Parents, often without even realizing it, have been teaching their children the following things about Santa Claus:SANTA IS OMNISCIENT
He knows how children behave throughout the year. The familiar song says, "He knows if we've been good or bad." Also he knows exactly what children want for Christmas even if the child does not have an opportunity to tell him personally.
SANTA IS OMNIPOTENT
No storm is too great to hinder Santa from performing his annual miracle of delivering gifts throughout the world. He also defies the laws of nature by flying and by coming down the narrowest (and hottest!) of chimneys! Nor should we forget his amazing ability to produce millions of gifts throughout the year. Is anything too hard for Santa? With Santa all things are possible!
SANTA IS OMNIPRESENT
To visit every home in the world in one evening requires nothing less than omnipresence! Every child in the world can wake up in the morning and say, "Santa has been here! Santa was present in my home!" Prior to Christmas Santa also appears at hundreds of street corners and shopping centers throughout the country at the same time!
SANTA IS FAITHFUL
You can always count on Santa! Santa never fails and he never breaks his word. When Santa makes a promise he keeps it! When he promises a child a gift, that child will never be disappointed. Children are fully persuaded that what Santa has promised he is able also to perform. The child that believes in Santa will not be put to shame! Santa is totally dependable and trustworthy!
SANTA IS ETERNAL
Santa with his white beard and weather-beaten face is the very essence of eternity. Year after year goes by and Santa grows no older. Generations have come and gone but Santa is still here. His life is endless and Santa cannot die. To Santa belongs an unending life.
SANTA IS IMMUTABLE
Yesterday, today, forever Santa is the same! He never seems to change. He is always happy! He is always jolly. He is always kind to children. In a changing world you can always count on Santa being Santa!
SANTA IS LOVE
Santa loves all the boys and girls in the world. Santa is no respecter of persons. He loves them all--red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.
SANTA IS RIGHTEOUS
All that Santa does is right! He makes no mistakes. He does all things well. Every child's stocking contains exactly the right thing.
SANTA IS GOOD
Santa showers his blessings upon all. Every good and perfect gift comes from Santa. He is the supreme GIVER of Christmas. It is Santa who brings the best gift of all!
SANTA IS SOVEREIGN
On Christmas Eve Santa is in complete control of the situation. Circumstances do not phase him (such as storms, sizes of chimneys, red-hot fire places, etc.). He is the King of Christmas!
SANTA IS COMING
Santa is coming to town. You better be ready! You better watch out! You better be good! He's coming! Are you prepared when Santa comes to reward every boy or girl according to his work? Millions of boys and girls each year wait with eager expectancy for the glorious appearing of the great Santa god. What a blessed hope for countless numbers of children! His reward is with him! What a comforting hope the boys and girls have as they prepare for his coming! And during the night he may come at any time. Even so, come, Santa Claus!
SANTA IS WORSHIPPED
Santa is worshipped and loved by thousands of children the world around. Children love him so much that all through the year they seek to please him in such a way that when they see him they will not be ashamed. O come let us adore HIM!
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[Parents, is this the god you want your children to know and love? Is it important to tell our children the truth even when they are very young? What have you taught your children about the TRUE GOD, and His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you taught them who the Great GIVER of Christmas is (John 3:16)? Do they know about the gift of God which is eternal life (Rom. 6:23)?]
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(John 3:16)
Merry Christmas! The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
George Zeller I.F.
MBC
Printed with permission.
The Gospel of John Challenge
The Christmas Reality
A note;
All this post is seeking to communicate is that Christ must have the preeminence at Christmas. If “Christians” would seek to exalt Santa above the reality of Christ’s Person and birth – which many do - they are dead wrong. These “Christians” are the ones who usually get the most offended at this post! If one seeks to be objective and truly believes the Christmas reality they would have no problem with this post. We did not post this piece to start a Santa War, but to make the individual consider the majesty and Devine Message of Christmas. That God Gave His Son! (John 3:16-17)
16 comments:
Christmas is not scriptural at all. Jesus was not born on December 25th and adopting pagan rituals into Christianity is sin.
