I dont wanna be that guy but...Im feeling convicte

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by coksiw

Do you have room for one more?

One more what?

[coksiw]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

One more what?

One more leaving Christmas celebration. Going through a storm right now because of my decision... trying to be wise, and loving, and focus on what we can do as family and with friends during the holidays instead.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by coksiw

One more leaving Christmas celebration. Going through a storm right now because of my decision... trying to be wise, and loving, and focus on what we can do as family and with friends during the holidays instead.

Can you explain further?

[coksiw]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

Can you explain further?

Too personal, this a public forum. Basically, I'm in the same spot as the OP.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by coksiw

Too personal, this a public forum. Basically, I'm in the same spot as the OP.

What spot is the op in?

OK, you were answering the original first post?

[Evang.Benincasa]

OK, you quit celebrating Xmas?

[diakonos]

I am not celebrating this year, but I am attending the Christmas banquet put on by the church.

[coksiw]

I personally don't have anything against having days of thanksgiving. There are two example in the Bible of two days of thanksgiving in addition to the Holidays of the Torah.
One is Purim (Est 9:26-32) and the other one is the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) (Jhn 10:22).
The Bible doesn't condemn them.
I think, if you wish to celebrate it, and you do it keeping the significance in mind and behave properly in godliness you are fine.
Hanukkah, fortunately, has kept its seriousness and sobriety in general.
Purim has become a very wordily event in Israel, however, the ultra-orthodox Jewish still celebrate it and try to do it the right way, with joy and worship to God.

So I think, if you are going to celebrate Christmas as a thanksgiving day with joy, at least do it in an acceptable manner and stay away from "symbolic" ornaments, Christmas movies, and any pagan ways (trees, elf, etc...) but instead in simplicity and in Spirit and Truth. Instead decorate yourself with good works that day and your house with verses of the Bible for your own benefit, and sing hymns purely exalting God as you do in your devotionals, and bring the story to remembrance. If you can't stay that way, better drop it all together and turn it into a Family & Friend day and enjoy the time off.

[coksiw]

Originally Posted by coksiw

I personally don't have anything against having days of thanksgiving. There are two example in the Bible of two days of thanksgiving in addition to the Holidays of the Torah.
One is Purim (Est 9:26-32) and the other one is the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) (Jhn 10:22).
The Bible doesn't condemn them.
I think, if you wish to celebrate it, and you do it keeping the significance in mind and behave properly in godliness you are fine.
Hanukkah, fortunately, has kept its seriousness and sobriety in general.
Purim has become a very wordily event in Israel, however, the ultra-orthodox Jewish still celebrate it and try to do it the right way, with joy and worship to God.

So I think, if you are going to celebrate Christmas as a thanksgiving day with joy, at least do it in an acceptable manner and stay away from "symbolic" ornaments, Christmas movies, and any pagan ways (trees, elf, etc...) but instead in simplicity and in Spirit and Truth. Instead decorate yourself with good works that day and your house with verses of the Bible for your own benefit, and sing hymns purely exalting God as you do in your devotionals, and bring the story to remembrance. If you can't stay that way, better drop it all together and turn it into a Family & Friend day and enjoy the time off.

I take my words back on this. I still felt something was wrong so I tried to understand a little bit more about what we see in the Bible and I think I have something better here.

I see two kinds of Holidays in the Bible.

The Religious Holidays: These holidays were commanded by God with a spiritual significance: fulfillment of covenant promises, atonement, sin, etc...
They needed to be observed in specific and detailed ways and it was not lawful to add or remove from it.

Then Civil Holidays: These holidays are man-made, usually by a leader, and celebrate things of national or community significance. They do not have spiritual significance behind them. And because we are believers, we do it with thanksgiving to God. E.g., victory over national enemies, blessed harvest, founding of a nation, another year, etc... In this category, I put Purim, and Hanukah.

4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc... would be Civil Holidays.

Christmas, the celebration of the coming of the Lord in flesh, pretends to be a Religious Holiday, hence, the error.

The New Testament gentile Christians struggled with the question of how much they should embrace the Jewish laws and traditions. That's the context of Paul epistles when he says that let's not judge one another in the observance of days.

Thoughts? Am I missing something?

[Tithesmeister]

Originally Posted by coksiw

I take my words back on this. I still felt something was wrong so I tried to understand a little bit more about what we see in the Bible and I think I have something better here.

I see two kinds of Holidays in the Bible.

The Religious Holidays: These holidays were commanded by God with a spiritual significance: fulfillment of covenant promises, atonement, sin, etc...
They needed to be observed in specific and detailed ways and it was not lawful to add or remove from it.

Then Civil Holidays: These holidays are man-made, usually by a leader, and celebrate things of national or community significance. They do not have spiritual significance behind them. And because we are believers, we do it with thanksgiving to God. E.g., victory over national enemies, blessed harvest, founding of a nation, another year, etc... In this category, I put Purim, and Hanukah.

4th of July, Thanksgiving, etc... would be Civil Holidays.

Christmas, the celebration of the coming of the Lord in flesh, pretends to be a Religious Holiday, hence, the error.

The New Testament gentile Christians struggled with the question of how much they should embrace the Jewish laws and traditions. That's the context of Paul epistles when he says that let's not judge one another in the observance of days.

Thoughts? Am I missing something?

Congratulations on being an example of humility. I admit I was disappointed in your position on this. I actually gave some thought to my own belief concerning Christmas, and how we celebrate it.

A few points that are worth considering:

The story of the birth of Jesus is recorded for us in the Bible. It seems that God wants us to memorialize it. His birth and His death are both marked by miraculous signs that are meant to draw our attention to them.

God is a God of remembrance. Remember the feast of the Passover, and other festivals that were to remember important events in the history of the Israelites. I don’t see anything wrong with celebrating the birth of Christ, or the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. I certainly don’t want to fall out with a brother over it either. If you are convicted, don’t celebrate. I won’t condemn you.

If my partying bothers you? Sorry, I’m not sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you with it, but at some point you may need to grow up.

As to the idolatry angle:

Remember what Paul said about eating meat offered to idols?

1Cor.8

[1] Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
[2] And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
[3] But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
[4] As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

I just believe that if food offered to idols is okay to eat, possibly celebrating the birth of Christ on a day that happens to fall near the winter solstice or whatever is probably not a big deal. I know others will disagree. I don’t mind if they do.

Here at AFF we are busy making mountains out of molehills and beams out of splinters. I don’t expect that to change.

But sometimes it is good to look at a mound of dirt, and recognize that there is likely a mole around. And leave it at that.