Birthday Celebrations: Christians?

Participant

Quote (Not3in1 @ Aug. 27 2007,16:51)

Quote (IM4Truth @ Aug. 27 2007,16:46)

Seeking after wisdom with much suffering associated. Through suffering we are made perfect. We cry out with Christ, let this cup pass us by, but your will be done not mine. If we can't take up our cross we are not worthy to be in the Kingdom of God.
May God Bless us and keep us forever more.
Love is the greatest commandments of all. So let us go forth and love each other as He has loved us. Live is hard enough as it is.
Peace and Love always Mrs.

Amen sister's IM4Truth and Charity!

Birthdays are like buses

You wait a while

Then all of sudden 4 pass you by

As long as we make the goal within the life given completing our salvation; for ever in eternity; Amen

August 27, 2007 at 5:20 am#64881

Participant

Quote (t8 @ Aug. 27 2007,15:38)

Quote (kenrch @ Aug. 27 2007,11:27)

why I don't celebrate the birth of the old man born under sin.

When you were born and then born again, were you not the same you/identity? All that changed is a new spirit, right?

Jesus came to save your soul. Your soul came alive on the first birthday. Is that evil? If yes, then is God evil?

Far from it.

Did Jesus come to save the flesh?

Has the old man died or not?

My old man is dead. I buried him in baptism.

Will we receive a new body? You could say you celebrate your existence.

Let each be convinced in their own mind that this is what the Spirit says.

To me birthdays of the old man mean nothing because he no longer exist.

Peace and love,

Ken

August 27, 2007 at 5:30 am#64882

IM4Truth

Participant

Charity You made me laugh, not just 4 when you get as old as I am, it is more like 10 years. All of a sudden you are going on 70. My Husband just turned 70 this year.
On the lighter side….
Yes, eternity with a new Body, that is what I am looking forward to. If not a spiritual ,but then a Healthy Body. I had a good friend that passed away a couple of years ago, she was very heavy. She would say, I have an order for a skinny Body ordered to our Heavenly Father.
Don't get old I say, and maybe you might even get lucky and Christ will come while you are still young, I assume you are still young, I don't know, but you sound young.

Peace and Love Mrs.

August 27, 2007 at 5:51 am#64888

Participant

Quote (IM4Truth @ Aug. 27 2007,17:30)

Peace and Love Mrs.

:laugh: yep I'm quite a few buses behind you Mrs truth;
yep I;m skinny
Makes me think… I hope Gods got an Ironing board ready for all of us that are going to need it?
But I'm sure he will.. And is able to preserve us back to just lovely; if these bodies are what he has intended for redemption purposes
:laugh:

August 27, 2007 at 5:52 am#64889

Participant

Quote (Not3in1 @ Aug. 27 2007,15:43)

Quote (kenrch @ Aug. 27 2007,04:18)

Is the birth of my flesh Important that which will be destroyed? That is nothing but filthy rags to God.

Again, I ask for scripture to support this claim that the birth of my flesh is “nothing but filthy rags to God.”

When I was born, I'm sure it did not escape my heavenly Father. It certainly was a joyous time for both of my parents and extended family! When my mother died, she held my hand and said, “You have been a joy to me – the daughter of my old age” and she breathed her last. My life is a joy and an honor. When I mark every year that I have been given from my heavenly Father, I do so with great and reverant appreciation. I am deeply grateful for my earthly life, and for my eternal life (which is the hope I live for).

I will say it again, there is nothing wrong with being happy and grateful for our lives…..every year that we live!

Does my heavenly Father look down and see “filthy rags” when he looks at me (for I am flesh)? Certainly not! He sees his daughter, who tries to please him daily, who is happy and joyfull for life. He sees one who is covered by the blood of his dear Son. He doesn't see filthy rags, my brother, he sees righteousness. He sees a gift that is pleasing to him. He sees life and not death.

I am free. Freedom enjoys life and does not pay attention to that which those who are not free say, “Do not touch, Do not taste!” Indeed, there are “gods” and “idols” in the world, but they are nothing at all. For US there is but one God, the Father.

