Celebration Of The Unknown Christ("Ye worship, you know not what")


John 4:20-24
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. YE WORSHIP YE KNOW NOT WHAT: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Acts 17:22-25.
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore YE IGNORANTLY WORSHIP, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.


Religion offers men, the tragedy of an entire life time of devotion and worship, without ever coming to know the God, they profess to worship. This is the greatest tragedy on the planet.
You celebrate the 'Christmas' festivity, which religion has made of the Christ and not the Christ.
A festivity fraught and invested with all imaginable vices in the world today, and divested of every essence of spirituality, in the apprehension and appreciation of the advent of Christ into this world to save sinners.
Talk about the frenzy, the craze, and the drive of the season; for money to earn and spend to meet the trend, new clothes to dress and impress, for exotic holidays and shopping sprees to satisfy your pleasures & fantasies, for the acquisition of a new ride to rant and rave about and be rated as rich.
All these are yet done in the name of celebrating the birth/advent of Christ into this dark world.

In the city of Samaria as captured in John 4, we see that sad verdict by the Lord Jesus himself: "YE WORSHIP YE KNOW NOT WHAT". 
Also in Acts 17, we see Athens; a superstitious people, dwelling in a city given over to devotions in the worship of several deities. In the midst of all their religion and devotions, what caught the apostle's attention, is the altar dedicated TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. In the midst of all their idolatrous worship and devotions, they yet had an altar dedicated to the unknown God; whom they IGNORANTLY WORSHIP.

In the midst of all our vain pursuits and devotions, do we not still have an altar dedicated to the unknown God? An altar which religion has carved and built for us over the years. This is the sad and very sorry reality of what religion offers; perpetual blindness and ignorance even in the place of devotion at it's best form and outward show; perpetual shackles of which, we all need a saviour to be delivered from.

Are we caught up in the tragedy of the religious worship of the unknown God or are we truly seeking God the saviour, to know him, that we might truly worship him in spirit and in truth?  
The wise men from the east, came seeking him who was born king of the Jews, to worship him.

Matthew 2:1-2

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

The words of the Lord Jesus in John 18 and apostle Paul's epistle to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1 captures the entire reason and purpose of the birth of Christ.

John 18:36-37
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered,Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

1 Timothy 1:15-16
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

* If this is not your contemplation and apprehension of his birth and the reason he came into this world, then yours is not truly a Merry Christmas but a mere religious ritual and festivity, that leads to nowhere.

~ Paulchrisen Okey Okereke. 

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