Posted on 10/19/2018 8:33:25 PM PDT by Patriot777
If the title looks plain idiotic, it's not. On October 31, many who identify as being believers in Christ Jesus will actually do just that. Their church may have a spooky "trunk or treat" or festival, or a costume contest and they'll take their kids to it. This year the costumes will be even more horrific than the last, but it's all in fun. No. If you or your church participate in the celebration of Satan's day, you are in league with the Evil One and are not truly a Child of the Living God--Jesus. Get yourself and your family out of that church, repent and receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord or recommit your lives to the Lord, and find a church that does follow Christ and teaches the whole Bible. If there is any gathering at any church on the 31st, it should be to pray for the protection and safety of our law enforcement, first responders, our fellow believers, missionaries, our loved ones and thank our Savior that He indeed is coming quickly. My beloved FRiends, I love you in Christ Jesus.
There aren’t any churches that do that in your area?
I only went to Church twice until i was 32 years old, i took part in trick or treat until i was in my fifties but have never associated it with church.
There are many things done that are morally neutral for enjoyment. When doing those activities are branded sinful, Christians morph into Muslims.
There are two extremes -- overdosing on grace and becoming tolerant of sin and legalism, which adds to God's laws and robs the joy out of life. Both are bad. Christians need a balance between the two.
It’s impossible to “morph into Muslim” when your foundation is the Gospel of Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15).
We don’t need any balance other than Jesus Christ. Attempts to find “balance” without God is nothing more than the Hegelian dialectic, or the yin-yang. Not a Christian value.
Anything from playing cards to going to movies to rock music were deemed sinful by certain Christians and denominations. That causes rebellion and sends people to hell.
My pastor grew up in a church that stifled the joy out of life and ended up on heroin and almost dying before turning back to Christ.
#misplacedpriorities
“How about voting Jesus as umpire in your heart?”
Amen.
It depends on what someone means about God’s plan for them, because it should include His will for every detail of our lives, not just that He might will someone to be a missionary or pastor. What’s in His Word should lead us to Him for His leading on how to apply it in all situations in our lives.
And on what you wrote about King David, there isn’t a spiritual comparison there. Without shining a Christian light on Halloween and exposing its Satanism and adopting an alternative Christian celebration, children are being exposed to that Satanism without protection. And children actually learn to fight Satan by slowly learning to put on the whole armor of God.
That’s a reply that really takes God’s Word lightly.
Pornography, including child pornography, isn’t included in the Bible either!
We’re to TEST the spirits, and overall apply all of God’s Word faithfully, rightly dividing the Word of truth.
And you’re pushing a view of grace that makes it meaningless, and simply excuses all sin. Do you know that Jesus warned of false prophets that He called ravening wolves in the church, as well as of tares?
One thing I have personally found — Puritan formulations can be rather dry, if intellectually strict. Here’s where more general Christian writers sometimes shine better, ladling out the living water. Why should we care about what Christ says? Because He loves us, in all the ways that love is described in 1 Corinthians 13. The thing that slugs me between the eyes here is patience, the first love virtue. Surely, I both think and feel, if God so waited on me, I can so wait on Him too.
That said, sending kids out trick-or-treating seems to slight the spirit of love. It’s about a game in which one hands out bribes to kids threatening tricks. Don’t do that, I would tell kids pondering it. It has a bad, unloving tone. But for kids coming around? Here’s what I used to do. I set out a huge bowl of candy and labeled it “Honor system. God bless you.”
One can read the bible so tightly that one misses general references, such as porneia, generally translated “sexual immorality,” which includes its namesake pornography. God’s point here is: keep your sex life faithful to Me and I will bless. Otherwise you toy around with the enemy’s curse.
“it should include His will for every detail of our lives”
Absolutely.
“And on what you wrote about King David, there isn’t a spiritual comparison there.”
God blessed David after this great betrayal of the Philistines who trusted him — slaughtered men, women, and children. It was the ultimate masquarade. It’s about as close to wearing a devil suit that you can find in the Bible.
And God blessed him. Blessings are spiritual.
“...children are being exposed to that Satanism without protection.”
Well there I agree. Horror movies, for example, almost always punish fornication with death or near-death and mournful loss. Witch boards never turn out good [except maybe during the Supernatural series sometimes]. The game, ‘Bloody Mary’ NEVER turns out good.
Parents are involved in Halloween activities. The more they are the better. But they have to have a fun loving spirit to make it fun.
And BTW — electric light is great when you are attacked by Demons. Jesus is better, but electric light is helpful. Circles of salt help too.
FRegards ....
“And you’re pushing a view of grace that makes it meaningless, and simply excuses all sin.”
The Bible says liars won’t get into Heaven.
You’re right, I shouldn’t be too worried about it, and I really don’t want my priorities to be misplaced. I will consider them more carefully.
I think your point about “trick” is a good one. And your method with the honor system candy bowl—a gift from you, rather than a rejection, while allowing them the choice of considering others—gives a good sense of how love overcomes all problems.
As we can see in this controversy, the enemy’s agenda to thwart our obedience to God is very tricky. But in the face of love, that agenda melts away into nothing.
See ya. Just not on Halloween....
See ya. Just not on Halloween....
Thank the good Lord for many mitigating factors that yet appear in the midst of our modern Halloweens. Let that be the first thing to say.
But let’s not slight those who want to go from that to something even better. Grace gives us room to learn through making mistakes and practicing towards what’s better.
And there might even be another way to let kids go around — dress in saint costumes (without a mask) and have them greet households with “God bless you” rather than “Trick or treat.” If the opportunity arises afterwards to share their treats, they could do that too.
That’s why salvation is necessary.
Salvation also expresses itself even on earth in a more considered view of the situation.
So you’re not a Christian, but you joined in the conversation without stating up front that you weren’t, which is deceptive, and you also ridiculed the opening post even though you’re not a Christian. It doesn’t matter that there’s not consensus.
God’s Word, inspired by His Holy Spirit, is our authority, and it says there are false teachers and false prophets and tares in the church, those who will twist and deny God’s Word. So in the church, there won’t be agreement, but God’s Word is there to lead us.
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