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HOW TO BE A LIGHT BEARER FOR CHRIST

12/27/2024

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  • Disclaimer
  • What You Should Know About Hanukkah
  • Many Christians Are Making The Switch
  • The Original Roots Of Our Faith
  • What Is Hanukkah
  • The Story Behind Hanukkah
  • Mattiyahu and the Hanukkah Story
  • The Connection Between Jesus And The Menorah


​DISCLAIMER​

As the holiday season sparks debates among Christians about whether believers should or should not celebrate Christmas, I want readers to know that this is not my motivation for sharing the content in this blog about Christmas or Hanukkah. As I stated in a previous Facebook post, my goal is not to convert or offend anyone regarding my stance. The position I have taken against national holidays is both personal and religious.
​
So, because of the type of person I am, I enjoy sharing with others. It is only natural for me to share the things I have learned. That is my only goal: to share with my readers the insights I have gained and the experiences I have had on this new journey I am undertaking to draw closer to God.

For me, I am striving to become as pure as possible in living a holy lifestyle and to be acceptable and pleasing to God in every way. Often, this involves making many sacrifices, giving up things I once enjoyed, finding joy in serving God, and dying to myself and my desires. My life is no longer about me, but about Him.

This means leaving behind the ways of the secular world—their practices, traditions, customs, and celebrations—and familiarizing myself with the traditions, practices, customs, and celebrations that God approves of in the Scriptures. I believe that as I strive to be more like God, it is safer to walk away from and abandon any holiday not mentioned or practiced by Jesus or His apostles in the Scriptures than to later learn that God disapproves of the man-made celebrations so many of us partake in.

With that being said, I hope every reader gains something positive from today’s blog post.

Things you should know about hanukkah

​
  • Many believers are making the switch: they are leaving the Christmas holiday and adopting the celebration of Hanukkah.
  • Jesus was conceived during the Festival of Lights. (I have not yet confirmed this through my research and studies, but based on what I have read so far, it seems plausible.)
  • Hanukkah has a powerful and prophetic history that all believers in Christ should take time to learn about.
  • This holiday prophesies the time when the antichrist will desecrate the temple right before the Great Tribulation begins.
My goal is to unpack some of these points in this blog.
​

why are so many believers are switching to hanukkah

Many believers are making the switch because they have grown tired of the secularization and materialism of Christmas. Additionally, they have discovered that they were misled about the origins of Christmas and the actual date of Jesus' birth.
​
Today, many believers are developing a desire to reconnect with the authentic roots of their faith. They are making an effort to learn about the Feasts of the Lord to gain knowledge and understanding of what the early believers practiced and believed.

As we delve into this discussion, one thing I want you to consider is this: If the world embraces and celebrates customs like Christmas, shouldn’t that give believers a reason to pause and reconsider whether this is something we should partake in? Think about it. You will never see an unbeliever observing or participating in any of the Holy Days or other acceptable customs prescribed in the Bible. They simply won’t do it.

Therefore, when we see unbelievers enjoying, promoting, or celebrating certain customs, traditions, or holidays, we should ask ourselves: Should we, as followers of Christ, align ourselves with the practices of the world?

Get back to the original roots of our faith

It would be wise for every family head, ministry leader, and church leader to lay everything on the table concerning national holidays like Christmas—their customs, practices, and celebratory activities—and closely examine and compare them with the customs, practices, and celebrations mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. It is crucial to investigate the customs Jesus and apostles celebrated and compare them with what churches celebrated during their era.
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We must remember that many members of God’s congregation in ancient Israel came out of the world, bringing with them their practices, customs, and celebrations. So, would it be wise to base our decision about whether to participate in a national holiday solely on their habits while ignoring whether Jesus and the apostles partook in such customs? Certainly not. Our focus should be on the events and practices that Jesus and His apostles approved of and participated in. This is what we should use as our standard for determining whether a custom, practice, or holiday is acceptable for believers.
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This standard—not the opinions of church leaders, such as pastors or their supporting staff (e.g., deacons)—should serve as our check and balance. Unfortunately, many of us have been influenced by the systems of this world and practices individuals have brought into the church. Just as the first-century Christians brought their worldly customs, practices, traditions, and celebrations into God’s house, we too may be carrying over customs that God does not necessarily approve of into the House of God.

