The Truth About Christmas

Have you ever puzzled about Christmas? From the time you first located accessible without a doubt become no Santa Claus, did you ever query other factors of this super holiday ? Did you ever wonder where Christmas came from? Why have a Christmas tree? Where did the idea of Santa Claus originate? Why is that this day celebrated at the twenty fifth of December? What do most of these symbols and festivities absolutely imply? What is God 's perspective on these things? If you had been amazed when you first determined the reality about Santa Claus, you will be even more surprised through the relaxation of the story.

Christmas Is Not Christian!

As surprising as it'd sound, there is nothing Christian approximately Christmas. It changed into men who created the phrase "Christmas" from the phrase "Mass of Christ." In this way, Christ's call got here to be related to this holiday and hundreds of thousands have come to agree with it's miles a Christian observance. The truth is that this excursion, with the identical symbols and ceremonies, became practiced many centuries before Jesus became ever born. In reality, it did now not grow to be part of professing Christianity until loads of years after the Savior's crucifixion and ascension to heaven.

This reality is confirmed by the testimony of each religious and secular authorities. The 1911 version of the Catholic Encyclopedia illustrates that Christmas did no longer originate in Palestine however rather in Egypt.

Christmas changed into not most of the earliest gala's of the Church...The first evidence of the dinner party is from Egypt... Pagan customs centering around the January calends gravitated to Christmas.

The celebration of Christmas become now not embraced in the course of the times of the apostles or the early New Testament church. Consider the words of the Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 edition which states:

Christmas... Became, according to many government, no longer celebrated inside the first centuries of the Christian church, as the Christian usage in popular turned into to rejoice the loss of life of notable individuals in preference to their birth.

The Origin of Christmas

Biblical authorities and secular historians agree that the birthday celebration of Christ's birth did no longer enter the church till hundreds of years after Jesus' life, demise, and resurrection. It become not till the fifth century that the Roman Catholic Church ordered nowadays to be celebrated. Furthermore, the church directed this party to take place on the same day as the pagan pageant committed to worshiping the solar god.

The connection between Christmas and a diffusion of pagan practices is thoroughly documented. Not best the day, however its symbols are intimately connected to non secular practices embraced by the pagan global. William Walsh, a recognized authority on Christmas, writes:

...The Christmas competition...Is a sluggish evolution from times that long antedated the Christian duration... It was over laid upon heathen fairs, and many of its observances are only adaptations of pagan to Christian Ceremonies. (The Story of Santa Klaus p. Fifty eight)

...It turned into on or about December 21st that the ancient Greeks celebrated what are regarded to us because the Bacchanalia or festivities in honor of Bacchus, the god of wine. In those festivities the human beings gave themselves up to songs, dances and other revels which often exceeded the bounds of decency and order. (The Story of Santa Klaus p. Sixty five)

...The Saturnalia, held in honor of Saturn, the god of time, started on December seventeenth and persevered for seven days. These also often resulted in insurrection and sickness. Hence the words Bacchanalia and Saturnalia acquired an evil popularity in later times. (The Story of Santa Klaus p. 65)

Why December 25?

Today, most of the sector celebrates Christmas on the twenty-5th of December. Werner Keller writes in The Bible as History:

December 25 is referred to in files as Christmas day in A.D. 324 for the first time. Under the Roman emperor Justinian [in the 500's] it became recognized as an authentic vacation. An vintage Roman competition played a first-rate component within the desire of this unique day. December 25 in historic Rome turned into the 'Dies Natali Invictus,' 'the birthday of the unconquered solar,' the day of the winter solstice and on the identical time, in Rome, the last day of the Saturnalia,...Every week of unbridled carnival... (p. 331)

It is clear from the document of records that Christmas originated at some point of pre-Christian instances and turned into celebrated by way of the pagan global for centuries after the dying of Christ. This day then became embraced by way of the Roman Catholic Church inside the fifth century. Where did the pagans get their thoughts concerning such a party?

Through her politics and the usage of her son's Nimrod's name, Semeramis became the queen of Babylon, the home of the Chaldee Mysteries. She turned into also appeared because the "queen of Heaven" and "the mother of the divine son." After generations of these idolatrous practices and traditions, Nimrod got here to be considered the son of Baal, the sun god. He and his mother became the leader entities of worship as a Madonna and baby.

