God says his people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). God wants us to have spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge is based on God and his word, and it is different from the knowledge of the world. Spiritual knowledge keeps us safe from destruction.
Lies bring us into bondage. The truth sets us free. The word of God is the truth.
God gave clear instructions to his people.
“According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances.” (Leviticus 18:3-4)
There is a difference between God and the world. The ways of God are contrary to the ways of the world. God told his people not to follow the examples of the pagan nations around them. These nations were doing many sinful things that God did not want his people doing. They were also worshiping false gods.
“You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place. You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things.” (Deuteronomy 12:3-4)
God told his people to destroy the pagan religions of the nations. Everything they used to worship their gods was to be destroyed so that these things would not corrupt God’s people. God prohibited his people from using these pagan rituals in worship.
“When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise. You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way… Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” (Deuteronomy 12:29-32)
God told his people, “You shall not worship the Lord in that way.” Satanic rituals cannot be adopted, reformed, and redeemed for the worship of God. They must be rejected, because they are an abomination to God.
Everything that happened to the Israelites in the Old Testament is symbolic for us today.
“And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’” (1 Corinthians 10:7)
The Israelites sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play when they tried to worship God using a pagan tradition – the golden cow. When the Israelites worshiped using a golden cow, they thought they were worshiping the true God (Ex 32:4-5). They called it Yahweh! But God cannot be worshiped using pagan means.
“God is a Spirit and those who worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
We must worship God according to the Holy Spirit. We must worship him according to the truth, which is the word of God. There is no other way to worship God. We must not add to the word of God nor take away from it.
When Jesus came, he encountered the Pharisees. These religious leaders had made up many ways to worship God that were not based on the Bible. When Jesus saw their new worship styles, he did not congratulate them for their creativity, instead he rebuked them for their rebellion. He said their worship was vain or empty because it was not based on the word of God. Jesus said that trying to worship God through man-made rituals is actually serving Satan rather than God.
The Pharisees didn’t like Jesus. He was too blunt and clear.
The Pharisees didn’t want to give up their rituals. Their culture was based on these rituals, and their traditions were very popular. So rather than give up their religious rituals, they killed Jesus.
Easter is a popular holiday today.
The word Easter comes from Eostre, an ancient goddess of the dawn. This goddess Eostre is connected to Ishtar or Ashtoreth, an ancient fertility goddess. This fertility goddess was associated with the spring, the time of new life.
The date of Easter changes each year. That’s because the date of Easter is determined by two things – the date of the spring equinox and the date of the first full moon after the spring equinox.
The spring equinox is the day of year when the day and night are equal, and it marks the beginning of spring. The spring equinox is an important time for many religions and cultures. Many religious festivals around the world are associated with it. Ancient fertility rituals were done during the spring equinox to mark the time when the plants came back to life after winter, and to invoke the blessing of the gods on newly planted crops. Religious rituals were done with eggs, which represented fertility. Rabbits were also used, which also represent quick reproduction.
The ancient fertility goddess was represented by the moon. When the moon was full, this goddess was perceived as being in full strength. This is why this fertility goddess was especially worshiped during the full moon connected to the spring equinox.
Worldwide, there are many spring equinox festivals.
In south India, there is a spring equinox festival called Vishu. Vishu means “equal” in Sanskrit, telling us that on the equinox day and night are equal. It celebrates the victory of their god Krishna over a demon. Holi is a spring equinox festival that is popular in north India.
Japan, China, and many other cultures have spring equinox festivals.
In ancient Babylon, there was an ancient spring equinox festival that worshipped Tammuz and Ishtar, his mother. The rites of this ancient worship had corrupted ancient Israel, as seen in Ezekiel 8:14. God called this pagan worship an abomination.
We need God’s word. God’s word will increase our spiritual knowledge. Without God’s word, we will not be safe.
God’s word reveals that God cannot be worshiped using Satanic means. He can only be worshiped according to his word.
“But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.” (Galatians 4:9-10)
If there is anything worth celebrating, it is the victory of Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection is the foundation of our faith.Christ crushed Satan’s head. He stripped the fallen angels of their power. He gave us authority to cast out demons. He took away our sins. He gave us eternal life. He took the wrath of God. He sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts.
How does God want us to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
The Bible tells us that God wants us to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the Lord’s Supper.
“Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drinkit,in remembrance of Me.”For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:24-26)
Whenever we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the Lord’s death. We remember his glorious victory over sin, darkness, and Satan. God wants us to do this frequently, at least every week on Sunday when we meet together as a church.
Through the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Who do we proclaim this to?
First of all, we proclaim this to God. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we show him that there are people on the earth who are giving their lives to him. We are standing in the gap between earth and heaven, asking for God’s will to be done, declaring the gospel to the world.
We also proclaim Christ’s death to ourselves during the Lord’s Supper. We need to remember the death and resurrection of Christ regularly, for it is the foundation of our spiritual life. We remind ourselves that we are saved, that we are children of God, we have eternal life, we have the Holy Spirit inside us, and that our sins are taken away – all because of what Jesus did, and not what we did.
We proclaim Christ’s victory to other believers during the Lord’s Supper. We encourage them to be strong in their faith. Maybe they are discouraged. When we meet with them and share the word of God and the Lord’s Supper, they can be strengthened. During the Lord’s Supper we rejoice that the dividing walls between people have been broken down through the sacrifice of Christ, and we can be one with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Finally, we declare the victory of Christ to the principalities and powers during the Lord’s Supper. We declare to all fallen angels and demons that they are defeated. Satan’s head has been crushed. We are not part of Satan’s kingdom; we are part of the kingdom of God. There is spiritual power in the Lord’s Supper.
God wants us to consistently celebrate and remember the death and resurrection of Christ through the Lord’s Supper, week after week. (The early church celebrated the Lord’s Supper every day.) As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we tap into the divine power we need to live victorious Christian lives. There is great benefit in meeting regularly with the church and maintaining this regular spiritual habit.
Someday Jesus will return to the world and judge the world in righteousness. He’s going to establish his kingdom. He will glorify his people. The spiritual knowledge of the glory of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. All Satanism will be destroyed. Until then, we will keep proclaiming the death of Jesus through the Lord’s Supper.
Let us celebrate the victory of God as he instructs us in the Bible. Let us not add to his word nor take away from it. We may have lacked knowledge in the past about some of these things, but now we have gained knowledge. God is merciful. But he expects us to act in light of his word. These truths will set us free. As we walk according to this spiritual knowledge from God, we will be blessed.
Lincoln House Churches 