Why do Christians have trials?

Why do Christians have trials?

To glorify God: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were thrown into the furnace unharmed to show Nebuchadnezzar that God was able to deliver them. Daniel 3:16 & 24-25 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” - Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Discipline for known sin:  “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”  Proverbs 3:11-12 also Hebrews 12:5-11

To prevent us from falling into sin: “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1-2

To keep us from pride: “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in the Spirit will retain honor.” Proverbs 29:23

To build faith: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

To cause growth: “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

To teach obedience and discipline:  The Lord has just told Ananias to go get Saul of Tarsus and Ananias is frightened. “But the Lord said to him ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake’.”  Acts 9:15-16

To equip us to comfort others: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

To prove the reality of Christ in us: I heard a cute little anecdote to explain this concept – If you squeeze a lemon you get lemon juice. If you squeeze an orange you get orange juice. If you squeeze a Christian you should get Christ. “ . . . We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, . . . that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-11

For testimony to angels:  “To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”1 Peter 1:12  also Ephesians 3:8-11

Why I don't celebrate holidays

  I have been asked more than once why I don’t celebrate _____ (fill in the blank)

  Please allow me to clarify a few things: Yes, I can get rather dogmatic and even legalistic over some issues; No, I am not saying that others should or should not celebrate any Pagan holiday cloaked in Christian trappings; Yes, that last statement was rather passive-aggressive.

  I am not a scholar. I am not saying I have all the answers – or even all the facts. I am simply sharing my point of view. I try not to “sling” scripture, and do not appreciate those who do. However, when possible I like to provide scriptural references. All scriptural references used here are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted.

  So why don’t I decorate our house and celebrate holidays like Easter, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, etc.? The simple answer is that it is not “okay” for me. Some Christians drink alcohol and that is okay for them. Some Christians smoke/chew tobacco and that is okay for them. Some Christians practice fornication, lie, exceed the posted speed limit, smoke marijuana or use other drugs, and a sundry of other behaviors that are okay for them – but not okay for all of us based on our own individual walks with the Lord. 1 Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.”

  Anniversaries are important to some, not so much for me. As a society we celebrate our own birthday; graduations; wedding anniversary; birthdays and deaths of those we admire (dare I say worship?) such as U.S. Presidents, civil leaders, etc. A quick look at my desk calendar shows:

·        New Year’s Day honoring the god of new beginnings. The month January was named in honor of Janus, the god of new beginnings.

·        Epiphany or Theophany or Three Kings Day - the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ child (and who said there were only three?)

·        Martin Luther King Jr. day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. observed on the third Monday of January, which is around King's birthday, January 15. (Not even on his true birthday because that might fall on an inconvenient day)

·        Valentine’s Day – the gods Pan, Juno, Cupid . . . Need I say more?

·        President’s Day is an occasion to remember all the presidents, not just George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is also in February.

·        Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, 46 days before Easter

And that is just January and February.

  Okay, back to point. I think we should celebrate each day the Lord has given us to grow in Him and do His will. Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Although it is the social norm today to celebrate the birth and death of those we admire/worship, we don’t know the date Jesus was born or died. If we are followers of Messiah we should celebrate what He celebrated and told us to remember and keep. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Jewish feasts. Celebrate His fulfillment of them. Celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Mat 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:13-20).

  And besides, if the Easter and Christmas holidays are important celebrations to honor the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, why is it nowhere mentioned in the Bible? Why didn’t Christ instruct His closest followers, His twelve chosen apostles, to keep Christmas? Why didn’t they institute or teach these observances to the early Church?

 

  Before you answer, consider that Jesus gave great authority to His twelve apostles, assuring them that they will hold positions of great importance and responsibility in His Kingdom (Mat 18:18 & 19:28; Luke 22:29-30). But since Jesus never taught His apostles to keep Christmas, nor did they ever teach Christmas or Easter to the Church though they had years of opportunity to do so, shouldn’t that make us question whether these are things Jesus really wants or appreciates?

  I like the American holidays of Thanksgiving and Independence Day - although they didn't eat turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie on the first Thanksgiving and we didn't actually gain our independence until Sept 3, 1783, but that is subject for future posts.

Earthen Vessels with Heavenly Treasure

When you live a life of faith in Jesus Christ you are an insufficient vessel containing sufficient treasure. 

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

We are not sufficient to supply the resources we need for the life He has called us to live. But as believers we need not despair because our sufficiency is from God. 



