REDEEMING the TIME... In Season and Out

+  +  + A Personal Note to Fellow Christians... 

Courtesy of BiblePictures.NET

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CHRISTMAS is not celebrated, as is done in Western Civilization, in The Holy Scriptures. There is no feasting, gift-giving, and other celebrations recorded about the BIRTH of CHRIST JESUS. 

So... what SHOULD we be doing ? 

Although many Christians no longer keep Christmas, we have noticed one thing: 

the worldlings do !

 

We have gone for decades avoiding the Christmas traditions we all were raised with, much to the consternation of our families and some of our Christian friends.  

However, every pagan, heathen, and “good” citizen in our community  --- including the public school children ---  all celebrate Christmas Day with as much festivity as they can find and many, alas, beyond what they can afford.

Scripture instructs us:  “ Walk circumspectly, redeeming the time because the days are evil.” 

We are also instructed:  “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”

As our LORD HIMSELF+ has said, “  I+ must work the works of HIM that sent ME+, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

There is simply no better time to witness at large than during the Christmas season. 

A plate of goodies accompanied by JESUS tracts and  a wonderful cd from Voice of the Martys , JESUS, HE+ Lived Among us,  goes into hearts, homes, and businesses of our acquaintances during Christmas …. because they will accept the witness at that time.

Statistics bear out the fact that there are more suicides and depression at this season of the year than at any other time.  Is not it better to issue HOPE to the ones who would be drowning their sorrows in the bottle or drowning their bodies in the sea, out of despair?

Would it not be better to utilize this season of raw emotion to point them how to come OUT of the sea of lies ? 

What better time to issue the Royal Invitation that there IS INDEED ONE+ Who+ loves you, ONE+ Who+ cares that you are lonely and hurting, ONE+ Who+ will make a “home” for you ?

 

We have been able to place JESUS-tracts inside some very dark homes and hearts by this method, all places that would not normally receive an open witness. Children are especially open to the Gospel message at this season and the elderly are always touched by an act of kindness.

One church we know of urges its congregation to do UNEXPECTED acts of kindness during this INCARNATION Season, as they go about their errands. So they do things such as buy lunch for the fellow behind them in the fast-food drive-in, on a work day, IN THE NAME OF CHRIST JESUS.   

How effective that is ! The fast-food worker receives the witness as well as the unknown stranger in the car behind ! 

So, in all this,  do we promote "keeping of Christmas" and its traditions to the un-saved ? 

NO.. by all means, NO !  

We pick JESUS-tracts that talk about repentance, the need to be saved, the dead-end street of following sin, flesh, and the devil. These tracts invite the readers to JESUS. 

Ourselves, we consent to remember only one thing:  His+ Coming, His+ INCARNATION.  

Because...  if our LORD JESUS had not humbled HIMSELF+ to be robed in human flesh and come in the likeness of man, not ONE of us human beings could have been saved. HE+ had to come! 

Even the serious Christmas hymns, like Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and O Come, All ye Faithful, and some others, give the Gospel message in a nutshell. 

This we all know and agree with, I’m sure.

Scripture only gives us a peek at the season in which HE+ came: at the time of Roman taxation after the fall harvest of crops. 

Shepherds were still in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. It seems reasonable to think SOMETHING happened in the last month of the year, either the Conception of the HOLY BABE+ or HIS+ Birth. 

The exact date, however, is ... ALTHOUGH PRECISE ... is not necessary for us to know.    

We agree that The LORD is precise as to the prophetic timing of His+ breaking into human history as the SON+ of Man, but HE has not deemed it necessary to inform us of that precise time, like HE did with the certainty of PASCHA / Resurrection .

In addition, it certainly is in keeping with Scriptures to offer adoration of the CHRIST at His+ birth: the Holy Angels of GOD did it, proclaiming loudly to the shepherds; the shepherds themselves did, hastening to the stable to look with  awe upon their MESSIAH come in the flesh. 

Even up to child-hood, we see the Wise men from the East who not only came to worship the young child JESUS, KING+ of the Jews …  but also offered HIM+ gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, as we all well know.

Because we --- from a distance of 2,000 years away from HIS+ first Advent ---  are so far removed from the actual event, it can be FRUITFUL in CHRIST to offer HIM+ our adoration in awe of what HE+ did, coming as a helpless Baby into this hurtful world. 

It seems fitting, during this season, to offer HIM+ thanksgiving for descending to take on the robe  of Adamic flesh. There is NO OTHER remembrance of the INCARNATION of CHRIST become flesh in the Christian calendar.

It is a blessed season to use 

our gold, frankincense,and myrrh as GIFTS 

for those who do not know HIM+, 

that they might be drawn 

to this HUMBLE JESUS 

Whom+ we love and serve.

Now, I will not argue with anyone either for or against “keeping” Christmas: let every man walk in his convictions in this matter, for whatsoever is not of faith is SIN.

As it is written:

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike.

Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the LORD; 

and he that regardeth not the day, to the LORD he doth not regard it. 

He that eateth, eateth to the LORD, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the LORD he eateth not, and giveth GOD thanks

This is simply to share with you how we redeem the time, how we share CHRIST and HIM+ crucified, in season and out. 

Yes, the satan has snatched the INCARNATION of CHRIST away from its rightful owners and drowned it in worldliness.  

Are we able to look above

the tawdry and mundane worldly celebrations 

and snatch the MOMENT… 

redeeming the time, 

because the days are evil… 

and darkness is coming, 

in which NO MAN can work? 

A LIGHT+ to Lighten the Gentiles...

...JESUS is His+ Name... the light of the world,

the TRUE LIGHT which lighteth every man

that cometh into the world.

HE+ was in the world,

and the world was made by HIM+,

and the world knew HIM+ not.

