Do All Celebrations Please God? -Continued

 D I G  D E E P E R 

Find out how you can please Jehovah by making wise decisions about holidays and celebrations.

4. Reject celebrations that dishonor Jehovah

Read Ephesians 5:10, and then discuss these questions:

* What do we need to make sure of when deciding whether to celebrate a holiday?

* What holidays are popular where  you live?

* Do you think these holidays please Jehovah?

For example, have you ever wondered what God thinks of birthday celebrations?  The Bible never refers to a worshipper of Jehovah celebrating a birthday, but it does record two birthdays celebrated by people who did not serve Him.   Read Genesis 40:20-22; Matthew 14:6-10, then discuss these questions: 

* What do both birthday celebrations have in common?

* Based on these Bible accounts, how you think Jesus feels about birthdays? 

Note: Neither Jesus nor Jehovah approved of celebrating them. And the two in the Bible who did not worship Jehovah or Jesus, died in one or another.  And Jesus never celebrated his birthday.

Still, you may wonder, 'Does Jehovah really care whether I participate in a birthday or other unscriptural celebrations?  Read Exodus 32:1-8. Then play the video on jw.org, and then discuss the questions that follow.

* Why do we need to make sure of what is acceptable to Jehovah?

* How can we do so?

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How to know if a celebration displeases God

* Is it based on unscriptural teachings?  To find out, investigate its origins.

* Does it give undue honor to humans, organizations, or national symbols (like the flag) .  We honor Jehovah above all and trust him o solve the world's problems.

* Do its customs and practices conflict with Bible standards? We need to remain morally clean.

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Next time: Do All Celebrations Please God? -Continued

From the jw.org publications