We are Earthen Vessels filled with Heavenly Treasure. God has set a pattern into the Christian life. He has crafted us as earthen vessels. We are weak and ordinary, as if made by clay. Earthen, frail, vulnerable, and inadequate, believers are meant for a purpose but are entirely insufficient for its demands. God knows we are made of common, ordinary dust. 

And yet:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 

The wonder of being a vessel is that vessels are designed to contain something. And that is where the believer’s meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in life rests—in the treasure we are meant to contain. And yet still, the believer is but an earthen vessel. Though a container, we might refer to the believer as a simple, clay flower pot. Now a clay pot is no big thing, but containing the right flower, its worth is magnified—magnified for how it reflects the beauty of the flower. This is a good picture of what the Christian life is supposed to be. The believer has great treasure kept within earthen vessels of his body and soul, in fact, within our very life. Paul has told us of this great treasure:
 
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15

That very word, fragrance, fits the imagery of a flower in a container. We are a fragrance of Christ. This fragrance comes not from the clay pot, but from that which resides in the pot. If one is to be the fragrance of Christ, that sweet-smelling aroma can only originate from Christ Himself. A clay pot only has an ordinary earthen fragrance and can never smell as a fresh flower. The fragrance comes from Christ Himself, because the life of Jesus is manifested in the believer’s body. The life of Christ is the treasure housed within the believer’s earthen vessel, within the believer’s mortal flesh.

The earthen vessel - mortal flesh. The treasure - the life of Jesus. 


Christ in us, our hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 

Paul’s point here is the believer hosts incredible treasure in an ignoble, earthen vessel. God has ordained this to be that "the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." If any excellent power is seen in and through the believer’s life, it is to be seen clearly as something foreign to his nature—it must be clear that God is the power of excellency residing in the believer.
 
Of course, this is not the manner in which humanity regularly thinks. Man generally focuses upon the earthen vessel. He shines it, paints it, polishes it, shapes it, postures it, and does whatever he can to keep it from perishing. But the outer man is perishing daily. There is no way to stop the process brought on by the Curse. The believer is encouraged to recognize these vessels are only meant for a temporary season. As long as the inner man is being renewed day by day, the believer walks the right path and God is having His way in the man.

The dynamic, animating force that is to develop, drive, and produce a Christian life is to come from the contents of the vessel, not the vessel itself. This power is to come from the treasure rather from the human in whom the treasure dwells—from the flower rather than from the clay flower pot. This is a picture of insufficient vessels, containing sufficient treasure.

The Twelve Signs of Mazzaroth (or Zodiac) - Introduction

The Twelve Signs of Mazzaroth – a brief introduction

Let’s be clear here.  I am talking about Astronomy, not Astrology.  Occults have twisted Astronomy into Astrology and horoscopes, but that does not diminish the fact that the images found in the constellations represent Biblical themes and broadcast God’s truth.

The word Mazzaroth is seen only once in the Bible, Job 38:31-32.  The word’s precise meaning is uncertain but its context is that of astronomical constellations.

The word Zodiac comes from the Greek root word zoa – meaning the way of life.  The Zodiac has been perverted and twisted into idol worshiping, horoscopes and soothsaying predictions of events, personalities, future and fortune.  The Zodiac is simply a reference to the twelve groups of stars that tell God’s story.

Jeremiah 10:1-2 “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’.”  God has put a message in the stars.  The Zodiac was put there to tell a story in pictures.

Genesis 1:14 “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for ^(a) signs and ^(b) seasons, and for ^(c) days and ^(d) years”

The lights in the heavens, the sun, moon and stars have four purposes:

(a)    Signs – symbolic representations of a story or message

(b)   Seasons – appointed times, not Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

(c)    Days – sun and moon; sun up to sunset, or sunset to sunset for the Hebraic day

(d)   Years – one revolution around the sun

God created the stars (Gen 1:14-16), and He knows their number and calls them by name (Psalm 147:4, Is 40:26)

Psalm 19:1-3 “⁽¹⁾ The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. ⁽²⁾ Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge, ⁽³⁾ there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.”

(1)    The heavens declare the glory of God

(2)    There is a message in the stars

(3)    The language of the stars is known throughout the world

Romans 1:19-20 (paraphrased) God has clearly shown us who He is and what His plan is through His creation.  

Let’s look at the twelve constellations, signs of the zodiac, as twelve chapters in God’s book, each representing a Tribe of Israel and a season or appointed time.  The first chapter is Virgo.  I will explain why when we look at Virgo in more detail in the next few posts.