what is hanukkah

Hanukkah means dedication. This celebration is also known as the Feast of Dedication and the Feast of Lights. Why? Because Hanukkah revolves around the dedication of the Second Temple and the lighting of the menorah. These two concepts—dedication and light—are directly linked to our Christian faith.
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How so? Just as the Second Temple was reclaimed from its oppressors, and Yeshua (Jesus) is the light of the world, we too were redeemed through Christ’s willingness to die on the cross on our behalf. He then placed His light within each of us, illuminating us from the inside out.

the story behind hanukkah

The celebration of Hanukkah, which both Jesus and His disciples partook in, can be found in John 10:22-23. It reads:
“At that time, the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple area, in Solomon’s portico.”
It is important to examine the full history of this holiday. One resource that provides a historical account is the book of Maccabees. This book details how God’s people were persecuted by the Syrian-Greek king Antiochus IV. His goal was to make the entire nation abandon their faith, so he attempted to force God’s people to worship Greek gods. When the Jews refused, in 169 BC, Antiochus sent his soldiers into Jerusalem, massacred thousands of Jews, captured the temple, erected an idol of Zeus in the temple, and sacrificed a pig on the altar to honor Zeus.
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In the aftermath, many Jews compromised their faith and began to adopt Greek customs, cultural practices, and the worship of Greek gods. In response, God raised up a man among His people who remained steadfast in his faith. This man was equipped by God to lead His people back into right standing with Him.

Throughout the Bible, we see a consistent pattern in how God rescues His people from the hands of their oppressors and their own compromised faith. God chooses individuals who are outnumbered and smaller in stature compared to their enemies. He uses these unlikely heroes to demonstrate that even when a situation appears hopeless, nothing is impossible with God.

We saw this with David, who stood up to a giant. We saw it when God used Esther to save His people from annihilation. We saw it when God empowered Samson to defeat the mighty Philistines singlehandedly. We saw it when God raised up Moses to demand that Pharaoh let His people go. Now, we see God achieving the same victory through a small group of priests against the powerful Syrian army.

Mattiyahu and the Hanukkah Story

Mattiyahu was a priest from the tribe of Levi. Along with his five sons, he stood up to the Syrian army, but not without facing significant challenges.
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One of the first challenges Mattiyahu faced was the division among the Jews. Many had compromised their faith by integrating into Greek culture and participating in its practices, traditions, customs, and celebrations. However, a small group of Jews remained faithful to God’s standards and refused to compromise by adopting Greek customs and traditions.

The Greeks, determined to force compliance, applied significant pressure on the remaining faithful Jews. Antiochus sent one of his chief army officers to Mattiyahu with a bribe, saying:

“Come now, you be the first to obey the king’s command. All the Gentiles, the people of Judea, and all the people left in Jerusalem have already done so. If you do, you and your sons will be honored with the title of Friends of the King, and you will be rewarded with silver, gold, and many gifts” (1 Maccabees 2:18).

This offer was tempting—it promised wealth and status that could secure Maccabee and his descendants for generations. But the offer was a test of Mattiyahu’s faith, loyalty, and identity. Would he choose the ways of the world or remain faithful to God? Consider the words of Jesus in Mark 8:36-37:

“For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world [with all its pleasures], and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul and eternal life [in God’s kingdom]?”

Mattiyahu’s response to the chief officer was resolute. He remained faithful to God and refused the officer’s offer, boldly declaring:

“I don’t care if every Gentile in this empire has obeyed the king and yielded to the command to abandon the religion of his ancestors. My sons, my relatives, and I will continue to keep the covenant that God made with our ancestors! With God’s help, we will never abandon His Law or disobey His commands!” (1 Maccabees 2:19-20).

