Does the Bible mention any kind of connection between Christianity and Hanukkah?

Hanukkah means "to dedicate" and is known as the Feast of Dedication and also as The Festival of Lights.

It's based on a time when King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, King of the Syrian empire, led the Seleucids to siege Jerusalem and Judah and take over the land and the people.

The king desecrated the Temple and erected an altar to Zeus, requiring the Jewish people to worship Zeus instead of God.

But around 165 BC, Judah Maccabee & his 4 brothers led the Jews to successfully drive Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Seleucids out of Jerusalem. (The account of the Jewish rebellion and their victory is found in the Apocrypha book, 1 Maccabees 4:36-59.)

When the Jewish people cleaned and cleared the Temple, they wanted to dedicate it back to God but there was only enough oil for 1 day. They went ahead and lit the candle with the oil they had and what was only supposed to last 1 day, ended up lasting 8 days.

That's the miracle of the oil which is found in the Talmud and also where the 9 branch Menorah comes from. Eight branches for each day the oil lasted and one candle to be used as the servant candle...to light the other candles.

Jesus went to the Feast of Dedication / Festival of Lights / Hanukkah:

John 10:22-23, "22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah = Dedication) in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.”

Before He went to the Feast of Dedication, He told those around Him that He was the Light of the World:

John 8:12, …“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus calls us to be a light that shines His light in a dark world:

Matthew 5:14-16, “14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand (Greek equivalent for Hebrew word, Menorah), and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

We hope this encourages you to see the connection between Hanukkah and Christianity and whether it's a holiday you celebrate or not, we pray you personally know the Light of the World. His name is Jesus and He came to die so that we all might live and have the Light of life.

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When one generation doesn’t understand how they got to where they are and have the blessings they have, they're not able to appreciate or respect what it took to get them to where they are now.

It's important that we tell the stories that brought us to this place.

The first Thanksgiving is reflective of the story of Squanto and the Pilgrims in 1621. Squanto had been kidnapped and sold into slavery in Spain. Monks took him in, raised him, taught him about the God of the Bible, and then sent him to live with friends in England until could catch a ship back to his homeland.

When he arrived, he found his whole tribe was gone. He met with a neighboring Massasoit tribe and they told Squanto how they had been wiped out by disease. They introduced Squanto to the Pilgrims who had fled England so they could worship God as they believed they should W/O being thrown in jail.

They began to form a small local-form of government by naming William Bradford Governor of Plymouth.

When Fall came, they gathered together for what is commonly referred to as the first Thanksgiving.

In his journal, Bradford wrote of Squanto that he was, “a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation.”

They also celebrated in 1623 after a great drought. Bradford and his assistant Winslow called the townspeople to “set apart a solemn day of humiliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer, in this great distress.” 

After that 9 hour prayer service, a gentle rain started and continued for 14 days. They dedicate that day as, “another Solemn Day was set apart . . . wherein we returned glory, honour and praise, with all thankfulness to our good GOD.”

On October 3rd, 1789, George Washington designated Thursday, November 26 as a national Day of Thanks. Washington declared... “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor... a day of public thanksgiving and prayer...” He designated Thursday the 26th day of November to be devoted to thanksgiving to God.

But it wasn’t officially a national holiday until a writer - Sarah Joseph Hale, lobbied President Lincoln asking him to make a national holiday of thanksgiving for our nation.

October 3rd, 1863, Lincoln did just that in a lengthy Proclamation... “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy....I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States..., to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

That’s the HISTORY of THANKSGIVING… Now let’s look at the HEART of THANKSGIVING.

THE BIBLE HAS A LOT TO SAY ABOUT BEING THANKFUL TO GOD:

• Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. — 1 Chronicles 16:34

• Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful. — Colossians 4:2

• Oh, sing to him you saints of his; give thanks to his holy name. - Ps 30:4

• Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. - Psalm 136:4

• Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -

• Phil 4:6 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.

• 3 Know that the Lord, He is God;It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting,And His truth endures to all generations. - Psalm 100

Being thankful says a lot about the spiritual health of our hearts Being thankful gives us…

• a humble heart
• a proper perspective of our dependency on God
• a proper acknowledgement and appreciation of God as the Giver of every good and perfect gift

Studies show that when people are thankful...
• they live in an attitude of gratitude instead of constantly complaining
• their overall physical health is better
• their immune system is strengthened
• they age better
• their mood, memory and cognitive abilities are better
• they have more peace
• they are able to sleep better
• they are better workers
• they have a better understanding of what matters in life
• they are friendlier and have more friends
• they give more and care more
• they are less vulnerable to sin and to covetousness
• they are less bitter • they are less arrogant
• they are less depressed

Thankfulness is ultimately a matter of choice of the heart regardless of the circumstances.

Let's choose to have attitudes of gratitude! HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM WHAT’S THE BIBLE SAY? TO YOU AND YOURS!

Washington’s Proclamation

Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

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Is believing in God all that matters? Is that the ticket you need to go to heaven?

James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

If the demons believe but aren’t saved and certainly aren’t going to heaven, then there must be more to believing than just acknowledging God is God.