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Peace Sis

Ken

August 27, 2007 at 5:52 am#64890

Participant

Getting old is supposed to be a blessing, Mrs.! But I've been around enough Seniors to know that sometimes it is far from a blessing. My parents died very young (my Dad was 68 and my Mom was 63). I'm praying that with my healthy lifestyle (running, organic gardening/eating) that I will live to be in my 90's! I want to see my great grandchildren…… I probably won't be able to hear them, though as I am already suffering from hearing loss. They tell me it is a genetic hearing loss (which is a huge bummer), but I'm still praying for a miracle. God has touched me and healed me before, so I am believing for another touch. If it doesn't come, I'll learn sign language.

Anyway, it's nice to have an older person's perspective on a lot of these topics. Tell your hubby to post, too. I'd like to hear from him now and then. Well, I'm pooped. Time to hit the hay for me. Goodnight all, and sweet dreams.

August 27, 2007 at 5:58 am#64891

Participant

Quote (kenrch @ Aug. 27 2007,17:52)

Quote (Not3in1 @ Aug. 27 2007,15:43)

Quote (kenrch @ Aug. 27 2007,04:18)

Is the birth of my flesh Important that which will be destroyed? That is nothing but filthy rags to God.

Again, I ask for scripture to support this claim that the birth of my flesh is “nothing but filthy rags to God.”

I will say it again, there is nothing wrong with being happy and grateful for our lives…..every year that we live!

Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Peace Sis

Ken

Verse 8 goes on to say that we are the work of God's hand! So, surely he does not think our lives are as “filthy rags.” No, it is our own righteousness that is considered nothing. For we cannot have righteousness on our own. I believe that is the main thrust of that passage.

Thanks for getting back to me with the scripture.

Goodnight – I'm so tired – zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

August 27, 2007 at 6:21 am#64893

Participant

good night sweet mandy

God has washed our robes and forgiven us, that we may happily seek his presence; as a token of grace to be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God

I am so glad to know of you sister

August 27, 2007 at 6:59 am#64896

Participant

Quote (Not3in1 @ Aug. 27 2007,17:52)

I want to see my great grandchildren…… I probably won't be able to hear them, though as I am already suffering from hearing loss. They tell me it is a genetic hearing loss (which is a huge bummer), but I'm still praying for a miracle. God has touched me and healed me before, so I am believing for another touch. If it doesn't come, I'll learn sign language.

My Dad died just of recent at the age of 65 ; and because he would not go to the church where my mothers family went; he was punished and cut of from contact with his children; after sifting thru the injustice for years I entered his life again and it was so nice to have the last few years reunited; he pored out many sorrows and regrets; and to find he was so much like me; and then by his side I looked at the clock while was sick and said how many more breaths lords; and then it came right then; his last breath and he past from this life time
By Gods grace and mercy

So I appreciate Mrs. Truth very much; with all respect; having to have a number plate attached behind me that says sorry; for cutting my mother off; who will ring and just remind of the families displeasure over the things I done and taken part in.
And have me attach some head lights to my broom incase I get hurt in the dark.

August 27, 2007 at 6:00 pm#64906

IM4Truth

Participant

Mandy and Charity God Bless you both, you both have a very good Heart and so much Love in your Hearts, for God and others, I for one can see that, and certainly appreciate that. Sorry about your Dads dying ,but you at least you both had Him this long. My Husbands and my Dad died in the war when we both were 5 and 6 years old in Germany. God be with you all.
My Husband does posts, mainly in prophecy, He loves History and that is were you can find His Posts. I am so lucky that God has brought Him into my Life 47 years ago, and thank God often for it. He does not respond though when someone disagrees with Him. He feels He has the truth, that is how convinced He is, and feels it is not profitable to answer. He always jokingly tells me that is your Talent.
Sorry to go of the subject.
As far as Birthdays is concerned I will quote Paul
Romans 14:5 ..Be convinced in your own mind….
THE GREATEST COMMENTMENTS IS LOVE GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART AND THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF. AMEN.
Peace and Love Mrs,

September 11, 2007 at 12:40 am#65757

Anonymous

Guest

Please!!!
Foget about what pagans used to do. God is concerned with YOUR heart and YOUR intentions. If your intentions are pure then so is your celebration. Just love God and praise Him no matter what you are celebrating. Whenever two or more are gathered together in his name he is there with them. Invite Him to all your celebrations and do all things as unto Him. My children are wonderful gifts from God, certainly I celebrate, but I celebrate the Giver and give thanks for the gift.

