Satan is the adversary of the Kingdom of God, and Lucifer's name meant "Lightbringer". Paul warned us to be NOT deceived, for Satan himself is transformed into an ANGEL of LIGHT. In Isaiah 14:12-17, we have the written account of the fall of Lucifer from Heaven. In his rebellion against the authority of God, he rebelled to the WORD OF GOD. Do you not think that this is his aim today? For he knows that rebellion to the Word of God is the act of eternal damnation, and this is why my beloved brethren, Christmas is SO DISGUISED.

You cannot drink the cup of devils and the cup of the Lord—I Cor.10:21. The cup of devils is SATURNALIA---CHRISTMAS, the cup of the Lord is HIS WORD!! In Isaiah 14, Lucifer said he would exalt HIS THRONE above that of God, and upon what does Santa Claus sit on in the malls and department stores? You got it, A THRONE!! Lucifer said, I will ascend and sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the NORTH. Where does Santa Claus come from? The NORTH Pole.

In Moses' Tabernacle, the shadow and type of the church in the wilderness—Acts 7:38, it was the TABLE OF SHEWBREAD, our place of holiest communion with the Lord, and this table was set in the far NORTH position of the Tabernacle. This position belongs to Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, the Holy Lamb of God and SATAN wants that position of authority!!

In the Scandinavian countries, Santa Claus is called "KRIS KRINGLE" which by interpretation means—"SON OF GOD". Come on saints!! How blasphemous can this get? How many of you are still going to put up with this onslaught of defamation to the Holy Character of our Lord Jesus Christ by explaining away why you still want to observe this filth.

Every year, SATAN has his place of being glorified as the Son of God in the spirit world, and by the way, the Scandinavian countries are the farthest NORTH in the World!! And you want your children's pictures taken with this spirit? We should detest this with all our heart and condemn the very nature of this holiday.

God help us for our ignorance and even more so now if people should still choose to honor this. To the carnal mind, this all means nothing. To the spiritual mind, this is an abomination. Let us awake unto righteousness.

As we finish on this very deceptive "spirit", we can see just how cunning and subtle Satan is. Genesis 3:1 says, "The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, and in II Cor.11:3, Paul said, "But this one thing I fear, that as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, he will also corrupt your minds from the simplicity that is in Christ".

Everything that Satan does is against the very authority of God and everything he does is blasphemous to the Holy Word of God. Satan's whole purpose is to trodden under foot the Holy blood of the Lamb. One last thing about Santa Claus, is his colors!! And please, do not say we do not believe in Santa Claus, so it is okay to observe this. You are missing the whole point if that is your mentality.

The colors: Red and White. Isaiah 1:18-19 "Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord: though your sins be SCARLET, they shall be as WHITE as snow; though they be RED like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: verse 20, but if you refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured by the sword"

What is it going to take to get people to understand the incredible deception and blasphemy that lies behind all this? What is it going to take for men of God to take a stand and teach the people truth? Remember what we are talking about here—THE "SPIRIT" behind Christmas! This is the true spirit behind Christmas and there is no way that any of us can take the roots of this demonic, ungodly, perverted, filthy order and change it to something clean, pure and holy.

There is no way we can explain away this wickedness and what a shame to put the name of Jesus Christ on it. We are called to EXPOSE the unfruitful works of darkness, not partake of them—Eph.5:1-10 and only when true Born-Again believers start to take a stand on obedience will we be able to get the world to take notice. Stop trying to cover this up and explain it away. Stop saying people like me and others are Pharisaic or legalistic. Since when is obedience to Holiness, legalistic? Please explain, I am open to hear.

Those who read this must now make a decision. Are you built spiritually upon that which men say?--Mt.16:1-13 Or are you going to build your spiritual life off of the TRUTH?

How sad that this December, churches will have Christmas trees on what is suppose to be a Holy Altar unto a Holy God. How sad there will be manger scenes and pageantry plays all depicting lies and false teachings. If fifteen men of God with the largest ministries in America said, "It is okay and all right people to keep honoring this holiday. There is no harm in it and do not let men like Kim C.Gossett rob you of your loving traditions, for we know who WE worship". Then I would have to say—

"Then the Lord said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart."—Jeremiah 14:14
Brethren, Christmas is a false vision and it is full of divination. Can you imagine all of this? Santa Claus—SATAN / LUCIFER. His rebellion to the sides of the north—Isaiah.14 and he comes from the North Pole. His colors of red and white blaspheme the Word of God and the redemptive role of Jesus.

