Confirming the date o Christ's birth

Here are further proofs to prove that the date of Christ's birth  has never been a secret or unknown  by those whom He came to save.

·         Christ's presentation to the Lord

 As it is written; “Now when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him (Christ) to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord").

3.      The visit of the wise men from the East

 It is well documented in scripture that Jesus Christ was born as the King of kings and Lord of lords, because we are told that; “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying; "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:1-2, 11).

The presentation of gold was to honor Him as King, the frankincense was to honor Him as God, and the myrrh was to honor Him as man.

•           The beginning of Christ's Ministry

Jesus Christ began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23).

So I beg to ask the question, how could all these things happen on a precise date if no one knew the date Jesus Christ was born?

·         Jesus’ appearance before Pilate

During His earthly trial, He was brought before Pilate who, “called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him and said, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" Then Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:33-37).

·         The Feast of Tabernacles

 Now there is a feast of the Lord which honors and commemorates the arrival of the King of kings and Lord of hosts, as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah. This festival is so indispensable that in the future, every nation will be required to come and worship the King, and those who refuse to worship the King will be severely punished, for it is written; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.'

“And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In that day "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar” (Zechariah 14:16-20).

Now there is a definite date, and time of the year for this celebration and commemoration of this festival for t is written; “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles seven days to the LORD. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it” (Leviticus 23: 34-36).

And so definitely, as one can clearly see this festival was ordained by the Lord to commemorate and to worship the King of kings and the Lord of hosts and it is synonymous, coincides and intertwined with the Feast of Tabernacles and therefore, this festival commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ who was born and came into the world as a King and the Eighth Day which is associated with this festival obviously commemorates the Lord’s circumcision.

So what is so difficult in this for one to understand, believe and upheld since we are claiming to be believers in Jesus Christ? Truly, these times of ignorance God has overlooked but now commands al men everywhere to repent.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Exposing the lies about no one knows the date of Christ's birth

Let us continue exposing the lies that no one knows the exact date of Christ's birth in order to promote Satan's lie and causing innocent sincere people to worship him instead of the King of hosts and the Lord o lords.

·         The visitation from the heavenly hosts

Having expounded a little on the prophet Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the arrival of the King of kings and Lord of hosts let us now focus on the actual arrival of the King of kings and Lord of hosts and prove whether the date of His arrival is unknown as being promulgated.

On the exact day on which Jesus Christ was born an angel appeared to the shepherds and said to them; “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger,” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men" (Luke 2:10-14)!

So how could such a remarkable day be unknown when it is further stated; “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds (Luke 2:15-18).

So I beg to ask the question, if the shepherds experience firsthand the good news of great joy which was destined for all people and when they experienced exactly what the angel told them and made widely known what was told them concerning this child, and all who heard it marveled at what was said to them by the shepherds, how could this be a secret or unknown?

·         The circumcision of Jesus Christ

It is clearly stated that; “And when eight days (after the birth of Jesus Christ) were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke 2:21).

So how could such a day and event be concealed or unknown when this is the day on which God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father? (Philippians 2:9-11)

This is also the day on which Gentiles who were called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands and at that time were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world and were far off were brought near by the blood of Christ through His circumcision (Ephesians 2:11-13).

Again, I beg to ask the question how could such a remarkable day which is for the benefit of all humanity be unknown or hidden from those it is intended to benefit. Except there is a ploy or a hidden agenda to conceal it or, a huge cloud of deception has unfortunately engulfed the entire world.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The prophecy of Isaiah (chapter 9:6-7)

 

·         Isiah’s prophecy

To those who are still doubtful as to when Jesus Christ was born and came to this earth as the King of kings and Lord of lords due to the massive deception that is hovering over this planet let us look at the historical and biblical proofs to prove exactly when Jesus Christ was born. But before delving into the biblical proofs please bear in mind the fact that when it comes to worship, one either worships the One and only true God and Jesus Christ or, one worships the prince of the power of the air the spirit which now works in the sons of disobedience and what differentiates one from the other is the truth which is the word of God.

So what is the truth regarding the date of Christ’s birth? According to the prophet Isaiah the Kingship of Jesus Christ began from His birth and will continue forever, and so let us for a moment expound what the Prophet Isiah wrote regarding the birth of Jesus Christ, he wrote the following;

a.       For unto us (humanity) a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder.