This perception and exercise unfold to Egypt, wherein the names of the gods had been Isis and Osiris. The son Osiris turned into born December 25. In Asia it turned into Cybele and Deonius. In Rome they had been called Fortuna and Jupiter. Throughout the arena we still locate the remnants of mom and toddler worship to this present day. It is no wonder that this equal gadget nonetheless exists at the cease of the age. It is called "Mystery Babylon" (Revelation 17:5). Shockingly, it's far disguised as Christianity and remains practiced in Christmas.

From Paganism to Christianity

The splendid historian Will Durant described how paganism actually took upon itself Christianity and converted it to pagan functions.

Christianity did now not spoil paganism; it adopted it... From Egypt got here the concept of a divine trinity... [and] the adoration of the Mother and Child... From Phrygia came the worship of the Great Mother... The Mithraic ritual so carefully resembled the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass that Christian fathers charged the Devil with inventing those similarities to deceive frail minds. [Modern day] Christianity turned into the last high-quality creation of the historical pagan world. (The Story of Civilization, p. 595)

It is apparent that a extensive range of pagan practices became assimilated into the Roman Catholic Church. It began with embracing the birthday of the sun god and organising the date of this party as December 25.

It is interesting to note that the practice of sun worship started out in early Egypt. There the monks could make a round wafer to represent the sun. The celebrants would eat the wafer, symbolizing the solar god's life and the nourishment of man's soul.

Clearly, the church turned into embracing paganism in an try to increase its numbers and attract a non-believing international. In fact, it changed into the church being absorbed by using folks who practiced beliefs completely contrary to Christianity. In his book The Two Babylons Alexander Hislop characterized it this way:

Long earlier than the fourth century, and lengthy earlier than the Christian generation itself, a pageant turned into celebrated some of the heathen at that specific time of the yr, in honor of the beginning of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it can fairly be presumed that, as a way to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the quantity of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival changed into adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the call of Christ. This tendency at the a part of Christians to meet paganism 1/2-way changed into very early evolved... (p. 93)

The church sooner or later followed and merged numerous one of a kind pagan ceremonies to finally emerge as with the present day day exercise of Christmas and the New Year celebrations we witness today.

Christmas Through History

During the latter a part of the third century, Deus Sol Invictus have become the legitimate deity of the Roman Empire. At that time, a exceptional temple was constructed in honor of the sun and the sun's birthday became officially set as December 25. This date was selected as it was the frequent date of the wintry weather solstice. Less than one hundred years later, Emperor Constantine got here to energy in Rome. At the beginning of Constantine's rule, it changed into a violation of Roman regulation to exercise Christianity. Christians had been hated via the nation and were subjected to outstanding persecution.

However, Constantine noticed some thing in Christianity he believed will be very treasured in maintaining the empire together. Despite super persecution, Christians remained devoted to their faith. This commitment so impressed Constantine that he issued "The Edict of Toleration" in 313 A.D. And made Christianity the respectable faith of the Roman Empire. As a result, nation persecution of Christians stopped. However, the news turned into not all accurate. Because Christianity have become the state faith, the church became very political and the doctrines embraced via the church were watered down and significantly compromised. Jesse Hurlbut describes this era in his book, The Story of the Christian Church.

...The status quo of Christianity as the country faith became a curse... Everybody sought club in the church, and nearly all of us became obtained. Both good and horrific, honest seekers after God and hypocritical seekers after advantage, rushed into the communion. Ambitious, worldly, unscrupulous guys sought office in the church for social and political influence...

The services of worship expanded in splendor, however had been less non secular and hearty than the ones of former times. The forms and ceremonies of paganism regularly crept into the worship. Some of the old heathen feasts became church gala's with exchange of call and of worship.

Legalizing Christianity solved one hassle for the church, however it caused any other. Millions of pagans have been all at once made "Christians" literally overnight. These pagans had no desire to give up their pagan practices, but. Try as it might, the church could not succeed on the humans to give up the paganism that they embraced. The church's solution become to ultimately "Christianize" numerous pagan practices.