September 11, 2007 at 12:49 am#65759

Participant

Quote (Kolumbo @ Sep. 11 2007,12:40)

hehe :laugh:

Love it Kolumbo, its all about the heart every time

Yes I agree we should stop trying to make a radio out of a coconut
And just fix the hole in the boat.

September 11, 2007 at 4:22 am#65765

Participant

Quote (Kolumbo @ Sep. 11 2007,12:40)

Hallelujah, brother!

September 12, 2007 at 2:49 am#65827

942767

Participant

Quote (Kolumbo @ Sep. 11 2007,12:40)

Amen, thank you.

God Bless

September 13, 2007 at 5:04 pm#65897

Participant

Christmas is a “worldly” celebration, period. If it “feels” good DO IT!

2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

People who keep Christmas believe in the Trinity and keep all the Harlot's doctrines. Those who keep Christmas are STILL in the world.

Birds of a feather flock together.

COME OUT OF HER “IF YOU ARE HIS” PEOPLE!

Just that simple!

September 13, 2007 at 9:40 pm#65907

Participant

Quote (942767 @ Sep. 12 2007,14:49)

Quote (Kolumbo @ Sep. 11 2007,12:40)

Amen, thank you.

God Bless

And all the Angels said Amen

If only one could see and knew our hearts 94 and the Kings that wage war against tthe Harlot, that hate her soul, and the saints that offer the life giving water while she lay desolate in the valley of decision, waiting for the manifestaion of the true Sons of God,to appear, that she may be norished and led to be comforted by the reedemer in Grace and love

Amen

September 15, 2007 at 4:03 pm#66034

Participant

Christmas and Easter in NOT bibical.

Every “dirity bird” under the sun celebrates Christmas and Easter.

Jam 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Just pointing out more clear scripture.
Come out of her MY people.

Peace,

Ken

September 15, 2007 at 11:40 pm#66054

david

Participant

Hey guys. I've been gone for a while. I presume they haven't discovered any missing links while I've been away?

I was extremely busy when I was looking at this thread the first time. So I didn't really get a chance to give it much time.

Not3, you state:

Quote

Look, this is my *sometimes* humble opinion…..you can find writings/books/research/professionals/pastor's and your Uncle to tell you something had “pagen origins.” It's just a matter of who you read and where you do your research. For every negative on a birthday cake, I bet I could find someone in antiquity who wrote something postive!

Listen, I didn't even have to go on the internet to find this. It was in my old encylcopedias:
“December 25 is a Christian festival and is observed as the anniversary of the birth of Christ. IN EARLY TIMES this day was not one of the feasts of the Christian Church. In fact, THE CHURCH FATHERS FROWNED UPON THE CELEBRATION OF BIRTHDAYS AND THOUGHT THEM A HEATHEN CUSTOM.”–New Book of Knowledge (1978), Vol. 3, p. 289.

To me, this thought is universally understood and accepted as fact. Every encyclopedia I've touched has said the same. You say it's just a matter of where you do the research. Well……..
show me a thread of research or any reference work that says the earliest Christians celebrated birthdays.
Every reference I have checked, every work has said the opposite.
You suggest there is some conspiracy where the earliest Christians did celebrate birthdays but those who wrote the history books tried to hide this fact. Why would they do this? I believe most would agree with your thought: “I love birthdays.”
300 years after Christ, birthdays were commonly accepted and wholeheartedly approved of, (along with a lot of other things that crept into the apostatized congregation, as foretold.) So everyone seemed to approve of them after that day. But you suggest that the early Christians did celebrate birthdays, and others who recorded these things for some reason changed it.
I wonder why if the early Christians celebrated birthdays, they somehow lost the day of Jesus birth? Can you even attempt to answer that one? If they kept birthday observations at all, in the tiniest degree, you have to know they would observe their saviors birth, right? Yet, for some reason, they didn't. I mean, if they did, we'd know the date, wouldn't we? Yet, no one does.