HE+ came unto His+ own,

and His+ own received HIM+ not.

BUT

as many as received HIM+,

to them gave HE+ power

to become the sons of GOD,

even to them that believe on HIS+ name.

Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

but of GOD.

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A friend of mine has landed upon a new way for her to share JESUS during the Advent season. She is making a conscious and determined effort to bless someone each day... by phone, by visit, by sharing a treat, by prayer. She arises with this goal in mind: to share JESUS and alleviate some loneliness in the little corner of the world where she lives.

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If we must do Christmas, then let us do it as unto The LORD, redeeming the time, making every day count to draw someone closer to the LORD. The holy days should be CHRIST-oriented, focused upon The Coming of The LORD.

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However, many of us have much stronger memories of family get-togethers and gifts and feasts than we do of CHRIST-centered Holy Days. Thus, when family members die or families grow apart through distance or bickering, the holy days become a burden ... a battle with the blues. It is of serious proportions. Many, many persons even in the churches dread these holy days greatly. But, the people belonging to CHRIST can ferret out these individuals and turn the focus upon CHRIST!

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As someone has said, "In every pew sits a broken heart." Myself, I would change that to, "Most pews are filled with the broken-hearted."
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The many-fold activities that churches do during this season try to fill up the void. That awful void can only be filled up by CHRIST JESUS. But how shall they hear, if no-one tells them? How shall they know if no-one takes the time to reach out in a personal, quiet, one-to-one way? Was JESUS born so that we could give parties for our friends... or was HE+ born to give hope and love to a sad and lonely heart?

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Let us become Advent messengers of that hope and love. What is really needed is for CHRIST to be born in the hearts of man, and then HE+ will set the captives free... free from fear, free from loneliness, free from futility of life. And, free to focus upon the SAVIOR+ of Mankind.

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And we ourselves will be set free of Self-serving. We will be bearers of that LIGHT+, that was the TRUE LIGHT+, that lighteth every man which cometh into the world.

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In the name of The FATHER,

Who created us;

And HIS Holy SON+ JESUS,

Who+ saves us;

And the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT;

Who sanctifies us.

Amen.

ALL HALLOWS' EVE... or halloween ???

REDEEMING THE TIME... for CHRIST JESUS our LORD !

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ALL HALLOWS' EVE is coming at the end of this month. Known as “halloween” to most of us, it has become a demon’s gleeful celebration the night before the Church remembered all the martyrs and confessors in Christian history.

[Confessors, by the way, are those who were imprisoned and usually tortured in some way and/or had their goods plundered for NOT DENYING the Name of CHRIST JESUS before men. The only difference between the martyrs and confessors is that the confessors did not die (immediately) from their tortures.

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Many of them were sent home… barely alive… and died at home from their wounds for the name of CHRIST, a few years afterwards, never recovering sufficiently. Some made it through, like Brother Yun, but carried the scars, and some, the handicap of being crippled or blind or some such life-limiting handicap the rest of their natural lives.]

In the process of time, the Church began to remember these saints, these martyrs and confessors on November 1 every year. It was a day for those Christians who remained to give thanks, think soberly upon life, and re-affirm their steadfastness to STAND for CHRIST in this wicked world.

The old English name for saints was hallows… those who were hallowed. Thus, the reprobate world who loves to mock the Kingdom of GOD made a spite-filled, demonic “holy-day” [ i.e., holiday] to commemorate their dishonorable ones and their deeds of tormenting and torturing those WHO WOULD NOT DENY CHRIST.

In the demonic commemoration, uncomfortable tricks and pranks were pulled on others by people in costumes, imitating demonic pranksters… unless the victims paid off the pranksters with a treat; hence the phrase: “trick or treat!”

As children, most of us enjoyed dressing up in foolish costumes. We enjoyed getting candy from relatives and friends. We enjoyed hollering “trikkertreet”… not knowing what we were alluding to… and most of us would not have even thought of pulling a serious prank on our friends or neighbors, with or without a treat.

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If you see a church group having a halloween party for the children, avoid it. It simply teaches the youngsters to disrespect the real hallowed ones, the true saints, who laid down their lives for The LORD JESUS CHRIST. That church is not spiritually-minded but thinking on things of this world, how the "church" can entertain the youngsters instead of converting them to SERIOUS CHRISTIANITY.

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If you belong to a church or group which simply "must" do something for the young people over halloween, then why not FOCUS on stories, movies, books, and activities--- including serious discussions led by spiritually-minded Christian adults-- about the CHRISTIAN MARTYRS through the ages? Let there be a focus on martyrdom and NOT denying CHRIST. Lead the young people in the various ways of going to the cross NOW... turning the other cheek NOW... not denying CHRIST NOW, in the face of their peers who are not at church. This will redeem the time and be better for them than silly parties and pranks and masks.

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Of course, the adults must set the example first.

Yes, ALL HALLOWS’ DAY (All Saints’ Day) is coming, as well as the eve before it. As Christians… and especially, those of us who have children or work with them in some way… let’s be prepared to paint the Blood of the Passover Lamb over the lintels and doorposts of our house. Let’s remain inside, under the covering of the Holy Blood of The LORD JESUS CHRIST, that we may be found to be well-pleasing unto HIM+.

Going one step further.....

let’s consecrate BOTH the eve before and the next day as a holy day unto Our LORD with some kind of fasting, some kind of reading about the apostles and ancient (and modern) Christians who loved not their lives unto the death. Read these accounts to your children. Read Hebrews chapter 11. Offer up some special prayers …NOT TO THE SAINTS… but rather, for ourselves unto CHRIST JESUS the LORD, that we may learn never, never to deny CHRIST before men, not even in little ways.

Let’s remember the blood of the martyrs and confessors is indeed the seed of the church. Let’s pray that we may be accounted worthy, also.