WHAT'S IT MEAN "TO BELIEVE"?

Biblically, to believe means to cling to, adhere to, to rely upon, trust in, commit to, surrender to.

• It’s more than a mental ascent or acknowledgement that God exists.
• It’s more than a head belief… It’s a surrender to, a relying on, an abandonment to, a clinging to the God of the Bible.

WHO DO YOU BELIEVE GOD TO BE? The God of the Bible is One God manifested in 3 distinct personalities.
• God the Father
• God the Son
• God the Holy Spirit

Do you believe in that God?

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Do you believe in that God?

John 3:16, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life.”

2 Peter 3:9, “he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Luke 13:3, “unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” • Do you believe in that God? The God of the Bible tells us that SALVATION is exclusively through Christ.

John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He saved us, by washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

• Do you believe in that God?

God doesn't want you to wonder if you're saved. 1 John 5:13 says that He wrote those things so you may, "know that you have eternal life."

If this episode helped you have a clearer understanding of what it means to truly “BELIEVE” in GOD as He reveals Himself in Scripture, please believe in (surrender to) him today.

A = Admit - sinner
B = Believe - Jesus died for you
C = Call upon Him to be Lord of your life

Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you have questions about what it means to be saved or have been struggling with knowing whether or not you are, please contact us on our Facebook page and we’ll share what the Bible says about how to know that you know the Lord.

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It's a popular prayer practice, but is "Name it and claim it" and "Decree it and declare it" biblical? It's attributed to

E.W. Kenyon who studied Mind Science and Metaphysical New Thought under mentalist and folk healer, Phineas Quimbey. Described by terms like:

• Name it and claim it
• Positive Confession
• Speaking things into existence
• Creating your own reality

It shifts the focus from God to us and uses verses like Matthew 17:19-21, MARK 11:20-24, John 14:13, John 15:16, John 16:23-24.

But those verses need to be examined in light of context as well as other Scriptures and well-established biblical principals.

Praying in Jesus' name is not like a magic tagline we add to the end of a prayer. It's based on His authority, His sacrifice and according to His will.

OUR CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER IS WHEN WE PRAY ACCORDING TO HIS WILL.
1 John 5:14-15, “14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

OUR PURPOSE IN PRAYER IS WHEN WE PRAY THAT THE FATHER WOULD BE GLORIFIED IN THE SON.
John 14:13-14, “13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

OUR CONDITION TO PRAYER IS THAT WE ABIDE IN CHRIST AND THAT HIS WORD ABIDES IN US.
John 15:7, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

THE HINDERANCE TO PRAYER IS WHEN WE ASK FOR THINGS SELFISHLY.
Luke 22:42, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

So, while NAME IT & CLAIM IT is popular, it’s not biblical and can cause a lot of harm to the faith of young believers or even well-seasoned believers who are desperate for God to show up in a specific way.

If we pray like that, we end up on this roller-coaster ride of emotion-based, results-oriented faith which, in reality, isn’t faith at all. True faith-based prayer is"

1. Focused on God
2. Submitted to God’s will
3. For God’s glory.
4. Acknowledgement of our dependency upon God and our trust in Him for the outcome.

“God’s will is exactly what we’d choose if we knew all the facts.”

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What does it mean to, Trust the universe? It’s a popular quote, but is that even a thing?

Trusting the universe, whether the conceptual universe or the tangible universe, is trusting the creation rather than the Creator. It's a misplacement of our trust and a shift from God, who has the power to affect change in our lives, to something that has no power to do anything for us.

As science is ever-changing and eventually concluding what God has already told us in His Word, we see that even science agrees that the universe cannot exist apart from God holding it together.

Einstein is noted as saying, "I believe in God - who reveals Himself in the orderly harmony of the universe.”

And Sir Isaac Newton said it this way, “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done.” Genesis 1:1 tells us that, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Knowing we were created by God and for God is a much more significant reality and purpose of our lives than thinking we just somehow appeared on the scenes of this planet and exist to one day die.

When we trust the universe instead of the One who created it, it’s idolatry. Ultimately, it means we are worshipping something (whether conceptual or tangible) or someone else other than YHWH God.

Scripture calls us to follow the Lord not the universe.

Deuteronomy 13:4 tells us, “It is the LORD your God you must follow…”

And Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus said that in order to be His disciple, we must “follow Him.”

And trusting, following, looking to the universe instead of to God is, not only an affront to God, but it’s also very bad and useless advice.

Following the Universe is literally following something that’s INCAPABLE of LEADING you anywhere.

• The universe can’t do anything for you…but God can.

• The universe can’t save your soul…but God can.

• The universe didn’t die for you…but Jesus did.

• The universe can’t give you purpose or value…but God does.

• The universe can’t give you wisdom or hope or peace…but God can.

It’s really useless to follow the universe, but God loves us and wants to be personally involved in our lives. He sent His Son to die for us so that we could know Him and spend eternity with Him.

Let God be, not only your Creator, but your Redeemer too! That's what the cross was all about. That He might redeem you and give you a new life filled with hope and peace.

The universe can't do any of that for you. But God can...in you will invite Him to be Lord of your life.