First and foremost we learn that, this Child from birth is given to us as a Son (the Son of God) and the Government (of God) will be upon His shoulder. In other words His responsibility is to be King from birth.

b.      His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

Since His name denotes all these things, it signifies that, the name of this Child is powerful and remains the same yesterday, today and forever and as the apostle Paul stated; “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Imagine the day on which Jesus Christ received the name which is above all other name is practically unknown, ignored, denied and rejected by those who profess to know Him, what a shame! When in addition to this, we all should honor the Son just as we honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” He also said’ “I and My Father are one" (John 5:23; 10:30).

c.       “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.”

Again, please note carefully that, the increase of His government and peace there will be no end and this all began from the day of His birth and from that time forward, even forever and so, whatever day or occasion that commemorates or gives glory and honor to the King of kings also commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and will continue forever.

And so, I again beg to ask the question, why are we who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ fail to believe and gladly embrace the word of God which states; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).

Can’t we see that the day which is ordained to worship the King, the Lord of hosts and the Feast of Tabernacles are intertwined? And since they are intertwined this means that the Eighth Day which is associated with the Feast of Tabernacles is the day Jesus Christ was circumcised and received the name which is above all other names?

For thus it is written; “And when eight days (from birth) were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb” (Luke 2:27).

d.       “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

This signifies that, there is absolutely nothing that can prevent what was ordained to take place from the day of Christ’s birth from happening as was prophesied. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart: And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13).

And as one can clearly derive from the scriptures the Feast which is ordained to honor the King of kings and Lord of hosts is intertwined with the Feast of Tabernacles and so, when one observes one they automatically observes the other because the two are inseparable.

So my question is, why professing believers in Jesus Christ continue to sing songs like, “Joy to the world the Lord has come, let earth receive the King.” Or, Hark the herald angels sing glory to the new born King” and refuse to associate it with the Feast of Tabernacles?

What a deception! However, these times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. The question is, will you?

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Fourth reason why Christians should not celebrate Christmas

4.                  The date of Christ's birth has never been a secret

The fourth reason why Christians should not celebrate Christmas it is because the popular teaching to support the Christmas theory in that no one knows the exact date of Christ's birth is both erroneous and deceptive. Unfortunately, “if the date of Christ's birth is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” 2Corinthians 4:4).

If the date of Christ's birth is unknown as most deceivers have said and led so many to believe it is unknown because of the huge cloud of deception that is hanging over the entire world and because of the denial and rejection of Jesus Christ by those who knew Him for it is written; “Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  Look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? The response of those who rejected and denied Him as being the Christ said; “we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."

Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me" (John 7:25-29).

Here we see where the idea of no one knows the date of Christ’s birth came imagine now, in the middle of winter people who profess to know Jesus Christ are delighted in singing “Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the new born king” when the time the angels sang glory to the new born King the shepherds were outside in the fields keeping watch over their flocks.

In addition to this, how can profess Christians have blinded their eyes to the festival designated and ordained specifically for the worship and adoration of the King of kings and Lord of lords and which is intertwined with the biblical Feast of Tabernacles when the scripture clearly states: “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles?”

What is so difficult in this scripture for one who professes to believe in Jesus Christ to understand and believe! And remember, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever? And since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever one should take into deep consideration and consequences for not worshiping the King of kings and Lord of lords and keep the Feast of Tabernacles which is stated as follows: “And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:17-19).

The onus is on each individual to believe or not to believe, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad so the choice is yours whether to believe or not to be believe.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Third reason why Christians should not celebrate Christmas

3.                  Whosoever worships God must worship Him in spirit and truth

The first and most important thing one has to bear in mind when it comes to the worship of the One and only true God is that of worshiping Him in spirit and in truth for the scripture states quite emphatically, “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:22-24).

One must also bear in mind the fact that, the adversary Satan the devil seeks to be worshiped just as God is worshiped and so we have been duly instructed saying; “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1Cointhians 8:5-6).

Unfortunately, not everyone has this knowledge and not everyone believes and understands that, “all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” And furthermore, Jesus Christ is the spokesman the Word of God by whom all things were created and this is what He said; “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me: You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form” (John 5:23; 37).

