to do on the first day of the week? They can't go to work because the doors are shut; but the command says more than just not to work of the Sabbath, it also says to work for six days...that would include the first day of the week. Does Bro.tan really look at the law as closely as he would have people believe or does he just pick and choose what is convenient?
What would Bro.tan say of those who idle away the first day of the week instead of working on all six days of the week as the commandment commands?
Let's return to topic.
As I read it, the general consensus is that Christmas should be celebrated and not rejected, and I am in agreeance with that.
finis
 
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