Hollywood and other promoters of human viewpoint would have us believe that the “Holiday Season” is a time for love, gifting, peace, family, and friends.
Q: And what is wrong with this recipe?
A: It’s missing the main ingredient.
Would we not find odd to go to a birthday celebration only to discover that not even the name of the one whose birth being celebrated is mentioned?
Yet this is the scenario in which Christmas is celebrated in many households, including those of so-called Christians.
Human viewpoint will always line up with the fallen nature in Man.
Before we get to the missing ingredient, let's take a look at some of the other ingredients that human view point has added to the mix.
As in the case of many spiritual issues, the devil and the forces of evil will promote alternatives. Some of these alternatives, in of themselves, are fine as long as they are kept in their appropriate place of priority. These alternatives are designed to appear to be what God would endorse or require, but the end result will always fall short.
First on the above list of ingredients is love. But what kind of love is being called for in the recipe?
Although 1 Cor. 13: 4-8 is often quoted during wedding ceremonies, this passage is not speaking of personal love. It is speaking of divine love. It is not very far along the road of a personal relationship that one will learn just how fragile and conditional personal love can be.
Divine love is always patient (vs. 4).
Personal love is often impatient.
Divine love is always kind and is not jealous (vs. 4).
Personal love can become mean, controlling, and even insanely jealous.
Divine love does not brag and is not arrogant (vs. 4). Divine love does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own (vs. 5).
Personal love can be one-sided, placing its desires above the interests of his/her partner. In many human relationships, one partner is the giver and one partner is the taker. The giver gets joy in what he/she can give. The taker gets joy out of all that he/she can get.
Divine love is not easily provoked (vs. 5).
Personal love can be easily offended, jumping to conclusions before all the facts can be made known.
Divine love does not keep an on-going account (Psalms 103: 12) of wrong doings (vs. 5).
Personal love often maintains a very detailed record of all the wrongs it has suffered, bringing up its list of all the wrongs suffered since the beginning of the relationship when a new confrontation takes place.
Divine love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things (vs. 7).
Personal love fades when its expectations are not met. Personal love doubts many things.
Personal love can lose all hope and any desire to continue with the relationship.
With all the romance themes projected by Hollywood, you would think that it’s Valentine’s Day on the horizon.
For those who have recently experienced the loss or the breakdown of a personal relationship, this kind of entertainment can intensify the sadness of their recent loss.
The next ingredient on the list is gifting. Gifting involves both giving and receiving. Presents that are given can amount to no more than investments (given to get), re-payments of debts, familial “obligations” or the means to manipulate or control the lives of the recipients. Presents can have “ribbons,” but if there are “strings” attacked, they are not gifts.
Investments, payments, obligations, and means of control or manipulation are NOT gifts.
Regardless of our financial circumstances, every born again believer has a gift (1Cor. 12) they have been given for the benefit of others (1Cor. 12: 7). I can’t think of a better way to honor the Guest of Honor than to bring his/her spiritual gift to the table.
The next ingredient on the above list is peace on Earth. But what kind of peace was it that the Christmas angel (Luke 2: 14) proclaimed at the First Advent?
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased (Luke 2: 14 NASB).”
Here in the Church Age, the ones with whom He is pleased are those that have been reconciled with Him as a result of being born again (John 3: 5, 7).
For those who live in tumultuous or even violent domestic, social, or political circumstances, interpersonal and/or international peace on Earth has not been their experience during the Holiday Season or any other time of the year.
Not knowing what kind of peace that the Christmas angel proclaimed at the First Advent will cause the ignorant to ask where is the peace on earth? The type of peace that was announced at the First Advent IS available to everyone (John 3: 16), regardless of his/her personal circumstances here on Earth.
The type of peace that was announced at the First Advent results in there no longer being any hostility (Romans 8: 7) between God and the soul that is born again.
Lasting international peace (Isa. 2:4) on the global level will not be experienced until a future dispensation (Rev. 20:4) is in view.