This adopting of pagan gala's changed into not with out opposition however. While many professing Christians welcomed the freedom to have a good time those pagan practices, others objected. Many at the time understood that such practices have been rankly pagan, ungodly practices which ought to never have been brought into the church. Christian preachers of the West and the Near East protested towards the unseemly frivolity with which Christ's birthday became celebrated, whilst Christians of Mesopotamia accused their Western brethren of idolatry and solar worship for adopting as Christian this pagan pageant.

Despite opposition by way of Christians devoted to pursuing the lessons in scripture, pagan influence truly crushed the church, reworking it into some thing a ways distinctive from that raised up by Jesus thru Peter and the apostles. This fact is confirmed via The Encyclopedia Americana which states:

Christmas... In line with many government, was now not celebrated within the first centuries of the Christian Church... In the fifth century the Western Church ordered it to be celebrated for all time at the day of the old Roman Feast of the beginning of Sol.

As you may see, historical rites practiced through the pagan international had been subsequently grafted into Christianity. Rome have been pagan centuries earlier than the delivery of Christianity and it definitely became not going to desert its false religion. When Emperor Constantine ordered Christianity located on equal footing with paganism, people preferred their antique approaches. They loved those things they had usually recognised, and without a doubt adapted the antique to appear to comply to the brand new.

They modified from worshiping the "sun" to worshiping the "Son" and this was done retaining all their antique practices.

Most humans nowadays recognise little or nothing of the pagan foundation of Christmas. They are unaware that faithful Christians first adversarial these heretical practices. Additionally, maximum Christians these days do not keep in mind that believers dedicated to retaining the fact of God have been pressured to head underground, a few suffering martyrdom rather than permitting themselves to take part in such things.

The Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree is arguably the most distinguished symbol of this season. Millions of human beings bring an evergreen tree into their houses and decorate it with beautiful glass balls, tinsel, and lights. These identical hundreds of thousands might in no way think about the Christmas tree as an idol which God abhors.

The culture of bringing a tree into the home and adorning it got here from a fantasy concerning Saint Boniface. According to way of life, Saint Boniface reduce down the "great o.K.Of Jupiter," a tree worshiped by using pagan Teutons in Germany.

The story is that Saint Boniface came upon a band of heathens who have been worshiping a huge okaytree. This band turned into approximately to provide a human sacrifice. Boniface intervened, stopping the sacrifice. He then ordered the tree cut down. Legend has it that a small fir tree sprang up in it is location. Boniface proclaimed that this tree became the tree of life and represented Christ.

Careful examination of this tale famous placing similarities to the story of Nimrod and Semeramis. After the demise of Nimrod, his mother Semeramis declared that Nimrod become reincarnated inside the form of an evergreen tree which sprung up in a single day. History well-knownshows that the worship of timber and nature changed into a not unusual exercise amongst pagans and maintains to this very day.

It is important to take into account that such practices are abhorrent to God. The tenth chapter of the e-book of Jeremiah illustrates this factor. Here, God instructions his people to "learn no longer the way of the heathen." He then is going into exceptional element describing a culture in which the heathen reduce a tree out of the forest and decorate it. God goes directly to represent this tree as a graven photo (Jer. 10:1-2).

Although many argue that Jeremiah isn't relating to the Christmas tree, in those verses, their argument misses the point. What God found out via Jeremiah is that His youngsters are to keep away from practices that resemble those embraced by way of the pagan global. He did no longer say that it become appropriate to alter their practices and phone them Christian. The Christmas tree is honestly a symbol of a religion that was vastly exceptional from something advocated through the scriptures.

The Christmas tree's foundation in paganism is thoroughly supported by means of the testimony of records. Consider the phrases of Alexander Hislop.

The Christmas tree, now so commonplace amongst us, changed into equally common in Pagan Rome and Pagan Egypt. In Egypt that tree become the palm tree; in Rome it changed into the fir; the palm tree denoting the Pagan Messiah, as Baal-Tamar, the fir referring to him as Baal-Berith.

The Christmas tree... Recapitulates the idea of tree worship...Gilded nuts and balls symbolizing the sun...All of the festivities of the wintry weather solstice were absorbed into Christmas day...The use of holly and mistletoe to the Druidic ceremonies; the Christmas tree [ It is apparent that the Christmas tree is a effective symbol and conjures many pictures concerning the party it pictures. However, there's one aspect the Christmas tree is NOT - it is not Christian. Everything about the Christmas tree may be traced to ideals which are strongly condemned in scripture. There isn't any connection among the Christmas tree and the delivery of Christ. It is a pagan image that God condemns.

