Halloween is just days away. I can remember when I was a kid how much we looked forward to it; candy, candy, and more candy! There was one old lady that would always make us take our mask off when trick or treating at her house so she could tell who we were. Man, what a bummer. It took all the pizzazz out of having a good mask. She did not give much candy either which did not help her reputation with us as a “good treater.” As I grew the trick or treating became less and less exciting. When our kids were small we would take them out but somehow, things had changed. The tradition had lost its appeal because the world had grown evil. Razor blades in apples and drugged candy ruined the fun. What I did not realize then has become plain to me now; mankind can mess up anything. The Apostle Paul told the people in Colosse; *“Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Halloween is one of those traditions. The reason it went sour is because it is not about Jesus. I did extensive study on how Halloween evolved and I can tell you that it does not glorify Christ in any way. The Bible teaches we must be careful how we think so that we do not get derailed in our thinking. Halloween has become a day in which evil and death is masked as make believe. The innocence of our ignorance of the day has been lost as we become more knowledgeable of the things of God and the tricks of the enemy to pull us into compromise. What are we to do pastor? Use spiritual discernment. Christianity is not a religion but a social movement. Taking a kid trick or treating will not cause them to end up in hell but if they grow up and never learn to believe in Jesus at some point in their life; that will. Halloween, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny, are all human traditions that may have good intentions, but beware of the message we are sending to our kids so that we do not confuse them when we teach them about Jesus.
Our Most Gracious Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Holy Spirit who guides me daily as I read Your Word. Help me to see things as they are and to never compromise the truth. Thank You Jesus as I ask in You: Amen.
In Christ: Br Mike <><
* Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. (Col 2:8).
No comments:
Post a Comment