LOL... I gave a summary of what I thought the verses you posted were saying. I'm asking if you thought my summary was accurate or if there was something I was misunderstanding in my summary.
If the lies you speak of are what is leading me to Christ so I can have eternal life and salvation through Him...then so be it. :angel:
LOL! Too funny!:lol: No, that isn't what I meant. I didn't mean either A or B. What I mean is the verses are talking about false Gods and idols and the ONE TRUE GOD, not about Christmas trees.
I haven't read all the post and my comment is totally off OP, sorry, but, I wanted to say, don't let the wrongs of others keep you from believing in and accepting the Savior.
Wow... that's an incredible statement you just made there. It reminds me of this one time that I was walking around a lake in our city that has a nice sidewalk around it that's exactly a mile around. Lots of people are there everyday exercising. Some man stopped me and asked me if I knew where the closest coffee shop was. Well, the Starbucks and the Panera Bread were about the same distance, so I asked him which one he would prefer to go to. He said, "Starbucks." I gave him directions to the Starbucks. He then asked me if I was saved and went through the whole shpeeal (sp?). When I walked around the second time and realized he and several others were asking everyone that passed for directions to Starbucks in order to ask them if they were saved, I was shocked that he thought deception was a great way to "lead people to the Lord." How can you have faith in something that is deceptive? I'm asking "you" in the general "you" as in everyone... not "you" personally.
Sorry... my summary was this... I'm reading what you posted and my understanding of these verses is still that we are not supposed to participate in the "worthless customs" of the pagans (and then some of them are referenced, including decorating fir trees). A and B were my conclusions I have made from my above understanding of those verses.
It's not deceptive, and if you know Christ as your savior you would understand what God calls His people to do...witness to others. His people just want others to know the true joy of Jesus! I have SO MUCH joy in Him, because I know Him...why is it so bad that others want you and other people to know that same joy? It's because we care about others and their salvation. If you would like to call it deceptive, then fine, but we don't see it as that. To call it deceptive I think is harsh, and to call whatever you are calling "lies" I think is also harsh. JMO.
I should also add...isn't it equally as deceptive to sneak presents under the tree to tell your kids a fat jolly man delivered their presents from the sky? Just sayin'... ;-)
I appreciate that. I'm not opposed to God. I just have a hard time "finding" anything to believe in and it makes it harder when there are so many deceptive, manipulative practices by religious leaders of all kinds (not just Christians). I'm open to God(s)... just haven't had the opportunity to say "Oh wow... God really is real". I haven't found a version of god(s) that make any sense or "feel" right to me. I'm especially open anytime there's a "need" or desire for something beyond this life. For example, I had gallbladder surgery last Thurdsay performed by a Christian man who is a very good man. During the consultation before the surgery he asked me if I had an exit strategy (meaning heaven). I didn't go into my religious beliefs with him. I just smiled, nodded and listened. But, it definitely got me to thinking. So, I prayed, just in case, lol... that if God was real that I would love to know. I asked for a specific sign (to be contacted by a Christian friend) before surgery that I never got. That doesn't mean God isn't real of course... just didn't mean he is either.
There is only one true God and He is not a "feeling." Feelings come and go, God, does not. God is all around you. He blessed you with a loving husband and two daughters. He got you through surgery last Thrusday, and the list could go on and on and on. Most people, are "open anytime there's a 'need' or desire for something beyond life. But we all have a need for God and Jesus Christ all the time, not just when we want something. And as far as God not answering your prayer before your surgery, well, God answers prayer in 3 ways, "yes, no, and wait," not always in the way we want Him to. I see where you are coming from, but let me just say, we will all bow the knee someday and answer to Christ, and we will all spend enterity in Heaven or Hell, He won't let us blame our unbelief or not excepting Him on the behavior of others, He will only let us speak for ourselves.
It's important to understand that God doesn't answer our prayers like we would like Him to all the time. God might answer our prayer in a completely different way than what we would have wanted. That is where people get confused and when they pray for something other than God's will, they only become disappointed and then blame God. That's not how God works. He wants our belief to come from our hearts, not our 'eyes'. You know, the ole saying..."Sometimes something has to be believed in order to be seen"? That's God. I don't know what this means to you, but I will pray for you. Pray for direction, pray for certainty, and pray for your heart.:love:
I think it is important to consider that God doesn't make someone do something. He may have impressed upon that person to contact you that day. Christians aren't perfect and they don't always do as God leads.
