Shared a great read about hollow-ween...
:::Christian and Halloween are as far apart as the east is from the west. Are we trying to be wise in our own eyes, while looking the part of the fool before our creator? Halloween is bad! We all know that from the church circles we are around, but how bad? There are many pagan holidays, easter, christmas, but this holiday tops the others with its boldness in evil delights.
We as a family do not partake of this evil event and see no need to have some cheap substitute for Halloween rituals, dressing them in church clothes, calling it a harvest festival. Why would the church even give this filth a second glance (as a dog returns to it's vomit?).
It is sad that many have not decided what side of the line they wish to stand on.
Joshua 24:15 (King James Version)
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Halloween is filled with death horror and every foul thing under the sun. There is no life in it! So why would we not follow the verse below? Why would we not follow and choose to focus on the words of life of Yeshua? And instead follow the masses on the wide path to Halloween and Harvest festival traditions?
Deuteronomy 30:19 (King James Version)
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Could it be we as the "church" are not where we should be? Are not in "Christ"? Hmmm. Christ refers to the Anointed one (Messiah). What was he anointed to do? Lets look at Luke 4:18
Luke 4:18 (King James Version)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, He said"
Spirit of the Lord is upon me" that means he was anointed. The same root meaning as we get the word for ointment. So the power of YHWH was upon him to do what?
• preach the gospel to the poor
• heal the brokenhearted
• preach deliverance to the captives
• recovering of sight to the blind (I believe this was natural as well as spiritual)
• set at liberty them that are bruised
We have become a spiritually blind people, who say we know YHWH (God) but we don't keep his ways.
Proverbs 1:27-33 (King James Version)
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
Is there any hope then? We only need to read on one more verse…..
33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
If something is evil, why would we partake? It is the same for movies, books, games, and holidays. We know some christian families that partake of Halloween to different degrees while banning evil movies filled with magic. Others we know are the opposite. They often say "we do not let our children celebrate Halloween". But they fill their children's heads full of magic and evil in the movies they watch, games and the like.
Pray about this before you would let your children be involved in a holiday that is evil while we say we know the Messiah. We need to be unified in the messages we are sending to our children.
Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear YHWH and shun evil.
Ok...I know you've read all this kind of stuff before. But, look at the church 'festivals' scheduled last week and this weekend. Obviously we are a blind & bound group of Christians. Everything from halloween festivals with 'alternative activities' going on, like food, fun and games, costume gatherings to dress as your favorite Bible character, even "trunk or treat" in the church parking lot.
You don't want folks to think Christians can't have fun, right? Can't win those shallow-minded children and parents over to Christ by screaming damnation, hellfires and brimstone while passing out those cool halloween tracts, right? What does Christianity have to offer against the likes of movies, IPod music, Wii games and a constant party atmosphere?
It's like getting your children to eat vegetables, right? You have to camouflage them...tuna casserole, tater tot casserole, add lots of cheese...
Same with church. If you don't offer a game night every week -- oh wait, we don't call it that, it's church. We call it 'Awanas' and add a good dose of Bivle verses...while dosing them with plenty of games and prizes. And the Teens...if they can't go on outings and play paintball, take shopping trips and have their own game night, complete with pizza and a movie, well, you obviously won't keep them in church. And sheesh, folks, those teens, those children...they are the FUTURE of Christ's Church you know.
Man, that's a sad thought, isn't it?
But hey, don't let me interrupt your week's plans. Enjoy the candy, the 'fellowship' with those like-minded believers dressed as Moses and Ruth. I'm not perfect (I'm a far sight from it), but I do know where we won't be for '"hollow" ween...and it won't be pulling candy from the Pastor's trunk.
Think...and PRAY...about where you are willing to mark those lines in sand around your family. Satan doesn't want you, he's all about your children. And he's got the upper hand with most parents and their weak-knee approach to being a part of the world.
5 comments:
You hit the nail right on the head.
Amen Sister.