Remember I Cor.2:14, "For the natural (carnal) man will not understand the things that be of God, for to him is will be foolishness, nor he can not discern them, for they are SPIRITUALLY discerned". You will NEVER find one truth in ALL of Christmas except one—It has absolutely nothing to do with the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit. No matter what you say or do, you will NEVER be able to change that. It is strange fire unto God!!

Do NOT let men intimidate you if you change. Many say what they say only in ignorance. That is why the truth is being spoken, and my prayer is that men of God who say they are called to ministry would truly represent Jesus Christ and share with the congregations this truth. I would be more than blessed to come to any church and minister this truth. I pray that men of God would be the ones who are to represent Jesus Christ and stand before the saints and say,

"My beloved, I have heard a truth today and as for me and my house and my family, we will never again partake of this heathen, pagan, deceptive holiday again."

"CONCLUSION"

By Brother Kim Gossett
Lead Elder, New Covenant Christian Center, Int'l
http://www.newcovenantchristiancenter.com/
May we all take time to rest in this and maybe read it again very soon. May we meditate and give thought to that which we have heard. May we give thought to the Holy Word of God.

Brethren, I am not a weird, warped, legalistic man or Pharisee of the Law. I am a man of faith, filled with the Holy Spirit of God who loves the Lord Jesus and my Heavenly Father with every breath of my every day. I will continue to expose all the false teachings of darkness and will try to shed light where some have no light. I am not a preacher of Christianity, but rather the Kingdom of God.

It is impossible after reading, seeing and hearing the scriptures to take lightly something of this magnitude. Yes there will be some who say, "DO NOT LET ANY MAN SPOIL YOUR LOVELY CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS YOU HAD ALL THESE YEARS. DO NOT LET ANY ROB YOU OF YOUR YEARLY FESTIVITIES WITH FAMILY THAT WE HAVE DONE SINCE CHILDHOOD. WE DO NOT WORSHIP THE DEVIL, OR TREES OR ANY SUCH THING".

My brethren, when we were Born-Again, we came into a Kingdom that is not of this world. The Lord does not care if you did this all your life. He is asking you to change. Even as Israel grew up in Egypt, God had to lead them into the wilderness to change them. We are in that wilderness today. All I can say is that I love you enough to have spoken truth.

I have no reputation to uphold, therefore I do not fear losing people from speaking truth. The Lord will build HIS house, not me. I do not bend the truth to keep people and the tithes coming in. I will stand on the firm foundation of the Word of God and I am not here to please men. To do so would not make me a servant of Jesus Christ—Gal.1:10. What I have shared I have learned by the Holy Spirit and done research.

Paul said in Col.2:8 "Beware lest MEN spoil you through their philosophies, vain deceit and traditions after the rudiments of this world, which are not after Christ". A bad tree can not bear good fruit—HIS WORDS, not mine. No where EVER recorded in the Holy Writ of God will you ever find this observation called Christmas, but what you will find in scripture after scripture after scripture is a WARNING for us to NOT partake of everything that is found IN Christmas.

I know it is not easy at first, but the Lord is gracious and HE will comfort and help you. All HE asks for is obedience. Take that first step and every year that you get further and further away from this, your eyes will be opened more and more to see the blindness that you once walked in.

This whole observation has come from the Roman Catholic Church and its "MASS" which desecrates the blood of the lamb. It brings innocent children to a deceptive spirit of GREED, COVETOUSNESS AND WANT. The pressure brings men to loneliness, despair, alcohol, massive debt and this season of the year holds the highest record of yearly suicides. The exchanging of gifts comes from no where in the New Testament, except the SPIRITUAL GIFTS we are to give to each other in presenting our changed lives to one another. When the pagans went from house to house with their little idols wrapped, this is where it all came from.

If this was Jesus' true birthday, then will someone please explain to me WHY WE GIVE GIFTS TO OTHERS? If it were HIS birthday, then should we not take all the money we spend on others and lay it at the altar in the House of God for the work of ministry? Please remember, you can NOT say we give gifts for his birthday like the wise men did, for we have shown you they came when he was two years old. Thus their giving had nothing to do with a birthday.

Jesus said in Mt.15, if something is not planted by my Heavenly Father, it shall be rooted up.