It is not God's fault if the person who was to contact you ignored those promptings from the spirit. God cannot force anyone to act in a certain way. We all have the ability to choose our own paths. Which I am sure you are happy to have that option. Anyway... to others... yes we know Christ was not born on Dec 25th but who care? Anyday would be okay to celebrate it, we just go along with the same day that others have chosen. We do not celebrate other religions holidays, but I am okay with learning and talking about them. And I would attend a celebration even... if a best friend or something was participating and wanted me to see them. Jesus wants us to support and love others. Cannot expect them to try out my church if I will not go to theirs! And to the Judah, vine, branch thing... here is how I understand it. We ARE grafted into the tree/family because we are followers of christ. And of course we have a Jewish heiratage (sp), the whole OLD TESTAMENT! Anyway as to celebrating thier holidays, I am okay with talking and even for learning purposes having a passover etc. But it is no longer required. All those laws and practices were to be a sign looking FORWARD to Christ and since Christ has come we now REMEMBER Him. For example the scripture (to busy to go look it up someone else can do it) but in the new testament sermon on the mount maybe? Christ says this is a NEW commandment I give unto you to love one another. etc etc. We now have new laws.
I think currently Halloween really ISN"T celebrated as it used to be intended pegan ways or not. .............. I mean I relly don't see us carving a big ol' radish, or dressing up to fool the spirits......................GIMMEE CANDY!............ I really think honestly if you ask any 7 year old what Halloween is about isn't he/she going to say dressing up in a batman costume/princess costume and going to the neighbors house to ring the door bell and sayin' "trick or treat --- smell my feet or give me something good to eat"...... I mean really I think Oct. 31st to a child really Equates candy and costumes....... and if in Public school you take your best loot the next day to trade with your friends???----My kids like trading candy among their brother's and sisters.......... I just don't understand how you can trade 3 peices of bubble gum for a tiny Hershey bar???
Wow. I'm busy one day in the real world and had to read 6 pages to get caught up! :lol: I was going to address replies to my post on page 1, but it seems to far gone now....sooo..... First, in response to the post about halloween not being satanic...if God isn't part of it, satan is; therefore, halloween is satanic. Nothing happens for no reason. Second, someone posted that Christains have not been instructed by God to celebrate Jesus's birth (what we refer to as Christmas). Have you read the account of His birth? God sent a multitude of angels to herold His birth. I think that gives me license to celebrate it as well. Third,....uh...shoot. Can't think that far back now. Oh, well. OH, YES!!!! Third, regarding the whole notion that Christians shouldn't have even thought about making their major celebration of Jesus's birth around the time of a major pagan celebration....I just want to remind you that Paul even used the "temple of the unknown god" to draw in the Greeks to hear the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. He was not participating in the temple practices, however, he used the existence of the temple and the Greeks beliefs of an unknown god to show them the god they were seeking was the son of the One God, Jesus, the Christ.
Brooke, I think the only part I don't agree with you on is this. IMO, God is a part of everything and ultimately is in control whether someone believes in Him or not. Satan will always have a hand in things as long as God allows him to, whether it be Halloween or another day of the year. We could easily say a lot of thing are 'Satanic' if this was the case. I do think there are some people who choose to celebrate the dark side of Halloween. In that respect, yes it's Satanic. However, like I have expressed earlier...there are many people who do not and who use the day to witness to others or use the day in other ways. Again...it's what you make of it. I respect everyone who chooses to celebrate or not celebrate the day. I would not go as far as saying it's strickly Satanic, because I think that's saying that everyone who celebrates it or allows their child to go trick or treating is 'worshipping' Satan...and I think that would be a pretty harsh judgement.
I feel the need to step in here for just a second and clarify something. The Christmas tree was not used by some monk to explain the Trinity. The SHAMROCK was used by PATRICK OF IRELAND (aka St. Patrick who at the time was just "Friar", "Brother" or "Father" Patrick) to explain the Trinity, and not on any particular holiday but everywhere he went in Ireland spreading the Gospel he'd learned/accepted while he was a Roman slave. Thank you, and now back to our irregularly unscheduled thread.