All Hallow's Eve is pagan. We've done all the research and it certainly is in complete disagreement with the Bible. It's not something we celebrate here in this house. (If only I could get my MIL to realize this) Today in the mail, she sent a card wishing the family happy hauntings. It went right in the recyle. The children didn't see it, nor did Hubby - he knew it came he picked up the mail and handed it too me, as expected me to deal with it. Last night our church had a party, our church normally has a meal on Wednesdays, it's most wonderful to have this dedicated time to get together with friends for supper. A normal Wed. schedule is supper, then break off to youth group, choir, an adult Bible study and Discovery Club for the elementary age. Last night we brought in pizza, had games, a bouncy house and yes, some candy. If you wanted too, you could participate in the trunk or treat. We don't participate in that portion of the evening. The boys wore their Tae Kwon Do suits and the girls wore costumes from their dance recital last spring. They had a really fun time playing with their friends. We live in a suburb of a big liberal city; in one of the most un-churched states in the US, we are an odd family, even within our own church. No other family is dresses only, about a third are homeschool. Most are what you might call average middle class American citizens. This is the 2nd year that we've had openned the church doors for such a festival in the fall - Have we gained any souls to the Kingdom? I don't know the answer to that - I look at it in this way, while we are having this seemingly secular event in the church building, hopefully, God is giving us grace to serve the community, reaching out on a level they understand, planting seeds.
Now, as a family we don't attend Sunday School at our church. We have a family study here at home on Sunday mornings. Why? The curriculum is everything you mentioned, silly games, crafts and puzzles and there is a Bible lesson hidden in there somewhere; our youngest does go to class on Wed. night is she learning Bible lessons there? Yes, most of what is taught she's already been over within her school work - Rod & Staff is pretty thorough. Our boys do go to youth group, are they learning anything useful, probably not - it's really just a social time. Our oldest heads up the youth worship team, she is serving, and the youth she serves are greatly benefitting.
Come Saturday night, we'll place a little sign at the driveway end of our porch, that simply states we aren't pariticipating in this day, yes, it's cutesy and has a verse on it. It serves a couple purposes, one, to keep children from knocking on the door only to have no one answer - and two we do pray that seeds are planted in those who may chose to read the sign, the rest we leave to Jesus.
Are we hypocrits? Maybe.
I don't see that as hipocritical -- you are enstilling a strong, family-led knowledge of The Bible in the children...what they 'learn' at the children's social hour stuff at church serves to add to that.
But too many parents don't have anything at all like a family altar. They rely fully on the church, weak as it is, to enstill something Godly and Biblical in their children. They have it completely backwards. Those children, hearing these verses among games and prizes are at best receiving avery watered-down Christian teaching. But those (few) children who are taught at home (family altar, as the Bible clearly calls for) are receiving so much more.
Most people these days believe that it's somehow 'right' that they are at least in church. "Well, at least we go on Wednesdays and they are surrounded by other Godly children/influence" and they don't consider the fact that they are leaving their un-taught children in among other un-taught children...and expecting something Biblical and Godly to what, soak in from the walls or pews?
I'm not saying every church is the same, or that church in itself is somehow the downfall of Christianity really, but look at the multitudes of weak-minded, spiritually unfed adults out there...prolonging the generations of untaught, self-seeking youth. They are the leaders of the church before Christ comes. And they have never read even a third of the Bible, and have an even smaller understanding of what they have read.
Funny how people who send their children off to government or even private schools do so because they claim they aren't educated themselves enough to teach their own children (and I'm not debating that...) Yet no one asks about the Biblical upbringing or Spiritual training or background anyone has as they shuffle children off to church to be taught how to be Godly young men and women.
Seems to me that is something far more necessary.
Deanna
You hit me right between the eyes with a brick this morning with - "Satan doesn't want you, he's all about your children."
Thank you for this post!!
Cath
Vision Forum has a great CD you can order on their website called "Why Satan Wants Your Firstborn" and it touches on some of these comments. Their sermon series is worth the money.
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