And therefore, there is absolutely no justification in trying to worship Jesus Christ in any way that is contrary or different to that of the Father and since one must worship the Father in spirit and in truth, this obligation is also applicable to Jesus Christ and so I beg to ask the question, what is the spirit and truth in celebrating and worshiping Jesus Christ on Christmas day?

To worship in spirit denotes that the purpose, the rationale, the objective, the intent for worshiping on that day or for that occasion must be genuine, sincere and coming from the heart, but one should also be mindful of the fact that, one can be very sincere but be sincerely wrong: And so, one is required not only to worship God in spirit but also in truth.

And so what does it means to worship God in truth? To worship God in truth is to worship Him according to His word as illustrated by the Psalmist David and Jesus Christ who respectively stated; “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” And, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (Psalms 119:160; John 17:17).

Now there is absolutely no proof or veracity that Jesus Christ has anything to do with the festival of Christmas, and the worse indictment that has been indicted against believers is that of worshiping God according to the customs and traditions of men.

For thus says the Lord; “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ' This people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men ... the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:6-9).

The festival of Christmas regardless of how it is depicted such as, the season of giving and sharing, the season of joy and gladness and the call to bring Jesus back in Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ and true sincere believers should abstain from everything associated with this festival because it is totally vain, useless and idolatrous. 

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Second reason why Christians should not celebrate Christmas

 

1.      The festival of Christmas honors the adversary Satan the devil

Since there are two kingdoms which governs this world, namely, the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness and since this festival was introduced to Christianity by the fourth beast to whom Satan has given his throne, his power and great authority, obviously, this festival honors the ruler of the kingdom of darkness and not the Ruler of the kingdom of light/

The introduction or the merging of Christmas with Christianity we are told according to history was implemented by the fourth beast of Daniel's prophecy, for it is stated that “The first mention of the celebration of Christmas occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman calendar, which indicates December 25 as the day of observance.”

In a vision seen by the prophet Daniel he said, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.”

The vision was later interpreted to Daniel and he said; "I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth” (Daniel 7:2-3; 15-17).

The four great beasts or kings/kingdoms are:

1.                  The Chaldean/Babylonian Empire (605-506 B.C)

2.                  The Persian Empire (529.B.C)

3.                  The Grecian/Macedonian Empire (Golden age 461-431 B.C.)

4.                  The Roman Empire with its seven revivals (200 B.C.

At the time the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation he wrote this concerning this fourth kingdom, “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name” (Revelation 13:1).

Now the angel who revealed the mystery of the beast (kingdom), and the woman (church) who controls it said to him, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit (Satan's kingdom) and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.'

"Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman (church) sits. are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition” (Revelation 17:7-11).

Now the remarkable or distinguish characteristics of this fourth beast is that it bears the characteristics of the other three previous beasts for it is written; “Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon (Satan the devil) gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (Revelation 13:2-4)

 The sad reality is, inasmuch as it is the beast to whom Satan has given his power, his throne, and great authority that amalgamated Christmas to Christianity, whoever therefore observes this festival, honors Satan, for it is written; “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And the entire world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon (Satan the devil) who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:3-4).

The crux of the matter is, one is either a citizen of the kingdom of light or a citizen of the kingdom of darkness because the moment we receive and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior the Father deliver us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins: (Colossians 1:13-14).

And so, we are either citizens of the kingdom of darkness whose ruler is Satan the devil, or we are citizens of the Kingdom of light whose Ruler is Jesus Christ. "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matthew 6:24; 7: 17-18).

The choice is for every individual to make; For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Everyone will have to give an account of himself to God. So the choice is yours.

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Wit brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?

 

Christmas as we all know is the most celebrated festival in the whole world, it is known to be the happiest and busiest time of the year for millions of Christians throughout the world, and traditionally known as the holiday season.

Christmas celebrations have a long history dating back to the 300's as recoded in the “World Book Encyclopedia” stating; “The first mention of the celebration of Christmas occurred in A.D. 336 in an early Roman calendar, which indicates December 25 as the day of observance.”

