O you who love the Lord, hate evil! – Psalm 97:10 ~ There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. – Proverbs 14:12
George Gillespie, one of the Scottish Commissioners to the Westminster Assembly, and one of the greatest theologians since the days of the Apostles, writes,
“By communicating with idolaters in their rites and ceremonies, we ourselves become guilty of idolatry; even as Ahaz, 2 Kings 16:10, was an idolater, eo ipso, that he took the pattern of an altar from idolaters. Forasmuch, then, as kneeling before the consecrated bread, the sign of the cross, surplice, festival days (like Christmas-ed.), bishopping, bowing down to the altar, administration of the sacraments in private places, etc., are the wares of Rome, the baggage of Babylon, the trinkets of the whore, the badges of Popery, the ensigns of Christ’s enemies, and the very trophies of antichrist, — we cannot conform, communicate and symbolise with the idolatrous Papists in the use of the same, without making ourselves idolaters by participation.
Shall the chaste spouse of Christ take upon her the ornaments of the whore? Shall the Israel of God symbolise with her who is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt? Shall the Lord’s redeemed people wear the ensigns of their captivity? Shall the saints be seen with the mark of the beast? Shall the Christian church be like the antichristian, the holy like the profane, religion like superstition, the temple of God like the synagogue of Satan?” (A Dispute Against English Popish Ceremonies, in Gillespie’s Works volume one, p. 80, SWRB reprint, or as free MP3s at A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies emphases added).
Listen to the teaching here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=715111534397
Leviticus 10:10 “You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean.”
In a world still swirling in sin thousands of years after its catastrophic collision with evil, the need for discernment is critical, and God has assigned to His followers the task of knowing the difference between good and evil. What seperates God’s people from everyone else is the wisdom He gives that enables them to discern holy from common, sacred from profane, clean from unclean, good from evil. ~Julie Ackerman Link from her booklet, Loving God With All My Mind
“Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.” ` Deuteronomy 12:30
FTA: While many of the pagan customs associated with the celebration of Spring were at one stage practised alongside Christian Easter traditions, they eventually came to be absorbed within Christianity, as symbols of the resurrection of Jesus. (my note: this is syncretism-combining paganism and Christianity in the unlawful worship to God) source
Ever since the first prophesy to mankind, recorded in Genesis 3:15, man has tried to fulfill it with their own ideas and gods. Myths and legends abound to this day. And, sadly, incorporating these myths’ traditions into Christianity has many believing that Christianity is just another pagan religion. Christians have not obeyed God in setting themselves apart from the pagan religions and it has muddied the truth that Jesus Christ is the only Savior, the only Redeemer.
FTA: Today, Tammuz’s cultural legacy is evident in various cultural practices, including the celebration of Easter. The resurrection of Jesus during Easter has similarities to the myth of Tammuz’s resurrection and highlights the cyclical nature of life and death…The worship of Tammuz was accompanied by ancient rituals, such as the weeping for Tammuz, a ritual during which women mourned the death of the deity. Archaeologists have discovered that Tammuz’s worship involved a range of practices such as sacrifices in his honor, singing hymns to his name, and participating in temple rites…Tammuz’s cultural legacy and relevance can still be seen in modern society. Although he was worshiped long ago, his significance continues to influence the world today, making his story an intriguing aspect of Ancient Near East’s history and mythology. His popularity allows us to understand the culture and traditions of Mesopotamia, providing an insight into how human belief systems have evolved throughout history. source
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. – 1 Peter 2 :9
Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
“Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
“But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
“There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke.13.22-Luke.13.30
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