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     Good morning and welcome to the Berean Break.  My name is George A. Sinkie and I am so glad that you have joined us here this morning.  I hope that you have your Bible handy, because that is the standard we are going to use, and I encourage you to check out what is taught here with your Bible.  Today we are going to check ot a topic that the seeker of truth will want to understand, and that topic is observing Lent.  Before we go into our study, let’s have a prayer:

Great God in heaven, Thank You for this day I our lives.  We also want to thank You for Your word, that provides everything we need to please You.  May each of us open our hearts and out minds to You will and humble our lives to Your glory.  In Jesus’ Name we pray.  AMEN!!

     First off I want to acknowledge that this study is based on an article by Michael Baggett.  I am occasionally asked questions about the topic of Lent.  Perhaps you have wondered about Lent as well.  Maybe someone told you they were giving something “up” for Lent, and you wondered what that meant.  Let’s see if we can answer some of these questions and learn how the Seeker of Truth will respond to Lent.

     Richard Wagner wrote a book called “Christianity for Dummies.”  By Christianity, he is not referring to Scriptural Christianity, but the pseudo-Christian realm of denominations.  In his book, he says this about Lent:
     “On the Christian calendar, Lent is the 40-day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter.  When it was first observed in the fourth century, its focus was on self-examination and self-denial in preparation for Easter, and Christians used fasting (abstaining from eating food) in the early years as a visible demonstration of this process.
     Over the centuries, Catholics have relaxed some of the strict fasting rules.  Today, only Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays during Lent are considered fasting days.  On these days, Catholics over the age of 14 are to refrain from eating meat.  (Historically, this practice was meant to help unify people who could afford meat with poor people who couldn’t.)  In addition, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, those between the ages of 18 and 59 are to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals and aren’t to eat between meals.
     Orthodox Christians are far more rigorous in their observance of fasting during Lent, believing that regular fasting is a crucially important discipline for one’s spiritual growth.  Meat, dairy products, and eggs (which historically were considered more luxury foods than ordinary breads) aren’t allowed, with some additional restrictions on certain days.  They can only eat fish (which was historically considered less of a luxury than red meat) on the feasts of the Annunciation and Palm Sunday.
     In addition to refraining from eating, Lent is often a time when Christians give up something pleasurable (furthering the focus on self-denial), be it chocolate, meat or — shudder the thought! — coffee.
     Some Protestant denominations (such as Anglican and Episcopalian) observe Lent, but many Protestant churches attach less significance to the Lenten season than to the individual holy days leading up to Easter.”
     It is important to note some of his points.  Number one, it was first observed in the fourth century.  This shows us that it was NOT a teaching of God given in the First century through inspired writers.
     Point two, speaking of the fasting it says it was a “visible demonstration” of the self-examination and self-denial that they say goes along with Lent.  In other words, they want men to see the fasting to show they are denying themselves.  Jesus spoke of this type of fasting, look at Matthew 6:16-18, where Jesus says, “And whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
     A third point, note how various groups, and sometimes the same group at various times, observe this in different ways.  If it was really something from God, it would require it was done in the same way at all times.

     Wikipedia has a short article on Lent as well.  Again their use of “Christian” is in the pseudo-Christian concept of denominations.
     “Lent is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar of many Christian denominations that begins on Ash Wednesday and covers a period of approximately six weeks before Easter Sunday.  The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial.  This event, along with its pious customs, is observed by Christians in the Anglican, Calvinist, Lutheran, Methodist, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions.  Today, some Anabaptist and evangelical churches also observe the Lenten season.”

     As we see in these articles Lent is surrounded by a number of other significant days.
       •  Mardi gras, this is the day before Lent begins, and is the last day people can indulge themselves before entering the time of denial called Lent.  Mardi Gras has become known as a time of carnality and lewdness.  It is also referred to as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday and as I mentioned, leads us up to the first day of Lent, which is known as Ash Wednesday.
       •  Ash Wednesday is a time of repentance and prayer.  It is marked by the application of ashes to the forehead.  These ashes come from palm branches used on the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
       •  The next significant date, I would like to mention is Palm Sunday, this is said to commemorate when Jesus entered Jerusalem and they laid palm branches down in the road.
       •  Then there would be Good Friday and finally Easter.
     Now depending on the religious group, there may a number of other special days in this six week period.

