I think you would like Hanukkah better...
Chocolate... I'm just sayin!
Um...
A holiday that involves lots of chocolate???
Where did you say the sign-up sheet was again?!
I think you would like Hanukkah better...
Chocolate... I'm just sayin!
I think you would like Hanukkah better...
Chocolate... I'm just sayin!
Wait, what?
Hanukkah goes big on chocolate?
Why has nobody ever told me about this?
Okay... Um... It's late October. Still time to plan. So when does Hanukkah start again?
Yeah. I figured you would say that. Right down to the pleasing God or man bit.
Fortunately my reply was more for the benefit of others than for a conversation with you. So, no biggie.
For everyone else reading this thread: if you don't want to participate, it's much more neighborly to just turn your porch light off and not answer the door than it is to be argumentative and deliberately disappoint children like this prideful "ambassador."
My wife used to attend a church here where we live where they did both as well. They handed out tracts with candy and I also can see the benefits of this. I am not opposed to handing candy out, I am against remaining silent in the face of obvious opposition to God.
It is telling that you see yourself as weighing in on conversations and dispensing your wisdom to those who are ignorant.With all due respect Lynx, 1. I am not prideful as you say. Am I proud to be and say I follow Jesus, YES. However, to say it in terms in the context also in which you responded I feel is wrong. Can I agree that turning the light off as a way to say that you are either not home or not participating as a way to deter the ones who would come to your door and ask for candy, of course it would be an option and also the "easier" option to do. I said what I said due to the fact that many modern day men and women followers of Christ do the easy thing far too much and do not stand for God even in the slightest bit. I have in many occasions, overheard conversations from complete strangers speaking in general terms and I weighed in on their conversation and spoke the truth according to the Bible so that their ignorance of the Bible and their world view was not the ONLY thing being promoted.
It is written,
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
These verses can be found in - Matthew 10: 32-33. I would say of any follower, to get in prayer and ask God essentially how you should respond, yet if He places on your heart to stay silent than obviously do so as that is His direction for you to take in that moment, however, if He does the opposite know that He has gone before you and prepared the one hearing the message prior to you speaking. In all things of course follow the Spirit of God as He directs and leads you in your walk. If you hear nothing for or against from God through prayer, than turn your light off and show that you do not participate, and if you choose to not hand out tracts, pray for them at the very least.
And Lynx, as I said before, I am not prideful in the way you denote. I am bold when it comes to my faith and as for the name: Ambassador, You are also an Ambassador are you not? Does it not say in Scripture, " Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." - 2 Corinthians 5:20
Please understand, I do and say what I do as the Lord leads and I said what I said respectfully, and did not put anyone down. However, I do and can come off as very direct, for that I apologize if my directness comes off as disrespectfully or prideful.
I'm cueing the "slow clap" gif here.... great speech.With all do respect, if I see an opportunity to promote the Lord and there is a chance of backlash from the community, I would rather stand with GOD and be judged by man than to stand with MAN and be judged by GOD. Have I done this in the past, yes I have, as well as for other holidays as well. I do not just wait until this time of the year, I do what I can year round to plant seeds. I am not worried if my car gets bombed with eggs or my yard gets targeted for toilet paper or any other actions by unbelievers. I recall that in Scripture it says that those who are persecuted for the sake of the Gospel have a special blessing, [ OT = Psalm 37:12; Jeremiah 20:2; 1 Kings 19:10 / NT = Matthew 5:10-12; Luke 6:22-23 ] So as you can see from these scripture citations, anyone who stands for God will be persecuted. I guess the real question is whether to please God or man? Look good in the eyes of God or look good in the eyes of man? I personally will choose God every time, no matter the outcome or consequence.
Not sure if I want to bite. Are these holidays pagan - Yes for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. Is it appropriate to be celebrating them - Depends on which one you mean and how.Back in the day we could count on a good crop of pagan holiday threads. Halloween is pagan, Christmas is pagan, Easter is pagan, even Thanksgiving... From 2014 to 2019 or so we had lots of them to enjoy. We would have a grand old time every year arguing about this or that holiday once again, in multiple threads.
Things have changed though... These days you can't even get one pagan Christmas thread running for more than a page or two.
So this thread is for all the holidays at once. The holidays as a group are upon us again, and this thread is for any arguing we want to do about any holiday being pagan. We can come back to this thread for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, whichever holiday is coming up next.
Right now the thread is for Halloween. It will be here before you know it. Do you have your demonic costumes and possessed candy yet?
Unless you were being facetious, please allow me to be. - It's just so honoring of Christian saints to follow the pagan tradition of warding off evil spirits with jack-o'-lanterns, playing with fear (somehow my Bible is missing that fruit of the Spirit), and by dressing up as witches.Halloween was created to remember the saints.
Not wrong to reference facts (though even those need to be vetted and considered in context), but as Christians, let's be sure to look to God and the spirit as our primary source since that is what really matters.Already got you covered with that one. Saint Nicholas is pretty well known, but less well known is the blessed Saint Boniface.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Boniface
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donar's_Oak
Unless you were being facetious, please allow me to be. - It's just so honoring of Christian saints to follow the pagan tradition of warding off evil spirits with jack-o'-lanterns, playing with fear (somehow my Bible is missing that fruit of the Spirit), and by dressing up as witches.
Ahh, it's starting to feel like the old days around here.Not sure if I want to bite. Are these holidays pagan - Yes for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. Is it appropriate to be celebrating them - Depends on which one you mean and how.
Is it worth getting into - Depends on who is listening and why.
I guess I will say, and fairly categorically, that Christians are foolish if they think celebrating Halloween is no big deal. To direct quote God from a prophetic word:
"You say; but it’s only one day – and I say; there is only one eternity."
I'm not the one you asked, but God hasn't said anything against birthdays to my church though He has expressed issues with Halloween, Christmas, & Easter. In fact when we had a Pentecost party, He told us "Happy Birthday" since it celebrates the birth of His church.Is it a sin to celebrate birthdays too?
I'm just curious what your thoughts are. I had a friend in college who was Jehovah's Witness (not saying you are by any means, I'm just wondering your stance,) and she would talk about how both celebrating holidays and birthdays was displeasing to God.
You think (s)he is disappointing them? When my aunt got trick-or-treaters she told them she had some oatmeal mush they could have if they really wanted.Yeah. I figured you would say that. Right down to the pleasing God or man bit.
Fortunately my reply was more for the benefit of others than for a conversation with you. So, no biggie.
For everyone else reading this thread: if you don't want to participate, it's much more neighborly to just turn your porch light off and not answer the door than it is to be argumentative and deliberately disappoint children like this prideful "ambassador."
Wait, we haven't finished on Halloween yet.Ahh, it's starting to feel like the old days around here.
Now all we need is a comment about tree worship and we'll be all set.
Why not both? Isn't that what the ancient Israelites tried? Instead of worshiping God or Molech they decided to go for both.Why not both? A Gospel tract fits just as easily in a goody bag as candy and chocolates can!
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