The Syrian chief officer then made the same offer to another Jewish leader, who accepted. When Mattiyahu learned of this, he killed the leader to prevent apostasy from spreading further among the Jews. Soon after, Mattiyahu and his sons fled the country, calling out to others: “Whoever wants to remain faithful to God’s covenant, flee with us!”

At some point, Mattiyahu died, and his son Judah, nicknamed "The Hammer," rose to leadership. Despite being outnumbered six to one by the Syrians, Judah trusted in God to deliver victory (1 Maccabees 4:30-33). Under his leadership, Judah and his men defeated the Syrian army and reclaimed Jerusalem.

The city and the temple were left in ruins. Judah and his followers worked together to repair and cleanse the temple. They restored the menorah and lit it with the small amount of oil they could find—enough for just one day. However, God miraculously sustained the oil, and it burned for eight days, long enough for them to prepare a new supply of oil for the menorah.

In celebration of this miraculous event, the temple was rededicated, and Hanukkah was established as a commemoration of their liberation from their enemies.

What is the significance of the menorah in connection with jesus

The temple menorah had six candles and a central candle known as the Shamash, or servant candle. In biblical symbolism, the number six represents man, while the seventh candle in the center represents the Sabbath. It also symbolizes Yeshua (Jesus), the greatest servant who ever lived.
It is good to remember what 1 Corinthians 3:16 teaches us: "We are the temple of the Holy Spirit." Just as the Second Temple was continuously under attack by dark forces, our own "temples"—our bodies and lives—are under constant attack from evil forces that seek to desecrate us and make us unusable before a holy God.

But God intervened on our behalf by sending His Son, Yeshua, to rescue us. His sacrifice and shed blood have freed us from destructive lifestyles and sin. Through this act, Jesus becomes the true menorah in our lives. As our menorah, He illuminates the way for us, and we have the opportunity to prove our love for Him by keeping His commandments. The more we love Him, the brighter our light will shine.
​
Therefore, we must not compromise our faith to align with culture. Celebrations like Hanukkah serve as a reminder to rebuild and strengthen our faith when we feel weary or defeated. Observing such a holiday can renew our commitment to God's ways and bring us back into alignment with serving Him, rather than following the practices, customs, traditions, and celebrations of the world.
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LIGHTING THE HANUKKIAH

12/27/2024

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  • Reconcile back with God
  • Day 1 – Light of Creation
  • Day 2 – Light of Noah
  • Day – Abraham, the father of the people of God


reconcile man back to his creator

For centuries, mankind has repeatedly wrestled with a persistent folly: keeping separate and distinct from the affairs of the world. This struggle is vividly illustrated in 1 Samuel 8:5, where the people of God asked Samuel to give them a king to judge them like the nations. By doing so, they rejected their perfect, merciful, sovereign King in favor of a human ruler limited in power, ability, and compassion. Indeed, as Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

day 1

Today, as believers in Christ, we should take advantage of this wonderful celebration, designed to shift our focus from man-centered activities and traditions, and realign our lives fully on our Creator. This time invites us to rededicate our hearts, making God the center and primary focus of all we do.

This is the essence of Hanukkah, which means dedication and is also known as the Feast of Dedication. On the first day, we light the center candle, known as the Shamash or servant candle. This candle, also referred to as the Light of Creation, signifies the light brought into existence by the Messiah, as described in the book of Genesis.

The Light was first given to Adam and Eve, who were meant to pass it on to the next generation. From that single Light, all other lights throughout history would come.
​

day 2​

On the second day, the candle represents the Light of Noah. Just as Noah stood against the evil of his time, so did Mattathias Maccabee and his son Judah during the events that Hanukkah commemorates.