"YOU CAN PAINT AN APPLE ORANGE, BUT WHEN YOU BITE INTO IT YOU WILL STILL HAVE AN APPLE. IT MAY LOOK ORANGE ON THE OUTSIDE BUT INSIDE IT IS ANOTHER THING. YOU CAN TAKE A HEATHEN, PAGAN FESTIVAL, ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN SEXUAL PERVERSION AND IDOLATRY, CHANGE ITS SURFACE WITH ALL THE ORIGINAL OBSERVATIONS, CALL IT A "MASS FOR CHRIST", THUS CHRISTMAS, AND WHEN YOU SPIRITUALLY DIG INTO IT, THE ROOTS ARE STILL ROTTEN AND YOUR FESTIVAL IS STILL A WICKED, SEDUCING, EVIL, DECEIVING SPIRIT. SATURNALIA IS THE APPLE, CHRISTMAS IS THE ORANGE."
Say what you will, the truth has been spoken. There never was and never will be a Christmas in the Kingdom of God. Every feast, holy day or ceremonial observation for the glory of the Lord, was ALWAYS written in the Word of God for proper order and our Heavenly Father, ALWAYS taught HIS people how to do something the right way. For us to have any festivities or observations listed in this teaching, it can and will be forgiven by God for our lack of knowing. But once a man is instructed in truth, to not do so is sin. I earnestly ask all, to pray and seek the Word of God on this issue. Seek your heart and spiritual discernment. And remember, right or wrong is not based on how many do something, or how many preachers say it is all right. It is based upon "WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURES".

I would rather walk with the 12 who followed Jesus' words of life, than to follow the multitudes in the ways of men. If Born-Again believers would be of one mind, one speech and one judgment—I Cor.1:10, then a great impact could be made. You will never be able to find one truth about Christmas in the Bible. NOT ONE. And if there be not one truth about it in the only Book that IS truth, then why make up a soulish fantasy to observe it? I guess we could find ONE truth about it. JESUS NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL BE IN CHRISTMAS!!

If we tell our children it is his birthday, then we lie. If we say three wise men came and brought gifts to baby Jesus in the manger, then we lie. If we say Christmas honors the Son of God, then we lie.

Let us dedicate ourselves as Born-Again believers to studying the Word of God and obeying it, ABOVE our emotions and feelings and compromises. It will take boldness and courage to tell others the truth. Tell them you do not observe this holiday for it has nothing to do with the Son of God or HIS Kingdom. And please do not fall into the lie that Christmas is the best time of year to witness for Jesus!! Sharing Jesus and the Kingdom of God is NOT SEASONAL!! It is a time of year of frantic, pushing, shoving, horn honking, cussing and swearing people who would kill to get a toy.

People who damn our God and take his name in vain daily will observe this holiday. Why? Because it is THEIR ungodly holiday, not HIS. What saith the scriptures? Prove all things! Your traditions make the Word of God on none effect!! I pray you have been set free and blessed by this teaching. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Those of you who are Elders in the faith, have a responsibility to preach truth. Not your emotions and feelings. You are called to stand on truth. NO man of God in the Bible, again I say NO man of God in the Bible EVER observed this festivity. Why do you? Why do you? No man of God ever in the Bible observed, taught or partook of this festivity. Why do you? Please think about that one.

How can we say to the children of God, LIVE ON EVERY WORD OF GOD, BELIEVE THE BIBLE AND OBEY IT. Yet at the same time observe something of this nature? How can this be? If you can say Christmas is okay and nothing is wrong with it, then Catholics NEED not be Born-Again. By your standards they are already saved. This came from their spirit, not the Holy Spirit. A bad tree can not bear good fruit.

I thank the Lord Jesus Christ and the teacher, the Holy Spirit for this freedom. I thank the Lord for the faithful saints at New Covenant Christian Center, Int'l who have dedicated their lives to holiness as disciples of Jesus Christ and HIS Kingdom.

There was a day in our early ministry when we at New Covenant had our Christmas parties and year end dinners. We observed and did all the things many of you do. I as the Lead Elder oversaw these things and even ministered as many of you men do today. As I continually grew in the knowledge of the Word of God and continued to seek truth, the darkness was exposed.

