By Bob Beanblossom
12 December 2021
For many years now, I’ve heard well-meaning Christian folks explain that they don’t celebrate Christian holidays on certain days because there are, or had been, pagan celebrations on those days.
It seems to me that this is not only a bit short-sighted, but an affront to God. It doesn’t take much research to discover that every day of the year has been used by sinful man to celebrate his sinful behavior. After all, we live in a fallen world, both as revealed by Scripture and by casual observation. But rather than hiding, we are to shine His light in this sinful world that He came to save:
Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Instead of glorifying God by openly celebrating Him, these folks bow to the god of the world and hide their heads in the sand, rejecting an opportunity to shine the light of the Gospel to the world as commanded by the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). Rather than showing love for God, they join the world in rejecting the Great Commandment to proclaim Him to the world (Matthew 22:36-39) as they allow the world to rule rather than God, and as they fail to show love for their brothers and sisters by spreading the Gospel message that Jesus Saves.
Let’s take the opportunity presented by this Christmas (NOT Xmas or even a happy holiday) to obey Christ’s commandment to bring His light to the world in spite of growing anti-God social pressure. If we believe that He is “THE way, THE truth, and THE life,” and that “no man cometh unto the Father” except through belief in Him (John 14:6, emphasis mine) then we need to say so without hesitation. Remember Christian: we don’t witness in our own strength, but through Him and the power He gives us through the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle John wrote: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. . . . Who is He that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 4:4; 5:5).