Let’s consider the connections between Noah and Hanukkah: there were eight people on the ark, and Hanukkah lasts for eight days. In Hebrew, the number eight signifies new beginnings. After the flood, Noah and his family experienced a new beginning. Similarly, after Judah and his followers defeated the Syrians that resulted in freeing God's people from their enemy, while regaining control of the Second Temple, the people of God experienced a new beginning.

day 3

The third light represents Abraham, the father of God's people. Through Abraham, the Light was reintroduced to the world.
​
Abraham's willingness to bind his son, Isaac, on the altar demonstrates obedience and faith in God's promise of the promised seed. Just as Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son in obedience, Jesus offered Himself as the ultimate and acceptable substitute for all mankind in His obedience to God’s will.

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IS HANUKKAH AN ALTERNATIVE CELEBRATION FOR CHRISTMAS

12/21/2024

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RESTING IN GOD'S PRESENCE

10/19/2024

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  • Resting in GOD’s Presence 
  • Entering into GOD’s Rest  ​

Sukkot is meant to be a joyous occasion between GOD and HIS people. It is a time for all of us to reflect on HIS goodness, how HE has provided for and protected us. It is a time to remember how HE delivered HIS people from slavery in Egypt, which eventually led to HIS Son, Jesus, delivering all of mankind from sin and death.
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In addition, Sukkot is a time to meditate on how GOD continues to protect and provide for us, not only in the past but also in the present and the future. This is why times like these are so important for Christians to observe. Leviticus 23:4 says, “These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” This is certainly a holy time to dedicate to the LORD.
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IT IS TIME TO ENTER INTO THE LORD’S REST

Sukkot is a time of remembrance, restoration, and renewal. It is GOD’s desire that we enter into HIS rest and be rejuvenated. As a result, we will make HIM the center of our attention. This should realign us to HIS heart's desire and help eliminate any distractions or obstacles that may prevent us from fulfilling HIS purpose in this season.

We must remember that our bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, but sometimes life can cause us to get off course. The Feast of Sukkot is a special annual event that allows us to regain our focus and realign ourselves with GOD’s purpose. 
​
HAPPY SUKKOT!
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SUKKOT - THE DWELLING BOOTHS

10/17/2024

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• The Purpose of Celebrating Sukkot
• Why Do We Dwell in Booths

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During the Feast of Sukkot, God's people are required to dwell in booths or huts. Leviticus 23:43 reads, “‘… that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God’” (NKJV).

The purpose of celebrating Sukkot is to place our full focus on God by remembering what He has done for us through His provisions and protections over the years. The annual feast of Sukkot is one awesome way to do this. Therefore, all Christians should honor their Creator by celebrating this Holy Day each year.

One of the three-fold significances of commemorating the annual Feast of Sukkot is remembering God's mighty redemptive works and His guiding hand in earthly events, specifically in rescuing His people from the destructive hands of Pharaoh. Exodus 10:2 reads, “… that you may recount and explain in the hearing of your son and your grandson what I have done [repeatedly] to make a mockery of the Egyptians—My signs [of divine power] which I have done among them—so that you may know [without any doubt] and recognize [clearly] that I am the Lord” (AMP).

We have a duty, a responsibility, to inform our children of God's goodness (Deuteronomy 11:19), how He brought the Israelites out of slavery, how He has brought you out of your own sinful bondage, how He rescued the Israelites from the cruel hands of Pharaoh, and how God rescued you from yourself.

​We must speak about the past from a biblical standpoint. We must also speak about our personal pasts from a relational standpoint to confirm to our children that they can believe, without any doubt, that they can trust God’s divine power to rescue them not only from those who rise up against them but also from sin and death. By sharing with our children biblical and our personal history with GOD will provide them the evidence of God’s miraculous ability and power that will make it clear that He is the Lord of lords. There is none like Him in power, authority, or ability.
​

Why Do We Dwell in Booths
​

For seven days, God requires His people to dwell in temporary shelters to remind them how He provided booths for them in the wilderness while fleeing from Pharaoh. Sukkot is a time for us as Christians to reflect on how God was, and is, our main source of provision. His provisions are always right and on time, no matter what challenges we face.

