Senior Pastor of Awaiting The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ, Adewale Giwa has asked the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry, MFM, Dr Daniel Olukoya to tell Christians the exact date to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Giwa, who was reacting to the statement made by Dr. Olukoya that his Church does not celebrate Christmas, questioned why a majority of Christians, including Olukoya’s church worship on Sunday, contrary to Saturday known as the Sabbath day set aside by God in Exodus 20:8-10.
He said, “The name ‘Christmas’ comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus). A Mass service which is sometimes called Communion or Eucharist is where Christians remember that Jesus died for us and then came back to life.
“The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor. But it was not an official Roman state festival at this time.
“We all know that the Bible does not tell us the exact date to celebrate Christ per se. However, the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:25 to partake in the body and blood of Christ in remembrance of Christ. Christ came to fulfil the law of Moses and not to discard it.
“In the old testament, precisely Exodus 12:14, God-ordained annual celebrations in relation to His honour. So too, Christians deem it very appropriate to set aside a date to honour the birth of Jesus Christ, our saviour. Humans celebrate birthdays annually and how much more our Savior whose very existence was orchestrated to destroy death and to save mankind from sin.
“Pastor Olukoya talks about turning negative situations to positive and I wonder how this is acceptable in his sight alone.
“The Church in the first century did everything in their power to turn pagans away from their annual paganistic celebration on December 25 to a celebration of the birth of the most important being on Earth and in Heaven, Jesus Christ. If that is not turning negative into positive, then we must seek another dictionary for English definitions.
“I don’t think anyone knows the exact date that Christ was born. However, the fact remains that the birth of Christ is worthy to be celebrated annually through singing, dancing, prayers and sober reflections in gratitude of His LOVE for us. A love that no human to date has been able to manifest.
“Not one of us can claim to completely understand the workings of the mind of God. There is no need to engage in futile argument especially when as humans we pick and choose the part of the bible that we want to indulge in. I do understand that Pastor Olukoya and his church worship on Sunday.
“Has he forgotten that that Sunday was co-opted by the early Christians who tried their best to transform pagan practices into Christ-following? Does the pastor not know that the Bible clearly identifies Sabbath as Saturday?
“According to the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath is located on the seventh day of the week. Exodus 20:8-10 says the following, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days, you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.” At creation, God also rested and declared the seventh day holy (Genesis 2:1-3).
“At this juncture, I would like to pause and plead that we think about the message we put out there for Christians who are vulnerable. God looks at the human heart and His ways would never be our ways. The hearts of the early church was right on point to turn human pagan practices into worshipping and honouring God.
“It does not matter the exact date. It matters that we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus in a manner that is pleasing to God. A Pastor should consider making sure that his teachings and practices are completely sanctioned by God before he does more damage to vulnerable Christians who are struggling to celebrate Christ.
“For some people, knowing Christ begins with celebrating his birth. Let us pray for the grace of God to help us share the WORD according to the will of God , and not to engage in futile argument.”