Merry Christmas, Merry X-Mas, Christian Confusion & The Whole Nine Yards

Well, this year is a lot like most years.  Some are desperately trying to “put Christ back in Christmas”.  Some are trying to kick Christ out of everything to do with our civilization.  Some are so mixed up they don’t know which way to jump.

Sometimes I must confess I am the latter. Here’s my dilemma...  As a Christian, I am absolutely compelled to stand up for my Lord and Christianity in general.  However, what most people consider to be “Christianity” is not truly Christianity.  Ironically, those wishing to attack Christianity, often end up attacking Catholicism or some other denominational variant instead.
  
With Christmas in mind, let’s pick one example of confusion: The nativity scenes. . .

In recent years, there has been a full court press against the public display of nativity scenes.  Those attacks are intended to drive Christianity from the public spectrum.  Ironically anyone who has a respect for the Bible, is going to be loathe to defend the nativity scenes (regardless of the motives of those attacking them!). These same Christians (myself included) may aggressively wish to defend the fact that Christianity played a huge role in developing our culture, and it’s eventual success. 


Why can’t I defend the nativity scenes?   Let me count the ways. . .
1)  Angels over the manger. The angels appeared to the shepherds in the field.  Luke 2:8ff. The angels spoke to the shepherds.  Then, “When the angels had gone away from them into heaven,”  (Luke 2:15)  the shepherds went to the manger and saw it all. Were the angels around all this? You bet. Do I have a right to place them at the manger when the Word of God doesn’t say they were there?

2)  The three wise men.  How many wise men? The bible doesn’t say.  Many of the oldest traditions hold that there were 12.  (not three). It is thought that tradition has eventually settled on three wise men because of the three gifts.

What You May Not Know About Christmas

Today’s article (see below) will allow a bit of a father’s pride to show through.  It was written by my daughter.  She had done her own research with the intention of drawing her own conclusions and explaining why she believed what she believed to her friends.  She then sent it to me to edit and criticize… I asked for permission to send it out on my “Jottings”

Christians that study scripture will rapidly find themselves in a dilemma.  What can we participate in and defend?  For example, only a light reading of scripture reveals that the nativity scenes pass on a sorely mistaken view of what actually happened the night our Lord was born. As the ACLU attacks their placement in public places with a view to attacking Christianity… Our dilemma is, how do we defend Christianity without defending what is not really Christianity?

There is a certain joy that comes with watching your children come of age and establish families of their own.  That joy runs even deeper as you watch them choose Christian spouses and then establish Christian families.

Yours in Christ,
Jerry Blount

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What You May Not Know About Christmas...

What does the Bible say?

I don’t celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday- the reason being that the Bible doesn’t tell me to. Under the Old Law, God was very specific about the holy days He wanted observed. He told what event was to be remembered, what should be taught, how and when to observe the celebration. Today… we aren’t under the Old Law anymore (refer to Hebrews 8-10), and God radically changed the way worship occurs in the New Testament. The only way we are commanded to remember Christ with a ceremony today is the Lord's Supper which we observe every Sunday. (1 Cor 11:23-26, Ac 20:7). The New Testament church did not celebrate the birth of Christ in any special way. If Jesus wanted us to celebrate His birthday, He would have told us to celebrate it, when and how to celebrate it. God has given us all instruction about life and godliness in the scriptures (2 Peter 1:3, 2 Timothy 3:16-17). It’s not my place to add in any religious holidays or observances that God didn’t command (Rev. 22:18).
 
 
When was Jesus born?

         No one knows the date Jesus was born! Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 describe Christ’s birth. December 25th, or any Roman or Hebrew equivalent is not mentioned! What we do know is that the shepherds were abiding in the fields, watching over their sheep at night (Luke 2:8), which wouldn’t be the case in December. “It's a well-known fact that December falls in the middle of the rainy season in Palestine, and the sheep were kept in the fold at that time of the year.”3 (Refer to Ezra 10:9-13, Song of Solomon 2:11, which show winter as the rainy season and shepherds could not be out on the cold, open fields at night with their sheep.)

The Day Our Church Fired Jesus!

Could Jesus preach for “your” church?

Is “your” church, “His” church?

Today’s article will be intended to fill in an oversight in my preaching and teaching.  Over the last few years I have found myself reacting to some of the ever changing attitudes of the society in which I live.  

I have come to believe that the “feel good” religion now sweeping our churches in the name of Christianity is to the church what drug addiction is to society at large.  Once these churches are infected, they rapidly become addicted.  I.E.  filled with a very shallow people wanting ever more dramatic events to make us “feel” fulfilled.  Once addicted, hype replaces substance. Sounds like somewhat of a reversed substance abuse? Churches abuse their members  from a lack of substance.  Drug addicts abuse their bodies by the invasion of harmful substance.  These churches are always looking for the innovative method of church growth.  “Children’s church” replaces training your children to worship and respect their creator.  As the youth move into teenage, entertainment replaces serious Bible study and effective spiritual growth. In other words, the original call of the gospel is often replaced with an offer of entertainment or treats.

Most of the religious leaders involved in these changes know that what they are presenting is different than what Jesus presented.  Their justification (once called on the issue) will remind you of all the “medical”marijuana arguments raging in the secular world.  The bottom line is really the same. 

Sermons Recorded in Matthew

Sermon on the mount 5:1 - 7:29  He sent them home with….

22.  "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

 23.  "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

 (Note this was followed by the parable of the wise and foolish man to drive it home).The 12 commissioned 10:1-42  He sent them home with….

33.  "But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

 34.  "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

 35.  "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW;

 36.  and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.

 37.  "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Proving the Story of Jesus

Today’s article will be focused on untangling a stubborn knot for some people. I will be attempting to put before you one very solid answer to why a grown man can hold his head up and declare that he believes Jesus to be the Son of God.

To often we have allowed others to characterize Christianity as a group of followers of an incredible myth. Little do many realize that Christianity, the Bible, and the story of the Bible will stand up to honest, even hostile, scrutiny.

Christianity is not Blind stupid faith! It is the only sensible way to approach life and the God who created it! Today we’ll look at one segment of proving this to be so.

I am 52 years old and I won’t blindly follow anyone anywhere without a real reason to do so…. I don’t expect you to either! That said, the Bible is the Word of God!

The story of Jesus: Was it a Myth or can we prove Jesus to be the true focus of all of human history?

Answer: Yes, a Christian can prove that Jesus is the focus of all of human history!