6 Responses to “December 28, 2009”

1. Bo
   December 31st, 2009 @ 6:03 pm

   Shalom Dr. Brown,

   I appreciate your scholarship and the wisdom that YHWH has granted you. I Think I probably agree with 95% of your ideas. I esteem you very highly in love for your works sake. (See vs.12-13 below)

   In response to your challenge to us that do not celebrate Christmas to be sure to not do away with the good such as Christmas Hymns and other spiritually uplifting things, I offer the following:

   It is not good to define ourselves by what we are against, that is for sure. It is easy to throw the baby out with the bath water when we get convicted about something like undoing Christmas, but should we take our old ideas and practices into YHWH’s appointed times? The old wine does not taste so good after you have had the new, at least to the connoisseur. We should at least be careful in this regard, I think.

   I wonder how much of what we call spiritually uplifting is really just emotionally uplifting. I know that the former has a great effect on the latter, but do we rightly discern in this area that is so culturally and habitually ingrained into us. I like a lot of Christmas Hymns. I like family get togethers. I think we should hold fast to that which is good. The date, the materialism, the idolatry, the mother child worship, the vestiges of pure paganism and human sacrifice, the worshiping YHWH as the heathen worship their gods, etc. can be, indeed ought to be discarded.

   I do not think that you are condoning these practices, by any means. I see you being gentle and patient to all men, comforting the fainthearted, and supporting the weak. I think that there still needs to be a warning to the unruly. I would like to see a clear call to biblical holiness that impacts spirit, soul and body.

   Here is my feeble shot at a clear call to loving YHWH with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength.

   1 Thess. 5
   1 ¶ But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
   2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
   3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
   4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
   5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
   6 ¶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
   7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
   8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
   9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
   10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
   11 ¶ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
   12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
   13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
   14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
   15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
   16 ¶ Rejoice evermore.
   17 Pray without ceasing.
   18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
   19 Quench not the Spirit.
   20 Despise not prophesyings.
   21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
   22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
   23 ¶ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
   24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

   There is so much in these verses that could apply to the topic of our celebrations of Messiah’s birth. The Thessalonians knew the times and seasons (moedim/appointed times). They were exhorted not to sleep as others do but be sober. They were to warn them that were unruly (acting outside of the prescribed order), to comfort the feeble minded (fainthearted), support the weak, and be patient with everyone. Now that is good advice on what must be done to bring peace to the subject of nativity celebrations. It needs to be done in order to bring moderation and holiness to bear on our modern ideas and practices.

   Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. Now these verses bring us to an interesting dialogue. What parts of Christmas are good. Good in what sense? Certainly in a Biblical sense primarily. If we apply ourselves to this kind of good, we will probably not have to look too much at the cultural sense. And just to make sure we don’t miss the target, if we cut out any thing that has an appearance of evil we will be well on our way to being sanctified (made set apart to YHWH) wholly and being preserved blameless (before YHWH and man for that matter) unto the coming of our Master Y’shua Messiah.

   Spirit, soul and body. The main problem is our soul. We have ideas, habits, desires, and emotions that are not perfectly grounded in the truth. Our culture and upbringing has “brainwashed us” so to speak, so that we call things good that are not scripturally good. We feel good doing things that are not scripturally good. We use logic, or maybe excuses, to justify ideas that are foreign to the mind of YHWH. His thoughts are higher than ours.

   YHWH revealed to us what things he wanted celebrated and on what days He wanted them celebrated. His incarnation was not mentioned per se. His resurrection was only sublimely alluded to in the wave sheaf ceremony. But His death is commanded to be commemorated.

   We need to ask some questions. Did YHWH ask us to commemorate His incarnation esp on a day that is the birthday of most of the pagans deities? Is a little statue of the “baby Jesus” making a likeness of Him which He forbade? When we kneel down to pull the presents from under the tree does it appear as if we are bowing to an evergreen or worshiping under every green tree? Are we just going along with those that are asleep spiritually by our Christmas practices? When we decorate a tree or house are we giving it more glory than they deserve? When we say “WOW” upon the sight of a house that is so glorified, are we worshiping or extolling something we shouldn’t? When we go into debt to buy gifts are we really owing no man anything but to love one another? When our children see all of this and compare it to how we show our commitment to YHWH are they established in the faith? Is this day supposed to be such a big deal? Is it supposed to overshadow Sabbath, Tabernacles, Passover, Pentecost, etc.? Can we do all the good that we do on this day some other time so as not to be propagating false worship and materialism? Are we men and women of YHWH enough to take a stand that has no evil and no appearance of evil? Does YHWH and His Son celebrate Christmas in heaven? Should we take the example of Messiah who only did what He saw His Father do? Did Messiah celebrate Christmas? Can we really take part in something like this and be totally blameless? Does this tradition of men cause YHWH’s commandment of keeping His appointed times to be set aside?