The Lord Jesus Christ himself made it crystal clear that He did not (at the First Advent) come to bring interpersonal peace, but a rather a sword (Matt.10: 34-36).
The Gospel Message will create divisions within personal relationships (Micah 7: 5) and familial (Matt. 10: 35, 36) environments, let alone groups that are as large and diverse as nations.
Christians are called (Romans 12: 18), as much as possible, to live at peace with everyone. But there are times when taking a stand for God and/or the things of God are going to result in confrontations, persecution, and rejection.
The last ingredient on the above list concerns fellowship.
Depending on one’s individual level of need for human interaction (Gen. 2: 18), the desire for fellowship, especially during the Holiday Season, can become a painful experience when it is not fulfilled.
But compromising one’s convictions to secure or to maintain fellowship is a slippery slope (James 4:4).
For an advancing disciple, being welcomed with open arms by those who hold to this world’s standards is not a good sign that all is well with God.
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you (John 15: 19) NASB).”
The closer one draws to God, the less of an interest one will have in what this world has to offer, and the less of an interest this world and the worldly people within it will have in you.
There is fellowship with family (Luke 14: 26), friends, and the world (Jams 4: 4). And then there is fellowship with God (2Cor. 13: 14).
In their proper place of priority (Luke 14: 26), there is a place for interaction with family, friends, and even the world. One cannot “go out and bear fruit – John 15: 16), “ with anyone with whom he/she has no meaningful contact or interaction.
There are types of love (1Cor. 3) peace (John 14: 27/Phil. 4: 7), gifting (1Cor. 12), and fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14/John 15: 16) that are a part of the recipe that God has in mind for Holiday Celebrations, but they differ from what appears to be the same ingredients promoted by human viewpoint.
This brings us to the matter of the missing ingredient.
Without the significance of the birth of Christ being the main ingredient (focus of attention) in the recipe, the celebration is spiritually meaningless.
People can have a “good time” (as a good time is defined by human viewpoint) without God or the things of God even being mentioned.
But just as our taste buds or sense of smell in the natural realm can tell when something has been left out of the recipe; those with spiritual discernment can tell when the main ingredient has been left out of the celebration.
Q: And what is wrong with this recipe?
A: It’s missing the main ingredient.
Would we not find odd to go to a birthday celebration only to discover that not even the name of the one whose birth being celebrated is mentioned?
Yet this is the scenario in which Christmas is celebrated in many households, including those of so-called Christians.
Human viewpoint will always line up with the fallen nature in Man.
Before we get to the missing ingredient, let's take a look at some of the other ingredients that human view point has added to the mix.
As in the case of many spiritual issues, the devil and the forces of evil will promote alternatives. Some of these alternatives, in of themselves, are fine as long as they are kept in their appropriate place of priority. These alternatives are designed to appear to be what God would endorse or require, but the end result will always fall short.
First on the above list of ingredients is love. But what kind of love is being called for in the recipe?
Although 1 Cor. 13: 4-8 is often quoted during wedding ceremonies, this passage is not speaking of personal love. It is speaking of divine love. It is not very far along the road of a personal relationship that one will learn just how fragile and conditional personal love can be.
Divine love is always patient (vs. 4).
Personal love is often impatient.
Divine love is always kind and is not jealous (vs. 4).
Personal love can become mean, controlling, and even insanely jealous.
Divine love does not brag and is not arrogant (vs. 4). Divine love does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own (vs. 5).
Personal love can be one-sided, placing its desires above the interests of his/her partner. In many human relationships, one partner is the giver and one partner is the taker. The giver gets joy in what he/she can give. The taker gets joy out of all that he/she can get.
Divine love is not easily provoked (vs. 5).
Personal love can be easily offended, jumping to conclusions before all the facts can be made known.
Divine love does not keep an on-going account (Psalms 103: 12) of wrong doings (vs. 5).
Personal love often maintains a very detailed record of all the wrongs it has suffered, bringing up its list of all the wrongs suffered since the beginning of the relationship when a new confrontation takes place.
Divine love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things (vs. 7).
Personal love fades when its expectations are not met. Personal love doubts many things.
