Should Christians Celebrate Their Birthday?.

Should Christians Participate in Christmas?.

Is It Okay To Tell Kids Santa Claus Brought Them Gifts?










                                                                   Story of Jesus Birth
                    It is found in Luke 2:8-20: "The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:11 NLT).
                You will find the story of shepherds in the field keeping watch over their flocks when angels appeared announcing the birth of Christ; for an angel said, “And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger. They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. (Luke 2:12, 16 NLT).
          
                                                 Death in Adam – Life in Christ
        12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant" (Romans 5:12-20 NLT).
      
                                                         Why Was Jesus Born?
            He was sent by His Father in Heaven to do the Father’s will:”For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:40 NLT)).
                “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10 NLT).
            “But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin…” (Isaiah 53:10a NLT).
               
                                                             Questions & Answers

         Q) Is it okay to tell kids Santa Claus brought gifts to them?
(A) Is there search a thing called an innocent lie? If you lie about Santa Claus bringing gifts, what about the existence of God and Jesus Christ? What does Scripture say about liars? “All liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8b NKJ).
        Q) Was Jesus born on December 25th?
(A) The date of Jesus’ birth is not December 25th, in fact the exact date in unknown. He was not born on December 25th because that was winter and shepherds traditionally do not tend their sheep in the open then because it is too cold:- Luke 2:8 KJV And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
       Q) Does Scripture condemn Christmas trees?
(A) For Jeremiah the prophet said, “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven...for the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest...They decorate it with silver and gold. They fasten it with nails and hammers, so that it will not topple...” (Jeremiah 10:2-5). This scripture has been misused to condemn Christmas trees, but in reality this scripture in context [Jer. 10:5-16] refers to the practice of constructing trees for worship. Jeremiah is comparing worshiping a wooden idol (Jer. 10:8) which can’t speak (Jer. 10:5) to the Lord (Jer. 10: 6-8).
        Q) What about the Scriptures used to condemn birthday celebration? King Pharaoh’s birthday (Genesis 40:20-23); King Herod’s birthday (Mark 6:14-28).
(A) Because ungodly men used their birthday to do evil, does this make celebrating your birthday sinful or ungodly? Is all sexual relationships sin and ungodly? The correct answer to both questions is “no!”
        Q) When the wise men brought gifts to Jesus was it on His birthday? How old was Jesus at this time? Why did the wise men bring gifts to Jesus?
A) Scripture says the wise men arrived in Bethlehem after the birth of Jesus: "Now AFTER JESUS WAS BORN in Bethlehem...wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:1-2).
    When the wise men arrived in Bethlehem and saw Jesus. HE WAS a CHILD, not a baby living in a house: "When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the YOUNG CHILD was...11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the YOUNG CHILD with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (Matthew 2:9-11).
   Jesus was approximately two years old when the wise men brought Him gifts because Herod had all children two years and younger killed in  Bethlehem attempting to kill Jesus: "Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men" (Matthew 2:16).
   Why did the wise men bring gifts to Jesus? According to Wikipedia, "Biblical Magi - Gifts": "The Magi are described as "falling down", "kneeling" or "bowing" in the worship of Jesus. This gesture, together with the use of kneeling in Luke's birth narrative, had an important effect on Christian religious practices. They were indicative of great respect, and typically used when venerating a king. Inspired by these verses, kneeling and prostration were adopted in the early Church".
        Q) Who were the first people to arrived to see the baby Jesus after His birth?
A) Shepherds only, no wise men, were the ones to arrive first to see the baby Jesus after His birth according to Luke 2:8-16. Read especially Luke 2:16 "And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger".
       Q) Is Christmas mostly worldly and commercial?
A) Yes, it is, but it doesn't have to be. The world is control by Satan. There's not anything that exist in this world which hasn't been polluted by Satan, including Christmas. Christians have the choice to use Christmas for good or bad. Even though many Christians have fallen into Satan's trap on commercialism, you don't have too. The world run on consumerism and debt; without the Christmas season the economic systems of this world would collapse.
    Paul in his letter to Timothy said, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come...having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:1, 5ab).
         Q) Why the giving and exchanging of gifts on Christmas?
A) "We have many recorded events in history that show the giving and receiving of gifts dates back at least to the 4th century. St. Nicholas, a Christian Bishop, was known for his generosity in giving to those less fortunate than he, as well as giving to children of all backgrounds simply because he felt they needed to savor their childrood, and have joyous times to remember...This tradition began with St. Nicholas in Turkey. It moved throughout the world very quickly, and before the 10th century is is supposed that nearly every country was participating in this exchange.
    Many people believe that the tradition of gift giving started in the year of our Lord within the first year of Christ's birth as the 3 wise men/kings brought offerings to honor Him". 
    Many factors and historical practices have contributed to the event that we know today as Christmas.
For example, some of the customs were adopted from non-Christian sources. U.S.Catholic, in fact, said: "It is impossible to separate Christmas from its pagan origins."
    TheEncyclopediaAmericana explained: "Most of the customs now associated with Christmas were not originally Christmas customs but rather were pre-Christian and non-Christian customs taken up by the Christian church. Saturnalia, a Roman feast celebrated in mid-December, provided the model for many of the merry-making customs of Christmas. From this celebration, for example, were derived the elaborate feasting, the giving of gifts, and the burning of candles."
     Regarding the custom of gift giving, the journal HistoryToday noted: "The giving of presents at the midwinter feast almost certainly began as a magical more than as merely a social custom. Saturnalia presents included wax dolls, given to children. A charming custom, no doubt, by times of record, but with a macabre past: even contemporaries thought this probably a vestige of human sacrifice, of children, to aid the sowing."
     TheNewYorkTimes of December 24, 1991, featured an article on the origins of Christmas customs, including gift giving. Simon Schama, professor of history at Harvard University, wrote: "Christmas itself was superimposed over the ancient festivals that celebrated the winter solstice . . . In the third century, when sun cults like the Mithraic religion of Persia found their way to Rome, days in December were given over to celebrate the rebirth of Sol Invictus: the invincible sun. . . .
     "The early Church in Rome had a particularly hard battle against two other great pagan festivals, the week-long Saturnalia, which began Dec. 17, and the Kalends, which greeted the New Year. The first festival was a time of licensed misrule, often presided over by a lord of merriment, not so much Santa as fat Saturn himself, the orgiast of eating, drinking and other kinds of naughtiness. It was during Kalends, when the year changed, however, that gifts were ritually exchanged, often tied to the boughs of greenery that decorated houses during the festivities.
     "The attitude of the early church toward all this indecent jollity was predictably frosty. Its fathers, notably the fulminating St. John Chrysostom, urged no compromise with heathen abominations. . . . Since there was no general agreement about the exact date of the birth of Jesus . . . , it must have seemed helpful to have it supersede the Saturnalia . . . So the rebirth of the sun became instead the birth of the Son of God . . .
      "In the same way, the Kalends were replaced by the Feast of the Epiphany, and the gifts and trinkets that pagan Romans had given each other became instead the homage paid by the three kings to the new King of the World. By the middle of the fourth century, the basic features of the Christmas calendar were set for good."
     While historical data supports the influence of pagan practices on the origin of Christmas and its customs, many argue that such origin really does not matter. Responding to Professor Schama's article, early this year a retired rabbi wrote in a letter to the Times editor: "The origins of an institution have nothing to do with its value today." Regarding Christmas and other such celebrations, he claimed: "Their celebrants endow them with a new meaning that gives purpose to their own lives and lifts their spirits in exultation."
                       [Resource (read more): http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_and_when_did_the_tradition_of_exchanging_Christmas_gifts_start#ixzz1evGVLbWY]
      