It further states that; “This celebration was probably influenced by pagan (unchristian) festivals held at that time. The ancient Romans held year-end celebrations to honor Saturn, their harvest god; and Mithras, the god of light.”

Having cited these quotations, I again ask the question, “Should Christians observe Christmas festivals?”

I know how difficult it is to depart from old family and religious traditions, and especially from something that has been imbedded in human society for thousands of years, and so the first reaction or feedback one receives when trying to bring changes to any old tradition is, “Are you trying to change the world.” And since it is impossible to change the world, the concept of many is that, if you cannot change something, you join it and go along with the system.

But the irony of truth is, no one can change this evil world, it is going to be progressively evil, and so we are not to go along with it because we cannot change it, the admonition for the true believer is, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues: For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:4-5).

And remember, Jesus in His prayer on behalf of His disciples said; “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:14-17).

So here are some reasons why Christians should not observe Christmas festivals: 

1.                  Christmas has a pagan origin

In this regard, the Lord, who is Jesus Christ, and the same yesterday, today and forever warned His people concerning the worshiping of false gods and said; “When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.'

“You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12: 29-32).

We are further instructed saying; “Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: "Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.'

“They decorate it with silver and gold; They fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; They must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good" (Jeremiah 10:1-5).

There is no shadow of doubt that the Christmas celebration has everything to do with this vain custom.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The antidote for our present state of affairs

Crimes, murders, frauds, scams have become the hallmark of our society worldwide and it seems that no one has the solution to solve the problem because; dealing with the effects and not the root cause of a situation will never solve the problem. Regardless of how many vehicles that are made available to law enforcement personnel or equipping them with the most sophisticated weapons this still will not solve the state of affairs the entire world is now facing  because, according to bible prophecy; “Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2Timothy 3:.13).

So then, what is the antidote for this gloomy situation mankind is facing worldwide? As I made mentioned in a previous article; “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

And since our battles and weapons are not carnal but spiritual in nature, no physical weapons or accessories can help alleviate the problem, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 4:12).

What therefore is the antidote for the global crisis of crime, murder, fraud, scam and the total disrespect to the natural laws of nature which governs the universe and humanity?

Since our battles are spiritual and not carnal we are to look inward and not outward for the solution to help curb this dreadful situation. Outwardly, we are what we eat, but inwardly, we are what we think for as a man thinks in his heart so is he and so our problem stems from our education system which teaches us how to earn a living, but does not teach us how to live.

If only we were taught by our education system be it at home, school or churches how to live and not merely how to earn a living our attitude towards life would be entirely different because, the way and knowledge of how to live does not discriminate or segregate because it applies to all gender, race, religion or creed.

The way to live which is spiritual and not physical is threefold and are intertwined with each other and they are:

1. To live in awe, respect, adoration and gratitude of the Most High

Regardless of one’s beliefs or ideologies, when one considers the human anatomy the way it is designed,, the laws which govern the universe such as the sun, moon, stars, the planets and laws such as the law of inertia and gravity one has to conclude that there must be a superior power who created, controls and governs all these things.

And so, in expressing one’s respect, adoration, gratitude, thanksgiving and awe to this Superior Being one has to get him/herself acquainted and knowledgeable about the existence of this Being in order to have a relationship with Him and to give Him the honor, the glory and the praise that is due to Him. This is termed as one’s upward calling.

2. The development of one’s self

We are all unique and different to each other and whatever gift or talent we are gifted with, is an investment which we all will have to give an account: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2Corinthians 5:10).

The crux of the matter is, “to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. “ So; “that we may learn not to think beyond what is written, that none of us may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who makes us differ from another? And what do we have that we did not receive? Now if we did indeed receive it, why do we boast as if we had not received it?” (Ephesians 4:7; 1Corinthians 4:6-7).

And so, learning to identify our gifts, talents, abilities and potentials, knowing who we are and try to develop them to the full and learning to do unto others as we would like them do to us which is the second great commandment and known as our inward calling, even the drug situation which is affecting many of our young people and causing them to destroy their lives and that of others would be immensely averted.

3.  Reaching out to others

The third integral part of our learning process on how to live is to serve and reach out to others with whatsoever gift, talent and abilities we have been gifted with since no one is able to give what they don’t have and so it is imperative that we take our second or inward calling in deep consideration because we have been duly admonished saying;

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1Corinthians 12: 4-7).