In 1974, United Press International, one of the world's main press organizations, carried a piece of writing regarding the foundation of the Christmas tree. This article spoke volumes about this symbol that has emerge as strongly embraced by using the Christian global.

Toward the middle of iciness, as the solar began putting in addition within the south, and the nights grew longer, ancient pagan priests placed candles which they known as fairy lighting fixtures on timber in an try to trap the sun again toward the north. (December 17)

Today, tens of millions of Christian houses around the world are decorated with evergreen timber every Christmas. Tragically, humans fail to apprehend what these trees picture due to the fact they without a doubt don't ask.

Santa Claus

One of the maximum prominent photos related to Christmas is that of Santa Claus. Every 12 months, children around the sector lengthy for his arrival, for he's the giver of presents. Today, Santa Claus is depicted as a lover of youngsters and a real giver. During the Christmas season, human beings are even encouraged to sign up for his brilliant army of elves so that youngsters around the world can be touched by means of his goodness. So popular is Santa Claus that adults tell youngsters tales of his exploits. These tales are conveyed with such conviction that kids agree with them with out query. But who is Santa Claus? And where did his tale begin?

Many articles and books had been written to provide an explanation for that Santa Claus turned into a bishop by using the name of Nicholas who lived in Asia Minor for the duration of the fourth century. It is actual that the sort of bishop did exist but a lot of what is attributed to him is unfaithful.

The second Vatican council formally said that whilst there was a Roman Catholic bishop named Nicholas, they acknowledged that many ideas related to him actually came from pagan resources. William Walsh wrote:

Santa Claus comes from Saint Nicholas, the saint whose pageant changed into celebrated in December and the only who in other respects was maximum almost in accord with the dim traditions of Saturn because the hero of the Saturnalia. (The Story of Santa Klaus, p.70)

Tony Van Renterghem writes the subsequent in his e-book, When Santa Was a Shaman: The Ancient Origins of Santa Claus & the Christmas Tree:

In the newly Christianized areas in which the pagan Celtic and Germanic cults remained strong, legends of the god Wodan were mixed with those of various Christian saints; Saint Nicholas become any such. There were Christian areas in which Saint Nicholas ruled on my own; in different places, he changed into assisted via the pagan Dark Helper. In other far off regions... Historical wallet of the Olde Religion managed traditions.

Here the Dark Helper ruled on my own. Sometimes in a maximum difficult manner, the usage of the quilt call of Saint Nicholas or 'Klaus,' without in any manner changing his threatening, Herne/Pan, fur-clad look.

By absorbing such pagan feasts and traditions, the Christian Church became Herne into Saint Nicholas' captive, chained Dark Helper; none other than Satan the Dark One, symbolic of all evil...

The Worldbook Encyclopedia provides some exciting insights into a number of the traditions concerning Santa Claus.

Some of Santa Claus's characteristics date returned many centuries. For instance, the notion that Santa enters the house thru the chimney developed from a Norse legend. The Norse believed that the goddess Hertha seemed in the fire and taken good luck to the home.

Other traditions from the Druidic time recommend that Santa's crimson in shape is a leftover from the instances when ancient peoples worshiped the god of fireplace. Tradition has it that this fire god got here down the chimney. Consider too, that in ancient instances, Druid house owners would leave a treat consisting of milk and pastries to assuage this god who got here down the chimney into their hearth. This is how the subculture of leaving milk and cookies out for Santa started. The idea of setting stockings on the fire mantel also comes from this legendary pagan exercise. It is clear that the modern-day Santa strains his origins again to ancient pagan traditions.

Christmas Presents

Most people agree with the subculture of giving Christmas affords comes from the Bible. The assumption is that the wise guys gave presents to Jesus, consequently it is suitable for us to provide gifts to each different.

However, careful examination of this culture will monitor that present giving has not anything to do with Magi or the presents they presented to Christ. Both religious and secular records screen a clean connection between giving gifts at some stage in the Christmas season and pagan practices. Consider the following insights concerning this practice.

The interchange of provides among buddies is a like characteristic of Christmas and the Saturnalia, and should were followed with the aid of Christians from the Pagans, because the admonition of Tertullian it seems that shows. (The Bibliotheca Sacra, vol. 12, p. 153)

Tertullian wrote in his work, On Idolatry that during the pagan ceremonial dinner of the Saturnalia which become celebrated in December, gifts had been "carried to and fro."

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, exchanging presents at this time of the 12 months may had been prompted by comparable customs practiced by means of the pagans on January 1.

"Gifts are exchanged with the aid of the French on January 1, with the aid of the Spanish and Italians on January 6, and by using other nationalities on December 25. In maximum elements of Europe it turned into the Christ Child who added the presents. After the Reformation, the day itself was personified, and the parent of Father Christmas changed into later combined with St. Nicholas, [who later became] Santa Claus." (p. 659)

William Walsh affords additional insights into the way of life of changing provides.

Christmas items themselves remind us of the provides that had been exchanged in Rome for the duration of the Saturnalia. In Rome, it is probably introduced, the affords commonly took the shape of wax tapers and dolls - the latter being of their turn a survival of the human sacrifices once presented to Saturn. It is a queer notion that in our Christmas affords we are keeping below another shape one of the most savage customs of our barbarian ancestors. (The Story of Santa Klaus, p.67)

Gifts to a King

It is vital to keep in mind that the wise guys did not provide presents to each other. Additionally, the items they added to Christ have been no longer birthday affords. Jesus did no longer get hold of toys from these traffic, but instead uncommon offerings that many accept as true with deliver extremely good significance.

It has been recommended that gold turned into is a present given to a king, frankincense a present given to a clergyman and myrrh-a spice used in getting ready a body for burial-changed into a gift that turned into given to a condemned man. It is obvious that the smart guys presented presents to Jesus due to the fact they understood Him to be a remarkable King. The protocol at that point became to never method the presence of kings or dignitaries without bearing a present. Adam Clark's observation expresses it this manner:

"The humans of the east in no way technique the presence of kings and extremely good personages with out a gift of their palms." (Vol. 5, p. Forty six)

The reality is that gift giving presently of yr isn't always scriptural and has no foundation inside the tale of the smart men. The giving of gifts at the moment of yr got here from the exercise of the historic Saturnalia. Today, this worship of Saturn has merged with the worship of Mammon, the god of money.

Commercialism, Not Christianity

Over the centuries the exercise of giving gifts at this time of year has amplified to grow to be big enterprise! Hallmark, one of the state's top three wrapping paper producers, announced that during one Christmas season, it'll produce over 24,000 miles of wrapping paper and Americans will spend over seven billion greenbacks on children's toys throughout the Christmas season.

Collectively, companies and photo studios suit up and ship out as many as 20,000 Santa Clauses to malls, parades, and events every year. It has been envisioned that retail stores can generate $35,000 in additional profits virtually by using having a photographer and a rented Santa Claus for the season. It is also predicted that mall site visitors increases by 15% while a Santa Claus is in one of the big shops.

In the city of Los Angeles on my own the wide variety of Christmas timber offered tops 1.1 million. In addition, 3000 letters addressed to Santa Claus will undergo the Los Angeles Post Office and this county will also eat over ten million kilowatt hours of power to help its Christmas lights. This is the common monthly usage for many third international countries and this is just one City of thousands throughout the U.S.

The average American family will receive 26 cards whilst 650 million Christmas applications may be despatched to friends and loved ones thru the mail at some point of this season. The town of Beverly Hills will spend over 1,000,000 greenbacks on their holiday decorations at the same time as See's Candy will promote over 12 million kilos of sweet.

In the US, shops have glamorized Christmas as no other excursion. They lavishly enhance their shops, pipe in unique song and lease guys in Santa Claus fits, inquisitive about one cause: to entice shoppers right into a spirit of eating.