Spending seven days in a booth allows us to reflect on God's goodness, mercy, and grace while reinforcing a clearer understanding of His love for us. This experience encourages us to further seal in our hearts and minds how good He is as our Father, and that no other father can provide for us as well as He does. He is the Father of fathers.

This is why reflecting on our past, as well as what God has done for His people in the past through the scriptures, is so important to our personal spiritual growth and in developing a stronger bond with Him. The Festival of Booths affords us a great opportunity to reflect on biblical times and our personal lives, recalling how God has provided for and protected us, helping us draw closer to Him so that He will draw ever closer to us (James 4:8).

HAPPY SUKKOT!
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YOU SHALL KEEP - SUKKOT

10/16/2024

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​
  • Exodus 23:14
  • You Shall Celebrate


​Day 1 – HAPPY SUKKOT!

Exodus 23:14 reads, “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me” (NASB). I want to focus on that word “shall.” But let’s look at it in another version first. In the New King James Version, it reads, “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year.” The Hebrew word for the phrase “you shall keep a feast” is hāḡaḡ. Hāḡaḡ simply means to keep a pilgrim feast.
​
Now, to me, when I read that phrase in the Old Testament, “you shall keep a feast,” this applies to practices someone should do forever. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word "keep" as "to be faithful to" (as in keeping a promise); "to conform to in habits or conduct" (something we maintain in doing). But it is the intransitive verb form that I want to look at closely. In its intransitive state, "keep" means "to continue to maintain" (as in to preserve); "to continue usually without interruption" or "to persist in a practice" (as in conduct or manage).
​

YOU SHALL CELEBRATE

Let’s read the verse again in the Amplified version: “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast [dedicated] to Me.”

Every year, the LORD expects HIS people to celebrate three annual feasts to HIM (Exodus 23:14-16):
  1. Feast of Unleavened Bread
  2. Feast of Harvest (Weeks, Pentecost, or First Fruits)
  3. Feast of Ingathering (Booths or Tabernacles), also known as Sukkot

“Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast [dedicated] to Me.” So, the expectation here for GOD’s people is that they are to keep, or continue without interruption, or persist in celebrating this Holy Day called Sukkot. Drop down to verse 16 in Exodus chapter 23, it reads: “… You shall observe… the Feast of Ingathering… [Sukkot] …at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field.”
 
In modern times, the fruit of our labor can be any business pursuits we have achieved, work or labor we have accomplished, enterprises we have pursued, anything we have created or made, any products we have produced, or anything we have achieved.
​
The point we need to understand is this: whatever we have achieved, we are expected to come before the LORD during the annual event to celebrate before HIM each year at Sukkot – the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths), in remembrance of the time GOD’s people wandered in the wilderness when they lived in temporary shelters. 
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    description

    All Christians should keep the annual Holy Day celebrations that are dedicated to honoring the LORD.
    The purpose of this blog is to discuss and explain the annual Holy Day events Christians should commemorate. These annual feasts have a three-fold significance in the lives of Christians, revolving around our past, present, and future.
    Holy Day celebrations remind us of:
    (1) GOD’s mighty redemptive works and HIS guiding hand in earthly events. (2) The need to reinforce Christians' relationship with their Savior, as well as strengthen their spiritual bond with others of like faith. (3) GOD’s future prophetic plans to offer salvation to all.

    ​This stands in contrast to the American-style holiday celebrations, such as Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the Fall Feasts, that they celebrate today.

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This blog is not centered on me; rather, it focuses on my Father and our relationship—how we interact and my response to His guidance. To be honest, I'm unsure about what to expect from this blog. I'm uncertain of how personal I will be, what specific content I will share, or how frequently I will post. However, one thing is certain: I will share whatever God places on my heart.
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