Christmas Traditions vs. Truth

Christmas has many traditions associated with it. Unfortunately, there are religious ideas about the holiday without Biblical foundations. One reason for that is certain Christmas carols. For example, “The Little Drummer Boy” sings “I am a poor boy, too.” Jesus temporarily gave up heavenly riches but that doesn’t mean He was born poor. His stepfather Joseph had the resources to travel to Bethlehem and would’ve spent money on lodging if there was room for them at the inn. Meanwhile, a group of wise men brought treasures to the Messiah.

Speaking of which, most people assume there were three wise men as in the song “We Three Kings of Orient Are.” Matthew chapter 2 doesn’t mention the exact number of wise men but refers to three types of gifts they had: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Notice these gifts were presented to a “young Child”…not a baby. Verse 11 also mentions them coming “into the house”…not before a manger. Therefore, the wise men didn’t see Jesus at the same time as the shepherds as depicted in nativity scenes.

Another popular Christmas carol “Away in a Manger” contains the lyric “But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.” Recently it occurred to me there is no Scriptural proof of that. I can’t imagine any baby not crying at all especially when he is hungry and needs his diaper changed.

This article isn’t intended to dampen your holiday but inspire you to study the Scriptures more for yourself. It’s important for believers to be Biblically correct when ministering to others especially regarding the reason for the season.

Have a Merry Christmas!

“Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” - 1 Timothy 4:13

Sing to the Lord…a Secular Song

One of the biggest reasons I resisted Christianity during my youth was because of preachers crusading against secular rock music. I remember hearing one minister in particular who recommended listening exclusively to Christian rock and gospel music. This led me to believe God only approved of songs that made reference to Him. Later I learned there are two books in the Bible (Esther and Song of Solomon) that don’t mention God’s name at all.

Certainly we must be cautious of the words we allow to go into our ears. Jesus said in Mark 4:24, “Take heed what you hear.” Nowadays I avoid listening to most of today’s hits because of the increasing amount of profanity in the lyrics. There are currently two songs in Billboard’s Top 20 that have the F-word in its title. Shockingly, one of them (by rapper Cee-Lo Green) is up for two major Grammy awards: Record of the Year and Song of the Year!

Nevertheless, secular songs can be used by the Lord to minister to people. I attended services at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship where the worship band played classic rock hits like “Love Is All Around” and “All Right Now” but sang them to the Lord. The same thing was done at a conference in Atlanta, Georgia with the Black Eyed Peas’ smash “I Gotta Feeling.” Another church I visited in Pensacola, Florida modified the second verse of the James Brown classic “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by singing, “I feel nice...because of Christ.” Liverpool, England native John Scotland often sings Beatles songs while ministering when the lyrics fit in with a topic he’s talking about.

Yesterday I met a couple that has a house church in Texas. The wife started talking about the old Eagles song “Desperado” and how the lyrics could describe someone running away from the Lord. That prompted me to find the song on YouTube and play it on my laptop computer. This woman started weeping and interceding as the presence of God came upon her.

Don’t let religious people sell you the idea that all secular music is of the devil. God is the true author of artistic works and can put His anointing on anything used for His glory.

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” - Psalm 24:1