“Brethren, we are drifting.” J.D. Tant Ecclesiastes 1:9-11 “Brethren, we are drifting.” J.D. Tant

Instrumental Music The early church ONLY sang in their meetings for worship Ephesians 5:19 “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” Colossians 3:16 “singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” Clement of Alexandria – 195 AD “The one instrument of peace, the Word alone by whom we honor God, is what we employ. We no longer employ the ancient psaltery, trumpet, timbral, and flute.”

Instrumental Music Eusebius – 4th Century, “Of old at the time those of the circumcision were worshiping with symbols and types it was inappropriate to send up hymns to God with the psalterium and kithara and to do this on Sabbath days… The unison voices of Christians would be more acceptable to God than any musical instrument… we send up a unison melody in the words of the Psalms.” It took nearly 700 years, but eventually Roman Catholics added instrumental music to their worship

Instrumental Music Continued to be rejected by Greek Orthodox and many Protestant denominations John Calvin (1509-1564) Presbyterian – Musical instruments in celebrating the praises of God would be no more suitable than the burning of incense, the lighting up of lamps,… Men who are fond of outward pomp may delight in that noise; but the simplicity which God recommends to us…is far more pleasing to Him”

Instrumental Music John Wesley (1703-1791) Methodism “I have no objection to the instruments in our chapels, provided they are neither heard nor seen” Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) Baptist – “I would as soon pray to God with machinery as to sing to God with machinery.”

Instrumental Music Brethren tried to introduce instrumental music at the end of the 1800’s and produced the Christian Church Richland Hills Church of Christ in Texas, added instrumental music at the end of 2006 “Brethren, we are drifting!”

CHRISTMAS Midwinter celebrations pre-date Christ “Yule” the name of a midwinter celebration in Northern Europe that pre-dates Christ There was no Christmas observance for the first 300 years of the church

CHRISTMAS First record that associates birth of Jesus with December 25 is found in an ancient calendar for 354 AD In the 1600’s and 1700’s Christmas celebrations were banned in England and in the New England colonies Reason: Early Christians did not celebrate Christmas

CHRISTMAS The celebration has too many ties with Roman Catholicism Saw it as an excuse for way to much partying In colonial N. E. it was illegal to celebrate Christmas and it carried a fine

CHRISTMAS Congress used to meet on Christmas day until the 1850’s – N.E. schools were open on Christmas up to the 1870’s- Business were open through the 1800’s on Christmas day Some churches would close their door on Christmas lest some tried to make it into a religious holy day

CHRISTMAS “Major American denominations – Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, Methodists, and Congregationalists- either ignored the holiday or actively discouraged it up to the late 19th century” What changed this was Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol

CHRISTMAS It became an acceptable family- centered holiday, without an overtly religious significance, thus breaking concern for connections to Roman Catholicism The leaders in denominations caved because the demand was so great to have it

CHRISTMAS The people love to have it so – Jeremiah 5:30,31 People will FLOCK to those who will tell them what they want to hear – 2 Timothy 4:3,4 This is how we ended up with two approaches to Christmas: SECULAR and RELIGIOUS

CHRISTMAS “Christmas is especially a cultural thing, which might or might not be religious” “I have a love-hate relationship with Christmas. It seems obvious to me that there’s nothing scriptural about it, but that’s a hard sell with children.”

CHRISTMAS “Put Christ back into Christmas” BUT – He was never there! Christmas a man-made holiday, originating with Roman Catholics to put a religious slant on existing celebrations Rejected for centuries, just recently popular to celebrate it, but people think it has always been celebrated

Israel Was Destroyed by a Lack of Knowledge Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” Will we allow modern innovations and traditions to blind us to the truth? Matthew 15:8,9