Again, coming back to the thought that you can provide some sort of references to counter what all the encyclopedias say:
“The early Christians,” states Professor Ferguson in his book The Religions of the Roman Empire, “did not celebrate the birthday of Jesus; it was unrecorded.” The World Book Encyclopedia explains: “The early Christians did not celebrate His [Christ’s] birth because they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.”–Vol. 3, p. 416.
According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, “the celebration of birthdays is unknown in traditional Jewish ritual.” Similarly, historian Augustus Neander writes: “The notion of a birthday festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period in general.”–The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries, translated by H. J. Rose, 1848, p. 190)
States Dr. John C. McCollister, a Lutheran minister, in his book The Christian Book of Why: “Christians of the first century did not celebrate the festival honoring the birth of Jesus—for the same reason they honored no other birthday anniversary. It was the feeling at that time by all Christians that the celebration of all birthdays (even the Lord’s) was a custom of the pagans.”
I could find many of such quotes. But you say that you can provide some evidence to the contrary. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT.

Something else you repeat:
'There is no verse that says “Birthday celebrations are bad.”'

True. There aren't.
But even though THE BIBLE does not contain a specific prohibition against birthday celebrations, it DOES INDICATE THAT IT IS NOT PROPER TO PARTAKE IN JUST ANY CELEBRATION REGARDLESS OF ITS REASON OR NATURE. (Ex 32:1-6; 1 Pet 4:3; 1 Cor 10:20,21)

So to just say: 'The Bible doesn't say we can't celebrate birthdays' means very little. We must look at what birthdays are and consider how our creator feels about them.

If it is connected to astrology, paganism, bloodshed, etc, and yet the Bible doesn't specifically condemn it, how should we reason? Well, we know how the earliest Christians reasoned, the ones before the apostasy.

In case you can't find any resourses that say that the earliest Christians celebrated birthdays, I want you to consider this question:

WHAT CHANGED?

“Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.”—Schwäbische Zeitung (magazine supplement Zeit und Welt), April 3/4, 1981, p. 4.
Frontier, a publication of Frontier Airlines, observed: “To the early Christians, birthdays were a pagan custom. It was unthinkable to celebrate one’s own birthday, much less the birthday of Christ. It was sacrilege to even suggest that a Divine Being had a birthday. . . .In the next 300 years this attitude began to change, and in 354 A.D., the Bishop of Rome declared December 25 to be the anniversary of the birth of Christ.”–Dec. 1981.
If the early Christians considered it “unthinkable to celebrate one’s own birthday,” then what happened? As Frontier says, “In the next 300 years their attitude began to change.”
In fact, in the next few hundred years, they changed a lot of things. This apostasy had been foretold by Jesus and the apostles.

It's not ok, it's not ok, it's not ok, it's not ok, …. it's ok.

Why the change in thinking among Christians? Has God's ideas changed? Or has man's? Peter, Paul, Jesus, etc, did in fact fortell an apostasy. It was in fact 'already at work' in the days of the apostles.

Please show your sources that speak of the early Christians celebrating birthdays.

September 15, 2007 at 11:48 pm#66057

david

Participant

I wonder if Satan ever makes bad things look and feel good? An angel of light. Isn't that what he is called? I wonder if he ever makes violence and immorality appear good? I wonder if he ever takes vile satanic things and wraps a ribbon on them and makes them appear innocent fun?

Is not the “whole world lying in the power of the wicked one?”

Just because we love something and it's tradition and our great great great grandparents taught us that tradition, does not make it right. Loving something and convincing yourself, your very heart that it is ok, does not make it agreeable to Jehovah.

The early Christians, the ones taught by Jesus had it right. Those who came 300 years later had fallen prey to the false stories, false prophets, wolves in sheeps covering, false brothers, etc that were foretold.

September 15, 2007 at 11:52 pm#66058