For the sake of brevity here is the list:

Virgo - Zebulun

Libra - Levi

Scorpio - Dan

Sagittarius - Asher

Capricorn - Naphtali

Aquarius - Reuben

Pisces - Simeon

Aries - Gad

Taurus - Joseph's sons Ephraim & Manasseh

Gemini - Benjamin

Cancer - Issachar

Leo - Judah

All quoted scripture is from NKJV unless otherwise noted.  Material collected from various sources.  Main sources used were “The Holy Land Key” by Ray Bently and also Pastor Tim Warner’s messages on answersinrevelation.org/Mazzaroth.html

Easter

EASTER (ISHTAR)

Easter is perhaps the most popular holiday, or festival, in the Christian religion. The date moves from year to year to occur on the Sunday after the vernal equinox. According to Christian tradition Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Christ on the third day. However

Origin of the word "Easter"

In Acts 12: 4 we find the only instance of the word " Easter" in the Bible. However, the word was translated from the Greek word "Pascha" which means "Passover". When read in context it becomes clear that Luke is not referencing the resurrection. The word "Easter" actually derives from the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre. She is identified with the Babylonian fertility goddess Ishtar.

Intermingled Symbols and Practices of Pagan Worship Easter Eggs

In addition to the name, the symbols associated with Easter also show its pagan influence. In paganism the egg symbolizes the manifestation of the cosmos. The egg is also a symbol of rebirth that is associated with various pagan deities. The ancient Egyptians hung eggs in their temples. Seb, the Egyptian god of time supposedly laid an egg. In the ancient Greek Orphic tradition the primordial hermaphroditic god hatched from an egg and then created the deity. The Chinese believed that when the earth was in total darkness that Poon-Koo-Wong came out of an enormous egg as a human being with tremendous powers. According to one Babylonian legend an egg containing Ishtar fell from heaven and landed in the Euphrates River. In Babylon we also find the beginnings of Easter eggs hunts. Colored eggs were also used in honor of Ishtar. Ancient pagans believed that finding "Ishtar's egg" in nature at the time of her rebirth would bring forth a blessing. After the rise of Christianity the egg became a symbol of the tomb where Christ was resurrected, and Christians continued the pagan custom of painting eggs during the festival of Easter. In ancient Anglo-Saxon mythology the fertility goddess Ostara changed her bird into an egg laying hare, or rabbit.

Hares/Rabbits

In paganism the rabbit is a sign of sexual fertility and the moon. A rabbit or hare has four to eight litters each year. During its lifespan a rabbit can potentially produce up to six hundred offspring. It was believed that hares were associated with the fertility goddesses. The hare, like Easter, is associated with the moon. The nocturnal hare, or rabbit, carries her young for a month, the length of the moon cycle. The hare was also a symbol of pagan folklore because it was said that the dark patches on the moon looked like leaping hares.

New Clothing

During Easter it is customary to wear a new set of clothing. Pagans also did this around the time of the Equinox in celebration of the Ostara. In the Teutonic pagan tradition it was bad luck to wear spring garments before Ostara. New elegant garments were sewn during the winter to be worn during the spring festival.

Easter Lilies

Lilies are among the flowers associated with the Easter season. The lily is also revered by pagans. Pagans revered the lily and considered the flower to be a phallic symbol because it resembled the male reproductive organ.

Easter Ham

Many Christians traditionally eat a ham on Easter. This custom may in fact have derived from Babylon. According to legend, Tammuz was killed by a wild boar on a hunting expedition, and Ishtar descended into the underworld to rescue him. Each year a pig was consumed by the followers of Ishtar and Tammuz to avenge the death of their sun god.

Sunrise Service

Both Catholics and Protestants observe a sunrise service on Easter. This custom comes from the ancient spring festivals. During the Vernal Equinox in pre-Christian times pagans celebrated the rising sun. Ezekiel 8:6-18 (verse 16) “So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.” Although many Christians celebrate sunrise service in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, it is done in error. (see “Resurrection” post)

Easter was not celebrated by Early Christians

Easter was not observed by the Apostles or the early Christians. Even Tertullian asks, "If the Apostles set aside all reference to days and months and years, why do we celebrate Pascha in the first month of each year?"  There is no evidence that Easter was observed in the New Testament. Easter in relation to Christ was not celebrated until several hundred years after His death. It was common practice of the Catholic Church to overtake the pagan days and rites in order to draw in the pagans. The obvious problem is that stamping the name of Jesus on a pagan day does not in reality make the day "Christian".

Text quoted heavily from The Pagan Origins of Christian Holidays by Elisha Israel and various Wikipedia pages.