   We are not of the night! We are not supposed to be scripturally unruly (acting outside of the prescribed order)! We should have no need to be told what the appointed times of celebration are! Let us renew our minds with the truth and shun the traditions of men that make the commandments of YHWH of none effect!

   Shalom,

   Bo

2. Kyle L.
   January 1st, 2010 @ 12:44 pm

   In response to some of the above, I take it that those who argue against Christmas also argue against celebrating the New Year?

   Well in my church, we have a New Year’s celebration every year for teenagers only. We get about 1000 teens each year and at the end of the night after a small service, there is an altar call. Last year I believe we had about 400 teens ask Jesus into their lives.

   So is this not worth it? Certainly this is acceptable to God, if we did not have this event, there would be hundreds if not thousands of teens that would still be in darkness. So I think the same case could be made for Christmas, I know many people are saved during this season….

   Of course it is always important that we do not get entangled in the materialism of the holidays, that only bogs us down!

3. Kyle L.
   January 1st, 2010 @ 12:47 pm

   As for the question if Jesus was rich, I don’t believe he was rich at all. As I read, I thought of Jesus as not poor, but middle lower case. I thought I’d throw my lot in…

   As for the prosperity gospel I always hear about, I get such a bad feeling when I listen to those preachers on TV. They always ask for money for a new jet or something, it just rubs me wrong.

4. Bo
   January 1st, 2010 @ 2:53 pm

   Hi Kyle,

   Do you think there is a Christmas tree in heaven?

   There are lots of ways to evangelize. We, as Paul, can use the the opportunities that our culture affords us. It is great when people turn their lives over to YHWH. The angels in heaven rejoice at such occasions. But I seriously doubt that there is a new years celebration in heaven on the first of January. The Biblical new year comes in the spring. The is even a command that we observe it.

   I find no problem with going into a bar to preach the gospel, although there is usually little lasting fruit from such evangelism. I do find a problem with getting drunk with someone so as to be a better witness. There is a line between being salt and light and eating and drinking with the drunken. I doubt Paul went into the pagan temples and sat through the rituals just so he could have an opportunity to bring the gospel. He did not partake of their paganism, but he used a quote from one of their poets to cause them to think more seriously about the truth.

   I know of a church that used to have christian coffee house that played rock music and had a bar type atmosphere so as to draw young people into it. They had over 500 “converts.” After about 5 years they could only find one person that was still following Y’shua. That one convert insisted that it was because of their way of making the gospel more palatable or accessible that she was saved. The church leadership disagreed with her. They said she had been saved in spite of their methods. By YHWH’s grace he used their foolishness and worldliness. Since this experience they have realized that being set apart from the worlds ways is a much brighter light and produces lasting fruit for the kingdom of heaven.

   I was brought to Y’shua about 30 years ago, when I was 17, by a student teacher that was also my assistant wrestling coach. He did wrestle with us but he didn’t partake of our worldliness. He stood out a bright light. There was a draw to the righteousness, holiness, and wisdom of YHWH because he took his stand in the light instead of getting stained with our darkness. I am glad WHWH taught him to be a light on a hill instead of a light under a bushel.

   And what about abstaining form all appearance of evil?

   I do not know if your “new years” celebration was worldly. We went to a brother’s house and fellowshipped and played games. We sang some worship songs and had a prayer of dedication. There was about 25 or so of us there. I can’t say that anyone came to YHWH there, but I can say that believers were built up and maybe a few young people were strengthened in their faith.

   Be strong in YHWH my friend.

5. Ben
   January 10th, 2010 @ 8:17 pm

   my theory is that he often went hungry. he often went cold. he often went without financial support/hospitality. but he had just enough to survive i think.

   I find it harder to respect JEsus as God if he was super rich. It seems fair that Jesus should know what it is like to be hungry and be hated and poor etc. because a lot of people are like that. also i think that it would make sense for him to be poor so that no one can cry “that’s not fair”. also does Jesus value riches? probably not. so i think he had just enough to survive.

6. David
   January 13th, 2010 @ 11:18 am

   Where is the debate?

   “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)

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