As I began to research the "ROOTS" behind Christmas, seeing that it was no where recorded in the Holy Word of God, truth was being seen. As I began to see this unfold, I asked the Lord to forgive me for ever observing this blasphemy. Jesus DID say that you could blaspheme the Son of God and be forgiven. Therefore, I was forgiven. I began as a man of God to teach the disciples here at New Covenant these truths. In the beginning, some left this House of God because of it. How sad to say Jeremiah 44:16-17 was being fulfilled.

"As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth."
I thank God that no man has ever been forced here to comply or change, but by the continual preaching and teaching of truth, they have been made free. I am very proud of the saints in the Kingdom of God today who so desire to love Jesus with purity and holiness. How could we ever explain away that which we now know? How can we still say after learning this kind of truth, we will still do this abomination? Just how hard are our hearts, I ask? If we are willing to not bend on this issue, how many other issues lie in the recesses of our being that we are willing to compromise?

May your hearts be encouraged and I close with this. For those of you that are willing to walk away from this, your greatest adversary and greatest foe will be those who profess to know Jesus. The very ones who say they love HIM, will condemn you, unless they also be set free. Hold fast and be bold. Stand strong as Jesus did. The Lord bless you.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you". Matthew 5:10-12
"Yea, and all that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" II Tim.3:12

If any desire to correct me, I am open and with pure heart will be willing to repent (change my way of thinking). I just ask that your correction be by the Holy Word of God. Let the scriptures be that which we stand on. If you have a defense for your beliefs on Christmas, just please expound them unto me by the Word of God. I will argue with no man. May the Word of God be exalted!!

Please read: Mt.2 (all) Mt.3:9-12, 7:17-19, 15:1-9,13 Luke 2:9-32 I Cor.10:19-23 Col.2:6-8 Gal.4:10 Eph.5:1-17 Luke 4:4 Mt.4:4 Heb.5:8-9 I Jn.5:21 John 14:15-26 John 16:13-15 Lev.19:26, 26:1 10:1 Deut.7:25-26, 12:29-32 Eze.20:18 II Kings 17:15-19 Jer.1:5-11 10:1-5 44:16 Ex.30:9 Nu.3:4 26:61

PROVE ALL THINGS---I Thess.5:21 I can now prove what I stand on and believe, can you?

The Pagan Origin of Easter

Easter is a day that is honored by nearly all of contemporary Christianity and is used to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The holiday often involves a church service at sunrise, a feast which includes an "Easter Ham," decorated eggs, and stories about rabbits. But those who love truth learn to ask questions, and many questions must be asked regarding the holiday of Easter.

Is it truly the day when Jesus arose from the dead? Where did all of the strange customs come from, customs which have nothing to do with the resurrection of our Savior? The purpose of this tract is to help answer those questions and to help those who seek truth to draw their own conclusions.

The first thing we must understand is that professing Christians were not the only ones who celebrated a festival called "Easter." "Ishtar," which is pronounced "Easter" was a day that commemorated the resurrection of one of their gods that they called "Tammuz," who was believed to be the only begotten son of the moon-goddess and the sun-god.

In those ancient times, there was a man named Nimrod, who was the grandson of one of Noah's sons named Ham. Ham had a son named Cush who married a woman named Semiramis. Cush and Semiramis then had a son and named him "Nimrod."

After the death of his father, Nimrod married his own mother and became a powerful king.

The Bible tells of this man, Nimrod, in Genesis 10:8-10 as follows: "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar."

Nimrod became a god-man to the people, and Semiramis, his wife and mother, became the powerful Queen of ancient Babylon.

Nimrod was eventually killed by an enemy, and his body was cut in pieces and sent to various parts of his kingdom. Semiramis had all of the parts gathered, except for one part that could not be found. That missing part was his reproductive organ. Semiramis claimed that Nimrod could not come back to life without it and told the people of Babylon that Nimrod had ascended to the sun and was now to be called "Baal", the sun god.

Queen Semiramis also proclaimed that Baal would be present on earth in the form of a flame, whether candle or lamp, when used in worship. Semiramis was creating a mystery religion, and with the help of Satan, she set herself up as a goddess. Semiramis claimed that she was immaculately conceived. She taught that the moon was a goddess that went through a 28-day cycle and ovulated when full. She further claimed that she came down from the moon in a giant moon egg that fell into the Euphrates River. This was to have happened at the time of the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Semiramis became known as "Ishtar" which is pronounced "Easter," and her moon egg became known as "Ishtar's" egg. Ishtar soon became pregnant and claimed that it was the rays of the sun-god Baal that caused her to conceive. The son that she brought forth was named Tammuz.