"Anonymous" Nice secret hit and run....with out any edification. It speaks volumes.
I do though totally agree with you! But the world recognizes Christmas so we who are believers in Jesus Christ take this time to reflect on the birth of Christ and testify to those who know not Christ.. that A Savior is born! Is that sin? Sin is when some one some falls short of the Glory of God or trespasses one of His Holy Ordinances. (Romans 3:23)
It's a harmless reminder and reflection of the birth of Christ. It is quite edifying and a true blessing to those who do know Christ as Lord And Savior.
Jesus was most likely born at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall.
Would one of these pagan rituals be.....Santa Claus...
Santa Claus is also harmless but when people replace Christ with Santa..Something isn't right That there.. is true sin...Do you agree?
Actually Dec 25 - The Winter solstice was adopted into the Roman Church from former Roman Pagan god worship. If I prayed to dead saints, that men could forgive sins or worshiped Mary or believed in a works related Salvation instead of Salvation by faith in Jesus Christ as Scripture plainly teaches etc..etc..then It would be truly sin.
What does sin mean to you?
All of God's highest and best to you at this CHRISTmas time!
Dave I.F.
Sin is defined as the transgression of the law. Honoring a pagan holiday could certainly be construed as having a god before Him.
It is also written that to those who know to do good, and do it not, to them it is sin. Jesus said that to whom much has been given, much will be required. You know the truth, yet you prefer to teach the lie.
If you know that Christmas is really a pagan celebration to a false god, then how is that NOT sin?
When Aaron decided to make those golden calves and then declared that 'tomorrow is a feast to Jehova'. Was God pleased? Uh, no.
You condemn the practices of the apostolic churches, but you continue to partake in their Holy Day of Obligation and teach others to do the same? So, how do you decide which pagan custom Rome consecrated is good and which is bad?
Is the Celebration of the remembrance of God putting on flesh Jn 1:14 a pagan holiday??? If I worship Zeus, Mercury etc... then it would be sin. I believe either you are a legalist or a Russelite of the J.W. cult. You are all caught up in and splitting hairs about a little head knowledge you posses.
If you were balanced and rooted in the Scriptures you would see there is no big deal about the observance of Christmas what ever date it was( the birth of Christ ) or Easter ( Resurrection of Christ)....another former pagan feast day which falls on the Passover. You are all caught up on a pagan tradition trip.
Your Aaron example is dreadfully taking out of context. I'm not saying Santa Claus is Jesus. The reprobates of Israel were saying a cow was God. A big difference in the remembrance of the birth of the Savior of the world. Nice try..
What I do condemn is the godless traditions of what I stated before in the previous reply which have no validity in the Scriptures.
Let me ask you a question...Is Jesus Almighty God the Son, come in the Flesh to give His life and died on a cross for the sins of the world, rose again on the third day and is now back seated at the right hand of God the Father?
I think that is the heart of the matter with you on this issue.
Your free to hold your position on this but I think you might want to pray for better understanding on this topic and get of your miss guided Pagan kick....
All of God's highest and best for you.
Dave I.F.
But the world recognizes Christmas...
If the wisdom of this world in which we are living in is making any sense to you today, then I'll choose the foolishness of The Cross! (1 Cor. 1:18-31)
Dr. J. Vernon McGee
I'm with the Doc.
My personal take on "why not" to do Christmas is long and multi-faceted. The bottom line is that it is the same sin that ruined Israel over and over - spiritual adultery - mixing the worship of the pagan with the true God. Solomon kicked it off and it never went away. God even basically said "fine, if you guys like Babylon's religion so much, try living there for 70 years" and they still didn't learn their lesson.
Elijah stood on that mountain top and said "if God is God, worship Him, but if Baal is god, the worship him" - i.e. Jeremiah goes off on this topic in great detail and even ridicules something that sounds like a Christmas tree! Jesus came to set the record straight and offer salvation to the Gentiles, and yet again, it gets screwed up.