Personal love can lose all hope and any desire to continue with the relationship.
With all the romance themes projected by Hollywood, you would think that it’s Valentine’s Day on the horizon.
For those who have recently experienced the loss or the breakdown of a personal relationship, this kind of entertainment can intensify the sadness of their recent loss.
The next ingredient on the list is gifting. Gifting involves both giving and receiving. Presents that are given can amount to no more than investments (given to get), re-payments of debts, familial “obligations” or the means to manipulate or control the lives of the recipients. Presents can have “ribbons,” but if there are “strings” attacked, they are not gifts.
Investments, payments, obligations, and means of control or manipulation are NOT gifts.
Regardless of our financial circumstances, every born again believer has a gift (1Cor. 12) they have been given for the benefit of others (1Cor. 12: 7). I can’t think of a better way to honor the Guest of Honor than to bring his/her spiritual gift to the table.
The next ingredient on the above list is peace on Earth. But what kind of peace was it that the Christmas angel (Luke 2: 14) proclaimed at the First Advent?
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased (Luke 2: 14 NASB).”
Here in the Church Age, the ones with whom He is pleased are those that have been reconciled with Him as a result of being born again (John 3: 5, 7).
For those who live in tumultuous or even violent domestic, social, or political circumstances, interpersonal and/or international peace on Earth has not been their experience during the Holiday Season or any other time of the year.
Not knowing what kind of peace that the Christmas angel proclaimed at the First Advent will cause the ignorant to ask where is the peace on earth? The type of peace that was announced at the First Advent IS available to everyone (John 3: 16), regardless of his/her personal circumstances here on Earth.
The type of peace that was announced at the First Advent results in there no longer being any hostility (Romans 8: 7) between God and the soul that is born again.
Lasting international peace (Isa. 2:4) on the global level will not be experienced until a future dispensation (Rev. 20:4) is in view.
The Lord Jesus Christ himself made it crystal clear that He did not (at the First Advent) come to bring interpersonal peace, but a rather a sword (Matt.10: 34-36).
The Gospel Message will create divisions within personal relationships (Micah 7: 5) and familial (Matt. 10: 35, 36) environments, let alone groups that are as large and diverse as nations.
Christians are called (Romans 12: 18), as much as possible, to live at peace with everyone. But there are times when taking a stand for God and/or the things of God are going to result in confrontations, persecution, and rejection.
The last ingredient on the above list concerns fellowship.
Depending on one’s individual level of need for human interaction (Gen. 2: 18), the desire for fellowship, especially during the Holiday Season, can become a painful experience when it is not fulfilled.
But compromising one’s convictions to secure or to maintain fellowship is a slippery slope (James 4:4).
For an advancing disciple, being welcomed with open arms by those who hold to this world’s standards is not a good sign that all is well with God.
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you (John 15: 19) NASB).”
The closer one draws to God, the less of an interest one will have in what this world has to offer, and the less of an interest this world and the worldly people within it will have in you.
There is fellowship with family (Luke 14: 26), friends, and the world (Jams 4: 4). And then there is fellowship with God (2Cor. 13: 14).
In their proper place of priority (Luke 14: 26), there is a place for interaction with family, friends, and even the world. One cannot “go out and bear fruit – John 15: 16), “ with anyone with whom he/she has no meaningful contact or interaction.
There are types of love (1Cor. 3) peace (John 14: 27/Phil. 4: 7), gifting (1Cor. 12), and fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14/John 15: 16) that are a part of the recipe that God has in mind for Holiday Celebrations, but they differ from what appears to be the same ingredients promoted by human viewpoint.
This brings us to the matter of the missing ingredient.
Without the significance of the birth of Christ being the main ingredient (focus of attention) in the recipe, the celebration is spiritually meaningless.
People can have a “good time” (as a good time is defined by human viewpoint) without God or the things of God even being mentioned.
But just as our taste buds or sense of smell in the natural realm can tell when something has been left out of the recipe; those with spiritual discernment can tell when the main ingredient has been left out of the celebration.