Tammuz was noted to be especially fond of rabbits, and rabbits became sacred in the ancient religion because Tammuz was believed to be the son of the sun-god Baal. And Tammuz, like his supposed father, became a hunter. But a day came when Tammuz was killed by a wild pig.

Queen Ishtar told the people that Tammuz was now ascended to his father, Baal, and that the two of them would be with the worshippers in the sacred candle or lamp flame as Father, Son, and Spirit.

Ishtar, who was now worshipped as the "Mother of God and Queen of Heaven," continued to build her mystery religion. The queen told the worshippers that when Tammuz was killed by the wild pig, some of his blood fell on the stump of an evergreen tree and that the stump grew into a full new tree overnight. This made the evergreen tree sacred by the blood of Tammuz.

She also proclaimed a forty-day period of time of sorrow each year prior to the anniversary of the death of Tammuz. During this time, no meat was to be eaten. Worshippers were to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal and Tammuz and to make the sign of the "T" in front of their hearts as they worshipped. They also ate sacred cakes with the marking of a "T" or cross on the top.

Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, a celebration was made. It was Ishtar's Sunday and was celebrated with rabbits and eggs. Ishtar also proclaimed that because Tammuz was killed by a pig, that a pig must be eaten on that Sunday.

By now, the readers of this tract should have made the connection that paganism has infiltrated the contemporary "Christian" churches, and further study indicates that this paganism came in by way of the Roman Catholic System. The truth is that Easter has nothing whatsoever to do with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We also know that Easter can be as much as three weeks away from the Passover, because the pagan holiday is always set as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Some have wondered why the word "Easter" is in the King James Bible. It is because Acts, chapter 12, tells us that it was the evil King Herod who was planning to celebrate Easter and not the Christians. The true Passover and pagan Easter sometimes coincide, but in some years, they are a great distance apart.

So much more could be said, and we have much more information for you if you are a seeker of the truth. We know that the Bible tells us in John 4:24, "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The truth is that the forty days of Lent, eggs, rabbits, hot cross buns, and the Easter ham have everything to do with the ancient pagan religion of Mystery Babylon. These are all antichrist activities! Satan is a master deceiver, and he has filled the lives of well-meaning, professing Christians with idolatry. These things bring the wrath of God upon children of disobedience, who try to make pagan customs of Baal into Christian worship.

You must answer for your activities and for what you teach your children. These customs of Easter honor Baal, who is also Satan, and who is still worshipped as the "Rising Sun." Satan's house is the "House of the Rising Sun." How many churches have "sunrise services" on Ishtar's day and face the rising sun in the East? How many will use colored eggs and rabbit stories, as they did in ancient Babylon?

These things are no joke, any more than Judgement day is a joke. I pray to God that this tract will cause you to search for more truth. We will be glad to help you by providing more information and by praying for you. These are the last days, and it is time to repent. Come out and be separate!

Why Fake Christian Ministries Push the Halloween Trick-or-Treat Ritual

Why do so many well known "Christian" ministries strongly encourage Christians to enter into the seemingly harmless Halloween trick-or-treat tradition? Because it is not harmless, and they know it.

Trick-or-treat, which appears to be an innocent tradition, is in reality a satanic ritual that cannot be sanctified no matter how many rationalizations Satan's ministers come up with. The trick-or-treat ritual is Satan's invention and is carried out on Satan's night. Any person, Christian or not, who participates in this ritual is giving evil spirits an invitation to come into his life and have fellowship with him. Demonic affliction is a heavy price to pay for engaging in what false Christian ministers call "harmless fun."

A concerned Australian shared the following information which reveals the trick-or-treat ritual represents human sacrifice:

In Australia today we are seeing a tradition which has been accepted overseas for many years creeping into our way of life with an alarming acceptance. It is becoming an event which is becoming popular on the social calendar. The evening of 31st October will see many young Australian children going from door to door calling “trick or treat”, not knowing that such a ritual was practiced by the Druids and their followers in medieval times.

The trick-or-treat ritual was practiced by the Druids and their followers in medieval times.

The Druids went from castle to castle doing exactly the same thing. They also demanded a ‘treat’, however, this demand was for a young woman who could be offered as a human sacrifice in a Satanic ritual. The Druids were known as men of Oak and they demanded blood sacrifices. These men were so controlled by Satanic forces that they had strange and frightening powers.