So, the question is this. Why? Why have people breaking their banks and their patience on this evil holiday? Why adopt practices meant for other false gods? Why climb on your house in the dead of winter with a staple gun and some electrical cord? What is the point? If God never commanded it, and has plainly commanded not to add to His law, and Jesus plainly told Hid followers what to do to remember Him, then why?
Money, that's why. Because the false preachers know that if they stood up and set their congregations free - if they told them the truth - if they removed this nonsense from their church buildings - then the collection plate would dry up. Their cowards.
But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven.
(Matthew 10:33)
Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
(Matthew 16:24)
Elijah stood on that mountain top and said "if God is God, worship Him, but if Baal is god, the worship him" - i.e. stop trying to play both sides and choose who you will serve.
There, fixed it.
My Man, I'm not serving Baal...but Serving Almighty God the Eternal Son! Israel was serving OTHER gODS not remembering what Almighty God did for them. dude, your so twisted...
I know the point that you are trying to make, even when you twist those scriptures all around like a fishing pole nest....
You are entitled to your opinion. You need balance. I have yet to see any wisdom in which you are speaking. You continually try to make parallels which are not....Parrell. Israel was under the Law, We are under Grace. The two are totally different dispensations. The Church is the Body of Christ. Israel is God's chosen nation on earth.
There are Jewish believers that remember the Passover is that sin also?
You never answered me. Is Jesus Almighty God!
All I sense from you is debate, debate ,debate, No sign of meekness, humility or compassion in trying to make your point.
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? I hope you do.
I agree that Christmas is commercial to the Hilton but how about God's people displaying to the world the true message of Christmas in the midst of the caus.(John 3:16)
Dave
Are you saying that it is OK for a Christian to mix pagan religions with Christianity, but it wasn't for the Israelites?
When the Reformers stopped Christmas were they wrong and preached the truth about it, were they wrong?
I am having difficulty understanding what your point is. No Santa, but celebrating a Christianized pagan holiday in honor of a church that people used to protest is OK?
yeah....
Jesus -who is Almighty God the Son saves!
Hey, Ignorant Fisherman and Anonymous, let's try some history for a bit of perspective on this whole "Christmas is an evil Roman holiday argument."
Recently, as in the past fifty years or so, there has been this notion that the Catholic Church grabbed hold of the traditions and doctrines of the celebration of the Birth of Mithras and made it the Christmas Holiday traditons. Well, although there is no specific account out there of how things actually happened, this is probably incorrect. More likely than not, the Christians sometime in the fourth century successfully supplanted the celebration of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) with the Christmas celebration.
Sol Invictus was the state supported sun god officially accepted as a god in 274 AD and celebrated on December 25. So, the Sol Invictus celebration would have supplanted the Mithras celebration.
Now, try to imagine how the Christmas celebration may have come about. How about this: There is a small group of Christians walking in the Roman marketplace during the beginning of the Sol Invictus celebration. One of them steps up on one of the meat stands and starts saying something in the vein of, "Men of Rome! I can see that you are learned and religious in every way. Today you celebrate an unconquered sun (Sol Invictus). But, I tell you the truth, one day all this will pass away. But the one true God, the Creator of that very sun sent into our midst the Unconquered Son (Filius Invictus).
"On this day do not celebrate the rising of a sun that sets. It is conquered, in fact, by the darkness of night. Celebrate instead the birth of the Unconquered Son, for he is the Bright Morning Star that never sets. Death could not conquer Him, though it tried....."
I can only venture to guess that this is probably how the Birth of Christ being celebrated on the 25th of December got kicked off. Why? Because I assume that the early Christians tried their best to follow the example of the apostles:
"So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD ' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you." - Acts 17:22-23
Give a new meaning, then, to the exchange of gifts. Say, exchange gifts as if you are giving gifts to Christ in remembrance of the gifts given by the wise men.
There is nothing evil there. What that is called is becoming all things to all people.
BTW, very good article. I decided years ago that my children would celebrate the Birth of Christ on Christmas, not Santa Claus.
