The Glorious God and His Glorious Church

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Christmas Trees Circumcision
Eph. 56-11
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6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for
because of these things the wrath of God comes
upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do
not be partakers with them. 8 For you were once
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk
as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and
truth). 10 finding out what is acceptable to the
Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose
them. Eph. 56-11
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The Spread of Christianity
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• The Spread of Christianity
• From 500 to 5,000 men

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• The Spread of Christianity
• From 500 to 5,000 men
• They went everywhere

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• The Spread of Christianity
• From 500 to 5,000 men
• They went everywhere
• Usually faced fierce persecution

7

• The Spread of Christianity
• From 500 to 5,000 men
• They went everywhere
• Usually faced fierce persecution
• Problem was being distinct from Judaism

8

• The Spread of Christianity
• From 500 to 5,000 men
• They went everywhere
• Usually faced fierce persecution
• Problem was being distinct from Judaism
• Fewer problems with paganism

9

• The Spread of Christianity
• From 500 to 5,000 men
• They went everywhere
• Usually faced fierce persecution
• Problem was being distinct from Judaism
• Fewer problems with paganism
• Every person knew of the church

10

• The Spread of Christianity
• From 500 to 5,000 men
• They went everywhere
• Usually faced fierce persecution
• Problem was being distinct from Judaism
• Fewer problems with paganism
• Every person knew of the church
• Christianity conquered the pagan world

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• The Spread of Christianity
• From 500 to 5,000 men
• They went everywhere
• Usually faced fierce persecution
• Problem was being distinct from Judaism
• Fewer problems with paganism
• Every person knew of the church
• Christianity conquered the pagan world
• Danger of desire to be accepted by world

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Church in Pagan Italy Saturnalia
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• Church in Pagan Italy
• Saturnalia
• Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of
  Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness
  celebrated between December 17-25.  During this
  period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law
  dictated that no one could be punished for
  damaging property or injuring people during the
  weeklong celebration.  The festival began when
  Roman authorities chose an enemy of the Roman
  people to represent the Lord of Misrule.  Each
  Roman community selected a victim whom they
  forced to indulge in food and other physical
  pleasures throughout the week.  At the festivals
  conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities
  believed they were destroying the forces of
  darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man
  or woman.

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• Church in Pagan Italy
• Saturnalia
• In the 4th century AD, Christianity imported
  the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the pagan
  masses in with it.  Christian leaders succeeded
  in converting to Christianity large numbers of
  pagans by promising them that they could continue
  to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians.
•     The problem was that there was nothing
  intrinsically Christian about Saturnalia. To
  remedy this, these Christian leaders named
  Saturnalias concluding day, December 25th, to be
  Jesus birthday.

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• Church in Pagan Italy
• Saturnalia
• Christians had little success, however,
  refining the practices of Saturnalia.  As Stephen
  Nissenbaum, professor history at the University
  of Massachusetts, Amherst, writes, In return for
  ensuring massive observance of the anniversary of
  the Saviors birth by assigning it to this
  resonant date, the Church for its part tacitly
  agreed to allow the holiday to be celebrated more
  or less the way it had always been.  The
  earliest Christmas holidays were celebrated by
  drinking, sexual indulgence, singing naked in the
  streets (a precursor of modern caroling), etc.

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Church in Pagan N. Europe Dies Natalis Solis
Invictus means "the birthday of the unconquered
Sun." The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed
several solar deities to be worshipped
collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun
god Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian and
Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin.
Emperor Elagabalus (218222) introduced the
festival, and it reached the height of its
popularity under Aurelian, who promoted it as an
empire-wide holiday. This day had held no
significance in the Roman festive calendar until
it was introduced in the third century.
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Church in Pagan N. Europe A winter festival
was the most popular festival of the year in many
cultures. Reasons included the fact that less
agricultural work needs to be done during the
winter, as well as an expectation of better
weather as spring approached. Modern Christmas
customs include gift-giving and merrymaking from
Roman Saturnalia greenery, lights, and charity
from the Roman New Year and Yule logs and
various foods from Germanic feasts. Pagan
Scandinavia celebrated a winter festival called
Yule, held in the late December to early January
period. As Northern Europe was the last part to
Christianize, its pagan traditions had a major
influence on Christmas. Scandinavians still call
Christmas Jul. In English, the word Yule is
synonymous with Christmas, a usage first recorded
in 900.
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Christmas Trees Today?
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• Christmas Trees Today?
• Circumcision Today?

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• Christmas Trees Today?
• Circumcision Today?
• Both Have a Religious Background

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• Christmas Trees Today?
• Circumcision Today?
• Both Have a Religious Background
• Paul and Titus/Timothy

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• Christmas Trees Today?
• Circumcision Today?
• Both Have a Religious Background
• Paul and Titus/Timothy
• Christians in Early Centuries/Today

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• His Plan of Salvation
• Believe in Him John 316
• Turn (repent) from sin Acts 1730
• Confess Christ Rom. 109
• Baptized into Christ Gal. 327
• Added to His Kingdom, His Church
• Live faithfully until death Rev. 210