With atheists vandalizing Nativity Displays, and satanists erecting their own, with mosques replacing churches, and Military Chaplains being fired for praying in the name of Jesus, and with Christian girls in Iraq being sold into sex slavery and their parents beheaded, I wish MacArthur would adjust his focus a little, rather than exacerbating divisions within the Body of Christ by railing about The Little drummer Boy or whether the Angels sang, or whether the stable smelled bad, or the shepherds had BO.
I mean really. Can’t we enjoy our Beloved Celebration of our Savior’s birth without being subjected to his incessant scolding?
BTW, I attend an Bible-Believing, Evangelical, Non-denom in the Reformed tradition. So I do not have a doctrinal axe to grind with GTY. I recognize that exhortation is an important part of ministry, but Christmas is already under attack. We don’t need this, at this point in time, from one of “Our own”!
Merry Christmas, John.
I wonder myself also why Christians still fight each other, and in a special way, on this website while our faith is under attack and believers are suffering around the world.
Hit it right on the nail.
A good and blessed Merry Christmas!
We don’t need this, at this point in time, from one of “Our own”!
I celebrated Christmas for thirty some years before I became fully aware of what it was about even though I was celebrating along side of Christians.
Rev 12:15
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
After I became a believer the lights, bells, snow and sleighs and even the singing never meant so much to me.
So I can also see Johns point. there is some one out there believer or not who goes through the rituals but don`t know what it is really about.
From what I see, what MacArthur is saying is right in line with Scripture.
He is saying Christians should be grounded in what the truth of Christmas is, and is reminding us that there have been a lot of false beliefs that have grown up around. Those beliefs can and no doubt have contributed to people missing the truth about who Jesus is.
Now on MacArthur “criticizing the church.” Well, according to Scripture, are words of correction and warning justified? If they are, then they are perfectly in line with Scripture, which commands believers to, among other things, warn and correct each other. As a Christian, I’m aware that the New Testament is quite full of warnings of the most serious sort to believers. It’s gotten to the point, though, that pastors, when they do mention these passages during sermons, have to defend doing so, saying things like that they aren’t his words, but he’s just telling the congregation what God’s Word says, or make a joke about needing to put on a flame suit. But it’s no joking matter, because by and large, the church in this time and place has gotten to the point of not only loving God’s ways, but being offended by them.