No Compromise Here Please!

Do you compromise in the name of peace?

Does the verse in Romans 12:18, where it says “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men,” mean that we are to compromise on Father’s standards or Messiah’s Words so we can live in peace with unbelievers or even other believers?

Do not ask me why this came up strongly in me the last few days…it is Abba! He has shown me/us a connection between compromises of the “church” with pagan (ungodly and even wicked, evil) holidays, and what happened in Jeremiah with King Josiah’s son’s; as well as with the golden calf in Exodus.

He also showed me how even the smallest things shown on TV have influenced peoples thinking. You have heard this before, “I just want to fit in…I want to be accepted.” Or if your child has ever said to you, “But Johnny does it and his parents let him do it,” and we reply, “Well, if Johnny jumped off a bridge, would you follow him?” I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but most people would jump just to “belong.”

Now before you stop reading…please read the Scriptures and look this up for yourself. Ask Father to show you and His Spirit to teach you.

We as humans were instilled with a sense of valuing life, especially our own. Satan has used this to make us want to fit in with the world. Most people don’t want to be different…but that is exactly what Father Yahuweh has called us to be…DIFFERENT, SET-APART, NOT CONFORMED TO THE WORLD.

(Reference these Scriptures: 1 Peter 2:9, Deut. 14:2, Rev. 18:4, Psalm 4:3, 1 John 2:15-16 and 4:4-5, 2 Corinth. 6:17 and 7:1, Romans 12:2, Colossians 3:1-3, Matthew 6:24)

If we are doing as the world does, we are not living for Him. We are not set-apart as He is set-apart. If we want to fit in and be accepted by the world’s standards, then we won’t be accepted by His standards.

When we compromise, we are as in Revelation 3 (also John 15:18-19, 1 Peter 4:4, Matthew 5:14-16) and He will vomit us out of His mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)

He would rather us be hot or cold. If you want to celebrate pagan holidays, do it and don’t try to hide it or say you are doing it unto Him. Yahushua (Jesus) is not the reason for the season since He never celebrated His birth, nor told us to. If you want to help the needy, do it all year…why only do the “angel tree” at Christmas when there are needy all year round?

Why are there more deaths at the holidays than any other time?

Father showed me that the rebellion to participate in His Feasts, and instead do the holidays of the world, have to do with the same rebellion seen in 1 Kings 12-14, Exodus 32, and Jeremiah (especially read 36-38).

When the people were delivered from Pharaoh (Egypt), they agreed to keep His Covenant. Then, while Moses was on the mountain receiving the 10 commandments, they begged and pleaded for a statue to worship because they need to see their “god”. They said they were worshiping Him (the one true Elohim), even doing it in His Name. Sound familiar? They created a graven image and said they were doing it unto Him (See Matthew 7:22-23).

King Zedekiah was told by Jeremiah several times what to do to be saved. Yet, he insisted on doing His own way lest the people abuse him or turn on him if he were to do as Elohim said through Jeremiah. Sound familiar? He wanted to please the people because he was afraid of them.

When we are more interested in pleasing people, pleasing ourselves, pleasing our children and fitting in with the world (having lots of friends), then we are trying to serve two masters…we have one foot in the world and therefore, we will be one of those in Matthew 7 or Revelation 18.

Rebellion of any kind is equated with divination/witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). Rebellion earns Elohim’s rejection! Amazing that Halloween is a combination of All Saints Day and pagan rituals on the passing of the dead where they played divination games.

Please look up these facts:

Halloween is a mix of Christianity and pagan rituals back from the Celts about 2,000 years ago in Ireland. Harvest Festivals that go on at churches are just a mask to try to give kids an alternative to Halloween….except they don’t need an alternative. Why do our kids have to suffer for our fear of not being accepted by our friends, peers and family? Shall we rob our children the opportunity to obey the Scriptures because we fear they will be robbed of social status and acceptance by their friends? Why not just do the EVERLASTING and eternal Festivals of Yahuweh that He gave us to do? The Feast of Tabernacles was to celebrate the harvest and to signify Messiah’s tabernacling with us when He comes again!

There is nothing wrong with giving thanks at Thanksgiving…but realize this was most likely the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) originally. It was common for the Puritans to give thanks and the first Thanksgiving was sometime between the end of September and early November when the 1^st harvest came in.

Christmas trees and celebrating Christmas were banned and illegal in the U.S. until 1856 – 1870 when schools finally stopped having school on that day. The Puritans and the original settlers of America knew that Christmas trees were of pagan origin. That is why they did not allow it. So, Christmas is a mix of Christianity with pagan rituals.

