As new believers in Christ and young parents, my wife and I really struggled with Halloween and whether we would allow our kids to participate in it or not. While growing up, Halloween was such an intriguing time of the year, with ghosts, witches, goblins, ghouls and all sorts of eerie stuff, how fun, since I was taught all these things weren’t real. As I got older, and a little too old to roam about town looking for treats and tricks, I would help my parents hand out treats for the Trick or Treaters that came to our house. It was fun putting candy into their bags, looking at all the clever and creative costumes, and trying to guess who was behind the masks. Sometimes we would even recognize neighborhood kids who were way too old to be out Trick or Treating! I also have a memory of another side of our innocent candy collecting adventures. It was when my friend Jack and I were invited in by a man with the promise of candy. He kept stalling us and discouraged us from leav
Did you know that judgement is a basic teaching of Christianity and the Jewish faith? Here is what the New Testament writer of the Book of Hebrews said; “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites (baptisms), the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.” Hebrews 6:1-3 You may have noticed that this is not a common topic in today’s church! Personally, I do not think I have ever heard a sermon on it, though books have been written that cover the topic quite well. (For example Derek Prince’s book on Eternal Judgement is exceptionally good.) But, in the past this was not always the case, as we can see when the Apostle Paul stood before Governor Felix and his wife Drusilla explaining “faith in Christ Jesus”. “He sent for Paul and listened t