We are further admonished saying; “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1John 3:16-18).

We have also been duly admonished saying; “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1Timothy 6:17-9).

This third aspect of living is termed our outward calling. And so, if we were taught how to live and not simply how to earn a living with the perception of let us eat and drink, build beautiful houses, buy expensive cars and yachts, let us travel, one life to live for tomorrow we die we would have had a totally different perspective of life and a greater respect and appreciation for one another.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Be transformed

Be transformed

Many people grew up without knowing the basic things we all are required to do in this life because they are not knowledgeable and not thoroughly educated about the world in which we live. The world in which we live is not what the majority of us believe it to be and for this reason we have been duly admonished saying:

1.       Do not be conformed to this world

2.       Be transformed

3.       Renew the mind

These words of admonition denotes that, we are not to be conformed to this world which means that we are not to act or be in agreement with generally accepted standards of business, law, conduct, or the worship of this world. But rather be transformed, meaning, to change in form of appearance, in conduct, in character or in nature which can only be achieved by the renewing of our mind.

So the question is, why are these three things necessary? They are tremendously important because this present world in which we live is categorized as, "This present evil age" and we have been duly admonished saying; "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves this world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away and the lust of it,but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1John 2:15- 17).

We have also been warned saying; "Adulterers and adulteresses: Do you not know that friendship with this world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4). We should also bear in mind the fact that, our natural carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, not indeed can be. " And that, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can be know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1Corinthians 2:14).

Therefore, in order to truly understand and fulfill the purpose of our life we are admonished not to be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our mind in order to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God, because the natural mind does not understand the things of the spirit, and since this world is under the sway of the wicked one, we are therefore warned to "come out of her My people, lest you share in her sins and less you receive of her plaques. For her sins have reached to heaven and God has remembered her iniquities" (Revelation 18:4-5).

It is therefore incumbent for us who profess to be believers to come to the realization and see that to live and walk in the spirit is as practical and literal as living and walking in the flesh and stop having just an emotional, sanctimonious, sentimental approach to Christianity, for truly these times of ignorance God has overlooked but now commands all men everywhere to repent.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The root cause of our present dilemma (part two)

The reality is, we are spirit beings imprisoned in a physical body with the potential of becoming the adopted sons of God for which of course Satan and his demons will do any and everything to thwart the plan which God has in store for us and for this reason we have been duly instructed saying; “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour: Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world” (1Peter 5:8-9).

Therefore, the crimes and violence that we are experiencing now worldwide is Satan’s wrath against humanity especially knowing that he has but a short time as we have been forewarned saying; “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you having great wrath because, he knows that he has a short time" (Revelations 12:12).

What most professing believers have not seriously and literally taken into consideration is the fact that, once we have believed and accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we should give thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).

And although we have been duly instructed saying; “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” And are reminded: “to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men” (Romans 13:1-2; Titus 3:1-2).

Nevertheless, since our citizenship is in heaven and we are ambassadors of the Kingdom of light we represent the kingdom of God here on earth and therefore, we ought to obey God rather than men and therefore our personal lives ought to be governed by the laws of God and not by the customs and traditions of men especially when it comes to the worship of God, for this is what the Lord says; “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:7-9).

What we all need to know, understand and believe is that, from the first Adam we received the breath of life which is temporary, but from the last Adam we received the gift of life which is the absence of death and our responsibility whilst we still have the breath of life, is to construct our human body as our permanent dwelling place so that what is mortal and corruptible will become immortal and incorruptible.

Now the way this is done is by imitating the life of Jesus Christ so that the nature of Christ can be formed in us as we have been duly admonished saying; “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1John 3:1-3).

We have been further instructed saying; “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world” (1John 4:17).

It is by trying to imitate the life of Jesus Christ that we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Corinthians 3:18).

And finally at the resurrection there will be different degrees of glory just like “there is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead” (1Corinthians 15:41-42).

Our resp

onsibility therefore in the midst of all what is taking place around us is to be co-workers with Christ, building our spiritual house with enduring materials like gold, silver or precious stones which will be able to endure the test by fire so as to receive a reward in the final analysis.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph