Who do you worship? What did God command as respect to worship him? How do you worship God during the spring festival?
As the offspring of Abraham we should understand the importance of the spring equinox. Some of us will be celebrating the realignment of the lunar calendar with the solar calendar. At this time of the year there are many around the world celebrating some type of spring celebration depending on your custom. So, the question really becomes how do you worship during this time of the year? Are you celebrating the Lord’s evening meal? Are you observing the Passover? Do you recognize the waving of the Barley Sheaf’s? Do you celebrate the resurrection of the Christ? Maybe you celebrate Easter. What or who are you worshiping?
What is worship? Worship is a giving of reverence or showing an expression of honor along with some religious rite to a deity. Look at this first account of humans offering up to God their gifts.
Genesis 4:3-5… In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.
God showed some type of acceptance over Abel’s offering but not that of Cain’s. This enraged Cain which led to his demise and loss of favor before God.
Is your worship acceptable before God? And can you explain why you celebrate the spring festival to another?
Customs and Celebrations of Spring
Does are worship really matter; doesn’t God just accept what we give?
The apostle Paul answers the question about our worship and acceptability of it by God. Now the apostle Paul is speaking to Christians who are celebrating the Lord’s evening meal here in this passage of Scripture. What do you think, what point is he making?
1 Corinthians 10:14-22… Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I am speaking as to wise people. Judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we give thanks for, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for all of us share that one bread. 18 Look at the people of Israel. Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in what is offered on the altar? 19 What am I saying then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I do say that what theysacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to participate with demons! 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Or are we provoking the Lord…
The point that the apostle Paul is making is that not all worship is given to God, some worship is not acceptable but really is being offered up to the demons of this world. And the point is very clear, there will be no sharing with the Lord of righteousness and the wickedness of the darkness.
Are you trying to provoke to anger the Lord of the earth with your worship?
Easter
Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon occurs on or after the spring equinox. Many believe that Easter is supposedly the celebration of the resurrection of Christ Jesus. But Easter has a pagan past, and it was first a celebration of the renewal rebirth of a fertility goddess celebrated around the world. With this pagan customs of venerating bunny rabbits and eggs. This all happened as the Roman Empire tried to blend Christianity with its pagan past. When looking at the Sumerian goddess of Ishtar, she is one of the archenemies of the true God. She led God’s people into sexual misconduct on many occasions and she still has an effect today on the people of this world.
Jewish Celebration
Some who practice Judaism today have been trying to rebuild and restore their temple and the old way of worship ever since the reestablishment of the nation of Israel to the promise land. The determination for their celebration of Passover is made years in advance and this is based on the adjustment from the lunar calendar to the solar calendar with the spring equinox in mind.
They favor the first new moon after the spring equinox as being the beginning of their spiritual year. This causes their spring festival to swing or fall about 10 days in difference from year to year for their Passover.
God had the celebration of the Passover observed in the original format one time and that was never repeated, matter fact it was modified when they got to the promise land. And emphasis was put on the celebration of the unleavened bread for seven days. Deuteronomy 16:1-17, Ezekiel 45:21-24
What did the apostle Paul say about the celebration of Passover?
1 Corinthians 5:7-8… Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast or with the yeast of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
The apostle Paul revealed that Christ was our Passover with his blood and with his flesh. He spoke of observing this feast time with a new mindset. He said we should worship with sincerity and truth. So, how should we worship with sincerity and truth today?
Our Lord Christ Jesus revealed the proper way to worship God in his conversation with the woman at the well.
John 4:19-24… “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, yet you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is for the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. 24 God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Are you trying to worship God in a physical format? Or have you not received the understanding that we must worship God in spirit and truth. So, what festival are you observing this spring and why?
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