How did this happen? Well, the “church” wanted us to have holidays to celebrate when the pagans were doing their celebrations so they wouldn’t lose people to the pagans. They also wanted those of the original faith (followers of The Way) wiped out. And the compromising began!

Ask yourself, why is Christmas celebrated by the WHOLE WORLD? Is anything that is ACCEPTED and celebrated by the whole world going to be of Him? In fact, besides the U.S. (see statistics below for U.S.), over 69 countries celebrate Christmas, including the Arab countries.

“But a new Pew Research Center survey also finds that 81% of non-Christians in the United States celebrate Christmas…. Non-Christians are a diverse group. They include Americans who are religiously unaffiliated (atheists, agnostics and people who describe themselves, religiously, as “nothing in particular”), of whom 87% celebrate Christmas.

They also include people of other faiths. A 2012 Pew Research survey found that roughly three-quarters of Asian-American Buddhists (76%) and Hindus (73%) celebrate Christmas. In addition, our recent survey of U.S. Jews found that about a third (32%) had a Christmas tree in their home last year. And some American Muslims celebrate both the religious and cultural aspects of Christmas, according to news reports.”

Why is Christmas celebrated all over the world and not Thanksgiving? Because Christmas has its roots in Babylonian sun-god worship that spread to all parts of the world after the dispersion from the Tower of Babel.

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” John 15:18-20

He never asked us to celebrate His birth. In fact, it is His death and resurrection that is to be remembered/celebrated…because if He had not died for us, then we would not be able to receive the free gift of salvation nor Father’s Spirit to help us keep His commandments. This is why Passover is an everlasting Festival to be celebrated forever.

Ask yourself, why did the “church” replace the feasts of Yahuweh straight from the Scriptures (straight from Father) with pagan holidays and/or mixtures? They changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday so the pagans would join with the “Christians” in worshiping on one day. They changed Passover to Easter with eggs and bunnies (fertility goddess worship) and said He died on Friday and rose on Sunday. Any three-year-old can count that three days and three nights means Yahushua had to have died on Wednesday (put in the tomb before sunset) and rose on Saturday at/shortly after sunset (which is Sunday/Day one on His calendar since days begin at sunset.)

The real truth behind all of this is two fold: to fit in with the world (be popular with the world) and to wipe out the fact that Messiah was Jewish—that He kept the Feasts, and Sabbath on Saturday (the 7^th day), and kept the Covenant!

If you believe in Messiah, that He died for your sins so that you can be forgiven and stand before His Father blameless, and so that you will live eternally after you die in the flesh, then you are in and are agreeing to keep the Covenant. The Covenant is the Scriptures…what it says to do and not to do; as interpreted by the Spirit and not by mans reasoning. Messiah is the final Passover Lamb…the final sacrifice, and as the gift of Father’s Spirit dwells in us, the words of the Covenant are written on our heart so that we can do ALL that He has asked us to do.

Father never intended the sacrificial system of the Original Covenant (Old Testament) to be everlasting or eternal. However, He does say the sacrifices will resume when Messiah returns (Read Ezekiel 40-48, Zechariah 14). His Festivals portray the plan of salvation and His Sabbath, along with the other 9 commandments, are everlasting. Read it for yourself in Leviticus 23 (read in Exodus and Numbers too).

Finally, realize when we insist on doing our own way, whether to please ourselves or others, we aren’t pleasing Him. We are conforming to the world.

Please—I humbly ask for you to seek Him on anything that you are doing that is popular with the world. Whether drinking heavily, partying, clubbing, or celebrating pagan holidays…He is not apart of it. No matter how much the “church” is involved or compromises…we are not to compromise! We are to stand firm in and on His Word and do what He says to do. Teach your children to honor His Word more than they honor what their friends think and more than fitting in with everyone. He said NARROW IS THE WAY that leads to life and WIDE IS THE WAY that leads to destruction. Matthew 7:13-14

“I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;” Revelation 18:4

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” John 14:23

Shalom, joy and love,

Derek and Rivkah

Join Derek and I in a lively, yet sobering midrash on the topic of compromise. What you will hear is not a tone of criticism, but of passionate grief over those who compromise for the sake of being liked and/or accepted by the world, while teaching others to do the same. To compromise Yahuweh’s standard of righteousness is to reject all that He is…the Breath of Life. Who do you serve? Who is your master? Where does your loyalty lie? And do you desire to please men more than you desire to please Elohim?

<Click Here> to listen.