If Christmas is pagan, should Christians be involved?

Should Christians get involved in supporting or celebrating Christmas? Have you ever heard that argument? Why in the world would Christians want to get involved in something that was really a “pagan holiday,” that we the Church co-opted? So for those critics, I have three points.
Number one: Do you give your kids birthday gifts? You celebrate your kids birthdays, why not celebrate the birth of the Savior? If we’re not going to do it now, when would you decide to do it? That would be a question.
Secondly, in 1st Corinthians 9:22, Paul says, “I became all things to all men, that by all means I may win some.” I can’t think of a time, and I doubt that you could think of a time in the year when there is more focus on the birth of Jesus Christ. Once a year, the world is confronted with the reality of His coming. And I think that’s great!
The third point is in Matthew 16:18,where Jesus said, “On this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The idea is not that we are holding out against the world. The idea is that we are assaulting a world and they cannot overwhelm us. They cannot withstand the assault of the Church. The very fact that you and I are here, 2000 years after the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, is evidence of that. The world has done everything it can to squash the message, destroy the Word, and intimidate believers. Yet, all around the world today there are those who are singing praise, spreading the Word and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, if we co-opt or take over Christmas, that’s what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to seize the gates of the enemy. This is why we’re here and why this season is so important.

Gene Cunningham - August 15, 2022

Jesus' Second Coming

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Revelation 19 shows a picture of what Jesus Christ's return will be like. Revelation 19:11 says, Then I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire.” What do you think that signifies? Anger. “Wrath on his head were many crowns…” Absolute authority. “And he had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was close with a robe dipped in blood.” Whose blood? His own. “His name is called the Word of God and the armies in Heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that He should strike the nations. He himself shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he himself treads the wine press of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God. And He has on his robe and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords” This is the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will come with Him. Why on the thigh? The thigh in Scripture is a symbol of power. If you remember when Samson struck the thousand Philistines, he “smote them hip and thigh.” It's a symbol of power. So here we have our Lord's return, what we call the second advent. Is it right to refer to the Rapture as phase one and the Second Coming as phase two of Jesus coming? Yes. They both refer to His coming. It's just his coming for different groups, which becomes important when we get into the parables.