The only problem I ever had with that is when my youngest started telling all the other kindergarteners about Santa being fake a couple years back. I got calls from a number of angry parents.
You never answered me. Is Jesus Almighty God!
I'm not that anonymous person but I'm a christian too...
There is only one Almighty God, and it is our Father in heaven, even Jesus knows that. Jesus is our savior, the son of God, a finite person but superior than any person in the world.
You kept on saying to him that his mind is twisted and he needs balance, did you already proved what you are saying or believing if its really in the bible? Why do we need that balance that you are saying? Is it not yet clear to you that the only thing we should follow is the word of god, and all of it are found in the bible? All those non sense are from the popes and the politians behind the Roman Catholic during the times when christianity has been apostatized...
There is only one Almighty God, and it is our Father in heaven, even Jesus knows that. Jesus is our savior, the son of God, a finite person but superior than any person in the world.
Anonymous, um, no. That is not correct and, if I am reading your reply correctly, just about - if not all out - heretical.
Jesus is the Almighty God, in the person of the Son. He is not finite, but infinite, as He himself attested:
John 8:57-58
So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
Before Abraham was born! And Jesus claims "Godhood" by using "I AM" not in the normative sense (e.g. I am 29 years old) but in the authoritative sense as in:
Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?"
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
It was because of this that the Jews wanted to stone Him.
He claimed it over and over with the authoritative use of "I am"
"I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life."
"I am the Bread of Life."
"I am the Good Shepherd..."
I am the True Vine..."
"I am in the Father and the Father is in me..."
and
"I am He" to which the Pharisees that came with the Roman guard drew back and fell to the ground.
Preach it Ray!..This guy likes to try to make a point by twisting Scripture and using unparrell arguments to present his case.
I believe the Bible and I celabrate a biblical Christmas if that makes me a heathen then...so be it!
To God be the Glory!!!
I accidentally came across this discussion and talk about twist the scriptures ...LOL
The "Christmas" celebration is a pagan celebration plain and simple, one just needs to look at the history of it ... God has never accepted pagan celebrations that the Jews got mixed up in or in the True Christian congregation.
1 Corinthians 10:21 ...YOU cannot be drinking the cup of God and the cup of demons; YOU cannot be partaking of "the table of God" and the table of demons.
Pagan = false demonic teachings
Jesus was probably born around the month of Ethanim (September-October) in the year 2B.C.E.
But If the birth of Jesus is so important why don't we know the exact date of his birth??
We know the exactly when he died, Friday, Nisan (latter part of March and early part of April) 14, by about 3:00 p.m. We don't know his exact birth date because it is not important, the fact that he died for those that put faith in him this is what is important 1 Corinthians 11:24 " ...Keep doing this in remembrance of me..." Remember his death not birth!
Even the way the "Christmas story" is told isn't true. Like the "3 wise men" .... The bible no were states that there were 3. These "wise men" visited Jesus not in the manger/stable but in a house and Jesus was around 2 years old or so. The "star" took the "wise men" to Herod first (who wanted to have the "king of the Jews" killed) then to were Jesus was .... Who sent the star.... Not God!. There are so many more things that are taught as fact but are false ... Read your bible!
Splitting hair you say .... No, why not just simply tell it the way things really happened... the truth.... I believe Jesus said something about the truth setting you free, free from what ? False teachings among other things!
Raymond Nearhood II said
"Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?""
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
God’s reply in Hebrew was: ’Eh·yeh′ ’Asher′ ’Eh·yeh′. Some translations render this as “I AM THAT I AM.” However, it is to be noted that the Hebrew verb ha·yah′, from which the word ’Eh·yeh′ is drawn, does not mean simply “be.” Rather, it means “become,” or “prove to be.”
Thus meaning “I shall prove to be what I shall prove to be" Some Translations translate it "I will be who I will be", either way "I am" is not the best way to translate ’Eh·yeh′ ’Asher′ ’Eh·yeh′.
And the reference here is not to God’s self-existence but to what God (not Jesus) has in mind to become toward others.
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