FACTS TO CONSIDER:

• It's the only time of the year when many in the world recognize the name Jesus Christ because many connect Christmas with Jesus.
• The Scripture doesn't agree or disagree whether one set aside a day to honor and recognize the birth of Jesus.
• Jesus wasn't born on December 25th; we don't know the date of His birth.
• When the wise men arrived at Jesus' house, not a cradle, Jesus was approximately two years old; it wasn't His birthday. It is customary to present a gift to a king when you come before one.
• The first to see the baby Jesus after His birth were shepherds.
• Christmas to the world is mostly about Santa Claus - the giving and exchanging gifts, but mostly getting gifts.
  
• Saint Nickolas didn't receive gifts, he only gave gifts.
  

                                                                      CONCLUSION

The fact that Jesus Christ was born is of greatest importance to us who were separated from God our Father because of our disobedience and sin; because of His birth we are redeemed.

If Jesus had not been born then we would be destined for eternity in hell! The fact is, God did send His Son, signaling His obedience to come in the form of flesh to reconcile the world back to Him; who was crucified and died as a replacement for our death sentence; shedding His blood for forgiveness of our sins; who was resurrected and ascended back to His Father in Heaven to gift us with eternal life.

Christmas reminds us that if you have not accepted the greatest gift of all, salvation through Jesus Christ the Messiah then all the gifts that you give and receive this season will be worthless and your life will be lost forever simply because you did not open your heart and receive the Father’s gift of His Son in exchange for your sinful soul.

The giving and exchanging of gifts among each other on Christmas is a man-made tradition.  It is suppose to be Jesus our Savior birthday not each other.

The main problem with so much emphasis placed on Santa is children now focus more on him and gifts they receive rather than Jesus. Children now worship Santa not Jesus on December 25. Ask your children, "Who is Jesus?"; then ask them, "Who is Santa Claus?"