In the world system there has always been a battle between the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness. This battle takes place in the secular arenas of politics and public organizations. The Kingdom of Light desires to proclaim the good news of the gospel publicly and the kingdom of darkness uses all their resources to suppress the message.
Politically we have seen this take place within nations. There have been, and there are today, atheist nations. The former Soviet Socialist Republic (Russia) proclaimed within their constitution that God did not exist. And in our present time there are nations that have elevated false gods, proclaiming that their worship was mandatory while denying their citizens the right to worship Jehovah God. Many times this restriction was literally a death sentence.
However, this is not the battle I am speaking of. Within the church we have a battle taking place between spiritual Christians and secular (carnal) Christians. We see this most evident at the times when we celebrate events that memorialize the foundation of our Christian existence. Let me explain.
There is nothing wrong with bunny rabbits and fictional stories of a good-hearted man passing out gifts. Jesus used parables and illustrations in all of His sermons. However, when the illustration becomes elevated higher than the message and it becomes “politically incorrect” to talk about the true message, something’s wrong.
As Christians, we have two events that we celebrate that represent the foundation of our victory over death. They are the birth and the resurrection of Jesus. We celebrate God sending His Son (Christmas) and God resurrecting His Son (Easter). More than anything else that is taught in the church, these two events should never be diluted or swept aside and replaced as secular holidays. Actually, there is nothing secular about these two events.
I am not advocating that we should eliminate the illustrations of a jolly old man who gives gifts. It’s a wonderful story that when used properly can illustrate how God loved us so much that He gave, but we can never allow the jolly old man to replace the child in the manger.
We live in a time like no generation before. We are surrounded by instant communication along with a continual flood of audio and video. With the ability to make anything we can imagine look real through computer graphics and technology, we must never forget the reality of what actually is real.
With the ability to create anything we can imagine, comes the responsibility of training our children the difference between truth and fiction. Because of God’s great love, He created us within this vast universe. Even though man rejected God and separated himself, God came up with a plan to redeem mankind so that our existence would not be futile, but glorious and eternal. This plan began with the birth and was completed with the resurrection of Jesus. These two events must never be diluted nor shunned, but rather be memorialized and honored as dates that changed mankind for all eternity.
Scripture Reference:
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
(Rom. 8:5-7)
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