“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” thus saith the Lord in JOHN 17:16. And in JAMES 4:4, it is written, “YE ADULTERERS AND ADULTERESSES, KNOW YE NOT THAT THE FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD IS ENMITY WITH GOD? WHOSOEVER THEREFORE, WILL BE FRIEND OF THE WORLD, IS THE ENEMY OF GOD.” God is so particular about His people, coming out of the world, because this world and the people of the world, are covered in gross darkness, as written in ISAIAH 60:2. More so, Satan is the prince of darkness and the prince of this world. And all that is in the world, as written in 1 JOHN 2:16, is nothing but the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which make up the “gods” of this present world. As pilgrims and strangers here on earth, just passing through this world, Christians are admonished by the Spirit of God, to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the souls, as written in 1 PETER 2:11. They are also warned not to love the world, neither the things that are in the world; otherwise, if any Christian loves the world, it simply means that the love of the Father is not in such Christians. In JOHN 2:16, it is written that the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life is not of the Father but it is of the world. And if it is of the world, then it must be of the devil, who is the prince of this world. Therefore any believer in Christ, who is of the world, is of his father, the devil and the lusts of his father, he will do- JOHN 8:44.

Many believers in Christ today, have been so much engrossed with the world, and so they pre-occupy themselves with all sorts of ungodly and worldly celebrations, as they celebrate in a grand style, birthday, Christmas, New Year, Easter, Valentine Day, which are not of God, the Father but they are of the world. They are all alien to the Christian Faith. For example, the two birthday celebrations, mentioned in the bible, were observed by pagan kings. And Valentine’s Day is nowhere to be found in the bible. Valentine’s day, which has nothing to do with the Christian faith, is simply an ungodly romantic celebration amongst “lovers.” Valentine’s day is Satan’s strategy to substitute the true AGAPE love of God for erotic and carnal love. And many Christian women have been so much possessed with the “demon” behind Valentine’s day celebration, and so, they feel depressed if their husbands or lovers fail to present to them “gifts” during this pagan celebration.
The worship of BAAL and ASHTAROTH, also known as EASTER, but pronounced as ISHTAR, by the children of Israel, incurred the terrible anger of God, as written in JUDGES 2:13-14, and I quote, “And they forsook the LORD and served BAAL and ASHTAROTH. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not stand before their enemies.” The word Easter, pronounced as ISHTAR, is another name for Ashtoreth, known as the queen of heaven. And so, it is a pagan word, and the worship of this goddess of Easter, or its celebration, has been from Ancient Babylon. It was this celebration by the pagan King Herod, that was going on, when Peter was arrested and put in prison.

Believers in Christ who partake in the celebration of these pagan festivities provoke the Lord to anger. And He will surely deliver them into the hands of their enemies and they will not be able to stand before their enemies in any spiritual battle. This divine call by God to all believers in Christ, to come out of the world, and from amongst the people of the world, is a call to come out of darkness, and out of the captivity of Satan, who is the prince of this world. And if truly we want to be the sons and daughters of God, then we must obey this call and then come out of the world, even as the Lord God commanded in 2 CORINTHIANS 6:17-18, and I quote, “WHEREFORE COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE YE SEPARATE, SAITH THE LORD, AND TOUCH NOT THE UNCLEAN THING AND I WILL RECEIVE YOU AND I WILL BE A FATHER UNTO YOU, AND YOU SHALL BE MY SONS AND DAUGHTERS, SAITH THE LORD ALMIGHTY.”
Unfortunately, many believers in Christ who hear this call to come out of the world, have refused to obey. CHURCH is from a Greek word known as EKKLESIA, which simply means AN ASSEMBLY OF PEOPLE THAT ARE CALLED OUT OF THE WORLD. By inference, therefore, any assembly of the people of God, who refuse to come out of the world, IS NOT A CHURCH, but a harlots’ house made up of an assembly of adulterers and adulteresses, who are friends of the world, and in friendship with the world, burning incense to the “gods” of this world. In JEREMIAH 5:7, it is written and I quote, “How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no gods: When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, AND ASSEMBLED THEMSELVES BY TROOPS IN THE HARLOTS’ HOUSES.”
And ye shall know the Truth, and the truth shall make you free, thus saith the LORD. But unfortunately, the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned!
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CHRISTIAN GOSPEL CHURCH (The Truth Centre) TEL: 09030731406, 07052061135) Email: [email protected] Website: cgc.com.ng (OBSERVER: 927 words)