To know that we have been adopted by none other than God Himself through the blood of His only begotten Son is truly a great joy, but even more so an amazing honor. However, it is wise and righteous to comprehend that with this great honor also come many important responsibilities that are required of us as His one, true church since “now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church” (Ephesians 3:10). Our Lord and Savior also commands us to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Therefore, we must not ignore nor neglect this important task that our God has established for us as His Son’s church. Doing so will, regrettably, have the opposite effect. Hence the purpose for my decision to write about this critical subject. In the book of Ezekiel, Jehovah God reveals to the prophet that he had been established as a “watchmen for the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 33:7-9). God explains to the prophet how it was the responsibility of the watchmen to stand vigilant on the walls of the city for any lingering threats on the horizon. If he were to spot anything dangerous coming toward them, he was to blow his trumpet to warn all, so that they may have ample time to escape and save their lives. This, explains the Lord to the prophet, would now be his duty with his fellow countrymen. Ezekiel had been chosen to stand guard and watch for any spiritual threats that would arise amongst the people of Israel, and when they appeared it was his obligation to “hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me” (Ezekiel 33:7). Neglecting to speak God’s warning to the Israelite people would result disastrously for him, for “that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezekiel 33:8). In a similar form, the apostle Paul instructs us, through Timothy, that we too must “take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1st Timothy 4:16). Inspired by the Holy Spirit, both Ezekiel and Paul urge us to speak God’s word in its entirety with our lips and our actions. This is what Jesus meant by calling us the “light of the world.” Irrefutably, this was also the lesson God was teaching His prophet when He manifested the accountability we all have as our brother’s keepers. Therefore, with this knowledge in mind, it is necessary to “blow the trumpet,” for an ominous threat on the horizon has reached our doors. Before we continue, let us remove any prejudice and meditate upon this with an unbiased mind, for I only seek to warn us all of the subtle ways our adversary attempts to drift us away from the purity of our worship before God. An evil born from envy and jealousy, since Holy Writ reveals to us that Satan has deceived himself to believe that he, too, is entitled to be accepted and worshiped as a god. Satan has always sought to corrupt the worship that belongs to Jehovah God, offered by His chosen people. One such way is exposed by our Redeemer in His stern admonishment of the Pharisees in His accusation “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition” (Matthew 15:3)? This question posed by Christ to the religious leaders of His time, has the same focus today. It is a rhetorical question meant to stir the conscience of God’s chosen people, so that we may reflect upon the decisions we have made revolving around His worship when coinciding with man made holidays. It is a threat that has long been ignored, although it has lingered for quite some time now in our society. For several years now, our worship before God has been compromised by several holidays. The value of the assembling of God’s saints has slowly been lessened by all who have made it a simple matter to replace the worship meant to glorify the almighty God in place for parties and entertainments with family, that solely satisfy a very human pleasure. This, my brethren, must not be so. Although it is true that spending time and enjoying our families is an essential part of Christianity, it is imperative not to forget that “he who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). Anyone or anything that robs our God of His glory is branded by Him as an idol; therefore, with these words our Master warns us of the peril in converting our loved ones into our idols. The same is true when we give priority to a man made holiday over our worship toward the Father. Allowing these decisions to happen, brethren, makes us no different from the Pharisees. We must understand that by making these choices we are hindering God’s glory, and not only dilute the importance of worship, but also enable those who have become accustomed to “forsake the assembling of ourselves” (Hebrews 10:24-25). Granting precedence to a holiday over God’s worship places us in the category of the Samaritans, proving that we too “worship what you do not know” (John 4:22). Therefore my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, let us examine ourselves and consider the gravity of our erroneous decision if we have invalidated God’s commandments by replacing them with the traditions of men. Choosing to celebrate these holidays instead of presenting our undivided worship to the Father, is making the traditions of men more valuable than God’s Holy Law. This action, once again, is branded by Him as idolatry. Therefore my brethren, let us always be vigilant of our spiritual lives and remember that in this spiritual warfare we “do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Fortifying our minds with this reality, let us have much caution “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2nd Corinthians 2:11). Some of the world’s most dangerous and toxic poisons are odorless; however, there are also others that have a sweet smelling aroma that are just as deadly if ingested. Observe that whether odorless or sweet smelling, both are extremely dangerous due to their subtlety. This is how our adversary, the devil, works amongst the Lord’s chosen people. He does not give announcement to his presence nor does he call attention to himself, rather he “transforms himself into an angel of light.” Since he does not ever work alone, let us always keep in mind that even “his ministers transform themselves into ministers of righteousness” (2nd Corinthians 11:14-15). We must not ignore Satan’s capability of deceiving God’s children with these man made holidays. Instead, let us be diligent in every manner of thought, speech, and action, especially when it concerns the exclusive worship that belongs to God. Let us strive to be men and women “who does not condemn himself in what he approves” (Romans 14:22).
