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Mustard Seed November/December 2006
Why Did Christ Speak In Parables?
Are We "Seasonal" Christians?
Mustard Seed - November/December 2006
Deuteronomy 16:16 is a very familiar scripture. “ Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place which he shall choose, in the feast of unleavened bread and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles, and they shall not appear before the Lord empty.”
This verse outlines the three Holyday seasons that comes around like “clockwork” every year. We have just finished observing the last of these times, or seasons, very recently and are now beginning to move into the other half of the year when there are no holydays other that the weekly Sabbath. During this time we face the biggest holiday, other than Easter, that the rest of the so called Christianity observes. Christmas at this time of the year as well as Easter people who don’t normally attend church will attend Christmas or Easter services. I think we could call these people “ seasonal Christians”
II Tim. 4:1-2 “ charge you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at this appearing and his kingdom.” Preach the word, (truth) be instant in season, and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” Here Paul charges Timothy with the responsibility of teaching the brethren God’s truth, whether it be in a holy day season or not.. That same responsibility has been passed on down to our time today. God’s truth is the same in season or out of season.
Let’s continue in verses 3-5 and see why. “for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears.” And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables.” But watch you in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an
Evangelist, make full proof of your ministry.”
Leviticus 23 lists all three holyday seasons including the seven general holydays, or high days. All are very familiar with this chapter.
When we consider the dates or appointed times when these holydays are to be observed it becomes obvious that all these holydays are included in the first half of the year. There are no holydays in the second half of the year.
Beginning with Passover in the middle of the first month and continuing through the feast of tabernacles in the seventh month. So let’s ask again, are we seasonal Christians like the ones who only attend church during christmas and easter, or are we full time year around Christians?
The first part of the year that includes God’s holy days, is the time that we call “in season, ”the other half we call “out of season.” During this “in season” we receive a lot of extra “spiritual food” to carry us through the “out of season” when not quite so much “spiritual food” is available.
At this point I would like to point out a seemingly small and insignificant part of God’s creation, when considered in the context of what we have talked about here, becomes very significant and important when we compare it to “ in season” and “out of season.”
The particular part of God’s creation that I refer to is a small critter that is native to Europe and Africa. It’s called a dormouse. Maybe some have never heard of this little animal, but when we look at its lifestyle we can’t help but see God’s holy days. It is related to the ordinary field mouse, eats fruits, nuts, and seeds and flower buds.
Through the spring and summer he stores up far in his little body and also stores up food in his nest. In comparison , isn’t that exactly what we do during the “in season?” We store up “spiritual food” when in the fall this little mouse begins a period of hibernation that usually lasts about six months. He spends approximately half of his life in hibernation. During this period of hibernation, he wakes up occasionally and eats. I think we can refer to our time of “out of season” as a period of “spiritual hibernation, when we don’t have Holydays except the weekly Sabbath. We go through approximately six months of “spiritual hibernation,” waking up occasionally (on the Sabbath) to “eat.”
One other thing that I found very interesting about the dormouse, he sometimes hibernates for almost seven months. Built into the system of God’s true calendar is a thirteenth month every two to three years. The dormouse, even though seemingly a small, in-significant part of God’s creation, can teach us some very valuable lessons in God’s plan for salvation.
I Cor. 1:27-29 “ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty .”and those things of the world, and things which are despised, has God Chosen, and things which are not to bring to nought things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.”
You see, God can take this weak foolish, base, and despised little mouse and show us tjhat we are not so great. The dormouse does the same thing we do, only a little differently, and he does it automatically. This is his normal lifestyle. We are just entering into our time of “spiritual hibernation” we have ahead of us approximately six months of “out of season.” Will we be able to survive? If we are only seasonal Christians, the chances are we won’t. Remember II Timothy 4:4 –“and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Let’s see if we can learn the lesson of the dormouse. Even having sometimes turn away from the right way of doing things the dormouse ALWAYS does what he is supposed to do. What about us? Can we look at the life and habit of not only this small part of God’s creation but other examples as well, and be inspired to always live the kind of life that God expects us to live and be full time year around, and not just seasonal Christians.
- - Neil Wroten
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