     Lent and the requirements to fast during this six week period before Easter is a tradition beginning in the 4th century.  Consider how these various denominations have adopted Lent to push these religious requirements on their members.  The question that the Seeker of Truth has to ask is “Is this scriptural?”

     The religious season known as Lent is an addition to the Scriptures.  There is not one single Scripture that teaches that God’s followers are to have any special day or week or part of a year.  The only day that holds significance to those who follow God is the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day, upon which Christians gather to break bread.  The New Testament was fully delivered in the 1st century and with it ALL of God’s will that His followers need to please Him.  Jesus said in Matthew 15:9, “BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.”
     One who practices Lent would not only have vain worship, but because it is something taught that is different than originally taught.  Paul’s warning in Galatians 1:6-8, would apply as well.  Paul wrote, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
     Instead of changing what God said, we should follow what Peter wrote in the first part of 1 Peter 4:11, “Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God”
     The traditions we need to observe are the traditions of Christ or the inspired traditions of the Apostles, as Paul encourages in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”
     Lent is not an inspired tradition of the apostles either in word or by epistle.  Everything we teach and practice in religion must be by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.  we need to listen to what Paul writes in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
     This time of year that man calls Lent, was not considered any different than any other time of year to the New Testament church.  The early church knew nothing about a season called Lent.  We should therefore disassociate ourselves from all such religious traditions of men.

     Listen to what Paul write in Colossians 2:18-23, ‘Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.  If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using) — in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?  These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.’
     Notice that these things make for a self-made religion.  Things that are self-made religion are at odds with a Godly religion, so you cannot be pleasing to God, if your religion is self-made.

     One of the things that goes with Lent is the abstaining from eating meat.  The Bible does talk about this in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, where Paul writes, “BUT the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.”
     Was God in His omniscience speaking here of the falling away from truth that would lead to the man-made doctrine of Lent?  Perhaps He was, but even if He wasn’t, it certainly fits under what He says here.

     The best thing you can give up for Lent — is to give up following Man- Made doctrines and then devote yourself to following the pure word of God.

     I would like to take a few moments to share with you the Gospel and God’s will for your life.  Please write down these references and check them out.
     First, I want you to know that you, like all of us, have fallen short of will of God (Romans 3:23).  This falling short, to put it more plainly, you and I, and indeed all of us have sinned, and the wages of that sin is death, which means separation, and in this case separation from God (Romans 6:23, Isaiah 59:1-2).
     But because God chose to love us He sent His Son (John 3:16) and while we were sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).  Within the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the salvation that we need by that Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1ff).  If we fail to obey the Gospel then destruction awaits us (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).
     Paul explains to us how we obey the Gospel, which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus in Romans 6:1ff.  When we are immersed in water (Acts 10:47-48) for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38), it is then that our sins are washed away (Acts 22:16).  Until we humble ourselves to God’s will and are immersed, we are outside of Christ, and then in baptism we enter into Christ (Galatians 3:27) where all spiritual blessings are found (Ephesians 1:3).

     This Berean Break is brought to you, in love, by the pre-denominational and non-denominational church of Christ that meets at 1600 East First Avenue in Mitchell SD.  You are welcome to meet with us at 10:00 Sunday mornings for our assembly followed by a time of Bible Study, also on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 for an additional time to study God’s Word.  If you have a comment or a sincere Bible question, please call or text me at 605-770-5555.  We want to remind you of the non-denominational TV program, “KNOW YOUR BIBLE” on KDLT-TV at 9:00 on Sunday mornings.  This is George A. Sinkie for the Lord’s church, here in Mitchell, good-bye for now.  Remember that we care about you and may God bless you as you do His will.

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