If the ‘treat’ (the young woman) pleased the Druids, they would light a candle made of human fat and insert it in a Jack-O-Lantern to protect those inside the castle from being killed by demons.

When some of the families could not meet the demands of the Druids then it was time for a ‘trick’. A hexagram was drawn on the front door of the dwelling, and it was said that Satan or his demons would kill someone in the household through fear that night.

The spellbinding beat of the druid music would fill the night as the ceremony began. The men would assault their victim and then brutally sacrifice her to their gods.(1)

 Trick-or-Treat Ritual Gives Place to the Devil

Satan's agents, who represent themselves as Christians, do not want Christians to know that Halloween is about human sacrifice and they definitely do not want them to pray against it. That is the reason they do not mention the need to pray against ritual human sacrifice and instead, urge Christians to participate in the trick-or-treat ritual which represents human sacrifice.

Since the trick-or-treat ritual looks cute on the surface, Christians who have not investigated this matter are entering into this annual custom for a little bit of "harmless fun." In reality, the trick-or-treat ritual is a culturally and even church-sanctioned way for Satan to gain access to their lives and that of their children.

Many Christians are already aware that Halloween is dedicated to Satan, and as such abstain from it. In response to their resolve to do right, Satan uses another tactic in an attempt to deceive them into giving place to him via the accursed trick-or-treat ritual. Evangelism! Surely God is pleased when His people respond to Satan's prized "trick-or-treat" phrase with some cursed candy (2) and a tract. Right? No, God is not pleased. (Click here to learn how to evangelize on Halloween without compromise.)

God will not prevent Satan from taking the ground Christians give him if we participate in his devil-infested ritual. When children come to the door saying, "Trick-or-Treat!" evil spirits have permission to access our lives if we respond to those words with a "treat" (even a tract) because to do so is

To enter Heaven, you must have your name written in God's BOOK OF LIFE.

Revelation 20:15 says:

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Hell wasn't created for you and me.

Matthew 25:41 says, hell was,

". . . prepared for the devil and his angels:"

The problem is you have sinned AGAINST God, and His WRATH is on you. (John 3:36)

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

The Biblical definition of sin is ....

1 John 3:4  "...transgression of God s law." 

God is HOLY.  He sees lust as adultery (Matthew 5:28) and hatred as murder (1 John 3:15).  He commads "Do not lie, Do not steal, Do not take His name in vain....etc...(Exodus 20)  The greatest commandment in the whole Bible is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. (Mark 12:30)

James 2:10
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

Hebrews 9:27 "
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

Revelation 21:8   "...the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

To have your name written in God's book of life, you must be BORN AGAIN.

John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

John 3:14-21 "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

Romans 10:8-11   "8... The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. "

Ephesians 2:8-10   "8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

IS YOUR BUSY LIFESTYLE KILLING YOUR FAMILY?

The other day I was listening to the news on the radio. They ran a story about a busy working woman. When this lady went to her car at the end of the long workday, she let out a scream. To the woman's horror, she found her five-month-old baby still strapped in his child seat in the backseat of her car. It had been an extremely hot day, and the infant was dead from heat exhaustion. While crying hysterically the woman stated that while driving to work she had simply forgotten to drop her baby off at the daycare center.

Now, this is an extreme case of someone whose busy lifestyle killed a member of their family, but many other people are killing their families in less obvious ways. We have become a society of two-income households, longer work hours, farther commutes, more childcare, and less family time. People have bigger and bigger houses, two- to three-car garages filled with cars, a television in every room, name brand everything, but zero quality time with the family. Marriages are disintegrating, children are raising themselves, and households are suffering because people are losing sight of what is most important -- the family.

I realize that people have to work to survive, but what price are you willing to pay to "get ahead"? Who is going to be burned because you do not put your family's well-being first? And I am not speaking of those people who are scraping just to make ends meet. I am talking about the men and women who have bought into the mindset that more is better. I'm talking about the people who believe that they are not successful unless they drive a certain kind of car or own a home that is so many square feet. I am speaking to those of you who are single or divorced mothers and fathers who are so into doing your own thing that your sons and daughters barely have a parent.

Ask yourself these questions:

* Do your children spend more time with the TV than they do with you?

* Are you so tired after you have given so much of yourself at the office that you don't have anything left when you get home?