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Have you ever been told to just follow your heart? It sounds so simple, so refreshing and even liberating. But what does it mean? Is it reliable advice? What does the Bible say? Why is it important? How does it relate to us in real life?

"Follow your heart" is like a promise of fulfilled passion and an authenticity of our personhood. It's touted as how we live our best life.

And there are places in our lives where asking ourselves questions like, "What was I made for?" and "What do I desire?" are not wrong things to reflect on... and are actually wise.

The problem is when we stop there and don't prayerfully evaluate if our heart aligns with God's heart for us.

God's will is never contrary to God's Word. So, what does the Bible say?

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, "“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

Proverbs 3:5, "Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;”

Psalm 48: 14 says that God is our Guide - the One we're to follow, "For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death."

And Psalm 37:4 tells us, "Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

When we delight ourselves in the Lord, God's desires become our desires and then He fulfills the desires He's planted in our hearts.

Nate Pickowicz said, “'Follow your heart'. has… ended more marriages, mutilated more bodies, destroyed more souls, and ended more lives than the devil even imagined.

It is hells most effective slogan.”

And I would add that it's ended a vast multitude of marriages and caused way too many broken relationships.

Following our hearts is dangerous because not only is our heart deceitful... our feelings are fickle. When we respond to the whims of our hearts instead of yielding our hearts to God, we can end up hurting a lot of people...even ourselves.

So, instead of following our hearts, follow God.

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She believed she could. So she did. It’s so empowering and inspiring! It almost sounds like a Bible verse. But is it?

1. What does the Bible say about believing we can and doing?
2. Why is it important to know what the Bible says?
3. How does it affect our lives?

2 Corinthians 3:5, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,”

John 15 ~ several verses talk about without ME you can do nothing…

It’s not about what “I” can do, but about God doing what He wants to do in and through me.

It also can cause me to look at others, compare myself with others and end up feeling less-than because what others can do, maybe I can’t.

In 2 Corinthians 10:12, God tells us not to compare ourselves with others.

Galatians 2:20 reminds us that it Christ living in and through us.

2 Corinthians 4:7 tells us that we have this treasure in earthen vessels (our bodies) that the all surpassing power is of God and not of us.

“She believed that she could, so she did” is the complete opposite of how God wants us to live. It’s a lie. In fact, the only reason we can do anything is because God has given us health and breath, the mental capacity and even the open doors to do them.

Knowing the truth takes the pressure off of us.

It reminds us that…
Our sufficiency in is Christ and helps us want what He wants and not want what He doesn’t want.

It also reminds us to…
Seek His will over ours and to ask God what it is He has called and gifted us to do.

“She believed that she could, so she did” reminds us that while things sound biblical, it doesn’t mean they are. It’s up to us to dig deep and find out for ourselves whether or not they are true.

In closing, remember truth and error cannot co-exist. A lot of truth with a little error is still error.

Trust truth and remember, your sufficiency is found in the Lord.

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This episode answers 3 questions...

1. What is the Bible?

2. Why does it matter?

3. How can we live it out in real life?

Bible means books.

Scripture means sacred writings.

the Bible is a collection/library of 66 books, divided into 39 books in the Old Testament (Covenant) and 27 books in the New Testament (Covenant).

It was penned by over 40 men, over a period of about 1500 years, in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic) and it was written on 3 different continents (Africa, Asia and Europe).

It is not written in chronological order. Instead, it is categorized in genres - or literary themes.

The central theme woven throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is God’s love for and His relentless pursuit of His creation so that all could come to know Him and live with Him throughout eternity.

The main hero of the entire Bible, from Genesis to the maps, is none other than Jesus, Himself.

God’s Word was breathed out from Him to us as He used mere mortals to pen His heart and His story and everything He wanted us to know about Him, His love for us and how to know Him and live for Him.

God’s Word is about how to live a life and it’s not like any other book. It has the power to speak life into our lives.

There was a recent study about the effects of Bible reading on our lives. 40,000 people from the ages of 8 to 80 were polled and the study found that when people read the Bible

1 to 2 times a week, there wasn’t much of a difference.

3 times a week, there was a slight change in attitudes and behaviors.

But when they read the Bible 4 times a week or more, there was a profound difference.

* Feeling lonely dropped 30%

* Anger issues dropped 32%

* Bitterness in relationships dropped 40%

* Alcoholism dropped 57%

* Sex outside of marriage dropped 68%

* Feeling spiritually stagnant dropped 60%

* Viewing pornography dropped 61%

* Sharing your faith jumped 200%

* Discipling others jumped 230%

And it affects our lives when we…

* obey its teachings,

* embrace its wisdom,

* cling to its promises,

* love its precepts

* and trust its truths.

The Bible is not some archaic big book that sits on the table. It is God's gift to us and has stood the test of time. It is relevant for every circumstance we face and teaches us not only about who God is and how much He loves us, but also how to live this life well and how we can know where we're going when we die.

In this age of misinformation and disinformation and censorship, we don’t have to worry about tracking down the source to see if it’s true. God is the Author, so we know that it is and we can trust what it says to be true, even though we may not understand it all.

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