So essential is Christmas to the economy of america that the absence of this type of vacation ought to literally paralyze the united states. It has been advised that fifty% of annual profits loved through shops is generated by Christmas-related sales. Recently, an govt of one among America's biggest retail chains counseled that 75% in their income had been generated between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Tragically, all of this big spending does not virtually make people glad. During this time of the yr 35% to 40% of Americans turns into so depressed they may use alcohol or drugs to sincerely deal with the emptiness they feel at this professed "joyous" time. Reacting to this gross commercialism of Christmas, numerous non secular leaders had been heard to exclaim, "We ought to positioned Christ returned in Christmas." But the truth is, Christ become NEVER in Christmas and He never may be!

Regardless of how Christmas has been packaged it is a pagan vacation this is fully committed to materialism. It is sin wrapped in colourful paper, dressed up in a red fit and swathed in smooth fuzzy angel hair. People may additionally tell themselves that they're worshiping Christ when they celebrate it, however the truth be recognized that Christmas has without a doubt nothing to do with the Savior of mankind and He will by no means have some thing to do with it!

As benign as those symbols may additionally seem, make no mistake about it: they're deeply rooted in practices God condemns at some stage in the scriptures. God does not need the Yule log, holly, mistletoe, or some other shape of flora used in the worship of false gods. The Bible statistics that even as speakme to a woman from Samaria, Jesus said that God must be worshiped in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24).

The perception that these symbols are legitimately connected to Christ's delivery is totally false. They are pagan to the core and must be forsaken.

The Birth of the Messiah

The perception that Jesus became born on or close to December 25 has no foundation in fact. Actually, this date has a completely sullied past. It was the birthday of the solar god Mithra and of Nimrod and is attached with many vile practices related to paganism. Virtually all credible data imply that the early Church did now not even have a good time birthdays.

The World Book Encyclopedia well-knownshows the following:

The exact date of Christ's delivery is not recognized. The early Christians did no longer rejoice His start, because they considered the party of anybody's beginning to be a pagan custom. The first point out of the observance of Christ's birthday seems approximately A.D. Two hundred. For a few years, several dates had been used. December 25 turned into first cited in 336. (article "Christmas")

Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?

It is plain that Christmas is the most expected time of the year for thousands and thousands of Christians. It is a time of stunning tune, scrumptious meals, brilliant colorations, and circle of relatives reunions. However, there's one thing Christmas isn't; it is not now, nor has it ever been, Christian. The Puritans understood this essential point. William Prynne wrote the subsequent in the course of the time of King Charles:

Our Christmas lords of Misrule... Had been derived from the Roman Saturnalia and Bacchanalian festivals; which should motive all pious Christians endlessly to abominate them. (Book of Christian Folklore, p. Eight)

As harmless and attractive as nowadays can also seem, it has at its very roots a dark and godless starting place. Tom Flynn, in his e-book, The Problem with Christmas, gives a totally exciting observation about the message Christmas sends.

If His reason in coming turned into something like what is meant, then in celebrating His birthday each year Christians do violence, not honor, to his memory. For in celebrating a birthday in any respect, we preserve exactly the form of way of life His coming is idea to were designed to cast down. (p.42)

It is genuinely important to remember the fact that God hates a lie, no matter what shape it takes. Satan himself was characterized as the father of lies (Jn. Eight:forty four) and the deceiver of the entire world (Rev. 12:nine). The scriptures additionally reveal that Satan appears as an angel of mild. Is it any surprise that fairs honoring him could own exquisite beauty and enchantment?

A Final Thought

Is Christmas Christian? The simple answer is "no;" it's far an emphatic "no!" Christmas isn't Christian; it's miles pagan to the core. Its pics and logos had been embraced from pagan practices and ought to be abandoned by way of all actual believers. While speaking to the kids of Israel, God gave a strong admonition regarding the assimilation of fake religions into the worshiping of Him.

Take heed to thyself that thou be now not snared by way of following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, "How did those nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise."

Thou shalt not do so unto the Eternal thy God: for each abomination to the Eternal, which He hateth, have they achieved unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have got burnt within the hearth to their gods. What issue soever I command you, take a look at to do it: thou shalt not upload thereto, nor decrease from it. (Deut. 12:30-32)

The Bible reveals that Jesus Christ will return to this earth and set up His millennial Kingdom. When He comes, will He locate His kids have returned to Egypt? And what about you? Will you accept the teachings of a global that embraces pagan practices and attire them up as Christianity, or will you worship Him in spirit and in reality?