* Do you find yourself arguing with your spouse over the fact that you are at the office too much?

* Does your spouse play the role of mother and father because of your absence?

* Do you teach your children values and morals and Christian beliefs, or are you expecting them to learn that at school?

* Single parents, in your desire to still date and go out socially, do you leave your children with baby-sitters for extended periods of time or leave them at home alone?

* Are you getting more and more success materially, but drifting farther and farther away from the people who you are working so hard to provide for?

I believe that many people are sacrificing their families because of selfishness, greed, or just twisted priorities. We even convince ourselves that what we are doing is for the family, while all the while the family is being torn apart. And do you know what? Sadly, this is nothing new.

Back in biblical times, some people worshipped a false god named Molech or Moloch. This was a Semitic deity who was honored by the sacrifice of children, in which parents would cause their children to pass through or into the fire. People would let their infants burn at Molech's altar. It was thought that the sacrifice of one's child in this way would prove the family's devotion to Molech and guarantee success and prosperity for the family's future. People selfishly murdered their children under the guise of a future "greater good." Jeremiah 32:35, "And they built the high places of Ba'al, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin."

Today people do not lay their children before a false god on a burning altar of fire, but many people sacrifice their family in other ways. People get so wrapped up in trying to prove something to some company or get ahead and make money and climb the ladder of success that their family gets burned because of it. We have children becoming sexually active younger and younger because they are looking for love they are not getting at home. We have children joining gangs because that is the closest thing they can find that resembles a "family." You have kids with too much time on their hands delving into the occult because no parent was there to teach them about Jesus Christ. You have wives or husbands committing adultery because they spend more time with their coworkers than with their spouse.

I am sure that there has been many a person lying on their deathbed who realized too late what was most important. I don't think that a man or a woman's last words are ever, "If only I had spent a little more time at the office" or "I wish I could have bought just one more new car." But I'm sure that many have said in their final hour, "I wish I would have spent more time with my son, with my daughter, with my husband, with my wife."

I believe it was the multi-millionaire Rockefeller who was asked, "How much money does it take to make a person happy?" And his response was, "Just a little more." There is always going to be a bigger house out there or a newer car or some fancier clothes, or some function or event that you are invited to. You have to set your priorities and make your family the most important thing in your life. Sacrifice your career, not your kids.

As the old saying goes, "You can't take it with you." And we read in the Bible, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return" (Job 1:21b). Job understood that earthly gain and material wealth are temporary. I don't think I've ever seen a hearse pulling a U-haul trailer. The only things that are lasting are the things that you do for God and the impression you make in the lives of your children.

Stop being so busy with the things of this world. Don't believe the world's lie that you are not successful unless you have X, Y & Z. Make God number one and your family number two on your list of what is important to you and then live your life accordingly.

Matthew 5:19-21, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Psalm 127:1, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."

There came a time when a king finally put an end to the sacrifice of children at Molech's altar. King Josiah destroyed all of the altars and high places that had been set up for this horrendous form of worship. I hope that you, too, will put an end to anything in your life that is forcing you to sacrifice your family.

What kind of person are you? What kind of friend are you?

If you saw a blind man who was unknowingly walking straight towards a cliff, would you do whatever was in your power to warn him of the impending danger?

If there was a drunken man passed out on some railroad tracks and the train was heading in his direction, would you muster up every ounce of strength you could to pull him off the tracks?

If your friend's breath stank day in and day out, would you tell him or her of this hygiene problem, or would you say nothing because you were afraid of hurting their feelings?

Most of us, I believe, would not stand by idly and let a stranger walk right into harm's way. Yet when it comes to people who are close to us, oftentimes we remain silent in even the most inconsequential of matters out of fear of saying something that would cause our friend embarrassment, or (more often the case) we just do not want anybody angry with us.

And, unfortunately, this unwillingness to confront our friends and tell them of their shortcomings also hinders us from pointing out those areas in their life that we know are sinful and unrighteous in God's eyes.

Well, it is bad enough when we are not forthright in telling our friends that they have bad breath, but even at its worse, a little halitosis never destined anyone to hell! But not repenting of one's sins and turning towards Christ will result in a person going to hell. So when you see sin in a loved one's life and you, for whatever reason, just turn a blind eye to it, that apathy can result in serious consequences indeed. If you do not take it upon yourself to rebuke, enlighten, and correct your friend, who will?